Overheard #35, I think

Last night at bath time, Miss M was singing the "Days of the Year" song.  In case you haven't heard it before, it goes a little like this:

January, February, March, and April,
May, June, Ju-Y-M-C-A!

I'm sure her teacher, Ms. G, is very proud!

First Day of School (1st grade, Pre-K4)

Ah, the end of summer - back to a routine!  Back to our regularly scheduled activities!  Back to early wake-up calls!

Miss M has been so excited about going back to school!  Uncharacteristically, she was the first kid up this morning, and was cheerful about it, too!  She may be extra-excited because she's full-day this year.  Mister J asked, "Why do I have to get up so early?"  Never mind that he has been getting up early (on his own!) all summer long!  We still managed to make it out the door only 3 minutes behind my ideal schedule (I've already confirmed, I'm a dork), thanks to my very successful preparations last night!

So what slowed me down?  In truth, not the kids.  I wanted to take some pictures!  Forgive the poor color on the lunches - it was overcast this morning, so the natural lighting was non-existent.  (I'm also not taking the time to color correct since I'm anxious to go pick up my kiddos!)

It started with photos of their lunches, which we a little fancier today than normal.  Translation - they had some fun notes and stuff.  See?

Mister J's lunch had:

• turkey and cheddar sandwich, cut in half, with an apple cutout on the top slice of bread
• yogurt with a frozen cube of strawberry puree - according to Mister J, it kept the yogurt cold, but was also melted by lunchtime (yeah!)
• jello - a special treat for the first day of school (I don't usually pack a dessert).  It's hiding under the note from Mom & Dad
• veggies and ranch dip - an apple-shaped slice of cucumber and some carrots hiding underneath
• a Phineas and Ferb napkin - another fun surprise
• an afternoon snack of pretzel nuggets

Verdict:  He ate the whole thing!

Miss M's lunch had:

• half-sized turkey and cheddar sandwich with an apple cutout on the top slice of bread
• strawberry yogurt, store bought for the extra fiber
• jello - again, hiding under the note from Mom & Dad
• veggies and ranch dip - an apple-shaped slice of cucumber and some carrots hiding underneath
• a Princesses napkin - another fun surprise

Verdict: Leftover sandwich bits were not a surprise; Miss M prefers American cheese.

And finally, here's a picture of the two cutest kids I've ever taken to school:

Didn't even have to ask him to put an arm around his sister.  But I did have to ask her to not stick out her tongue.  Yep, just a normal day around here. Except for this - I can't remember the last time I was alone in the house.  It's kinda quiet....

Post-school update:  They walked out to the mommy-van holding hands and smiling!  Mister J wanted to talk non-stop about a new computer game he played at school.  He's usually not much of a talker, so I felt a tiny bit guilty for asking him to give Miss M a chance to answer a few questions about her day.  It wasn't long before I turned the conversation back over to Mister J; I could tell that Miss M was worn out after her first full day of school.  After a quick snack once we were home, Mister J invited a friend over and now they (along with Miss M) are playing in the backyard.

Also: check out last year's first day of school post.   Scroll down to see a picture of the kiddos - they have grown so much since last year!

Also posted to What's for Lunch Wednesday (Week 13) hosted by What's for Lunch at Our House.  Click on over to get some great lunch ideas!

itty bitty bento

Today was field day for Miss M, and we had to pack  a completely disposable lunch.  I really dislike packing 'throwaways' but made this one a little more Earth-friendly by reusing a container from a purchase last week.  It was the perfect size for a tiny lunch - I didn't figure she'd eat much after playing around in the heat.  She got her usual 1/2 sandwich, some cheese stars, Annie's Cheddar Bunnies with Craisins, and the last of the Cherrybrook Kitchen Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Along with a small bottle of water, this was lunch.  Packing into this smaller container was an enjoyable challenge.  Next time, I'll work towards a more balanced meal (no veggies here!).

Thursday Thanks #24

It's been a while. Too long, in fact, since I've posted a Thursday Thanks. This still isn't a return to regular posting (at least I don't think it is), but I'm glad to be here anyway!

Just a few moments ago, I commented on a blog. The question was, "What's your favorite day of the week?" Here's how I answered:

My favorite day of the week is Thursday. It's the day "Thursday Packets" come home from school. I can't resist looking at them as soon as possible! Over dinner, I let the kids talk about what's in their packets. Tucked inside we find school work or art work to talk about, and it gives our kids a good starting point to tell us about their accomplishments.

It's a great opportunity to celebrate their academic or creative achievement, or even talk about things that need a little improvement. Since it's over the dinner table and not at the homework table, we can even discuss potential improvement without it being a 'heavy' talk.

I'm thankful for the opportunity - and motivation - to celebrate the kids each Thursday!

The "Kid Office"

One of the projects that's been keeping me away from the blog. Bins in the corner hold all sorts of supplies - paper (drawing, construction, coloring books), crayons, markers, glue, things to glue onto paper, stickers (regular and foam), pipe cleaners, and more. Each kid has a supply box on the table. Covered canisters hold regular and colored pencils. Still need a place to hold Mister J's homework and reading packets each week, a trashcan, and a place to safely store scissors and a pencil sharpener.

First Day 2009 - Photo Edition

They're finally posted! Photos from the first week of school! Thanks for being so patient - everyone in this house is worn out from such a full week. We will hit our stride soon - which is actually a requirement, since Mister J's much-requested soccer practice begins next week, and Miss M's dance lessons begin the following week.

You might remember that Mister J wanted me to set his alarm clock to help him get up in the mornings. While it didn't quite work the first day, he's gotten up without my help each day since. Here are a few snapshots of our first day.

The kids got to take the last links down from their "how long is summer?" paper chain. Mister J wants another one to show him how long school will last. I think we are going to start using a month-at-a-time calendar instead!

Getting ready to get in the mommy-van and drive to school! The arms around each other was their idea - so sweet! Those smiles lasted all day long! I was mostly smiling, but milestones like this always get to me a little...

Walking from the parking lot to the front door. I'm amazed that this 'action shot' turned out - many of my photos from the morning are blurry :(

After a brief pause at the door to get his bearings, Mister J headed straight to his class. Today, he didn't even look back! Clearly, he's comfortable in his surroundings and happy to be there each day.

Miss M was also excited to get to class (once we pointed her in the right direction!). I think with a few more tries she'll be able to find the way on her own. I'll try not to cry when that happens....
I think she looks so tiny in this picture! She's in a (pea- and tree) nut-free classroom, and I'm packing her lunch each day to be sure I know exactly what she's eating. The safety measures the school has in place are great, but I feel more comfortable packing a lunch. Mister J has expressed an interest in purchasing his lunch, which we will be discussing over the weekend.

Mrs. G shared this photo of Miss M and her friend, K. It sure is nice to have a peek into what the day is like, since M's not at the age where she tells me a whole lot. She and K seem to be fast friends - there are a few photos of them playing together. Miss M also knows another little girl in the class, H, whose family goes to our church.

I was behind the camera on the first day of school, but finally made it in front of the camera on Day 3 (many thanks to the mom who snapped this photo!). As you can see, our school is in a very metropolitan area - and I think we are going to love it!

Also yesterday, the Farmer's Market was open. It's in an area adjacent to the school, and open twice a week from late spring through early fall . A few students (upper grades) were walking through the market at the same time I was walking through.

One of my favorite things from this week - besides the art the kids brought home, which will have to be another post - is the lunch plan that Mister J has been helping me with (I found the planning diagram on the Laptop Lunch Box website). Each evening, I give the kids a few choices for what their lunch on the following day. They pick from a variety of fruit, vegetable & dip, and sandwich options. Jonah has been recording their choices, and then I pack the lunches after the kids are in bed.
I helped out a bit with spelling, but most of that writing is Mister J's. I am so proud of him for being such a great helper! I hope to continue this through the school year - I think it's a great way to teach them about choosing healthy foods and about making/sticking to a plan. The spelling and handwriting practice are just a bonus! By the way, we ignored the days of the week on this plan. The left column was used for J's lunches, the right for M's lunches, and each row was for one day. Maybe I'll match up actual photos to the diagram in another post over the weekend....

Thursday Thanks #21

What a busy week it has been! School started on Tuesday - kindergarten for Mister J, and a new preschool (at the same school as Mister J) for Miss M. Of course, with a busy, milestone week come lots of thanks!

Last week, we met with the kids' teachers, Mrs G and Mrs J in Pre K-3 and Mrs M in kindergarten. I don't think I could have left the conferences feeling much better than I did. Both Miss M and Mister J were sorely disappointed the following morning when it wasn't a school day. So, I'm thankful for our teachers and for enthusiastic children.

We pulled the last link off of our summer countdown paper chain on Tuesday morning, and everyone was excited! I have a good list of thankful things from Tuesday:
- my alarm clock worked
-Mister J got out of bed with a smile
- minimal tears on my part, and most of them when I was back in the parking lot after dropping the kids off
- a decent to-do list for the morning, to keep me occupied until preschool pick-up
- the kids both ate nearly all of their lunches, especially important since Miss M is a grazer (they have 30 minutes for lunch)
- food allergy safety plans that I am comfortable with (many in place from prior years)
- Miss M's excitement to see me at pick-up, and a good first day
- Mister J's excitement at pick-up, and a good first day

Each day has brought some new tidbit about school from Mister J - I'm recording them in my planner. I'm thankful for these little tidbits - they are like gold to me! I am also thankful for the opportunity to volunteer at school (it's actually a requirement at our school!). Even though I'm not in my kids' classrooms, it gives me a bit of insight about a typical day. I don't want to be a helicopter parent, but in some instances (like food allergies) it's very, very necessary. My first 'shift' was on the first day of school - the result of a last-minute schedule change that worked out perfectly!

Now for a change of topic... It's been a long time since I've been out to girls night on a regular basis, so it was a real treat to have some unexpected time to visit with friends on Saturday morning (a friend I hadn't spent time with in nearly a month) and on Wednesday morning (friends I hadn't seen in a couple of weeks). Truly, the last-minute plans have really worked out well this week!

I'm also very thankful that I'm (finally) catching up on sleep! We are putting the kids to bed a bit earlier, and I'm letting myself off the hook on a few things this week so I can go to bed earlier. I even took a nap this afternoon - lovely!

I got my first bloggy award yesterday - woohoo! I'll be sharing the details in another post very soon.

I'm thankful for the mom who offered to take a photo of me with the kids this morning. I'd forgotten to get one with me in it (typical!) on the first day of school, and I didn't even imagine how hard it would be to get myself and the kids in a photo that I was taking myself - you know, the hold-the-camera-out-and-pray-it-turns-out-ok method - until I actually tried it! I didn't even think to look at the photo until a couple of hours later, and it's cute! I hope to get the 'first day' photos up this weekend - I really am eager to share them.

Thanks for stopping by!

previous Thursday Thanks posts

First Day 2009 - Mom Edition

So far, I'm doing ok. "Lean on Me" came on the radio as I pulled out of the school parking lot.... I changed the station.
I have been waiting for the day I would have two free hands. Now I am trying to figure out how to fill them. I know we will find our rhythm soon enough, but for now I think it IS okay to miss my babies. At the same time, I will (try to) celebrate how well they did this morning!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5:55am - Wake up before alarm clock. This - by itself - is a miracle.
6:00am - Alarm clock buzzes. Hit snooze, and say a few prayers until it buzzes again.
6:05am - Out of bed. It's still dark outside. Peek out of bathroom window and take note of other families up at this hour. Can't bring myself to turn on the (bright) bathroom lights - take shower in the dark
6:30am - Out of shower, dressed, and downstairs to finish packing lunches. Also getting goodies ready to take to staff workday at our former preschool.
6:45am - Mister J's alarm clock goes off (he asked me to set it last night). He doesn't budge until I call his name.
7:00am - I'm back downstairs finishing up the lunches. Mister J comes down for breakfast. He's dressed and, I'll find out later, his bed is neatly made. I serve his breakfast, then head upstairs to get Miss M out of bed.
By 7:30am, Miss M is dressed and has eaten breakfast, everyone has brushed their teeth and has shoes on, and we are nearly ready to go. I thought about breakfast, negotiated with the butterflies in my stomach, an managed to eat about 1/2 a portion.
By 8:00 am, we have taken First Day of School photos (only 3 tries to get a good one) and are loaded and ready to go. Miss M rides with M, and Mister J rides with Daddy.

After dropping Mister J in his class, Big J has to nudge me ("that's it, time to go") before we head over to Miss M's class. I realize that I'm the only parent there who is helping unpack Miss M's backpack (allergy meds, first-day paperwork). Neither of our kids seemed to want a big mommy-hug, and barely glanced our way as we said goodbye. I know that's a good sign, but man is it ever tough on a mommy's heart.

By 8:30, I was heading back out to the mommy-van and over to the preschool. By 9:15am, I was at Wal-Mart with my shopping list. I had one hour to shop before heading back to the kids' school for my volunteer time. I was done with my shopping in record time, even though I tried to take my time....

10:15 am - Blogging from school parking lot.
10:30 am - Head in early for volunteer hours - needed to get a lesson on how to log my hours, anyway....
10:45-11:45 - Served lunch in one of the K1 classrooms. When that was done, I checked email until it was time to pick up Miss M.
12 noon - Miss M was excited to see me at the end of her day :) Saw Mister J on our way out - he seemed to be having a great day!
12:30pm - Home it's rest time for Miss M, and time for me to get some work done. She mentions that she doesn't want to be at home (I guess since Mister J got to stay at school).
1:30pm - Miss M comes into my office. "Mom, I have something to tell you. I had a good nap." She never actually slept, and her 'nap' included a potty break - but I am hopeful that the room time will become a good part of her afternoon routine.
2:45pm - After making an octopus, mixing a lovely shade of orange from some bright pink and yellow, and cleaning up, we are on the way to pick up Big J
3:05pm - Waiting in standstill traffic to pick up my kindergartener. The line moves quickly once the kids start coming out of school.
3:15pm - A couple of blocks away from school - thankfully not any further - we realize that Mister J forgot his lunchbox. Back into the fray, but this time on foot. His teacher is just inside the door - she saw us coming.
3:30pm - On the way home from the first day of school!

Mister J finished his lunch leftovers (1/2 a bagel sandwich) when he got home. Then he and Miss M built a fort, listened to TJ Bearytales, and then we cuddled for a double-feature of WordGirl (opens with sound). Then, I started dinner while Mister J and Miss M picked out what I'll be packing for tomorrow's lunch. I ask the questions (would you like A, B, or C kind of sandwich? D, E, or F kind of vegetable? etc, etc.), they give the answers, and Mister J writes it on our lunch planner sheet (see p. 2 - it's a chart for the Laptop Lunch Boxes). I'll eventually scan the first sheet and share it here, along with some first day photos. For now, I'm wiped out - so I'm packing tomorrow's lunches and then going to bed. I know they were worn out, too - Miss M, our grazer, finished her dinner before Mister J. That never happens!

Oh, one more thing. I sent quarters for the kids to buy milk with their lunches today. I coached them about where the quarters were, and to give them to the teacher when she asked who was buying milk today. Since they had quarters, I did not pack a drink. Both of my kids drank water with lunch today. Why didn't they buy milk? I forgot to tell M's teacher, so I'm not surprised (I emailed her this afternoon to let her know that there are quarters in M's lunchbox) - but I still looked like the mom that forgot to pack a drink, at least for a few hours. Mister J's answer? "There wasn't any store." ((grins)) Tomorrow, I'll make sure his teacher knows he has quarters.

School's (Almost) Out!

Today was Miss M's last day of preschool at our current preschool. Mister J's last day is tomorrow. (They will both attend public magnet school next year that serves students from Pre-K 3 through 5th grade.)

We spent some time last evening on cards for their teachers, which they gladly delivered this morning. They are very excited for summer! They were not, however, excited about my desire to take a couple of pictures of them before school this morning. It was one of those overcast-but-bright mornings, so they both wanted to squint for the camera. Still, here's this morning's best shot, compared similar ones from about 9 months ago.

May 2009

September 2008

Don't they just look so much more grown up? I can't even imagine what they'll look like come August!

A Good Reason to Be Up Late

I was going to go to bed at a decent hour tonight. Really, I was. But after dinner, I sat down with the kids so they could draw pictures and write notes to their teachers. And Big J had the excellent idea of giving Mister J some lined paper for his notes to his teachers. (Really, it was such a good idea, and I'm feeling a bit silly for not thinking of it myself....) And then the kids drew some really cute stuff. Mister J drew a picture that I scanned before I finished up all of the cards. Then I wrote a few notes, stuck their drawings into the cards, and sealed up all of the envelopes. I put all of my scrapbooking/cardmaking supplies away, tucked the cards into my purse for delivery tomorrow morning, turned off all of the downstairs lights, and went upstairs with a copy of Mister's J's drawing of "Flying a Kite with My Dad" to show Big J. As I was telling him about all of the other cute drawings, it occurred to me that I should have just scanned them all. (Tonight's artwork was that memorable. They don't draw stuff that like that everyday. At least not for us!) So, I came back downstairs, turned some (but not all) of the lights back on, opened all of the envelopes up (glad I have some extras...), and scanned all of my kiddos' artwork. Now I'm going to write new envelopes, stuff them, lick and stick them, put them with my purse ... you get the idea!

I know that you just might want to see that artwork, but I don't think it's fair to let you see it before the intended recipients. So you'll have to wait. But I promise it will make an appearance on the blog, perhaps with another bit of art by Miss M, who seems to have a tiny interest in outer space (so she's definitely her father's daughter!).

Also, I'll try to post pics of the garden we planted this weekend, but only if you will promise to ignore my pasty whiteness. (Yes, thanks to Grandma RL, I'm actually in some of the pictures!) I do go outside, but with sunscreen, since I'm a "burn, don't tan" kind of girl. Also, ever tried to get your kids to wear sunscreen without putting your own on? If you need better self-care habits, I promise you that having a child is a great motivator. Especially one that's old enough to question your every move - but more on that later. See, now you have a few good reasons to come back!

Picnic!

Miss M's class picnic is today, and we having fun in spite of a few sprinkles. Notice the new 'do? (For having a wiggly little girl last night, I think it looks OK!) Even more importantly, did you notice that she smiled and looked at the camera for this picture?!?

Thursday Thanks #9

Now that we are in the final countdown until summer, I think it's most appropriate today to thank our preschool teachers for everything they have done this year.

Most of the moms I know - myself included - love preschool for the kid-free time we get a couple of days each week. Kid-free time during daylight hours. Kid-free time during time during daylight hours that we spend running errands with only our purse/keys/cell phone to keep track of - things that don't usually wander off alone while we ponder the merits of two different dishwashing detergents. Or maybe we just meet up for coffee with friends. Coffee with friends that is not interrupted by someone that wants another milk/juice/cookie or that dropped a crayon. But that's certainly not what preschool is all about, and these are the least of the reasons for which I am thankful.

Today I want to tell you what I truly appreciate about my kids' preschool teachers. This is by no means an exhaustive list - mainly because I'm so exhausted already, and summer's not even here.

I am thankful for our preschool teachers because:

• They take a personal interest in our children, worry about our children, pray for our children, and pray for us when we have challenges as parents
• They are teaching our children lessons and Scripture from the Bible, as well as the lessons that they need to be successful in school. We also have a great music teacher who loves the children, and who the children look forward to seeing each week!
• They really know our children - their likes/dislikes, their health issues, and other very child-specific details
• They have the patience to do to love a job that exhausted me after one day of substitute teaching
• They don't hesitate to call when they have questions or concerns, or to take time out to meet with me when needed
• They make special days really special - like the Christmas and Spring Music Programs, 100th Day Party, Mother's Day Tea and yesterday's graduation
• They encourage our children to reach beyond their limits and celebrate their successes
• They never fail to comfort our children with a hug, whether it's needed for separation anxiety, a boo-boo, or some other source of disappointment
• They never fail to comfort me with a hug - because certainly we moms need comforting sometimes, too!

Our preschool also has two wonderful administrators who keep things running smoothly. They wear so many different hats - including many of the above! My gratitude extends to each of them as well for the work they do for the children, the parents, and the teachers!

As this year comes to a close - the last year Mister J and Miss M will be at our preschool - I'm reminded of just how important these people have been in our lives over the past two years. Although I'm looking forward to enrolling them in our new school - and continuing to have them in the same school - it has been very bittersweet for me to think about them leaving preschool at the same time. Too many milestones for this mama, but I know we I will make it through!

Pomp and Circumstance

My little guy is now a graduate. Yes, that's right, he graduated today. This morning was his preschool graduation, including caps and "diplomas." I have several photos and a video of all of the children singing, which I will upload soon (-er or later). There was a picnic following the ceremony in the Family Life Center/gym/'Sanctuary with a Scoreboard' (thanks, Bob!). Along with the lunches I'd packed, the kids enjoyed running about and playing with all of the other graduates. The kids in Mister J's class all know Miss M since they see her at drop-off 2 of 4 mornings a week, and they were glad to include her in the fun (she was not in class today).

Sorry, not so great with the editing yet. Or remembering to use the zoom feature on my camera....

Miss M's class picnic is tomorrow - her next-to-last day of preschool for the year. Her next-to-last day of preschool at our church. Oh, this is a bittersweet time for me!

She'll be sporting a new haircut at school tomorrow. I gave her a cute little bob this evening. It'll be much easier for summer, especially since we'll be spending lots of time at the pool! I'm not the best at haircuts on young wiggly children, but I think it looks ok. Of course, it's not totally dry, slept on overnight, and combed out the next morning for other (perhaps more competent at hairstyling than me) adults to see. But she likes it!

Best. Mother's Day. Ever

Yes, it's the Tuesday after Mother's Day. Yes, I'm just getting around to telling you about the weekend. But the Mother's Day celebration didn't end on Sunday. I'll tell you abut that, too.

So, how did I spend my weekend? Helping Big J and Grandpa R on Project Re-New the Back Porch 2009. My back porch has been pressure washed and re-screened, and the porch furniture has been cleaned. It was a three-person, 2 ladder project, and I am excited to say that I'm spending the 2nd afternoon in a row on the porch while the kids are having 'quiet' time. It's like having an extra, very clean room in the house. The lovely weather this afternoon - sunny, 70s, light breeze - makes it even more enjoyable.

As I mentioned, the celebration didn't end when the pressure washer was put away. Today was the Mother's Day Tea at preschool, hosted by the four-year-old classes. The tables were decorated with pink tablecloths, vases of pipe cleaner "flowers", place cards for each mom, and a flower pin made by each child for his/her mom. When the children came in, they sang four sweet songs before they joined us at our tables for refreshments and gave us gift bags with special goodies they made themselves (a book about moms, a photo magnet, and a list of questions that each child answered about their mom - by the way, I weigh 600 pounds, but it's ok since I'm 1000 feet tall!). It was such a sweet and special treat, and of course I took several photos. My favorite one, though, is this one (even though you can't see the flower pin that Mister J made for me):
Mister J was so excited for today! He's worked very hard to keep the special songs a secret, and only sang one of them to me before the Tea. He didn't tell me about the gifts at all, so that was an extra-special surprise. Thanks to all of the teachers for making this such a special morning!

Updated: Can't believe I left this part out! When we were in line for refreshments, Mister J turned to me and said, "Mom, I think this is the best Mother's Day ever!" :)

Busy Thursday!

It was a busy day, but we also had a lot of fun! After dropping Miss M off at preschool...

Painting with her teacher, S

we headed downtown to the kids' new school for Mister J's kindergarten assessment. He had a great time, and we saw some familiar faces - something we weren't sure would happen since it's a magnet school (admission is by district-wide lottery). Once we finished there, it was back to the preschool for a special event - an ice cream social and guitar music to help celebrate Week of the Young Child. The kids enjoyed the ice cream, and we all enjoyed trying to dance and keep up with the motions to the new songs we were learning!

Pre-ice cream - notice the lack of chocolate syrup drips on my children

Mister J found a friend to dance with and got away from us in the (small) crowd. Miss M stayed close and I was able to get a few pictures. She was a little slower to warm up to the dancing, but eventually made her way through the crowd to find her big brother.

While Miss M took an afternoon nap, Mister J and I turned these...
into these! With the addition of a soccer ball, we are bowling in the backyard!

I can't take all the credit for the idea, but I do love that we were able to take some 'trash' (which we would have recycled) and reuse it to make something fun without spending a dime! It took a little trial and error to decide just how much sand to use (1/2 cup per bottle, in case you were interested), which was part of the fun.

Lest you think our sandbox will run out of sand, we have plenty left over from the sandbox birthday party of '08.

Spring Break, Day 2

So, what did we do this afternoon? Well, I'm glad you asked! We had the long-awaited-by-Mister J-since-the-snow-closed-everything-for-two-days-and-our-appointment-got-bumped trip to the dentist. The kids had back-to-back appointments, and thankfully Big J was able to get away from work to help out. Here's Mister J wearing his cool, dentist-provided shades to keep the bright light out of his eyes.

(Opening up to say, "Ahh," for the camera was his idea!)

Have you ever seen any better incentive for opening wide for the dentist? My kids are wild about video games (I have no idea where they got that from...), and were very excited that this one is a two-player game that doesn't need money. Woo hoo! Never mind all the rest of the swag they came home with....

Next on our list was the grocery store. I usually love going to the grocery store. I usually go alone, while the kids are in preschool. Today was a reminder of why.... When Mister J asked if he could push a small cart today, I thought he was talking about one like the lady is pushing in the background of the photo below. Nope, he meant the tiny, kid-sized carts - and he pulled out one for Miss M, as well. I forgot they had them at this particular store.... Two small carts + two smallish kids + one nutty mom = lots of comments from other customers, some of them unwelcome. Do I sound like I have a story? You guessed it, I do! Miss M's cart wasn't quite as easy to push as a cart designed for a child should be. I was trying to help her steer when she told me (in a less-than-patient manner) that she didn't want me to help. Lady (not in photo) walking by laughed out loud at the exchange. Then, she wanted to tell me a story about her granddaughter that I wasn't very interested in listening to - aside from the fact that she laughed out loud, I still had another child to keep track of, and he was walking in the opposite direction! To say I was somewhat frazzled at the end of this grocery run would be quite an accurate statement. To say that I missed preschool today would be accurate, as well. Here are my two personal shoppers. Jonah is trying to explain to me how the ice cream scoop he is looking at works, and why we need it. We actually have two ice cream scoops, which I have found to be plenty, so we did not purchase the ice cream scoop in question. Please ignore the frozen french fries and pay more attention to the organic lettuce....

It's been overcast all day today. It's supposed to rain the rest of the week. On our way out of the grocery store I stopped by the redbox for a movie we could enjoy as a family. It's not animated, so I expect it'll be just the adults watching. I'll let you know how it goes.

Loooong Overdue

My, has March been a busy month! And, when Mommy gets busy, the blog suffers :( Here's the quick rundown of our month before I get to the pictures (which I know you will probably scroll down to, then maybe come back and read this part of the post....):

March 1-7 - Major UMW fundraiser at church, only slightly impacted by the weather
March 7 - my birthday :)
March 9 - Miss M's tonsillectomy
March 9-23 - Miss M's recovery from tonsillectomy (yep, it really takes 2 weeks)
March 12-15 - Visit from Mom (we celebrated BOTH of our birthdays with a yummy, baked-from-scratch carrot cake and a girls-only dinner out)
March 20-21 - overnight trip for scrapbooking fun with friends!
March 27-29 - solo trip to my Dad's
March 30-April 3 - kids' Spring Break from preschool

So - you wanted pictures? Here they are - don't say I didn't warn you that there are PLENTY!

Mister J visiting Miss M post-tonsillectomy. When I looked back at these pics, I realized just how miserable she looked. Some interesting tidbits - she refused to wear the hospital gown (or any other PJs, for that matter) the entire time she was in the hospital; she wanted to eat bananas more than anything else post-op, and didn't care for popsicles at all; she got very annoyed by the pulse/ox monitor on her toe, and pulled it off several times; I have never been so thankful for NOGGIN shows available 24/7, as we were up most of the night that we were there.

Grandma and Grandpa R sent flowers to Miss M while she was in the hospital, but she didn't get a chance to really appreciate them until we got home. Still working on where we will plant the azalea when the weather finally warms up!

I didn't take a picture of the delicious, two-layer, made-from-scratch carrot cake with delicious, made-from-scratch frosting that I baked for mom's and my birthday celebration weekend. I suppose that pat on the back I just gave myself will suffice.

The next weekend, I got away for an overnight trip! Spent the night (and ate Chinese!) with my former student worker-turned-great friend, H, and got to catch up the latest news that I can't get via her blog. The next day was a HUGE, all-day scrapbooking event! We were joined by my friend J and her friend B for the beach-themed day of fun! Don't we look cool? (The answer, in case you aren't sure, is most certainly YES!)

J, B, H, and me

It was back to real life for a few days, then I was off on another solo trip - this time a weekend at my Dad's! (Seems I didn't copy a pic from my camera that I was going to post here.... can you tell I'm wiped out by all the busy-ness of the month?!?). I had a great time, and wished I could have stayed longer - but I sure did miss my kids! It hit me most on Sunday morning when I was sitting on the couch all by myself, watching the news, and nobody interrupted me. Never realized what a treasure those little interruptions are!

The kids are on spring break this week, so today I took the kids to a new-to-us local park for a picnic and some geocaching. Mister J has been asking to go 'treasure hunting' for a couple of weeks now, since Big J told me they wanted to upgrade my membership at geocaching.com for my birthday (yay!).

This first picture is for those of you who asked me to post more photos of the kids' lunches. With the addition of a baggie of crackers and my big, blue bottle of water, all three of us ate from the Laptop Lunch Boxes today.

Mister J was trying not to squint even though he was looking away from the sun. Oh, and how cool is it that I took this pic with my cell phone and emailed it to myself and posted it here?!? Yes, you should be impressed. I have an even cooler trick up my sleeve, but I'm waiting until the next cell phone photo op to share.

Next shot was me trying to get a photo of them together. Well, they are together.... I never said I would be able to get them to look at the camera at the same time! Check out how big they are getting!

Oh, look - here they are again, and they are both looking at the camera! I managed it once - on our only cache find of the day. They sure had fun checking out the treasures inside, but in the end we TNLNSL.

Aren't they just the cutest little geocachers you have ever seen? They were pretty adventurous today, and stuck it out even though we were 1 for 3 today. There was another interesting find at the park today - a 500+ year old poplar tree. It's been struck by lightning, and the remains of the trunk are now hollow - a pretty cool hiding spot for a 5-year-old!

Here are a couple more shots as we were wrapping up our afternoon of geocaching. The kids enjoyed the gravel path (picking up and tossing the rocks) and thought the storm drain under the path was very cool. They wanted to crawl through it, but I exercised my mommy-veto power on that one!



Jonah was a big help today - he carried our caching backpack when Miss M got too tired to keep up with us and 'needed' to be carried (though she had plenty of energy to play when we stopped here!).

On the way home, we got a call from friends who were meeting for a quick playdate at another local park. The kids were excited to see their friends E and C, and I enjoyed a brief visit with my friends AW and AT. I was amazed that the kids still had enough energy to keep their eyes open - nevermind swing, climb, run, and generally just play hard!

I did manage a snap of Miss M and Miss E when they were taking a breather. They are hanging out under the playground equipment playing with - what else? - rocks! Not sure what it is about rocks, but my kids both seem to want to pick every one they see. Is it a stage? Will they outgrow it? Insight, please!

So, what's in store for tomorrow and the rest of Sping Break? Well, tomorrow is the dentist - the kids have back-to-back appointments. Wish me luck! The forecast for the last half of the week is for rain, so perhaps we will do some crafts. Big J's birthday is Thursday, so we also have to do a little shopping. We have to buy a gift, of course, and the ingredients for a(nother) delicious, two-layer, made-from-scratch carrot cake with delicious, made-from-scratch frosting! Yippee! Perhaps I'll remember to take a picture this time!

I've said it before...

... and I'll say it again - these lunch boxes are magic!

Preschool was on a 2-hour delay today, so both kids got to stay for lunch. The excitement of staying for lunch ended any disappointment Mister J might have felt about the delay (he loves preschool!). Miss M was excited simply because the lunch boxes were out. Here's what they took for lunch today:

Miss M's lunch

Green container: applesauce
Small blue container: Craisins
Orange container: ranch dip
Pink container: edamame, baby carrots, cucumber hearts
Large blue container: small (one slice) soy butter and jelly sandwich

Mister J's lunch

Yellow container: applesauce with a sprinkle of cinnamon
Blue container: Craisins and chocloate chips
Purple container: ranch dip
Red container: baby carrots and cucumber hearts
Green container: soy butter and jelly sandwich

When I picked Miss M up from preschool, her teachers told me that she had eaten every bit of food and she was licking the dip container. I knew she would be excited about her lunch - it was very difficult this morning to convince her to wait until she got to school to eat her lunch - but I never imagined she'd eat it all!

When I picked Mister J up, I asked him about his lunch. He'd also eaten everything I packed! He and I had an interesting exchange when I was packing lunches this morning. When I asked if he wanted cinnamon on his applesauce he replied that his friends don't like cinnamon. I replied that what was most important was whether or not he liked cinnamon and wanted it on his applesauce. He agreed, but I still wasn't too sure he'd eat it - he usually skips it, but I keep trying.... And today - success!

After seeing how well both of my kids ate at lunch today, I feel like I should call their teachers to confirm that they did, indeed, eat breakfast this morning. I also feel like I should serve every meal in their lunch boxes, and perhaps order another couple of sets!

Marathon Birthday Week

Well, it's a week later I'm finally getting around to posting about Mister J's birthday celebrations. That should tell you just a little bit about how much fun we had! Admittedly, it was a lot of work, but I sure hope everyone enjoyed the end result as much as we did.

We took cupcakes to preschool for Mister J's actual birthday, and celebrated over the weekend. Grandma RL arrived on Thursday evening, and Aunt L and Grandma & Grandpa R arrived on Friday. Grandpa H and MeMaw had to steer clear since he was just finishing up his chemotherapy (yay, Daddy!) and still had some radiation treatments to go.

After a day of shopping/party preparation on Friday, the big weekend started with a cook-your-own pizza party in the evening to celebrate a buddy of Mister J who shares the same birthday.

Mister J was pretty proud of his final product! While I expected to pick up a child covered head-to-toe in flour, Mister J was spotless once he took off his apron. I think there's a place for him in my kitchen....

Saturday was Mister J's day, and the rain held off for some birthday fun! We played musical chairs, had a visit from some firemen (you may remember that we got the idea from a friend's party), and played a party-themed version of Bingo that I decided to call "Flame." I absolutely loved leading the game of musical chairs. I had some great cheerleaders who helped me with "stop" and "go" after they were out of the game.

You might remember a similar photo - only in shorts - from our friend's party.


Thanks Grandma RL for another awesome birthday cake :) She spent so much time on making it perfect so that we could just cut it up and eat it (it was yummy)!

On Saturday evening, Big J and I were at church for our Sunday school class' Christmas Dinner. Grandma and Grandpa R had some one-on-one time with the kids while we were out (thanks!).
(n.b. - Never make plans to host/coordinate two parties in one day. However, if you must, having them in the same place is a very good idea).

On Sunday morning, Mister J sang in the "Cherub Choir" at church. It was so sweet, and I'm glad that all of our visiting family could stay to hear them sing. After brunch at one of our favorite restaurants, it was time to say our good byes.

The last few days have been spent playing with the new toys and games - what fun! - and of course learning a few lessons about sharing. Some of those new 5-year-old toys have tiny parts, so we're also learning more about the importance of not losing pieces and keeping them out of reach of little hands. No real tragedies yet, but a few close calls!

As for me, I'm now the mother of a 5-year-old. Whoa - when did that happen?

Feed a what? Starve a who?

I'm home with Miss M today. My exciting, had-it-planned-for-over-a-week, Mommies-Only Playdate got rescheduled due to my feverish little girl who couldn't go to preschool today. Oh, and because of the rainy weather. Yesterday's rain wasn't very conducive to geocaching today, especially since my friend and I were planning to walk the Muddy Creek Greenway on our hunt. But, I digress....

I think I have finally figured it out - I know the answer to the old "Feed a ____, Starve a ____" advice! It's feed a fever, starve a cold (as if any of us would actually starve a sick child....). How did I figure it out? Because my feverish child has been ravenous today. Applesauce, crackers, chicken, fries, more crackers, more applesauce, and LOTS of (straw)berry milk. She also asked for yogurt and a bagel, but that happened when we were on the way to preschool pickup and had no food in the mommy-van. Miss M never eats this much. Ever. Not when she's well, and definitely not when she has a cold. I can barely keep up with her today. So I'm convinced I should feed a fever and 'starve' a cold. Oh, and did I mention my budding vegetarian ate chicken today? Granted, she was only doing it so she could have some fries (one of her favorites), but she wasn't refusing. And - she ate steak last night. Not kidding. She actually asked for seconds on the steak. Wow. I'm thinking that aside from the not going to preschool today part, the fever this time is not such a bad thing....