October Fun

Well, October wasn't all fun and games... Miss M got the flu and missed 6 days of school. She also missed a birthday party for another PA (peanut allergy) kid, which was a bit disappointing for mommy (one of the few times she can attend a party without me worrying about the party food). For 3 of those days, Mister J was also home sick. Not to be left out, Big J and I have had our own days of feeling puny. Thankfully, the kiddos were feeling better just in time for some Fall and Halloween fun!

Miss M attended a ballerina birthday party for her friend, H. Here she is in the 'dressing room' getting ready to dance with a real ballerina who came to perform for the girls and then teach them a few ballet moves.

I didn't take many photos at our church's Fall Festival, and here's the only one the kiddos together. They were in line for the pony rides, so they didn't want to sit still. Mister J seemed to have the most fun playing Bingo, and Miss M had the most fun getting snacks - sno cones, popcorn, and cotton candy!

It's been a rainy month, so we just picked out our pumpkins last week. I managed to get only a few snapshots of the kids - they are so glad to be feeling better that it's tough to get them to hold still! The pumpkin patch we go to always has lots of neat places set up for photo ops.

Mister J is in the back of a big wagon that's decorated and filled with hay bales. Miss M is in the background, refusing to join the photo :)

Before we knew it, Halloween was here! Mister J wanted to be a fireman - how do you think his costume turned out? I found the coat at a local consignment shop (on sale for 50% off - yeah!). The helmet was a gift at his fire truck birthday party last year. Those boots are the ones I got for him when the kids were both asking for rain boots early in the year (they still fit!). Pants - regular cargos from Wal-Mart. The badge is a sticker from out local fire department, and those (removable) stripes are made of duct tape. I'm pretty proud of how this came together!

And here's the costume Miss M selected. I bet you aren't even surprised that it's dance related :)
Trick or Treat! I'm Angelina Ballerina! Yes, I'm a mouse - see my tail?
The pink dance costume was borrowed from a friend. I attached felt ears to a headband I already had, and edged them with some fuzzy, feathery stuff I found at AC Moore. That same thing was used for the tail. The (new!) pair of white tights didn't make it through the evening - oh, well! I bought some black and white makeup to mix into grey for her whiskers. The long-sleeved shirt was straight from her closet. All totaled, I spent less than $35 on new items for both costumes - and the pants and coat can be worn again! Too bad about the tights....

Instead of the normal house-to-house trick-or-treating, we attended Halloween Festival/Trunk or Treat at two churches. The kids had a great time, and I thought it was nice to have Halloween fun without dealing with traffic in the dark (half of our neighborhood has sidewalks, the other half does not).

Mister J was very patient, and won a cupcake after several rounds of the cake walk.
Mister J and Miss M also enjoyed several other games before decided it was time to move on to our next stop. On the way to Great-Grandma's house, we passed a fire station that was also holding a small Halloween festival. Since Mister J was dressed as a fireman, we had to stop. Guess who got to cross the caution tape and have his picture made in the fire truck? He felt like a super star!
Remind you of anything?

It was hard to get the kids away from the games at the fire station. There was no waiting, so they wanted to play over and over and over again. Miss M was getting extra help with basketball - that's the only way my 3-year old could have dunked on the 6-foot-high goal!

Although Halloween is a particularly worrisome time for PA families, Mister J and Miss M understand our "No Candy until Mom or Dad check it out" rule. I'd considered Trick-or-Treat for Unicef this year, but since we went to the festivals instead of door-to-door, we opted to take a pumpkin to collect a few treats. It's also tough (on my heart) to take the candy out of a holiday when I know it just takes a little effort on my part to sort out the safe from the unsafe. We were also very clear about what was ok (or not) when given the choice of treats - which happened more often than not at the church festivals.

It's November now, so we will take down our Halloween decorations. The pumpkins (which we didn't carve) become our Thanksgiving decorations. Planning for Mister J's birthday begins now - I've got just over a month!

Extra-curricular fun

The kids are having a blast at school - along with the regular 'stuff' of preschool and kindergarten, there are field trips, 'specials' like art, music, and visits to the library, and the new play park on campus. The kids also chose a special activity to do outside of school. It's dance for Miss M, which will last through June. Mister J chose soccer for the fall, he'll be taking an after school science class through early December, and will start basketball at our church in January. As I read that, it seems like Mister J has a lot going on, but we have chosen to keep their activities limited to one day per week, and we don't let the activities overlap (soccer ends before science begins, science ends before basketball begins).

Here are a few snapshots of my cuties all dressed for fun!

Mister J on the first day of soccer

Mister J getting his trophy at the end-of-season festival. This cold, rainy morning was his best soccer day so far!

Miss M on her first day of dance class - she was SO excited! She goes to her dance class right from preschool, so she wasn't in her dance clothes yet - they are in her bag!

Ready to dance! She picked out the lavender leotard the day we registered her for class!

Look, Mommy!

Miss M was so proud of herself for completing this floor puzzle on her own! Since then, she's mastered a few others, and some with smaller pieces. She really enjoys puzzles, just like her big brother!

Backyard Fun...

... while the weather was still warm enough!

This was back in September over the long Labor Day weekend - a spontaneous "okay!" to one of Mister J's requests to have a water balloon fight. It was well worth the cold, sore fingers from tying off what seemed like 100 tiny, fragile, water-filled balloons! (Did I mention that I'm not so great at tying balloons?)
Here's what we started with - they lasted lass than five minutes, I think!
I have some 'action shots' of the fun - Daddy joined in and kept the kids laughing the entire time! - but my point-and-shoot really didn't do justice to the fun. The smiles in the shot above are the best ones that I got of the kids - and that was before the action started!

Lunches - Big Catch-Up Post

Ahh - I'm back on the blog! It's a cold, wet, lazy Sunday afternoon. The kids are napping. Miss M was, as usual, up with the sun. Add to that a late bedtime on Halloween, and the 'fall back' didn't really help her out. She fell asleep on the way home from lunch with friends this afternoon. Mister J is taking quiet time, too, so I'm spending some time going through photos and working on the blog - yay! I'm going to start with a big post about lunches, move on to some other noteworthy events, and wrap it up with Halloween photos - stick with me, ok?

So ... lunches! I've packed two lunches per day since school began - the only exceptions being one day that Mister J asked to eat "hot lunch" from school and the days the kids were home sick (Miss M - 6 days due to flu, Mister J - 3 days due to congestion/scratchy throat/cough). That's a LOT of lunches! I still enjoy packing them, though I don't always enjoy doing it at 9 or 10pm. While the lunch planning chart hasn't lasted like I'd hoped, we still take the time to talk about what will be in the lunch boxes.

Here are just a few of the lunches I've packed over the last two months.

Lunches the first two days - these first two are nearly identical. Miss M's has yogurt and strawberries, Mister J's has Craisins and cheese cubes.


These next two have spaces for cucumbers I added the next morning. The roll-ups in Miss M's lunch were not a hit, but they both liked the pears. The small lidded container typically holds Thousand Island for Miss M, Italian for Mister J (unless I have ranch dip or hummus).


As I mentioned above, just because it's in the lunchbox doesn't mean it's a hit (a change from the early days of the Laptop Lunch Boxes!). I almost always pack things they have eaten for me at home, because it's important to me that they have a filling lunch that they enjoy. However, that doesn't mean that they will eat it!
Miss M's lunch - Yogurt with fresh strawberries, grapes, grape tomatoes, green beans. While she will eat raw green beans at home, she didn't touch them in her lunch box.

Mister J's lunch - Corn and black bean salad/salsa, tortilla chips, cheese cubes, small container has sour cream inside, grapes, home-made fruit bar (I'll post the recipe sometime - these are yummy!) Mister J tasted the salad/salsa at home the day before, and said he'd like it in his lunch. He may have taken one bite of it at school :(

This must have been a Tuesday - sometimes I pack lunch for myself since we go to Miss M's dance class right after preschool. Mine had a small salad under the fruit bar - salad dressing in the small container instead of sour cream.

I made some 'fun' lunches the last two days before Fall Break - my only opportunity to send Halloween-themed goodies. On Tuesday, I packed cat-shaped sandwiches. Unfortunately, the kids didn't think bread looked like a Halloween-ish cat with arched back. Miss M told me she had a skunk-shaped sandwich, and Mister J thought his was a horse. (Why is it that the lunches I took photos of turned out to be the flops?)

This was lunch on Wednesday:
Pumpkin-shaped ham and cheese sandwich, Fritos, blood orange segments, pumpkin-shaped cucumber slices, orange bell pepper bits, ranch dip in the small container. This lunch went over pretty well, though Mister J asked me to not pack bell pepper in his lunch anymore. One of the few times I tried the magic of the lunchbox, hoping he'd try something new!

Overall, the kids enjoy their lunches. I'm getting better at packing the proper portion for the amount of time they have to eat lunch (30 minutes). Most mornings they ask to see what's in the boxes, even if they helped pick things out the night before. They don't know how good it makes me feel to see them excited about their lunches!

One day a week, I volunteer during the lunch period in one of the K-1 classes at school. At this age, the children eat lunch in their classrooms. I have discovered that most children (usually about 2/3 of the children in the class I work with) bring lunches from home. Initially, I was concerned that the kids' lunches from home would be 'different' - more so for Mister J, where kids are becoming more observant about what other kids are doing. My happy observation is that many of the lunches look similar to what my kids take - yogurt, cheese, fruits, veggies. Although having a lunch that 'looks' like everyone else is not the most important thing, it is a relief to me that, at this age where kids are beginning to compare themselves to others, this is a battle we won't have to have - at least until Mister J gets to to eat lunch in the cafeteria!

Bloggy Awards

A kind reader has given me two blog awards, and I am finally getting around to posting them!



This award comes with some rules and a survey that has to be filled out.

Rules
1. You Can Only Use One Word!
2. Pass this along to 6 of your favorite bloggers!
3. Alert them that you have given them this award!
4. Have Fun!

The Fun Part
1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Your hair? Curly
3. Your mother? Out-of-state (does that count as one word?)
4. Your father? Survivor (love you, Daddy!)
5. Your favorite food? appetizers
6. Your dream last night? none
7. Your favorite drink? chai
8. Your dream/goal? organization
9. What room are you in? den
10. Your hobby? crafting
11. Your fear? heights
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? where ever I'm led
13. Where were you last night? soccer
14. Something that you aren’t? rested
15. Muffins? please!
16. Wish list item? jogging attire (sorry - two words)
17. Where did you grow up? South Carolina (two words again, couldn't be helped)
18. Last thing you did? pediatrician
19. What are you wearing? sweater
20. Your TV? on
21. Your pets? Cat
22. Friends? wonderful
23. Your life? full
24. Your mood? calm
25. Missing someone? my girlfriends
26. Vehicle? Odyssey
27. Something you’re not wearing? makeup
28. Your favorite store? Costco
29. Your favorite color? red
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? don't remember
32. Your best friend? love her!
33. One place that I go to over and over? grocery store
34. One person who emails me regularly? only one?
35. Favorite place to eat? out!

She also gave me a second award - I know, she's too kind!


This award also has a couple of rules:
1) Thank the person who nominated you for this award. (Thanks, Crystal!)
2) Copy the logo and place it on your blog. (Check!)
3) Link to the person who nominated you for this award. (Check!)
4) Name seven things about yourself that people may not know. (Done!)
5) Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers (See below...)
6) Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate. (Ditto...)
7) Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they've been nominated. (Umm, see below...)

Seven things about me... Hmmm....
1) I love bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers - especially cold, leftover ones. They are delicious - and you can't dispute it unless you try them yourself!
2) I can never answer those "answer in one word" quizzes with just one word.
3) I am so talented that I sprained a non-moveable joint in my foot last year.
4) I don't eat peanut butter (my former favorite food!) since my daughter is allergic to peanuts. I ate a peanut butter cup come day when she was at preschool. It tasted awful.
5) If my husband wasn't technology-oriented, I would probably not even have a home computer.
6) I resisted getting a cell phone for the first few years of our marriage, even though he had one, until he started a long daily commute to work. Now I don't know how I'd live without it.
7) If I had to pick one favorite food, it would be a toss up between french fries, crab cakes, and General Tso's chicken.

If you are a regular around here, you know that I haven't been posting lately. I've been reading blogs when I can; commenting if I have time. And, Miss M has been sick for several days now with what is most likely the flu. Life is crazy right now. So, I want to award any blogger who is still reading and commenting here! Every time you comment, I stop by your blog to see what's going on in your part of the world. (More often when life isn't so hectic!) Each blog I visit is charming and special in it's own way, and I enjoy reading what you feel is important enough to be documented... celebrated... shared. Thank you for stopping by to see what's blog-worthy around here. And, please, don't be shy about picking up an award for yourself! Let me know, so I can stop by and see you sometime!

Sweet success

I washed a set of iPod earbuds last week. In the washing machine. Using a tip I probably read about online, I put my waterlogged techno gadget into the refrigerator to dry out slloowwlly.
Currently rocking out (well, not really rocking...) to one of my custom stations on Pandora. On the inside I'm doing my own little happy dance. Sometimes, it's the little things....

Done! (Also, Overheard #22)

Just finished up at the grocery store and Miss M says,"Mission accomplished!" Where does she learn this stuff?

Guess where...

We made a last-minute decision to go to the fair this evening. The kids were excited about the rides, and are big enough now to ride a few on their own. (I know! And try as I might, I can't stop them from getting bigger!) The weather was absolutely perfect - cool, with a slight breeze - enough to make it start to feel like fall (my favorite season).
It was a much-needed break from the day-to-day, and we had a ball!

Using your head @ soccer practice

They were allowed to use their elbows, their knees, their noses, their heads.... Anything but their hands! I thought it was a fun (and funny!) way to emphasize the 'no hands' rule. The kids got pretty creative!

I am here (also Thursday Thanks #23)

Bible study at my church - "When Wallflowers Dance" by Angela Thomas

My apologies for the wildly askew photo (I think I'm channeling a bit of Esbee here). Just wanted to let you know that I'm still here. That things are OK. But that I'm taking some guidance from today's lesson, part of which included the suggestions to "choose to stop the chaos" and "choose to restore order."

I daresay it's been a full month since I've posted regularly. Life has been rich and full. The children are thriving in their new school. I have been busy with church and work commitments, extracurricular activities, and shuttling children from here to there. I haven't posted the first photo of Mister J in his soccer uniform. Of Miss M in her dancewear. Of a lunch in quite a while (though I pack them every night for school the next day). But trying to juggle all of the balls was wearing me out, so I've had to at least slow the chaos. I've pulled back from a few things - namely, the blog, email, and social networking. I've got photos I want to post, memories I want to document, and funny stories I want to tell. But for now, please forgive me for the lack of posts and photos.

I'm also choosing, in my case, to establish order. I'm trying to eliminate the clutter and disorganization in a pretty heavy-handed way around here. I'm trying to repurpose spaces and "stuff" in a way that makes sense for our family. It's going in baby steps, but the small victories keep me motivated.

I'm the midst of all of the de-chaos-ing and re-ordering, I'm taking a bit of time for myself. Not just doing the grocery shopping alone, but some real, adult time with other women in my Bible study. And here's my Thursday Thanks just a bit early.... I am so thankful for the women who are crossing my path as a part of this study. I am learning from them and connecting with them in new ways each time we meet, even if they are women I have known for years. In just a couple of hours a week, I am refreshed and energized in a way I'd forgotten existed.

I'll be back, though it may continue to be sporadic for a time. My goal is to complete some projects around the house, re-claim the calm that comes along with order and organization, and meet a couple of personal goals, including a return to more regular blogging.

See you soon.

No words....

I think I just realized that we may be THAT Family....

Sorry for the scarcity of posting lately. There's plenty that I'd love to post, but time is not on my side right now. Hope to be back soon!

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.

We are here...

...because the Wells Fargo stagecoach is in town (and because there was a break in the rain). It was a great opportunity to learn about the past, and we also found some nice little green spaces to run off some energy.

Nov 1, 2009 - here's a better photo, now that I've finally gotten around to uploading photos from my camera!

click to enlarge

And again with the wipers... (or Overheard #21)

On the way home from school in the rain....

Miss M (referring to the favorite topic of late): "Mommy, why you do that?"
Mommy: "To clean the windshield so I can see to drive."
Miss M: "I okay with the rain...."

Overheard #20

It's overcast today, and it was sprinkling during our drive to school this morning. Amidst the singing and other conversation was this exchange:

Mister J: Mommy, do the windshield wipers have eyes?
Mommy: No, they don't have eyes.
Mister J: Then how do they see the rain?

Of course, I explained to him that I control the wipers, but I was also struck by the reminder that there are plenty of things in our lives that are "everyday" to me, but are still waiting to be learned and explored by my children. Thanks, Mister J, for the reminder.

Is it...

(my apologies to anyone who has me in their reader and hopped over only to find this:)

...Friday yet? That is all...

(Updates forthcoming.... Eventually...)

Fill Up Those Empty Minutes

I know what you are thinking, "Who has empty minutes?" Many of my minutes are filled each day with brushing teeth, tying shoes, packing lunches, shuttling children to and from school and after-school activities, serving meals, brushing teeth again, reading bedtime stories, and tucking in children. Not to mention the errands and volunteer commitments that fill my time while they are in school, my (flexible hours, part-time) job, and exercise when I can squeeze it in. Of course, I do have some fun things - a weekly Bible study or an occasional meeting for coffee or dinner with friends. But, in the midst of all of the responsibilities of being a mom, a wife, a daughter, a friend, I still end up with little pockets of time that aren't long enough to run "just one more" errand or do "just one more" chore. Or it could be the time spent waiting in the pick-up line at school - you know, before the line starts to move. (Sometimes I get there early - I'm an 'early is on time" kind of girl.) Now sometimes I need those empty minutes to just listen to the radio (adult music!), read an article in a magazine (if I remembered to bring it), or say a few prayers about what's on my heart. And sometimes - like yesterday - I need to clean the windows on the mommy-van. Yes, you read that right - I cleaned the windows on my van in the pick-up line. They were dirty and streaky, and I just couldn't stand it a moment longer. I arrived just a few minutes before the preschoolers came out to the pick-up line, so I jumped out of the mommy-van with a canister of these in hand ...

...and made quick work of the front windshield, and driver's side and front-row passenger windows. I also grabbed a couple of baby wipes and freshened up the dash and console areas. I figure of they can clean my kids' faces, hands, and bottoms, they should be good enough for the dashboard!

Did I look a little out-of-place? Perhaps. Was I embarrassed when I reached over the steering wheel and leaned, just for a moment, into the horn? Absolutely. Was I totally pleased with the clean windows when I was done? Definitely! The dust-free dash and crumb-free cupholders were a bonus!

So, tell me - how do you fill your empty minutes?

For more Works for Me Wednesday posts, head on over to We Are THAT Family.

My previous WFMW posts

Thursday Thanks #22

Fresh basil from the garden of a friend - it made some delicious pesto, which I am going to eat more of now that the kids are asleep. I only got to lick my fingers and then clean the blender and utensils when I made it, so this time I actually get to enjoy it.

Farmer's market corn - delicious with dinner, and I'm using the leftovers to try out a new black bean and corn salad. Update - It's tasty! Even better - the kids tried it, and if I send along some tortilla chips it might be 'kid-approved' for the lunchboxes.

Two free hands on weekday mornings - I am getting used to the new pace, and filled the entire four hours this morning marking things off of my to-do list. It was mainly on-the-go errands, so I still have a major to do list for in-the-house projects before company arrives this weekend, but anything done is worth celebrating!

A call from one of my aunts today - just to say hello, ask how the kids were doing, and visit for a bit before she headed in to visit with her mom (my grandmother) and before I headed to school to pick up Miss M. It's nice to have an unexpected break like that in the middle of all the 'busy-ness' of mom-ing.

The opportunity to peek in on Mr. J when I pick up Miss M from school each day. His class is usually outside, and most of the time I can see them from the pick-up line. This will change next week when the new playground opens, but for now it's a sweet part of my day.

The big smiles and excitement that greet me each day when I pick my kids up from school. I remember doing the same thing when my mom would pick me up from after-school care, and it's really an incredible feeling to be on the other end now.

Previous Thursday Thanks Tank posts

Honest Scrap - My First Blog Award!

You'd think since this is my first blog award that I would have gotten around to posting it a bit sooner (I got it a week ago!). The first few days of school, combined with repurposing a room in our home, getting ready for company, and doing most of my regular 'stuff', too, has completely wiped me out! I have plenty left to do this evening, but I'm taking a break to finally post about the honor bestowed upon me by Lucy and Ethel - I'm to post 10 'honest' things about myself. Here goes!

1) I love roller coasters, but will not ride any freefall-type ride. I even like the super-fast, twisty, loop-the-loop rides, and I'll do it with my hands in the air, but I will not ride a freefall ride ever again. They scare the daylights out of me....

2) I like to read, but nearly every time I get into a book I either a) ignore things I really should be doing or b) stay up waaaay too late at night reading "just to the end of this chapter." I ambivalently await the next book in the Twilight series comes out (is that a word?).

3) Before I had children, I wore a size 9 shoe. After the first pregnancy, a size 9 1/2. After the second, a 9 3/4 would be perfect. Instead, I usually just wear a 10. A TEN. That's huge!

4) Unloading the dishwasher is my least favorite chore, yet the one that must be done - sometimes more than once. It was my daily chore when I was a kid, and since my sister is significantly younger there was no sharing of chores. I despised unloading the dishwasher. I still don't like it, but now that I'm all grown up, I understand why my mom asked me to do it every day. It's such a treat to find all of the dishes unloaded and put away!

5) I used to think the perfect job would be one where I could wear jeans and a t-shirt to work every day. Now that I can, I really don't like wearing jeans and a t-shirt - but I do it anyway. It's so easy, and I like my sleep more than I like shopping for 'cute' clothes. I am allergic to the mall.

6) I can't hold a pen/pencil in my mouth without gagging. I know, you've waited your entire life to know that about me. But, the point I really wanted to make is that if you loan me a pen, I promise I won't chew on it and then give it back. And I will give it back.

7) Since attending Financial Peace University last year, I have not only become more conscious of how/why I spend money but also more conscious of how many 'duplicate' things we have in our home. Of how many things can be repurposed (and thereby avoid purchasing more 'stuff' to fill our house). Of how easy it can be to impulse buy. I'm proud to say that we are (gradually) getting rid of the 'stuff' that clutters our home and our lives. It's so freeing!

8) I'm not a great housekeeper, mostly due to clutter. I want to get our home to the point that I can invite friends over on the spur of the moment, even if the house isn't 'perfect.' I realized the importance of this when my son started asking to have people over for playdates - and I didn't feel like I could say yes. (Hopefully the ripple effect of FPU will keep up the changes around here.)

9) If my husband didn't help me keep up with technology, I am sure I wouldn't have a cell phone or know how to sent text messages and tweets. I might not even have a computer at home, a blog, or know much about Facebook. In that case, I might also be caught up on my scrapbooking!(Actually it my mom-ing gig that's slowed me down there....)

10) If I could do anything (you know, if time, money, family, and other commitments weren't an issue), I would go to medical school. It wasn't anywhere on the career radar when I was in college, and I do love what I used to do, but I'm a professional student at heart, fascinated by the human body and how it works (except for eyes - ick. Sorry, Dr. G!).

Now, the best part of getting this award is not getting all of this honest scrap off of my chest - it's that I get to pass the award along to a few other bloggers! I'll pass it along in the same 'no-strings' fashion that Lucy and Ethel passed it on to me. Friends, I would enjoy reading if you choose to participate!

Heather at Beyond the Belly (a truly honest look at mommy-hood, poop and all, by my IRL friend)
Jane Anne at Gravity of Motion (my sweet bloggy friend, also mom to a peanut-allergy kid)
The Smitty Family (currently taking a blogging break, but a lovely blog nonetheless)

Thanks to all of you for reading, and I'll see you back here tomorrow for Thursday Thanks Tank! Oh, and stop by those blogs I mentioned - you will love them, too!

Willpower...

These were on clearance at Target today, but I succeeded in simply looking at them and moving on. I do love school/office supplies. I also picked up some paper in the scrapbook aisle, looked at it, and put it back. Yay, me! I did pick up some clothes for Miss M - most of it on sale. I love stocking up on the basics (especially long sleeve tees) at sale prices!

Yippee!

Check out my 1st runner up entry in a local photo contest! The winner is a friend of mine - so a double yippee is in order!

Postcard Winners!

(of this contest)

Congratulations to Marsha and Sarah, who have each won a set of custom postcards from Uprinting.com!

Ladies, send me your email addresses so I can get your coupon code to you!

Thanks to everyone who commented - I hope to have another contest soon!

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

A TRUE WFMW

Not that all of my WFMW posts aren't really things that work for me, but this is a solution that I figured out last night. And tried out this morning. And it WORKED!

When Miss M got home from preschool yesterday, I noticed that her backpack was wet. After a little sleuthing, I figured out that the condensation on the cold pack in her lunch box had leaked out of the lunchbox and into the bottom of her backpack. (The lunchbox was packed into her backpack to come home.) It's the first time I've ever packed a lunch that had to stay cold for that many hours, so even though we've had these lunchboxes for years I was surprised by the leak.

I needed a quick and easy solution, because it was two days until Thursday packets - and I didn't want to pull a bunch of soggy papers out of her backpack - yuck!

After the kids were in bed and I had some "down time" to think it through, I decided to wrap a thin (baby) washcloth around the ice pack today. When I got home with Miss M, I was pleased to see that the cloth had absorbed the condensation. I'll be anxious to see how it worked with Mister J's lunch - he's in a full day of school now, so there's more time for his cold pack to warm up and "sweat."

I think this might also work with the tube part of a sock - it would stay on better and also fit a variety of sizes/shapes of ice packs. I'm going to refine it a bit, and I'll be sure to post photos/updates when I do!

Thanks for stopping by, and hop on over to We Are THAT Family for more Works for Me Wednesday posts!

my previous WFMW 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.

Hiatus: A Contest

No, I'm not going away again - so what does a hiatus have to do with a contest? Let me explain....

A few years ago, I made a New Year's Resolution to begin sending birthday and anniversary cards to all of our friends and family members for whom I had date of birth and/or anniversary and an up-to-date address. With the exception of one month a couple of years ago when it all just fell apart, I kept it every month - until this past June, when it all fell apart again. After a month off, it was easy to let my unplanned hiatus continue right on through the (hot, busy, and fun) summer. Conservatively, I kept up that resolution for the better part of 5.5 years. I'm trying to get this practice back into my routine, though, because has become so important to me.

Looking through my book of days, writing a brief note and signing cards, addressing them and adding a stamp.... This quiet time allowed me the chance to think about the many people who have come into my life. To be thankful for them and to stay connected, in a way, to all the parts of my life that make me who I am today. This practice also helped me to remember those whose birthdays are listed, but who are no longer with us. It was a reminder to me to celebrate them, too - not with a card, a note, and a stamp, but with a prayer of thankfulness of the time we had with them.

I'm ready to start again, but I need to streamline part of the process. I can't streamline looking through my book of days - I am not willing to lose that quiet time to reflect and be thankful. I can't streamline the note-writing and addressing - even though I blog and email and facebook, I still adore sending and receiving mail. But I can streamline my shopping time by creating custom postcards or custom greeting cards. I've found that I barely spend time picking out the 'perfect' card anymore, so I'd rather create my own 'perfect' message instead. And, I'm having a little contest so you can do the same.

Thanks to the generous folks at UPrinting.com, two contest winners will receive 200 custom postcards!

• choose your size: 4x6, 4.25x6, or 5x7"); 14pt gloss or matte, 13pt uncoated
• full color on both sides (4/4)

The fine print: Valid for US shipping only, winner pays shipping (your coupon code will be sent directly to you via email).

To enter, leave a comment below, letting me know what you would do with 200 custom postcards. Invitations? Save the Dates? Birth announcements? Christmas cards? Promote your business? I've got birthday cards on my mind, but I'd love to get some inspiration and ideas from you!

Invite your family and friends to leave their ideas - who couldn't use a little inspiration? Just tell them to do it soon! Contest ends next Saturday, August 29th, at 10:00PM Eastern Time.

Thursday Thanks #20

I'm so happy to be sitting on the couch right now, laptop in my lap, starting this post. I am enjoying my quiet time to reflect on the past several days.

We've been busy, and I've been carrying around a lot of stress and anxiety about things that were somewhat beyond my control. My post-vacation, end-of-summer to-do list was very long, and I was worried that I would not be able to enjoy the last week of summer with my kids.

The things I was worried about have turned out just fine, and in retrospect I shouldn't have spent all of that time on worry. Our to-do list is steadily getting shorter. We've completed our school supply purchases and gotten Mister J's library card. We met the kids' teachers today, and are looking forward to the first day of school next week.

I've let all of these 'big' things crowd my mind, and finding time to be thankful was not at the top of my priority list. But I do have plenty of things for which to be thankful.

A dear friend who celebrated a birthday.
A minimum of silliness from the kids while we had portraits made for the church directory.
Running into friends at lunch on Saturday afternoon.
Kids that were well-behaved at lunch on Saturday afternoon.
Being welcomed back to Bible study after missing the last two meetings.
That Mister J didn't actually get sick, though his queasiness kept us home from the pool early in the week.
That we did make it to the pool the next day, and even had pizza delivered for dinner (a real treat!).
Enjoying the last summer kids' movie at a local theatre.
Running into friends at the movie theatre - the first unexpected surprise of the week.
Winning a prize from my friend's contest - the second unexpected surprise of the week.
My $5 subscription to Real Simple - the first issue arrived this week.
Comments on my recent blog posts and photos uploaded to facebook - always so encouraging!
Time to run errands with Mister J today - I enjoyed the one-on-one time that is so rare.

I'm also thankful for the lesson that I have learned this week.

Amidst the worry and to-dos, when I'm overtired and even cranky, I have so much for which to be thankful - and those things are just the small stuff.

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Straight from the Travel Trenches

If you're visiting for WFMW - I know summer travel has pretty much ended, so I hope you will bookmark this for fall break or holiday travel!

Well, maybe not straight from the travel trenches, but I haven't been off the plane long!

We recently returned from vacation. For folks who normally drive just a few hours to any destination, the though of a non-stop flight across country was nerve-wracking. I need not have worried so much - everything turned out just fine. In the process, I learned a few tips to make our next flight even more enjoyable.

Lesson #1 - Only pack as much 'entertainment' as your child(ren) can carry. That includes my 3 year old (whose backpack ended up hitching a ride on the stroller handles, but that's not really the point). I packed enough stuff to keep the and entire plane full of folks entertained. It was more than we needed, and more than we needed to carry. My kids were both thrilled with the idea of playing Leapster nonstop for a few hours. A coloring book and crayons and a small magnetic game were the only other things they even bothered with. Add their blankets and loveys to the backpack (oh, and their 3-1-1 bags), and their backpacks would have been comfortably full without being too heavy.

Lesson #2 - Only pack as many clothes as will fit into a carry-on suitcase. Mister J could carry his (admittedly too heavy) backpack and pull his own small suitcase. He had more than enough clothes. We also had access to a washing machine and dryer. My need to wear a different shirt each day (so the scrapbook pictures would all look different) should not have outweighed the logic (and savings) of packing light. Our checked bag, paid in advance, cost us $15 each way. I wouldn't have minded having an extra $30 in my pocket, but we don't travel by air all that much - this was certainly a learning experience for me!

Lesson #3 - Bandanas make great handkerchiefs. I packed them because they are a great (lightweight) imaginative toy. They doubled as easy-to-locate hankies, since ours were brightly-colored. I tied the corner of one on the stroller seatbelt so Miss M could reach, but couldn't drop the one we gave her for her runny nose. It was easier than dealing with a travel pack of tissues, easier on her nose, and environmentally-friendly. (Remember, though, I had access to a washer and dryer).

Lesson #4 - I was so glad I made a point of saving some kid-sized plastic cups and lids from a local restaurant we visit regularly. I packed them, along with several straws, in my carry-on bag. They took up a good bit of space, but were much more kid-friendly than the open plastic cups that the airlines use for their beverage service. Just be sure to ask for the whole can of juice so you can share it between the kids!

Lesson #5 - If you are taking a long vacation or typically purchase a lot of gifts/souvenirs, plan time to drop by a pack and ship store before you head home. This felt a little excessive to me at first, but it is cheaper than checking an extra bag and is one less thing to haul/worry about. Our box just arrived yesterday, and the timing was perfect (we've had time to unpack, do laundry, and get back to our normal routine). Now we will unpack the couple of special things the kids picked out, I'll set aside the postcards and brochures I picked up along the way until it's time to put them in a scrapbook, and the box is ready to be recycled.

Lesson #6 - Be sure to keep a full change of clothes, wipes, and zipper bags handy in case of a potty accident, vomit, or any other incident that could leave clothes wet, smelly, or otherwise unwearable. Speaking from experience here - Miss M soaked everything but her socks when she ... Well, let me just say that in about 10 minutes, we had her clothes changed, soiled clothes bagged up, cleaned and packed her booster into its travel bag, and were on our way to check in for our flight. (Yes, I cleaned her up on the spot. Well, out of the way of the rental car drop-off line, in a relatively low-traffic area. Big J was mortified. I was praying that she wouldn't get sick again and that we could find something relatively mild among the meal options in the airport food court. And then I opened up one of the suitcases and found one more clean outfit to pack into her carry-on bag, just in case.)

I'm sure you have a few travel tips of your own - feel free to share them in the comments! And for more Works for Me Wednesday ideas, head on over to http://www.wearethatfamily.com.

My previous WFMW posts

Mom, I'm Bored!

Is your well of go-to summer activities running dry? We've got another week before school begins, and while we are trying to head out to the pool as much as we can before it closes ... I can't be there all day every day. Plus, I've got work to do! My 'real' work and my 'mom' work and various other commitments. So what's a mom to do? Hop on over to SimpleMom for 20 great suggestions (and a few bonus ideas in the comments)!

Overheard #19

On the way to a home improvement store yesterday:

Mom to Mister J: Should we go to Lowe's or Home Depot?

Mister J: Home Depot.

Dad: Why did you pick Home Depot?

Mister J: Because I picked it.

Dad: But why did you pick it?

Mister J: Because....

Dad: But can you tell me why?

Mister J: Because. The end.

So, dear reader, do you think we (a) held it together like adults and explained to Mister J that his final answer was smart, and not in a good way? Or do you think we (b) laughed and laughed like it was just too funny, and then worked hard to pull ourselves together and not break into grins as we tried to explain to Mister that his final answer was smart, and not in a good way?