Forest Animal

My daughter came home with a sheet about the third grade musical "The Old Gingerbread House". She is in the chorus as a forest animal. Parents were asked to provide costumes for their child. Some ideas/choices were: birds, squirrels, bears, deer, skunks, rabbits, raccoons, mice, turtles, fox or bugs. The teacher suggested to start out with sweats and build a costume from there. Brown sweats and antlers could be a deer. I suggested the deer or rabbit because I know we own both antlers and rabbit ears. My daughter decided that she wanted to be a turtle. I told her that was fine, but that I was not buying her a shell. She had to use her turtle backpack from last year, her Raphael shell from last Halloween or her Donatello shell from this year's Halloween costume. Thanks to Walmart and her backpack from last year, this is what we came up with.

Crazy v. Happy

Think about something that drives you crazy. 
Now, think about something that makes you happy. 
Does it change your perspective on the former?

Something that drives me crazy is when my children ask questions and then don't bother to listen to the answer that I give them so they have to ask the question again.

Something that makes me happy is being able to have conversations with my children in the van. We have had many bonding moments in the van, and I, sometimes, think of it as the former dinner table. The other time that I get information from my children is right before bed while I am reading a bedtime story. Even though my son just listen and reads his own things from his bed, I still sometimes get information from him if it is really bothering him during this time.

It does change my perspective. I realize how much I enjoy talking to them and communicating with them. One day, they will be independent and not ask me questions anymore because they will "know it all"! I better appreciate the conversation while I can get it!

How much of the day are you plugged in? Do you consciously set aside offline time, or does it happen whenever it happens?

I am plugged in most of the time that I am not at work. When I am at work, I only check texts if I get them and answer an occasional phone call. Once I leave work, I tend to plug in to find out what is going on in the world. Because I am not plugged in at work, I found out about both Sandy Hook and the Boston Marathon via social media after work.

I don't consciously set aside offline time. Starting this week, my husband has stated no electronics until we get some housework done, dishes, laundry, dinner started, homework, etc. It has proven to be a good strategy because once he plugs in, I don't see any reason to do work because he is not helping out. It is really annoying at restaurants when I am trying to get myself and the kids not to use electronics and he pulls out his phone to check scores/play games. I finally got to the point of if you can't beat them, join them. Kids and I still limit ourselves during the meal itself though.

I find that if I am into a really good book, I will be offline more. I have seen it with my kids also. Tonight, my daughter read for 90 minutes because we went to the library and she found a new series of books that she really likes.

My New Interest: Pinterest

My student teacher was the one who told me about StumbleUpon and Pinterest. At first I was hesitant to get started with these new "research" sites. I tried StumbleUpon first and I liked it, but once I got my Pinterest account, I loved it. The ideas that other people pin are awesome. They are mostly from blogs that I may not find in a regular Google search. I have found things that I would use in my home as well as professionally. The problem I had with StumbleUpon was the websites, where it sent you, were mostly pretty crappy and very random. You cannot see where you are going prior to getting there. With Pinterest you can see what you are going to pin before you find out where it is from.

Looking Forward to the Gift of a New Year

The NaBloPoMo theme for January is Beginnings.  As this year ends, I am looking forward to the beginning of another year.  The year ends with a celebration of life for a relative of one of my close friends, the celebration of two more birthdays, a family lunch on New Year's Eve, and some one-on-one time with my husband to ring in the new year.

As I look back upon the year and look at the goals I set for 2011, I realize that my goals changed as the year passed.

1.  Participate in three 5Ks and run at least one. (I did not achieve this goal.  One of the 5K we normally do was on a weekend that we were out of town.  Instead of walking another one, I volunteered with the kids' activities.)

2.  Help Riley organize LEGOs and finish LEGO table. (This is a half-done project.  The LEGOs are sorted and binned by color, but the table is not complete.  This project also became organization of the whole house rather than just LEGOs.  I spent the summer reading organization books/websites and trying to apply some of the tips to my life.  My goal became to declutter and use what we have and get rid of what we did not need.)

3.  Finish garage so that cars will fit.  (Another almost complete project; we decided that rather than store some of the items, we would sell them.  Need to get them posted to sell; then cars will fit.)

4.  Clean out crawl space. (This is one that did not get accomplished.  The main floor and the garage are mostly clean/organized, but the crawl space still needs work.)

5.  Keep up with laundry.  (Not particularly successful at this one.  I find that I can gather it up, take it to the washer, wash and dry it, and carry it back upstairs, but lack motivation to fold it and put it away.)

For 2012 most of my goals are the same with some tweaks.

1.  Participate in three 5Ks.  I would still like to do this one, but I have no desire to run in one anymore.  When the weather gets warm and the days get longer, I will start to walk the neighborhood again or hopefully, invest in a bike so that I can ride with the kids.

2.  Organize the house.  I will continue to use what I have learned and read to keep my house in better shape.  I will work on the daily chores of laundry and dishes as well as continue to declutter and get rid of what we do not need.  I will teach my children how to play and put away their LEGOs and toys properly.

3.  Eat better.  For many years I have been able to eat what I want, but I have found that I need to eat healthier so that I feel better.  Plus, I could lose about 15-20 pounds and watching what I eat would help me to do it.

Despite My Good Intentions...

At the beginning of the five day weekend I had good intention of getting some work done for school as well as doing some reading both for pleasure and for professional reasons.  Now, we have come to another Sunday night and of course, I did not do what I intended to do, but I have to put it in perspective with what I did do this weekend.

1.  I was reminded that I said I would edit a master's thesis for a friend of the family.  I have been reading the thesis to edit it.  It is due on the first and is 86 pages long.  I have only finished about 1/4 of it.  Trying to get to page 40 tonight so that I have two days to complete the other 46 pages.

2.  I spent time with family and friends during the holidays.

3.  I kept up with writing for my two blogs daily through the holiday.  Only three more days to go!

4.  I spent time with my children by taking them to lunch, the movies, and the library.

5.  I helped to decorate for a wedding reception.

6.  I raked the leaves and put fertilizer and grass seed down for the winter.

7.  We went to buy our gifts for the giving tree at Church.

8.  We went to Church this morning and then out to lunch.

9.  I started the laundry so that we will have clothes to wear next week.

10.  The reading that I did get done was reading the news on the computer, catching up on friend's blogs, and reading the ads to see if I wanted to go shopping on Black Friday.

Work will always be there when I get around to it.  Time spent with people and doing the things that need to get done around the house are important also.  As for my pleasure reading..., I usually find some time to get it in although with Christmas coming, it may not be until after that!

I Can...

My life has become a series of I can statements.  We are suppose to state academic objectives in kid-friendly language.  I can...  I have charts up around the room stating what students should be doing when they are at each station.  Thought I would list some to face the other aspects of my life right now.

I can...

• clean the kitchen and the house before Thanksgiving
• make sure that Riley practices his math everyday as well as finishes his Social Studies Project and regular homework
• apply for field trips, programs, and grants for school related things
• evaluate my student teacher
• plan for the next few weeks of school
• prepare reading lessons and evaluate and assess reading and writing
• find and return most of the library books I have borrowed
• think of things that my children really want for Christmas
• get some pleasure reading time in over the holiday weekend
• take the family to visit a National Parks Service Site soon
• visit COSI to see the Dora and Diego exhibit
• start and finish the holiday shopping
• start and finish Christmas cards
• meet with some friends and family to share in the holiday joy

I can do all of this and more if I put my mind to it because there are a bunch of things that I know I am leaving out!  I think I can; I think I can.

Where Does the Weekend Go?

It's amazing how one thing can throw off a whole week's schedule.  If we are out of town for the weekend, then the laundry that is usually done on the weekends may get done during the week or sometimes has to wait until the next weekend.  I blame it on the fact that the washer and dryer is in the basement and therefore, not in my line of sight.  Some of that is true; the other side of that argument is that I am good at separating the colors, getting it downstairs, into the washer and dryer, and back upstairs, but I hate folding and/or hanging and putting away.  I have tried to solve this problem by paying my son for putting his laundry away.  It works sometimes.  I fold it for him and put his clothes in a basket.  He actually does a pretty good job of putting it away.  My daughter will put away her socks and underwear in her bottom drawer, but that is about it.

This past weekend the sink was out of commission.  Now, I have a sink full of dishes waiting for me as well as a clean dishwasher.  I know, I know, all I have to do is empty the dishwasher and put the clean things away, and then I can just load the dirty things in the sink into the empty dishwasher, which brings about that putting it away aspect of which I am not so good!

They Are Only Young Once!

My words to live by right now are: they are only young once.  I want to be able to experience what I can with my children because one day, they will be able to go and do whatever they want without me.

I use to think that I could miss this event or that event because they would not notice that I was not there.  I don't anymore because I don't know how many events they will have.  With school funding cuts I may not get to go on the field trips that I use to go on.  Last year my son told me at the last minute that he wanted me to go on his field trip.  I made the arrangements and went.  I am glad that I did because this year, there are no field trips.

This year, my daughter had Kindergarten Share Day.  I wouldn't have missed it for the world!  She was so excited to show me her classroom and what she does there.  She also loved that she was able to ride the bus home, which she cannot do everyday.

Today is my son's musical day.  He is just part of the chorus because he did not want to try out for a part, but I know that he wants me there and I will be there to see him and cheer for him.

LEGO Pirates

Riley got a new LEGO set with the money that he saved from his piggy bank. He really enjoys playing with LEGO sets and loves to look at his LEGO catalog. I had fun putting together Riley's Soldier's Fort. He was okay with me putting it together over two days; the first two buildings on one day and the other two buildings today. He played with it both days and loved the LEGO people and the cannon and crane.

Now that Riley has moved onto littler LEGO sets, I know that I will have to spend more time putting them together. In some ways I don't mind and enjoy doing something for Riley. He actually does really well not destroying what I have just built. But, on the other hand, I look forward to the time when Riley can put together his own LEGO sets. He actually needs the fine motor practice, but, with a two year old, it is easier to put the set together before all the pieces walk off. I know that one day, I will look back and wish that he would still need me to put together his LEGO sets for him, but I will also be happy that he has found the independence and maturity to treat his LEGO sets well.

Until then, Mommy is the LEGO builder, and Riley is the LEGO player.

Hawaii Day Eleven: The Beach

I woke up this morning, and Ron had shaved. He had not shaved since the day before Christmas Eve and did not plan to on this trip. When I asked him why, he said that Riley said that he looked old with a beard, and he did not want his dad to be old because old people go away and he did not want his dad to go away. How sweet!

We went to the beach by the Maui Prince Hotel today. We thought that it would be a good place to go because I wanted to try to go snorkeling again, there was sand for the little kids to play in, and there was shade so we did not have to put up umbrellas. Well, the waves were just right for boogie boarding, but not snorkeling. The sand was perfect, and Reese played in the sand the whole time we were at the beach. Her feet did not touch the water.

Riley complains everytime we go to a beach that is not the first one he went to, with the sun, sand, and lifeguard. He wants a beach with a lot of sand, and he says that he just wants to play in the sand and maybe throw the ball around, but not go in the water. The minute we got to the beach today, he wanted his sunscreen on and he wanted to go into the water. It is funny how the minute he sees water, he changes his mind about going in. Riley had fun in the big waves and on the boogie board. We played in the sand and dug a hole for Reese to sit in which is her favorite thing to do when she sees a hole. Eventually, it got cloudy so we packed up and went home to shower and go and get manicures and pedicures.

Riley would not stay home for girl's night out. He is starting to have some anxiety again because we are getting close to going home, and he knows he has to fly with his dad. They actually did really well. Reese cried when she first sat on my lap by the pedicure well because she thought that the water was for her. Riley entertained himself by watching football and walking around, but was careful not to be in the way. Reese finally got comfortable enough to get off of my lap about the time for my fingernail painting which was very convenient.

Well, I picked out a dark purple for my toes, and I did not pick out a fingernail color because I could not decide. When we got over to the manicure station, I was going to ask the manicurist's recommendation, but found that she did not speak English. Riley was with me and he said that you should pick blue Mommy because blue is your favorite color. I said that I was not sure that I wanted blue, and he said, "Mommy, blue is your favorite color and it is mine too". I asked him if it was important for me to get blue and he said yes. I tried to steer him toward either a light or dark blue, but he wanted the one in the middle of the shelf of polish which is a cross between ocean blue and turquoise. I got it for him, and he thinks that I am beautiful with the polish. He is proud of himself for choosing the color, and if I would have known he wanted to choose my nail color, I would have let him choose the color for my toes!

Riding the Cart

On some mornings of the week Reese and I go to Restaurant Depot. They only have flat bed carts which are not meant for children to sit on. When Reese was really little, I use to take her car seat with its base and set it on the cart with her in it. When we switched car seats, I would take in my stroller or leave her at home with her dad while I went really early to the store.

Now, most mornings if we have to go together, I take her and either carry her and pull the cart or sometimes I sit her down on it. She has been really good about sitting in the middle of the cart, staying still, and holding onto the handle or basket of the cart.

This morning is the first morning that both my children had to go with me. Reese decides that this is the morning that she wants to stand on the cart and hold on, and Riley decides that he wants to walk, which is fine. In addition to the fact that Reese does not want to sit, the refrigerator door that is closest to what we need and to the registers is broken, and we have to go all the way around to the other door to the cooler. We travel very slowly, and I am holding onto the side of the cart with my hand on Reese's back. Once we get to the back door of the cooler, we have to travel back toward the front door to get the mushrooms and hamburgers that we need, and then back to the back door to leave the cooler.

Once I put the mushrooms on the cart, Reese crawled over to the box and was trying to get into it. I was wondering what she was trying to do and was afraid that she was going to crush my mushrooms. I finally figured out that she wanted a mushroom and I dug one out of box for her. That got her to sit down and eat the mushroom while I pulled the cart back toward the entrance.

The trials and tribulations of motherhood...

Happy New Year!

I made it through the grind of the end of the year, illness and all. I got a really bad eye infection that has finally cleared up!

Riley's pirate party was a hit, and he was happy that his friends came to his house to play!

At the last minute we went to see my husband's family in Cleveland for New Year's and Ron's birthday. It was a fun day with family and we got out of there in the nick of time because they got 8 inches of snow!

Now, we are preparing to go on vacation! We leave tomorrow for New Orleans! Now that the preparations are almost set, I am getting more excited! I know that everything will be okay while I am gone, but there is the restaurant to worry about and the kids that are staying home with grandma and grandpa. But, this is my chance to have some fun, see something new, and sit with a good book and relax!

Now, how will the Bucks do in New Orleans? Will we come home with a national championship trophy? I hope so, but only time will tell!

I've Given Up!

Try as I might, but I still can't seem to get it all done, so I've given up! Some things will not happen this year. We will not put up a tree. I will not send out Christmas cards.

I couldn't get the house clean to put up the tree. Now, it seems pointless since it has to come down right after Christmas to make way for a birthday party. The choice is send out party invitations or Christmas cards. The almost five year old won that argument, and so the invites go out, and the Christmas cards stay in the box.

What have I learned, start earlier next year! Make sure all Christmas cards are done before Thanksgiving, the tree is put up Thanksgiving weekend, and then there will be time to plan a birthday party and have all of Christmas.

By the way, I still have wrapping to do, but when, who knows!

The Work Is Never Done

I keep thinking that I am done Christmas shopping because I have bought for my children and my family. But, the list just keeps growing as to the things that I need to get done before Christmas. I still have nine teachers between my children to think about, a few others that I am forgetting right now, and Christmas cards, which, for some reason, I decided to make with my children this year. They are really cute though, and my son really likes to paint. I even got my daughter to paint her hand for a few.

In addition to all that, I need to get invitations out by this weekend for my son's fifth birthday party on the 29th. I hope that two weeks is enough notice to get a few friends to come. Riley is looking forward to this birthday and its party because he has seen birthday parties all year long and really wants one of his own. I hope that he can stick to one theme so that I can come up with theme related activities.

Oh, I forgot, wrapping, I have not started yet! That's another part of Christmas that I keep forgetting about, what is bought has to be wrapped. Come to think about it, I have not even checked to see if I have wrapping paper left over from last year!

Oh yes! The mailing of packages and cards, I keep relegating that to the backseat, but it has to be done soon or else the packages will not get to their destination before Christmas and I will have to stand in some long line at the post office.

Oh boy, everywhere I turn, I need to get something done and soon so that I will have a sense of accomplishment!

The Things We Do for the Holidays

This is the third year that I have participated in the annual day after Thanksgiving sales. Three years ago I started shopping on the day after Thanksgiving because my assistant at the time talked about all the great deals that she got by going out. I decided to try it and it was actually easier to shop very early in the morning because I did not have to find a babysitter for my child. I could zip in and out of stores with my list and handful of ads. I came back with lots of things, especially clothes for my son.

Last year I was not going to go out and shop at 5:30am on Friday because I had a newborn at home that did not sleep through the night, but decided after looking at the ads to go anyway. I was glad that I did because my son was going to school with me last year and the time that I would have had to shop after school, he would have been with me. I got lucky at Toys R Us because I found what I wanted down the main aisles and just turned a corner and there was the line for the cash registers. I got some good deals last year even though I spent a lot of time trying to find a Radio Shack that did not have what I needed anyway!

This year, I set my alarm for 4:30am even though the stores opened at 4am. I thought did I really want to go out before 4am if I have to work from 11-5 and I cannot go home and take a nap because I have two children that need attention? The answer was no! Anyway, I missed my alarm and woke up at 5:15am. Usually, I go to JC Penney's last, but this year it was one of my first stops. I got my clothes that I needed from there and went to Michael's for picture frames. I ran into Julie and Becky there and they told me not to even try Toys R Us because the line inside was incredible and it was on 7:15am. Good thing for me that they did not have very much that I needed or wanted. Onto K Mart I went and thought why am I standing in line for things that are not on early bird special, and I am not even sure are priced for my benefit. I put my things back and left. I got home about 8:30am, my wallet a little bit lighter, but my stress level lower for finishing some of the people on my gift list.

Will I have time to run to Target after work? We'll see....

Will I do it again next year, you bet! Shopping without kids in tow is awesome!

CMOMRUN

I saw this title on a car license plate yesterday as I was driving around like a mad woman with two children. From start to finish it took me four hours to get my children dressed, to the portrait studio, home, and me back to the portrait studio to pick out and order pictures. The sad thing is that I do this sort of running everyday in some form, whether it is dropping the children off, picking them up, doing errands for my home and professional life, or just spending time with my children by taking them to the library or park.

Moms run all the time, juggling the daily lives of their children, the household, and their professional life. I run everyday of my life even when I am sick because I am always needed somewhere. Most of my friends say they do not know how I do it, and I think that I just do it because it is the life that I was thrown into and I have become accustomed to it. I think that it got to me yesterday because who thinks that four hours of your life are going to be spent taking pictures.

I love having my children's pictures taken professionallly because those pictures always capture something that I cannot quite get because they are mine. Next year I will probably go through the routine once again in order to capture the yearly milestone, but I will face the routine armed with the knowledge that I need to do it earlier in the fall and prepare for a long day!