g.q.'s mommy . . . the life of a real housewife.

at least he's honest...

2012-01-27T09:48:00.000-08:00

Watching Fleet Foxes on Austin City Limits last night with the family. Fleet Foxes, if you've never heard, are a pretty awesome indie folk band.

Fleet Foxes wardrobe choices are a little on the quirky side. I expect that from them, but on this episode their clothes were a bit ill-fitting. It just looked like they tossed their clothes in the dryer too long and lost some serious inches in the pant length department.

"It looks like one of the members (male) is wearing a pair of too-short mom-jeans and weird sandals." I commented.

GQ quickly agreed, then added "Yes, they look like mom-skinny-jeans. Skinny moms wear those, not moms like you."

Shocked pause here. Jaw dropping.

As I give a not so thrilled glance, I responded "That's awesome, GQ. You don't always have to say everything you think..."

"What?" GQ said smiling. (little shit)

I'm glad he's honest but I guess we now need to work on honesty and keeping opinions to yourself. ;)

save the drama for your mama...

2012-01-26T14:26:00.000-08:00

Wait. I guess he actually does save the drama for me. I should be thankful, but this mama needs a break from it. Who knew 7 year old boys could be so dang moody sometimes? "Some people piss me off. Sorry, mom, I know I shouldn't say that, but they do." At least he knows pissed isn't an everyday vocabulary word, right?

I'm thinking it's growth spurt time. I'm hoping that's what it is. GQ is hungry ALL.THE.TIME. He's whiney because I think he needs more sleep. He disagrees, he wants less. Bedtime is still 8pm, I'm not budging. Pants are getting shorter but I don't know if that's growth or the dryer. Time to get out the measuring stick...

deep thoughts...

2012-01-21T14:05:00.000-08:00

OK, maybe random thoughts...

Man, GQ sure can put the food away! Good thing he seems to have the metabolism of a hummingbird.

50 mph wind gusts do not make a day 'breezy', I think 'windy' is more appropriate.

I love the way my finger nails look when they're painted, but I'm not sure if all the work to make them pretty is worth is. A few days later and they're chipped and need to be done again. I still think I might like them painted enough to deal w/having to go through the process every few days.

I love a freshly dusted and vacuumed family room. Makes me feel like I've accomplished something even when the rest of the house might be a disaster.

Little boys sure can be moody, but thinking a moody seven year old is better than a moody 13 year old. Hopefully he grows out of by the time he's 13!

We have a pretty awesome pooch! She's just the right amount of spunk, love and orneriness for our family.

Cuddling with GQ is the best! His hugs and snuggles are pretty perfect.

I need a few highlights in my hair. I'm too cheap to pay a salon to do it and have considered letting the husband do it for me. Then I come to my senses and just figure I'll go w/out until I get to visit my sister and have her do them.

It's so cool to see/hear GQ reading pretty much everything now. It's annoying when I'm reading or typing something and he's over my shoulder reading it out loud or asking questions about it.

I'm pretty lucky to have a low-maintenance family when it comes to dinner. It's nice that salad or soup or smoothies will do. I save so much time not having to plan/make a daily dinner.

I need new sunglasses but hate to pay for them. My current pair are scratched and getting to be in bad shape. Pretty soon I'm going to have to break down and buy a pair.

I miss Ohio but have to say a winter in the desert has been pretty nice.

GQ is learning a little bit about history watching his new favorite shows...Pawn Stars, American Pickers and Storage Wars. It's been nice not having to DVR the cartoons he used to enjoy.

Elementary school projects are cute but they sure do pile up at home! I hate to toss but storing them just isn't an option, by 6th grade I'd have enough to fill a small storage shed. Time to take pictures and toss most of them, saving just the extra-special projects.

Words With Friends is cutting into my reading time. I need to stop playing and finish my book. It's a fun brain game and GQ likes to help. It's good for his vocabulary and spelling.

I have a list of about five movies I'd like to see but I'm a horrible movie person. I feel like there is too much to be done and I don't have the time to sit and watch a movie.

I said I'd never do it, but this season I've broken two of my fashion rules. I now own a pair of Ugg boots and some leggings. Both of which I am wearing today. Can't believe I was missing out on the comfort all this time!

I still need to practice my photog skills. I've yet to take photos in manual and I'd really like to get to that point.

please don't laugh at me...

2012-01-12T10:09:00.000-08:00

You might get a good chuckle from this, the sales girl at Verizon sure did, but I have a feature phone. *gasp* Yes, a feature phone, not a smart phone.

My current feature phone is not doing so well. It's not sending/receiving text messages like it used to. I'm having static phone calls or it will just drop a call. It's about three years old and really it should have lasted longer, but you have to take into account all the times I've dropped it and the phone flew one direction and the cover and battery went another direction. I don't think that's good for a phone.

I looked around online at phones to find one or two I was interested in. I want a touch screen but I also want a keyboard. It limits me, I know, but I found two that worked. Wanting to feel the phone before I commit I headed to my Verizon store. Guess it has been a long time since I've been in any phone store because I looked completely lost as I wandered around looking for their display of feature phones. Do you know what they don't display at Verizon any longer, at least at this particular store? Feature phones. There are walls and walls of smart phones, but they keep the feature phones hidden.

Why do they hide the feature phones? I'm guessing because nobody would want to be caught with a feature phone now-a-days. We're all high tech, aren't we? I guess most of us are. Not me. Why? I'll tell you why, I'm too cheap to pay the data fee. Plain and simple. I'm at home most of the day with the internet at my service, so I just don't need one. To a phone company that probably makes huge money on data plans, they just don't get that. So I had to ask the sales girl to pull a feature phone out from the hidden cabinet so I could touch and feel it before I committed. (I'm sure she wondered how she lucked out with me as a customer rather than the guy coming in to look at iPhones and accessories.)

The one feature phone Verizon had hidden in a cabinet wasn't one that fit my needs. No problem, I can look online. I did and found my phone. It's due to arrive today! Exciting. Not too exciting but I'll be glad to have a more dependable phone again. GQ is going to be very excited because my new phone has a video camera option. Right now he depends on dad's iPhone when he wants to make videos of his Lego creations. GQ is always bummed when he has something made and dad isn't home, which means his phone isn't home either.

After looking at all my options (or lack there of) as far as feature phones go, it makes me realize, this might be my last one. If my phone lives out the two or three years I expect it to, the mobile phone companies just might have them phased out by the time I want to upgrade. Crazy to think that, but I can see it happening. We've come so far with mobile phones over the past 30 years, from these gigantic phones that you carried in a bag to little computers that fit on a holster on your hip or just tossed in your pocket.

Gosh, that last paragraph certainly made me sound old....I'm going to end this now before I age myself any more. :)

happy 2012...

2012-01-03T11:13:00.000-08:00

A couple days late, but hope you're all having a wonderful 2012 so far!

The new year is always a time for reflection and new beginnings. Lots of people glad to say adios to 2011 and have big hopes and big resolutions for 2012. I don't really fall into either of those categories. 2011 wasn't a horrible year and I'm not a resolution-maker, I feel like I set myself up for failure by making resolutions like losing weight (who doesn't want to?) or saving more (again, who doesn't want to?) If I screw up in the days after I make those resolutions, I've failed, and early in the year, so I should just give up on the rest of the year, right?

In years past I've chosen a theme and/or word to help guide me. Simply, Moments and Execute. Each word could mean a million things to anybody, but they were great words to help guide me in anything I wanted to accomplish. This year, I'm slacking, I haven't had much time to think about my word, but I think I've found it:

to systematize: to organize the files of an office.

to give organic structure or character to: to organize the elements of a composition.

Now that I'm working out side of the home, I need organization more than ever. I have a feeling I need to become a "to-do" lister. When I was at home, doing most of the household chores, etc I could keep lists in my head. I now require the husband to help me out and since he can't read my mind, I think making lists will help. I'm thinking once central place to list monthly, weekly and daily lists.

I'd also like to be more on top of thinning out GQ's toys and clothing. I did this on January 1 and will be dropping off donations this afternoon. I was shocked at the amount of stuff AKA as plastic junk the little kiddo can acquire and he wants to save EVERYTHING. That drives me crazy but as long as it has a place in his room, I'm sort of OK with it. After making room for recent gifts he received I realized he has way more of that junk than I realized. He also had a bag of rocks he collected, which weighted about five pounds, that's a lot of little rocks. There were pine cones, too. I'm lucky I didn't find bugs. So I'm not longer out of sight, out of mind with his stuff. It is going to need a quarterly thinning. I think it will be good for us to thin out our closets and random piles, too. As good as I think I am at keeping what we acquire to a minimum, "stuff" seems to show up and pile up every time I turn around.

My biggest organizational task for the year is to go through GQ's stack of projects and artwork he's brought home from school in kindergarten and now 1st grade. It's about 18 inches high, not exaggerating, so I'm going to photograph items and toss them. It's just too much to store and will GQ really want all of them when he moves out of the house? No. I'll keep a select few and the rest will be photographed and compiled in a photo book I'll have published for him. I'm hoping to take really great pics of these projects, so it's going to be time consuming. I think I'll get out my light box and try to make them studio-looking, if possible. I guess I found my #1 on my "to-do" list.

No matter what your resolution or goals, if you were happy to kiss 2011 good-bye or excited for what 2012, I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating our new year!

newest time suck...

2011-12-29T19:17:00.000-08:00

Words With Friends...have you played? Tons of fun, you really should give it a whirl if you have the time.

What is this Words With Friends you ask? It's sort of like Scrabble, but a little different. You play on your own time. A game can move as fast or as slowly as the players like. And you play it on your smartphone, tablet, computer or e-reader via Wifi. I think you can play via Facebook, too.

I'm not a game player. Most don't interest me. Angry Birds is fun, I do enjoy that, but really any other video-type games don't interest me.

Until...Words With Friends.

I think my fascination with my game will end when I beat the husband at a match. We've played several times and so far, he's kicked my butt. Every time. The first time we played he wiped the floor clean with me. Since that first game I've paid more attention to strategy and play smarter. Our scores are getting closer and closer to each other, it's not a constant ass-kicking, but I am determined to BEAT him in the near future. It would make the win even better if I could win huge!

Wish me luck. And if I am slacking here it's probably because I'm challenging the husband to a Words With Friends game.

I need more hours in my day...

2011-12-11T21:32:00.001-08:00

Two weeks ago I went back to work. Full time. It's seasonal work, so in a couple weeks I might not have a job, but they could also ask me to stay on. Not sure yet that I'd like to stay. Some days, yes, some days, no. Guess it doesn't matter what I want until they'd actually make an offer to become permanent and I have to make a choice.

For seven years I've been a stay-at-home-mom. I had a part time job for a few months at a scrapbook store. That was for fun. And I helped another friend at her scrapbook store, but that was just whenever I could go in and if she needed me. Then last school year I worked as a substitute teacher for our local elementary schools. A job where I could say "yes, I'll work today." or "not interested, call somebody else." Now, I have a job and a 40 hour/week work-schedule. I'm expected to come in and nobody calls me to ask me if I'd like to work today. I punch a time clock. Weird.

Jumping into the working world from the non-working world has been hard. Harder than I thought it would be. I wanted to go back to work, to do something, but when the time actually came...I wanted to change my mind.

My first day at work was rough. It was the first time since GQ was born that I had to leave him. I don't have any problem leaving him with his daddy or a sitter, but I think knowing that I wasn't going to be home to chat with him about his school day or put him to bed...man, that was really overwhelming for me.

I cried when I talked to GQ on my very first break. Silly. But, I missed him. I missed our routine.

Part of my uneasiness about going to work is giving up control of my house. If you know me, you know I'm a little on the particular side. Some would call it a bit on the OCD side. I like things in order and everything in it's place. I have special way I load the dishwasher, fold clothes, vacuum, dust, keep papers, routines with GQ. Letting hubby help with some of those chores and letting them be done to his standard and not mine...that would be tough, so I was just going to do it all. But I found out, there just aren't enough hours in the day.

I tried to do it all and for two weeks laundry has piled up, things haven't been cleaned and the house has become cluttered. I've slept when I could and done enough to make evening routines easy for GQ and hubby. I haven't asked for help but today, I gave up. I finally admitted that I can't do it all.

So tomorrow, my day off, I am going to make a list of chores for hubby to do while I work. I'm going to let him help around the house. I have no idea what I'm willing to give up control of yet.

Dishwasher? I really like how I load it, every dish has a place and there is a right way to load it. Maybe I'll just leave him in charge of unloading?

Laundry? I really like the way I fold the shirts and hang everything in the same direction.

Vacuuming? That's my favorite. I think I'll keep that one; I love seeing the fresh lines in my carpet. {I told you was particular.}

Dusting? All his...HATE IT! Maybe I'll give him ironing, too?

Bathrooms? As much as I don't like cleaning the bathrooms, I'm particular, so I'll take that.

Are you getting a good picture of why this is difficult for me? Since I can't add more hours to the day, sharing chores is how I can make working work. So, either wish me luck or help me figure out how to gain an hour or two.

having a hard time with holiday spirit...

2011-12-01T12:22:00.001-08:00

It's December 1st and my holiday tree is still in a box in the garage. Decorations are, too. And I have no desire to put it up. Odd. Any other year, I'd have it up the day after turkey day. In all fairness, this year that wasn't possible because we were traveling for turkey day weekend, but the day after we got home, I didn't even think to get out the tree. I sit here looking at the spot where I'll put the tree and I still sit, I don't go fetch that tree. Just not feeling it this year.

No idea why I'm not feeling it this year. I haven't started shopping for gifts yet either. I'm making a list in my head, but it seems too early to head to the store and buy. Maybe it's the weather? We're in the desert and today was our first chilly day. Leaves are starting to fall off trees but it just seems like fall, not December.

I did remember to put G.Q.'s advent calendar. That's what they're called right? Those things that countdown to the big, jolly-guy-in-red's visit. So that means 24 days left until everything has to be done...tree up, shopping done, gifts wrapped. Not much time when you think about it. Holiday cards, too. I have to get started on those.

Can we turn back time a little and give me an extra week to maybe perk up a bit and put a dent in my list?

thankful...

2011-11-24T03:00:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for so many things in my life, but most of all, I'm thankful for my family. With out them, I wouldn't be me.

Happy Thanksgiving...

sharing...

2011-11-22T09:35:00.001-08:00

...a blog post. Such a great post and so well written. Click here to read and make sure you read all three pages.

22 adult truths...

2011-11-21T03:00:00.000-08:00

I stole this from a friend on Facebook, because it's funny...and a lot of it is true!

Sometimes I'll look at my watch three consecutive times and still not know what time it is. Sometimes that clock is digital and I still look at it three times and don't know what I saw.
Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong. Happens with the husband all the time. I try to just change the subject and move on...
I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger. And I remind G.Q. how he will one day wish he could take a nap!
There is great need for a sarcasm font. Yes.
How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet? Martha Stewart has a way, but I don't like her so I'm not going to learn it.
Was learning cursive really necessary? Not really. Although I do use a print/cursive mix when I write...grading on handwriting isn't necessary. I always rec'd bad grades in it because I couldn't slant properly...the horror!
Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood. Agree.
Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind-of tired.
Bad decisions make good stories.
You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day. Usually comes right after morning coffee :)
Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again. Remember LaserDisc?
I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call. I list them under Wrong Number1, Wrong Number2, etc...
I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Light than Kay.
I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option. I have to admit, I've needed that option a time or two...or three.
I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

halloween costume...

2011-11-20T03:00:00.000-08:00

I think I forgot to post a picture of G.Q. in his costume on Halloween. Perry the Platypus was a hit! Kids loved it, adults loved it, G.Q. loved it! And he was the only one out that night. Not the greatest quality pics; getting an excited kid to stand still for a picture when he'd rather be gathering candy, is like trying to nail down Jell-O!

"There you are, Perry!"

must be time to grocery shop...

2011-11-19T14:00:00.001-08:00

This morning G.Q. asked his dad... "Dad, can you please go to the grocery store and get some food? Mom is being a jack-in-the-box and won't buy any."

Not true, it was just a very busy week of running around and I never fit grocery shopping in. And you are so lucky you said "jack-in-the-box" and not what I was waiting to follow "jack!"

Time to make a shopping list...

adios, separation anxiety...

2011-11-18T12:32:00.001-08:00

At least I hope.

The last time I posted about G.Q.'s separation anxiety was almost six weeks ago. In those past six weeks, our mornings at school drop-off have become so incredibly easy!

G.Q. has always thrived with routine. Even if we couldn't have a routine, having a reminder about what is coming next always made the transition into the next task much easier. So morning routine around here is pretty much the same everything. G.Q. gets up, like clock-work, most days right about 7am. He watches some cartoons, eats breakfast, showers, dresses and we head out to school. Most days we park in the same spot, we get out of the car, he takes his vitamin, then hops on my back for a piggy-back ride across the field up to the school. As we make our way to his classes line-up spot, which we generally get to with about two minutes till the bell rings, every day. Once his teacher comes out, we hug, we kiss and do our "I love you!" and then he's into class, happy and ready to learn.

If any day was going to throw a wrench into our string of great mornings, it was going to be today, G.Q.'s teacher was absent. A sub... "oh, no. G.Q. isn't going to like this." I immediately think. I hear another first grade teacher that "we don't have a sub for your class, so you'll have different teachers taking shifts in your class today." That made me breathe easier. At least they'll be familiar faces. G.Q. still had that look, that uneasy look, like he was thinking about not going to school today.

I think what saved G.Q. from "causing a scene" and trying to leave the school with me was the fact that I was going to be back for lunch with him. He still gets his weekly lunch with mom if he's had five good mornings going to school. And mom brings McDonald's! I guess a Happy Meal is a great motivator!

Now, we have a new "issue" to work on...clothing. It's been an ongoing issue, really. G.Q. can be quite particular about where the collar on his shirt falls or where the hem of the sleeve or shirt bottom fall. He has three shirts that are his go-to shirts and wants to rotate through them. I'm trying to figure out clever ways to make choosing a shirt from the other 30 shirts in his closet much easier and tear-free.

Never a dull moment here...

wordless wednesday...

2011-11-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

why I love him so daggone much...

2011-11-08T20:55:00.000-08:00

There are a million different reasons why I love my buggy, but here area a few...

because little things excite him...a rock, a stick, a pine cone, etc.
because he's a great eater. I can feed him pretty much anything and he'll eat it. He'll even eat stuff I won't touch, like sushi. blek!
because whatever he does, it's done at full-steam ahead and no fear. Sometimes that's not so good, but he has fun!
because he runs to me when I pick him up from school, throws his arms around me and gives the best hug.
because he can build almost anything with his Legos.
because he talks and talks and talks and talks.
because he loves school and learning.
because he still gives me hugs and kisses in front of his friends.
because he loves for me to come have lunch with him at school.
because he thinks me making him rice topped with sugar and milk is the best treat ever.
because he takes his punishments in stride, for the most part. Losing TV privileges today wasn't easy, but he understood and dealt with it.
because he yelled "mom, I hurt my nuts!" at the park as all the kids simultaneously fell silent, like they knew something funny and inappropriate was going to come out of his mouth.
because he signs "I love you" to me every morning when I drop him off for school.
because he cuddles with me every morning, even if it's just for a minute, before he gets up and going.
because he's helped me learn so much about myself.
because he is just like his daddy...as crazy as that can sometimes drive me, they are quite a pair.
because he's an animal lover with a HUGE heart.
because he has a goofy fashion sense... he's trying to bring back the glove on one hand look.
because he is my silly, smart, lovable little guy. As stubborn and ornery as he can be, he's my little man and really a great kid. I love him!

Thanks for letting me gush!

drama...

2011-11-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

Not sure what happened on G.Q.'s seventh birthday but I'm pretty sure somebody threw a switch and turned on the drama with a little extra attitude and a whole lot of appetite! I'm figuring out that seven is a tough age...wanting to be a big kid and be independent but also still wanting to be little and have the comfort of mom and dad doing thing for him or helping a great deal. Each day is different, some hours are different and boy do I get confused. One moment we're holding hands walking on the side walk and then next we're at the park, he's playing with friends and I'm cramping his style.

I did some googling to see if I was crazy or if being seven years old can be a little crazy. Turns out I'm not crazy. (unless you ask my family, they might tell you otherwise.) As far as daily-routines, nutrition, etc. G.Q. seems to be right on. He's growing like a weed, becoming and even taller string bean, looking like he's all legs, which is very normal for a seven year old. As I was reading about independence of a seven year old I was seeing my G.Q.

Independence
Seven-year-olds are more likely to let you still cuddle with them at bedtime but squirm out of your hugs during the day, especially if you’re anywhere near his friends or school. Children this age can often veer between wanting to accomplish tasks, such as homework assignments or chores, completely by themselves, and then just as quickly ask an adult to help.

Many 7-year-olds will still love playing with friends but may begin to enjoy spending more time alone, playing by themselves or reading. Alone time and down time, can, in fact, be an important part of a 7-year-old’s development of a sense of self and his relations to others.

There are so many times where G.Q. doesn't need or want help. He'll get angry if I offer and then suddenly he needs help doing the simplest task. And he's gotten so much better at playing by himself. He can build Lego creations for hours on end. Amazing what he can create, too, I'm continually blown away by the things he makes, from buildings to vehicles to mazes for the hamster he hopes to get sometime in the future. (not happening, by the way.)

Another interesting bit of information I read on seven year olds was about friendships:

Friends
As 7-year-olds grow up and expand their social horizons, they often naturally become attached to other adults besides their parents, such as a teacher, an uncle, or even a friend’s parent.

Maybe this explains why G.Q. loves to takes gifts to his teacher any chance he gets. The husband just said the other day "I know I really liked some of my teachers in elementary school, but I don't remember wanting to take them gifts." G.Q. has taken in apples, erasers (Halloween themed), a lanyard for her keys and flowers. It's super-sweet that he loves her so much because I think she's a great teacher and he looks forward to seeing her every day. She's made 1st grade a great experience so far for him!

Really, we have a pretty awesome seven year old kiddo! I'm amazed at what he knows and what he's learning, his curiosity about all things science, his math skills, etc. And he's such a loving, sensitive and outgoing little man that is becoming more independent and confident each and every day. We have our moments, nobody is perfect, but I can't tell you how proud I feel when somebody tells me how well-behaved he is or how sweet he is.

Even though some days it seems like it's drama all day long, I sit and write this post and realize how really it's such a small part of the day. Drama or no drama, he's amazing and we're lucky parents to have him in our lives teaching us so much, too much to name. Love you buggy!

our sad pumpkin...

2011-10-30T19:03:00.000-07:00

Guess what happens when you forget to buy a pumpkin to carve until the day before Halloween? You get your pick from about five sorry looking pumpkins, that's what happens. I told G.Q. we'd buy and carve a pumpkin on Thursday but come Sunday afternoon we still hadn't gotten the pumpkin. We had been too busy to remember to buy a pumpkin and now the only pumpkins we could find, with out driving all around town to every store that might carry pumpkins, was a lonely cart ~~full~~ partially filled with five pumpkins. Three of the five were 1/2 rotten and the other two had "ZITS!" and G.Q. thought they were not carving worthy.

After a trip to two other groceries, we came back to the original store with the cart of sorry-looking pumpkins. As we walked up the pumpkin cart I saw two ladies eying the pumpkins, too, trying to figure out which one might be the best. Me, wanting G.Q. to get the best pumpkin swooped in and grabbed the two best while they were looking at a couple others. Since we had already been there once, I knew which two were the best to pick from. I held the tightly and made G.Q. pick from those two and made sure he was sure before placing one back in the cart for the ladies to swoop up. Probably not my finest moment, but he's 7 and they were like 47, so him having the perfect pumpkin was more important, at least to this mommy.

Our pumpkin in hand, we paid, $1.67! Not having the pick of the pumpkin patch was sort of forgotten about when I only had to pay $1.67 for the pumpkin. What a bargain! Yeah, I'm cheap, but it's for one day and we're going to cut holes in it, I don't think a big, perfectly round and blemish-free pumpkin for $9 is necessary.

G.Q. forgot about the "ZITS!" and the sort of dark, birth-mark type spot on the pumpkin as soon as we got in the car and headed for home. He was thinking about what side to carve and what design he wanted. We voted on a silly face and he thought a tongue sticking out would be fun. So a bowl to gather the guts, a dry-erase marker for designing, a safety knife and spoon to scrape in hand, we headed out to carve. This might be the first year we've actually carved a pumpkin. Weird, huh? Years before we've painted faces, but G.Q. is old enough now to use a safety knife and cut through the pumpkin.

It was fun to sit and snap pictures of the carving process. G.Q. used the marker to create the design. The marker was perfect because it it easily wiped off if he changed his mind and it was a great guideline for him while carving. I was pretty impressed with his carving skills. He stayed right on the lines and has one pretty cute pumpkin. Can't wait to put a candle in it tomorrow and watch it glow for all the trick-or-treaters to see!

doggy play dates...

2011-10-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

While my little bug is at school during the week, I hang out with our other baby, our four-legged baby...Macy. She's my pal, at least until the husband gets home, he's her favorite. Most days we head out for a walk after I get G.Q. to school but this week I've been giving her a treat and taking her to the dog park. Yep, I'm an awesome dog mom!

Running around with out a leash. Wind in her ~~hair~~ ears, tongue flapping as she happily trots along greeting the other dogs and humans. She couldn't be happier! And then the grass, oh the grass, rolling over in it, rubbing her back in it...if you could hear her moaning as she massages her own back in grass, you'd understand how much she misses her grassy yard in South Carolina. Our current yard is desert landscaping, which is primarily rocks, so the grass at the dog park...HEAVEN!

As Macy plays with other four-legged friends I enjoy a little time with other dog lovers. It's kind of neat to be around lots of people that love dogs and love bigger dogs and aren't scared out of their shorts if they see Macy and her other friends barreling towards them at what seems like 50 miles an hour. They just laugh and step aside so nobody goes down.

Thirty good minutes at the dog park will make Macy's day. She comes home for her afternoon nap, while she waits on G.Q. to come home from school. She's recently found a new napping spot, too, the guest bed. I open the window for her and she can lay on the bed and monitor all that happens out in front of the house. She's nosy that way. And since she's no longer trying to eat the big wreath I have hanging above the guest bed, I suppose I'll start keeping the room door open more often and let her lay there. She's so spoiled!

happy 7th birthday...

2011-10-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

a week late! If you read yesterdays post, you'll understand why this post is a week late, we've been B-U-S-Y!

G.Q. is 7! I can't believe that! What's really hard to believe is what an amazing little man he's become! He's so smart and so sweet and such a ball of energy and joy. I'm very lucky to be his mommy!

This year, G.Q. wanted a kid party but he had one last year and we've said that we're not doing big parties every year for his birthday. Mean mom and dad, I know, but we have our reasons. I told him I'd make special cupcakes for his class though; thankfully G.Q. thought that was a great idea! I never told G.Q. I was going to make Angry Birds toppers so he was surprised when I showed him and he loved them!

The cupcakes...G.Q. wanted cupcakes with red frosting. Sounds easy, but it's not. G.Q. is allergic to artificial food colors, so I had to hit Whole Foods hoping to find natural red food coloring. No such luck. They had a "red" but it was more a raspberry color and I was afraid it would look pink, so my other choices were blue and brown. Nice variety, huh? Blue is what I decided to go with. The coloring worked better than I thought it would, it should for $12 for a 2oz bottle, but it still had a grey undertone, which is what I was worried about. Natural food colors can be a bit dull. Fine with me, because they're natural, but when kids are used to all these vibrant colors and then I give them a dull blue, I worried they might not try the cupcake. I was wrong. When I stopped in to have lunch with G.Q. most of the kids in his class thanked me for the yummy cupcakes! I'm glad they enjoyed them. Due to allergies in the class (nut and soy) I was limited to not only colors but recipes to use. I'm so glad they tasted good and looked good! G.Q.'s teacher and guidance counselor verified that the cupcakes were delicious and the teacher's loved them. His teacher said the kids were out on the playground using the toppers to play Angry Birds.

According to G.Q. "this was the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!" *huge smiles from mommy* I'm so glad that we were able to make it a great birthday for him even though there wasn't a huge party. I'm glad he got to see we don't need lots of partied and presents to make it the best birthday ever, too.

Happy Birthday, buggy! We love you so much!

what a week we've had...

2011-10-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a busy, busy week for us and I think we're all exhausted! This past week we celebrated two birthdays, attended a Halloween festival at G.Q.'s school, went up to the strip on two different days for a little fun, hung at the park, did some shopping and managed to squeeze in lots of eating out. Some highlights of the week:

1. Dinner on the patio at Mon Ami Gabi. My first time at a French restaurant and it was delicious! I found a new wine I loved and had an amazing dinner of onion soup and salad, plus some fabulous fresh French bread. I think everybody else enjoyed their dinner just as much as I did; their meals ranged from steaks to mac and cheese to seafood stew. Probably my favorite part of the meal, was when we were ordering and I watched G.Q.'s eye light up and he exclaimed "WOW! MOM! Did you see that?!" Mon Ami Gabi sits across the street from the Bellagio fountains. It's rare we go to the strip, so that was G.Q.'s first time seeing them and he was amazed!

2. After our dinner at Mon Ami Gabi, we headed to Sugar Factory for dessert. Everybody was stuffed from dinner so dessert we going to be shared. G.Q. wanted a cupcake and it was almost his birthday so he got his own. I managed to sneak away and ask the waiter to put a candle in his cupcake. G.Q. was so surprised when it came to the table with a candle and we sang to him. "How did he know it was my birthday, mommy?" G.Q. kept asking. I finally told him that I was sneaky and asked them for the candle. An unexpected highlight was seeing the Indy cars in town for the weekend race down Las Vegas Blvd. We heard some commotion and engines roar and then saw the cars race down the road. It really was pretty cool!

3. Guess what? We went out to eat again...this time at YardHouse. So good! I love that they have a good portion of their menu dedicated to vegetarian selections. The husband and my father-in-law like the large selection of beers on tap. G.Q. loves that it's very closely located to an arcade that he was promised a trip to after dinner! It was his birthday, after all, so we couldn't deny him some tokens in the crane game or videos games. G.Q. somehow lucked out and won something from that rip-off machine they call "crane game." I hate it but G.Q. loves it and insists that he can win something every time. G.Q. won enough tickets playing games to buy himself some crap-behind-the-counter with his short-stack of tickets. Why is that junk so appealing to little kids? Again, it was his birthday, the visit to the arcade was a treat, so I sucked up my hate for it for the evening.

4. The Stratosphere! We went to the Stratosphere because G.Q. wanted to ride a roller coaster and they have a ride, The Big Shot, that he is just tall enough to ride. He's tall enough with shoes on, but apparently they're picky and made him remove his shoes, so he didn't get to ride. Bummer. But the husband and my mother-in-law got their thrill on, all while I was trying to keep myself from getting sick being up so dang high on this tower. These rides go up over 1,000 feet off the ground and go out over the side of the building. Why would anybody want to strap themselves into a ride and dangle over the side of a building? I have no idea but the husband had a blast! He's a big kid and I love him!

5. Spooktacular! G.Q.'s school had a Halloween festival for the neighborhood. They had carnival games, a haunted house (G.Q. was so pumped about this!), a costume contest and food. Our first stop was the haunted house, which was very tame, but G.Q.'s first one ever and he was thrilled to be in it. He got more excited as we turned each corner. When it was over he said "that was creepy but not scary!" Next it was costume contest time. I was so excited about this contest because I made G.Q.'s costume and was almost 100% certain that he'd win! As they kids paraded around I heard so many people say "There is Perry!" Whew, so glad they knew what the costume was! G.Q. was getting tired of the parading around but got a little excited when we was named runner-up in the contest. We were beat out by a zombie, which was a bummer, but the zombie had some pretty amazing make-up. I'm guessing somebody in the family or that they knew did it professionally because they could have been in a movie with their make-up.

I could go on and on with our activities, but I'm too tired to remember them all. Seriously, I'm pooped out! We had a blast, had a great time celebrating mine and G.Q.'s birthdays. Grandma and grandpa are home now, back in Ohio. The guest bedroom has been stripped down and linens are washing as I type. Life is settling down and returning to normal schedule. By the weekend I'm sure we'll all be caught up on sleep. It will be nice to return to normal but we're sure going to miss grandma and grandpa.

separation anxiety, part trois...

2011-10-11T06:51:00.000-07:00

I'm showcasing my knowledge of the French language in my titles. Don't worry, you're only going to get numbers and I can only go up to six, any other French I learned in school no longer exists in my brain.

Onto part trois... We've now completed six weeks of school. Mid-term reports are out and learning is in high gear. Routines are set, friends have been made...G.Q. is loving school! Our mornings? Well, they're getting better. This past week, we made it to school all five days with out any issues. Do you know what a relief that was for me? And for G.Q.? HUGE!

Working with the guidance counselor and G.Q.'s teacher, we came up with a plan to track good mornings and after five, G.Q. gets a reward. Every morning he goes into class with out any problems, he gets to color in a star on a chart. At home there is a chart that he also earns a star on. Once five are earned at school, he gets to hang for a bit with the guidance counselor and have a special treat. Our reward from home is mom coming in to school with a special lunch for him. This past Friday he got a Happy Meal. I hate rewarding him with food we don't like him to have, but if it motivates, at least these first few weeks, I'll do it.

Friday after school, G.Q. was so proud of himself! He had every right to be, too. He had a great week of school, worked through his fears and went to school with out any problems...I was beaming with pride, too! Hoping the weeks that follow are just the same for him. He now knows that he has the self-confidence to do it which is exactly what I wanted him to see.

I know our troubled mornings aren't completely over, but we're making lots of progress. It feels so much better to drop G.Q. off at school and walk away without tears in my eyes. Finally, normal mornings!

a hamster? a fish? please!

2011-10-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

G.Q. is determined to get a new pet. If he had his way, he'd get a hamster, but that's not happening. I know I had them when I was a kid, but now I realize how much work they are, how noisy and stinky they are and I'm not interested. Guess my mom was nicer than this mom, because she let us have so many different pets...dog, bird, bunnies, hamsters, fish and a rat.

I love animals, but not in my house, except for my sweet Macy. I love her so much that I even let her sleep in my bed. Or maybe it's that she lets us sleep in her bed. She's spoiled. But I feel like she gives us something, a wagging tail, a paw shake for a treat, a walking companion, unlimited kisses and cuddling. Can a hamster do that? No. They eat, poop and run from you when you try to pet them. Sort of like a cat, huh?

This afternoon G.Q. called his dad at work and asked if they could go to the pet store tonight. Dad thought it was a good idea, thinking they were just going to look around. G.Q. had other ideas. Apparently on a previous trip to the pet store I promised G.Q. a fish. I don't remember this but if I had to guess at the conversation, it probably went something like this:

G.Q.: "Mom, can I get a hamster?"

Me: "No. They are expensive and they stink. Let's go look at the fish."

G.Q.: "Mom, can I get a fish?"

Me: "No. They die right after you take them home."

G.Q.: "Please, mom!"

*insert a bit of begging drama here*

Me: "Come on G, it's time to go." wanting to get the heck out of the store

G.Q.: "But I want a fish, they're only a couple dollars."

Me.: "Not today, maybe someday for your birthday or something"

I think "maybe someday" arrived today, in G.Q.'s mind. So the trip to the pet store tonight was totally to make a purchase, so he thought. Daddy had no idea what G.Q. was planning. What G.Q. didn't realize is that daddy is a firm "NO" on little pets, so he asked the wrong person to take him there if he was planning to bring home a fish or hamster (which is what he really wanted.)

Right before they left for the store G.Q. was still trying to convince me that I promised him a fish and convince his dad that he was going to get one. "If I can't get a hamster than I get a fish." Me, being a sort-of sucker, I say "Maybe for your birthday or Christmas." The husband looked at me like WTF? I know we're not getting him a fish, I just hate to be the mean one all the time.

So daddy and G.Q. hit the pet store and G.Q. headed to look at the fish. The husband said "the first fish he looked at was dead." Hopefully that made G.Q. see that I'm not lying when I say they die right after you take them home. What ever it did, it seemed to have put off his request for fish for now. He came home without a new pet and wasn't complaining about not getting one. Whew!

paaarrrtttyyy...

2011-10-05T22:10:00.000-07:00

"Mom! We got lap cards in PE today. We can walk laps at recess and for each lap we get a mark. IF we get 100 laps, guess what? WE GET A SAUSAGE PAAARRRTTTYYY!"

I need to get some clarification on this lap card thing G.Q. is telling me about and very excited about. He's pretty pumped about the "sausage party." I'm hoping maybe he misunderstood some part of the program, because a "sausage party" seems like an odd reward for a program that encourages movement and exercise. I know a fruit party isn't as fun as sausage could be, but how about a smoothie party or popcorn? I do think the lap card is a great idea though to get kids moving during recess. I know my little bug is all over the monkey bars at recess time; we have the blisters and calluses to prove it. I remember my hands looking just like his pretty much through my elementary school days. Loved perfecting my penny-drops and dreaming of the day I could do a jeannie-drop. I probably would have tried it eventually, but I watched my sister almost bust both her knee caps doing it and chickened out.

As excited as G.Q. is about the possibility of being invited to the "sausage party" he's very concerned about losing his recess to walking laps, 100 laps to be exact. To him 100 laps equals 100 miles. "Maybe they would let me walk and eat at the same time so I can have recess and lunch." he said. "Not sure, kiddo, I'm thinking they would want you to walk at recess time and eat lunch at lunch time." I don't think G.Q. liked that answer. He still doesn't quite understand that even though I'm his mommy, I don't have much say in policies at school. I can't override their rules, even though he'd totally love it if I could.

I'm guessing G.Q. won't be getting the coveted "sausage party invite" towards the end of the school year. The prize for 100 laps might be quite tempting to my little guy, but monkey bar time is much more precious than sausage. Thank god!

I need a J-O-B...

2011-10-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

I just might go crazy sitting around every day while G.Q. is in school. I need something to do. One can only clean, do laundry or read so much. So, why am I not looking for a job? Well...I've been a stay at home mom for almost seven years now, I like my no-schedule days. I like my weekends to do whatever we want. I like dropping off and picking up my little guy from school. And I like to travel when we want to and not have to worry about taking time off work or if I'm even able to get X days off. That's a lot to give up!

It's that time of year when lots of retail will be or already are hiring seasonal employees to help cover the holiday rush. It would be great if I could get a job at a store we like to shop at, maybe get a discount, but with retail comes crappy hours. Plus, we're traveling for Thanksgiving. Already have our plane tickets, so during the stores potentially biggest sales day of the year, I won't be available. That would probably get me a quick boot off the list of potential hires.

I guess I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled for the right fit and while I wait, enjoy my days. Maybe I'll get caught up on my scrapbooking? It's been a while, I hate to look at all the pics that are waiting to go into a book. I could also take up a new exercise program, but I won't. Too lazy. Walking the pooch after I drop off the kiddo at school is exercise I enjoy and it's free. No gym to join or class fee to pay. I think I'll stick with it. I should take advantage of this time, too, and clean out G.Q.'s closet. I know there are too small clothes and some toys in there. I'm sure I could fill a box for donation. Need to do the same in my closet, too.

There is always the PTA, too, I'm sure they could find something for me to do. I don't think I'm interested though. I like a more relaxed PTO, this PTA seems like a weird sort of clique to me. The "PTA Moms." A friend of mine says she's a "friend of the PTA" not an actually PTA'er. I didn't get the whole "friend of the PTA" until school started...now I get it. It's hard to describe, but these ladies are always at the school organizing this or doing that. They seem to be a tightly knit crowd that are friendly but they aren't too quick to let in a newbie. I feel like they're judging my worthiness to be in the group. Just not interested in that. I finished high school almost *cough* 20 years ago, I don't do cliques anymore.

I'll stop complaining about being bored. I know there are lots of people that don't have enough hours in the day to get things done. I'm very lucky to have boredom as my biggest problem.

unspoiling your child...

2011-10-01T23:35:00.000-07:00

I don't think we have a spoiled child, but as an only child, I worry a little extra about spoiling. We try every day to make sure we're raising G.Q. to be a well-adjusted only child. It's easier said that done but we do try. G.Q. does know that the world doesn't revolve around him and it's not always him first. Important things, because as an only child, home life can easily revolve around him and he's not waiting in line with anybody but the dog when he needs help. There are two parents and him and the dog... we can each take one and no wait for either. Hmmmm, spoiled kid and spoiled dog, maybe?

A couple weeks ago I had the morning news on as I moved around the house doing chores and getting myself ready for the day. I caught the tail-end of a news segment titled How to Unspoil Your Child. It immediately drew me in but I can't tell you who was offering the information, an author? a doctor? No idea, but I was liking what I heard. The rules they offered:

1. Teach your child discipline. Make routines the boss... when you complete your homework, then you can watch a television show. No matter how difficult and exhausting discipline can be, it's so worth it to have rules and to stick by them. Most any parent knows that rules are always changing and adapting, but us having time-outs as our discipline has been huge. G.Q. knows that when he's not behaving, there is a time-out to stop the behavior and have a period to think about that behavior. We started them when G.Q. was 18 months old and have continued. He's almost 7 years old and still gets used. Now it's time served in his room, but still a cooling off period for him. And like I said, rules change and adapt, so do punishments, because loosing privileges (toys, TV, computer time, outside time) in addition to time-outs all have a huge impact on G.Q. The important thing is that G.Q. knows that actions have consequences, privileges are earned not expected. So if we play at the park after school and he doesn't feel like doing homework or reading when we get home, that's fine, but that means no TV before bed. Looks like we can put a check on rule number one. OK, not a full check, but a 1/2 check, and in-progress check, because won't it always be in-progress?

2. Teach them gratitude. Gratitude, what is it and how do you teach it? The dictionary definition of gratitude is the quality of being grateful or thankful. How do you teach it? It's hard, it's not just a lesson you go over one day and you're done. It's something you teach every day. I could try to list how we do it daily but I'll tell you a favorite moment of mine, when we saw it click in G.Q.'s mind and knew he was beginning to really understand how lucky he is to have all that he does. Last Thanksgiving we had a nice dinner together, the three of us. No family came to town and we didn't travel, so it was a quiet holiday together for us. We had lots of leftover food from our dinner, so we boxed up four meals from the leftovers, put them in bags with utensils and a drink and then hit the road to find some people that didn't have family or even a home to sit and have that meal. G.Q. was really having a hard time understanding how somebody could be homeless. "Why don't they just go get a job?" he asked. "It's not as easy as it sounds, buggy. Sometimes people don't have family to help them when they don't have money and they have to live on the streets. No family, no house, no food." I told him. As we were driving, heading towards downtown, we came across a lady, probably late 50's, walking with a coat on, carrying a bag or two and a rug. I imagine the rug was used for both a mat to sleep on and to protect her from weather. We stopped and offered her food. She began to cry and thanked us...I wish I could have given her more. I was kicking myself that we hadn't tossed some coats, blankets or socks in the car with us. That moment, G.Q. realized what we were trying to explain to him but he wasn't really understanding. He saw that a lady, a grandma, could be all alone, walking on the street wondering where she was going to sleep, what she was going to eat. He realized how very lucky he was, how lucky we were that daddy had a job that allowed mommy to stay home with him and keep a nice, warm roof over our heads. It was a very touching moment for all of us. I'm hoping we can do this again over the holiday season. Another in-progress check here.

3. Be consistent. This might be the most difficult one. It's so hard to be consistent when you're tired or you're out in public and you don't want to cause a scene. I have to admit that the husband is better at consistency than I am when we're out at a store or restaurant. I try to be, but I just want a relaxed, quiet dinner or shopping trip. The last thing I want to is carry an ornery child out of a store because I didn't buy him this or that. It doesn't happen often, and thankfully it's been when it's all three of us shopping together that G.Q. gets a bug up his butt and decides to give us a hard time. Daddy is the first one to end it and carry him on out. Yay daddy for standing your ground! Mommy is working on her back bone! It's been extra hard all summer long because of our move. I feel like I was giving in a lot, trying to make the transition easy and now I need to step up my game again and mean "no" when I say "no!" Other than that, with consistency, we are awesome when it comes to routines. G.Q. thrives on a routine. When you see him on a routine vs. off a routine, you'll see why consistency is so important to kids. We're not so rigid with routines that we can't handle any change of plans, but when it comes to school nights and bedtime, I run a tight ship. G.Q. knows it's homework, playtime, snack and TV then bed. He'll sometimes ask for extra time, but he knows 8pm is bedtime and that's it. He's in bed and usually asleep within five minutes. His body is ready for sleep and needs 10-11 hours of sleep every night, so I don't veer from our schedule. This routine means G.Q. wakes up all smiles and ready for the day with out an alarm and with out us begging him out of bed. We'll call this one in-progress, too. *The husband gets a slightly bigger check than me, but don't tell him that*

4. Don't over-pamper your child. Don't do something for them they're capable of doing themselves. I was on a roll here, until we got to number four. I've known for a while that I need to start making G.Q. do more for himself, but the control part of me was having a hard time letting him do it. I'm too particular with how things are done. If you get something out of my pantry, I like it neatly taken out, doors closed and the kitchen looking like you were never there. Unrealistic with a almost 7 year old and a husband. In my mind everything has it's place and if you touch it you need to put it back where you found it... exactly where you found it. I've gotten so much better over the years, but if I can keep certain things in order, I'll do it. That means, if G.Q. wants a snack, I always got it for him. That way if it made crumbs, I could wipe them up and have a clean kitchen before I walked out of it to give G.Q. his snack. So G.Q. got used to me waiting on him that it carried over into helping him clean up his toys (I'm weird about toy organization, too. Imagine that?) and getting dressed. After seeing this story I've begun working on the over-pampering. When G.Q. wants a drink and I hear "mom, can you get me some water?" my response is "go in the kitchen and get some water." Same with snacks and toys. I'm not so quick to jump up and do something. The first couple days I started being less pampering I heard huffs and puffs coming from G.Q. as he had to get up and do something himself, but now he's asking for less and doing more on his own. There have been spills here and there, but he's little, it's bound to happen and I try to stay calm and roll with it. He's also offering to help out more. Sometimes he asks to help and other times he just does it. That can be good and bad, but I try to remember that he's really trying to be helpful, not meaning to do it incorrectly or make more of a mess that what was originally there. I'm so thankful I happened upon this news segment because it's just what I needed to hear to make me help G.Q. become more independent. Good for both of us! No check mark or partial check here. But we're working on it.

Really, I didn't need that news segment to help me raise a child that isn't spoiled, but it's always nice to hear new, fresh ideas and different perspectives. Something you can take bits and pieces from and weave them into your life. Change things up when what you're currently doing isn't working or needs a little spicing up. Seeing the news segment made me feel good about how we are raising G.Q. and also made me think about something that I wasn't doing. Overall, this is probably the best list of rules I've seen for parenting. A list I'm happy to follow. It makes complete sense to me. I do wonder though, if I had read this list or saw this segment seven years ago what I might have thought. I know I had a list of "my child will never do _____" that my sister, who has five children all older than G.Q., always laughed pretty loudly at. I've probably eaten my words more times than I'd like to admit with that list.

sweetness...

2011-09-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

GQ: "mom, did you want a baby girl or a baby boy?"

Me: "I wanted you."

GQ: "and you got me!"

We did. We got exactly what we wanted a sweet, perfect little boy. I love him!

my day...

2011-09-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

1. G.Q. woke us up at 6:30am. That seems to be the new wake time for him. I'd really love 7am, but waking up happy and on his own at 6:30am, I'll take it. Wondering if we should move bedtime to 8:30pm instead of 8pm, but I like my evening with the husband, so I think I'm going to leave it as is and just deal with the new wake time.

2. Had a cup of coffee, got the kiddo breakfast, pancake on a stick. *gag* The smell makes me want to barf but he loves them and requests them. G.Q. barely eats lunch at school, I have to make sure he eats a good amount for breakfast, so I feel that's my "good excuse" for letting him eat something I normally wouldn't buy.

3. School drop-off. Right on time. Gave the kiddo a piggy-back ride across the ball field as we walked into school. Man, that kicks my butt! G.Q. is 45 pounds now and is wearing a backpack with his lunch and a full water bottle in it. The 100 or so yards we piggy-back feel like a mile! Who needs to lift weights when I can piggy-back G.Q. every day? As we're making the trek across the field G.Q. said "this is good exercise for you mom, since you don't walk Macy in the morning anymore, you need the exercise." Thanks for the pep talk kiddo, maybe you should consider personal training as a career?

4. Exercise, round 2: take Macy for a walk. Good tunes this morning on our walk...Coldplay, The Decemberists and some Flo Rida. The pooch is a great walking partner, she keeps me moving, but a little of this gives us a nice beat!

5. Meet friend for coffee and a bite to eat. We both have Entertainment Books so we're working our way around the area coffee shops and breakfast eateries with our buy one, get one coupons. Breakfast turned to lunch as three plus hours passed. It's so nice to just sit in a comfy chair, drink coffee and talk about nothing and everything. It's my weekly release.

6. Drive home to let Macy out for a potty break, refill the water bottle and then back out for school pick-up. Nothing puts a smile on my face like seeing my kiddo walk happily out of his classroom door onto the playground! He proudly showed me his new kazoo, his prize for reading 10 books. We're going to have to lose this kazoo soon because it's a loud, annoying toy.

7. Park time! 45 minutes of fresh air and time with friends after school before it's time to head home and hit the homework. G.Q. has such a great time playing and just hanging out. There is a regular group that hangs at the park and it's nice to decompress there in the fresh air and just let the kids be kids.

8. Homework time. Since G.Q. worked ahead yesterday on his packet, tonight is just reading. Four books read, sort of easy reads, so he flew through them. Then requested six more easy books so he could fill his reading log in one day and pick a new prize at school tomorrow. "Request denied, buggy. You need to challenge yourself a bit, too with your reading. We'll have some more difficult books tomorrow, but I like your enthusiasm."

9. Empty dishwasher. Load dishwasher. Empty dryer. Toss clothes from washer into dryer. Start new load in washer. The never ending cycles...load dirty dishes, put away clean dishes, dirty clothes, wash clothes, dry clothes, fold clothes, iron clothes, hang up clothes, and repeat...

10. Dinner time. It's fend-for-yourself at our house tonight. If you're hungry, take a look in the pantry and fridge.

11. Open house at school. Head over, search for a parking spot. It doesn't exist at the elementary so we park over at the middle school. On our walk over to the elementary G.Q. asks for piggy-back ride, "mom, you need more exercise, can I do a piggy-back ride again?" I know he's not being mean, we're going to have to work on his delivery. We had a fun time walking around the school with G.Q. He showed us the library, his music class and played a little xylophone. I wish I could play one and play it well. I'd really love to play the piano well. There was a student in the music room that tickled the ivories for us, he played a couple different Coldplay songs and it was so cool! I could have listened to him play for hour. G.Q. loved listening, too. But we had to work our way to his classroom and see his teacher, so we couldn't stay and continue listening. G.Q. gave us a tour of his classroom and showed us some of the recent projects they've done. Very fun to see him explain the different areas of the class and seeing his work. We met the class snake and G.Q. got a big treat and met somebody, too. He met his teacher's son, who is blind. G.Q.'s class has been learning about their five senses and they got to learn a lot about being blind and work on a brailler. G.Q. has been very interested in his teacher's son and how he learns through braille and said he'd like to talk to her more about it, so it was a real treat for him to meet, Adam! Adam showed G.Q. his cane and how he uses it to get around. Had there been time, G.Q. would have enjoyed hanging out with Adam.

12. Meltdown. The mistake of the evening was to let G.Q. ~~browse~~ shop at the book fair before leaving the school open house. Boy does Scholastic know what they're doing by stocking their book fairs with tons of Lego books. Not just Lego books, but Lego books with mini-figs attached to them. Of course we left with the book, but when I said "you can have the book today, but can't have the mini-fig until Friday when I originally said you could buy a book" you would have thought I told him I threw all his Legos away. "what?! What about you let me have the mini-fig tonight and the book on Friday?" Nice try, but "no." Not the answer he wanted to hear. Drama, drama, drama.

13. Bedtime for buggy. After G.Q. calmed down and realized we weren't being unreasonable we chilled with a quick episode of Zeke & Luther. G's favorite show, ever! Luther Waffles is pretty darn funny! Then off to bed, just 10 minutes late. I was thinking open house was going to really throw off our bedtime tonight, but we did pretty good staying on track. Whew! G.Q. needs his sleep and I need my evening to pack his lunch and backpack before chill time for mommy.

14. Boob-tube time. A little Tosh.O and The Daily Show to catch up on tonight. Thank goodness for the DVR! I don't know what night or what time any of my shows are on. I just know they'll be on DVR and I can fast forward through all the annoying commercials. *Holy Crap!* I almost forgot about Parenthood...BEST.SHOW.EVER...on tonight!

I'm going to regret this purchase...

2011-09-23T22:13:00.000-07:00

G.Q. was clinging very tightly to a new Lego book, Lego Star Wars, The Visual Dictionary. (creating this link I see it's $7 cheaper on Amazon, but that's $7 to his school, so I can't complain...but I'll whine a little.) The book is pretty cool, details all the Lego sets that are dedicated to Star Wars, all the way back to 1999. There is also a mini-fig (that's cool Lego-kid slang for mini-figure or Lego person) included with the book.

Today was the special VIP breakfast for parents and kids to view and shop the book fair before school. I think every parent and every kid was there, and the line to check out wrapped around the entire room used for the fair. Since we had time to kill waiting in line, we flipped through the book a bit. As he looked at all the pics, G.Q. was also trying to figure out a way to get me to let him take that mini-fig out of the package...I could see the wheels turning. I'd already told him it stayed put until after school. I know, mom's no fun, but mom knows that mini-figs can break apart into 8+ pieces and the drama a missing piece would cause if one was lost at school. The pieces are tiny...I've picked them off the carpet, out of chair cushions and the vacuum bag, I'm not searching for them at school. And I'm not buying a 2nd book because "I loooooost my mini-fig...I neeeeeeeeed a new one." Again, call me mean, I call it a life lesson.

As we're in line, waiting, I said "I think that mini-figs name is Luke Skywalker." A total guess because I know ZIP about Star Wars. I haven't seen any of the movies and have no desire to either. *gasp* Sorry Trekkies, wait, wrong show. What do Star Wars die hards call themselves? I was quickly corrected by the kid standing in line in front of us, "no, that's Han Solo." Might as well have ended his correction with a big, "DUH, lady!" I didn't see it as any big deal, but I'm betting to that kid I'm the dumbest mom ever, to not know that was Han Solo. Whatever...it's not my genre, I still don't plan to see the movies, if G.Q. wants to see them, that's going to be dad's job.

We get through the line, pay and on to school. Like I requested the mini-fig stayed in the book until after school. Once school was out, the mini-fig was out and the wheels in G.Q.'s head started turning...what Lego Star Wars sets do I want? What ships, weapons and mini-figs can I look up online and try to make with what I already own? "Mom! Can you help me look up this Lego set?" And so it begins...for the next four hours G.Q. spent researching in his book, then the computer and then his Lego pieces to build various parts of the Star Wars empire. It keeps him busy and it's very impressive what he can build and create with the Legos, but since I am often called in to search for a random piece, I tire of it quickly. I knew I was going to regret this purchase.

How can I complain about a toy and book that give G.Q. so many ideas and let him be so creative? He amazes me every day with creations. Tons of kids post videos on youtube with their Lego creations and how to build them. G.Q. loves to watch. He's also getting the bug to create some Lego videos himself. I think dad has about 10 videos on his phone that G.Q. has created. He gets better with each recording, one day maybe he'll have his own youtube channel.

progress...

2011-09-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

I have to tell you about my day. It was perfect, exactly the way every school day should be and I'm one proud mama!

Last night G.Q. had asked me to have lunch with him at school. I wanted to, we did it all the time in kindergarten and I want to do the same in first grade, but we've had so many issues in the mornings that I wasn't sure it was a good idea, even though I had already told G.Q. I'd love to have lunch with him. As an after thought I sent his teacher an email asking for her opinion, she thought I should put it off and use it as a reward for X number of easy morning drop-offs. I thought that was a great idea, too. Since I had committed and there was no way G.Q. would let me forget I committed, I decided to put a qualification on my yes. I told G.Q. that I would come for lunch if he had a good morning drop-off at school. He accepted the challenge and passed with flying colors. Drop-off was a breeze!

Lunch was so much fun! G.Q. had the biggest smile on his face when he saw me waiting at the lunch room door. I got the best hug and kiss! I sat with his class and G.Q. shared his lunch with me. About 1/2 way through lunch teachers and the principal take turns asking kids grade appropriate questions. They travel around the room with a mic and the kids are all eager to answer the question and earn their special pencil. "what is the color of a slice of pineapple?" Mr. Chavez asks. About every first grade hand flies up into the air wanting to answer that question. After hearing "green?" and "clear?," the third kiddo got it correct "YELLOW!" Time for the next question, the room gets very quiet. Mr. Chavez asks "How do you spell the opposite of boy?" Great question! First they have to find the opposite and then spell it. Figuring out opposites is pretty simple for first graders, but spelling...different story. 'Girl' is a kindergarten sight word, but in kindergarten the spelling isn't pushed. Kids learn to read the word and when writing, they are told to sound out and write phonetically, as much as they can. Again, almost every first grade hand went up very eagerly into the air. The answers didn't come so easily this time. "G-R-L-L" no. "G-R-R-L" no. "G-R-R-L-L" no. It was sweet seeing the kids think really hard and listen to the previous response, trying to figure out what to add or omit from that last answer. While all this is happening G.Q. is asking me how to spell 'girl.' I wouldn't tell him but I sounded the word out so he could hear each letter. His eyes lit up and his hand darted straight up in the air and he confidently said "G-I-R-L" when the mic came to him. The lunch room roared with excitement as Mr. Chavez gave him the thumbs up and handed him a pencil. I think Mr. Chavez was happy that after about 25 guesses they finally had a winner and he could move on and quiz the third graders. I was so proud of G.Q! I wasn't proud because he had the correct answer (yes, I was proud of that, but not the main reason) but because he had the confidence to speak into that mic and give it a shot with his answer. I wasn't sure how things were going at school with him, up to this point, what I've seen has been him being sad as I push him in class and go the opposite direction. He was having fun, enjoying school, making friends and he was proud of himself. After lunch, I walked out of the lunch room with G.Q.'s class and headed to the office. Got my hug and kiss and "I love you" signed from Gavin. It was sweet and again, it was easy. He was ready to go to class and knew that in a few hours, I'd see him at pick-up.

At school pick-up seeing G.Q. come out of his class laughing and happy was beautiful! He and another little boy in his class seemed to have really clicked. They play at recess together, eat lunch together and walk out of the class together. I think that connection is something that G.Q. has needed. And then I got to hear something really amazing, his teacher came over and said "I just want to let you know how proud I am of G.Q. and how proud he was of himself today. He did such a good job and you could just see it in him all day long." Progress...we're moving forward! *happy dance!*

I know this day hasn't solved all of our separation anxiety issues, but it's a step in the right direction. G.Q. saw for himself that he could do it, he could go to school, even if he was sad and going to miss us, he could go and have a great day. And I think using lunch with mom as a reward for good morning drop-offs might be a great tool. Today's reward only took one good morning drop-off, next we up the stakes a little, three good mornings before mom comes for lunch. Then we'll go to five days. Lunch once a week with my baby will be a treat for both of us...fingers crossed that this incentive is what helps get G.Q. past his morning worries. I promise to keep you posted...

how do you lose a bar of soap in the shower?

2011-09-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

"moooooom! I need some help in here, please!" OK, assuming G.Q. is ready to get out of the shower and dry off. As I walked into the bathroom, to a drenched bathroom floor, I see he didn't need the towel, but the floor did. "G.Q., how in the world did the floor get so wet?" I'm hoping for a reasonable answer, knowing it's not going to be sorry mom, it was an accident. And here it comes... "It was getting in my way while I was playing with the soap, so I pushed the curtain out of the tub." That's awesome. *insert eye-roll here* So the shower has been running for five or ten minutes with the curtain liner outside of the tub. The liner, the thing that's there to keep the water in the tub, is outside the tub. *counting backwards...10, 9, 8....3, 2, 1* How many times have I told G.Q. how important it is to keep the water in the shower/tub? I'm sure it's more times than I have fingers to count. Apparently, it hasn't completely absorbed, well it probably has, but the fun he's having sort of squashes any reasonable thinking. That's the best part about being a kid, fun can override a lot of things, right?! I mop up the water with a couple towels and let G.Q. know it's time to shut off the water get out.

"but I can't find the soap!" What? How do you lose a bar of soap in the shower? It's either laying on the bottom or on the shelf where it's supposed to be when not in use. "look around on the tub, G.Q., it has to be there." No, it didn't have to be there and it wasn't there. Why? It can't be in the tub because G.Q. was using the slope of the tub walls and the wet bar of soap like a skateboard on a skate ramp. The bar of soap flew out of the tub and landed somewhere in the bathroom.

I look all over for the soap...behind the toilet, under the vanity, behind the door, open and close the door thinking maybe it slid out into the hallway. Nothing. I immediately assume our sweet, but sometimes dopey pooch found the soap bar and was hiding in my bedroom blowing soap bubbles. Frantically finding the dog, I see she's sleeping and had no clue on the opportunity she missed to chew on something. She will have lots of opportunities, so no big loss to her...drop anything paper or plastic in this house and she's on it before you realized you dropped it. Amazing doggy radar she has!

Not to worry, it's just a bar of soap, it will be found and maybe be dry by the time we do. Less mess. I turn off the water, help G.Q. out of the tub and clean the bathroom. Just as I'm finishing, I see the wet, sudsy bar of soap staring at me. There it is, laying on top of the toilet paper roll. Fantastic. Wet toilet paper is my favorite, especially when it's stuck to wet soap. Ugh. Seems like I'm being a bit dramatic when it comes to the toilet paper, but you have no idea how much toilet paper we've gone through lately. Our sweet, but sometimes dopey pooch is smarter than I give her credit for, she has figured out how to remove the toilet paper roll from the holder. (She can also open the door to the linen cabinet.) The toilet paper has to be up in a basket on the vanity so she can't get to it. Even then she tries, you'll hear the lid to the toilet smacking as she's on the hunt. Most of the time she's very stealth, you don't know she's raided the bathroom until you walk into the bedroom and see white, shredded paper all over. Better paper than a shoe, but still annoying. Anyway, that's one more roll of paper ruined.

Long story long, huh? Sorry. I'll sign off, have to head to the store, we need toilet paper.

these are the rules...

2011-09-20T03:00:00.000-07:00

I know them, but I don't always follow them. It's not that I don't follow them, I don't purposely use the incorrect version of a word or miss/overuse punctuation. When I'm creating my posts, my mind is usually working faster than my fingers...they don't always connect and mistakes happen. I try my best, but after writing, proofing, correcting and rereading, I don't always see the remaining errors. Looking back at a post from the other day, holy crap! I had written a sentence in that post that I couldn't figure out! Probably confused myself writing it, then proofed it and said "screw it...good enough." It was bad with a capital AWFUL! I corrected it, sort of, at least now you can understand what I was trying to say. Maybe?

I really should let the husband, AKA the grammar ~~nerd~~ nazi, proof my posts. He'll whip them into shape faster than I can determine if I should use they're, their or there. A second eye is always a good thing, right?

Since I've probably offended your eyes in a post or two or three or four...sorry! I'll do better, I promise.

separation anxiety, part deux...

2011-09-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

If you were reading last week, you might remember I mentioned G.Q. having some separation anxiety issues with school this year. We're now through the third week of school and they continue. *sigh* As badly as I feel for G.Q. as he tries to get past the nerves and go into school without the shove through the door from me; I'm over it. I'm ready to give hugs and kisses on the play ground and walk happily to my car like all the other parents on the playground. Instead, I'm the parent trailing behind, sunglasses on and a tear running down my cheek. It's rough. It's exhausting.

According to G.Q.'s teacher, I'm doing everything right, by giving that push and being on my merry way, but it doesn't feel so right when I'm doing it. I wouldn't call myself a true attachment parenting follower, but we've always tried to really do what is right for G.Q. and what we felt his needs were, so pushing him into something that he doesn't want to seems wrong...even though I know it's right. I know he can handle it emotionally, I know he loves his teacher, I know he has made some friends, I know he loves to learn and really enjoys all that his teacher has taught them so far...doesn't make that shove any easier.

I had no idea how much a bad morning for G.Q. would bring me down, but it sure is a kick in the ass at 8:30am. It's not everyday we have the anxiety, but it's averaging two days each week. Those two days seem to suck the energy out of me. I worry. I stress. I don't do a damn thing, but sit and try to figure out what went wrong, why it went wrong...and I come up with the same answer...I don't know. Aren't moms supposed to have all the answers? Why don't I know? Why can't I figure this out?

As I sit, worry and stress, I start to remember my time in first grade. I loved my teacher, I loved school, but I had separation anxiety. I had totally forgotten that last part until G.Q.'s issues made me remember. When I started first grade a new program was being started at my elementary school, a K-1 program, where kids that weren't quite ready for first grade but didn't belong in kindergarten would go. The problem was the program didn't start until a week after school started and my teacher was going to become the K-1 teacher, so I was moved into a different first grade class after just becoming comfortable with my first new teacher. Miss Fahle was my new, new teacher. I thought she was so neat! She was short, so we little first graders loved that. She was young and wasn't married...for some reason I thought that was so fascinating, I imagine because most of the adults in my life were married folk. She was a pretty fancy dresser, too. I remember her fancy high-heeled shoes, they were so cool! As cool and awesome as I thought Miss Fahle was, I didn't want to go to school. It all started with a belly ache when my mom pushed me onto the bus and ended in tears as I sat in my classroom. I can't recall how long this went on, probably just a couple weeks, but I remember having a conference with my teacher and my mom and then suddenly I was fine. No more belly aches, no more tears. What happened in that conference, I don't remember, but it made me turn the corner.

What's going to make G.Q. turn that corner? I don't know. I keep coming up with that answer. I don't know. How freaking frustrating is that? I'm hoping it's time, maybe it's chatting with the guidance counselor. Whatever it is, I'd like it to all happen very soon, for my sanity. How selfish is that? I'd like to become more productive and not worry how long G.Q. sat sadly at his desk, wishing I would have let him stay with me. I'd like to enjoy the free time I have while he's at school to get back to my scrapbooking and anything else I want to do. I knew when I became a stay-at-home-mom that I wouldn't have much time to myself until school started, well school has started and I want my free time!

riddle me this...

2011-09-18T03:00:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you cross a sweatsuit, some felt, ping-pong balls, a little needle & thread and a hat? Hopefully a pretty awesome and at least semi-original Halloween costume! ( Was that a riddle? I don't know, I'm not good at telling jokes or riddles, that's my husband's thing. I'm the one you're usually having to explain the joke to after everybody has already had their laugh. )

Wish me luck as I piece this costume together! It's my first time making a Halloween costume and I'm cheating a little buy using a sweatsuit, but I don't have a sewing machine, so the sweatsuit is easier than buying fleece and sewing it by hand.

I'd love a sewing machine, but I don't have anywhere to put it and I can pretty much only sew straight lines. ( I'm sure I could redo every pillow case in my house, but I think we're good for now. ) So, yes I am cheating...we'll call it semi-homemade. Isn't that what Sandra Lee is all about? What's her philosophy? 70% ready-made products and 30% fresh ingredients...she's talking food, but I think I can apply that here, too. I might not be as sparkly as she is when she makes her semi-homemade creations, but I'll throw on a sparkly party shirt in her honor as I sew.

I'll let you know how it all turns out or maybe mid-process as things start to come together. I just ordered the sweatsuit today, so I can't really start until that arrives. So, sometime in the next week I'll be threading my needle and sewing up a storm. Updates might include a little whine as I try to figure out what exactly I've gotten myself into. And I'm seriously hoping G.Q. loves what I create. He loves all my craftiness (because I'm his mom) but I'm really hoping my crafting abilities live up to what he hopes this costume will be.

I promise, there will be pictures, but it might not be until Halloween.

funny sh!t...

2011-09-17T21:58:00.000-07:00

Call me mean, but this video is funny! Philadelphia Fox news anchor Mike Jerrick pokes fun at the Kardashian sisters. They were being interviewed about their new fashion line that is being offered at Sears. The line appears to be full of clothes one might wear to go clubbing or street walking (kidding,) maybe. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor and push my eyes back into their sockets when I saw shoulder pads. Why? Why? Why? It's just not a good look.

So Mike Jerrick, after completing the interview and making sure the Kardashians couldn't hear him began poking fun at their annoying voices, voices that seem awfully put on. And their use of shoulder pads. I think he feels the same about shoulder pads as I do. If you're looking for a good chuckle, watch it!

I posed it on Facebook the other day, but nobody seemed to think it was funny. Maybe I'm the only one that doesn't care about the Kardashians, knows nothing about them and sees no real reason they should be "famous." I don't even know how many of them there are, but it seems like there are a dozen or so because they're everywhere...it's all you hear about or see. I don't give a flying flip about Kim Kardashian's butt or who she's dating, married to or if they're getting divorced. I remember hearing a report on TV a while back, before Kim's wedding, calling it America's royal wedding...WTF? *scratching head* What? Our royal wedding? I'm so confused, why is Kim Kardashian famous?

I'll stop now...enjoy the video! :)

I think I need a make-over...

2011-09-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

It's time to de-frump, if that's a word or verb or adverb...I don't know, whatever it is, I need to make some changes. A long summer of 100+ temps and lazy days haven't been good for me. I've been hanging around, not doing much with my hair or make-up or clothes. I feel like I sit in my jammies or jammie-like clothes most days. And lately, I've become very unproductive, sort of sitting and watching TV, playing on the computer and being a big slacker. I need to change!

If you remember, last week, I was sort of poking fun at The Today Show and the piece they did on back-to-school style for moms. Now I'm wondering if I maybe need a little bit of that in my life? Pulling myself together every day, even if I'm not going anywhere, is probably something I should do. This is going to require me getting up earlier, but it should make me feel better, right? Might be worth a shot.

OK, so if I'm going to do this, I think it's going to require baby steps. I need to do mini-projects to slowly, but not too slowly, become de-frumpified. Since it's almost noon and I'm dressed for the day, frumpy-style, maybe I'll do a once over in my closet and toss or donate clothes that really shouldn't be in my closet. Step two...hmmmm, what should step two be? Ideas?

honey, did you just get done exercizing?

2011-09-16T03:00:00.000-07:00

I was up way too early this morning. A pooch with tummy troubles was up a little before 5am. Yikes! After watching the news and doing a little playing around on the computer, I decided to just get ready for the day. G.Q. had wandered into our room to cuddle with daddy so I decided to just use the guest bath to shower instead of potentially waking my guys. A design flaw to this house is that the master bath doesn't have a door, so lights on and shower on wake the lightly sleeping.

I get my shower on, dry off and use the lotion have I have for guests, Kiss My Face Peaches & Creme...AKA body odor in a bottle if you ask the husband. He hates the smell. I love the lotion, it's so moisturizing and I just like the feel and how it blends in. Figured since I was in the guest bath it wouldn't matter if I used it, the husband would never smell it, right?

My plan to shower and get ready for the day without waking the rest of the house was working out very nicely until I realized I had forgotten clothes. Dang it. I had to go into the master bedroom to get dressed. I found some clean undies in the laundry room, folded and waiting to be put away (there is always a clean pile ready to be put away,) but no clothes. Since the fragrance seems to bother the husband so much, I decided to wait and let it fade a bit before going into the bedroom. Apparently I didn't wait long enough... when the husband woke up, he asked if I had exercised with the dog this morning. I told him it was raining so we didn't go out for a walk. He responded, "I thought you had gone out with the dog, but then realized it might be that lotion." Ugh...does it really smell like body odor? I don't think it does and I've been complimented on smelling like peaches, so either somebody is lying or the husband's sniffer is off a bit.

I think it's his sniffer, I hope it is. If not, I'm probably going to offend people where ever I go today.

Godspeed, little man...

2011-09-15T03:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you Dixie Chicks for a beautiful song to listen to with my little man at bedtime...

Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)

Dragon tales and the "water is wide"
Pirate's sail and lost boys fly
Fish bite moonbeams every night
And I love you

Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed
Sweet dreams

The rocket racer's all tuckered out
Superman's in pajamas on the couch
Goodnight moon, will find the mouse
And I love you

Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed
Sweet dreams

God bless mommy and match box cars
God bless dad and thanks for the stars
God hears "Amen," wherever we are
And I love you

Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed
Godspeed
Godspeed
Sweet dreams

Mom! Have you heard of Holy Keller?

2011-09-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I've heard of Helen Keller, but I knew what G.Q. meant. He had me giggling...guess he's heard me say "holy crap!" enough that holy was the first thing that came to mind when he was searching for the H name. His class has been studying the five senses in science class and they're focusing on touch right now. He's learning how important your other senses become when you lose one.

It can be difficult to imagine what life would be like if somebody took away our sight or hearing. What about both, like Helen Keller. I can imagine that I would feel quite paralyzed with fear. G.Q. has a unique learning opportunity this year because his teacher's teenaged son is blind, so she is able teach the class from a different perspective. She knows how her son learns and sees new things. It's one thing to read it in a book, but to get to see and touch braille, to make projects that are very tactile, so that somebody with out sight could see that creation. I think it's a pretty neat thing. I think G.Q. realizes this, too.

best iced coffee, ever...

2011-09-12T03:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not an iced coffee drinker, I think it's gross. I want my coffee piping hot and no other way. In fact, I order my latte extra-hot, because I want it steaming hot until the very last sip. The husband, though, loves iced coffee. Not sure what is wrong with him? tee hee! He's been making iced coffee a few mornings a week to take to work and uses our Keurig, which he thinks is good, but I think he likes Starbucks a bit better, they use a brewed coffee that has been refrigerated, so the strength or boldness of the coffee isn't diluting immediately when poured onto the ice. The Keurig just brews the coffee directly on top of a cup filled with ice. The husband loves a good, strong coffee, so I think he's losing the boldness of the coffee w/the dilution. He doesn't use the iced coffee specific K-cup, so that could be part of the problem, but now it doesn't matter, because I've found the solution. (it's cheaper then a K-cup, too...double bonus!)

So, the other day, while I was browsing one of my favorite sites The Pioneer Woman, I found her recipe for the perfect cup of iced coffee. It looked awfully simple and I happened to have some spare coffee grounds in the freezer because I've been using K-cups mostly. Why not try it and see what the husband thinks. Well, he loved it!

Here is what I did:

in covered baking dish combine 1/2 pound of coffee grounds with 1 1/2 quarts of cold, filtered water
cover dish and let sit on the counter for 12 hours
after twelve hours of "brewing," pour mixture through strainer into a container that can be sealed. I lined my strainer with two layers of paper towels just in case their was a grind small enough to get through the mesh strainer
the sealed container can be stored in the fridge for a good amount of time

Now, when the husband wants an iced coffee, he can just pour some chilled coffee concentrate into a glass of ice, add some sugar and a little half & half and he has his perfect cup!

separation anxiety is going to give me anxiety...

2011-09-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

New city & state, new house, new school, new grade...the newness all sort of smacked our little kiddo in the face on the very first day of school. I think he panicked and for the first time ever our family got a taste of separation anxiety. Boy, it's rough.

Since G.Q. has always been an easy going little guy, never shy or afraid to really try anything, when that moment that he didn't want to go into school and was pretty much refusing and trying to go the opposite direction of the school, I panicked. How to tell a little one everything is going to be alright when you're crying yourself? Thankfully, I had sunglasses on and G.Q. didn't notice me crying. And a double thank you that daddy was there and saved the day. He was able to talk G.Q. down and walk him into his class and out the door. I don't know if I could have done that with out much drama. Way to go daddy...he deserves big props for that!

I knew that G.Q. would have a great first day at school and that thought was confirmed when I picked him up. First thing he did was apologize for acting up at drop-off and then he told me how much he liked his teacher and school. Made me feel so much better! Days two and three were super-easy drop-off wise. Day four...not so much. This time it was all mommy forcing him into his class and walking away. Gut-wrenching! Forcing him into something he clearly doesn't want to do, knowing he's sad and afraid and I give a shove and run the other way. Way to make me feel like complete crap. I immediately went home and began to worry about how he was doing and wondering if I could help him get over this anxiety. I worried that never sending him to day care or preschool was the right choice, if staying home with me was really as good for him as we thought it was. Then I realized his anxiety was giving me anxiety and I worrying for no real reason. I turned to the trusty internet to help me find some answers. I found a book that I thought might help out a bit and immediately downloaded it. Freeing Your Child from Anxiety: Powerful, Practical Solutions to Overcome Your Child's Fears, Worries and Phobias by Tamar Ellsas Chansky. I don't know if it will be the solution to our morning jitters but it's worth a shot; anything to make him feel better. I'll review the book and let you know how it's working for us after I've finished it...stay tuned.

happy weekend...

2011-09-09T16:08:00.000-07:00

have fun, but don't do anything I wouldn't do... so if you feel like chewing on a little toilet paper, barking at bugs or licking somebody's face at 6am...go for it!

he melts my heart...

2011-09-08T09:06:00.000-07:00

This morning, at school drop-off, I hugged and kissed my little bug good-bye. As I walked away, he called out "mom!" and flashed me the American Sign Language "I love you." I flashed it right back and walked off with a big smile on my face! G.Q doesn't know it, but that "I love you" meant so much; morning drop-offs at school haven't always been the easiest, that sign told me he was good and wasn't sad about going to school. It meant the world to me and it melted my heart.

that's my job, kiddo...

2011-09-08T06:00:00.001-07:00

Standing on the playground before school starts, G.Q. is looking for a particular friend. I'm helping and pointing out a few other kids in his class that he could go play with. He didn't want to play with those kids, he wanted to say hi to his other friend that isn't in his class and he only gets to see on the playground. Fine. I get that, but it's still my job to try to break him out of his shy little shell and play with a good variety of kids. He'll enjoy school more that way. The very last time he asked me if I saw his friend any where, I said "no, but I see some other kids in your class." G.Q. looked at me, laughed and said "mom, sometimes you drive me nuts!" My response..."that's my job, that's what mommies do." He laughed, but I think he was maybe a little worried, too. His future filled with a nutty mom just flashed in front of his eyes!

hey, moms...what are you wearing in the school drop-off line?

2011-09-06T03:00:00.000-07:00

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If it's not a fun t-shirt, comfy (yet stylish) pants, riding boots, a backpack-style purse and a scarf to pull it all together, then you better hide your face and drive away quickly before anybody sees you! Totally kidding, but according to a segment on The Today Show, that's how we should all look when dropping the kiddos off to school. They also offer a couple other looks in the segment...lunch with friends before pick-up and the field-trip look. As much as I appreciate the suggestions on how to pull myself together, seeing their suggestions made me laugh out loud! Not because they were bad looks, but seriously...do mom's really dress up for the drop-off?

I know there are lots of stylish mommies out there, I don't know that I consider myself one, but I'm not a complete slob, either. My mornings normally consist of an early morning walk with the pooch, a quick cup of coffee while getting G.Q. up and going and the husband, too. Then I'm plopping my butt on a bicycle to ride with G.Q. to school. We live in the desert, so the last thing I'm wearing is pants, riding boots and a scarf on a bike in 80+ degree morning temps. Even if it were fall and cooler, I wouldn't wear that. I'm all about comfort, think cotton...t-shirts, shorts, yoga pants, that's my idea of school drop-off. My hair is brushed, teeth are, too, so I feel like I'm pulled together when I drop him off.

After I watched The Today Show segment on Thursday I decided to pay more attention to the parents on the school playground on Friday morning. I was pleased to see that it was pretty obvious those moms and dads that were going to work after drop-off and those that weren't. They all pretty much looked like me. Whew! If a fashion magazine or television show happened to stop by to take a picture of what not to wear and put a black dot over my face, I feel good knowing, there will be lots of other black dots, too.

hey there! long time, no talk...

2011-09-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

I know, I've been so bad about keeping up with this blog. Our life seemed to turn upside down in May. The husband took a new job that was clear across the country, in Nevada. He moved to get started, search for a house for us while G.Q. and I stayed back in South Carolina to finish out the school year and pack up the house to prepare for the move.

Some of you may know that we've moved a lot in the past nine years, so I feel like I'm a pro and can handle a move with my hands tied behind my back. For any other move, I'd agree, but things changed with this one. G.Q. has always been an infant or preschool-aged for previous moves. Moving with a school-aged kiddo, it's not so easy. It was rough on him, to say the least, and we're still recovering. I'll tell you more about that later.

For now, we've started school last week. First grade! Where did the time go, because I swear I was just nursing and changing diapers for this little guy and now he's in first grade! He told me he learned some German on Friday. I remember when all he said was "no" and would laugh and shake his head at me. Does anybody know how to stop time? I just got a little side-tracked there, sorry. Anyway, the first week of school was successful, I think. We had some moments but more good than bad, so I'm checking it off as successful.

After a long week of school schedules and getting back to routines, we get a nice long weekend! Perfect for us to rest up and prepare for school, PTA meetings and all that comes along with that. Oh, the PTA, yes PTA, not PTO. G.Q.'s school is official PTA, I'm a card carrying member. Seriously. Not sure what my card gets me, but maybe I'll have some info on that next week, we have a meeting on Tuesday.

Have a nice holiday weekend!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

2011-03-02T10:37:00.003-08:00

"A person's a person, no matter how small"

"Adults are just obsolete children, and the hell with them."

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."

-- Dr. Seuss

Today is Dr. Seuss' birthday! GQ's class has been learning about Dr. Seuss all week. Of course most of the kids know Dr. Seuss and his numerous childrens books, but this week they were doing fun projects that go along with his books. We've been celebrating at home, too, reading some from his collection that GQ has yet to read and I have sort of forgotten about. It was fun to reread The Lorax...a great message in that book! It's been fun to enjoy Dr. Seuss and his fantasy and nonsense words along with GQ!

To help the class celebrate I made Cat in the Hat cupcakes for today. So fun to make and the kids loved them! I dropped them off this morning and the kids were ready to dig in, but they made it to lunch time. The kids were so cute, thanking me for the treat...I'm not certain if they liked the cupcake or the topper more. They paraded from the cafeteria to their classroom holding their toppers like they were carrying flags.

** Crafting note **
I have been very busy scrapping. I probably have 50 pages to take pictures of and put into scrapbooks. I was going to start the process a few weeks ago but realized I only have a few more layouts to go and I'll have all my pictures caught up, so I'm going to wait till that's done before I start posting.

Creative time...

2011-01-18T15:39:00.003-08:00

I've managed to squeeze in some much needed creative, crafty time over the weekend. YAY! My goal was to complete four scrapbook layouts and I exceeded by goal by two. I'll be posting pictures soon!

Vegetarian White Bean Chili

2011-01-16T15:03:00.003-08:00

Thanks to my friend, Amanda, for showing me this recipe. It's delicious! It goes together very quickly, great for a last minute dinner.

The recipe calls for mushrooms but I didn't have any on hand and my family isn't thrilled with them, so I left them out. I did add in some sliced baby spinach, probably 1 1/2 cups in place of the mushrooms. GQ is eating the soup up!

Scones

2011-01-15T13:52:00.003-08:00

Stumbled upon this pumpkin chocolate chip scone recipe and decided to give them a try. So simple. So delicious!

Sweetness

2011-01-14T19:09:00.004-08:00

I know I'm biased, but he's a pretty amazing little man! GQ and I did a little hanging together tonight. We did a quick dinner and then stopped at my friend's house for a get together she was having. A party full of ladies and my GQ. He's such a charmer, impressing all the ladies there.

My friend had a jewelry rep there, so we got to browse lots of gorgeous pieces of jewelry. GQ thought this was so cool. He rounded the table looking for necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings he could buy me. The first necklace he found me was $98...a bit over my budget, especially since I don't wear a lot of jewelry. GQ was determined to find something for me. He dug through my purse and scraped together $2.14 and was going to buy me something. It was so cute to see him worry about what he could find to fit his budget. Thankfully he found a very pretty pair of stud earrings that were perfect for me and fit our budget. They weren't $2.14 but they weren't $98 either. Whether we found a piece of jewelry that I could buy or not, seeing GQ wanting to buy me something with his own money was adorable!

After our night of hanging together we were pooped out and came home to chill. GQ has had quite the crazy week between snow days and delayed starts to school. We've allowed him to stay up a bit past his bed time and I think tonight it all caught up with him tonight...he sat on the couch, hugged his puppy and passed out! It was such a sweet moment...Macy, our puppy, just laid there, letting him sleep on her.

Not the most exciting of nights, but for me, it was lots of fun to hang out together. I cherish these sweet moments. Time passes so quickly, it won't be long before he'll be too cool to hang with me. Although, he just told me last night that when he's in college he'll study at home because he wants to live with us when he's an adult. I have a feeling he'll change his mind about that. ;)

Returning to normal...

2011-01-13T07:51:00.002-08:00

I think. After three days worth of snow days and a three hour delay this morning our schedules are now returning to normal. GQ is at school, husband is out at appointments and I can clean the house and do my chores.

The remainder of this week and weekend will be my days to catch up with all that I didn't get done while the kiddo was off school. I have to admit, it was fun to take a vacation from it all and have a few "snow days" myself.

It's back to the grind though, I have crafting to do and it has to wait until my chores are completed. My photos arrived yesterday in the mail, actually via UPS. I didn't realize how many I had printed until the UPS man dropped off the package that felt like it weighed five pounds. YIKES! Am I that far behind in my scrapbooking? My plan is to complete a page or two each day until I'm caught up. Hopefully by next week I'll be posting pictures of my pages!

Yum!

2011-01-12T10:57:00.002-08:00

We're on snow day #3. Being housebound is getting a little old at this point. I love staying home and relaxing, but after three days w/out much option to go out, I'm ready to get out. Thinking we'll head out for dinner tonight, just for a change of scenery.

GQ usually eats breakfast at school. His choice. Knowing that he'll be eating with his classmates motivates him to get up, get dressed and out the door on time, so I don't argue. Since we've been trapped in the house and I have to feed him breakfast, thought I'd try this Everything Breakfast Bar recipe a friend passed on to me.

The recipe is really simple and delicious. At the suggestion of my friend, I ran the oats in my food processor to make them into more a flour. I think w/out that the bars might have needed a plate and fork to eat neatly. I did change out the raisins for 1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. We're not really a raisin family.

I thought for certain GQ would love these; he seems to love all things pumpkin, but I was wrong. I even heard him offer this up to his little friend when I offered her one "you don't want one, trust me, they're gross." STINKER! The husband thought they were tasty. They reminded us of Quaker Oatmeal To Go bars, except we knew what was in these bars and cheaper than the Quaker bars. I might experiment w/some different add-ins and maybe get fancy and put some icing on for a treat. Hopefully they'll freeze alright, I'll let you know if they don't.

Snow Day!

2011-01-10T18:12:00.005-08:00

Who would have thought SC would see so much snow? No idea how much we've gotten but I'm guessing 6 inches, maybe? The kids didn't have school and it's been canceled for tomorrow, so we get one more day to play! I think GQ played outside for six hours today; he fell asleep as soon as he hit his pillow tonight. The dogs even played a ton outside today. Macy had her neighbor friend over for some play in our backyard and then she visited Cloe in hers. Everybody is pooped out tonight! Tomorrow I'm sure it will be more of the same...

Bread & Soup

2011-01-08T04:00:00.001-08:00

Perfect meal for a chilly day! I made a vegetable and tortellini soup and a no knead bread. Both recipes were given to me by my father-in-law. He had made us the soup while we were visiting last month and he just passed the bread recipe on to me the other day.

The bread: No Knead Bread

The bread was really simple to make. Steamy Kitchen says that it's so easy a 4 y/o can do it. I'm not so sure about that statement, my 6 y/o and I seemed to have a few issues, but it was our first time making a yeast bread from scratch and we didn't ruin it, just could have done some things better. GQ helped me flour the counter and towel that the dough rests in and you can see we had a touch too much flour, but over all it was good. I thought it could use a bit less salt, next time I'll probably cut that amount in half. Warning: the crust is really crunchy, so if you don't enjoy a crusty, crunchy outer to your bread, don't make this or just pull off the crust like my husband did.

The soup: Vegetable Soup with Cheese Tortellini

I should have taken a picture in the bowl, much prettier, but in getting everybody's food ready, I forgot. So simple to put together, it's a great vegetarian soup that has a heartiness to it; fills you up! I'm sure you could also make this with some chicken stock and toss in some shredded chicken, too. Bonus is I got my husband to eat some vegetables! He said the flavor of the broth was so good that he was able to tolerate the zucchini, squash, carrots and celery. Baby steps...one day he'll eat these and love them and five years ago, he never would have even tried a spoonful of this soup and I got him to eat a bowl of it. Woo hoo!

In the kitchen...

2011-01-07T04:00:00.001-08:00

I'm really trying to stick to my plan of cooking more each week. Part of that plan is to try new recipes. I've never been great about trying new recipes because a certain member of my family, not the 6 y/o, is picky. I can usually get the little guy to try a new vegetable, but the husband isn't always so easily convinced. This year, I'm vowing to not let that stop me from trying new dishes and I might find out that I can sneak stuff in and he won't be the wiser.

The other night, I made a super-simple and super-tasty stir-fry. I found the recipe in my Everyday with Rachel Ray magazine. I did tweak here and there to make it so my family would eat it, basically substituting vegetables. I used onions, yellow and orange peppers, zucchini, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. I also used mozzarella cheese instead of parmesan because I prefer the milder taste. Here is the actual recipe for you to try if you're interested. It really does go together very quickly, perfect for a busy night!

Stir-Fried Pasta Primavera
serves: 4 prep: 15 mins cook: 15 mins

Ingredients:
3 cups broccoli florets
12 oz fettuccine pasta
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 red onion, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions:
1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the broccoli until bright green, about 30 seconds. Transfer to colander, reserving water in the pot. Add the pasta to the pot and cook until al dente; drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water.

2. Heat a 14-inch, flat-bottomed wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes upon contact. Swirl in 1 tbsp of oil. Add the onion and, using a metal spatula, stir-fry until it is fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Swirl in remaining 1 tbsp oil. Add the broccoli and carrots and stir-fry until the carrots begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute. Swirl in the cream, bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Sir in the parmesan and basil.

4. Add the pasta and the reserved cooking water to the wok and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

More progress!

2011-01-06T11:03:00.002-08:00

The scrapbook pictures have been ordered and should be arriving in the mail sometime next week. Today I thought I'd move on to step two, finding titles for the pages I will soon be creating. The Perfect Title and Two Peas in a Bucket are really great sources for giving me some inspiration when my mind draws a blank. Thanks to those two sites and my brainstorming, I have a great list of pages to create along with titles to use.

Progress

2011-01-05T12:24:00.002-08:00

Today was my day. I got up, got moving and accomplished so much! House work was done by 9:30am, showered and dressed by 9:45am, out the door walking by 10:30am. I had my lunch at Noon then sat and worked on uploading pictures and choosing which I would like printed. There are so many events I want to scrapbook, I had about 250 pictures that I want to put in a book. Thankfully Snapfish has a great collage option for prints that help me get several pictures onto a couple different sized canvases and saves me time doing it myself in PSE. Bonus, too, Snapfish is running a special until January 9th: 99 prints (4x6 mail-order) for 99 cents! Sweet! If you have lots to print, hurry, get them uploaded and in your cart! Enter 2011PENNY as your coupon code at checkout for the same deal.

2011 Word

2011-01-04T07:45:00.004-08:00

We're four days into the new year and I've yet to select my word. I was hoping something would slap me in the face, that it would be right in front of me, but it didn't. I've sat thinking about my life, what I want out of it, what I want to learn, to do, etc and it's sort of come to me...my word.

Execute. ex·e·cute
[ek-si-kyoot] verb,-cut·ed, -cut·ing. –verb (used with object)

1. to carry out; accomplish: to execute a plan or order. 2. to perform or do: to execute a maneuver.

I'm not a resolution maker but I feel like I need a plan of some sort. Since my little bug started school in August my life has changed a lot. I now have several hours in my day where it's just me. Well, sort of, my husband also works from a home office, so sometimes it's not just me. I also have this schedule we sort of live and die by. Our little bug runs much more efficiently on a schedule, which sometimes seems a bit rigid, but it works for us and him and he's the best he can be when we're on it. So I feel like a lot of my day is anticipating that next part of our schedule or being quiet because my husband is on the phone with a client or colleague. It's taken me a full quarter to sort of figure out my groove and I'm still not sure I have it figured out, but my goal is to get that figured out and soon. I want to return to scrapbooking, I also want to begin cooking more times a week and walking regularly. I have all these plans and I'm going to try to not let them be forgotten, I want to really work on them, to carry out my plan, execute.

Hopefully in the coming days I'll have scrapbook pages to post, maybe some pictures or recipes of dinner successes and maybe some pictures of my walks with my pooch.

Life...

2010-11-23T16:48:00.007-08:00

Wow, life is busy! I'm finding out what it means to have a child in school. Not as much free time for me like I thought it would be. Mornings and afternoons are quickly filled w/volunteer opportunities at the school or little programs the kids are putting on...it's endless, but it's fun!

Since it's the little bug's school life that seems to keep me busy, I thought I'd share a few pics of what it is I've been doing there. (In no random order...I'm feeling too lazy for formatting tonight, sorry.)

Turkey Treats: made these for bug's class. Not my idea completely, I saw a similar cookie but in addition to what is pictured below it had an Oreo and several more candy corns. I modified for a slightly less sugary snack.

Door decorating: I was given a theme and a weekend to design the door. Each snowflake will be embellished w/a holiday sentiment from the class.

Thanksgiving family project: Disguise the turkey so nobody eats him for Thanksgiving dinner. Ours turned into a sheep. He was pretty heavy...the teacher had to use extra masking tape to keep him hanging on the wall. :)

Thanksgiving skit: my little pilgrim man...the class sang two songs and then acted out a little story. Adorable!

School fundraiser: Boosterthon Fun Run. I was skeptical because I didn't like the % the school keeps but it raised enough funds to be the only fundraiser for the year!

Happy 6th Birthday GQ!

2010-10-14T06:04:00.003-07:00

Today is my little bug's birthday...his 6th birthday! I'm trying to figure out how the time has gone so quickly!

We're busy celebrating his day and preparing for a weekend kid party. Lots going on! These are the cake pops I made to take into his class this afternoon. They weren't the easiest to make but the end product is cute (and yummy!)

Soccer Star!

2010-09-23T09:22:00.002-07:00

GQ's first game of the fall season was Tuesday. It was such a fun game to watch! He ran that ball down to the goal and made so many solid shots, three of them made it past the keeper. It was so fun to hear the other parents around talking about how good he was (they didn't know I was his mommy.) I think we have an amazing soccer player in the making!

"A" is for Amazed!

2010-09-06T06:14:00.004-07:00

It's been 3ish weeks since the little bug started kindergarten and Amazed is the word that seems fitting for our experience this far. Kindergarten has been our little bugs first experience with school, he's been at home with me since he was born, so this has been new experiences for both of us. Within three weeks our schedule at home has been overhauled and adjusted as we've seen what works and what doesn't. My days have changed dramatically, too...I can clean the house w/out somebody right behind me dropping crumbs or toys (and it stays clean until 2:45pm when he gets home.) I'm still figuring out what to do with myself, I have a few things planned, but need to get used to the whole school thing in general before I start on bigger projects.

What GQ has learned in the first weeks of school is amazing! He's grown more confident in letter recognition, both upper and lower cases. Before it seemed like he was guessing, now he's just spouting them off...he's spelling everything he sees, either out loud or writing it down. He's counting to 100! I couldn't get him past 12 w/out being too bored. He's sorting, working on patterns and can sing Baa, Baa Blacksheep, Georgie Pourgie and Pease Porridge Hot for you. It's so cute to watch him build cars with Legos while singing those nursery rhymes! I swear some days he can already read, too. He's telling us how may syllables are in words, what letters they start with, what sounds they make. It's not always right, but he's getting there, faster than I ever imagined. Pretty soon they'll be no fooling this kid; we won't be able to spell a thing to get past him!

I'm still amazed that watching him walk into the school will make me tear up. He's this little guy in such a big building. It's a bit overwhelming for him yet, too, but we'll get to a point where he'll do it all on his own. Until that day, I'm happy to walk him to the front door.

I've been keeping a daily diary of sorts with GQ's kindergarten experience. Thought it will be something nice to include with his scrapbooks so he can one day read how the start of school was for all of us.

1st Day of Kindergarten!

2010-08-18T18:00:00.002-07:00

Today was the big day, my little bug started kindergarten! It was huge for us because he's never gone to pre-school or day care, so this was my first time letting go for more than a few hours and handing him over to strangers. He looks a bit worried in the photo above but that was right when he realized mom and dad had to leave. By the end of the school day he was in love with school and excited to be going back tomorrow!

Preparing...

2010-08-10T09:20:00.004-07:00

It's been a busy, busy summer for us! And I know it's been a while since I've posted; seems like travel and keeping a kiddo busy has kept me busier than I imagined I'd be.

School is just around the corner and it's a big year for us; GQ starts kindergarten this school year! Very exciting but preparing for the big day has taken lots of time...at least in my brain it has. Along with purchasing supplies and backpacks and lunch bags, I've had to prepare myself for that moment I send him to school and don't have any control on what he does or what he eats. That's huge! He's never been to preschool or daycare, so me letting him go is going to be difficult. I have a feeling the first weeks of school will be just as hard on mommy as they are on little GQ! He's excited to go, which I am thrilled about, should make that moment that I walk him to his classroom and then leave just a bit easier (at least for him.)

Something that is going to really be a new thing for us is packing lunches. It's going to happen every day of the school year. GQ has an allergy that is going to require me knowing ingredients of everything he eats and I'm not thrilled with school lunches in general. I'm hoping that there are days where there is a healthy choice and I can let him buy, but for now I'm planning (again, in my head) what I'll be packing for my little guy five days a week. I've been combing over websites and magazines getting ideas that I think are good for him, filling and that he'll eat. He's a great eater but I'm thinking he's totally going to become a bit picky after he sees other kids getting Lunchables or other items that he's not able to eat. So, help me brainstorm! Here is my list so far:

cream cheese, deli meat and red pepper wraps
apples, pretzels and peanut butter-yogurt dip
oatmeal, yogurt and fruit parfait
hummus and pita or naan
grilled cheese and apple sandwich
cheese, rice and broccoli casserole
veggie cream cheese pinwheels
peanut butter and jelly sandwich
cheese sandwich
soup and crackers
mock tuna salad and crackers
fruit kabobs and yogurt

It's a decent list. I think finding fun containers to present in will make it more fun, too. So any suggestions to add to my list or fun containers (environmentally-friendly ones) are totally welcome!

Progress!

2010-05-22T16:26:00.002-07:00

Well, I don't have any pictures to post, but I wanted to report in that I've made progress in my scrapbooking! I have hubby's pictures, grade cards, certificates, etc from his childhood and have started getting them scrapped.

The project is large and I'm not quite sure how I'm going to proceed but I figure I'll take baby-steps and make it up as I go along. It started w/a big sorting of pictures. I have them all into groups, labeled and in file folders. Then I've made a pretty generic file flow chart, but it should help me stay on track and get it done.

Today I worked on school pictures. The layout contains all the professional shots taken throughout his school years. Simple. The other 1/2 of the layout is a big paper pocket that holds all his grade cards, progress reports, certificates, ribbons and a paper he wrote. I'd love to dedicate more pages to all of this, but if I did, the scrapbook would turn into scrapbooks. I'm hoping to keep the entire book to about 60 pages if I can. I can fit that into one book easily.

I'm trying to jot down all the events I've scrapped for GQ and what I have left to do so I'm caught up. I don't want to print pics I already put in the book. So I'll be printing pics soon to get pages for him started. I also have some birthday cards and Father's Day cards to work on...lots to keep me busy!

Pictures will follow soon!

I'm a slacker!

2010-05-13T08:32:00.003-07:00

It's been a bit, OK more than a bit, since I've last posted. Life has been busy...busier than it's been in a while. What have I been doing? Not much, really. At least it feels like not much, but it's certainly kept me busy.

We've been in our house six months now and it seems we have project after project to make it just how we want it. Country style curtains and cornice boards have been taken down, rooms have been painted, a lighting fixture has been replaced and two await the same fate, a sort of big home repair was done, and A/C unit was serviced...seriously, it's like one thing after another! In between all that we've had visitors, travel north to family and the husband's business travel. I'm tired! Not too tired, but just the daily maintenance of the house along with all the "stuff" we've been doing to the house has worn me out. It's left little time for crafting energy!

I'm going to try a new schedule and get crafting done. I have this big, beautiful craft room (with a fresh coat of paint on it) that I want to use! I really would like to find an hour a day to sit and craft. I just need to figure out when that hour will be...at G's rest time or after he's in bed for the evening...I don't know yet. I will be back and hopefully soon! I have to get caught up because in August G will start kindergarten and I'll have tons of school stuff to scrapbook, I'd like to be caught up and ready to do that as I take the pictures.

So, I apologize for the lack of creating and posting, hopefully that all changes very soon!

1 Layout, 2 Cards

2010-04-30T12:39:00.001-07:00

Quick cards I made for a couple recent birthdays. Both pretty simple and cute!

99 Candles!

2010-04-22T19:55:00.002-07:00

My great uncle is celebrating 99 years young in the coming days. My grandma, mom and aunts are traveling to be with him and celebrate. My grandma asked me to make a card for Uncle Harold and this is how it turned out.

Uncle Harold has fading eyesight so the card is on the larger side and full of textures. I used embossing folders, a crimping tool, glitter, dimensional foam numbers and dimensional adhesive. I talked to grandma today and she said "it's perfect!"

I'm thrilled with the layout and have to make a few more of these to keep in my stash...probably won't need too many with a 99 on them, but I can leave that circle blank and fill in with the appropriate number :)

All about me today

2010-04-14T03:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my 1/2 birthday...6 more months and it's one more year closer to 40. I still have a few years, but it's approaching. I'm not afraid of it, I think I'm a better me than I've ever been. I enjoy my life and don't feel old, until I think about random bits of info, like I've been old enough to drive longer than I have not. :)

In my search for the fountain of youth, I'm finding there isn't one. LOL! Actually, I am my own fountain of youth. Deep, huh? Not really. Just realizing, finally, that I'm the only thing that is going to keep me young. This past year has been full of changes that have helped me be a better me and feel and look better. I became a vegetarian, I took up running (more like jogging) and I've found more simple, natural products for me.

So my face has always been temperamental. I've been through a couple different moisturizers this past year and switched make-up. Everything has been for the better. Still doesn't stop those occasional, evil adult pimples from making their appearance, but my skin loved my moisturizer and make-up. Then...THEN I added one more product to my daily routine. Drum roll...coconut oil! Yes, coconut oil that you buy at the grocery store, in the cooking oil aisle. I use it and I slather it on my face, every night before bed, I layer it on. You wouldn't believe how soft and better my skin is because of it! A very good friend of mine gave me a sample of it; her family uses it in place of typical lotions. I started out just applying it to my face at night and was impressed with how soft my skin became. The adult acne (acne, such a gross word) lessened (WOOT!) I'm hooked!

The weather has been warm here in SC for a bit now and it's flip-flop season...my favorite! I decided to try coconut oil on my feet, it's awesome! I slather it on before bed and my feet look great. My toes could use a pedicure, but no dry or callused skin; my heels are pretty soft and healthy looking. I've also started using it as a general moisturizer out of the shower. I'm telling you, it's good stuff! A word of warning...if your family puppy is anything like mine, she'll try to lick the oil off as fast as I put it on if she's around. I try to make sure she's not close when doing my feet, otherwise I have to fight her off. LOL!

You probably think I'm crazy, but I'm telling you, you should try it! I've read that it's a great remedy for skin issues like eczema and psoriasis. I don't have them, I can't attest to that claim, but worth a shot if you're suffering. There are websites out there and book, too, that have pages/lists full of ways and why coconut oil is good for you. I don't know any more than what I've experienced myself, but it's worth a google.

I'm sure I've bored you, but wanted to share. Just thought it was pretty amazing in this day with all the fancy products out there, something so simple has had some pretty awesome results for me.

One last thing...today is my little GQ's 1/2 birthday, he can officially say he's 5 1/2! My gosh, 5 1/2, when did get old enough to care about that 1/2? I think he thinks that 1/2 makes him taller, that's why he's so excited. Happy 1/2 birthday GQ, I love you!

Sping Cleaning!

2010-04-13T07:22:00.003-07:00

It's that time of year...spring cleaning! I started it a few weeks ago but was halted by some things like husband studying for tests, weekend visitors, a vacation and most recently...norovirus! *sigh* Both GQ and the husband seem to be getting better and I think I can get back to my house cleaning and organizing.

I don't have big plans to do a big household de-clutter and organization, I've been trying to do it day to day and feel like I have that under control, so there are just little things here and there that have better homes. We've been in our house about six months now, so I feel like I know the flow and if there are better suited homes for things. So just little shufflings here and there.

I found a great check list in Real Simple magazine that helps to guide me as I go in and clean rooms. I don't stick 100% to it but it's a great reminder and keeps me on task when I want to thoroughly clean room. Since the house is in need of a deep clean, I'll be going through, room by room and following my check-lists...starting w/the bathrooms that have seen their fair share of traffic w/the sickies. I've been wiping down the bathroom what seems a million times a day but want to give it a thorough scrub down just to make sure norovirus is gone for good!

Kitchen
cabinet fronts
stove top
counter tops
dishwasher and microwave
garbage can
sink
cabinets and drawers
the fridge
oven
floor

Bathrooms
shower and tubs
shine the mirror
sink
toilet
mop the floor
clean waste basket
wipe down shower rod and rings
wash fixtures
vacuum air vents

Living Room, Bonus Room and Bedrooms
dust furniture
sanitize remotes
clean/vacuum upholstery
do the windows
dust lighting fixtures/ceiling fans
vacuum blinds
dust artwork, pictures, decor
vacuum mattress
change sheets
vacuum floors

After this cleaning, it's paper crafting time! I have so much to get caught up on and so much to create. The clean house should make me much more relaxed and able to just create!

Happy Spring!

2010-03-30T14:54:00.002-07:00

I saw this card and thought it was adorable! I wanted to make some spring cards and decided to give the bunny a try. It's all ovals and circles. So simple! Next time I'll make the ears a touch larger and a bit more oval, but I still thinks he's pretty darn cute!

Happy for you...

2010-03-26T08:51:00.003-07:00

Just a quick card I through together. It's a pretty simple card and I used all scraps of paper, just a couple stamps, some dimensional adhesive and hearts I cut with my Big Shot. Simple!

(not sure of the quality of the picture, I used my mobile phone...I apologize if it's fuzzy.)

A four leaf clover...

2010-03-22T03:00:00.001-07:00

One of the main reason's I've been slacking on making cards and scrapbooking recently has been that my husband has been in school and studying for a board exam. That board exam is now over and life can begin to return to normal! I'm hoping that means more crafting time for me. It also means the moving out of financial study materials that have found a place in my craft room. I'm reclaiming it! :)

The husband's exam was a two day process and the studying leading up to it was pretty stressful on our house in general. GQ was counting down days until daddy no longer had to study. I was counting down days until I could get my hubby back and also have help with some house projects I'd like to work on. And the husband, well he was counting down to just being done and not having to pick up a book again for a while!

Above is the card I made for the husband. Though he didn't need luck, he's pretty darn smart, I thought a four-leaf clover was perfect for his card. Below is GQ's card to daddy. I was pretty proud of his letters/words...he was most excited about his picture of the family he drew.

More chef...

2010-03-20T07:32:00.002-07:00

These are place cards I made for a potluck-style party some mommy friends of mine had. We all brought either an appetizer or dessert and chatted the night away! There were so many tasty dishes, these made it easier to see what exactly we were eating.

A mini-makeover...on a budget

2010-03-01T18:11:00.004-08:00

I wanted to freshen up my powder room. If you asked my hubby, nothing was wrong with it, nothing needed. The paint was good, it was just a bit too boring in there, too white. I didn't want to spend any more or very little if I was going to spend, so I challenged myself to do a make over on a budget...here is what I did:

1. added daisy picture hangers that I had stored away in a box from several moves ago.
2. added a couple grapevine wreaths ($3/each) with ribbon I had in my crafty stash.
3. painted a frame I had black, filled it with batting and fabric
4. made a cornice for the window with some toile fabric that I just love ($12/yard of fabric, $2 for lumber, $5 for the hardware)
5. added some new hand towels ($7/each)

I'd love to find a rug to throw in there on the hardwoods but I don't want a traditional bathroom rug. And I'm keeping my eyes open for an oval mirror w/a black frame to replace the frameless mirror that's in there...but no rush, when I see it and then price is right.

Making the cornice was so easy! Literally a couple pieces of lumber, L-brackets, cotton batting, fabric and staples. I couldn't get a great picture due to the sun shining in and the room not being deep enough for me to find a perfect spot. I was sticking my camera in the air and hoping to get a good shot ;)

For around $30 I have a new bathroom!

Mama Mia, That's a Birthday Cake!

2010-02-19T03:00:00.003-08:00

First off...isn't he the cutest chef you've seen?! I couldn't resist not buying the stamp set. It's a perfect one to paper piece, which I did here for both chefs. Thanks Karie for hooking me up with the stamp set and suggesting the paper piecing...I might not use him any other way.

BTW...it feels so good to be paper scrapping and card making again! I missed playing around with all my supplies and fun stuff. Now I have to work on finding a new adhesive. Sadly, my Kokuyo is no longer available. I've been down the list of adhesives and never been happy with any. If I happened to like one particular brand I've had issues with the dispenser because I'm left-handed and they're just not made for me. So, this could be a long process to find my perfect match. ;)

elements:
cardstock: Stampin' Up and misc scraps (Archivers, Bazzill)
ink: Ranger
markers: Copic
stamps: Stampin' Up
bling: Heidi Swapp and Me & My Big Idea

Eat, Sleep, Play Soccer

2010-02-17T03:00:00.002-08:00

Another super-simple layout. I love how simple and clean this layout is. I am totally missing my actual paper and adhesive...can't wait to be caught up and doing traditional scrapping again. This is the last digital layout I'm doing for a bit. My scrapbook should be current with the printing of these layouts. I think I have 18 ready to print. eek! I was waaaaaay behind, but it feels so good to know I'm not any longer!

One template, two different layouts

2010-02-15T03:00:00.002-08:00

I'm using these layered templates to death! :D Here are two different layouts using the same template.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T03:00:00.003-08:00

Made this sweet little 2-5-7-10 box for GQ's little friend. You can find directions for this box here. It's the perfect size to hold a few pieces of candy or little trinket.

elements:
cardstock: Stampin' Up
ribbon: misc scrap
marker: Copic

The beast...Macy

2010-02-12T03:00:00.002-08:00

Here she is...our monster! She's disguised as a sweet, adorable, innocent puppy...don't let that fool you, she's not-so-innocent. Actually, she's not that bad as far as puppies go, but it's been a long time since I've dealt with a puppy. Macy can chew anything. ANYTHING! We've lost a shoe or two, some toys, a stuffed animal...ever seen the insides of a Build-A-Bear...all over your living room floor? Even with all her mischievousness, we love her. We wouldn't mind her outgrowing some of the puppy stuff, but we love her and we'll keep her.

More layered templates...

2010-02-10T03:00:00.002-08:00

Same templates, completely different layouts. These are so simple and go together so quickly. The hardest part is picking out the pictures!

Loving layered templates!

2010-02-08T03:00:00.003-08:00

I downloaded a few layered templates from Designer Digitals today. They're my best bet for helping get caught up with my scrapbooking. This is an Ali Edwards template and I love how I can get several pictures on the layout and still keep it clean and simple looking.

Layered Template

2010-02-05T03:00:00.003-08:00

As I continue to catch up with my scrapping digitally, I wanted to try some new things, make me learn some new skills with PSE. So I decided to use a layered-template that was created by Ali Edwards. (it's a free download if you're interested)

These two pages are professional shots that we had taken for GQ's 4th and 5th birthdays. I used the same template for both layouts but just changed the papers, photos and position of the journaling to make them different. Pretty cool how versatile and easy these templates are to use!

SALE!

2010-02-04T06:54:00.002-08:00

My favorite place to print scrapping pictures is having a winter sale! Prices are awesome, so head over to ScrapbookPictures if you need any prints. Not sure how long the sale will last, so hurry, you don't want to miss their special prices. I have about 16 12x12 layouts that I need to get ordered!

From 2008...

2010-02-03T03:00:00.004-08:00

I didn't realize exactly how far behind I was! YIKES! I think this is the farthest I have to go back though. I hope it is...

This kit is another free kit from The Shabby Princess. It's her Harvest Spice kit and I'm loving the warm colors, can't wait to use it a bit more.

Happy Birthday Daddy...

2010-02-01T03:00:00.000-08:00

way back in May! Told you I was playing catch up!

I used a Shabby Princess digital kit for this layout, too. Actually, it's the same kit (Happy Go Lucky) I used for the golf layout I posted a few days ago. I love that it was FREE and is so versatile!

In my room...

2010-01-29T03:00:00.000-08:00

this digital page is very simple, but it's maybe one of my favorites. I love the pictures! They were all snapped when GQ wasn't aware that I was watching.

I didn't use any downloaded elements for this layout, it's simply pictures and elements from within the PSE program.

Starting to catch up...

2010-01-27T07:03:00.003-08:00

with my scrapbooking. I've gotten so far behind since September and want to start fresh with my traditional scrapbooking so I'm using digital to get caught up.

I really enjoy playing around on the computer seeing what I can come up with digitally. It's a fun and easy way for me to knock out several pages., but I do miss playing with paper, punches, adhesive and other embellishments. My favorite part of scraping it playing with the papers and seeing what works and what doesn't.

This page was created using some free elements I downloaded from The Shabby Princess. She has tons of digital kits to download, including lots of free kits. This particular kit is the Happy Go Lucky kit. It has so many papers and elements to it that I'll be able to create several pages with it.

I'll be back soon with more digital pages.

Holy Toledo!

2010-01-17T17:53:00.003-08:00

I just realized we're 1/2 way through January and I haven't crafted one bit. I don't know where the time has gone. I packed up all crafty stuff in October to prepare for our home purchase and move. It's been unloaded into pretty storage and a room is all ready for me to get scrappy but I'm finding that I can't find the time. Where is it going?

Lots of stuff has happened since we bought the house. We got a dog, probably the main time suck. She's adorable and a puppy so keeps us on our toes. Macy is our pooch and she's learning her manners and house-trained so quickly and easily. It was sort of like adding a child to our household though, lots of changes for everybody, including a little jealousy from GQ. So between the puppy, the move and all the changes that GQ had with the new house...boy was it interesting! We seemed to be moving more like a well-oiled machine now and routines are down pat and GQ has overcome the jealousy and is more a normal 5 y/o now. He's even loving his room and sleeps in it nightly...something we weren't sure of initially.

So, what do I do with my days? Clean! Paint, sometimes. Clean! Play with GQ and try to sneak in a little lesson here and there. Not an easy task, I have to be very sneaky ;) Afternoons seem to be the perfect time to craft but right now GQ and his friends sometimes end up playing here, inside if the weather is cold or damp. Once the weather is always sunny it will be much easier to send him on his way with friends and sit down to scrap. I promise, soon I will have sometime to show. I can't wait to get back into the swing of things. I need to start brainstorming so I have a list of what I want to get done and create so when the moment arrives, I'm good to go.

Stay tuned...

Word

2009-12-31T06:30:00.002-08:00

I am not a resolution maker. I don't like to make a list of things I might not accomplish and then feel like a failure pretty early on in the year. I want my new year to be filled with a fresh outlook, a clean slate...not to worry about watching my every step making sure I'm not blowing a resolution. That's just me.

Last year I read an entry on a favorite artist and blogger of mine, Ali Edwards. Each year, Ali chooses a single word to focus on, to reflect upon throughout the year. I thought this was a wonderful way to not make a resolution(s) but to still have something to think about daily and center on when I start to lose sight of the big picture.

My word: moments

Too many times through my day, week, month I worry about little things...dusting, vacuuming, making sure everything is in its place. My mind is always thinking about a 100 things I need to get done instead of just being somewhere in that moment. I want to sit and cuddle with my little guy and not worry about the laundry or the toys on the floor. I want to relax and just be. Simple. Attainable.

Do you have a word? I'd love to hear it, comment here and let me know your word (or your resolutions.)

Happy New Year! (and Happy Birthday to my sister!)

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T03:00:00.001-08:00

Hope your day is filled with lots of holiday cheer!

A little reindeer food for Santa's crew...

2009-12-16T13:44:00.004-08:00

We had a little cookie exchange and holiday party this morning with some mommy friends and their kiddos. I had big plans for the kids to make snow globes out of glass jars but had issues finding the little plastic figures to put inside. Not sure why, because if I go to the store now I'll see tons. The back-up plan...reindeer food! The kids had fun filling their bags with some oats, cereal, raisins and glitter. GQ even made a few extra bags to pass out to his friends in the neighborhood. We'll have fun Christmas Eve sprinkling our reindeer food on the front lawn so Santa can find us!

It's a work in progress...

2009-12-11T10:38:00.003-08:00

but it's coming together. I have most everything organized and labeled so I'm not endlessly hunting, but I have to use the room and make adjustments, I'm sure. The walls are bare but will soon be dressed and the chandelier and curtain rod are going to be given a new life, but those are just little things that need to get done. I also need to figure out how I want to store my paper...still researching and brainstorming. Keep in mind while looking at the pictures that this is actually a formal dining room. We're not "formal" diners so it's my room :D The room is open to the rest of the house so it needs to remain decorated and clean like any room that is basically seen by all...incentive for me to keep organized!

I'll have pictures soon...

2009-12-10T19:57:00.002-08:00

I promise! The craft room is 1/2 way set up. I'm going to organize tomorrow and this weekend. Then I am going to spray my chandelier rather than replacing to save a few dollars. After that it's pretty much complete! I'll be back to scrapping and creating cards very shortly. Stay tuned...

My all new, shiny craft room...

2009-12-03T05:32:00.002-08:00

is getting closer to becoming reality for me! I sketched out my room last night and measured and shopped around via the net...found a couple perfect additions to the room and hope to get them sometime this weekend or next week. Soon the room will be pretty and functional and I can begin crafting again! woo hoo!

Do you take cream and sugar?

2009-12-01T12:29:00.003-08:00

I love this and it's at the top of my want list! I'm seeing a trip to Crate and Barrel in my near future :D

the gratitude project: day seven

2009-11-26T06:26:00.004-08:00

Sorry for the missing day seven entry...we moved and had to be w/out internet for about a week before we could get the cable company out to install a line for the modem. So finally...my day seven list!

1. Internet
2. My new house...it's feeling and looking like home already
3. GQ loves his new room and has had no issues w/sleeping during the whole transition
4. Some friendly neighbors with awesome little ones for the little bug to play with
5. Family that traveled down to spend Thanksgiving with us
6. The Geek Squad...they make putting a TV on the wall and networking it all seem so easy
7. Attic space to run and hide wires
8. A roomy garage to house the car and all the misc stuff we're not quite sure what to do with yet
9. That a little garage sale fine, some elbow grease and paint can make a great coffee table
10. A full kitchen on turkey day
11. Some helping hands for cooking and dishes
12. A wonderful table full of great food
13. For everything I have...and never wanting, very lucky to have that
14. Talking to relatives states away to wish happy turkey day wishes
15. Seeing GQ and grandparents sit and watch Charlie Brown together on the couch
16. Ibuprofen for a little allergy sufferer; the only thing that he's able to take, it's some relief
17. Simply enjoying the family moments
18. Hearing GQ giggle while watching cartoons
19. That I will be sitting at home tomorrow not dealing w/any Black Friday crowds
20. For all my friends, family...near or far, each one holds a special place in my heart and I am so lucky to have you all.

Happy Thanksgiving!

the gratitude project: day six

2009-11-20T06:22:00.002-08:00

1. Despite being very excited about today, little GQ slept through the night
2. Last night in a house w/no yard
3. All the hard work hubby has been doing for our move
4. Figuring out what made GQ act so crazy last night
5. Almost indestructible chew toys
6. Family heading down for turkey day next week
7. My paper, glue and embellies...even though I haven't seen you in a while
8. My crafty friends
9. Etsy...for shopping, inspiration, etc
10. Facebook
11. A sweet, sweet little boy. Even though he's a stinker at times, he pretty awesome!
12. Move-out cleaners
13. All the boxes from all the moves that I've saved
14. Lands End and all their comfy clothes
15. A chilly morning with the sun shining and windows open, the laptop warming me a little
16. GQ's love of old school cartoons...Scooby-Doo! Where are you?
17. All that I have...family, house, no many, if any worries
18. Clarks socks. They are truly the sock for me...guaranteed to not get wholes or they replace. I'll probably give them a run for their money. ;)
19. Little freckles across a cute little nose and cheeks
20. bandages

the gratitude project: day five

2009-11-19T06:26:00.004-08:00

1. GQ getting 12 hours of much needed sleep...he still needs more, but we're getting there
2. PTO for the husband
3. Lots of variety for take-out
4. Hugs from GQ
5. Phone calls from my mom and mother-in-law
6. No rain...so far
7. Cuddling w/GQ on the couch
8. Hearing GQ count in Spanish
9. Early morning snuggling w/my family
10. Having windows open
11. Seeing my new house slowly become a home
12. All the friends I've made through YCM
13. How much GQ is loving his new house, yard, bedroom
14. The fun that GQ finds in the simplicity of things, like a bean bag...great fun!
15. That suffering through possibly H1N1 wasn't that bad and the cough is almost gone!
16. A husband that lets me stress and be crazy during a move and laughs at it rather than thinking I'm completely insane!
17. GQ singning, humming, yodeling
18. Modern Family...finally a sitcom I love!
19. Digital work turning out exactly as I imagined
20. GQ beginning to look forward to school...he has to wait till next fall, but it's fun to see him getting excited!