Would you believe that Tuesday evening Meagan started getting sick. Four or five hours of yuck. Then lots and lots of hours of sleeping. She was on the couch all day yesterday, and from the looks of it, today is shaping up to be another couch day. Blech.
I woke up this morning not feeling so hot myself. So today will definitely be a lazy day. I'll see if I can feel up to getting our Christmas pictures off of the camera so I can share a few.
So far this has been a bit of a bummer for a Christmas break. Hopefully we can find at least one day before they go back to school to get something fun in. I hope!!
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Thursday, December 29, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
update
well here's how it went down. our night was such that it did NOT end up on my list of all-time favorites. isaac got sick several times before finally falling (and staying) asleep around 10:30.
at 9:00, meagan was crying consistently about her ear, and was ASKING to go to the hospital to get it fixed. *sigh* poor thing. so we went to the emergency room. ear infection in her left ear. they gave her numbing drops, tylenol with codine, and an antibiotic. i brought her home, and she also crashed by 10:30.
and they decided to still sleep in front of the tree. illness and all, they weren't willing to give up on tradition. so they spread out their blankets on the floor, and watched movies (except meagan who was at the ER while the boys watched tv). by 10:30 they were all asleep in front of the Christmas tree. we left the tree lights on for them over night.
and they all woke up super happy and feeling fine this morning. isaac ate breakfast and is doing fine. meagan is bouncing around like last night never happened. so i guess we're on the mend! yea!!!
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at 9:00, meagan was crying consistently about her ear, and was ASKING to go to the hospital to get it fixed. *sigh* poor thing. so we went to the emergency room. ear infection in her left ear. they gave her numbing drops, tylenol with codine, and an antibiotic. i brought her home, and she also crashed by 10:30.
and they decided to still sleep in front of the tree. illness and all, they weren't willing to give up on tradition. so they spread out their blankets on the floor, and watched movies (except meagan who was at the ER while the boys watched tv). by 10:30 they were all asleep in front of the Christmas tree. we left the tree lights on for them over night.
and they all woke up super happy and feeling fine this morning. isaac ate breakfast and is doing fine. meagan is bouncing around like last night never happened. so i guess we're on the mend! yea!!!
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Friday, December 23, 2011
Bummer
I have one who just started throwing up.
I have another who has likely got an ear infection.
Tonight's "sleep by the Christmas tree" has been postponed until either tomorrow or Christmas night.
Please pray that they get better and that the rest of us stay healthy.
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I have another who has likely got an ear infection.
Tonight's "sleep by the Christmas tree" has been postponed until either tomorrow or Christmas night.
Please pray that they get better and that the rest of us stay healthy.
**********
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
a girl with a plan
Well, I've worked with my paper planner for a few months now, and I'm struggling with it a little bit. Not because it's not electronic. But because it doesn't have enough space for a to-do list or a task list of sorts. There IS a to-do list section in the back, but it's separate from the calendar part, which, try as I might, just does NOT work for me.
I figured I'd take another look to see if I could find something that might work a bit better for me. I did a bit of online searching last night, and found this mom agenda planner that I think will work... plus LOVE the color (it's me, don't you think?)
So, I placed an order first thing this morning. I thought that the start of a new year might be a good time to transition to a new planner. Plus, a little perk, this one has a specific spot for dinner planning at the bottom of each day. So I can at least jot down a reminder at the bottom of each day regarding what's on the menu for that evening.
I think I'll still keep my separate menu planner, though. I've really liked it, and it's been working out well. Have I ever showed it to you? I don't think I have...
In my desperation and determination to get a handle on our dining habits, I went to Wal-Mart. *lol* Seriously, though, I found a CHEAP planner on sale there - of the $3 variety. It's a basic planner with a calendar for each month and a 2-page spread for each week. So I do a high-level view on the calendar page. On each day, I write down the general meal I'm planning for that day. That way I get a better over-all view and prevent things like, say, eating 5 beef-based meals in a row, or eating tacos 2 days after we eat burritos. Stuff like that. It also helps me plan for specific days of the week that are busiest for us. For instance, I have ZERO cooking time on Thursdays, so I know that a crock pot meal or a super-quick make-ahead meal will be needed. The calendar page just helps with the overall menu concept for the month.
Then. On the daily pages, I can fill in the details of that day's meal... the main course, the sides, any desert I might want to plan. I use the daily pages to help me assess our food inventory and grocery needs. Also, this helps me better plan for using up the fresh veggies that we have on-hand by making sure to include them in the week's side dishes. It has helped to drastically cut back on our grocery budget in the past few months. I've gone from about $850 a month on groceries to about $650-$700. Nice. I think so far for December I've only spent about $550 in groceries. I'm amazed at what a little planning can accomplish!
So what's on the menu for tonight? Layered Enchilada Bake with fresh veggie toppings, tortillas and fresh salsa, and mini cornbread.
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I figured I'd take another look to see if I could find something that might work a bit better for me. I did a bit of online searching last night, and found this mom agenda planner that I think will work... plus LOVE the color (it's me, don't you think?)
So, I placed an order first thing this morning. I thought that the start of a new year might be a good time to transition to a new planner. Plus, a little perk, this one has a specific spot for dinner planning at the bottom of each day. So I can at least jot down a reminder at the bottom of each day regarding what's on the menu for that evening.
I think I'll still keep my separate menu planner, though. I've really liked it, and it's been working out well. Have I ever showed it to you? I don't think I have...
In my desperation and determination to get a handle on our dining habits, I went to Wal-Mart. *lol* Seriously, though, I found a CHEAP planner on sale there - of the $3 variety. It's a basic planner with a calendar for each month and a 2-page spread for each week. So I do a high-level view on the calendar page. On each day, I write down the general meal I'm planning for that day. That way I get a better over-all view and prevent things like, say, eating 5 beef-based meals in a row, or eating tacos 2 days after we eat burritos. Stuff like that. It also helps me plan for specific days of the week that are busiest for us. For instance, I have ZERO cooking time on Thursdays, so I know that a crock pot meal or a super-quick make-ahead meal will be needed. The calendar page just helps with the overall menu concept for the month.
Then. On the daily pages, I can fill in the details of that day's meal... the main course, the sides, any desert I might want to plan. I use the daily pages to help me assess our food inventory and grocery needs. Also, this helps me better plan for using up the fresh veggies that we have on-hand by making sure to include them in the week's side dishes. It has helped to drastically cut back on our grocery budget in the past few months. I've gone from about $850 a month on groceries to about $650-$700. Nice. I think so far for December I've only spent about $550 in groceries. I'm amazed at what a little planning can accomplish!
So what's on the menu for tonight? Layered Enchilada Bake with fresh veggie toppings, tortillas and fresh salsa, and mini cornbread.
**********
Sunday, December 18, 2011
light it up
A quick addition to my 2010 Christmas celebration album...
"The Christmas tree lights are always such a chore, but I love it when they're done. The soft glow of the colorful bulbs twinkling against the evergreen just makes me feel all warm and happy inside. It's a perfect illustration of the cozy warmth of Christmas."
(Click here to view full credits)
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"The Christmas tree lights are always such a chore, but I love it when they're done. The soft glow of the colorful bulbs twinkling against the evergreen just makes me feel all warm and happy inside. It's a perfect illustration of the cozy warmth of Christmas."
(Click here to view full credits)
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Saturday, December 17, 2011
bits and pieces
it's been a busy week, but there's always time to see life for what it really is, for what's most important. and there's always time to take a moment to record and capture those things that are worth remembering.
so here are bits and pieces of our daily life, captured in photos... the things that bring a moment of joy in a busy day, or that evidence the peace and love that exists in our crazy house.
sebastian was home from school on thursday and friday with a stomach bug of some sort. he felt much better by friday, and was able to eat semi-normally. he still mostly just laid around like a couch blob though. the perks of sick days... kitty snuggles.
a highlight for me this week... a moment of having a relatively clean living room, a fire going, the christmas lights on, and my kindle in hand. that equals one peaceful, quiet moment and a happy me.
the cat found a new snuggly spot to sleep. how cute is she!
yesterday the younger two played outside for a bit, during which time meagan discovered a fossil in our box of rocks in the garage (a big box full of the rocks we collected from the yard before the grass was put down). naturally, finding one fossil yesterday MUST lead to excavating for more fossils at the breakfast table. As soon as breakfast was over, she hauled in a rock pile, got out the tools, and went straight to work. i loved every minute of watching her in her bug-eye goggles, scraping and brushing the dirt from the rocks in her pile. SO worth remembering.
and, oh! i forgot to show you our little elf. i had a feeling i was being too ambitious. but it's good to at least start with a goal in mind. in the end, i DID make the frock. i DID put ruffles on the shirt sleeves. i DID start to make flowers for the headband. and that's as far as i got. time ran out on me. so we settled for sparkly glitter stretch pants, red glitter shoes, and red bows glued to the sides of some white socks. I pinned the felt flower I had made to a way-too-big santa hat that grandma brought for her. it worked. she was cute. she was happy. and the program went really well. we'll call that a win.
today sebastian & meagan have a christmas party at the gym, and then after that we're going to take isaac out to dave & busters for his birthday. food and games! what more could that boy want?! i have to wrap his gifts quick, and bake some cupcakes. and we will spend the weekend celebrating his birthday... just the 5 of us.
**********
so here are bits and pieces of our daily life, captured in photos... the things that bring a moment of joy in a busy day, or that evidence the peace and love that exists in our crazy house.
sebastian was home from school on thursday and friday with a stomach bug of some sort. he felt much better by friday, and was able to eat semi-normally. he still mostly just laid around like a couch blob though. the perks of sick days... kitty snuggles.
a highlight for me this week... a moment of having a relatively clean living room, a fire going, the christmas lights on, and my kindle in hand. that equals one peaceful, quiet moment and a happy me.
the cat found a new snuggly spot to sleep. how cute is she!
yesterday the younger two played outside for a bit, during which time meagan discovered a fossil in our box of rocks in the garage (a big box full of the rocks we collected from the yard before the grass was put down). naturally, finding one fossil yesterday MUST lead to excavating for more fossils at the breakfast table. As soon as breakfast was over, she hauled in a rock pile, got out the tools, and went straight to work. i loved every minute of watching her in her bug-eye goggles, scraping and brushing the dirt from the rocks in her pile. SO worth remembering.
and, oh! i forgot to show you our little elf. i had a feeling i was being too ambitious. but it's good to at least start with a goal in mind. in the end, i DID make the frock. i DID put ruffles on the shirt sleeves. i DID start to make flowers for the headband. and that's as far as i got. time ran out on me. so we settled for sparkly glitter stretch pants, red glitter shoes, and red bows glued to the sides of some white socks. I pinned the felt flower I had made to a way-too-big santa hat that grandma brought for her. it worked. she was cute. she was happy. and the program went really well. we'll call that a win.
today sebastian & meagan have a christmas party at the gym, and then after that we're going to take isaac out to dave & busters for his birthday. food and games! what more could that boy want?! i have to wrap his gifts quick, and bake some cupcakes. and we will spend the weekend celebrating his birthday... just the 5 of us.
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Friday, December 16, 2011
it's been a while
my days of suits and heels, hosiery and business professional attire have gradually slipped by me until they've become a thing of my past.
until this week.
tuesday i had an interview.
before you get all worked up, it's for part-time work. just something to do during school hours to earn a bit of extra $$. nothing major. but still. a suite was required. so i had to go shopping. since it's been y.e.a.r.s. since i last bought a suit, the ones in my closet were either outdated or undersized (that's the nice way to say it, no?). i found a jacket, skirt and shirt at dress barn of all places. and a new pair of heels at payless right next door.
i gotta admit, it felt pretty good to get all dressed up. and i felt super tall in the heels. a girl could get a rush off of a little extra height every now and then.
the interview went well. interviewing has never been a thing that makes me nervous. i just see it as a chance to talk to new people. and you know me, i LOVE to talk to people. i'm a talker. :)
so we'll just see if my measly few available hours will be enough for some company out there to work with. i'll keep you posted. but if nothing else, i at least got a really cute outfit out of the deal!
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until this week.
tuesday i had an interview.
before you get all worked up, it's for part-time work. just something to do during school hours to earn a bit of extra $$. nothing major. but still. a suite was required. so i had to go shopping. since it's been y.e.a.r.s. since i last bought a suit, the ones in my closet were either outdated or undersized (that's the nice way to say it, no?). i found a jacket, skirt and shirt at dress barn of all places. and a new pair of heels at payless right next door.
i gotta admit, it felt pretty good to get all dressed up. and i felt super tall in the heels. a girl could get a rush off of a little extra height every now and then.
the interview went well. interviewing has never been a thing that makes me nervous. i just see it as a chance to talk to new people. and you know me, i LOVE to talk to people. i'm a talker. :)
so we'll just see if my measly few available hours will be enough for some company out there to work with. i'll keep you posted. but if nothing else, i at least got a really cute outfit out of the deal!
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Hold the Lettuce
Another layout for my Christmas album for 2010. I know these little hamburgers were already included on one of the pages, but I wanted to sort of zoom in on them and include them as something extra special. Because I LOVE these little cookies... not even that they're that good, but just that they make me happy. So cute. For who-knows-what reason, they just make me feel Christmasy. I guess hamburgers will do that to you? *lol*
Journaling: "the hamburgers have been a part of my Christmas memories since childhood. Chocolate cookies, 'nilla wafers, food coloring & icing, and some shaved coconut. when i was young i didn't like coconut, so Mike woudl make me a few cookies with no 'lettuce' on them. now, though, i add the lettuce because i love the bright color they add to the cookies. delicious!"
(Click here to view full credits)
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Journaling: "the hamburgers have been a part of my Christmas memories since childhood. Chocolate cookies, 'nilla wafers, food coloring & icing, and some shaved coconut. when i was young i didn't like coconut, so Mike woudl make me a few cookies with no 'lettuce' on them. now, though, i add the lettuce because i love the bright color they add to the cookies. delicious!"
(Click here to view full credits)
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First Meet layout
Well I'm a bit late in showing off the December BYOC... it's been a bad month for blogging... Lucas teases me that my blog is becoming a once-a-quarter update. Anyway. Better late than never. I used the December BYOC to make a very non-holiday layout of Meagan's first meet. Be sure to check out the BYOC. And!!! TLP is running a daily special throughout the month of December. Something great is on sale every day!! Okay, on to the layout...
(Click here to view full credits)
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(Click here to view full credits)
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Monday, December 12, 2011
what a weekend!!
wow! we sure do like to challenge ourselves around here! why not try to cram 10 different things into a span of 2 days? *lol* well, that's about what we did this weekend. nuts. here's how it went...
friday evening, sebastian had his last gymnastics practice before his very first meet (more on that in a moment). he had to be at practice by 6:30, but we had to go early so he could try on pants for his uniform (i know, nothing like last minute, right?). on top of the 6:30 practice, guy & jane were coming in from ohio to stay the night for isaac's birthday party that would be on saturday. they were set to arrive at our place at - you guessed it - 6:30. i called and told jane that i was taking sebastian to practice, so they decided to detour and head to the gym instead. i'm not sure she has ever really gotten to see him, so i know she was excited to get a chance to sit and watch... although i'm not sure she was excited about 2 1/2 hours worth *grin*. anyway...
so they met me at the gym. guy dropped jane off and headed on to our house while she stayed at the gym to watch. however, i also had to make a run to toys r us, since i was pretty close to it and the sale i wanted was ending on saturday. so i left her at the gym and headed to the store. nuts. that's all i can say. i am not such a toys r us fan, and this was not a great experience... moving on...
so i got back to the gym in time to watch the last few minutes of practice, collect everyone, and head home. when we got home, we loaded EVERYONE up into 2 vehicles and headed to wal-mart to find isaac his birthday gift from grandma & grandpa... a bike! so we got home from wal-mart with a new bike and tired kids sometime around 10:00. definitely bed time at that point!
saturday morning brought with it a birthday celebration. although isaac's actual birthday isn't for another week, we were (at least some of us) able to get together this weekend to celebrate. so he got to open some presents, have some cake, and eat the best pizza i've ever had. yum!
for the rest of the afternoon, the kids played... the new zelda game (skyward sword) for wii, and zelda spirit tracks for ds... and meagan invited a friend over to keep herself entertained. the ladies (jane, my mom, and i) wrapped what Christmas gifts i already had, and then we headed out to the stores for more! i now have almost all of my shopping done! i need to get just a few more lego sets and a few bins to store them in. and then i am D.O.N.E. love that!!
saturday evening, the we had a mini Christmas with my mom, since we will not likely be able to get together for Christmas until well into january. boo. then after opening a few presents, we tortured our children by sending them straight to bed... we had to be up at 5:30 to be able to leave in time (6:30) for sebastian's meet. we were on the road by 6:45...close enough. it was a long, boring drive due north for 2 1/2 hours. long. boring. long.
his meet went SO well! there was only one little glitch along the way - the boys' pants got a bit mixed up... some kid took sebastian's pants by mistake and sebastian kept trying to convince the kid they were HIS pants, and blah blah blah. it threatened to escalate into a full-blown derailment of my child's mental state. but it was redirected, solved, and forgotten before it got too out of hand. thank God!!
not a ton of pictures because it wasn't the best set-up for photographing without making the entire world angry. i snapped a few shots of warm-ups and a few of awards (yay!). other than that, i opted for video. but here are a few of the photos i took at least...
this is sebastian (right) and one of his good buddies on his team. they're both the same age - there are only 3 older boys on his team, the rest are 6-7.
vault warm-ups...
team huddle on floor before the meet got started... i like his coaches SO much! they're both so super encouraging and very strong technical coaches! great combo!
okay, on to awards!
yep, he got 6 medals and a ribbon for 4th, plus their team won 1st! it was a great day for him!! he asked me last night when his next meet is because he's ready for another one. i think he got a taste of winning, and he likes how it tastes. *lol* his next meet is in january, and i THINK it will be in cincinnati. i think.
and let's just say his winnings did NOT go unnoticed by his sister, who astutely observed, 'i think sebastian has more medals than me now!' she decided she just has to stop falling off of the beam and then maybe she'll get more medals! i think she might be onto something *lol*.
**********
friday evening, sebastian had his last gymnastics practice before his very first meet (more on that in a moment). he had to be at practice by 6:30, but we had to go early so he could try on pants for his uniform (i know, nothing like last minute, right?). on top of the 6:30 practice, guy & jane were coming in from ohio to stay the night for isaac's birthday party that would be on saturday. they were set to arrive at our place at - you guessed it - 6:30. i called and told jane that i was taking sebastian to practice, so they decided to detour and head to the gym instead. i'm not sure she has ever really gotten to see him, so i know she was excited to get a chance to sit and watch... although i'm not sure she was excited about 2 1/2 hours worth *grin*. anyway...
so they met me at the gym. guy dropped jane off and headed on to our house while she stayed at the gym to watch. however, i also had to make a run to toys r us, since i was pretty close to it and the sale i wanted was ending on saturday. so i left her at the gym and headed to the store. nuts. that's all i can say. i am not such a toys r us fan, and this was not a great experience... moving on...
so i got back to the gym in time to watch the last few minutes of practice, collect everyone, and head home. when we got home, we loaded EVERYONE up into 2 vehicles and headed to wal-mart to find isaac his birthday gift from grandma & grandpa... a bike! so we got home from wal-mart with a new bike and tired kids sometime around 10:00. definitely bed time at that point!
saturday morning brought with it a birthday celebration. although isaac's actual birthday isn't for another week, we were (at least some of us) able to get together this weekend to celebrate. so he got to open some presents, have some cake, and eat the best pizza i've ever had. yum!
for the rest of the afternoon, the kids played... the new zelda game (skyward sword) for wii, and zelda spirit tracks for ds... and meagan invited a friend over to keep herself entertained. the ladies (jane, my mom, and i) wrapped what Christmas gifts i already had, and then we headed out to the stores for more! i now have almost all of my shopping done! i need to get just a few more lego sets and a few bins to store them in. and then i am D.O.N.E. love that!!
saturday evening, the we had a mini Christmas with my mom, since we will not likely be able to get together for Christmas until well into january. boo. then after opening a few presents, we tortured our children by sending them straight to bed... we had to be up at 5:30 to be able to leave in time (6:30) for sebastian's meet. we were on the road by 6:45...close enough. it was a long, boring drive due north for 2 1/2 hours. long. boring. long.
his meet went SO well! there was only one little glitch along the way - the boys' pants got a bit mixed up... some kid took sebastian's pants by mistake and sebastian kept trying to convince the kid they were HIS pants, and blah blah blah. it threatened to escalate into a full-blown derailment of my child's mental state. but it was redirected, solved, and forgotten before it got too out of hand. thank God!!
not a ton of pictures because it wasn't the best set-up for photographing without making the entire world angry. i snapped a few shots of warm-ups and a few of awards (yay!). other than that, i opted for video. but here are a few of the photos i took at least...
this is sebastian (right) and one of his good buddies on his team. they're both the same age - there are only 3 older boys on his team, the rest are 6-7.
vault warm-ups...
team huddle on floor before the meet got started... i like his coaches SO much! they're both so super encouraging and very strong technical coaches! great combo!
okay, on to awards!
yep, he got 6 medals and a ribbon for 4th, plus their team won 1st! it was a great day for him!! he asked me last night when his next meet is because he's ready for another one. i think he got a taste of winning, and he likes how it tastes. *lol* his next meet is in january, and i THINK it will be in cincinnati. i think.
and let's just say his winnings did NOT go unnoticed by his sister, who astutely observed, 'i think sebastian has more medals than me now!' she decided she just has to stop falling off of the beam and then maybe she'll get more medals! i think she might be onto something *lol*.
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Thursday, December 8, 2011
Parmesan Potatoes
A pinterest-inspired recipe. I found a few different potato recipes that sounded tasty, and I sort f mashed them together to come up with this potato recipe I made for dinner last night.
* gold potatoes washed and quartered (or smaller)
* microwave the potatoes until they're fork tender (about 10ish minutes or so?)
* coat with melted butter, grated parmesan & parsly
* bake at 450 for 15 minutes or until golden & crisp.
Yum. Although I think I would use red potatoes (or maybe idaho?) next time.
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* gold potatoes washed and quartered (or smaller)
* microwave the potatoes until they're fork tender (about 10ish minutes or so?)
* coat with melted butter, grated parmesan & parsly
* bake at 450 for 15 minutes or until golden & crisp.
Yum. Although I think I would use red potatoes (or maybe idaho?) next time.
**********
meet #2
as promised... a few pictures and some results. last weekend was meagan's second meet. it was a horrible meet as far as organization and set up. definitely no bonus points for the hosts. but whatever.
as far as meagan, though, she improved in almost everything. every one of her scores went up EXCEPT beam... she fell of THREE times. 1. 2. 3. uggh. i felt aweful for her, but she stuck it out like a trooper. i could tell she was frustrated about it though when she walked back to sit down. i was really proud of how she handled herself though. no crabbies. she just sucked it up and moved on. love that!
she ended up placing 14th on vault and on bars. she placed 20th all-around. so she walked away with 3 medals (yes, they're extra generous with their awards at this level... she loves it!). it was a good day. and apart from the beam score, all of her scores went up from her first meet. YAY! she was only .775 points away from qualifying for state, so it looks like by the end of the season she has a good chance of being able to compete at state. good for her!!! we're so proud!
meg and some of her teammates while they were waiting for the first session to finish up:
vault warm-up... fun action shot:
we sat right by the vault runway, so she went nuts when she saw us. so fun!
awards...
**********
as far as meagan, though, she improved in almost everything. every one of her scores went up EXCEPT beam... she fell of THREE times. 1. 2. 3. uggh. i felt aweful for her, but she stuck it out like a trooper. i could tell she was frustrated about it though when she walked back to sit down. i was really proud of how she handled herself though. no crabbies. she just sucked it up and moved on. love that!
she ended up placing 14th on vault and on bars. she placed 20th all-around. so she walked away with 3 medals (yes, they're extra generous with their awards at this level... she loves it!). it was a good day. and apart from the beam score, all of her scores went up from her first meet. YAY! she was only .775 points away from qualifying for state, so it looks like by the end of the season she has a good chance of being able to compete at state. good for her!!! we're so proud!
meg and some of her teammates while they were waiting for the first session to finish up:
vault warm-up... fun action shot:
we sat right by the vault runway, so she went nuts when she saw us. so fun!
awards...
**********
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
small update...
i know my blogging has been stinkin' it up lately. i know.
i swear i'm still around.
for some reason i have about zero energy left in me by the time i actually get some blogging time. and i just don't feel like sitting at the computer or writing anything even remotely interesting, let alone witty or entertaining.
i'm there again tonight. it's 10:25, and i am just finishing up my project for the evening.
it's been a long day.
but i thought i better check in so you didn't start to wonder.
for starters, i DO have a few pictures of meagan's meet over the weekend. i'll post photos and results soon... maybe tomorrow?
we've been busy. i hate that word. i hate to answer 'how have you been?' with 'busy.' it's not really a state of being. it's just, well... busy. dumb. but that's what we've been. lucas has been working lots... thankfully he in on vacation this week and can just have some down time.
the kids have all had dentist appointments in the past week and a half-ish. and me. no cavities for any of us. just lots of trips to the dentist, because of course we could not get them - any of them - scheduled on the same day.
believe it or not, we are STILL working on getting this back door issue squared away. the builder rep and a few other people came today and talked with lucas and me about it again. and then the door people called and set up an appointment for december 15th to come see what's wrong with it. so much for having it DONE by thanksgiving. nope, that did not even a little bit happen. *sigh* oh well... if it gets done in the end and we don't have to foot the bill, i will be happy.
i finished my first attempt at meagan's elf costume tunic. but i did it tonight after she went to bed, so i'm not actually sure whether or not it fits her. i'm not so super sure about the arm holes. but we'll see. it didn't turn out exactly as i had pictured it in my head, but i think it will do for a christmas program. and maybe it will do for a few wears besides that, maybe. we'll have to wait and see once she actually tries it on. i'm definitely not jumping ahead of myself, seeing as i haven't actually sewn anything since, oh, about 6th grade. nice.
we are also in the middle of decorating for christmas still. for some reason i'm just not really in the mood for it all yet. i don't feel like dragging out the boxes. or trying to find a place for things in yet another house. or dealing with the mess that has to be put away once the decorations are in place. but since people are coming to our house this weekend for isaac's birthday party, i figure i should probably get the boxes out of our little downstairs 1/2 bath, which is where i shoved them when the builders came this morning. so it's really much more of a storage closet than a functioning restroom at the moment... could prove to be problematic if i don't take care of that soon.
so there's what we've been up to. lots of gymnastics. lots of daily life. lots of feeling sleepy at the end of the day. we are all still working on getting over our various forms of yuck - meagan's cough is slowly slowly lessening, and my head is producing much less gunk than it has in the past few weeks. but neither of us are 100% yet, which just compounds the tired. so on that note, i'm going to go lay down in my nice squishy comfy warm bed and watch the season finale of covert affairs and fall asleep. i shall TRY to get back in the morning and get some gymnastics pictures and results posted for you.
**********
i swear i'm still around.
for some reason i have about zero energy left in me by the time i actually get some blogging time. and i just don't feel like sitting at the computer or writing anything even remotely interesting, let alone witty or entertaining.
i'm there again tonight. it's 10:25, and i am just finishing up my project for the evening.
it's been a long day.
but i thought i better check in so you didn't start to wonder.
for starters, i DO have a few pictures of meagan's meet over the weekend. i'll post photos and results soon... maybe tomorrow?
we've been busy. i hate that word. i hate to answer 'how have you been?' with 'busy.' it's not really a state of being. it's just, well... busy. dumb. but that's what we've been. lucas has been working lots... thankfully he in on vacation this week and can just have some down time.
the kids have all had dentist appointments in the past week and a half-ish. and me. no cavities for any of us. just lots of trips to the dentist, because of course we could not get them - any of them - scheduled on the same day.
believe it or not, we are STILL working on getting this back door issue squared away. the builder rep and a few other people came today and talked with lucas and me about it again. and then the door people called and set up an appointment for december 15th to come see what's wrong with it. so much for having it DONE by thanksgiving. nope, that did not even a little bit happen. *sigh* oh well... if it gets done in the end and we don't have to foot the bill, i will be happy.
i finished my first attempt at meagan's elf costume tunic. but i did it tonight after she went to bed, so i'm not actually sure whether or not it fits her. i'm not so super sure about the arm holes. but we'll see. it didn't turn out exactly as i had pictured it in my head, but i think it will do for a christmas program. and maybe it will do for a few wears besides that, maybe. we'll have to wait and see once she actually tries it on. i'm definitely not jumping ahead of myself, seeing as i haven't actually sewn anything since, oh, about 6th grade. nice.
we are also in the middle of decorating for christmas still. for some reason i'm just not really in the mood for it all yet. i don't feel like dragging out the boxes. or trying to find a place for things in yet another house. or dealing with the mess that has to be put away once the decorations are in place. but since people are coming to our house this weekend for isaac's birthday party, i figure i should probably get the boxes out of our little downstairs 1/2 bath, which is where i shoved them when the builders came this morning. so it's really much more of a storage closet than a functioning restroom at the moment... could prove to be problematic if i don't take care of that soon.
so there's what we've been up to. lots of gymnastics. lots of daily life. lots of feeling sleepy at the end of the day. we are all still working on getting over our various forms of yuck - meagan's cough is slowly slowly lessening, and my head is producing much less gunk than it has in the past few weeks. but neither of us are 100% yet, which just compounds the tired. so on that note, i'm going to go lay down in my nice squishy comfy warm bed and watch the season finale of covert affairs and fall asleep. i shall TRY to get back in the morning and get some gymnastics pictures and results posted for you.
**********
Friday, December 2, 2011
creative
it's time for a new digi dare, and this week i'm the digi hostess. this week's dare is all about telling the everyday stories through a photo that does NOT contain people. what!! no people in the picture??! it has always been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and it's so true. the pictures that capture the random, most inert objects that surround us just might have the greatest stories to tell. for example, in my layout, i focused on a photo of an open box of crayons. and while it doesn't look like much, this picture means so much to me because it screams every-day life in our house. there is not a single day that passes that we aren't shuffling around meagan's markers, crayons, scissors, and paper. really, truly, the child is always ALWAYS drawing, writing, or creating something. and we have piles of papers and art projects to prove it!
come and join us for this week's dare. there are lots of prizes up for grabs, and we have some great sponsors for december!!
here's my layout:
journaling: every day - every single day at our house includes some kind of art work by Meagan. she is the embodiment of creativity.
(click here to view full credits)
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come and join us for this week's dare. there are lots of prizes up for grabs, and we have some great sponsors for december!!
here's my layout:
journaling: every day - every single day at our house includes some kind of art work by Meagan. she is the embodiment of creativity.
(click here to view full credits)
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stuffed socks
i have another page done for my 2010 christmas album...
the kids get giant stuffed stockings from grandma & grandpa h. every year. they LOVE it!!
(click here to view full credits)
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the kids get giant stuffed stockings from grandma & grandpa h. every year. they LOVE it!!
(click here to view full credits)
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Wednesday, November 30, 2011
maybe a little ambitious
in 2 weeks isaac and meagan have their music program at school. meagan has to be dressed like an elf. which means iiiii have to make her an elf costume. hmmm...
well i'm not too hip with the idea of spending money to make something she will never use again. sooooo.... i got this brilliant, although admittedly VERY ambitious idea (considering i haven't really sewn anything in YEAAARS and i only have 2 weeks to pull it off). i decided to make her a little elf costume that she can reuse... maybe even wear for school or play clothes at least. here's my idea...
(i digress for a wee little second... if you haven't tried pinterest yet, TRY IT! it's full of creative genius and inspiration like you would not believe. plus some pretty practical tips, tons of recipes, decorating ideas, you name it. try it, you'll like it.)
i fond these ideas on pinterest. i think i will (TRY TO) alter them to work for what I have in mind.
this shirt for her elf tunic... in her size, not mine, obviously. i think i'll use maybe a 2" ribbon for the draw string in the front. let it hang down mid-thigh or just above the knee.
then these cuties for her leggings.
i'm thinking find some wal-mart leggings and sew the ruffles on. shouldn't be THAT hard, right? ???
and then if i get super ambitious, maybe one of these 2 headbands to match
or
we'll see how it goes. i'm going to start with the tunic and go from there. if i feel like i'm going to have a nervous breakdown with the shirt, then she's getting plain ol' pants and a store-bought santa hat i think. *lol* i'll let you know how it goes.
**********
well i'm not too hip with the idea of spending money to make something she will never use again. sooooo.... i got this brilliant, although admittedly VERY ambitious idea (considering i haven't really sewn anything in YEAAARS and i only have 2 weeks to pull it off). i decided to make her a little elf costume that she can reuse... maybe even wear for school or play clothes at least. here's my idea...
(i digress for a wee little second... if you haven't tried pinterest yet, TRY IT! it's full of creative genius and inspiration like you would not believe. plus some pretty practical tips, tons of recipes, decorating ideas, you name it. try it, you'll like it.)
i fond these ideas on pinterest. i think i will (TRY TO) alter them to work for what I have in mind.
this shirt for her elf tunic... in her size, not mine, obviously. i think i'll use maybe a 2" ribbon for the draw string in the front. let it hang down mid-thigh or just above the knee.
then these cuties for her leggings.
i'm thinking find some wal-mart leggings and sew the ruffles on. shouldn't be THAT hard, right? ???
and then if i get super ambitious, maybe one of these 2 headbands to match
or
we'll see how it goes. i'm going to start with the tunic and go from there. if i feel like i'm going to have a nervous breakdown with the shirt, then she's getting plain ol' pants and a store-bought santa hat i think. *lol* i'll let you know how it goes.
**********
Monday, November 28, 2011
today was good
today was one of those days that doesn't really look out of the ordinary on the surface, but it was a really good day. it was made up of all kinds of little things that made me smile.
for starters, meagan had a dentist appointment this morning, which meant she didn't have to rush out the door to catch the bus, and we got to spend a little girl time together. not much, but some. i'll take whatever one-on-one time i can get with any of my kiddos... seems one-on-one time is hard to find these days.
then i found some SUPER deals on gifts for the kids at amazon today. i guess i have cyber monday to thank. but seriously, like $20 off of lego kits and whatever... shhh, don't tell.
i also found a super great deal on a gift for lucas... but that's about all i can say about that or he'll guess what it is. he's a brat like that.
and then i got gas and paid $2.99/gallon. seriously! the price did not start with a 3 for the first time in a looooooooooong time! that in itself was worth the party!
then i got to spend a bit of time browsing through barnes and noble. i was getting books for the kids for christmas. but there is just something about the atmosphere of a book store that i love. i love my kindle.... LOVE... but i hope book stores never go away. i love the little kiddy reading corners tucked away here and there. i love the isles and isles of paper and glossy covers. it all just makes me feel happy. maybe i'll look into getting a job at a book store. i could see loving that.
then it was off to get the kids from school. i love that as soon as they all pile into the van now they start telling me their favorite part of the day! it's the best. even the 2 little girls that we car pool with are always so excited to share their days. it's great!
and even though i had to sit through 2 hours and 15 minutes of gymnastics practice (car pool break down due to auto repairs), it was kind of nice. meagan is all of a sudden not looking like she's lost. she has gotten quite a few of her skills, and has only one on bars and one on floor to master. the rest is a matter of form, which is hit or miss on any given attempt. but it was still fun to see her excitement at her progress! and sebastian is really looking fantastic! i'm so proud of him! i can't wait for him to get his first taste of competition. it's just around the corner!
so there you have it. it was a good day. in all the ordinary sort of ways. i love that.
**********
for starters, meagan had a dentist appointment this morning, which meant she didn't have to rush out the door to catch the bus, and we got to spend a little girl time together. not much, but some. i'll take whatever one-on-one time i can get with any of my kiddos... seems one-on-one time is hard to find these days.
then i found some SUPER deals on gifts for the kids at amazon today. i guess i have cyber monday to thank. but seriously, like $20 off of lego kits and whatever... shhh, don't tell.
i also found a super great deal on a gift for lucas... but that's about all i can say about that or he'll guess what it is. he's a brat like that.
and then i got gas and paid $2.99/gallon. seriously! the price did not start with a 3 for the first time in a looooooooooong time! that in itself was worth the party!
then i got to spend a bit of time browsing through barnes and noble. i was getting books for the kids for christmas. but there is just something about the atmosphere of a book store that i love. i love my kindle.... LOVE... but i hope book stores never go away. i love the little kiddy reading corners tucked away here and there. i love the isles and isles of paper and glossy covers. it all just makes me feel happy. maybe i'll look into getting a job at a book store. i could see loving that.
then it was off to get the kids from school. i love that as soon as they all pile into the van now they start telling me their favorite part of the day! it's the best. even the 2 little girls that we car pool with are always so excited to share their days. it's great!
and even though i had to sit through 2 hours and 15 minutes of gymnastics practice (car pool break down due to auto repairs), it was kind of nice. meagan is all of a sudden not looking like she's lost. she has gotten quite a few of her skills, and has only one on bars and one on floor to master. the rest is a matter of form, which is hit or miss on any given attempt. but it was still fun to see her excitement at her progress! and sebastian is really looking fantastic! i'm so proud of him! i can't wait for him to get his first taste of competition. it's just around the corner!
so there you have it. it was a good day. in all the ordinary sort of ways. i love that.
**********
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Wish Lists
This is for everyone who keeps asking me for the kids' Christmas wish lists. I have made a page full of their wish lists, with links to many of the items they want. You can find the link at the top right of my blog. If you buy something from the list, PLEASE let me know so that I can cross it off the list. I know everyone gets their feelings a bit hurt when duplicate gifts pop up. Hope this helps you out with your Christmas shopping!!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Holiday Album 2010
I've never been good at scrapping holidays. I don't know what it is about them, but I just scrap around them. Like they never even happened. It's sad really.
I've decided this is unacceptable. I WANT my kids to be able to look back and reflect on past holidays. So I decided to start with last year's Christmas. My plan is to put together a Christmas album that documents all of our ways we celebrate the season... baking, decorating, gift opening, and so on.
Just as I decided to dive into this project, The LilyPad designers came out with a Document Your December collection... PERFECT for the project I have in mind!! Here's what I've done so far...
Cover:
(Click here to view full credits)
Baking:
(Click here to view full credits)
Muddy Buddies:
(Click here to view full credits)
(Click here to view full credits)
**********
I've decided this is unacceptable. I WANT my kids to be able to look back and reflect on past holidays. So I decided to start with last year's Christmas. My plan is to put together a Christmas album that documents all of our ways we celebrate the season... baking, decorating, gift opening, and so on.
Just as I decided to dive into this project, The LilyPad designers came out with a Document Your December collection... PERFECT for the project I have in mind!! Here's what I've done so far...
Cover:
(Click here to view full credits)
Baking:
(Click here to view full credits)
Muddy Buddies:
(Click here to view full credits)
(Click here to view full credits)
**********
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Wow, I have been out of commission lately! Last week I came down with a sinus deal, and have been laid out and sleeping every opportunity that I've had. But thankfully I'm on the mend, and I have had plenty of energy for the cooking and festivities of the day.
I started cooking at 8:00 this morning. We finally sat down to eat around 2:30. After clean up and a bit of down time, Meagan talked me into (aka... begged and begged and begged until I caved) putting the lights on the Christmas tree. Hopefully the lights will be on by the end of the evening, and tomorrow we can dig out the ornaments.
We stayed home for the holiday, just the 5 of us. Lucas had to work this morning, although I was thrilled when he came walking in the door at 10:45!! What a great surprise!
We had turkey, green beans, twice baked mashed potatoes, apple cranberry stuffing, and dinner rolls. Plus apple pie and chocolate brownies. Believe it or not, the tribe is getting restless and beginning to ask for food again.
So that's it from me for now... just stopping in for a quick update since I've kept you waiting. I've got to get back to tree lights and dinner making. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!!
**********
I started cooking at 8:00 this morning. We finally sat down to eat around 2:30. After clean up and a bit of down time, Meagan talked me into (aka... begged and begged and begged until I caved) putting the lights on the Christmas tree. Hopefully the lights will be on by the end of the evening, and tomorrow we can dig out the ornaments.
We stayed home for the holiday, just the 5 of us. Lucas had to work this morning, although I was thrilled when he came walking in the door at 10:45!! What a great surprise!
We had turkey, green beans, twice baked mashed potatoes, apple cranberry stuffing, and dinner rolls. Plus apple pie and chocolate brownies. Believe it or not, the tribe is getting restless and beginning to ask for food again.
So that's it from me for now... just stopping in for a quick update since I've kept you waiting. I've got to get back to tree lights and dinner making. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!!
**********
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
an all-around champion
well, meagan (and the rest of us)survived her first meet. it was early EARLY in the morning. we got up at about 5:30, left the hotel by 6:45, and checked in at the meet at 7:30. warm-ups started at 8:00. but it was run pretty smoothly, and there were very few delays, so the meet was done, and awards were being handed out by 11:15. still, it felt like a very long day. we were tired. SHE was tired. but she had fun.
i thought i might get in a wee bit of trouble if i didn't share at least SOMETHING with you. so i found a few pictures that edited okay... horrible lighting and far distance equals not-so-great photos all around, but these were alright for what it's worth.
getting ready to warm up. this is meagan and her buddy T. T and meagan are in the same practice group at the gym, and they are together a LOT.
they warmed up and stretched as a team before breaking into their different groups for rotations. their team brought 42 level 3 girls to the meet, so there she had teammates on every event at any given time. it was like a small silver and black army.
her first event was beam. then they followed olympic rotation after that. beam, floor, vault, bars. her beam routine started out really solid. great form, even a smile. she did her handstand and stayed on, but she got pretty wobbly at that point and never fully recovered. she ended up falling off on her split leap. but she got back up and finished with no problem. her score on beam was an 8.000 even with the fall. i was pretty excited for her!
floor was next. her weakest even by far. she isn't such a fan of the dance elements. in fact, she once told me about a month ago that floor is pretty dumb because she's a gymnast, not a dancer. that girl. the good news, though, is that she told me yesterday she is getting pretty used to floor and now she likes it. so that's progress.
anyway, she still is trying to get her bridge-kick-over (the forerunner to a back walkover), so she lost points for having to be spotted... but better than losing points for a fall i suppose. it was also her first time ever doing her routine to the actual floor routine music. they've been working all this time in practice just to learn the order of the elements. so floor is a work in progress. her final score was a 6.000. ouch. :) she still came away with a smile on her face, though.
third was vault. that went well. she did a really good first vault, although had too much power so took a few steps on her landing. her score was 8.000. i didn't get any pictures of it though because i was recording with the video camera.
last was bars. again, she still doesn't have all of her skills on bars. but she has great form anyway. she got a 7.300 on bars and placed 16th on bars, which means she got a medal. which means she was thrilled!
her bars medal...
and she placed 21st all-around.
once they had handed out all of the all-around medals, the announcer said, 'here are your level 3 all-around champions!' that's all meagan heard. she came running over to me and said, 'mama, i'm an all-around champion!!' i LOVE that girl!
**********
i thought i might get in a wee bit of trouble if i didn't share at least SOMETHING with you. so i found a few pictures that edited okay... horrible lighting and far distance equals not-so-great photos all around, but these were alright for what it's worth.
getting ready to warm up. this is meagan and her buddy T. T and meagan are in the same practice group at the gym, and they are together a LOT.
they warmed up and stretched as a team before breaking into their different groups for rotations. their team brought 42 level 3 girls to the meet, so there she had teammates on every event at any given time. it was like a small silver and black army.
her first event was beam. then they followed olympic rotation after that. beam, floor, vault, bars. her beam routine started out really solid. great form, even a smile. she did her handstand and stayed on, but she got pretty wobbly at that point and never fully recovered. she ended up falling off on her split leap. but she got back up and finished with no problem. her score on beam was an 8.000 even with the fall. i was pretty excited for her!
floor was next. her weakest even by far. she isn't such a fan of the dance elements. in fact, she once told me about a month ago that floor is pretty dumb because she's a gymnast, not a dancer. that girl. the good news, though, is that she told me yesterday she is getting pretty used to floor and now she likes it. so that's progress.
anyway, she still is trying to get her bridge-kick-over (the forerunner to a back walkover), so she lost points for having to be spotted... but better than losing points for a fall i suppose. it was also her first time ever doing her routine to the actual floor routine music. they've been working all this time in practice just to learn the order of the elements. so floor is a work in progress. her final score was a 6.000. ouch. :) she still came away with a smile on her face, though.
third was vault. that went well. she did a really good first vault, although had too much power so took a few steps on her landing. her score was 8.000. i didn't get any pictures of it though because i was recording with the video camera.
last was bars. again, she still doesn't have all of her skills on bars. but she has great form anyway. she got a 7.300 on bars and placed 16th on bars, which means she got a medal. which means she was thrilled!
her bars medal...
and she placed 21st all-around.
once they had handed out all of the all-around medals, the announcer said, 'here are your level 3 all-around champions!' that's all meagan heard. she came running over to me and said, 'mama, i'm an all-around champion!!' i LOVE that girl!
**********
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