Sebastian was invited to a birthday party this evening from 6:00 - 8:00 at an indoor trampoline park. Right after a 2-hour gymnastics practice. Can you pretty much guess how that birthday party went for him? He LOOOOVVVED it! His brain never turned off the gymnastics mode, so he went straight from the gym to a giant trampoline park... this is like heaven on earth for my child.
When he got home, I asked him if he had a good time (duh). He said, "Oh yea!! I worked on my front pike kick out full. I would have done double fronts into the pit, but the place has a No Double Flips Rule" (said in his best 'that's really dumb' voice). Um, okay. Good job on the pike blah blah blah. And I'm thinking there might be a decent reason that the trampoline place full of children has a no double flips rule. Maybe? But I'm glad it was fun all the same. No go get a shower and do your homework!! ;)
**********
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Just Like Jack
Last night I had one of those tough parenting moments. I was talking to Sebastian about some praise for him that his teachers had shared with me, but quickly the conversation took a turn from positive to not-so-upbeat. He started telling me about being in class, and how not many kids in his class are willing to work in partner groups with him. He didn't seem to indicate that the kids were mean about it, but simply that they preferred to partner with other people instead. In essence, he feels like an outsider.
He said, "The other boys all know each other from football and baseball and basketball and stuff. I just don't fit in with them." His eyes welled up with tears, and try as he might to hold them at bay, a tear or two slipped out to betray just how much this hurts him.
As you can imagine, as a mother, I want to be able to FIX this for him. But I can't. I can't say anything that will make these boys see him differently. I can't do anything that will immediately change his circumstances. BUT. That doesn't make me powerless. I can listen. I can support him. I can offer words of wisdom about life and friendships. And I can offer up examples of others who have been through this too, so he knows he's not alone in this struggle.
Well, this morning, that's just what I did. Of course last night I listened and hugged him and gave him encouragement. But this morning, I was able to give him a real-life example of someone Sebastian admires who admittedly has gone through these same struggles.
In the past few months, we've watched the documentary It Might Get Loud more than once, and Sebastian has watched it every chance he's had. He's taken a liking to White Stripes music, particularly Seven Nation Army, and has tried to teach himself to play it on his cello. This documentary has been a source of inspiration to him to explore musical and artistic avenues which he seems to enjoy so very much. All great stuff, although none of it is main-stream-America football and baseball. In the documentary, Jack White spends a few minutes talking about his childhood. He tells about growing up in Detroit, and how he struggled at times because playing an instrument was about as uncool as you could possibly get in that area. He was just not on the same path as everyone else. He was different. He was 'uncool'. And now he's an amazingly talented and successful musician. When I pointed out to Sebastian this similarity between himself and Jack White, he smiled. He seemed pleased. I like that.
So thanks Jack White for being different, and for taking the time to say so. Thanks for following your own path instead of the path everyone else was beating down. While you may seem like an unlikely 'roll model' for a 6th grader, you have provided a very real example of someone willing to stand out in a world full of chameleons.
*****
I think in raising our children, one of the things I have said and will continue to say repeatedly is this: "You can't get to your own destination if you're trying to follow someone else's path." I hope and pray that someday he grasps this and truly embraces the awesome that he is.
He said, "The other boys all know each other from football and baseball and basketball and stuff. I just don't fit in with them." His eyes welled up with tears, and try as he might to hold them at bay, a tear or two slipped out to betray just how much this hurts him.
As you can imagine, as a mother, I want to be able to FIX this for him. But I can't. I can't say anything that will make these boys see him differently. I can't do anything that will immediately change his circumstances. BUT. That doesn't make me powerless. I can listen. I can support him. I can offer words of wisdom about life and friendships. And I can offer up examples of others who have been through this too, so he knows he's not alone in this struggle.
Well, this morning, that's just what I did. Of course last night I listened and hugged him and gave him encouragement. But this morning, I was able to give him a real-life example of someone Sebastian admires who admittedly has gone through these same struggles.
In the past few months, we've watched the documentary It Might Get Loud more than once, and Sebastian has watched it every chance he's had. He's taken a liking to White Stripes music, particularly Seven Nation Army, and has tried to teach himself to play it on his cello. This documentary has been a source of inspiration to him to explore musical and artistic avenues which he seems to enjoy so very much. All great stuff, although none of it is main-stream-America football and baseball. In the documentary, Jack White spends a few minutes talking about his childhood. He tells about growing up in Detroit, and how he struggled at times because playing an instrument was about as uncool as you could possibly get in that area. He was just not on the same path as everyone else. He was different. He was 'uncool'. And now he's an amazingly talented and successful musician. When I pointed out to Sebastian this similarity between himself and Jack White, he smiled. He seemed pleased. I like that.
So thanks Jack White for being different, and for taking the time to say so. Thanks for following your own path instead of the path everyone else was beating down. While you may seem like an unlikely 'roll model' for a 6th grader, you have provided a very real example of someone willing to stand out in a world full of chameleons.
*****
I think in raising our children, one of the things I have said and will continue to say repeatedly is this: "You can't get to your own destination if you're trying to follow someone else's path." I hope and pray that someday he grasps this and truly embraces the awesome that he is.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Giants
Among some of the other things that took place this weekend, Sebastian had a state clinic for gymnastics on Saturday. Four hours of gymnastics, a collaboration of coaches from around the state, and even Justin Spring (2008 Olympian) as a guest coach. Pretty sweet.
The highlights of his day were (1) getting Justin's autograph and getting to talk to him about the Olympics, and (2) doing giants for the first time. He was super pumped that he did something new for the first time!! And even though I took very few photos or video, I did happen to get this on video.
So there you go. A major milestone in my kid's gymnastics life, caught on film.
**********
The highlights of his day were (1) getting Justin's autograph and getting to talk to him about the Olympics, and (2) doing giants for the first time. He was super pumped that he did something new for the first time!! And even though I took very few photos or video, I did happen to get this on video.
So there you go. A major milestone in my kid's gymnastics life, caught on film.
**********
Friday, August 17, 2012
Friday Updates
So far so great with the school year!! The kids have all had a fantastic first 'week' and are excited about the year! Meagan has a few good friends in her class. And she has been invited to participate in accelerated math this year. She's pumped about that!
Isaac really likes his teacher, and has more than a few familiar faces in his class as well. Plus, he has a class pet - a big fat guinea pig named Daisy. So he's happy!
Sebastian has two teachers this year instead of one... so he will be switching classes... not counting his special classes like strings and computer lab. Plus, he has already taken the cello to school and has strings every day. He has a place to keep it at school during the week, and will bring it home to practice on the weekends (which means it looks like I will be picking him up on Friday's).
*****
Last night Meagan lost her 2nd tooth ever. I've told you before, we don't really do the tooth fairy around here. For the past few years, whenever the boys have lost a tooth, I pay them a dollar to go throw it in the trash. Yep, I'm that kind of mom. So, we did the tooth fairy for Meagan's first tooth, but I told her from now on, she will just throw it away like the boys do. Well, last night she worked and worked and worked (and cried a lot in between all that working) to get her tooth out. When it finally came out, she asked me if she could put it under the pillow... I told her no, just to throw it away. I also told her I would have to go to the bank in the morning to get money because I didn't actually have a dollar to give her last night. Not happy with the answer, she went to find her daddy, and apparently busted out the Puss in Boots eyes on him. So he told her to put it under her pillow. You can just imagine, she was pretty excited!! She wrapped it up in a tissue and carefully laid it under the pillow. She even wrote a little note and drew a picture for the tooth fairy, who, by the way, she has named Tina. The problem is, now I HAVE to scrounge up a dollar somewhere because her dad can't resist the Puss Eyes. *eye roll* So yes, I won Mother of the Year accolades by taking a dollar out of the kids GIVING jars (yep, stealing out of the giving money... there's gotta be a whole lot not right about that) to stick under her pillow!
*****
And tonight was Meagan's first ever 4-hour practice. I wasn't sure what to expect... after a full day of school, practice from 4:00 to 8:00 with no dinner could prove to be her undoing. Surprisingly, when 8:00 rolled around, she was in a great mood! Cheerful and happy and chatty, not at all what I was expecting. She was even excited that she had gotten two new skills at practice tonight that she had not previously done on her own (a back walkover and a shoot-through on bars).
And then.
The drama busted out of its cage some time around 9:15. She TRIED to show her dad her back walkover, but was too tired, and plopped down on her noggin. Not good. I'm sure it hurt, but I don't think that was her biggest trigger as much as embarrassment and frustration. Oh. My. Word. Did the drama ever start flying! She cried. I told her she could just show him tomorrow when she wasn't so tired. She then began rambling off this whole string of irrational thoughts full of extremes and absolutes like you would not believe!! "I'll NEVER have a time that I can show him! He'll NEVER see me do a good back walkover because I don't do them in meets! I ALWAYS lose my concentration and mess up!" And on. And on. And on. Seriously.
I gave her an ice pack for her head. Then put her in bed. That was one tired seven year old. So maybe the 4-hour practice schedule is going to take some getting used to.
*****
And that's it for my random bits of info and updates. Tomorrow is another sport-filled day of dance, a football game, and state gymnastics clinics for Bas, so I'm off to lay down and read until I fall asleep.
**********
Isaac really likes his teacher, and has more than a few familiar faces in his class as well. Plus, he has a class pet - a big fat guinea pig named Daisy. So he's happy!
Sebastian has two teachers this year instead of one... so he will be switching classes... not counting his special classes like strings and computer lab. Plus, he has already taken the cello to school and has strings every day. He has a place to keep it at school during the week, and will bring it home to practice on the weekends (which means it looks like I will be picking him up on Friday's).
*****
Last night Meagan lost her 2nd tooth ever. I've told you before, we don't really do the tooth fairy around here. For the past few years, whenever the boys have lost a tooth, I pay them a dollar to go throw it in the trash. Yep, I'm that kind of mom. So, we did the tooth fairy for Meagan's first tooth, but I told her from now on, she will just throw it away like the boys do. Well, last night she worked and worked and worked (and cried a lot in between all that working) to get her tooth out. When it finally came out, she asked me if she could put it under the pillow... I told her no, just to throw it away. I also told her I would have to go to the bank in the morning to get money because I didn't actually have a dollar to give her last night. Not happy with the answer, she went to find her daddy, and apparently busted out the Puss in Boots eyes on him. So he told her to put it under her pillow. You can just imagine, she was pretty excited!! She wrapped it up in a tissue and carefully laid it under the pillow. She even wrote a little note and drew a picture for the tooth fairy, who, by the way, she has named Tina. The problem is, now I HAVE to scrounge up a dollar somewhere because her dad can't resist the Puss Eyes. *eye roll* So yes, I won Mother of the Year accolades by taking a dollar out of the kids GIVING jars (yep, stealing out of the giving money... there's gotta be a whole lot not right about that) to stick under her pillow!
*****
And tonight was Meagan's first ever 4-hour practice. I wasn't sure what to expect... after a full day of school, practice from 4:00 to 8:00 with no dinner could prove to be her undoing. Surprisingly, when 8:00 rolled around, she was in a great mood! Cheerful and happy and chatty, not at all what I was expecting. She was even excited that she had gotten two new skills at practice tonight that she had not previously done on her own (a back walkover and a shoot-through on bars).
And then.
The drama busted out of its cage some time around 9:15. She TRIED to show her dad her back walkover, but was too tired, and plopped down on her noggin. Not good. I'm sure it hurt, but I don't think that was her biggest trigger as much as embarrassment and frustration. Oh. My. Word. Did the drama ever start flying! She cried. I told her she could just show him tomorrow when she wasn't so tired. She then began rambling off this whole string of irrational thoughts full of extremes and absolutes like you would not believe!! "I'll NEVER have a time that I can show him! He'll NEVER see me do a good back walkover because I don't do them in meets! I ALWAYS lose my concentration and mess up!" And on. And on. And on. Seriously.
I gave her an ice pack for her head. Then put her in bed. That was one tired seven year old. So maybe the 4-hour practice schedule is going to take some getting used to.
*****
And that's it for my random bits of info and updates. Tomorrow is another sport-filled day of dance, a football game, and state gymnastics clinics for Bas, so I'm off to lay down and read until I fall asleep.
**********
Before I share my layouts for today, I thought I'd pass along some fun stuff... The Lilypad is having a store-wide sale this weekend... 30% off of everything thru the 20th! Click the image to check out the shop...
I have 2 layouts to share with you this week...
The first one is a memory from our camping trip this summer... I didn't have any pictures of our night by the campfire making s'mores, but I still wanted to document it. I used a fantastic new camping kit by Karah Fredricks & Gina Miller...
(Click here to view full credits)
Journaling: "Yes we did make s'mores, but it was too dark out for pictures. Saturday night,
just before we got cleaned up for bed, we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores
over the campfire. It's a good thing too, because we only ended up staying one
night."For layout #2, Krista Sahlin of Sahlin Studio asked the members of her creative team to pick their favorite Sahlin Studio kit or product and make a layout with it. I thought it would be fun, but I didn't expect it to be so hard! She has a LOT of great stuff, and picking a true favorite is virtually impossible. I do have a handful of kits, though, that I am more drawn to, for the colors or element style or whatever. I chose to use Field Trip and a few other mix-and-match items to go with it...
Meagan's lunch she made for herself the night before her first day of 2nd grade...
(Click here to view full credits)
Journaling: "I packed my own lunch for the 1st day of school. Apples and kiwi, cheese,
peanut butter and jelly, cherry tomatoes from our garden, mini cinnamon graham
crackers, and mommy threw in a mini york peppermint patty."
**********
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
For the first time ever
For the first time ever, I made it through the first day of school without even a hint of getting choked up. No tears. No sentimentality. No difficulty swallowing. No sniffling. None of that. Does that make me a bad mom?
I don't think it does. I think it makes me a mom who has been doing this for 7 years and who has had a house full of kids all summer who were ready to get back to routine and normalcy. Yep. It was definitely just time for them to get back to their own lives and friends and learning and schedules. All good stuff after two months of lazing around.
So, just like last year, Sebastian's bus came early, and he was the first one to get off to school. He picked out his shirt to wear today... it says I am who I am... Your approval is not needed. That about sums him up. So I guess he just wanted to make his point on the first day. *lol*
Again, I kept pictures of him to a minimum, so as not to completely and utterly embarrass him. That has to make up a bit for the fact that I didn't get choked up, right? Yep, I say it does.
So, the other two... Isaac wore his new shark shirt, and Meagan, well, she went all fashionista. *rolls eyes* We are in so much trouble when her teen years roll around.
(By the way, she told me if I want, I can borrow her bracelet sometime... I just have to ask first to make sure it's okay. Sweet.)
And they're off. And I get a few quiet hours in the day. And I like it.
**********
I don't think it does. I think it makes me a mom who has been doing this for 7 years and who has had a house full of kids all summer who were ready to get back to routine and normalcy. Yep. It was definitely just time for them to get back to their own lives and friends and learning and schedules. All good stuff after two months of lazing around.
So, just like last year, Sebastian's bus came early, and he was the first one to get off to school. He picked out his shirt to wear today... it says I am who I am... Your approval is not needed. That about sums him up. So I guess he just wanted to make his point on the first day. *lol*
Again, I kept pictures of him to a minimum, so as not to completely and utterly embarrass him. That has to make up a bit for the fact that I didn't get choked up, right? Yep, I say it does.
So, the other two... Isaac wore his new shark shirt, and Meagan, well, she went all fashionista. *rolls eyes* We are in so much trouble when her teen years roll around.
And they're off. And I get a few quiet hours in the day. And I like it.
**********
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Last Day of Summer
I'll be honest. For the last few days, I've been longing for this moment. The moment when I officially tuck my kids into bed for the last time on Summer Break. Tomorrow is the triumphant return to school (followed by a quiet mommy moment of basking in the silence... no, seriously). Sebastian's bus will be here around 7:10. Early. Then the other 2 will roll out around 8:10. Good stuff.
This morning I had a work meeting, so my new but amazingly dear friend Jessica brought her 3 boys over to our house and stayed with our kiddos while I went to work. Yes, the first day of school also marks the return to being responsible for 200 kids at a time on the playground. Good stuff. I'm ready for it!
After friends disbursed, we headed to Payless for gym shoes, which had totally fallen off the radar until today. Just never really even crossed my mind until I read through a little welcome note that we had gotten from one of the kids' teachers. Yep, I guess they DO need shoes for gym class. Right. So we went and go some.
Then Lucas decided we should let the kids choose a place to go out to eat for their last Summer dinner. It took them quite a while to come to a consensus, but they managed. And what did they decide on? Wait for it...... Applebee's. Yep. Of all the possibilities, they went with Applebee's. This is what happens when you let the kids choose. Ha!
Now here's the problem...
THIS is bedtime. It's glowing in her room it's still so bright outside.
Yep, this is what 8:30 looks like right now. So, the only real solution is to let them lay in bed and read until darkness falls. She did eventually get up and wander downstairs, so I let her help me pack her lunch for tomorrow. That seemed to make her beyond happy, and she went back to bed feeling rather satisfied. Here's what's on the menu for Meagan tomorrow:
This morning I had a work meeting, so my new but amazingly dear friend Jessica brought her 3 boys over to our house and stayed with our kiddos while I went to work. Yes, the first day of school also marks the return to being responsible for 200 kids at a time on the playground. Good stuff. I'm ready for it!
After friends disbursed, we headed to Payless for gym shoes, which had totally fallen off the radar until today. Just never really even crossed my mind until I read through a little welcome note that we had gotten from one of the kids' teachers. Yep, I guess they DO need shoes for gym class. Right. So we went and go some.
Then Lucas decided we should let the kids choose a place to go out to eat for their last Summer dinner. It took them quite a while to come to a consensus, but they managed. And what did they decide on? Wait for it...... Applebee's. Yep. Of all the possibilities, they went with Applebee's. This is what happens when you let the kids choose. Ha!
After dinner, Lucas buzzed the boys' heads so they didn't go to school with shaggy heads. We got all the school supplies sorted and stuffed into the appropriate book bags. Got the first-day clothes picked out. Everything ready to go.
THIS is bedtime. It's glowing in her room it's still so bright outside.
PBJ, kiwi, apples, cheese, cherry tomatoes from our garden, mini grahams, and a mini york peppermint patty. We only had 3 tomatoes left. They look a little lonely in there, don't they?
So I'm off to finish up the last load of laundry for the night, and make sure everyone's things are in place, and set my alarm... and my back up alarm... and maybe one more for good measure... because I'm not so good at mornings... at all.
**********
Monday, August 13, 2012
Updates
Well, I'd say the cat is gone for good. Last Saturday (over a week ago), when we were loading up the truck to head to Ohio, I guess she slipped out the door without our knowledge. Lucas and I came home Sunday (the kids stayed with Grandma & Grandpa for a few extra days), and she was gone gone gone. I did what I could - checked the humane society, filled out a missing cat form, and made sure her microchip contact information was up to date. I even posted on an area facebook page and craig's list for missing animals. No luck. So, I suppose we are catless. The kids took it well, but I think it's because I was able to tell them she decided to go out on an adventure... she may come back, but she may not, but SHE chose to go out and wander off. So yeah, they handled it really well. Every now and then, they'll comment about missing her, but I really couldn't have hoped for a better response.
*****
So, I mentioned that we went to Ohio for a quick trip. We went Saturday after gymnastics practice. Went to Red Lobster for dinner when we got there. Then Lucas and I went to see the last Batman movie while the kids went home with my parents to play.
Then on Sunday we had a cookout, and got to see aunts and cousins that we don't get to see nearly enough. And of course, the kids got in the pond! These two sat on the edge of the dock 'fishing' while they waited to be able to get in. Love the imagination!
And here are the cousins (minus Joey and Cole, as neither of them was getting in the water):
Not a great photo because I did a photography no-no and had them facing into the sun. Oops. But, it's still fun to see them all together!
*****
Okay, so I got my hair cut. And colored. It's been a LONG time since I've taken the time for color. And it's been a long time since my hair has been this short. What do you think? I don't feel like myself in it yet, but I think I'll get used to it.
Meagan got her hair cut too. She was super worried that the hair lady would cut all her hair off! In reality, she had 3 inches trimmed off the edges, and Meagan was thrilled! It's been YEARS since I've had a set hair person, but I think I've finally found someone I'll go back to.
*****
Isaac had his first football game already. This Saturday at 10:00 his team, 'Penn State' (no comments, please) played 'Ohio State' (their league uses college team names for the 3rd and 4th grade teams), and won 14-0. He was thrilled!! The opening play, his team received the kick off, and Isaac blocked - aka wiped out - 3 guys at once and made a huge hole for his teammate to run. They scored on the kick off!! What a way to start off their football season! Good stuff!
Besides football, we also had dance and gymnastics practices on Saturday. And Sunday was DeVeau's 30-year anniversary, so we went to the big bash to celebrate! And somewhere in there, we also managed to pick out and purchase the tile for the kitchen. It was a busy weekend! With our lives, though, I would expect nothing less.
**********
*****
So, I mentioned that we went to Ohio for a quick trip. We went Saturday after gymnastics practice. Went to Red Lobster for dinner when we got there. Then Lucas and I went to see the last Batman movie while the kids went home with my parents to play.
Then on Sunday we had a cookout, and got to see aunts and cousins that we don't get to see nearly enough. And of course, the kids got in the pond! These two sat on the edge of the dock 'fishing' while they waited to be able to get in. Love the imagination!
And here are the cousins (minus Joey and Cole, as neither of them was getting in the water):
*****
Okay, so I got my hair cut. And colored. It's been a LONG time since I've taken the time for color. And it's been a long time since my hair has been this short. What do you think? I don't feel like myself in it yet, but I think I'll get used to it.
Meagan got her hair cut too. She was super worried that the hair lady would cut all her hair off! In reality, she had 3 inches trimmed off the edges, and Meagan was thrilled! It's been YEARS since I've had a set hair person, but I think I've finally found someone I'll go back to.
*****
Isaac had his first football game already. This Saturday at 10:00 his team, 'Penn State' (no comments, please) played 'Ohio State' (their league uses college team names for the 3rd and 4th grade teams), and won 14-0. He was thrilled!! The opening play, his team received the kick off, and Isaac blocked - aka wiped out - 3 guys at once and made a huge hole for his teammate to run. They scored on the kick off!! What a way to start off their football season! Good stuff!
Besides football, we also had dance and gymnastics practices on Saturday. And Sunday was DeVeau's 30-year anniversary, so we went to the big bash to celebrate! And somewhere in there, we also managed to pick out and purchase the tile for the kitchen. It was a busy weekend! With our lives, though, I would expect nothing less.
**********
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
I thought I'd share what I have for Meagan's meet schedule for this competition season. I have weekends and locations, not specific days or times yet. That info is usually given out at 1-2 weeks before the meet.
I also put a static page at the top of my blog (see the link up there under my header??) that shows her meet schedule. I'll update it as I find out more specific details. I still don't have Sebastian's yet, but I'll pass it along when I do.
Also, I have Isaac's football game schedule. There's a page up there for that as well. So here they are...
Meagan's meets:
- November 10-11 Noblesville, IN
- November 17-18 Madison, IN
- January 11-13 *Circle of Stars* Indianapolis, IN
- January 26-27 Indianapolis, IN
- February 9-10 Greenwood, IN
- February 23-24 Ft. Wayne, IN
- March 9-10 *State Meet (if she qualifies)* Kokomo, IN
Isaac's football games:
- August 11, 10:00 am
- August 18, 10:00 am
- September 8, 9:00 am
- September 15, 9:00 am
- September 22, 10:00 am
- September 29, 10:00 am
- October 6, TBD
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Set Up Camp
Okay, here goes a plug for one of my favorite designers and digi friends... Krista Sahlin of Sahlin Studio. Every month Krista features one of her kits. At the end of the month she gives away a $10 gift certificate to her shop to one lucky winner who scraps with the feature kit. This month's kit is Summer Camp, which for me is PERFECT timing to scrap our camping pictures from early July. You can check out the details of her August feature and contest on her blog.
Check out this kit... it's gorgeous!! And you can snag it now for $5.59!! (Image linked)
Here's my new layout I did with this kit... scrapped about setting up camp (obviously...*HA*)
(Click here to view full credits)
And here's an older layout I did with this kit. These photos are from our trip to visit Grandma & Grandpa W. last summer.
(Click here to view full credits)
So there you go... it's an awesome kit! There are other related products like word art and recreational icons that are just as awesome! Take advantage of the sale price, and take a shot at winning the $10!!
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Check out this kit... it's gorgeous!! And you can snag it now for $5.59!! (Image linked)
Here's my new layout I did with this kit... scrapped about setting up camp (obviously...*HA*)
And here's an older layout I did with this kit. These photos are from our trip to visit Grandma & Grandpa W. last summer.
So there you go... it's an awesome kit! There are other related products like word art and recreational icons that are just as awesome! Take advantage of the sale price, and take a shot at winning the $10!!
**********
Monday, July 30, 2012
We survived the weekend!! It was long and buys and tiring. But good. Mostly.
Saturday, Isaac had a football orientation at 9:30, Meagan had dance at 10:00, and Sebastian had practice fro0m 10:30-2:30. Then, I had to meet for a car pool at 12:30 to drive downtown to a Kenny Chesney / Tim McGraw concert that I worked. This is all manageable with Lucas' help... too bad Lucas also had plans for the day... He got to go to the Brickyard race with a vendor from work. So, no help from him. Which means, I had no way to have Isaac one place and Meagan another with only a half-hour in between. And I had no way to get Sebastian home from practice once I got him there, so he had to miss it altogether. Thank God for car pools because a friend of mine took Meagan to dance. Which left me to take Isaac to his football meeting. But then in the push to get Meagan ready in time to catch her ride to dance, I FORGOT about the football meeting until it was almost too late. So we got there at the VERY end, and found out nothing except which team he's on. This year, his team is Penn State... he was a little worried because he knows Penn State just got in a lot of trouble. I reassured him that has nothing to do with his football team, so he felt a little better.
The concert... we got there at 1:00. We got HOME at 1:00. It was a LOOOOOONG day. My legs hurt, and my feet had blisters long before we ever left there. Because of the location we were at inside the stadium, we were busy pretty much from start to finish, with maybe only 2 lulls in the action. Better than being bored, right?
Yesterday, we got caught up on the Olympics. We watched men's gymnastics in the morning... Sebastian was so happy they televised so much of it! After that, Lucas painted the rest of the dining room wall (usually when we paint, I trim and he rolls because he does a much better job at it than I do)! It looks SO much better than the purple-gray color! Yea!
Yesterday for dinner, friends of our came over and cooked out. They have 3 boys, all the same age as our kids, and they play really well together. Plus, soon they will be building a house directly across the street from ours, so that will be great to have the kids' friends so close!
After our friends went home, and the kids got cleaned up from their long day of running around like crazies outside, we settled down and got caught up on the Olympics once again... women's gymnastics this time. The girls did awesome!! The officials of the sport did less awesome. As the night went on, the judging became very skewed and out of line. I was really struggling to watch comparable quality / difficulty routines score so differently between sessions. I finally got up and walked away... never even finished watching because it was making me feel so angry. Besides the questionable scoring, I'm super disgusted with the all-around rule that only lets 2 gymnasts from each country compete. It's not right!!!!! If any country, I don't care if it's not ours, has 3 or 4 gymnasts who have earned the right to be a part of the top 24, then those athletes SHOULD be a part of the top 24. Period. That's all I have to say about that.
So, today both of my gymnasts have practice. And Isaac starts football practice tonight. Other than that, I'm not sure what else we'll end up doing today. Maybe some laundry....I have plenty to fold!
**********
Saturday, Isaac had a football orientation at 9:30, Meagan had dance at 10:00, and Sebastian had practice fro0m 10:30-2:30. Then, I had to meet for a car pool at 12:30 to drive downtown to a Kenny Chesney / Tim McGraw concert that I worked. This is all manageable with Lucas' help... too bad Lucas also had plans for the day... He got to go to the Brickyard race with a vendor from work. So, no help from him. Which means, I had no way to have Isaac one place and Meagan another with only a half-hour in between. And I had no way to get Sebastian home from practice once I got him there, so he had to miss it altogether. Thank God for car pools because a friend of mine took Meagan to dance. Which left me to take Isaac to his football meeting. But then in the push to get Meagan ready in time to catch her ride to dance, I FORGOT about the football meeting until it was almost too late. So we got there at the VERY end, and found out nothing except which team he's on. This year, his team is Penn State... he was a little worried because he knows Penn State just got in a lot of trouble. I reassured him that has nothing to do with his football team, so he felt a little better.
The concert... we got there at 1:00. We got HOME at 1:00. It was a LOOOOOONG day. My legs hurt, and my feet had blisters long before we ever left there. Because of the location we were at inside the stadium, we were busy pretty much from start to finish, with maybe only 2 lulls in the action. Better than being bored, right?
Yesterday, we got caught up on the Olympics. We watched men's gymnastics in the morning... Sebastian was so happy they televised so much of it! After that, Lucas painted the rest of the dining room wall (usually when we paint, I trim and he rolls because he does a much better job at it than I do)! It looks SO much better than the purple-gray color! Yea!
Yesterday for dinner, friends of our came over and cooked out. They have 3 boys, all the same age as our kids, and they play really well together. Plus, soon they will be building a house directly across the street from ours, so that will be great to have the kids' friends so close!
After our friends went home, and the kids got cleaned up from their long day of running around like crazies outside, we settled down and got caught up on the Olympics once again... women's gymnastics this time. The girls did awesome!! The officials of the sport did less awesome. As the night went on, the judging became very skewed and out of line. I was really struggling to watch comparable quality / difficulty routines score so differently between sessions. I finally got up and walked away... never even finished watching because it was making me feel so angry. Besides the questionable scoring, I'm super disgusted with the all-around rule that only lets 2 gymnasts from each country compete. It's not right!!!!! If any country, I don't care if it's not ours, has 3 or 4 gymnasts who have earned the right to be a part of the top 24, then those athletes SHOULD be a part of the top 24. Period. That's all I have to say about that.
So, today both of my gymnasts have practice. And Isaac starts football practice tonight. Other than that, I'm not sure what else we'll end up doing today. Maybe some laundry....I have plenty to fold!
**********
Friday, July 27, 2012
Go Team USA!
This is what's happening at our house today... we RE-watched the Olympic trials for women's gymnastics, because watching it twice just isn't enough... *ha*
And then, before getting ready for her own gymnastics practice, Meagan made this...
She is SUPER excited to see whether Jordyn wins a medal. And now, her obsession is no longer limited to Jordyn alone. She can now tell me the names of every girl on the Olympic team, as well as Elizabeth Price (one of the alternates). She knows that Kyla Ross is 15 and Ally Raisman is 18, and SHE (as in Meagan) will be 19 when SHE goes to the Olympics. She has it all figured out.
And not only did we watch the trials, but we had to pause and rewind several times. Release moves on bars... "Let me see that again!" Back flips on beam... "I think I can do that." Tumbling passes on floor... "I don't have that one quite memorized yet. Can we rewatch it?" I'm not kidding you. And it's funny because sometimes she shows no interest at all in sitting still to watch it on TV, but when she's in the mood to focus on it, watch out!
Tonight we're going to pop some popcorn, and I got American Oreos (gold Oreos with red & blue filling). And we're going to plop down and watch opening ceremonies for as long as it holds the kids' attention... and then Lucas and I will keep watching it anyway, even if the kids ditch us! Sebastian is waiting somewhat patiently for the guys, which I THINK is tomorrow. And the girls are on Sunday. So it will be one gymnastics-packed weekend for us. Thank goodness for DVR's!
Good luck Team USA! We're rooting for you!!
**********
And then, before getting ready for her own gymnastics practice, Meagan made this...
She is SUPER excited to see whether Jordyn wins a medal. And now, her obsession is no longer limited to Jordyn alone. She can now tell me the names of every girl on the Olympic team, as well as Elizabeth Price (one of the alternates). She knows that Kyla Ross is 15 and Ally Raisman is 18, and SHE (as in Meagan) will be 19 when SHE goes to the Olympics. She has it all figured out.
And not only did we watch the trials, but we had to pause and rewind several times. Release moves on bars... "Let me see that again!" Back flips on beam... "I think I can do that." Tumbling passes on floor... "I don't have that one quite memorized yet. Can we rewatch it?" I'm not kidding you. And it's funny because sometimes she shows no interest at all in sitting still to watch it on TV, but when she's in the mood to focus on it, watch out!
Tonight we're going to pop some popcorn, and I got American Oreos (gold Oreos with red & blue filling). And we're going to plop down and watch opening ceremonies for as long as it holds the kids' attention... and then Lucas and I will keep watching it anyway, even if the kids ditch us! Sebastian is waiting somewhat patiently for the guys, which I THINK is tomorrow. And the girls are on Sunday. So it will be one gymnastics-packed weekend for us. Thank goodness for DVR's!
Good luck Team USA! We're rooting for you!!
**********
Right Now
It's been a while, but I'm hosting this week's Digi Dare. This week, the dare is to scrap about things that are part of everyday life right now. Here's my take on the dare....
I used Little Butterfly Wings' new collaboration with Amy Wolff - Strike a Pose - for the base of this layout, and then added a few extras for details. (Click here to view full credits)
Come play along with our dare this week! This month is another one full of great sponsors, and great prizes!!!
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Come play along with our dare this week! This month is another one full of great sponsors, and great prizes!!!
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Thursday, July 26, 2012
I'm Not Antisocial
For those of you who know my husband, don't you think this fits him perfectly?
"I'm not antisocial. I'm just not user-friendly."
HA!!
This kit is by Little Butterfly Wings and is part of the July Daily Digi Files. Click here to view full credits.
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"I'm not antisocial. I'm just not user-friendly."
HA!!
This kit is by Little Butterfly Wings and is part of the July Daily Digi Files. Click here to view full credits.
**********
3rd Time's a Charm
Here's an interesting phenomenon that I'm sure many parents have discovered to be true... houses stay cleaner when there are no kids in them.
Since our kids have been home from vacation with Grandma & Grandpa, our house has been torn apart and put back together and torn apart again. Daily. One would think that they would learn this lesson quickly - if I make the mess I have to clean it up. It seems, however, that this concept, no matter how many times we go over it in any given day, is completely lost on them - especially Meagan. So guess what they've been doing since 8:00 this morning? Yup. Cleaning.
*****
Anyway. I haven't been around much for 2 reasons. 1) Life is busy and it's hard sometimes to find time to sit down and blog. AND 2) I'm not really doing anything interesting enough to blog about. Don't believe me? I'll prove it to you.
This is what I've been doing lately, when not hounding my children to clean, or driving them to/from practice... I've been TRYING to get the house painted. So far, I've only done 2 rooms. Seems I'm STUCK on room #2, which happens to be our dining room, because I just can't get the color right! Before I ever started, I spent a LOT of time hashing out a plan - which colors for which walls... harder than it sounds, trust me. I've painted lots of walls in the past few years thanks to all our moving, but this house is the biggest challenge I've ever faced. It has arch ways ... arch ways that blend from one wall into the next. So literally, there are four or five walls connected that all have to be the same color because of the architecture of the house. Weird. So yeah, I spent a lot of time planning this. Had it all figured out.
And then I painted. Room #1 went as planned. Turned out fine. I like it. Move on.
Room #2: Dining Room... First, I painted, and then decided I wanted to do an accent wall. Pick a new color. Paint again. Once I had painted said accent wall, try as I might, I just couldn't settle on the color. I THOUGHT (based on the way the sample looked in the middle of the room where I stood to make my decisions) it was going to be a brown-gray color. In fact, it turned out (on the wall, where the lighting is very different from the middle of the room where I stood to choose the color) to be purple-gray. Hmmm. I wasn't really going for the purple look.
So now here I am. Painting it for a 3rd time. But this time I really do think I will like the color when it's finished. I trimmed yesterday. Now all I have to do is get it rolled.
I attempted to get a picture so you could see what's up... Can you tell in this picture? The gray-purple vs. the brown? I don't know... it's bad lighting.
Wanna see the chaos that is my dining room right now? It's lovely. You'll be jealous.
I think it's easily been 3 weeks since we've actually been able to sit in there to eat dinner. Hmmm... I need to get this finished up and move to a new room. Unfortunately, I think the kitchen is next, and that just doesn't sound like much fun either!! *lol*
Okay, so I have about a billion things to get done today, so I should get up and walk away from the computer now. Here I go...
**********
Since our kids have been home from vacation with Grandma & Grandpa, our house has been torn apart and put back together and torn apart again. Daily. One would think that they would learn this lesson quickly - if I make the mess I have to clean it up. It seems, however, that this concept, no matter how many times we go over it in any given day, is completely lost on them - especially Meagan. So guess what they've been doing since 8:00 this morning? Yup. Cleaning.
*****
Anyway. I haven't been around much for 2 reasons. 1) Life is busy and it's hard sometimes to find time to sit down and blog. AND 2) I'm not really doing anything interesting enough to blog about. Don't believe me? I'll prove it to you.
This is what I've been doing lately, when not hounding my children to clean, or driving them to/from practice... I've been TRYING to get the house painted. So far, I've only done 2 rooms. Seems I'm STUCK on room #2, which happens to be our dining room, because I just can't get the color right! Before I ever started, I spent a LOT of time hashing out a plan - which colors for which walls... harder than it sounds, trust me. I've painted lots of walls in the past few years thanks to all our moving, but this house is the biggest challenge I've ever faced. It has arch ways ... arch ways that blend from one wall into the next. So literally, there are four or five walls connected that all have to be the same color because of the architecture of the house. Weird. So yeah, I spent a lot of time planning this. Had it all figured out.
And then I painted. Room #1 went as planned. Turned out fine. I like it. Move on.
Room #2: Dining Room... First, I painted, and then decided I wanted to do an accent wall. Pick a new color. Paint again. Once I had painted said accent wall, try as I might, I just couldn't settle on the color. I THOUGHT (based on the way the sample looked in the middle of the room where I stood to make my decisions) it was going to be a brown-gray color. In fact, it turned out (on the wall, where the lighting is very different from the middle of the room where I stood to choose the color) to be purple-gray. Hmmm. I wasn't really going for the purple look.
So now here I am. Painting it for a 3rd time. But this time I really do think I will like the color when it's finished. I trimmed yesterday. Now all I have to do is get it rolled.
I attempted to get a picture so you could see what's up... Can you tell in this picture? The gray-purple vs. the brown? I don't know... it's bad lighting.
Wanna see the chaos that is my dining room right now? It's lovely. You'll be jealous.
Okay, so I have about a billion things to get done today, so I should get up and walk away from the computer now. Here I go...
**********
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Layouts...
I can't believe it's been over 2 weeks since I've posted anything! I'm such a slacker!
Well, 2 weeks ago, we went camping. And then we got the kids ready for vacation with Grandpa & Grandma H. Last week, the kids were gone, and Lucas and I took the week to ourselves... which didn't really involve sitting down to blog much apparently. And while I have plenty of pictures, I don't have any resized and ready to share. Plus, photobucket is being dumb and difficult right now. So, I'm going to skip that.
Instead, all you're getting from me right now is a few layouts to get me caught up. And then I have to go get ready for the day. I've been a bum all morning, but it's about time for me to clean up my act and go do something. Plus, I'm working at the Bush/Nickleback concert tonight... I don't care one way or the other about Nickleback, but I L.O.V.E. Bush - at least some of their older stuff... hope they play plenty of that tonight. And besides, I get to spend the evening with some of my favorite friends, so that will be fun no matter who is playing on stage!
Okay, so the layouts... here they are...
The story behind this one... this past weekend we hung out with Shane & Tina, and sometime late in the evening we watched the documentary It Might Get Loud, which is Jimmy Page, The Edge (from U2), and Jack White - 3 generations of guitarists - talking about making music with guitars. Loved it! I've been a Jimmy Page fan for years, so it was just fun to watch him, but I was really struck by Jack White. He's got a crazy creative mind. He's super eccentric and artsy, and fascinating. So on the way home from visiting, we dug out an old White Stripes album we've had since college and rediscovered his music. I gotta say, I'm a fan, as unexpected as that may seem.
(click to view credits)
Second layout... some of the TLP designers are featuring Christmas in July. I used some of Lauren Grier's Christmas goodies for this page of Meagan decorating our wooden Christmas tree last year.
(click to view credits)
Last layout... on Monday Lucas and I went to St. Elmo's for a dinner date. Before we left, we snapped this picture of us together... seems we have very few photos with both of us, let alone only the 2 of us.
(click to view credits)
So there it is. I used lost of new Froggy Friday stuff in all 3 layouts. You can see TLP's Froggy Friday sale (20% off new releases today through the end of the weekend) in the TLP Shop.
**********
Well, 2 weeks ago, we went camping. And then we got the kids ready for vacation with Grandpa & Grandma H. Last week, the kids were gone, and Lucas and I took the week to ourselves... which didn't really involve sitting down to blog much apparently. And while I have plenty of pictures, I don't have any resized and ready to share. Plus, photobucket is being dumb and difficult right now. So, I'm going to skip that.
Instead, all you're getting from me right now is a few layouts to get me caught up. And then I have to go get ready for the day. I've been a bum all morning, but it's about time for me to clean up my act and go do something. Plus, I'm working at the Bush/Nickleback concert tonight... I don't care one way or the other about Nickleback, but I L.O.V.E. Bush - at least some of their older stuff... hope they play plenty of that tonight. And besides, I get to spend the evening with some of my favorite friends, so that will be fun no matter who is playing on stage!
Okay, so the layouts... here they are...
The story behind this one... this past weekend we hung out with Shane & Tina, and sometime late in the evening we watched the documentary It Might Get Loud, which is Jimmy Page, The Edge (from U2), and Jack White - 3 generations of guitarists - talking about making music with guitars. Loved it! I've been a Jimmy Page fan for years, so it was just fun to watch him, but I was really struck by Jack White. He's got a crazy creative mind. He's super eccentric and artsy, and fascinating. So on the way home from visiting, we dug out an old White Stripes album we've had since college and rediscovered his music. I gotta say, I'm a fan, as unexpected as that may seem.
Second layout... some of the TLP designers are featuring Christmas in July. I used some of Lauren Grier's Christmas goodies for this page of Meagan decorating our wooden Christmas tree last year.
Last layout... on Monday Lucas and I went to St. Elmo's for a dinner date. Before we left, we snapped this picture of us together... seems we have very few photos with both of us, let alone only the 2 of us.
So there it is. I used lost of new Froggy Friday stuff in all 3 layouts. You can see TLP's Froggy Friday sale (20% off new releases today through the end of the weekend) in the TLP Shop.
**********
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Specs
Miss Meagan got her glasses today, and she looks SO cute! She had been bothered by her eyes when she would read or do computer, so we took her to get checked out about a week & a half ago. Her prescription was just past the threshold of needing glasses, and since she was complaining of headaches, we went ahead and got them for her.
Cute, right? The frames are purple & red (on the ear pieces) and there are little lady bugs on the sides. Adorable! Now if we can just protect them somehow from being Meagan-ated. She is a little destructo child, and I'm a bit worried for these poor unsuspecting glasses. *eeep* So far so good... she took them off and put them straight into her case. She knows not to lay them down on the lenses. And I HOPE she knows not to shove them under her bed (which is where pretty much everything lands at some point or another) or toss them into her "treasure bin" (aka junk drawer in her bedroom full of RANDOM treasures that she ca't bare to part with).
And for the record, these will NOT be going camping with us this weekend. *lol*
**********
Cute, right? The frames are purple & red (on the ear pieces) and there are little lady bugs on the sides. Adorable! Now if we can just protect them somehow from being Meagan-ated. She is a little destructo child, and I'm a bit worried for these poor unsuspecting glasses. *eeep* So far so good... she took them off and put them straight into her case. She knows not to lay them down on the lenses. And I HOPE she knows not to shove them under her bed (which is where pretty much everything lands at some point or another) or toss them into her "treasure bin" (aka junk drawer in her bedroom full of RANDOM treasures that she ca't bare to part with).
And for the record, these will NOT be going camping with us this weekend. *lol*
**********
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Happy 4th of July!!
I'm up EARLY this morning (thanks to my husband who employs some of the most annoying tactics in the world to wake me up... I am NOT a morning person by any stretch of the imagination, so he has to be spectacularly bothersome or I'll just ignore him and go back to sleep). Anyway, the point is, I'm up early and actually have time to sit at my computer and play for a bit!!
I thought I'd share some randomness with you. Bits of daily life around here. It's been HOT, just like everywhere else in the mid-west. We've been dealing. I am super grateful for air conditioning. I am super grateful for fresh water to drink whenever we need something cold to cool us. I am super thankful for water to play in (although that has had to go by the wayside a bit, as they began fining people for watering their lawns... I guess that means they would frown upon playing in the sprinklers??? *lol*)
A few pre-sprinkler ban photos:
I mean, really, besides just staying inside altogether, being in water is about the only way to survive this CRAZY heat! We've been anywhere from 102 to 110 on any given day.
Last year I did a whole series of "The Kids Were Here" photos... I think 2 straight weeks worth. This year I haven't been quite so intentional or focused, but I have gotten a few shots here and there... such as flip flops abandoned on the back deck...
... and an A&W Root Beer can...
Random tidbit about this summer... the cat has taken to escaping out the back door every chance she gets. At first we yelled at her and chased her... then we decided, she's old and has very few joys in life at this point. If being outside under the deck makes her happy, then who are we to stop her. She doesn't stay out long. Just long enough to feel the freedom and the fresh air on her whiskers (and long enough to eat some grass).
But she always comes back in of her own accord. She knows it's better inside... inside is where the food and the cuddles are.
*****
I guess for a while now, Lucas and Shane have been working together to pull our dinosaur jet ski out of storage and see if they can get it running. This past weekend, we made a trip to Ohio (power outage and all) to see if their efforts would pay off. We got there L.A.T.E. on Friday night. Lucas had stayed at work until 10:30 trying to recover the plant from its own loss of power. So we left our house around 10:45. Which means, we got to Ohio sometime just before 1:00 in the morning. They were operating with a few click lights on a generator. No power, thanks to some crazy huge storm that swept this side of the country. But the kids were thrilled to be at Grandma & Grandpa's house anyway.
First chance they got, the men went to work on the jet ski. We made a trip to the license bureau for new tags, and they put the new battery in and got it all cleaned up. Then we headed to the lake for a test drive.
Once we knew it was up and running, Lucas couldn't wait to get the kids out on the water for a ride!! We went out first, and his parents met us at the lake with the kids. Meagan was the first to jump at the chance to hop on! The boys were a little tentative, but tentative just isn't in that girl's vocabulary. She was ready to go!
And she LOVED it!!! She smiled and laughed and yelled "faster Daddy" the ENTIRE time!
*****
Just one more random tidbit for ya... apparently this is Meagan's new pose. She's doing the same thing in the lake photo above. I wonder if this is her supermodel pose? *eye roll*
We may be in for trouble one of these days. Even if she stays oblivious to the boys, I doubt the boys will stay oblivious to her. *Eeep*
Okay, that's all I got for ya. It's now all of 7:20am on this lovely holiday day. I think I'm going to take the next hour or so to myself, and then get started on preparing for the 4th. I started painting yesterday (yea for color on the walls!!!) so the house is a bit torn up. I would like to be able to walk through the place without tripping or shimmying past out-of-place furniture. So we'll see what I can get done.
Happy 4th!! Enjoy!!
**********
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Camping Crazed with a touch of Olympic Fever
Well, it's not much of a post, but it's something... with a few pictures... so deal with it. *giggle*
(I'm taking a break from house work at the moment, but if I don't get back to it soon, I'll scrap it altogether, which would be bad for the goal of getting the house clean)
So, we've been talking about taking the kids camping this summer. We talked to them about the idea, and they were all on board... rather excited about it, in fact. So when Luc's parents came for Sebastian's birthday party a few weekends ago, they brought us their tent to borrow. This is the same tent they got when Lucas was 2 years old. Yes, 2. Which makes this tent 32. OLD. Especially in tent years.
Lucas decided to set it up in the back yard to do a test run before we took it out into the wild. Good thing. One of the stake loops tore, and we had to use a big rock out of our yard to hold down one corner of the tent. And the seams were pulling apart in places (but seeing as we haven't had rain for EVER, that wasn't much of a concern for the night.
The kids were SO excited to sleep out in the tent... they hauled their pillows and sleeping bags and stuffed animals and legos (yes, legos) out with them. And they snuggled in, as much as you can snuggle into an 8-person tent. Let's just say they had plenty of room.
By 11:00 they had pretty much quieted down. By the time Lucas went out to crawl in with them at midnight, they were all sawing logs. HOWEVER, the zipper on the door had totally let go, and the door was hanging wide open. Instead of crawling in to sleep in the tent with them, we ended up hauling everyone out of the tent and back into the house. I guess 32 years is the useful life of the tent. But even with the tent bust, the kids had a blast!
Since we now knew that the kids liked the idea of tent camping, but now also had no tent, we decided to purchase a new one. I found a Coleman 8-person on Amazon for a great deal! We bought it, and Lucas set it up for another back yard test run this past weekend (while I was busy working 2 concerts - Dave Matthews and Lady Antebellum). It's HUGE. It's green...*love* It works great. We are ready to camp!
(You can't see the door in this picture because Lucas set it up facing the house. But I wanted to get a shot of how big it is.)
Today I made reservations for us to camp at a state park nearby. We'll be going soon. Today the kids helped me make a plan for what food they want to eat while we're there. They're super excited! And so am I!
*****
Besides the latest camping craze, Olympic fever is starting to set in around here. Olympic trials are this weekend for gymnastics, so of course the DVR is programmed and ready! Sebastian is stoked that there are 2 full hours of men's gymnastics scheduled to be televised. Seems to be quite a challenge to catch men's gymnastics on TV most of the time. And of course, Meagan is still Jordyn Wieber obsessed! I guess if she's going to idolize someone, Jordyn is a great girl to look up to and emulate.
We even got 'Olympic' cereal and pop tarts... two foods I would normally NOT buy for the kids - sugar cereal and pop tarts with sugar sprinkles (seriously??? I DOUBT the Olympians eat this crap). BUT... Jordyn's on the box. And the pop tarts are a treat. So we'll deal with it.
Look... the pop tarts are packaged in gold, and they're red, white & blue. Very fun.
So we will be watching this weekend, cheering for Jordyn, of course, and hoping the US can put together a strong gymnastics team. It would be so great to see them do well this year!!
Now, back to laundry and bathrooms... boo.
**********
(I'm taking a break from house work at the moment, but if I don't get back to it soon, I'll scrap it altogether, which would be bad for the goal of getting the house clean)
So, we've been talking about taking the kids camping this summer. We talked to them about the idea, and they were all on board... rather excited about it, in fact. So when Luc's parents came for Sebastian's birthday party a few weekends ago, they brought us their tent to borrow. This is the same tent they got when Lucas was 2 years old. Yes, 2. Which makes this tent 32. OLD. Especially in tent years.
Lucas decided to set it up in the back yard to do a test run before we took it out into the wild. Good thing. One of the stake loops tore, and we had to use a big rock out of our yard to hold down one corner of the tent. And the seams were pulling apart in places (but seeing as we haven't had rain for EVER, that wasn't much of a concern for the night.
The kids were SO excited to sleep out in the tent... they hauled their pillows and sleeping bags and stuffed animals and legos (yes, legos) out with them. And they snuggled in, as much as you can snuggle into an 8-person tent. Let's just say they had plenty of room.
By 11:00 they had pretty much quieted down. By the time Lucas went out to crawl in with them at midnight, they were all sawing logs. HOWEVER, the zipper on the door had totally let go, and the door was hanging wide open. Instead of crawling in to sleep in the tent with them, we ended up hauling everyone out of the tent and back into the house. I guess 32 years is the useful life of the tent. But even with the tent bust, the kids had a blast!
Since we now knew that the kids liked the idea of tent camping, but now also had no tent, we decided to purchase a new one. I found a Coleman 8-person on Amazon for a great deal! We bought it, and Lucas set it up for another back yard test run this past weekend (while I was busy working 2 concerts - Dave Matthews and Lady Antebellum). It's HUGE. It's green...*love* It works great. We are ready to camp!
Today I made reservations for us to camp at a state park nearby. We'll be going soon. Today the kids helped me make a plan for what food they want to eat while we're there. They're super excited! And so am I!
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Besides the latest camping craze, Olympic fever is starting to set in around here. Olympic trials are this weekend for gymnastics, so of course the DVR is programmed and ready! Sebastian is stoked that there are 2 full hours of men's gymnastics scheduled to be televised. Seems to be quite a challenge to catch men's gymnastics on TV most of the time. And of course, Meagan is still Jordyn Wieber obsessed! I guess if she's going to idolize someone, Jordyn is a great girl to look up to and emulate.
We even got 'Olympic' cereal and pop tarts... two foods I would normally NOT buy for the kids - sugar cereal and pop tarts with sugar sprinkles (seriously??? I DOUBT the Olympians eat this crap). BUT... Jordyn's on the box. And the pop tarts are a treat. So we'll deal with it.
Look... the pop tarts are packaged in gold, and they're red, white & blue. Very fun.
Now, back to laundry and bathrooms... boo.
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