June 25, 2008
Like most people, I've been trying to stay close to home lately because of the gas prices so I'm finding myself working on new projects. I made these valances today and I'm quite proud of them. I didn't use a pattern because I was kind of figuring they were pretty basic. I called my mom a few times, she walked me through some questions I had and voila! we have new color and new curtains in the breakfast area. The pattern on the front is called Americana Gingham and the color on the back is a solid deep red like the red on the front. It makes them a little thicker and since there's a room on the other side I wanted to have a color over there too.
I picked up some contrasting material to make placemats and pillows for the living room. Again, trying to tie in the colors in the other rooms. The main part of our house is all pretty open so my challenge is to find a decorating style that can be used in all the rooms without going overboard and it all looking too busy.
The girls oooh'd and aaah'd when they woke up from their nap and saw what I had finished. Madison said they were "beautiful" and Chloe said they were "amazing". That was the best!
Posted by Amy at 08:15 PM | Comments (1)
May 31, 2008
Girly Girl Fun
Ok, I'll have to admit, it was pretty fun dressing her up. I never thought I could get into the whole girly girl thing, but I can! I still didn't put mascara on her and I tried to make all the makeup look subtle. The second picture is her seeing herself all dressed up and made up for the first time.
Doing all of this last night was just to get the class photo done. We'll do it all over again next week for the actual recital.
Posted by Amy at 06:55 AM | Comments (4)
May 30, 2008
School is out and the fun begins! It's been a week and I'm lovin' it! Not that the kids aren't driving me crazy at some point every day, I just love not having a schedule to keep or somewhere to be every day. No lunches to pack, no clothes to set out, papers to sign, money to give, etc.
We still have Madison's dance recital to get through, but that's fine. I'm already over the whole dance buzz though. She is able to participate in both dances, but now I'm running around trying to get everything she needs for it. The right color tights, the hair piece for the second dance, and she has to wear makeup! That's just foriegn to me. For the 3/4 year old combo class they have to wear foundation, neutral eye shadow, neutral lip stick, light blush and light mascara! I'll put some face powder on the child and some lip gloss, but I'm drawing my mommy line at the mascara, that's just stupid for a 3 or 4 year old.
We bought our tickets to watch her perform, we're paying over $100 for the outfits (not including the shoes, tights, and accessories) and we've been told to buy flowers to give her when she comes off the stage. She's probably going to be disappointed, but my little crystal ball is telling me we won't be going through this next year. It's been all she talks about on Wednesdays (the day of class) and for the last two weeks, she's been talking about the recital. I think it's too much for her age.
On the job front, I got my last 3 "thanks, but no thanks" letters from the school board. Since I didn't get called for a single interview, I'm still thinking they were filled internally.
The summer will really begin Sunday when we get on the road for Disney! I'm dreading the drive, but I'll take a breath when I see Mickey and the gang waving to us as we drive into the park.
Madison, being a girl after my heart, jumped for joy when I told her today was our first pajama day of the summer. She doesn't know that I'll secretly start packing us for vacation while she enjoys being a bum. Well, I'll be packing and breaking up the fights between the two monkeys. There was a time in the past I told Madison she better watch out when Chloe gets bigger.
That day has come and I really should have been warning myself.
Posted by Amy at 08:29 AM | Comments (1)
May 16, 2008
Madison's Math
This is a 4 and a half minute video so you've been warned!
Madison has been showing a lot of interest lately in math so my mom gave her a first grade math workbook last week and this video is of her working on her first page of it.
Posted by Amy at 05:04 PM | Comments (3)
May 07, 2008
Word on the street yesterday confirmed my thoughts about the jobs I put in for. They're all getting filled with transfers and there's still people losing their jobs. There's just not enough positions to go around with the current budget cuts.
We did get a letter this week letting us know the out of zone request for Madison has been approved though. So, there's the silver lining for me.
Since there aren't any part time preschool programs around here, Chloe and I will have another year... Some days I'd say it's another year of fun and other days I'd say it's another year to get sick of each other. She's an incredibly easy child (when it's just her) and she's actually a load of fun, but this mommy is ready to move on. Ok, maybe if I say I'm ready for more that will sound better.
I still have my limits though.
I don't want the girls in before or after school care and I want the weekends and holidays off with them. I want my 'moving on' and 'ready for more' stage to still allow for as much family time as possible.
Check out this picture of Madison. She's getting more freckles and her features are starting to change a bit. So is her personality.
She's calming down a bit and isn't my little preschooler anymore.
Posted by Amy at 03:04 AM | Comments (2)
April 21, 2008
I think we've found our church. It's only 10 minutes away, they have a very young pastor, a rather young congregation and we recognized quite a few people yesterday. I had a good feeling just driving in the parking lot. Family after family with all ages of kids were getting out of their vans and SUV's, Mark saw someone he works with, we saw teachers, principals and neighbors. Since Madison isn't in Kindergarten yet she was able to be with Chloe in the nursery which is exactly what I was hoping for. It made it easier on both of them and they're already excited to go back next week.
They loved getting ready for church too. They got all girly with lip gloss, perfume, jewelry and their little purses.
Posted by Amy at 11:10 AM | Comments (2)
April 18, 2008
What was originally just Chloe having a bit of a stomach ache Sunday night turned into an all out family affair with the bathrooms. By Wednesday night our house smelled like a nursery for quintuplet newborns lacking any form of diaper genie.
And I'll need to throw away our plastic Halloween candy bowls now as that was the biggest and best thing to throw up in for all of us.
Madison kept one by her bed and we kept one by our bed.
It was bad.
Madison only went to school one day this week and Mark missed Wednesday and Thursday as well as his softball game. He's supposed to go in today for firearms training, but I have bets on him collapsing after 2 hours of running around shooting things. He's calling the guy in charge beforehand to see if they're having a make up day so he can skip it.
We're all done getting sick except for Chloe. She started it and she's finishing it apparently. We're all extremely exhausted and generally having a slow time bouncing back. I broke down and bought some pull ups for Chloe after 4 nights of changing her bed sheets in the wee hours of the morning.
The one positive aspect of it all and something I am SO thankful for is that Mark and I didn't have it at the same time. I had it Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning, he had it Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
Today I'll be switching out toothbrushes, scrubbing toilets and continuing to air out the house.
I have such a fun day ahead of me!
But I'll take that over Wednesday's activities anytime.
Posted by Amy at 09:19 AM | Comments (0)
April 14, 2008
We met my parents at a middle point destination yesterday to get the girls and it took 5 minutes in the car with them for me to start day dreaming about the next sleep over at nonny and pops.
Sigh.
I missed them, but I didn't miss the non-stop chatter, endless questions and the fights over toys.
Whats more is that Chloe got sick last night, continued to be sick this morning and then Madison's school called after she had only been there an hour to have me pick her up. They said she complained her stomach hurt and they were worried she might have what Chloe has.....you can imagine my frustration when I find out it's just because she's constipated.
Now I have one restless and attention deprived 4 year old as well as one very sick (from both ends) two year old.
I called Madison's school after lunch to find out what measures they used to determine her ailment. It was simply her complaint about her stomach hurting which Madison said was because she didn't want to finish her banana.
Grrrrr.
Posted by Amy at 02:03 PM | Comments (0)
March 15, 2008
Silly little girls
Posted by Amy at 03:57 PM | Comments (3)
March 14, 2008
Friday's Feast
Appetizer
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how much do you like your own handwriting?
6
Soup
Do you prefer baths or showers?
Showers
Salad
What was the last bad movie you watched?
The Kingdom
Main Course
Name something you are addicted to and describe how it affects your life.
M&M’s-they make my butt fat
Dessert
Which instrument is your favorite to listen to?
The piano
Posted by Amy at 07:59 PM | Comments (3)
March 13, 2008
I love my camera!!
Our Dogwood springing to life
Butterflies in the freshly tilled garden
We have a tree in our yard that up until this week we thought was a dying oak, but obviously it's not! What's not obvious to us is what it is. We haven't a clue.
Our camera even makes weeds look good
Posted by Amy at 07:17 PM | Comments (1)
March 10, 2008
Before getting schooled on it tonight, I hadn’t realized what a big deal this softball league thing was around here. And Mark’s team is really good! They got bumped up to a higher league this year and with only two games down, they’re already looking at getting bumped up again to the B Division. The final score tonight was 20-4 and while I’m proud of that, I’m more impressed that I watched most of the game this time and even had the chance to cheer a bit. Not the pom-pom-short-skirt kind of cheer, just the clapping-because-hey-I-saw-that kind.
And it had everything to do with the fact that I promised Madison a dollar for every time she let me know Daddy made a good play.
Posted by Amy at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)
March 09, 2008
Berry fun day!
I feel like I have strawberries coming out of my ears. Madison’s school finished up their fundraiser and we picked up our strawberries yesterday. I am SO glad I only bought one flat. It was 12 pints in a flat and up until last night I had no idea how much that actually was. I used 6 pints for jam, 2 pints have been washed, hulled and frozen for use in some homemade strawberry ice cream later in the week. 1 pint became chocolate covered strawberries and I still have 3 pints left for eating plain.
I never made jam before today and I feel pretty good that I tried. I talked to my mom, who canned like mad when I was a kid, and I just figured I’d give it a whirl today. Thankfully it was a lot easier than I thought it would be, although it’s a very messy project! The ironic thing is that I actually don’t like strawberry jelly or jam. I could put a hurtin’ on blackberry jam though so that will be next once the blackberries are in season.
Posted by Amy at 12:31 PM | Comments (3)
March 08, 2008
This may not apply to me yet, but time goes by fast
Posted by Amy at 07:11 AM | Comments (1)
March 07, 2008
Friday Feast
Appetizer
If you could be any current celebrity for one whole week, who would you want to be?
Simon Cowell. I love his raw honesty and I want to know first-hand if Paula is on drugs, drunk or just that weird.
Soup
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you enjoy talking on the phone?
2
Salad
Name a charitable organization to which you have donated (or would like to).
United Way, American Red Cross, March of Dimes, American Heart Association, Autism Speaks, Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
Main Course
What is a food you like so much you could eat it every single day for a month?
Apples
Dessert
Have you or anyone in your family had the flu this year?
My BIL is getting over it right now.
Posted by Amy at 10:24 AM | Comments (0)
March 05, 2008
The latest school work
Here's a couple of Madison's latest papers.
That's one colorful momma! She's doing very well with her reading and loves her Curious George reading books. Every so often she'll start sounding out words we see. We stopped at a pet store the other day and she sounded out "Pet Stop" while we waited in the car for Mark.
The biggest change we're having around here is dinners. They both have started turning their noses up at all meals. Well, ok, most meals. If it's in a casserole dish, forget it. They even cried about the lasagna the other night which they usually love! Chloe went as far as to make herself gag and she actually threw up at the table. She's done that twice now. So, I've started to make meals I've either never done or haven't done in a very long time. One was meatloaf. I don't like meatloaf, but I've stomached it when needed... like my moms when I was a kid and the in-law's when we visit. But I've never been a big fan or made it myself until last week. And MUCH to my surprise they both loved it and had second helpings!
I made scrambled eggs last week too-we've usually done sunny side up eggs-and Madison went to town on the scrambled version. Again, two helpings and 3 pieces of toast.
I'm happy with any meal they eat because I'm well aware that the next time I make meatloaf (the exact same way) that they will both turn their noses and cry for bread.
Night's like tonight though are great for everyone-
it's pizza night.
Posted by Amy at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)
February 29, 2008
A lot of people have mentioned Chloe's picture from the previous post. It was a perfect shot of her personality so I thought I'd share the sequence of pictures from her first look to her getting over it.
Mark had the camera and Chloe was looking at, and giving the look to, me. She wanted to go out and dance and I was telling her no. She can't stand to be told no to anything!
Posted by Amy at 01:22 PM | Comments (3)
February 28, 2008
It was observation night at Madison’s dance class yesterday. She seemed to be pretty excited we were there watching her be a princess. I think she did really well and had many more smiles to pass around than she did at soccer.
Chloe on the other hand was less than thrilled to be on the sidelines watching.
Posted by Amy at 07:15 AM | Comments (2)
February 24, 2008
Sunday is a funday
Here's some pics from our day today.
Oh how fun it is to be the big sister! Madison got Chloe to get under the laundry basket and then she covered her with pillows. She looked like a deer in headlights when I walked in the bedroom and then she just started busting out laughing.
It was adorable.
The girls got to hitch a ride in the wheel barrel
Madison was chasing butterflies before hopping in
I LOVE our camera!
Posted by Amy at 03:36 PM | Comments (0)
February 23, 2008
Madison never had the chance to say her verse in school yesterday. I was more bummed than she was and I didn't even know she had been learning it at all. She said the teacher picked her on Monday...ok, if that's true, she had that thing memorized by Wednesday afternoon. At the risk of sounding like I completely doubt my child, I need to ask her teacher about it. That just seems like a lot to remember for her in that short of time.
I had my substitute training yesterday and it wasn't bad at all. It was even a little fun. I should be ready to start in about two weeks, but Mark's new position and schedule is kind of throwing a kink in it. I can still sub, it just won't be as often or as easy on the family. So, my plan is to just sub when I can and hope for a more permanent position to open up.
Speaking of Mark-we're heading out to see his new office today. This will be the first time that he'll have his very own office and it's not his car! It's very difficult to set picture frames up on his dashboard and really not easy to hang certificates on the windows. Even the smallest of nails just sends a crack right through those things!
Mark has also started softball again. After only one practice he's asked me pick up a knee brace.....I only think it's a little funny though because I'm getting old right along with him. We crack and pop and have aches that I don't remember my parents complaining about at the ripe old age of 30.
I blame it on global warming.
The kids just got up and Madison already has the Upside Down Show turned on-where's my coffee?
Posted by Amy at 06:44 AM | Comments (0)
February 21, 2008
We still haven't found the charger, but took a chance on the camera having enough battery life left for one take. Thankfully we only needed to record it once.
She has such an awesome memory!
Posted by Amy at 04:05 PM | Comments (2)
|
2. Since we're getting quite a heavy rain at the moment, I'm thinking about how glad I am we had gutters installed on Tuesday. 3. Mark and hoping he gets the phone call he wants today. 4. The substitute certification that I'm taking tomorrow. It's a 4 and half hour...class, lecture, seminar...I have no idea. I'm excited to get going, but pretty sure it's going to be boring. 5. Mark's schedule. It seems to always find a way to be a thorn in my side. We had it good for a while with a somewhat permenant schedule of day shift with rotating days off, but it's changing again and he's going to be working a month of nights starting next week. I got spoiled having him here every night for dinner and our evening family time. 6. Lasagna. I made a lasagna last night before bed and put it in the fridge to cook today. We haven't had it in a while so I'm kind of excited for that and some yummy garlic bread. 7. How good Yoga makes me feel. I've been taking some yoga classes lately at the gym and I really love the relaxed feeling I seem to carry with me throughout the day. I did some yoga stretches yesterday morning right out of bed and I felt fantastic. But, we woke up late today, I was greeted by Chloe and a cold house, I wasn't able to do my Yoga stretches in a quiet and dark room and man, did I feel cranky this morning. 8. Our yard and the fact that spring seems to be here. I think we had the last of the cold snaps and I can start clearing off the dining room table this weekend. 9. We got all of our paperwork mailed out to our tax guy today, so now we just wait and see if we'll be happy or sad. We got a sad surprise one year so I don't hold my breath anymore. 10. I'm still trying to figure out where our old camera charger is. Madison has a verse she has to say in chapel tomorrow and I want to record it, but the camera battery is dead! If I find it, I'll post a video of her saying it. 11. My current book. I've been on this reading kick lately and I'm on my 8th book in a little over 3 weeks. This one is a mystery thriller with a bit of romance thrown in. 12. Strawberries. Madison's school is holding a fundraiser of selling strawberries. It's not an easy fundraiser as you have to stick to people close by and they should like to make jelly since they're sold in flats of 12 pints. 13. My need to sleep well. There are a lot of factors in me not sleeping well, but for the sake of my family I need to get a couple good night's sleep. Mark is snoring, Madison is having bad dreams, Madison and Chloe were both sick, thunder storms, Mark was coming to bed at 1 in the morning and waking me up, etc. He can try to be a ninja and I'll still hear him. Unfortunately once I'm up it takes me well over an hour (3 hours the other night) to go back to sleep. |
Posted by Amy at 01:23 PM | Comments (0)
February 20, 2008
Soccer didn't seem to be her thing just yet so we're starting our next activity tonight. She has told me for months (even during soccer season) that she wanted to try dance. We went to observe a class last week where she was able to participate before we signed up and she loved it!
It's a 45 minute class that combines ballet, tap and tumbling. She won't be able to participate in the recital at the end of the year because outfits and shoes have already been ordered, so we'll cross that disappointing bridge when we get there. I know she'd be more upset if she had to wait until August to join in at all though.
And it should work out well because we’ll have a couple months to see if she likes it before putting out recital money for next year. She’s also said she wants to try Tae Kwon Do and while I’m up to letting her try anything she’s interested in, I'm only game for one activity at a time.
Are these not the cutest little shoes EVER!?!
Posted by Amy at 12:05 PM | Comments (1)
February 16, 2008
Things seem to be heading to the realm of normal around here. Chloe's throwing toys at Madison, Madison's telling on Chloe for everything including breathing wrong and I can't squeeze in a 6 minute shower without them plastering their faces on the shower door and screaming about the other.
Since the puke has subsided with Madison and the snot has slowed to a trickle with Chloe I'm happy to work on discussions of manners and playing nice instead.
For the moment they're playing quite well with their baby dolls and pretend kitchen set. And even though I'm sure it will be the kink that throws the whole deal off, I'm on my way to sneaking in a 6 minute shower.
Posted by Amy at 08:22 AM | Comments (0)
February 14, 2008
Not a very romantic day
Valentine's Day just isn't what I remember.
Chloe's still fighting her almost 3 week cold.
And Madison just started randomly throwing up this morning.
Madison is devastated. Today was the class Valentines Day party and we made the goody bags for all 18 kids in her class. She's been looking forward to this party since last week. I still had to go to her school to drop off the goody bags and a page of homework she had yesterday (I think they were testing the parents since it took us reading directions to her). She threw up for the 3rd time as I was pulling into the parking lot.
I came back to the car having to face her sad puppy dog eyes filled with tears because she was going to miss the party. She perked up a bit though when I told her we'd have a pajama Valentines Day party at the house. She's in her pajamas, watching a Pony movie and the balloons are floating around the house.
Shocking as it may be, I'm not in a party mood.
I'm afraid it's going to be a very long day.
Posted by Amy at 08:58 AM | Comments (2)
February 01, 2008
Friday Feast
Appetizer
What is your favorite kind of cereal?
Oh there's just so many! Cinnamon Life this week.
Soup
When was the last time you purchased something for your home, what was it, and in which room did it go?
Earlier this week. Soil, seeds and starter pods. They went on our dining room table until they can be planted in the yard.
Salad
What is the funniest commercial you’ve ever seen?
I don't know if it's the funniest, but the one coming to mind is that Nextel one where they're all dancing in the break room.
My husband used to be addicted to his Nextel and I always pictured him doing that when I saw the commercial.
Main Course
Make up a name for a company by using a spice and an animal (example: Cinnamon Monkey).
Chipotle Chihuahua
Dessert
Fill in the blank: I haven’t ______ since ______.
I haven't danced since Sunday.
Madison wanted to see if I could do ballet. I proved to her that I cannot and should not dance like that.
Posted by Amy at 10:05 AM | Comments (0)
January 31, 2008
A story to share
I was catching up on some of my Tivo shows and watched an interesting Oprah one. It was about listening to your intuition and how, as females, our fear is a gift we should use to stay safe. Often we don't though because we're too worried about seeming rude or cold or, gasp, a bitch.
I'm not worried about any of those.
I don't wave to any of the endless stream of construction workers on our street. I don't make pleasantries with the guy stocking the shelves at the grocery store and I don't engage in conversations with the person pumping gas next to me. I may come off as rude, but I just don't care.
That's not saying I won't return a 'hello', but I know how to keep an interaction at just that.
Now for my story that her show reminded me of.
I was driving to my parents the other day, Saturday afternoon at 2:30 to be exact, along the stretch that is quite desolate and only sprinkled with the occasional gas station or farm. Where I was driving meant I had out of state tags and limited cell phone service. I was also with the girls and sometimes I have heightened senses when I have the kids in tow.
There was a black car, with a male driver, sitting in what I would call my blind spot. He came up on me kind of fast and then slowed next to me, I had the cruise control on and after what was probably only a minute, he passed me. He then got in front of me. That was my first feeling of 'hmmmm....is he up to something?'. I turned off the cruise control and slowed a bit. He was a little ways ahead of me when he crossed two lanes and turned on his left turn signal at the traffic light. The straight light, mine, was green. I went through and he pulled out in to the lane again and was behind me once more.
Here of course was my second feeling of 'yeah, he may be up to something'. I will admit it crossed my mind not to listen to my intuition, that maybe he was just lost or he turned too soon. But I got my cell phone out and put it in my lap anyway. I turned at my left and so did he. The speed limit was 55, so I went 45 to give him a chance to pass me. He didn't. I went to 35 and he still didn't pass me. I got on the phone and called Mark. He started passing me while I was on the phone, sat beside me again and then he pulled in front of me again. Seeing that we were coming to a traffic light in the middle of nowhere I decided to just turn around. The thought went through my mind that turning around would make me and my out of state tags look lost, but it was also going to give me the absolute confirmation I needed before I continued to drive into the backwoods of Georgia.
So I turned, went about 2 miles and turned around again. He was gone and I let out my breath I didn't know I was holding.
I may have needlessly added more time to my trip or caused myself undue worry, but the old cliche will always hold true-
better safe than sorry.
I hope I'll always listen to my intuition and I hope I never find myself worried about what I may seem like to complete strangers.
I hope the exact same for our little girls.
Posted by Amy at 02:07 PM | Comments (2)
It's that time of year again. Our dining room table has been transformed into my very amateur little green house.
I'm trying my hand at flowers this year though. I'm still going to do some veggies, but only the ones that did well last year or at the very least, that I know what to change to improve them this year.
I want to get some color in our yard and fill in some of the space in the backyard. It's just too bare for my tastes.
And since I absolutely love spring, I'm going to try to cut some costs of buying the plants by having them already blooming in our house before planting time.
The ones I'm working on right now are Jaguar Marigolds, Fruit Smoothie Zinnia, Red Velvet Celosia and some yellow Calla Lillies.
I'm excited again to watch my plants grow!
Posted by Amy at 12:03 PM | Comments (0)
January 28, 2008
A very long drive when including rush hour traffic, lots of tears at the office, 2 x-rays, warning of possible tooth extraction and at the very least braces later in life, $129 payment, 2 hours late to school and surprisingly we all still left happy.
Well not all of us I guess.
Madison had another dentist appointment today and did FANTASTIC! She loves going to the dentist and doesn't have any cavitites!! She does have severe overcrowding on the bottom though. He said depending on how her baby teeth come out and the permenant ones grow in, we may be looking at having to extract one of her baby teeth to give the others a better chance at avoiding braces. But, he still recommended we start making friends now with an orthodontist.
The only tears of the morning came from Chloe because she didn't get to 'go'. She wanted to be in sissy's place so damn bad. She did get to sit in the chair and have her teeth looked at for fun and she got a toothbrush, but that wasn't enough. She screamed when we left the room and she screamed when she only got two treasures out the box and she screamed when it was time to leave the office.
Pathetic.
And I can bet you now that she'll be one needing the most dental work and growing terrified of the office.
Whether she's crying to stay or crying to leave, she'll make sure going to the dentist becomes a spectator sport one way or the other.
I was so proud of Madison and getting her choice of dinner tonight means we all eat pizza and I have an incredibly easy evening.
Posted by Amy at 10:22 AM | Comments (1)
January 24, 2008
I had to park in the dirt, walk past the outdoor firepits at Hammaknockers restaurant and step over the resting dog at the front door, but I made my opinion count in this one horse town.
Posted by Amy at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2008
I'm concerned Madison isn't doing as well as she once was in school. Nothing big, nothing serious and nothing really worthy of complaining about yet.
I've just started noticing some things that are different in the class. I'm willing to accept different as long as Madison continues to do well.
Her original teacher, who was highly acclaimed for the student scores she turned out each year, left just before Christmas. A family move to Texas for her husband's job. This left the teachers aid as the new teacher. She has what she needs to teach, but her experience is daycare.
The first change I've notices is the room is MUCH warmer than it used to be. The old teacher asked that we keep sweaters in the room for the kids to keep them comfortable. I think it's the teacher's preference after I asked her why it felt like a sauna in the class lately. She said the kids were complaining it was cold. I was picking up Madison and pointed out to her that Madison had sweat dripping off her head and her hair was soaked. She said she hadn't noticed before. Madison sweats when she naps so I asked her if maybe they took a late nap, but she said no and that Madison didn't even sleep during naptime. We got in the car and Madison told me her teacher wouldn't help her take her sweat shirt off.
The next thing I'm noticing is that Madison isn't having enough time to finish her snacks and lunch. It never seemed to be a problem before, but Madison said there just isn't enough time anymore.
Since school started up after Christmas, I just haven't noticed any new stories from Madison or songs or even her excited about the new letters she's learning.
They are doing more in reading, which may account for some of the changes. And I do think the teacher is overwhelmed with what the school administrators expect. They run a very tight ship with their curriculum and they expect the best from their staff.
And her new teacher was an outstanding aid to the old teacher. She was there early, stayed late, was running everywhere and really paid a lot of attention to all the kids. Unfortunately she now has an aid that does not offer the same help. She's hands off, quiet and I rarely see her.
I saw a mom talking to the teacher this morning about her sons progress and I'm planning on doing the same thing. I can't talk with the teacher when I have Chloe in tow though so I'll be waiting until Mark's shift changes next week.
I know I worry too much and I know I can be an annoyingly involved mom, but I'm ok with that.
Posted by Amy at 09:48 AM | Comments (1)
January 20, 2008
My kids sure do enjoy their food. Madison can eat BBQ chicken wings like a champ. She gets down and dirty and eats more than I do sometimes. Surprisingly, she didn't even get a single drop of sauce on her shirt.
And not to be outdone by her big sister, Chloe can pack the food in there and attempt to hold a full out conversation with you.
This was from the Oreo fun the other day.
I guess it will be a while before I can brag about table manners.
Posted by Amy at 08:35 AM | Comments (0)
January 19, 2008
We have a new addiction here at the homefront.
EBAY!
Mark has been buying things on Ebay for a while. Really we both have. I found a cruise listed on Ebay back in '03 and we ended up buying that and going on a wonderful 7 day cruise. Mark has bought an occasional video game or accessory, but that was just the beginning.
After Christmas he decided to started selling some things too. Old xbox games, his old playstation, some computer games, etc. And since he started, maybe 3 weeks ago, he's made $207!!!
We just listed Chloe's cloth diapers this morning and already have people bidding on them!
It's quite exciting to see people wanting your baby's old crap rags.
Some people will buy anything.
Of all the diaper stash we had, it ended up being 6 different listings and should get us up another $100.
We've decided to save up the money, cash it out, and shop for a new surround sound system. Mark's had his eye on this Sony one for a while, but pulling 500 big ones out of thin air has proven to be difficult.
That Ebay commercial has it all wrong. I think it's definitely more fun to list an auction and see people bid on your old dust catchers than it is to win one.
Posted by Amy at 11:03 AM | Comments (0)
January 17, 2008
I had a phone interview with the principal on Tuesday and she told me that to her surprise she's had numerous people interested in the position. That was surprising to me too since in the beginning I was led to believe if I wanted it, it was mine.
I haven't heard back from her and since she said she would make her decision that day, I'm left to assume I won't be getting it.
I'm still going to be taking the Parapro exam tomorrow and I'll be doing the substitute certification next month. I'm also going by the school district office today to get an out of zone request for Madison. They have to be turned in by March 28th and this particular school is 15 minutes closer to the house than the one we're zoned for. It's also the one I'd prefer to work at, so I'll be trying to shove my foot in those heavy double doors any way I can.
I'll keep you all posted on my return to work adventures!
Posted by Amy at 07:32 AM | Comments (0)
January 15, 2008
Madison had another great report card. They're starting to get more into reading and have been separated into reading groups.
Her teacher said she is doing fantastic and is in the top of the class.
I was reading some Curious George books to her over the weekend and I see a huge improvement. She's able to read some words like dog, cat and sit by sounding them out. And her class is working on sight words like 'and', 'as', 'the' and 'of'. Of course she also thinks she can read the entire book because she's memorized the passage as it relates to the picture that's with it. She gets very upset when I read it correctly and she says "that's what I said!".
Posted by Amy at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)
January 13, 2008
We took the girls to see the new Veggie Tale movie yesterday.
Chloe ate enough movie food for the family seeing as how she polished off the popcorn, the Raisinets and the fruit chewy things. Madison just ate a few popcorn pieces and then chose our water bottle over her own Hi-C drink.
That's one of the ways Madison is growing up. I gave her a container of mini Oreos the other night after dinner and never said another word. She didn't ask how many she could have and I didn't tell her when to stop. When she was done, she got up, put it on the counter and went in the bathroom to clean her hands. I looked at the container and she had eaten not quite half of them. Which was probably about 15 mini Oreos-more than I would have told her she could eat, but not enough to make her sick. The next time she had them she only ate a few, maybe 7 or 8. It takes her about a week to eat one lollipop and she still has a plate full of Nerds sitting on the counter from 4 days ago. She just takes a few at a time as she's walking by.
Chloe on the other hand does just what Madison did 2 years ago. If I try to get her to stop eating a treat you'd think I was trying to trade it with a spider. Her scream comes out of her mouth, blasting me in the face, runs down my spine on it's way to my toes and shoots right back up what's left of my spine only to stop in my head so it can bounce around a little bit, leaving me scrambling for the Advil later.
The first night of the Oreos Chloe only left about 7 or 8 in her container. And the only reason she even stopped was because Madison was heading in to the shower (another big girl change) and Chloe wanted to take a bath first. I had the pleasure of enjoying her scream one more time.
The neighbors probably did too.
Posted by Amy at 06:04 AM | Comments (0)
January 11, 2008
It was interesting.
I'm inclined to take the position, but to be honest it's for selfish reasons.
I want to work in the school system and this is an open door to do just that. The money isn't great and the job is going to be hard.
This boy is going to take all of my energy. He's a good kid with a lot of needs. There wasn't any sugar coating going on today which I appreciated, but they sure put a lot of doubts in my mind.
I saw the class room, met and talked with the teacher, the Vice Principal and other assistants and while he didn't have any meltdowns-their word, not mine-they told me to expect them everyday and many of them. He's very physical and it takes 3 people to do a hold on him-again, their words, not mine. They told me to wear tennis shoes, jeans, no earrings and be prepared to get on the ground and get physical.
He's very smart and understands everything, but is non-verbal for the most part and his meltdowns are part of the autism.
I know I'll be helping the teacher, I may learn something about myself, I'll be trying something new and the bottom line is I'm staring at this stone in my path and I just can't walk away from it.
I feel the need to turn it over and see what happens.
Posted by Amy at 01:20 PM | Comments (1)
January 10, 2008
The winds of change
As it turns out, I may just take this full time job at the elementary school. A lot of phone calls have been made in the past 24 hours and after talking with the principal today, I've decided to go by the school tomorrow to see exactly what we're talking about.
It turns out the full time position is as a teacher's assistant working one on one with a 4th grader with autism. The teacher would always be in the room, but due to his needs, an assistant is needed as well.
They have also added some spots to the substitute certification class, so I've signed up for that as well. And I'll be taking the Parapro exam next Friday. So, I should be able to have two avenues to take. Both of which would get me going in the school system.
And I have a girlfriend who has offered to watch Chloe during the day.
I'm pretty excited about it all. I'm very comfortable with Christy watching Chloe and having good care for her is a major factor in it all. This August I was planning on enrolling Chloe in the school Madison is in now, so by then, both girls would be in school full time leaving me bored at home. This change just bumps that up a few months.
I'm nervous tonight about the unknown of tomorrow morning.
Happy thoughts please!
Posted by Amy at 07:20 PM | Comments (3)
January 08, 2008
Crank it up
I wasn't the only cranky gym goer this morning. Others like me, carrying around their own extra 5 pounds from the holiday, hit the gym today with their heads down and Ipods turned up.
My quietness this morning wasn't caused by a mood, just a lot going on in my mind. The main space filler came to a screaching halt when I got home however.
Over the holiday break I had started my application for a substitute teaching position in our county. My hope was to work a little bit in each of the four elementary schools this Spring and keep my ears open for a full time position in the school system that I could start in the Fall. That would give me an up close chance to get to know the schools before sending Madison to one. It would also give me a chance to know if there's one school over the others that I'd like to work at. My long term hope is to work in the school system in some capacity so I can enjoy the weekends, holidays and summers with the girls.
But, I just found out that the certification class set for February is full and the next one isn't scheduled until the summer.
So, I'm back to square one. I did get a call last night about a position opening up in the next week or two, but that's a full time position and I just don't think I'm ready to send Chloe to daycare yet.
I think I'll join the head-down-Ipod-up group tomorrow morning.
Posted by Amy at 11:32 AM | Comments (0)
January 07, 2008
Madison's Christmas vacation is coming to an end.
It's sad in a way. No more pajama days, no more lounging around the house and no more princess days. The weekends seem to always fill up with errands, chores, various parties and overall recovering from the previous week while attempting to prepare for the next week.
And this return to our very own regularly scheduled programing is just in time for Noggin to start some 24 hour programming of its own!
Which when I first saw it I raised my eyebrows thinking 'who would be watching Noggin at 3am?' But we've used it at 8pm since the extension and I've experienced being up at 3am with a puking little girl in the past wishing there was more than infomercials on, so I say thanks Noggin!
Now, to get back to school starting tomorrow... Madison is not happy about it. She woke up this morning asking how many hours she had left at home. Chloe and I will also be returning to the gym tomorrow after a month long hiatus. My fanny has felt the effects of the holiday and my jeans aren't happy with me. Mark goes back to work tomorrow too after a 6 day break.
So, while Mark is dropping off the truck at the repair shop from my little mishap a couple weeks ago, I'll be spending the day doing laundry, washing bed sheets, cleaning out the playroom, getting school lunch/snack stuff prepared and dealing with a very sad little Madison and a soon-to-be very happy little Chloe.
Posted by Amy at 08:38 AM | Comments (0)
January 05, 2008
Mark and I had a fantastic date the other day. Thursday to be exact and it was more like a date day rather than date night.
His parents were visiting us for a few days and gave us all of Thursday to do whatever. We took advantage of it too.
We headed out around 9 in the morning and didn't get back until almost 8 that night. We went shopping, did some returns, ate lunch out, saw a movie, did some more shopping, ate dinner out and generally enjoyed an entire day free of stress and full of adult conversation.
We got home just in time to kiss Madison goodnight and Chloe was already asleep!
I did a lot of breathing that day.
That day was wonderful.
Posted by Amy at 02:45 PM | Comments (0)
December 29, 2007
Our Christmas
The girls got to open a gift on Christmas Eve-it was their new pajamas. I had hoped to make them some myself, but there just wasn’t enough time.
Leaving cookies, milk and a note for the big guy.
Santa was very good to us!
Chloe got a big playhouse
Madison got a house for her Barbies
Aside from Madison waking up at 4am-we had a very relaxing Christmas morning. She tried going back to sleep in our bed, but really just spent most of the next 3 hours tossing, turning, moaning and even saying, “Can we PLEEEEEEASE open the gifts now, it’s killing me!” At least she made us laugh.
Once Chloe woke up, the girls started opening gifts. It was really nice because Mark and I just sat back, Madison can read the names so she handled the gift distribution, I drank my coffee and we just relaxed. It was so nice.
The girls got tired of opening gifts once, so while they played Mark and I ate some of the breakfast casserole and then we went back to sitting on the couch.
About midmorning we showered, and packed up to head to my parents house for the day.
I love, love, love Christmas time, but I also love getting my house put back together. While the girls continue to play with their toys this week, I’ve been doing just that.
I am leaving the tree up longer than I usually do though since Mark’s parents are heading back this way on the 1st to celebrate Christmas with us. Everything else has already made its way to the attic though. And I have a pile of old toys ready to be donated to make room for the new ones. I went through the girls closets yesterday so Mark doesn't have to keep putting clothes on Chloe that don't fit her anymore. So I have some clothes to donate too.
Yes, I do my spring cleaning at the end of December…
we all have our faults.
I hope everyone had a great Christmas!
Posted by Amy at 08:05 AM | Comments (0)
December 24, 2007
Christmas Joy!
Posted by Amy at 11:52 AM | Comments (1)
December 21, 2007
The day of the car accident Mark did end up making dinner. We had tacos and dressed it up with a glass of Reisling. Then after dinner the girls put on a puppet show for us.
As parents of young ones, it’s our idea of dinner and a movie.
Posted by Amy at 10:29 AM | Comments (2)
December 19, 2007
Are you having a bad day?
I am.
My morning started off fantastic, but quickly took a trip to the crapper when I got in an accident. I didn't just get in an accident- I caused an accident. That's worse.
There is a bright side.
I was alone and I was fine. The man was alone and he was fine and he didn't have any damage to the trailer he was pulling.
But, there is a bad side too.
Mark took the truck to get an estimate and I did $1,600 in damage.
We're getting a second estimate tomorrow.
After that I started making some holiday goodies and forgot the flour in a batch of 7 mini banana bread loaves. They turned out more like babana bread bricks.
I also burnt the chocolate for my peanut butter fudge squares.
I probably shouldn't use any knives to make dinner tonight.
Ordering pizza might be my best choice of the day.
Or maybe Mark will be up to making dinner for us.
Sigh.
Posted by Amy at 02:31 PM | Comments (1)
December 18, 2007
Disney World Highlights-Day7
On Saturday we packed the van and checked out of our Port Orleans hotel. We were all kind of quiet that morning. A combination of being exhausted and a little sad that our week was coming to an end.
We went to Magic Kingdom again this morning to spend a couple hours on rides and looking for Hidden Mickeys. Madison became obsessed with it very fast and they’re pretty cool when you find them.
Just to give you an idea I’m posting pictures from one ride in Magic Kingdom, but there are almost 500 all throughout the Disney World area.
This is the backdrop as you’re in line for the Snow White ride. Look at the blue boxer shorts hanging on the clothes line-there are red classic Mickeys on them.
Here if you look at Snow White’s head there are two flowers to the left. Just under the bottom flower is a classic Mickey.
And once you’re on the ride there is a classic Mickey on the top of the mirror that the Queen is looking in. It's the three circles with red jewels in the middle that form the Mickey.
On the road again-we’re headed home, but not before Madison asked if we could sell our house and move to Disney!
That’s one stuffed van!
Posted by Amy at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)
Disney World Highlights-Day 6
Happy girl waiting for the park to open
First ride of the day!
We took a ride on the Liberty boat-Madison is still finishing up her ring pop breakfast.
In line for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride
We had lunch at the Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh and Friends. Here the girls were trying to get a sneak peek at the characters.
FINALLY-some healthy food!
Having fun in Pooh’s Playful Corner
Waiting for the afternoon parade to start
After the parade we went back the hotel and played in the pool a little bit, then had dinner and started packing to check out the next morning. This time packing wasn’t near as much fun. We were as bummed as the girls were that we were leaving the next day.
Posted by Amy at 07:13 AM | Comments (0)
December 17, 2007
Disney World Highlights-Day 5
Thursday morning we headed over to Magic Kingdom so the girls could get some rides in before we went to Epcot. We like Epcot, but there’s not much for Chloe to do there.
Here we were waiting in line and the girls were up to no good!
We love our Mickey Mouse and Pluto!
And they’re eating MORE junk food.
Can you tell how tired Madison is? She tried two more new rides this day. Soarin’ and Test Track. She loved them both and rode them each twice. She fell asleep later in Chloe’s stroller around 7pm. We headed back to the hotel early this night too.
Posted by Amy at 01:49 PM | Comments (2)
Disney World Highlights-Day 4
Wednesday was a little calmer for us. We went to MGM around 10am and got back to the hotel around 7pm. We had a character lunch with Jo Jo, Goliath and the Little Einsteins. We watched the afternoon parade, Madison got her face painted and we watched the Fantasmic show at the end of the night. Madison rode her first new ride here since she got taller. She tried Star Tours and LOVED it.
Posted by Amy at 01:29 PM | Comments (0)
Disney World Highlights-Day 3
Day 3, Tuesday, was by far our biggest day. We started the day off at Animal Kingdom and were the 1st Camp Visitor at Camp Minnie Mickey. We got to greet all the characters at once and got a cute little certificate for it.
This was just a cute picture from the safari ride
Later that night we had dinner in Cinderella’s castle. It was gorgeous! The girls were absolutely cute in their little dresses and our reservations were perfect because we were in the middle of our dinner inside the castle when the lights were dimmed and we watched the fireworks through the dining room window.
The castle was all decked out in beautiful Christmas lights.
We also had tickets for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party for that night. It was from 7pm-midnight and we actually closed down the Dumbo ride at midnight. We were running to get on and Mark and Chloe made it then the chain was closed off, but Madison and I were running a little behind and the lady was nice enough to let us on too.
They had the BEST fireworks show that night, gave away sugar cookies, hot cocoa and bagged apples. We saw the Christmas night time parade too which I think between that and the fireworks is the best part of the party.
The girls stuffed their faces while we waited for the parade.
Pictures from the parade.
Tuesday was a very long day and Wednesday morning proved something crazy. I’ve often told my mom and my sister that no matter what time Madison goes to bed, she’ll still be up early. It’s sick. She didn’t go to bed until 1:15 Wednesday morning and she STILL woke up at 6:30am!! It’s unbelievable.
Posted by Amy at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)
December 16, 2007
Disney World Highlights-Day 2
On Monday we spent the day at Magic Kingdom with Mark’s family riding rides, eating and getting very tired. We went back to the hotel for a nap, then we had dinner together at the Concourse Steakhouse in the Contemporary Resort (the one the monorail rides through) and went back to the park for more fun!
Angie, Mark & Madison
Lots of junk food!
More junk food after dinner!
Angie, Madison & Chloe
Daddy and his girls
The family before dinner
Grandma got to ride in the front of the monorail with her babies!
The race cars became one of Chloe's favorite rides
All the kids watching fireworks
Chloe wasn't too keen on actually watching them
Posted by Amy at 01:00 PM | Comments (0)
Disney World Highlights-Day 1
We left the house at 5am Sunday morning and headed out on our vacation.
When we checked in to the hotel, Mark’s parents met us there since they were visiting Disney for a couple days too. Then Mark’s sister surprised the family by showing up at our hotel while we were checking in. They too were going to be at Disney for a couple days. I knew they were coming but everyone else was in the dark and totally surprised to see them. The girls got to see their cousins and it had been almost 2 years!
Then we headed over to Magic Kingdom and Chloe got to see her favorite for the first time. She was so sweet and just wanted to talk to Mickey. She would have stayed there all afternoon if we could.
We headed over to the Liberty Tree Tavern for our first character meal of the week and my birthday dinner. We got to see Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Chip & Dale. The food was really good, but the girls were too tired to enjoy it like I had hoped they would. Mark surprised me by calling ahead and having a cake delivered to our dinner for my birthday. That was such a sweet surprise.
We had a fantastic first day and the girls fell asleep on the bed by about 10pm. We were all so tired and we still had 6 days left!
Posted by Amy at 08:02 AM | Comments (0)
December 07, 2007
It's very difficult to pack when a certain someone insists on taking everything out of the suitcases and putting it all in our tub to play with.
As a side note, I have no idea why she's so fascinated with the bathtub.
Posted by Amy at 01:46 PM | Comments (0)
December 05, 2007
My parents came over last night for a Christmas kick-off party. We had lots of fun baking cookies, eating pizza (you know the traditional Christmas dinner everyone should have!) and opening presents!!!
They gave Madison a Cinderella Christmas tree for her bedroom and they decorated that last night too.
Chloe got a Mickey sitting in a rocking chair that tells the night before Christmas story REALLY LOUD. Although I’ve looked, I haven’t found a volume control so those batteries may be gone by Christmas. You really have no idea how loud it is.
They got us a BIG Mickey for our yard too!!!
Mom made each of the girls a pair of pajama pants for our Disney trip. Madison got Princess ones and Chloe got Mickey ones. She made them each a pillow to match too.
Isn’t she grand?!?
They got the girls each a Princess dress and purse for our dinner at the castle too.
Have I mentioned how excited we are for our vacation!?!?!
Only 3 days, 17 hours, 24 minutes and 6 seconds until we leave :)
7 days and 6 nights at Disney! It just doesn't get much sweeter. We're going to dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern for my birthday, a dinner at the Castle on Tuesday before we go to the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party that night, lunch on Wednesday with the Little Einsteins, lunch on Friday with the 100 Acre Woods gang and a couple more character meals thrown in there.
We don't normally go all out like this on our Disney trips, but since it's been a year we're going to make the most of it!
Posted by Amy at 11:31 AM | Comments (1)
December 04, 2007
3-2-1 Contact
Does anyone even remember that show? Not that it matters to this post in the least, just wondering.
For those who don't know, I've been cursed with having to wear glasses since the 6th grade. There aren't many things in life more embarassing than showing up to 6th grade wearing glasses. It sucked. No matter how positive my mom tried to make it out to be, it wasn't. I made good grades too. I was on the honor roll every year. And when I was called to the priniciple's office in 7th grade it was because he and the staff were surprising me with balloons and flowers for being named volunteer of the year. Yeah, walking back into class was loads of fun that day. The upside though was being able to go home with those balloons and flowers and knowing my parents were proud. But, I digress.
Almost 20 years later and I'm still finding myself strapped down with glasses. That is until yesterday. After going to the eye doctor I found out there's been some new technology in contacts that, I hope, will make it easier for me to wear them. These newer contacts for astigmatism are much lighter, almost annoyingly so since they fold over at the slightest touch, but they feel fine in my eyes. I've tried contacts before, but every time I blinked it felt like I had cardboard in my eyes. My eyes were constantly red and they just plain hurt after just a few hours.
My worry is how much this will change my look. When I picked up Madison from school yesterday the first thing she said was 'where are your glasses?'. I put the contacts in this morning, looked in the mirror and I just don't look right. The cliche 'something's missing' came to mind. Without thought I grabbed my glasses on the counter as I headed to the computer too. Glasses are just a routine for me. But, it's a 20 year routine I'm hoping to break away from.
Posted by Amy at 09:15 AM | Comments (1)
December 03, 2007
With only three families to work with and still having a hard time finding a date to have a Christmas party, we got together last night. We had thought it might be too soon, but it was still very festive and lots of fun. It was a very yummy dinner party with a gift exchange for the kids and the adults AND Santa stopped by to read a couple books to the kids. Santa had some connections with the Just Read, Florida program so books were a very good fit.
My kids lived up to their usual M.O. of course by not doing what I thought they would, but still doing the opposite of the other.
Chloe greeted him at the front door and then wouldn't get near him during the books. Madison hid behind my leg when he came in and then couldn't wait to hear the books read.
Madison is going through the whole magic of Santa Claus and it's making me feel like a kid again. She has a lot of questions and I'm just chock full of fun and sometimes twisted answers. She wanted to know how Santa knows if she's naughty or nice. I said his elves of course! She wanted to know how his elves know. I said they're everywhere of course! Where mommy? Well, elves come in all shapes and sizes so you'll never know when you're being watched. Some have big, pointy ears, but some have big pointy noses too. Some of those big, pointy noses may be pierced too. Some elves are bigger than others and some are in wheel chairs. Oh, and elves don't like to be pointed at and talked about loudly-that's a quick way to have a flag next to your name on 'The List'.
That answer, my friend, is what I'm hoping not only answers her question but avoids any future embarassments like we had last week in Michaels.
Things have come back to bite me in the ass in the past though, so I'll try to stay on my toes anyway.
Posted by Amy at 06:22 AM | Comments (0)
November 20, 2007
I finally got our Thanksgiving tree done last week. Christy came over for a stitch-n-bitch so I used the opportunity.
The leaves have things of thanksgiving from Mark and myself as well as the girls, my parents and Mark's parents with the year on the back of each. I opted out of making the actual tree myself and got one from Target. There may be a 'Sandra Lee's Semi-homemade cooking' on the food network, but I should have an Amy's Almost Made Myself craft show.
And while I'm displaying this tree today, we're also displaying our Christmas tree and most of our decorations, including the outside lights, at the same time. We have a very busy few weeks ahead of us, I wanted to take advantage of Mark being off work yesterday, and I wanted the lights turned on the day after Thanksgiving. I could make up many more excuses as to why it's all up so early, but the bottom line is that I just wanted to and that's usually all it takes.
Here’s my favorite Christmas decoration
And here’s our tree
And without Daddy around to dress the kids, what else would we have to laugh about!?!
I hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by Amy at 11:34 AM | Comments (1)
November 16, 2007
Madison's latest school work
Here's the pages Madison brought home yesterday. I don't know if you can see it from the picture, but on the cursive 'R' sheet she traces the first three and then writes the last two herself.
I asked her to show me how she does the phonics page and I'm just amazed.
Posted by Amy at 06:16 AM | Comments (1)
November 15, 2007
Once again I'm finding myself needing to shift my thoughts when it comes to Madison. So far, she's always enjoyed being outside and seems to think she's an athletic child. Soccer taught us however that she is not that athletic. Not that she didn't do well, but she would have much rather sat down in the grass and played with lovebugs. She always wanted to be the goalie, as she said, because she didn't have to run around so much. And when she's with her cousin Sarah there is a drastic difference. When there is mud involved in the outdoor playing, you can watch Sarah run for it making the biggest mess possible and Madison kind of looking around with an expression of 'do I have to do that too?'. She's not keen on getting too dirty and she's not keen on being out of breath. If she sees a wasp, spider or anything of the liking, she doesn't just squeal, she also flaps her hands around like her nails are on fire and runs on her tippy toes.
What she really enjoys is pretend play, dress up, doing crafts, playing video games and as of recently-dressing pretty for school. She's told me twice this week that she wants to do ballet now that soccer is over.
Where I once thought she was going to be our tomboy, I'm rethinking that. Maybe it's a phase or maybe it's her growing up and doing what she really likes.
When we first found out our little baby was going to be a girl, I was nervous. I really didn't think I'd know what to do with a girl and this is exactly what made me nervous.
I girl? Fine.
A girly girl? Not so much.
I don't do my own hair, I don't accessorize and I don't wear makeup most days.
As with most things though, I'll just wing it. It's not like she's not going to speak up when she wants her hair a certain way. And it's not like she's not going to tell me she doesn't like what she's wearing.
The one thing I am confident about with her is that she'll tell me what she wants and how she wants it.
This was her today for school and she talked about how pretty she was all morning. I hope her teacher notices, because Madison asked me if I thought her teacher would like her outfit
Posted by Amy at 12:26 PM | Comments (1)
November 08, 2007
Thursday Thirteen
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Today's TT is an update on us. 1. Soccer season is over! We're happy and Madison is not. Here's her with her trophy:
2. Madison’s school is going through a second round of lice. When dreaming about having kids one day, I can tell you I never pictured myself sitting under a light looking for bugs in my little girl’s hair. I’m learning every nook and cranny on Madison’s little head, but fortunately I’m not finding anything. 3. Her school is also holding a Veterans Day festival and parade this weekend. I’ve baked a cake for the cake sale and I’ll be setting up that morning with the hopes of having time to run home and get the girls before the parade starts. 4. I’m not watching the boys after school anymore. Madison says she misses having them here, but she’s sure having less temper ‘issues’ lately. 5. It got down to 28 here last night!! 6. Chloe is fighting a nasty chest cough right now. So far that seems to be the main issue so we’re just keeping an eye on it, but the cough itself is getting worse on going on day 5 tomorrow. 7. Only 30 more days until we head out for our 7 day Disney vacation!! I can’t believe it will be a year since our last trip there. 8. We painted the dining room and added some chair railing there too. This room was also the sad gray color in a flat paint. I hadn’t realized how much I disliked the color of our house until we started painting over it. 9. I’ve been doing some workout classes at the Y. 10. Both girls adjusted to the time change very well. Madison woke up at 5:30 the first morning (which was 6:30 the old time and her usual hour to grace us with her morning breath), but other than that, it was smooth sailin’! 11. Mark only has one more game left in his softball season. So it seems things will be calming down around here just in time for the holidays! 12. Speaking of the holidays, at dinner the other night we were talking about Thanksgiving. Madison asked if we were going to go out and buy a turkey or shoot one. Apparently the other 4 year olds in her class have talked about how they’re getting their turkey on the table. 13. We have our one year walk through on our house tomorrow for the warranty. I absolutely cannot believe it’s been a year already. |
Posted by Amy at 04:18 PM | Comments (0)
November 01, 2007
Candy, Sugar and Treats....oh my!
The girls were CRAZY last night. At 5pm they were acting like they were already hopped up on a starburst injection. We took them out trick or treating a little early, 6 o'clock, just to get them out of the house. Since we know all of our neighbors we just stayed in the street and let the girls go up to the houses alone. They did really good, but manners were nowhere to be found. Everytime Madison got some candy she whipped around and started running through their yard and shrieking "I got more CANDY!!!", leaving Chloe to fend for herself. She would turn around give them a half-hearted thank you after seeing us mouth a very stern "THANK YOU".
We didn't make it far before Chloe tuckered out. Mark took her home and Madison didn't even notice they were gone until nature called and she too wanted to go home. Then she was looking for her big strong daddy to carry her. Mommy wasn't up to carrying a 35 pound twitching, shouting and jittery witch. She was in her own little world...and it was full of candy.
I was bummed when Madison wanted to go home, but she said, "it's ok mom, I had fun and we can still have more fun handing out candy to everyone else". She's so terrific.
When we got home Mark had himself a nice frosty beverage and Chloe was sitting on the kitchen floor with her candy filled pumpkin on one side of her and a bowl full of skittles, whoppers and m&m's in front of her...mouth so full she couldn't even say hello.
Madison immediately dug into her candy as if she somehow knew she better do so while the gettin's good. She knows mommy's no holds barred streaks don't last forever.
She loved handing out the candy as much as she loved getting it. And the kids coming to our door loved her doing so as well. As long as they held their bucket in one place she would keep filling it.
I hope I did an ok job giving you a picture of the night because our camera battery died after only two pictures. Here's the two I got before we headed out-
Posted by Amy at 01:36 PM | Comments (0)
October 29, 2007
We went to yet another Halloween party today. This one was an afternoon playdate with the local moms group. I made Madison’s costume a couple hours before the party. If I had more time I would have made Chloe the dryer, but maybe for Halloween night. It was another craft idea I saw online and I thought it was so cute!
Posted by Amy at 07:13 PM | Comments (0)
October 28, 2007
Our Halloween party has come and gone. We had such a great time and all in all I think everything went quite smooth. The kids had a fantastic time on the hayride, they got to paint pumpkins, play some carnival type games, win prizes, and eat caramel apples and cookies.
We ended up with 23 kids and 24 adults. Everyone helped by bringing things and everyone pretty much cleaned everything up for me.
I woke up this morning to a clean house and the Toys R Us toy book in the newspaper. I love shopping for toys. It's like being a kid again, except I have money to buy the things I see.
I called my mom and we met in town to shop and have lunch. Now I'm well on my way with Christmas shopping and I won't have to cringe everytime I hear that dreaded Christmas shopping question.
You know the one.
When Madison woke up from her nap I called the neighbor to see if her new best friend Alysse could come over to play. They are so cute together and I can see my little girl getting bigger by the minute. Her mom asked about sleepovers in the near future, but after seeing me choke on my drink and gasp for air, I think we'll hold off for a bit. I'm afraid it's just a matter of time though.
Posted by Amy at 03:18 PM | Comments (0)
October 27, 2007
Here are the pictures of us from the party last night. I haven’t dressed up for Halloween since high school probably. The girls had a blast and loved the fact that mommy and daddy dressed up too.
Posted by Amy at 02:25 PM | Comments (3)
October 26, 2007
I dropped three things in the shower this morning.
I couldn't figure out why the shower door wouldn't open until I realized I was pushing on the frame, not the door.
And I used the soap pump instead of the Mentadent pump for my toothbrush this morning.
My head is a little frazzled today.
We are going to a Halloween party tonight and with planning our own neighborhood party for tomorrow night I think my mind is just on overload.
Today I'm making two dips and beer bread for tonight's party. Cookies, cupcakes and spinach and herb spirals for tomorrow's party.
The kitchen is a mess right now, cookies are baking and all of this is actually made easier by the fact that Chloe just goes with the flow. She spent about 30 minutes dividing our Halloween candy into piles (and surprisingly she didn't open any of it). It took her another 30 minutes to finish a box of raisins and she likes going to all the windows (that are open) to see what's going on elsewhere.
Anyway, I think it will be a really fun weekend, but I think I'll be kicking my feet up all day Sunday.
I'll try to get a picture posted of all of us dressed up.
Posted by Amy at 11:11 AM | Comments (0)
October 25, 2007
Madison is learning from the Abeka program at school. This makes me smile because it is an excellent homeschooling resource and the only one I would use if I were to homeschool. Madison thrives in the type of atmosphere they foster. It's organized, it's straight forward, has strict rules for dress code and behavior, they get lots of outside playtime, she gets to play games on the computer and they do TONS of crafts. They expect parent involvement and the one day Madison missed, she was sent home with homework the next day. I could go on and on about the school, but the gist is that we’re very pleased with it and happy about our choice to take her there.
Yesterday she got her first report card. I know she’ll be tested at the end of the year for state evaluation on this VPK program, but I wasn’t expecting a report card.
Needless to say we were very happy. We took her out to dinner last night and she wanted “the place with the peanuts on the floor”. So we obliged.
Posted by Amy at 11:53 AM | Comments (1)
October 23, 2007
Have you ever tried to figure me out? By now you probably realize it's not possible. I've had a few people tell me that just when they think they've got me figured out, I do or say something to confuse them. I can tell you that it's not on purpose. I can also tell you that I think I'm a rather simple person and it's probably just the mood swings that throw you off.
There's no sarcasm there, that's just honesty at it's finest.
Lately I find myself doing to my children the very thing that I find annoying when others do it to me. Madison is becoming a puzzle to me and when I think I have her figured out, she pulls an Amy. For most people this would be normal, but for me it's irritating. I want to believe everything has a reason and a purpose even though my heart tells me differently.
I have felt fairly confident about raising my girls the past 4 years. I've always felt I could handle almost anything they threw my way. Whether I ducked or took it square in the face, I always worked my way through the issue. Even though Mark and I talked about choices for raising the girls, the ultimate decision usually came down to being mine. I've always said one of his best traits is his easy going personality. One that I have accepted I may never have. As Madison is getting older, I'm finding that I need to turn to him more for advice and guidance. The past couple months I have said something when referring to Madison that now makes me sit back and think.
I have turned to Mark and said "I can't handle her" or "you deal with her".