Monday, February 9, 2009
Some faces of Connor
I'm sure there would have been much more hilariousness from Connor, except we were in a huge hurry to get a nice picture and then rush off to Costco to have the Valentines I made in Photoshop printed. He was in such a silly mood; I wish I could have continued taking pictures! (the last one is the one I ended up using for his Valentines)
Friday, February 6, 2009
One seriously proud mommy!
I was at the kitchen sink yesterday afternoon waiting on the water to warm for Grace's bottle (I babysit her every Thursday). Jared and Connor were watching "a kid show" (that's what my kids call cartoons) and Emily was on the computer doing some math stuff for school. Connor started messing with the remote control and changed the channel, and I called over to Jared to please turn it back to a kid show. About a half hour later, Jared came up to me, patted me on my arm, and told me very seriously, "We need to take pajamas to the mattress store because I don't want friends to be cold and alone." Not having watched much TV lately, I was a little clueless as to what he was talking about, but assured him that friends would be fine and he was a very sweet boy to be concerned. I'm ashamed to say I didn't think much about it after that, being distracted with babysitting and dinner prep and my neck pain, etc. However, while watching ER last night, I caught a Sleep Country USA commercial, asking people to donate pajamas and socks and underwear so foster kids don't have to feel cold and alone. Tears welled up in my eyes when I realized what Jared had been talking about earlier in the afternoon, and how one short commercial made a BIG impact on my little boy. It just so happens that we have two pairs of girl pajamas I'd purchased for Emily that are too big. Instead of returning them as planned, I'm taking Jared to the nearest Sleep Country USA store today and letting him put those pajamas in the donation bin for the foster kids. I want to make sure to follow through with his concern and to encourage his caring and generosity. Let me tell you that I am one seriously proud mommy, and I'm also very thankful that Connor was a stinker and started messing around with the remote control at just that moment. It's a nice reminder to myself as well, that even in these hard times, there are other people, other CHILDREN, who have it far harder than myself or my kids can even begin to imagine.
Will you be out shopping soon (and you live in WA or OR)? Why not pick up a pair of children's pajamas and donate them to foster children at your local Sleep Country USA.
per the website:
A child’s bedtime should be a time to feel safe, warm and protected. For more than 26,000 Northwest foster children, separated from family and friends, nights can feel long and lonely. To help make those nights a little cozier, you can help by collecting pajamas for foster kids big and small. Bring your gift of new pajamas, packaged socks and underclothes to any Sleep Country and they’ll be matched with a local foster child in need. Help make a foster child’s night a little cozier with a gift of new pajamas and you’ll sleep better too!
The pajama drive goes through February 15th.
CLICK HERE to find the store nearest you.
Will you be out shopping soon (and you live in WA or OR)? Why not pick up a pair of children's pajamas and donate them to foster children at your local Sleep Country USA.
per the website:
A child’s bedtime should be a time to feel safe, warm and protected. For more than 26,000 Northwest foster children, separated from family and friends, nights can feel long and lonely. To help make those nights a little cozier, you can help by collecting pajamas for foster kids big and small. Bring your gift of new pajamas, packaged socks and underclothes to any Sleep Country and they’ll be matched with a local foster child in need. Help make a foster child’s night a little cozier with a gift of new pajamas and you’ll sleep better too!
The pajama drive goes through February 15th.
CLICK HERE to find the store nearest you.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Random facts about me
1. There are some nights where I just can't seem to get warm, so will get up and throw a clean pair of socks on my feet and I suddenly feel much warmer and fall right to sleep. HOWEVER, if I wear socks to bed, I eventually get TOO warm, and when I get TOO warm, I have WEIRD DREAMS! Mostly I end up waking up knowing I just had a weird dream, but I can't recall most of the details... And it doesn't always have to be that I have socks on, because sometimes I'll end up too warm anyway (as it gets closer to summer where the heavier blankets are still on the bed, but the weather is getting warmer...) and will have weird dreams then as well. But it's a sure bet that if I wear socks to bed, I'm in for an interesting night in dreamland!
2. I used to LOVE candy conversation hearts, but I discovered the other night that I'm really not a big fan any longer.
3. I keep seeing the outdated picture of the kids in my sidebar, and telling myself each and every time that I need to update it, but then I just can't seem to bring myself to take the few minutes to scan a pic and resize and post/paste. It's not like it would take very long. Probably about the same amount of time as it took me to think up this paragraph and type it up. HA!
4. I'm refusing to be on the preschool board next year and have made my intentions clear. I spent two years as class rep, and while there are A LOT of things about the position that I truly enjoyed, there are a good number of things that I'm pretty over for now (people whining about the schedule, people calling and emailing with questions about things I'd already emailed or called about more than once, and that flyers had been sent home about already, or that pure common sense could have answered...LOL). That's not ALL that parents, or even most of them, but it only takes 2-3 to WEAR YOU DOWN. Plus, with Dan's schedule, making it to the monthly board meetings has been a hassel. And creating the schedule, working around people's vacations and work days, and childcare conflicts, etc etc etc gets really tedious and overwhelming. The only other positions on the board that are still open are even more involved than class rep (and another mom jumped in to take class rep anyway, which was MUSIC TO MY EARS because I thought for sure I was going to get bullied into it...LOL), and I just do not have the time to invest MORE time than I already have been.
5. I'm emotionally and physically very exhausted lately. My back just aches all the time, and now my neck has been stiff and sore (all part of the process, I'm being told by my chiropractor). No matter how I sit or walk, I'm uncomfortable. Everything I do causes me pain on some level. It's frustrating and disheartening and exhausting. I feel myself getting irritable and lashing out, and even while I'm aware that it's happening, I feel powerless to stop it. I would give a lot of money to be able to go back in time and to not be on the road at the time/place of the accident back on June 5th. While my pain is not crippling in any way, each day strips a little bit of SOMETHING and I just so desperately want this to be over so I can move on with my life. Dan gets frustrated with me and doesn't understand just how NAGGING this pain is or how it truly can be so emotionally draining and physically limiting. I'm tired of having to limit myself and cut activities short. Especially when it's something with my kids. I can't begin to count how many times I've had to say, "I'm sorry guys, mommy has to stop and walk around for awhile because my back is really starting to hurt sitting here." It's been enough times that all three of them have started complaining about back pain. Except my pain is legit and I mention in stopping activities I'd truly rather not stop! Do you know how horrible it is to have your children mimicking your pain, knowing that the reason for the mimickry is because it's not only affecting YOUR life, but theirs as well???? This is not how I want my children to remember me from their childhood, and it scares me a little bit that there's been ZERO improvement, even after 8 months.
6. I stay up way too late on a regular basis because the quiet of the house after everyone else is in bed is the only time I feel I can productively get much of anything done!! I also get easily distracted this time of night. I was being good and was all set to head to bed last night at 10pm, but then remembered that I hadn't tested out the new Shark steam mop I'd just bought (not LOVING it for the $70 I paid for it, btw), then realized I hadn't changed my blog banner to a February theme, and it was closer to 11:30pm before I ended up in bed. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN??? ha!
2. I used to LOVE candy conversation hearts, but I discovered the other night that I'm really not a big fan any longer.
3. I keep seeing the outdated picture of the kids in my sidebar, and telling myself each and every time that I need to update it, but then I just can't seem to bring myself to take the few minutes to scan a pic and resize and post/paste. It's not like it would take very long. Probably about the same amount of time as it took me to think up this paragraph and type it up. HA!
4. I'm refusing to be on the preschool board next year and have made my intentions clear. I spent two years as class rep, and while there are A LOT of things about the position that I truly enjoyed, there are a good number of things that I'm pretty over for now (people whining about the schedule, people calling and emailing with questions about things I'd already emailed or called about more than once, and that flyers had been sent home about already, or that pure common sense could have answered...LOL). That's not ALL that parents, or even most of them, but it only takes 2-3 to WEAR YOU DOWN. Plus, with Dan's schedule, making it to the monthly board meetings has been a hassel. And creating the schedule, working around people's vacations and work days, and childcare conflicts, etc etc etc gets really tedious and overwhelming. The only other positions on the board that are still open are even more involved than class rep (and another mom jumped in to take class rep anyway, which was MUSIC TO MY EARS because I thought for sure I was going to get bullied into it...LOL), and I just do not have the time to invest MORE time than I already have been.
5. I'm emotionally and physically very exhausted lately. My back just aches all the time, and now my neck has been stiff and sore (all part of the process, I'm being told by my chiropractor). No matter how I sit or walk, I'm uncomfortable. Everything I do causes me pain on some level. It's frustrating and disheartening and exhausting. I feel myself getting irritable and lashing out, and even while I'm aware that it's happening, I feel powerless to stop it. I would give a lot of money to be able to go back in time and to not be on the road at the time/place of the accident back on June 5th. While my pain is not crippling in any way, each day strips a little bit of SOMETHING and I just so desperately want this to be over so I can move on with my life. Dan gets frustrated with me and doesn't understand just how NAGGING this pain is or how it truly can be so emotionally draining and physically limiting. I'm tired of having to limit myself and cut activities short. Especially when it's something with my kids. I can't begin to count how many times I've had to say, "I'm sorry guys, mommy has to stop and walk around for awhile because my back is really starting to hurt sitting here." It's been enough times that all three of them have started complaining about back pain. Except my pain is legit and I mention in stopping activities I'd truly rather not stop! Do you know how horrible it is to have your children mimicking your pain, knowing that the reason for the mimickry is because it's not only affecting YOUR life, but theirs as well???? This is not how I want my children to remember me from their childhood, and it scares me a little bit that there's been ZERO improvement, even after 8 months.
6. I stay up way too late on a regular basis because the quiet of the house after everyone else is in bed is the only time I feel I can productively get much of anything done!! I also get easily distracted this time of night. I was being good and was all set to head to bed last night at 10pm, but then remembered that I hadn't tested out the new Shark steam mop I'd just bought (not LOVING it for the $70 I paid for it, btw), then realized I hadn't changed my blog banner to a February theme, and it was closer to 11:30pm before I ended up in bed. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN??? ha!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Quote of the Week
I asked Jared about his day at preschool after we arrived back home Monday afternoon. He looked at me for a minute, then said this:
"First, it was this (holding his thumb up). Then it was a little bit of this (holding his thumb down), and then it was just tilted sideways (holding his thumb out to the side)." LOL!!!!!!
"First, it was this (holding his thumb up). Then it was a little bit of this (holding his thumb down), and then it was just tilted sideways (holding his thumb out to the side)." LOL!!!!!!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Cheer Captain for a day
Emily was chosen to be cheer captain for her squad for last Saturday's event. It was the first time one of the girls on the squad was in charge of leading the cheers during time-outs and half-time (usually the coach names the cheers and starts them). I was VERY proud of how she remembered to use her big voice and stood in front of an entire gym full of people and led the cheers. She did freeze a few times and momentarily forget how a certain cheer would start, but I think for being only 6.5 years old and it being her first time leading the squad, she did EXCELLENT. Plus, these little girls are just ADORABLE!!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Cinderella turns into Sleeping Beauty
Emily and Dan attended a Father/Daughter Ball over the weekend. From what I hear, Emily had a BLAST!! Dan said she danced and danced and danced for the first two hours and then finally tired out and spent the last half hour socializing instead. Emily informed me that she and Dan danced to "My Girl", and that she requested it from the DJ (Dan begs to differ about her requesting it, but says it's possible...LOL). She was especially excited that they danced like REAL dates and she had her arm stretched up high to be on his shoulder and he had his hand on her back. She was SOUND ASLEEP when they got home, but perked up while I was getting her into bed and jabbered on and on and about how she can't wait to do it again!!
About three hours beforehand, we started doing her hair (I'm no expert, so it can take awhile sometimes, and I wanted to leave plenty of time for error, AND time to prepare dinner and give Dan and Emily time to eat the meal):
some mug shots...LOL
All of the curls were supposed to be pinned up in a "messy bun", but she changed her mind at the last minute and wanted them hanging down. I made the little blue bows with streaming ribbons myself to match her dress, and would have left the streaming ribbons longer if I'd known at the time her hair wasn't going to be all pinned up...
Here's my little Cinderella!
Recognize that dress? It's her Flower Girl dress from this past summer, her bride dress from this past October, and now her ball gown (best $32 I ever spent!!). I purchased the big blue rose pin from JoAnn Fabrics and some spools of matching ribbon and created the decoration on the front of the dress to change it up a bit. I think I spent $10 altogether (and have tons of ribbon leftover, too). I think it turned out pretty darn cute, and Emily loved it!
Here's Cinderella with her daddy
daddy being silly...
Then there's a big chunk of time where myself and my camera were not in attendance so you will have to use your imagination of how things looked... ha!
Here's how it ended: Cinderella turned into Sleeping Beauty
Dan brought her sleeping self into the house and laid her down on her bed and she didn't move a single muscle. LOL!! I had her half undressed before she actually woke up.
PS They did pose for professional pictures, which are supposed to get mailed to our house at some point. Dan didn't think to have them mailed to his parent's house and our dog tends to eat packages from time to time, so I'm going to have to put a note on the door for the next few weeks saying "Please do not feed the animal". ha ha! Just kidding, but I will have to leave a note asking the mailperson not to leave anything on the porch.
PPS Those ribbons in her hair were a CINCH to make, and I'm quite pleased I thought of making them! I simply tied a bow out of some ribbon, then slipped a bobby pin through the knotted portion of the bow in the back, then looped a long piece of trailing ribbon through as well so that two ends hung down. Then I stuck the bobby pin into the base of her ponytail, adjusted the angle of the bow,and stuck a second bobby pin through the base of the ponytail so it crossed over the first one and held everything nicely in place. EASY, and really gave her hair-do a nice finishing touch. I used fray check on the ends so they wouldn't unravel, and if I'd thought about the ribbon idea earlier in the day, I also would have taken a needle and thread and done a quick stitch through the ribbon knot to ensure that nothing would come undone... Something to think about for next time!
About three hours beforehand, we started doing her hair (I'm no expert, so it can take awhile sometimes, and I wanted to leave plenty of time for error, AND time to prepare dinner and give Dan and Emily time to eat the meal):
some mug shots...LOL
All of the curls were supposed to be pinned up in a "messy bun", but she changed her mind at the last minute and wanted them hanging down. I made the little blue bows with streaming ribbons myself to match her dress, and would have left the streaming ribbons longer if I'd known at the time her hair wasn't going to be all pinned up...
Here's my little Cinderella!
Recognize that dress? It's her Flower Girl dress from this past summer, her bride dress from this past October, and now her ball gown (best $32 I ever spent!!). I purchased the big blue rose pin from JoAnn Fabrics and some spools of matching ribbon and created the decoration on the front of the dress to change it up a bit. I think I spent $10 altogether (and have tons of ribbon leftover, too). I think it turned out pretty darn cute, and Emily loved it!
Here's Cinderella with her daddy
daddy being silly...
Then there's a big chunk of time where myself and my camera were not in attendance so you will have to use your imagination of how things looked... ha!
Here's how it ended: Cinderella turned into Sleeping Beauty
Dan brought her sleeping self into the house and laid her down on her bed and she didn't move a single muscle. LOL!! I had her half undressed before she actually woke up.
PS They did pose for professional pictures, which are supposed to get mailed to our house at some point. Dan didn't think to have them mailed to his parent's house and our dog tends to eat packages from time to time, so I'm going to have to put a note on the door for the next few weeks saying "Please do not feed the animal". ha ha! Just kidding, but I will have to leave a note asking the mailperson not to leave anything on the porch.
PPS Those ribbons in her hair were a CINCH to make, and I'm quite pleased I thought of making them! I simply tied a bow out of some ribbon, then slipped a bobby pin through the knotted portion of the bow in the back, then looped a long piece of trailing ribbon through as well so that two ends hung down. Then I stuck the bobby pin into the base of her ponytail, adjusted the angle of the bow,and stuck a second bobby pin through the base of the ponytail so it crossed over the first one and held everything nicely in place. EASY, and really gave her hair-do a nice finishing touch. I used fray check on the ends so they wouldn't unravel, and if I'd thought about the ribbon idea earlier in the day, I also would have taken a needle and thread and done a quick stitch through the ribbon knot to ensure that nothing would come undone... Something to think about for next time!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Steelers Superbowl Prayer
Got this texted to me by my husband's uncle a few days ago and figured today would be a good day to share it (today being the SUPERBOWL and all...):
Our Father who art in Pittsburgh
Football be thy game
Thy Kingdom come
5 Superbowls won
On Earth as it is in Heinz Field
Give us this day a playoff victory
And forgive us our penalties as we defeat those who play against us
But lead us into a victory and deliver us to Tampa!
A-Ben
GO STEELERS!
LOL And certainly no disrepect meant for the proper Lord's Prayer...
Our Father who art in Pittsburgh
Football be thy game
Thy Kingdom come
5 Superbowls won
On Earth as it is in Heinz Field
Give us this day a playoff victory
And forgive us our penalties as we defeat those who play against us
But lead us into a victory and deliver us to Tampa!
A-Ben
GO STEELERS!
LOL And certainly no disrepect meant for the proper Lord's Prayer...
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