Changes

It's been awhile since the last post. The kids have grown quite a bit. Two are in middle school and my youngest is in grade school. I have spent more time reading and digging up information on healthier lifestyle changes and have since become more "crunchy" than not. Suddenly school is out.The kids are going to camps and we have a lot of things planned, thanks to Pinterest. This summer I have decided to switch things up and the kids will not spend their days and nights in an eternal cycle of play until they crash, wake up and do it again. We will actually dedicate at least a couple hours every day to making sure they have not only remembered what they last learned in school, but learning more. That means I get to play teacher, YAY. Doing so, I have been searching the internet for various resources. I came across one today on Pinterest. It is a blog called Krazee 4 Kindergarten. There you will find a colorful blog with a lot of tools to use for young children to help aid them in learning the basics. I have already pinned it :) and look forward to using it for my son.

Smashing Bread

I came back to my blog today because the strangest thing happened. I was in the grocery store for the second time today (not an unusual scenario for me) but this time I had the kids with me. Kenedi asked me if she could help so I asked her to pick up a bag of sugar. She picked it up and sets it directly on top of a loaf of bread, which I'd carefully set aside to avoid smashing it. The only thing I could think of was "because it makes sense to set a 5 lb bag of sugar on top of a loaf of bread". It stood out. I wasn't upset or angry, I wasn't even frustrated, perhaps dumbfounded. I was in a rush so I didn't say anything to her but I couldn't get the thought out of my head. I decided it was time to change this blog.

This blog is dead and the strangest things happen to me. So for all intensive purposes, it makes sense to put a 5 lb bag of sugar on top of a loaf of bread. How else would my life be interesting?

Mommy & Me: Part 2

Traci and I went to the "Mommy and Me" program for the second meeting last night. Apparently they still need some help so they can get the troop started. They have two women who have signed on already but they still have some training to do. The problem is that they are unable to meet on the days we already meet so we agreed on a day that would work for everyone.

Soon the discussion turns into finding someone else who would be willing to take the training so they are qualified to run a troop. This person would only serve as a back up for one of the leaders if they are unable to participate. Most mothers showed some interest and one even volunteered her husband. Whoever decided to volunteer had to speak with her at the end of the meeting. I went up to her and volunteered. She made an announcement that I volunteered and there was a HUGE sigh of relief in the room. What happened to all of the mothers who wanted to volunteer their time? They all began to tell me how grateful and relieved they were that I stepped up. (Apparently they only mentioned helping b/c it was the right thing to do) .

Well, hopefully I made the right decision. I have much paperwork to fill out and mail in. It includes references and a background check, among other things. Maybe I'm growing as an individual :-) One year ago I would have slid out of the room undetectable. Everyone's relief made me nervous. Now that I think about it, she was trying rather hard to sell this idea of being a troop leader. I only wonder what I have gotten myself into!!

Mommy & Me

It has been awhile since I have spent quality time with Traci. I am usually preoccupied with everything else and she is tied up with playing or with her grandmother. She is a special little girl :) Her personality is winning. She is charismatic and happy. She has to be the smartest 5 year old I know. It's more than academics. It is like she has knowledge of life and is extremely articulate. Sometimes she says things to me and I wonder "Who taught her to use words like that?" She can talk a cold man out of his clothes on a cold Rochester day. And she's eager to learn everything!
This evening we went to a "Mommy & Me" event held by the Girl Scouts. She is officially a Brownie. How cute? There were several other girls there with their mothers and two even had their fathers with them. We played an ice breaker game, they were taught the Girl Scout code or whatever it's called. We listened to the first chapter of a story, we talked about gardens. The girls went around and told about what was in their garden, but Traci actually told about her garden. We walked around in a line and pretended to be different things you find in a garden and ended with making a collage. The kids had a great time and I didn't think it was so bad. This happens once a week for a month and then they form a troop. She was beaming as we walked out of the room and down the hallway. . . and SHE held my hand.

What old things are you getting rid of and what new things are you picking up?

Personally I want to get rid of the drama in my life. ALL of it from every direction from each person..just let it go. I also want to let go of my fear of failure. You can't move forward if you are afraid to fail.

I want to add more happiness (cliche right?) and good habits which include follow-through, self-motivation and following my heart. I want to do what makes me feel good.

It is not a New Year's Resolution, just saw the phrase "out with the old, in with the new" thought I'd define my old and new!

Day at the Museum of Play

I took the kids to the Strong National Museum of Play over the weekend. We had a great time. I wanted new pics of them but the died before we finished. I uploaded what I had to Picassa and I thought I'd try the "Blog" button to show off the collage I made.
We went later than I'd planned so we had lunch as soon as we got there. When that was finished the arguments began. "Mommy can we go upstairs and dance?", "Mommy, I wanna go in this room!". Then there was the baby who didn't care where we went because he was more focused on running wildly.
We went to most exhibits on the first floor as well as the Butterfly Garden. The last time we went to the Butterfly Garden, it was nice because we were the only ones there. This time it was too crowded to enjoy. Everyone was stuck on standing still and I didn't feel like staring at leaves for 20 minutes. We maneuvered around well enough, the girls followed the butterflies and actually held some. The butterflies really seemed to like Jonathan, he was frequently on the run after being "attacked" by the butterflies. :)
We spent some time in the Berenstain Bears exhibit before we headed to the Reading Adventureland. Jonathan loves climbing Jacks "Beanstalk" so I had the opportunity to sit for a few moments. I was fortunate enough to meet a nice young woman who, upon first meeting, thought I was about 12 years old. A few minutes later, I was informed of her husband not being the best father and some weight issues! She had a neat accent.
We moved on to other exhibits, which made it difficult to keep up with all three children. Someone always seems to get lost every visit. We have a plan, one kid stays put, the other girl and I walk in opposite directions as long as she is in my eyesight. We usually find the missing child (the boy) climbing through something nearby.We went into the History Place where there is a parlor, attic and kitchen that dates back around the turn of the century. Jonathan LOVES the train and will watch it as if it were the first time he saw it, every time. He also likes to cook in the kitchen and had a tea party with a younger boy who could not talk yet. Neither understood the concept of sharing, it made for a funny scene. The girls spent most of their time in the kitchen cooking and ironing.
We finished at the arts and crafts tables where I made them leave their artwork behind at a quarter to 5 because we have MORE than enough of it at home.