Crafty Kids

iKeith and I had a rare date night last night.  Aunt Bobbi dropped me off on a street corner downtown and then I met up with my date.  We had drinks and food and more drinks.  We were talking about this one time that I went to rehab in Texas and were trying to remember when that was.  I pulled up my blog to verify the date and found this gem of a blog post.  Please enjoy this blast from the past when my kids were so little.

*****

Alex's booster seat has a hole in the top of it where a tray is suppose to fit in it, but we have him sit right at the table. He likes to stick things in the hole. Mainly....food he doesn't want to eat and his silverware.

Alex woke early this morning....

He's a lot like his Daddy and likes his sleep so I wondered what had him up so early. He couldn't wait for me to get him dressed and was really losing patience with me wanting to hang up his clean clothes before I removed him from his crib. As soon as I had him dressed he was down the stairs like a shot, not even going to get Mallory from her room.

Mallory and I came downstairs to find Alex munching on a piece of pizza from last nights dinner!!! He was sitting on the couch watching The Today Show enjoying his crusty piece of pizza. I'm guessing he had hidden it last night and couldn't wait to get to it.



I asked Alex where he got the pizza and he went to the kitchen and showed me his booster seat.



I just can't believe that he wanted MORE pizza because he ate almost half of a cheese pizza, part of an orange and a banana last night for dinner.

Just look at my silly little booger!



EDITED:

Hubby told a co-worker about Alex's antics and he suggested that child protective services should look into alleged neglect of a two year old that needs to hide food to stay alive. So I thought I would add a surveillance photo of the two year old victim stealing grapes from the kitchen.


Isn't it amazing the lengths that this child goes to in order to sustain his life?
And he is probably sneakin food to his poor starving little sister.....

A Saucy Minx and Wildfires

It's 6:05am and I'm headed to DIA to pick up this saucy minx.

Also known as AUNT BOBBI!

The kids have been counting the sleeps.

We're going to have so much fun we won't know what hit us!

**

Please pray for the cities of Ft Collins, Colorado Springs and Boulder.  Wildfires are ravaging precious land and homes.  I have friends and family in all locations and we need your prayers and good thoughts.  

Pray for rain.

Lots and lots of rain.

Other than that.  Colorado is open for business!

Dreaming About Orlando

I'm Friday Daydreaming about our NEXT family vacation. A vacation that I was moments away from buying airline tickets for earlier this week. Twice.

 Keith has been telling the kids that we will take them to Orlando to see Harry Potter's house. They talk about little else (except Aunt Bobbi visiting next week) because they get to ride on an AIRPLANE.

Credit 

Twice this week, I found dirt cheap airfare to Orlando in November.  We worked up a budget and we talked and talked about it.  Then....we measured our 5 year old daughter. 

She's only 45 and a half inches. 

She needs to be 48 inches to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.  At this point....that ride IS the Forbidden Journey.

I suggested platform shoes and a bouffant hairdo.  

Instead, we decided to wait until she grows the 2.5 inches because we don't want her to miss out.

So I sit here.....dreaming about Universal Studios Orlando and The Hard Rock Hotel.

Linking up with my buddy Becca at R We There Yet Mom?

Time To Say Goodbye

It's 3 o'clock in the afternoon in Denmark and Helle should be almost home.  It's been a while since she's seen her family because she's spent the last year as my friends Au Pair.

For the last 9 months, she's been my friend and occasional babysitter.

I will fully admit that I judged her harshly when I first saw her.  I didn't think that the skinny blonde in the cut offs and high heels would have anything in common with me.  Heck.  I'm old enough to be her Mother!

It took a few weeks but we started talking and I discovered what a thoughtful and kind person she is.  She was so helpful during the school year, watching Mallory when I volunteered in Alex's classroom.  And she watched the kids a few times, so Keith and I could have more date nights together.

I loved our Girls Night's with the rest of our group. They normally took place after PTA meetings and we affectionately called them P (minus T) A Meetings.  She even came to one PTA meeting and that is when the rumor started that I was related to her Host Mom.  I love these girls like family!

My favorite memory  of Helle is when she came to my apartment during Christmas Break and showed me how to make traditional Danish Rice Pudding.  It will  always be our Christmas tradition.  We will always think of Helle.

I tried desperately to get her to marry my brother in law Robert before she left so that she'd have to come back and then she'd be my sister.  She declined.  She's got big plans to go to school and wants to be a teacher.  She's going to do great things and I'm so sad that I may never see her again.

Life....will not be as much fun without her.

Movies, Popcorn and Big Wheel Races

A couple weeks ago, our apartment complex put together an outdoor movie night right outside my patio.  I'm told that this is going to be a monthly thing and we couldn't be more excited!

We set up our blanket two hours before show time so that we'd have a good seat and I made multiple bags of popcorn.  We bought candy at the store and drank Cranberry Fresca.  Have you tried this stuff yet?  So good!

When I was at the store picking out popcorn I discovered that Orville has these cool new bags that are perfect for movie night!  The top is a clear plastic and after you rip it off....the bag is it's own bowl!  So handy.

You know how I like to observe people?  Well....I observed my neighbors (who have 4 kids) trying to make baby number 5 right in front of us.  AWKWARD!

For your viewing pleasure.  A short video of my kids being reckless on big wheels.  I have 911 on speed dial.....

I was not compensated for this post about popcorn. I don't even know Orville and he doesn't know me.

Dreaming Together

You are probably wondering where I've disappeared to.  I'll put it in list form in no particular order.

• Sick child that thinks she has bird flu. *how does she know what bird flu is?*
• The discovery of Dance Moms.  *I'm addicted*
• Husband working 14 hour days on an app. *i get to tell you about this one*
• The TV show Dallas. *connie passes wine coolers*

So....I've been tied up.  But not really tied up.  *connie bites her lower lip*

I just finished participating in a Twitter Party from EnlistMom and Pachas Pajamas where we were talking about our children's dreams.

Not the kind they dream at night.

The *what do you want to be* dreams.

It got me thinking about my childhood and what I wanted to be when I grew up.  There was a time when I was 8 that I wanted to be an Avon Lady.  I thought it was the coolest thing that we would go to this woman's house and she would hand my mother a bag of make up and perfume.  

When I was older.....I really wanted to be a hair stylist.  I was really good at doing hair and I loved getting my hair cut.  The gals doing it always looked so great!  Cute clothes and fun hair styles.  However, I was discouraged.  I was told that you have to do a lot of perms to make money.

Instead, someone else decided that I should be a Pilot and Air Traffic Controller.  Seriously? 

That dream was dashed when I failed my written test and could never land the airplane due to air sickness.

No one ever encouraged me to go to college.  Instead, my new dream became moving out of my parents house and getting married.

Now, my dream is fulfilled.  I'm married to a great guy and have the two best kids anyone could ask for.  I consider it my job to make their dreams come true and support them in whatever they decide they want to do.  

What is your child's dream?  What will you do to make it happen?

Loaf Love at The Denver Zoo

I've told you all before about my lists.  I believe that sending your intentions (or wishes) for your life brings back to you what you want or need.  I didn't think about my Summer Fun List in that way until last week.

Before I hung our list on the wall, I added ZOO.  I don't normally like the Zoo but my kids love it and being the selfless Mother that I am....I added it.

A few days later, I was contacted by a PR firm asking if I'd like to take my family to the Denver Zoo and taste some cheese at the Loaf Love Tour?  She had me at cheese.

Sunday, we were VIP guests of Tillamook Cheese at the Zoo and it was such a fun experience! I have to mention here that my husband (bless his heart) still thinks that you all are my imaginary friends in my computer but now he's starting to understand that his trophy wife is somebody on the internet.

Mallory is just running around calling herself a VIP now.

The weather was perfect....not too hot and although it took us forever to find parking, it really wasn't that crowed.  

We loved seeing all of the monkeys (even the ones that were giving each other a massage) and birds and I was thrilled to find a little hut selling Coors Light.  Just like at the ball game....it was the best beer I've ever tasted!  A big Bear smiled at me and made my day.  Keith says he was baring his teeth....not smiling and that he wanted to eat me.

Soon we found ourselves in front of the brand new Toyota Elephant Passage! It is really amazing and so beautiful.  

We stopped for lunch at Kamala Cafe just outside of the Elephant Passage Amphitheater.  This is when we learned that there was going to be a show with the largest animal at The Denver Zoo.  His name is Groucho and he weights 11,500 pounds!

He put on a great show and we loved every minute of it!  Even the part when Groucho showed us the aftermath of eating 250 pounds of food a day. 

Thank you Tillamook Cheese for a great day at the zoo!

Check here to see if the Loaf Love Tour is coming to your city!

disclaimer: I was provided passes to the zoo and all the cheese i could eat.  Opinions are all mine.

Somebody I Used To Know

Dear Lisa, 

I google your name all the time.  I don't know what I'm looking for exactly but I think I figured out that you have two boys.  I bet they have your curly blonde hair and blue eyes.  

I still can't believe that our lives didn't turn out exactly like we planned them when we were thirteen. How fun would it have been to live next door to each other so our kids would grow up together?  

It wouldn't have worked out anyway, because I don't live in our old hometown and your kids are much older than mine.  I also can't see our husbands hanging out, drinking Bud Light. Keith's more of a Fosters kind of guy.  My life is very different from the one that we had planned.

I'll never forget all of the good times we had together or all the trouble we got into.  I will always remember we both dated the same boy in 8th grade.  We were so cruel to him! 

I can't hear about the TV show Dallas, talk about roller skating or drink a orange wine cooler without thinking about you. I'm still mad about how badly your Mom treated you and your 8:30pm phone curfew.

And on May 15th every year I close my eyes and wish you a Happy Birthday.  

I've never had a best friend like you again in my life.  Someday, I'll tell my daughter all about you and I hope that she has a best friend but I hope she gets to keep hers for a lifetime.

I wish you well and pray that you have a new best friend because you deserve one.  


If I could dedicate a song to you on the radio today, it would be this one.  

Your Old Friend, 

Connie

Lisa and I met in 3rd grade and were friends until we were 24 years old.  I was divorcing my first husband when her fiancé had a problem with her going to the bars with me and made her decide.  Him or me.  She picked him.  I haven't seen or heard from her in 17 years.


Linking up An Open Letter to Somebody That I Used To Know with MamaKat.

I Challenge You

I challenge you to.....not do any chores today.

Instead, I want you to play.  

Draw, paint, read and swing.

Do it all, grab the brass ring!

"I hope my child looks back on today and sees a mother who had time to play. There will be years for cleaning and cooking but children grow up when you’re not looking. Tomorrow I’ll do all the chores you can mention but today, my baby needs time and attention. So settle down cobwebs; dust go to sleep, I’m cuddling my baby, and babies don’t keep."

Summer Fun: Belmar Farmers Market

We are so lucky to live near Belmar.

When Keith and I were growing up, there was a mall called Villa Italia.  It was a grand mall at the time and we both spent lots of time there as kids.  It was torn down because of disrepair in 2002 and Belmar was built in it's place.

You wouldn't think an outdoor mall would be a good idea in Colorado because it does get cold in the winter and who wants to walk around outside in the snow.  I'm here to tell you that Coloradans are a tough bunch and we walk around without coats if it's more than 45 degrees.  We'll bitch about the cold....but we'll do it.

So Belmar.....has shops, restaurants, a movie theater, offices, a Super Target and a Whole Foods.  It has more stuff but I don't feel like spilling all of my secrets today.  In the winter it also has ice skating!  How cool is that?

Many years ago, Keith and I would sit in the bar at The Elephant Bar and look up at the condo's for sale.  We were trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant at the time and we decided if being parents wasn't in the cards for us....that we'd move to the condo and be regulars at all of the local bars.

What a sad, sad life that would have been!

Of course, the moment we actually went to look at one of the condos....I wound up pregnant.

Now, we take our children to Belmar all the time.  The Rock Pizza gets most of our money and Dick's Sporting Goods is a fun place to spend some time.  This summer we'll be at the Farmer's Market every Sunday!

Linking up with Impulsive and Shawn for Talk To Us Tuesday!

What I Learned In Kindergarten

1. Not Everyone Will Want To Be Your Friend.

I thought I was getting 19 new friends at the beginning of the school year.  I was friendly, learned everyone's names and which kid they belonged with.  After a few months, people that clicked....gravitated to each other and others didn't. Also, not every child will want to be your kids friend for the same reasons.  It's okay!  Be advised that if you report to the teacher that your kid is being written on with a dry erase marker and picked on in class that the child's mother will stop talking to you and liking anything you have to say on Facebook.

2. Some People Will Be Your Friend For The Wrong Reason.

Not to sound like an episode of The Bachelor, but if someone is feeding you information about your teacher that is negative and keeps calling you under the guise of being friends.  They have an agenda.  I didn't realize this until it was too late.

3. Standing Up for What You Believe is Right...Is Always a Good Idea.

Even if it means some people (see #2) won't like you or talk to you anymore.  Don't be afraid to speak up if someone is being wronged.  Your opinion is so very important and the administration appreciates it.

4. PTA is Awesome!

If you are a parent that likes to be in the middle of the action and you have any skills, join PTA!  Being a part of a group that has good intentions is a wonderful feeling. Side note: Have your husband join too...you never know when you'll need to vote on something important.

5. Volunteering in the Classroom is Fun!

I was nervous at first and fretted over my outfits because I wanted the teacher to like me but it was all fine.  Watching your kid interact with his friends in class and soaking up information like a sponge is a joy to behold.  Also, teachers LOVE volunteers.  Unless of course, you just want to sit in the back of the room taking notes.  This is strongly discouraged!

6. Having Cocktails with Fellow Kinder Moms is Therapy.

Get together with each other.  At the park with the kids, at PTA, at a bar after the kids are in bed.  You are all in this together and when it's over you'll be as tight as people that have been in a war or jail together.

7.  The Teacher Doesn't Want to be Your BFF.

This was a tough one for me.  But....she's busy with 20 or more children and she has friends of her own and a family and doesn't have time for a new BFF.  It's okay.

8. Field Day is The Best Day of The Year!

At the continuation ceremony for both half day classes.....many of the kids said that Field Day was their favorite part of Kindergarten.  It made me soooo happy because I was the coordinator!  I'm so thrilled that I contributed to their school year and they were happy.

9.  Kindergarten is Expensive.

I tracked our expenses on a spreadsheet and we spent $700.  Between school supplies, yearbooks, school pictures, field trips, teacher gifts, scholastic book orders, PTA dues and the Science fair....it all adds up!

10.  Sometimes You Need A Do Over.

Kindergarten is not what it used to be.  There are no naps or snacks and your kid will work HARD! The problem is that they are still starting kids at 5 years old but the curriculum has advanced.  If your child was not fully ready, this is the perfect time to start again.  It's a proven fact that 6 year old (boys) do better in Kindergarten.  We decided we'd rather re-start the school process so that Alex could fully master all he needs to know to continue on, rather than struggle for the rest of his school career.  It was a hard choice to make, and we're sad that he won't be with his friends but it was the right thing to do for him.

 

End of Year School Gifts

CLICK HERE to see this years Teacher Gift!

I knew that I wanted to put together something for my son's teacher for the end of the school year.  As you recall, our original teacher is very ill and was unable to continue teaching the class.  In April, this lovely teacher took over and has done an amazing job!

My original idea was a summer basket.  I was going to put a number of things (beach towel, sunglasses, insulated drink cup) into a straw handbag......and then I saw the paper plate caddy at Target and I knew that I could use it to hold some fun items!

The only drawback to this gift.  It was a little heavy and my kid asked that I pick something lighter next year!

End of Year Classmate Gift

Alex is not going to 1st grade with his class next year, so I wanted him to be able to give his classmates something to remember him by.  It was a huge hit!  As a side note: going to 4 Target stores to find 19 beach balls in the dollar spot took my mind off the fact that my little boy is going to repeat Kindergarten next year.

Thank you to Tami Wilson Blog for the idea and free printable!

Stay tuned for a post titled: What I Learned in Kindergarten!