Happy New Year! I feel like I haven't stopped since before the holidays (technically when my last post was written). We've had blizzards, broken snowblowers, strep throat, antibiotics, migraine headaches, doctor's appointments, snow days, snow shovelling into the wee hours of the morning, more doctor's appointments and my birthday (to name just a few things that have occurred). This last event was yesterday and I had a fantastic day. I will be posting about this and all of these other events soon, but I have something really exciting to share with you!
I was invited to do a guest post on the blog "Blah To Ta-Daa" (www.blahtota-daa.blogspot.com)!! Mellisa and the other ladies on this blog post recipes, ideas and tips to save all of us (and our families) from making and eating the same darn things for dinner every single week! Here is my guest post in the flesh:
http://blahtota-daa.blogspot.com/2011/01/apple-day.html
There's a yummy recipe in there, but it also discusses my love affair with apples. Go visit my post AND don't forget to scroll down and check out their terrific recipes!!
I am extremely grateful to Mellisa for choosing me and I plan to continue to post there in the future! Am I the luckiest forty-something (birthdays are hard) on the planet?
Cristy
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Friday, December 24, 2010
Merry Christmas to All!
OK, it is Christmas Eve Afternoon. I want to wish all of my readers who celebrate a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! So, here's to you and your families!
However, I did not make it as easy on myself as I said I would back in this post:
http://somanykidssomuchfun.blogspot.com/2010/11/wednesday-news-november-24-2010.html
Back then, I was "full speed ahead", "get the sales", "get it done early" and (gasp!) WRAP everything INSTEAD of staying up until the wee hours of Christmas morning with Dave, both of us bleary-eyed and forgetting for whom the present was and WHAT it was! No joke!
Alas, there will be some late-night wrapping tonight, but my kids are old enough now that I can tell them that Mom is going into the basement to "work with some surprises" and "do NOT come down", this afternoon.
I did do a lot better than in previous years, however. I shopped a little at a time and I DID get a lot of good prices. My planning ahead paid off! I also cut way back on my baking this year. My kids love to bake and cook so I think I was burned out from a steady stream of that all year. Our gifts to our teachers and pretty much everyone who is not family is usually iced/colored-sugared/sprinkled/chocolatey/cinnamoned (or any combination of these) baked goods of some sort. This year, I went with small, store-bought, but useful gifts.
Of course, Christmas is not about all of the presents and the wrapping anyway. I feel very blessed that everyone in our family knows that. It's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle, but we have to remember the "reason for the season". God Bless You and make some memories!!
However, I did not make it as easy on myself as I said I would back in this post:
http://somanykidssomuchfun.blogspot.com/2010/11/wednesday-news-november-24-2010.html
Back then, I was "full speed ahead", "get the sales", "get it done early" and (gasp!) WRAP everything INSTEAD of staying up until the wee hours of Christmas morning with Dave, both of us bleary-eyed and forgetting for whom the present was and WHAT it was! No joke!
Alas, there will be some late-night wrapping tonight, but my kids are old enough now that I can tell them that Mom is going into the basement to "work with some surprises" and "do NOT come down", this afternoon.
I did do a lot better than in previous years, however. I shopped a little at a time and I DID get a lot of good prices. My planning ahead paid off! I also cut way back on my baking this year. My kids love to bake and cook so I think I was burned out from a steady stream of that all year. Our gifts to our teachers and pretty much everyone who is not family is usually iced/colored-sugared/sprinkled/chocolatey/cinnamoned (or any combination of these) baked goods of some sort. This year, I went with small, store-bought, but useful gifts.
Of course, Christmas is not about all of the presents and the wrapping anyway. I feel very blessed that everyone in our family knows that. It's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle, but we have to remember the "reason for the season". God Bless You and make some memories!!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
A T-Shirt
"Two entries won an iPad and all I got is this lousy T-shirt."
Honestly, I was just very happy to get anything! THANK YOU to all who voted for me on FB for the recipe contest. If you don't know what I'm talking about, consult my previous post: http://somanykidssomuchfun.blogspot.com/2010/12/all-i-want-for-holidays-is-some-yummly.html
They decided to give the top 2 people with the most "Likes" each an iPad. These folks got over 1000 "Likes" on FB. I was 1 of 4 who got T-shirts, so I'm still happy with the amount of support I have. They only awarded the "Top 6".
I had a lot of fun entering and that's the important thing. As soon as it arrives, I will have a picture up of myself sporting it!
Honestly, I was just very happy to get anything! THANK YOU to all who voted for me on FB for the recipe contest. If you don't know what I'm talking about, consult my previous post: http://somanykidssomuchfun.blogspot.com/2010/12/all-i-want-for-holidays-is-some-yummly.html
They decided to give the top 2 people with the most "Likes" each an iPad. These folks got over 1000 "Likes" on FB. I was 1 of 4 who got T-shirts, so I'm still happy with the amount of support I have. They only awarded the "Top 6".
I had a lot of fun entering and that's the important thing. As soon as it arrives, I will have a picture up of myself sporting it!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
The "All I Want for the Holidays is Some Yummly Food and an iPad Contest from yummly.com
Hi friends! Thank you to my new followers both on this blog AND on my BlogFrog community. It tickles me pink when I see my numbers go up!
OK, so I'm asking for help again. If you give me "Likes" of FB for this recipe AND I get the MOST "likes"...I WIN AN iPAD! It's actually for my dh. He desperately needs one for work. His Blackberry looks like it's been crushed by a garbage truck, survived and came back to life.
Here's more information about the contest:
http://blog.yummly.com/blog/the-all-i-want-for-the-holidays-is-some-yummly-food-and-an-ipad-contest/
You can click on my badge in the upper corner of my blog's homepage. It will direct you to my FB page and then you can "like" the recipe! I will be reposting the recipe daily so it will be easy to find among my status updates.
THANK YOU! Whenver you click "Like" on my recipe, add your blog to the Linky below. I, as a thank you, will visit your blog, leave a comment and even repost a link if something strikes me as funny, cool or interesting! Plus, other people can see your blog and you may get more visitors!
I'm so excited that I can try to win something to give to my dh AND help my fellow bloggers by getting them exposure on Linky!
OK, so I'm asking for help again. If you give me "Likes" of FB for this recipe AND I get the MOST "likes"...I WIN AN iPAD! It's actually for my dh. He desperately needs one for work. His Blackberry looks like it's been crushed by a garbage truck, survived and came back to life.
Here's more information about the contest:
http://blog.yummly.com/blog/the-all-i-want-for-the-holidays-is-some-yummly-food-and-an-ipad-contest/
You can click on my badge in the upper corner of my blog's homepage. It will direct you to my FB page and then you can "like" the recipe! I will be reposting the recipe daily so it will be easy to find among my status updates.
THANK YOU! Whenver you click "Like" on my recipe, add your blog to the Linky below. I, as a thank you, will visit your blog, leave a comment and even repost a link if something strikes me as funny, cool or interesting! Plus, other people can see your blog and you may get more visitors!
I'm so excited that I can try to win something to give to my dh AND help my fellow bloggers by getting them exposure on Linky!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
2946, do I hear 3000?
Do I sound like an auctioneer? Thank you wonderful readers! You have brought my Stat Count (how many people have visited my blog) up to 2946. I am planning something special when I hit 3000! Keep visiting! You all make my day!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
More Pacman's Pesto Pizza!
Ooh, I'm using alliteration and (un)aware (in the title). It's a variation on "You're a poet and don't know it.."
"The Wednesday News" is delayed due to some folks who have been under the weather in our home. It will be up tomorrow so please stop back! In the meantime, enjoy one of my favorite photos! It's a homemade pesto pizza (that was delicious, but I haven't made since due to laziness). My friend nicknamed it "Pacman" for obvious reasons that did not occur to me when I took the picture. I wanted to TRY the pizza THEN photograph it and share with my online friends!
Here's a video that you can sing-a-long with! This is a real song from the early 80's in case you were in diapers! Instructions: Substitute "pizza" for "fever". Enjoy!
"The Wednesday News" is delayed due to some folks who have been under the weather in our home. It will be up tomorrow so please stop back! In the meantime, enjoy one of my favorite photos! It's a homemade pesto pizza (that was delicious, but I haven't made since due to laziness). My friend nicknamed it "Pacman" for obvious reasons that did not occur to me when I took the picture. I wanted to TRY the pizza THEN photograph it and share with my online friends!
Here's a video that you can sing-a-long with! This is a real song from the early 80's in case you were in diapers! Instructions: Substitute "pizza" for "fever". Enjoy!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Five Question Friday
Hi! I haven't done this in awhile and I've missed it. Thank you, as always, to our host www.fivecrookedhalos.blogspot.com .
Since my last post, we've celebrated my daughter's 11th birthday with the family, I'm still rockin' the Christmas music and have done a TON of shopping. You want to hear something scary? OUR TREE IS UP ALREADY!! We NEVER do it before mid-December nevermind BEFORE December 1. Something about the Christmas spirit coming early this year (oh, and enjoying the holiday season without our usual last-minute nonsense).
OK, so I'm TOTALLY dating myself here, but I HAD to share this! These were the BEST toys! Growing up, Fisher Price toys were my favorites: the parking garage, the farm equipped with the door that opens and says, "Moo!", the dollhouse, etc.
The Treetots are Kenner toys but were very similar in that you could pretend play with people ("Treetots") in a treehouse that pops up to reveal their home or at an amusement park. How FUN!! They had other playsets, but these were the two that I had.
One of my best holiday memories was when I was playing with the Amusement Park on Christmas morning and my grandmother reminded me that I had a whole week off of school to PLAY!! I can't describe the feeling I had after first opening these awesome toys and then knowing I could spend what seemed like endless time playing with them!!! Over the MOON!!
3. If you had life to do over, what would you be when you grow up?
I have to say, I'm living my dream. I feel extremely blessed that I can say that as so many people cannot. I have a solid, loving marriage and four beautiful kids that I stay home with.
Ever since I was a kid, there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to be married-with-children. I also wanted to be a physician, musician and later on, a therapist. I did do an advanced degree in counseling and I will go back to the field when the time is right. I still have the utmost respect for physicians and musicians, but I have everything I've ever wanted in life (OK, I did talk about wanting more clothes and shoes, but the really important stuff? Got 'em.)
Since my last post, we've celebrated my daughter's 11th birthday with the family, I'm still rockin' the Christmas music and have done a TON of shopping. You want to hear something scary? OUR TREE IS UP ALREADY!! We NEVER do it before mid-December nevermind BEFORE December 1. Something about the Christmas spirit coming early this year (oh, and enjoying the holiday season without our usual last-minute nonsense).
1. What's on the top of your holiday wish list and why?!
Wow. I'd really like an electric frying pan because I love to cook. That's right. I won't cry if someone buys me an appliance instead of something more personal. I would embrace the gift (and the giftgiver!!).
I saw a recipe the other day that screamed "This would be a snap with an electric frying pan." I can't for the life of me now remember what creation I was thinking of making for my family, but I will find something. We eat very little fried food, but maybe I was thinking of making fried chicken (fried in oil set to a specific temperature in the new frying pan!) as a decadent meal? Can't remember...
ANYWAY, at the TOP of my list would be gift certificates for clothing or shoes. I really love to dress up. Funky, chunky OR classic jewelry like necklaces, earrings and bracelets (especially homemade unique stuff...love it!), a colorful top/sweater/vest and different types of skirts and pants.
THEN, I would top it off with a great pair of shoes! Mwah!! I love all of the boots out this season. I do have a pair of knock-off Ugg boots that I adore, but I could really go crazy in a shoe store if allowed to. I particularly love high heels. Unfortunately, my... ahem.."older" body does not. However, I can get away with a short heel and do so as much as appropriate (in other words, not to the gym, but pretty much everywhere else.). I try to do 3 1/2 inchers if I know I'll be seated most of the evening or whatever event I'm attending, but it's really painful.
Accessories? Absolutely! Handbags, scarves, belts, winter gloves or do I daresay a HAT! I then match my makeup to whatever I'm wearing and I am ready to take on the day (the world?). It makes me feel so good! If it's a good hair day too, watch out! I just might start dancing!!
Unfortunately, reality is, well not cold because I do have everything I NEED, but it does not pave the way for me to buy very many clothes/shoes for myself. Insert: Christmas list!!
2. What is your favorite Christmas gift from the past?
I can think of a couple of things that I received when I was older, but my favorite gift of all time was the Treetots Family Treehouse and the Treetots Amusement Park!
The Treetots are Kenner toys but were very similar in that you could pretend play with people ("Treetots") in a treehouse that pops up to reveal their home or at an amusement park. How FUN!! They had other playsets, but these were the two that I had.
One of my best holiday memories was when I was playing with the Amusement Park on Christmas morning and my grandmother reminded me that I had a whole week off of school to PLAY!! I can't describe the feeling I had after first opening these awesome toys and then knowing I could spend what seemed like endless time playing with them!!! Over the MOON!!
Ever since I was a kid, there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to be married-with-children. I also wanted to be a physician, musician and later on, a therapist. I did do an advanced degree in counseling and I will go back to the field when the time is right. I still have the utmost respect for physicians and musicians, but I have everything I've ever wanted in life (OK, I did talk about wanting more clothes and shoes, but the really important stuff? Got 'em.)
4. When do you put up your tree?
Normally, we wait until after my daughter's birthday (which was yesterday). This was mostly for sanity's sake when she was younger. We'd always have a party with some of her friends at the house. One or more of us would usually come down with some bug or my husband would be out-of-town. So, her birthday and executing the party were enough for the beginning of the month of December.
As she got older and the party got a little simpler as the guests became more self-sufficient, we STILL didn't put up our tree until after her birthday. Even though her special day is in early December, we still wanted it to be separated from Christmas as much as possible.
This year, like I said up above, we are just ahead of the game. We are NOT familiar with this concept, but it's VERY nice. The usual weekend we would do it before was around the 15th of December. The tree went up last Sunday, NOVEMBER (!!!!!) 28! It does need quite a bit more decorating, but oh my GOODNESS! OUR tree (the family of last minutes and "one-more-things") was UP in NOVEMBER!! Our neighbors must think that someone else moved into our house when they drive by and see the beautiful lights through the window.
5. What is your favorite Holiday?
I think I would have to say July 4th, but as I'm becoming more and more efficient (apparently) Christmas is moving up to the favorite. I love the summer. My kids and I get to spend so much time together, the weather is nice and we can play for hours and hours outside!
Having a holiday right in the middle of this wonderful season is so much fun! We always have a cookout, my husband has the day off to spend with us and we NEVER miss the local fireworks!! "Summertime and the livin' is easy" at its best.
I love the Christmas season with the music, the giving spirit, decorating, baking and as much snow as you can throw at us to make it even more magical. (Yes, we live in the Northeast!)
However, for so much of my life, Christmas was SO stressful. In college, I'd be finishing up exams right up until the end. Then, I'd have to rush out and shop at the last minute (on a shoestring budget to boot).
As I got older, engaged and then married, we would have to travel to see both sets of parents. Next, it was time to bring all of the kids on these trips! I would not trade the visits and the time with all of the family for the WORLD, but logistics, weather, illnesses, time off of work for my husband made it tough sometimes! It was always worth it in the end, though.
While you can't avoid the stress completely, you can certainly plan ahead and get more done gradually. I'd better go. One of my online orders came in today. I must open it, wrap it and label it before another one comes in! Gotta keep on top of all of this!!
Having a holiday right in the middle of this wonderful season is so much fun! We always have a cookout, my husband has the day off to spend with us and we NEVER miss the local fireworks!! "Summertime and the livin' is easy" at its best.
I love the Christmas season with the music, the giving spirit, decorating, baking and as much snow as you can throw at us to make it even more magical. (Yes, we live in the Northeast!)
However, for so much of my life, Christmas was SO stressful. In college, I'd be finishing up exams right up until the end. Then, I'd have to rush out and shop at the last minute (on a shoestring budget to boot).
As I got older, engaged and then married, we would have to travel to see both sets of parents. Next, it was time to bring all of the kids on these trips! I would not trade the visits and the time with all of the family for the WORLD, but logistics, weather, illnesses, time off of work for my husband made it tough sometimes! It was always worth it in the end, though.
While you can't avoid the stress completely, you can certainly plan ahead and get more done gradually. I'd better go. One of my online orders came in today. I must open it, wrap it and label it before another one comes in! Gotta keep on top of all of this!!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
How's YOUR Swag(ger)?
Oh my goodness! I just discovered a really fun way to earn money. It's a search engine (like Google and others you know and love) that rewards you JUST FOR SURFING! It's called Swagbucks. You DO NOT have to use it exclusively for your only search engine either. I don't plan to!
One of my wonderful followers, who also shares her incredible wealth of knowledge with other bloggers all of the time AND is one of my favorite bloggers to read has an extended post about how to use Swagbucks. I'm a newbie, but I would encourage you to click on some of the ads at the right of my blog posts. If you click on them and decide to join, I get a referral...AND...you guessed it...more Swagbucks for me (and for you...just for joining!)
Here is her wonderful post. She convinced me!
http://www.theredheadriter.com/2010/11/easy-money-pros-and-cons-of-swagbucks.html
I'm already hooked! The only thing that I am finding tough is my continuing to search for surveys I qualify for (and hence just one of the ways you can earn Swagbucks toward purchases, sweepstakes, gift cards, etc., etc. Wow!). Don't like to do surveys? How about daily polls or checking out their special offers?
I love to do surveys (I guess I'm opinionated?), so I started with that. They tell you how long the survey takes (not like other sites I've been to) how many Swagbucks you'll earn and the likelihood you'll qualify for a particular survey (40% chance, 60% chance). Then, they ask you some basic questions and let you know if you will be able to participate or not. Obviously, the longer the survey (I saw one for 8 minutes and one for 30 minutes, for example), the more Swagbucks you earn!
I wasn't eligible for any thus far, but I'm going to keep trying!!
I checked it out and joined. What have you got to lose?
One of my wonderful followers, who also shares her incredible wealth of knowledge with other bloggers all of the time AND is one of my favorite bloggers to read has an extended post about how to use Swagbucks. I'm a newbie, but I would encourage you to click on some of the ads at the right of my blog posts. If you click on them and decide to join, I get a referral...AND...you guessed it...more Swagbucks for me (and for you...just for joining!)
Here is her wonderful post. She convinced me!
http://www.theredheadriter.com/2010/11/easy-money-pros-and-cons-of-swagbucks.html
I'm already hooked! The only thing that I am finding tough is my continuing to search for surveys I qualify for (and hence just one of the ways you can earn Swagbucks toward purchases, sweepstakes, gift cards, etc., etc. Wow!). Don't like to do surveys? How about daily polls or checking out their special offers?
I love to do surveys (I guess I'm opinionated?), so I started with that. They tell you how long the survey takes (not like other sites I've been to) how many Swagbucks you'll earn and the likelihood you'll qualify for a particular survey (40% chance, 60% chance). Then, they ask you some basic questions and let you know if you will be able to participate or not. Obviously, the longer the survey (I saw one for 8 minutes and one for 30 minutes, for example), the more Swagbucks you earn!
I wasn't eligible for any thus far, but I'm going to keep trying!!
I checked it out and joined. What have you got to lose?
Friday, November 26, 2010
The Wednesday News, November 24, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving!
OK, it's official. I am in the holiday spirit! I have been avoiding the Christmas music on the radio until today, when my kids asked for it. I thought they started playing it MUCH earlier this year...like NOVEMBER 1st if not SOONER! I just couldn't listen to it then, but now, I'm hooked! OK, where's the SNOW?!? I have to have snow!!
I've even done some Christmas shopping AND decorating!! Those of you that know me know I'm a last-minute person, but since having my twins (6 years ago) thereby increasing the amount of family members by 50%, I realized that SOMETHING had to give. You just physically cannot do everything at the last minute for a family our size (well, unless maybe I give up sleeping, eating, etc.).
Dad
I love that Dave has Thursday and Friday off for the Thanksgiving holiday. It's so relaxing. We can catch up on preparations for Christmas, but not with all of the last minute pressure (yet). Often, his time off is extremely busy for our family but Thanksgiving is a nice chunk of time for low-stress family bonding. I know he really enjoys this downtime too.
Lilly's gearing up for her birthday next week. I can't believe she'll be 11 years old! She has grown into (even more of) a wonderful, sweet, thoughtful, creative child who still makes friends wherever she goes and then offers loyalty and kindness once the relationship is established.
She has a long list of very expensive things that she would like. As usual, we'll have to lower some expectations. After all, after her birthday, we have to finance Christmas for the 6 of us (plus our extended family) and Andy's birthday is right around the corner in February! Thankfully, there are some doable items on her list. I really like the way we are teaching our children the true meaning of birthdays and Christmas, which we would do even if we had all of the money in the universe.
She's still limping a little in spite of the doctor stating that her knee is perfectly fine. Hopefully the extra attention will help take her mind off of the pain she says she feels. She also loves Christmas (decorations, music, winter, gift-giving) so I believe this also steer her toward a happy path!
Andy's had his usual, go-with-the-flow, kind of week. He's an even-keel guy and has been enjoying raking more leaves and helping the family go through the toys that they don't play with anymore. Last weekend, the boys and Dave bought an old-school, used gaming system for next-to-nothing. At first I was not happy as I'm not a fan of electronic toys, but we've been limiting it like we do TV and computer time. So far, so good.
I had a great time voluteering in his classroom on Monday. Every one of the 3rd grade classes at his school circulated through each classroom as a group, one at a time. Andy's classroom was assigned a scientific project. When a class would enter, the volunteer moms would help the kids cut a cranberry in half, draw it, label it and describe it. I had a BLAST! It's a fun age.
Harry's been a real sweetheart lately! He's also been cuddly. I'm loving it! He's always had it in him, but he sometimes has a hard time staying positive with the demands of school, the limits on candy and other fun, noisy brothers and sharing the new game system. I think this weekend just hanging out with the family will be good for him too.
Harry and Lilly are alike in a lot of ways. His spirits too have been lifted by the Christmas music playing in our house and talking about Santa visiting very soon! He also lost his second tooth yesterday!
Mal's looking forward to starting basketball next weekend. It's the first time he's ever played. He's always been a natural with balls and sports equipment. (I guess that would mean that he and Andy are alike in this way!) What an arm he's got!
One of my favorite memories of Malcolm as a toddler was him carrying a tennis ball around constantly as a lovey. He was especially interested in textures at this age. He'd often go up to his twin brother, reach out and feel his eyebrows, mouth, hair, etc. Harry never minded, but Malcolm definitely did more tactile exploration than he did. I loved when he would just come up and rub his hand back and forth on my arm to feel a sweater I was wearing. Once in awhile, he still does something like this and that's when I miss how little the kids once were.
I guess the tennis ball was just fuzzy enough to cuddle with. He'd carry it everywhere and rub it gently on his cheek. It was adorable and too short-lived as these things often are with children. He would also reprimand anyone who offered to play catch with him using his special ball.
As I said above, I am heading into Christmas full speed! I also love this time of year and each holiday season, I vow to make it less stressful on myself. So far to this end, I am planning ahead with ideas and lists, taking advantage of sales/free shipping online and grabbing things as I see them when I'm out shopping.
I'm very pleased that the kids and Dave are working hard on decluttering the old toys. This way we can bless someone else while keeping our sanity around here! My job is to keep processing and filing all of the papers and bills that tend to pile up (quickly).
We are very fortunate that my sister and her family has graciously offered to host Thanksgiving. I will bring something, but it's nothing compared to the cleaning and cooking that she will be doing! She makes the table look so beautiful too and brings out her wedding china. We feel so specially treated as guests!
OK, it's official. I am in the holiday spirit! I have been avoiding the Christmas music on the radio until today, when my kids asked for it. I thought they started playing it MUCH earlier this year...like NOVEMBER 1st if not SOONER! I just couldn't listen to it then, but now, I'm hooked! OK, where's the SNOW?!? I have to have snow!!
I've even done some Christmas shopping AND decorating!! Those of you that know me know I'm a last-minute person, but since having my twins (6 years ago) thereby increasing the amount of family members by 50%, I realized that SOMETHING had to give. You just physically cannot do everything at the last minute for a family our size (well, unless maybe I give up sleeping, eating, etc.).
Dad
I love that Dave has Thursday and Friday off for the Thanksgiving holiday. It's so relaxing. We can catch up on preparations for Christmas, but not with all of the last minute pressure (yet). Often, his time off is extremely busy for our family but Thanksgiving is a nice chunk of time for low-stress family bonding. I know he really enjoys this downtime too.
Lillian
Lilly's gearing up for her birthday next week. I can't believe she'll be 11 years old! She has grown into (even more of) a wonderful, sweet, thoughtful, creative child who still makes friends wherever she goes and then offers loyalty and kindness once the relationship is established.
She has a long list of very expensive things that she would like. As usual, we'll have to lower some expectations. After all, after her birthday, we have to finance Christmas for the 6 of us (plus our extended family) and Andy's birthday is right around the corner in February! Thankfully, there are some doable items on her list. I really like the way we are teaching our children the true meaning of birthdays and Christmas, which we would do even if we had all of the money in the universe.
Her teacher has gone on maternity leave. I know Lilly is going to miss her a lot. She plans to come back in February. In the meantime, I have been making an effort to spend extra one-on-one time with Lilly. It's been really nice! Her brothers are almost always still in the house, but we've been able to steal some moments to play a board game together (just us) and we even whipped up a no-bake pie before any boys could invade the kitchen!
Andy
Andy's had his usual, go-with-the-flow, kind of week. He's an even-keel guy and has been enjoying raking more leaves and helping the family go through the toys that they don't play with anymore. Last weekend, the boys and Dave bought an old-school, used gaming system for next-to-nothing. At first I was not happy as I'm not a fan of electronic toys, but we've been limiting it like we do TV and computer time. So far, so good.
I had a great time voluteering in his classroom on Monday. Every one of the 3rd grade classes at his school circulated through each classroom as a group, one at a time. Andy's classroom was assigned a scientific project. When a class would enter, the volunteer moms would help the kids cut a cranberry in half, draw it, label it and describe it. I had a BLAST! It's a fun age.
Harry
Harry's been a real sweetheart lately! He's also been cuddly. I'm loving it! He's always had it in him, but he sometimes has a hard time staying positive with the demands of school, the limits on candy and other fun, noisy brothers and sharing the new game system. I think this weekend just hanging out with the family will be good for him too.
Harry and Lilly are alike in a lot of ways. His spirits too have been lifted by the Christmas music playing in our house and talking about Santa visiting very soon! He also lost his second tooth yesterday!
Malcolm
Mal's looking forward to starting basketball next weekend. It's the first time he's ever played. He's always been a natural with balls and sports equipment. (I guess that would mean that he and Andy are alike in this way!) What an arm he's got!
One of my favorite memories of Malcolm as a toddler was him carrying a tennis ball around constantly as a lovey. He was especially interested in textures at this age. He'd often go up to his twin brother, reach out and feel his eyebrows, mouth, hair, etc. Harry never minded, but Malcolm definitely did more tactile exploration than he did. I loved when he would just come up and rub his hand back and forth on my arm to feel a sweater I was wearing. Once in awhile, he still does something like this and that's when I miss how little the kids once were.
I guess the tennis ball was just fuzzy enough to cuddle with. He'd carry it everywhere and rub it gently on his cheek. It was adorable and too short-lived as these things often are with children. He would also reprimand anyone who offered to play catch with him using his special ball.
Mom
As I said above, I am heading into Christmas full speed! I also love this time of year and each holiday season, I vow to make it less stressful on myself. So far to this end, I am planning ahead with ideas and lists, taking advantage of sales/free shipping online and grabbing things as I see them when I'm out shopping.
I'm very pleased that the kids and Dave are working hard on decluttering the old toys. This way we can bless someone else while keeping our sanity around here! My job is to keep processing and filing all of the papers and bills that tend to pile up (quickly).
We are very fortunate that my sister and her family has graciously offered to host Thanksgiving. I will bring something, but it's nothing compared to the cleaning and cooking that she will be doing! She makes the table look so beautiful too and brings out her wedding china. We feel so specially treated as guests!
I hope everyone is also having a nice holiday season so far. It can be a difficult time of year for many reasons too. I will pray for all of you to see the good no matter what holiday(s) you celebrate and whatever circumstances you may find yourself in.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Malcolm Does the Piano
Malcolm was home sick today. He did feel well enough to tickle the ivory, however. Unfortunately, I videotaped him with my camera held upright. Who knew that you could rotate the video while it was still in the camera, but then when you download the file, it goes back to being sideways!
I'm working on fixing the problem, but in the meantime, you can enjoy the music! I love how he plays it one way and if it doesn't sound good, he plays it another way. He doesn't even take lessons!
This was after he dressed himself up in construction paper armor "to honor Colorful Man" in a book he read at school.
"I'm trying to sing some kind of vampire song. (hums tune) Something like that. I need the keyboard, but I can try to practice it on the piano."
I'm working on fixing the problem, but in the meantime, you can enjoy the music! I love how he plays it one way and if it doesn't sound good, he plays it another way. He doesn't even take lessons!
This was after he dressed himself up in construction paper armor "to honor Colorful Man" in a book he read at school.
"I'm trying to sing some kind of vampire song. (hums tune) Something like that. I need the keyboard, but I can try to practice it on the piano."
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
What We've Been Up To
Halloweening!
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Harry (left, Snakeyes, the Ninja from GI Joe; Malcolm, Transformer's Bumblebee; Mom as What Would I Look Like with Long, Blond Hair...again and Lilly, the Evil Jester). Andy, the vampire who refused the black wig AND the FAKE BLOOD (I can't believe it EITHER!!) refused to be immortalized in this photo, but will stay immortal as long as he's a vampire who dodges wooden stakes. Below: Lilly again. In other news, she bruised her kneecap in mid-October. She was still  Andy's last football game of the season, October 24 |
#17 seen here warming up and positioning his mouthguard. Note the pink stripe on his helmet. His whole team did that for Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October).
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| Dad baits a hook. |
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| Andy has some success! Harry looks on. Fish, like all others that day, returned to pond. |
Here are some more things we've been up to this autumn:
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| Jumping in leaves...(Harry orange; Andy green; Malcolm blue; Tree bare) |
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| ...painting witches (Harry at a classmate's plaster birthday party) |
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| ...and each young boy had won some "fishes"! (Autumn festival carnival game...three boys, one try each, three fish). Tank, light, filter, electricity, water, fake plants, glass gemstones, treasure chest, hollow log, gravel and food not included. |
Monday, November 15, 2010
Trying Something New!
Hi All! Yes, I'm still here! I got severely derailed from writing by, well you know, life. I am doing Follow Me Monday to get back into the swing of things! Thank you to Nan at http://beonefineday.blogspot.com/.
Let's see, we've had illnesses, my husband traveling, Halloween, car trouble, more illnesses, Cub Scouts, more Cub Scouts, homework, leaves, a lot of attitude and hmmm, that might be about it!
I decided to jump back in where we are here in our lives. Last Monday, I woke up with the nastiest case of pinkeye I had ever seen, heard about or read about. For those who don't know what this is, it's another word for conjunctivitis. It involves itchy, burny eye(s) (it can be in one eye or both eyes) with nasty secretions and it is HIGHLY contagious.
Both my eyes were stuck shut when I woke up, puffy and MAROON red. No joke. In fact, when Harry noticed how red my eyes were, I then told him that I was not his mom, but actually a MONSTER! GRRRR!! The poor thing was NOT amused, in spite of his obsession for Halloween. I apologized, but could not give him a hug because I was contagious.
I found some antibiotic eye ointment that Harry had used several weeks ago and started using it. I know it's a no-no to use someone else's medicine, but I was desperate! It was SO bad AND I didn't want to spread it to my family.
I didn't end up needing to go to the doctor because it cleared up in a few days. I really think the culprit was some mascara I used last Saturday night for Dave and my "date night". It was so severe, so sudden and it was in BOTH of my eyes. I have since thrown out all of the makeup I used that night. I had no idea that the "experts" who say to throw out your makeup every few months are RIGHT! I thought they were paid by the makeup companies to say that! The "eyes" had it, folks.
Andy is back to school today. He was sent home last Wednesday with suspected pinkeye. His was only in one eye and from what I read, I suspected it was viral pinkeye, not what I had. This turned into a sore throat, the nastiest cough he's ever had and a low grade fever. Thursday, he had Veteran's Day off from school and Friday he was still fevering so he finally returned today. So far, no phone calls from school! This illness knocked him on his keister. Andy does NOT slow down for ANYTHING! Last winter, when he had pneumonia, the doctor said he could do "activities to his tolerance". Well, he shoveled our entire driveway, which is long, voluntarily, with a fever of 103! Not this time. We're talking lump on a log.
Lilly has been suffering too, from a lack of attention. Well, her definition of not enough attention not ours, but it's still something she's feeling really deeply. Since about the middle of last week, she has been giving us a hard time about going to school stating that she "doesn't feel well". However, we cannot substantiate it with a fever or any other symptom so we've been sending her in telling her that she could go to the school nurse if she really felt terrible at school.
She decided that the nurse was mean and that she was going to stick it to us by staying at school and "not learning anything". My husband and I are thinking, "OK, well, we've done OUR job by law in getting her there!"
This morning, she came to us with a thermometer reading of 100.4. She explained that she had taken her temperature and it was first 100.1. Now, after having a drink, it was up to 100.4. She hadn't been downstairs yet to heat up any hot drinks using electricity via the stove or microwave. Our hot water tank is NOT set that hot because we have kids, so drinking the tap water upstairs couldn't have done it. How, according to the laws of physics, can a temperature go UP after taking a sip of water ANYWAY??!
The answer is, it cannot. We retook her temperature and it was 99.4. We took it once again for good measure, 99.2. Off to school, young lady! I think we fell for the "thermometer under the hot water tap" trick. In that case, the tap water COULD increase her temperature!!
The moral of the story is, never trust a 10yo with a temperature taken by her own hand, especially when her brother has been sick and allowed to stay home from school.
Happy Monday, Everyone! Make it a Good One!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The Wednesday News, October 13, 2010
OK, I'm cheating. It's not Wednesday, it's Thursday, but I'm off by a day because of Columbus Day on Monday. (Yeah, we'll go with that reason!) Kids had the day off on Monday. Dad worked. Weather was beautiful!
So, how is everyone doing? I know I've been lurking more than writing lately, but that is the exception and not the rule. Thing is, I've never been very productive when I have unstructured time. I'm getting better though! The first couple of weeks with all of my kids at school I was a MACHINE! Then, like a machine, I needed some repairs and adjustments. I believe it's because so many weeks have gone by and my cluttered house hadn't made a complete transformation in that short time. Maybe THAT'S because it took MUCH longer than a few weeks to get that way!
The things that needed tweaking on me were concepts like getting motivated, trying not to squeeze too much into one day and hence, not being able to finish any one thing properly and the WORST one: analysis paralysis! I would look around and see how much needed to be done and focusing on that instead of what I have done!
I'm not saying that everyday is going to be hugely productive because that's just not reality (well, at least not MY reality), but I can define productive in different ways. I don't have to reinvent the wheel everyday. I just have to look back on the day and say, "I got THAT done and I feel good about it." It has to be one thing, even if it's tiny, above and beyond the daily things like laundry, errands, cooking and cleaning. This is now a rule that I must follow. I, like my kids, are not allowed to break the rules!
Mom
Fall is in full swing here in the Northeast! The leaves are STUNNING! I have to get a picture today of our sugar maple tree before the big "wind and rain event" that they're predicting on the news for tomorrow. The tree is BRIGHT red and gorgeous!
My wonderful neighbor who is organized and at peace has been volunteering her time to help me strategize organizing projects and keep me motivated! THANK YOU! Your help has been IMMEASURABLE. I think being held accountable is very important. That's why they tell you to exercise with a buddy, because you help each other take responsibility for your actions!
Purging is actually a lot of fun and it's ADDICTIVE! I sometimes have to pull myself away from a task because if I don't, my family will not have any dinner tonight or a clean table to eat it on. It will get done one hour at a time. Yesterday, I went through a bunch of school papers that piled up last week. Let me tell you that there are a LOT of notices, permission slips, corrected homework that need to be handled when you have 4 kids in full-time school! I took an hour. Stayed focused and processed EVERYTHING!
I've been much less fatigued lately too which is definitely helping matters of keeping up with the house and my family. I have scheduled errand days and gym days too! This way, I know I'm going to be out doing stuff and I can add errands to the list as needed. Efficiency!! Then, the other days I spend organizing and purging. I wasn't feeling good about things when errands were spread all over the place all week. I felt like I was spinning my wheels, literally, my car wheels!
Dad
Dave was in London for 5 days last week. It was exhausting for him and for me, as it always is. Monday night he took a red eye "across the pond" and went straight to work on Tuesday! I have learned not to plan a busy weekend after he returns from a trip like that. Everyone's tired, everyone's missed Dad and it's better just to spend the time "cocooning" with our family and bonding. It was great!
Dave continues to work on our basement. The goal is to have a playroom for the kids and their friends by winter. So far, he's knocked down a wall, built two closets (one of which is my new and improved PANTRY!), put in recessed lighting and painted. Next, we have to decide on the flooring. Let's hear it for do-it-yourself'ing! WOOHOO! I am so fortunate to have a husband with so many handyman skills! We will also be getting a new roof either this month or the next. Now, he's not doing that. We're paying someone. I do think he considered it at one point though!
So, our house is going on a diet (i.e. I'm decluttering it) AND it's getting a facelift and a makeover! I'll bet the house would smile too if it could.
Harry
So, my kids are OBSESSED with Hallowe'en, especially Harry and Malcolm. They talk about Hallowe'en ALL YEAR! Maybe I'll be this next year. How many more days until Hallowe'en (usually about 364 when they first ask me)?
We do have terrific Hallowe'ens around here. Our neighborhood is old-fashioned in a lot of ways. Parents look out for each other's kids. The streets are wide, safe and quiet for bike-riding, walking, etc. Kids can sell door-to-door. Neighbors bake things for each other and can leave stuff that has been borrowed on the front porch without fear of someone else, um, "borrowing" it. It's our wonderful little corner of the world and we love it.
Hallowe'en is no exception to the enjoyment our neighborhood brings. We get over 100 trick-or-treaters each year. I've seen minivans (I think maybe even with out-of-state license plates? Could we be famous!) arrive, park and kids unload like a Volkswagen full of clowns to trick-or-treat here! I don't know about my other neighbors, but I welcome them with open arms and love that they are attracted to our special community.
Anyway, that's the background, but back to Harry. Yes, my kids love candy, but Harry told me why he really loves Hallowe'en. There are so many kids in the neighborhood and he looks forward every year to how they're going to dress up! He especially loves seeing the new babies (who join the families every year!) and what adorable costume they're going to wear. Harry even remembers what costumes kids wore LAST YEAR! I'd be hard-pressed to remember what MY kids wore last year.
Proud parent moment for me that my child (well, all of my kids) value friendship and humanity over sugar and other material goods.
Malcolm
Malcolm is also counting down the days until All Hallow's Eve. He helped Harry make paper decorations including Frankensteins, endless amounts of pumpkins, zombies, spiders, witches, you name it. They're all over the front door and the walls. I won't tell them if you won't that the creations are more adorable than spooky!
Malcolm and Harry have joined Cub Scouts. Andy is also in Scouts, his 3rd year this year. Now that all of our kids are in school and the fact that we have 3 boys in the local Pack, Dave and I are becoming more involved with the program. He is going to be Den Leader to the twins' group. This month, we're doing a lot of fall stuff like hikes, a pumpkin festival and the annual pumpkin carving contest to name a few. We also had a catch-and-release fishing derby a few weeks ago.
So, he's been keeping busy. He enjoys school and his teacher. Both he and Harry seem to be adjusting, finally, to being there for 6 hours instead of 2 1/2 like kindergarten and preschool.
Andy
Andy is almost done with his football season. It's been a big commitment, but he's done very, very well and stuck it out. He has 3 more practices and 2 games left. His coaches are great and they have recognized and appreciated Andy's good listening skills and talents for the sport as well as helped him to USE them. Now, that's good coaching.
Our family has really enjoyed watching him and his team. I also love the whole culture of football set in the autumn, my second favorite season behind summer. It's so much fun putting the two together! My other kids have enjoyed a great deal of outdoor time during the 2-hour practices and games too. They practice at a large park in town that has a playground, a walking track and a skateboarding park. They've all made new friends too as part of the experience.
Andy and I are going to spend some quality time together tomorrow. I'm chaperoning his class field trip. Dave and I have always made a strong effort to go on as many trips as possible. Because my 2 older ones were in school before my twins, as older kids will do, I almost never had the opportunity to volunteer on a regular basis in the classroom or things like that. However, we would always manage to arrange a sitter or have one of us home so the other parent could go on as many field trips as possible.
Tomorrow, we're supposed to go to a nearby farm and animal sanctuary to learn about Pilgrims and a local Native American tribe. However, it's supposed to rain cats and dogs so we may have a raindate. I haven't seen or heard about one yet, so I may need to pack an ark in our required, brown-bag lunches.
Other than football and school (where Andy is doing fine as well), he's enjoying chores related to the fall (like retrieving the millions of acorns from our front lawn, raking leaves and scolding his brothers for jumping into the "pile that I JUST MADE!"). Don't get me wrong. Andy has a lot of playtime as well. He plays with his Legos and his friends in the neighborhood after school and on weekends, rides his bike and his scooter, but this kid just LOVES to work! Not only do I hardly ever have to remind him about his regular chores, he takes on HUGE projects without being asked! He's like the machine I mentioned I was in the introduction to this post!
What do I mean? Well, for example, he spent 4 HOURS gathering acorns on Saturday with NO prompts or reminders from us. Yes, we have that many and yes there are still about a million more to pick up. Also, no, he did not STOP for those 4 hours! The boys all got a reward for spending so much time on the acorns. Mind you, for the 4 hours that Andy spent, Harry and Malcolm maybe spent 20 minutes between them. Andy got to choose the reward as you may have guessed!
Lillian
Lilly has been tearing up the skatepark, our driveway, our neighborhood and unfortunately, her arm skateboarding and ripsticking. If you don't know what a ripstick is, it's like a skateboard but different. You stand on it as well but it has 2 caster-style wheels (one in the front, one in the back) that swivel as you go. It takes some getting used to, but Lilly has mastered it. She's a quick study with most things including new equipment. She's always had remarkable balance and coordination, even when she first started cruising as a young toddler. When you watch her skateboard or ripstick, her upper body is perfectly straight. Only her hips, legs, feet and occasionally her arms are moving!
She does take tumbles though, like the one about 2 weeks ago. It resulted in a nasty cut on the inside of her forearm. I even had the doctor check it out because it looked infected last week, but it's not. It's just taking a long time to heal.
I had talked about Lilly's quitting karate in a previous post. http://somanykidssomuchfun.blogspot.com/2010/08/wednesday-news-august-25-2010.html. She hasn't "replaced" it with a new sport, but has since gotten a lot of exercise at the park during Andy's football practices and has been enjoying the beautiful weather outside as well. She and Dave went online to get instructions on how to spraypaint her ripstick. Lilly was "done" with the hot pink color. It is now bright yellow with gold accents. Andy's scooter is now gold as well. Both toys look SO cool!
We will be encouraging her further to do rock climbing or skateboarding lessons now that football is wrapping up and the weather will be colder and colder soon. My kids still play outside when it's cold, but for not nearly as long. She said she may want to do basketball in the winter. She's never expressed an interest before so maybe that's what she'll end up doing. Either way, she's very happy NOT to be at karate!
In the meantime, she has joined the school's chorus and band. She played the violin last year, but it just wasn't exciting enough for her. I don't fully understand what she means by that, but anyway, she's playing the clarinet this year. She has good friends that are either violinists or clarinetists so that wasn't the reason she stopped violin, but anyway, she's enjoying it!
Since most of the clarinetists and other band members began their tenure last year in 4th grade and Lilly played violin in the Orchestra, she is behind this year. However, her instructor allowed her to jump in with the 5th graders because I was a clarinet player and I can help her!
It's true. I played for 10 years and was even a music major in college for awhile. I was just not dedicated enough to be a musician for life, so I finished my degree in psychology. I have barely played in all of these years (since I was 20!). I have a professional clarinet that was not in good shape THEN and is still poor NOW, but I picked it up.
Between me (and the clarinet) being rusty, (well, it's tarnished, I'm rusty) and the clarinet STILL being in bad shape, I decided to instead try my old student clarinet from when I was in 5th grade! It is so much easier to play than my wooden professional one but it doesn't sound nearly as nice. Now, it doesn't "sound" at all because I blew a pad loose. The little foam pads are what keep air from leaking in the wrong place. Without even ONE tiny pad, the clarinet just goes "FFFFFFFFF" (that would be the sound of air without any music).
OK, so the pad is fixable, but Lilly wanted her own clarinet. Also, this way I could play her new one instead of my professional one that will be going on EBay or Craigslist VERY soon! It is an absolutely STUNNING student model that Dave got a very good deal on. It's brand new. My husband does not believe in renting instruments or buying used cars. Something about "you don't know what the previous owner did to it or didn't do to it maintenance-wise" regarding the cars and "by the time we pay all of that rent, we could own it" regarding the instruments. Anyone need a very gently used violin by the way? One owner, us. In case you got lost, we now have 3 clarinets but we will only be keeping 1 ultimately, Lilly's new one!
It is a special plastic but it's formulated to look like wood. Doesn't sound like wood, but that's OK. She doesn't need a wooden one at this stage of the game. They also require more maintenance. I am having fun helping her in spite of the fact that I had decided long ago that I did NOT want to be a music teacher. She's having fun too and coming along very well. Like I said, she's a quick study.
So, how is everyone doing? I know I've been lurking more than writing lately, but that is the exception and not the rule. Thing is, I've never been very productive when I have unstructured time. I'm getting better though! The first couple of weeks with all of my kids at school I was a MACHINE! Then, like a machine, I needed some repairs and adjustments. I believe it's because so many weeks have gone by and my cluttered house hadn't made a complete transformation in that short time. Maybe THAT'S because it took MUCH longer than a few weeks to get that way!
The things that needed tweaking on me were concepts like getting motivated, trying not to squeeze too much into one day and hence, not being able to finish any one thing properly and the WORST one: analysis paralysis! I would look around and see how much needed to be done and focusing on that instead of what I have done!
I'm not saying that everyday is going to be hugely productive because that's just not reality (well, at least not MY reality), but I can define productive in different ways. I don't have to reinvent the wheel everyday. I just have to look back on the day and say, "I got THAT done and I feel good about it." It has to be one thing, even if it's tiny, above and beyond the daily things like laundry, errands, cooking and cleaning. This is now a rule that I must follow. I, like my kids, are not allowed to break the rules!
Mom
Fall is in full swing here in the Northeast! The leaves are STUNNING! I have to get a picture today of our sugar maple tree before the big "wind and rain event" that they're predicting on the news for tomorrow. The tree is BRIGHT red and gorgeous!
My wonderful neighbor who is organized and at peace has been volunteering her time to help me strategize organizing projects and keep me motivated! THANK YOU! Your help has been IMMEASURABLE. I think being held accountable is very important. That's why they tell you to exercise with a buddy, because you help each other take responsibility for your actions!
Purging is actually a lot of fun and it's ADDICTIVE! I sometimes have to pull myself away from a task because if I don't, my family will not have any dinner tonight or a clean table to eat it on. It will get done one hour at a time. Yesterday, I went through a bunch of school papers that piled up last week. Let me tell you that there are a LOT of notices, permission slips, corrected homework that need to be handled when you have 4 kids in full-time school! I took an hour. Stayed focused and processed EVERYTHING!
I've been much less fatigued lately too which is definitely helping matters of keeping up with the house and my family. I have scheduled errand days and gym days too! This way, I know I'm going to be out doing stuff and I can add errands to the list as needed. Efficiency!! Then, the other days I spend organizing and purging. I wasn't feeling good about things when errands were spread all over the place all week. I felt like I was spinning my wheels, literally, my car wheels!
Dad
Dave was in London for 5 days last week. It was exhausting for him and for me, as it always is. Monday night he took a red eye "across the pond" and went straight to work on Tuesday! I have learned not to plan a busy weekend after he returns from a trip like that. Everyone's tired, everyone's missed Dad and it's better just to spend the time "cocooning" with our family and bonding. It was great!
Dave continues to work on our basement. The goal is to have a playroom for the kids and their friends by winter. So far, he's knocked down a wall, built two closets (one of which is my new and improved PANTRY!), put in recessed lighting and painted. Next, we have to decide on the flooring. Let's hear it for do-it-yourself'ing! WOOHOO! I am so fortunate to have a husband with so many handyman skills! We will also be getting a new roof either this month or the next. Now, he's not doing that. We're paying someone. I do think he considered it at one point though!
So, our house is going on a diet (i.e. I'm decluttering it) AND it's getting a facelift and a makeover! I'll bet the house would smile too if it could.
Harry
So, my kids are OBSESSED with Hallowe'en, especially Harry and Malcolm. They talk about Hallowe'en ALL YEAR! Maybe I'll be this next year. How many more days until Hallowe'en (usually about 364 when they first ask me)?
We do have terrific Hallowe'ens around here. Our neighborhood is old-fashioned in a lot of ways. Parents look out for each other's kids. The streets are wide, safe and quiet for bike-riding, walking, etc. Kids can sell door-to-door. Neighbors bake things for each other and can leave stuff that has been borrowed on the front porch without fear of someone else, um, "borrowing" it. It's our wonderful little corner of the world and we love it.
Hallowe'en is no exception to the enjoyment our neighborhood brings. We get over 100 trick-or-treaters each year. I've seen minivans (I think maybe even with out-of-state license plates? Could we be famous!) arrive, park and kids unload like a Volkswagen full of clowns to trick-or-treat here! I don't know about my other neighbors, but I welcome them with open arms and love that they are attracted to our special community.
Anyway, that's the background, but back to Harry. Yes, my kids love candy, but Harry told me why he really loves Hallowe'en. There are so many kids in the neighborhood and he looks forward every year to how they're going to dress up! He especially loves seeing the new babies (who join the families every year!) and what adorable costume they're going to wear. Harry even remembers what costumes kids wore LAST YEAR! I'd be hard-pressed to remember what MY kids wore last year.
Proud parent moment for me that my child (well, all of my kids) value friendship and humanity over sugar and other material goods.
Malcolm
Malcolm is also counting down the days until All Hallow's Eve. He helped Harry make paper decorations including Frankensteins, endless amounts of pumpkins, zombies, spiders, witches, you name it. They're all over the front door and the walls. I won't tell them if you won't that the creations are more adorable than spooky!
Malcolm and Harry have joined Cub Scouts. Andy is also in Scouts, his 3rd year this year. Now that all of our kids are in school and the fact that we have 3 boys in the local Pack, Dave and I are becoming more involved with the program. He is going to be Den Leader to the twins' group. This month, we're doing a lot of fall stuff like hikes, a pumpkin festival and the annual pumpkin carving contest to name a few. We also had a catch-and-release fishing derby a few weeks ago.
So, he's been keeping busy. He enjoys school and his teacher. Both he and Harry seem to be adjusting, finally, to being there for 6 hours instead of 2 1/2 like kindergarten and preschool.
Andy
Andy is almost done with his football season. It's been a big commitment, but he's done very, very well and stuck it out. He has 3 more practices and 2 games left. His coaches are great and they have recognized and appreciated Andy's good listening skills and talents for the sport as well as helped him to USE them. Now, that's good coaching.
Our family has really enjoyed watching him and his team. I also love the whole culture of football set in the autumn, my second favorite season behind summer. It's so much fun putting the two together! My other kids have enjoyed a great deal of outdoor time during the 2-hour practices and games too. They practice at a large park in town that has a playground, a walking track and a skateboarding park. They've all made new friends too as part of the experience.
Andy and I are going to spend some quality time together tomorrow. I'm chaperoning his class field trip. Dave and I have always made a strong effort to go on as many trips as possible. Because my 2 older ones were in school before my twins, as older kids will do, I almost never had the opportunity to volunteer on a regular basis in the classroom or things like that. However, we would always manage to arrange a sitter or have one of us home so the other parent could go on as many field trips as possible.
Tomorrow, we're supposed to go to a nearby farm and animal sanctuary to learn about Pilgrims and a local Native American tribe. However, it's supposed to rain cats and dogs so we may have a raindate. I haven't seen or heard about one yet, so I may need to pack an ark in our required, brown-bag lunches.
Other than football and school (where Andy is doing fine as well), he's enjoying chores related to the fall (like retrieving the millions of acorns from our front lawn, raking leaves and scolding his brothers for jumping into the "pile that I JUST MADE!"). Don't get me wrong. Andy has a lot of playtime as well. He plays with his Legos and his friends in the neighborhood after school and on weekends, rides his bike and his scooter, but this kid just LOVES to work! Not only do I hardly ever have to remind him about his regular chores, he takes on HUGE projects without being asked! He's like the machine I mentioned I was in the introduction to this post!
What do I mean? Well, for example, he spent 4 HOURS gathering acorns on Saturday with NO prompts or reminders from us. Yes, we have that many and yes there are still about a million more to pick up. Also, no, he did not STOP for those 4 hours! The boys all got a reward for spending so much time on the acorns. Mind you, for the 4 hours that Andy spent, Harry and Malcolm maybe spent 20 minutes between them. Andy got to choose the reward as you may have guessed!
Lillian
Lilly has been tearing up the skatepark, our driveway, our neighborhood and unfortunately, her arm skateboarding and ripsticking. If you don't know what a ripstick is, it's like a skateboard but different. You stand on it as well but it has 2 caster-style wheels (one in the front, one in the back) that swivel as you go. It takes some getting used to, but Lilly has mastered it. She's a quick study with most things including new equipment. She's always had remarkable balance and coordination, even when she first started cruising as a young toddler. When you watch her skateboard or ripstick, her upper body is perfectly straight. Only her hips, legs, feet and occasionally her arms are moving!
She does take tumbles though, like the one about 2 weeks ago. It resulted in a nasty cut on the inside of her forearm. I even had the doctor check it out because it looked infected last week, but it's not. It's just taking a long time to heal.
I had talked about Lilly's quitting karate in a previous post. http://somanykidssomuchfun.blogspot.com/2010/08/wednesday-news-august-25-2010.html. She hasn't "replaced" it with a new sport, but has since gotten a lot of exercise at the park during Andy's football practices and has been enjoying the beautiful weather outside as well. She and Dave went online to get instructions on how to spraypaint her ripstick. Lilly was "done" with the hot pink color. It is now bright yellow with gold accents. Andy's scooter is now gold as well. Both toys look SO cool!
We will be encouraging her further to do rock climbing or skateboarding lessons now that football is wrapping up and the weather will be colder and colder soon. My kids still play outside when it's cold, but for not nearly as long. She said she may want to do basketball in the winter. She's never expressed an interest before so maybe that's what she'll end up doing. Either way, she's very happy NOT to be at karate!
In the meantime, she has joined the school's chorus and band. She played the violin last year, but it just wasn't exciting enough for her. I don't fully understand what she means by that, but anyway, she's playing the clarinet this year. She has good friends that are either violinists or clarinetists so that wasn't the reason she stopped violin, but anyway, she's enjoying it!
Since most of the clarinetists and other band members began their tenure last year in 4th grade and Lilly played violin in the Orchestra, she is behind this year. However, her instructor allowed her to jump in with the 5th graders because I was a clarinet player and I can help her!
It's true. I played for 10 years and was even a music major in college for awhile. I was just not dedicated enough to be a musician for life, so I finished my degree in psychology. I have barely played in all of these years (since I was 20!). I have a professional clarinet that was not in good shape THEN and is still poor NOW, but I picked it up.
Between me (and the clarinet) being rusty, (well, it's tarnished, I'm rusty) and the clarinet STILL being in bad shape, I decided to instead try my old student clarinet from when I was in 5th grade! It is so much easier to play than my wooden professional one but it doesn't sound nearly as nice. Now, it doesn't "sound" at all because I blew a pad loose. The little foam pads are what keep air from leaking in the wrong place. Without even ONE tiny pad, the clarinet just goes "FFFFFFFFF" (that would be the sound of air without any music).
OK, so the pad is fixable, but Lilly wanted her own clarinet. Also, this way I could play her new one instead of my professional one that will be going on EBay or Craigslist VERY soon! It is an absolutely STUNNING student model that Dave got a very good deal on. It's brand new. My husband does not believe in renting instruments or buying used cars. Something about "you don't know what the previous owner did to it or didn't do to it maintenance-wise" regarding the cars and "by the time we pay all of that rent, we could own it" regarding the instruments. Anyone need a very gently used violin by the way? One owner, us. In case you got lost, we now have 3 clarinets but we will only be keeping 1 ultimately, Lilly's new one!
It is a special plastic but it's formulated to look like wood. Doesn't sound like wood, but that's OK. She doesn't need a wooden one at this stage of the game. They also require more maintenance. I am having fun helping her in spite of the fact that I had decided long ago that I did NOT want to be a music teacher. She's having fun too and coming along very well. Like I said, she's a quick study.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Who's Who? The Big Switcheroo!
Harry, on the first day of school with...
Malcolm (just to confuse things, Malcolm is wearing red, which is Harry's favorite color). When they were babies and toddlers, I would dress Harry in red and Malcolm in blue to help US tell them apart.
OK, they've done it. Already. I got a call from Harry's teacher on Day 8 of first grade, 15 minutes after school began. "I'd like to tell you about an incident that happened this morning." My first comment was, "Already? It's only 9:20am." Harry and Malcolm, who have different teachers, different classes and different lives this year, went into the bathroom, switched their clothes and each went to the other one's classroom. They found each other's seats, evidently, by "reading the nametag" on each of the desks. Of course! How silly of me to wonder that.
Harry's teacher, upon addressing whom she thought was Harry, in this case Malcolm, immediately spilled the beans and said, "I'm not Harry. I'm Malcolm. Harry's in MY classroom." He apparently began sobbing and was still crying when she called me. I asked if she needed me to come down and help Malcolm calm down and/or deal with these two as the school clearly now has their hands as full as mine usually are. She said that it was not necessary and explained that the Asst. Principal happened to be walking by during all of the commotion.
The Asst. Principal as well as each of their teachers talked to both children and explained how this could pose a safety issue. They didn't really explain this part to me but I assumed it meant something along the lines of "your teacher needs to know where you are at all times" with the caveat "even if you look EXACTLY like your brother and we think each one of you is accounted for properly".
I was shocked, horrified...and AMUSED! I couldn't believe that they'd figured out this scenario already! I went so far as to think that one of my older kids put one or the other up to it, but I was not even close! They came up with it all by themselves. "We each wanted to see what the other one's classrooms and teachers were like."
Harry and Malcolm are very, very bonded. I know twins are anyway, but it seems the added dimension of being monozygotic (i.e. identical), looking alike and people CONSTANTLY getting them mixed up (um, me being one of the guilty parties here) makes the bond even stronger.
They have been separated in 1/2-day preschool and reunited for the last hour. They were also apart in kindergarten but each child went for a different 1/2 of the day and had the same teacher. This year, well, there was just too much "gone-ness" between them! When they got home, I sat them down individually (not an easy task. Did I mention they are BONDED and inseparable?). I talked to both of them about the safety factor that the school and I had discussed. I also enlightened them as to the fact that this was indeed lying and lying is NOT tolerated in our house. They lost TV for the remainder of the day and evening and the school posed no consequences.
I went fairly easy on them as I really didn't think they knew the ramifications of their actions. Plus, I thought it was pretty darn clever, but I would NEVER tell them that! Deep breath. What's next? I don't want to know.
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