St. Patty's

I spent the morning at the doctor's office where it was discovered that I have Strep Throat and a double ear infection-what am I, five years old. Anyway, before I left I managed to make the annual green waffles.  By the way, St. Patrick's Day is Nash's favorite holiday. He was up and dressed in green from head to toe by 6AM.

Harley was not real happy with the green waffles.  She ate a Pop Tart instead.  Notice the bandage on her chin. Yeah, she busted it open again right where she had stitches two weeks ago. She most likely needs stitches all over again but we put a band aid and liquid stitch on it. Now we are really hoping and praying that there is something magical happening underneath that band aid.

I gave the kids a St. Patty's treat-a jar of Skittles with golden wrapped Rolo's on the bottom.Taste the Rainbow and find the Pot o' Gold!

I also made them these little felt pins to wear on their church clothes!

 

Please Mom

How many times a day do you hear yourself say, "Just a minute!"  I say it to my children a whole lot and sometimes that "just a minute" turns into never.
 Nash found a thimble a few weeks ago. He thought it was the cutest thing ever. He didn't know what it was for and I explained to him that it was for sewing.  Since then he had been begging me to teach him how to sew.  I kept saying, "Just a minute" or "Maybe tomorrow."  In the midst of all of this I heard some unsettling news about an amazing YOUNG woman I go to church with. She is just 26 with two small children. It was discovered that she had kidney cancer, but it had spread to her lungs. She needs a miracle and her faith is helping her believe that she is going to get one. I pray that she does because if anyone in this world is deserving of a miracle it is her. She is an inspiration to all of us. It was soon after I heard this news that Nash approached me with yet another request that I teach him to sew.  Why not?  What was I really doing at that moment that could potentially become a memory for me or my child? The dishes, vacuuming, Facebook? None of those things were important and because of my new shining example I have been reminded of that simple truth once again. It seems like I frequently need these little reminders to get my priorities straight.  Maybe someday I will figure it out.  By the way, if you get a chance, please say a little prayer for Brennan and her family. And maybe say yes, when your baby says, "Please mom?"

Easter Crafts

While, it doesn't really feel like Spring around here, considering just last week we had school closures due to a SNOWQUESTER, Easter is just 3 weeks away. It was actually more of SLUSHQUESTER but the kids were excited and I had some time to work on a few Easter Crafts.  All of which are pretty self-explanatory.

 

Proof-I am a FANTASTIC Mother

True Story:

Atley is learning Spanish at school.  Last week his teacher read the class Green Eggs and Ham in Spanish.  The Spanish word for Eggs is Huevos, which just so happens to be a word we use in our home more often than I would like to admit. Let me explain. Each time the teacher would say the word huevos Atley would start laughing.  Apparently, his laughing became so uncontrollable that the teacher had to completely stop reading the book to address the problem.  When Atley was asked why he refused to stop laughing even when asked Atley responded with, "This book is cracking me up, because it keeps saying naughty words about private parts."  His Spanish teacher did not understand and much to my dismay pressed Atley further.  "Atley, this book does not have naughty words in it."  Atley replied with, "Well, I don't know about you but in my house huevos means nuts and I am not talking about the kind you eat."  Thanks Atley!

If that little story doesn't make you want to sing my praises, check out the photo below. I have no doubt that after you see my almost 3 year old daughter who is STILL wearing a diaper and chugging the biggest Mountain Dew ever invented you will be forced to admire me.

 

Maps

I have this thing with maps. I love them, like I really love and enjoy them.  Every time we go anywhere I have to buy a map for me and the boys.  We thoroughly study it and plan our adventures.  I have lots of maps stored in a box under my bed from when I taught 9th grade geography and I am happy to say that I think my love affair with maps has worn off on my children.  The sad thing is they will probably never really need a paper map to get them from point A to B, but I am glad they like them anyway.  Here are two projects we have done with maps lately. 

 Mod Podged Map Table

Someone got sharpie on our coffee table. I won't name any names but she is little and really cute and she has a scar on her chin.  This seemed like the perfect solution. Nothing like kicking your feet up in Antarctica after a long day of work.  Hint:  Use outdoor Mod Podge to make it water proof.

Where Is It Made?

I used to play this game with my students and I thought the kids would like it too. We went through the house, looked at the tags in our clothes, the stamps on our dishes and the labels on our toys to discover where everything was made.  The kids were a little disappointed that so few of our things were made in the USA.  We marked where things were made with a star on our world map.  Atley's comment, "I guess if I ever want to make something I better move to southeast Asia."

Sling Shots

Scott bought the boys sling shots on his most recent work trip.  The night he got home we practiced indoors with cotton balls and then angry bird toys  The boys were in heaven, the cat not so much. Their targets were some stuffed bunnies, Lego men and occasionally the cat, their sister, their mother or each other.

Tinker Table

I read somewhere that children's author Mo Willems' kitchen table is one giant doodle and each night during dinner the family draws and writes on it.  I thought that was such an awesome idea. I might even try it someday, but for now, I try to make our kitchen table what I call a "Tinker Table" everyday.  I put out some art supplies and walk away. It is amazing how the kids are drawn to it, especially Harley and what they come up with each day.  Nash recently wrote his life story at our Tinker Table, complete with me lying on my back with a huge belly, while an evil looking doctor wielded a giant knife over me, ready to deliver Nash into the world.  I was never more thankful for my C-Sections.  I would have hated to see Nash's depiction had my children been born the normal way.  Also, Nash, our budding Van Gogh, painted this masterpiece.

One of Harley's favorite projects is gluing googly eyes on people in magazines. By the way, this is great for fine motor skills, which I have learned the hard way need to be developed just like any other muscle.

Atley used the Tinker Table to write a book, expressing his disdain of a few things. I think it was pretty cathartic for him.

"The Caveman Who Invented Stuff I Don't Like"

By:Atley

Dedication:

"To Lucy the cutest kitty ever!!!!

And to my family, world's nicest people."

"A long time ago on a continent not far away...

Hi! I am Jonathan the caveman. I am about to invent an S.O.L (end of year assessment test), then I will event a pop quiz."

 

"Now I will invent homework, my favorite invention yet.  Now I will invent italian chicken, my favorite food."

 "Ahhhhhhh! T-Rex. CHOMP!

The End"

 

Here is my recipe for ITALIAN Chicken: 

(Jonathan the Caveman's Favorite, Atley's Most Hated)

3 to 4 Chicken Breasts

1 Envelope Italian Dressing Mix

8 Oz. Cream Cheese

Egg Noodles or Rice

Milk if needed

 

Place Chicken Breasts in crockpot and cover with dressing mix.  Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.  Shred chicken with a fork and add cubed cream cheese. Cook for additional 30 minutes or until cream cheese is melted. Add milk if mixture is too thick. Serve over egg noodles or rice.

 



No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Harley has a small addiction to television, especially Disney Junior and Mickey Mouse Club House.  On Wednesday I made a vow that I was not going to let her watch TV. I was going to make a valiant effort to fill her day with fun things that would keep her entertained.  Towards the end of the evening I was running out of ideas and patience, so I decided to fill the bathroom sink with water and bubbles and let her play with her rubber ducks.  She was having a great time playing and making a watery mess all over the bathroom floor. I was feeling so proud of myself for my superior mothering abilities, when...She slipped on that slippery tiled floor, landing on her face, more specifically her chin.  At first I couldn't tell what was wrong, just that she was hurt very badly.  Then I saw it. A perfectly straight slit under her chin all the way to the little bone.  The boys had just gotten home from school-Scott was out of town. We piled into the car to head to Urgent Care.  Nash was instructed to hold a wash rag under her chin.  Up to this point Nash had not seen what had happened, but a few minutes into our ride, he noticed that the washrag he was holding was covered in blood. This prompted him to throw it down on the ground in a panic and then gaze upon Harley's injury.  Well, needless to say he flipped out.  He has a small issue with blood, at least with other people's blood. He turned white as a ghost and said he was going to throw up and I thought for sure he was going to pass out.  I made him close his eyes and put his head between his legs. By the time we made it to the hospital Harley was fine and Nash was a total disaster.

Here she is waiting for stitches. Nash and Atley had to wait in another hospital room where Atley did his best to comfort his brother through his traumatic experience.  I held her down while they stitched up her chin. She kept yelling-"I am so scared!" and "I just want to suck my thumb and pick my fuzz!"  Six stitches later we were on our way home. She slept for 15 hours straight and Nash slowly got some color back in his face.

 

The next night when she said her prayers she said, "Heavenly Father, please help mommy to keep me safe better and bless that brothers and daddy will be super heroes that save me before I get hurt."

The moral of the story is:  Be a good mom, do the right thing and just let your kids watch TV. It is much less dangerous and far less expensive.