Best Buy Ever

Wow!  I ordered this preschool busy bag a few weeks ago.  It was on some crazy sale and I had been wanting to create something like this for Bro, but the time and expense to make it would probably not be worth it.  So, I ordered it.

The busy bag includes 20 preschool-friendly activities to keep your preschooler busy.  I imagined that we would use the bag: on a rainy day, to keep Bro quiet during church, on a long car ride, and so on.

Soon after I ordered the bag, I had buyer's remorse.  I envisioned this ratty bag showing up at my door with lackluster appeal and mediocre artistry.  I could not have been more wrong.

Note:  If you have a preschooler in your house then this is the busy bag for you.

Each of the 20 activities is perfect for little Bro: counting activities, letter activities, color activities, lacing activities, sorting activities, pretend activities... and more and more.  Each activity comes in its own ziploc bag with easy instructions for mom and dad.  Every bag contains all of the items needed for the activity.  The lady who put them together even took the time to round of the edges of the papers and laminate the cards that would clearly get lots of use.  This is such a sweet set.  It is clearly handcrafted and I love that part too. 

I went so far as to order a Christmas bag from the same lady because it not only includes Christmas activities but has some "winter" activities as well.  I am hoping that this will help get us through some tough days that we are stuck inside the house, hiding from Old Man Winter. 

We took our busy bag with us to an evening doctor's appointment. 

We were sorting...

and lacing... as we waitied.  We had great fun!

The lady who makes these bags also holds a busy-bag swap each year.  The idea is that each mom makes 30 sets of one bag and mails them in.  When the lady gets all of the sets, then she divides them up and sends them out to the families.  Cool huh?

How do you keep your kids occupied at the doctor's office,

while you make dinner, or on a rainy day?

Thanksgiving Recap

I did not blog over the Thanksgiving weekend.  However, here is a quick photo recap for your viewing pleasure.

Thursday, November 24

The kids had a great Thanksgiving.  Bro asked for "more turkey please."

Friday, November 25

Bro did not play while we were outside.  When we went inside to eat lunch he started screaming and fell to the floor with stomach pain.

We took a visit to the ER which has its own pediatric wing.  Yay! It's new and I forgot all about it until I got there.

They said that his colon was probably spasming.  They gave him Motrin and a popsicle.  He watched plenty of SpongeBob too.

Saturday, November 26

We went to the Smithsonian museums.  I was so delighted to see that the Air and Space Museum has a baby changing station in the men's bathroom.  Yes, this is the only picture I took all day long.

Sunday, November 27

Pioneer Woman's Turkey Tetrazzini is a great way to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

What did you do over the break?

JUICE!

My little Bro-man is rather inflexible at times.

For example, he gets a sippy cup of juice each morning.  There is hell to pay if he does not get his juice immediately when he arrives to the living room.  I'm not kidding here folks.

Recently, we were out of juice.  I was giving Bri her bottle and Bro was still sleeping.

While I feeding Bri her bottle, Bro walked out into the living room.  I could feel the hairs on my neck stand up.  I knew what was coming.

"I want my juice Mommy."

I was in a predicament.  Bro was gonna have a fit if he did not get his juice, but Brielle was going to have a fit if I sat her down in the middle of the only bit of cuddle time we get each day.

I know I can multitask but I cannot make juice and feed a baby a bottle at the same time.

So, I took a gamble and asked, "Bro, Mommy needs to make new juice.  Can you give Bri her bottle while I make juice."

He replied, "Yes" and he did.. and Brielle didn't fuss. Oh my gosh - he even let me TAKE HIS PICTURE!!!

This is his I-just-woke-up face, not a grumpy face.

He really is mommy's little helper.

Don't the kids just surprise you sometimes?



Books

Recently, I spent a few days sitting around the house holding his little gem.

She threw up all day long.  Good times!


Actual picture of terribly sick baby Bee.



The best part was when she was supposed to be taking a nap and instead stood up at the corner of her crib and threw up into the basket below... the basket that holds 4 of her favorite baby books.

What did I do?  I'm not kidding folks.  I rinsed them and set them in the bathtub to dry.

Is that awful or what?

At $9 a piece, we are looking at about $40 of books here.  These are the bulk of her favorite board books.  We cannot live without them.  Luckily, the Barney lift-the-flap books were not in the basket.  They are out of print and the replacement cost is not in our family budget.  The Barney books are her top favorite books and she asks for them by name.

Was I able to save the books?  Well, Brown Bear, Brown Bear was beyond saving.  {{sigh}} It has been part of our collection since Lulu was a baby.  {{tears}}

Please tell me that someone reading this blog would have tried to save the books.

I couldn't just throw them away.

Paper Hornets

Lulu is learning the art of creating and shooting paper hornets.  We have hornets and targets all over the house.  It's best to both hit the target and leave, gaping hole, and make a loud noise. 

Here is a small paper hornet and rubber band launcher.

She informed me that you can make 14-20 paper hornets from one piece of notebook paper.

She learned this technique during school on Friday.  The kids who take Spanish were on a field trip and this left the few French and Chinese language students in school for the day.  The science teacher let them make and shoot paper hornets... including setting up barricades in the classroom.  She says it was a great day!

She's teaching every member of the family to shoot paper hornets.

What wholesome activities are you enjoying with your family? 

 

Do It All. Who me?

Wow!  What a night! 

First, Lulu and I went to the movies together and saw Footloose.  It was the bomb!!!! That is, I really liked it!  I couldn't stop smiling almost all night long.  The dancing and music were great.  I think I never saw the original Footloose, but the music from tonight's movie seemed like remakes from the first movie.  I'm not really that into music, but I'm sure I would love to have the soundtrack to listen to.  It really was great!

What was my favorite line from the movie?  "A parent's job is to worry."  {{Geez.  Isn't that the truth?}}

After the movie, we stopped into Barnes and Noble... one of my all-time favorite stores.  I saw this Do It All Mom calendar for sale. 

I had to immediately walk away.  I've taken a Zen-like approach to life lately.  Well, I'm trying to be calmer, okay?  This calmness doesn't come easy for me.  Chill. 

Is it just me or does this Do It All Mom calendar make you feel pressure to be perfect?  Admittedly, the calendar was cool; but the title is awful.  I'm sure they will sell tons of these calendars because every mom wants to feel like she can do it all.  Here's a tip:  You don't have to do it all.  mkay?  You will feel tons better if you stop trying to do it all.  mkay?  I promise.

Next Lulu and I buzzed through the beauty supply store.  We found Justin Bieber's perfume set – front and center in the middle of the store.  Did you know he has his own perfume now?

Apparently Taylor Swift has her own perfume too.  Who knew?

To top of the night, when we got home we opened a letter saying that Lulu was accepted into National Junior Honor Society.  Everyone else most of her friends got their letter on Friday.  So, we were starting to assume that Lulu didn't get accepted.  Seeing the acceptance letter was a nice surprise and a great topper to a wonderful mother/daughter night out.

Finally, I need to take care of a little blog update.  So, here goes.

Speaking of the do-it-all motto.  I was attempting to be a do-it-all blogger for the month of November.  I'm sure that on November 1, as on previoues November 1s, I promised to blog every day for the month of November.  I don't think that I have ever made this goal and it looks like this year will be no different.  However, you might notice that I am on track to blog on more days in November than any other month in 2011.  So, I think that's a bit of an accomplishment... only a few more blog posts left to go.  I think I can do it.

Do you feel like you need a Do It All calendar or

does it create too much pressure?

To be honest, I probably would have bought the calendar if I had seen it 6 months ago. No offense to you if you have one.  I'm learning to set boundaries.  One of my boundaries is that I don't have to be perfect.  Is this starting to sound like my own online therapy session?  I apologize.

Pumpkin and the Power of Stickers

Oh gee!  I promised that pumpkin was ONLY for October.  Then, my mom gave me some pumpkin butter from Trader Joes. 

I had no idea what to do with pumpkin butter until I found Tis the Season for Pumpkin Butter on a Trader Joe's cooking blog. 

I made both the Harvest Glaze Carrots and the Pumpkin Turnovers. The carrots could not have been more of a hit.  It's no secret that I prepare vegetables for every meal. In return, no one eats the vegetables.  They rot as leftovers in the refrigerator.  Then, I throw them in the compost pile.  Repeat.

Not this time.  My whole family inhaled the harvest carrots.  Bonus: they are crazy easy to prepare.

Run to Trader Joe's and grab a jar of Pumpkin Butter.  They are running low and will not restock again until next year.

Speaking of Trader Joes... it's amazing what kids will do for a sticker.  Teachers use stickers as rewards.  The doctor hands out stickers after the visit.  Even Trader Joe's offers a sticker station for the kids to visit on the way out the door. My kids never complain about going to Trader Joe's with me because they know they will get a sticker before they leave.

Why are stickers so powerful?

Naps and Ninjas

Sometimes the starts align and I get to take a nap.

Napping is my favorite activity EVER.  My best days are days I take a nap.

Bri will still take a nap but Bro has given them up.

So, I set him up with some TV and his favorite toys.  I make sure he is well fed AND has gone to the bathroom... and then I settle down for a nap.

I use the term "nap" loosely here.  Let's face it, I can't get a deep sleep with a preschooler running around the house... even if he is "quiet as a ninja" (as he puts it).

Inevitable, he sneaks into my room and leaves gifts for me on my child's school desk nightstand.  It is hilarous to listen to him sneaking in to leave these gifts. 

Today, I turned over to find this little gem waiting for me.

 
Oh my gosh - I could just squeeze him for being so thoughtful!

So, I didn't get a nap, but I did get a delicious snack to share with my little guy.

How do you unwind on the weekends?

Bounce Zone

Wow!  I asked a friend of mine for suggestions of activities for my two youngest kids on a State Holiday when the daycaare was closed.

I am finding it hard to keep the two of them occupied as the weather gets colder.

My friend suggested a local indoor bounce place specifically for little kids.  I have been to the bounce places for older kids and I knew that would not work for us.

We met some friends at the bounce place and both of my little ones had a great time.

You know what happens when you try to get the kids to pose for a picture at a place like this?

You get the backs of their heads!

Someone with a winter birthday (poor guy) wants to have a Bounce Zone party this year.

Do you have any suggestions for a winter birthday party?

Humanity

I sleep. I do not stay up late.

However, I was in shock and awe about why PennState University students were supporting Joe Paterno. 

The support and adoration of Paterno after everything that has been disclosed and his own statement that he "should have done more" has sickened me. I was physically ill after hearing and witnessing the support. This has never happened to me before.



I prayed that I would hear and read some different stories in the morning.

I found these great quotes online:

•Colleague Mark Schlabach: "Finally, adults with backbones and courage made a prudent decision at Penn State. Paterno was fired because he failed miserably while making the biggest decision of his life."



•The Philadelphia Inquirer's Bill Lyon: "The irony is, the tragedy is, in trying to keep his beloved school from suffering harm, Paterno had a hand in causing that very harm. When the scandal was brought before him, he reacted, but it was only the bare minimum, superficial, a shocking cover-up that flew in the face of all that he, and Penn State, had come to stand for."

Then saw these two posts from friends on facebook:

As a Penn Stater, this entire thing is sickening and heartbreaking. And it's about those young kids. They did not deserve that abuse and will have to live with it for the rest of their lives. Paterno, and every single one of the administration that knew about what Sandusky did needed/needs to be fired over this. And charged under the law. That small portion of the 45,000 students up there rioting does not represent MY university. Not one of my fellow alums thinks Paterno et.al should stay. This is not about football and wanting a winning football team. When it comes to PaternoStaters get that and are sickened and upset just like you are. It's that 1% that can't see beyond the confines of their own small world and/or can't articulate their anger that do these stupid things. And of course, the media finds them.

as well as, 

To add to what Shane said, there are very few things in big-time college football or in life for that matter that are good and true. And, up until a week ago, Joe Paterno was one of those things. If people are upset, it's because it is har...d to accept that Joe Paterno, the pinnacle of all college football coaches, could let everyone down like he did. It's another sad example of a hero taking a terrible, yet deserved, fall.

 

Today I am thankful that there are

some loving and sympathetic human beings out there;

I was starting to get scared.