Good-bye August!

Can't believe we whizzed through August so quickly. Schedules and routines are being established, and I can't wait for cooler weather. I keep thinking of soups, stews, squash, and home baked bread (which I'm going to try out in the next month. Has anyone ever tried anything from this book?). Frankly, I'm being teased today because it is overcast and cool (68 degrees with a high of 75).

Found this beautiful website with free computer wallpapers to download (found via how about orange). I LOVE poppies, so the beautiful picture on the bottom left is currently on my screen. Absolutely perfect for the last day of August!

2nd Lost Tooth

Whoo-hoo!!!! Lost this afternoon, and he didn't swallow this one!

Payback Time

I've decided payback time is what I'm going to call the back-to-school weeks in our household. It is the time where Randy and I are suffering for the eight glorious weeks of vacation. We are both educators (and love being educators), but at the end of August it is like one big SLAM!!!!! Combined with Danny and Annelise's return to school it gets so crazy around our house.

I took a 3 unit course on the week of August 17th. Unfortunately the class was about an hour away and started at 7:30 each morning. Randy totally took the brunt of that one, shuttling the kids to our gracious friends and caregivers (shuttling -- moving the kids WITHOUT the use of our car... he would use the zipcar, bus, neighbors, walking, etc.) so that he could still get some work done.

On August 24th Danny started back to school, which basically means he is tired and a little extra grumpy. He is loving first grade, but the routine is stretching us all. Also this week I started back for meetings and classroom preparation. Although I am a part-time teacher, I don't always get to put in part-time hours in this preparation week. Randy also had a writing deadline this week to add to our family stress (he sent it off last night... whoo-hoo!) . Of course Annelise doesn't start school until September 8th, so very kind friends and caregivers have been watching her at random hours this week (and next, too!).

Let me tell you how it all went down last night. Danny was tired, so he had no problem getting to bed by 8pm. Annelise had a nap at the daycare she went to yesterday (I HATE that), so that usually means she is up until 10 or so. I made sure dishes were done and we all had clothes for the next day, then grabbed the girl and got her ready for bed. I took her mini-DVD player into our bedroom. I plopped her on the bed with a movie, while I read and dozed. After about an hour she asked me to turn off the light. I turned off the light and we both crashed. Randy came up at about 10 (after sending out his writing), moved Annelise to bed and went to sleep. Between the 2 kids and a raging storm we were woken up FOUR times later that night.

All this to say, CRAZY!!!!!!! I'm trying to look at the bright side of these weeks, so here goes!

1. I loved my reading class.
2. We have awesome friends and neighbors here (I am so thankful, EVERY day!).
3. I made sure dishes were washed each night and kept up with the laundry (Randy helped with dishes).
4. Each day I was able to send a nutritious lunch to school with Danny.
5. We went to back-to-school night (even found a baby-sitter so that Randy and I could fully listen), despite being tired.
6. I still got to socialize with friends this week (a definite perk to only working part-time!).
7. I'm excited to get back to teaching next week.
8. We have awesome friends (did I mention that one before?).


So yes... the house is a mess, I haven't been able to get up at 5 to go exercise like normal, and I haven't cooked dinner every night in the last couple of weeks. BUT the eight weeks of summer were all worth it! Now if only I could figure out why Annelise is not sleeping through the night!

How I Know My Daughter Has Her Dad Wrapped Around Her Little Finger...

This is what Randy came home with after a trip to Target with Annelise. Look how happy she is! And if there is any question about this... she also has a Tinkerbell one that came from a shopping trip with me.

Field Bag

Here is a little gift I whipped up for one of Danny's friends. I found the idea here. Danny does like to write or draw about what he sees when we go on little hikes or "adventures." But for a non-writing or non-drawing child, they could use it to collect their little treasures in, and it is a whole lot smaller than a backpack. I got the sketchbooks from Muji (in Soho from this trip) and standard colored pencils and regular pencils. I kind of think of it as a man-purse... but don't tell the kids that!

First Day of First Grade

Just some pictures from yesterday morning. Danny is very excited about this year at school, and he had a good day! Seems that he will like his teacher, too.


Look at last year's pictures and notice the difference in his confidence (especially the ones taken at school)!

Maui

Our summer started with an amazing trip to Maui. We met my parents and stayed at their timeshare with them. In the past we have been able to go in the off-season, but June wasn't too bad. It was a little warm and humid, but nothing compared to home!

We swam, went to the beach, fed the koi, played at the "pirate pool", watched the sunset, rode the Sugar Cane Train, and just lazed around. Swimming was on the agenda at least 2 or 3 times per day. Here are a few of the best pictures!

Swagbucks: Earn Giftcards for Searching Online

I'm a little hesitant to even post this on here... you see, I'm a horrible salesperson. I've had two sales jobs (both summer jobs when I was in college) and I put in my time, but it wasn't my thing. I cringe when I'm invited to Partylite, Tupperware, Pampered Chef or any of those "pyramid-type" parties. And I NEVER could host one.

So, I read about this search engine where you earn points (called swagbucks) that you can use to buy things. I love google and used it regularly, so I thought I would give it a try. I also signed up because Amazon.com gift cards were one of the earnable prizes. I love Amazon! I set the swagbucks website as my home page. In no time (maybe 3-4 weeks) of just regular old searching I had earned a gift card. I've been doing it for 2 1/2 months (not counting the hiatus of our long vacation), and I've earned 3 $5 gift cards. So you might be thinking, "What is the big deal about a $5 gift card?" It's something, but that's only the beginning. When you refer others, your earnings will multiply exponentially. I joined at the end of May and really wanted to give it a good try before I recommended it to anyone.

Now I've bought a book and downloaded some MP3s from Amazon, and I'm ready to say that it is a great way to earn some extra spending/gift/book money. Signing up is very easy, it takes all of about one minute. There are no fees, no credit card required, and no phone number or address requested.

After that, you are credited 3 points to your account and then download the toolbar or set it as your home page, and every day as you're searching online, you earn a few more points. After only 45 points earned, you can get a free Amazon gift card. There are dozens of other prizes and gift cards, too.

Do you know others that search the web, too? Tell them about it and you'll be well on your way to funding your holiday gifts! (I'm just planning ahead, you see!) I've put a little banner on my sidebar if you want to try it, or you can click on the banner at the top of this blog post.

Happy searching!

Cunningham Falls

Last weekend we went to Cunningham Falls with some friends. Cunningham Falls are rocky falls that can be climbed and waded in. A little too much nail-biting-climbing for me, but we all had fun taking the hike and then climbing in the falls. Then there is a beautiful lake where you can swim. We also had a nice BBQ at the park. And this is where Danny lost his tooth! This was also the day before my birthday and my week-long class that I had to take. It was a great way to spend the day and get my mind off of the week I had ahead of me.

Most of the pictures here are of our kids (for privacy reasons). We are planning a camping trip soon!

Examining a dead centipede.

Burst of energy!

In the falls

At the lake

Freecycle Find

I love freecycle. In May, a woman posted that she was giving away her button collection. She invited people over to sit around and go through buttons. It was quite the experience (especially to those of you that know the kooky town I live in!). While going through the buttons, she told us that many of them were from her mom, now long gone, who used to cut them off of worn out clothes. Here are the buttons I gathered that day! Can't wait to use them in projects!

Summer Swimming

I see these laying all over the house (he has 4 pairs). They make me think of my son, who has really taken off on his swimming this summer. Going to the 6 1/2 feet deep area. Swimming to the bottom of that deep area and touching the floor. Diving into the pool. And then swimming from one wall to the next, mommy treading water or swimming next to him to stay with him, "just in case." Love it! I have some swimming pictures of the kids from vacation that I'll have to share soon.

I Love that Smile!

Danny lost his first tooth yesterday while we were at a park. He must have swallowed it, because we never did find it. The two bottom teeth have been loose since June. And we have all been patiently waiting!

Aren't These Pretty?

When the kitchen and dining room are sparkling clean, flowers are a special treat! Sometimes I indulge myself, and I even saved a couple stems for my bedside.

It's About Time

to be potty-trained, that is! OK... warning on the gross mom post!

We were hoping Annelise would be a little earlier than Danny's 3 years and 2 1/2 months, but not quite. She actually potty-trained at exactly the same age Danny did. None of this "oh, she's a girl and girls are always earlier" or " she's the second child so she'll want to use the toilet earlier." Annelise isn't exactly a rule follower, and potty-training wasn't any exception.If you calculate the 3 years, 2 1/2 months (her birthday is March 23rd), you can figure out that she "figured it out" two weeks before we left on vacation. She had actually been doing pretty well with #1 before that, but #2 was mastered in that second week of June. I really do believe that this process is a lot easier when you let the children do their thing in their own time. I don't think Annelise would have had it any other way!

We had a couple of reward issues. We had told her she would get the Itty Bitty Baby (from American Girl Dolls) when she was no longer wearing a diaper during the day, so totally DAY trained. But she was having trouble with #2 and we needed to find a reward that would work (not candy, stickers were not meaningful enough). I was chatting with my friends (my crafty friends!) and mentioned how easy cheap, plastic figures were as an incentive for Danny, but I hadn't found anything for Annelise like that. After thinking for a while, one friend mentioned making a charm bracelet and every time she did #2 on the potty she could add a charm. All materials are pretty cheap at Michael's and Annelise would have a nice trinket when she is done. A brilliant idea that really worked!
She mastered it all by the time we left for vacation, and then she had a few issues while we were gone, including public restrooms and automatic flush toilets! Nothing insurmountable though. And when we got home we ordered the coveted doll.


And I LOVE not spending that cash on diapers!

I'm Baaaa-aaaack!

Never thought you would hear from me again, did ya?

The spring kind of kicked my butt, and we went straight from Danny's last day of school to VACATION!!!!

I've been back in MD for two weeks now and find myself going at a frantic pace trying to get projects done before the start of school. I do LOVE projects, and I don't even mind some of them hanging over my head for a while. But some things MUST be done before we start back to school (cleaning out the closets, turning our bedroom into something more livable instead of a dumping zone!).

I do have a few things to share with you, including some cute pictures of the kids and what they are up to. So stay tuned!