I finally joined Twitter… if you look on my side bar, you will see. Which is kinda cool, cause its like text messaging but without the fee’s! I also like it cause I can do it even when I’m not home, however I do have a text message package (no fee’s). Now you can all see the random thoughts that go through my mind. (oh wait, that could be scary for you) Come join me at Twitter!
Out new on Tuesday Jan 27th…. was the sequel to Open Season. Every other Friday is our family movie night. My kids begged to watch Open Season 2 tonight. It is a good comedy if you are looking for a laugh. Some adult humor, but they keep it good for children. The movie is rated PG for mild rude humor. Its not one of my favorites for a family movie, but it is good for a laugh.
Then after the kids went to bed we watched FIREPROOF! I have heard such good things, about this movie, so I was dying to watch it. It was a truly inspiring movie. It made me laugh, and it made me cry. I love it! Only if we all were that true to ourselves. I suggest this movie to any couple to watch.With Valentine’s day coming up, husbands prefect gift for your wife. Now, quick go rent it or buy it!
Hunter got his report card today! Can we say total PROUD MOMMY MOMENT! Yes, that is right… Hunter got all A’s & B’s! He brought a few of his grades up from last quarter. I’m so proud of him! He is such a delightful smart handsome boy! He does have a few behavioral issues, he is still working on, but slowly improving. 'I’m just excited he loves being at school again!
Opps… Ok, so I was suppose to post this on Wednesday, but I was sick and didn’t get to it. Therefore, here I am. I’m sure none of you are dying to hear…
For this week, and it may have been cause I was sick. I lost 2 lbs… I was actually not surprised by this, cause I haven’t eaten much this week. Lets hope I don’t gain it back next week.
I’m doing better with the portion control. I started also this week, drinking a Slim Fast for Breakfast, since I’m not big on eating in the morning. I didn’t get as many steps in this week, as i would have liked…. but will continue to try. I have gotten better at the exercise part. I do 40 min workout each day… (except for the couple days I wasn’t feeling well) I’ve even got the kids involved in this, and they enjoy it.
Lets hope for good results next week too!
1. Dance: My daughters love to dance… the don’t walk through the house, they dance. Rachel is “Teaching” herself how to do Ballet. It’s rather cute to watch. We hope to put her in a dance class this fall.
2. Dishwasher: Have I ever mentioned how lost I’d be without a dishwasher?? I have had one since, I was pregnant with my second child, cause my husband hated to do them, and I couldn’t do it all the time. It is a life saver on most days!
3. Daisy’s: I think daisy’s are so cute. They really uplift a room.
4. DVR: I would be so lost without my dvr. I have to much commotion going on most of the time to sit and watch any of the shows I enjoy. I have to have quiet to really enjoy them, so I like to be able to go back and watch my shows, after my kids are in bed.
5. Dislike: I am so frustrated that my children dislike many foods I make for supper. Makes meal time so hard, instead of enjoyable. At what age are they not so darn PICKY!
6. Dinnertime: When the kids are not complaining about the food I have put in front of them. Dinnertime is my favorite time of the day. Since my children have been little, we always have sat at the table together with no other distractions. This is so nice to catch up on the day, or just to hear the silly stories they bring to the table. Plus we now have Nana & Papa to join in on this with us. Its a great feeling to have all 7 people at the table. :)
7. Dad: I miss mine greatly. It has been weird to live so far away from him, after living next door to him for a year. I really enjoyed our time together, being that close to each other brings a bond I cannot explain. It was a wonderful opportunity that I will not regret or forget!
8. Dunkin Doughnuts: My biggest weakness… for my love of coffee. I love there caramel ice coffee with extra, extra. However, it does not love my figure. Now, they are only down the road 5 minutes, so I have to be careful… My willpower has been increasing and doing better though.
9. Dogs: I do like them.. Still a bit afraid of bigger ones, since being bit as a child. I’m sad we had to give our black lab away.. as we miss her greatly. I hope that sometime we will be able to get another one when we are settled again.
10. Doctors: They just plain annoy me. Never on time, never call you back when you need an answer. Hard to find one that will take you with certain insurances… They just plain aggravate me! I also don’t like the ones that blame everything on your weight. I find it hard to believe everything is due to me being overweight. Yes some things it may contribute, but not all things are due to it! GRR!
11. Disrespect: What is it with the lack of Respect in this world today. Is it so hard for parents to instill a bit of it in, their kids?? I find it so annoying. My kids are taught respect, they may still have a moment here and there, where they could brush up on it a bit, they are after all learning… but to have none, just blows my mind.
12. Dinosaurs: I find these creatures truly fascinating. I would love to go back in time and see them in person. Don’t you think that would be cool??? My son also loves Dinosaurs, we learn about them all the time, with his continuing thirst for knowledge. May I suggest a good book, that puts it in kids terms, and gives you amazing background on them. It is the Reference Guide Book about Dinosaurs, by the author of the Magic Tree House books. Hunter and I read this book, and we were just blow away with its wealth of information. We are now eager to read other Reference Guides she has…
13. Drums: I always wanted to play these as a kid. Of course my parents never allowed me. Can you blame them?? My son now wants to play the drums, oh I can feel the headaches starting already. We have not yet made a decision on him doing this. He also shows an interest in the Piano so we are trying to steer him in that direction.
There you have the D’s! Stay tuned next week when we embark onto the letter E!
Last night was Hunter’s Blue & Gold Banquet. For those of you not familiar with Boy Scouts this is to celebrate the birthday of Boy Scouts, when Sir Powell founded it in England 99 yrs ago. Wow, 99 yrs… that is a long time, and the program is still running strong.
At this we also had our awards and achievements given out to them. Hunter has yet to get any cause of when we joined was so close to the Holiday’s… we have not had a Den meeting to give them out. So last night Hunter got a lot. He started out with receiving his Bobcat Badge, which he has to wear backwards, until he does a good deed, and then he can turn it over. (I love that they have to be so involved in community service… cause I don’t believe there is enough of it anymore) I apologize for some of the photos being rather dark. (camera acting up again)
Then he got his immediate recognition badge (which is the paw that holds all his beads he achieves), along with 3 orange beads (den activities), 3 black beads (Go-See it activities) and 2 white beads (family activities). Then he got his Art Belt Loop, Computer Belt Loop, and his Computer Pin. Plus the our family got the Family Award. When we finish 4 more things he will get his Tiger Badge, and then he will also receive beads for his electives. You get a yellow bead for every 10 electives you finish. We are almost to our 20th. In order to receive this you have to have your Tiger Badge earned first. He was so proud of himself.
We are eager to start on some more to get our Tiger Badge. Plus finish some more electives. We have a lot of fun with this, and he is doing excellent. I’m very proud of him. He is learning a lot of amazing things. Plus he is now eager to earn his Chess Belt Loop, so we are going to focus on that next.
After all awards, pins, and belt loops were handed out for all packs, we had our Desert pot luck. There were deserts of all kinds. We had ice cream, no bake cookies, chocolate chip, brownies, apple cake, and of course the birthday cake! We had a wonderful time, and are so happy to be doing this with our little guy! Stay tuned….. for more on his Derby car!
For Today January 26, 2009
Outside my window.... Finally warming up! Back up in the 70's, so much better....
I am thinking.... What will the girls and I tackle this week. We got some cool stuff on clearance at the Craft store...
From my imagination.... A few dice games for the girls to learn their letters.
I am thankful for.... Creative days with my girls. We have so much fun together :)
From the kitchen.... Not sure today... we have had fresh muffins the last couple of days.
I am wearing..... shorts (as the weather finally permits again!), a t-shirt, and my bare feet!
I am reading.... Nothing at the moment, finished my book from the library!
I am hoping.... to get Hunter's Derby car painted by mid week, so we can test it out, and see how much it weighs.
I am creating... Some simple games for the kids.
I am hearing.... not much, kinda quiet this morning.. Sage is sitting with me, watching her cartoons.
One of my favorite things.... Stationary... as much as I love the convenience of the Internet/email/Instant messaging and such... I also like a nice old fashion letter, on pretty stationary, or cards.
A few plans for the rest of the week..... Hunter's Desert Banquet and Awards, Library, crafts, games, walks, cooking, reading, laughing, playing, and having fun!
A picture I am Sharing....
Hunter claimed he was lonely one night, so Nana let him borrow the big Mickey to keep him company. I couldn't resist the photo op, after he fell asleep! 
1. What was your favorite subject in grade school? My absolute favorite would have to be chemistry.
Why did you enjoy this subject so much? I thought it was interesting, and I enjoyed doing experiments.
What was your favorite part about this subject? Doing my hydroponics garden.
2. Tell me about your best friend in grade school. Do you still keep in touch? I had a couple in grade school. My first best friend was Chad, and we are still friends to this day. Talk often. He moved after kindergarten year, and we lost touch until we ended up graduating together, it was a great surprise to us to end up at the same school and graduate. My other best friend in school, was Thomasina... and we still are best friends..
If not, why did the friendship dissolve?
3. Do you remember your first day of school? Not really.... I remember parts of it. I remember my teachers name and which school I attended.
If not your very first day, then please tell us about the earliest memory of your first day of school - how did you feel? I was very nervous, as believe it our not I was a very shy kid.
What did you wear? I'm not sure, but I recall some sort of blue polka dot dress. But I may not be right.
Did it take long for you to make new friends? I don't remember how long it took.
Do you remember anything about the classroom or the teacher? I vaguely remember the classroom. I remember it was kinda spilt into two sections, and my teachers name was Mrs. Clement. Later on in my life, I ended up babysitting her granddaughter.
4. Let’s jump to middle school. What were your middle school years like? Not that I admit this lightly... but they were hell. I was the one everyone picked on.. I didn't stand up for myself.
Did you have a lot of friends? I remember one, maybe two REAL friends. I stress the word real.
Did you adjust quickly or slowly to the change from grade school? Fairly quickly as I recall... but not sure. I kinda blocked those years out for the most part.
What was your favorite subject in middle school? Geography that I recall. I loved that class!
Rachel in her own way has always been very shy about some things, and people. This past Friday we went to Michael's to see what they had on sale, or anything we could pick up cheap for craft projects. Afterwards the girls were hungry, so we decided to take them out to lunch. So, we headed to the new Cafe next to Michael's to try it out. The girls were really excited about this. It was a rather good place to eat, much healthier than McDonald's or Burger King. The girls picked a table outside on the sidewalk, and we sat and ate. While we were waiting for Sage to finish up her sandwich. (she is a bit slow eating sometimes) Rachel decided she was going to go entertain the Cafe by dancing in front of the doors/windows. Mostly because she could see her reflection in the glass, and she loves to watch herself dance. Everyone loved watching her dance, and complimented her on it. I wish I had a video camera to show you, she was rather cute in her performance. It did one big thing though, which was set my mind at ease, that she will not be to scared to dance in front of an audience if she joins dance! I hope to catch her one day soon, to show you all her lovely self taught dance moves. :)
Well despite many obstacles this week.... I was somehow able to lose 2 pounds. I did get a bit more exercise in this week, except the last two days, cause it has been a bit cold. The kids don't like going out for a walk when its chill... more the girls than Hunter. My portions have been pretty good, except last night, I was defeated by homemade Mac & Cheese! I'm excited to say my snacking has calmed down. Thanks for all your support! See you next week.
Hunter figured out what he wanted to turn the car into, as you saw sketched on the last post. On this one, we are showing you what it looks like now cut. It still needs a lot of work however. Next, we need to sand down the car, and pick some paint colors out. Stay tuned.......
Tonight Hunter had Cub Scouts. Being a scheduled day off, they usually don't meet. However, we are in our last few weeks before the Pinewood Derby, so we went to get some stuff done with that. With that being said, no other Tigers showed up other than Hunter, and a new kid joining us. When we are the only ones there, we hang out with the Wolves. Therefore, its not a wasted trip in. Last night the Wolves where learning how to play "Chess". Hunter was very eager to pay attention and learn how to play. I didn't really think he was getting the concept, but he surprised me. After all the pieces were explained (name, moves, attack moves, etc) the kids paired up and played each other. Hunter was one of the only kids that played the game with minimal adult assistance. I was so proud of him. He was enjoying himself, a lot. He was kinda bumming that we didn't have a board, and chess pieces here (we left ours in Maine). Since he did such a good job, the Wolf Leader, let Hunter borrow one of boards, and pieces. I'm guessing we will be playing a lot of Chess this week. :) I need to brush up on my skills anyway! I found a site online as well to teach kids to play and practice. Check that out HERE.
Here is Hunter concentrating hard to make a move! Plus one of him enjoying the game!
As you all know, Hunter is in Cub Scouts this year. So he gets to be in his first Pinewood Derby! He is very excited about this, nope, excited isn't even the word! Therefore, we have decided we want to share the Derby and all its stages.
Here is what we have to start with:
A block of wood! The next step is to figure out what you want the design to be. If you look closely you can see the pencils marks from were we put our outline on.
was writing this was to tell you how much we love our librarian. Every week that Hunter is not able to attend with us, she is always sure to have enough of the craft, coloring page of that day to send home for him to do. Plus she is so eager to help the kids find new books, let us know about new ones that came in... or to just help us come up with new ideas. This week she sent me home with a couple other frog projects, so I can do them with the girls. I'm going to save them for the letter "F", when we get there. We are slow to study each letter, as the girls are really trying to master them as we go.
1. You have just been hired to clean your own home, what is your first complaint?
I hate cleaning bathrooms, and cleaning up things that people walk over a thousand times, but can't stop to pick them up!
2. Are you able to ignore a ringing telephone? Yes, I am able to ignore the phone, if it is someone I don't care to talk too.
How often do you allow a ringing phone to go to voice mail? I believe my old home phone was set to 4 rings and then it went to voicemail... I try to make it something I can respond to if I'm going to answer the phone.
Do you answer your cell phone, out in public, every time it rings? I try to answer my cell if I hear it. Only time I ignore it, is if I'm busy, or driving.
Or do you silence it and get back to it when you’re in a more private area? I silence my phone in a restaurant, library, or movies... things that are not a good place to have it go off.
How often would you say you’re on your home phone? I'm not on it much any more... as its not my phone.
Your cell phone? I'm usually on it a couple times a day... not nearly as often as I used to be. I am on it longer when I am calling back home to talk to my family and friends.
Do you like talking on the phone or do you view it as a necessary communication tool? I love to talk on the phone. I'd rather talk to these people in person...but not possible at the moment.
3. When did you last go for a bike ride? Wow, it has been 4 yrs probably?
Do you own a bike? Nope, but would like to get one.
Do you encourage your children to ride bikes? Yes I do... and they all have bikes.
Given the most popular New Year’s resolution of losing weight, would you consider putting bicycle riding as one of your exercise options? Why or why not? Yes, I think that bike riding can be very fun, and it is good exercise.
4. If you had to name a smell that always makes you nostalgic, what would it be? Yankee Sunflower candle
What sorts of memories does the smell evoke? Just really nice memories from my past, with friends.
Does anyone else have this problem??? Ever time I go to the grocery store, my kids drive me nuts! Don't want to be in the cart, want to run, pull items off the shelf, and just plain act absurd. I have tried to find different ways to deal with this, and most times coming up with a failure. Making it very hard for me to get anything done. And how realistic is it for anyone to get a babysitter just so we can go get groceries a
lone?? Well, in the midst of perusing the isles of clearance... I found this! It is an specific activity book for them to use. It has a wipe off pen to use, and it has many different pages. I like it not only for the keeping them occupied, but also cause it teaches them so much info. It has a spot for traceable words (working on writing skills) , counting, colors, thinking logic (mazes). I love it! I probably should have bought two as my girls will probably fight over them. But even being on clearance it was like $5, which is a bit passed my budget when you get two. I'm so cheap! I will let you know how well it works, after we put it to the test. I'm hopeful that it is going to prove to be helpful! :)
Tis that season for new mods to be brought in at stores. Target is getting ready to redo their toy department.... Which meant Clearance... and lots of it! I was so excited about that. So, of course being me, I had to go check it out. I'm glad I did. I found Monopoly Jr. (ages 4 plus) , and Scrabble Jr. (ages 5 plus) for the kids. Considering we left so many of our kids games behind, this was a great thing. I like variety and we have a weekly, game/movie nights at our house. How much did I pay for these you ask?? Well, I got one for a 1.97 and the other for 2.49. Awesome deal! Of course there were many other deals, that I did not get to in time. Like 40 dollar sets of Lego's for 7 bucks...which would have been awesome, since a certain little man is having a birthday soon. I'm working pretty hard on getting my gift tote stocked back up!
Here are this week’s four questions.
Let’s talk about Chinese food.
#1. Do you prefer to eat Chinese food in the restaurant or to have it delivered? I don't mind either way, depends on what I'm doing at that given time. Chinese Food is so YUMMY!
#2. Do you prefer wonton or egg drop soup? Not a big fan of either soup. I've heard that Wonton Soup is really good though.
#3. What flavor fried rice is your favorite? Pork, or shrimp... Are both very good! I love fried rice. I actually just found a recipe, I'll be posting the recipe on my other blog very soon. :)
#4. Describe your favorite item on the Chinese food menu. I love Beef & Broccoli, and General Chao's Chicken, Chicken Lo-Mein, Crab Ragoons, and Fried Shrimp.
Now I want Chinese Food! :(
1. What book is on your nightstand right now? What was the last book you read? How many books do you think you read in 2008? The first Harry Potter Book. The last book I read was The Tale of Despereaux .... I didn't read as many as I would have liked but probably around 50.
2. Name three blogfriends that have inspired you. Now please tell us how these blogfriends have inspired you.
Wow interesting question.... I would have to say..... (drum roll please..hehe)
1. Berry Patch (Lisa): I enjoy her blog...she has wonderful ideas. She has helped me get over some ruff patches many a times. I like real life blogs, cause they don't make you feel like life is a fairy tale. :)
2. Because I said So (Dawn): I love this blog, cause she makes me laugh everyday. She says what I am thinking but don't always say! Wonderful read!
3. Woods 7 (Jen): I enjoy this one, because if she can survive in Alaska, Homeschooling her 5 children all alone, while her husband is deployed... then I know I can survive the 8 hrs a day my husband is off at work, no matter how crazy my kids get! She is truly inspiring to see what she accomplishes in a day!
Truth be told, there are lots of blogs I keep up on, that I find to be inspiring, or a good read. So keep up the good work ladies! :)3. How far do you live from the place where you grew up as a kid? Tell us about the place you grew up - would you choose to go back there and raise your own family (if you have one)? Why or why not? I live exactly 1615 miles away from where I grew up. You ask how I had that mileage to a "T"... no I did not goggle it! I just drove it in September, and that number just seems to stick in my head. :) I grew up in a small town in Maine, or a few small towns. It was nice, in the country, lovely neighbors kinda place. I did start to raise my family there. I really liked my kids being able to be there. I lived right next to my father, a few miles from my grandmother and less than 15 miles from my mother, but unfortunately, do to the economy in Maine... My family was forced with a tough decision. We picked up and moved to Florida. We may not have found the prefect job yet, but we found a job, and it is better than what we had (which was no job) We miss our family greatly, and hate that we are so far away. Hopefully, we will be able to visit them often, or they can come here and visit us! :)
4. Finish this line: Absence makes the heart……
(please do not say “grow fonder”.) How long do you think is ‘too long’ to be away from your loved ones? grow sad.... I think more than a month is fair to long to be away from the ones I love. Unless it is my children and then it is like a day! LOL! :) Being away from my Mom is one of the hardest struggles, I have had in a long time. Being away from my friends, is also very difficult. Luckily, now with the technology, it is easier for me to stay in touch with them! Miss you all!
They used an old ammunition box to store the stuff in. It was hidden next to an oak tree. Hunter was very eager to root around inside the box, to see what there was!
