Simple Women’s Daybook:

 

 

For Today August 31st, 2009

Outside my window.... getting hot… gonna be another steamy day.

I am thinking.... its going to be a very long week!

From my imagination....Some ideas bouncing around for Cub Scouts, and Girl Scouts.

I am thankful for.... the time I get to spend with my kiddo’s… and how special those days are!

From the kitchen.... nothing tonight, probably a stop off at McD’s gonna be a long day!

I am wearing..... Shorts, a t-shirt, and my Croc’s!

I am reading....  The Time Traveler’s Wife

I am hoping..... that Sage makes out ok..during her surgery…I’m very nervous for some reason, though my other two have had surgeries as well.

I am creating... a clean space in my room. Big, Big Task! 

I am hearing.... Sage ask me when its time to leave for our play date at the park! 

One of my favorite things....being with my family!

A few plans for the rest of the week:   play date this morning at the park, Rach has dance after school, then Girl Scouts..….Library, the Cub Scouts tomorrow, Sage’s Surgery on Thursday, and a clam weekend. 

A picture I am Sharing.…  A  picture from vacation Sage learned how to swim alone with her floatie’s:

Over at Tales of a Shopaholic Mommy she is having a big Birthday bash for her Daughter’s 2nd birthday with lots of giveaways… so be sure to stop by for your chance to win, shoes, clothes, watches, and Amazon gift card!

Last day of Vacation:

 

We were really sad to have to say goodbye today…. We packed up our stuff from camp, and stopped off to see my dad to say goodbye. Then we headed down to my Mom’s. Were we had “Christmas in August” so she didn’t have to send their stuff down this year, and so she could watch them open presents. Here is a mini recap.

Then we loaded everything into the car, which took a few tries, and in the end we had to have my mom mail some stuff down to us. (Sad I know) Our first stop was to give “H” back her duck floatie she left behind the day before. So one last goodbye with them. After that we stopped off to see Di and the kids one last time before leaving. Letting the kids jump on the trampoline for a few minutes to get some energy out! Another sad goodbye, but I hope to see them again soon!

Then we stopped off to pick up my Mother in-law, where I took a few family photo’s. They came out great… and its so hard to get all 8 kids to sit still might I add!!!

After getting her stuff in the car, we headed for the interstate with a quick stop at the shoe store… (needed to find Rach tap, and ballet shoes) and again at Wal-mart again for our 6 month supply of Red Hot Dogs! LOL! A quick bite to eat at Subway, and then off we went. I drove straight through again… stopping a few times for bathroom breaks, and to stretch our legs. Between the two of us, we made it home in 25 and a half hours this time! It was nice to see home… and boy did the hot shower and my bed feel great!!!

Vacation Part 4:

 

Wednesday was a long day… I spent the day getting together some more of our stuff we were taking back to Florida with us. My dad changed the oil in my car for the trip home. (gotta love my dad) Then we spent the day with my Best friend again! The kids couldn’t get enough of each other.

Then my other Best friend (more like sister) and her family came up to swim and hang with us. It was so good to see them, however not nearly long enough. I’m hoping they can make it back down here for Christmas again! Then I won’t have to wait as long to see them!  Miss you guys!

 

 

 

Zhu-Zhu Pets Review and Giveaway:

Looking for a pet that you don’t have to feed, clean up after, or find someone to watch it while your away?? Don’t I have the perfect one for you! Zhu-Zhu Pet Hamsters!

They are cute, not to expensive and best of all they don’t require any maintenance! My kids are always saying they want a pet, but we just don’t have the time or energy to take care of one.

Zhu-Zhu pets came out with an interactive hamster that you put in its house and it goes around and does everything on its own. No worries!

My kids love to watch them play and laugh, didn’t they laugh! Its easy to put together and provides lots of entertainment. The pieces snap together easily, so a child 7 or older can easily put it together.

They have lots of accessories that you can buy for them, from a wheel, car, skate board, ball, and surf board! They can be found and purchased at Wal-marts, Toys R Us, and Amazon. The hamsters (there are 5 different ones) are around 8 dollars, and the fun house is around 18. Very reasonable!

You have a chance today to win your own Hamster, and Slide with Ramp!

To Enter:

Leave a comment of your favorite childhood toy.

For Extra Entries:
leave separate comment for these or they won’t count!

• Follow me on Twitter (can find a link on the right side bar)
• Tweet about my giveaway and leave the link.
• Follow my blog
• Blog about the giveaway and leave me a link

Be sure to tell your friends about it! The giveaway ends September 6th at 10pm EST. The winner will be picked randomly by Random.org and they will have 48 hrs to respond our I go to the next person. Open to US Residents only. BE SURE TO LEAVE ME A EMAIL ADDRESS!

Book Basket:

 

 

This was our first week back to the library in a couple weeks, due to our vacation and stuff being busy with school starting. It was interesting to go with only one of the kids, as the other two were in school. Sage enjoyed the one on one time though, and as always loved the library. I did make sure to get a list of books everyone wanted us to try to find while we were there for them though. Aren’t I a nice Mom?? :)

Here is our list from this week:

• Snore, Dinosaur, Snore by John Bendall-Brunello: This was a super cute book for preschool kids, or a child just learning to read… its mostly pictures, with only a couple of words, so they can easily follow along!
  
• The littlest Lighthouse Keeper by Heidi and Daniel Howarth: My kids thought this book was super cute as well. Its about a mouse that helps the lighthouse keeper, and when the keeper is away how the mouse gets his friends to help him out and work as a team. Very cute!
  
• Dora’s Chilly Day & Dora At the Carnival: What trip in to the library in my house would be complete without a Dora book??? My girls just love them!

Stay tuned for next week, as I’m sure the list will be a bit bigger, cause we will need books to keep Sage entertained after her surgery! Have a great week and Happy reading!

Vacation Part 3:

 

Monday was spent with my best friend and her girls! It was so nice to see them… The kids picked up right were they left off the year before. “H” and  Sage were right back in trouble right where they left off a year ago… Hunter and “E” were right back in their love hate relationship! Here are a few shots from the day:

 

 

Tuesday was our Family Reunion. That was nice to see family… I have missed them a lot. Not everyone was able to come, but we had lots of fun anyway! The kids got to play with one cousin… and they thought that was great!

Vacation part 2:

 

Saturday we spent running some errands… pick up a couple things at the local Wal-mart, grocery store, and the Farmers Market. Then we stopped at the grocery store. From there we headed up to our home for the week. My favorite place to be in Maine, at my Grandmothers house on the lake!

The rest of Saturday was a quiet day of hanging out, swimming and then eating some yummy S’mores! 

Sunday we spent the day with family… My Brother in-laws and their kids. It was a fun afternoon of swimming and playing all around. Here are some highlights of the afternoon.

First Day of School 2009

 

School is upon us again! The kids had their first day of school today. Hunter started 2nd Grade this year. Here he is this morning:

Rachel started Kindergarten, and was very anxious up until this past week, where she got a bit nervous. I think she will do great, and I can’t wait to hear about her day. Here she is from this morning:

Sage is suppose to be starting Pre-school soon, but we are still waiting to hear if she got in and which school she will be attending. I will keep you posted.

Going to be weird just having Sage home this year… (for either the whole day or half the day) I’m excited to have my one on one time with her though.

Very busy day ahead…. I have to pick the kids up from school and head right back out for Rachel’s Dance Class… which she is very excited for!

 

Ready, set, GO!

 

The first part of our vacation was the long 30 hr ride… The girls did great. They colored, talked, played with dolls, and watched Dvd’s most of the way. We stopped a few times for bathroom breaks, and to eat a couple times, but other than that it was straight through, and boy was I very happy to see the Maine State Line!

                            The girls were ready to hit the road! 

Simple Woman’s Daybook:

 

 

For Today August 24th, 2009

Outside my window.... Back to the hot, humid weather of Florida….

I am thinking.... Wow what a wonderful trip to Maine and back.. So happy to see everyone…was sad to say goodbye again.

From my imagination....Nothing today…its the kids first day of school! Can’t believe Hunter is in 2nd Grade, and Rachel started Kindergarten! Pic’s later today!

I am thankful for.... a safe trip on vacation.

From the kitchen.... Not sure… something easy!

I am wearing..... Shorts, a t-shirt, and croc’s!

I am reading....  Nothing this week, to busy…

I am hoping..... Rachel loves school, Hunter settles back in good. That we have a good year!

I am creating... A new schedule for our crazy lives!

I am hearing.... Just Sage today… the others are at school. Its kinda weird!

One of my favorite things....My kids smiles!

A few plans for the rest of the week:   School starts, Dance starts for Rach, Cub Scouts, Doctor appts, Dentist appt, and then a nice weekend of rest!

A picture I am Sharing.…  Some pictures from my Adult trip to Disney before Vacation!

Last day of Summer fun:

 

What did you do for your last day of Summer??? We caught up on sleep from our trip, and cleaned up and got ready for the day ahead.

My kids have mixed emotions about the school thing this year. I think they are excited, yet scared, and not ready to go back yet. We shall see what Monday brings???

Here are some of the fun things we did today… We got out the bikes and they had a blast. (aren’t they glad they came back down with us this trip!) Hunter is doing great without the training wheels!

Come back tomorrow to hear all about our first day of school! 

Have a Great First Day Back!

I'm Back!!!!

After a long trip..... 1600 miles up, and 1600 miles down! We made it to Maine, visited with family and friends, picked up Hunter, and came back home. It was a nice week, not nearly long enough, but the weather was beautiful, and we had lots of fun! I have lots and lots of pictures to post, stories to tell, and so much more. So stay tuned, for vacation pic's, first day of school pic's, and at the end of the week a really cool GIVEAWAY!!!! Be sure to check back!

Off we went…..

to the dentist last week. After a year of being down here, we were finally able to find a place that would take the kids. So the girls got there turn today. Hunter will go the first week he is home, what a home coming huh? Actually he loves the dentist and can’t wait to go!

This was Rachel’s second time to the dentist, but since the first visit was almost a year and a half ago, I wasn’t sure how she would do this time around. Since she is scared of EVERYTHING! For that reason I made sure Andy was able to go with me, so one of us could go in with Rachel and one with Sage. However, I did go in with both girls. Rachel went second…… she was very scared still. But after Sage convincing, her it wasn’t scary, and the girl being very patient with her, we got her in the chair. Phew! What a job… after that she did very good. I was very proud of her… Here are a couple photo’s of the experience for Rachel:

 
I know she looks scared here…but she wasn’t, she just didn’t like the taste of the fluoride.

For Sage this was her first time going to the dentist. Since she is easily influenced by her sisters actions and thoughts, I was afraid she would be to scared to let them do anything. We have been trying to psych them up about the trip for a week now… She is very good at brushing her teeth, so I crossed my fingers for good luck!  She actually ended up going in first which worked out nicely for me. She was a little timid…but held my hand and did very good. She let them brush her teeth, apply fluoride and count her teeth. I was so happy to have made it through the whole process without crying!  Both of the girls came out cavity free!  Here is a few pictures of Sage’s first experience:

 

 

 
She was showing me her brave face, and how pretty her teeth were after they cleaned them!

Now I just have to make it through one more kid when Hunter gets home. Which will be a breeze cause he loves the dentist… So lets just cross our fingers he doesn’t have cavities!

Book Basket:

 

 

We just wanted to let you know that we hope you are having fun reading this week… can’t wait to read your selections, but we do not have any for you this week. We are on Vacation and won’t be returning until next week!

Thursday Thirteen:

 

 

This week I’m going to do Thirteen things I never leave home without!

1. Cell Phone: Yup, I’m one of those people, who are addicted to their cell phone. Though, I will have you know originally I only had it cause I traveled a lot and didn’t want to get stranded with a broken down car with 3 kids!!!  I still say that is a big reason…

2. Purse/Wallet: Never good to leave home without ID, or some form of Money.

3. Sunglasses: Cause when the sun is shining and bright, if I look at it to long, it gives me a very nasty headache!

4. Excedrin: Because I am prone to headaches so often, you can usually find this in a number of places, my car, purse, or diaper bag (yes my kids are a bit old for one, so I need a new name for it)

5. Snacks: With 3 kids, you never leave home without food. Never know how long something might take you. My kids get very grouchy if they get hungry, so we try to have granola bars, cereal bars, raisins, or something like that on hand.

6. Hand Sanitizer: I’m guilty I also have this in many locations. I find it to be important for when my kids touch something they shouldn’t ,or if a bathroom is out of soap…

7. Wipes: Yup my kids are again old enough, I don’t really need them, but we keep them on hand anyway… They come in handy for so many things. If you need to wash their hands but no sink near by, sticky hands and face, spills, you just never know!

8. Paper Towels: I keep a whole roll in my car, for any occasions. Picnic’s and you forget the napkins, checking the oil, washing the window, or spills!

9. First Aid Kit: I’m sure I have mentioned before that we have a few of these. My kids are forever getting scraps, cuts, bites, or something. So we have one in the car, and usually in my purse. I like to have band-aids, Tylenol, Benadryl, Neosporin, alcohol pads, gauze, toilet paper, antibiotic ointment, and so much more.

10. Camera: Yes, I’m guilty again! I always try to have a camera on me. Mine is finally dead, so I have to buy a new one soon… If I don’t have a good one on me though, I always have my phone one, not always the greatest pic, but does in a pinch!

11. Telephone Book: The cost of information calls on cells, keep raising. So I try to keep a phone book in my car, under the seat. Never know when you might need a number to call?? (Believe it or not, I’ve used it a few times)

12. Water: I try to keep a few bottles of water in my car. The kids are always thirsty, and again it could come in handy one day!

13. Book or Magazine: Never know where your going to get stuck waiting… or for how long, so I try to keep one in the car, or bring one with me, so I have something to read and keep me busy!

What are some things you never leave home without?? I’m always interested to know!

Library Summer Programs:

 

I know, I’m a bit late with this, but life has been a bit hectic around here.. For those of you that have children who love to read, I encourage you to go out to your local library and see what programs they have to offer. Some have summer reading programs where you read some many books and get a prize… others may have different forms of incentives.

Our local library had a really nice program for the kids this summer. They had a 6 week program where the kids had to read either 5 picture books, or 1 book of at least 100pgs. My girls of course were eager to start this right away. They reward for reading that many? There was a weekly drawing at the story time, and one child was chosen to win a book, and stuffed animal. For example, they had “Dr.Suess cat in the Hat, with a Cat in the Hat stuffed animal”.  A few weeks into the program my daughter Rachel got chosen… She was beyond excited. I was hoping she would chose the Cat in the Hat to go with our Dr.Suess Collection. (Hunter has the Sam I am, and Yurtle the Turtle stuffed animals) However, she decided to go with “Polar Bear, Polar Bear what do you hear?” which is a great choice as well. Ever since I read the girls that, they take out the book, and read it to themselves. So very cute!!!!

Our library also offered a couple extra summer events. Like a Dog show, Magic Show, Mad Science Show, and a reptile show. We only made it to two of these events. They were both very good though, and the girls enjoyed them. At these shows, you also could fill out a paper saying what you have read, and possibly win another prize. Some kids won, games, books, crafts, and such. Of course my lucky child Rachel won again, (making Sage very sad) and she chose a “How to make Funny People” book.

She has had lots fun, learning to draw with this. Then at the last show they also gave away free books, so both girls got a book. One chose “Horton Hears a Who”, and the other got a “Junie B Jones” book.

So, beyond having a great time reading lots of new, exciting, and funny books this summer.. We also won a few! Be sure to check out what your local library has to offer. We love our library!!!