Finally, to the Pool!

We finally had a break from the rain, and went up to play at the pool for the first time this season. We were so glad to run into Brody's little friend from school and her mom. We thoroughly enjoyed the day!

My Little Graduate

I am still not 100% on board with preschool graduation photos, but once you see the photo of your own kid, it doesn't seem quite as cheesy. :)

Here is Brody, all graduated from preschool and ready for Kindergarten!



It is crazy to think that in 13 years, he will be wearing a high school grad gown. :)

The 5 year old brain....

Kids amaze me. I am sitting here working and the kids are playing upstairs...

Brody comes down and we had the following conversation:



Mommy, Do we have any gingerbread men left?

What gingerbread men?

The ones we made.

Gingerbread men? When did we make gingerbread men?

When we made them. Before.

Do you mean when we made gingerbread cookies for Christmas?

Yes. Those cookies. Do we have any more of those?

No, sweetie. We ate those 6 months ago.

Awwww man. Seth! You ate all the gingerbread cookies!

No, Brody. We all ate them. Six months ago. You ate them too. We can make some more 6 months from now, okay?

Okay! Great! Good idea!



crazy.


Here is the blog post I made when we ACTUALLY made the cookies.

My Old Friend, The FlyLady

Maybe you know of her, maybe you don't, but I have an old friend named the FlyLady. We used to be real close, but then we drifted apart, until I rarely ever thought of her. It got to the point where I was living in what theFlyLady calls CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)!

Well, we are getting reacquainted again and I am SO HAPPY! See, just look at that shine!



For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, The FlyLady is a clutter-free lifestyle. She is a wonderful woman who wrote a wonderful book, has a wonderful website, and leads you to a clean, homey, un-cluttered life.

It all starts with cleaning your kitchen sink, and by cleaning, I mean take about 45 minutes to clean your sink. I did mine tonight, and then, since your sink is so clean, you just HAVE to clean the rest of your countertops because otherwise your sink just looks odd. THEN, since it is so pristeen, you just can't imagine leaving a dirty dish in it... and so it begins!

I am going to start tomorrow on my timed throw out/donate sessions AND getting dressed in the morning, including shoes!

If you need some order restored in your life, I highly suggest reading her book... Sink Reflections and checking out her Flylady.net website

Happy de-cluttering!

:)

Like Father, Like Sons

As I was getting breakfast ready for the kiddos, I heard them practicing their drumming... Daddy has quite an influence on these kids!

Flap & Snap

So, some friends of ours had a crazy photo on their facebook page... and there was a description of what they were doing to get such a wacked out photo...

this is what you do...

1. relax your face
2. flap your face side to side
3. have someone else snap a photo of you while you are flapping
4. look at the pictures and laugh hysterically

Kurt must have a more pliable face than me, or he is just able to relax more than I am ... Here are our Flap&Snaps! And beware... this can give you a serious headache.








PS... every time we look at these, we about pee ourselves.

Home Run!

I think this must be every daddy's dream when he finds out he is going to have a son. :)

Playing IN the pool

What, this isn't how you play in a pool?

When I looked out the window to see what the kids were up to, this is what I saw...

It's Pretzel Man!

If there was a way to make great money at being a contortionist, I would encourage this. Otherwise, it is just crazy! It makes MY knees hurt to see it!

The Shiner

Boys will be boys, huh? This is Seth's first real shiner! :) (and just ignore the yellow marker all over his head. He was in a creative mood.

Taking a Moment

Five years ago, for Kurt's first father's day, I gave him a hammock. Every now and then we get it out and enjoy it.

I relaxed in the hammock for a while last night, reading my book, drinking a Corona... and when I got out, Kurt slipped right in after me.

There is nothing like a warm spring evening and a hammock! Happy Father's Day, sweetie! ;)

Can I Get a Woot Woot!?

I did it! I got my folding wheeling grocery bag, and I walked to the grocery store for the first time tonight! I feel so good about myself! I have become so sedentary with my job at the computer and taking the kids everywhere in the car... I am hoping to change that with my grocery trips (at least some of them)!

The funny thing is... I thought it would take me MUCH longer to go shopping if I walked. I got there (.75 miles) in a little less than 15 minutes. Granted, driving would have taken me about 3 minutes, but considering I got a work-out in there at the same time, it was a lot quicker than I thought it would be!

I wonder what adding a half hour walk will do for me? I can't wait to find out! :)

By the way, my grocery bag is totally awesome. I am posting the link here in case anyone else wants to get up and moving!

The Mom Song

And here is another song we should teach our kids... LOL

the Mom Song

All you Dear Mommies...

This is a song that Kurt downloaded for me today... and thought all you mommies should hear it too. This is the acoustic version. If you like it, you should download the studio version... it is so wonderful...

Happy Mothers Day!

One Heartbeat at a Time by Steven Curtis Chapman

Just Whackin' Bugs

Our great friends Mark and Jen gave Kurt a FANTASTIC present for his birthday... is it a bug zapper in the shape of a tennis racket. Until you have felt the bug obliterating power, you really can't understand just how addicting it is to just "go outside and whack some bugs". Here are some photos of Kurt and I enjoying this wonderful gift... Thanks so so so much, Mark and Jen. You have GOT to get one of these things!

Get Moving!

I live about .75 miles from a Food Lion. When I need something from the store, I pile the kids in the car and drive there! It really is sad when I think about it. The suburban culture is so car-centered, that when discuss items that we "need" to survive, the car is at the top of the list below shelter, clothing, food, and water.

Well, I have decided to try and do something about my sedentary lifestyle. I ordered a folding shopping cart. It folds up to a purse size package which I can take with me when I walk to the store. Then, I can get the items I need for a couple of days, and then wheel the cart home.

I hope to walk to the store about 3-4 times a week to get moving more. I will keep you posted! I hope the kids are okay with this change! :)

Dancing with the Star Wars

This is such a trip.

Happy Birthday, Hubby!

Since Kurt's birthday is March 1st, and it is always cold and rainy (or snowy, this year)... we decided to have a group over to celebrate his birthday a couple of months later this year. He had his first birthday party, an outdoor cookout and deck gathering! :)

Happy Birthday, sweetie! We had a great time celebrating how old you are! :)