Day Care Christmas Program

My son's day care put on a Christmas program. It was precious. His 2-year-old class started the show singing "Jingle Bells." The kids also sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Aedan blows a kiss at the end of the second song. I was laughing so the video is shaky. In fact, I was shooting with my digital still camera-so it's not very steady throughout the video. During the last song, Aedan stared at the bulletin board behind him-not sure what he was looking at back there? None of the kids were really singing, but Aedan sure had the hand motions going-he almost looked as if he'd take flight at one point! (He's the kid in the red shirt) Enjoy! MERRY CHRISTMAS!


(Thanks for endulging me this post-it was the quickest, easiest way to share the videos with my family & friends)

Remembering what's important during Christmas

My friend, Jennifer, emailed me that she had read this excerpt today on a blog written by a woman in Georgia who has adopted 39 foster children over the years. It really hit home with her. Jennifer wrote "that the most important things in our life are our family and our friends. It is so easy to lose sight of all of that during the stress and pressure of the holidays. Her words really brought back the deeper meaning of the holiday--Taking time to show that you care."

Here is the excerpt my friend is referring to...

"I want Christmas to be family time with great food not the 'gimmes.' I've known adults that still expect a non-existent fairyland time at Christmas where they unreasonably demand that their partners, spouses or children read their minds and bestow perfect gifts that express whatever they need expressing and when their falsely high odd inner demands are not met, because who could possibly do so, then they are crushed by their own heavily laden emotional and material gimmes.

Life is about relationships not stuff. It's about people who care and are there for you emotionally and physically. Just as I refuse to allow my children to stress about buying perfect gifts for me, as I know there are none, so too can I not make up for their lost Christmases and childhood trauma.

I can only continue to provide love and stability, to meet their needs and to teach them about the deeper meanings of life that are more fulfilling than stuff. Stuff will never make them happy, they'll never have enough, someone will always have more and duh you can't take it to Heaven with you anyway. It's just all rubble and straw in the end.

What's inside oneself, one's soul, is truly all that gets to go. That's where one's happiness resides."
From--www.thebodiebunch.blogspot.com

THE ROOF, THE ROOF, THE ROOF IS

FALLING OFF!

My husband helped the kids build their first Gingerbread house this year. They had a fun albeit messy time, but it sure didn't last long! Next year, we might opt for hot gluing on the roof.

TIS THE SEASON...

...for parades, festivals, and other holiday events.


I have already taken my kids to a FREE Christmas in Kemah Snow Day in the Kemah Light House District. Santa even made an appearance.



Breakfast with Santa is a popular event that many restaurants host. We'll be attending one at The Aquarium Restaurant. This event is not free, but the prices are reasonable. Full breakfast buffet with Santa is $14.99 for adults, $7.99 for children and kids 3 and under are free! What makes this Santa breakfast extra special is Santa will also be seen scuba diving!!

We'll be attending a free Christmas boat parade next weekend.












It's not too late to join in the fun-be sure to check your local paper/magazine, community center and/or the internet for events in your area.
REMEMBER, MANY OF THESE EVENTS ARE SPONSORED AND FREE!

Want to bring along a cheap and easy noise maker for your next parade event-
-1 plastic cup
-a handful of dried beans (any kind or use small rocks or beads)
-construction paper or card stock/index card
-ribbon or any other decorations
-glue or tape and scissors
Cut the paper in a circle to cover the top of the cup, glue or tape paper circle to top of cup. Decorate with ribbon.

In Lieu of a Proud Parent Bumper Sticker...

When I first moved into our new home, I wasn't sure about the school district in the area. I had heard good and bad things from neighbors about the local elementary school. I visited the school with my daughter and found the school and staff quite impressive. My instincts were right. I don't think the testing and "exemplary" status information you look up online or read in the news paper can always tell you everything about a school. You should visit the school and see for yourself.

My daughter started Kindergarten this Fall. Her first school, Stewart Elementary has been awarded the prestigious Blue Ribbon Award from the Department of Education.

Stewart Elementary is one of 23 in the BIG state of Texas and one of 287 schools nationwide to achieve the Blue Ribbon Award. The award is the highest honor granted to an American school.

The school had a full-fledged parade including Mayors from the cities of Kemah and Clear Lake Shores and representatives from the Department of Education and local Senators' offices. The Mayors of each city declared November 16th LaVace Stewart Elementary Day. (My husband and I decorated our new golf cart and joined in the parade. My dad recently won the golf cart a raffle-how awesome is that!!)

All of the students were given t-shirts and dog tags to mark the occasion. It was an event much bigger than any I ever expected to attend during my daughter's first year of school.
We all had a great time and we are so proud of my daughter's Elementary school!

Go SEAGULLS!!

Viva La Diva

For those of you who don't know (or remember), I participated in a pilot episode of a make-over show titled Viva La Diva back in 2004. The experience was truly once-in-a-life-time and the timing couldn't have been more perfect! I really wanted a break from my job, my toddler, my life and just be pampered! During the taping of the show, I realized how lost I had become in my daily routine. I've since written several blog entries about taking time for yourself-all of which were inspired by having been a part of this show.

Top perks of being on the show:
1. ABSOLUTE BLAST
2. THE CAST & CREW
3. MAKE-OVER
4. KEEPING THE CLOTHES & MAKE-UP
5. PROFESSIONAL STUDIO PHOTO SHOOT WITH A BIG-TIME LA PHOTOGRAPHER

OH-and the BEST part...the make-over was done by 4 drag queens!! Who better to make you gorgeous? Plus, they were hilarious as well as helpful!
The only negative-literally-the wax job. They mention in the show "Brazilian." No, it was ALL taken away! Luckily, I couldn't stop laughing from pure humiliation or I might have been crying!

I hope you enjoy the concept as much as I do. PLEASE support my friend and give her youtube video lots of hits! Let's put these talented DIVAS to work on some other deserving women who want some fun, great tips and to feel good about themselves!

And yes, I'm a total DORK!! But, to give you an idea of just how good a make-over job the Diva's did-I had my son 9 months later! In addition, I've kept up with all the make-up and wardrobe tips. I feel great and I look better than ever. Feeling good about myself makes me happy-and being happy is the best gift I can give myself and those around me.

Click the following link to view the show 5 minute teaser http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YUavL7RbR8
(Pilot episodes don't always air if changes are made to the show-so this may be your only chance to see it!)

Thanks to all-spread the word!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Halloween is my favorite holiday, can you guess witch holiday is my kids' favortite? My daughter has been wearing her witch costume almost every weekend and after school for the last several weeks.

We threw a Halloween party this past weekend (early because of all the Fall Festivals and other parties going on the weekend prior to Halloween). I started decorating bit by bit the first weekend of October to enjoy all the decorations and to make sure I wasn't killing myself to get everything done last minute. My kids helped me decorate and besides the assistance, it made them realize the scary part of Halloween is only that way if they want it to be. By helping me put out all the creepy decor, they saw that the stuff wasn't real. They've really enjoyed being such a big part of the festivities and they aren't having nightmares.

Have you seen those fun candy serving bowls with the hands sticking out of them? Well, unless you wait until after Halloween when they go on clearance-they are not cheap. I had previously purchased a $2.00 mask, filled it with plastic grocery sacks, placed it in a large serving dish and added candy around it. Cheap, clever and creepy!

I tried BLOGHUNGRY'S spooktacular Bloody Finger Cookie recipe-they were easy and were a huge hit at the party!

I didn't want to spend all my budget on fake tombstones. I had some extra cement stepping stones and spray-painted them.
Scarecrows and dummies are another cheap and simple scare. I had a dollar store pumpkin for the scarecrow, dollar-store Friday the 13th-Jason mask, and raided my husband's closet. Both dummies were stuffed with plastic grocery sacks and cardboard.

The rest of the decor has been collected over the past 12 years or recently purchased on sale/clearance.

(My neice checks out the eyeballs)

Right Kid, Wrong Day Care???

Imagine-
It's 11am, you're in the middle of a project at work, you receive a phone call. It's your child's day care: "Please, come pick up your son."
You assume your child must be sick, but the day care assistant informs you that their main water line is broken and that the day care will be without water for the rest of the day and must close early.
You pack up your things, leave a message for your boss, and head out to pick up your child.

That's what I did.
And when I arrived at my son's day care, I was surprised to find the kids in nap time. Then, I noticed I was the only parent there.
What was going on?
The director approached me and asked, "You're picking up your son early?" Confused, I replied, "Uh, yes, you're water line is broken, right?"
My statement startled the director. "It is?"
She asked one of the teachers to turn on the water.
It poured right out of the tap.
The director turned back to me. We just stared at each other trying to make sense of it all. It was like an episode of the Twilight Zone. Who would have called me and said such a thing?

My son's OLD day care.

My son's name was still on "the list."
I left in the middle of work and looked like a complete lunatic at my son's current day care facility-all because our information wasn't taken off a list.
Oh, you bet that old day care isn't calling me again!

Need a kid birthday gift idea?

Lately we've been invited to quite a few birthday parties-I'm guessing it's because my daughter started Kindergarten. Unfortunately, I don't know most of these kids or their parents. So I don't have a clue what to buy as a gift? Sure you can go to Amazon.com or Toysrus.com and search gift ideas by age group, but still it's difficult to know another kid's likes and dislikes. Well, I think I've found a fool-proof and affordable gift.

The last several gifts I've purchased have been basically the same (depending if I'm buying for a girl or a boy):

ColorWonder colors and books and a kid flashlight or lantern.

You don't have to worry about duplicating gifts, because I can't think of a kid who has too many colors or coloring books. Plus, ColorWonder is MESS FREE-the markers only write on special paper. They are great to use in the home or travelling in the car. ColorWonder sets start at $8.
As for the flaslight, it's an uncommon gift-usually found in the camping section of stores not the toy section.. The kid-friendly flashlights and lanterns come in bright colors or with fun characters. The flashlight shown above even comes with batteries and cost less than $5!!

I'm Invisible

My apologies, it's been too long since my last post! I have a good excuse though-the hard drive on my computer had to be replaced. The ordeal took much longer than was originally estimated by the manufacturer.

While I try to get some pics downloaded to share some new posts, enjoy this recent email I received regarding motherhood...

I'm invisible
"It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store.
Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not.
No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.
I'm invisible.
Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more:
Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?
Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being.
I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?'
I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?'
I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'
I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going - she's going - she's gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in.
I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'
It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:
'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.
The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand baste a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.'
That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'
As invisible women, we are building great cathedrals.
We cannot be seen if we're doing it right.
And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

(By Rene' Cargile)

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

Well, the hubby made it to town and we dropped our daughter off for her first day of Kindergarten! She was so excited. She picked out her own outfit (that actually matched) and even made her own lunch.

My sister suggested the following tip:

Ask my daughter all about her first day of school and document it. It's a wonderful way for everyone to remember such a milestone and a great addition to any scrapbook or photo album.

Don't try to pull a fast one on this mom!!

She's taking it to ebay!!

"LOT OF POKEMON CARDS THAT MY KIDS TRIED TO SNEAK BY ME"

I like this mom & I gotta commend her for raising 6 kids!!

Very funny read-worth checking out the link!

Ratatouille?

So, this is what happens when you think you've vacuumed the car really good, but didn't get all the cereal and crackers that fell between the seats and piled up underneath them; AND you also happen to have a rather large, hungry rat living in your garage that you thought was gone because you hadn't seen any "evidence" of it in a while; AND one of your kids left the car door open AND you didn't notice...














Yeah, that's right,
A - RAT - ATE -
THE - BACK - SEAT - OF - MY - CAR!

A rat.

A real, live rat - ate my back car seat! Scurried right in that open car door and feasted on kiddy snacks hidden in the abyss beneath my back seat.

It's hard to imagine and yet I have photographic proof.

It's truly disturbing.

Back to School...Back to Reality...Back to the here and now...

It's time to start getting back on a routine. I'm easing my kids into an earlier bedtime already so it's not such a shock to their system. (I've been spoiling them by letting them stay up later this summer)
My mother-in-law was kind enough to assist me in registering my daughter for Kindergarten and took her school supply shopping. I'm telling you it's a scavenger hunt trying to find the very precise items required by the school. We went to two stores and still haven't bought all the necessary supplies. This is all new to me. I missed the Elementary school's sale of pre-packaged school supplies (which they don't sell during registration?? Does it make sense for a school to make it easy for the kids who already go there and difficult for the new students???)
Well, I'll know for next year and hopefully you'll know now too!!
Wal-Mart and Target do have special end-cap displays set up with school supplies required by local schools. In addition, the stores have copies of the local school supply lists available.
My mother-in-law also did the back-to-school clothes shopping for my daughter-what a huge help!


OH-AND DON'T FORGET IT'S A TAX-FREE WEEKEND this weekend (August 17-19, 2007) in case you're still in need of back-to-school items! (or in my case, a new pair of shoes!)

THANK YOU KEMAH COPS & FIRE DEPARTMENT!

Last week while I was out-of-town, there was a horrendous thunderstorm in my neighborhood. The strong gusts of wind managed to blow open the door of my balcony. The door leads to the master bedroom which is carpeted. Luckily, my neighbor noticed the door had blown open and went over to my house to shut the door. She was worried about the down-pour damaging the interior of my home. Unfortunately, she was unable to find my spare house key and there aren't outside stairs attached to the balcony. My neighbor called the local police department. Two patrol cars arrived in less than 2 minutes. The policemen searched for my spare key and weren't able to find it.

The cops then called the local volunteer fire department for assistance. With siren blaring as dictated by protocol, the fire engine arrived at my house. All for a blown open door! The kind fire fighter raised the ladder up to the balcony to close the door. Another one of my neighbors came home from work just in time to see the two police vehicles and the fire truck in my driveway. He went over to find out what all the commotion was about. Once he understood the situation, he casually told the police where the spare key was hidden! All that hard work to raise that big, heavy ladder! (BTW-the carpet was spared and the house was searched for intruders-all is well)

I am so thankful for their dedication. If the police and fire departments went to all that trouble for my door, then I am very lucky to live in my neighborhood. I feel even more protected and safe than I already did.

My kids colored THANK YOU cards for the police and fire departments. We hand-delivered the cards along with cookies to the police and fire stations. I felt it was necessary in our case, but stopping by your local police and fire departments with homemade cards and cookies is a great way to get to know those who are looking out for you and your family! And to give them much deserved appreciation.Plus, my kids really enjoyed it!

National Neighbors Night Out August 7, 2007!

Get out and meet your neighbors!

It not only builds upon your support network, it's FUN!

Feeling Guilty? Learn to let it go...

A friend of mine is feeling guilty these days because she lost her temper with her 9-month-old son and raised her voice and wanted a break. I don't know one mom who hasn't raised her voice at one time or a mom who hasn't felt the need for a break. For her, I'd like to share an older post-

You're Not A Bad Mom If...

(abbreviated list-it could go on for days)

...you didn't have a natural, drug-free birth

....you didn't/don't breastfeed....you have/had postpartum depression

...you don't cook a homemade meal every night. (Did you know spaghetti O's don't have preservatives? Pair with a salad if it makes you feel better)

...you're just too tired to read a book to your child tonight. (Your child might want 2 books the next night when you have the energy)

...you can't afford a trip to DisneyWorld

....you raised your voice....you need a break from your kid(s)

....your house isn't spotless and free of toy-debris

....your child throws a tantrum. (for most kids, it's the best way they know how to communicate their feelings)

Being a mom shouldn't mean living with the guilt of not living up to the title of "perfect parent."You're not supermom. You can't always do everything you or your kids want.You're human, you're going to make mistakes and you learn from them.I know it's difficult not to feel guilt or inadequacy. But, remember those feelings come from judgments of how you think things should be based on the perceptions of the world. In other words, you feel that way because you think you're supposed to.

As parents, we're constantly judged by others. I have strangers walk up to me in the grocery store and tell me with an appalled tone to put socks on my son. "Aren't you worried his feet are getting cold?" I just ignore them. I know I do worry about my son, but he keeps taking off his socks and throwing them on the ground. I think he'll survive while we purchase some diapers and milk. While we were out running errands another time, strangers remarked about my daughter having a dirty face. Yes, I would prefer my daughter have a clean face too. But, I'm not going to fight or bribe her if she doesn't want to clean her face-especially since the main reason to clean her face is the thought of how others are going to perceive her and me. Since then, she's learned on her own to clean her face.It's the same scenario as when a kid throws a tantrum in public. We're so worried about what on-lookers are thinking, we change our parenting. We should stay our parenting course. It shouldn't matter what others think.Always remember, YOU'RE DOING THE BEST YOU CAN and YOU'RE A GREAT MOM!

I'LL BUY THAT FOR A DOLLAR and throw a birthday party

If you're on a budget or just frugal (or both like me), you know the expenses of a child's birthday party can really add up. But, parties can still be fun and inexpensive thanks to the dollar store. If you have a fear of the dollar store selling only cheap crap, you'd be surprized what kinds of quality items are available. If you still have an aversion-many mega-stores such as Target, Wal-Mart and even the sports store Academy have $1 aisles or areas in order to compete with dollar stores.

My daughter recently turned 5-years-old. Being that it was such a milestone, I asked her where she'd like to have her party. To my surprize, she simply requested a party at home. I'm thinking easier and cheaper-great! I then asked my daughter what theme she wanted for her party and she replied, "fish." Um, fish, interesting-how was I going to pull this one off? So I came up with Birthday Bash By the Bay. For the main activity, I set up two baby pools and a fun rope-type sprinkler.

The games included balloon toss and Fishin'. (I wrote the name of the prizes on small, floating foam rings that I placed face-down in the baby pool. I used a kid fishing rod with a hook I made from a large paper clip. The kids then fished for the foam rings-which ever ring they caught was the prize they won. The littler kids were allowed to use a butterfly net to catch their prize rings).
Fish of all kinds, lighthouses, sailboats, etc adorned the food tables on serving trays my mom loaned to me and even the napkins (which I found cheap at WalMart). I had small, beach-themed tumblers full of goldfish crackers and goldfish pretzels. As for the cake, it was a fish too! I highly recommend cupcake-cakes. They are awesome -whether you make it yourself or buy at the store. It's simply several cupcakes placed and iced all together forming what looks like a traditional cake-but without having to cut it up! I happened to be blessed with good birthday party karma the night before the party and found this cake at Signature Kroger's (for $14.95!!):

Party Favor Bags...

DOLLAR STORE ITEMS AND THEIR USES FOR THE PARTY:

Construction Paper I drew several fish shapes on the entire pad of construction paper and my daughter and her friends helped me cut them out. The kids enjoyed the craft project and I ended up with cute fish decorations. They were so proud of their creations hanging up during the party too.

Streamers party decor

Balloons party decor

Water balloons party game (TIP: For toddlers, fill regular balloons with water since they don't pop as easily as the thinner, smaller water balloons)

Plastic forks, spoons & knives

THE FOLLOWING ITEMS WERE USED FOR GAME PRIZES/PARTY FAVORS:

from the DOLLAR STORE

Spiderman & Scooby Doo water bottles

300 page activity books

Disney Princess Markers (the dollar store has TONS of Disney items!)

Disney pom-poms

Disney Princess brush set

Mini flashlights (batteries included)

Balloon launcher

Water Guns (6 per bag)

Bag of misc sea shells

Sponge Bob temporary tattoos

from TARGET'S Dollar Area

Baseball caps (with a fish embroidered on it!)

Bubbles (actually 6 for $2.25)

Mini Straw Beach bags (2 for $1)

Transformers pencil bags (2 for $1)

from WAL-MART's Dollar Area

Goggles (6 per bag)

KIDS EAT FREE, really!!

I take advantage of FREE whenever I can. I was surprised how many restaurants have "Kids Eat Free" nights. There are even several kid-oriented activity places that offer free fun on certain days-like the Children's Museum in Houston is free for the entire family on Thursday evenings.

Recently, I took the kids to Sonic for free Root Beer Floats.

(here's a list of restaurants found throughout the U.S.-some may be only in Texas)

KIDS EAT FREE MONDAYS

*Golden Corral (kids 3 & under)

KIDS EAT FREE TUESDAYS

*Bennigan's

*Denny's

*Joe's Crab Shack(after 4pm)

*Berry Hill Tamales

*Black Eyed Pea

*Golden Corral (kids 3 & under)

KIDS EAT FREE WEDNESDAYS

*James Coney Island (after 4pm)

*Rain Forest Cafe (99 cents after 6pm)

*Luby's (after 4pm)

*Sonic (Wacky Pack Wednesday $1.99-good deal though not free)

*Wings-n-More

*Golden Corral (kids 3 & under)

KIDS EAT FREE THURSDAYS

*Golden Corral (kids 3 & under)

KIDS EAT FREE FRIDAYS

*Golden Corral (kids 3 & under)

KIDS EAT FREE SATURDAYS

*Denny's

*Luby's (all day)

*Texas Land & Cattle Company

*Quizno's

*Golden Corral (kids 3 & under)

KIDS EAT FREE SUNDAYS

*Golden Corral (kids 3 & under)

*Quizno's

FREE EVENTS & ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

*AMC Theatres Movie Camp (FREE movies from June 27 – August 15*
Shows starting at 10:00 a.m. every Wednesday
Great field trip opportunities – groups can reserve FREE tickets one week in advance at the box office at participating theatres)

*Barnes & Nobel Book Sellers Children's Story Time

*Cinemark Theatres Movie Clubhouse (10 movies for $5 in advance or $1 each at box office)

*The Home Depot offers free "how to" classes for kids aged 5 to 12 every 1st Saturday of the month at 10am

Check out your local library, museum district and symphony for other fun, free kid activities. You can find something free for the kids every day of the week!

You Might Be A Redneck Mother If...

...You've ever used the phrase "hug my neck."

...You've ever gone grocery shopping in the middle of the night, in your PJ's. (sometimes you're so excited about shopping by yourself-you forget what you're wearing!)

...You've ever called a grocery cart a "buggy."

...You've ever taken your kid to the store who's wearing nothing but a too-big t-shirt and full britches.

...You use the word "Britches" in place of diaper.

...You're children always answer to elders with "Yes, Ma'am" or "Yes, Sir."

...You've ever gone to fill up your gas tank in the middle of the night, barefoot.

...You've ever used the word "whoopin"

...You're children play in the front yard naked and you pretend you didn't notice.

...You're kids love to eat "beans and weenies."

...The local cops call you the "wagon lady." (hey, radio fliers are cheaper than those fancy jogger-strollers and I'm getting my exercise!)

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT HAS MANY REWARDS

Having recently moved into my first home, I'm really trying to get to know my neighbors and familiarize myself with the area. Almost daily, I take my kids for a wagon ride around the neighborhood. Most weekends, I even pull the kids a mile up the way to the boardwalk. I always see someone along the way and wave or stop and introduce myself and the kids. I've met some great neighbors who've now become my friends. Some of the neighbors have older kids-so it's a great way to get to know babysitters too!
I've also made an effort to participate in community activities. I can't think of a better way to network with and support the local folks and businesses.
The volunteer fire department had a Latter Dedication and NY fire fighters came to speak about 9/11. The ceremony was lovely-especially the bag-pipers.



The kids enjoyed the big fire engines and meeting the fire fighters too.

The local police officers hosted a crawfish boil and benefit. The kids and I showed our support by attending the event. We ate some tasty crawfish, met some new neighbors, participated in the raffle and the kids had their faces painted.
The experience was rewarding in more ways than we ever imagined. Not only did we support a good cause-the kids' pictures made it in a local magazine. It's just a small, free magazine, but they were so excited to see themselves in it!




GET OUT AND SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNTIY!

HAPPY DADDY DAY!!

In honor of my husband...

As many of you know, my husband works in the film industry and travels quite a bit-a lot actually. It's difficult at times-but I believe the quality of the time you spend with your family far outweighs the quantity of time.
(I think of it this way, a husband with a "normal, nine-to-five" job could be around more, but he could also be a lazy, couch-potato who doesn't pay attention to anything except the TV)

When my husband is home, he tries to make the visit enjoyable and memorable for the kids. We bought our first home the beginning of this year and it needs a few improvements to make it more our own. Housework isn't something you'd think kids would enjoy, but they love to help out their daddies! My husband put in a brick walk-way from our driveway to the back patio area and our kids were his lil' assistants. They helped him load the wagon with bricks, level dirt (well, mostly they played in the dirt), pour rocks (OK, again play with rocks), and lay the bricks.
My husband came up with the idea to bury a time capsule under the walkway. He told our daughter to color a pretty picture of our first home and write every one's name on it and the date. He also asked her to find some objects that she would really like to share with whomever would find this capsule. Our daughter gathered up some Mardi Gras beads and other trinkets from her room. They placed the drawing and objects in a decorative tube. Then, they placed the tube inside a large, Ziploc bag and buried it in the dirt beneath the walkway.

Just about every day when my daughter steps across that brick walk-way, she tells me, "Some day future people are going to see my pretty picture."


HAPPY DADDY'S DAY!

My darling Clementines

TOP TEN REASONS
Clementines have got to be one of the best snacks for kids!



10. Not messy like an orange

9. long shelf-life

8. Inexpensive (5lb box/bag $4.99)

7. Travels well on-the-go

6. Nutritious!

5. Kid-friendly size

4. Easy for kids to peel themselves

3. Delicious!

2. SEEDLESS!

1. Kids love them!