I voted and it's official...My dog's got the greatest smile. Try not to smile back at him. Impossible!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
tooth fairy
Saturday, August 18, 2012
from disaster to delightful
Another one of my children requested a room makeover for her birthday. I don't know where they get these ideas. Not from me. Okay. It's probably totally from me. I'm usually chomping at the bit to change a thing or two at our house so when a birthday request is made...I'm all over it...her wish is my command!!
This all started because Julia hinted that she does not enjoy pink. Her hints included subtle things like walking around in a store and slapping and scoffing at just about every piece of pink clothing we pass, and refusing to wear almost anything pink from her closet. Since I'm one of those Supermoms...in tune with all my childrens' behavior cues...I caught on right away.
I'm not sure when this aversion for pink came about. Maybe it's because when she was a baby, her nursery was blue but as she got older and girlier, I changed it to Mauvelous Mauve. Over time, she decided the mauve wasn't so mauvelous so out is goes...which is a bummer because I enjoyed the mauve. Now, blue is where it's at. Maybe the nursery blue is stuck in her subconscience and has gnawed its way back to being her favorite again.
Anyway, Julia sifted through my decorator paint fan for a long time (yes, I have a decorator paint fan and I like it...a lot), and finally narrowed her blue choices down to five. We dug out her old comforter and compared all the swatches to it & she decided on a lovely shade of Swiss Blue...number 815. A good, calming choice if you're in the market for a fabluelous shade of blue (Emma told me to type that).
Anyway, I ran over to the paint store this morning, came home & got to work. Painting was the easy part...cleaning out the junior hoarder's room took way more time and energy. If anyone needs anything...I'm sure Julia had it in her room so just ask...I'm sure I can find it for you!!
Before:
(to be fair, I took this photo after I had shoved everything to the center of the room (and out in the hallway)to paint around it...yes...all the stuff nearly gave me a panic attack)
After:
yay!
This all started because Julia hinted that she does not enjoy pink. Her hints included subtle things like walking around in a store and slapping and scoffing at just about every piece of pink clothing we pass, and refusing to wear almost anything pink from her closet. Since I'm one of those Supermoms...in tune with all my childrens' behavior cues...I caught on right away.
I'm not sure when this aversion for pink came about. Maybe it's because when she was a baby, her nursery was blue but as she got older and girlier, I changed it to Mauvelous Mauve. Over time, she decided the mauve wasn't so mauvelous so out is goes...which is a bummer because I enjoyed the mauve. Now, blue is where it's at. Maybe the nursery blue is stuck in her subconscience and has gnawed its way back to being her favorite again.
Anyway, Julia sifted through my decorator paint fan for a long time (yes, I have a decorator paint fan and I like it...a lot), and finally narrowed her blue choices down to five. We dug out her old comforter and compared all the swatches to it & she decided on a lovely shade of Swiss Blue...number 815. A good, calming choice if you're in the market for a fabluelous shade of blue (Emma told me to type that).
Anyway, I ran over to the paint store this morning, came home & got to work. Painting was the easy part...cleaning out the junior hoarder's room took way more time and energy. If anyone needs anything...I'm sure Julia had it in her room so just ask...I'm sure I can find it for you!!
Before:
(to be fair, I took this photo after I had shoved everything to the center of the room (and out in the hallway)to paint around it...yes...all the stuff nearly gave me a panic attack)
(here's my tip for hanging kids' artwork...hang it on the ceiling! That way it won't fill every inch of wall space and they can lay on their bed and gaze up at all their masterpieces. I thought of that when Emma was little & I've done that in all my kids' rooms ever since!! Ceilings are boring anyway!!)
Monday, August 13, 2012
Saturday, August 11, 2012
waiting
waiting for the party to start
waiting for the kids to come out
waiting for it all to be over
party down
Julia had her "friend birthday party" tonight for her 9th birthday...a campout sleepover...in a tent...with lots of noise & fun!
what could be better?!?
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Dear Superintendent-
I know you're very busy planning for the upcoming school year. And I know the budget is very tight. Heck, my budget is quite tight as well, so I feel your pain. I bet you don't have much time for a little, tiny issue I would like to share with you. It's not about the $45 per child "materials fee" which, I assume, covers the math workbook my daughter is neither allowed to write in...nor keep. I'll let that one slide for another time. It's also not about the $250 bus-riding fee I'm about to pay. I even voted for that one, if it meant letting a teacher keep her job.
My slight, minor problem is with the classroom supply list. More specifically, it's the matter of the 48 pencils my fourth grader is being asked to supply. 48 pencils. For each child? Surely that must be a typing error. Or maybe it's not, because I noticed that the 3rd grade supply list includes 60 pencils...so apparently, I'm getting off easier this year. How can that possibly be right??
According to my calculations, since the budgets have been cut and class sizes have increased, if every child in a classroom of say...25 kids, brings in 48 pencils...that's a whole lot of pencils. In fact, that's 1,200 pencils for the classroom for the school year. Really? I hope my daughter brings home her very own hand-written copy of War and Peace so she gets the use of 1,200 pencils. Or is the budget so very bad this year, the schools need to turn down the heat, and the pencils will be used for kindling for the wood-burning stoves? I can't think of another reason 25 kids would go through 1,200 pencils in 9 months.
I can remember going to grade school with my very own cigar-box pencil box, with two of my very own pencils on which I carefully wrote my name in teeny tiny letters down the side. It was fun to sharpen away my name until it disappeared and it was time to pull out the second pencil. If I needed another pencil after spring break, I asked my mom, and she sent me to school with another pencil. I knew that the teeth marks in the pencil I was using were my own, and the ear wax on the eraser was all mine. My kids don't have that luxury. Who knows what is on those 1,200 community pencils they'll be using? Ugh.
I would, therefore, like to inform you of my silent, parental protest. My daughter will not be bringing in 48 pencils. She will only be bringing in 24. And even that is making my head explode. I can afford to send 48, but I simply choose not to contribute to the ridiculousness of inadequate pencil mangement in the classroom. If you find that her classroom cannot get by with only 1,176 pencils, please feel free to contact me...after Christmas break...and I will consider contributing the additional 24 pencils with my sincere apology for doubting the authenticity of your supply needs.
Thank you for your time and understanding.
My slight, minor problem is with the classroom supply list. More specifically, it's the matter of the 48 pencils my fourth grader is being asked to supply. 48 pencils. For each child? Surely that must be a typing error. Or maybe it's not, because I noticed that the 3rd grade supply list includes 60 pencils...so apparently, I'm getting off easier this year. How can that possibly be right??
According to my calculations, since the budgets have been cut and class sizes have increased, if every child in a classroom of say...25 kids, brings in 48 pencils...that's a whole lot of pencils. In fact, that's 1,200 pencils for the classroom for the school year. Really? I hope my daughter brings home her very own hand-written copy of War and Peace so she gets the use of 1,200 pencils. Or is the budget so very bad this year, the schools need to turn down the heat, and the pencils will be used for kindling for the wood-burning stoves? I can't think of another reason 25 kids would go through 1,200 pencils in 9 months.
I can remember going to grade school with my very own cigar-box pencil box, with two of my very own pencils on which I carefully wrote my name in teeny tiny letters down the side. It was fun to sharpen away my name until it disappeared and it was time to pull out the second pencil. If I needed another pencil after spring break, I asked my mom, and she sent me to school with another pencil. I knew that the teeth marks in the pencil I was using were my own, and the ear wax on the eraser was all mine. My kids don't have that luxury. Who knows what is on those 1,200 community pencils they'll be using? Ugh.
I would, therefore, like to inform you of my silent, parental protest. My daughter will not be bringing in 48 pencils. She will only be bringing in 24. And even that is making my head explode. I can afford to send 48, but I simply choose not to contribute to the ridiculousness of inadequate pencil mangement in the classroom. If you find that her classroom cannot get by with only 1,176 pencils, please feel free to contact me...after Christmas break...and I will consider contributing the additional 24 pencils with my sincere apology for doubting the authenticity of your supply needs.
Thank you for your time and understanding.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Summer Concert
Emma spent some of her free time at orchestra camp this summer. She even decided to audition for a solo & got it!! Today was their last day & the final concert. She's in the pink behind the girl in white on the left...she has the 3rd solo. Go Emma!!
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
the dog ate my homework...
...and the cat curled up on my laundry. We never get anything done around here...
Monday, August 6, 2012
table for two...
This is what our 18th wedding anniversary looked like this year...fantastic!!
Stuffing our faces seemed to be a dominant theme...we were living it up...ordering for two is a lot cheaper (and quieter) than five!
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