Still here

I'm still here. Haven't gone anywhere, really. Just kind of stalled out. Sort of like life right now. We moved almost a year and a half ago and I think I've hung about two or three things on the walls. I've tried to decorate but I'm just not feeling it.

I am going to try and post a bit more about this and that. I'd like to share more about us so here I am again.

One of the good things is that we are not going backwards.

Easter 2013

The Fresh Fool

I've neglected this space for too long. There are times when I feel foolish writing about us and thinking anyone is listening. I worry about my grammar and photos and "style" of writing or the look of the blog itself.

Then again, simply, I am listening when I write. I stop and take a moment and reflect. I am listening to us and, in turn, to me. I need to listen to me a bit more.

Well, here is a bit of foolishness that I've listened to recently and I've been meaning to share this for a very long time.

Ryan as Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi

2013 20 questions answered by Ryan, age 7, 1^st grade

1. What is your favorite color? Blue

2. What is your favorite toy? Bankie

3. What is your favorite fruit? All of them

4. What is your favorite tv show? Ninjago & Legends of Chima

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Sandwiches

6. What is your favorite outfit? All of them

7. What is your favorite game? Mario & Sonic at the 2012 Olympic Games & Lego Star Wars

8. What is your favorite snack? Any kind

9. What is your favorite animal? Cheetah

10. What is your favorite song? Dynamite & Gangam Style

11. What is your favorite book? Any kind

12. Who is your best friend? Lucas & Ashleigh

13. What is your favorite cereal? Honey Nut O’s

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play any kind of game

15. What is your favorite drink? Chocolate milk

16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Bankies

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cereal

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Orange Chicken from Trader Joe’s

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Don’t know

Ashleigh on her 9th birthday

-->

2012 20 questions answered by Ashleigh, age 9, 3^rd grade

1. What is your favorite color? Pink

2. What is your favorite toy? Lady Dog

3. What is your favorite fruit? Peach

4. What is your favorite tv show? Good Luck Charlie

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Peanut butter & jelly

6. What is your favorite outfit? Ewok shirt

7. What is your favorite game? Hopscotch

8. What is your favorite snack? Gummy bunnies

9. What is your favorite animal? Elephant

10. What is your favorite song? Don’t Stop Believing by Journey

11. What is your favorite book? Little House in the Big Woods

12. Who is your best friend? Maliya

13. What is your favorite cereal? Honey Nut O’s

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride my bike

15. What is your favorite drink? 7-Up

16. What is your favorite holiday? Easter

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Lady Dog, Stripey &  baby dolls

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Poached egg

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Lemon linguini with shrimp

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Veterinarian or teacher

Back to School Back to the Grind Back to the Routine... blah.

Next week the children start school. Ryan begins Kindergarten and Ashleigh starts second grade.  Yikes! We have really been enjoying our summer (and I'm sure from this post's title you can tell how I feel about this time of year).

Tomorrow we go to school to find out their teachers, check out classrooms, sign up for volunteer positions, get supply lists and, of course, and most importantly, see friends. 

For tonight though, we're working on just going to bed.  I'll be the first to say that I'm not a huge fan of having a strict bedtime especially during summer however there is a time and a place for getting a good night's sleep.

What's been working for the last week or so is this little drawing I made up. It's basically a chart for both of the children to follow.  They really don't have to go in order but they do have to finish all the items.  It's visual for Ryan and it's really funny for Ashleigh but it works.



At night, they have to:
1. change into PJ's,
2. brush their teeth,
3. go to the bathroom and
4. when that's all done they have books read to them or they read to us.

In the morning, it's just the opposite, sort of:
1. get dressed,
2. have breakfast,
3. brush their teeth and
4. get their backpacks ready (that routine needs to stay in that order).

Keep it simple is my motto.

As for bed times, well, what works for us has been a gentle ratcheting back.  Thankfully, the sun setting earlier has helped in that endeavor.  Right now we're going to bed somewhere around 8:30 pm and waking up at 7 am and that's right about when I need them to get up.

On a personal note, I'm a little excited about the start of school instead of hesitant as I have been in past years. We know the routine and are quite familiar with all the goings on at the little school down the street. Also, I get 3 hours in the morning all to myself! It'll be different but I'm sure I'll figure out something to do...

Grand Canyon Grand Adventure

Day 5 and as Ryan said, "It's getting funner and funner by the minute!"




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Lindsay Wildlife Museum

I've heard about this place forever and last week we went.  The museum is small however the exhibits are very well done.  Ryan enjoyed the rattlesnake and Ashleigh enjoyed the bald eagle.

Bald eagle with one wing

Scary bear!

Little scientists

As big as a turkey vulture

The children with the bald eagle

Gray fox checking out Ashleigh

Just keep swimming

The children are signed up for 2 weeks of swim class... so far, so good.  On the first day, Ryan walked right up to the teacher and gave him a high five.  There's a great park right behind the pool and as long as it's not too hot, we're going to visit it after class every day.

After getting out of the balmy pool and into the 80 degree weather, apparently they need towels... ASAP!

Summertime and the livin' is easy

Yesterday: Father's Day and ballet recital

Today: Swim class at 10am then lunch with Dave and a make up gymnastics class at 3:30pm

Enjoying a post swim class snack on the shade... I don't know why she's making that face either

Chalk Paint

A quick and very inexpensive craftivity that kept the children busy for over an hour.


Chalk Paint
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
2 Tablespoons Water
Food Coloring

Mix and enjoy!

Other items that make the paint fun are the cupcake tin, paintbrushes and a water bottle.

We started out just making little pictures and then it quickly turned into a lesson in Jackson Pollock style of painting.

This week's meals.

I found a new site for meals and I'm pretty sure I'm going to pull quite a bit from her.  Good Life Eats is the name and so far it looks good.   Not too outrageous with just enough...

A couple of things about how I plan for the week.  I try to have seafood at least twice a week and Mondays we try to go meatless.  I think mostly I succeed.  Mostly.

Monday - Quinoa stuffed peppers
Tuesday - Pasta Puttenesca
Wednesday - Salmon with Horseradish Sauce
Thursday - Sloppy Joes
Friday - Panko breaded tilapia

I don't really have ideas for Saturday and Sunday but either 1. I go the easy route or 2. we have something comforting that can make leftovers for lunches. 

The children... taken with the new phone that has a pretty cool little camera.

Valentine's Day

We crafted a bit for Valentine's Day as the children had the day off from school (Happy Birthday President Lincoln!).   



Ashleigh went to Dave's work to sell Girl Scout cookies and pretty much charmed all his co-workers with her cute Daisy vest.

While Dave and Ashleigh sold the cookies, Ryan and I waited in Dave's office...

I changed my blog title

The other one was too wordy.  This one works for a variety of reasons.

Here is the inspiration, "Another glorious day, the air as delicious to the lungs as nectar to the tongue." John Muir, My First Summer in the Sierra. 

Another equally important inspiration:

Fort Picnic

From the end of May. I tried to get the white balance right but ended up with a really blown out shot of Ryan... I kind of like it though. His eyes are really blue and well that popsicle is really orange-y.

Us.

One of the small perks of belonging to a co-op and having both children enrolled is that if there is space open on one of the days I work in the classroom then we all get to be in school together. Yesterday was one of those day and it was the last. Snack was crackers, bagels, carrots and dip, grapes and juice. The craft was making bracelets from beads and making foam photo frames. They sang Itsy Bitsy Spider, Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee, and a song about an Alligator, too. Good preschool times.

It can be chaotic at times and messy... it can also be so, so wonderful. I am absolutely and entirely thankful that Dave and I have made choices in our lives that allows me to be here today and tomorrow and the next.

Farm Fresh

The children and I went to the Smith Family Farm in Brentwood today with the preschool... it's a good time all around. Chickens, baby bunnies, eggs, free seedlings, hay, earthworms, sing-a-longs, a tractor ride, heehaw!

It was also the last day that I worked in Ashleigh's classroom. Sigh. Don't get me started.

Tomorrow I attend Kindergarten Orientation... oy. Again, don't get me started.

You know what though? I'm kind of getting excited right along with Ashleigh, too. It's been fun these couple of years in preschool and I just know the future with her will be just as fun if not more so... And you know what? I'll still be at the little preschool, knee deep in play dough, goldfish crackers and inky dinky spiders... phew.

I think I can say this without jinxing myself

I haven't had a cold in like forever! WOOHOO! Last year, I think I was sick from about somewhere in October to, oh, somewhere in March with a sinus infection in between that needed antibiotics. Good times. I really haven't felt sick at all and in fact everyone in the family here was sick about a week or so ago and I didn't feel a pinch of anything. Hopefully all that horrible-ness from last year gave me the cold fighting force field of a preschool teacher.

Today, it was nice and warm and no one was sick so we played in the kiddie pool. Good times. If you follow me on facebook then you've seen this photo and the comment I made. If you don't here are my comments. When I look at this photo I think: 1) Goggles are key. Check! 2) BWAHAHAHAHAH! 3) I love my children.

January photos, Part 1

the boy, the day before his birthday

the boy at preschool on his birthday.  he's off to the next adventure after finishing his snack.

the boy and the girl at preschool.  we decided to join the fun at preschool on the boy's birthday.  can't believe that i got this shot and that they are both looking at me and both genuinely smiling, too.

I voted for...

Peace... For my children... For my country... For the world... For Peace.

Tea Party, etc.

What did you do Sunday morning?  We had a tea party.

I am so anxious about tomorrow that I am cleaning the house.  Yes, indeed, the election on Tuesday has driven me to mop the floors, wipe down the cabinets, scrub the toilets, wash the windows and shine the sink.  I can't wait for this whole thing to be over... and then I can get back to enjoying my procrastination and dust bunnies.

Somewhat exhausted but still have to do more today.

We got up a bit early as Dave needed some help getting home from a bike ride... sweet.  Anyway, then we headed off to my mom's to check in on their house.  Then we went to Target to get some deals on back to school stuff (we did).  Now we're home and it's only 1pm.  Tonight is orientation night at preschool.  I have to speak to the group and say I'm the one who has been sending the emails about turning in your annoying paperwork and yes it's annoying for me too, thank you very much so don't tell me how much of a pain it is.  Man, I hate getting up in front of the group.  Sux.  But then my day is done.  

Oh and here's a silly photo from our last camping trip in August:

the last week of our "summer break"

Preschool starts next week.  I feel like an old pro at preschool.  Ashleigh will go on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  Ryan will go Tuesdays and Thursdays.  We will busy.  Definitely.