School's Out Party!

Today we had a School's Out Party with the kids from the neighborhood! There are a ton of kids on our street and around the corner and we even had a couple friends who are moving soon join us. The plan was to have water balloons, dancing and lots of snacks to go along.


The weather didn't go as planned (imagine that!) and so we couldn't do the water balloon part (notice all the long sleeves? oh I guess not....us adults were wearing the long sleeves!) Well, it was chilly!

And the dancing part, well....all my dancers got a little shy with all the other kids around (what's up with that!) so....they just played!

That's right....they just played!

And you know what?! They seemed to be fine with that!

Just letting kids play without all the fancy dancy planning and games....it actually worked! They figured it out on their own! They actually have imaginations! Holy Cow...it might just be a really great summer!

So here they are....the entire crew! (minus some who were busy today!)

A GREAT group of kids!

a great group shot.....

then two seconds later....ciaos!

And of course, we always have to have a silly shot!

Oh, and we had the snack part down....there was no problem there! Maggie made everyone popcorn with our popcorn machine and we had some yummy ranch pretzels and some punch to make you pucker! It was Perfect!

So on that note....let summer begin!

We're ready whenever you are!

First and Last

Maggie's first day of second grade.....back in August!

(she looks a little nervous!)

And this is Mags on her last full day of second grade, with her wonderful teacher, Mrs. Denner! We're keeping our fingers crossed and hoping to get Mrs. Denner again next year, she is moving up to third grade too! And....we might get to see her over the summer as she is officially now a new neighbor of ours! Yippee!

This is my Mr. Max on his first day of Kindergarten. Oh, so handsome!

And here he is on his last day! Sniff, Sniff! Next year they will both be in school all day! Oh what will I do! (more on that later!)

It was a fabulous year and we were so blessed with wonderful teachers, staff and friends!

So long for now Lincoln School, we'll be back in August!

Summer Rules

Tomorrow is the last full day of school. I know, it's hard to believe, but summer is here and I'm using the next few days to get my "summer rules" in order.

It seems like the first week or two of summer vacation is spent yelling at the kids because they are trying to relearn how to get along with each other for the entire day. My hope is that my list of "summer rules" will help in this process. I'm going to really try to NOT yell.

So here is my list. I'd love for you to share your experiences with me as well. Any "rules" I should add or revamp?

• Morning tv off at 8:30 am
• Morning chores must be done before we do anything or go anywhere (Make bed, get dressed, brush teeth and hair)
• 1 school worksheet per day
• Read for at least 15/20 minutes per day
• Quiet Time everyday (in own rooms for 30-45 mins.)
• Make sure your stuff is picked up and put back where it belongs!

The rest of the day is where the fun comes in.....we don't have a ton of activities planned so that we can just decide what each day brings! I'm really looking forward to having a great summer with my kiddos. Making lots of great memories and just having a great time together!

Okay, I'm really for you to share your "Summer Rules" with me.

Note to self....

...and hard working husband.

In the future, please do NOT purchase a bag of very yummy Doritos before leaving the country.  I know that you purchased them "for the kids", so that they would have something yummy to take in their lunch, but while packing/or making the above said lunch this mama has snacked on way too many of the delicious, and oh-so-bad-for-you, get-your-fingers-all-orange snack.  They are no longer allowed to enter this home!


Thank you very much!

Man of the House

My hubby is on a trip, a business trip to England.   For some strange reason, I haven't heard much about the work part, but I have heard about the yummy pub food and drink!

Before Andy left on Saturday, I overheard the start of a conversation between Andy and Max.  As I was walking by his room, I heard Andy say, "Now while I'm gone, you're going to have to be the man of the house...."

Maybe it's just me, but this totally just warms my heart!

So as the kids and I were getting ready the next morning for church, Max comes out of his room, dressed and ready to go.  Sporting is khaki pants, button up shirt and sweater vest he walks into the bathroom where I was curling my hair and says, "So, since I am the man of the house....you know what that means, right?!"  I reply, "What does that mean?" curious to hear his answer.  He says, "That means I get to sleep with you!"  I couldn't help but laugh.  It was so cute, however I was quick to inform him that everyone would be sleeping in their own beds and that I was actually looking forward to having the bed to myself for a few nights. 

I did enjoy the first few nights of having a bed to myself....but I'm ready for Andy to be home!  At least I know that if I really need some company, the little man of the house will be there for me!

Eight is GREAT!

Tonight at 8:38 pm, my baby girl will officially be eight years old.

I will never forget the moment she was born and the day I became a mother. It was something I had dreamed of for a long time. Even with a difficult delivery, she was perfect in every way.

I remember everyone telling me to "enjoy these moments, because they will fly by."

And they have! The days, the months and the years. I honestly can't believe how fast the time has gone by.

But it has all been thrilling and fun, and even challenging at times....but I wouldn't change a thing. We are so very lucky to have this healthy, beautiful, smart and sweet girl in our lives and today we celebrate her!

Happy Birthday Mags....we LOVE you very much!

Bye-Bye Pink!

My Maggie is turning eight tomorrow.....and for a while now we have been working on making her bedroom a little bit more to her liking. If you know her, she's NOT a girlie girl. She likes pink, but not "just" pink, as she tells me. So a while back, I gave her the option to pick out a new bedroom paint color. The "pink" room is what she has had her entire life.....but now we are moving on to.....

....light blue!

This cheap thrifty mommy was going to purchase all new bedding....but then got to thinking about how in the not so distant future we will probably be purchasing a double bed and so I decided we would continue using the perfectly good and super cute bedding she already had. Plus the bedding has the blue it it too!

What do you think?

I like it because it still looks like a little girl....not too grown up yet!

Priceless!

This is something I will always treasure!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope you all had a nice Mother's Day! It was a gorgeous day here and perfect for celebrating all the moms in my life.

I was showered with gifts from these two sweetie pies! I feel so very blessed to have them both, and love them both with all my heart!

How could you not...just look at them!

oh how they love each other.....at least for the day!

My mom, Maggie and I

four generations....right in my back yard!

We also celebrated Maggie's 8th birthday, (I can't hardly believe she's turning 8 later this week!)
The time is going by with crazy speed....sniff sniff!

It was just a really wonderful day!
Hope your day was great too!

Fun Friday (and a few feathers!)

Today is a very fun Friday.

Today we have the book fair at school, which is super exciting for this cheap, I mean thrifty mama....cause it's buy one get one free day! WooHoo!

Today is also the school picnic. And it is a fabulously sunny and warm spring day. It's couldn't be more perfect! (the grass might be a little wet, but who cares when the sun is shining so bright!)

And, this mama is also sporting the latest and greatest (at least that's what she said when she sold them to me!)

Feathers!

Feathers in my hair!

What?! I know!! It's totally crazy, wild and so hip! Which I am none of.....but hey....why not have a little fun in my life!

Can you see them? (Right above Max's head!) OMG...can't believe I did it!

Hope you all have a fabulous, fun Friday too! And go get you some feathers!

Thank You!

My kids are so lucky! They both have fabulous teachers who love what they do and have a passion for teaching. With this being Teacher Appreciation Week, I wanted to give them both a cute little token of thanks.

Remember these buckets? They turned out super cute!


I even order some labels for Maggie's teacher that say, "This book belongs to...." so she can keep track of her classroom books. I didn't do this for Max's teacher as maybe someday soon her title will change for Ms. to Mrs. (I will order some labels for her when that day comes!)

I hope they enjoy a little bit of spring and I really hope they know how much we appreciate all their hard work!

Let the races begin!

Racing season has started. This means many of our weekends are booked. This also means that my man is trying to get in as many miles as possible for training. So I'm officially a bike widow.

He is also racing on a team this year which means it's not all about having fun! Although, Andy's pretty good at not-stressing-about-anything! No pressure for him!

Maggie is becoming a pro at the water-bottle-hand-off!

All kidding aside, we are very proud of him and love going out to support him! Way to go!