A Peek at our Week 2011: Week 4

Saturday, January 22

Here is Jack calling out BINGO! during Family Game Night, hosted by our school's PTA.  The goal of Game Night is that every child leaves with a prize, much appreciated by the parents because who wants to take home a crying child?!?!  We bingo-ed twice on 5 across and once on blackout, and left with a slinky, yo-yo, flapper clapper, and mini football.  Pizza and Bingo are a fun way to spend a few hours. 

Sunday, January 23

 Every week, we eat at the same neighborhood Mexican restaurant.  They know us there.  They know that we like to sit in a booth, that we always order queso dip without jalapenos, that the boys get lids on their cups, that Brent wants a large Dos Equis, and that I need a strawberry margarita...just for starters.  It is nice to be understood.  Tonight, they gave us a complimentary order of churros.  They take good care of us.  See ya next week!

Monday, January 24

File this in the "just keepin it real" category.  It's Monday, it's laundry day.  Uggghhh!  And I wasn't even behind.  I just don't think it's possible for 4 people to create so many dirty clothes; I'm certain they reproduce in the basket.

Tuesday, January 25

The Spiritual Life moms met with Jack's class to share the Parable of the Lost Sheep.  Will joined us, sat next to Jack, and was so excited to be a part of the big kids.  Jack enjoyed his role as mentor and helped Will complete his lost sheep craft.  We stayed to eat lunch with Jack and loved seeing a glimpse of his school day.  I think Will is ready to be a kindergartener at this sweet school!  That time will be here before I am ready.

Wednesday, January 26

It was cold today...bitter cold with a mean, mean wind.  Playing outside wasn't an option.  So the boys had a pickup game of kitchen hockey, with southern boys' equipment:  lacrosse sticks, a plastic t-ball, and a soccer cone.  I'm happy to report that there were no black eyes and we still have all of our teeth!

Thursday, January 27

Jack has officially been a first grader for 100  school days now!  Today was a special day at school full of all fun things involving 100.  For snack, they had cupcakes that formed the number.  Jack's team (the dinosaurs) won the 100 piece puzzle competition!  Instead of the usual 60 seconds, they had 100 seconds to complete their mad minute skills.  And they read Emily's First 100 Days of School by Rosemary Wells.  It was a fun day!

Friday, January 28

 

Wow, it has been a busy day; well, week really!  Jack and Will both had good days at school.  Fridays are Will's long days at school when he stays until 2:30 pm.  I spent the day working at Brent's office trying to help them get everything up and running and organized.  Just a PSA to Comcast Business..."You are on my last nerve!  I hope the phones and voice mail are working properly on Monday, or my call to you will be ugly.  You have been warned."  I picked the boys up from school and we stopped by Panera for a special after school treat; their chocolate croissants are to die for!  And tonight we had a lovely dinner with our next door neighbors and across the street neighbors.  Elizabeth made Chicken Parmesan, Noreen made a wonderful salad, and I brought Pioneer Woman's Garlic Cheese Bread.   The children played while the adults talked and when I glanced down at my watch, it was after 10 pm.  Such a fun way to end the week.  But we are all tired and off to bed.

***This post completes goal #88 in my 101 in 1001.  Yay!  The first goal completed.***

A Peek at our Week 2011: Week 3

Saturday, January 15

After being snowed in all last week, we headed to Gramma and Granddaddy's for a visit.  They took us to a Japanese Steakhouse for dinner.  It was Will's first hibachi dining experience and he had the best time.  The chef was alot of fun and teased Will the entire dinner; he kept calling Will "Bill".  "My name is Will!"  And told Will that he would be having Taco Bell.  "I want my SHRIMP!"  Laughter and good food...a great dinner!

Sunday, January 16

Only one word for today...LAZY!  Everyone laid around all day, and Jack never changed out of his jammies.  He was glued to Gramma & Granddaddy's new iPad playing Angry Birds; Jack has been talking about playing Angry Birds since he found out they got an iPad.  Will was certain that Granddaddy needed to know how to play Super Mario Bros.  It amazes me how tech-savvy my children are, since I am so not!

Monday, January 17

me:  "Will!  You need a bath.  You smell like a puppy dog!"  
will: "But puppies are so adorable!"

After every bath, Will always asks us if he smells like a beautiful flower.  And we have to sniff him and affirm that he does!

Tuesday, January 18

Tuesdays are gymnastics days!  Will loves gymnastics class but balance beam days are not his favorite.  "The bars are much more funner!"  Will used to be terrified of the beam.  TER-RI-FIED.  But he has overcome his fear, and will walk forward, backward & sideways, will do flamingo, and will do forward & backward rolls on the beam without a death grip on Ms. Ema.  I couldn't be prouder!

Wednesday, January 19

Renovations at Brent's new office space are almost finished.  We are so excited!  Brent's partner's decorator is designing the space, and it is going to be beautiful.  Of course, a full post with pictures is coming once all the finishing touches are done.  Stay tuned....

Thursday, January 20

Today, we had to make up the gymnastics class from last week that was snowed out.  Our tradition is that after each class, Will gets to buy a little treat if he has been a good listener and followed directions.  Ahhh, the motivational power of chocolate.  The other children can be misbehaving like wild monkeys, and Will is right on task.  He isn't willing to risk losing his treat over silliness!    

Friday, January 21

Today was Jack's turn to bring Fabulous Friday snack, a special reward for all of the students who've had good behavior all week.  So for something really special, we ordered a yummy King Cake from Haydel's Bakery in New Orleans.  Jack's class was so excited!  Jack said that at snack time they were all chanting, "King Cake!  King Cake!"  Gigi found the baby so she got a surprise bag which included some beads, doubloons, and the history of the King Cake.  I sent in enough extra beads and doubloons so that everyone could have some.  While all the children sat at their desks, Jack threw the beads out Mardi Gras-style.  Jack came home from school so happy that everyone had a blast with Fabulous Friday snack.  And that makes me one happy mama.

Amen and Amen!

The last of the ice on our deck just finished melting today....11 days after it first fell!  The temperatures are starting to drop, and the weatherman is talking about snow again.  Oh for the Love, NO!  I am so over the cold.  Come on, Spring!

But lo and behold, a ray of sunshine! 

Megan McGlover...you are brilliant.  Preach on and preach on.  I belly laughed until I cried.









I love ya long....ya know I'm gonna love ya strong!

A Peek at our Week 2011: Week 2

Saturday, January 8

My camera officially died today.  Because blogging lacks a little something without pictures, I'll be buying a new one tomorrow.  Jack and Will were invited to a princess costume party this afternoon for H, our cute & sweet next door neighbor.  In honor of Epiphany, Jack dressed up as King Balthazar, the wise man that brought myrrh to baby Jesus (did you know that?  cause I certainly didn't until Jack told me!), and Will dressed up as Buzz Lightyear.  The hit (pa dum dum) of the party was a princess castle pinata...the old fashioned kind that you have to whack good & hard with a real bat.  We came home with enough candy to fill our Halloween buckets!  

Sunday, January 9

 

Yay for the new camera!  Like the rest of the Southeast, we are eagerly anticipating snow!  What was predicted to be 10 inches of snow on Thursday has been downgraded to 3-6 inches, which will be more than plenty of snow for us to enjoy.  The temperatures really plummeted today, so it kept us inside.  Jack and Will played Wii all afternoon.  Our current favorites are Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games and Super Mario Bros Wii.

Monday, January 10

We had a blast playing in the snow!  Jack had a great idea, "Let's make snow slushies!"  So we gave it a try...filled up our Coke glasses with snow from outside and Cherry Coke.  The boys thought it was wonderful.  But doesn't food always taste better when you help create it?!?!

Tuesday, January 11

Another snow day...very rare to have 2 snow days in our neck of the woods!  And school is cancelled for tomorrow, too!  It's amazing how much laundry can get done when you are stuck at home.  

Jack's principal sent out an email announcing tomorrow's school closing saying, "It is time to take white crayons off the window frames, put jammies on right-side out, no more ice cubes in the toilet, and take the spoons out from under the bed pillows.  It's been fun to have this unexpected vacation but I am ready to get back to school!"  Not knowing what these snow day superstitions meant, Brent asked me if our principal had been drinking!

Wednesday, January 12

Snow day #3.  Annnnnd, school is cancelled for tomorrow.  We are all stir crazy at this point.  Mario and Luigi are our new best friends.  The thrill of the snow and snow-related activities has worn off.  Jack is missing his school friends and I say "LET THE CHILDREN LEARN!"  On a productive note, I was able to finish my first Kindle book today.  I may resort to drinking tomorrow...

 Thursday, January 13

Snow Schmoe.  Snow day #4 was exactly like snow day #3.  I feel like I am a character in Groundhog Day.   Annnnd, no school tomorrow.  Today, we played more Wii, read half-way through The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and invented our own board game, Candy Corner.  However, don't mention this to Hasbro because Candy Corner seems to be very similar to Candy Land.  Although Jack and Will would beg to differ because Candy Corner has a board made of real candy.  Totally different.

 

Friday, January 14

Snow day #5.  We are all so over it.  We are beyond "stir crazy" & "cabin fever", and have moved into the realm of "you are dancing on my last nerve".  Will looked over at me this morning and said (completely out of the blue), "Mommy, you are annoying me!"  And I just burst out laughing, because....well, because it is so true!  We have been around each other for 7 solid days now, and just the sight or sound of each other breathing is annoying!  So the boys and I busted outta here and had a little lunch date.  The change of scenery did us a world of good; we all came home liking each other again.  

Hello World!

Good to see ya again!

Jack, Will and I bundled up and took the opportunity to reintroduce ourselves to our little community as we did a few errands.

Jack had his third treatment for his plantar wart today.  This should be his final treatment because the wart is gone, but the podiatrist warned us that since it is a virus, it might return.  But we are hoping that it doesn't.

We enjoyed a little lunch date at Panera.  A bit of mac & cheese and soup & panini lifted our spirits.  Evidence of snow still around 5 days after it fell.

And then we headed to the bank and the post office.  The post office has been closed all week, but still I was surprised to see this...

All three collection boxes were filled to almost overflowing.  The post office resumed service today so hopefully things will return to normal early next week.

The roads were a bit sketchy through our little part of town.  The main road is very shaded, so the ice hasn't completely thawed.  It looks like this...

Clear but wet where the cars have been making a path.  Each night as our temps dip back into the teens the wet pavement freezes into a thin sheet of black ice making it slick for early morning commuters.  But we were out shortly after noon so it was fine.

Then other parts of the road that receive a good bit of sun looked like this....

Completely drivable, although everyone was still being extremely cautious which is good.

Trash collection has been suspended for this week.  The management company called today to inform us that regular collection begins next week.

Some of the neighbors didn't get the message?!?!  I hope they can make it until next Friday!

We survived Snowpocalypse 2011!   The temperatures are supposed to be in the high 40s this weekend and then we'll have the MLK holiday on Monday, so by Tuesday, we should be back in business!

Ten Things I Learned During the Snow Days

1. Boogie Boards make good snow sleds.  Who knew?!?!
2. You actually can play Wii all. day. long.
3. Chili with Frito's is the perfect snow day dinner.
4. We need more appropriate outerwear for a snowstorm.
5. Cabin Fever kicks in after 27.67 hours.
6. The Help Desk at the local news station has received over 24,000 (yes, thousand!) calls during the snow storm.  1) What questions do all of these people have?  2) What are they expecting a news station to be able to do?
7. If you hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, you would pass through 14 states.  Factoid courtesy of NatGeo TV.
8. Brushing your teeth with chocolate makes your toothbrush hard, besides doing little for cavity prevention.
9. Forget bread, milk, and water...the CRITICAL snow supplies are beer, wine and chips & salsa.
10. Snow is not that much fun on DAY 4!!!!!!
    
    

Snow Snow Snow Snow

The weatherman didn't let us down...

We got a little over 6 1/2 inches of snow!

While the snow still looked pristine, Brent got out and took a few pictures...

I love our little house covered in snow!

the backyard

 our mailbox

Brent's car

 

looking down our street

our neighborhood lake

Then we played in the snow...

cute little snow bunnies

Children in the South don't have proper sleds.

We discovered that boogie boards make a great substitute!

Snowboarding!

Look for K in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

 It wasn't long before Jack was very wet and very cold!

Will actually sledding down a hill!

The picture is blurry because he was coming so fast and I had to stop him before he went into the creek.

School has already been cancelled for tomorrow, so we'll spend the day in our jammies watching movies with lots of popcorn and hot chocolate! 

A Peek at our Week 2011: Week 1

This year, I want to start a "Peek at our Week" blog series documenting the day-to-day details of our life.  It wasn't as easy as I anticipated ... apparently we are very boring people!  I'm not promising I can keep this up for all 52 weeks, but I think it will be fun to look back years from now on our ordinary everyday memories.

Saturday, January 1

After all of the midnight celebrating, we enjoyed a lazy morning of just hanging out together.   We spent the afternoon cheering on the Tide!  What an incredible game...total domination!  The final score was 49-7, but really the game wasn't even that close.  Michigan State had no idea what was happening to them.  My favorite quote was from journalist Michael Rosenberg, "I got the sense that the Spartans looked at the Crimson Tide and thought, “Wow!” And the Alabama players looked at the Spartans and thought, “Lunch!”  Roll Tide!

Sunday, January 2

 Will crawled up into my lap because he needed some "lovie time".  As he snuggled closer so that I could rub his back, Will looked at me and said "Mommy, quit breathing in my face."  Oh, well pardon me.

Monday, January 3

Well, what can I say?  It was a delicious holiday season.  Lots of carb-loading and random attendance at the gym.  So today it was back to the fruits & veggies and the cardio & strength training.  A tough (but good) day back at the gym, reminding me how quickly I lose what I don't use. 

Tuesday, January 4

After 2 weeks of blissfully sleeping without the alarm clock, Jack pulled out the backpack and headed back to school.  Will started a new session of gymnastics and he did "awesome."  It finally warmed up a bit this week.  I ventured outside on a walk with Brent and the boys and a long-time neighbor introduced himself to me because it had been "months since he had seen me and was uncertain I still lived here".  Ha ha, he's such a kidder! 

Wednesday, January 5

 

Surprise!  Gramma and Granddaddy sent treats from their trip to Orlando.  Inside the box were Hedwig (Harry Potter's owl) puppets and candy rocks.  Don't they look like aquarium rocks?!?!  It has been fun to eat rocks this week.

Thursday, January 6

After waiting patiently for the elves to return and clean up the Christmas mess, I finally took down the tree.  We added to our ornament collection this year; my favorite was the beautiful handcarved wooden Santa ornament Honey & Happy brought back from their trip to Russia.  I love our Christmas trees and the memories each ornament holds; it is always such a bummer to have to pack everything away. 

Friday, January 7

The new year brought a job change for Brent!  On January 1, he left the big law firm to become a partner in an IP consulting firm.  The first week was spent attending to the hundreds of little details involved in starting a new company, but as a family, we loved having him home for dinner and a little playtime before bedtime.    

What I Did Over Christmas Break by Jack

I love Jack's teacher this year; she really 'gets' him and thinks that Jack is such a smart and fun kid (and I wholeheartedly agree!).  Jack is convinced that he is her favorite =).  At the fall parent-teacher conference, Ms. R mentioned how much she loves Jack's journal entries and showed me her particular favorite.  Today, she sent home his journal (these journals never come home) and asked Jack to share it with us.

The topic was "What I Did Over Christmas Break", very appropriate for the first journal entry after the Christmas holidays.  This Christmas vacation was great fun, so Brent and I couldn't wait to read which one of the many activities won the coveted journal topic ....decorating his first gingerbread house; spending an afternoon at Chuck E Cheese; opening his favorite Christmas gift(s); Gramma, Granddaddy & Mimi coming for Christmas; playing & winning endless games of Monopoly Jr; annihilating his mother in Wii bowling; our New Year's Eve celebration; staying up until midnight to ring in the New Year.  Oh, the possibilities were endless!

So without further ado, I present 

What I Did Over Christmas Break

by Jack

I went to a Wart-thodontist to get my foot checked.  They have to scrape your foot.

 Jack wrote about going to the podiatrist for treatment of his plantar wart!

I'm laughing because other children wrote about going to the beach or going to Grandma's house in Chicago & building an igloo with Grandpa, but poor Jack got to go to the "Wart-thodontist".   Nothing but good times in our family!

I don't know how we'll ever top this one for "What I Did Over Spring Break".

A Different Version of New Year's Resolutions

101 Goals in 1001 days

brought to you by Day Zero

So this is it....a big year for me!  I turn 40.  And for whatever reason (I can't pinpoint it exactly), it's really bothering me.  The best I've been able to discern is that I don't feel like I should be 40, so it seems like such a big disconnect to be turning 40.

Over the last few months, I've been thinking about what I could do to use the "big 4-0 year" to 1) make changes that I've wanted to make, 2) challenge myself to grow, 3) feel empowered, 4) invest more into my relationships, 5) make a difference in my community, etc.  I've seen other bloggers do the 101 Goals in 1001 Days and the more I thought about it, it just seemed like the perfect challenge to start in my 40th year.  So here goes.... 

The Mission: 

Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days. 

The Criteria: 

Tasks must be specific (no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (represent some amount of work on my part). 

Why 1001 Days? 

Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.  

Below is my list, ordered into relevant categories. I am starting a separate page (located at the top of the blog) to document my journey, and I would love for you to follow along. 

My 101 Goals . . . 

January 1, 2011 -  September 28, 2013

For Me - 

1. Have an outdoor family portrait taken in the fall

2. Create a painting

3. Try 6 new, non-chain restaurants (0/6)

4. Buy 5 new outfits that I feel amazing in (0/5)

5. Take a weekend getaway with girlfriends

6. Watch It's a Wonderful Life

7. Back up all the pictures that are on the computer

8. Spend a day at the spa

9. Mani & pedi for 3 months (0/3)

For My Mind - 

10. Go to bed at 10pm for 1 week

11. Read 3 non-fiction books (0/3)

12. Read 3 biographies (0/3)

13. Read 3 parenting books (0/3)

14. Watch 3 documentaries (0/3)

For My Spirit - 

15. Memorize 1 Bible verse/month for 1 year (0/12)

16. Complete a Beth Moore Bible study

17. Spend a day listening to classical music

18. Only positive thoughts, words & actions for 1 week

19. Attend Friday Mass with Jack 6 times (0/6)

For My Marriage -

20. Set aside 1 date night/month for 3 months (0/3)

21. Affirm Brent when speaking to others

22. Go on a marriage retreat with Brent

23. Weekend getaway to NYC with Brent

24. Surprise getaway with Brent

25. Pray for our marriage while making our bed everyday for 1 month

26. Read The Five Love Languages & implement what I learn

27. For the petty irritations that arise in our marriage, chose not to make a mountain out of a molehill

For My Children -

28.  Affirm my children in a meaningful, relevant way at least once a week

29. Make a family time capsule to be opened in 10 years

30. Swim with dolphins

31. Prepare a will

32. Get a copy of Will's birth certificate

33. Read The Chronicles of Narnia with Jack

34. Go snow tubing

35. Go to an amusement park

36. Go on a family picnic

37. See a Christmas light display as a family

38. Have a family campout in the backyard 

39. Teach Jack to tie his shoes

40. Teach Will to ride his bike

41. Have a family game night

42. Go see a live nativity

43. Take a train trip somewhere

44. Spend an afternoon at the ballpark

45. Scrapbook the boys' birthdays

For My Health - 

46. Complete a 10K

47. Complete a half marathon

48. Go jogging on the beach

49. Take a yoga class 2x/week for 1 month

50. Swim for exercise 2x/week for 1 month

51. Take vitamins & supplements every day for 1 month

52. Floss every day for 1 month

53. Complete the 200 sit-ups challenge

54. Be able to do 30 regular push-ups

55. Get a mammogram

56. Go for 4 weeks without the scale while still focusing on healthy living (0/4)

57. Try a new fitness class (bootcamp, spin, step)

For My Home - 

58. Update/renovate kitchen

59. Restage/finish decorating the den

60. Buy new master bedroom furniture

61. Redecorate master bedroom

62. Buy new towels

63. Buy new cookware

64. Organize the junk drawer in the kitchen

65. Fill up the picture frame in Will's room

66. Add something I love to every room

67. Clean out/organize mail basket

68. Organize boys' school projects

69. Clean out fridge and freezers

70. Install a shelving system in the extra closet

71. Clean the ceiling fans & AC vents

For My Table - 

72. Try a new recipe 1x/week for 8 weeks (0/8)

73. Take a cooking class

74. Pre-plan meals for 1 month out & stick with the plan

75. Spend a day making meals for the freezer

76. Grow tomatoes

77. Attempt to make creme brulee`

78. Teach Jack to make 1 meal all by himself

79. Have dessert for dinner

For My Wallet - 

80. For 3 months, save the money the grocery receipt tells me I've saved (0/3)

81. Make contributions to the boys' savings accounts (0/12)

82. Fully fund the emergency fund

83. Save all loose change that I have/find for 12 months (0/12)

84. Find 5 free/unique activities to do as a family (0/5)

85. Investigate using computer software for family finances

For My Blog - 

86. Get a professional blog makeover

87. Leave a comment on 10 blogs (0/10)

88. Post a week in review post for 4 weeks straight

89. Investigate turning blog posts into scrapbooks

90. Find 5 new blogs to follow (0/5)

For Others - 

91. Make a charitable donation in honor of 4 people (0/4)

92. Do 20 random acts of kindness (0/20)

93. Invite friends over for dinner

94. Volunteer in the community with the boys

95. Have the boys select an Angel Tree child their age

96. Host a theme party

97. Send a care package to a soldier

98. Donate blood

99. Participate in Operation Christmas Child

100. Buy Christmas presents for those who have helped us throughout the year (mailman, garbage men, etc)

101. Donate $10 to charity for every item I don't complete at the end of 1001 days