Tackle It Tuesday

My first "Tackle" project: The Refrigerator!



I've been wanting to participate in this for awhile, but since I figured screenshots of QuickBooks files aren't all that exciting... I've been waiting.

So, Saturday, I could not take my nasty refrigerator for one more day. As I was cleaning the frig, and I thought "This would be a great Tackle!" I was halfway through but here it is halfway complete. The picture just does not show how yucky it was (except maybe the black beans in the bottom courtesy of Punkin.) I got rid of LOTS of half-used jars.

It's all empty and clean! I can actually see through the clear shelves!
Everything is back where it goes!
I can't tell you what joy it is for one small portion of my house to be clean, organized and under control!

For more "Tackles", go here.

Body Update - We finished!

We finished! Yay! [insert happy dance HERE]
Here is Punkin with PJ (Punkin, Jr. - thanks Momma Roar. I'm the only one that likes it around here, but I figure if I say it enough it will catch on. he he)

I am so pleased both with how PJ turned out, and with how much Punkin got into this project and how much I think she learned. We'll see how much she remembers in a few months!

Sleepover Success!

Our first sleepover went very well!

Punkin really wanted a sleepover for her birthday, so I finally agreed to one friend - and I basically told her it needed to be "Neighbor Girl." The girls get together often, and I enjoy Neighbor Girl. She is the youngest of 5 children adopted from Romania, and the girls do very well together for long periods of time. They do so well together, in fact, that I love taking Neighbor Girl places with us because the girls will stay together and I can give them a little more freedom.

Anyway, back to our sleepover adventure.

I overplanned the day just a little bit. Punkin has her enrichment program on Fridays, so we took cupcakes. You can see that she loves cupcakes.

It was her last day of the year, which I had quite forgotten - so we had got to stay after for her special program. They have been studying plants and butterflies this semester, so they sang a little song and Punkin got to "fly" around the stage a little bit.

We came home for snack and about 30 minutes of downtime, and then Neighbor Girl came over.

And we headed out to Chuck E Cheese! Where not much pizza was eaten, but the girls had a lot of fun.

Here they are on the way home. Punkin snagged a party hat from one of the employees by telling her, "Today is my birthday. Could I please have a birthday hat?" She's very shy - haven't you noticed??

We came home and they changed into their matching pjs that Neighbor Girl's mom sent. Their names are on the front - very cute! I told them I wanted a picture, so they had to run upstairs to the bathroom and "get ready." They played Barbie and watched 2 Barbie movies. Very girlie indeed! WeaverDad set up the telescope in the backyard and let them see Saturn's rings. Punkin was very excited.

And, ah, sleep at last! :)

Early Gender Wars

While drinking milk and watching TV:

P: SB, whatcha thinking about?
SB: Nothing
P: Are you thinking about milk?
SB: No
P: Are you thinking about cars?
SB: No
P: So, what are you thinking about?
SB: I thinking about NOTHING!

Ah, it starts early.

6!! How is she 6??!!

My Punkin is 6 years old today! Yay! sniff, sniff. Yay! sniff, sniff.
Six seems like such a big girl - a new phase. Maybe it's not really, but it sure feels that way.

We welcomed Punkin at 8:46 am. She was 8 lbs, 11oz and was 22 1/2 inches long. Still the longest baby I've ever heard of! She was beautiful the moment she was born!

How she's grown! :
We opened gifts this morning:

Thanks GrandNan and GrandPa:

And, our traditional "goofy" picture:Happy Birthday my sweet!

She is having her first sleepover tomorrow night! She is so excited already she is having trouble sleeping.

Do you remember your first sleepover?

Is it April??

Me: (calling out the back door earnestly, after shoveling and shoveling) SPPRRRIIINNGG! Please come back soon! We miss you!

The Big 4-0

Lordy, Lordy, Hubby's 40!

Breakfast at Mimi's Cafe. They have wonderful breakfast! The muffins are like dessert. :)
How he really feels about being 40:
The "goofy" picture. Maybe it's all the sugar from the birthday treats?

The Sound of Music

My parents are music people. In fact, my dad taught 6th, 7th & 8th grade music appreciation classes, band and chorus until he retired some years ago. He was the choir director at my church when I was growing up. My parents played in a community orchestra most of my growing up years. My brother and I were surrounded by music. My family listened to Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, orchestras, choral music and .... country music. And this was back in the day when country wasn't cool. :)

We watched very little TV - well, unless Wheel of Fortune counts. But, "back in the day" before videos and DVDs (O my goodness, I'm getting old) when the networks would show classic movies - we watched. I remember watching The Wizard of Oz every year. And The Sound of Music. When I was young, I'm sure I failed to appreciate the wonderful music - but I loved the fancy costumes, and watching little Gretel sing "The sun has gone to bed and so must I.. " And I still know all the words to "My Favorite Things."

I watched The Sound of Music with my kids the last 2 nights. It brought back such wonderful memories of my and my family snuggled on the couch and in the floor watching. And tonight, snuggled with my own kids watching the magical story. Even though it was filmed in 1965, there is still something magical about the story.

And do you remember that Lisle, the oldest girl, is in love with Rolph - the telegram boy? I had to stop the movie several times to explain things (nun, baroness, governess, etc..) but the one that got me tickled was the telegram. Of course, my 5 yr old had no idea what that was! She was quite stunned that there was a world before telephones. Wait until she finds out there was a world before the internet!

What are some of the funny things your kids have asked that show how young they are?

Children's Memo?

Did I miss the children's memo that told them what crazy stunt to pull on their parents this week? Or maybe it's in the air? Or a full moon?



'Cause I promise they did not see Heidi Jo's site.

Oh, if only I could say that things like this don't normally happen at MY house.

tsk, tsk. Crazy kids. Gotta love them.

Gymnastics with Dad

Tax season has taken its toll - my house is a complete disaster, there are stacks of paper everywhere, "to-do" items everywhere I turn, and I think I'm actually more overwhelmed than when I was focused on just the tax preparations! But, it's over - I refuse to think about the fact that my 2 biggest clients filed extensions. It's time to get back into our routine (you know - actually have school time!), possibly hire a cleaning service to get me back to square one, and figure out how to fit some quality blogging into my daily schedule.

Not sure this qualifies as quality blogging, but it is my late night attempt to post anything that is is original and includes a picture for the grandparents.
WeaverDad had a few days off work last week, and got to go to gymnastics with SnugBug. They both had a great time. It was so cute to see how excited SnugBug was!
(If you look closely you can see Punkin climbing in the background.)

Real Mum

Momma Roar asked me to participate in a "Real Mum" m... (I'll refrain from using the word just for Heidi Jo).

I know, I know - it's been several days. But all that "real mothering" got in the way.

Plus, I've been really struggling with whether I'm supposed to answer with what I think real moms ought to do and be, or what this real mum actually is and does. 'Cause there is value to both I think - it's nice to have a great goal in mind and when it comes to parenting your aim should be high! But, it makes you feel so not alone when others share the way it actually is.

So, I've decided to write about some of those, mostly sweet moments, when I'm intensely aware that I'm a grown woman in charge of growing little people up to be children of God. 'Cause mostly I feel like my 5 yr old playing dress-up.

A Real Mum:

• Loves her kids so much sometimes that it makes her heart ache and tears come to her eyes.
• Does what has to be done even when she doesn't feel like it
• Loves seeing her kids in church praising God and loving it
• Can be elated at the moments of independence her child achieves, and completely heart-broken at the same time
• Feels only compassion when her child just threw up all over her - well, until she goes to change clothes anyway
• Finally understands why her mom could not go to sleep until she was home safely
• Really, really wants to lay on the couch all day or sleep past 6:30 a.m. - but just can't do it.
• Sometimes wonders why am I doing all this?? But, when a SnugBug curls up on her chest and says "I want you Momma" remembers why.
• Hears a child cough in the night and knows which one it is. And wonders how many minutes until she has a "visitor".
• Prays to God daily for strength and patience to not become, well - ugly.
  
• Loves when one of them "gets it" - whether it's not crying over every little thing, learning to read or finally going pee-pee on the potty!

I'm sure there are more since a mom's job is ever-changing! I'd like to not yell, but I do. I'd like to not use the TV as a babysitter, but I do. I'd like to not dread hearing "Moommmmy" one more time, but I do. I'd like to not feel constantly overwhelmed, but I do. And I'm guessing those are things that all "real mums" do. At least, I hope so!

Mandarin?

Heather requested we do a quiz. I love quizzes - I have no faith in their results, but I think they are fun and I love seeing what crazy thing they will say. :)

Here are my results for her quiz:

I'm a Mandarin!

You're an intellectual, and you've worked hard to get where you are now. You're a strong believer in education, and you think many of the world's problems could be solved if people were more informed and more rational. You have no tolerance for sloppy or lazy thinking. It frustrates you when people who are ignorant or dishonest rise to positions of power. You believe that people can make a difference in the world, and you're determined to try.

Talent: 38%
Lifer: 49%
Mandarin: 54%

Take the Talent, Lifer, or Mandarin quiz.

Little ears miss nothing

Punkin lost her sweet privileges for a couple of days because she "stole" more of her Easter candy than she had been allowed to have. OOPS!

So, tonight while Punkin was away from the table for a moment (do your children always have to go to the bathroom in the middle of dinner like mine?), this was our conversation:

WeaverDad: I would like some pie.
WeaverMom: Ok. Punkin lost her sweets. Are you sure you want to go there? (meaning Punkin is going to have a big ole fit if we eat pie in front of her and she can't have any)
WD: Yes. I shouldn't have to lose my pie.
SnugBug: If I finish my dinner, I would like to go there.

Happy Easter!

Here they are on Easter morning. I love the 2nd picture - can you tell he adores his big sister?

Meme

Tax season is taking over! I hope to be back to blogging regularly after the 15th - hoping my little audience won't give up on me before then!

Here is a meme I found at Amy's site. It appealed to my sense of randomness (or maybe that's just what my brain is used to - going 72 directions at once?? Can anyone relate?)

So, here goes:

1. What is your occupation? SAHM, bookkeeper
2. What color are your socks right now? I don't wear socks unless I have to. And since I'm sitting at my computer in my house - I don't have to. :)
3. What are you listening to right now? The beautiful sweet sweet sound of silence.
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Dessert. A new recipe from Family Circle. It is the chocolate tort on the left hand side. I made the mistake of reading the calorie and fat gram count of after I made it. It was delicious. :)
5. Can you drive a stick shift? No. And some might argue I don't drive a automatic all that well.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? hmm.... I have no idea! A dark red, I guess.
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My daughter's pretend friend Sarah. She wanted to come over for a playdate and a sleepover. (In the real world - my mom)
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? I stole it. :)
9. How old are you today? 34
10. Favorite drink? Gatorade Rain
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? I'm not a huge sports fan, and I watch very little TV. I watch ice skating every once in awhile - does that count?
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes.
13. Pets? None.
14. Favorite food? Mexican
15. What was the last movie you watched? I watched a little TV today and watched part of a really silly movie with Tony Danza where he thinks he is Noah. I don't think I would recommend it.
16. What was the last book you read? How to Raise Amazing Kids (or something like that) by Kevin Leman
17. What do you do to vent anger? Cry
18. What was your favorite toy as a child? hmmm.... I don't really remember. I've always liked books.
19. What is your favorite, fall or spring? Spring - sunshine and that "spring fever" feeling.
20. Hugs or kisses? Hugs and Kisses!!
21. Cherries or blueberries? Blueberries
22. Do you want your friends to leave you comments? Absolutely!
23. Who is the most likely to comment? Momma Roar
24. Who is least likely to comment? A lurker I don't know about yet. :)
25. Living arrangements? Cookie cutter suburbia with my dh and kids.
26. When was the last time you cried? Yesterday
27. What's on the floor of your closet? Shoes and ... toilet paper. (Our closet is off of our bathroom, and there are some things you need close by.)
28. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to? ?
29. What did you do last night? How sad is this? I already forgot. I've been trying to remember for 5 minutes. I give up.
30. Favorite smells: Vanilla, my kids just out of the bath.
31. What inspires you? Courage and grace under pressure.
32. What are you afraid of? cars
33. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Cheese
34. Favorite dog breed? I'm a cat girl. But I think golden retrievers are beautiful. And those lean grey dogs with the gorgeous blue eyes - I have no idea what kind they are.
35. Number of keys on your key ring? 2
36. How many years at your current job? 6 as a mom. I've had my business for almost 2 years.
37. Favorite day of the week? Sunday
38. How many states have you lived in? 5 - TN, MS, FL, GA, CO
39. Favorite holidays? Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Memorial Day.
40. Ever driven a Motorcycle or heavy machinery? Nope

Your turn - let me know if you do it so I can come read it!

Evening Walk

We went for a family walk last night. It felt so much like spring to be able to be outside after supper - it was light and warm enough to not need our heavy coats. Beautiful!

Happy Birthday SnugBug!

No April Fool's! My baby is 3. Yay! sniff, sniff. Yay! sniff, sniff.

3 years ago, on April 1st we were up very late welcoming our 9 lb, 10 oz bouncing baby boy into the world. (Yes, he was huge. And I'm a drug-free birth crazy lady. My first words to my "darling boy" were "Thank God that's over". I meant it quite literally. And that's all I need to say about that. Most of you understand. )

Oh, but wasn't he worth it??

We went to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate. SnugBug had a grand time - Racecars are the best, if you didn't know.


We unwrapped gifts:

And he "got it" about blowing out the candles this year:


And, oh, wasn't it worth it? Mm Mm Good!I'm not sure how I got the best little boy in the world, but "Thank you God" that I did! I love that boy!