ooh la la

i unfortunately subscribe to domino-i expected it to be different and it's not my style.

i do, however, flip through it every month when it shows up in my mailbox and occasionally i find a couple of things i like. this month i must share...

isn't this tub gorgeous!?

it won't be showing up in my bathroom ever though-$9,267!!! i'll just enjoy looking at it on the pages of a magazine!

HOW OLD ARE YOU NOW?

yesterday was thing 2's birthday-the big 6! which is absolutely crazy to me! not because he's getting old-though that is hard-but because i thought he was already 6! i did this when he turned 2 also! i had to stop and calculate because he just seemed older already! he's one of those kids though. i firmly believe he came to this world to be with his big brother-yeah, he loves us but big brother was the driving force. so, since day one pretty much, he has done everything thing 1 has done and sometimes more. as my friend says, "he's an old soul". and it's not that he's super mature and beyond his years, he just seems older-maybe because he started bigger-9lbs 50z! my first was 6,14 and my third was 7,12-so he is one of a kind around here! a three month old from birth!-and we are small people-we could lose a few inches but small in general!

so anyway, he's a great kid. pretty even tempered-agreeable most of the time but when he is cranky-watch out!! he is really a fun kid, very excited about life! we are so glad he is part of our family!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY!

staying on task!

this is the chart i use with my boys every morning. we started using it several years ago after a family home evening lesson on family responsibilities. this chart has been very helpful. when they get distracted(which happens often) i just ask them what is left for them to do on their chart and they know what they need to do. the whole thing is laminated (love my laminator!) and each tag is attached with a piece of velcro and on the reverse side is a happy face sticker, so as they finish each task they flip it over. they started using it probably around the age of 2 or 3 and were able to follow along. in those days i was much more involved of course but it got them started doing it on their own. now they are responsible for everything including making their bed (it's not always beautiful but they are getting it down-i just go back and straighten it after they have left)

i guess it's time to get out the master and make thing 3 one of her own. as crazy as it is i'll catch her making her bed some mornings-better keep that going while she enjoys it! (she just pulls all of the blankets up flat on her little toddler bed, but the first day i found it like that i was very confused and even though she said she had done it i had to ask everyone else in the house if they had done it for her and then i still didn't believe she had done it until i caught her doing it one day!-children are so much smarter than we realize!)

do you have any little trick to keep your kids on task?

spirit jugs

i'm saving my milk cartons for this cute halloween decoration!

spirit jugs

cravings

i woke up this morning and decided on taco soup for dinner. by lunch time i was craving it so badly i decided to fix it right then and to fix a double batch so there was enough for me to start eating it!

everyone has probably had taco soup but in case you haven't, it's a great way to get that sour cream, cheese and chips in your mouth! YUM YUM!

here's the recipe...

1lb hamburger
1/4 cup onion chopped
1 16oz can stewed tomatoes
1 16 oz can kidney beans-drained
1 17 oz can corn-drained
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin

brown and drain hamburger, add onions. cook till onions are tender, add remaining ingredients over med. heat. cook till heated through. serve with cheese, chips (Doritos, Frito's or tortilla chips) and sour cream!

*some people just add a taco seasoning packet in place of the last 6 ingredients.
**i also add a can of chicken broth and a can or two of water-i like mine with more broth so it is soupier!

now that hit the spot!-and dinner's ready!

uh, oh!

while i was typing my last post i started to hear a lot of crinkling upstairs! i quickly finished up and headed up to see what the girl had gotten into!

she found the box of birthday presents sent from grandma for the boys. (their birthday's are this month and next month and along with their gifts she sent a couple little gifts for thing 3)!

the little booger ripped almost all of them open!

i'm not sure how the boys will react-they'll prob. just be happy they get their present now and don't have to wait-or i could wrap them up again and hide them away! hmmmm not sure-one thing i realized though is i'm not sure what was for who!

i guess it's time to get off the computer as thing 3 has climbed into the freezer and brought me the ice cream (Edy's loaded chocolate fudge Brownie-yum!) and is telling me she NEEDS ice cream! (i think i need some too!)

uplifting thoughts?

a local business that i pass almost every day puts out a new thought every week. they start out feeling positive but end up... well, not so positive! a few weeks ago it read...

"if life is like a bowl of cherries, then why are there so many nuts?"

this weeks reads...

"life's too short to take seriously. besides, no one gets out alive!"

a little food for thought i guess.

BLOGGEDY BLOG BLOG BLAH'S!

that's what i have right now!

LAUREL!

no homework-yet!

the first week went great! the boys came home excited about school-thing 1 let us know very clearly that he had no homework! that was the one thing he was dreading-homework! last year we(and i do mean to say we) had a lot of homework! i think we will this year too, it just hasn't hit yet! this year i think he will be able to work more independently on it though.(at least i hope)

thing 2 was excited for FUN FRIDAY!

what a great way to keep the kids going all week-give them something to look forward to at the end!

he's been up early everyday, dressed quickly and ready to go-thing 1 has been slow to wake and very cranky at thing 2 for disturbing him! such different boys!

thing 2 hasn't had any homework yet either. thing 1 had the same teacher when he was in 1st grade so i think i know what to expect. not a ton of homework (busywork style) but a lot of reading.

so, we are off to a fun start but i'm sure attitudes will change when the homework hits!

Girls only!

thing 3 was invited to a tea party!

her and her two little girlfriends all sent their brothers off to school on wednesday, so the girls got together for some pretty girl fun! they all got dressed up pretty(thing 3's favorite thing to do anyway) had a tea party and played with dress up clothes and toy make-up!

her kind of fun!

she loves her brothers but i don't think she's missing them yet.

school's IN!

today we are off to school! the boys are excited! thing 2 was up early, ready to shower and upset that thing 1 wasn't ready to get up!
i'm sending them back with a bit of mixed emotions. the summer went way too fast! but at the same time i'm ready for them to be at school. i'm ready for the schedules and organization that comes with the school year!


a new school year always keeps me up at night thinking about how quickly my kids have grown and how much i am missing my babies!

thing 1 has always been very independent. he's never had a problem leaving me and trying new things. when he was prob. about 2 i remember him asking me to drop him off at friends houses and then come back and get him. when it came time for kindergarten he was ready. he said goodbye and he was off, through those big doors. the hardest part for me was not knowing what he was doing-when was lunch, recess or specials! he never went to preschool so it was all new for me. i held it together though. thing 2 had the hardest time. he cried and didn't want to leave. he wanted to wait for thing 1. that broke my heart!



thing 2 is not so independent. he is much more of a home body, maybe a mama's boy-just a little bit. he went to preschool when he was four and that was really the only time i left him alone. he did not want to go! he screamed, told the teacher he hated her and sat in the corner all day. it made me wonder if i really wanted him to go to preschool. the second day he did the same thing. i told him i would wait outside for him so, like a good mother, i came back early, put a blanket out on the grass and acted like i'd been waiting for him the whole time. he was surprised and asked if i really had waited for him. the next day i told him i would do the same and he went in without the screaming and kicking. i again arrived early and waited outside for him. he then told me i didn't have to wait the next day. when kindergarten came he went without a problem-mostly, i think, because he was getting on the bus with his brother and friends.


so they're off. big boys now. today they start 3rd and 1st grade! But they'll always be my babies!(don't tell them)

he's a wolf!

my sweet little boy is growing up! he started cub scouts last night! he has been waiting for this for so long and was so excited! i was excited for him! i think it was everything he hoped for.

she's back!

laughatme-laurel

go see what she's been up to!

have you played yet?