♥ Girls Just Wanna Have Fun ♥: February 2011

Sunday, February 20, 2011

A Gr8t Day to Sk8t!

I took my sk8tr gurlz to the skate park the other day. We were trying to soak up as much sun as we could. TWO nice days in a row! Woohoo! Macey finally got to break out her custom skateboard that she got from Santa. Jolee and Emmy brought their scooters, but they seem to have more fun playing on the playground.

We're lucky enough to live fairly close to a really cool skate park and the girls love going there. Macey is usually the only girl skateboarding when we go to that park. This used to make me nervous (my little girl skateboarding with a bunch of teenage boys), but what I've come to learn, is that the boys respect her and some even give her some tips on certain tricks that they see her trying to attempt. She even got some "props" the other day when she went down a pretty big ramp successfully. One boy even told me that when he was her age, he didn't have the guts that she has. :)

Friday, February 18, 2011

One Proud Mama

Yesterday was Parent/Teacher conferences at the elementary school. These particular conferences were led by the students. Macey's conference was presented by her using a Powerpoint presentation that she made. She listed her strengths and her stretches and her goals for the rest of the year. She did a great job and continues to excel at math and reading. Her "chattiness" is still somewhat of an issue, but if that is all that we have to worry about...I'll take it! Plus, who WASN'T chatty in 4th grade? I'm so proud of my big girl. ♥

Jolee used drawings and lists on paper to deliver her presentation. I was SO impressed at how she just "took charge" and dove in. She wasn't shy or hesitant at all. She took us through their writing process...first drafts, edits and so on and finally to a "published" (it was typed by her teacher) story that she even illustrated. She also showed us her daily writing journal and how much she has progressed from the beginning of the year. Jolee's reading is continuing to get better and better as well. At the end of her presentation, she was supposed to say, "Thank you for coming". However, she turned to us and said (in a very heartfelt voice), "Thank you for coming...and for supporting me in everything that I do at school, I really appreciate it". It was quite possibly the sweetest thing I had ever seen and heard! As you can imagine, the waterworks started flowing for me...and her teacher! I've always known that Jolee has one of the biggest hearts a person could have, but that moment really touched me. She is such a sweetheart and I'm so proud of her. ♥

Thursday, February 17, 2011

75 Degrees in February!!

Can I rewind today? The sun and the warm temp felt SO good! The girls rode their bikes, scooters, and skateboards, climbed trees, drew with sidewalk chalk and simply loved being outside again. I'm trying to ignore the 10-day forecast because I think the "S" word is involved. I hate the "S" word. You know we've had too much of the white stuff around when even the kids are happy that it is gone! So, back to this glorious day, you know me, I had to get my camera out and take pictures of it.

Tulips are peeking out!

Monkey in a tree

My Sk8tr Gurl

Arteeests!

♥ that sweet face

♥ this sweet face, too

Besties on their boards

Sunday, February 6, 2011

LifeBridge

You had me at "hello". I felt comfortable immediately after being greeted by a neighbor at LifeBridge church today. I've been wanting to attend this church (which is only a couple years old) for some time now. The other church that we went to was great, but it was HUGE and I didn't feel the sense of "community" that I felt when I walked through the doors at LifeBridge. The pastor is the father of one of Macey's best friends, Brianna. We call Brianna our "4th daughter" because she is at our house A LOT, and, because she is such a GREAT little person and we've grown attached to her. We've known her parents for the past couple years, and I'm so glad that we went to their church today.

I felt comfortable and "at home". To be honest, I haven't felt that way in church in, well, ever. I've always felt a little bit of anxiety in church. I don't know why. I've never been a super "religious" person, but I do consider myself a spiritual person. As I grow older and as the girls grow older, I find myself wanting to be the absolute BEST person, wife and mother that I can be. So, today was very meaningful to me. I think that we have finally found a church that we will continue to attend. The congregation was small and I recognized many people from my neighborhood. The girls enjoyed Sunday school and Emmy even met a new friend.

Pastor Mitch's message today was about encouragement. He talked about the importance of encouraging words and actions from others and how important it is that we keep those encouraging words and actions going...pay it forward. He challenged all of us to find a way to encourage at least one person every day this week. After he said this, I thought to myself, "Gee, I'm not very good at doing that". Right after that thought popped into my head, Grady turned to me and said, "You are really good at that...encouraging other people". This actually brought a tear to my eye. I guess we are always our own harshest critics, huh? I guess I'm better at doing this than I thought. So, I'm up to the challenge. I hope I can live up to it.

LifeBridge's Mission:
To develop a community where spiritually disconnected and connected people become healthy, fully engaged followers of Jesus....

Thursday, February 3, 2011

ANOTHER Snow Day

Snow day #6. So. Much. Togetherness.

Ok, I love my children more than words can say, but, IT'S TIME FOR THEM TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL! Routine, I want you back. When I woke up this morning the temp was -9, not the windchill, the temperature. But still, the kids have school indoors the last time I checked. And, for those kiddos who have to wait for the bus, bundle up. Ok, I'm done ranting.

45 days until Spring. The countdown is on...

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

The Blizzard of Oz 2011

Snownami, Snowpocalypse, Snowmageddon, SnOMG, and the Blizzard of Oz are a few of the terms that have been thrown around the media to describe the incredible snow storm that dumped 14" of snow on us. It also caused 2 MORE days off from school (that's 5 now since the beginning of the year). On Tuesday we were literally snowed in and could not go anywhere. Today is Wednesday and thankfully the street in front of our house has been plowed. I must admit, though, that it has been quite humorous watching the vehicles that did venture out struggle up and down our street. Many spinning their tires, sliding down the hill and a few of them getting stuck. Stay home, people!

I had to shovel the driveway twice and the piles on either side are enormous. They were big enough that the kids were able to build forts in them! It's funny how inventive the kids get in the snow...Emmy got out her tricycle and tried to ride around, and Macey got out her pogo stick! Is that inventive, or are they just wishing it was Spring? As I'm typing this, Macey and a few of the neighborhood kids are snow boarding down the slope in our front yard...very fun to watch!

To help pass the time, the girls made their own lip gloss (from a kit Jolee got for Christmas) and Emmy & Jolee made home-made Valentine's for their friends at school. Since we couldn't go to the store, we just used things we had around the house. I found a website that had printable Valentine cards, the girls used "fancy" scissors to cut them out, then we used some leftover scrapbook paper, glue sticks and Halloween candy (that's right, we STILL have Halloween candy) and wala...Valentine's for school that cost nothing. I love that.

I'm so happy the sun is shining today. We even sunbathed (ok, it was on the floor right next to Max), but it felt GREAT! How many days 'til Spring? I need to start a countdown calendar...

It's starting to really blow and pile up...

Poor birds!

White-out conditions

The day after...

Pogo sticking in the snow!

Everyone is digging out...

Taking a break!

Making lip gloss...

ewww...looks like a science experiment

The finished project!

Ahhh! This feels good!

Addressing her Valentine's...

Jo addressing her Valentine's

Home-made with love!

Wala! All done!

Dialogue with Emmy

"I love you with my most loviest heart."
Whenever she finds a coin on the ground she says, "Look! It's my lucky day!"
"Once upon a time there were 2 little girls: Mommy, Daddy, Macey, Emmy and JoJo"...
"Mommy, I love you every single day."
When asked, "How old will you be after your next birthday?", she replies, "Free".
Emmy: "I love you!" Mommy: "I love you, too!" Emmy: "I love you MORE!"
Favorite questions: "Why?", "Because why?", "What?", and "What's that mean?"
She's been saying this A LOT lately-- "I'm more hungry"...every 15 minutes!

Jolee's Funny Quotes & Questions

"I don't have peanuts, I have a vagina!"
Grady said: "Jolee, you have school tomorrow", Jolee said: "Oh, the PAIN!, THE PAIN!"
"Every time I push my belly out, my pants pop open!"
"Daddy, I love you so much that I can't let you out of my sight!"
"I'm warm...like a piece of toast."
"I have never, ever, EVER tooted in school!"
"Don't eat the yellow snow!"
"If we had a boy cat AND a girl cat, and they kissed...that would be GROSS!"
"Sometimes the world is a mystery..."
"What are bees' feet called?"
"Zip your lip and throw away the key!"
"Mom's the Mystery Farter!" Note: I'm sure it wasn't me...must've been Daddy!
When deciding whether or not to add chocolate to her ice cream she said, "I'm gonna go for it!"
"It smells like there's a butt in my nose!"
"Mom, I ROCK at this!"
"Tell it to the Judge!"

Macey's Corner: New things I've learned in school

In a handful of soil, there are more living organisms than there are people on the planet.
I have learned multiplication facts by two, three, four and five and division facts by two.
To reduce pollution when shopping, purchase items that are not in a box or that have little packaging.
A refuge is a place where animals and plants are safe.
In statistics, "mode" is the number that appears most often, "maximum" is the largest number, "minimum" is the lowest number, and "range" is the maximum minus the minimum.
A menorah is the candle holder in Hanukkah celebrations and a kinara is the candle holder in Kwanzaa celebrations.
In English, the days of the week start with a capital letter, in Spanish they don't.
In Germany a Christmas tree is called a Tannenbaum
Germany is a country in Europe.
Kwanzaa is a seven day holiday honoring the ancient African tradition of celebrating the year's harvest.
There is a difference between a food chain and a food web. Food chains follow a single path as animals find food and food webs show how plants and animals are connected in many ways to help them all survive.
Another word for collar bone is clavicle.
Not all spiders spin webs to catch food, some dig holes.
Today I completed 100 math facts in less than 5 minutes.
Amphibians are cold blooded animals.
In a math addition problem, if there are more than 2 numbers, find the facts of 10 and then add the others.
A fish that has spikes and puffs up is called a Puffer Fish.
Veteran's Day is also known as Armistice Day.
The phalanges are bones that make up our fingers and toes.
Check back often! Macey will populate this list.

Savin' Green, Bein' Green, Gettin' Lean

No Paper OR Plastic: Instead of buying giftbags for Christmas or birthday presents (especially for adults), buy re-usable grocery bags that the recipient can use everyday.
Cut it Short: In ALL of the baking I do, I always use less sugar than the recipe calls for. Even if you cut it just a little bit, every little bit helps. And, we never miss it!
No More White Stuff: The next time you have to buy flour, buy whole wheat flour. I use it in all of my baking and my family can't tell the difference!
Challenge Yourself: I got this idea from another blog I visit daily. Challenge yourself to not go to the grocery store for an entire week. This forces you to be creative with what you have on hand. It's also a great way to use up the odds and ends in your pantry. It got a little difficult at the end of the week, but we did it! Plus, the savings from that week were very noticeable on our grocery budget!
Rewards Cards: Take advantage of the rewards cards at stores you shop at often. For example, we use the Office Max rewards/recycle program and are able to get free stuff there with the rewards we've accumulated. I also get special discounts at Dick's Sporting Goods which comes in handy buying my running shoes every six months. Other cards I have are for CVS (they give you money to use on your next purchase), Hallmark (free coupons), all the grocery stores (you get the store's discount plus sometimes discounts on gas), shoe stores (special coupons), you get the picture.
Free Movie Nights: Do you have a Redbox kiosk nearby? If so, you can find Redbox codes online every Monday and Wednesday to get a free movie. And, even if you don't get the codes, movies are only a buck! Bye, bye Blockbuster!
Soccer Mom Must: Car pool, duh!
Don't be a Heel: Don't throw away the heels from your loaves of bread. I don't like eating them as sandwiches, either, but toss them in the freezer until you get several of them. Then, toast them in the toaster and throw them into your food processor...wala!...whole grain bread crumbs! And, they're a lot healthier than most of the breadcrumbs you buy at the store.
Behind Bars: Our family goes through granola bars like you wouldn't believe. I love that my kids like to eat this healthy snack, but I don't like how expensive they are. I found a great recipe that is so versatile you can tailor it to your own likes and dislikes. One pan costs pennies and makes 16-18 bars. Recipe is found above in "Janie's Kitchen".
101 Uses for Vinegar: I use it as a fabric softener (and no, our clothes don't stink!), mixed with water it is WAY better than Windex, my friend Stacy uses it to kill her weeds, I spray it on the counters to help get rid of ants, and this is just a few of things I can think of off the top of my head! Google it and have fun!
Stacking Coupons: Did you know that you can use a store coupon (ie. Walgreens, Target, etc.) AND and manufacturer's coupon for the same item? For example, you can print Target coupons (good only at Target) and clip your mfr. coupon to use on the same item. If you do this when the item is on sale, it's an even bigger bonus...many times you can get it free or almost free!