Our trip to the moon

Before going to bed last night I asked (made the mistake of asking actually) B and G what they would like to do tomorrow. B said, "Well we went to the beach today. Let's go to the moon tomorrow!"

In my head I was thinking . . . how am I going to pull this one off?! Well after I thought for a few minutes (more like HOURS!) I came up with a few ideas . . .

B and G made stars to tape on the walls of our playroom (which became our moon).

They put on spacesuits (snow pants, coats, bike helmets, and sunglasses).

Boarding the rocket ship (wheelbarrow layered with pillows).

Traveling through outter space (our foyer, kitchen, and dining room form a great 'circle' for the rocket to ride through). Thankgoodness Daddy was home to help drive!

We landed on the moon (pillows covered with a sheet). Time to collect moon rocks (some decorative rocks I had already).

Jumping on the moon!

Watch out for meteors (soft balls)! Daddy loved throwing these at the boys!

Back to Earth!

Is a psychiatric evaluation needed?

So here's the deal . . . sometime last week we received a gun and knife magazine in the mail.  We're not quite sure how or why it came to us because we're not the gun and knife type, but for whatever reason it arrived in our mailbox.

Well unannounced to us our 6 year old, B, took it with to keep himself occupied while he used the potty one day.  He also brought a marker along to circle the necessary supplies.

Now you may be asking your self, as my husband and I did, what necessary supplies, does a 6 year old need from a gun and knife magazine?

Well have I got the answer for you . . . please be sure to sit yourself down because you're not going to believe this one when you read it!

You see, B, and his friends at school are going to go on a camping trip.  Before I could even ask when this trip was to occur B told me that the trip would take place when they are 16 and it would last for 30 days. 

30 days?!  The kid hasn't even been camping for 1 day, how is he going to make it for 30 days?  Well with the supplies he would like to receive from this magazine, of course!

He selected this particular knife because it has holes for your fingers.  That way you can hold onto the knife better in case a bear tries to wrestle you. 

I totally see the logic in this one, don't you?  I mean every time I hear about a camping trip the poor campers express their frustration about the bears trying to wrestle the knives away from them.  If they had only had a knife with a better grip . . .

He has circled not 1 but, 2 hats for very good reasons.  The 'cowboy' hat is needed to protect him from the sun while, the 'pointy helmet' is needed to protect him from the bears. 

My goodness those darn bears are causing trouble again!

Next, we have a knife that has a girl on it.  In case you can't tell she's a very pretty girl wearing very little with large . . . well you know!  This was circled for his friend who is a girl (She's going on the trip with them.), not to be confused with a girlfriend (Please I can't handle that with a 6 year old!).  Anyway the knife must be for girls, because no boy would want a knife with a girl on it! 

Yes, honey that's it exactly, a knife with a girl on it is for a girl.  Please keep thinking that way, for quite awhile at least.

And the money is circled because they will need money to purchase things. 

Oh my goodness here's where I have gone wrong all of these years.  I have been working to earn money, when I could have just ordered it from a magazine . . . well I'd like to order a lifetime supply, please!

I saved my favorite one for last.  The leg knife.  Now this isn't circled because he wanted it.  It's circled because he wanted to know why on Earth someone would want or need a knife shaped like a leg. 

Ya know B, I have know idea, isn't that just silly?!

So there you have it . . . the free magazine that was mysteriously delivered to our house that has provided hours, yes seriously hours, of entertainment for B as well as Brent and myself!

On a serious note, is this normal?  Should I be worried about my 6 year old looking through this magazine so often and so meticulously?

Beach Day

This was us last spring break, at the most magical place on Earth! As much as we would have LOVED going to Disney World again, it just wasn't possible. So we improvised and created our own day at the beach.

B and G are making their tickets for the air plane ride.

B and G changed into the beach attire that Mommy picked out and prepared to board the air plane with their tickets.

Getting settled and buckling their seat belts before the take off.

The in flight movie complete with peanuts to snack on and a drink.

It's good thing they were wearing their swimming trunks because the plane brought them to the ocean! The ocean was green and fish and crabs were swimming in it.

Baby M woke up during the ocean play. Mommy had to feed her and then dressed her for the beach as well.

Time to play in the sand!

I found these bad boys on sale at Target! I just love sales :)

Finished products

Counting (Hey look at that we squeezed a little math into our day! Couldn't help it, it's the teacher in me) their loot after the seashell hunt (We didn't have shells so we used plastic eggs. (Whatever works, right? Bottom line, they had fun).

Now for a little seaside reading (We had some math practice we mustn't forget about reading.).

Nothing is better than eating lunch on the beach. Mylonni is patiently waiting for B and G to share with her.

Baby M enjoys a little 'water' play while the boys finish their lunch.

Time to head back home on the air plane. G is sad about having to leave.

While the kids had fun and played at the beach, Mommy put the SHARKS to work!

What fun family activities do you have planned for spring break?

I just don't understand

Let me begin by expressing my gratitude for the blessings in my life.

My Blessings:

Brent, my dear, sweet, loving, adoring husband.  He is my rock.  He stands by me in my wonderful moments as well as my awful ones.  He patiently supports me when I come up with crazy ideas and only slightly teases (this is just his personality) me when they fail miserably.

B, my kind hearted, thoughtful 6 year old son.  I simply love how he loves to figure out how everything works.  He is so helpful and I often refer to him as my right hand man.  He teaches me something new each day.  I am so thankful to have been chosen to be his Mommy.

My sweet little G, we never know what he is going to say or do.  He keeps me on my toes and reminds me to just simply laugh even when I don't think I possibly can.  He is such a happy go lucky silly little boy!  I love him bigger than a manatee.

My precious little sugar baby, Baby M.  She is such a laid back baby and her smile brightens my life each day.  Words cannot express the joy she has brought to our lives in the short (almost) 4 months she has been here.

Ok, now that I have shared my blessings, I feel that I need to share that realize how lucky I am.  There are others in this world who have experienced set backs that are much more devastating then the one I'm getting ready to discuss.  I am, however, a person and while I do have a lot of wonderful things going on in my life, I too, worry and questions events that I don't understand.

This afternoon, I took Baby M to the doctor for her 4 month (she'll be 4 months old on Saturday) Well Baby check up.

She was weighed and measured.  I was asked about sleeping and eating habits, weather she was rolling over or not, if she is grabbing for objects, and actually holding onto objects.  Finally, we talked about her eyes. 

At her 2 month appointment I mentioned to the doctor that her right eye seemed to turn in toward her nose frequently.  He told me to keep an eye on it and that it wasn't a concern until 4 months of age.  Well here we are at the 4 month visit and her eye is still turning in.  Our next step is to visit a pediatric opthamologist.

After being forced to face this reality I called the recommended doctor immediately to schedule an appointment.  Unfortunately, I was forced to leave a message because they stopped answering phones for the day. 

Now I get to play the waiting game.  As I wait more questions and thoughts arise within my head.  This is now child #2 in our family with eye trouble (We learned in the fall that G was in need of glasses.  We are so thankful for preschool vision screening.) 

Could this have been avoided? 
What could I have done differently while pregnant with these two? 
Is it simply something in our genes?
What kind of steps are we looking at to help Baby M?
Will she require eye drop therapy like G?
Is she going to need surgery?

I am hoping to hear back from the doctor tomorrow.  Only time will tell what we are faced with regarding her vision.  I know I need to be patient and thankful to simply be able to hold my sweet baby. 

For now the best thing I can do is hold her and tell her I love her, this fact will never change.

**10/17/12 Update**

DIY Glass Cleaner

Usually when I empty a bottle of something I am not excited about it because this means I have to spend money to purchase more of the product.

Today was a different story! When I emptied my bottle of glass cleaner a small part of me was overjoyed (I know I’m a complete dork, right?)! Having an empty bottle this time, meant that I would be able to make a glass cleaning recipe that I have been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to try.

Here’s what you need:

2 cups White Distilled Vinegar

2 cups Distilled Water

6 drops Essential Oil (optional)

What to do:

Mix all of the ingredients together and pour them in a spray bottle.

I used a 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup. Everything fit in the measuring cup and it has a pouring spout on it. The spout made it super simple for me to pour the concision into the spray bottle.

***Side Note: I used vanilla scented oil that is actually the kind of oil used in an oil burner. I purchased it not realizing that there is a difference between Essential Oil and this kind of oil. At this point I’m not exactly sure where to purchase Essential Oils from.

My Opinion:

I used the glass cleaner on all of the upstairs windows in my house (total of 7). At first it looked as if the cleaner was going to leave an oily streak on the windows, but after wiping it both horizontally and vertically the streaks disappeared.

Just for the fun of it I tried a mirror, again there were streaks at first, but they disappeared and left a clean surface!

The only downfall I have found at this point is the smell of the vinegar. The oil did provide some fragrance, but not enough. I cleaned the windows in the rooms first and then used my DIY Fabric Refresher on the furniture in the room. The smell seemed to go away quickly!



Thank you to my 4 legged friend, Mylonni, who provided the smudges on the windows for me to clean.

He got a HIT and I missed it!

Practicing Throwing

My 6 year old son, B is playing Little League for the first time this season.  I am quickly learning there are some major differences between The Y(where he previously played) and the township Little League. 


For example,  last summer all of the kids on his team had no prior experience.  This year the kids appear to have had a lot more experience than B has had.  The fields look like actual baseball diamonds rather than simply a field with lines painted on it.  The best part (in B's mind that is) is there are actual dugouts for the kids to sit in!

Listening to Daddy's directions

Before the season began Brent took B to the batting cages to practice swinging and batting a few times.  It is so sweet to watch and hear Brent's excitement about B playing Little League.  He has even volunteered to help coach the team.

Waiting for his turn

Official game have not yet begun.  At this point B has practice 2 times a week.  There are a few times that I have not been able to attend practice.  When Brent and B return from practice Brent shares his worries about B's skill level as compared to the others on his team.  We've both been a little worried.

Throwing in the outfield

As parents our goal for B regarding,  Little League, is to simply enjoy himself and have fun.  We want him to learn to play with a team and to be a good sport.  Our concern regarding his skills, or lack there of, is that B will become discouraged and notice that he needs to work a little more than the others on his team.  We fear that his frustration will eventually cause him to want to give up on baseball.


Today at practice they worked on many skills from catching, to throwing, and finally batting.  For the first time today B hit the ball on the first pitch!  It was so amazing to see his little face beaming . . .  and I missed capturing the moment with my camera (BOOO).   I think he's going to be alright!

First time with the catchers gear

What sports do your kids play?

Just Plain Busy!

 Oh my gosh, I can't believe that it has been almost 2 weeks since I have made a new post . . . 

Well if you have been following along you are aware of the fact that I have recently gone back to work after being home on maternity leave for 12 weeks.  Needless to say, I have been struggling to work, be a Mommy, be a wife, maintain our home, and blog all at the same time.

Since I have been back to work my middle child, G, has celebrated his 4th birthday.  Not only did we celebrate his birthday with our family (in our home), but we had a party for him.  Which meant having family come from out of town and stay with us while hosting the party.

Here are a few of the things I have been preoccupied with . . .

Baseball Practice 2 times  week with B.

Making hair bows for Baby M.

The supplies

Finished Products!

Making bow ties for B and G to wear for Easter.

B is beginning to be a PAIN about having his picture taken

G on the other hand is quit the ham!

Determining what clothes fit my kiddos and what I will need to purchase for them.

Attending a kids' stuff sale.

Washing and cleaning items from the sale.

This isn't even half of the goodies I found!

Cutting coupons, creating lists of sale items to purchase, and, shopping.

Taking down St. Patrick's Day decor and putting up Easter decorations!

As you can see I have done quite a lot recently!  I am on Spring Break this week so I'm planning on posting more frequently.  What have you been up to lately?