an unpink life

five years

2010-04-08T07:33:00.003-04:00

is long enough.

this blog is closed.

spring project : before

2010-04-07T06:30:00.000-04:00

what's your Spring project?

everything old is new again

2010-04-05T08:13:00.000-04:00

this song is on my playlist and in my head today, thanks to my 15 yo Gianna- who bought it on iTunes last week! i almost fell over when i heard it on the iTrip this weekend. she almost fell over when i knew all of the words- the first time i heard it(again).

What's moving you today?

EASTER EGG HUNT 2010 {by the numbers}

2010-04-04T10:33:00.004-04:00

7:19 - am, the time i woke up

7:27 - am, the time i woke Mackenna up

7:35 - am, the time all of the other girls were finally out of bed

and ready to start the hunt.

144 - number of white eggs we bought this year to color

103 - number of eggs that remained unbroken

and ready to hide after we got done coloring them

17 - number of minutes the hunt went on

before all of the girls quit

4 1 - number of eggs still missing

2 1 inside (of course.)

~~2 outside~~

-edited Weds. 4/7-

3- amount of times i reminded my husband

that he really needs to get to powerwashing the fences

0- number of pictures i took this year

gianna was in charge of the camera,

and i was really happy with the shots she got!

Hope your hunts were happy!!

what i learned this week when the littles got their adnoids and tonsils out...

2010-03-30T10:15:00.002-04:00

Mackenna's got her own clothing label

2010-03-28T23:37:00.000-04:00

here is her first design...

{click on collage to enlarge photos*}

total design process? 5 mintutes - give or take

total cost? $36.50

seeing my 5 yo beam with pride as she demands

"get a picture of my crystals,

get a picture of my peace sign,

get a picture of my label"?

priceless.

swapped. magnets...

2010-03-27T08:49:00.000-04:00

i love participating in swaps and recently signed up for

i was paired up with

Moriah Betterly, Artist

i told her how i was loving aqua, red, orange,

and lime green in my kitchen this spring.

this is what she created for me...

three super cute (mixed media!) magnets

the picture does them no justice at all.

i am not worthy.

i ordered hers from an etsy shop,

of course. :)

i hope she likes them because

she rocks.

on my spring soundtrack...

2010-03-26T07:33:00.000-04:00

what's moving you today?

prayers appreciated.

2010-03-24T02:32:00.001-04:00

three out of four of my ladies are girl scouts.

two out of three of them are undergoing surgery today.

i'll give you a hint...

brielle had her tonsils removed when she was five.

so it's not her.

needless to say, i'll be taking a break from here.

you wanna a piece of me?

2010-03-19T09:00:00.010-04:00

well, then you're in luck...

& { Friday Night Leftovers}

The other day, I mentioned I'm not Irish, but left out the ~~awful~~ fact that all of my girls and my husband are all a wee bit Irish. Like 25%. Which means I ~~am forced to tolerate~~ get to enjoy lots of green and top o' the mornings to ya on the 17th.

This year I played along, baking pot of gold at the end of the rainbow cupcakes for classroom parties and a rainbow cake for home.

But

I . did. not. wear. green.

And I never will!

They should just be thankful I've stopped wearing orange. ;)

St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time - a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic. ~Adrienne Cook

Without further ado...

('cause I'm sure this what you all really came here for, NOT.)

me:

mackenna:

her entry and
~~our~~ her acceptance speech* for last week's

*what?!?? we won cheese?!??

FAN FAVORITE AWARD:

score? 1974.

but boy, can that girl move.

as you can hear by her dad adding an unwelcome voiceover from down the stairs in mantown.

remember this "dance" VLOG of her, almost two years ago?!??

shaye:

posted her entry on her blog this week.

THIS WEEKLY MADNESS IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY

the woman who makes me want to be funnier, have a better blog design, and develop mad video editing skillz and the woman who makes me want to be better at this game. And blonde and skinny again. Yes, I used to be both. One may have been a lapse of judgement. Hindsight (aka seeing my almostblack eyebrows in the pics) is 20/20.

THANKS LADIES- YOU ROCK.

I WANT THIS RUG... so bad I can taste it.

my desire, not the rug.

Although the rug is "yummy"!

I want it!

Pretty please, John?

With a cherry on top.

Pul-leezzzzzzzzzz...............

AND HERE's A FUN FACT*:

(*another reference to Euro Trip - i sure did love that movie. not even ashamed to admit it. apparently, i like cheesy** things.)

**reference to Mackenna's acceptance speech.***

***apparently, i like referencing things. and the word apparently.

TOMORROW IS THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING !!!

CAN I GET A WOO WOO !?!!! (the shout out, not the drink. although...)

WHICH MEANS ONE LUCKY FOLLOWER OF THIS BLOG IS GOING TO WIN BIG !!!!! (remember this prize?)

WILL IT BE YOU?!????

The Magic Tree House: Ghost Town at Sundown decorations, props, and activities

2010-03-18T08:18:00.002-04:00

For this theme,

I immediately thought of Nikki's idea and got to work...

I made these bulletin board size,

and I added some tombstones and tumbleweed afterwards,

but

if I can get my hands on a LARGE box-

I'm so going to make a Ghost Town playhouse.

Also found tons of things to do-

by googling Wild West, Ghost Town, Pioneer days,

rattlesnakes and cowboys.

Including rattlesnakes you assemble by skip counting

by either 2s, 5s, or 10s.

perfect.

You can totally get into this theme -

making hard biscuits and bitter coffee

wearing cowboy boots and hats...

GO FOR IT!

FashionPlaytes.com - the perfect "playce" for my wannabe designer!

2010-03-16T05:55:00.012-04:00

Recently, we were given a $25 FashionPlaytes gift certificate to try out this fun new sight for girls. I knew right away I was going to share the opportunity with Mackenna, my five year, my fellow Project Runway obsessor (is that a word? we do obsess- we analyze and critique every step and decision of every show together, EVERY week), my "I want to be a designer when I grow up", my until you buy me a sewing machine, I will continue to ~~staple and tape~~ create clothing for myself and my dolls out of tin foil, wax paper, wrapping paper and ribbon scraps girl.

Fashion Playtes is a website were you (your child) can design their own clothes, one item or a whole collection, and you have the option of buying them too. Seriously. They will create the item of clothing your child designed and send it to you (them). How cool is that concept?!

Before visiting the website,

I was a little leary for two reasons:

1) cost

2) technical difficulty

Both of my fears were put to rest immediately.

The sight was so easy to navigate that my 5 year old started the design process while I was getting my camera!

And the prices are extremely reasonable for this type of activity.

Shirts and skirts start at $12 and dresses at $14!!

Mackenna started with a $14 dress

and added an underlayer...

as you add each design element,

the price tag of your garment readjusts

and you can add, take off, and re-add elements as many times as you'd like... so it's super easy to prioritze your choices if you are designing within a budget. (you know, like on Project Runway)

Though I let Mackenna go all out today,

since I only had to pay the difference,

she was initially happy an emblem back for under $25!

This design (and price tag) includes
a personalized garment tag sewn on the back.

Mackenna is counting the days until it gets here,

and now I am counting the girls that I can gift with a Fashion Playtes.com gift certificate- it will definitely be the coolest gift at parties!! Not to mention great for Easter and, like us today, a sick (or rainy) day surprise. And I'm already planning ahead for Christmas too. I want to give every girl I know a chance to design and own one of these garments- they are "sew" cool.

I was even playing around with the designs and I signed up for their newsletter because I noticed that they hold fun design contests for the girls and I don't want my girls to miss their chance to enter the next one. I'm telling you, you've got to check out this website - with or without your daughters. ;)

lol

2010-03-15T08:35:00.000-04:00

This is the outfit Shaye was wearing the other day...

So when she asked me to put her hair in a ponytail for her, I said, "Sure, I can do a side pony so you'll look totally 80's". She looked at me with utter "UCK" on her face and said...

"The 80's ?!?? I want to look like I'm from this century."

Apparently, being born in this century,

she misses the reference her clothes are making.

Anyone else feel "totally, like, old?!??"

*********

I get all of the comments left on my 3 ladies' blogs sent to my email- so I can moniter, ya know?

A while back, Brielle wrote a post about helping Shaye do her Brownie Quest.

The other day, this showed up in my inbox...

[forever UltraViolet] New comment on Me & A Brownie.
SHAYE to me show details Mar 10 (2 days ago)

SHAYE has left a new comment on your post "Me & A Brownie":

Thanks for helping me with this quest. By the way you spelt quest wrong.

Posted by SHAYE to forever UltraViolet at March 10, 2010 7:12 PM

Yes, she is for real. She often corrects me and Gianna too. In fact, Gianna no longer lets Shaye reads her papers before she turns them in because one time she found a typo that John and I had both missed and Gianna had to fix it and reprint the page.

*********

and this quote...

Family:

A social unit where the father is concerned with parking space,

the children with outer space, and the mother with closet space. ~Evan Esar

reminded me of this post:

this is how we roll...

*********

and because I ~~love~~ need to laugh daily,

I am going with that theme for my first

movies that make me laugh-
no matter how many times I watch them

(and I watch these a LOT!)

in no particular order...

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (are my husband and I the only two people on the planet who can quote this movie word for word?) Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation (a CLASSIC!) Euro Trip (HERE's a FUN FACT... not for kids or the faint of heart/those easily offended THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE SEEN THIS MOVIE TOTALLY GOT THE OPENING REFERENCE.) This movie made four grownups CRY we were laughing so hard!) Armaggedon (genius wit but just as sad. I am either laughing or crying hysterically through this whole movie- John even cries.) Speaking of Bruce Willis... The Last Boy Scout (I am a HUGE fan of clever one liners and this movie is built on them!) The Cutting Edge (toe pick. 'nough said.) What Happens In Vegas (it took me a while to get around to finally seeing this one, but i LOVE it. watch it whenever it's on. it's a modern mix of funny and sweet.) And added to this list after seeing it for the first, and second, time this weekend... Old Dogs (Laughed so much, and so loud, the first time we watched it, we had to watch it again. Plus, it was nice to get to see Bernie Mac one last time.)

*********

what's making you laugh today?

WANNABE my blog friend? don't make fun of my fat cheeks.

2010-03-12T09:00:00.002-05:00

My arms and rump? The double chin that makes a brief guest appearance? My doing. But my face? Ever since my face was CRUSHED and built back together, with metal plates and pins, when I was 16, has looked flat unless you are looking at it straight on. (which in the video - you are not.) When I gained weight, my cheeks did too, but not the lower (like 99% fake) part. So my face looks oddly distorted from the angle you are about to witness it. However, it was Brielle 's high score, so I posted it... because I'm a mom.

Here. we. go.

Mommy and Brielle...

Shaye and Mackenna...

Gianna and Shaye...

HIGH SCORES

Brielle... 8763

Gianna... 8149

Shaye... 6091

Mommy... 5200

Mackenna... 3316

Don't forget to go vote for fan favorite!

MY FAVORITE THIS WEEK?

ONE OF THE HOSTS: SupahMommy!
The funniest 5min. and 59 second clip I have EVER seen.
She has outdone herself!!

thankful thursday. {cheerful}

2010-03-11T08:28:00.002-05:00

i often write about my fabulous friends and family.
sometimes, those two labels overlap -

in a confusing(to explain), yet comfortable way.

last month,

we had my BIL and my sister, my BIL's brother (also one of my oldest and dearest friends) and his wife and daughter (since that visit, they have added a daughter!) and their parents (like second parents to me, but I'll call them the Mr. & Mrs. for sake of their privacy) --->Yes, if you followed that, you figured out that my sister married (one of) "the boy(s) next door" from our childhood.<--- over for the day.

After dinner, I was apologizing for my lack of mugs, saying since i didn't want a matching set, i wanted lots of color, it was taking me a while to grow my collection.

This week, we received this gift....

from the Mr. & Mrs.

We are so blessed

to have such loving and thoughtful people in our lives!!

and those mugs are so cheerful,

that every time i look at them, i smile.

~

who are you thankful for?

friday fragments

2010-03-10T14:45:00.000-05:00

don't go checking your calendar or refilling your coffee,

it is only Wednesday.

however, i have lots of random thoughts today,

so i though i'd get a jump on it.

i finally created a new header that i am happy with. i think. for now anyways. almost 24 four hours and four blog headers, posted then pulled, later. whew. i deserve a piece of cake for that. be right back....

apparently i've been gone so long, the list made me start back at one.
shaye's GI doctor suggested that gluten-free products might be eaiser on her digestive system because of her fructose intolerence. looking at the ingredients, i don't see the connection, but hey, my MIL found a Betty Crocker line of gluten free mixes that include chocolate chip cookies and devil's food cake, so it's worth a try right? (thanks pat!)
i must admit, i was a little leary when i made the cake mix and it looked more like chocolate milk than cae mix and filled my round cake pan to the rim.
the results? a very dense and moist cake and none of the girls noticed a difference. (i didn't tell them ahead of time, so they wouldn't be prejudiced in their opinions.)
my only complaint? value, of course. one (kind of expensive) box makes just one round layer (or 12 cupcakes.) but i suppose if it helps shaye enjoy treats without pain, it's priceless!

i like starting back at one for new subject matter, it appeases the ~~ocd~~ organizer in me.

it is wonderfully warm this week in our town. 40's! some days making into the 50's! this is sweatshirt weather for us new englanders, and i couldn't be happier.
oh, yes, i can. saturday, we turn the clocks forward - more sunlight - hooray!!

the Trendy Owl, where i bought our spring headbands? they are selling the cutest notecards now too. i ordered two thank you cards like 2, maybe 3, days ago. did i mention how fast she ships? i'll probably get them today!

i can't believe season 4 of Big Love is already over. just when it was getting good, i mean they are OUT now!! can't wait until season 5.

i'm already rethinking this new header. do you think it looks cluttered? i'd love some feedback.
would you like a new header? for free? i love making these things, and maybe if i had yours to focus on, i could let mine be for a bit.

what's on your mind today?

sick day.

2010-03-09T08:00:00.001-05:00

in the pink. a very rockin' par-tay...

2010-03-08T12:41:00.001-05:00

After months of planning,

Shaye's big day was finally here.

Brielle "worked the door"-

making sure all persons attending were in possesion of their VIP invites...

As soon as all of the guests arrived, the girls got to work creating their own I SPY bottles...

I was able to purchase a collection of the itty bitty things - enough for all 11 bottles! - for under $13 from Crackalackin. (How fun it that Etsy shop name?!)

FYI: I chose to super glue the tops on, I'm guessing all of the moms were super thankful. ;)

Next, Shaye opened her gifts...

EDITED TO ADD:

Gianna wanted it noted that she styled Shaye's hair...

very cool.

and then we played a game:

a fun way to distribute party favors...

FYI: the new iPod nanos do not play music very loud
with the headphones unplugged, still more just for personal listening.

it did take a turn or two,
but once everyone caught on-
the game went very smoothly...

After that, it was time for cupcakes...

everyone loved the custom napkins, custom cupcake liners and cupcake toppers...

They were pretty fabulous!

Afterwards, the girls played (what else?) "Just Dance" on the Wii

and with some of Shaye 's presents.

It was a great day.

The other girls have already begun planning their (summer!)birthday parties...

girls just wanna have fun - and we've got lots o' girls in the houuuuse....

2010-03-05T09:00:00.085-05:00

before we start, let's address

the pile of unfolded laundry we ignored

to tape and post our entries

before the deadline...

yup, it was THAT big.

Now, that get this ~~party~~ dance off started!

shaye and mackenna...

brielle and gianna...

me (and mack with an encore)...

I'm kind of ~~disappointed~~ humiliated that this was my best score,
because I thought it would be funny to wear my hair in a side pony,
ya know- eighties style - but after seeing the video, I cringed and changed it.
But my score was worse for the second round, so lame-o ponytail it is.

HIGH SCORES:

l-r

top-bottom

Shaye - 2989

Mackenna - 2720

Brielle - 6838

Gianna - 6300

Me - 6002

Now since we've only ever owned/played Just Dance for one week (yes, Wii, we bought it just for Shell's game - so you should reward her!) I am not crazy enough to think any of these scores are going to be the top score. However, there is a FAN FAVE category! All you have to do is go to the "Just Dance" Yer Bloggy Off main post and tell Shell and everyone else that we were your favorites. Come on, I tried to rock a side ponytail for this!! And we are the POSTOR BLOG for GIRLS just wanna have fun!!! I am, not above begging-

please, please, PLEASE....

TELL 'EM WE WERE YOUR FAVORITES.

ps.

~~My sister is going to be po'd she missed this, she wanted to do it.~~

~~but she'll be here Saturday, so we can tape her for week 2.~~

~~If there is going to be a week 2.~~

~~Is there going to be a week 2?!??~~

~~WE WANT A WEEK 2!!~~

HOORAY!! There is a week TWO.
Wannabe. By THE Spice Girls.

Next Friday.

Be here. and there. and BRINNNNG IT!

modern cottage.

2010-03-03T08:05:00.001-05:00

fresh. fun. mix it up. vintage. new. a splash of color. comfort. family friendly. welcoming. personal. cozy. smart use of space. thinking outside of the box. using what you have. using what you love. making the most of everyday moments. it's all about how you live. try something new. spaces you use. being authentic. that's modern cottage.

it's how i define my style.

How do you define your style?

a birthday post: shaye

2010-03-01T00:11:00.003-05:00

loves

to read. the color pink. science. blogging. girl scouts. riding her bike. taking pictures. writing. vanilla more than chocolate. laura ingalls wilder's way of life. asking questions. googling stuff. going to the library. shopping. drawing. flashcards. history. sugarless gum. braids. barnes and noble. playing the Wii. zebra print. grilled cheese. her friends. her family. her birthday. the fact that she no longer needs a booster seat as of today. baking. poetry. whales. sharks. dolphins.

and we love her!

happy 8th birthday !!

and, as a special gift, if you could leave her a comment on her blog or better yet, follow her blog, you would make her ~~day~~ year!

i love my home... a little bit more!

2010-02-28T08:03:00.003-05:00

I was inspired by a month long challenge that started on feb. 1, over at a fresh start. It was called 28 days to love your home. You all know, I LOVE our new home. But as of today, we have lived in it for 8 and a half months and at the beginning of this month it still looked pretty much the same as when we first moved in(minus the Valentine's decorations). Not for lack of ideas rolling around in my head! So I decided to spend February implementing some of those ideas...

First, we all know I really wanted a creative crafty space.

Nothing big. (for now)

I was inspired by this closet redo.

But

1) I didn't have the extra $100 right now to buy the supplies.

and

2) My hallway closet currently houses my big ol' Dyson and a folding card table and four chairs.

Then I was in Walmart and saw a four pack of those boxes in a smaller size for just $6, so I grabbed them. I used one right away for the growing pile of colored socks thrown on top of the older girls' bureau.

That's much better.

They think it's cool to wear mismatched colored socks now. They thought they made that up. Then I told them about the 80's and how I used to wear four socks every day- criss crossed the colors and slouched them all down. They think that sounds ugly. Hmph.

I digress.

I slowly but steadily added to my eclectic mug collection...

and I finally bought the covered cake stand I've had my eye on...

unfortunately, the cake didn't last the time it took to find my camera. ;)

I spotted this cute little bowl on etsy and planned to buy it (along with an all scarlet one)...

which inspired the color theme for my kitchen this Spring...

(I'll be throwing in a little aqua too.)

I found a fun use for some funky scarves the ladies had lying around...

window mistreatments.

Then I finally stopped waiting-

for more money,

more time,

and more space

and just addressed my creative needs...

turns out I don't need much space right now anyways, lol.

So it was on to find that space.

A little space that could be my space.

It's funny what you find when you look hard enough.

And see that the bottom two shelves here...

could easily become this...

hooray!

Last, but not least,

I embraced the roses John bought us...

(we girls split a dozen)

even though I can't arrange flowers to save my life.

But I do know how to enjoy them.

And my home. A little bit more than before!

Could you enjoy your home a little bit more in March?

*This post is linked to http://theinspiredroom.net/2010/02/25/inspired-by-simple-creativity-diy-wallpaper-decals/.

this week has been NUTS!

2010-02-27T11:11:00.062-05:00

if it wasn't for scheduled posting, I wouldn't have posted anything.

lots of doctors appointments for the ladies-
some scheduled, some unplanned but neccessary.

one whole day spent in the er.

such is life.

I was overwhelmed by your thoughtful responses and support to my a call to religion posts. I was dissappointed in my lack of of time to respond to each and every one of them and visit of your blogs. I missed taking pictures and resorted to this...

getting quick fixes in public restrooms.

(Who says blogging isn't addictive? You might see my family on INTERVENTION some day soon.)

to give you a small idea of the chaos,

this was breakfast yesterday...

Yup, I had to make an Australian flag before setting off to the er,

because I had committed on Wednesday to bringing it to the GS leader on Friday afternoon.

Thankfully John was able to actually deliver it for me. (Thanks honey, you rock!)

And for those of you who might be interested...

Mackenna is scheduled to get her adnoids out.

Shaye is scheduled to get her tonsils and adnoids out.

We ruled some stuff out for Gianna,
now she needs to follow up with a GI doctor for more tests - and hopefully a diagnosis?!?

all in March.

Along with Shaye's brithday, Shaye's birthday party, Girl Scout Sunday, Little House on the Prairie day,
and more that I am sure I am forgetting as I type this.

Nothing to complain about, in fact I am thankful at how (relatively)minor everything is.

And I am looking forward to Spring!

Now comment away

and I promise to find time to visit each and every person who does!!

a call to religion. part three

2010-02-26T19:18:00.008-05:00

How do you explain abortion to a seven year old?!??

I took a deep breath and then, very calmy, said, "It's when a woman decides that she can not or does not want to have the baby growing in her stomach, so a doctor takes the baby out early and, because it is not done growing, it can not live, so it goes straight to Heaven." I realized I was still holding my breath.

With a baffled look on her face, she looked straight into my eyes and asked , "Why can't the Mommy just have the baby and give it to someone who can or does want it?"

"That, my sweet Shaye, would make you a pro-lifer." was what I said out loud. I was thinking, "But sometimes it's not that simple."

Then I looked at her in all of her innocence...

and thought, "Or is it?"

For so long, I have held the belief that our brains and what we know to be true, must, in all common sense, overrule our hearts and what we feel and what we believe to be true.

So what that organized religion had more to do with power when it came to be, if, today, it can bring my family a sense of belonging and comfort and stability in these crazy modern times. If the Catholic powers-that-were created rules and scripture to conviently support their views and ambitions. Don't I technically do the same thing when I comfort my daughters, and myself, with the words - Papa is in Heaven? When I pray for the health of my friend's baby? When I bless myself when I hear an ambulance siren? When I thank God, every night, after my girls are in bed and I am lying in the arms of a man who gave me and shares the life I have today, for all that I do have?

Is it so wrong to formally, publicly, acknowledge my Faith? Faith that there is something, someone, out there greater than I? Can't I agree to disagree with some of the points that the Church and I don't see eye to eye on? Although, the older I get and the more I see, I certainly disagree with some of those teachings less and less.

These are the things that I can't get out of my mind right now.

Girl Scout Sunday is being hosted at a local Catholic church in a few weeks.

We plan on attending.

a call to religion. part two

2010-02-25T07:45:00.030-05:00

This past Christmas season, my very bright seven year old was reading a book about Kwanzaa while we were heading somewhere in the minivan. She likes to learn more about things often mentioned briefly to or in front of her... and her school was doing the PC thing of mentioning Kwanzaa, but not really teaching anything about it.

This is the same girl who at six, took me saying that voting is a responsibility not to be taken lightly, especially for women, as a cue to learn everything she could about the election process, the presidency, former presidents and first ladies (who she can now name by sight), the women's sufferage movement, and Susan B. Anthony. Did I mention she was 6 at the time?! It wasn't too long after that we started homeschooling.

But I digress.

So, Shaye speaks up from the backseat, "This book has printed incorrect information." Her spotting something like that wouldn't have surprised me. So I asked her what it said. And she read something along the lines of Kwanzaa, unlike Christmas and Hanukkah, is not a religious holiday. Then she says, "Christmas isn't a religious holiday." I told her that, actually, it was. And then she says, "But we celebrate Christmas and we're not religious. And how is it religious?"

Startled, I replied, "Well honey, we celebrate the commercial form of Christmas- presents, joy, peace on Earth, good will to men, lights, trees, wreaths, sleigh rides, carolling..." and sort of faded out into a shamed quiet. How could my daughter not even know the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. Granted, I know that Christmas isn't technically his birth day, but still, she's seven and she has never even heard the story?!??

Which led to me telling her the story of the birth of Jesus Christ, sprinkling it with words like "some people believe" and "even though the date's not accurate".

Which led to the question, "How do you know all of this?" and my answer set of a flurry of questions, whose answers led to more questions, until suddenly it was three days later and my seven year old had just asked me "What is abortion?"

Huh?!??

a call to... religion?! part one

2010-02-24T07:47:00.019-05:00

I am not a religious person. I was born and raised Roman Catholic, like all good little Italian boys and girls. I LOVED Mass and wanted to be a priest. For reals. I practiced in my bathroom mirror. I would have been good! But, alas, I was to told women were not allowed to hold such postions of power in the Catholic Church. I could be a nun. And feed the poor or spank naughty children with a ruler in school. No thanks, it's Glory or nothing for this chick.

Then I suffered a fall from Grace. In the eyes of the Church. I had a baby out of wedlock, and a priest who tried to discourage me from baptizing her. (Um, hello? The whole point of Baptism is to erase original Sin- and the sins of the mother and father, right? See, I was doing more than filing my nails in the back of CCD class.) Then, the same priest tried to discourage her father and me from getting married in the Church because we didn't "practice" our Religion. There were a lot of things I wasn't practing then - birth control being one of them (hey, isn't that in line with Catholic teachings?), as I was 28 weeks pregnant when he finally, begrudgingly, married us. I do not hold his displeasure in that task against him, as we were seperated just over one year later. It's the fact that I was not welcomed back into the fold, because I was now a >gasp< divorcee. That really gets my goat. At 23, with two little girls to raise, hello, I could have used God's help. And yet, if I had had some odd hundred dollars and the cooperation of my ex-husband, the same Church would have said the whole marriage thing never happened, despite the fact I would still be left with two girls who again, for all intents and purposes, would go back to being born to an unwed mother.

Confused? I was. Bitter? I might still be.

And yet, I let my oldest daughter pursue and receive her First Communion (with the help of her grandmother) and watched her interest wain as soon as she did. I spent the rest of my twenties and early thirties on the very liberal side of the fence and defended my family's lack of practicing any organized religion by sighting the political and bloody history of organized religion and the Church's views and hypocrisy on so many rights I believe(ed) in. When Shaye and Mackenna were born and when my husband wanted to baptize them, I protested, stating that I didn't want our daughters' views and morals shaped by anyone but us and if they wanted to, they could "find" religion when they were adults.

The only time I have stepped in a church since, was for my father's funeral Mass - just over five years ago. And despite all of my years of indignity and distaste, I found the (still!) familiar service soothing. The sights and sounds of my old Church... comforting.

And then life went on.

i've lost my mind- and i have proof!

2010-02-23T07:40:00.005-05:00

it's post it note Tuesday-

What do you have to say?!

everyone needs a little WhiMSy in their life...

2010-02-22T13:30:00.004-05:00

and many of you have it,

judging by the amount of followers Nikki's blog has!

Last week, Nikki shared the exciting news that she was to have a regular column in her local newspaper called

WhiMSy love (in print).

How cool it that?!

And while I totally plan on getting my own out-of-state subscription, I asked if she could autograph her first column for me and send it this way. (And send the bill via PayPal.) I was completely serious, and thankfully she realized that...

Forget wanting a sewing machine for practical reasons like learning to make the girls summer clothes, now I want one just to make my own awesome packaging, so when people see my mail in their mailbox, they say, "That ~~Nikki~~ Gina is so freakin' creative, everything she does rocks!"

And the best part of all...

Congratulations Nikki - you rock!

(still need more WhiMSy in your life?! Check out WhiMSy love - the etsy shop!)

adapting to a diagnosis of fructose intolerance

2010-02-21T08:32:00.000-05:00

Not easy when you are talking about the diet of a 7 year old.

In a family of six.

We are going to have to overhaul our whole way of shopping.

Of cooking.

I don't even know where to begin...

spring?

2010-02-20T15:33:00.002-05:00

wherrrrre are you ?!??

in our mailbox?!??

Our package from the Trendy Owl arrived just two days after I placed our order! The girls were so excited that they tore right in, never mind that they were still in their jammies when I whipped out my camera...

Oh, yeah! Spring blossomed early around here.

February 19th to be exact...

and Jocelyn was cool enough to through in some extra little goodies...

ponyholders!

Which was thrilling to Shaye...

because apparently there is no such thing as overkill to an almost eight year old. ;)

Has spring blossomed in your home yet?

february this and that

2010-02-19T04:39:00.004-05:00

my easy reading recommendation:

The Slippery Year

A Meditation on Happily Ever After

by Melanie Gideon

Funny, and extremely relatable.

My slightly deeper, but very engrossing read recommendation:

the possiblity of everything

a memoir

by Hope Edelman

Thought it might be too heavy for me this month,

but I found it to be a very unique subject matter for a mom to be writing about

and she kept my interest from the first page to the last.

my biggest dissappoint, don't waste your time on this book tip:

No Time to Wave Goodbye

by Jacquelyn Mitchard

A huge disappointment.

Felt like it was written just to be a sequel movie to The Deep End of the Ocean.

Took me foreverrrrr to get through it. But once I start a book I can't just stop reading it.

cutest picture taken this month:

mackenna

taken at the winter carnival

by brielle

you've got to see her in action to believe it

2010-02-18T08:02:00.005-05:00

FOR HOMEWORK

She's 7...

a double bubble map - to compare and contrast

FOR FUN

Inspired by her sister's HONORS 10th grade English assignment- to create a Facebook page for an author, which I thought was a pretty clever way to engage teenagers- Gianna had Alice Hoffman.

Shaye asked for the unused half of the poster board and created this...

FOR THE CAMERA

Still the sweetest little almost 8 year old you can imagine...

*proud mommy moment*

thanks for sharing it with me.

wordless wednesday: love notes

2010-02-17T08:12:00.000-05:00

a.k.a. using what you've got, creatively.

chocolate ROLO cookies

2010-02-16T08:38:00.002-05:00

preheat oven to 350 degrees

take:

1 box of Devil's Food cake
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil

mix.

roll mix around ROLOS - forming little balls

Bake for 9 minutes.

makes about 30 cookies...

we doubled the recipe.

You probably should too.

The Magic Tree House: Midnight on the Moon decorations and props for dramatic play

2010-02-15T06:53:00.061-05:00

I created the props for dramatic play for this book, for the least amount of money than any of the other books I've done so far!

I went to Walmart and bought only a block of styrofoam (less than $6) and a 2 pack of flags (they didn't have any singles this time of year) were less than $3. I'll save the other one for my 4th of July decorating. I "cratered" the styrofoam "moon" with my mini ice cream scoop from Pampered Chef and my fingers. The rest of the items I photocopied from the book and enlarged. Since we are using these for personal use and not selling them, I am assuming it's not a copyright issue. After laminating the items for durabilty, you can use simple Velcro tape to fasten the OPEN button to a wall or bookcase.

For a decorations, I'm thinking a bulletin board covered with black construction paper and some white out "stars", with these cutouts...

and then cutting a picture of each child's face and pasting it to these smaller versions....

and then cutting the astronauts out and hanging them around the bigger figures.

I also made some copies of astronauts to cut out and hang from white yarn from the ceiling and I'm hoping to paint some styrofoam balls to look like planets to also hang from the ceiling. And make stars somehow- realistic stars not the five point kind. Any ideas for that?

I am also going to look for a simple moon helmet craft to make a couple of helmets for the kids to wear.

You will need to supply a dry erase marker so the kids can connect the "stars" on the "star map" to learn the the last clue. You will also need to have the toy mouse, the "mammoth bone"(aka $ store flute spray painted bone white) flute, the "moon"stone, and a mango (props from earlier books) on hand for them to perform the ceremony that undoes the spell and sets Morgan free.

To put a birthday party twist on this, the invites could read "It's Midnight on the Moon and we're celebrating __________'s birthday" or "Join us for a party that's out of this world".

Any ideas or links that you want to add?

from our home...

2010-02-14T00:02:00.009-05:00

to yours ~

Happy Valentine's Day!

this weekend we're going to...

2010-02-05T17:00:00.001-05:00

attend a winter carnival.

try this science experiment...

bake the SUPER simple chocolate & ROLO cookies,

that for the life of me

I can't remember whose blog I got the recipe from,

if it was yours - give yourself a SHOUT OUT in comments.

And probably these too...

they are called Hershey Oatmeal Scotchies.

I got both the picture and the link to the recipe here.

We're going to stay up real late-

playing board games, the Wii, and watching movies.

Eating way too many cookies and laughing 'til hurts.

**oh, and we may or may not be entering this JUST DANCE! contest.**

just saying... you may see some hilarious footage next week. ;)

'cause Auntie Tessa is coming for a girls only weekend!

What are your weekend plans?

semi-handmade, sugar-free valentines for the classroom

2010-02-04T18:21:00.006-05:00

As I've mentioned before, we don't "do" candy for Valentine's Day.

So I thought these were a really cute idea for Mackenn'as Kindergarten classroom party next week...

But as cute as these labels are...

I know from experience that it is not a good idea to write specific names on valentines that children who can't read are expected to pass out to their classmates themselves.

They did, however, inspire our alternative...

Easy to pass out. Hypo-food-allergenic. Dental hygiene friendly.

So easy, a five year old can "make" them!

And did I mention they only cost $4?!??

EDITED: FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MENTIONED THIS IDEA WASN'T "BOY FRIENDLY" ENOUGH FOR YOU- CHECK OUT THESE HAVE A BALL VALENTINES. VERY BOY FRIENDLY! AND MY GIRLS WOULD LOVE THEM TOO. ;)

AND TO ADDRESS THE NEED FOR IDEAS FOR SLIGHTLY OLDER CHILDREN... 7 AND ABOVE: FRIENDSHIP BRACELET VALENTINES WITH UNIQUE CARD.

p.s. i love you

2010-02-02T16:06:00.001-05:00

So, after weeks of being too intimidated to try,

I'm having a go at

Wish me luck.

(next year)

a peek at our week(end)

2010-02-01T10:19:00.003-05:00

alternately titled:

heading in to February

My gift wrapping skills (and stash!) still need a little developing,

but I did manage to jazz up a recycled bag a little bit...

the littles worked on the 100th day of school projects they conjured up...

{You can read all the details at Shaye's blog.}

And I lovingly amassed this pile of books...

that I plan on reading this month!

What are your plans for February 2010?

fifteen

2010-01-29T10:13:00.006-05:00

loves

the color purple,

punk/rock/pop/country music,

liquid eyeliner,

talking and texting on her phone,

piercings,

and her collection of the vintage pearl custom necklaces.

But she also loves doing her little sisters' hair...

goofin' around with them...

and walking them to the bus stop...

and, as you can see,

she also loves taking pictures of every day moments
and creating something special with them.

Like the work of art above
that she surprised me with via text.

gianna marie.

fifteen.

and a half.

>sniff<

I love you.

VIP invites

2010-01-28T13:17:00.002-05:00

So, when I asked you all to visit Shaye's blog and leave a comment, a lot of you did and she was thrilled - so thanks! Gina left a comment on her 8th birthday post suggesting VIP lanyards for the rock star theme that Shaye was contemplating. I read the comment and a light bulb went off! I rushed out to WalMart and though I couldn't find lanyards, I did find ID badge holders and badge holder clips. (less than $5 for both!) A pack of neon card stock and a few minutes on the computer and the invites were done...

{photo edited to hide TMI}

I bought some bubble wrap mailers and we are mailing them out next week. We liked how they came out so much that we are now planning to make a SECURITY badge for Brielle, who is going to "work" the door, a STAFF one for Gianna, and a PRESS one for me- the MAMArazzi. Fun!

did you ever get the urge to do this...

2010-01-27T10:04:00.001-05:00

saturday night

sunday night

monday morning

true unschooling doesn't end

2010-01-23T07:50:00.003-05:00

when you stop "home"schooling.

I woke up Thursday morning to this...

Seems Gianna left her (10th grade) History book in the guest room the night before

and the littles were reading it and making "fact sheets":

Mackenna copied a caption that talked of Amherst College freshmen from Massachusetts hoeing a field somewhere... and look at her detailed illustration!

Giving merit to both the unschooling theory

and my feelings on the subject.

Mornings like this make me really miss homeschooling.

The Magic Tree House : Afternoon on the Amazon activities and scenery for dramatic play

2010-01-22T09:24:00.000-05:00

The littles and I spent Wednesday night filling a box with large leaves, vines, and flowers, that we made from materials we had around the house, to send in to Mackenna's class for their next round of dramatic play- centered around the book Afternoon on the Amazon.

I had also found numerous related activities, for the kids to do at center time, in the book Crafts for Kids Who Are WILD About Rainforests - all using supplies you have lying around your house. Unless, unlike like us, you don't have empty toilet paper tubes, construction paper, tissue paper, yarn, glue and scissors lying around your house- then you'll have to buy a few things.

You may also want to pick up a pink sock (Peanut is found sleeping in one in this story) and if you are REAL ambitious- figure out a way to make a canoe for two. I'd probably use just an empty box at home, but I didn't have 5 to send in to school.

step one to becoming a gift wrapping guru...

2010-01-21T00:40:00.002-05:00

realize that clothespins aren't just for laundry anymore,

and order some custom clippies of your own...

I got mine from...

vintage + handmade

my adobe cottage

for just $2.50!

And she included a happy surprise...

how cool are those?!!

wordless wednesday: breakfast

2010-01-20T13:12:00.000-05:00

eight. or less. because I'm a simple gal.

2010-01-18T08:54:00.002-05:00

I was tagged last week by VodkaLogic to answer the following questions. And though sometimes I fear that this blog becomes too much about me and less about our family life, I'm throwing caution to the wind and doing it...

8 6 TV shows I watch

House

The Good Wife

The Big Bang Theory

Big Love

Nurse Jackie
Project Runway

oh wait,

I watch Man V Food with John and the kids!

8 6 favorite places to eat and drink

Home! Seriously, my husband's cooking ROCKS!! I've mentioned it before.

Subway

Papa Gino's

Ciao Bella

Regatta Deli

99 Restaurant and Pub {pub 99 to us locals}

Are you laughing? My husband groans in frustration. I have extremely simple taste when it comes to food- give me a tasty pasta dish or a really good grinder any day. Or in the case of pub 99- some of the most addicting buffalo wings ever made! Three months ago we started going out to dinner with our neighbors once a month and they(the other couple and my hubs) all love "good" food. And I go, because I like wearing something besides sweats and I like everyone's company, but I also finding myself scouring the menus at these nice restaurants- looking just a simple pasta or chicken dish.

8 5 things I am looking forward to

In chronological order:

Valentine's Day

Spring

Finding a job with "mother's hours".

Now I know you are laughing. Because that's what even the local grocery market did when I applied last summer. I understand that it will take a miraculous jump in our economy for those to even exist any more, and I'm just thankful we don't need me to work.

Our "girls only" trip to NYC. My sister has signed on to accompany me and the girls on this adventure.

Summer vacation. I love having the girls all home.

8 things that happened yesterday*

*Remember, I typed this last week.

Oh boy, here's where it's all about the family.

1)I was happily bloghopping and eating a light lunch of tomato soap and buttered Saltine crackers(because I'm sick) when 2)the phone rang. It was Brielle calling from the nurse's office. She didn't feel good. I asked her if she could wait the 3 hours of school out. She said no. I told her I would be there as soon as I was done with my soup. 3)Then I got a text from Gianna telling me she got an 80 on her Chemistry test. Um, great. But aren't you NOT supposed to use your phones in school? 4)I finish my lunch and run out the door. all the way to the school my phone is beeping as it gets incoming texts. 5) I pull up to the school, where I can finally safely read my texts, and there are 6 from Brielle (it's a fifteen minute ride) asking where I was and letting me know she was in the nurse's office. Um, great. But aren't you NOT supposed to use your phones in school?! 6) So then I text Gianna, letting her know I am getting Brielle so she shouldn't worry when the bus pulls away without her, and she's writes "Mom, I'm in school, I can't get texts from you." Although I think the truth is a little closer to: "Mom, I'm in school, I can't get texts from you." 7) I then have to dismiss the littles for a previously scheduled GI doctor's appt. for Shaye. 8) Where I learn that I will have to collect stool samples from her this upcoming week and am given very graphic instructions on how to accomplish this.

Yup, those are the kinds of days you are missing when I post these random blog games instead.

8 things I love about winter

the snow

the quiet

DD Vanilla Chais

when my girls play outdoors for hours,

coming in with their cheeks all rosy

My husband's boiled dinners

and roasts

and crock pot meals!

8 things on my wish list

a pool for our backyard. I'm not picky, I'll take an above ground one.

a bigger deck for off the back of our house. To fit more friends and family at once!

a firepit for our backyard. A stone circular one with a built in patio and encircling stone wall seating.

a canopy for our backyard. For shade and protection from the elements.

built in cube shelving for our living room

a new desk for our computer/guest room.

a crafty set up to add the: /craft/wrap to our current laundry/mud room.

a square tablecloth for our table. Those things are ridiculously hard to find for a reasonable price!

8 things I am passionate about

childhood education

reading to/with/in front of your kids

reading

learning and talking and doing more about anxiety, depression, post partum and prenatal depression

raising strong, sassy, creative, and caring ladies

raising awareness about domestic abuse

unschooling

living the life I want and loving the life I have!

8 words I use often

brace yourselves...

F*CK

I know, I can hardly believe I admitted it on here, but I am nothing if not honest about my life. I blame it on my Massachussetts-Italian upbringing. I think it was Matt Damon who tried to explain on a talk show how where we come from F*CK is the most versatile word in the English language. It's a verb, noun, adjective, adverb, pronoun (that F*CKER), exclamation, and explanation. Ever see Good Will Hunting? Mystic River? Gone, Baby, Gone? Those are my peeps. You can take the girl out of the city (I was born and raised

in Worcester, MA and lived there until I was 29), but you can't take the city out of the girl. My husband hates it.

gorgeous

where are my keys?

sunglasses?

teeth?*

omg*

lol*

ttyl*

*Much to my now 15 yo's dismay! ;)

8 things I have learned from the past

Aqua and pink eyeshow is not a good look for me. No matter what I thought back then.

Bigger is not better... when it comes to hair, shoulders, and heels.

Hold on to sixteen as long as you can, changes come around real soon... make us women and men.

Education is essential.

Travel and experiencing new things is important.

Depression and anxiety is genetic- know your family's history. Especially if you are pregnant!

You have not experienced everything life has to offer when you are nineteen. Keep your options open and yourself either celibate or protected!

Always, and I mean every. single. time. you. get. into. a. car, wear your seatbelt!

8 things I want/need

ALL I NEED necklace $23 ... the Rusted chain

But when it's time for a new vehicle, those new Chevy Traverses are sexy! I mean as sexy as a vehicle that seats as many as I need it to seat can be. ;)

Are you still here ?!??

Gawd, I love ya!

my favorite...

2010-01-17T18:54:00.000-05:00

pink?!

What's with my girls these days?

Shaye, my 7 yo, asked for my help creating herself a new blog header and in the process changed the name of her blog. To...

my favorite pink

She loves to blog and would be thrilled to bits if any of you stopped by and left her a comment. :)

decluttering and destressing: what does that LOOK like exactly?

2010-01-15T21:00:00.000-05:00

I have known for a long time that "clutter" bothers me. Bother is an extreme understatement. As long as I have lived "on my own" (not with my parents), I have been an avid whatever-the-opposite-of-hoarder is. So it comes as no surprise to anyone that knows me that the rooms in our home still look like the "afters" in these posts -even though we have lived here for 7 months. I long to decorate. I have great ideas and an eye for finding gorgeous things. But when it comes to making or buying "stuff" and bringing it into our home, I. just. can't. do. it.

Sounds clinical, I know and I am hoping that now, with five weeks of Celexa in my system, I can let go and work through this and make this house a home. A creatively decorated to reflect our personality home. All without just adding clutter. I think that's called decorating with purpose or authentic decorating/living... I'm sure there's a name for it.

Which brings me to what I really need help with. Destressing.

Before Celexa, I was of the eat tons of chocolate daily to calm myself down school of thinking. Which, now that I am a bit more focused, I can clearly see that in the long term, this probably hurt more than it helped. (Um, ya think?!? There I said it, you don't have to.)

No, I am trying to learn new "destressing techniques"*. Please don't say meditate, because I'm not sure what that looks like. And personally, I hate bathtubs and have an aversion to sitting in them( I know- lots of issues, lots of issues.) - so don't suggest a nice, hot bubble bath with surrounded by lit candles, even though in theory they sound lovely, even to me. And I don't like wine at all, and barely drank anything else before being on meds- I'd rather not kick it up a notch now- so tying one one or even sipping a glass of wine is out.

Here's what I've got so far...

Listen to my iPod. Even if I'm not "going to the gym", which was the reason I asked for it in the first place, which is laughable because I don't even belong to a gym. Which is a whole other story. I like music. Lyrics. And singing out loud makes me happy.

Read. Books, blog posts, the newspaper- whatever. I had gotten too antsy and unfocused... I had lost the ability to read. I've read 3 books already in the last month. Reading, I missed you!

Write. In case you haven't noticed, I'm back to posting more frequently on my blogs, I had lost the focus for even this. Now, I can't stop the ideas- there are little scraps of paper all over the house with snippets of posts jotted down on them.

Create. While, I recognize I still can't really be crafty and make something for the house, yet, I am trying to find other outlets. Being creative with projects for my daughters' classrooms has helped- along continuing to plan family gatherings and birthday parties is something I can manage right now. It's all about expectations, right?

Do you have any suggestions?

*I have explained, in the comments section,

how I see God's fingerprints on this healing time of my life.

Visit Fingerprint Fridays to read others' stories.

thoughtful thursday

2010-01-14T10:07:00.000-05:00

random thoughts that have crossed my mind in the last twenty four hours...

It really is a waste of time to shave your legs when you have the goose bumps. Later, when you warm up, you have hairy legs again.

How do you defrost a frozen turkey and how long does that take?!?? We need to cook it Saturday. And by we, you all know that I mean John. ;)

She likes it. She really likes it. (December's lucky follower's post about her Etsy goodness.) :)

Heyyyy, my two blogs' post counts are at are 511 and 115. That was neat while it lasted, which wasn't long- thanks to the ability to schedule posts.

Lately there is a lot of blog talk about "destressing and decluttering", but what does that look like? Hmm... ~~maybe I'll write a post about that.~~ Done. It publishes tomorrow.

WOW. The top five google searches directed to one thing. {the blog of things you'll want. i do.} yesterday were for designer cupcake toppers, designer cupcake liners, cupcake topper and cupcake liner resource, cupcake topper and cupcake liner wholesale, and how to update your front door. Followed closely by custom family silhouettes and hearts. Aw, that's sweet.

But what happened to all of the resolutions to eat healthy and get fit people?!?? Hey, I'm not judging- I loveeeee cupcakes! I mean, did you not see what I wrote in the comment section of yesterday's post?

I don't think this type of post is what thoughtful thursday was created for.

Maybe I should ammend the post title to Thought full Thursday. OR Full of thoughts Thursday. Or just plain Full of It.

Nah.

What's on your mind today?

Not My Daughter

2010-01-13T10:23:00.000-05:00

A few years back, my state was all abuzz with the news that there was a number of pregnant girls at ONE high school and rumors of a pact swirled. As a mother of four girls, this was a horrifying thought, but one I quickly pushed from my mind with a quick- not my daughter(s). You see, I miscarried my first pregnancy on my 20th birthday. And delivered my oldest just 9 weeks before my 21st. And though I have always been quick to tell my girls I wouldn't change having them for anything in the world, that if I could grown up, been more educated, traveled more, got married, bought a house- been stable- before having them, I would totally go back and do it all again... that way. I emphasis that everything has it's time in life and my girls have been well educated about all of their options and my feelings about them being intimate. That's why I had to buy this book...

The very day it came out.

I finished reading it two days ago and wow. I don't know where to start. It was horrifying and wonderful all in one. And the book contained more relationships than you could hope for... that of the mothers and teenage girls. The teenage girls' friendship, the mothers' friendship, the mothers' and fathers' relationships- both generations, and the mothers' relationships with their parents. And of course, everyone's place in the community and how the communities- school, business, town - react to and deal with the news. This story was so well told, that I felt myself alternately wanting to shake and hug the teenage girls. And don't even get me started on the adults in the book. As if all of that doesn't make the story rich enough, there is a whole other layer to the book- knitting. I don't even knit and instead of finding myself aggravated by the knitting and hand dyed wool references and storyline, I was interested and found it added even more to an already awesome (alarming, astonishing, awe-inspiring, awful, beautiful, daunting, dreadful, frantic, frightening, horrible, horrifying, imposing, mind-blowing, moving, overwhelming, shocking, stunning, stupefying, terrible, terrifying, wonderful) human story.

Have you read it?

look who's NOT procrastinating today!

2010-01-12T14:41:00.001-05:00

me.

I know, shocking.

I just ordered these cool cupcake toppers...

(to be personalized with Shaye's name and age to be- 8!)

from SEVEN cupcakes.

And her birthday isn't until March 1st.

Who's rockin' now?!

me.

(see a theme here?)

Guess who was passed two blog awards yesterday?

Come on, aren't you paying attention?

me!

One for being positive and creative and supportive with on my blog. And one that really is just a fun meme, and I'm all in for those, so I am going to play along...

10 6 things that are making me happy today

(because that's all I can think of, and it really is all about me today, isn't it?)

the Subway veggie delight grinder I had for lunch. Yum!
that Mackenna's ear looks to be on the mend, and hopefully this will be the last course of antibiotics needed. Poor thing!
today's purchase was the second Etsy purchase I made this month. Yeah handmade!
my sister's texts. It's much easier to fit three texts into her lunch break(she works at a very busy medical practice) then a whole phone call, so we talk almost daily now!
the fact that MoonNStarMommy became my 100th follower. The mommy of four boys, three of whom have special needs, and a loving wife- her blogs are super inspirational (and informative) reads.
that Tammy thought of me when passing her awards on yesterday . Thanks Tammy, whose blog motto is "When an honest opinion matters...", you're pretty fabulous yourself! In fact, let's all go give her some comment love...

Enough about me...

What's making you happy today?

WIL, FITZ, AND A FLEA NAMED T

2010-01-11T01:21:00.072-05:00

I have great neighbors. The kind of neighbors John and I dreamed about when house hunting. Funny, smart, kind and they have a child near ours in age. They have done amazing things for us, like the Mrs. planting the flowers I had mentioned I wanted to get for our front yard, in our front yard while we were out one day! Letting us borrow their space heaters when we had no heat. And we've had good times too... many a summer BBQ, pool party, and holiday have already been spent with this family. So when the Mr. mentioned he had a friend who had wrote, and published, not just one children's book, but a series of six, I had to have a look! And since I'm all about supporting one another and I know you all are too, I had to share my thoughts about the first book here.

This book is written in rhyme, which is always fun, and has great illustrations. As a side note, the illustrator - Lisa Adams - is the same artist who created the Baby Gap teddy bear. Fun fact. Anyways, the story has a great moral- nothing of value in life is free, you have to work hard. But my favorite thing about the book is that it doesn't dumb the text down. CJ Connolly uses words like ponder, humongous, perplexing and frazzled, and phrases like "bending your ear" instead of "talking to you". I am a huge fan of books that introduce new words and phrases to my children. And while my girls thought the two main characters were cute, I'm sure they would be even more relatable if you have boys- and there is a whole family of fleas that are introduced within the course of the series. Anyone who can make fleas interesting, entertaining and educational characters has my support!

You can read more about the series and purchase the book HERE.

everyone that knows me knows that...

2010-01-10T01:04:00.001-05:00

I love the smell of a new box of Crayola crayons.

This (as much as I might like it to be) is not my own private stash.

You might also know...

that I love to surprise and help out my daughters' teachers,

who spend so much much of their already way-to-small paychecks,

on things for the children in their classes.

The same children that they give their hearts and energy to on a daily basis.

So these crayons, along with 20 new expo white board markers,

are to replenish the project boxes that one teacher provided for her class at beginning of the year. Because it breaks my Crayola loving heart to see children trying to be creative and "do their best" with a 1/2 inch nub of a crayon.

And something you don't know, well, except for Beki, is that I like to play around on the computer, feeding my newly developed obsession of creating blog headers like mine and like this one. For those of you who don't know Beki, she is the artist formerly known as PameringBeki, and as part of moving towards her 2010 goal of growing her business, changed the name of her Etsy shop to...

and wanted a new blog look, one that captured the essence of her, her life, and her business. {I also created the rusted chain banner above} what d'ya think ?!!

It was so fun

that I'm hoping some of you

might want me to create a new look for your blog.

i like...

2010-01-09T12:59:00.001-05:00

the fact that $5 worth of modeling clay will keep the littles engaged and busy for hours today.

And that my ex-husband decided to spend the day with the older girls, driving them all over the state to cool malls, even though it wasn't "his" weekend.

And that John is working an extra day today and then has plans to go get a (much needed and well deserved!) massage.

Giving me plenty of time to ~~clean~~ ~~cook~~ blog hop!

What are your plans today?

wordless wednesday: presents! 2009

2010-01-06T10:06:00.035-05:00

The Magic Tree House: Night of the Ninjas props and scenery for dramatic play*

2010-01-03T18:34:00.010-05:00

I've mentioned before that my youngest's Kindergarten class is doing unit studies based on the books in The Magic Treehouse series. Being the first year they are trying this curriculum, the teachers have asked for help with ideas and supplies for projects, activities, and their dramatic play stations. The class first spends a week learning facts about the area/time/events that will be featured in the upcoming book. Then over the next two school weeks, they read one chapter aloud each day and then break in to five small groups to act out the chapter that was just read to them. Then they are allowed free "play" time in which they are allowed to still use the themed props and scenery if they'd like. Those of you familiar with the series can imagine how easy and fun it has been to come up with ideas for subjects like Knights, Egypt and Mummies, and Pirates. Next week they will be starting Night of the Ninjas. Myself, a few other parents, and one of the teachers all tried googling ninjas and came up with nothing. Well, except for about a hundred links on how to make a ninja costume and a whole bunch of links to TMNT related items and places. Not helpful. So, I read the book and this is what I've come up with so far...

First off, Jack and Annie find an unfinished note in the tree house... how mysterious! So I photo copied the page, enlarged just the two lines of the "note" and printed it out five times. First prop, done.

Next, Japan (where the treehouse brings them) is described as having mountains in view (easily drawn and cut out using posterboard) and, everywhere they look, trees with white flowers. Enter a project the class can do themselves next week...

Simply take some white (hopefully recycled) tissue paper, add a dab of glue, and stick to some brown paper that has been cut out to look like branches. Hang up.

In the story, Jack and Annie know the samurai warriors are nearby because they can see their torches in the night. Empty wrapping paper tubes (these projects being needed right after Christmas worked out well!), filled at one end with construction paper flames made great torches.

I haven't completed the rest of my ideas yet, but here's a sneak peek...

Five trash bags (filled with all of the discarded wrappings and boxes from presents!) wait in my garage to be spray painted with "stone" spray paint, to make the boulder that Jack and Annie "become" (in the way of the ninjas) when hiding from the Samurai. One for each group.

I also need to pick up some fabric.

Some I will cut into strips so the kids can weave five mats(again, one for each group) next week. The ninja master sits on a mat in a cave during meetings.

Also, some larger strips of black material can be used to fashion ninja head wraps for the kids.

Lastly, I would like to pick up five mice (I'm thinking maybe a pet store, the cat toy aisle.). "Peanut" is almost a main character in this book.

Dollar Store reading glasses with the lenses popped out would make great glasses for "Jack".

And small notebooks and pencils for when "Jack" writes down his knowledge of all things ninja.

and moonstones. Just one for each group...

The teacher already has swords on hand from earlier stories; The ninjas had one tied to their backs, and the samurai warriors carried two.

Still thinking on..

creative and inexpensive ways to:

create a river for each center. I was thinking maybe just some water scrapbook paper- cutting swervy edges into them and laminating them, then just taping them to the floor, end to end.

Also, the samurai warriors are described as wearing bamboo shields on their chests and backs. I was thinking of two bamboo placemats tied to together with rope (to sling the piece over the kids shoulders), leaving one in front and the other in back. However, that could get pricey. I have to look around...

*You know, I was just thinking,
this would make a great idea for a themed birthday party too!

In a related note:

How cute are these ninja peg dolls...

set of three... $25

get them here.

This is so NOT like the blizzard of '78

2010-01-02T14:49:00.002-05:00

Despite all of the media hype and attention given to this weekend's "storm" over the previous few days...

We are not exactly snowed in,

like we expected ourselves to be.

However, we have still bunkered down,

playing on the Wii for hours...

and yet,

I still can't manage to finish higher than 12th in MarioKart,

but at least now I'm finishing.

John has a Kielbasa dinner cooking in the crockpot

and we are snacking on mini quiche.

I couldn't ask for a better Saturday.

happy

2010-01-01T12:12:00.001-05:00

our year in review...

2009-12-31T10:28:00.080-05:00

10 things in 2010

2009-12-29T08:55:00.003-05:00

This year I am making my list of goals very tangible. Nothing vague... like eat healthier- although I should. No, I want a list I can look at and check things off. That is a soothing thought for me admist all of the chaos and questions about my health that led up to the holidays. So here goes...

1. ~~Stop procrastinating.~~ Nah. I do some of my most creative work under pressure. Back when I was a waitress and a bartender, I thrived on those crazy times of the night, when the kitchen got in the dreaded "weeds" and the "dinner crush"- pressure gets me thinking clearly! Instead, I think I'll to learn embrace this "downfall". Moving on...

2. Become the gift wrapping guru I've always wanted to be. I lovingly linger over magazine pictures of gorgeously wrapped gifts and always swear I am going to wrap my gifts like that. But when the time comes, I'm always short on time (see #1) and usually have a smaller-than-I'd-like-to-have budget for the gift, never mind the wrap. So, I am going to collect fun and pretty items, ribbons, and wrap all year, to have on hand when I'm wrapping a gift in the 11th hour.

3. Commit to buying at least one thing. I covet from Etsy each month.

4. Make at least three things for this home, by hand. Myself.

5. Convince John to buy a pool.

6. And a firepit.

7. Plant something.

8. Spray paint something. Seriously. I have been so inspired over the past year by all of the amazing transformations that fellow bloggers have made- with just a can of spray paint!

9. Cook something. That doesn't involve just a pot of boiling water or the toaster oven. This is a HUGE challenge!!

10. Host or plan some sort of neighborhood gathering. Like a block party or huge cookout- but something with a creative twist. Any ideas?

What are your goals for the new year?

Is it me?

2009-12-28T10:00:00.001-05:00

or does Mackenna look like Eloise...

either her or...

Madonna -

circa 19 eighty-something.

Isn't 5 and 1/2 fun?!!!

wordless wednesday: almost 8.

2009-12-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

side note:

so it doesn't count against the "wordless" part of this Wednesday...

Everything old (me) is new again-

my daughters are wearing stretch pants, high tops and hair bows.

All she needs here is a fingerless glove-

which thanks to Hannah Montana are available in stores!

WHO 's that girl?

2009-12-23T10:32:00.002-05:00

The Sunday performance of Gianna's high school drama club's play was snowed out, and unfortunately, the other performances were Monday and Tuesday nights- at 7 pm! So, not everyone in our family got to see her this year, but Brielle and I did get to go Monday, and I snuck a couple of no flash pictures...

Gianna is the one in the middle-

one of the Grinch's aunts

(She also played one of the Whos in the post office scene in the beginning, but I didn't get a shot of that.)

The whole cast and crew did a FABULOUS job- it was so funny and the stage and props looked great!! It was a fun, fun night and Brielle (my 12 yo) even let me take a picture of her after the show(a very rare occurrence these days!)...

My girls are growing up so fast!

(and what a difference a year makes- remember Brielle's new 'do last year ?! )

Gianna- Super job!!

Brielle- thanks for accompanying me on so many nighttime trips this holiday season. At least this one was fun. ;)

Love you both lots!!

hummus, feta cheese and sliced black olives

2009-12-19T14:24:00.003-05:00

Layer...

and call it a ~~day~~ dip.

(you can use a fancier dish for entertaining- I'm just eating lunch.)

So, I lied.Yesterday wasn't my last pre-holidays post.

2009-12-18T03:33:00.003-05:00

But I was so excited by the best $2 I ever spent on Christmas decorating, that I had to post. Inspired by a red and white clothesline (I thought it look like candy cane) that I found at the dollar store, I grabbed some clothespins (one more dollar) and leftover ornaments and went to town...

I made the best of that awful rail on the top of my kitchen cabinets that I still haven't gotten the nerve to rip down while John's at work. Then I tacked some of the line around a doorframe and clipped our Christmas cards and other random goodies on it. Cute and cheap!

Oh, and I forgot to tell you that Shaye is honoring Hanukkah this year with paper candles she colored at school...

She has informed me that she is also going to mark the days of Kwanzaa this year too.

And I forgot to post the picture of the littles' visit with Santa this year...

He got a laugh from the "CASH" written on Mackenna's list.

And I never posted the littles' school pictures from this Fall...

Whew. I feel better now. All caught up.

NOW I can head off to celebrate.

See you all after Christmas!

2009-12-17T02:11:00.003-05:00

About last night...

2009-12-15T15:44:00.001-05:00

Last night we attended the Sr. High's Chorus and Band Winter Recital. Gianna sings soprano in the chorus and her boyfriend, Madison, a junior, plays the drums in both band and jazz band. The recital was really very good and I'm not just saying that because I'm her mom, because let me just say it was a huge improvement over the 8th grade concert we attended two winters ago. ;) Also worth a mention, Madison's talented twin sister, Kelsey, who plays the flute- and did well also, she was even honored with a solo. I didn't take any pictures during the show, as it was impossible to do so without being rude, so here are Gianna and Madison afterwards...

Irony is

2009-12-14T11:15:00.001-05:00

being too anxious to actually take the anti-anxiety medicine your doctor prescribed for you.

Luckily I am blessed with an extremely patient (and this has been tested the last six weeks!) and encouraging husband and now I am three days closer to being back on an even keel.