Memory Lane

So, this past week we had to bring a picture of us from when we were in elementary school to post in the hall. The kids are going to have to guess who is who. So, that got me going through old pictures. I have to scan them in, so you're not treated to those tonight, but I thought you'd might like some oldies that I've got here on the computer.

(Bebe when she was 9 or 10 months old)

(When Bebe was around 2)

(When Bebe was 3 - on her way to her first dance class)

(When Bebe turned 4 - yes, we went to see Beauty & the Beast. Private meet & greet with Belle and everything. Hey, we've gotta get somethin' out of losing our dad to the theater for weeks on end!)

(Easter 2008 - a week before Mamu came!)

(Mamu came in March 2008)

(Bebe turned 5)

(Mother's Day 2008)

So there's a little trip down memory lane for you. Hope you enjoyed it!

Keep It Down!

So, when you hear the phrase "Keep it down!" you think of an old lady yelling at the rowdy teenagers on the corner. Or maybe you think of the kids playing their music too loud and their mom yelling at them. Well, not in our house.

Keep it down is said to Mamu. When he's on the potty. [You see, he sits. Yes, I have my reasons and we won't go into it. He sits. Accept it. He'll learn to stand later. Move on. ](rant finished, we can move on to the topic now)

So, as I was saying, I tell Mamu to keep it down. Point it in the potty. And usually, he's just great about it and takes care of business. Except these past couple of days. He now takes great pride and delight in seeing how far he can go! I know, I know; it's a boy thing. That I'll never understand. So, now he's tee-teeing in the potty, but he comes home in different clothes than he went to school in because he's tee-teeing on them.

Except yesterday.

I went to pick him up and he was in the bathroom. I go over to say hi and automatically I say "Keep it down!"- (don't get me wrong, there is no yelling or anything - just normal talking) Well, guess what. He arcs his tee-tee ACROSS the bathroom and it lands on his teacher's shoe. And he's completly D.R.Y.

So now his mantra is "No tee-tee (insert character underwear here) Lightning Queen. No tee-tee Alex (his teacher)."

Now I really have to step up the gifts next week for Teacher Appreciation Week. I'm thinking shoe covers for each teacher and possibly a shield. Maybe some protective goggles and a hazmat suit.


(I did laugh when it happened. I then told her that I only laugh because it's happened to me. Not from Mamu. When I taught in Special Ed in a highly needy classroom. I swear I spent more time in that bathroom than in the classrom.)

Soooo, How was your day?

Well?
This is the question that Bebe asks me every day - she just started this last week. She uses it as a filler when she wants to talk with you, but doesn't know what to say. Then she asks "What was the best part?" "What was the worst part?" "What was good about your day?"
This conversation came up when we were stuck in traffic on our way home from dance class.
Here it goes:
Bebe: "So, Mom, how was your day?"
Me: "Good"
Bebe: "What was the worst part of your day?"
Me: "Specials before lunch because of TAKS testing."
(Now you friends who's lives don't revolve around TAKS testing - it is our state mandated assessment of our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders and it is MAJOR! I mean major! Pass/Fail - everything. We have to creep down the hall like mice - not easy with Kinders - and switch our specials --fine arts-- time from 2:00 to 9:40 am. Makes for a L.O.N.G. day.)

Bebe: "My worst part was that too." (Hers was at 8:45 this morning. She usually goes at 1:00)
Bebe: "What was your best?"
Me: "Being with you guys"
Bebe: "My best part was playing with my friends at school. Oh, and being with you."
Mamu: "All done van!" "All! DONE! VANNNNNNNN!"
Bebe: "What was good about your day?"
Me: "The fact I got a great sale on the outdoor fabric to recover the swing cushions."
Bebe: "Mine is that too." (that's my girl!)

So, that's how our little convos go everyday. I am so glad that she asks me these things and I hope that I can always look at things optimistically. Hence, why this is one of my ring tones.



If you haven't seen Monty Python's Spamalot - find it and go see it at a theater near you. It's pretty funny.
Remember to Always Look on the Bright Side of Life!

Happy Mommy Happy Bebe Happy Mamu - Tired Dad.

So we've been having such great weather lately, that we've been doing a lot of things outdoors. The past two days we've gone on walks after we get home from school (well, Bebe rides her scooter and Mamu rides in the stroller - his choice- and I'm pretty much the only one walking) and I've been so thankful for the time that we've had. I've also been thinking about why it's good to be Bebe and Mamu and what makes them happy. So here's a list.

What makes Mamu happy:

1. His day is MADE if he gets to wear Mickey Mouse underwear. or Goofy. or Nemo. or Lightning McQueen. I just make sure they're clean and voila! Happy guy.

2. His cars. Lightning McQueen is a favorite right now, but pretty much any car is good.

3. If he gets to eat meat at his meal, with ketchup, he's good.

4. Reading - pretty much all the time, but especially at bedtime. He's gotten pretty good at sweet talking me into reading more than 1 or 2 books.

5. Running.

6. Lawnmowers and any kind of yard work tool.

7. Trains.

8. Fire trucks.

9. Yellow bus!

10. Ooh Ooh - his stuffed monkey.

What makes Bebe happy:

1. Dancing. Anytime, any place, any music (or not any).

2. Mirrored surfaces. She'loves to look at herself. She loves to act out things. She loves herself and I love that. I just get a smidge frustrated when we're trying to get somewhere and she's found a mirror. I have used it to my advantage ("Look! There's a mirror." - at Kohl's.)

3. Reflective surfaces. - see #2

4. Barbies

5. Books - all kinds. Still enjoys it when I read to her and I still enjoy it. :)

6. Drawing - she loves to draw and make things. We're so blessed to have an awesome Art teacher to inspire her and teach her.

7. Her scooter. She likes to ride it to go get the mail (we have a "group" mailbox down the street - about 10 houses in the one box) and pretend she's the mail girl.

8. Music - She loves to listen to her music in her room - especially when she goes to bed. It doesn't have to be soft, lullaby music either. It's any kind and off to sleepy land she goes.

9. Playing with Mamu. She's such a great big sister.

10. Her stuffed animals - right now it's two dogs. "Lucy" (which I call Lucky for some reason) and "Sparkles" - her new Build a bear dog.

Well, hubster has started into heavy rehearsals for his next show, so we don't see him a lot. The kids miss him and are very excited when they see him in the morning.

I hope the weather is this nice this weekend (the reports are differing right now) because I've got the bug to get the backyard into shape! Clean off the patio, get some new patio chairs, and work on the never - ending play fort project. More about that later.

(Bebe with her Art work from her program)

(Mamu on the carousel)

Weeds Beware!

So today was a fabulously beautiful day. The weather was perfect and the yard was not. The shrubs have been loving the wonderful weather and rain that we've had and they just spurted up! So, since I'm the one in our family that prunes the shrubs, I busted out the hedge trimmers and got to work. Then Mamu woke up from his nap and was delighted to see me outside and he came out to help me pick up the debris. Well, if Mamu's coming outside, then Bebe's usually right behind, so they got the rakes and we raked up the trimmings. Well, Bebe and I raked while Mamu said "All done raking" a lot.
While we were picking up the clippings, I started pulling up the weeds that seem to think our yard is their new home (not for long suckers!) and Bebe asked me what I was doing. So, I explained all about pulling up weeds (she's been wondering about them a lot) and she started pulling them up too. She LOVED it! She was so excited when she pulled up big ones that she ran around the yard pulling up all the ones she could find. It was pretty awesome.
After dinner, I mowed the yard since hubster was worn out from working today. I don't mind mowing the yard when it's nice out, but when it comes August, I'll not be super thrilled about getting out there. Hubster spread the weed n feed tonight, so hasta la vista weeds! If that doesn't kill 'em, Bebe will be our enforcer!
Oh and we hung a bird feeder today. Bebe made one at Build and Grow at Lowe's yesterday and so we put it in the front yard today. She's very excited about making sure the birds have food. I might move it to the back yard so we can see it better, but we'll see. That was one of my favorite things to watch at our first house that we bought. I would look out the french doors of our (very small) dining room and be able to see the birds. Man. We had a TON of birds there. Murmur (my grandmother) used to watch birds out of her dining room window all the time. At one point, my Uncle Dee put out an automatic feeder that was hooked up like a deer feeder. She had birds all the time. Even when she had to move to assisted living, there was a bird feeder out of her window. Now I guess we're carrying on the tradition.
Hope you have a great week!

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

So, if you haven't seen Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution (Fridays on ABC - but it just finished), I pretty much understand. It's on at 8 on Friday nights and most people (with lives) are doing something more interesting than laying on the couch and surfing the shows. But, I was pretty tired, so here I was, watching Jamie's show. I've seen most of them and I agree with a lot of what he has to say. His stance is that the schools need to serve healthier (less processed, more fresh) foods for lunch. As a teacher, I pull lunch duty every four days. So I am in there and I see what we serve and what the kids eat. Here was Friday's lunch menu:

Fish nuggets

Hamburger

something else (can't remember)

ACE sandwich (ham sandwich on white bread with a slice of cheese) - offered every day

Most of my kids ate the hamburgers and some ate the fish nuggets. Almost all of my kids (if not all) get chocolate milk (which has a ton of sugar). They have a variety of sides like mashed potatoes, beans, and "burger salad" - lettuce and a tomato slice. There is usually a fruit cocktail and on Friday, there were brownies. An apple or pear is usually available as well.

The rule from our cafeteria is that you get the main dish and then have to have milk and 1 side item. Most of the kids don't like the sides so they just stick an apple on their tray to get out of the line. Remember, these are Kindergarteners. They suck down the chocolate milk, eat maybe a couple of bites of their main dish and possibly some of their side items. No wonder they're starving by our snack time. Our cafeteria used to serve salads every day (and I mean they were pretty good - lots of lettuce, a hard boiled egg, some tomatoes, and cheese) but I guess they either didn't sell well or they cost too much, because now they are replaced by the ACE sandwich. Let me tell you, the kids don't like it either.

It's not our lunch ladies fault, they just prepare what they are sent on the big truck. Our district contracts out to a private corporation to run our lunch room, so that's where we need to start.

Bebe has yet to eat anything from the cafeteria line except for buying white milk every now and again. I pack her lunch every day.

I really wish that we could get change in our school, especially for the kids who are on free / reduced lunch, because they have no choice. I have signed the petition, and hopefully that counts for something. There's a link on here to sign his petition. Sign it if you wish, don't sign it if you don't wish. Your pick. Also, check out the show on abc.com. It's pretty cool.

And just because we're cute:

Crazy Super Sewing

So, this week has been CRAZY busy for our household! Between Bebe's program, dance class, and the school ice cream social this week AND sewing, we're pooped! So here's a scoop on our happenings this week:

Monday - Not much, just crankiness from all from our busy weekend.

Tuesday - Bebe's 1st grade program "Be Green"and Bebe was a frog in the Miry Bog Band.

AND after the program was over, I had to sew some baby gifts for a shower at school on Wednesday. Burp towels and appliqued onesies here we come!

(I forgot to take pictures of the onesies.)

Wednesday: Our usual dance day and with 4 practices left, they're lookin' good!

Thursday: We had 50's day at school, so on Wednesday (after we got home from dance) I just whipped these skirts up! (That's just for you Auntie).

Phew! Good thing we don't have anything tomorrow, but this weekend's looking pretty full!

Why I wear a puzzle ribbon

So it's Autism Awareness month (along with several other things designated for this month, Cancer Awareness, Amateur Radio Month, Car Care Month, Emotional Overeating Awareness, Soy Food month, and many, many more - I totally didn't make these up) and I have been pondering the big AU (as we call it in the education industry). I have had the chance and opportunity to work with children who have autism all of my teaching career (9 years at the end of this school year) and I've never met one I didn't love.

I wear a puzzle printed ribbon for the month of April on my lanyard at work and I'm pondeiring wearing it for the rest of the year. I have so many stories involving all the kids I work with, but the ones from these little guys (haven't had any girls with autism yet) always seem a little more precious.

I could tell you about the "poop meter" we had to invent one time to help a child poop. I could tell you about how I wrote story detailing everything a kid needed to know about going to an assembly. I could tell you about a kiddo that only ate goldfish, spray cheese, and crackers. I could also tell you about one guy that played checkers against himself and lost. I could tell you about how my student who did one paper for 5 minutes of lego time at the beginning of the year is now working without any mention of legos and is reading in front of the class. I could tell you a lot of these things, and I'll be happy to share more later.

I just wanted to say just like everyone, these kiddos are special. They hold a special place in my heart. Maybe it's because they see things as black and white. There's no gray area with them. They want facts and knowledge. Maybe it's just because they're kids, sometimes locked inside their own head and can't get out. Maybe it's just because they're kids and they deserve everything they can get.

They're kids. So when they yell, scream, hit, kick, bang, rock and do other "not normal" things, just remember - they're kids. They're people. They think. They have feelings. They have the right to become who God wants them to be and we've got to be the people who get them there.

Oh, and one more thing. Did you know that this week is:
National Turn Off week
Sky Awareness week
Fish Fry week
and
Bebe and Mamu are the cutest kids ever week?

Happy Birthday Beebs!

Today is a special day in our house - Bebe is officially 7 years old! She celebrated by going to Build and Grow this morning, out to lunch with Daddy (while I stayed here to clean up the house) and then her party at Build a Bear Workshop this afternoon. She wrapped it up with pizza and presents here at the house followed up by a fun game of Clue Jr. She had a great time with her friends and was very excited to celebrate with everyone. Here's some of the fun:

(BTW- I still haven't found the elusive cake carrier. )

Cake Carrier - 1 / Me - 0

The Elusive Cake Carrier Strikes Again!

Dear Cake Carrier,
It's that time of year again. Spring brings us new plants and flowers, and also both of my kiddo's birthdays. Yes, their birthdays are less than a month apart, so you know your role is very important. I also am aware that you feel you should be used more often, but if you keep disappearing when you are needed most, you will not be used. I know that you enjoy our yearly scavenger hunt and that you enjoy playing the "hidee" in our yearly game of hide and seek. However, if you continue to be elusive, you will have to be replaced. I have a 40% off coupon and I know how to use it. Also, if you have runaway to my mom's house, please let her know, so I can stop making myself crazy looking for you.
Thank you,
Crazy Cake Decorating Mama

Tacky Tuesday

So our day started out with a fabulous dose of Tackiness. Bebe REALLY loves a blue shirt with some green accents and wanted to wear it with her fabulous blue plaid shorts. I had to explain to her the concept of not mixing these and that went over well. Like a lead balloon well. So it got me thinking about tacky things. So here we go, these are some things I find pretty tacky:

1. Why do they make pants (or shorts) with words on the bottom? No good comes out of that.

2. Animal print... on couches, curtains, car covers... there's a reason that there is a new show on Style about Tackiness... and that it's first show covers a house that is covered in animal print

3. People who are on the people of walmart website. It's not their fault they're tacky. They just think mullets, cleavage, teased hair and ripped jeans are still in style. Check it out: http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/ One of my friends actually has sent in a people of walmart photo! I feel proud to know them.

4. Those weird beach coverup shirts that have the bikini painted on them with the "hot" body... ummm, tacky 'cause you know that the person wearing DOES NOT look like that underneath.

5. Short shorts. Enough said.

I hope you enjoyed my tackiness rant - I know there's more out there. So to not totally put you in a tacky mood here's some cuteness:

Marvelous Monday

Here's some fabulousness to start your week:

Did you feel like hiding today?

Were you all twisted up today?

Did you feel that if you made it through today, it would be all downhill?

Enjoy your week! Remember to be thankful for all of your blessings!

2nd Pew to the Left

So, while we were driving to church (yes, we were running a smidgent late again), I started thinking about going to my childhood church. I always sat with my Grandmother (Murmur) and she had a favorite pew. I can NEVER remember sitting somewhere other than the 2nd pew to the left. N.E.V.E.R. I think there was one time that a visitor made the mistake of sitting there and we might have moved back a row, and I don't think we ever saw them again.... :) Ask anyone in the family - we sit on the 2nd Pew to the Left.
It was a very touching thing to see that pew empty at her funeral. Well, it was empty to the naked eye, but we all knew she was sitting there writing us notes on the bulletin.
Yes, notes on the church bulletin. I don't know if your church does a printed bulletin - ours still does - but this was back in the days when there weren't video screens and such in the church. Somewhere between the opening hymn and the Lord's Prayer, she would always scribble something on the bulletin for me - usually a question. I'd answer and then possibly ask her a question and so on. [Remember where I said we said on the 2nd pew to the left? Yea - the pastor probably saw all of it. Since Murmur was a founding member of this church, they probably figured it was best to let it slide.] Anyways, back to the bulletin writing. I remember reading her cursive writing on the bulletin - it was so pretty - and answering whatever she had asked me. Usually just "How was your week?" or "You look pretty today." Sometimes (especially in the early teen years) I was embarassed by it, but still wrote back.
I can still see the bulletins in my head - there weren't places to write on it (like lines for notes or anything) so we would write in any of the available space. When it was filled up, we were done. Sadly, we didn't save any of them, but the memory lasts on in my mind.
Well, I've carried on the tradition - actually Bebe started it. I bet an angel whispered in her ear to write to me. Ever since she could write anything, she's been writing to me on the bulletin. Usually it's "Can we get donuts after church?" or "Can we get a cookie at Kroger?" I answer and then we fill up all the available space. Our bulletins are fancy though. They have lines for "Sermon Notes". I figure this is a kind of ministry in it's own. Plus, we don't sit on the 2nd pew to the left in our home church.

First Post!

So, I've been thinking for some time now that I needed to start a blog. My facebook updates are fun and all, but sometimes I just want to add more or share a story. So here it is! Enjoy it.

We went to the park by our house today. Since it was windy and I had bought the kids kites (in ummm, March) and we still hadn't broken them in, we took them along too. It was Mamu's first time to fly a kite and he kept saying "Oh NO! Spaceman (Buzz Lightyear) fall down!" and Bebe just had a blast with her Tinkerbell kite.


So after the kites got boring (Mamu really only flew his for a couple of minutes... then Dad took over), we headed over to the park. Mamu got on the big boy swing (for the first time!) and wanted "Dadda push me" .

So then Bebe wanted Dad to push her too.

So after a wonderful park date with the family, we headed to Sonic. Why Sonic? Well, several reasons: 1. It's close by. Seriously, super close by. 2. The REAL reason? They have Sea World Tots in their Kid's Meals. Any time there are the stuffed tots, Jason HAS to get the all of them. Well, doesn't HAVE to get them, but he really would like them. Especially the Shamu one. So we got three of them. Yes. I said three. I didn't get the kids meal, so you do the math as to who got them. I got to drive and order, so I got to be the one who asked the wonderful carhop (who doesn't get tipped because I paid with a credit card - what's up with that?) to see if she could switch one of the duplicates we got. My saving grace with her was that Mamu cheered in the backseat when she brought out his milk and then he said "Thank you". Then we had an indoor picnic, some math review lessons with Bebe and then finished Bebe's "Be Green" poster for her school poster contest. Good times.