Great family music night at the Postmaster's House in Aberdeen. It is the last community concert of the summer. Kids under 12 are free, grown ups are $8. Pack a picnic supper for one last evening out before it gets too dark.
Hope to see all youmoms there. Please introduce yourselves. Janet
Today we had my son's 7th birthday party at Jim's Gems and Gold. It was AWESOME! It was the easiest party we have ever done AND it was one of the best. Not to mention it was probably the cheapest one we have ever done, too! All of his parties so far have been at our house. That means cleaning the house and yard before and after. Not so at Jim's Gems and Gold! When we got there they had a tent set up with 2 tables under it. They had blue table cloths on them, which just happens to be my sons favorite color! They had a sign that said "Happy Birthday Ryan - Welcome." That was really cool! I was very impressed by that.
As the kids arrived I had them decorate a bucket to put their gems in. Once everyone arrived BJ came out to talk to them about the various gems they would find. She was incredible with the kids, so much patience! Then it was time to start panning for gems! The kids were so excited about everything they found. And BJ was right there making sure they didn't dump anything "good" down the drain.
As the kids finished up we sent them over to the picnic tables with a drink and their gems. I think there may have been some gem trading going on. We had cake, opened the gifts and then it was time to go home. No clean up for us! Just hop in our car with all the goodies and head home. What a GREAT party!
My sister-in-law sends the best photos of her children throughout the year. My niece and nephew are always perfectly dressed and smiling. Even as infants and toddlers, her children enjoyed picture day and loved to pose for the camera.
You would think that since our children share half the same gene pool, I would also be so lucky. Unfortunately, since birth my two girls have hated having there photos professionally taken. My collection of photos have usually included someone frowning, crying or stomping there feet. Although there have been a few rare occasions in which I have gotten lucky, that has not been the norm.
So why would I think today would be any different? I don't know. I guess deep within my subconscious I've always dreamed of having a "Norman Rockwell" family photo. I know this is incredibly ridiculously and utterly unachievable given the personalities of our family, but a girl can dream - right?
Today was picture day and it has been filled with the same chaos that exists every time I try to rally the troops for a family photo. From Libby's adamant demands to wear her pink ratty flip flops and bring her blue soccer ball for the photo to my husband's realization that the outfit I picked out for him doesn't fit right, it seemed that we were doomed for failure. No matter how you slice it, trying to coordinate outfits and getting everyone out the door without tears or temper tantrums seemed like an impossible task.
Yet somehow we did it. I don't know how, but before I new it everyone was beautifully dressed in matching colors and moving out the door. (Although we did have to compromise and allow Libby to wear her flip flops and bring her dress shoes). And an hour later, we had successful survived dozens of snapshots with smiles and laughter. We left the studio happy and even celebrated with a little ice cream as a reward for good behavior.
I can't guarantee that we will have that perfect picture on our mantel when the photos come in, but I'm sure it will be something I can live with and not groan at each time I pass it. They idea that I might have finally gotten one family picture with everyone smiling might be the miracle I've been looking for. Wish me luck; it's been one heck of a week!
My oldest daughter was invited to a friend's house for a sleepover on Saturday. So my husband and I thought we would just spend an evening hanging out with our youngest (she's 4) child. What we didn't expect was an invitation by my mom to keep the little one overnight. I wasn't sure Libby would go for it, but before I knew it both girls were packed and standing at the door waiting to head out to their destinations.
You're probably wondering what the big deal is? Well, it was the first time since children have entered our home that my husband and I have been in
our house, by ourselves for more than a few hours never mind an entire night. So, what do you do when the kids are gone and the house belongs to you again.....If you're us, you probably spend a little time looking at each other trying to figure out whether you stay in or head out. At first we thought about going to dinner or a movie, but we ended up vetoing waiting to be seated or hanging out at the cinema with someone else's kids. This left us with Option 2 - Staying Home.
We went with Option 2, but decided not to waste a night alone. Instead we planned an evening reminicant of our pre-kids days. First, we did a little shopping at the Fresh Market and picked up a bottle of wine. Then we spent the evening cooking a meal that was anything but kid friendly. After a quiet dinner with no fighting, meltdowns or complaints about the food, we watched a movie of our choosing that didn't include cartoon characters or a "G" rating.
As far as the rest of the night, that went well too.....And the next day was spent sleeping in, walking the dogs and going out to a late breakfast without kids. By the time our children arrived home, we were ready and excited to see them.
Although, I missed them while they were gone (not enough to go pick them up!) I am gratefully to have finally entered the world of the double sleepover and intend to arrange a few more of those in the near future. It was nice to spend an evening alone with my husband without the cost of a babysitter! Who knew sleepovers could be so much fun for everyone!
After being at home with my angels for 2 months, I am so thankful that we have only 1 week to go!!
School is starting I am going to celebrate!
I have tried to get out of the house; take the kids grocery shopping, out for lunch and even to the park. None of that worked. Not even in our own backyard! Last Friday we took a picnic lunch to Castle park (very nice by the way). Not even that made him happy. He just wandered around, not interested in playing at all. Never has been.
Scott is very happy in his own little house in his own little room. He is very content playing computer games or the playstation and watching movies.
If I try and get him out of the house, he throws a temper tantrum. So we just stay put. It is much better than enduring, sometimes 2 hours, one of his tantrums.
So when Monday comes and the kids are on the bus, I will celebrate by taking my self out for breakfast, getting my nails done and then I will come home and take a nap.
I can't wait!!
I don't know about any of you but I keep asking myself...Did it used to be this crazy last year? I am referring to what I call the "Back to School Shuffle", in which me, myself and I proceed to reconfigure my family's life to the ever demanding fall schedule upon us. All of a sudden, extra curricular activities are starting back up, my youngest is heading into 5 day a week preschool, and I am preparing for another semester at college. Not to mention my full-time job. Even though my oldest daughter goes to year-round school, I still feel the Back-to-School fever of everyone on the traditional calendar. It's like I am awakening from this summer haze, in which everything had became so much simpler and easier...but before you know it, WHAM! Back to reality. I feel as if I have taken the summer for granted and forgotten how lucky I was for those few months. I drive by retirement homes and envy how nice it must be to just sit still for a whole day (I know that it horrible!). But before I feel too sorry for myself, I remember why we are doing what we are doing. This time next year, I will have my degree and will be teaching school somewhere and my husband will also have graduated from college and hopefully have more suitable working hours so we can spend more time together. We survive by sticking together and keeping our sense of humor. We laugh at how we always seem to have to do everything the hard way, and we love every minute of it.
Mark your calendars!!
October 20th at Colonial Heights Park in Aberdeen will be the home to our annual fall event. Aberdeen Parks and Recreation Department will be hosting a fun and thrilling event for children 10 and under. The event will include games, prizes, inflatables, and food!! There will be a small fee associated with this event. We hope to see you there!!! Together our community can make this a great event that will be able to grow in the future...
Aberdeen Parks and Recreation Department is adding a new program to our schedule. Beginning Ballroom will begin October 15, 2007. I am looking for children ages 8 to 12 who are interested in learning the basics of Ballroom. Sherry Wood is the instructor who brings a wealth of knowledge to the floor. She has past experience teaching ballroom at an Arthur Murrary School of dance. The fees are for 6 sessions AR $ 24 NR $29. I am hoping to grow the program to include adults with the next year. There is more information and forms to be downloaded at www.townofaberdeen.net
So I've gone round and round about whether or not I wanted to start a blog of my own. What really has made me finally start it is the fact that I always look to see what others are writing, and frankly, I was starting to feel like something of a voyeur if I didn't join in. In my busy life, this also seems like a great way for a busy mom to vent her frustrations when she needs to.
Anyway...I went to my second First Friday this past Friday and I was much more impressed with the music this time. I went to the first one, but although my kids seemed to rock out to the band (which was great, I'll listen to anything if they leave me alone to RELAX for a little bit) I wasn't very impressed. This time, I felt like the bands were much better, even though we weren't able to stay the whole time due to a scheduled melt down by my youngest daughter. The kid's activities on the street were great but TOO EXPENSIVE. I think we took a trip to the ATM twice in less than an hour. Anyhow, I really think that it is a step in the right direction for Southern Pines and the Moore County area to acknowledge that families are a big part of this area, and we really appreciate the chance to get out with our children. I have also enjoyed the Rooster's Wife concerts. Aberdeen is a neat little town, and the concert's are at the Postmaster's house up on a hill overlooking the town. You can bring beverages (wine, beer, sodas, juice boxes, whatever) in a cooler as well as a blanket and chill out to some good music. There is a big grassy area where the kids can run and play. The whole thing is very laid back. It is well worth the money. I plan on taking the kids this Sunday evening. The music ranges from Bluegrass to Folk to Country...a little bit for everyone. It is a welcome diversion for my family.
I have just done what feels like the impossible!!! We have moved! After what feels like months of listing our house, having it shown, going under contract, packing, moving, unpacking, fixing problems found on inspection, closing...and FINALLY being done, only a few weeks has really gone by! I don't know how military families do this so regularly...it has been tough to say the least.
One house less and an apartment later...my boys have settled in nicely, all it took was saying we would be close to Granny's Donuts and they said when can we move?? We have had a few behavior issues pop up and I don't know if that is just the wonderful aging process or a result of the move. My 4 year old (Eli) has this wonderfully beatiful habit of disrespect "No, I'm not going to do it! You're going to do it!" or "I don't care...I'm mad at you!" To which my response is..."I'm not worried about you being mad at me...do it anyway!!" It has helped greatly that there is a dumpster right around the corner from our apartment because they know the look that says "I'm dead serious" when I say "Don't test me, the dumpster would love your [fill in the toy], I mean what I'm saying." A great many issues have been solved by the occassional toss of a favorite cheap toy to get the point across. Haven't had to do that at the new place yet but with the behaviors I am encountering I may have to again.
This brings up a funny story...we were visiting my grandparents this past weekend and my 3 year old (Ty) asked Granny for a piece of candy. She told him she didn't have any because she had thrown it away after his Papa didn't listen to her last time when she told him not to give any to him (Ty) anymore. Those that know Ty can picture him when he said..."I'm not happy, you shouldn't throw away Papa's stuff! He didn't throw away your stuff! I'm gonna throw away all your stuff cause you threw out Papa's candy!" Said complete with wrinkled brow and pouty lip.
Haven't yet eaten myself silly on Granny's Donuts yet but there is still time!! I'll save that for when school starts that way I can enjoy them myself and not have to deal with 2 kids on a sugar high :) And as all my friends know about my addiction...THEY HAVE COFFEE!!!!
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