| Rollie's Blog | |
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Description: Life in the mom lane. I'm a mother of two energetic girls, an army wife and mompreneur. As one of the moms behind SandhillsKids, I'm constantly on the go, on the phone or online. My world consists of trying to find balance between work, home, kids and deployments. |
Well, it took about a year but SandhillsKids has finally made The Pilot! So, if your looking for a little lite reading check out the article. It was in Wednesday's paper on November 7th. We appreciate the coverage.
http://www.thepilot.com/stories/20071107/scene/arts/20071107KIDSONLINE.html
I've been carving pumpkins since I was a wee child on my father's knee. Back in the day, my father would grab his trusty black marker and butcher's knife to create his masterpiece. It was a childhood memory that has become a family tradition for me.
So each year (even those before kids), I have faithful handpicked the perfect pumpkin for carving. This year was no exception. Even without my husband home, I was not about to let Halloween pass us by. The girls and I picked out four pumpkins at a local farm and set out to carve them on Sunday.
This is a task that I have done every year for as long as I can remember so why would this year be any different? Well, for starters, the girls where more interested in the final product then the work to get there. So after cleaning out the pumpkins and making a mess of guts and seeds all over the garage, they bailed on me to go ride their scooters.
My sister and I were left with four pumpkins to carve. We decided to start on the largest two which turned out be too thick for our store bought carving tools. After a little cursing (on my part) and elbow grease, we finished them without any kids in sight to marvel at our beautiful creations. At this point, I had know desire to carve two more pumpkins but because they were already cleaned out I had to do something with them.
So I did what any "good" mom would do - I took a lesson from Martha Stewart and pulled out the power tools. I grabbed my husband's brand new Firestorm Drill (he's not here so who's going to complain) and three bits of various sizes. For the next 20 minutes, I worked out all my anger issues on two pumpkins. When I was done, I had two "holy" pumpkins that would have made the Queen of Domestication proud.
Tonight, our pumpkins - all four of them. graced the front porch with all of our other Halloween paraphernalia (talking head, skeleton, eyeballs, tons of lights, etc.) and the two pimpkins with holes were the talk of the neighborhood. Who knew that power tools and Halloween where the perfect match. Thanks Martha, I owe you one!
Ask any neighborhood kid and they will tell you that I am the first house they stop at when they are looking for buyers for their latest school or sport fundraiser. I always do my best to purchase at least one item per school/group. But lately, it seems that I'm spending way too much on fundraisers.
My children are only 4 and 6 so I thought for sure that I had many years before I would be out trying to convince my neighbors to buy cookie dough or the latest in wrapping paper. But in the past few weeks, I've been proven wrong!
Let's see what I'm selling (be sure to give me a call if you would like to purchase any items!)
1. Raffle Tickets for SYSL, I have a two booklets because both my kids are playing soccer. So, if I purchase the "best" deal per book then I will spend $15 each for a grand total of $30.
2. Raffle Tickets for the Elks Club - that's another $20.
3. Raffle Tickets for SPP's Fall Festival - 10 tickets for $10 (Are you seeing a theme)
4. Cheese Cake for Gymnastics (Last month they sold Champion Discount Cards). That will cost about $15 if I purchase one cake.
5. Cookie Dough and Cheese Cake for Libby's preschool. There's another $24 for 2 containers.
6. Current Gift Wrap Catalog for Southern Pines Primary to help pay for field trips since funding was cut this year. I'm hoping the school bond takes care of that problem. That's at least $8.00 for the minimum purchase.
7. The Scholastic Book Fair for Southern Pines Primary to help the library raise money (The have to sell $3000 to get 30% - a whole whopping $300!) I spent $30 - a book for each child and a gift certificate for the teacher.
8. And let's not forget SPP's Monthly Fundraiser Night at Moe's (which I enjoy and am a huge supporter of because I don't have to sell anything). But that usually cost about $12 if my husband's gone and $18 if he's home. The school get's 15% of the evening's sales. We've been average about $140/month. Not bad for showing up to dinner and hanging out with friends.
9. And of course, the QSP Magazine Sales are just around the corner. However, I boycott those after they did the big song and dance in front of all the kids at school about all the cool things they could win if they sold magazines. This sent my 6 year old into a frenzy and she wanted us to go knocking on everyone's door.
So, if I participate in everything at the minimal level I will spend $149 for fundraisers this month alone. Which is not something I budget for. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge supporter of helping groups and the school offset costs. But of the $149 I contribute to these fundraisers, less than half will actually get to the groups. That's my frustration with the whole process.
I know that some people don't mind selling stuff. But for me, it is difficult because we don't have tons of family in the area and most of my friends are trying to peddle the same goodies I am. So, I usually end up pulling out the checkbook and paying for it myself.
Personally, I would rather participate in a donation drive, write the check and get the nice letter with the organization's Tax ID # acknowledging my donation and be done with it. They get my money and I get a tax write off. Plus, it cost me less in the end.
It seemed like deja vu. The long day of looking at each other, small talk about the house, picking up the kids from school, a quiet dinner, homework and then bedtime. And then the last hug and kiss good-bye. It is a scene that is much too familiar to me and one that I repeated again last night.
Less than 24 hours ago, my husband tucked our children into bed while they cried and begged him to stay. My youngest daughter tried to convince him to bring her along not understanding why he had to leave again while my oldest child asked about the War and if someone would be trying to kill him between sobs. I did my best to console my children by telling them that everything was going to be okay. And for my husband, I tried to assure him that we would be fine and that his daughters make it through another deployment. It broke my heart to see the pain in his eyes as he said good-bye one last time before he shut the door and drove away. I spent the rest of the evening holding my daughters while they cried themselves to sleep. And when they had finally dozed off, I cried.
I've said good-bye to my husband too many times in the past few years. Regardless of how much I prepare myself for the moment and tell myself that he'll be home before I know it, it never seems to be enough to stop the pain and grief that accompanies each deployment. And while I know that I am fortunate that he won't be gone for a year, that doesn't make saying good-bye any easier because war doesn't know a timeline. Whether my husband is gone three months or fifteen, he is still in harms way.
For me, the pain comes from knowing that each time he walks out that door headed back to Iraq it might be the last time I ever see him again and that is almost unbearable to think about. It is a reality that I live with and pray I will never experience. So as I wait for my phone call letting me know he has arrived safely on the other side of the world, I will pull myself together and moved forward with my life as I wait for him to come home one more time.
I don't usually forward jokes or videos, but every now and then something that is just too funny to pass up comes along. And this is one of them!
Thanks to one of our SandhillsKids members for sharing this with us! It definitely sums up my days as a mom!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_oc1j5NakY
So, what did you think!
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!
I'm not usually an overprotective mom and for the most part feel very safe living in Moore County. However, I had a conversation with a friend the other day and was once again reminded that even the safest communities have hidden dangers.
My friend had taken her children to the Sandhills Optimist Field a few weeks ago for a sporting event. As she was talking to a friend as they were walking to the field, she realized that her older child (9 yrs old) had fallen back. According to her, her mom radar told her something was wrong and she turned around.
What she saw almost stopped her heart. You see, a man was talking to her child and offering her candy as he led her between two cars. My friend immediately started running to her daughter and yelling at the man to leave her alone. Once he saw her coming, he took off running through the cars. She never got a good look at him.
Her daughter stood their confused and dumbfounded. She had no idea what the commotion was about or what she had done wrong. Even thought my friend's husband is a police officer and they have had many discussions about the danger of talking to strangers with their children, this man had made her daughter feel safe enough that not only did she speak to him but she accepted candy and started to follow him.
For me it was a reminder that even though we live in a great community as parents we need to always keep an eye on our children. My friend had only turned away for a moment and that is almost what it took for her daughter to be taken.
There are currently 21 registered sex offenders in our area. To find out if one lives near you go to www.familywatchdog.us where you can search by street address, town, state or zip.
Like most moms, a trip to the ER is part of life with kids. I've have spent many an evening or early morning holding a sick child waiting to be seen by a physician. I've come to the conclusion that when all is going well, someone is bound to end up taking a road trip to the local hospital.
What I don't plan for is that someone being the family pet. So what happens at 8 pm on a Sunday night when you find yourself needing an Emergence Room trip for your four legged-friend?
Well, that was what I was faced with this weekend. You see our newest addition, Buddy,was playing with our other dog, Guinness, and somehow ended up with a 3 inch gash down the side of his rib crib. After a quick look and short deliberation, my husband and I realized that the injury required professional attention. I called our vet and was referred to the Small Animal Emergency Services located in the Town and Country Shopping Center behind Babcock furniture. You're probably wondering if a Pet ER actually exists and I will tell you that not only do we have one, but they were actually very busy!
We arrived a few minutes after 8 pm and found ourselves in a waiting room with several other injured pets. The staff was helpful, friendly and directed us to a patient room as soon as one became available. After a quick assessment by the vet tech, we were seen by Dr. Turner who discussed our options for treatment. We were even given a estimate for treatment so we would know how much the visit would cost us.
Although the office visit for Buddy was twice the cost of a trip to the vet during the day (which I expect for an after-hours vet trip), the rest of the services (stitches, sedation, medication) where similar to a regular office visit. In fact, we'll return in two weeks to have Buddy's staples removed for free.
To make a long story short, Buddy received wonderful treatment and even received a complimentary nail trimming. I have to say, Dr. Turner and her staff offer quality care for each and every pet that comes through their door. So, take the time to write their contact info in your phonebook next to your other emergency numbers. You never know when you'll need it.
Small Animal Emergency Services offers after hours care from 6 pm - 8 am and all weekend. They are located at 1335 N. Sandhills Blvd. Tel (910) 944-0405.
If you haven't check in with us lately, you may find yourself doing a double take. But don't worry, although our look has changed our content is still the same and new items are being added everyday. Along with our new look, will be great features including member forums, blogs and monthly drawings for FREE stuff from our sponsors.
One of the challenges of converting a site to a new design instead of starting from scratch, is catching all the little glitches that get missed in the transition. So, as Monica and I burn the midnight oil fixes font sizes and testing new components we ask for your patience. And if you find something that we've missed, let us know by sending us a quick note at kidsinfo@sandhillskids.com. We rely on your input, suggestions and comments to make SandhillsKids a great resource for all families. Once again, we would like to thank all of our members and visitors to our site for showing their support!
