Dear Makers of Boys Swim Trunks,

My request is simple. Please be sure the drawstring is at least 6 inches long on both sides AFTER it has been laced through the suit, and please construct it so that the drawstring ties one the OUTSIDE of the suit.
Thank you.
--A Mother of Three Boys


 Seriously, people, who has not run across this problem? You first go to the trouble of dragging your kids through the store, wait while they debate and deliberate over color and style, finally pick just the right one, make sure it is the right size (perhaps even big enough to last through next year, too) only to get it home and realize what a pain it is to tie the darn thing with the single inch of slack the drawstring has on the INSIDE of the swim suit!!

We struggled with this issue for all of last summer, including two weeks of swimming lessons. When it came time to look at whether the boys' suits would work for this year, my oldest begged me for a new one. Why? Because he hated dealing with the miniscule drawstring. It wasn't just that you have to be nimble-fingered to get it tied securely. It was also the fact that if there was need for a restroom break (which there always is) you have to do it all again.

Well, the suit is still in great condition. I was not about to fork over good money for a replacement when the one we have can still do the job. My compromise? I checked the drawer for some extra shoelaces (you know, that alternate pair that came with your shoes, but you never used? Yeah, those). Then I sewed two button holes with my sewing machine through the suit, near where the drawstrings come out. I tied the new lace to the old lace and then pulled the old lace out, simply pulling the new lace in its place. I poked the new drawstring through the new button holes, and ta-da! New swim trunks, at no extra cost! I did this with both of the offending suits, and we are please with the result.

Obviously, they won't last forever. But they'll last another summer. And when it is time to retire them and purchase a new pair? We will be checking to see where the drawstring tie.

Scissors and Tags

My young daughter is recently obsessed with cutting the tags off of things. Dolls, stuffed animals, clothing, towels--you name it--if it has a tag, she wants to cut it off. It started at her birthday party. She was given a doll with its price tag still having on it. We cut it off with a pair of scissors to reduce the risk of pulling a hole in the doll. Not to mention all the clothes that had tags with need of removal, often with scissors.
Later, we opened a new package of underwear. In the side seam of said underwear was a tag larger than the underwear itself (or so it seemed) printed with the washing instructions. The tag was bothersome, so as each new pair was put on, we then cut out the tag-with scissors.
Now there is a drawer in my kitchen where we keep scissors and pencils and glue-you know the one. In the front of the drawer is a basket that keeps these things from rolling into the black hole that is the back of the drawer. Well, my darling little girl is just tall enough to pull open the drawer, reach inside it, and pull out the scissors, or in some cases, the whole basket. On multiple occasions, I have noticed as sudden hush that has fallen on her playtime. Each time, in find her in the kitchen, in a corner by the back door, with the basket, the scissors, and something new that needs its tag removed.
Well, while she hasn't yet figured out how to maneuver the scissors to do any harm, I figured I had better curb this before she learns. So, I put a few items in front of the basket so it was no longer in the front of the drawer, and therefore out of reach.
Problem solved, right? Not so fast. I went into the kitchen shortly after fixing the drawer to find her huddled up with the scissors and another critter that needed a tag-ectomy. What? She had moved a chair over to the drawer so that she could reach the scissors after she opened it.
One afternoon, my husband came home just in time to find me removing our screaming child from the chair (she didn't want to get down, you see). He asked, "What's going on?"
I explained how she was still getting the scissors, even after I had seemingly moved them out of reach. "Well," he answered, "it could be worse. At least she's not stupid."
Yes. At least she's not stupid.

These are the Voyages...

I love Halloween. It ranks up there in my Most Favorite of Holidays. I love the costumes and the cute decorations (I do not like the super gross decorations, though) the fun music and movies-the black and whites are the best.  Around our house, we start talking about Halloween around the end of the summer. By the second or third week of school, my kids have a pretty firm idea of what they'd like to "be" for Halloween. This is done for two reasons. One, who doesn't want to plan out the PERFECT costume idea? Two, in our house, I usually make the costumes, and so need a good month or so to formulate just exactly HOW I'm going to create the vision these kiddos have in their heads. I even go so far as to make my own patterns. It sounds crazy, I know, but I try to make them as simple as possible to avoid some of the more complicated patterns that exist out there, not to mention keeping my costs down by not having to purchase the patterns. I take an item of clothing that my kids already own and use that as the template to make the pattern on newspaper. Depending on what they want to be, I just alter it until it becomes the desired character.

This year has been a little different. Instead of only 2 costumes to make, I made a total of 5 (actually 6 if you count the do-over on mine). My husband (and I) spent some time watching the original Star Trek on Netflix this summer. My kids naturally wandered in and asked if they could watch, too. Of course! was the answer. When we got to the Trouble with Tribbles episode, my kids had basically decided that they like it. Somewhere along the way, the idea came out that they could dress as Star Trek characters for Halloween. It all got sorted out, we could have Kirk and Spock, Dad would be McCoy, and I would be....a female member of Star Fleet. You see, Uhura dates Spock, and since my son is going as Spock, that seemed a little weird. So, I'm a Lieutenant in Engineering. Either way. But what about our little one? She could be a Tribble!! So, it was settled.

I spent a good month brain storming how to put the uniforms together, and we watched the newest movie a few weeks ago. I spent the entire time studying their uniforms to get the right idea. I looked up uniforms, ranks, and insignias in the Official Star Fleet Technical Manual (yes, my husband owns a copy). This was important. I needed to get the details right. This was the first time in many years that my husband has decided he wants to have a costume! I typically don't dress up, sort of because he doesn't. But this he was excited about. So I had to get it right. I don't think I've ever paid so much attention to details for Halloween. But it was fun. I sewed for a week straight.

Here is Captain Kirk. Captain of the Enterprise. His rank as Captain is indicated by the color of his tunic, the insignia on his chest and the two and one-half stripes on his cuff.

This is Mr. Spock. He is the Commander on the Enterprise, as indicated by two stripes on his cuff. He is a Science Officer which is noted by the color of his tunic and the insignia on his chest.

Here we have McCoy. He is Lieutenant Commander, giving him one and one-half stripes on his cuff. He is a Doctor on the Enterprise, and so a Science Officer as well.

This is a standard female Lieutenant (one stripe) in Engineering, as is indicated by the color of the mini dress and the insignia on her chest. By the way, according to Trek: The Encyclopedia, "women have the option of wearing pants or dresses in "Where No Man Has Gone Before,"" and so I must be from that episode because there is no way I'm wearing a mini-dress and nylons for Trick-or-Treating. Or any other occasion, really.

Here is our darling Tribble. Defined in Trek: The Encyclopedia as a ball of fur that purrs. I hope she doesn't give us too much trouble.

And more of Kirk and Spock because they look so AWESOME!

'

Happy Halloween!

Unconventional Parenting

This is where our daughter would like to be fed:

 

 

And this is where she wishes she could be bathed:

 

 



Sweet Banana Dreams

After walking my boys to school this morning, I pushed the stroller a little further on to the school where my husband teaches. I noticed something he'd forgotten to take with him when he left this morning and decided to bring it to him. It was a quiet morning in his class because many of his students were out taking their AP test. On AP testing days, my hubby brings breakfast for his students so they can perform their best on that big scary test. Pastries, fruit, milk, juice, etc. He and I had a nice visit; I showed the baby around the room and the kids cooed and smiled at her. On my way out, I asked if I could take a banana for our daughter. She was delighted with this and wanted to hold it. She carried it all the way. I snapped this picture when we arrived back home.

Giant Chutes and Ladders

It all started as an activity for our Young Women. I am a counselor in the Young Women presidency of our congregation. We have weekly activities with the youth and the youth presidency is involved with the adult presidency as we come up with ideas and planning. One girl suggested we do a life size board game. We decided that Chutes and Ladders would be fun, and so it was put on the calendar. I was the most enthusiastic about it, and since we take turns organizing each week, I was selected to oversee the Giant Chutes and Ladders game.

I pulled out our board game and made my own smaller grid for the girls to play on. I have played Chutes and Ladders with my children MANY times, and I know that it can take the better part of an hour to get to the final square, marked 100. This is playing with only 2 or 3 players. I figured we'd have around 8-10 girls, and we only have 90 minutes for our activities, including opening exercises. SO, I came up with an 8x8 grid, leaving 64 playing spaces. I thought this seemed like plenty. I then modeled my chutes and ladders after those laid out on the real game board, with 7 of each. It looked like fun.

We decided that masking tape on the gym floor would be the easiest way to set up a game of such proportions, and I figured two-foot squares would be just about right (They actually turned out to be too small. A two-foot square is great for one person to stand in, but I didn't take into consideration the fact that multiple people share spaces sometimes, and it got a little crowded. I suggest three- or even four-foot squares). I used plain masking tape for the grid. I then bought green and blue painters tape to mark the chutes (green) and ladders (blue). I figured different colors would help ease any confusion as to whether you were going up or down. I also printed out the numbers 1-64, printing four to a page and taped the numbers in each square.

I typed up different choices the girls can make, both good and bad. "I helped my brother with his homework," "I finished my Personal Progress" and "I brought a cheat sheet to my math test," "I skipped Seminary to go out to lunch." I placed a cup containing 3 choices at the top of each chute (bad choices) and at the bottom of each ladder (good choices). If they ended in a square at the top of the chute or bottom of the ladder, they pulled a choice out of the cup and read it to the group and then followed their consequence, either up or down. If they went up the ladder, they were rewarded with a small prize (I bought party prizes at the dollar store--bouncy balls, bracelets, candy jewelry, etc).

The final square, number 64, was their goal, and I had used masking tape to create an outline of the Salt Lake Temple. We discussed how life is full of ups and downs, choices and consequences. The chute was like repentance. It may set you back, but our Heavenly Father never kicks you out of the game. You may have to work a little harder, but it is still possible to make it to the top. The ladders illustrated that sometimes good choices put you ahead in life.  We played until every girl made it to the finish. We clapped and cheered each girl and gave her a crown (Daughters of a Heavenly King) when she reached the "temple."  They had a lot of fun and we applied a Spiritual note to it as well.

My kids came with me to help set up, and they tried out the board for me. They really enjoyed it and I promised that they could have their own board in chalk in the back yard. Last Friday when I got home from walking them to school, the morning weather was just right, and their sister was sleeping in the stroller. So I swept the patio, and drew the grid in chalk. I used my tape measure as a straight edge. I drew two sides creating a corner first, and marked every two feet as I went. I drew in a third side and then as I drew the horizontal lines across the board, I marked in the vertical lines, making the squares within each row as I went.

It only took me an hour total (including sweeping) to draw it out, mark the numbers, and draw in the chutes and ladders. It took me nearly 3 hours to do the tape on the gym floor. So, if you'd like to make your own, find multiple uses for it. Or do it outside with chalk. Our girls pulled the tape up as soon as we were done, and I forgot my camera. The Primary or the other Young Women who share our building might have liked to use it, but there was not that much planning ahead. So there was 3 hours of work destroyed in a matter of 10 minutes. But we had fun. I saved my blueprint drawing and my kids are enjoying it in the backyard. (I'm not sure why they're wearing helmets, but hey, safety first!)

I Super-Glued My Fingers Today or There Isn't Any Tape Left in the House

On the day of my last post, I remember looking at the calendar and all we had packed into it and thinking, "Wow. This month is going to blow by." And then I blinked and here we are, 3 weeks later. To me, the month is over, even though we have a whole week left. My kids are on Spring Break this coming week and it seems like time off like that always gets past us with very little accomplished. The last break we had was filled with pajama-clad, shower-less days. I hope this one doesn't go quite that way. I also worry about so much time off, because by the end I'm just a referee, breaking up scuffles and trying to remind my boys that they have manners. In addition to that, we have a little one who joined our family last summer, and Saturdays never seem to allow for her nap. She loves her big brothers and insists on being a part of all the goings on. Spring Break means an entire week of Saturdays, and I'm not looking forward to a cranky baby who simply cannot take a nap when the kids don't go to school.

There is a glimmer of hope, however. Part of the morning, I had the boys help me sort through their dressers today. Anything too small was pulled, and they got rid of anything they didn't wear, either. Some clothes were reintroduced ("Oh, yeah! I remember that!") and all were folded neatly and returned to the drawers that now close with out shoving and finagling. They were willing participants, which got me to thinking, maybe they can help me spruce up the house a little each day. I think I'll call it "Spring Break Cleaning."

I know, you are dying to know, "What about the super-glue?" That's where this comes in. When we moved to this house several years ago, one of the drawers in my oldest's dresser got broken. The clip that connects to the drawer slide got ripped out by someone who didn't know how to get the drawers out the right way. We fixed it up for him and it seemed to work just fine. About a month ago, however, the clip came off again, making the drawer fall out every time he opens it. So, while we were cleaning out the dresser, I decided that it was time to try and fix the drawer again. A few poorly placed nails and some super-glue, and we are all set. The clip is holding and so is the drawer. But my fingers managed to get a nice coating of super-glue on the tips in the process. I did NOT glue them together, although that does happen most times I use super-glue. But somehow, the tips of three fingers ended up with the sticky stuff. It is a strange and annoying feeling, having glue coating my fingers. It is not the same as when they've been glued together and I pry them apart. Some of it flaked off during my shower later, but it's still there, still annoying.

The other reason I think that Spring Break may not be quite as bad as I thought? There hasn't been one squabble yet. My younger son figured out how to fold paper and put the printed sides (my kids' drawing paper is used on one side) face to face and then tape them, making a book with clean paper on all visible sides. So the two of them have spent all day (minus chore time) making their own comic books. They are frequently drawing comics and making books, but this style is new. They wrote and drew all day, helping each other with ideas, spelling, and drawing. And now the tape is all gone. They have since found a giant glue stick, and they are using that for their upcoming comic books. It's been a pretty good day.

In other news, we tried out a few Cheerios on our little one, and it cracks me up the faces she makes. She prefers is at the front of her mouth and she chews it with her front gums and one tooth. If the Cheerio manages to make it to the middle of her tongue, she doesn't know how to handle it, and sits there drooling with her mouth open and tongue hanging out. It may still be a little early yet for Cheerios, but she enjoyed herself.

Our Christmas Countdown

So I actually took this idea from my friend Carrie. I read about it on her blog and decided that this year, I was going to do it, too!

I went through our bookshelves and collected all of our Christmas books. There weren't quite enough, so I then decided to use any winter stories as well (Carrie went to the library-- I worried about not finding enough Christmas stories, and having them too long/overdue). I came up with 24 Christmas and winter stories and wrapped them up in our Christmas wrapping paper. Each night, one of my boys gets to select a story to unwrap, counting us down until Christmas. Carrie has a super cute basket that she put hers in. Mine are just stacked on the little end table. I love the idea of a basket, though.

I first started wrapping the books in the kitchen. But then I had nosy boys who wouldn't let "I'll tell you when I'm ready" be a good enough answer. I got questions like, "Why are you wrapping books that we already have?" and "What are we going to do with all those? Are we giving them away?" I wanted to tell them when it was all finished. So I took the wrapping to my room. When I brought them all out, my youngest son said, "I know those are books, Mom. Are we supposed to know they are books?" I said, "Yes, it's okay that you know they are books." He then said, "I want to open one!" Who doesn't like opening presents early? Even when you know it's a book.

It has been really fun. We have everything from How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Queen of Christmas, and Mouse's First Christmas to Owl Moon, Snow, and Bear Snores On. Of course there is the classic The Night Before Christmas, but I forgot to mark it so it would be last. I don't remember how I wrapped it, so it'll just have to be read when it is unwrapped! Some stories are silly (There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell) and some help us remember why we celebrate Christmas (Tomie's Little Christmas Pageant).

What better way to count down to Christmas than by opening a present every night--and then reading it?

The Holiday Porch

For about 3 days this week, we had 3 holidays on our front porch. The Sunday before Halloween, while visiting my husband's parents, they gave us two HUGE pumpkins that had grown under their fence from the neighbor's yard (he said they could keep them). We brought them home and then worried about how to carve such massive pumpkins. Sometimes when a gourd gets that big, the meat of it is really thick. We didn't really want to exert the brute force it would take to carve out even just the traditional triangles and a smile. As my husband and I looked them over, our boys asked if we were going to paint our pumpkins again this year. Oh, yeah! Last year, all the cousins got together and painted pumpkins at my mom's house. We decided this was the safer route and the kids got to be more 'hands on' about it. So, they painted the pumpkins and they were placed on the front porch.

About a week into November, I remembered a pair of wooden pilgrims that I had painted about 7 years ago. So, I retrieved them from the crawl space and they took their post next to the front door. I looked at the pumpkins and decided that they were comfortable where they were. (Did I mention the massive size of those things?)

The Monday after Thanksgiving, I decided I wanted to hang the Christmas lights on the house while it was still moderately nice weather and the ice was not yet a threat. I had spent a good couple hours and a blood blister on my thumb getting the burned out lights all changed and good to go on Saturday. So, it was time. I went with the limited ladder approach this year, just wrapping them around the porch and the two window awnings instead of across the eaves of the roof.

And then, for three days, our porch celebrated Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas all at the same time. I'd have left it longer, but today was garbage day, and my husband wanted to toss them, rather than have them get all slimy over the next week or 3. So, we took the kids out to the porch, had them sit by their own pumpkin and we got a shot. It doesn't show the lights very much, but if you look at the edges of the picture, the lights are wrapped around the porch railings.

Our Holiday Porch. Happy Hallow-Thanks-Mas!

And, since we are talking about Halloween, here is a bit of sew and tell that I didn't get to share yet. I love to make my boy's Halloween costumes, and they love to be involved with all the details. Here is what we had this year.


A Mad Scientist

I made the jacket pattern using a robe that my sister made and passed to us when her son grew out of it. I just eliminated the hood and sash and added a collar and buttons. My son picked out these huge toy buttons. He saved that flourescent yellow shirt all month so it was clean for his costume. He made his name tag that says, "Hello. My name is Mad Scientist." Clever. One day, he is going to be a scientist, I just hope he doesn't really go mad.



A Bat

This guy's bat ears just wouldn't stand up straight. But he never complained once. His favorite part of the costume was that the wings had handles that he could grab for flight. When he was busy with other bat things, he simply let go and the wings hung quietly behind him. I must note that the bat head and vest are made with fleece because bats have fur. But the wings are just cotton, because bat wings are not furry.

And of course, a spooky Lindsey Stirling video that would have been posted with these pics on Halloween, had I sat down and actually posted when I thought of it. Nothing like fighting off zombies with a stringed instrument and a few good dance moves. Please enjoy.

(First Ever) Family Vacation

My family recently took a week long road trip to San Diego, California. We live about 12 hours away, so we stopped off for the night at a little over half way in both directions. My kids thought staying in more than one hotel was really cool. This was our first EVER family vacation. My husband and I never even took a vacation pre-children, we were too busy trying to finish college, make ends meet, and save money. Life just goes on. Add in kids, finish college, get a steady job, buy a car, keep saving, time for a house, keep saving, make ends meet, start a new degree, work, school, playgrounds, life!

SO, when we looked at our savings at the end of last year, and the fact that my husband would be finished with his Master's Degree, we decided that this summer was it. Time to go out and see something other than our little world of library, neighborhood parks, elementary, and children's museum.
Our vacation consisted of Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, a Harbor Cruise, a tour through the USS Midway Navy ship Museum, and playing at the beach. We packed a lot into our week and had a blast. Here are some of the things that I learned while on vacation.

• If you are up-front and optimistic about a long drive, the kids will be just fine!

We forewarned the kids that after breakfast, we would be getting in the car and we would be driving until dinner time. I packed a lunch and told them we'd stop somewhere for a little picnic, but besides bathroom breaks and lunch, we would be driving all day. We loaded up the MP3 player with all sorts of music, brought along several car games, and a variety of snack foods and we headed out.

It was a bit surprising how fast an hour (or three!) can go in the car. I was trying to watch for each half-hour so I could announce "Stretch out your body!" but often found we didn't really stretch that often. Not only that, but the kids were entertained by some of the games for a surprisingly long time. As long as the music was enjoyable, they rode along fine, and I didn't hear "Are we there yet?" or "Why can't we just be there, already" or "How much longer?" at all. Every so often one of the boys would ask for the time, but it wasn't a complaint, merely a curiosity, often followed up with "Really?!" I also had a road atlas that I periodically pulled out to show them how far we'd traveled. They could see where we'd been and how far we had to go, and that seemed to put a little bit of perspective on things.

• Just because you can see it from where you are standing on the Strip doesn't mean it's really that close.

Our first night was spent in Las Vegas. We arrived around 5:30, and so decided to have dinner at the nearby fast food place and see some of the sights on the Strip. The Bellagio was across the street and about 2 blocks away from our little motel, so after eating, that's where we headed. Our kids had never seen the fountains, and we thought that would be fun.
After all the oohs and aahs, we thought it might be fun to see the pirate show in front of Treasure Island. "It's not that far" we thought. WRONG! It was over a mile away, which isn't a bad walk, my kids walk that far from school. But when you don't know it's that far and it's hot and we left our water bottles in the motel room...it's a really miserable walk. Turns out, by the time we got there, we'd missed the show by about 20 minutes and the next was not starting for nearly an hour. Now we have a couple of hot, grouchy kids, no show to watch, and still at least a mile to walk before we can get back to our room. Arrgh!

• It's amazing what a bathroom break and a bottle of water can do to change an attitude.

We had initially told the kids we'd swim in the pool before bed, but looking at the time and how long it took us to get to Treasure Island, we decided that there wouldn't be adequate swimming time. So, spotting a WalGreens across the street, we decided to take a quick bathroom break, buy some water (found some good size bottles for $0.99!) and stake out our spaces for the next show. The kids were refreshed and in much happier moods, especially since we promised that they'd get swimming time in San Diego for SURE. The walk back wasn't even that bad.

• Milk is always the first thing to go at a free hotel breakfast. So get there first or go without.
• Make sure when you call the hotel desk for directions, you both know which street she is talking about.

When we arrived in San Diego, we decided we needed to see the beach and the ocean! I called the desk for directions. She asked if I knew the road we came into the lobby on. Yes, it's the same as the road that leads into our parking lot... So following her directions by starting on the road on the side of the hotel, we went in a great big circle that took 20 minutes to get to the freeway. Only she was referring to the road in FRONT of the lobby, not the side entrance where we came in. Luckily we still found the freeway, but we used that route for 2 days! On the morning of day 3, my husband went down to ask for directions to the zoo (The beaches and Sea World are the same general direction). The desk clerk gave him an entire sheet of driving directions for various places around San Diego. This was when we discovered our error. If the woman I'd spoken to in the first place had told me the name of the street, we would have saved a whole lot of time those first two days. The freeway entrance is right there. Whoops.

• Roads in San Diego are not what they seem.

Our first night in San Diego, we had dinner fairly close to our hotel. I spotted a grocery store across the street and we went over to get a few things. To get to the store, we had to go around the block and come in at the other side of the parking lot. As we left, we went out of the parking lot the same way we got in it, and figured if we turned at the next corner, we'd come to the intersection across from the restaurant. Only we didn't. Somehow we ended up in a different neighborhood and came back around in this big circle TWICE. We thought we had gone the right way because we passed a restaurant that was the same as the one we ate at...only it was not the same one. I can't even be sure how we got back to the store the third time, but we went about a different route, and managed to make it back to the hotel...after driving around for about 30 minutes. And my awesome streetwise road map that we bought did not list all these weird streets we ended up on. I still cannot figure out how we ended up where we did, and how we ever got back around.

• Even in weather that isn't very hot, the beach is something you shouldn't pass up. 

The kids had a blast! My oldest spent most of his time jumping the waves, while my youngest decided that he'd rather bury himself in the sand. It was so fun. We went to the beach twice, and I'm so glad that we did.

• Saying "We're going to spend the day at Sea World" really means the whole day.

Watching for Shamu

Nose to Nose with a Dolphin

Somehow, my husband didn't think we'd really be there ALL day. I'm not sure what else he thought we'd do, but there really wasn't much time for anything else. There were shows to see and exhibits to examine. We even got to throw ice cubes to the dolphins. They like to eat them!

• Starting with the bus tour in the zoo is merely an over-view, but a good way to learn some stuff you didn't know before.

The bus tour of the San Diego Zoo comes with a regular day-ticket. So we started there. The map said it covers 70% of the zoo, and I thought, "Cool! This way we can see most of it now and get what we can't see on foot, thus spending our time wisely." Well, the problem with that, is that you can't get out and go stare at the windows until the animals appear. If the driver can't see anything, she'll pause for a moment and then move on. But we learned some really cool stuff, and did get to see some of the animals that weren't visible when we went back on foot. But one really cool thing we did see when we walked over? Two polar bears wrestling in and out of their pool. One would get out and the other would pull him back in. It was really cool.

• Sometimes they whine and drag their feet because they are hungry, not bored.

Keep the snacks coming, and keep an eye on the time and the location of the nearest eateries. Again, what a mood changer!

• Be sure to get change for the penny-stretching machines. After all, what's 50 cents when it makes your kid smile?
• A Harbor Cruise is not all that exciting for kids.

They enjoyed watching the water for a little while, and we saw a dolphin swim by and sea lions sunbathing on the buoys. But they spent most of the time sitting at the table in the middle of the deck playing a game with their water bottles. Oh, well. This one was for us.

• Sometimes a tantrum isn't because he doesn't want to do it, but because he's scared.

The morning we were getting ready for our Harbor Cruise, our younger son was being really obstinate and ended up throwing a royal fit. He said he wanted to stay in the hotel and watch TV. After some serious anger from our boy, my husband had the thought to get down and ask him gently why he didn't want to go. Turns out he was really scared of getting on the boat. Who knew? After we reassured him that we'd be right there, and that he'd be safe, he took a deep breath, smiled and said, "Let's go!"

• The "Family Self-Guided Tour" on the USS Midway is really cool!

The USS Midway is an old Navy Ship with a Flight Deck. (That's it behind my boys). When you get inside the Hangar Deck, they hand you a headset and a little digital player. Then you follow the signs. As you tour the ship, you stop in various places and type in the number located on the signs. There is a regular tour that goes into great detail and depth. The other tour (taking the same route) has fewer stops, but the narrator talks on a kid's level and explains the ins and outs of the ship in a family friendly way. It was really cool and the kids were interested the whole time! The kids were excited to see it in the first place, and they didn't get bored early because they had their own personal tour guide! It's not free, but it was worth it. And I got to throw all my boys in the Brig.

• Having an extra day just to swim in the hotel pool and watch free cable tv is worth it before that last long drive home.

When we reached our halfway point on the way home, we actually stayed two nights. It was really nice to break up that drive with a day in between. It was like a vacation from the vacation. We swam in the hotel pool, watched cable TV and just relaxed before that last leg home. I was glad for it. And the kids seemed ready to go in the morning. Breakfast, and then on our way.

Master in the House!

About a year and a half ago, my husband decided it was now time to return to college and earn his Master's Degree. He had about 5 years teaching under his belt, and that was the agreed upon time frame to move from Bachelor's to Master's. After all, isn't the fun of teaching, gettting to teach? So, having found himself comfortable in his school, it was time to add to his own education (and stress level!).

Today, it is official. He is finished. His grades are in and the degree has been awarded. Because his last class was during Summer Semester, the University encouraged all students who were finishing in the summer to participate in the Spring Graduation. We went to the hooding, and it was a really cool feeling to watch them put that strange piece of satin and polyester over his head. His final class actually ended a week early (last week) and today, which would have been his last day of class, his final grade was posted on his transcript. To celebrate, we called the student loan company, inquired upon his pay off amount and returned the money borrowed for his tuition.

That's right. Not only is he finished with his Master's, but we have already paid off his Student Loan. What's our secret? We didn't know how much we needed. So, we took the full loan amount they offered us. We then put it in our bank account and then only used it for tuition and books. My husband was also teaching a concurrent enrollment class in his school. The University giving credit for the concurrent class offered to pay for one class at the University for every semester they taught. He took advantage of this and didn't have to pay for all of his classes. Because of this, the bulk of the loan just sat there. Then, when we got our tax return this year, it happened to cover the amount we spent. We got our first statement and we just sent all the money back. Done and done!

Summer is now officially here, and I couldn't be more proud of my husband and his accomplishments. He has worked really hard to keep his grades up (3.95 GPA!) and make sure his students weren't neglected. And now, he actually has time to read what he wants! Free time? Is this a new thing?

Congratulations, husband! We are so proud of you.

Summer Clean-up

I don't know about the rest of you, but when I've got the house to myself, getting ambitious and busy with cleaning is much easier than when there are people all over the house. I stay home with my kids, and I am of the opinion that because I am home, the household chores need to be kept up by me. I have no problem with that. But when summer hits, I just want to play all day, like a kid, and leave the chores to the wind. Summer vacation means that the kids will be home all day, every day. But for me, that also means that my husband will be home, too. Being a teacher, his summers are spent at home (at least until we find the necessity for him to get a summer job). So, it seems like it's that much harder to keep things in order in my house during the summer. Not that my hubby doesn't help out. He does. But there seems to be no routine anymore. I sleep in. I read all morning, and stuff just doesn't seem to happen on a regular basis. I want to be able to jump at the chance for a family outing on a moment's notice. And somehow, doing the cleaning clouds the idea that that will be possible.

I am definitely a "color inside the lines" kind of a girl. I like schedules and routines. Oh, sure, I'd like to think that I can "laze" about all day, doing nothing without regard to any kind of schedule. But then I'm frustrated because my carpets flinch when I run the vacuum because they don't know what the ruckus is all about, and the floors can't remember when the last time a mop was applied. Not to mention the bathroom mirrors that distort your reflection because of the fingerprints and toothpaste splatter and the piles of laundry that have been sitting so long they can't remember when they were last in the closet.

SO, as the end of school approached, I decided that I needed to do something to combat that. The boys have had "mini" chores to do each day. One simple task to keep them involved, and something to base their meager allowance on. But I decided that since I've got a household full of people every day, I had better utilize them. I created a new schedule for the week. Each day has a room that is to be cleaned. But it's not just a basic "Monday clean the Front Room" kind of chore chart. I needed specifics, and ways to be sure all the bases were covered. This chart has two columns. One labeled "Mom's Chores" and one labeled "Boy's Chores." Under each heading are all the responsibilities that for the assigned room. For example, in the Front Room, my responsibilities are to: dust the piano and book shelves, remove and put away anything that doesn't belong in that room, and vacuum. The boys need to: take all story books back to their bedroom bookshelf, put away any toys left in the room, and take out the garbage (I have a small waste basket for tissues and dryer sheets).

Each day has a room and each room has specific assignments. There are between 3 and 5 things that need taken care of in each room. And like magic, my house is perpetually clean and the boys are involved. We have successfully made it through one week of cleaning together every day after breakfast and I have heard several times from my boys, "I like doing chores together." If I can keep this up, my house will be lovely all summer, and after a while my kids may start keeping things neat and orderly without a reminder (we can all hope, right?).

And because everything is always better with music, here is thePianoGuys' latest video. Here's to a clean house and a summer with a routine!

S'mores for Christmas

Like many families, we like to choose new ornaments for our tree every year. Each boy selects one and then we choose one dubbed the "family ornament." We write their names on them, and the year. It makes for a memory filled tree with many assorted ornaments. At our house, you won't find a tree with a theme or a color scheme. It's all about finding that something that fits the personality of our family each year.

This year, as we wandered up and down the aisles of the store, we came across an assortment of s'mores. Snowman s'mores!  I wanted to just scoop them all up and put the all on our tree. There was a traditional s'more (with a snowman face!). There was a snowboarding s'more. There was a s'more in a graham cracker boat with a chocolate motor and his fishing pole. (I had to remind my little one that he doesn't fish--although, it would have been okay if he was dead set on it. It was so cute!) We almost came home with a sledding s'more...until we saw something else. There were so many to choose from, we stood there looking for a long time. But when we finally arrived on our choices, I don't think we could have done wrong. The Santa s'more with his List is the family ornament, and my boys each picked out the s'more that they loved best. It was a hard pick. I almost decided that Mom and Dad need our own ornaments this year, too, just so I could bring home a couple more s'mores. But with a budget and a tradition, I think we came home with the things that fit us just right this year. Who doesn't love s'mores?

I've Spilled the Beans

It's funny, really, that I want my own blog. I don't even have a Facebook page. But, this, somehow seems more appealing to me. It seems more the place where I can chatter on (hence the spilled beans) about the things that seem important to me. So, after much internal debate, here I am.

Of course, you may hope to know a little about me. I am a stay at home mom with two boys (a 1st Grader and a Preschooler). My hubby works hard to "bring home the bacon" so that I am able to enjoy the kids, and be there for all those crucial (and not-so-crucial) times.  I do have a bachelor's degree in Family Studies, and I use it often. My boys are my life. I am grateful every day that I am not employed (note, I did not say work-- that I do) because otherwise, who knows when the dishes and the laundry would get done!

I enjoy many things when I have a few moments to just be me. The first thing I may turn to are puzzles. I love puzzles of all kinds. Word puzzles, number puzzles, jigsaw puzzles--I love to find the pieces and bring them all together. This is evident in my home. I have 3 one-thousand piece puzzles that I glued and framed hanging on the walls. There are 2 or 3 more, waiting for me to work on. They have come in phases, however. The frames can cost a pretty penny. So, like any family on a budget, I have to be sure I don't get ahead of the income as I finish a puzzle. Otherwise, it will have to sit in waiting before I can frame it. That's a pain.

Another thing I've come to enjoy is sewing. I've decided that sewing is just another kind of puzzle. Only, in this case, I get to create it from start to finish. I choose the fabrics, the threads, and the pattern. I have found it greatly satisfying to finish a sewing project. And now, it's time for a little "Sew and Tell." Most recently (read: this week), I spent about 15 hours on my latest sewing project. I am proud to say that the pattern is mine in entirety, I created it all from scratch. I have just finished a beautiful tree skirt. Now, I know, it is too early for Christmas displays. But this one had to be done early. It's not for me. In our community, there is a "Christmas Tree Jubilee." Trees are donated and then auctioned off for charity. They are on display the day before and after Thanksgiving. The winners of the auction get the tree and all it's trimmings. The PTA at my oldest boy's school is donating a tree. So I volunteered to make the tree skirt. I am very pleased with what I have created.

One of my key interests is the world of literature. I love to climb into another world. When I'm reading, I can become someone else, experience things that I haven't before, and go where I've never been. And then I can just put in a book mark and come home. The adventure will wait for me, until I return. I think, that for the most part, I will use this space as a place to write about what I have read. I have been doing quite a bit of reading this year, and sometimes you just need someone to discuss the books with! So, you may come here and find piles of literature. I am always open to new recommendations, and any insight into a novel that I have missed.  I hope you will browse, comment and enjoy.