Tot School

I have been hearing a lot about the phenomenon of Tot school.  Since Maddie is not in school and wants to do school with Mommy, I decided I better have some planned activities for her.  A couple of weeks ago I pulled out my apple unit from my Kindergarten days.  I had some red and green foam apples and then some fake red and green apples that I let her play with.  We practiced saying the colors red and green and then I taught her how to put the red fake apples on the red foam apple and then the same with the green. I then let her glue red and yellow tissue paper on one of the foam apples.  She loved that!

This week we begin to discover fall.  I went to Hobby Lobby and explored their fall stuff.  I found all sorts of cool little things that I put together in a plastic dishpan (found at the dollar store).  Here are some of the things I included:

fake leaves
small pumpkins
fall bells
felt leaves
wooden acorns
fake corn
plastic squash

She loves to take everything out of the box and put it back in again.  I am working on new activities so I will keep you posted on what I put together!

Odds and Ends

I have decided to embrace my stay at home time to the fullest.  I have become an avid follower of various blogs and decided I want to try and be more serious with the blogging.  I have decided to blog about all aspects of my new staying at home adventure.  Here are some of the topics that I will try and be more diligent in writing about.

Kindergarten
Tot school
Cooking/Baking
Couponing
 Anything else I think is worth writing about!

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Thanks!

Trip to the Dentist

Caden had his first visit to the dentist this week.  I know what you are thinking... he is 5 and this is his first trip???? I have no excuse really except that it was terribly hard to take time off of work.

He did OKAY.... The dental assistant was overly chipper for 10 o'clock in the morning.  It reminded me of the Kindergarten teacher from the Robert Munsch book We share everything!  Caden liked her though, so I guess what she was doing was working.  She started by counting all of his teeth.. good news he had brought all 20 with him, we didn't forget any at home.  Then she began to brush his teeth with cookie flavor paste.  First she asks him what his favorite cake is- chocolate maybe?  His response... "My mom doesn't buy me chocolate cake, because she doesn't have any money." WHAAAT?  Where in the heck did that come from?  Seriously, I wanted to melt into the wall.  Just when I thought we were going to get through this ordeal quick and easy, Caden Beau decided that he had enough of the cake paste.  He sat up thrashing and screaming..."I don't like this stuff".  After that it was like a battle to get through the floss, and the actual tooth brush brushing.  GOOD GRIEF... See I knew there was a reason I hadn't taken him to the dentist, yet.

Needless to say, we made it out of there with NO cavities!  His teeth looked great!  We will try it again in 6months!

Summer Days

As summer vacation comes to an end, I have to say I have thoroughly enjoyed my two rug-rats this summer.  Sure.. I have had trouble going to the grocery store with both in tow, haven't been able to sleep in due to a precious little boy that wakes up at the crack of dawn, and am completely exhausted by the end of the day, but this summer has given me my identity as a mom back.

MB: 5years old



                                      MG: 2years old


 I realized that by working full time, I had completely lost the notion of ENJOYING my kiddos.  They are funny little people that have a lot to say about well everything really.  I also realized this summer the importance of my family and what I really love the most about my life is just hanging out with my munchkins and my hubby.  We have had Sunday family dinners with my parents and grandad.  We have had summer evenings on the back porch with a glass of wine, we have taken the kids paddle boating, swimming, and to the beach.  Most importantly I have reconnected with my family and completely forgotten about that thing called work.  I am looking forward to the fall season and all that it brings with it, but I have to admit I am not ready for Summer to end yet.  I need a little more time to sit barefooted outside, listening to Carrie Underwood, and sipping my wine.  I need a little more time of morning cuddle time and figuring out what adventures will await us during the day.  Most of all, I need a little more time to hug my baby boy, tell him how much I love him and how proud of him I am.  You see I don't want summer to end, because when it does that means my baby is going to Kindergarten.  ;)  (Sigh... sniff...sniff)

Road Trip

My husband and I had a notion that we would take the little monsters to a water park about 3 hours away.  We decided that we would spend the night, thinking it would be easier to stay the night then pack the kids back in the car after being in the sun all day.  My plan was to leave the house around 8:30 in the morning, at 10:00 we were still in the city.  Trying to get the monsters out of the house is an almost impossible quest.       MG had to take 2 babies, a barbie, 3 snuggies, 3 binkies, a blanket, and her pillow pet.  MB had to bring a back pack of books, transformers, his blanket, his puppy, and his pillow pet.  After packing up their entire room ;), we were finally on the road.  Before we could even get 30 minutes out of town, we had already made 3 stops, and MG had  one arm concocted out of her car seat.  I was starting to have second thoughts about this fun filled trip we were about to embark on.   Good thing I had packed some snacks because every 10min. those two little monsters were wanting something else to eat.  I was happy to oblige as long as it kept them quiet.  The rest of the car ride went pretty smoothly.  Thank goodness for our portable DVD player, Toy Story and Transformers were our saving grace with MB.  The water park was fun, but it was hard to keep up with those little monsters at times.  Daddy decided to take MB on one of the big boy slides, so that meant I was nominated to stay with MG in the kiddie park.  MG would climb up the slides and then hide in the corner.  I had to ask several little kids to go up and rescue her.  She is a stubborn little thing though, really didn't want to come down at all.  I am sure I was a sight, dancing around, trying to get her to come to momma.  Shoot. Me. Now.  I took her over to the lazy river, but it was not lazy by any means.  She didn't want to just sit in the tube, no she wanted me to hold her arms and let her bounce on my legs while I walked.  (Hard visual, however, just know that it was more of an exercise, than a lazy jaunt in the river)  I was so thankful when Daddy and MB were coming back.  By this time I was ready to sit and have a rest, but the little monsters had other ideas.  They just played and played and played.  I knew it was time to go after I was sitting in the water and some kinda funk floated past me, yep that was enough public water fun for me....  We decided to head over to the hotel, Booking a hotel online after 4 glasses of mommy juice, not a good choice.   This hotel was more than disgusting.  I took one look at it, and told my husband that I could not stay there.  The room was hot as hades, the bed looked like it had dirty sheets, holes in the wall, torn chair..... you get the picture.  After driving around, we finally found a rather nice hotel, that I was much more content with.  Hubby says he will help with the booking next time... (it was the wine... I promise).  Needless to say, our little vacation notion turned into one heck of an adventure.

Trip to the Grocery Store

For years my mom was a daycare provider.  I loved the babies that she took care of.  Their very cuteness is what inspired me to want lots and lots of kids.  When MB(monster boy) was born, he was the PERFECT baby.  Well that is what I remember anyway (I know every parent thinks his/her child is perfect, but MB really was!).  He actually didn't grow horns and the third eye ball until he turned three when MG(monster girl) was born.  MG's horns on the other hand developed much earlier, probably around the time she began to walk and talk.  I think its a ploy... the cuter the kids, the more devilish they are.  Two strikes against me... my little ones have big blue eyes that make your heart melt.  It's hard to be mad at them when they are so darn cute!  But... believe me that cuteness can only carry you so far.  I had this great idea today to go to the grocery store.  It was one of those days when you need absolutely EVERYTHING.  I woke up early, took my shower, had my coupons ready and then went to battle getting the kids ready.  I swear I asked MB at least 50,000 times to get dressed.  He always has something he is doing.  First he was watching cartoons, he had to gather 10 cars to go with him, he had to color Nae (my mom) a picture real quick.  Are you flipping kidding me?  Kid, I should not have to repeat myself (I love those parents who only have to ask once and there kid just does what they say... really???).  Get your clothes on for goodness sakes!!!!  An hour and a half later we were in the car, with 8 cars, 5 of MG's snuggies (little blankets she carries everywhere, her bunny, a cup of milk, and a cup of juice.  Crud.. where are my coupons and my grocery list, for that matter where is my purse??  Back inside I go.  We finally make it to the grocery store, and make it almost through the entire store, but I see the wine isle and really have been craving just a little mommy juice.  Up and down the isle I go, as both of my children's arms are flailing and they are trying to touch every bottle they see.  I can't even concentrate to see what kind of wine I might want.  Forget it!  Here I am trying to push this basket that is filled to the brim, while entertaining two hungry kids.  MG thinks she needs to have a taste of everything that goes into the basket.  We had already opened a container of cookies, goldfish, and two lunchables.  If she had it her way, I would have broke open the OJ and poured that into her sippy cup.  I had one more stop.... Produce.  MB decides he is going to get out of the basket to "help".  No son, touching, smelling, and tasting every produce item you see does not equate to helping.  But thanks anyway.  Needless to say, I finally made it home.

I need a vacation!

 I absolutely could not wait until summer.  I was feeling the teacher burn-out (all you teachers out there know what I mean).  Summer was calling my name.  Sleeping in, staying in my pajamas all day, eating when I wanted, coming and going as I pleased... wait a minute... I just remembered this must have been how summer was before the two little monsters that I call children were living in my house.  We will call these two little monsters BM (Boy Monster) and GM (Girl Monster).  My summer vacation now consists of the following...  getting woke up every morning by BM who finds his way into my bed nightly.  (I am not sure how many times I wake up in the middle of the night due to the aching pain that is pulsating through my arm because of the 80lb head that thinks my arm is his pillow.)  BM:  I want chocolate milk.  I want strawberries.  I want cartoons.  ME:  Really, because I would like to sleep 10 minutes longer, but that is not going to happen because your whining is the equavalent to my flipping alarm clock.  I groggily get up, get BM his chocolate milk, strawberries, and Scooby Do, settle back into my pillow, close my eyes, and fall asleep.  What seems like 5 min later (although I know it has to be longer, because Scooby is at least 30 minutes... right?)  BM:  Mom...... MoM...... MOM  ME:  What Baby?  I need more chocolate milk and a new cartoon.  Oh, well... I will get up now.  I will find my coffee and maybe, just maybe get to have half the cup in peace.   I get three sips of my coffee before I am running upstairs to get GM out of bed.  I walk in the room and find her sitting towards the back of the crib, blanket on her lap, looking all cute and innocent.  But the smell, that is radiating through the room is not innocent at all.  I turn on the light and what do I see... diaper on the floor.  ME:  GM what is that.  GM:  I dknow... (She is 2 and just starting to talk... a lot!)  ME:  Did you poop? GM:  No... ME:  Uh-huh I think you did.....  I proceed to remove her blanket, picked her up and realize that she has painted herself, the crib, the wall, her sheets, her blanket, her 5,000 snuggies, her pillow, her bunny... you get the point.  Well so much for enjoying my coffee.... The day proceeds in this way.. mismatch after mismatch, breaking up fights, cooking, cleaning up, cooking, cleaning up, etc.  I have now found myself counting down the minutes until my knight in shining armor... (aka... Hubby) comes home.  I need a break.  Wait a minute.. isn't this suppose to be my break.  My summer vacation.  I think I need to go back to work... that I have decided is my real vacation.