THERE IS SOMETHING NEW IN OUR HOUSE......

PIG TAILS!!!!!

FINALLY FRIDAY!!

Wow, this week has flown by! Excitement is in the air with the school year coming to an end. Bottle Rocket has had two field trips in a week - one of his favorite things as he loves to ride the bus! He even got to feed a calf and milk a cow! Smoke Bomb had pictures at school in preparation for thier graduation from preschool- in full cap and gown! Where are the kleenex? Sparkler had to have four shots and a toe prick at her check up this week. The nurse remarked that she was "as strong as an ox" while we were holding her for the shots. Yep. Pretty much on target! We have a strong willed and fiesty little girl in the family- funny how God knows just what we need. Youngest of 3 brothers and only girl, these traits keep her fully prepared for whatever she will face! Fire Cracker has been talking up a storm lately, counting and singing- always a good time when he is around! Here's to another fun weekend!

WHEW!

On Tuesday I attend a bible study and take the youngest two with me as they provide childcare at church. Three weeks ago, we were driving home and Fire Cracker informed me that his teachers had asked him and his friend to stop running. He then admitted that he had not, in fact, listened to the teachers. He said, "I kept running and did not want to listen". I was proud of his honesty and willingness to talk to me, but needless to say we had a few talks prior to our return the next week. Well yesterday after bible study, we were sitting together having lunch and Fire Cracker exclaimed with a wide smile, "Mama, I listened and followed directions today at church.....and I did my best"! It completely melted my heart! You see, ever since Bottle Rocket was about 3 years old, our family has had 4 rules the kids must follow:
1) Listen
2) Follow directions
3) Be respectful
4) Do your best
*5) Be nice - has since been added
These rules were the brainchild of MacGyver who was teaching elementaary physical education at the time. They were the rules in his class and just right -simple enough to understand and follow for small kids, yet all encompassing for most issues........do not throw toys in the house, don't eat that, don't hit your brother, try again, use your manners, don't sit on the dog, don't pick your nose, try your vegetables, etc. You name it (or break it!), and we can fit it into a rule category!

So back to Fire Cracker and our lunch date. I was thrilled! He got it! He has been listening! He actually knows the rules! The words from our mouths are not reverberating off the walls! The kids are paying attention! They really are learning what we teach them! Whew! As a parent, there are quite a few days and times when it is easy to question how much is sinking in with your children. This affirmation will keep me going for some time!

SMOKE BOMB IS GOING TO KINDERGARTEN!!

This is Kindergarten registration week at our elementary school. Wow! It just blows me away! I cannot believe Smoke Bomb is going to school next year. Where does time go? I remember the first time I saw him on an ultrasound and heard his heart galloping along. I remember "meeting" him in the OR for the first time, amazed by his beauty and high pitch scream! I remember giving him baths in the kitchen sick, his head full of curls that I refused to cut, holding him after bathtime singing "baby,baby,baby" as I rocked him, the way he took his socks and shoes off every time we rode in the car, the first time he said Mama, the list could go on and on.

It is phenomenal how many memories we have over such a short span of time. It is also remarkable how much we forget or watch go by without realizing the magnitude. Our neighbor is aspiring to write a book - something along the lines of "if I had known then that this would be the last time". I think this concept is spot on. As a parent, especially new parents, we tend to often focus on the baby's firsts.....first bath, first tooth, first time walking, first day of school. I once read in a parenting magazine that we should also be vigil about the baby's lasts....last time they use a pacifier, last time they wear diapers, last time they need help to get dressed. It seems this might help us keep things (and life) in perspective, particularly on the days when we are tired and overloaded with parenting.

I was a wreck when we had to register Bottle Rocket for Kindergarten. It was hard for me to let him go and I questioned myself about whether or not I had done enough as a parent to get him ready. There were a few weeks when I even distanced myself from him (unconsciously) so the pain would not be so hurtful. I see now that was selfish. God has a plan for us and He will not give me (or Smoke Bomb) any more than we can handle. I see now that I can stay stuck in yesterday and wondering if I have done enough for my kids, or I can focus on the present and enjoy today with my kids. Sure it isn't always easy and it is a choice we must make, but the reward is much greater. Sure there are other things I could have done/do that might benefit my kids. But it is important as a parent to also be confident that we are doing the best we can for our kids.

I did not have as hard of a time today registering Smoke Bomb for school. I still don't want to let him go off to school and I will miss him next year during the day like crazy, but this time around I am choosing focus on things a little differently. I am choosing to make the most of our time together before August rolls around. I am using naptime to spend one-on-one time with him, giving him additional responsibilities to help him feel independent, working on letters and numbers with him, etc. So that when his FIRST day of school comes, I will know in my heart that we had a blast in the LAST few months before he became a Kindergartener! So I encourage you to seize the moment and make sure memories are not passing you by unwatched. Make the most of today! It is worth it!

*On a funny note: Several teachers and parents stopped by to chat today at registration and remarked about our newest child coming to school next year. I giggled in my head. It reminded me of my husband in the months following the birth of our fourth child. When people asked how old all the kids were, he excitedly replied 6,4,2 and new! It always cracked me up. Today when the teachers asked about our newest child coming to school, it made me think about Verizon Wireless and their "New Every Two" option for phones. Hehe....look out school, we are on the plan!

FINALLY FRIDAY!!

We are back in action this week returning to school and normal schedules. Only 8 more weeks of the school season left! Hard to believe. We will be registering Smoke Bomb for Kindergarten next week. Whew...Mama is not ready quite yet for that! Baseball finally resumes this weekend after a two week break and Bottle Rocket is excited! Sparkler is a climbing machine now.....on the couches, rocks outside, benches and the 24 inch stools at the kitchen table! Isn't she too little for all this?! Fire Cracker has finally decided to wear his shorts and t-shirts. Although we have been in the 70's and 80's for a month now, he has refused to wear anything but jeans and long sleeves! Hope you have had a great week and enjoy a fantastic weekend!!

COUPON CRAZY

I have always been a woman after a deal. I love finding ways to save money. I utilize resources to the maximum and stretch them as far as they can go. I use the heels of the bread, recycle ziploc bags, buy clothes at consignment stores and squeeze every last ounce from the ketchup bottle. Needless to say I have always used coupons. I enjoy seeing the money saved at the bottom of the grocery receipt.

Recently, however, I have taken this to a whole new level and found a few blogs to help me out. It is called coupon match-ups and turns out to be a steal of a deal! The blogs show you weekly specials at various stores (grocery and drugstores) and then even tell you what coupons go with the specials. You can end up spending pennies...if even that.....for items that typically cost dollars. Now this takes some time because you have to save up coupons, organize them and make lists of each store on a weekly basis, but it is worth it! The idea is to stock up on items when they are on special and coupon matched. Then you can spend the money you save to buy your weekly necessities. This means when you run out of basic items, you will usually have them right on hand in your own pantry- no need to run out. I love this concept! The other day at CVS I bought 2 tubes of Revlon lipstick worth $15 and spent $0! Today at HT I spent $20.84 and saved $71! So as you see, I am officialy COUPON CRAZY!

SPRING BREAK FALL OUT

The return to school after Spring Break is very similar to the first week of school or the week back after Christmas Break. The kids are exhausted, grumpy and just plain emotional. For this reason, we make these weeks a priority to get the kids to bed at a decent time and try to keep them on track. Tonight was no different. We opted to miss Awana at church so the kids could get to bed at 7:30, not 9:30. We had a plan in place and were not going to back down. Well it ended up that Sparkler took a short nap around 5:30 and woke up around 6pm, just as we were sitting down to dinner. The kids ate and played a bit until MacGyver announced it was bedtime. At that time , he also told the kids to give goodnight hugs. I reminded him that Sparkler was probably not tired and could stay downstairs with me while he took the boys up to bed. Well Botttle Rocket had a huge breakdown asking, "How can Sparkler get to stay up 1 hour past us....I am 7 and she is 1....this is not fair.......how does she get to stay up late???!!!". Dejectedly, the kids huddled up to give goodnight hugs. Sparkler, in her cool and collected state, simply hugged each brother and then waved her hand and bidded a "bye-bye" cheerfully to each of them (note that her bye bye is always repeated several times!). She even swiveled a bit while waving and raised her voice an octive as if to say, "Check me out!" to all 3 of them! It was truly quite funny and even Bottle Rocket began to laugh a bit. These boys have NO IDEA what is coming. In all honesty, I think MacGyver and I have no idea either! We better fasten our seatbelts!!

FINALLY FRIDAY!!

Wahoo! We are at another Friday and ready for the weekend! It has been Spring Break around here so we have been super busy and not taken a lot of pictures. We are off to baseball practice and yard work this weekend. We also have the pleasure of meeting my future brother-in-law's parents as they are in town for the weekend. My b-i-l said he sent them a picture last month so they could practice a run down of the kid's names! Hope we don't overwhelm them with all the energy we bring to a gathering! I hope they are ready to play!

HANDS ONLY A MOTHER COULD LOVE!

"DIGGING DIRT"

Our kids LOVE the dirt! I mean they really LOVE the dirt! I could sit Sparkler and Fire Cracker in a heap of dirt and they would be pleasantly entertained for the afternoon (click here for more evidence!). Bottle Rocket and Smoke Bomb find digging in the garden irresistible. I owe this clever activity idea to their Mimi and Jack. She even buries things in their garden for treasure hunts- what fun! All of them find it amusing to fill up dunp trucks with dirt and mulch from the yard. Oh and if there is any water nearby, look out because mud pies will go flying! They enjoy riding their trikes and bikes through the puddles of rain in the road, streaking mud and dirt up their seats and backs. Sparkler simply prefers to sit in the mud and/or water. Just today, she made it all the way to 5pm without a wardrobe change. Then she decided to sit in the rain puddles outside. Not just sit in them. She had a ball splashing the water with her hands and wiggling around! No worries to me as long as she is wearing some pink and has a bow in her hair! Hmmm.......Makes me wonder if this "dirt digging" is a genetic trait inheritance? I do know one thing, our new washing machine gets stains out great!