2013: A Review

Happy Early New Year!  I really can't believe it's (almost) already a new year, seems like we just got last year started.  Anyhoo, here's a little recap of how my 2013 went!  And I owe this little post to Joy at I Can Say Mama; I'd never have put this together on my own!

Gained or lost weight?  Gained.... like, the doctor said go on a diet.

Predominant feeling in 2013?  Hmmm, feelings are tough.  Any given day is a roller coaster of emotions.  But, predominantly, I guess the feeling for 2013 was complete and utter chaos!

Predominant feeling for 2014?  I predict the chaos will follow me right into the new year, but if I could wish for it, I'd have nothing but complete and utter peace in 2014.

Something you did for the first time in 2013?  I'm not a "try something new" kind of person, but I did, for the first time ever, give an injection.  My aunt, who has diabetes, began a new medication and I was the lucky person who got to give it to her.  It's an epi-pen type thing, very fool proof.  I passed the torch to my mother in December, though.

Something you did again in 2013 after a long pause?  No clue.  Oh!  I started "digital scrapbooking" again!  Sort of.  I was really surprised to see that I hadn't worked on any of our family photos since May 2010!  I am waaaaaay behind.

Something you unfortunately did not do in 2013?  Sadly, I did not stick with my little line-a-day idea that I had at the end of 2012.  Better luck this year!  Nor did I manage to read one book a week.  So much for those New Year's Resolutions I made!

Word of the year?  Yes.  Sadly, it will not carry over into 2014.  2014 is going to be the year of big, fat NO.  Sorry people.

City of the year?  Evansville, the most travelled to city anyway.

Hair longer or shorter?  Shorter, then longer.

More or less money spent?  Probably more.

Highest mobile phone bill?  I think the highest was around $220, we have four lines and the husband continuously goes over his data plan.  Yes, we've had many fights about it.

Hospital stays?  Zero, thank goodness!  Unless you count one out-patient procedure?

(Fallen) In love?  Still in love.

Most called person?  Casey.

Whom did you spend the most beautiful time with?  My kids.  They drive me crazy, but there's nothing better than being home with them.

What did you spend most of your time with?  I probably spent more time sitting in the waiting room while the kids did therapy than anything else this year.  Or, possibly, more time sitting in the car in the student pickup lane at school!  It'd be a toss up between those two.

Song of the year?  Oh, gosh.  This is a tough one.  The funny side of me wants to pick What Does the Fox Say, because I do have that one on my playlist.  But, really the song of the year has to be Lorde's Royals.  Patty and I both love it.

Book of the year?  This reminds me, I didn't complete my one-book-a-week resolution in 2013!  Bummer!  But, I guess my book of the year would have to be....hmmmm.  I read a handful of "classics" that I found for-cheap on Amazon.  I can't pick just one of them as book of the year, so I guess all things Signet Classic, will have to do.

TV show/movie of the year?  Oh, this one is beyond tough for me.  I am a tv-a-holic in desperate need of a 12 step program.  Like, seriously.  Hmmmm....  I'm going to pick X-Factor.  This was my second year watching the program and I absolutely love it.  Oh, but I really liked the Dancing with the Stars cast this year too!  And who can forget about Survivor, my all time favorite!  See, serious tv problem.

Insight of the year?  You can't be in two places at once, but multitasking is almost the same thing.

Three things you totally could have done without?  1. Lack of Facebook Etiquette, maybe it's just that I don't feel strongly enough about anything to leave a disagreeing comment on one of your personal posts, but there was a time this year when a lot of people thought it was more than appropriate to voice their views on my Facebook posts.  2.  Weight gain ;-}  3. Too hot summer days.

Most beautiful event?  My children's birthdays.  Hands down.

More short-sighted or more far-sighted than 2013?  About the same, I think.

The most dangerous thing you did?  Ha!  I don't live a dangerous life!  Unless you count posting my opinion on Facebook, that has proven to be quite the taboo lately.

The most expensive thing you bought?  I ordered an expensive Fossil bag, but returned it because it was absolutely huge!  So, I guess the Silhouette Portrait was the most expensive purchase of my year.

The most delicious meal or food you ate?  Oh geez, another thinker.  We make these little cookies every Christmas, we call them Secret Kiss Cookies, and they are to die for yummy.  They are the highlight of my Christmas candy season.  Sadly, I have not made them this year.  I am taking my doc's advice to drop ten pounds seriously, and having those little yummies in the house would be diet suicide.

The best party?  If it had cake, it was the best!

The most important thing you wanted to convince somebody of?  Regardless of diagnosis or family status, I believe kids are able to achieve great and wonderful things.  They just need a little push, a little guidance, and their own cheering section.  Get your pom-poms ready.

The most beautiful present you gave to somebody?  Hmmm.  I don't think I gave any profoundly insightful presents this year.  Sorry, folks!  In fact, I got more than a little irritated when someone made a remark about getting money, instead of the gift I put a lot of thought into purchasing.  I predict, next year, a lot of folks will be getting a lot of nothing.

The most beautiful present that somebody gave you?  My kids are the gift that keeps giving.

The most beautiful sentence someone said to you?  My kids saying "I love you, mommy".

The most beautiful sentence you said to someone?  I tell my kids on a regular basis, "You can do it.  I know you can."

How will you celebrate New Year's Eve?  I want to be snuggled up on the couch watching tv.

What will you have for dinner?  Maybe, pizza.

What drinks will be in your glasses to clink?  Ha!  Pepsi.  Whoopsie, I have given up caffeinated soft drinks since I first wrote this, so now I will be having a nice glass of Sprite to celebrate the New Year!

Will you ignite any fireworks?  No, not even if it's legal.
- I think there are states in the US where it is not allowed to ignite private fireworks on New Year's Eve so for all of you who are not allowed (or other countries where this is not allowed): What is a special tradition you normally do on New Year's Eve every year? Will you do it this year, too?

What are you going to wear? Comfy or glamorous?  Pajamas, totally comfy.

Did you have any resolutions for 2013? And how about 2014?  I want to make my doctor proud, and lose weight in 2014.....along with all the other foolishly optimistic people!  I want to read more, and get caught up with my family photos, too.

What are your wishes for the new year?  Good health, and happy hearts.

In one word: 2013 was...  Pivotal.

Meet the Lollipop Critters

 

The Girl Scout Christmas party was a raging success!  It was such a blast we ran out of time and sent the Lollipop Critters home for completion.  But, here's a little picture of each critter and how they turned out. 

I used dum-dum suckers and I think they would have been cuter with a little bigger, rounder sucker.  I'm now wondering if Tootsie-Pops would have worked? 

I was a little disappointed with Santa, he just looks a little rough around the edges.  It's probably because I just unrolled a cotton ball and glued it on.  I'm sure giggly girl scouts could have had way more fun gluing on the cotton for his hat and beard! 

But, those googley eyes really make these little critters pop, don't they?

And I did shrink them down quite a bit from the original version, so maybe next year we'll make the full sized ones instead!  Happy Holidays!




Update: November 29, 2015
I've gotten a handful of emails requesting these cutting files since posting these little critters, and I rarely check my email so a handful of folks have been left waiting for a reply that never came - sorry folks.  I've uploaded the SVG files to Dropbox and you can access them via this link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/k9ap80dwuvm2h6w/AAAuy2imBdxGGyPd2cXkv0xSa?dl=0  If you use the link and are able to use the cutting files, please leave a comment so I know it's working.  Happy Holidays!

2013 Letters to Santa

The kids were out of school again yesterday from the lingering snow/ice we've had the past five days.  So, they really caught me off guard when they wanted to write their letters to Santa. 

See, I like to have cute paper for those oh-so-special letters and well, I just wasn't ready yesterday morning.  But, being the go-getter he is, JT simply grabbed a sheet of copy paper from the printer tray and got to work.  I had to write the letter for him, and he busily copied it onto his own paper.  I transcribed Patty's letter and put it on the table for her to copy.  She's one smart cookie, though.  She said, "That's a lot of words!"  And just what did she do? Simply folded my paper and put it in her envelope!

I'm trying to be proactive this year, so I scanned their letters into the computer this morning and printed a copy to mail to Santa.  Yes, I keep the original; I'm sure Santa doesn't mind.  If you want to really mail your letter, go to the Santa Claus Museum's website. 

I'm not sure if this is new, or I just never noticed it, but there is a print-at-home feature on the website!  I opted to do this and now I am ready for Christmas Eve!  I'll still mail their letters, I like the idea of their Christmas wishes being a part of a Santa Claus Museum they could visit one day with their kids, but this year I'll put a note saying please don't send a reply. Save a tree, save a stamp.  Note: be sure to do a "print preview". I had to adjust the bottom margin so that Santa's signature wasn't cut off the page! 

If you're sending your little ones letter, it must be received before December 21st, a Saturday this year.  I'd get that letter in the mail no later than December 18th!  Merry Christmas!

In other news, I took to the internet to find an additional copy of our The Night Before Christmas story book.  See, we got that book for Patty's first Christmas, found it at the old Walmart in Henderson (they now have a Super Walmart), I'm pretty sure Grammie purchased it for her, and never would I have thought to buy more than one since Patty was only four months old, little did I know that I would be pregnant with JT only two months from that Christmas. 

Anyhoo, I took to the internet last night thinking I'd find a copy on Amazon.  Uh, no.  I did finally find it on Barnes and Noble.  For $142.67!  Wow.  I'm keeping our one treasured copy under lock and key, the kids will just have to fight over it when I'm gone!  I had to pull it up again this morning to share the link and the price has gone up to $157.67 over night!

Sometimes, Kids are Whiny and Annoying

My friend shared this link on her Facebook page:  How to Raise a Kid Who Isn't Whiny and Annoying.  I liked it so much I blog-stocked it all the way to it's original post on LyzLenz.com.  And, I think I like the original title, Pinterest Stress AKA White Girl Problems, better than the Huff Post title.  And I find it utterly amusing that, in the four or five articles I read, this mom and blogger refers to herself as white and/or middle class in nearly all of them.  But that's not what I was inspired to write about.  I love that she writes, "I don't care if that kid took your toy, get it back yourself, that's street justice."  That line is in the Huff Post copy, in case you read both.  I never think of street justice as a white girl problem, but something about that line really wheedled it's way into my brain. 

I think it must have been the snow day.  Yesterday was our first snow day of the school year and I had to exercise the mom-arm-of-justice at least once before lunch time.  I had actually taken note that Patty and JT were playing really well together.  I guess I'm terrible since I never really take note of what they're actually playing, I'm just happy they're in the same room (a room I am not in) doing something other than sitting next to one another playing their kindles.  Apparently they were playing a home made version of Candy Land using the round, plastic counters from Joann's teacher section, spread out in a long line on my bedroom floor.  I guess they had found one of the little gingerbread men from the game, but hadn't bothered to look for the actual game board.  Really, they should get bonus points for creativity, or something.  Anyway, during her turn, I gather that Patty had taken too many jumps.  I don't know how they were determining the appropriate number of jumps, but she'd taken too many and JT was upset. 

Later, my two little darlings had liberated all the Little People from a draw in my dresser (because that's where I've been stashing those little plastic weapons for years now, I refer to them as weapons because it's like a bomb attack when you step on one in the middle of the night).  What I could gather through the tears, boiled down to not sharing of the Little People Train.  My first thought was to instruct the crier to "take the toy back" just like Lyz says in her article.  Of course, this conflict was more of a hoarding of the toys and not a "she took that from me!" moment so I said they had to divide the train, since we do have two different trains to begin with.

Anyway, something about her article and the kids bickering yesterday made me think of something else.  Do you have random thoughts pop into your head, or is it just me?  I mean, I was literally making the turn into the school parking lot one afternoon when this popped into my head.  I guess it makes a little sense, it was the scene from Footloose where Ren is trying to leave the school parking lot and Chuck is harassing him from his truck.  I tried to find it on YouTube, but gave up after scrolling through the first nine pages of clips.  I know you know the scene I'm talking about.  Chuck says something like, "I thought only pansies where neck ties."  And Ren says, "And I thought only ass holes use the word pansy," and then drives away.  Gosh, I love Footloose.  When I watched the movie a few weekends ago, I tried to imagine how a teen might react today, some thirty years later, and I see that teen crumpling under the words of the bully.  And that's not what I want my kids to do.  I want my kids to stand up for themselves a la Ren with a witty come back and a movie star smile.

I hope my kids are never victims, and I certainly don't want them to grow up to be bullies.  But, I want them to grow up with enough self confidence to stand up for themselves, whomever the bully may be.  So, why do I feel like kids are no longer raised to do just that?  We've probably all told our kid, when the other kid takes his toy, well just let him play with it for a while and you can have it back when he's finished.  No!  That mean kid just took your little angel's toy, shouldn't you be encouraging Lyz's street justice?  At home, I'd probably say yes, but else where I'm just not sure what the right answer should be.  This also makes me think of The Pioneer Woman and her kids who ride horses and herd cattle.  I mean, my kids can't even ride bikes without training wheels and her kids are chopping down trees and immunizing cows!  Talk about feeling like a parental failure!  And then I must mention that my blogging friend Kristi recently wrote about having her own curling iron at the tender age of nine, and I just can't imagine giving Patty her own curling iron, like, ever.

I want my kids to be gracious, and thankful, and kind, but not at their own expense.  I don't want them to be whiny or annoying or inconsiderate, but that's really just human nature.  I don't want them to fall to pieces every time a friend says "I'm not going to be your friend anymore" and those moments have already started, in kindergarten and first grade.  And I know this is only the beginning of the pressures they will face in their young life.  Oh how I dread the day when they want to sign up for their first social media product or have their own cell phone or their drivers license. 

Sadly, I don't have a miracle formula or sage advice to share.  My kids have a serious case of the gimmes, which I have been trying really hard to squash.  I repeat myself, a lot, when it comes to rules of behaving in public, eventually they'll become the model kid I want them to be, right?  But, most of all, I expect my kids to do the right thing, especially when I'm not watching over them.  I just hope their "right thing" and my "right thing" will always be the "same thing"!

Labels CAN Be Limiting

I don't feel the need to share or comment about everything posted by The Friendship Circle, but yesterday's article is worth passing along.  The title alone, Labels Can Be Limiting, had my full attention. 

I 'm not particularly fond of labels of any kind, period.  I think labels are basically useless and serve no purpose other than to check a box on a piece of paper.  If you didn't already know, I'm a think outside the box kind of person.  I strongly feel that labels play no role in reaching a goal or solving a problem. 

Articles like this strenthen my resolve and give me hope.  I hope it does the same for you! 

Silhouette: DIY Reindeer Lollipop Card

Do you call it a sucker or a lollipop?  I call it a sucker, but the tutorial where I got this idea refers to it as a lollipop so I guess I better do that too.  Maybe it's a regional thing becase the tutorial came all the way from Australia!

So, as I browsed Pinterest last night I came across the Pin for these really cute Reindeer Lollipop Cards from a blog called Missy Mac Creations.  Lately I've been looking for two things when reviewing craft projects: 1.) things I can make with my new Silhouette and 2.) things that will be a Girl Scout friendly craft.  And these little lollipop cards fit the bill perfectly!  With one exception.  The template is a PDF.  That means the Silhouette can't cut it out.  But that's where Photoshop comes in really handy!

First things first, you'll need to head over to Missy Mac and download the template.  I opened the template in Photoshop Elements, which let me have each of the designs (Santa, reindeer, elf) as an individual "page".  Then, I simply deleted the background, cropped the image as tight as possible, and saved it as a .PNG file.  A .PNG file will keep a transparent background.  To make life a tad easier I went ahead and duplicated the image and flipped it so they were mirrored.  It's just easier for me to do that step in Photoshop.



Next, I opened the .PNG file in Silhouette Studio.  Here's where you'll want to find a good tutorial on using the "trace" feature, if you're not familiar.  I got really lucky that I didn't have to do much to get a "cuttable" line for these Lollipop cards.  I selected "trace outside" from the selection menu. 

Then, I used the circle tool to make a cuttable circle for the nose and the tiny little hole for the sucker stick.  I also added a line and made it "perforated" where the two halves will fold.  I did a test cut on a piece of card stock and all went well!

I also wanted to be able to use Dum-Dum suckers, so I rotated and duplicated the card so I could have two per 8.5x11 sheet.  I was able to get three Santas and Elves on one sheet, but the Reindeer antlers would only allow two per sheet.  I'm so tickled with how this turned out!  And I'm even happier that I didn't have to use a pair of sissors!

I would love to share these cuttable files with you.  But, sadly I'm not savy enough to know how to upload these so that you can download them!  I did share them with Missy Mac in the hopes that she would pass them on to you!

Update:  I received an email from Missy Mac and sadly she couldn't open the file!  But, she did say I could share!  If you're reading this and have a Silhouette and would like the cutting files, send me an email and I'll try to figure out if those files can be sent by email!   meetthecottons@gmail.com

I Love My Silhouette, I Loathe My Silhouette

I invested in a Silhouette Portrait about a month ago and have had very limited luck getting it to do what I want.  Basically, I think it should do one thing and it has consistently proven me wrong.  Really, I read raving review after review before I received the thing in the mail.  But, then, all I found were tons of folks having similar problems and one very entertaining YouTube video about how much a lady hated her Silhouette.  I really did have an "oh crap" moment thinking I had just tanked $140 down the drain. 

But, me and my can-do attitude just could not accept defeat.  I scoured YouTube and the Internet for helpful videos and tips or tricks to make this little electronic cutter do what I wanted.  I had two main issues to overcome:  the new software to make the thing work, and getting the paper off the cutting mat after I cut something.

I have been a happy Photoshop Elements user for about six years and the Silhouette Studio software pales by comparison.  Like, seriously doesn't hold a candle to Photoshop.  But, just like learning to navigate Photoshop, well, you have to learn to navigate the Silhouette Studio.  It does get easier and YouTube will become your very best friend because there are tons of tutorials to help you.  I've never spent much time on YouTube, but I'm now a happy follower of several YouTube channels and have several tutorials saved in the "watch later" category. 

The second hurdle is the cutting mat and how sticky the darn thing is.  Don't even think about cutting stuff out of regular ol' copy or printer paper.  Thin paper just sticks to the mat and rips when you try to peal it off.  Not only is it a mess, it's a frustrating mess to deal with.  I found a recommendation on a blog (I don't know where) that the Cricut cutting mat is less sticky and works in the Silhouette machine.  The thing to keep in mind is the size of your Silhouette.  As far as I know there are two Silhouettes, the Portrait (which is less expensive) and the Cameo.  The Portrait can only handle cutting shapes that are 8 inches or smaller, the Cameo can do 12 inches or smaller.  I think they can cut things that are 10 feet long, but I am no where near cutting any project that large.  I ordered my 8.5"x12" Cricut cutting mat from Joann.com.  I completely agree with that blogger who said the Cricut mat is more user friendly and less sticky.  It's still too sticky for plain copy paper, though.

When I searched for the Cricut mats I saw that the Cricut tool kit was also on sale at Joann.com and I went ahead and ordered it.  I really didn't want to invest any more money into this fiasco because I thought it was the worst possible idea.  But, the special tools definitely make life easier when trying to get the paper off the cutting mat.  That little metal spatula is a god-send.

So, I'm slowly growing to appreciate my Silhouette and what it can do.  I really like the print-and-cut option and see limitless possibilities for it!  If you're a paper scrapbooker, which I have never been (I'm all digital) you'll probably be head over heals for your Silhouette.  But, it's definitely taking me a little longer to fall in love!

Damn-It, You Can't Close the Commissary

I tried to leave this as a comment on The Military Wallet, but just can't get the comment to post!  I thought maybe the comment was too long, but shortening it didn't help.  So, I'll just post it here instead.  You'll probably want to read the article on The Military Wallet so any of this will make sense.

I can't imagine these closures will become reality for pretty simple reasons.  First, people live on military installations.  Second, military installations can go on lock down with zero prior warning, which means no entering or leaving the installation. 
As long as there are people residing on a military base, the military should be required to provide the basic options available to those who reside in the civilian world.  Can you imagine being a mother living on base with a young child on 9/11?  She would have needed a place where she could easily get food.  Same goes for single soldiers living in barracks.

I agree with previous comments that there is some mixup between commissary and post exchange (or px).  Fort Campbell has had two commissaries in the past 15 years and neither have had a "mini mall" of vendors setup right outside it's door.  But, the PX has always had these, making the PX very much like a small shopping mall in the civilian world, complete with fast food court.

As for saving money by shopping at the commissary....I don't think the figures make sense.  You do drive a great distance, in some cases, to save a buck on that gallon of milk.  Plus you're paying a surcharge, which is less than my areas sales tax, but just barely.  And you can't forget to tip your bagger/carry out person.  I also agree that many items are priced higher at the commissary, things like toilet paper and laundry detergent, while other things are basically the same price as Walmart every day of the week.  How is the commissary selling "at cost" when Walmart sells the same can of cat food at exactly the same price?

I would love to see our elected officials take the biggest hit with these impending budget cuts.  Let them clean their own toilets for a change.  I told my husband just last week, as we sat waiting for our retired ID cards, "You know, 15 years ago when I got my first ID card, there was a little ticket machine and a person called out numbers indicating it's your turn.  Today there's flat screen televisions on every wall, one of which has a fancy number display telling us who's next.  How much do you think those things cost?" 

The simple fact is, the civilian world has managed to stay current, pay employees, and make a profit.  Why can't the military do this as well?  Maybe the solution should be as simple as privatizing the Commissaries and PXs?  Would Walmart have closed it's doors one day a week to save money during the furlough?  No, they would have cut back hours each day to cater to the needs of their customers rather than inconveniencing shoppers to suit their own twisted purposes. 

Hand Sanitizer, I Do Not Like Thee

I can't remember exactly when hand sanitizers became all the rage.  Was it before or after the bird flu hysteria began?  I just can't recall.  Remember the good ol' days when the doctor actually washed his hands when entering the exam room.  Boy, those were the days.

If  I've said it once I've said it a thousand times.  Poop is poop no matter how much hand sanitizer you put on it.  Right?  And the CDC pretty much agrees with me.  See that photo?  See the bold line that reads "not as effective when hands are visibly dirty".  Yep, something to think about.

How many of you can honestly say that after leaving the playground your kids hands are not "visibly dirty".  And I don't want to think about their hands when leaving the bathroom.  I've heard enough horror stories about what kids leave in the bathroom to make me loose a months worth of sleep.  Seriously, talk to your school janitor, you will be scarred for life.

Now, take a closer look at the label on your hand sanitizer.  I was quite surprised to see a Drug Facts label just like you find on a bottle of medication.  Did you ever think of hand sanitizer as a drug?  Neither did I.  Now, take a closer look at the label on your hand soap.  No Drug Facts label?  Yea, my soap didn't have one either. 

I did a little online snooping and the CDC and Mayo clinic agree that hand sanitizer should be used when soap and water are not available.  I'd guess that 99.99% of places frequented in America have both running water and soap.  So why is hand sanitizer the go-to option in most situations these days? 

I began writing about this topic months ago, around the beginning of the school year, so imagine my surprise when a google search for the best iron-fortified cereal led me to a really great parent resource from a pediatric doctor's office with a page devoted to none other than hand sanitizer vs. hand washing!  Sue me, I was tickled pink.  There's actually a lot of really great information on their website, I'm very impressed and wish they were local for us.  But, back to the hand sanitizer debate. 

Hand sanitizer is equivalent to 124 proof alcohol.  Wow, just wow.  And how many bottles were you asked to send to your child's school this year?  Parents, shouldn't we be worried about this stuff?  It's passed around like crack, I mean candy, in the classroom, readily available to every child in a school, and is absorbed right into your child's delicate skin.  Wonder if you can get a contact buzz that way?  Could we be turning our children into alcoholics because thinking about the long term effect of hand sanitizer use? 

And did I mention that it probably won't kill that pesky virus that's always going around your child's school?  Antibiotics aren't the only thing germs are immune to, obviously they aren't afraid of hand sanitizers either.  Think about all of your children's sick doctor visits lately.  Do you hear more and more often that your child has a virus and antibiotics just aren't going to help?  But, do you know what might help?  HAND WASHING with real SOAP and WATER!!!

I do realize that hand sanitizer is leaps and bounds faster than good ol' fashioned hand washing.  Keep in mind that faster isn't always better.  And I concede that the illnesses which have kept my kids home from school, thus far, this school year would not have been prevented by good ol' fashioned hand washing.  But, this is the last week of November, right at the beginning of cold and flu season, and I believe the spread of communicable illnesses would be lessened by good ol' fashioned hand washing.  Don't you?

Missing Cupcakes

I wasn't paying close attention when Patty asked if she could have a cupcake.  Sure, you can have a cupcake, I vaguely remember telling her.

But, I'm pretty sure there were five cupcakes left over from JT's birthday party.

I only saw her with one cupcake.  Or so I thought.

When I went to the kitchen I discovered this empty cupcake tray!

Yes, she had eaten the frosting off five cupcakes!  I know this because the cake part was in the trash can!

Fifty Shades Recast

So, the Fifty Shades folks announced that this fellow pictured on the left will play Christian Grey in the may never see the light of day movie of the same name.  Sorry fans, but I just can't see this movie arriving at a theatre near me anytime soon.

But, if you're curious, his name is Jamie Dornan and he hails from Northern Ireland.  And you may have seen him in a handful of episodes of Once Upon a Time, where, I must add, he was fabulous.

I don't dislike him for the role of Mr. Grey.  I just think my casting choice was better. 

I do find it a little funny that Mr. Dornan is from Ireland and he's replacing Charlie Hunnam for this role.  Why do I find it funny?  Because Charlie's character, Jax, is always having trouble with the Irish on his show Sons of Anarchy! 

;-}  Well, I didn't say you'd think it was funny, too!

Use Reminders for Recipe List

I have to confess, I rarely ever use the little Reminders app on my iPhone.  It just feels faster to use a good old fashioned piece of paper and a pen to make my shopping lists. 

But, I had a list epiphany this afternoon! 

Yes, the Reminders app is app-solutely perfect for making an ingredients list for a recipe! 

Maybe it's just me, but I find myself at the grocery store all the time and can't remember which ingredients I need for a specific recipe.  Really, this happens much more often than I want to admit. 

Now, I can have those favorite recipes with me at all times!  Just have to find all the recipes and then find the time to type them into the Reminders app and I'll be all set!


That recipe list for Onion Soup Mix came from Good Cheap Eats and I can't wait to try it in my next meat loaf!

Fifty Shades Casting Call

I thought I missed the opportunity to post about the Fifty Shades of Grey movie, but then Charlie backed out and it's news again!

So, sometime in late August or early September, Hollywood announced that Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson would portray Christian and Anastasia in the 2014 movie adaptation of the uber best selling novel Fifty Shades of Grey.  That announcement actually came at the same time I was reading the first installment in the series.  And, no, I wasn't impressed with the casting choices. 

First, I think Charlie is too short to play Christian.  Second, I think Dakota is a dead ringer for the role of Kate, Anastasia's best friend.  But, I'm speculating that the role of Kate will be absent from the movie all together. 

Obviously,  I just wasn't feeling these guys as the characters from the book.  Then, yesterday I hear that Charlie has dropped out of the movie.  The radio said it was a fear of being type-cast, IMDB says it's scheduling conflicts.  I don't know which is accurate, but if I was fearful of type casting, I'd really be trying to get away from playing murdering motorcycle rider Jax Teller.

And now that this is in the news again, I'd finally like to share my casting choices with the world.

Drum roll please.

Imagine Christian Grey played by the handsome and smart Christopher Gorham.  And Anastasia played by the lovely and smart Anna Kendrick.

And here's way I made these choices.

Anna as Anastasia
1.  Right hair color
2.  Perfect for the beautiful but thinks she's not pretty role
3.  Would be funny because Fifty Shades is the result of something known as Twilight Fan Fiction.  Anna was in Twilight.  Come on, it's funny.
4.  Anastasia prefers to be called Ana.  That's Anna's name already.

Christopher as Christian
1.  Tall
2.  Fantastic physique
3.  Great speaking voice
4.  Well, those three things are the only reasons you need to cast Christopher in this role.

Now, having said all that, I want to make a prediction.  I predict that this movie will never see the light of day.  And, if it miraculously does become reality, I think it will be so far removed from the book that fans will be up in arms disappointed.  I mean, we have something called ratings in this country and there's no way anyone is turning this book into an R rated movie fit for theatres. 

For me, this book just wasn't great.  It wasn't a 'can't put it down' read that I couldn't wait to finish.  Actually, I think it took me about two months to read it cover to cover.  And I'm no interest in reading the other two installments.  And that almost never happens when I've started reading a series.  Plus, it's a blatant rip off of Twilight, pretty much down to the initials of the characters, but without the bite. 

And the real clincher for me, the thing I found to be the most off-putting about this book, is a single line of dialogue from the final pages of the book.  Christian says to Anastasia, "I want to hurt you."  And that cemented the icky feeling that I had had from the beginning.  I can't imagine being in a relationship where my partner openly admits that he wants to hurt me.  It's just insane.  I can hardly believe this series found the audience it did.  It just isn't for me, I guess.

Hindsight: I got to thinking about this and I have a new prediction. I predict that, even though this won't make it to the movie box office, Fifty Shades might work as a one-hour drama for a major network. It won't fit I to the ABC Family or CW lineups, and it's not smart enough for AMC, but I think it might find a home on FX or maybe even HBO. These books are long, I think the right team of writers just might be able to squeak out a watchable series.

What Happened to Miley?

I had commented on my Facebook when Miley's VMA performance was anything anyone could talk about.  Way back in August.  ;-}  Need-less-to-say, pretty much everyone had an opinion and everyone pretty much burned the poor girl at the stake.  Seriously, my Facebook friends and family were ready to flog her.

Personally, I wasn't surprised by the VMA performance.  It was the VMAs for crying out loud!  We're not talking about a posh, sophisticated gathering of intellectuals.  We're talking about a crazy, amped up, fun-filled, musical experience.  And, at the age of nearly 36, I look forward to it each and every year.  Second only to the MTV Movie Awards, but that's not the point.

The point is that Miley Cyrus and her really strange performance started a barrage of disgust among the public.  And, I just don't get it.  I did a little comparison of Miley, Britney, and Christina, all products of Disney, and I really can't see how Miley is more back lash than other young stars.

Britney and Christina had their Disney beginning on a little show called The Mickey Mouse Club, along side the likes of Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling.  Britney, a cast member from ages 12 to 16; Christina, a cast member from 13-17.

Miley starred in a little Disney series called Hannah Montana from the age of 14 to 19.  So, arguably she was a Disney star for a year longer than Britney and Christina.  But, the major difference is how Disney had re branded itself between the end of the Mickey Mouse Club and the birth of Hannah Montana.  Know what I'm talking about?  In the nineties, Disney was a premium cable channel, and that meant you had to pay extra for it.  By the time Hannah Montana arrived on the Disney scene, Disney was part of basic cable, which meant it was readily piped into every home with a cable connection.  And it had gone majorly commercial.  Majorly.  No, they didn't show typical commercials, but they were busily pimping their own products.  So then came the shameless merchandising of all things Hannah Montana.  Disney took full advantage of Miley's marketability during her five years as their queen of all things preteen.

In fact, Disney did such a fantastic job marketing Miley as Hannah Montana, that no one can seem to remember that Hannah Montana is a fictional character and Miley Cyrus is the real person.  It's like people just can't let her move on from Hannah Montana.  And I don't understand that.  Yes, I am glad that she declared Miley is dead.  Maybe people can begin the grieving process.  Anyway, moving on.

I'm guessing the hardcore Hannah fans are now in their mid-teens to early twenties.  So, ages 15-21, let's say.  Now let's think about what this age group is up to.  Parents who are in denial, you probably want to shield your eyes from this revelation.  Teens today are doing exactly the same things teens were doing when you were a teenage.  Experimenting with alcohol and drugs, being sexually active, all the while exposed to Lil Wayne and Lady Gaga and Ke$ha during their formative years.  Lil Wayne raps about all kinds of stuff kids this age shouldn't be doing.  Lady Gaga, well, she is a unique character in her own right, and I really like most of her music, she just comes off a bit odd, doesn't she?  And, well, there's Ke$ha who sings about brushing her teeth with a bottle of Jack.  Come on folks, if I had a kid in this age group, and believe me I am super thankful that I do not, I'd be happy if the message they were hearing involved standing up for yourself and learning to love everyone.

Maybe this all boils down to a wake up call for us parents, who sat week after week watching Hannah Montana with our little darlings hearing them proclaim how they wanted to be just like her when they grew up.  Yeah, the reality of what a difference a few years makes is startling.  But, stop blaming Miley for growing up and finding what she thinks is her own voice and shaking her skinny ass all over the place.  The only change I would make is her tendency to stick out her tongue.  That's just gross.  I mean, I have to draw a line somewhere. 

Damn Buggies and a Little Shit

Way before we had kids, we had Madison.  Our niece.  I used to joke that we shared custody of her because she was at our house most weekends!  It was great, I loved it.  I got to play "mommy" for a couple days, spoil her rotten, and send her back home.  I once let her wear her little plastic dress up shoes to Walmart.  Honestly, I think I learned a lot from my time spent with Madison.  Like, some kids get so upset they vomit, and then you have to clean it up.  And I learned about children's medicine and going to the Minit Mart in your pajamas to get a bottle of Tylenol.  Oh, and once a kid is big enough to know about babies, you can not call them baby anymore.  I heard "I'm not a baby!" many times.

Madison was the very first grandbaby for my husbands side of the family and she was surely the apple of Grandma Gail's eye.  In fact, I think she never lost at Candy Land and owned absolutely every toy there was to own from the local dollar store.  Fast forward and now Madison is a high school freshman!  Where does the time go?

Ok, wait.  I had a point to this post and then I got lost on my stroll down memory lane!

Last night, as we tried to get the day finished and everyone ready for bed, Patty and JT spotted that little creepy crawly bug making its way across the dinning room floor.  I'm impressed with that iPhone photo, aren't you?  I bet it was JT's idea to trap it inside that little gum ball machine ball. 

Anyhoo, the kids spent the better part of an hour rolling that bug around the house in his gum ball.  If you consider that the gum ball cost a quarter, and the bug was free, it may very well have been the cheapest toy ever invented.  And it was certainly more entertaining for them than all of the other toys in the house.  Even if the fascination did wear off after about an hour.  Really, I need to find that gum ball and dispose of it!

OK, so back to memory lane.  When Madison was in about Kindergarten, she went through a cursing phase.  I can't recall exactly how it went, but there was something to do with bugs at school, maybe ants on the playground, and Madison would call them "damn buggies" which Grandma Gail and I thought was just too adorable for words.  But, her favorite curse word was shit.  It was really funny to hear the s word come out of her cute, little five-year-old mouth.  Well, one day Grandma Gail said the s word and Madison pointed out that you're not supposed to say that word.  I'm guessing this wasn't the only time Grandma Gail had been reminded because she said, "Shit shit shit shit," several times in a row.  The look on Madison's face was priceless!  It was a mixture of admiration and shock.  And you know, I think it might have broken her from saying that s word!

So, to make a long story just a little longer....  When ever I think of "damn buggies" I also think of "shit shit shit".  And it makes me smile just a little.

It's Official, We're Separating

I'm sure a lot of folks were making bets that day 15 years ago when we said I do.  I'd really like to know what the numbers were.  If anyone guessed we'd last over 15 years, I'd really like to send that person a card.

The truth is, I will  miss this life we've created during the last 15 years.  This transition won't be simple, but at least we'll be making it together as a family.  Yes, indeed, I will miss being a military family...in some ways.  Well, I guess there's not really much about military life that I'll miss.

What?  Did you think we were getting divorced?  Not a chance.  We've been a couple for the better part of 19 years, there's no way I'm throwing that away.  Shame on you if you thought we'd end up divorced!  That just goes to show how well you know us, or don't know us, I guess.

But, today does indeed mark the closing of our story as a military family.  Most of these last 15 years have flown by; happy, exciting, difficult, sad, you name it, they've run the gamut.  It is a bittersweet day, to be sure.  I'd be a fool not to say that these past 15 years have shaped me into the person I am today.  Diligent, sometimes hateful, proud, and stronger than I ever imagined possible.  Maybe, deep down, I'll always be an Army wife.  But, as of today, we are civilians, once again!

Hooah!

FTSF: I deserve a medal for the time I....

It's that time again!  Finish This Sentence Friday.  Today's sentence:  I deserve a medal for the time I...

Hmmm.  That's a really tough sentence to finish.  I've never committed an act of heroism or saved a life or anything like it.  But, for the sake of writing this blog post, here are a few things that popped off the top of my head.

1.  I deserve a medal every time I get off the phone with Tricare and I resist the urge to either beat my head against the desk and/or break the telephone.  Seriously, who else wants to hulk-out after they've had a conversation with their health insurance?

2.  I deserve a medal every time my kids throw up on me, and I don't reciprocate the action.  It hasn't happened a lot, but it has happened, and I have never thrown up on them in return.

3.  I deserve a medal every time someone asks me to do something for them and I don't say no.  I just have no ability to say no to people.  Really, though, it's more of a strict sense of responsibility.  I don't know why, but I just feel like I have to help when someone asks me to do something.  I wasn't voted most dependable for nothing.  Now, that's not to say that I will do the things people ask of me without grumbling and complaining.

Ok, so those three things are meant to be kind of funny and light-hearted.  I honestly can't think of a specific medal worthy situation.  But, I would say that I have a personality trait that is medal worthy.  For me, can't is not an option.  You might say I have a "can do" attitude.  You really don't want to be the person telling me something can't be done.  Just ask Casey. 

Nothing annoys me like a laundry list of reasons why something can't be accomplished.  I just don't want to hear it.  Do not tell me why something can't be done, tell me how it can be done, because there is always a way.  Always.  This country was built on loopholes, remember?  But, seriously, where would this world be if everyone threw up their hands in defeat each time they are faced with a challenge? 

FTSF: If I Had A Magic Wand

I commented on fellow mom-blogger Kristy's FTSF post this morning and I thought I had it all figured out.  If I had a magic wand, I would fix all of the things that make Patty different than other kids her age.  There wouldn't be a lot of things to fix, but there would be a few.  Just wave that wand and take away all those little things that make life a little bit more difficult for her to navigate.  Then, as we waited for the elevator at therapy this afternoon, I had a wake up call.

You see, Patty, as loving and caring as you'll ever want, never meets a stranger and talks to just about everyone when she has a chance.  Today, she started a conversation with a little lady waiting for the elevator, too.  Come to find out this lady was accompanying her caregiver to the doctor.  They got separated and the lady didn't know where to find her friend.  When we climbed onto the elevator she asked me to phone her friend.  Well, the friend didn't answer and I couldn't just leave her on the elevator.  So, Patty and I took her floor by floor in search of her friend.  Of course, we found her in the last place we looked.  ;-}

But, after our little adventure, I wondered if my imaginary "fixed" version of Patty would have struck up a conversation with this little lady in need of someones help?  Actually, we wouldn't even have been there if Patty were just a regular kid.  Remember, we were on our way to therapy when we met this lady.  So, I kind of gave myself a mental slap for ever considering waving my magic wand at Patty.  Why would I ever want to change who my perfect little darling is?

Scholastic Mini Mission September Pt One

Have you heard of Scholastic Mini Missions?  JT brought home a paper in his backpack this week inviting us to participate and earn free Scholastic books and the chance for bigger prizes for teachers and schools.  Did you know I love free books?  The flyer was very vague on exactly what a "mini mission" consisted of, though, so I was skeptical about it.  But, after reading around on the website for a bit, I thought this was something we might be able to pull off...at least for one month.  I see this as a win-win: free books and fuel for the blog.

So, the September mission is to head outdoors on four occasions.  We are not fans of the outdoors.  Well, I am not a fan of the outdoors.  The kids actually really like to be outside, but lately they return covered in mosquito bites and that's not a good thing. 

I registered for the website and found a nature inspired scavenger hunt online (The Taylor House).  Then we headed outside.  Normally, my kids love being outside, but yesterday there was a little grumbling and complaining.  But, I was persistent and once we got busy finding items on the list the kids were full speed ahead.  Maybe it was just a new concept for them, this was our first scavenger hunt.  We skipped half of the list, I really wanted to avoid mosquito bites, but for kids my age, eight items seemed like a good stopping point. 

Here's my mission submission:

For our first mission, since we chose to accept it, we had a nature inspired scavenger hunt!  A quick Internet search and we had a list of items to search for and were headed out the door!  We did have to cut our search a little short and skipped several items on our list.  I opted to take a photo of the items rather than have the kids actually collect them and bring them inside.  My favorite item on their search list?  Something you think is beautiful!

 

I had just a little trouble getting everything uploaded to the website.  I'm pretty sure my photo collage was too big and once I chose a smaller photo, it seemed to upload okay.  It was slow, but that's probably my computer.  Next time I'll try saving a version of the photo at a lower resolution and see how it goes.  We're only three outdoor activities away from our first free book!

Ahhhhh...A Clean Stove Top

We traded out our old stove for a new ceramic cook top several years ago.  My mom has had a ceramic top for years and years and it's always shiny and clean.  My ceramic cook top has never been shiny and clean.  Well, it was the first day we had it.

That burner in the picture gets the most use and that yucky brown burned on gunk is the result of many boiled over pots of water and many nights of fried hamburgers. Yes, it's gross. Very, very gross.  I've had luke warm results using cook top cleaners.  Not even baking soda and vinegar really put a dent in the grime.  Obviously I had gotten to a point where I no longer tried to clean that nasty thing! 

The other day my cousin gave me a little tip. 
Use a razor to scrape off the gunk and then clean the cook top.  I thought scrapping would definitely work, but worried that it would scratch the cook top or scrape off the burner circles.  She explained that her directions said to do it.  Hmmmmmm.  I probably couldn't find the directions if my life depended on it!

This morning I thought, Ok, let's do it.  I found my trusty scrapper thingy and got to work.  And I really think her advise will change my relationship with my ceramic cook top forever.

The scrapper thingy I used came from Lowe's and I originally used it to scrape the paint from my back door window when I repainted it last year.  It's a razor blade in a nifty handle and it made scrapping the stove top very manageable.  I simply scrapped up as much gunk as I could manage and then used a Lysol wipe to wipe it away.  I'm sure a damp paper towel would have worked, too.

Once the scrapings were gone, I squirted on a nice amount of cook top cleaner and spread it around with a plastic scrub sponge.  Because the gunk on my stove was so over whelming, I used the scrub sponge to scrub up the remaining gunk on the stove top.  Seriously, I needed the extra scrubbing power!  You could use a paper towel and elbow grease, but why bother?  Then I used a paper towel to buff away the remaining cleaner.

I am utterly and completely amazed at how well the stove top looks.  There's still an area that I couldn't get totally clean.  It's an imprint of what appears to be the left, bottom edge of a box.  Maybe a pizza box?  Who knows.  But whatever it is, it isn't going anywhere.  And I am completely OK with that!

Upcycled Gift Bag

I wasn't too happy when Patty's binder bit the dust after not even three full weeks of school!  And what kind of binder did she want as a replacement?  And what kind of binder was I unable to locate?  Yep, Barbie. 

Thankfully, being the easy going daughter she is, Patty was completely happy with the solid pink binder I found at Walmart.  But, fate intervened and her first birthday party guests walked in with the most awesome Barbie gift bag and I knew instantly what would become of it!  Thanks Bobbie and Dennis!

Have I ever mentioned how much I  love the binders with insert able covers?  I'm surely not the first person to do this, but I gotta tell you I am one proud momma tonight!

A Birthday Fit For A Princess

Oh my, where does the time go?  I simply can not believe my little girl is turning seven soon!  It seems like only yesterday I was swooning over that precious little bundle in the hospital!  Fast forward seven years and we are gearing up for the ultimate princess birthday experience. 

Naturally, I turned to Pinterest for inspiration.  Oh my goodness there are some super cute ideas out there!  At this point I think my lists have started making lists.  Man, I wish I really knew how to use that sewing machine I have hoarded away.

Thankfully, where my sewing skills are lacking, I can somewhat compensate with Photoshop skills.  I found a great DIY crown shared by The Path Less Traveled (love that blog name!) and fiddled with Photoshop until I was happy with the dimensions.  I had already found Princess Sofia-esque clipart on Etsy (love Etsy!) and used them for a cute invitation.  Filling in the crown was easy since I had finished the invitation last weekend.  Now I can easily print the crowns onto cardstock and cut them out while I wait in the car rider line at school!

Totally adorable, am I right?  I probably need to make a boy crown with a little prince, too.  Then I can check "party hats" off my to do list!

I Knew School Had Changed, Now I Know Why

When Patty started "real public school" as a kindergartener, it had been nearly fifteen years since I myself was a student in public school and nearly thirty years since I was a kindergarten student.  But from the beginning, I knew something had changed and I just couldn't quite put my finger on it.  And it didn't feel like just a little change, it seemed that some kind of drastic changes had taken place in all those years.  I guess I really shouldn't be surprised that in thirty years time there was change!  But, I kept wondering, what was so wrong about the way my teachers taught us "back in the day"?  Personally, I feel that I was given a great public school education and during all those years in school I never remember being bullied.  Those are things my teachers should be proud of, as I'm sure they were.

It wasn't until reading a Great Schools article this morning that I realized where the change had been made.  The article, Reading Murder Mystery mainly talks about how schools inadvertently destroy a student's joy of reading.  But, about half way into the article, I read this sentence:  Schools have become so test-results driven, they’ve lost focus on developing lifelong readers and have instead used all their focus to create test takers.  That's when I realized what is different about school today.  It's the tests.  It never occurred to me that a serious focus in education is getting a good grade on the state tests.  I mean, sure, that's important....especially for the school.  But, does it count against a student as well?  As in, if they preform poorly on the tests, will that student be held back?  I don't have an answer to that question because it hasn't affected us yet, time will tell.

But, this little insight really makes me wonder if all of the years of research driving public school these days hasn't just ran the public school system right off the rails.  I have often wondered what was wrong with the way my teachers taught, remember those days before manipulatives in math?  The days of weekly spelling tests and cursive writing?  The days when your weekly history test mattered because it was reflected on your quarterly report card?  I'm not sure that state testing scores were shared with parents back then.  Honestly, I don't think any of those tests were important until I took the ACT in high school.

I know I probably worry too much about the education my kids will receive and since I'm not a teacher, and never wanted to be, I should have faith in the system.  But, have you talked to any high school graduates lately?  I can't help it, I worry.

Kids Say...

JT built a time machine this afternoon and is currently accepting passengers.  He came to me, happy as a clam, after he put it together to ask me what "that thing" is called.  He gave me a description that went something like, "that thing that takes you to different worlds."  I'm sure I gave him a strange look.  But, after falling short with vortex and space ship I was able to think of time machine!  The time machine was made from the pieces of a happy meal toy he got from the treasure box at therapy last week and might have measured a whopping four inches by four inches.  Not sure who he thought he could fit in there, but he and Patty had a blast running away from the dinosaurs while they were in dinosaur world!

I Smell a Baby

We got to spend some quality time with my cousin's boys yesterday.  Her boys are 7, 3, and almost 4 months.  I always say the best way to quash any inkling that you want a new baby is to borrow one for a few hours.  Boy, am I glad I don't have a new baby to deal with!

After laying down the ground rules with the older boys (no running, no fighting, no wrestling) they were no bother for the rest of the day.  Oh, and having a few Kindles laying around is a really good way to occupy kids!  On the other hand, the littlest guy was a bit grumpy and I quickly decided he must be spoiled to being held all day long.  I mean, that was the only thing that made him happy.  I wondered how on earth my cousin gets anything done at home.  I gave her Girl Scout cookies for her birthday, now I'm thinking I should have given her ear plugs!

Really, though, it was a nice day spent with family.  I do believe the little guy had an upset tummy which made him cranky.  I told his dad I think he's ready for some baby food; he'll be four months old next week.  Hungry babies are not happy babies!  His mood brightened though, after a few bottles and a few nice long naps.

The funny thing is, after the kids went home, I could still smell that baby.  Baby spit up, I mean.  I'm sure my kids reeked of the stuff, too, but I just don't remember!  I guess we get immune to the smell since we are drowning in it 24/7 while our kids are taking a bottle.  And now, since it's been a lot of years since our baby formula days, I can smell those little drops of spit up lingering in the blanket I used to cover the floor.

Stinky or not, it was a fun day.  Patty packed up and went to Grammie's for a sleep over, so I don't know if she was dog tired or not.  But, JT and I were both ready for bed.  I think I could have turned in at six o'clock!  JT doesn't want to go to bed alone, so he just got more cranky the longer the night became.  I think he was fast asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Code Red Alert System

As we sat watching an Oklahoma tornado recap on tv last night, I remembered getting a phone call from the county encouraging me to sign up for an emergency alert system called Code Red.  I had been planning to sign up and just didn't get around to it.  First thing this morning, I created my account and downloaded the app.

The app is "free", if you consider a one month subscription to be free.  After that I guess I'll have to purchase the app for $4.99.

I had to create two logins, one for the app and one for the online service.  The online service is where I entered my address and phone numbers, so don't skip that one.

I can't say how useful the service is, but I feel a little safer just knowing that I signed up today.

Thumbs Down: Cartoon Character Clothing

Here's a little peek into my psyche for you....I don't usually buy cartoon character clothing for the kids.  This practice began shortly after Patty was born.  It didn't take long to realize those clothes are usually more expensive than a regular shirt and I guess I just stopped looking at them as an option.  Fast forward almost seven years to a little boy who has become very insistent about what clothes he will and won't wear. 

Nothing orange or yellow or green.  Absolutely no short pants (his name for shorts).    Do you know how hard it is to find non-jean pants in the summer?!  And guess what his absolute favorite t-shirt choice is....Iron Man.  And no he will not wear that really cute Captain America shirt I picked out for him.  This has become a little bit of a shopping for clothes problem.  I was lucky enough to find stretchy material pants at the PX so he can have more than two pair of pants to choose from.  But, there are only so many Iron Man shirts to be found!  So far, he has a red one (his favorite) and a blue one.  I've started ordering back-to-school wear and it just nearly killed me to order that other red Iron Man shirt from Children's Place when it cost twice as much as the regular graphic tees!

We took the kids to watch Iron Man 3 on Saturday as a "your face is healing well" reward.  All of the glue finally flaked off JT's scar and we decided it was indeed time to celebrate.  He'd been through a lot with the freak accident and then the colitis, so I really felt like he had earned a day out.

The kids were really good considering you have to sit for two hours.  I like all things Robert Downey Jr, so the movie didn't disappoint.  Patty was pretty squirmy, obviously she's not a big fan of RDJr, and she eventually fell asleep in my lap...which nearly put my arm to sleep!  And, of course, JT liked all the action packed moments.  It was a fun family experience that I don't plan on repeating anytime soon!

Only somewhat unrelated....who do you think is the better Sherlock Holmes, Robert Downey Jr or Johnny Lee Miller?  The movies have been great, love Jude Law as Watson, but I really think I enjoy the weekly TV show more.  My vote goes to Johnny Lee Miller.

You Have the Right to Observe Your Child's Classroom

If you didn't read yesterday's offering from The Friendship Circle, it shared some really wonderful information for those of us dealing with special education.  Their article, Observing Your Child's Classroom: What are Your Rights? is an article that really struck home for me.  I was denied access to the special education classroom during Patty's first year of Kindergarten, and FERPA was the backbone of the argument used to justify the situation.

As you may remember, last summer we decided to have Patty repeat her year of Kindergarten and we also made a move to a different elementary school in our county.  During this past school year I have witnessed so many wonderful things at our new school, that I have tried very hard to forget all of the negatives from the year before. 

It's been hard.  Really hard.

The first sentence of the article says it all:  As parents of children with disabilities we are in a constant state of worry.  Really, that whole article says it all.  It feels like Mr. Dorfman pulled out things from my very own heart and mind.  And, like I've said before in comments on other blogs, it is really nice to know I'm not the only one going through these emotions. 

Sometimes, being a parent, dealing with special education and therapies and insurance approvals and IEPs, makes me feel like the giraffe in a herd of zebras.  I mean, I have no one in my physical life who is dealing with anything really similar to what I deal with everyday.  Sometimes, it can all be really tough to deal with.  Ug, the insurance approvals alone are enough to drive a person crazy.  Articles like this one help me be more diligent, more knowledgeable. 

And I now know that the school was wrong in their actions to block me from Patty's "resource" classroom that first year. Of course, the school system may have additional rules in place to, as they put it, protect the privacy of students in special education. But, I can certainly say it felt much closer to hiding something from me, than protecting my student's privacy.

Patty's Going Shopping

After our Iron Man 3 adventure Saturday, I took a nap.  I was so tired!  The kids, of course, don't take naps anymore.  Patty was busy making herself a shopping card while I dozed.  So cute!

She sat at the desk and worked on this little card all by herself.  Now she's ready to go shopping!  This is only the second time she's written something by herself and it makes me beyond the moon happy!

Season Your Skillets

Someone new left a comment on my post Off to a Good Summer Start!  I love comments and had to head over and check out her blog Eco Friendly Homemaking.  I must say we aren't nearly as eco friendly as we should be, I like convenience way more than I should, but as I scrolled through some of her recent posts, one in particular caught my eye.

In her post What Do You Cook With? she shared a YouTube video showing how to season your good ol' aluminum skillets.  About a year or so ago, I noticed that my non-stick, coated pans were starting to peal and rust.  That really grossed me out and made we worry about the food I was cooking in those pans.  So, I began to slowly weed those pans out and replace them with stainless steel pans.  The only major problem is that everything, and I do mean everything, sticks to those stainless steel pans. 

I thought seasoning your pans was limited to iron skillets, which I don't really like to use.  So, I am very eager to try this seasoning technique on my stainless steel skillets.  The only thing I am concerned about is the cleaning aspect.  In the YouTube video, the woman says that the skillets will be non-stick until you wash with soap.  Well, wouldn't you want to wash your pans each time you use them....with soap and water?  In her video she makes an omelet and then simply wipes out the pan with a paper towel.  I gotta say that kind of grosses me out. 

I wonder if I could just season the pan each time that I'm going to cook?  Then put it in the dishwasher for a good cleaning?  That sounds kind of labor intensive and wasteful, though.  Maybe Alicia will read this post and leave a comment to guide me!

This post, Salt, also caught my eye.  Though we've never tried Himalayan Pink Salt, I did see it at our local Rural King once and must say I was a bit curious.  I mean, it's pink, who wouldn't be curious!

ESY, a Mystery

How does the Extended School Year portion of your ARC meeting usually go?  I don't think I've ever really discussed the need, or lack of, for ESY in our ARC meetings.  I think it's kind of skimmed over, simply because there is no such thing in our county school system.  And since there are a thousand or so kids receiving special ed services, I would have to assume there are a handful of kids who would benefit/need ESY services.

I've read a thing or two over the years about ESY, and wasn't surprised to see the topic in the email newsletter from Special Education Advisor.  I'm really on the fence about ESY for Patty.  I don't like the idea of sending my kids to school during their summer vacation, that just feels like undue punishment.  Not to mention, the program probably wouldn't be at their school with their teacher.  I think it might do more harm than good.

But, there are a lot of things that worry me about summer.  I'm really concerned about the summer back slide, and the dreaded return of school anxiety that might pop up again in the fall.

What do you think about extended school year?

Augmentin leads to Colitis

After his surgery, JT was given a week's worth of Augmentin to combat infection.  The antibiotic came with a stern warning that if any tummy troubles emerged, we should get to the ER STAT.  We made that trip to the ER a week and a day after his freak accident.  Initially we were reassured that it was more than likely a virus and sent home.  But, since the tummy troubles persisted for more than four days, we headed to the walk-in clinic. 

We left the doctor's office with a lab slip for a stool sample.  Let me just say, collecting and bottling a stool sample is a very disgusting experience.  But, it was necessary and it turns out that JT did indeed have colitis due to the Augmentin.

Colitis is basically the destruction of good bacteria in your intestine.  Once the good bacteria is gone, the bad bacteria goes crazy and causes lots and lots of tummy trouble.  Unfortunately the treatment for this is a drug called Flaggyl which doesn't come in liquid form.  A local pharmacy was able to take the pill and turn it into a liquid but the medicine is super duper yucky.  Combine that with a kid who hates to take any medicine that isn't the bubblegum-riffic Amoxicillin and you have a problem on your hands.  Don't think I'm above bribery/threats to get my kids to take their medicine!  And thankfully the dose is about a half teaspoon, which really isn't much.

JT never had the "bloody stool" the surgeon had warned us about, but thankfully the ER doctor instructed us to followup with his regular doctor if things didn't improve.  If you or someone you know has to take a strong antibiotic, you might want to keep in mind that colitis can strike without the tell-tale bloody stool.  If you develop tummy troubles and your doctor doesn't order it, request a stool sample to check for colitis.

Off to a Good Summer Start

The kids and I buzzed through the Dollar Tree yesterday.  My kids have a terrible habit of expecting a toy each and every time we go to a store.  What better store to feed this habit than the good ol' Dollar Tree.  Honestly, I know I should be trying to break them of that habit, but sometimes it's just easier to let them get a junk toy and keep going.  I am very proud of them, I didn't have to do my usualy "I'm going to count to three" warning one time while we were in the store.  That could be a first!

I grabbed a four pack of Dough and was very surprised at the quality.  It was lacking that classic Play Dough smell, but the consistency was quite nice and it didn't crumble all over the place which is even better.  And four colors for a buck is a great buy compared to one can of the other stuff at 88-cents a piece.  And it fulfills our messy summer fun goal!

When the cashier told me my total, I was a little surprised, but just paid and headed out the door.  I'm usually surprised by my basket total at the Dollar Tree.  Guess I get a little shopping crazy with all those $1 signs everywhere.  But, yesterday, JT confessed (as soon as we were in the car) that instead of one Kit-Kat, he had gotten three Kit-Kats!  He always tells on his self.  Love that about him.

Wanted to share an update to our summer learning that I mentioned in my School's Out post.  I'm loving the Moffatt Girls products and not loving the Kindergarten Bridge workbook I bought.  I really think the bridge workbook is way too easy.  Lesson learned, I guess.

Patty has been eagerly working on the worksheets so far.  She's still struggling with inventing sentences and putting them on paper.  I'm still trying to figure out how to make that easier for her.  Oh, why didn't I ever want to be a school teacher?

I started going through our junk for the yard sale I am determined to have this weekend.  I never got everything together last summer to have a yard sale so I am making myself get this over and done with early this year.  The plan is to have the sale on Saturday, and Saturday only.  I don't want to pay to advertise so I've joined a few Facebook yard sale groups.  I'm just not sure how comfortable I am posting my address on Facebook.  There is a BooKoo site for our county and I signed up for that, too.  Oh, and a friend recommended Craig's List.  Do you think BooKoo and Craig's List are safer than Facebook?  I'm pretty sure I can delete the listings on BooKoo and Craig's List.  Not sure about those Facebook groups.

How do you get everything ready for your yard sale?  I focused a few hours on the kids clothes and toys yesterday.  Today I have my "hoarding" room to tackle.  Not looking forward to that!

Helpuful IEP Info on Wrightslaw

If your child receives special education services, and you're not already receiving emails from Wrightslaw, be sure to sign up.  I can usually find something useful in the emails they send out.  Today, there is a very handy IEP Faqs that I think you'll want to check out.  I tried to pin it to Pinterest, but wasn't having any luck, so I thought I'd just post it here on the blog.

I spent a great deal of time last summer reading up on IEPs.  After all of my research, I still get baffled by them.  I can't understand how something so simple gets so complicated.  I printed out Chapter 12: Smart IEPs (available in PDF on the website) from their book From Emotions to Advocacy and added the book to my reading wish list.  I know Patty's school did an amazing job last year, but school is going to keep getting harder and I want to ensure Patty has the best opportunity to learn.

I had a conversation with Patty's advocate recently (from Protection & Advocacy) and she said something that really made me take note.  Well, she always says something that makes me take note, she's one smart lady.  But on that day, she told me that first and foremost, Patty is a First Grade student.  She's not a special education student in first grade.  It really resonated with me.  It was a light bulb moment, for sure.

So, even though we have all summer before First Grade, I'm going to be spending some time looking at the things a Kindergartener is expected to know by the end of Kindergarten.  How do I plan to do this?  Well, I am going to look at her final IEP Progress Report and go from there.  To start with.  But, since an IEP doesn't cover all areas of learning, I'll also be spending a lot of time looking at the Common Core Standards.  I was very lucky to receive a great email from Ms. P, Patty's special education teacher, where she broke down many areas and told me what Patty's weaknesses were. 

Those common core standards are a mystery in and of themselves.  Although the standards are fairly specific in what is supposed to be mastered in each grade level, the report card we receive doesn't specifically say if your child met the standard.   That's a change we'll probably see in the years to come.  Have you checked out the standards?  I wonder if there is a "common core for dummies" book out there?

Update:
My bloggy friend Joy of I Can Say Mama left a great link in the comments.  If you're looking for IEP goals/objectives, this may be just what you need!  IEP Goals and Objectives Bank