Jacob woke up bright and early this morning at 6:30 – dressed and ready to go.  He says he couldn't sleep because he was too excited. What's the big occasion you ask?! Field Day, of course.  That wonderful day of outdoor fun and play! What's funny is that my elementary school memories are mostly all…

Quick sidenote – I was exposed to the musical Bye-Bye Birdie in Middle School…our choir teacher was lazy and let us watch movies every week – I saw every musical known to man that year.  One particular song from that musical was engrained in my head and now I sing it as a lullaby to…

Song Fest, despite its rocky beginnings last week, was a huge success.  We had two putting stations…each kid got 3 tries, and they could pick which prize they wanted to putt for – Fun Dip (close up) or a rubber ball (further back).  The only downside was that it was held in a big grassy,…

Today did not start out well.  Arguments, misunderstandings, sad kids, frustrated parents. Today I have more to do than there will be time for. Today my eyes are swollen and red with allergies, my headache from yesterday persists, my hair is frizzy and my clothes don't fit. Today I face piles of laundry, floors that…

A gathering such as this happened all over this country yesterday…   So why did ours feel especially special? Well…if you knew how our Mother's Day gatherings were growing up you would probably celebrate right along with us! My parents divorced when I was 9, my brothers 7 and 4 (going on 5).  We were…

When I was pregnant with Jacob, I pondered a lot on what I thought motherhood was…the best way to care for the unborn, the ins and outs of labor and delivery, breastfeeding at its best, bathing, feeding, diapering, etc.  After all, I was having a BABY!  And I wanted to be prepared.  But slowly over…

We had such a fun weekend with family!  I love when family comes – and the boys especially love it.  Derek and my Dad and my Aunt Lisa rode together in the MS 150.  Participants raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society and ride 150 miles over two days.  This ride and charity are especially…

Samuel is making great strides at his effort to "find his voice".  We continue to have Kristin, his speech therapist, come to the house once a week.  Some sessions are better than others (he is 2 afterall), but he is really surprising us lately. Just this week he is referring to himself as "Yam"(emphasis on the…

I have been taking a parenting seminar from a Love and Logic consultant named Amy Egan.  Not only does she really know her stuff, but she is a remarkable and wise person and I have enjoyed getting to know her.  It is a 6-week program (once a week for 2 hours) based on the book,…

On Monday, the school district decided to cancel the carnival portion of an event called "SongFest" for the choirs in the District.  Why?  Swine Flu, of course.  I had been working on our PTA's booth for this Carnival – a putting booth with prizes.  I admittedly, was not heart-broken.  I halted my work on this…