The Absence of Solitude

Five on Friday

Because I haven't been blogging much this week, I got a message yesterday from my sister asking me if I had the baby and just decided not to tell anyone. Unfortunately, that is not the case. No baby yet. I am just a slacker!

1. Yesterday I mentioned finding the kites in the closet. That was in fact a true story. I have been cleaning like crazy, de-cluttering, and reorganizing the last couple of weeks. When I cleaned out the coat closet, I found two kites still in their original packages tucked away on the top shelf, way at the back. I tried to remember when I bought them and I think it was shortly after we moved to NY. Seriously. I think they were for a school lesson that we never ended up doing. I am glad we finally got some use out of them :)

2.  For Simon's preschool co-op this week we did some fun things to learn about St. Patrick's Day. Here is Simon showing a couple of them:

3. After all the cleaning and organizing, we are officially ready for the arrival of this little baby. My due date is next Thursday, so I am hoping for him to make an appearance by next weekend sometime. I just washed his coming home outfit and can't wait to put it on him.

4. At school Lauren can earn what they call a "Gotcha" sticker. When they are caught doing something kind or going the extra mile the teachers and staff hand them out. Well, Lauren made a bet with Allen that she could get 20 Gotcha stickers. Her deal was that when she earned that many he would take her out for ice cream. She got her 17th one yesterday and is eagerly awaiting her reward!

5. I have been told by Simon and Lauren that tomorrow to celebrate St. Patrick's Day that we need to wear green, have a leprechaun visit to give us gold coins, make our rainbow layer cake, and have a green meal. I better get on those preparations asap! See what happens when you start traditions...they hold you to them. ;) With the nice weather we are having we might even go to the parade!

Have a great weekend!

 

Let's go fly a kite.

We have been experiencing some crazy warm weather around here! Today was close to 70 degrees; temperatures we usually don't see until May. So we have been soaking up the sunshine and playing outside as much as we can because we never know if we will get another cold snap. The other day it was a bit breezy, so I let the kids take out the kites that we found in the closet. (Yes, found...more on that tomorrow.)

They haven't flown kites for a long time so I was pleasantly surprised at how easily they got them in the air. They have flown them a few more times this week but not as successfully since it has not been as windy. We also have had one stuck in a tree and the other one run over by the car. I think we will have to buy more for future flying. 

Five on Friday

1. I haven't taken a single picture this week. And so I haven't blogged because a post is always better with a picture, right?

2. Simon got pink eye this week and despite my efforts to contain it to just him, Lauren got it yesterday. I thought I was getting it yesterday as well but I think it may just have been some sympathy eye itching or something weird like that. This is the first time I have had to deal with pink eye in my years of parenting. I have realized three things: It's gross. It's expensive to treat with the prescription eye drops. And my hands are dry and starting to crack form the constant hand washing.

3.A couple of weeks ago I was in charge of a youth activity at church. I decided to do a night of Minute To Win-It games. It was a huge success and the youth really loved it. The night before the activity, I let the kids play one of the games for FHE. You had to start with a cookie on your forehead and then using only the muscles in your face move it into your mouth within a minute. None of us were able to do it one minute but after some practice Allen, Ethan, and Lauren all accomplished the task. (One of the youth leaders did it in 23 seconds on his first try.)

4. The biggest news around here is that Jillian is now potty-trained! Yay! I will only have one in diapers!! She has by far been my easiest one to train and also my youngest. She is doing awesome and this little girl will do anything for some Bruster's ice cream. All my other rewards didn't seem to phase her but once I said, "Bruster's," she was in. I hope I did it early enough that she won't regress too much when the baby arrives in a couple of months. Jillian has had some major changes the last couple of months..no binki, a big girl bed, and now potty-trained. She is a champ!

5. The kids don't have school today due to teacher in-service so I am off to find ways to entertain them here at home since I can't take the pink eye-d ones out anywhere. It's rainy and cold so maybe it is a just good day to watch movies, read, and make some cookies. We shall see...

 

Enjoy the weekend!

 

This week

We have been busy going and doing. With Allen on vacation and the kids out of school we have been enjoying our time together. Here's our week in review so far:

We went to the Museum of Play where a carousel ride is always a treat on the way out. 

We went bowling with black lights and Simon thought it was so cool. 

We found a dollar theater here that we never knew about so went out for pizza and a movie (Puss in Boots.) 

We went to the Science Museum where they have new exibit on mammals that is on loan from the American Museum of Natural History. Ethan and Allen were also trying out the locks on the Erie Canal. 

Lauren and Jillian pulled themselves up on the pulley experiments. 

Today we decided to take it easy so we put away all the Christmas decorations this morning (After they were all put back in the basement, Simon came over to me, gave me big hug and said, "Thanks Mom for the best Christmas ever!" I nearly cried; it was too sweet.)  The rest of the day we plan to watch movies, play games, and just hang out together. Tomorrow we will be gearing up for some New Year's Eve fun with Uncle Matt and Mandy. The kids are super excited about it. We will see how late they last; I think Ethan will be the only one to make it to midnight. 

 

I will be back with an actual Christmas Post soon.

Weekend Review

I took the kids to the children's museum on Friday since they didn't have school and so here are a few pictures from our trip. 

There is a history of football exhibit and so the kids thought these were fun. 

Then we watched a small preview of The Nutcracker and Lauren (and her friend, Ella) was able to get her picture taken with Clara and she also met one of the Dewdrop Fairies.

And of course on the way out we had to ride the carousel. 

 

The rest of the weekend was filled with sickness for Simon. Everyone has had a cold but his turned into croup and so I took him to the doctor on Saturday and he his now on the mend. Jillian was officially broken of her pacifier addiction this weekend as well. We are on day four of no binki and she is doing surprisingly well; better than any of the other kids when we took it away. Lauren and Ethan served at the Bishop's storehouse on Saturday with Allen and I was able to sneak out for a pedicure with Mandy after they got home. It was definitely a busy weekend!

Five on Friday

1. School pictures were taken a few weeks ago and we received them yesterday. I think they turned out pretty well, although I am second guessing that big flower headband. I asked Lauren why she didn't give a big smile and she said, "Because when I did I kept blinking at the flash." 

 

2. Oh. My. GOODNESS! Did you watch Game 6 of the World Series last night? It was unbelievable!! Napoli still playing even after he rolled his ankle, so many errors by both teams, home runs nearly every inning, two innings with two outs and two strikes on the batter and the Rangers just couldn't make it happen. I don't think I have ever stayed up that late for a silly sporting event. It will certainly go down as one heck of a nail-biter. I hope the Rangers can pull it together tonight and win.

3. We had our first taste of winter this week. We had a hard freeze and a bit of wet snow, which didn't stick around. I found a funny comic the other day that completely describes the Northeast:

4. I went to Time Out For Women last week and really enjoyed all the speakers. I came away determined to be a better mother. One of them said, "I realized I have eternity to know my children as adults and such a tiny, tiny time frame for which to know them as children." Whoa! That hit me like a ton of bricks. I need to enjoy this time more instead of complaining so much. 

5. And while at Time Out For Women, I picked up a cd for the kids called Popcorn Bopping. When I first played it, they were really into it and were singing along and dancing around the house. Well, actually, they still are into it and still do dance. They LOVE it. I admit that I laughed when I heard the arrangement for I Hope They Call Me on a Mission. The best part is a little "rap" and the kid says something about being in North Pole or the South, he will give Amulek and Alma a run for their money and that he a serious p-day baller y'all. Hilarious! But again, the kids totally dig it. Here is just a small sampling:

 

 

Have a great weekend. See you on Monday with Halloween pictures!

Fall is in the Air

The temperatures took a dip this week and fall is on its way! A few trees have even started to show a hint of change in their color. I have been canning a lot lately. I have finished the tomatoes and peaches; next up is apples. But the cooler weather just makes me want to bake. I have made bread and rolls a few times and I absolutely love the way the house smells when bread is baking (who doesn't?).  I haven't made any all summer and I forgot how much I enjoy making bread. It's honestly kind of therapeutic in a way.

 
I also think the kids purposely go on a banana eating strike just so I will make banana chocolate chip muffins. It feels good outside but smells like fall inside. Anyway, I hope the cooler weather is here to stay...here's to a fall full of soups, warm bread, and yummy desserts! :)

 

One more thing: Thinking ahead to Christmas, we have been discussing giving our kids more "experiences and memories" instead of more "stuff." Like a week at summer camp, tickets to a concert/show, a visit to some place special...Do you have any suggestions?
 

Back to School Breakfast

The kids start school in the morning and we have been trying to get a routine down a little bit before the busyness of the mornings actually start. But today was little different...we hosted a "Back to School Breakfast" for their friends. It was so fun and we had SO MANY people (like 40!) come celebrate the new school year with us. It was also a little crazy around my house for a couple hours this morning but I think it was well worth it.

I didn't get many pictures because I was so busy during the breakfast but here are a few:

 

Shannon gave me the idea to do a 'pancake bar' and it turned out to be a lot less work than what I had originally planned, which was awesome. (Thanks, Shan!) We had pancakes with lots of different toppings, an egg casserole, fruit and juice.

 

 
I wish I could have recorded Simon's reaction this morning when he saw the poms. It was hysterical...he thought they were the most amazing thing and just could not figure out how they were floating in the air. 
 

 
The party favor and the wreath on the door.

 

(I just noticed when I posted this picture that someone pulled one of the crayons off.)
 

It was a success in my book and might become an annual event. Or maybe I will host a back to school brunch for the moms on the first day of school. Meaning that after they drop their kids off at school on the first day, they come celebrate the new year at a brunch with no children...it would be a lot quieter than today's breakfast. ;-)

 

Five on Friday

1. The city has been working on the water/sewer pipes in our neighborhood. They replaced some right at the end of our driveway. In the process of digging, they completely ruined our driveway and we are still waiting for them to fix it. It's kind of a pain to drive over this massive bump every time I leave the house.

2. I am going to the market tomorrow to buy LOTS of tomatoes. I fear I have back-to-back-to-back weekends of canning ahead of me. We have had some strange weather this summer and so it seems that everything is coming into season at the same time. So this weekend it's tomatoes, then peaches, then raspberries, then apples, then grapes. It will be busy for sure!

3. I don't know how I forgot but I was looking at pictures yesterday and realized I have not blogged about Angela, Ted, and Rachel's visit in early August. I will have to do that next week amid the back to school posts.

4. Speaking of back to school, the kids start on Wednesday. We are all looking forward it, I think. Everyone is set with all their new supplies and gear, I just need to get Ethan a haircut this weekend. Simon will also be starting a preschool co-op once a week and a mother's day out once a week. It will be so weird to have two days a week where I have only one child at home, even if it is only for 3 hours both days.

5. And once again these pictures keep showing up in my picture files. Silly girl!

 

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAYNE!!!

Five on Friday

We are having a great summer so far and staying busy. So here are five random things for the week:

1. What's summer without some fun in the water? We have had a few water balloon fights and today we went to a splash-pad. We were looking forward to the beach at Lake Ontario tomorrow but this morning we heard on the radio that we will have to stay out of the water there due to high bacteria counts...boo. We will still have fun picnicking and riding bikes, etc.

2. After our day at the lake tomorrow we are going to hear the Philharmonic Orchestra's Fourth of July concert. It should be a great evening. And speaking of concerts and great evenings, we bought tickets for a concert when Allen's sister, Angela, visits later this summer. We are going to see Journey and Foreigner...Don't Stop Believin' has been on repeat in my head since Wednesday night.

3. I never blogged about the kid's Field Day at school. The last Friday of school they had some races, games, a dunking booth, and sno-cones. Ethan's teacher was the one in the booth and Ethan nailed the target twice sinking his teacher both times. His teacher said he would have homework over the summer for that. :) Lauren's class only did a few of the games because they are half-day but she had fun too.

4. I have been sewing quite a bit this week. I made a skirt and pants for Lauren, shorts and shirt for Jillian, and matching Fourth of July dresses for both of them. Ethan and Simon keep asking me when I am going to make them something. What fun things can I make for them? I think I might get a flag tee made for Simon tonight, though. It's amazing what I can get done now that my craft/sewing room is not a total disaster.

5. We are looking forward to Leigh's family coming next week to visit. The kids cannot stop talking about what they are going to do when the cousins arrive. We are assembling our summer project bags this afternoon so hopefully between outings and the projects we will not have any "I'm bored. What can I do," comments. I think we will have tons of fun the next few weeks!!

Have a wonderful July 4th weekend!