Random Kid Stuff

Last week the boys had VBS so I had my mornings full of a whole lot of nothing! It was wonderful!

This week the kids have been home. And a bit bored! I’ve been trying to get the house cleaned up (little by little). Next week we have Cub Scout Day Camp, then the week after that we go to visit my parents. The house has to be cleaned before we leave, and this week is the best time to do it. Poor kids have had to entertain themselves without making a mess!

Josh has decided he wants some money to buy things I won’t buy for him, so he put up a chore list the other day.

You will notice right under “make bed” is “Be nice 2 bro.”  Which technically, doesn’t qualify as a chore, but apparently Josh thinks of it as one.

This Weekend’s Concert…

I live in the BEST community.

I really do.

They have all sorts of free events for us.

Last weekend I Was Hip Hop. But to be fair, that was a “private” party – not put on by the HOA.

This weekend I was a little bit country.

Our community put on a free concert at our amphitheater this weekend. They had a local band called The Broken Road Band playing. LeeSa Biddy-Lyons is one of the lead singers and she’s a friend of mine!

 

Where has January Gone?

I swore to myself I'd do better at keeping the blog up to date this year. And I really do have every intention of doing so! I just don't know where the month has gone!

Well, I do really. Rich has been busy at work and has pretty much been working 15-18 hour days for the last 2 1/2 weeks -- including weekends. So I've been single parenting again. I don't know where the time goes but I don't seem to have much time to sit down each day, let alone write a blog post. Hopefully, we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and and we should be back on track soon!

On Saturday, Josh had the opportunity to go to the Georgia Aquarium with a friend and spend the night at the aquarium! He had a great time and came back exhausted, but excited.

This is the only picture I have of Josh at the aquarium sleep over. My friend Sherry took it - her sons Sean and Jackson invited Josh to the sleep over. Josh is in the middle of the frame looking up at the fish. This is where they slept!

Then on Sunday we had Josh's Cub Scout Den here for one of their meetings. They spoke about energy, electricity and matter. I thought we needed to provide a snack so before the meeting Josh and I made home made brownies for the Den. And because it was at 4:00 and I knew the boys would be hungry I also made peanut butter and apple wraps (tortillas with peanut butter and apple wrapped up). This also helped keep a very tired Josh entertained!

And the snack was a huge success! The boys liked it better than the one that was recommended by the Cub Scout itinerary (popcorn with marshmallows soaked in butter and then all tossed together with orange gelatin granules - yuck! They tried it, but didn't like it).

Josh (and Sam) have also been hard at work getting their Cub Scout Pinewood Derby cars ready! I have a few pictures, but I'll post those later this week. The Pinewood Derby is on Saturday so I'll be sure to post pictures (and maybe some video if I can figure out how).

Thanksgiving Recap

I am sooooo behind! I have lots to update, but don't want to do it all at once... well, maybe I will, I don't know.

I hope everyone had a very happy and safe Thanksgiving. We were lucky enough to have the use of my best friend's condo in Perdido Key, Florida! This is the same place we went three years ago and was the subject of my very first post here!

The car ride down was long! But the boys were great and we did manage to play some games. The most memorable was "Let's see if we can name all 50 states." Josh and Rich did really well, despite trying to add a few "New" states like "New Canada" and "Mariana" -- and then I had to convince Rich that "New England" was not a state but a region. After that they just had fun thinking of funny state names.

We got down there about 2:30ish and the first thing the kids did was change into their swim suits.

It was really too cold to swim in the water, but it was great for putting your feet in!

And the boys had fun in the surf!

We took a walk on the beach to stretch our legs! Josh spotted some Rays just about a foot off shore and we saw lots of dolphins!

When we saw the fisherman, Sam said, "Look! Invisible Fishermen!" Then he asked me what the guy did if he "caught a wave."

After our walk we came in and got dressed and took the kids to the Flora-Bama for dinner. The Flora-Bama is a beach bar located on the Florida-Alabama border. Before we went in, I checked to make sure it was suitable for kids and was told "before 7:00 only." When we left, there were quite a few families having dinner there, so I felt better!

Sam was tired and hungry which made him grumpy!

Wednesday was a beautiful day on the beach! The water was nice and warm and the boys had lots of fun playing in the water.

And they both got very wet!

They met a boy named Parker (who was also 5) and had a great time playing with him in the afternoon. Parker was there with his mom and grandparents. His grandparents own 2 condos there -- one of them is right next door to Linda Leighs! And they were the nicest family! I hope if we ever go back down we run into them again! The boys had so much fun playing with Parker! He and his mom had to leave on Thanksgiving morning to go meet "Dad" and little sister at the Other Grandparents' house for Thanksgiving!

But Wednesday afternoon we played on the beach for several hours.

The boys dug holes and built sand castles and Rich made a Formula 1 Race Car in the sand.

More pictures are on my Flickr page -- you can get there by clicking here.

The rest of the vacation was spent pretty much in the same manner. The weather on Wednesday was the warmest and best. Thursday was a bit chilly and windy so we didn't last as long outside. And not much was open since it was Thanksgiving! Friday we made the decision to pack up and leave.

And it's a good thing we did. On the way home, Josh developed a fever and was very sick. His fever continued to climb and finally broke on Saturday night/Sunday morning. But he was still off. I kept him out of school on Monday and when he was still not well on Tuesday we went to the doctor. She confirmed he had the flu!

Poor Josh was distraught! He thought he was going to die. He'd heard that kids who got the flu died and he didn't want to die! I felt so bad for him. But the doctor was really great! She explained the worst was over and he'd be himself in no time... but to keep him home the rest of this week anyway!

He seems to be better now and wants to go back to school tomorrow. But, since she told me to just keep him out all week, we're going to do that! I do have some homework from his teacher that he's been doing to keep from falling too far behind.

So this week Josh and I have been spending the week at home indoors. And it's been cold and rainy so we keep thinking of how nice the weather was in Florida!

Wordless Wednesday: Branded Bobcat!

Pictures from Monday Night's Cub Scout Pack Meeting - Josh getting "Branded!"

He told me he was a bit nervous!

Special thanks to Sandra O'Reilly for taking the photos!


For more Wordless Wednesday visit WW HQ and Five Minutes for Mom.

Pumpkin Patch and Bobcat Badge

Man, things have been busy here! Yesterday we had two fun things going on.

In the morning, Sam had his "Happy Harvest Day" celebration at school. They used to take a field trip out to the YMCA Camp nearby, but apparently it got too expensive so now the school hosts an in-house field trip.

The kids ride a train around the parking lot...



Then got to go out to a "pumpkin patch" (which was really the church's baseball field with pumpkins in it) and they got to pick out their pumpkin. Sam was the first one in and the last one to find his - but he got the perfect pumpkin, don't you agree?



And here is (most) of his class modeling their pumpkins.



They listened to the Story Teller...



And did some Crafts! It was a fun day for all!!



Then in the evening, Josh had a Cub Scout Pack Meeting. He got his Bobcat Badge (which really is his "initiation" into scouting). He was even branded!



I had a friend take some pictures of Josh getting "branded" and hers turned out better than the ones from my camera. I'll post them on Flickr or here once I get copies of them.


And he earned his whittling chip - which allows him to carry a pocket knife to all scouting functions - except those at school. He's got Grampa's old knife so he's very excited to bring it to the Den Meeting on Monday and show it off.

This week we're just a busy -- Halloween is coming up and it seems we have all sorts of activities surrounding Halloween and then Sam's Birthday... before we know it Thanksgiving will be here!

Future Scientist in the Making!

I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not, but Josh entered his schools 1st Annual Science Fair.

His project was titled "What's Your Angle?" He wanted to know what the optimum angle for shooting a rubber band the furthest was. His hypothesis was 45degrees is the optimum angle and will make a rubber band go furthest.

We all went outside one day and had fun experimenting. We took a box and a protractor and made measurements at 15degree angles. Then, Rich made a rubber band shooting contraption and we started shooting rubber bands!

After a few tries, and some unexpected results -- it was showing that 30degrees went furthest, we decided that the wind that day must have played a part in corrupting our data. So we went out back and tried it in the grass by the fence. There we got the expected results!

The organizers had given Josh a list of questions that must be answered to fulfill the Science Fair Requirements - that came in very handy when he was putting his data together! It made the whole project fall into place. He answered the questions, we made a simple graph of the results and then decorated the rest of the project board with pictures and the items he used for his experiment.

The finished project....



Last week Josh had to bring the project to school. There were judges lined up from local businesses around town... "real scientists!"

Last night was the night of the science fair. We went and thought we knew where Josh's was set up as he had brought it to the cafeteria that afternoon and put it where he was told. Well when we got there, his project had been moved to the "Table of Merit" and had a little blue sticker on it that said 3-3.

Naturally we assumed this meant he got 3rd place for Third Grade. Nope. Apparently it was just a code of some sort because Josh actually got FIRST PLACE for Third Grade!

There were some really great projects there too - but Josh answered all the questions, kept his experiment simple and had a great idea and he ended up winning!

Of course there was an awards ceremony and he got to go up on stage and get his award. But as luck would have it, the battery in my camera died and I didn't get any pictures. I have some from my cell phone, but they turned out horrible. There was someone from the school taking pictures and if they post them I'll be sure to post a link here.

My Little Cub Scout!

Who wouldn't want to buy popcorn from this cute Cub Scout?



I know it's a bit blurry... here's another one...

Hello Out There? Is anyone still reading????

I can't believe it's been 2 months since I last updated!

We're no longer on vacation in Michigan with my parents... we've been home for quite a while!

Things around here have been so busy! Here's a quick update/recap of our life the last two months...

We got home from my parent's house and Josh decided to re-learn to ride his bike. He used to be able to ride it, but then he fell and lost his nerve so he had to re-learn this summer. Well, it didn't take him long and now I can barely get him off it!




Sam got a new bike too and loves to ride his. When they come home from school all they want to do is ride their bikes!



We started school here early August. Josh LOVES his 3rd grade teacher - and so do I! She's wonderful and just what Josh needs!

I went back to work two mornings a week at Sam's preschool as the teaching assistant in a 2 year old class. I really love it! It's so nice to have something to do! And the money is all going toward the kid's activities!

Both Josh and Sam are playing soccer this year. Josh is also playing baseball AND he's joined the Cub Scouts AND he's doing a project for the school Science Fair! We are going to be one busy family!

Today was the first day of sports - and Josh was sick! So we missed his games, but Sam had fun at his!

He's a "White Bear!"



Here he is scoring a goal on Daddy (the assistant coach) during practice.


Sam and Daddy, just before the game started!


The last thing I wanted to post pictures of is a project Josh did for ALP. He had to turn a clothes pin into a "Flying Animal." He decided to make a pheasant because when we were in Michigan, we went out with Grampa and watched Annie (Grampa's dog) point pheasants and show off what she'd learned at "Doggy Boot Camp" getting ready for hunting season. After, we got some of the feathers off the dead birds.

Here's Josh's pheasant --



Then he made an "Above and Beyond" project by making a diorama of the pheasant's habitat.




The whole project:



And Sam wanted to make something too so he made a Race Track! This ended up being his class project we didn't know he'd need! The next day he came home with a homework assignment called, "It looks like a box, but really it's a....."



That's a bit of what's been going on with us -- in a nutshell. I promise to make more time to post pictures and updates. We're busy, but having lots of fun! I just need to start getting into the swing of things again!

Grandmother & Grampa's Visit

My parents came to visit us this weekend and we managed to keep ourselves busy!

They arrived Friday night just as I was trying to round up the boys for bed. We'd had baseball practice and just after we got home, I was trying to round up the boys and in walks Daddy. I'd just about managed to settle them down when in walked Grandmother & Grampa!

But that's okay - they did manage to settle eventually! There was lots to tell -- Josh took a few Accelerated Reader tests on Friday and managed to push his point total up over 50. This is big. At his school, once you get 50 points, you get your name painted on the AR wall. What's amazing is he was not interested AT ALL until after the Christmas break. After the break he started taking the tests because we told him he had to. Then he discovered Harry Potter and LOVES them! The books were out of his reading level so he couldn't take the tests on them (an they are upwards 13 points each - most books seem to be between .5 and 5 points). So he bothered his teacher so much she let him take the STAR Test which determines reading level and thus the AR Level.

He tested above 5.0 - which is 5th grade - so he could take the Harry Potter books. We are not all about Harry Potter! Which makes me excited!

Anyway -- off track -- Josh had to tell Grandmother and Grampa all about his AR tests and Harry Potter...
Saturday was quite busy. We got up and went to the Big Shanty Festival parade. This year it was really good. It's amazing how many good events the city of Kennesaw puts on for families. And they do a good job too!

Here's everyone waiting for the parade to start. Sam was being grumpy.



After the parade, Josh had a baseball game. He did really well yet again! Grandmother and Grampa really enjoyed watching him play too!

I had to post this picture... notice him "licking" his shirt? He chews or sucks on his shirt when he's concentrating. It's so funny -- at the games I'll yell out, "Don't chew on your shirt!" and he'll spit it out and immediately put it back in again! I guess he can't help it!


I guess whatever he needs to do to get a hit is okay!!


Then in the afternoon we went to the Big Shanty Festival. It's a bit arts and crafts fair with booths, food, entertainment and lots of Civil War Reenactment demonstrations.

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but my Dad is a Civil War Historian, and an Artillery man. He taught Military History, preRevolution to Civil War at West Point when we lived there -- and he was in the Artillery when he was in the Army. Here he is making friends with the guys who fire the big cannons.

It's fun to do this stuff with my dad because he'll talk to the guys, then explain stuff to you, and tell you all about what ever you want to know -- or whatever you don't want to know. I think the boys were a bit young yet to appreciate his wealth of knowledge (yeah, I'm buttering him up...) but hopefully they have many more years to pick his brain!

And as tired as we were, Saturday night Rich and I still got to go on a date! Yay!

Sunday was a bit more relaxing. We did head back up to the Tellus Museum for a few hours, but that was pretty much the whole day.

Monday, yesterday, was my Dad's birthday so the boys helped him eat his birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to him.

And then they left this morning! One thing about my parents, they never stay long enough to over stay their welcome! We were all sad to see them go, but now they're retired they have more commitments than they did when they were working!

I'm just thankful they took some time to come see us!

Wordless Wednesday: Cousins (2nd cousins really)

Apparently, Josh and Luke had a great time together. It's too bad they live so far apart... I think they'd be really good friends if we lived closer together!

Josh said the best part of the trip to England was playing with Luke!




Fore more Wordless Wednesday, visit the WWHQ!

The Great Vegetarian Experiment

Last week, we agreed that, if Josh wanted, he could try being a vegetarian on Friday. This is came about because he didn't want to eat his dinner said he didn't want to "kill animals."

So he woke up on Friday and was very excited about his "meat free" day.

But somehow, I'm not quite sure he gets the idea....

Me: "Josh, what do you want for breakfast? Cereal? Toast? Eggs?"

Josh: "How about bacon? Is that vegetarian?"

Um... no.

He settled for Fruit Loops and Fresh fruit salad.

About 10:00 he comes to me...

"Mom, can I have a turkey and pickle sandwich?"

Me: "Josh, that's not vegetarian, remember?"

Josh: "OOOHHHH! I only wanted to be vegetarian at breakfast, lunch and dinner... Not at snack time!"

In the end he settled for some pickles and some cheese.

He did have tuna at lunch time, and while I know that's not strictly vegetarian, there are a lot of vegetarians that eat fish so we let that slide. Sam did much better with a grilled cheese sandwich.

And then at dinner the boys had bean and cheese burritos. Josh told me he liked them better with meat.

So, I don't quite think he's ready to give up eating meat, but he did give it a good go.

At the end of the day we were talking about his vegetarian day. I asked him how he liked it.

Josh: "Mom, Vegetarians sure do get to eat good food!"

Me: "Yes, well, you don't have to be a vegetarian to eat vegetarian foods. If you want, we can do it once a week."

Josh: "Yeah, I think I could do it once a week..... Can I do it on the nights you have turkey for dinner?"

Um, no. But he gets points for trying.

A 7 Year Old's Dilemma

One of the things that is very important to Rich and me is teaching our kids about proper nutrition and eating well. We want to teach our children how to make good, healthy choices in food.

We do bring the kids to McD's or let them have special "treats" from time to time. But it's the exception rather than the rule. Moderation is the key.

Lately, everything Sam eats he asks if it is "healthy." It hasn't seemed to deter him from wanting chicken nuggets or the processed macaroni and cheese... but at least he's asking the questions.

So last night at dinner Josh was very curious about different foods and trying to avoid eating his fish asking all sorts of questions. His teacher last year was a vegetarian so he was curious about what that meant and why some people are vegetarians and some aren't.

Rich explained that some people don't eat meat for a variety of reasons, among them religion, diet and that some people object to killing and eating animals.

Josh then said he didn't like to kill animals and that he liked fruits and vegetables so maybe he could be a vegetarian. We told him if he wanted to try and be a veggie, that would be fine with us.

So we agreed that on Friday we'd have a "meat free" day to test it out and see how he likes it.

We started to explain that there were many types of vegetarians -- some that don't eat any animal by-product like milk and cheese (he didn't want to explore that) and some that will eat fish and eggs.

We explained that there are some people that aren't totally vegetarian, but make decisions not to eat some kinds of meat due to how animals are treated (like veal or only eating free-range chickens, etc...)

We told him he had to make a decision about what was important to him and then decide what he was willing to give up for his beliefs.

Josh then said, "Well, one thing I know I don't like is chicken!" Then he pointed at his food.

I said, "Well, that's fish Josh. And you don't like chicken nuggets?"

The look on his face was priceless.

I continued, "... and no more hamburgers or hot dogs. You wouldn't be able to eat at McDonald's anymore."

He said, "Oh. Maybe not then."

Thus ended his attempt to talk his way out of eating his dinner.

What's so funny Mom?

Why are you laughing?



What do you mean my mouth and t-shirt match?

While I'm sick, look at my kids artwork....

I'm sick.

I've come down with some sort of stomach virus and it's wiped me out.

Thankfully, I have an amazing husband who has helped me out this week. It's hard being the mom and being sick. They just don't go together very well. I thought I was getting better but today I feel like the back end of a cow.

So, I don't have much in the way of an update. Instead I'll let you look at some of Josh's artwork.

Isn't it beautiful?

This is on a magnet. The school is doing a Square 1 Art fund raiser and this is his "artwork" that we can order t-shirts, coffee mugs, clocks, note cards, tote bags, coasters... all sorts of stuff!

I can't decide what I want. I wish I could afford it all! I just love the picture!

I think he's got some real talent. He's been reading "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules." He loves them! And he loves the pictures in them. He's been looking at the pictures and then drawing his own versions of them.

Here's the real cover from "Rodrick Rules"

Here's Josh's version:

Seriously, I can't do that well. And he's only just turned seven!

He amazes me.