1.30.2010

Perfect Snow Day

It finally snowed here in our great town! This was at least the 3rd time white stuff was predicted and the first that it actually snowed. Yay! I have no idea how much we got, maybe 4" I'd say? Enough to go out and play, make snow ice cream and sled. And enough to keep us home for the next couple of days (but please, Lord, school on Monday? 'Kay?). The kids were super excited to see snow and couldn't wait to go play in it. Finally about 10am our next door neighbors texted that they were going out so we decided to brave the sleet and SUPER cold temperatures and go out too. I even convinced Paul to put down the wiimote and leave Super Mario Bros for a few minutes to come out. Needless to say, it took way longer to actually get everyone in the their snow gear than the time they actually wanted to be outside. Thankfully our neighbor invited us in for homemade hot chocolate that turned into a 2 hour playdate for our family and other neighbors. We took the kids home for lunch/naps/quiet time and a couple hours later Paul and big girls headed out for some sledding. Our neighborhood has some undeveloped land that have some great hills so they kids had a great time sledding out there. Meanwhile, on the homefront I made some cookies and snow ice cream. They got home and Paul helped the neighborhood guys shovel out some driveways and we invited a few neighbors over for snow ice cream after dinner.

After dinner 2 of our neighbors came over and we had snow cream, cookies and some adult beverages. The hit of the evening was playing Just Dance on the wii. We all had a great time with the game. The older girls danced and danced and Miss Meri was certainly the superstar tonight! Reluctantly the girls let the adults have a turn at the game and our next door neighbors clearly have a lot of rhythm and won the dance off. The kids (all 9 of them) seemed to have a great time and hopefully will sleep very well tonight after all the day's festivities. All in all a perfect snow day! We're so thankful to have such wonderful friends and neighbors!!

1.28.2010

Tooth Fairy


When you are in kindergarten losing teeth is very exciting. Lily has been dying to lose one of her teeth so she could get some money from the tooth fairy ever since Em lost her first one last summer. Yesterday evening it finally happened. We noticed over the last weekend that her front bottom tooth was getting a little wiggly and that her "big" tooth was starting to grow in behind it. She's been wiggling it all week. Yesterday while we were waiting for dinner to cook we took a look at it. I noticed it was much looser than the day before so I advised Lily to eat an apple. She worked that apple, taking lots of little bites. And shortly after dinner it was really, really wiggly and she was asking to have it pulled out. I tried a couple times and it didn't come out..she ate another slice of apple..I tried again and out it came! She was so cute - wanted to call everyone and let them know. We got her tooth fairy pillow out and safely tucked the tooth in the pillow. She was beyond excited that the tooth fairy was going to come.

Thankfully the tooth fairy actually had some cash on her so she was able to pay Lily a visit. This morning when Lily crawled into bed with me (at 6:45) she whispered.."the tooth fairy came!" And I whispered back.."yeah? what did she get" She says "I didn't check yet..I wanted to wait for Emma and Julia to get up and until it was a little light out." After everyone woke up she discovered she got $5!! Again..beyond excited! As soon as she saw Paul today she asked him to take her shopping. So cute!!

1.27.2010

Carpool Line Etiquette

I feel compelled to remind the blogosphere of what I consider to be proper "Carpool Line Etiquette". Clearly there are many parents out there that are in too much of hurry to obey common carpool rules and clearly I need to point them out.

1. It is NOT okay to speed in the school zone to get 1 or 2 cars ahead. Really? Won't get you anywhere fast..especially not if that policeman lurking around the corner catches you. And I secretly hope he does.

2. It is NOT okay to skip the line of cars and drop your child off in the crosswalk BEFORE the bell rings. What makes you (and jeep I'm talking about you) think you are so special that you don't have to wait in line like the rest of us. The line is NOT optional.

3. Wait until the bell rings before you let your kid out and you drive off. Before the bell rings you are still responsible for your kid.

4. Let your kids off in the designated spots - if we all follow the rules it will go faster. Honestly.

5. Let your kids start getting ready to get out of the car while you are waiting in line. Again..it will move things around.

6. Keep the line tight - stay close to the car in front of you.

7. Do not get out of the afternoon line once the teacher has already written your childs name down. It throws off the entire flow of the line. Really. The entire flow.

8. Pay attention - I know you are busy on your iphone playing games but if the car in front you moves you should too.

Did I leave anything out? I think if we just all follow these rules carpool line will be a much better experience for everyone. 'Kay??

1.24.2010

Happy Great Wolf Birthday Julia!

Paul and I decided that rather than have a birthday party for Julia this year we would take the family to Great Wolf Lodge for a night. I've been telling Paul forever that I wanted to go (well every time I see the commercials on TV) and with the upcoming birthday and my lack of interest in planning yet another birthday party it totally made since. I called up our good friends, the Dickey's (who have 2 little girls with birthdays this month) and filled them in on our plan. They too thought it would be a great way to celebrate birthdays and were definitely game. In a wise move we also invited my mom along - which turned out to be the best idea we've had in a long time (though she may be regretting it). Since it was somewhat last minute decision the lodge was pretty booked for Saturday night so we decided to take the girls out of school a little early and go on Friday. We kept the whole thing a surprise - only telling the girls we were going on a trip. They kept trying to guess the destination: Hollywood (they've been watching a lot of American Idol)? Hawaii? Florida? Disney? It was funny to hear what they were thinking!

We got down there about 5 on Friday afternoon. The place was packed! Recession? Not at the Great Wolf in January. Paul took Emma in and she said "This is the best day of my life" after viewing the water park! Lily said "This is the best place I have ever been!" The smiles on their faces was priceless! We checked in and headed to our room. Since my mom was with us and we have so many kids we had to have a Kids Cabin room which was adorable. It had bunk beds and a single bed in a separate area with their own TV. The room was very spacious and all the rooms have a fridge. They also come with kids body wash in the bathroom which I thought was super cute. After we put down our stuff we went exploring around the hotel while we waited for our friends. Of course the kids were dying to get to the waterpark but it was fun to see all they had to offer there. There is a cute "Cub Clubhouse" where you can play and do arts & crafts, an arcade, Magiquest, Kids Spa, various restaurants (including a Dunkin Donuts - thank you!) and of course some gift shops. The lodge is decorated very nice and of course everything is super kid friendly. We were in the Cub Clubhouse when our friends arrived. It took the girls a minute to realize it was their friends and they were so excited to see them! We ate dinner at the buffet there on property and then got down to business of exploring the waterpark.

The waterpark is great! I was a little concerned about Jacob and if there would be things for him to do there. No worries - he had a blast. They have plenty of lifejackets available for all the non-swimmers. They had a great kiddie are with a zero-depth entry, lots of play things and slides just for little kids. Julia loved, loved it. There is a wave pool that Jacob liked a lot too - he loved the waves crashing on his feet. The big girls were tall enough to all but 1 of the waterslides! And they had a blast doing everything. Paul & Steven even watched the littlest kids so Frances & I could do the big adult ride - the Howlin Tornado. It was fun!! We played in the waterpark until they closed then we went back to our room to have cupcakes for all the birthday girls.

After an interesting night of sleep (or lack of) we got up and were very thankful for the Dunkin Donuts in the lobby. We had decided that Frances & I would take the littlest 2 kids and go to Ikea for a couple hours in the morning. I mean how could we be that close to Ikea and not go? Paul took the younger girls to the waterpark and Gagi & Steven took the older girls to do Magiquest. Emma has been dying to do that since Gagi introduced her to it at Myrtle Beach. Apparently they had fun though I'm not sure how much of the actual game they did - I think it was mostly just some wand pointing. Ikea was great and we brought lunch back to the masses and enjoyed some more time in the waterpark before we had to head home. Day 2 in the park was a little more exhausting with Jacob - he's just so busy and wanted to explore so much! He loved it though which I'm so glad!! He was so exhausted that he slept almost the whole ride home!

Overall it was a great, great weekend. The girls all had a wonderful time. As Emma remarked at breakfast "Great Wolf is AWESOME" Indeed it was! My only complaint is that it was cold in the park. It wasn't bad until you got wet and then it was freezing. I actually heard a lot of people complaining about how cold it was - it was hard to believe it was really 84 in there. I think Julia's teeth were chattering the whole time but it didn't bother her or any of the kids. The adults on the hand were bothered. Some of the pools were warmer than others but definitely colder than I expected. Otherwise it was totally worth it. We will definitely go back - I think when Jacob is older but definitely one day I hope!

PS - here are a few pictures from inside our room - I didn't take my camera into the waterpark (boo to me!)

Birthday Kick Off!



We kicked off Julia's birthday celebrations on Thursday! At preschool they gave her a birthday crown (which she has worn all weekend) and she had a special snack. Thursday evening Nana, Gagi and a couple neighbors came over to sing Happy Birthday to her and have cake. It was a fun way to kick off the birthday weekend!

1.19.2010

Long Weekend


We had a great long weekend! My bff, Erin, drove down from Columbus on Saturday. My mother in law babysat so we got to go out for a nice, adult dinner (Brio's - super yummy). It also a sort of birthday dinner for Paul. Sunday we went to church and Auntie (aka Erin) took Lily out for a special shopping adventure. Lily also had her first Daisy Troop meeting - she was so excited about that. We made homemade pizzas for dinner and then once we finally got the kids in bed we settled in with chocolate fondue and wine to watch the Golden Globes. Watching the Golden Globes was so darn fun with Erin. We make a great commentator team, if I do say so myself.

The girls had off of school yesterday for "Dr. King's birthday" as Lily commented on several times. It also happened to be Paul's birthday and Lily asked were we going to sing Happy Birthday to both Daddy and Dr. King. We took the girls downtown yesterday to the Science and History Museums. What fun, free entertainment. I haven't been down there since I was in elementary school. Their attention spans didn't last too long - and they are such girls - no interest in the rocks, reptiles or dinosaurs - so it was a good thing it was free. They did, however, love the Barbie display at the history museum. Go figure. We lunched at the Mellow Mushroom then Emma got her special shopping adventure with Auntie. We capped the evening off with a steak dinner and Paul's favorite German Chocolate cake. A great visit - we already miss you Auntie! Come back soon!!

1.15.2010

School Woes

I'm losing faith in our public school system. It's sad but I think our county school system is a hot, hot mess. First off we have this new school board going all renegade and making changes left and right trying to implement things immediately. While I agree with a lot of what they are ultimately trying to do I wonder if they are going about things the right way? What I do know? I like my calendar option and I generally (though not so much right now) like my school and I want it to stay the same for a while.

Here's what I'm really fired up about right now. I get this letter home yesterday for my Kindergartner and 1st grader that basically says their classrooms are too full (really? duh..we knew that in JULY) and that the Department of Public Instruction didn't grant waivers this year to have the classes this full. Apparently the school was expecting to get these waivers. Let's keep in mind 2 things: 1. the General Assembly never had the final budget approved before school started in July and Wake Co. was on a hiring freeze and 2. We started school in JULY - as in over 6 mos ago. So now, since we didn't get waivers a new Kindergarten and 1st grade classes must be created so that class sizes are in line. They are looking for volunteers to move to these new classes and if they don't get enough volunteers they will "randomly" select students to move.

The more I think about this the more furious I am getting. There is a meeting on Tuesday at the school which I intend to attend with my list of questions. First, we knew class size was an issue since the start of school and yet more students continue to be added (and imo those kids ought to move to the new class). Also, they are taking two existing classroom teachers to teach these new classes - so their classrooms are getting new teachers that the school has to relocate from other jobs in the school. There are no new teachers being hired. These classes are going to be multi-track classes - which means for you non-year round folks that every 3 weeks new kids are coming in and out of the class. How in the world do you manage that? And the thing that really kills me is that it's January! Our school year is more than half over. By the time this new class gets started in February we'll really only have 3 mos of school left. How horrible for all these kids to either move or mess up their class dynamic with such a short period of time left in the school year. I mean really, at this point, is it even worth it? Will having a smaller class size really make a difference?

So shame on you DPI for waiting so freaking long to grant/not grant these waivers. And shame on you Wake County for just assuming the waivers would be granted. And shame on you legislators for treating year round students like stepchildren and not approving the budget in a timely fashion so that funds were in line before our year started. But really it's a shame for all the kindergartners and first graders that having the end of their school year screwed up. And I'm sure they'll all be fine but really...I just wonder is it worth it.

And..one last thing..I'm sure our school isn't the only school getting these letters and going through this but that just makes it worse and makes you realize our school system is a mess right now.

1.10.2010

Cookie Time!

It's Cookie time!! Otherwise known as Girl Scout Cookie selling season. Emma is so excited to be selling cookies again this year!! Last year she worked really hard to be a "Cookie Diva" and is trying to obtain "Cookie Diva" status again this year. This means she has to sell 210 boxes. Oh my! We went out selling in the FREEZING cold yesterday morning with our fellow neighborhood girl scouts. We had some luck though a lot of people weren't home (or otherwise didn't answer their door). Most people who were home were really friendly and nice and probably took pity on these adorable little girls selling cookies in the cold. We had pretty good luck in the morning and Emma really didn't want to stop for lunch but I was cold and hungry so after 3 hours we took a break. As soon as we came inside she got on the phone and called some family and friends to get their orders. It was really cute to see how excited she was. After she warmed up her bff called and they went back out for another hour or so.

Someone asked us if there were any new cookies and there aren't this year. But does there really need to be? Isn't there something nostalgic about Thin Mints, Caramel Delights (Samoas) and Tagalongs (Peanut Butter Patties)? Everyone (well mostly) loves Girl Scout Cookies just the way they are - no changes necessary! Emma kept saying "I can't wait to eat some Thin Mint!" Neither can I - frozen please - yummy!!!

To those of you who bought from us - Thank You so much!! And if you didn't and want some - please let me know!!

1.08.2010

Unanswered Questions

I really don't have much today but I haven't been blogging lately so I thought I'd write a short post. My bff posted an unanswered question on her blog a while back and it had me thinking. So, today I'll post my own unanswered questions. Feel free to comment if you have answers to my burning questions:

1. Does the Triangle area have a bubble over it keeping snow from falling on us?
2. Kate Gosselins hair extensions - what was she thinking? Have you see the cover of this week's People?
3. And speaking of celebrity looks - Brad Pitt's beard? I don't just don't get it.
4. Why can I gain 4 lbs in a week yet it takes 4 weeks to lose said pounds?
5. Why on earth can't Wake County Public Schools get it right when it goes to weather related delays and closings?
6. And speaking of getting it right why is weather accuracy really no better now that it was 10 years ago? You'd think technology would help with those powerful Doppler's or whatever they call them.
7. Why did I schedule a drs appointment for flu shot boosters in the middle of naptime?
8. Why can't I stop watching Jersey Shore? I know I shouldn't it but I can't stop.
9. Confession: I also can't stop watching Teen Mom on MTV. I blame the hotel we stayed at over New Year's for not having a remote control that worked.
10. How many days until Spring? Or at least until I stop having to dress my children in so many layers of clothes that it's a struggle to get the car seat belts latched?

Hope you have a nice weekend. Me? I'll be selling Girl Scout cookies in the arctic cold tomorrow - want to come?

1.05.2010

Getting Along


Very occasionally all my children play nice together. I just happened to catch one of those moments this afternoon. I wanted to document it for future so that I remember that my children do like each other. Sometimes.

1.03.2010

Oh Sweet Monday

I like the weekends..the sleeping in on Saturdays (due to my sweet husband), lazy (well as lazy as they get with 4 kids) chore-free days, church on Sundays. All good things. Monday brings alarm clocks, waking up children, hurrying for on-the-go breakfast, fighting over clothes and shoes. Things that typically are not so good. BUT this week I am SO exited for Monday. I will actually be OK hearing that awful alarm clock. I won't mind waking up children, I've got cereal ready for breakfast and I'm prepared for the clothing battle that will ensue when I insist that not only must socks be worn but that hats and mittens must be too. Why all this preparedness? WE GO BACK TO SCHOOL TOMORROW!!!!! Yes, my dear friends, after 5 1/2 weeks off (that's like 38 days or something ridiculous like that) my older, talkative, need constant stimulation girls are going to back to school. It's been so long that it almost feels like the first day of school again. Have I mentioned I love that feeling? Don't get me wrong - it has actually been a nice vacation: lots of lazy mornings, lots of playtime, too much TV but it's time to get back to our routine. Emma's teacher sent an email yesterday and the first line was "Hi, remember me?" which I thought was pretty cute. I bet some kids will actually forget their teachers its been so darn long. Now let's just hope the school got nice and clean over break and that there are no pesky germs around to keep the kids out of school this week or I might very well lose my mind.

1.02.2010

Happy 2010!

Happy New Year! Twenty-ten, Two thousand ten or Two thousand and ten (whatever you chose to call it) is here!! I meant to post a "year in review/decade in review" post on New Year's Eve but we're on a mini-vacation at the beach and we've been shopping and watching too much MTV (don't laugh..the remote control is broken and we're too lazy to get up and channel surf) so I didn't get around to it.

To sum it up: 2009 was a great year for us overall. We had a great vacation to Disney, Paul still has a great job that he really likes, we got to move into a great house that fits our family really well, Lily started Kindergarten, Emma loves school, Julia started talking and Jacob finally stopped spitting up so much! There were lots of other great memories too but you can read my blog if you are so inspired since I blogged most of them.

Paul and I were reminiscing about the past decade yesterday. In the past 10 years we got married, had 4 kids and moved 7 times! Hopefully in this next 10 years there will be no more babies and no more moving!

We've had a great mini-vacation here at the beach - we got some time off thanks to my mom(Thanks Mom!!), had some good eats, did some shopping and got sucked into to way too many mtv shows (omg - those Jersey Shore folks - but that's a whole other post!). A great start to 2010!

I hope you had a wonderful start to the New Year too! I am looking forward to seeing what 2010 has in store!!