More quotes that sustain you when a child wakes you at 3 a.m. to crawl into your bed because "I can't sleep by myself":
Natalie is reading everything everywhere -- so while we were having lunch at a restaurant today, she saw a sign that said HAPPY HOUR. She asked what Happy Hour meant and I said it is the hour after people leave work. Nicholas piped in, "So when is Angry Hour?"
At the restaurant, there was a little baby with her family. One of the family members brought her over to our table to say hi to the kids. So Natalie and Nicholas were "a-ga-ga" over the little girl during lunch. The baby ended up falling asleep, and she was leaning on the shoulder of a family member in "burp position", and she went out. Like a light. Arms limp and all. I said, "She was being burped and she fell asleep." Natalie looked over at her and said, "How cute!" Nicholas looked over and said, "Is she broken?"
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Spring Break
We made it to Spring Break -- WOOHOO!!!
Due to DH's unemployment, we canceled our reservations in Williamsburg. We still are going to the circus today, and we still have dance/swim/gymnastics classes today. DH has an interview on Tuesday so the kids and I will do the museums. We will also go to the Cherry Blossom Festival activities that are going on throughout the week.
Did you know you can reserve a Tidal Basin paddle boat online? Very cool!
We will also work on Natalie's Science Fair poster over the break. She's really having fun with her "tadpole to frog" project. This from a girl that generates an ear-piercing scream if there is a single moth in the house. :-)
Nicholas is getting ready to transition to his new multi-age preschool classroom. Looks like that will happen the week of April 23rd (the same week as my birthday/our wedding anniversary). He's very excited!
Due to DH's unemployment, we canceled our reservations in Williamsburg. We still are going to the circus today, and we still have dance/swim/gymnastics classes today. DH has an interview on Tuesday so the kids and I will do the museums. We will also go to the Cherry Blossom Festival activities that are going on throughout the week.
Did you know you can reserve a Tidal Basin paddle boat online? Very cool!
We will also work on Natalie's Science Fair poster over the break. She's really having fun with her "tadpole to frog" project. This from a girl that generates an ear-piercing scream if there is a single moth in the house. :-)
Nicholas is getting ready to transition to his new multi-age preschool classroom. Looks like that will happen the week of April 23rd (the same week as my birthday/our wedding anniversary). He's very excited!
Sunday, March 18, 2007
The Weekend
Wow, it's been a wild weekend!
First off we had St. Patrick's Day -- which included Natalie's dance class (9 am), a visit to the Air & Space Museum for Family Day (10:15 am - 1:45 pm), and a birthday party for one of Natalie's Kindergarten classmates (6 - 8 pm).
On Sunday it was church and I had to work (at home) since our association's Annual Meeting is going on this week. So much of Sunday was spent on the computer.
And the added distraction of March Madness, of course. I've picked Georgetown to win the National Championship. That means the Hoyas are now doomed. ;-)
First off we had St. Patrick's Day -- which included Natalie's dance class (9 am), a visit to the Air & Space Museum for Family Day (10:15 am - 1:45 pm), and a birthday party for one of Natalie's Kindergarten classmates (6 - 8 pm).
On Sunday it was church and I had to work (at home) since our association's Annual Meeting is going on this week. So much of Sunday was spent on the computer.
And the added distraction of March Madness, of course. I've picked Georgetown to win the National Championship. That means the Hoyas are now doomed. ;-)
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Who dreams up this stuff?
Dangerous Dave gets whacked over the cliff by Brutal Bob -- the best top score I have heard of is 1400+ but I've only made it to 1280.8.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Head, Meet the Floor
My head met the floor last night. Twice. And not by choice.
Sunday evening, after our day at the zoo, I was feeling pretty awful. I wasn't sure if it was all the uphill pushing or the hot dog I had at the zoo. I even looked for the "pink stuff" to help settle my tummy. We didn't have any in the house, so I made do with Tums.
Big mistake.
I was miserable Sunday night. To the point when Monday morning rolled around, I skipped breakfast. It was safer not to eat. Instead I took more Tums. And I skipped lunch on Monday, although I did have half of a sandwich at a meeting at my son's preschool. I had all intents of skipping dinner, too, but that didn't seem wise, so I had some soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.
Last night was unbelievable. I was in MISERY. I actually thought about going to the ER because I was in such pain. So I went into the bathroom -- and my head met the floor.
I came too and realized that I was lying on the bathroom rug. Certainly not the place to get a sip of water.
I made my way back to bed. DH and the kids slept through the whole thing. Then, some time later -- I'm not sure how long -- I tried another trip to the bathroom.
Head Meet Floor, Revisited. This time I wrenched my neck and got a rug burn on my face. And this one woke DH up because he found me on the floor.
So the Boo Boo Buddy was added to my face to try to get the swelling down. I asked DH for a banana, hoping that some potassium would help me out. And I slept some.
Morning came, and there was no way I could trust myself behind the wheel of a car so I could go to work. So I stayed home. And Nicholas said he "needs to be home with Mommy". So DH dropped Natalie off at school and Nicholas and I have been home together.
DH bought some Gatorade, and crackers, and Jello, and other bland stuff. So I have something in my tummy today
And I will be at work tomorrow. (With a lot of make-up next to my left eye to cover rug burn!)
Sunday evening, after our day at the zoo, I was feeling pretty awful. I wasn't sure if it was all the uphill pushing or the hot dog I had at the zoo. I even looked for the "pink stuff" to help settle my tummy. We didn't have any in the house, so I made do with Tums.
Big mistake.
I was miserable Sunday night. To the point when Monday morning rolled around, I skipped breakfast. It was safer not to eat. Instead I took more Tums. And I skipped lunch on Monday, although I did have half of a sandwich at a meeting at my son's preschool. I had all intents of skipping dinner, too, but that didn't seem wise, so I had some soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.
Last night was unbelievable. I was in MISERY. I actually thought about going to the ER because I was in such pain. So I went into the bathroom -- and my head met the floor.
I came too and realized that I was lying on the bathroom rug. Certainly not the place to get a sip of water.
I made my way back to bed. DH and the kids slept through the whole thing. Then, some time later -- I'm not sure how long -- I tried another trip to the bathroom.
Head Meet Floor, Revisited. This time I wrenched my neck and got a rug burn on my face. And this one woke DH up because he found me on the floor.
So the Boo Boo Buddy was added to my face to try to get the swelling down. I asked DH for a banana, hoping that some potassium would help me out. And I slept some.
Morning came, and there was no way I could trust myself behind the wheel of a car so I could go to work. So I stayed home. And Nicholas said he "needs to be home with Mommy". So DH dropped Natalie off at school and Nicholas and I have been home together.
DH bought some Gatorade, and crackers, and Jello, and other bland stuff. So I have something in my tummy today
And I will be at work tomorrow. (With a lot of make-up next to my left eye to cover rug burn!)
Sunday, March 11, 2007
The Crayon To Color the Sky
The weather was pretty wonderful this weekend, so today we went to the National Zoo. We have a FONZ membership which gives us a discount on a stroller rental, and there's no way I can take my Maclaren Twin Traveler any longer as both children are now over 40 pounds -- so the rental stroller was the answer. And, of course, with two children, I had to get the double, because Natalie would whine about Nicholas getting a ride, etc. So I pushed around 90+ pounds of children and stroller today. For five hours. Uphill most of the time. And yes, I was silly enough to take the steep grade route to the Bird House. (!!!) WHAT was I thinking?!
We had a great time! We had to skip some of the exhibits simply because we were running towards the end of Nicholas' energy span, but we managed well.
Oh -- about the Crayon post title. I drove to the Zoo today and took Route 50 into DC. For those that are familiar with the area, we took the Roosevelt Bridge across the Potomac to head to Rock Creek. Natalie and Nicholas both love to see the Washington Monument, but Nicholas sometimes gets it confused with the Jefferson Memorial, particularly when we take our usual route across the 14th Street Bridge. So he wasn't accustomed to seeing the Washington Monument from that viewing angle. And he said, "Mommy, it's a crayon -- and it's to color the sky!"
It's comments like that which help one forget the five hours of pushing a double stroller up hills.
We had a great time! We had to skip some of the exhibits simply because we were running towards the end of Nicholas' energy span, but we managed well.
Oh -- about the Crayon post title. I drove to the Zoo today and took Route 50 into DC. For those that are familiar with the area, we took the Roosevelt Bridge across the Potomac to head to Rock Creek. Natalie and Nicholas both love to see the Washington Monument, but Nicholas sometimes gets it confused with the Jefferson Memorial, particularly when we take our usual route across the 14th Street Bridge. So he wasn't accustomed to seeing the Washington Monument from that viewing angle. And he said, "Mommy, it's a crayon -- and it's to color the sky!"
It's comments like that which help one forget the five hours of pushing a double stroller up hills.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Science Club
Natalie started in her school's Science Club today. It all happened in a very roundabout way.
A few weeks ago, we received a flyer from school about "after school clubs". There was not a great of information, other than they started on February 28 and would run for 6 weeks. here are the clubs, pick the one you want for your child and submit the form. So I signed Natalie up for K-3 science club, and I sent the form back to school with Natalie the next day.
A few days later, I get a form letter from the school stating that Natalie did not get in to the program, and that even if we submitted the form right away, there are not enough spots for everyone that is interested.
So I wrote a note on the "parent communication" form that we can use to communicate with Natalie's teacher. I asked what the selection criteria/procedures are for the science club. I honestly did not know if I need to drive to the school and get some sort of date/time stamp on an after school program form, etc. I learned a lot through the summer camp process, maybe I could apply it for these clubs, too!
Well, someone from the school called our house that day and told DH about the "selection criteria" for the science club. The only way a student gets in the club is if the teacher that is coordinating the science fair knows that the student is going to submit a project for science fair. Okay, I kind of understand that, but I didn't even know about a form for science fair, and certainly nothing about a "deadline", forgot about even seeing that "prerequisite" on the after-school program form.
So I emailed the principal a few days later. I said in my email that I wasn't looking for anything for this year, and that I was just pointing out that the communications could be a bit better. She replied almost immediately, saying that she was going to have folks check into the issue for me.
DH and I went to the assembly last week and the principal sought me out to ask if anyone had contacted me yet. I said no, but I wasn't out to "ding" anybody, etc. A few minutes later, the teacher that coordinates the K-3 science club came up to DH and I to introduce himself. He explained how the process normally works, and that he is assisting the science fair coordinator by handling the younger kids projects -- and that Natalie is very much welcome to join in their already-identified experiment. I thanked him for the offer and said that Natalie would love to join in.
So, she went to science club today. They are growing bacteria (hardly a first choice science project for her! LOL!) and she already checked out a "germs" book from the school library. She is very excited and told DH that she wished science club was for two hours instead of one.
So we have a budding scientist in our midst!
And speaking of science -- a friend of mine shared this tidbit with me -- on March 17, the Smithsonian will have a Women in Aviation and Space Family Day out at the Air & Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (out by the Dulles Airport). We will definitely be there! (We are not saying anything so Nicholas is not disappointed. Plus he has swim class that day.)
A few weeks ago, we received a flyer from school about "after school clubs". There was not a great of information, other than they started on February 28 and would run for 6 weeks. here are the clubs, pick the one you want for your child and submit the form. So I signed Natalie up for K-3 science club, and I sent the form back to school with Natalie the next day.
A few days later, I get a form letter from the school stating that Natalie did not get in to the program, and that even if we submitted the form right away, there are not enough spots for everyone that is interested.
So I wrote a note on the "parent communication" form that we can use to communicate with Natalie's teacher. I asked what the selection criteria/procedures are for the science club. I honestly did not know if I need to drive to the school and get some sort of date/time stamp on an after school program form, etc. I learned a lot through the summer camp process, maybe I could apply it for these clubs, too!
Well, someone from the school called our house that day and told DH about the "selection criteria" for the science club. The only way a student gets in the club is if the teacher that is coordinating the science fair knows that the student is going to submit a project for science fair. Okay, I kind of understand that, but I didn't even know about a form for science fair, and certainly nothing about a "deadline", forgot about even seeing that "prerequisite" on the after-school program form.
So I emailed the principal a few days later. I said in my email that I wasn't looking for anything for this year, and that I was just pointing out that the communications could be a bit better. She replied almost immediately, saying that she was going to have folks check into the issue for me.
DH and I went to the assembly last week and the principal sought me out to ask if anyone had contacted me yet. I said no, but I wasn't out to "ding" anybody, etc. A few minutes later, the teacher that coordinates the K-3 science club came up to DH and I to introduce himself. He explained how the process normally works, and that he is assisting the science fair coordinator by handling the younger kids projects -- and that Natalie is very much welcome to join in their already-identified experiment. I thanked him for the offer and said that Natalie would love to join in.
So, she went to science club today. They are growing bacteria (hardly a first choice science project for her! LOL!) and she already checked out a "germs" book from the school library. She is very excited and told DH that she wished science club was for two hours instead of one.
So we have a budding scientist in our midst!
And speaking of science -- a friend of mine shared this tidbit with me -- on March 17, the Smithsonian will have a Women in Aviation and Space Family Day out at the Air & Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (out by the Dulles Airport). We will definitely be there! (We are not saying anything so Nicholas is not disappointed. Plus he has swim class that day.)
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Green Eggs and Ham
As I posted last week, Natalie's Kindergarten class did a special "read aloud play" of Green Eggs and Ham. In front of all the children and teachers in grades K through 3. Natalie's teacher somehow pulled off the impossible feat of getting 9 Kindergarten students to read their lives, with great timing of 9 students holding up artwork -- "not in a box", "not with a fox", not in the dark", etc. Natalie was great with her "dramatic reading". :-)
We took the kids out to get new shoes on Saturday -- growing feet, warmer weather hinting at Spring, and the chance to use some generous gift cards from Christmas thanks to Nana and Pop Pop. After shopping, we went to Kidwell Farm to go see the babies -- specifically the lambs and calves. Nicholas wanted no part of it, so he played on the tractors with DH while Natalie and I toured the farm.
Today we saw signs of our fall-planted tulips -- we have several 1.5 to 2 inch "sprouts" in the front garden. We are starting to see signs of buds on the trees, too. I cut back our butterfly bushes today, at hopefully the right time of the year.
We took the kids out to get new shoes on Saturday -- growing feet, warmer weather hinting at Spring, and the chance to use some generous gift cards from Christmas thanks to Nana and Pop Pop. After shopping, we went to Kidwell Farm to go see the babies -- specifically the lambs and calves. Nicholas wanted no part of it, so he played on the tractors with DH while Natalie and I toured the farm.
Today we saw signs of our fall-planted tulips -- we have several 1.5 to 2 inch "sprouts" in the front garden. We are starting to see signs of buds on the trees, too. I cut back our butterfly bushes today, at hopefully the right time of the year.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Yes, we're here
I can't believe I haven't posted in two whole weeks!
Well, we had a good long weekend with President's Day and all. I took the kids up to PlayWise Kids in Columbia, MD, for a chance to have some fun and we all had a ball. We ended up spending about 4 hours there with a short lunch break, too. I timed it so we could leave at 3 pm with the hopes of avoiding Beltway traffic. They both fell asleep on the ride home and there was hardly back-ups, so we were home in about 40 minutes. So a short nap that day. :-)
The next night we had a PTA meeting, which was the rescheduled PTA meeting from one of the school closing days. Thankfully it was not too late a night. However, I have been spending a good 45 minutes to an hour doing "reading stuff" with Natalie each night, and having a meeting on a weeknight really crimps into that time. I did manage to get the reading in before heading to the meeting.
Of course then we had the surprise snow storm that weekend -- it was a surprise because we were really counting on rain! We all played in the snow to make an snow princess, complete with sunglasses, princess party hat, and a pareo. I'll have to post a picture once we get it off the camera. :-)
Fairfax County had a two hour delay for school on Monday, and DH had to take Nicholas to a hearing test at 9 am that day, so Natalie went to work with me. We arrived early (8:30 am) and she helped me make photocopies, helped with some stapling, and she helped me recycle a pile of papers off my desk. Then I brought her to school for 10:15 am. She had such fun at my office that she has been begging me since then to go "be an assistant". :-)
Tuesday I had a civic association board meeting, and those start late (7:30 pm) and I didn't get home until close to 10 pm. But I was smart and managed to get Natalie's reading in before I went to the meeting.
Last night we had a Partners in Print session at Natalie's school. Partners in Print is a program where teachers show parents some unique (and fun!) ways to help children as they develop their reading skills. We were in a classroom with some Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade students to learn "Look, Say, Cover, Write, and Check". I think this approach will be a great way to help Natalie get practice writing her words, and she'll get the added bonus of learning how to spell words at the same time. We were done with our session by 7 pm, but that's because it starts so very early (6:30 pm)!
Tomorrow is Dr. Seuss' Birthday, and Natalie will be reading part of Green Eggs and Ham at the school assembly. She will also be a recipient of an award for her participation in the Reflections program. So we are all going, including Nicholas, and we'll cheer her on!
Well, we had a good long weekend with President's Day and all. I took the kids up to PlayWise Kids in Columbia, MD, for a chance to have some fun and we all had a ball. We ended up spending about 4 hours there with a short lunch break, too. I timed it so we could leave at 3 pm with the hopes of avoiding Beltway traffic. They both fell asleep on the ride home and there was hardly back-ups, so we were home in about 40 minutes. So a short nap that day. :-)
The next night we had a PTA meeting, which was the rescheduled PTA meeting from one of the school closing days. Thankfully it was not too late a night. However, I have been spending a good 45 minutes to an hour doing "reading stuff" with Natalie each night, and having a meeting on a weeknight really crimps into that time. I did manage to get the reading in before heading to the meeting.
Of course then we had the surprise snow storm that weekend -- it was a surprise because we were really counting on rain! We all played in the snow to make an snow princess, complete with sunglasses, princess party hat, and a pareo. I'll have to post a picture once we get it off the camera. :-)
Fairfax County had a two hour delay for school on Monday, and DH had to take Nicholas to a hearing test at 9 am that day, so Natalie went to work with me. We arrived early (8:30 am) and she helped me make photocopies, helped with some stapling, and she helped me recycle a pile of papers off my desk. Then I brought her to school for 10:15 am. She had such fun at my office that she has been begging me since then to go "be an assistant". :-)
Tuesday I had a civic association board meeting, and those start late (7:30 pm) and I didn't get home until close to 10 pm. But I was smart and managed to get Natalie's reading in before I went to the meeting.
Last night we had a Partners in Print session at Natalie's school. Partners in Print is a program where teachers show parents some unique (and fun!) ways to help children as they develop their reading skills. We were in a classroom with some Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade students to learn "Look, Say, Cover, Write, and Check". I think this approach will be a great way to help Natalie get practice writing her words, and she'll get the added bonus of learning how to spell words at the same time. We were done with our session by 7 pm, but that's because it starts so very early (6:30 pm)!
Tomorrow is Dr. Seuss' Birthday, and Natalie will be reading part of Green Eggs and Ham at the school assembly. She will also be a recipient of an award for her participation in the Reflections program. So we are all going, including Nicholas, and we'll cheer her on!
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