A Fun Twist on Apples

This week Bella was Student of the Week (where they get to tell a little something about themselves, bring in a snack to share, etc). Well, the request is always for a healthy snack, of course, but we decided to put our own spin on the term helthy. We created 20 gorgeous apple-cupcajes, complete with a stem and leaf. We did this over 3 nights, and the result was a very proud Bella and a happy teacher who loved the fun treat.

The very first, First Day of School.

A letter to my daughter on the eve of her first day of school.

Dear Isabella,  

Tomorrow marks the day that you will begin your journey of learning. Yes, you have learned many, many things in your blessed 5 years. Tomorrow, however, you begin a journey of formal education. The 13 years ahead of you will bring fun, excitement, challenges, and tears. May the tears always be of joy. May the challenges always find you on your strongest days and may you always find an answer to even the hardest tasks. May the fun never end, and lastly, may you find excitement in every day that lies ahead.

No matter where this journey takes you, I will encourage you to try your best and I will always be proud of your accomplishments. I have dreams for you. They involve creating, exploring, studying, succeeding, and above all, smiling. I will be happy as long as you are happy. I will push you to try classes and teachers that you may not like and I hope you will always try and give it your best.

The uniform is set out, complete with white cuff socks, Mary-Janes, and a ribbon for your hair. Tomorrow may be your first day of kindergarten, but to me, it is the day you begin to pave your own path.

May your first day be filled with fun, learning, and friendship. May the days and years ahead never lose the magic of the first day.

Love you forever,

Mom.

Bubbles Galore

We had a blast at the library's Science is Everywhere event, held last week. The kids had a personal 1/2 hour with the bubbles since we arrived towards the end of the event.

Bella had fun exploring all the stations. For Bella, blowing bubbles from a wand is so last year!

We made bubbles with everything imaginable!

Bella and BFF Susie

Miss Michelle. The best librarian EVER!

Patrick enjoyed the bubble wands.

We spent most of our time with the hula hoop. JJ was fascinated with this gimmick of making a bubble as tall as he was. He wanted to try different things with the hula hoop, like what would happen if he pulled it up fast, or slow, twisted or straight. He eventually got inside the bubbles, but definitely had more fun outside of them!



JJ's fascination begins!

Teamwork!

Best Buds in a Bubble

A brief moment of peace between brother and sister.

She's got the whole world in her hands!



The kids loved experimenting with the bubbles. Here, Bella learns that if her hand is soapy, she can put it right through the bubble without popping it! Science in action!



Overall, I shot about 120 pictures, almost all of them keeprs. We had a blast. I am so sad that our summer adventures at the library will conclude tomorrow with our last story-time before work/school starts for me next week. 

A Handmade Summer

This summer I have been working on some projects that are perfect examples of what we can do with our hands, minds, and hearts.

For my husband's birthday, I dug up his childhood pictures which have been stored in a box for as long as we have been married. Since our daughter has recently begun asking about her grandfather's, I wanted John to be able to share his memories of his dad with our kids. I much prefer these pictures out for everyone to see, instead of being stored in a box.

My next project was a gift for my Dad's 68th birthday. I made a book based on a list I wrote for him detailing {Ten Things You May Not Know}. I used the book to describe and illustrate these things I wanted him to know about me or what he has taught me over the years.



There is a detailed post about this book on my other blog, Tales Of An Over-Achieving Mom. Click here to see that book.

My next projects are to refinish a table using leftover chalkboard paint and to re-purpose a frame into a memory board my Isabella. My hope is to have those projects finished this weekend!

Juggling 3 Kids

Today we did something free and fun. We went to see a juggling show hosted by our local library. James Reid was the performer and I think I just might hire him for JJ's 4th birthday party. I didn't take too many pictures during the actual juggling because i was afraid the flash might break his focus. I loved the sports juggling. We got to see him juggle a golf club, a baseball bat, and a bowling ball!

Nonetheless, I was surprised how much fun we had. JJ was definitely 110% into this guy. He was disappointed that he was not chosen as a helper to weigh the bowling balls that the performer actually juggled (yes, he juggled three 12-lb bowling balls!).

Bella had some fun of her own during the post-show workshop where the kids were able to practice juggling with a little less lethal objects: scarves. She made sure to ask before hand if it was OK if she did it wrong.

She may not look thrilled here, but she really had a great time. Little Miss Focused!

Patrick enjoyed the show, his favorite parts were the juggler using balls and hoops. Patrick made sure everyone knew he was juggling balls. He also enjoyed the music and showed off his most excellent dance moves. I need to remember to bring a video camera to our next event. Still pictures just do not do the dance moves justice.

All the kids loved the hands-on workshop!

Patrick giving it his all

Bella and her BFF Susie practicing.

JJ having a blast with the scarf throwing practice.

It's Tooth-Fairy Time

Well, it's official. I jinxed myself. Just 10 days ago I said to a friend that I was sooo not ready for the whole loose tooth phase. I know that most kids start loosing their baby teeth during Kindergarten, and Kindergarten is a mere 4 weeks away. Well, apparently, Bella decided she wants to enter Kindergarten with a little over-achiever status. She announced proudly tonight after flossing her teeth, that she has a loose tooth. I've heard this before. Pretty much every day since her friend Susie lost her first tooth in March. I went to see her "loose tooth" and low and behold, she has a loose tooth. A very loose tooth. I got very excited. Then I panicked a bit, which made Bella get a little teary-eyed herself. She said she was almost crying because she was so excited. She wanted to show our neighbor and her BFF Susie, so off we went. Then she wanted to call all her grandmas and garndpas and aunts and uncles. And she did. She announced to each person and tried to explin which tooth is loose. I assured all parties that we will not be pulling teeth. I am perfectly happy to let nature take its course here. So now i guess the big question is when and how much. How much does the tooth fairy deliver these days? I've heard it all from a silver dollar to a twenty. I'm definitely leaning more towards the silver dollar.

An attempt to devide and conquer...

I have fuond it hard to decide what to post about and what to not post about on my Over-Achieving Mom page. Plus, I want to gove family members a chance to keep tabs on the kids without having to sift through bargains and coupon talk. So, here we are. A blog about me, my kids, and my day-to-day chaos that makes me the alleged over-achieving mom. I like to think of myself as the sleep-deprived mom.

What I hope to do here (and how it will be different from my original blog):

• Post funny kid-isms and keep a place for me to track all of those hilarious day-to-day comments that I intend to scrapbook
• Post before-after pictures of everything from haircuts to room decor
• Orgainze myself by setting family goals and all the while keeping family tuned in to what our life is really like
• Write about my kids and my husband; two things in life that I could not live without.

This will definitely not be a daily post blog. Rather, I will post here when things come up and when I am trying to procrastinate doing what I should be doing!