Disney Princesses: Olivia Style

As I begin the summer as Mr. Mom, I thought of different activities to do with the kids. One of today's activities was drawing and coloring.  We decided that we were going to draw princesses. I grabbed the DVD cases of the princesses that Olivia wanted to draw so she had some reference as to what they looked like and we drew and colored away! (I'll spare you my versions of the princesses!) She also wanted to add their names to the pictures so I helped her spell them. She did all the writing herself.

Ariel from Little Mermaid

Sleeping Beauty

Cinderella

Belle from Beauty and the Beast

Welcome Summer

Today was Olivia's last day of preschool, Sylvia's last day at Pam's, and Matt's last day at the middle school...until next fall. As they all exited this morning, I had to reflect on all that's happened in the last 9 or so months. It's been an amazing 9 months and now we get to enjoy summer! Stay tuned for all of our fun, warm weather activities.


beginning of school year


end of school year

our boy

Life as We Know It?

This weekend I researched the topic of peak oil. If you are unfamiliar with this term, please Google "peak oil" or read this. Imagine a world without oil. Can you? This is something that will happen; it is unavoidable. If you are post-middle age, you may not see the dramatic effects in your lifetime but I am confident that my children and their children will live in a world drastically different from my own or anyone who has lived the past 200 years has known. Please take the time to educate yourself because if we don't prepare ourselves now, what do we leave to our children? 

If you are interested in documentaries check these out:

A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash

This is an amazing documentary and I highly recommend watching it. There is a great trailer for the documentary on the site above. The documentary is available to rent on iTunes for $2.99. It is available to watch instantly on Netflix if you have an account or you can watch it for free here:

Escape From Suburbia (Beyond the American Dream)

otnay eemay ondaymay...just playin'

Wanna read my previous "Not me's"? Go here and here.



As you can imagine, the clarity of my mind is unmatched and I simply don't forget things. So I won't share that I did not forget my library card on our outing to the library this week. Ya, kids love leaving the library empty-handed. And furthermore, after arriving at Olivia's dance class on Wednesday afternoon, I did not realize that I had brought her to dance without her dance bag (which holds her ballet and tap shoes) for the 2nd time in 3 weeks.

Being a total professional, you would not have found me in tears more than once at work in the unit last weekend. What kind of basketcase goes around bawling in the presence of my colleagues and patients? ahem

Given my background, it's no surprise that I'm a hygienic freak! Attempting to model this trait and pass it on to my children, I had to say "No" to sissy when she wanted to wear her swimsuit like her big sister. "What if you potty on your leg?", I asked her. How unsanitary would it be to let our un-toilet trained 2 year-old run around diaperless outside while she "helped" her daddy wash his car?

Speaking of that diaperless 2 year-old, I won't disgust and intrigue you all with the fact that said child had fecal matter, urine, and lipstick smeared all over her legs within 24 hours, but none at the same time. Don't ask!

Sticking to my completely traditional nature, I did not let my husband cook supper, clean up supper, or do the laundry several times in the last week. I don't need help with such things. I can do it ALL!

This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

8th Grade Promotion

Last night was our annual 8th grade promotion. It is one of my favorite nights of the year. I get to watch the kids that I have worked with for the last three years enjoy a special evening that honors them. What I enjoyed most, however, was the practice for promotion night. I get to spend all morning with my 8th graders teaching them the procedure for the evening. It's a very casual and relaxing time to spend with the kids and we have a little fun with it too. So congratulations to all the 8th graders and good luck to you all in high school.

I decorated my board for the kids.

Don't they look so excited?

Hanging out in my room before the ceremony.

One of my guys.

The rest of my pics can be found here.

fluke?

Ahhh, Joseph slept from 8:30pm last night until 6:15am this morning! Please Lord, let this not be a fluke.

you can pray the same...if you feel led to:)

Caught in the act

While Joseph was throwing a fit in the living room, I caught Sylvia escaping the sibling chaos back in her brother's room. She had her African lion resting on a pillow and was sharing a drink and a story with him. I love these moments! (ignore the screaming baby in the background)

Umbrellas

What is is about umbrellas that is so entertaining to children? Our girls played indoors with their umbrellas early this week...and had a blast. All I heard was happy chatter and giggling.

15 weeks

How cute is he?

"Not me!" Monday

I always keep our house spotless. It's easy with the 3 kids, hubby, and cat residing in the mansion with me-I have tons of spare time. So it would be absurd to think that my kitchen floor had crumbs piling up from more than one day, let alone a week! Of course, I sweep on a daily basis and did NOT put on a pair of slippers while working in the kitchen, so that I wouldn't feel the floor debris on my bare feet. Not me!

My children are angels at all times, so I did NOT have to put Livvy Lou in time-out for shoving Sister Sue. And I certainly did NOT leave her there twice as long as I'd planned to...because Lord knows there's plenty of quiet time in this house. I did NOT need a few extra minutes of silence that day!

I know my limits and have well-laid boundaries that govern my daily actions. No, I did NOT add face-booking to a lengthy list of addictions I must break. And no, blogging is NOT on that list.

Recycling has it's place. Upon the wise advice of Nurse Hass, I did NOT let the girls use my postpartum irrigation bottles as sprinklers during our planting last week. That would just be WRONG!

This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Meal Planning Once Again

So the 2 week meal plan went well. I only had to pick up about $25 worth of "extras" over the past week. This week, I've planned and inventoried more thoroughly, and my hope is to not have to spend ANYTHING on extras until June. Here is the plan:

Week #1
Monday-hot Italian subs & lettuce salad (recipe props to Miss S.T.)
Tuesday-BBQ pork sammies & rice side
Wednesday-grilled cheeseburgers & fries
Thursday-egg/bacon burritos & waffles
Friday-BLT's & melon
Saturday-spaghetti & cheesy bread
Sunday-chicken Caesar salad & fruit side

Week #2
Monday-roast & mashed potatoes
Tuesday-B&B casserole & English muffins
Wednesday-beef enchiladas & refried beans
Thursday-bubble pizza & lettuce salad
Friday-chicken fajita burritos & Spanish rice
Saturday-grilled cheese sammies & fruit side
Sunday-order out:)

Sorry I failed at taking pictures of any of our meals lately. I'll try to do better this time around. Let me know if you'd like to see pictures of any specific meals posted. I'll try to oblige.

More Dandelion Fun...and baby wearing

The girls had fun blowing their dandelions apart this afternoon. Can you see O "wearing" her baby? What a good little mommy:)

Target Practice

Seriously?

14 weeks

It doesn't get much better than this:)

Stage Make-up: Take One

before

after
We practiced applying O's stage make-up today in preparation for Dance Expo coming up in June. She was giddy with anticipation to see her face with make-up on it, and I thought it might be fun too, but it made me sort of sad once we got going. It looked really weird to me, in a creepy sort of way. As I was applying it, I felt as if I were defacing my sweet child's virgin skin. ...So we got a quick picture of it and jumped in the tub to scrub it off! That was much more fun!!!

Maiden Voyage: Not Me! Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not shed joyful tears over many wonderful birthday cards and greetings. That would have meant that I was impressed and overwhelmed by the fact that I'd made it to #30 all in one piece and that I was even enjoying it somehow! Weeping over outpourings of love would have meant that I was thankful beyond measure for the beautiful life I'm privileged to live and the family and friends that share in it. No, not me!

I did not squeal the tires of my mini-van, in the presence of all my children, while pulling away from a fragmented four-way stop.

I certainly did not burn my tongue on a hot glass dish, dripping with melted vanilla almond bark, peanut butter mixture, right after carefully picking it up with a deliberately mitted hand. Hello-oh!

I would never have wondered if it would be out of the question to ask my 4 year old child to change my 2 year old's diaper. How outrageous would that have been?

Happy Birthday Ab!

Today is my lovely wife's birthday! I love you!

Proverbs 30:31

A wife of noble character who can find?

            She is worth far more than rubies.

Her husband has full confidence in her

            And lacks nothing of value.

She brings him good, not harm,

            all the days of her life.

            …..

She gets up while it is still dark;

            she provides food for her family

            …..

She sets about her work vigorously;

            her arms are strong for the tasks.

            …..

She opens her arms to the poor

            and extends her hands to the needy.

            ….

She is clothed in strength and dignity;

            she can laugh at the days to come.

She speaks with wisdom,

            and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She watches over the affairs of the household

            and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children arise and call her blessed;

            her husband also, and he praises her.

            …..

…a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Snails and Sleep

Recent memory of last night has just crossed my mind and I have to share. I never imagined that out of our entire family, our 2 year old child would be getting the best night's sleep. Joseph and I are up in the night for feedings...that's a given. But last night, we had another visit from Miss Livvy. Around 2am, before we'd even heard a whimper from the baby, Olivia crept in. I assumed she was missing her Daddy again. She's had major attachment issues with her Daddy lately and has requested middle-night snuggles with us several times in the last few weeks. I wasn't expecting to hear that she had a snail hiding in her bed. Does sound funny now...wasn't then. Matt could not convince her that there were no snails in her bed, so when I came to the rescue with her sleeping bag, she said in a most relieved voice, "Ya, there's no snails in there". Ahhh...back to sleep...till the next ones called.

Treats

When the girls and I wanted a "treat" yesterday, they chose chocolate chip cookies. When I explained to Olivia that we didn't have any chocolate chips, she replied, "that's OK, we can just make M&M cookies", in a tone that suggested she was only settling. I then had to break it to her that we didn't have M&M's either. "Okay", I thought to myself, we'll make snickerdoodles or gingersnaps. As I gathered my cookie baking supplies, I realized we didn't even have butter or Crisco! Ughhh! We HAD to have a treat, so we mixed up some vanilla almond bark, peanut butter, marshmallows, and cereal (Cap'n Crunch). That's right, I found vanilla almond bark in the freezer, but no butter! When Matt heard how we came up with this treat recipe, he suggested that I buy some stock items next time I get groceries. He was also very thankful that I hadn't put any beans in the mix:)

Do you see my 'puter on the counter? I WAS following a recipe!

Planting

It's been so fun to teach the girls, mostly Olivia, about the different flower varieties this spring. She's becoming quite the expert and can point out a number of the blooms that we see around the neighborhood. Yesterday, we added creeping phlox, lilac, and marigold to the list. She already knows tulip, hyacinth, & daffodil. Both the girls enjoyed planting some seeds in pots this week. We'll update you on what grows:)

Let's talk about 13 weeks!

What's Joey doing these days? Well...
*eats-mommy milk every 2-4 hours, or when hungry
*naps-short ones sporadically throughout the day, occasionally a long afternoon nap
*nighttime-goes down around 8:30pm and wakes 1 or 2 times for feeding & snuggles
*playtime-loves swinging, bouncing, and lying under hanging toys
*misc.-frantically attempting to suck thumb, smiling tons, almost giggling, becoming very verbal with cooing

Any questions?

Dandelion fun!

We went picking "flowers" in the backyard. Our entire yard doesn't look like this, just the back 1/3rd...can't afford to pay for lawn service on the whole thing:) When the fun of picking had worn off, we came in and used our dandelions as paintbrushes. What fun! Olivia kept saying, "Daddy is going to LOVE this" as she worked on her painting. She adores her daddy.

Tryin' out the Bumbo Chair

This chair is new since the girls were that little. The picture is deceiving...Joey was hungry when we were trying to get the picture...he's really gonna like it:)

Vole Update...

As of today the body count stands at 4. I have visual confirmation of two more. They are gaining intelligence with each kill. They have overcome the challenge of the peanut butter mousetrap. I am consistently finding empty traps that are unsprung. They can even drag the trap close to their hole and clean it off without setting the trap off. I also filled in all of their holes and "trenches" except for one. They reopen the holes overnight. I have countered with strawberry slices held down by peanut butter. I'm hoping they'll have to work harder to get the bait off and therefore spring the trap. I'll keep you posted.

Menu Plan

While the girls soak/splash in the tub and Joey naps in the swing I'll post our meal/menu plan for the next two weeks:) indecisive about words today, hence the word/word

After last week and no grocery run, except necessary bread and milk, the fridge and pantry were quite sparse! Empty shelves no more...I bought 2 weeks worth of groceries today and was pleased to find it only cost me about 25% more than a 1 week's supply! How that happened, I'm really not sure...especially after buying meat today.

Let me know what you think of my plan and if you'd like any recipes, and which meals you'd be excited to eat:) Hopefully, I'll stick closely to the plan as I'll be held accountable to all you readers out there. chuckle chuckle-I know we don't have that many readers-just feeling facetious (first spelling: phecesious-way off) I'll get some pics of the dishes if they appear impressive.

1st Monday: pizza salad, garlic breadsticks

1st Tuesday: chicken quesadillas, fruit

1st Wednesday: zesty grilled pork chops, herb & butter rice

1st Thursday: slow-cook savory beef, baked potato

1st Friday: spaghetti, texas toast

1st Saturday: toasted sub sammies, chips

1st Sunday: BLT's, melon

2nd Monday: bacon-n-cheese strata, Cinnamon apples, biscuits

2nd Tuesday: chicken fajitas, spanish rice

2nd Wednesday: crusty baked pork chops, sautee'd asparagus

2nd Thursday: taverns (sloppy joes for all you non-NW Iowa folk), baked fries

2nd Friday: sirloin/green pepper/onion kabobs, fruit

2nd Saturday: fried egg sammies, fruit

2nd Sunday: grilled cheese sammies, anything left-over

In case you were wondering, these are just our suppers. The kids and I usually have very easy lunches, stuff they like to eat because they usually reject most suppers:( You know, "I don't like that". I will be making and eating broccoli & cheese soup for lunch this week. noone else in this family cares for soup

Thanks to Nurse Ferrari for some new meal ideas:)

Whacked-A-Vole

After giving our resident critters a taste for peanut butter I loaded up some mouse traps last night to see if I could whack some voles. Sure enough, this morning both traps were sprung and one had a victim. One down.....

For those that may not care to see a dead vole, I didn't post the picture. BUT.....for those that are curious to see what a vole looks like you can click here.

I saw another vole poking his head out and sniffing the newly loaded traps this morning.....it's only a matter of time.

Kid-Vid

Ab caught some video of the kids the other day:

Joe in his swing.

Sylvia sings "Jesus Loves Me"

Olivia sings "Jesus' Little Lamb"

Coincidence?

Do you enjoy seeing fun number patterns in your car's odometer? No? Hmm. Well I do! For those of you that know my passion for numbers (sure some would say 'obsession' is a better word, and still others would call me a 'number freak') this post won't be a surprise. 

I left school on Thursday and noticed that my odometer had the potential to align in a cool pattern. It was 64 degrees and my mileage was at something like 64027. I knew it was 40 miles to our house so I could potentially align the temperature and the odometer with all 64s! But the temperature couldn't change for the next 37 miles in order for that to happen. About 10 miles into the trip the temp dropped to 63, bummer! Well, I thought, I could still align it at 63 64065. That would still be cool. 

Shortly before I was arriving to Ames, the clouds broke and the sun came out. The temp rose back to 64...65....arg! Well, again I thought, "I could align at 65 64063." The mileage was approaching.....66 degrees! "No! I can't use 66 degrees!" Then, the temp dropped to 65 just as I hit 64063 miles. "Yeah! I hit one of the patterns at least!" Then, my odometer turned 64064 and I thought it would be neat if the temp dropped to 64......and it did! "Woo Hoo! I got 64 64064." But, surely the temp would not drop to 63 degrees in the next mile. Three degrees in 3 miles? Well, it did! "Incredible! I got ALL the patterns! 63 64065!"

I took pictures as proof of this extremely unlikely event.

I hope you can appreciate this 'coincidence' as much as I did. I tend to get really excited about little things like this. No, I do not need therapy.