Getting back from a break

     Life got busy. Between three kids and all their activities, nabbing a few off season hours and babysitting and just stuff in general - life got busy. 

     Recently we lost our dear, kind dog to old age. She was my first babe. In fact she was my warm, snugly companion while the Hubs was at work for 10hr shifts. She kept me company and made me laugh. She did this funny little thing called a Bichon Blitz where she ran around in a figure eight. She wouldnt go for a treat unless I said "okay" and couldn't be tricked when I "Oklahoma" or "Okinawa". 

      I knew it would hurt and be sad but I wasn't fully prepared for just how sad it was going to be. Even as she grew older and slowed down I would say "hey" as I passed by with the laundry as she laid in the morning sun by the front window. I'd see her on the love seat with her nose stuffed between the cushions once the sun passed and I had to switch over the laundry. 

       This house feels huge now that she's passed and I'm putzing around with the kids at school - which is only 2 hours because my youngest is in UPK but come September it will be much longer.

        Ironically we chose her to combat the quietness of the apartment and now I will have quietness once more with all three kids going to school in the Fall. 

         The kids are doing well. It's been a few days and there have been plenty of tears and cries from everyone. She made a home in all of our hearts and just curled up in there. 

           When someone we love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure and she will forever remain a treasure to us all.

A real Spring time weekend

    Finally! We finally got a break from the icky weather and had a beautiful weekend full of sun and warmth. It was perfect!
    Friday night we let our 8 year old have a friend sleep over. It's not that I am against it, it's just that I have three young kids. Luckily the younger two were okay to go to open swim with the Hubs so that left a window open for Lu to have a friend over without the others in their space. 
    It went pretty good for the most part until the next day around noon time. The sleep deprived, moody 8 year old showed up and was so tired she cried at everything. EVERYTHING!!! The softness of the blanket, her tablet being at 64%, not having enough food on her plate to having too much food on her plate. Oy! 
     TW had his first friend's birthday party too! He was so shy and it was adorable! He was so proud of the gift he picked out and that his friend opened his first. I told him I was going to stay the whole time but once he warmed up I told him I was going to duck out for a little bit. All was well and he survived. 
    On Sunday Lu ran in the Dolphin Dash 5K. She has had her eye on this 5K for over a year and kept on me this season for when registration was opened. Her age group was 17 and under (eeps!). She placed 7 out of 15 in that age group. If the group breakdown had been 10 and under she would have been first. Who knows, maybe they'll break it down more for next year. 
   While she didn't place top, she did beat her current 2016 PR by .01 so that's a small win right? She also got to meet and chat with the girl that started this whole 5K up three years ago, which is a rock star in her world. Save the dolphins! 

     We all enjoyed some time at the zoo afterward, even Baba and Dzia Joe. One of the perks of a zoo membership is that you can always come back when its less crowded, and boy was the zoo crowded that day! 
     Came home to start relaxing before the weekend came to a close and found out the neighbor lady next door had a health scare but is in recovery. We all decided it would brighten her day if we dropped of flowers and a homemade card so the kids worked together on a cheerful card and the Hubs dropped it off with some tulips. LOVE that the idea of doing good and being the good is rocking steady in my kiddos worlds. 

      What was your weekend like? Sun? Rain? Snow??  

Hello again!!

    It's kind of funny. I haven't forgotten about this blog. I think about a few times a week and how I should sit down jot a paragraph or two of what we've been up to but then something gets bumped up in front of it and then that thought is gone. 
   I vaguely remember starting this as a way for me to just write and share things. It was at a huge transitional time in my life and I just wanted to write. My husband switched jobs and with that I became more or less a sahm putting me in a position that for the first time since I could remember I wasn't working outside the house. That was a tough pill to swallow then and some days, it still is hard to process. I don't know why. It's just that drive in me. I fully recognize that I am doing tremendous work around the house and with the kids but its just something about having that outside job, responsibility and pay check that appeals to me and I don't think I will ever loose that. 
   Let's not forget that I had had a rib injury that pretty much sunk me into a dark place and until last year left me scared to move or push myself physically in fear that I would fall back in recovery. 
   Basically I just needed some place to talk and this was it. I had a blast with our postings of things we were doing, things we learned, new things we discovered and more! 
    I want to get back to that all - and as you can imagine we have been very busy. We have been doing new things. We have been learning new things and so much other stuff. 
    I want to share with you the things that I'm learning with Bear as I have spent the most time with her growing up than the other two since staying home. I want to share the struggle of TW taking on Kindergarten but also his passion for being on the go all the time. I want to share with you the wonder of Lu who is driven to run! At 8 years old she has run more than I will ever in my life and she loves it! 
    We'll get back on track - and with that I'd like to say - Hello again!!

And just like that - it was nearly done

    Where did Summer go? I swear the kids just came home from school on their last day - my goodness! These past few weeks have flown by.

   June was a busy month with TW's graduation from PreK, Bear's Third Birthday and the start of Liv's race season. We also were able to get in a bit of outside play time before the heat wave hit us. 

Shaving cream table play? You betcha!

    July didn't slow down at all - we had a family reunion that took us on a 13hr road trip with the kiddos to the beach, followed by more races for Liv and the start of T-ball season for TW. Also discovered Bear's passion for painting! 

One of Bear's earlier masterpieces

    August is still going strong with a few more races, art camp and the wrapping up Rec Track and T-ball. Oh! And the Hub's was offered another expansion on his territory for work so soon he'll be saying hello to Maine and New Hampshire! 

This girlie has track! 

    Aside from our weekly visits to the library, we have been spending more and more time outside hiking around our local parks on nature trails with the decline of crazy hot temps. I am genuinely surprised at how much the kids are enjoying just walking on the trails. I have also invested in some "cheapie" art kits that are light enough to pack three in a backpack so when we come to a point of interest we take a water/art break.

   The kids and I are still creating and taking on kitchen challenges - in fact today we'll be working on a crockpot meal so get prepared to rock that crock!! There's just something about having a little kitchen co-pilot or two that sends a gentle reminder to take things in the moment - especially when one co-pilot likes to try a little taste of every ingredient (that would be TW - lol). 

We tried our hand at "french toasting" some pecan rolls - yum!!

   On Friday the kids received their teacher assignments reminding us that in a few more weeks they will be returning to school - Liv is in second grade and TW will be starting up in Kindergarten. Bear will be attending a 3yr program at the PreK center twice a week - which will be a nice break for yours truly to come home....., and clean the house without kids around! 
Parenting life - gotta love it!!

Encourage Summer Reading

    My oldest daughter, Lulu, LOVES to read. She has always enjoyed being read to, was very eager to learn to read and continues to grow her reading skills. My son on the other hand is not as interested. He has expressed that he would like to read but doesn't really want to. 

  At his Kindergarten screening my son received a packet that encourages the students of the Elementary school he will be attending to read during the Summer. I LOVE this packet! It was a great boost for Summer reading when Lulu was starting. A perfect motivator for when that middle of the Summer wall starts to drag down momentum. 

   So whats in the packet??!!
                    

   The first is a Reading Log - it has 50 spaces to write either the book or chapter title down. That paper goes to school with them on the first day that get collected for a chance to win a ride to school on a fire truck with one winner per grade. How cool is that??!! 

   A Barnes and Noble Reading log. A great reading motivator!! Once eight books are read and reviewed take this log to any Barnes & Noble to receive a free book from the selected list. Lulu loved this and last year chose Sideways Stories from Wayside School. You can learn more about that program here.

   Chuck E. Cheese's Reading Rewards Calendar. Read each day for two weeks, marking the calendar with a sticker or doodle then take to any location to earn 10 free tokens. More information can be found here. 

    An Applebee's Reading Log. Kids can earn a free Kid's meal after reading ten books. Valid at participating upstate NY and CT locations and is valid for children under 10 years of age. Download card and information here. 

   There are a few other pages in the packet that are tips on how to keep up with the Summer reading and encouraging your children to read. 

   Another program is discovered last Summer was the Pizza Hut Book It! Summer Reading Challenge. Between June 22 - August 15 kids can earn chances at winning Book It! prizes. Log on for details and to keep track!

  Check out your local libraries to see if they offer a reading incentive program as well! Our library has different prizes - mostly crappy plastic toys BUT the kids have a ball standing at that cardboard treasure chest for what feels like eons to pick out that one piece of plastic that looks the coolest.

   There are many more reading incentive programs! Lots of them out there! These are just the handful that I was able to find available to us in the Northeast. You just have to ask around, maybe perhaps ask a teacher if they know of any local programs. 

   We'll be starting off our reading with some Lyle the Crocodile - that is his new favorite character (sorry Skippy Jon Jones) 

A Full Schedule

    Hello there!! It's been a while, I know but things have been filling up on our daily schedule. The Hub's had another territory expansion so he has been away on and off introducing himself to the new dealers. It's an exciting yet hectic time for our family. 

    TW was just screened for Kindergarten yesterday and today he took his PreK Graduation pictures! Lulu is doing great as she has been wrapping up her studies and even had her last spelling test of the first grade. Bear is just Bear and knows her birthday is in a few weeks. She'll be the big three!!

   I have been working on figuring out what I plan to do with all three kids home for the Summer vacation, while still trying to sort this house. I know we moved about two years ago but it still feels crazy messy in the basement. Then again we did move from a house that had a full basement to one that has half the basement size. Gotta love split level ranches! 

   Running season has also started for us - Lulu has done the Disney runs and just did one on Mother's Day. She missed her PB by 12 seconds. (I think it was a show at the end where we were all standing cheering her on) She still amazes me with her passion for running. 

   I'll start setting aside some time during our household quiet time to jot down a ditty or two on the blog here. Lots of fun activities and baking attempts are in cue for the Summer!! Maybe even a trip or two.

   What are you looking forward to doing this Summer with your kiddo(s)? 


  

(Almost) Back to Your Regular Scheduled Program

    Just popped on briefly to let ya'll know I'll be back in full gear soon. Big changes have been going on and we have been learning how to adjust to them. Good changes - just very influential. 

   How does your family handle big changes like a move? Or a change in job requirements? Upcoming school adventures?