A minor milestone

My baby turned 8 years old today.

It was a busy day, with an early morning football game and breakfast eaten in the car on the way. A birthday present was opened on the ride too. A new batman for my superhero fiend. We celebrated this afternoon with ice cream cake, and a small party of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

My birthday boy celebrated by gleefully throwing his 5-year-old car seat in the trash. I'm glad to see the car seat go too, but I'm a bit nostalgic. It's the last symbol of his babyhood - gone. It really feels like just yesterday I was putting his 10-year-old big brother in the car seat for the very first time for that cautious ride home from the hospital.

I'm again reminded that they grow up so fast, and to enjoy every minute of their childhood.

What to do with Cheerios?

Target has a great deal on Cheerios this week. It varies by area, but all the ads are advertising General Mills Cereal for 4 for $11, then an item is offered for free for buying for boxes. Where I live, the offered item is a gallon of milk. I've also heard of gift cards and orange juice as the free item. To make the deal even sweeter, match it with some coupons. Money Saving Mom has some links on her blog, check it out here. http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2008/09/target-cheerios.html

But what can you do with all those Cheerios? In my house we usually eat them in the traditional bowl, milk and spoon manner. But here's a few other ideas. . .

1. I've heard they make good targets for potty training. I never tried it myself, because I had visions of boxes being poured into the toilet . . .

2. Make marshmallow treats - using Cheerios instead of rice cereal.

3. Prince Charming grew up eating fried Cheerios as a snack. He'll put them in a pan with some butter, fry them up, and season them much like you would popcorn. Some of our favorites are garlic salt and seasoned salt. Warning: these are addicting!

Conversations with an almost 8-year-old . . .

Sometimes talking to my children takes me down paths I never thought I'd wander. Here's a brief snippet of some of the things I've talked about with my youngest since he came home from school a mere three hours ago. . .

1. His hair isn't long enough yet, it doesn't need to be cut.
2. His teacher said today that sometimes bugs lay eggs in people's hair (I clarified this one a little - he says it was just a story, not that this happened to someone in his class. I'm still nervous).
3. His hair was cut too short.
4. The white blood cells and germs are still doing battle on his arm (this was accompanied by a "see?" at the dinner table). The following also took place at the dinner table.
5. Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle of the Civil war.
6. He can feel things happening in his small intestine, "and you know what comes next!"
7. Finally, he asked, "How can people die just by getting hit in the bottom of their brain?"

So much for asking how his day was . . .

Lunch Box Snack Ideas

Silly me. I thought I'd start blogging when my boys went back to school, but forgot that it means back to school for me too! I'm a substitute teacher, and although last year I wasn't in full swing until mid-October, I've subbed for 7 days so far this school year, and have another 9 scheduled.

My dear (brilliant) friend is blogging about lunch box ideas, so I thought I'd join in. Here are some of the successful items I've added to my guys packed lunches.

Popcorn
Cupcake or cake sandwiches (slice the bottom off the cake, put it on top, sandwiching the icing in the middle - my kids named them)
Graham Cracker Cookies (also named by my kids, they're simply graham crackers with icing)
A peeled carrot (It somehow is cooler to just eat it Bugs Bunny style)
Cheese sticks
Yogurt in tubes (freeze them, they thaw but stay cold by lunchtime)
Snack size applesauce
Pickle Spears (double wrap!)
Clementines
Apples
Snack Pack Puddings (bought on sale with coupons of course!)
Dry cereal

Check out my friend's blog for more ideas - http://raisethemup.blogspot.com/2008/09/lunch-box-treats.html

Lunch Box Preparedness . . .

I always try to pack lunches the night before in order to avoid the morning rush. But after a long day of work, followed by the dinner/homework/rush out the door to football practice, I rarely feel like doing anything but go to bed. I've learned to take some time on Sunday afternoon to prepare the week's lunches.

First, I'm pretty lucky, because my boys only ever want peanut butter sandwiches. They add some variety by alternating between grape or strawberry jelly and honey. I make all the sandwiches on a Sunday afternoon, by spreading peanut butter on both pieces of bread, and putting the jelly in the middle. That way the sticky stuff won't seep through the bread by lunchtime.

Then I cut all the sandwiches in half, bag them and put a "G", "S" or "H" on the bag, to indicate what's inside. I put all the bags in the freezer, along with some "juice" bottles that I can buy at Aldis at 6 for 99 cents (I know, it's just colored sugar water, but since it's the only time my kids get this kind of stuff, I don't worry about it).

The night before, I put a sandwich bag (or 2 for my oldest), a frozen drink, some sort of "snacky" thing and a fruit in their insulated lunch bags, and put them on the breakfast table. By lunchtime the next day, everything is thawed but the drink is still cold. I'd love to pack water in something reusable, but I've always had problems with things leaking whenever I've tried it.

Leave a comment about your lunchtime ideas - I'd love to hear them!

"Success Star" Update!

My youngest came home from school yesterday and announced that he got a "success star". I thought he was talking about some sort of school incentive, but he meant the goals we put on the construction paper stars.

Both boys had fun last night writing the names of new friends on their newly dubbed Success Stars, and each put a tally mark on the star on which they wrote their behavior goals.

Starting the year off right

Something new I did with the boys this year was to talk to them about setting goals for the year. I let them think about it for awhile, then they each decided what they're goals would be.

My oldest decided he wanted to get mostly "A's", get the presidential physical fitness award, and make good friends.

His younger brother set the goals of making a new friend, stay on green (which translates to behaving in class), and run fast in gym class.

I downloaded a star shape clip-art, and used it as a template for some construction paper stars. Then we wrote each goal on a star, and put them up in the boys room.

It's the first time the boys have gone to school with some goals for the year. They're very enthusiastic about it, and I have a few leftover stars - just in case they come up with another goal or two in the first weeks of school.

I didn't come up with this idea all on my own. I found it in a magazine. I think it was Woman's Day. I'm very proud of my boys for embracing this idea, and putting a lot of thought into their goals.

back to school

The summer flew by so quickly. My summer To-Do list is looking very laughable at the moment.

We started the morning with the traditional pictures, the new school supplies were tucked safely in the backpacks. There's something great about the new beginning that the first day of school brings.

One of our back-to-school traditions is some home baked treats for an afternoon snack. I have a few other things I've been planning to get in the oven, so after a few phone calls, I'll be spending some time in the kitchen today.

A quiet Sunday

My three boys (that includes Prince Charming) spent the afternoon fishing today. Prince Charming asked if I wanted to go along, but since I don't touch worms OR wiggling fish, I decided to stay at home. The lure of a quiet afternoon, with the paper, grocery and CVS ads along with my stash of coupons kept me from joining in on their fun.

My youngest guy is a born fisherman. Fish seem to jump on his line as it hits the water. My oldest doesn't have as much luck. Both boys successfully snagged a fish today, a large mouth bass for the fisherman, and a sunny for his brother. I enjoyed the pictures, since neither of them will eat the fish they catch and they threw them back in. It was the perfect day for them to end their summer vacation on, since school starts tomorrow.

This week I'll try to share some of the tricks I've learned to help survive "back to school". I'd love it if you joined in and shared some of yours. I'm always looking for ways to make things run smoother.

A favorite quote

From time to time, I come across a quote that I love. Here's one that I found in the September 1, 2008 issue of Woman's Day.

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever," Mahatma Gandhi

Favorite Things Friday

Rain drops on Roses and . . . . well, you know the rest. I figured I'd use Fridays to share some of my favorite things. Today's fav. is something not very glamourous but makes my life a bit easier, Microfiber cloths.

I've had two that fit over my Swiffer for about a year now, and they've done a better job getting my floor clean than the expensive disposable cloth. It's "green" and saves me money!

A few weeks ago, I was at a bridal shower and the bride-to-be received some that matched her chosen decor. I started investigating prices, and figured I pick up a few at a time, since they seemed to be running about $5 a piece.

After a minor brainstorm, I thought I'd check out automotive supplies while I was shopping at Walmart, and there I found what I was looking for: Bright neon yellow microfiber cloths, for less than $5 a dozen! Yeah! As an added bonus, their cheery color makes cleaning up the messes my guys make a little more fun . . .

Coupon find of the day!

I just printed more than 20 coupons for products I use! Go to the Betty Crocker website here: http://www.bettycrocker.com/. Click on the coupon link (top right of screen). You'll have to sign up for a newsletter, so it will take some time. I was able to print the coupons twice each. After you print the first set, be sure to click "get more coupons" for more!

Free!

It's my favorite price! Here's a link to get some free flavored Splenda. YUM!

https://www.splendidlife.com/ancillary/samplingprogram.do

Flower Killer

He’s done it again - that little flower killer I live with.
When he was a toddler he’d gleefully behead the blooms off the spring flowers that I’d be anxiously anticipating as the weather turned warmer.
I’d plead, and threaten, yet the lure of ripping off the tender buds, tearing apart the delicate petals and throwing them to the ground was just too great for the testosterone laden little one.
Perhaps it was realizing how much flowers mean to his mom, or maybe my pleading got too him. More likely it was the question, “How would you like it if someone did that to you?” that did it, but he no longer purposefully kills my flowers.
Now at the ripe age of seven, he kills them by accident.
Maybe I shouldn’t have offered to pay him to weed.
This spring I visited my new favorite.
While I was there, I found some Black-eyed Susan’s on sale. I love the cheerful bright yellow blossoms, and have briefly contemplated thievery when I see them blooming along the fence in the local park.
So I planted them, right next to a similar looking plant that blooms in the spring. I figured they’d compliment each other nicely.
Then one day, I was walking past the place where my Black-eyed Susan’s were supposed to be.
I was wondered how a rabbit could rip the plant out of the garden, leaving just a few traces of roots. I began thinking murderous thoughts about Peter Cottontail, the Easter bunny, and the Energizer guy.
Then my Prince Charming remembered.
“I think he was weeding today,” he said.
Sure enough, when questioned, my little gardener announced, “Yep, I pulled one big weed today!” I calmly pointed out his error and asked him to confirm the weediness of plants with me from now on.
But then the ultimate plant massacre happened more recently.
I was weeding a garden that was so overgrown, it was difficult to tell what was garden, and what was the neighboring farmer’s field.
In the process I became a poster-child for why gardeners should wear long sleeves and long pants.
But “leaves of three” didn’t scare me.
My youngest (who is apparently immune to poison plants) was there helping me, transferring the weeds from the lawn to a deep ditch.
After I had the weeds cleared, I decided to transplant and divide the more than 100 Hosta plants that were crowded together in that small spot. So I dug them out of the garden, and placed them on the lawn, waiting for the next day when I’d put them in their new home.
You know what’s coming don’t you?
As I was drinking a refreshing glass of water, my little guy proudly walks in, rubbing his hands together.
“Took care of all those weeds,” he said.

Here's the story

Recently, I was packing for vacation. I went on a search for a container so my sons could put a "few" toys in it to keep them occupied on our 10-hour road trip and the hotel. I was looking for something small enough to keep on the floor of the car, but large enough to hold a nice supply of Hot Wheels and superheros.

I knew where to look. The dreaded playroom is a place I enter as little as possible. Occasionally I go through and organize it, but I know that in no time, it will look like the debris laden mine-field my guys prefer.

I ventured down to the basement, home of the playroom, and found the perfect sized container sitting on the table. From a distance, it looked nearly empty, it's lid slightly askew. I was thrilled with my good fortune. A quick find, so the search for the perfect container wouldn't derail my packing plans.

I innocently approached the bin, ready to remove it's contents. As I moved aside the lid, much to my horror, I found a multitude of insects, many of the beetle variety crawling inside the container carefully lined with a variety of foliage, probably plucked from my garden.

I didn't react well. I confess, I yelled, and promised to think of something awful as punishment. You see, I have a strict "no critters" policy, and this was a clear violation. My sons tried to tell me they only picked the really nice bugs, and that they wanted to keep them as pets. I, of course, insisted they remove our new residents. I told my husband about my discovery, expecting to find sympathy and outrage to match mine.

No such luck, You see, he was once a small boy himself. A detail I forgot. He told me I was overreacting. Hmmm . . . Later, when I managed to smile about the incident, I told him that someday I'd start a blog and name it "bugs in the basement", tell this story, and hopefully get some sympathy from other moms of boys.

Gross!

Why would someone name a blog that?? The story is coming . . . , but right now I have to make dinner and get two kids ready for football practice . . . Stay tuned for more!