Tuesday, August 21, 2012

new hobby

Now that school has started, I have a new hobby...packing lunches.  Right now, I love packing lunches.  I bought EasyLunchboxes with a cooler...and couldn't recommend them more.  Love them. 
 This is Sweet Pea's lunch.  Featuring PB & J sandwich, cheetos, grapes, cookies, fruit snacks.  thermos of pink milk was in the bag. 

Honey Buns lunch.  Featuring Pastrami Sandwich, hard boiled egg, carrots and dip.  Chips, pop and cookies were in the bag also.  
 Mama Bears lunch. Featuring romain lettuce, chicken, tomato, grapes, and crackers.  2 Dove chocolates were in the bag also. 
This is what it looked like when everyone started out the door.  Each cooler holds an ice pack

This is the first day I had to pack 3 lunches.  I need to get up earlier if I am going to do this again.  I had planned out what I wanted to pack in each, just took time to get it in the cooler.  EasyLunchboxes have one lid that is easy to open for little people.  They are not leakproof...but are perfect for the types of lunches I pack. 

Thursday, August 16, 2012

First day of Kindergarten


My little Sweet Pea is going to Kindergarten! 

She might have poison ivy again, not sure.  No time to go to the Dr office, it appeared yesterday.  She is riding the bus home and is very excited about it.  Can't believe this little person is at school, today.   

Thursday, August 9, 2012

making memories

My little Sweet Pea is going to Kindergarten in a week.  Lots of milestones this summer.

At her last check up, I sat with the doctor that got me through so many illnesses (there was a time I saw her once a week, before she was 2, we had many illnesses)  and we talked frankly about how I never even thought she would survive to see 5 years old.  The doctor laughed and I did not explain myself...which sounds very doom and gloom, but in my past are some disasters and I just have expected that I was not destined to happily ever after.  More doom and gloom...but I thought this happy place was just not meant for me and I am always worried that I will be tapped on the shoulder and someone will say...there has been a mistake and this horribly awful is really meant for you and not the goodness and light you have been living for the last 6 years.  Which also sounds very doom and gloom...but I have to be honest someplace and this blog is the place.  Each day is a gift.  I am a lucky girl to have this life.  And I know that.  I sometimes think that not everyone knows that about their life.    

Sweet Pea is smart, strong and healthy.  She has reached 35lbs which is WAY below normal for a Kindergarter, but the Dr is not worried as she has always been WAY below the norm and she is steadily gaining weight.  She is at the average for her height, so that is good.  She is still in the harness booster seat.  I promised that she could be in the regular booster when school started, and I will have to agree to that...but she hasn't pushed the issue and I am not bringing it up again.  Her car seat is huge and I realize it seems like a baby...but she is so light she doesn't really meet the criteria to get out of it.  I bought this seat because it is convertible (I can remove the harness) to a regular booster.  Pat on the back for me!   

We had a few struggles this summer with asthma for Sweet Pea.  Which is not unusual since I have chronic asthma and Honey Bun had childhood asthma.  All episodes seemed to happen away from home and were on days that she was extremely busy/active.  Dr thinks it could be exercised induced...but we are watching it and have a rescue inhaler for the future.

She loved vacation this year.  We took 2 trips.  One to Branson and she loved Silver Dollar City.  IT was so much fun with her.  She is not scared to go on anything, there was only one ride she said she didn't like.  It was a fast roller coaster and a rough ride.  I hated it and felt icky for about 2 hrs after we rode it.  Her ears took the most abuse, because her head moved around in the harness.  Her ears were bruised.  Our second trip was a driving trip and she did wonderful!  We drove about 6hrs a day and it was not too bad.  We had a great visit with all the people we saw. The only hiccup was we tried to go longer on one of the driving days and it was not good.  I was crying, she was crying and he was driving.  Stick with the plan!
Both times I was so glad to get home.  Good to be gone, good to be home!

We went school shopping this week.  I went into thinking I would make some memories.  That was the name of the game.  And I am not sure I did that for her....but I did for me.  We did our running around and she got something at each place we stopped.  She is getting to be a good shopper.  Thinking about what she wants to buy and what she needs.  She wanted something for her 2 dolls.  Baby and Ashley are their names.
SP:  Can we get something for baby?
Me:  Well, I guess she can have something new for school too.
SP:  It's her birthday so she needs a new outfit.
Me:  Ok
SP:  Can Ashley have a dress too?
Me:  Does she need a dress?
SP:  Her birthday is tomorrow, and it would hurt her feelings if Baby got a present and she didn't
Me:  good thinking...we don't want hurt feelings.
That girl of mine is a thinker...I don't think I would have said my doll was having a birthday in order to get what I wanted.

We ate lunch at IHOP.  She got a fancy pancake and then loved trying all the different syrups.  It was so much fun just the two of us at lunch.  So grown up!

She had to try on a few things...her comments...
"Mom, this just doesn't look like me!"  "Put it in the thumbs down pile"
"Do you think Kindergarteners wear cheetah?"   (I assured her they do!)
"I think these pants will look great with my new shoes"
"I want blue tennis shoes, I bet everyone else will have pink"
"Mom, I'm not really a pink girl"  

We found some long sleeve tops to go with pants that I picked up at the end of the season in April...so that was a good thing.  We didn't find any dresses for school play.  She said maybe we could find some online.  I told her that was a good idea.  We got 3 pairs of shoes and she had a new pair of flipflops...I cleaned out her shoe basket and she wore size10 when summer started and I bought size 12.  Crazy!  I found the tennis shoes on the clearance rack and they aren't the name brand but they were blue and they fit.  The name brand was all pink, and they didn't seem to fit her long,skinny foot as well.  Probably have to get a new pair at Christmas, but with the money I saved...I can do that. 

I wanted to jot these memories down before they slipped away!