Time flies

Time flies when you're having fun.  Can you believe that we have gone from this...

 

To this!

This weekend Sweet Pea helped at the Homecoming.  She carried the flowers.  Her BFF carried the crown.  My girl was so smiley and sparkly...at the moment, she was a cool customer...she didn't hesitate as she went out on the gym floor with her smile on.  No Fear!  Looking at this photo, she looks so grown up for 5.5yrs. 

still going

My lunch packing project is still going.  I am keeping up with it!  So proud of myself.  I have not gotten very adventurous yet, but I am thinking about it.  Mostly I fill the lunches with sandwiches.  I want to try some pasta dishes, I am thinking about french toast sticks.  I did make quesadillas one time, they were awesome!  But haven't repeated it.  I have subscribed to a lunch menu service.  Sounds crazy, but it wasn't too much $$ and I have it for 3 months.  I haven't decided if I want another 3 months.  I haven't gotten on the band wagon with it and followed the weekly menus or anything...but I am reading them and getting ideas.  I need to be a more proactive packer and do more prep the night before.  I am slowly expanding my collection of lunch stuff.  Sandwich punches, lunch boxes and plastic boxes...I love it all.  The storage at my house is limited and this lunch hobby is growing.  I have told myself--no more till next schoolyear.  Honey Buns is packing lunch an average of 3 times a week and I am thinking that next semester his schedule will change to only once or twice a week at the most.  Sweet Pea is packing 3-4 days a week.  I don't think that will be changing.  I told her she has to eat school lunch at least once a week.  Variety is good! 
The weather will be cooling down and soon be soup season.  Don't worry--I already have thermoses :)  

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. 

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.   

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! 

Mr. 500

What do you do when you have something that you think is very important in the life of your spouse and he doesn't want it talked about. Because he is humble or embarrassed or both, I can't figure out which.

Do you honor that? Do you blab about how proud you are?
What did I do? I asked for a time frame. As is...when can I talk about this.

He said after the season. So I am kinda waiting. Kinda...because I am telling you, I told my family and a close mutual friend. He told his Air Force buddy.

Honey Buns got win number 500 last night. So exciting for his career. This season has been a rocky one and I so wanted this milestone for him before he changes his career outlook. And he got it last night. Hooray!

I bought champagne and we toasted all the players that got him to this feat. Then we feasted on a delicious roast cooked in the crockpot and drank a few beers. It was a good celebration.

The athletic banquet is in 2 weeks and the regular season will be over on Thursday (depending on the weather) you can bet your bottom dollar, I will be making sure it is announced at the banquet...no matter what Honey Buns wants.

new stuff

Had to get a new dryer. Honey Buns said just get the set. So I did.

Looks like this...



The only problem is this...

Should I spring for the pedestals to cover that?

shopping trip

This weekend Sweet Pea and I made a mad dash to see my niece who recently turned 1 and we can't go to the party. We ate lunch with them and dropped off the gift. Niece fell asleep before the gift part...which wasn't a big deal to us. After leaving niece, we went to the shopping mall. I have been on a quest to replace my work tote. I am calling it a quest, because I have specific things I want in a work tote and I truly love the one I currently carry and I have repaired it many times. I think the handles are soon going to give out.
I found one that was not perfect, but it would do...I didn't buy it. We stopped for new tights and then headed for home. About 60 minutes from the shopping mall, I began to have regrets about the bag.

I asked Sweet Pea...Do you think I should have bought that bag?
S.P....did you love it?
Me...not really.
S.P....OK.

I then asked, (because I am slow that way) Do I keep looking till I love it?
She said...well, Duh Mom.
And I thought...well, Duh Mom.

falling in love again

Is it possible to fall in love with your daughter again? I read all the baby books that tell you, you might not love your baby the first instant you hold her in your arms...but give it time and you will once you hold her enough to know her. I believe it. Because I actually held her for such a short amount of time before they wisked her away...I wondered when they brought her back to me after I got back to my room...I haven't told many people this...but I actually wondered if she was the same baby. My baby. Turns out, she was my baby and that love came in waves that first day of her life. Because they took her away again and didn't bring her right back like I asked. (And I think there was some ranting in that room and a very gentle husband did what he could to fix an unfixable situation...)

Which brings us back to the story for today.

Sweet Pea and me went to visit my college friend at her mother's this weekend. We both have little girls and the brown haired one is 5 and the blonde is 4. They are fast friends and very cute together. They both have been into beads and making necklaces...they each made two this weekend. One each with their names in them. Sweet Pea was so proud of hers with her name in there. They decided to make the mom's one also. Brown haired is in kindergarten and reading and so smart. It is so hard not to compare them and they are only 15 mo difference in age. Sweet Pea is in Pre-K and so innocent and adorable...but also smart! Brown haired makes one for her mom with her name on it. She brings it out to present it to the mom and tell her...see I put your name in the necklace. She spells the name...T-A-M-M-I. The mom oohs and ahhs over it as it is wonderful. Sweet Pea brings me one and tells me she put my name on mine too. Did I want to wear it? You bet I did. She presents it...and it did have my name on it...M-O-M. And right at that moment with her shining eyes on me, I was so proud of her.

I fell in love...again.

New Year, New Me? !

I have made the same resolution for the past two years. The first year, I was semi-successful. 2011...I mastered that resolution! Menu planning is part of my life, a habit that makes my life easier, a routine to my week.

2012 needs to start off with a new resolution. I have a few brewing in the back of my skull. Listing them here will give them merit.

1. I want to get healthy. Diet and exercise. I want to lose 20lbs.

2. Cleaner house. I need to add this to my daily/weekly routine. I don't have a baby anymore, I don't have a toddler anymore, I can no longer use that as my excuse. I need to get a strategy I can understand and manage. Maybe pick-up one room a day and clean one area a week.

3. Professional goals. I need to write some.

4. Give him a break. I am going to try and give my husband the benefit of the doubt. He makes decisions differently than I do. He thinks of things differently than I do. I resolve to try and go with the flow more and wait to give my opinion until he asks for it.

5. Make time for fun with daughter. We need to do more, go more and experience more. That includes at home time too. I resolve to put away my book and do things with her.

I think maybe 4 will be the hardest for me.

accepting the positive

Please note the following post is reflection, resolve and acceptance. Sometimes I just need to write.

Life in my world is changing. Change is hard and I have been fighting it. Kicking and screaming, fighting it. Honey Buns is giving up the team. Brings tears to my eyes. Because I love the team. I am a great coach's wife. In a way, I was born for this life. I understand it and I enjoy it.

He says he is done. It is not public knowledge yet...but he will resign from coaching at the end of the season. (keep the secret!)

In a twist of fate, the athletic trainer quit in September, and Honey Buns took over the job in the meantime. He has decided to do this full time. Still in athletics, but without the travel, without the recruiting, without the drama and without the stress. He will continue to do both jobs next semester (trainer and coach) but in August...just athletic trainer.

He has been tossing the idea around to get his doctorate for about 3 years. He is applying for admission in January to start school in July. He is jazzed about it. I am happy for him. So happy that the spark is back about something. So, So happy about the spark. It has been gone from him for far too long.

So that means that in the fall, one will start Kindergarten (gasp!) and one will start doctorate program (yikes!) And I had thought that we might start saving for a big trip with no more daycare bill...silly me!

I am having to be supportive again. The role I have not really excelled at in the past. It is going to be a hard couple of years of keeping things going. The program is 2 years with 1 month on campus in July and rest of the program can be done online. (a total of two July's on campus) July is Sweet Pea's birthday, July is our anniversary, July is special...Why July?

I know, I can do this. Those July's will go fast. I can travel, I can visit friends, I will be busy. I will see Honey Buns more, he will be home, he will be able to spend more time with Sweet Pea. Athletic training will work better with the family life I want. I have the perfect job for this. Very flexible, very understanding. But I am bored in my job. I need new goals, I need some vision, I need a spark. I need to figure out a direction to go with my job. It is a very open-ended position and I need a new 5 year plan!

I know this is positive change for my husband and my family...but the team, I will miss.

Jolly Santa

We visited Santa. And our black friend went to. They got some good shots...and some that look like this.




And this...

But mostly this one is my favorite.

preview

I just ordered my Christmas cards! You can expect a little bit of this to come in your mailbox soon!
p.s. this is just a preview...I didn't select this photo for the card.
another p.s. I had to make 3 cards because I couldn't decide.
and another p.s. I am only sending you one of them. too bad.

another good weekend!

I read lots of blogs...I mean lots. And on one recently, the blogger wrote how they were commented that they must live a charmed life. They only blogged about the good stuff.

I do that.

I don't want to write about the bad stuff. I don't want to remember the yelling (and I do alot of it) I don't want to tell you that I haven't deep cleaned my bathroom in...I can't remember when... or that my kitchen floor needs mopped, horribly. You also don't want to know that I changed my shower curtain and threw away some shoes that hurt my feet.

So I tell the good stuff. So What!

We went to "the town that loves purple" because Honey Buns had a conference on Sunday. We went Sat afternoon and got a hotel room, swam in the pool, went out to eat at a sports bar so he could watch the football game and Sweet Pea charmed the men at the next booth into giving her a tattoo for her cheek...which did not impress her father (he was not rooting for the purple team) but she had fun. We didn't stay for the game and left when our meal was over, easier with the little one. Back to the hotel for more swimming and more football watching. Guess which one I got to do...yep...swimming. Sunday morning we dropped him off and went back for breakfast and more swimming. (who swims in the hotel pool at 8am...it was us, for 2 more hours of swimming) then we got showered, checked out and went to get lunch and ate it on campus with Honey Buns and went to the zoo. He got done at 3pm and we were headed for home. It was the perfect get away...mostly because the weather was wonderful for the zoo and the hotel pool was nice. The hotel was almost sold out, so we got a king suite with a sofa bed. Sweet Pea was so excited that her bed was both a sofa AND a bed. It was so cute.

I never get the food at the baby barnyard. I always gloss over it...not for us...blah, blah. But yesterday something happened and I had a quarter...so we got the food for the goats, sheep, etc. And we are feeding them and they are swarming around...you know, you have been there...and a sheep is eating from Sweet Pea's hand and he bit her finger. Didn't break the skin or anything serious. But her finger got pinched from his teeth.

And she says to me...I thought I liked sheep, but I don't. You just never know about sheep.

Cracked me up. We washed her hands real good and she has a little water blister. We left shortly after that incident. The fun was over and it started to cool off, we needed snacks and we were tired.

Honey Buns has taken a second job and this weekend was so needed. I know it sounds all hearts and roses...but...We are going into the holidays where no weekends are ever free and after the new year hits...he is working every Saturday night till April. I am trying to be glass half full about this. I pledged my support...in this project. We are going to make it through this rough patch, I am blessed that Sweet Pea is now 4. I am blessed that I have a flexible job. I am blessed that we are going to have extra dollars this year. I am blessed that Honey Buns is a go-getter. I am blessed that when the semester ends in May, it will all be over.

4 is why people have babies

We had a great Halloween. Sweet Pea went to day care, I went to work, then I picked her up, got her dressed up, we trick or treated my office, she went to school, trick or treated the town square, then I picked her up we visited some special people (and the team) then back to day care for that party...then we trunk or treated the church and back home to trick or treat the 6 neighborhood houses...and home sweet home.

The age of 4 is why people have babies. Because 4 is so much fun. We have horrific fits and episodes...but the good times are so good. Like when you are in young love and everything is rosy...that is 4 for me. It is just what I have been needing. Honey Buns is busy...like he has a second job busy, and I am spending all my time with Sweet Pea and she is actually someone I want to spend all my time with. Not like when it was the trying twos and I was seriously in need of a coffee break every two hours with her...or like when she was a newborn and I was so tired I couldn't even spell my name. This independent 4 year old I live with is just the best thing in my life right now. And life is good.

getting what you want the sweet pea way

My darling Sweet Pea has figured her way around her cheapskate mother.

Yep, she is smarty pants!

Saturday the American Girl catalog came in the mail. We pour over it, never throw it away, hide it in our room...I don't really mean "we" more like she. I usually try to throw it away every chance it happens to be laying on the floor...but that is another story.

She has been wishing for, begging for, dreaming about this and this

Saturday she started counting her money to buy it.

I told her to quit counting ... it was too much money and she didn't have enough, and neither did I. (I know, debbie downer moment)

She trumped me. Can we write Santa a note and tell him to bring it? I again acted negative about it all.

But not her, she got out scissors and glue and cut up the treasured catalog, glued it to a paper and put her name on the bottom. Now he will know exactly what she wants. Stuck it all in an envelope, which we put in a safe spot so that when we see him we can give it to him.
(and this is where I was done being negative, and was very proud of her problem solving)

And you know what...Now I have to buy it. Because when you ask Santa...he delivers.
Damn.

fashionista

I have been trying to lay out the clothes the night before, with the pretense that it saves time in the morning and less drama.

it doesn't

Some mornings it creates more drama
Some mornings it creates a huge fight
Some mornings the mom stomps off
Some mornings the kid wins

That morning was today.

I shopped on my birthday and bought a cute dress that works for warmer weather, but when you layer a white long sleeve t-shirt under was very cute for fall. VERY CUTE
But Sweet Pea hated it. She hated the layer look, that I designed, She hated the t-shirt, She hated the whiteness of the shirt. She hated it ALL.

I started slipping it on, and she said, what? WHAT? is this just white? Everyone will think I am ugly and PLAIN. I told her, just wait for the dress. She hated it more.
I ripped it all off, threw it in a pile and told her to figure it out herself.
(I know, who is the 4yr old?)

She came out in her new halloween shirt, butterfly skirt, brown leggings with mushrooms and flowers on them, cat and dog socks, black shoes...it actually matched suprisingly well. I was shocked, but didn't say anything. Too much pattern for me. The leggings were a little much, but I told her she looked pretty. She even had me do her hair in a ponytail.

Guess I can't shop for her anymore, alone. Wonder if I can get the tags back on the dress...because I don't think she will EVER wear it.

first day of pre-K

Today is the first day of pre-K. Can't believe it! This year has hit me hard and I expect I will shed some tears when I drop her off today. Last year I was so proud of her...this year, I wish she was little again.

You guessed it!

Yep, you guessed it. Last night was rocky! We didn't do the usual bike ride, she didn't get to play with her friends, she cried through the bathtime and
absolutely nothing went her way. (I know that because she told me so)

Let's hope today is better!

loving 4

I am really loving the age of 4. These last few months have been fun. We have had our moments, but I have really been beefing up on my Jim Fay tapes and maybe I am more confident in my response to her, but things are better. Which doesn't mean she is not in time out, acting out or any of those discipline things...it is just going better for me.

She is so independent, which is a good thing. I am still getting to do the things I want, like cuddling and reading stories...but the bathroom messes and food messes at dinner are at a minimum.

I don't want to jinx myself, but right now...things are smooth sailing.