Welcome to the Jungle

First of all, thanks to Jenna who added a playlist to her blog which made me want to add one to mine. I'm not a big music kind of person, but these are songs that I really love and I will keep adding to the list as I remember more. If you don't want to hear it, you can just turn it off.

Secondly, WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE!!!! I mentioned before that the 3rd grade has created an amazing rain forest in their hallway--I mean it's AMAZING!!! So, Parker decided we needed our own little rain forest. The blue blankets are a waterfall. It was great to see Parker work so hard coloring all the creatures to go into the scene. FUN!!! By the way, after the jungle goes, so are the blue walls. I have hated them practically since I put the first stroke on the wall. It's time to get rid of it--it's way to dark.

Jack's Birthday Party

Some pictures from Jack's birthday party. Obviously he had a cowboy party. He is already making plans for his next party. He says it's going to be Backyardigans. I'm certain I can nudge him in a different direction. Above--Bella taking a wack at the pinata.


Above--Jack said "Oh I can't watch this." while watching everyone wack the pinata.

Above--Jack's little heart breaking when he realized that his friend Connor was not sitting right next to him. We were in the middle of singing Happy Birthday when he noticed. He made us stop until Connor moved and then we sang again. I forgot that he had the whole seating arrangment planned out. Oops!

Above--He recovered and blew out his candles.

Above--Cowgirl Stella enjoying the party.

Above--Jack's totally awesome cake made by our friend, Cindy Beck. I don't make birthday cakes when there are people like her out there who can do 100x better than I could. And they taste even better than they look!

I only let Jack invite 4 friends from school because we just don't have much room. The 1st four names he threw out is who we invited. He wanted to invite everyone--in fact, he wondered why everyone wasn't there. That's what happens with a winter birthday. I'm having a lot of guilt because we let Parker invite everyone he wants. Not this year though. I'm cutting him off. I don't know the exact number, but it won't be the usual 15+!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still trying to figure out the picture thing.

-I'm trying to figure out how to download pictures directly onto the computer so that I can share some recent photos. With our recent computer problems, I am reluctant to mess with it too much.
- The 3rd grade has turned their hallway into a rain forest which has Parker over-the-top excited. In fact, we are transforming his room into a mini rain forest. He is so into the details and has been working hard on coloring the various animals that one finds in that part of the world. LOVE IT! It's amazing what you can do with a little bit of paper and streamers! And a whole lot of imagination.
- I stopped in to talk to Parker's principal yesterday and we had the most enjoyable conversation. I have known Ms. Cooper since I was in high school so I am very comfortable talking to her. It is great to have a principal that cares soooo much about each of the kids.
- I'm working on a birthday present for Parker's teacher, Mrs. Fitzgerald and I am so excited about it. It it turning out just like I had imagined and I can't wait to give it to her. Best of all, it took lots of time but zero $'s which, in my humble opinion, is usually the nicest kind of gift. Unless, of course, it's diamonds. Or something you can drive.
- Knock on wood but so far we have managed to avoid the nasty sickness that has knocked out just about everyone else we know. Of course, now that I said that, we will get sick next week. No, tonight in the middle of the night when you can't run out and get some medicine.
- We are in a winter wonderland again. Even Parker, the little Eskimo, has had enough of the snow. Maybe he won't be moving to Antarctica after all. (After the first snow, he told me that when he grew up he was going to have one house in Antarctica and one house next to me.)
- Legion baseball spaghetti dinner tonight. MMMMMMM.............good spaghetti and even better garlic bread.
- Next weekend is the Lion's Club Pancake and Sausage breakfast. MMMMMM................sooooo good and the boys love it.
- Do you notice a food related theme here? I do think about food a lot. Which is just one of the many reasons that I need to lose weight.
- Jack and I spent a fun day shopping the other day. We went to Aldi, the mall, Just Sofas (which he LOVED) and Farm & Fleet. That has to be some kind of record with Jack. He just isn't much of a shopper so to get to that many stores in one day is a miracle. He was even moderately good.
- Our fish, Fire, finally died. After the initial twinge of sadness because they boys were so upset, all I could muster up was relief. Sorry.
- Tomorrow night is the Oscars. I hate award shows. I just can't think of any other industry that is so self-congratulatory. Every time you turn around, they are awarding themselves. And my most unfavorite part is how stupid, unprepared and ineloquent these people are. Could I stand in front of thousands of people and not be nervous? Maybe not. But then, no one is paying me millions of dollars to "act." How about acting like you can speak!?
- I sound bitter.
- Just annoyed.
- I've said before that I don't watch reality shows. The only one I really watch is "The Real Housewives of Orange County." It does my heart good to see that even though these women are incredibly wealthy and live in huge homes and have fancy cars, their lives pretty much suck. It's good for me to be reminded that money doesn't buy happiness.
- I'm still sounding bitter.
- So, I will try to end on a happy note. Last night Parker and Jack were taking their bath and I usually just let them play until their fingers and toes are all shriveled up and cold and they beg to get out. Anyway, they were giggling and laughing and I stuck my head in to see what they were up to. They had made a game where each of them had an empty shampoo bottle filled with water and they object was to shoot a toy fish off of the ledge of the bathtub (the ledge by the wall so no water was getting on the floor.) It required a little bit of skill, so when they succeeded they felt pretty cool. It warmed my heart to see them laughing together playing a simple game that they made up. I LOVE THAT!!!!! I'm all about the simple pleasures in life. :-)

I'm Back

Well, after over 3 weeks of no internet connection, we are finally back up. It turns out that it was some kind of problem with our hard drive which has been corrected. However, I went without the internet for so long, that I actually got used to not having it so now I don't have the same urgency to use it that I did 3 weeks ago. That would be a good thing. Unfortunately we are now having problems getting our printer to install which means I don't have a way to scan my scrapbook pages or download pictures. It just can't be easy, can it!?
So, here are some odds and ends:
- without a computer to distract me, I actually did some scrapbooking
- Jack turned 4!
- there is no school today and Parker and Jack are already fighting
- I am getting my 4 inch roots highlighted today
- I had a crown on one of my molars fall out last night. Great.
- I went to a teacher supply store in St. Louis this weekend and I was almost giddy with excitement. It was so cool. If I had to do it over again, I would be a teacher. Probably kindergarten because they are still fairly innocent at that age. Some more than others.
- Here in Mt. Zion you are allowed to request teachers. You can probably do it in most districts, but here it is the rule not the exception. However, this creates all sorts of agony for people like me who tend to overthink everything. I don't want to choose, but when everyone else does, you almost have to or you get stuck with the least desirable teacher. And no offense to any teachers out there, but some of you are much better than others. Just like any other job. Soooo, I just can't make up my mind about choosing. Uggghhhhh.
- Stella threw a screaming temper tantrum for 2 hours on our way back to St. Louis. I'll say one thing for her, she is committed to her cause! You go girl! You didn't win, but you sure gave it your best shot.
- When will the warm weather be here to stay?
- My dear friend Michelle and Travis' Aunt Shelly thought I should go to the library to do my blogging and I thought of that too but here is why that won't work. The Mt. Zion Library might be the most unfriendly place on earth. The children's library is awful and not inviting at all. There is a sign on the door that says, "You must supervise your child at all times or you will be asked to leave." While I completely understand their motive for posting that, it isn't very inviting to those of us with children who would like to do a little exploring--not stand on tables and throw books, just explore. Anyway, I would have had to have someone watch Jack just to blog and that just doesn't seem right.
- I have much more to catch up on, but right now I need to pay attention to the boys.

Out of Touch

Our internet connection has been down for the past 11 days. @#%&*Insight Broadband!!!!!! Anyway, that is why I haven't been posting and why I probably won't be posting for a while. UGGGHHHHH. Not only do I miss writing on my blog, I really, really miss reading my favorties. Gotta go, I'm on my paren't computer right now and they have dial-up and pay by the hour.

Jack at One

-I can't believe Jack is going to be 4 in two weeks. Right now he is acting more like a one year old. He is having a meltdown because it's Parker's turn to pick what they watch on On-Demand TV. Lovely.
- I want new kitchen cabinets soooooo badly. I'm hoping to get an estimate soon. I would just like to know if it is even financially possible.
- I've fallen off the exercise wagon a little bit and I'm anxious to get back on.
- I also want to scrapbook.
- Dawn came over and helped me organize my kitchen. It is so nice to open a cabinet and actally be able to see what is in there without moving 10 things. I still need more cabinets though.
- She also helped me with the sunroom. It looks awesome!
- Soon, we will tackle the closets.
- Jack knocked the hot iron off the ironing table which landed right-side down and now there is an iron shaped burn mark in the carpet. I wasn't too terribly upset because it was downstairs and the carpet is already stained and gross. I'm just glad it didn't land on him.
- Jack may not live to be 4.
- He's driving me and Parker NUTS today.
- Is winter almost over?
- I keep seeing adorable summer clothes popping up in the stores but I cannot buy any because I MUST lose weight before summer. And during the summer. And after the summer. And probably next year this time I will still be trying to lose weight.
- I finally found a pair of tennis shoes I like but my cheap took over and I couldn't make myself buy them. Now I'm regretting it.

Links

I haven't forgotten that I have a blog. I'm just busy, busy right now. Working on some of those new year's resolutions!
Here are some links to blogs I enjoy. You can visit them when nothing is happening on mine!

http://www.karenrussell.typepad.com/
http://laylekoncar.typepad.com/
http://heidiswapp.typepad.com/
http://jeanettes.typepad.com/a_passion_for_scrapbookin/

Frustration

- As I mentioned before, one of my resolutions is to lose weight. Well, for the past 3 weeks I have tried to watch my portions, limit snacking, exercise and only have fast food once per week. And guess how much weight I've lost!? NONE. ZERO. NADA. Talk about disappointing. Obviously I need to step it up a lot. Normally I would be eating fast food about 3 times a week (sometimes more), doing no true exercise and snacking a lot. I'm going to keep going and maybe the weight will start falling off. And no, I'm not cheating on any of the food part. I've even started forcing myself to drink Coke Zero and Diet Coke.

New Pages

I actually did scrap a few quick pages over Christmas break. Since Jack will be 4 next month, I figured it was high time I did a page of his 3rd birthday. I have a hard time scrapbooking birthday pictures because I have so many and I usually want to do a whole book but I want it to be really special which takes time which I never seem to have enough of so then I just don't do anything with the pictures.
This one makes me long for warm weather.
And this is a piece called "Glitter Butterfly" by one of my favorite artists.

Oldies but Goodies

I haven't shown any scrapbook layouts for a while. Mostly because I haven't scrapbooked for a while. These are some favorites from the past.

White Chili from Michelle

Yippee! My friend Michelle (who is always a great source of family-friendly recipes) has one to share she writes:

I love the recipe/blog idea. Here’s my contribution. My family loves it and won’t even touch red chili anymore.

White Chili

1 bag of boneless, skinless chicken breast—boiled & shredded
1 white onion
1 T. garlic powder
2 T. vegetable oil
4 15 oz. cans of northern beans—drained & rinsed
2 14 oz. cans of chicken broth
4 4 oz. cans of green chili’s
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cups sour cream
1 cup heavy cream

In a large pot, sauté onion, garlic powder and cooked chicken in vegetable oil over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add all other ingredients except for sour and heavy cream; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook 30 minutes. Stir in sour and heavy cream. Enjoy! This recipe also freezes well.

Meatloaf

Meatloaf
1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey
1 egg
1 cup crushed corn flakes
¼ cup ketchup
2 tbsp. chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
Mix all ingredients together. Dump into a greased pan.
Shape into a loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

I know everyone probably has a meatloaf recipe but this one is my mom's and it is so easy and so good. Sometimes I use crackers instead of corn flakes. Sometimes I add garlic. Sometimes I make it into 4 little loaves. Use your imagination! (Well, don't get too crazy--no anchovies or anything.)

Chicken Noodle Soup

RECIPE #1 From Tracy (my sister) This is sooooooo good. The trick is to use a small bag of frozen noodles. You don't pre-cook them. Just throw the whole bag in. They are kind of thick and chewy--almost like dumplings! The first time I made this Parker ate 3 bowls and told me that Tracy should send this recipe to Rachael Ray. Now that is a 5 star rating!

Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery (or skip the celery and add 1 tsp--or more-- of celery salt)
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth
1/2 pound chopped cooked chicken breast (I used the meat from a rotisserie chicken--the whole chicken)
1 1/2 cups egg noodles (I used a small bag of Reames frozen noodles)
1 cup sliced carrots (or use a cup--or more--of frozen carrots)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion and celery in butter until just tender, 5 minutes. ( I sauteed my veggies for quite a while because I wanted them VERY tender.) If you use frozen carrots, go ahead and sautee them but dont' worry about them getting tender. They will soften up while you boil your soup. Pour in chicken and vegetable broths and stir in chicken, noodles, carrots, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving.

This is so easy and it probably doesn't sound like a "knock-your-socks-off" recipe, but trust me, it is. It's about 100x better than Campbells and not much harder.

Recipe Exchange

Don't you get sick of cooking the same meals over and over and over? Don't you get bored with them? Well, I'm looking for some new, yummy, EASY recipes to share. I will start posting some of my favorites and if you have a killer one that you would like me to share with whomever actually reads my blog, I will post it. Just e-mail me your favorites at saraforeman@insightbb.com. I'm anxious to see if anyone will actually do it and to see what we get!

yada, yada, yada

- I call this picture, "The Power of Legos". Anything that can make my boys sit down and play nicely for any length of time is might powerful in my book. Legos are so totally worth the mess they make and the expense.
- It drives me nuts when I see people at the car wash when there is snow on the ground. I mean, what is the point?
- I bought a scale. Scary.
- I have managed to resist the after-Christmas sales. I don't need anymore Christmas decor even if they are practically giving adorable stuff away.
- I thought the 2 week Christmas vacation was going to seem really long and that Parker would get bored, but it has flown by. He has been completely happy to play with the 429 toys he got and is in no big hurry to return to school. I'm not eager for him to go back either.
- I'm using a Reliv' product called Slimplicity to boost my weight loss effort. I will report on how I do with it.
- I sure do love Target.
- Tracy scooped up a bunch of "cuffless" long-sleeved shirts for Parker at Gymboree for a steal. You would be surprised at how hard it is to find nice cuffless shirts. (It's one of Parker's little quirks.)
- I didn't think I was all that particular about tennis shoes until I started looking for a new pair. If I am going to make that investment, I want to really like them, but I haven't found a pair that makes me want them yet.
- I'm not buying any new clothes until I lose weight. Except for the XXL sweater that I bought at Target the other day. I'm not exagerating.
- On the subject of weight--I know that I am not the largest person around but I am 30 pounds overweight. That's not my number, that is the medical number. I have soooo much empathy for people who have lost control over their weight. It is so easy to say, "just lose weight", but there is so much more to weight issues than food itself. I eat when I am upset or stressed which upsets me more then I eat more, and it just goes on and on. Even though I know I'm a stress eater, I can't seem to stop myself when I am having a bad day. Weird. However, I am sick of complaining about my appearance, my energy level, my comfort, etc. So it is time to take control!
- I have eaten two chocolates in the past hour.
- Time to get on the eliptical machine!
- I bought 4 bottles of Bloody Mary mix while we were in St. Louis. YUM!
- I'm sure that will last us about 2 years.
- I still need to take down the Christmas decorations but I can't get motivated.
- I'm addicted to Tetris on my phone. LOVE that game.
- How about Brittney Spears? What a mess. Isn't there someone around her who could just take her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her? How about an intervention. I'm glad she lost her kids. Let's hope that's a final wake-up call. I doubt it, but for most people it would be. Who would have thought that K-Fed would be the responsible parent between the two of them!? Why do I care about any of this? I don't but if you turn on the TV or stand in line at Walmart, it's plastered all over the place. Plus, as a mother, I can't imagine behaving in a way that would make me an unfit parent.
- The "bowling game" that Jack HAD to have for Christmas which I couldn't find anywhere and had to order from Target which was $20 and $10 for shipping is now in ample supply at Target on clearance for 9.99. I would buy one and take it back but you really can't do that with a gift that Santa brought.
Have a great day!

I resolve to......................

So, do you make New Year's resolutions? I always seem to but I cannot honestly remember a time when I stuck with one. That's pretty lame, huh? Mine are the usual--lose weight, save $, etc. This year, however, I MUST lose weight because my 20th high school reunion is in August and I WILL NOT attend if I don't lose weight. Plus I feel lousy most of the time, my self-esteem is rock-bottom, and I don't have any clothes that fit. All that means that I have to make some changes (with or without the reunion!) I also must get more organized and keep my house neater. I can't stand it, Travis can't stand it and I don't want my boys growing up thinking that this is acceptable. If you have never been to my house, it isn't dirty. We all just have a problem with putting things were they belong. Which leads to seemingly insurmountable messes. So I wish you luck with your resolutions. WE CAN DO IT!

Christmas review

We had two happy boys on Christmas morning. Santa brought them both the 3 things they requested and a few surprises too. Spoiled rotten for sure.

As much as Jack drives me crazy, he is sooooo full of life. He does everything with such gusto. He was very fun to watch open presents. Lots of happy yelling.
And here is the photo I would have liked to have had for my Christmas card, but I will take it now. My two very different, very handsome boys.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

This exemplifies the true meaning of Christmas. Thank goodness there are people like this out there. I wish I were more like her.

More of this and that

- Parker is a snow child. He can spend hours outside in the freezing cold as long as there is snow on the ground. I remember being the same way. He made this snowman all by himself with only a tiny bit of help getting the nose to stay put.

- I am a sentimental fool. I got all teary-eyed when my boys brought home the ornaments they had made at school. I can just picture their little hands making them and I am grateful for a tangible memory that will make me happy every Christmas.

- Like his brother before him, Jack refused to participate in his Christmas program. What a surprise. (sarcasm intended)

- Parker gave me the gift he chose at the Santa Shop at school. It is a coffee mug with a reindeer on it. I am going to use that mug every day for the rest of my life. He was so proud of his selection and so thoughtful. I do drink coffee every morning and I love that he gave it some thought and came up with a nice choice. He chose carefully for everyone. His little chest was all puffed out with pride.

-I cleaned most of the day yesterday and today my feet and back ache. I soooooo want to keep my home orderly because it just makes me happy. But, for some reason, I struggle with doing it.

- We are celebrating Christmas with Tracy and Ryan, Stella and Jake today. Tracy and I decided not to exchange gifts this year.

- I made a scrapbook for Mrs. Fitzgerald and it turned out really well. It was fun to make and easier than it appears. And best of all, she loved it which was a gift in itself to Parker.

Christmas Decor

I was going for a retro look this year. I don't really think I nailed it, but I like all the red glitter. Our tree is covered with "boy" glass ornaments. There is every kind of firefighter, policeman and vehicle. As well as lots of baseball and a little golf and basketball too. Love it.

Christmas Program

Parker has been talking about his Christmas program for quite a while so we didn't expect any problems from him regarding performing. Unfortunately, about a half hour before we needed to leave, he lost it. Crying, screaming, sobbing. Here we go again. Somehow we managed to get him dressed and out the door. When we got there he said he wasn't going on stage. I took him up to Mrs. Fitzgerald and then he was fine. I wish for once he would just go up and do what he's supposed to without all the drama. Anyway, I LOVED the program and I think Parker enjoyed it too once he got over himself.

Pages from Christmas Past

Christmas idea.

Check out this totally adorable Christmas idea for little kids. LOVE IT!!! I wish I had read this 10 days ago!

The world according to Jack and other unimportant stuff

- Jack comes up with these really cool and adorable things sometimes. Last summer as we drove over the viaduct, he said, "Look mommy, it's a cloud factory." I thought it was so precious that he saw a cloud factory when everyone else sees a filthy, stinky industrial plant. I even scrapped it. And today he came up with another precious little statement. As we were driving down Eldorado, we passed St. Patrick's Church and Jack said, "Look Parker. That's God's castle." Castles are just about Jack's most favorite thing in the world. Love it!!!!
- I have lost my voice and I sound like I've been a smoker for the past 20 years.
- Listen to what I managed to do in the 2.5 hours that Jack is in preschool. I went to Walmart and got a bunch of groceries. When I got to the check-out, I realized I didn't have my debit card so I had to use a credit card. Then I was worried about where the debit card was so I went home to find it. There it was on the counter. Well, I had more stuff to do so I headed back down to Dollar Tree for a few things. Then I went to the bank. As I passed Aldi I noticed there weren't too many cars there so I popped in there to get more groceries. I'm trying to get the things I need for Christmas dinner before the 24th. Then I remember that I have forgotten to pick up some pictures at Walmart so I go back there. Then I went to get gas. Then I went to pick up Jack but I was early so I had enough time to write notes to 3 of the parents and climb into the church attic to get down the Christmas program supplies. That was a good morning. However, I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to recover from my morning. Then we got Parker from the bus stop, went to McDonald's because they were ssssstttttaaaaarrrrvvvvinnng!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then to Connor Company to drop in and say hi to daddy, Uncle Jim and Terry. Then to Kroger to get peppermint extract but they don't have any because it's 2 weeks until Christmas and it's all sold out. Then to Walmart who is also sold out but does have peppermint oil which will work just as well and is quite a bit cheaper.
-My Christmas cards came today so I will be sending them out this week. A lot late for me.
- I work at Parker's school tomorrow. As always, I am a tiny bit nervous but also excited. It's FUN!
- I hate ice. I mean, I like it in my drinks, just not on the road and the trees and my car and every surface outside. It's pretty for an hour and then it just looks like trouble to me.
- I am trying to figure out when I can take the boys to the East Peoria Festival of Lights. You haven't seen anything until you have seen this. They will LOVE it!!! I love it. You can't not love it.
- Santa Claus has made several timely calls to our house lately right when a fight has broken out. They buy it every time. In fact, Jack is worried sick that he might not get any presents.
- Did you know that Santa also has the power to demand hair cuts?
- "No hair cuts, no presents." That is what the man said to my shaggy boys.

Let it snow

This season's first snow was a good one--enough to play in but not enough to cause driving problems. Jack will only tolerate the cold for so long, but Parker will stay out for hours. And a huge bonus this year--Parker can get himself completely geared up appropriately (snow pants, boots, gloves, hat, coat) all by himself. Sounds easy right? Remember that with each layer you add, it gets a little bit harder to add the next layer. I hate the whole business of getting kids ready for snow so this is great for me. Does that make me lazy?!

My prayer today

One of the questions I plan to ask God when I meet him someday, is why so many loving, financially stable, responsible couples have such a hard time conceiving a child and immature, irresponsible, unemployed teenagers seem to have no trouble at all getting pregnant? God must have a reason because it happens so often.
Maybe if I want to get to heaven, I shouldn't be questioning God.
Anyway, please say a quick little prayer for those folks out there who want to be parents sooooo badly (and would be such wonderful parents) that God will have mercy on them and give them a child and give them peace in their hearts while they wait.

Hooked on Phonics--Gag me with a Spoon!

Have you seen the commercial for Hooked on Phonics where there are several moms sitting in a waiting room and most of the children are playing but one little boy is sitting with his mom reading a book aloud. One of the other moms says, "How old is he?" The kid's mom says, "He just turned 4." Other mom says, "Is he in kindergarten?" Another mom pipes in, "How did you teach him?" The kid's mom says in a totally pompous, my-kid-is-better-than-yours way, "We've been practicing." I want to puke every time I see this commercial. It's like she has this big secret and no way is she going to tell these other moms how she got her kid reading. First of all, this commercial was clearly made by a real mom of a preschooler because this is TOTALLY realistic as far as the other moms wanting to know how this kid is reading and the mom with the reader being all holier-than-thou because her kid can read. However, if it were me that had the reader (at 4 years old and I used Hooked on Phonics) this is how the conversation would go.

How did you teach him to read?
Me: Oh my gosh! We got these totally awesome Hooked on Phonics tapes at a garage sale for $3.00 and I really didn't think they would work but my kid ended up just loving them and now he can read simple books. It is amazing. You should go to e-bay and see if there are any there!

Then I would tell my kid, "Why are you sitting here reading when there are 10 other kids around!? Go play and make some friends. When you are 16 you aren't going to have a girlfriend because you'll have your nose buried in a book."

Just kidding. I love to read and my kids enjoy reading. But, I have learned a lesson. There is no real reason to force reading on a kid at an early age. (Don't leave me a mean message--I know some children just want to learn when they are 3.) When they start kindergarten, they all start in the same book on the same page whether they can read "Gone with the Wind" or don't even know their letters. Easy for me to say, I suppose, because I have kids that seem to love to learn.

Anyway, I sure hate that commercial.

Just a note--I don't have a problem with Hooked on Phonics. I have a problem with the commercial. Mainly because it plays on the insecurites of over protective, crazy moms like myself.

Busy Bees & Missing Kid

- Right now Parker and Jack are playing "bee hive." We saw "Bee Movie" a few weeks ago. I keep hearing them say, "The honey is done." "This is where the honey goes." And Jack's addition, "Here's the gun that shoots the honey." I love it when they play together. By the way, apparently my eliptical machine is a fabulous honey making factory. I'm glad it's useful to someone in this family.

- I went to pick Parker up from the bus stop today and he didn't get off. I asked one of the older kids where he was and she told me that he wasn't on the bus. PANIC! So, I think, I took him to school this morning because I had to be there at 8:00 so maybe he thought I was picking him up too. So I high-tail it over to McGaughey and ask around where they tell me that they did put him on the bus. They called the bus garage who contacted the driver who said that she dropped him off on the way back around the circle. Great. So, now as I drive back home I'm picturing poor, forlorne little Parker scared and worried at home or walking down the street or, well, I don't know but what I was imagining was not good. I get back to our house (and it seemed like it took FOREVER) and my neighbor tells me that he is down the street at her daughter's house. So, I head back down there and Parker comes out of their house with a great big smile on his face. He wasn't worried at all. In fact, he thought it was pretty cool that he got to go in Kiley's house and even told me that, "If I ever have to spend the night at Kiley's house I can sleep in her room because she had bunk beds. Kiley is in 4th grade so I'm assuming that scenario will never happen. Why didn't he get off the bus? He was busy talking to his friend. He did exactly what we told him to do if we aren't there to pick him up so it was hard to be mad at him. Next time (and hopefully there won't be a next time) I will just wait for the bus to come back around before I panic.

- I finally gave up trying to get a "Christmas" picture of the boys for my card and I settled for my favorite picture of them which happens to be from July. Oh well, they haven't changed that much since then.

- Uh oh. Now they are stinging each other. It was only a matter of time before that game went bad.

-This is probably the best of the pictures and while it is cute, it isn't Christmas card worthy.