Drop-off at pre-school is not getting easier with Camryn. Although she willingly gets in the car to go to school and happily recounts her days when I pick her up. The teachers tell me the crying period is shorter every time and she is beginning to participate in activities rather than watch longingly out the window for me.
So you can see why when I leave her in a full blown tantrum of hysterics, I wonder how she is holding up the entire time she is gone. WELL...apparently she is transitioning just fine. Although she has not yet given up the show she puts on for my sake, she must feel comfortable with her classmates. Today when I picked her up from the playground her teacher told me she was "growling at kids." Now anyone that knows Camryn, knows she has a death stare like no other. So hearing that she was less than thrilled to be spoken to or even looked at by a stranger didn't phase me in the least. But that was not the case.
As I located her on the playground and watched the scene unfold, I was baffled that this little girl had been a crumbling mess when I left her. In a few short hours, she had turned into the ring leader of the group. She had all the girls in the playhouse while she guarded the door and growled at any boys that wanted to come in! Her all female posse were happily obliging to all her commands and the more she scowled at the boys, the more persistent they became.
I have to admit, I was glad to see that she was having fun. But now I'm worried she the class bully and her bossy little 'tude will leave her friendless. My solution was to select one of her favorites "The Berenstein Bears No Girls Allowed" book for bedtime and remind her how sister bear felt when she was left out. A three year old should be able to make the correlation, right?
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
A tiger in training
Tiger Woods that is...
For Dylan's sixth birthday my golf fanatic parents bought him his own set of clubs! He was thrilled. He carefully took each club out of the bag and swung a few practice swings. He made sure to put the covers back on and place them in their respective spot in the bag. He is fascinated by the stand that pops out of the bag when you put it down and closes up when he tosses the bag over his shoulders.
Along with the gift, came a day of golf with Pop! So the gift was given on Thursday and Dylan already redeemed his round of golf on Sunday!!! My dad took him to a local 9 hole course in hopes to teach him how to play.
They had a ball! Dylan completed seven holes and carried his bag the whole way. Despite the double digit score on every hole, he thinks he is ready to golf at Pop's course.
All I know is he must have been hanging on to his new clubs for dear life because that afternoon I found a huge blister between his thumb and pointer finger. When I asked him why he didn't tell Pop it was hurting, he said: "I thought it was a sliver and didnt want him to take it out!" No pain, no gain I guess!
For Dylan's sixth birthday my golf fanatic parents bought him his own set of clubs! He was thrilled. He carefully took each club out of the bag and swung a few practice swings. He made sure to put the covers back on and place them in their respective spot in the bag. He is fascinated by the stand that pops out of the bag when you put it down and closes up when he tosses the bag over his shoulders.
Along with the gift, came a day of golf with Pop! So the gift was given on Thursday and Dylan already redeemed his round of golf on Sunday!!! My dad took him to a local 9 hole course in hopes to teach him how to play.
They had a ball! Dylan completed seven holes and carried his bag the whole way. Despite the double digit score on every hole, he thinks he is ready to golf at Pop's course.
All I know is he must have been hanging on to his new clubs for dear life because that afternoon I found a huge blister between his thumb and pointer finger. When I asked him why he didn't tell Pop it was hurting, he said: "I thought it was a sliver and didnt want him to take it out!" No pain, no gain I guess!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Astronaut Training
Dylan turned six!!! I know it's crazy, I'm hardly old enough to have a six year old. But I do...and to celebrate we had an astronaut training party at our house. This is what it entailed:
And on the back it said: Mission Specialist with their name
The shirts were super easy and inexpensive. I grabbed a pack of Hanes undershirts and I bought printable iron-on paper for my printer. They were a huge hit!
Station 1# Astronaut Safety Test
The kids had to fill their space shuttle with the right equipment to protect their astronaut
I gave them shredded newspaper, cotton balls and bubble wrap to fill two plastic cups. We taped them together with an egg inside and dropped them off the deck to demonstrate the effects of gravity!
Station #2 Shuttle Repair
The kids had to screw nuts and bolts underwater while wearing dish washing gloves.
Station #3 Rocket Launch
The invite
The guests got t-shirts with the Nasa logo (which I hijacked) on the front
And on the back it said: Mission Specialist with their name
The shirts were super easy and inexpensive. I grabbed a pack of Hanes undershirts and I bought printable iron-on paper for my printer. They were a huge hit!
Station 1# Astronaut Safety Test
The kids had to fill their space shuttle with the right equipment to protect their astronaut I gave them shredded newspaper, cotton balls and bubble wrap to fill two plastic cups. We taped them together with an egg inside and dropped them off the deck to demonstrate the effects of gravity!Station #2 Shuttle Repair
The kids had to screw nuts and bolts underwater while wearing dish washing gloves.
Station #3 Rocket Launch
Stomp Rocket
My sister (donning her official astronaut outfit from space camp) brought a water powered rocket too!
Station #4 Moon Walk
Walking around the trampoline while balancing a water balloon on a plate. Not sure it emulated walking on the moon, but what kid doesn't like bouncing on the trampoline with the added bonus of potentially getting wet??
Station #4 Moon Walk
Walking around the trampoline while balancing a water balloon on a plate. Not sure it emulated walking on the moon, but what kid doesn't like bouncing on the trampoline with the added bonus of potentially getting wet??
Station #5 Moon Rock Hunt
A scavenger hunt for rocks that I spray painted with green glitter. They also got bags to collect them with.
A scavenger hunt for rocks that I spray painted with green glitter. They also got bags to collect them with.
The cake!!!
Dylan's two favorite ice cream flavors I froze in a bowl to shape like the moon. I scooped out the craters, covered it with fondant and used "Duff's" cake graffiti silver spray to color it!
Rainbow Jell-O was a birthday boy request
All the boys left with their shirts, moon rocks, astronaut ice cream and moon dough!
Dylan's two favorite ice cream flavors I froze in a bowl to shape like the moon. I scooped out the craters, covered it with fondant and used "Duff's" cake graffiti silver spray to color it!Rainbow Jell-O was a birthday boy request
All the boys left with their shirts, moon rocks, astronaut ice cream and moon dough!
Friday, September 9, 2011
Back to school
The kids going back to school is not an event I look forward to. It marks the end of our carefree summer days. It means another year has gone by and the kids are getting older. It's a difficult transition for everyone...mainly me!
I don't have the typical, new outfits, backpacks on, huge smile first day of school photo of my kids. Going from an eager kindergartner to a big shot first grader has catapulted my son into the "too cool for school" category. Don't get me wrong, he loves school. He just doesn't need any cheesy photos documenting it. Nor does he need me to walk him to the door. Gone are the days of wearing two straps of his backpack. Instead, he rocks the one strap carelessly thrown across his chest look!
Camryn was too busy hiding for a picture. She was so excited about the prospect of pre-school, until it was actually time to go. Similar to my post three years ago, Camryn's first day did not go so well. She was hysterical when I left her. Cried even harder when the teacher tried to console her. Finally they figured out it would be best to let her calm down on her own in a corner. In which she remained in for the better part of the day. Anxiously waiting at home, I received a phone call from the pre-school director to come pick her up early.
The good news is by the time I got there she was happily playing and I was able to sneak out before she saw me. So indeed she did make it through the entire first day....all three hours of it! Luckily, this isn't my first go around so I know drop-off will get better and that she will love school. And in two short years, she will be running for the door without so much as a glance over her shoulder too.
I don't have the typical, new outfits, backpacks on, huge smile first day of school photo of my kids. Going from an eager kindergartner to a big shot first grader has catapulted my son into the "too cool for school" category. Don't get me wrong, he loves school. He just doesn't need any cheesy photos documenting it. Nor does he need me to walk him to the door. Gone are the days of wearing two straps of his backpack. Instead, he rocks the one strap carelessly thrown across his chest look!
Camryn was too busy hiding for a picture. She was so excited about the prospect of pre-school, until it was actually time to go. Similar to my post three years ago, Camryn's first day did not go so well. She was hysterical when I left her. Cried even harder when the teacher tried to console her. Finally they figured out it would be best to let her calm down on her own in a corner. In which she remained in for the better part of the day. Anxiously waiting at home, I received a phone call from the pre-school director to come pick her up early.
The good news is by the time I got there she was happily playing and I was able to sneak out before she saw me. So indeed she did make it through the entire first day....all three hours of it! Luckily, this isn't my first go around so I know drop-off will get better and that she will love school. And in two short years, she will be running for the door without so much as a glance over her shoulder too.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Summer Wrap-up
August seems to get shorter every year. I know it's a lame excuse for not posting in over a month but I'm sticking to it.
August started off with a trip to Boothbay Harbor Maine, where we had an amazing week. We rented a house right on the ocean with some lifelong friends of ours! We spent our days doing everything from beaching it, to working on a live lobster boat, ziplining, bike riding and fishing. At night the adults enjoyed fresh seafood dinners accompanied by some cold refreshments! We played cards and shared lots of laughs.
The next two weeks were spent at the beach or the lake. Swimming, water skiing and tubing. Dylan earned a train ride to a pizza party through the reading program at the library! We had playdates, went hiking and frequented the local playground.
My high school girlfriends and I fled to Newport for the weekend to celebrate our 30th birthdays....although we are all pushing 31! Sooo many laughs and too many drinks, I was sad to see it get cut short by the arrival of Hurricane Irene.
We evacuated Newport to all return home to our families and batten down the hatches before the storm hit. It was a good thing we did, she was nasty storm! We were out of power for 7 days, forcing the schools to delay their opening date. The kids enjoyed an extra week of summer, while I struggled to feed them nutritious meals (hell...even hot meals), scrounge up clean clothes for them to wear and keep them relatively clean!
Well a power outage certainly was not keeping me from my last adventure of the summer! Girls weekend #2!!!! (my hubby gets some major brownie points) This time it was with my college roommates who haven't all been together in seven years. I packed my last clean outfit, hid my greasy hair under a baseball cap and drove to Hoboken! It was a reunion for the books! Once we realized we couldn't party like we were still in college, we resorted to sitting on the couch in our pajamas re-telling stories of our glory days. How easy it was for all of us to come together and seem like we never skipped a beat. A fabulous weekend with tearfilled good-byes as we parted ways not sure of the next chance for such a reunion.
And finally, a Labor Day Pizza-Que at our house. Husbands and children included! It was a perfect way to end the summer!
August started off with a trip to Boothbay Harbor Maine, where we had an amazing week. We rented a house right on the ocean with some lifelong friends of ours! We spent our days doing everything from beaching it, to working on a live lobster boat, ziplining, bike riding and fishing. At night the adults enjoyed fresh seafood dinners accompanied by some cold refreshments! We played cards and shared lots of laughs.
The next two weeks were spent at the beach or the lake. Swimming, water skiing and tubing. Dylan earned a train ride to a pizza party through the reading program at the library! We had playdates, went hiking and frequented the local playground.
My high school girlfriends and I fled to Newport for the weekend to celebrate our 30th birthdays....although we are all pushing 31! Sooo many laughs and too many drinks, I was sad to see it get cut short by the arrival of Hurricane Irene.
We evacuated Newport to all return home to our families and batten down the hatches before the storm hit. It was a good thing we did, she was nasty storm! We were out of power for 7 days, forcing the schools to delay their opening date. The kids enjoyed an extra week of summer, while I struggled to feed them nutritious meals (hell...even hot meals), scrounge up clean clothes for them to wear and keep them relatively clean!
Well a power outage certainly was not keeping me from my last adventure of the summer! Girls weekend #2!!!! (my hubby gets some major brownie points) This time it was with my college roommates who haven't all been together in seven years. I packed my last clean outfit, hid my greasy hair under a baseball cap and drove to Hoboken! It was a reunion for the books! Once we realized we couldn't party like we were still in college, we resorted to sitting on the couch in our pajamas re-telling stories of our glory days. How easy it was for all of us to come together and seem like we never skipped a beat. A fabulous weekend with tearfilled good-byes as we parted ways not sure of the next chance for such a reunion.
And finally, a Labor Day Pizza-Que at our house. Husbands and children included! It was a perfect way to end the summer!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
A lunatic
is what I have become since reading Jaycee Dugard's "A Stolen Life." I am not in any way comparing these incidents to her horrific story or what her mom must have endured. But it did heighten my awareness of abduction and has me sticking like glue to my children.
Two weeks ago after falling asleep reading the book, I was startled awake by a loud noise. It sounded like a door shutting. I immediately ran into the kids room and turned on the light. Dylan's bed was empty. I started calling his name to see if he had gotten up and gone downstairs. Our blown hallway light bulb, left the downstairs pitch black. I was scared to go down alone so I started shaking John awake. Without any luck, I ran back into to Dylan's room to get his flashlight out of his nightstand. When I reached the other side of the bed, there was my son, safe, sound and fast asleep on his floor!!! I scooped him up and held him for a few minutes before tucking him back into bed.
Prior to reading this book, I would have recognized the sound as one of my kids falling out of bed and not thought it was a stranger exiting my home with kids in tow.
Flash forward to last night. Dylan wakes up needing my help in the bathroom. After I return him to his bed, naturally I go to check on Camryn. However, she is not in her bed. Recalling the previous incident, I calmly searched her room. She was not on either side of the bed, nor under it or in her tent or closet. I checked Dylan's bed and then my bed. At this point all the lights in the upstairs are on and I'm beginning to panic. John woke easily and double checked all the places I looked.
My heart started to race as I ran downstairs and searched their was well. At this point, I really thought someone was playing a joke on me. Together we opened every door, peered in every hiding spot, including places she couldn't even fit and scoured every inch of the house. Once I saw the urgency in my husband's actions, I knew it was scaring him too! He was about ready to start a grid search of the backyard when Dylan called down to us that he found her!
Bolting up the stairs I ran into his room, to find her safe, sound and fast asleep in her brother's closet!! It took a few minutes for my adrenaline to stop racing but I knew I wasn't go to fall back asleep anytime soon. With both my children snug in between me and my husband, I lay awake wondering how long it would take for me to return to my normal level of craziness.
One thing is for sure, my kindle is now filled with mindless chick lit for the rest of the summer!
Two weeks ago after falling asleep reading the book, I was startled awake by a loud noise. It sounded like a door shutting. I immediately ran into the kids room and turned on the light. Dylan's bed was empty. I started calling his name to see if he had gotten up and gone downstairs. Our blown hallway light bulb, left the downstairs pitch black. I was scared to go down alone so I started shaking John awake. Without any luck, I ran back into to Dylan's room to get his flashlight out of his nightstand. When I reached the other side of the bed, there was my son, safe, sound and fast asleep on his floor!!! I scooped him up and held him for a few minutes before tucking him back into bed.
Prior to reading this book, I would have recognized the sound as one of my kids falling out of bed and not thought it was a stranger exiting my home with kids in tow.
Flash forward to last night. Dylan wakes up needing my help in the bathroom. After I return him to his bed, naturally I go to check on Camryn. However, she is not in her bed. Recalling the previous incident, I calmly searched her room. She was not on either side of the bed, nor under it or in her tent or closet. I checked Dylan's bed and then my bed. At this point all the lights in the upstairs are on and I'm beginning to panic. John woke easily and double checked all the places I looked.
My heart started to race as I ran downstairs and searched their was well. At this point, I really thought someone was playing a joke on me. Together we opened every door, peered in every hiding spot, including places she couldn't even fit and scoured every inch of the house. Once I saw the urgency in my husband's actions, I knew it was scaring him too! He was about ready to start a grid search of the backyard when Dylan called down to us that he found her!
Bolting up the stairs I ran into his room, to find her safe, sound and fast asleep in her brother's closet!! It took a few minutes for my adrenaline to stop racing but I knew I wasn't go to fall back asleep anytime soon. With both my children snug in between me and my husband, I lay awake wondering how long it would take for me to return to my normal level of craziness.
One thing is for sure, my kindle is now filled with mindless chick lit for the rest of the summer!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Something New
The kids are claiming boredom at home after our fun infused week in Cleveland. So today I thought we would spice up our typical Monday at the lake house with a new activity. Dylan partakes in all the water sports behind the boat, except for water skiing. He tried it two summers ago and after not being a pro after three attempts, he gave up and has yet to revisit it. Soooo, I thought today would be the perfect day to try again.
Other than a lone jet ski, we were the only boat on the lake so it was like glass. No one else, including his summertime crush, was there to witness if he failed. We went to a marina and bought him his own pair of skis, rather than the rotten ones I learned on as a kid that didn't work out so good last time.
I have such fond memories of learning to water ski, I really wanted to make this fun for him. As I floated in the water getting his skis on him, I could hear my parents cheering me on as my Poppy pulled me behind the 12 horsepower fishing boat. I had high hopes that our experience would be the same.
I geared him up for success. Skis together, knees bent, arms out straight, don't lean back, don't lean forward. All we could do was try, so John start to pull and off he went...over the front of the skis. Getting him all situated again I gave his bottom an extra little boost this time and...he sat too far back. But the third time he managed to make it a few yards. As he kept making it further and further, I would swim to him and start the process over. I relished in the moment as he was smiling and laughing the whole time we were gearing back up and dodging the waves.
And then finally he just got it!!! As he left me in his wake, I cheered like crazy as he hung on tight. And with John as the driver and Camryn was the spotter, would you believe we don't have any pictures or video to document the monumental event. But I have a feeling this won't be the last time he water skis...so pics to follow!
Other than a lone jet ski, we were the only boat on the lake so it was like glass. No one else, including his summertime crush, was there to witness if he failed. We went to a marina and bought him his own pair of skis, rather than the rotten ones I learned on as a kid that didn't work out so good last time.
I have such fond memories of learning to water ski, I really wanted to make this fun for him. As I floated in the water getting his skis on him, I could hear my parents cheering me on as my Poppy pulled me behind the 12 horsepower fishing boat. I had high hopes that our experience would be the same.
I geared him up for success. Skis together, knees bent, arms out straight, don't lean back, don't lean forward. All we could do was try, so John start to pull and off he went...over the front of the skis. Getting him all situated again I gave his bottom an extra little boost this time and...he sat too far back. But the third time he managed to make it a few yards. As he kept making it further and further, I would swim to him and start the process over. I relished in the moment as he was smiling and laughing the whole time we were gearing back up and dodging the waves.
And then finally he just got it!!! As he left me in his wake, I cheered like crazy as he hung on tight. And with John as the driver and Camryn was the spotter, would you believe we don't have any pictures or video to document the monumental event. But I have a feeling this won't be the last time he water skis...so pics to follow!
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