wow is this month over yet?

so busy around here! I think half the people I know have birthdays this month - another portion have them the first 2 weeks of January! lol

tonight I'm wrapping the last of my gifts - whew! then I can rest, enjoy Christmas, and quickly switch to birthday mode for Hailee!!!

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and joyous new year! I don't know if I'll be back on before then so "cheers"!!!!

so dang excited!

it's the last weekend before Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the fat man in the red suit will be here soon!!!!

so close!

yesterday (and today) the scale was good to me. It showed a number I am *almost* ready to say out loud! almost is not yet LOL

but here are some facts.

*I am only 5 pounds away from the weight I was at when Darren and I moved to OK 15 years ago (just wish everything was in the same place it was 15 years ago). that makes me SO CLOSE to my goal! I don't plan on stopping - but that was my first BIG BIG goal - to be the weight of where I was when we moved here - maybe it'll be like getting 15 years of my life back?? LOL

*I am 20 pounds lighter than I was when I got pregnant with Hailee over 9 years ago.

*I am 25 pounds lighter than I was when Darren and I got married 14 years ago (if you do the math you can see how much weight I gained from stress the first year we were here)

*I am now down 36 pounds from when I started my weight loss journey almost 2 years ago. Yes, it's taken some time, but with the exception of Christmas in Seattle last year, I haven't gained any weight back....I just stalled for over 6 months...lost some more, stalled again.

With the holidays approaching again I'm trying to get weight off knowing I'll be putting some back on this month LOL. I really am trying to be good - and I have a great support system/cheer team!

so that's my update - it's been awhile but I really haven't had anything to say!


now - on to Christmas - with the exception of one gift that I'll get picked up today, I am DONE shopping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what a great feeling!!!! my decorations are up but still need some movement to get the shelves looking good and then I can add more snow (adding snow means I don't have to dust around ALL the little figurines for the month!). Then, Kimmie, I will take some pictures :)

off to bake my kids some cookies so have a great Sunday!!!

wahooooooo!

It's December 1st!!! Look at my Christmas counter - it won't be long now!!!


guess I better get my butt in gear!

a card for a friend.

Sympathy cards are the most difficult to make. It means that sadness and/or a loss has come to someone I care about. Nothing can ever be said to fix such a thing. But I want who ever is suffering to know I care and am thinking of them....so I make cards because that is the only way I know how to express my feelings and show my concern.

tonight I had to make such a card. Someone I have recently met has suffered a great, terrible loss and I truly ache for her. She is someone I respect and knowing she hurts right now is hard to deal with. Losing a loved one is never easy, and though I hear people say "it takes time", there's never a set amount, because I still ache for my grandma after 7 years. So it may get easier, but you never know when.

to show her I'm thinking of her - and her family - I made a card. It won't heal the wound, but at least she knows she's in my heart.

{papers by My Mind's Eye, Stamps and die by Papertrey Ink, ribbon and button from my stash, Punch by Fiskars}

Productive.

Yesterday was a very productive day for me. Started by going to pick up a rental car to use for the week while my car is in the repair shop. After that Darren went to work so I cleaned my house! Dusted. Vacuumed. Sanitized the kids' bathroom. Laundry. AAAHH. so nice to have my house in order!

I also made quite a few cards for the upcoming issue of Ready, Set, Create that will go to my mom for her stash (her hints are not so subtle anymore that she is out of cards! LOL).

Somewhere in there I made it to the mall to get mascara and face wash - was a good excuse to put a few miles on that rental car :)

While dinner was in the oven (oven-bbq pork ribs, mashed potatoes, and salad!) I decided to have fun with the kids' lunches. They've been getting their bento's packed but they have been far from cute or fun - I figured I owed them.

Hailee has just 20 minutes in the cafeteria at school - so I don't give her a lot of things, but I do make sure she gets full - and I'm careful knowing if I give her "junk" she won't eat what she's supposed to because of no time! So she has ham and cheese acorn sandwiches with cucumber flowers tucked around it. Then she has a cut up kiwi, ranch for the cucumber, and a little bit of chocolate for dessert. I added some bear picks (bears are in the woods and acorns are on trees in the woods so it all goes, right?) for the cute factor knowing she'll appreciate it.


Braden's lunch is a bit different. He comes to the daycare where I work after school and he likes a snack first, then he'll eat lunch a little bit later - he's there for 3 hours so he has time. For the snack I have some baked Cheetos. He will eat those first along with the grapes maybe. Along with that he has a peanut butter & jelly sandwich with a cheese acorn on top. Carrots and ranch and a piece chocolate finish it off. I will also take some applesauce or yogurt in case he eats it all and wants something else since we do have some errands to do after work today.

So there is my Sunday wrap up (on Monday). It was a good day - the only thing I think I should have squeezed in is a nap! But I did get to sleep until 8am on Saturday and 8:30 on Sunday, so I really can't complain. But I get up at 5am four days/week but never get to bed early, so weekends are my catch up time!

Have a great week - I'll try to post again soon with some camping pictures and videos!

It's over.

Fall 2010 soccer season has come to an end for the Twisters. Our last game was yesterday and it was the first time I felt sad. This is a great team and all the girls have come along way since the first practice back in August. But - we'll be getting together again for an awards ceremony because the girls took 2nd place in the U9 division!!!! Way to go girls!

Hailee - we are SO proud of you! You have become a very good soccer player and watching you we can see how comfortable you are with the team and yourself! keep up the good work, Munch!

Happy Halloween a day late

I remembered to get pictures in the daylight - well dusk - so that we could take them outside this year - much better than in the house by the wall like every other year!

Hailee's makeup did not last - she kept touching her hair, which made her fingers black, then touched her face which, yes, made her white face black - next year I'm wrapping her in crepe paper and calling her a mummy!! LOL

Braden did good not touching his "stache" but he kept pushing on the pistols so his belt was around his waist really low and he had trouble keeping the guns on the side LOL it was a constant battle but we made it through -

after 45 minutes Braden decided he had enough candy and just wanted to go home - too bad we had 15 more minutes of walking to get back to the car :)

Arby's on the way home made for a quick dinner before baths and bed - we all had fun but I'm glad it's over so we can move on to Thanksgiving and CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!

I'm here!!

Yes, I'm here - I know it's been a while but I've been busy. Hailee is still getting bento lunches for school but Braden hasn't had any since he's been sick - hopefully the antibiotics will kick this ear infection so he can get back to normal.

I'm starting a new position at work on Monday - trained last week and am really excited! I will now be the opening Shift Supervisor 3 days per week - Mon/Tue/Fri. I'll be handling the front desk and think I'll really enjoy it! I still can see the babies from the window and will go and hug and squish them as needed :)

for now - trying to keep the kids calm until this evening - too bad you can't trick-or-treat in the morning!

Happy Halloween everyone! Make it a safe one :)

another snack lunch for Braden

My little man LOVES this pineapple and all the goodies he gets with it! We're both having fun figuring out what goes best.

This one has 3 dips: cream cheese, peanut butter, and nutella (oh yeah, he's thinking that stuff is pretty darn tasty!)

for the dips we have: pretzel sticks, grapes, dried cherries, raisins, mini saltine crackers, and apple slices. again, not a speck left - except for some of the cream cheese.


Our next one is going to be different - I'm going to up the protein with some boiled egg & lunch meat along with veggies and ranch....we'll see how that goes :)

{{posted at What's for lunch at our house?}}

another bento giveaway!

oh my these are making me crazy! so many fun bento things that I feel I must have - so I'll try winning first! you should too :)

click here ----> Patrizzia's Blog!!! and follow all the instructions :) good luck - sort of cause I'm hoping for all the good luck, too! lol

Perfect lunches

My kids are firm believers that EVERYTHING has to be fair - they should each get the same thing as the other. Now - that's not easy because one is a girl, the other a boy. One is 8, the other 4. Yet, they don't quite get it. LOL

When it comes to meals they are TOTALLY different! (except for their cereals!) Hailee likes to have a good, filling meal, but it MUST be cute. Braden - he likes to snack. all day.

Bring in Wednesday's bento's......

Hailee has 2 chicken, broccoli, and cheese corn muffins topped with ham and cheese flowers. some rolled up ham left from cutting. celery sticks and diced tomatoes for dipping in that yellow container of ranch - and a ham/cheese butterfly. then for fruit she has a whole kiwi sitting next to a zucchini bar. She helped me pack this, picked what I put in it - yet all the veggies came home. GRRRR!


Braden FINALLY has the pineapple packed! I love this cute little thing! the green is insulated so if I wanted to put yogurt in it I could! yay! Right now it's just some peanut butter - for dipping the items in the "pineapple"...strawberries (yes folks, he dipped them in peanut butter!), Annie's organic graham bunnies (they are SO good!), toasted 12 grain bread squares, raisins, goldfish, and pineapple (again, he dipped those too!). He ate every bite and was practically licking out the pb!

so you see - they don't always need to be fair - they just don't know it! Had they been eating lunch together at home this would NOT have worked! LOL Hailee would've loved Braden's lunch but she would have needed a sandwich to go with it - she is a big lunch eater when she's at home and not rushed for time like she is at school....

that's all I have for today - I am going to dig through the medicine cabinet and find something to stop this sore throat and cold I'm getting!

a bento give away

if you want to win some cute little bento goodies then you need to go here!


Sonoma Bento

she does listen!

{{GIGGLE}}

Hailee is a hypochondriac - something on her always hurts or there is something wrong or sick....headache, stomach ache, tooth aches, itchy arm, bug bites burn, hang nail, hair hurts...you get the idea. she IS the kid who cried wolf. because of that we try to just brush her off and make her just "deal with it". things are going to hurt. going to itch. might get sore. life WILL go on. now we've started joking that if her foot hurts we will "cut it off" so she can't feel it. her leg? no need for it - just "cut it off". anyway - before going in to bed tonight (which is when 95% of her problems occur, by the way) she comes in and says "I know you're just going to tell me to cut it off, but my foot right here is bothering me". Darren and I couldn't control our laughter! so then she started laughing - and what happens? she shows Darren her foot and he says "oh, that'll be easy to take off - hold on".....off to bed she went without another word!!!

now - here is some footage from her soccer game on 9/25/10 (wish it wouldn't have been windy on 10/2/10 so I could have recorded it without noise - she KICKED BUTT at her game! must have been the waffles for breakfast!)

Pre-K Performance

Lots of videos - they are SO cute these little guys - but, ignore my bad camera work - it was SO crowded and I was getting bumped from both sides LOL no, my Braden didn't want to sing on stage - but he did some of the hand motions and laughed at everyone else :)












and here's the inflatable thingy - they had 2 set up at the school for the MusicFest.

a new bento to share finally!

I swear, when I know I have time off coming up I get a lot done! It's all a mental thing LOL

I made Hailee's lunch last night - and remembered to photo it! Now, I have made cuter ones over the last couple days but didn't get those on camera - so I'll keep trying - right now it's an issue with me needing to go grocery shopping LOL

anyway - here's what she's getting today....


top tier has a ham sandwich on Oroweat sandwich thins (cut in half and stacked) with a pumpkin pick, dried pineapple bits in a pumpkin cupcake wrapper (Walmart's Halloween section had them as a set for $1.75 - this set was pumpkins and ghosts - Braden's set is spiders and "eek").

lower tier has cut up and peeled apples, yogurt covered raisins, and a werther candy for dessert - we have brownies but if I gave her that the apples would come home :)

videos to come next!!!!

a whole week?

It's been 7 days since my last post! I can't believe it - sheesh. Well I guess you can say things have been turned upside down a bit here. I started a job on the 20th - working part time at an after hours/hourly/drop in daycare. They are open until 10pm Mon-Thur and until midnight Fri & Sat. Plus they open at 7am during the week for before school care. I do have 2 nights that I've been working until between 8 and 9pm so Darren is having to do a lot more around here with the kids!!!! He's doing great - no worries on that end...but it's hard to have such a big change and here's why:

I've been a stay at home mom for 8 1/2 years (minus the 5 months 6 years ago that I worked at this same daycare!). We have a routine and we like it. We eat dinner as a family, at the table, EVERY night....even soccer nights. It works for us and we all enjoy it. Stability has always been a major focus and it something our kids need and expect.

Now bring in my job LOL My schedule is not yet permanent - there's a stomach virus going around like crazy (I caught it Sunday) and it's making for a lot of employees calling out sick - so I've been asked to fill in quite a bit...and I don't mind at all - but it causes the crazies for sure. Also add in that Darren picks up the kids at the daycare when he gets off work, then makes dinner, bathes them, gets them to bed, and wonders what time I get off (I work until "slow" so that's never the same). We're all a bit tired...a bit cranky (for the little people)...and a bit sore (for the OLD people who aren't used to this work thing) :)

now that being said - I'm really really really enjoying the job! Yes, I wish I wasn't working - but winter can get tough so the extra money will be good "padding" - but those kids! ack! I love 'em! I have a few favorites I'll admit - and there are a couple that I always wonder how long they're staying - but when you have SO many kids coming and going they can't all be perfect! hee hee but it is rewarding - I have people, other than my 3 here, depending on me. I have people telling me "thank you" and "we appreciate you" and I think I've missed that. I love that I'm doing a good job, getting the hang of things, and meeting some great women along the way.

then bring in Braden - he can kill my "high" rather quickly with "but when you go to work I won't have a momma".....that makes it hard - but he's doing SO good and he likes when he can go and play. and he especially likes when he has to take the daycare van instead of me picking him up!!! He adjusts so quickly to change and this has proven to be his most difficult challenge yet. We are proud of him and being patient....

Hailee - she could care less!!! LOL some days she is happy that she has to come to the daycare other days she says she doesn't want to LOL but we don't see any effects from the change for her - that's good...she is older so it makes sense....and I made sure that I wouldn't be scheduled on soccer practice nights or game days so really, as long as she's covered she's happy!!

We're all looking forward to Saturday...I am not working AT ALL (lucky this week!) so we are going to make waffles for breakfast, then go to Hailee's game, and after that we'll head to the orchard and get some peaches and do all the pumpkin patch festivities!! Hay rides, pumpkins, and mazes!!! It's early in the season but this is our only chance with Darren's work schedule plus camping on the 22nd. Should be a super fun day and I can't wait to post photos!!!

okay - enough rambling - going to go edit some videos so I can get them posted!!!

a Christmas card to bring in Fall!!!

Kimmie challenged me to make a Christmas card using a NON Christmas-y stamp. Well a chance to stamp is worth taking that challenge! Here is what I created for her.


for this card I used the gorgeous, fun, vintage-y stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms (oh how sad I am that they closed). I stamped it in Coffee Bean Brilliance (it has a bit of SHIMMER!) and then added some green and red touches with Copic markers. After that I covered the white card stock with 2 shades of Tim Holtz distress ink - and finished that with some more shimmer using my Sakura Stardust pen! oh fun!!!! To prove it in fact IS a Christmas card I stamped the "seasons greetings" stamp that I have from Impression Obsession. The pretty patterned paper (say THAT 3 times fast) is from Cosmo Cricket's Be Good collection.....that gorgeous ribbon was mailed to me from my step-mom - she bought it at an estate sale I believe. It was rolled up and wrapped with a rubber band which gave it that curl! isn't that fantastic? I love it! She also sent that green button (did she know I was making a Christmas card with it????). The pin. sigh. I've been hoarding them. They are by Jenni Bowlin and Kimmie's son, Markie, bought them for me. I've been hanging on to them for something special and this was it. thank you, Markie!!

so that is my non-Christmas Christmas card. And I think it's the perfect way to say "Welcome Fall"!!!!

Posting for What's for lunch Wednesday!

Here's Hailee lunch yesterday - she loves the picks so I just add them where they fit....


She has chicken salad with butterfly cheddar shapes - ranch in the yellow container, oat-date bar, cantaloupe (lower tier); ritz crackers (for the chicken salad), cucumber flowers with another cheddar butterfly, and a mini pizza muffin - she requested this lunch and I have a feeling a lot will come home - she just can't eat all this!


this is being posted at What's for lunch at our house



Now that I'm working part time, you'll be seeing more Bento lunches - and some will be mine! I don't want the kids to have fast food if they're with me at work so I'll be getting creative with their dinners if needed - most of the time they will be home with Darren, but some nights that may not work out.

Hailee's soccer practice

Here are just a couple quick clips from practice tonight - it was REALLY windy so there's a lot of noise - I think it'll be better to get some game action on Saturday!

Braden in the garage.

Darren had some welding to do and of course Braden thought he should be the helper. So we decided to use it as a video opportunity! LOL I made "mini clips" from the 10 minutes I recorded - hope these work....

a fun bento to pack

last night, while making dinner, I decided to do lunches. Hailee likes having salad in her lunch so I made hers while making the big one for dinner - made it easy. Then I just started to play! I finally got some cute little cutters and Hailee's been wanting butterflies - so butterflies she got! the little turkey wasn't feeling good so she's home today! grrr! aw well - it'll still get eaten at some point.

top tier: sliced and peeled peaches from the orchard, watermelon bits, and a chocolate covered zucchini bar (broken in 1/4's to fit). bottom tier: pita strips, butterfly pastrami and cheese with a matching flower, red cup with ranch, the rest of the meat and cheese, and a salad with a bear. :)


here are pictures from the day we went to the orchard - you would think with just a couple pictures taken the kids could've been nice to me and SMILED....I seriously have NO clue what Hailee was doing in any of these - that is NOT a smile....lol





hey is that a smile on Braden's face???? must be because he's hugging his daddy!

Viruses and Dentists

Nothing more fun than taking your sick 4 year old son to the ER on a Sunday afternoon.....over a holiday weekend. Sheesh. 2 ER trips in 8 days is enough for me.

Braden caught a stomach virus. It was so bad he was in pain and crying and couldn't keep anything down or in. So I rushed to the ER with him and Hailee towed along and was so very helpful since Darren was working. The doc was concerned that Braden could have appendicitis so he wanted to do some blood work - after all the vomiting and "other" he was afraid he'd dehydrate so they did an IV drip. That boy is tough - yes, he cried, but then he thought that it was cool to be a "robot" and have tubes hooking him up to a machine!!!!! After 10 minutes he fell asleep. :) Turns out that it was a virus and has to run its course - but the drip was SO helpful because it appears dehydration was near - so we are grateful for the doc and glad I took him in. He's not 100% yet, and I plan on taking him to his pediatrician Friday for a follow up - but he's definitely better and we are PUSHING FLUIDS!!!!

Fast forward to tomorrow - Hailee is getting 2 teeth repaired....teeth that we were told were just stained and it was normal are now in trouble and have to be filled in - still not sure what caused it since they've always been this way, but we're glad to see it getting taken care of. After the dentist she will go back to school and lunch will be shortly after - so I had to pack a "soft" lunch for her just in case. I wanted her to have food easy to chew and tear so she won't have to bite with her front teeth.


We have half of a banana (wrapped because she doesn't think the end can be exposed), boiled egg w/a bit of salt, cheddar cubes, pastrami rolls.... and of course a treat of mini m&m's in the monkey because every kid needs candy after the dentist LOL (finally I have full size silicone muffin cups - yay!)

**I did pack Braden a lunch since we'll be running errands and he has "easy-on-the-tummy" snack: the other half of banana, mini saltine crackers, yogurt covered raisins, and cantaloupe - foods I know he'll eat but won't be too harsh - no photo, sorry :) I put it away and was too lazy to take it back out - don't worry, nothing exciting!

Let's hope things settle down around here - Braden and Hailee now play hospital or school - so you can see where they spend their time LOL :)


eta: I posted this link at WFLW!!!!!

WFLW

I'm posting for "What's for lunch Wednesday" today. If you want to follow along just head over to *What's for Lunch at our House*

Hailee's top tier has: one slice of deli roast beef, rolled and cut in half...one slice of turkey pastrami, rolled and cut in half...one slice of hard salami rolled and "skewered" because she loves those picks...slices of cheese...sliced whole wheat pita bread...and in the monkey there are 5 chocolate chips. the bottom tier is a tossed green salad with sunflower seeds and ranch in the cup. She LOVES salad so I decided to try it out in here and see what she thinks - I think she'll love this lunch! She has a fresh bottle of water to take with - she drinks more water than anything! I guess that's a good thing :)


We have lots of errands to do after I get Braden so I needed some "dry" snacks - I have not been to the store and am out of dried fruits :( so instead he has some raisins, animal crackers, and honey roasted peanuts. he has a chocolate chip monkey, too, but I forgot to put it in before the photo. I also will have a bottle of water for him and a juice box. The boy drinks a LOT!


thanks for stopping by!!! Happy September 1st!!!

would you like to win some bento picks?

then check out Patrizzia's blog!!!


----->>>> iCreate

Dollar Tree Score!!!!

I almost NEVER go to the dollar store. I just don't think about it - I'm a Target fan and a frequent Wal-Mart shopper :) BUT - ever since I started with the bento lunches I've wanted to get in there and see what they have as far as cute little containers for the kids' lunches. I love their 2 tier Bento boxes but when we're just eating at home those really aren't necessary. So today I had SPARE time (really...I did!) before getting Braden so I stopped in. I do have to say that Dollar Tree is the Macy's of dollar stores LOL It's better than others so I'm glad there is one close for times like this.



Aren't these CUTE??? Oh my gosh I love them! I would've bought every animal set they had if I thought I could get away with it (Darren is NOT a fan of dollar stores so I'm going to need to bring these in a little at a time!). I need to get a little basket or tub to start keeping all this stuff in - then I can let the kids pick what they want to use - so fun!

There is a bowl with lid - and that lid is very tight fitting which makes me super happy. Then there are, what I'm calling, yogurt cups and a spoon! How cool is that? We buy yogurt in the larger tub instead of single serve cups so these are perfect! Not to mention if I want to give them pudding or jell-o...maybe diced fruit. isn't it funny that I can spend a few bucks and be so happy???

I also grabbed this Toy Story number puzzle mat for Braden. Counting isn't his strong suit - he thinks 6 is a floater and can go where ever it's needed. He loved it and did great...the 6 is even in his assigned spot! I think Mrs. Ellett must be doing her job right at school!!! (I also picked up some scotch tape for Hailee because I want to be the best mom in the world and that will do it!)



that's all - just had to share my excitement! :)

learning new things is HARD work!

Pre-K in the mornings, playing in the afternoon. That gets exhausting!!!

once I made sure his mouth was empty I put him to bed. It was 6:30pm :) he's down for the night....I hope!

**Public Service Announcement**

If you have a spring loaded air rifle (aka bb gun) and you know it's malfunctioning - don't try to be the big man and force it to do what it isn't wanting to do - because you will NOT win. you WILL slice your thumb open, scrape up and bruise your elbow, bleed all over your wife's kitchen and make her follow you with a bottle of bleach cleaner, ruin one good towel trying to stop that blood, freak out your kids, spend an evening in the ER getting a tetanus shot and some dermabond. then you will be unable to use that thumb because it's hurts worse than when you knocked 2 teeth out with a wrench. you WILL also get a 10 day supply of antibiotics and some fun pain pills :)

okay - if you don't like looking at open wounds stop here! LOL









(this photo was taken this morning, 16 hours after it happened...still sort of "sticky" and possibly not quite glued well enough......and I did not take a picture of the other side)

minimizing the bento

Braden is in one of his phases where he isn't eating. It happens every few weeks. So I had to remember to cut back on the food and make sure it's something more "snack like".

of course it has to be healthy - SO we have peanut butter (protein), sliced banana (fruit), 6 low fat graham cracker pieces (1 1/2 crackers...grains), and raisins (fruit AND fiber LOL). Except for a few raisins he ate it all and drank all his milk. Nothing wasted. And I just served it in a Rubbermaid square container we have - need to find something smaller and cuter :)

(Hailee got minimal, too -she's been bringing food home. 1/2 pita w/pb & j, cantaloupe, honeydew, and some grapes with a bottle of water)

Love when nothing is wasted - I'd rather them eat less and more often than waste food because I gave them too much.

oh yeah - it's FRIDAY!!! 2 days free of the alarm clock - then Monday starts a short week and Thursday starts a 4 day weekend - lots of happiness for this mommy!

boring bento's today

Hailee requested peanut butter, butter, and jelly sandwich today. I did not feel like cutting it up all cute like so instead I stuck a veggie face on it for her LOL add in some flower kiwi, sliced plum, and flower cucumber with carrot and celery sprinkles - voila. a lunch that is healthy, sort of cute, sort of boring :)


Braden's is a bit different with his veggies - cucumber shapes cut by hand (star, diamond, square) and no "sprinkles". He's eating less these days so I have to minimize for him.

oh- the monkeys have mini m&m's in them - it holds 8 and they think they've scored in the candy department!!!

Monday Bento's

Hailee's new favorite bread is a pita. Yesterday (no photo taken) the kids had cream cheese & strawberry jam in a pita. Today is school so I decided not so sweet!

Hailee - juice box, pasta salad (rigatoni, mini pepperoni, peas, and a bit of ranch dressing), cucumber flowers, grapes (normally there's more but had no room!), celery & carrot bits, pita with cream cheese & ham, smarties in the monkey, oh and ranch!


Braden - the rest of the pita, lots of carrot & celery with ranch, grapes, pasta salad, and candy!

Hailee this morning in a new shirt from Grandma & Grandpa J. 3/4 sleeves on a 98 degree day. She's an odd one :)

Cleaning is tiring work!

Around 5pm on Saturday I decided it was time Braden cleaned up all his toys in the living room. He had his race track set up - ALL his little hot wheels around the room - a golf cart with clubs and balls - plus other things. As I was telling what to pick up next he laid his head down - not even a minute later this is what happened:


He stayed asleep for about an hour. Then woke up and finished cleaning up his mess! Guess that break was needed LOL

Thursday eats.

I'm following this blog - What's for lunch at our house - and love getting new ideas on bento lunches - I have to limit a bit on Hailee's since her lids need to fit, so nothing over the edges, but so far we're doing good. If she were a big eater I may be in trouble!

Today Hailee decided that she wants to buy milk because she's tired of juice - she made it 5 days with juice, that's a record for her - she's not a big fan! I plan on getting a little bag for her to put her lunch box/bag into along with a bottle of water - that way it stays all together for her and the lunch bin at school. But for now she's happy getting chocolate milk in the cafeteria.

**

her top tray holds half of an everything bagel thin with cream cheese and deli ham, cucumber flowers and ranch. lower tray has some left over green beans, grape skewers, and 2 skittles in the monkey - yes, that's all that monkey will hold! LOL



Braden's has the other half of the bagel thin (these are AWESOME by the way - try them!), carrot sticks and ranch, and skittles in the monkey...peach skewers and a boiled egg that I will slice peel and slice before he eats it. I always have an alternate protein for him - he may only eat one part of the bagel and all the egg - or even none of the bagel. He's not a HUGE sandwich eater outside of pb & j but I just keep offering. When it's cut like a fish or dinosaur though it must taste better! LOL

**

Braden is feeling better so thank you for all the well wishes - I think it was just some funky thing that upset his stomach because by 2:30 yesterday he was running around playing and asking if I'd take him to school LOL

today is busy for me - on top of around the house chores and baking I have to take Hailee to soccer practice after school - then drop the kids off with Darren (not sure if he's meeting me or if I'm taking them home) so that I can get to Hailee's school for her "back to school night". I think Darren is taking the kids out for dinner and I don't even know WHEN or WHAT I'll eat! LOL I bet I sleep good tonight!

Happy Thursday - one more day until the weekend!!!

poor little man

so my little boy is home sick today. he isn't eating and when he tried he didn't keep it down.

but - I have to make sure things are available if he wants them - so I put a few things together to try to get him to snack.
apple sauce, mutligrain saltine crackers, and "grape sticks". of course apple juice, and there's ginger ale, too. just a little bit for him to try - right now he's asleep so I guess I'll put this in the fridge for later.

Hailee wanted me to photo her lunch but I forgot - she has a ham & cheese pita sandwich, cucumber flowers with ranch, berry juice and 2 skittles in her monkey - she'll at least be happy I shared what it was :)

1st day of school

first off - getting lots of questions about the Bento's I'm using for the kids' lunches. I'll try to answer all the questions but feel free to ask more if you need to and I'll do my best to help - I'm new at this but having fun and the kids think it's the best!

I bought all my supplies at this store: All Things For Sale

The stacking boxes with lids and the insulated bags were $13.99 each. I then bought silicone divider cups (you can get them anywhere though, they are mini muffin size), one shaped sandwich cutter (it has 4 shapes - heart, bird, fish, tulip), picks, and the monkey containers.

The "trays" measure 5.75 x 2.75 x 1.25 (small) and 5.75 x 2.75 x 1.5 (bigger). they are small but that's the appeal to my kids - I make smaller food or cut it and they get a good variety instead of JUST a sandwich and fruit. So far Hailee says she has had enough food and gets full at lunch.

Here are pictures from Thursday, the 1st day of school:

in Braden's lunch: Carrots with ranch in the silicone cup, heart & fish shaped peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, banana bread cut into cubes and put on the picks, watermelon. Inside the monkey were 2 sweet tart candies.


Hailee's lunch: juice box (this fits in the deeper of the 2 trays, kiwi fruit, cubed banana bread, cheese cubes and mini pepperoni on picks. sweet tarts in the monkey (notice the bow on her monkey!)



this is with the lids on. the top lid has her napkin but it came with plastic chopsticks. for Hailee that's an invite to play with her food and for Braden that means sword fight - so the chopsticks are put away!


here they are in the bag. I just love the gingham bags!!!! Hailee's bag is red, Braden's is navy.




so there you have it - Hailee says her friend commented on how it's the tiniest lunch box she's ever seen - but then also commented on all her yummy food!!!



now - school pictures!


these were taken by the gate in our driveway - I do this every year. It's a good way to see how the kids have grown - except about 2 months ago Darren had to replace the pickets and repair the gate because it was sagging and couldn't be opened - so I really can't judge Hailee's height this year - but I can really see how much taller she is compared to Braden! maybe she'll exceed me in height??????






Hailee outside her school sign....again I do this every year.

getting her papers and lunch out of her bag.


looking ever so beautiful. wow - so proud to say that "I made her!" go me!


she came HOME!!!! yay! (notice the hair - she NEVER comes home with her hair fixed the way I do it in the mornings LOL)

Braden wanted another picture when we took him to school (he's afternoon) since he had his backpack. Isn't he so CUTE? and he looks so little! but happy to say I made him, too!!! :)


outside his sign (our "home" school doesn't offer preK so I have to take him to a different school this year)

hanging his pack on the hook


mommy putting his football name tag on


my little man - so into playing with the girls that he wouldn't even look up to say good bye! :( I did get a kiss and hug eventually :)


so there you have it. Day one. I now have 2 school aged children - pre-kindergarten and 3rd grade. Dang, 3rd grade. that sounds so REAL and BIG! how did that ever happen? I bet I say the same thing next year :)

hope ya'll are having fun with your new school year or are getting ready to start! We're hoping for a great year and they're both eager to see what they get to do and learn!