a day in our life

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday

2011-04-20T10:27:00.003-04:00

Poor girl...

still recovering from 5 days of being sick,

but desperately wanting to work on her needlepoint project.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-30T00:00:00.002-04:00

Patiently waiting for 4 new arrivals in our yard this Spring!

Wordless Wednesday - The Return

2011-03-23T00:00:00.003-04:00

Hello Blog World!

I have missed you and I am looking forward to coming back!

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday!

2010-12-29T00:00:00.001-05:00

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

We Are Still Here...

2010-12-10T10:29:00.002-05:00

Wow, I can't believe how long it has been since I blogged. Even now, I have something else that I need to be doing. Things have been a bit crazy for me lately, they are going to slow down just in time for me to have one week to get all of the Christmas stuff done. So, the week before Christmas will be another crazy one, but in a good way.
Anyway, I receive an email from a friend this morning. In the email was a bible verse that really hit home for me. In so many ways I needed to read this today. I thought I would share it with anyone else out there who might be reading. Hope it brings peace to you too.

Peace I leave with you;

my peace I give you.

I do not give to you as the world gives.

Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:27

Ahhh...Fall

2010-11-05T16:27:00.003-04:00

It's here, It's here, I think fall is finally here. When you live in Florida even a small drop in temperatures is noticable. Today we had a BIG drop. Again, a 20 degree drop in Florida is huge! It looks like the temps might go up a bit again next week, but at this point, I will take any 60 and 70 degree days that we can get.

The weekend is looking GREAT!!!

Don't Forget to Vote!

2010-11-02T13:33:00.004-04:00

Get out and vote today.

Your vote does count!

Autumn Poem

2010-10-28T09:51:00.007-04:00

Pumpkins in the cornfields

Gold among the brown

Leaves of rust and scarlet

Trembling slowly down

Birds that travel southward

Lovely time to play

Nothing is as pleasant

As an autumn day!

Is there anything better than a perfect fall day?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-27T10:04:00.004-04:00

They love those crazy Disney hats!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-25T10:17:00.004-04:00

P umpkins sitting in a patch.

U nder a sunny and bright blue sky.

M any children walking through.

P icking and choosing the perfect one.

K eep the seeds, they taste so good.

I t's time to take our pumpkins home.

N ext the pumpkins will have a face.

S ome will be spooky, some will be sweet!

~ Julie

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

My favorite catcher!

October

2010-10-08T10:09:00.004-04:00

"There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings, as now in October."

~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Caley's Dress

2010-10-07T09:59:00.008-04:00

A week or two before my girls started pre-k, in the fall of 2007, I took them shopping to find new dresses to wear to school on the first day. Both girls found dresses that they loved and were super excited to wear. I remember that at the time that we bought the dresses both girls were wearing size 4/5. I wanted to buy the new dresses in size 6/6x so that the dresses would be a little big and the girls would be able to wear them for a while.
Well, we could not find the dress that Caley LOVED in a 6/6x, so we bought the 4/5.
Caley absolutely loved her new dress. She wore it around the house many times before the first day of school. She could not wait to put in on that first day. To be honest, I think she was more excited about wearing her dress than going to school.
Since the first day of pre-k that dress has been worn MANY times. Caley pulled it out of the closet any chance she got. She worn it all through pre-k, kindergarten, and 1st grade. Finally, at the end of 1st grade I decided that the dress was getting too short. I took it out of her closet and tucked it away for safe keeping. As much as she loved that dress, I knew I had to keep it for her.
Even though the dress was no longer in her closet, Caley would still ask about the dress. A couple of times she saw it hanging in it's "safe place" and she would say, "aww, I wish I could wear that dress."
Well, yesterday Caley came up with a way that she could still wear her size 4/5, first-day-of-pre-K dress.

Here she is this morning, as a 2nd grader! She put a pair of black leggings under the dress and turned it into a tunic-style top. Eventually, she will grow out of the dress (I think), but for now, she still loves it, still wears it, and who knew a $10.00 dress from Wal*Mart would bring such joy to a very fashion-minded girl.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-06T09:57:00.003-04:00

Enjoying some Fall baseball!!!

Is It Here?

2010-10-05T09:53:00.002-04:00

After 5 long, hot, humid months, it seems that Fall may have finally made it's way to Central Florida. Yesterday, as we opened the garage door to start out on our 1 mile walk to school, the girls and I were met with a nice blast of cool air. It was so great to walk through the neighborhood and feel the crisp Fall air. I didn't want to get too excited because at this time of the year in Florida the temperatures tend to go up and down a lot. But, to my great surprise, the cool air was here again this morning! I know we are probably in for a few more hot, and I will whisper this in an attempt to not awaken the humidity gods, humid days, but it sure is nice to get a break. I will take it for as long as it wants to stay!

Happy 1st B-day ~ Crazy Dog

2010-09-25T16:55:00.003-04:00

September 15th was Bailey, our newest family member's, first birthday. Bailey has been a great addition to the family. She filled a big hole that was left in our lives when we lost our very beloved Shelby last fall. It has been a new experience for the kids to learn to live with a puppy vs. living with an old, well-trained, dog.
Bailey loves all three of the kids and has fit herself into each of their lives in many ways. She loves to run and play sports in the backyard with CJ. She follows the girls around the house and watches them play with all of their girly things. She has even learned to put up with Caley and Caitlyn pulling her around the backyard on a leash.
She is a great dog with a very easy going personality. The kids talked about and looked forward to her birthday for weeks. So...when the day finally came they were all very excited.

When they came home from school they could not wait to give Bailey her present. She, on the other hand could care less about the present. She was just happy to see them and have her playmates home for the day.

Once she figured out that there might be something to eat in that bag, she became a little more interested in the present.

After digging around in the bag she found a new toy, and a big bag of Snausages. She was in doggy heaven! I am sure she had no idea why she was being treated like a queen on this particular day, but she loved it anyway.

Happy 1st Birthday Sweet Puppy!

We could not be more happy to have you in our lives!

Six Word Saturday

2010-09-25T16:47:00.004-04:00

Hello Blog, sorry I neglected you.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-22T00:00:00.002-04:00

9/11/2010

Never Forget

A New Season

2010-09-21T14:16:00.004-04:00

Last night a new season of Fall Little League baseball started in our town.

This season CJ is playing in the Major's division for the Mets.

Game 1 did not have the ending that we were hoping for.

The guys played great and were leading for most of the game. In the last 3 inning we just ran out of pitchers and ended up walking in 7 or 8 runs. At least our guys had the satisfaction of knowing that all of their runs were earned!

Final score - Yankees 13, Mets 9

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-15T00:04:00.002-04:00

Fall...Where are you?

Wordless Wednesday - What a Hat!

2010-09-08T20:29:00.003-04:00

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

For more WW photos go here and here.

It's a Twin Thing

2010-09-02T13:15:00.012-04:00

About a year ago I wrote a blog post about the "Florida Twin Project," a study that my twins are participating in. This summer I received another research packet from Florida State University asking me if I would like to continue to participate in the study. Because I am very interested in the mystery that is twins, I agreed to have my girls continue to participate.

The main purpose of the study is to find out how much genetics vs. environment influence a child's ability to read. So far the study has found that various types of reading skills are influenced by a common set of genes. It has also found that beyond genetic factors, kids in high quality classrooms were able to reach their potential much more easily than those who were not in high quality classrooms. Not much of a mystery there. The need for good teachers and the need for schools that are committed to a high quality of education is as important as ever.

In addition to the information about the study, the newsletter also listed a few "Twin Fun Facts." I thought I would share them with you. I find them interesting, maybe you will too.

Twin Fun Facts-

Identical twins share the same DNA, but will have their own fingerprints.
China has the lowest rate of twinning in the world, about 1/300 births.
Once you have had one set of fraternal twins you are 3 to 4 times more likely to have another set. (Yikes, that's why our twins were my last pregnancy!)
Gemellology is the study of twins and the phenomenon of twinning.
The average time between the delivery of the first and second twin is 17 minutes. (Mine were born 1 minute apart...thanks Doc!)
The Florida State Twin Registry includes over 2,600 pairs of twins and other multiples, making it one of the largest of its kind in the world.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-25T07:00:00.003-04:00

Thrilled to be driving at the Magic Kingdom Speedway!
For more WW go to
5 Minutes of Mom
&
Seven Clown Circus

First Day of School

2010-08-24T18:45:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was the first day of school for my 3 kids. This year is a year of big changes for our family. My oldest is no longer an elementary school student, as of yesterday he is officially a middle school student.
This year we have two schools to keep up with. This year we get to learn how middle school works, what is required of the kids, who all of the new teachers are, who the principal is, how to find our way around the campus, and most importantly how to orchestrate two different schedules. Gone are the days of dropping all 3 kids off at one place, going to one school for "Meet Your Teacher," Open-House, and all of numerous events that happen throughout the school year. This year we will be running back and forth between two schools, in fact the next time that our kids will all be in the same school again, my oldest will be a senior in high school and my twins will be freshmen. OUCH!!! So, yesterday it started. First up was the girls. We headed out the door for our not-so-short walk to school. The girls were really excited. They know most of the kids in their class, they meet their new teacher last week, they were loaded down with all of their new supplies, and they had on new outfits. They could not wait to start a new school year!

After dropping the girls off, I walked back home to get my oldest ready for his first day. He had been sick all weekend, so whether or not he was going to school on the first day was still up in the air. When I arrived back home I was very surprised to find him dressed and ready to go. I was really proud of him for making the decision to go to school.
Normally, he would have walked to school, and on the first day I was going to walk part of the way with him...for moral support, of course. Because he wasn't feeling good, I decided to drive him and brave a whole new "car rider circle." I didn't know what to expect, but was very happy to find a well organized, smooth running car rider circle.
As I pulled the car to a stop, I gave him a few last words of encouragement, made sure he knew where he was going, and told him to have a great day. Dropping him off at middle school was almost a difficult as dropping him off on his first day of Kindergarten.
In the end, all three kids had great first days. We made it through the first day of middle school and 2nd grade. Only 179 more days to go!

Thursday Thought

2010-08-19T21:12:00.003-04:00

"Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire."

~William Butler Yeats

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-18T09:59:00.003-04:00

Dear Beach, I miss you already!

For more WW go here and here.

Mini-Golf is Fun...Isn't It?

2010-08-16T10:22:00.007-04:00

Summer vacation is quickly coming to an end for my kids. In an effort to end the summer on a good note and have a little fun, last Friday I took the kids to play mini-golf at the Fantasia Gardens mini-golf course at Walt Disney World.
The day started off pretty good. Everyone was excited to go, although we were a little apprehensive because the weather was looking a little sketchy.

Caley teed off on the first hole and we were on our way. At this point everyone was having a good time, even if CJ was being ultra competitive with his sisters.

By the time we got to the 4th hole the weather took a turn for the worse. You can't tell by looking at this picture, but at this point we were standing under a tree waiting out a downpour. CJ wanted to keep playing and was mad that I made him stand under a tree out of the rain. Luckily, there wasn't any lightening...YET!

Once the rain lightened up we were back on our way. On the 8th hole, all 4 of us got holes-in-one. We were all very excited...well 3 of us were excited. Caitlyn, as you can see by the look on her face, was not excited because she was worried about the weather.

The 10th hole is where the real excitement came. Caitlyn and CJ had just finished the hole (both getting 2's) Caley and I were taking our 3rd stroke when...BANG!!! A huge lightening bolt hit very close to where we were. The Disney cast members working at the golf course announced over the PA system that the course would be closed until the storm had passed. We headed to the arcade to take cover for a few minutes and wait out the weather.

Of course, in typical Central Florida weather fashion, not a single raindrop fell and there were no more lightening strikes. So, back out to the 10th hole we headed.

This time we were able to finish the course, with only a few more minor melt downs. Caley and CJ had a good time. Caitlyn on the other hand got very upset because I would not let her walk through the water spouts that were shooting out of the ground on the 16th hole. Normally I would have let her junp in and get soaked if she wanted to. However, on this particular day she choose to wear her brand new sneakers(the ones that we just bought to start the new school year), so I said "absolutely not!"

Needless to say, Caitlyn did not end the golf course on a happy note. While CJ and Caley laughed and played around, she pouted. I think she was also hot and hungry, which did not help her mood any.

So, we headed over to the McDonald's on Disney property. After everyone ate, all was right with the world again. Caley took this picture as we were walking out of Mickey D's. As you can see the sky was still looking a bit stormy. All-in-all we had a good time, give or take a few minor melt downs.

Photo of the Week

2010-08-08T15:45:00.006-04:00

Once again, I am way behind on blogging. We recently spent a week at the beach, I have tons of pictures to share. This week I am going to work on getting those posted. I think I can commit to posting a few each day.

Today Mama Kat is hosting a "Picture of the Week Link Up." That sounds like a great place for me to start. So, here is the first of many pictures of our time at the beach.

My two beach bumettes playing in the sand. They loved the beach and could not get enough of playing in the sand and the waves.

To see more "Pictures of the Week" go to Mama's Losin' It!.

Friday Funnies

2010-07-30T00:00:00.001-04:00

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook.

Only in Florida do you find people swimming in a lake with a big sign warning about the dangers of alligators just 10 feet away.

I am not sure if that makes Floridians brave, stupid, illiteriate, or just so darn hot that we will brave any danger for the chance to cool off!

Beach Time

2010-07-29T00:00:00.001-04:00

We are off spending a few days at the beach. I will post pictures when we get back.

I hope your Thursday is as full of sun and beaches as ours is!

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday

2010-07-28T00:00:00.004-04:00

Oh the surprises you will find when you have kids in your house. The girls were trying their hand at photography again this week. Here is what I found when I went to look at some pictures that we took on Sunday.

Caley posing with Bailey...

Caitlyn and Bailey on the bathroom floor...
Caitlyn's new shoes...

Caitlyn being silly...

Well, now I know what they were up to while I was in the shower.

For more Wordless Wednesday go to;

5 Minutes for Mom,

Seven Clown Circus,

and Our Family Ramblings.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-21T10:44:00.004-04:00

A great way to beat the Florida HEAT!!!
For more Wordless Wednesday go to ~

5 Minutes for Mom

Seven Clown Circus

The Good & The Bad

2010-07-16T23:34:00.004-04:00

This week the girls and I had a chance to spend a whole week at home together without out dad and big brother. I has been a really nice week. I has also been a very different week. It got me thinking that I should write a list of all the good things about this week and all of the bad things about this week.

The Good
~The house has been very quite this week.
~I have has a lot less laundry to do. I can't believe how much laundry two additional people add to the basket.
~Making and cleaning up meals has been a breeze!
~The grocery bill was very small this week. Again, I can't believe how much more food two additional people can go through.
~There has been a lot less sibling bickering.
~The house has been really easy to keep clean.
~I got a bunch of old projects finished.
~I have had a whole week to spend "girl time" with my girls. That has almost never happened since they were born, and it was the best part of the week!

The Bad
~The quiet house seems a little bit lonely without the boys here.
~I have never spent a whole week away from my first born before. I really miss him.
~I (and I think the girls too) miss both of them a lot and will be glad when they come back home.

It has been a really nice week. I think it would be great to do this more often. This week really gave me a chance to spend quality time with my girls. It also gave the girls a chance to have my undivided attention. I devote so much time to my son's activities, it was a big relief this week to put all of that aside and just focus on the girls. And even though we had such a great week and we are not quite ready for it to end, we do miss the boys and we will be glad to see them come back home tomorrow.
Did I mention they will be bringing home a huge load of dirty laundry? Ugh...here we go again!

Through the Eyes of a 7 Year Old

2010-07-15T10:44:00.009-04:00

This week the girls and I went to Downtown Disney. While we were there, they got a hold of my camera. It is interesting to see what the world looks like through the eyes of two seven-year-olds.

Here are a few of their pictures...

The Tinker Toys sculpture

An outside shot of the "Once Upon a Toy" shop

The "Mickey" water fountain outside "Once Upon a Toy"

A Monopoly card

Caitlyn with "Genie" from Aladdin

They took some good pictures. Who knows...maybe they are budding photographers!?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-14T00:05:00.003-04:00

Downtown Disney Fun!!!

For more Wordless Wednesday go to;

5 Minutes for Mom

Seven Clown Circus

Our Family Ramblings

Six Word Saturday!

2010-07-10T09:53:00.006-04:00

Recovering from last night's Birthday Party!

for more Six Word Saturday go here.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-07T00:00:00.001-04:00

OMG...They even make the same face when they are underwater!

For more Wordless Wednesday go to ~
5 Minutes For Mom
Seven Clown Circus
Our Family Ramblings

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T00:00:00.009-04:00

S'mores on the 4th of July, what could be better?

Did you know...

1. There are 11 locations in the U.S. with the word "Independence" in their title. The largest is the city of Independence, Missouri.

2. There are 30 locations with the word "Liberty" in their names. Four of the towns are in the state of Iowa.

3. In 1889, an Adamstown, Pennsylvania flea market shopper purchased a $4 painting only to discover it hid an original 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence, which Sotheby's auctioned for $2,240,000 in 1991 and again for $8,100,000 in 2001. (Wow, now that is a flea market find!)

4. Calvin Coolige is the only U.S. President to be born on July 4th (1872).

5. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4th, 1826. James Monroe died on July 4th, 1831.

6. Independence Day commemorates the formal adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. However July 4th was not declared a legal holiday until 1941.

Support the Troops & Get a Deal!

2010-07-03T00:31:00.006-04:00

For the 2nd year in a row Old Navy has teamed up with an organization called Operation Care and Comfort to help collect comfort items to send to our troops who are currently serving overseas.

From July 1 - 5 all Old Navy stores will have collection boxes in their stores. Customers are encouraged to donate or purchase a comfort item to place in the box. For your generosity, Old Navy will give you 10% off your total purchase that day.

In addition, Old Navy is also offering a "Buy One, Send One" special on their famous 4th of July flag t-shirts. For every children's, women's, or men's flag t-shirt that you purchase this weekend, Old Navy will send one to our troops. And, if that isn't enough, Old Navy will also give you 10% off your total purchase just for purchasing a flag t-shirt.

Get flag t-shirts for your whole family and donate t-shirts to the troops!!!

How can you go wrong?

Get out and get yours today!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-30T00:00:00.008-04:00

The Florida heat might be getting to them!

For more WW go to ~

5 Minutes for Mom

Our Family Ramblings

Seven Clown Circus

3 Birthday Parties

2010-06-29T14:40:00.004-04:00

Birthday, Birthday, and one more Birthday. We had our share of birthday parties last weekend.

It started on Friday. Friday was CJ's birthday. Normally we spend the day playing mini-golf, eating lunch at one of his favorite restaurants, and hanging out at Downtown Disney. This year we decided to spend a night at Disney's Fort Wilderness campground.

We arrived at the campground on Friday afternoon, set up our tents and headed to the pool. Around dinner time we were joined at the pool by CJ's best buddy and a good friend of the family. After a little pool time we headed back to the campsite for dinner, cake, and birthday gifts.

CJ was excited to get some new NY Yankees gear, a new watch, and a bunch of money. After the presents we headed back to the pool for a couple more hours of swimming. The night was fun, but went by way too fast. We have already decided that next year we will make it a whole weekend and take in more of the fun stuff that Fort Wilderness has to offer. Not to worry though...the party is not over yet, CJ has a kids party coming up in a couple of weeks.

Saturday morning the girls were invited to a "Pony Party" to celebrate the birthday of one of their neighborhood friends. The girls were both really excited to ride a pony for the first time. This pony, named "Dancer," is the pony that the girls friend takes riding lessons on. Caley was a little worried about getting on the pony, but once she got on, she did great!

Caitlyn couldn't wait for her turn to ride Dancer. Caitlyn had a great time. She is definitely the animal lover of our two girls. After the pony ride the girls did a craft, ate pizza, attacked a pinata, and went for a swim in our neighbors pool. It was a very FULL day!

But wait...we were not done yet. Did I mention that our neighbors also have twins? Sunday was twin brother's turn to have his party. The boys in the neighborhood were all invited to play Lazer Tag.

The Lazer Tag place was perfect for a boys party. The kids got to play two games of Lazer tag, drive the bumper cars, play a few video games, eat pizza and cake, and run around yelling as loud as they could. Everyone had a great time and the sisters were happy that they got to join in on the party too.

It was a full weekend of parties, by Sunday afternoon all three of my kids were ready to take naps, and they did. Whew...

Happy Birthday CJ!!!

2010-06-25T00:00:00.007-04:00

HaPpY 11th BiRtHdaY

to my

baseball playing, Yankee fan, Star Wars loving,

sports watching, Boy Scout camping,

growing up WAY Too Fast,

son!!!

I hope you have a great birthday!

Love, mom

5th Grade Graduation

2010-06-24T00:00:00.004-04:00

Next up on my list of events that I just did not have time to blog about this Spring is CJ's 5th grade graduation.

5th grade graduation for Tildenville elementary took place on Tuesday, June 8th. The day consisted of a graduation ceremony and a lunch/celebration for the kids.

Before the big day came, CJ and dad took a trip to Kohl's to buy a new pair of dress pants, shirt, and tie. CJ has grown A LOT this year, so there was no way that any of his good clothes were going to fit anymore. I was a little bit worried when I sent the two of them out shopping together, but they did good. CJ's new outfit looked good, fit good, and made him look so grown up.

During the ceremony the kids sat with their classes while the principal, 5th grade teachers, and specials teachers handed out awards, medals, and promotion certificates. The principal, Dr. Balgobin, delivered a nice commencement address and the ceremony was complete. CJ looked so proud and handsome in his new clothes.

After the graduation ceremony the kids, parents, and teachers went out to "Tiger Park" to take pictures and socialize while the decorating committee transformed the cafeteria into a tropical cruise ship. CJ is wearing the "Founders" medal that he received during the graduation ceremony. "Founders" medals were given to every student who had attended Tildenville since Pre-K or Kindergarten.

Once the decorations were up and the transformation was complete the students were welcomed back into the cafeteria. Each student was given a lei as they entered the room. The room was full of tropical decorations and steel drum music was playing during the party. The students choose pizza, corn-on-the cob, and watermelon for lunch. Not the most tropical cruise ship meal I have ever heard of, but hey...it was their choice.

After lunch the kids took more pictures, talked and played together, ate cake and ice cream, and just had fun. It turned out to be a nice celebration and a fitting end to six long, hard years of elementary school.

In the end CJ walked away with a stack of certificates. He earned A/B Honor Roll for Reading, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. He received a Citizenship award and a Pioneer Award. And, last, but absolutely not least, he got his Promotion Certificate for finishing 5th grade.

I still cannot believe that he has already finished elementary school and will be heading off to middle school in just 8 or 9 weeks. Wow, where has the time gone? Sometimes I still see him as that sweet little 5 year-old who just started Kindergarten, but he is not. He is almost 11 and growing up fast! Too Fast!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-23T00:00:00.004-04:00

4 of the cutest Cub Scout sisters you will ever find!

For more Wordless Wednesday go to

5 Minutes for Mom

Seven Clown Circus

Our Family Ramblings

Father's Day

2010-06-20T00:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Father's Day

all of the Dad's in our life!

Six Word Saturday

2010-06-19T10:16:00.008-04:00

Spending the day

with my girls!

for more 6WS go here.

End of the Season Party

2010-06-17T23:27:00.006-04:00

To say that I am a little behind on blogging would be a huge understatement. I am not sure what happened this Spring, but somehow there just was not any time left over to blog. Now that the kids are out of school, the end of the year celebrations are over, and baseball season has come to an end, I am going to give it my best shot to catch up on some of the events that I didn't get a chance to post about during all of the mayhem.

First up is going to be CJ's end of the baseball season team party.

The AAA Dodgers had a great season. The Dodgers were third in the standing all season. They pulled out a fantastic 2nd place finish in the WGLL tournament. But more important than any of that they had a close knit team that played really well together, had a great time, and made some lasting friendships.
The end of the season party took place in a local restaurant that one of the assistant coaches manages. It was a fun afternoon with good food and lots of laughs.

The boys had a great time sitting at the team table and ordering anything that they wanted off the menu. Thanks to coach Dewayne, it was all on the house!

The little sisters had their own table. They had a good time socializing and acting like big girls having a lunch date.

After lunch coach Mickey gave certificates to each of the boys. Each certificate was printed with the nickname that coach Mickey had given to each player during the season. It was funny to hear coach Mickey explain how or why he gave the nicknames to the boys. CJ's nickname was "Chuckles." Why...because he made coach Mickey laugh so many times during the season with his crazy antics.

At the end of the party the boys went outside to take a ride on coach Chris's pedicab. It is a good thing coach Chris is in good shape, he had the whole team on his pedicab at one time.

It was a great season. It was sad to see it end. The team played great and had a good time. The parents got along good and had fun watching the team. I miss spending time with our Dodgers family already. This was by far the best Little League season that we have had. I am looking forward to fall baseball and hope that we are lucky enough to be on another team like this one!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-16T00:00:00.002-04:00

This seasons lucky number!

It was a great Little League season, I miss it already.

For more WW go here and here.

It's Flag Day!!!

2010-06-14T12:41:00.004-04:00

Today is Flag Day.

Remember to take a minute to think about what our flag represents.

And...if you have a flag at your house, today is a day to fly it with pride!

Happy Flag Day!

Wordless Wednesday ~ In the Blink of an Eye

2010-06-09T09:38:00.012-04:00

First day of Kindergarten.

5th grade graduation.

How fast the years have gone by.

Is It Wednesday Yet?

2010-06-04T09:35:00.004-04:00

We are finally in the home stretch.

Only 3 more days until the school year is over.

Now, all I have to do is get through a scouting outing tomorrow morning, a baseball scrimmage tomorrow afternoon, a birthday sleepover tomorrow night, a baseball team party on Sunday, decorating the school cafeteria for 5th grade graduation on Monday, attending the 5th grade graduation on Tuesday, helping out at the 1st grade ice cream party on Tuesday, and finally getting up on Wednesday morning to send the kids off to school one last time.

Summer break I know you are close by.

Please get here soon, I am one exhausted mom!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-02T00:05:00.001-04:00

Hummmm....I wonder what she has been up to?

For more WW go here and here.

DODGERS WIN! DODGERS WIN!

2010-05-20T14:03:00.004-04:00

Wednesday, May 19, 2010 will be a night that our AAA Dodgers will remember for a long time. They came into this game as undeniable underdogs. They had faced the AAA Red Sox three times during the regular season and lost all three games. This game was do or die for the Dodgers. They are in the middle of a double elimination league tournament. A loss in this game meant the end of the season for our guys. It is not too big a stretch to say that no one in the league thought our guys had a chance tonight. Fortunately for the Dodgers they didn't see it the same way.

Because we had the lesser record of the two teams we were deemed to be the visiting team and thus first at bat. Our guys came out swinging. The Dodgers got three great hits and put two runners on base. After their first at bat the Dodgers had scored one run. From that moment on this game was a defensive battle. The Dodgers held the Red Sox to zero runs until the sixth inning, while managing to score two more runs in the fourth inning.

The score at the bottom of the sixth inning was 3 - 0 in favor of the Dodgers. The Red Sox came up to bat read to put some runs on the board. Through a series of overthrown bases and small errors our guys let the Red Sox score 2 runs. However, we had 2 outs and our pitcher was throwing some great pitches. The last batter came up. Our pitcher threw 2 balls and the batter fouled off two pitches. All our pitcher needed to do was throw one more strike. The pitcher wound up, threw the ball, and THUD, the ball hit the catchers glove, the batter swung, STRIKE THREE!!! THE DODGERS WON!!! The team and the fans went crazy. They did it, they finally beat the team that had been haunting them all season. The win also meant that the Dodgers advanced in the league tournament and will now face the AAA Rays (a team that is even scarier than the Red Sox).

The game against the Rays tonight is a big one, it is for a chance at first place in the AAA division. A loss means that the Dodgers finish second. But, it would be a well deserved and hard fought second place.
All I can say today is...

GO DODGERS!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-19T09:35:00.004-04:00

Enjoying some ice cream after a big win!

We are hoping for another BIG win tonight.

Wish them luck!!!

GO DODGERS!!!

Mother's Day at EPCOT

2010-05-14T14:43:00.000-04:00

Wow! Mother's Day was 5 days ago and I am just now getting a chance to post something about it. When did time start going by so fast? It seems like months go by as fast as weeks, weeks go by as fast as days, and days just don't have enough hours in them. I keep hoping that we will get to slow things down a little and just relax, but with 2 seven-year-olds and 1 ten (almost eleven) year old, I don't think that is going to happen.

Anyway, last Sunday we packed everyone up and spent the day at EPCOT. I love going to EPCOT for Mother's Day because it is right in the middle of EPCOT's annual Flower and Garden Festival. This year was just as nice as always. We had perfect weather and the flowers were in full bloom.

Here are a few pictures from our day...

Caitlyn and Caley posed for a picture inside the front entrance of the park. I love the flowers and trees that they put in this planter. They look like the ones that are found growing all over Minnesota in the summer. It makes me want to go home.

Caley and Caitlyn walked through the "Fairy Garden" to find rubbings for Tinkerbell and her friends. Inside the garden they had topiary's of all of the fairies.

Caley stopped working for a minute to show her rubbing/coloring page and pose with one of the fairies.

This is one of the hundreds of butterflies inside the butterfly exhibit. I was checking out the plants inside the butterfly garden. I am trying to turn a corner of our backyard into a butterfly garden. I got some good plant ideas from EPCOT's garden.

CJ "willingly" stopped for a minute to have his picture taken in front of this garden that is planted to look like dolphins swimming in the ocean. Disney comes up with so many cool ideas.

Three crazy ostriches and three crazy kids. At this point the kids were thinking about their empty stomachs and asking to get some dinner. Ahhhh....I am so glad they appreciate the flowers!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-12T07:00:00.005-04:00

Like father...

Like son...

**Sigh**what is a wife/mother to do???
Happy Wordless Wednesday!!!

Happy Mother's Day to Our Mom!

2010-05-09T10:37:00.004-04:00

Happy Mother's Day
Love Chris, CJ, Caitlyn and Caley

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday

2010-05-05T15:26:00.004-04:00

Last weekend the girls performed in their first ice skating show. The show was titled "Skating Across the Universe," and featured over 50 songs by the Beatles. Caley and Caitlyn skated in a group number with 20 other beginner and pre-alpha level skaters. The song that they skated to was "Yellow Submarine." It was a really cute and the whole group did a great job. The only problem is now all I hear going through my head are ALL those Beatles songs.

The cast (well most of them, it is hard to take pictures on an ice rink) of

"Skating Across the Universe."

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-28T00:00:00.000-04:00

Those Mickey ice cream bars are soooo good!!!

For more Wordless Wednesday go here and here.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-14T10:08:00.003-04:00

Future Olympians!

For more Wordless Wednesday go here and here.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-07T10:08:00.002-04:00

My 3 girls.

For more WW go here and here.

Wordless/WORDFUL Wednesday ~ Our Hero!

2010-03-24T09:24:00.006-04:00

It was another typical CRAZY night for us last night. The girls had a figure skating lesson and CJ had a baseball game. All of the girls (including Grandma) headed off to figure skating, all of the boys (including Grandpa) headed off to the baseball game. The plan was to meet up at the baseball field for the second half of the game.

I thought this was going to be an easy game for our guys because they had beat this team pretty easily in the first game of the season. To my surprise when we arrived at the baseball field the score was 2 - 8 in favor of the other team.

The girls walked over to the bleachers and settled in to watch the rest of the game. It was the top of the 4th inning. The other team parents let us know that the score had been 0 - 8 at the end of the second inning. I was still really surprised by the score, I considered the possibility that our guys might lose, but was still hoping they could pull out a win.

Our pitchers had a little trouble in the 4th, giving up a few hits and letting the other team score 3 more runs. Now the score was 2 - 11.

The Dodgers game up to bat in the 4th inning ready to play. The other teams pitchers starting having a lot of trouble. They were inconsistent, threw a few wild pitches, and walked a bunch of our players. The walks along with a few hits earned the Dodgers 5 runs in the 4th inning. Now the score was 7 - 11.

At the top of the 5th inning our closing pitcher did an awesome job. He struck out the first two batters, walked the 3rd, and struck out the 4th.

Now, it was time for the Dodgers to get back to work. The umpire called last inning at the beginning of the 5th. The team knew this was it! They were down by 4 runs, they had to score 5 to win, and there is a 5 run rule in the in the 5th inning.

The other team continued to have trouble with pitching. Their pitcher walked a bunch of our players, eventually walking in 3 runs. Now the score was 10 - 11. Our next batter struck out, giving the Dodgers the first out of the inning. Next, the Yankees pitcher threw a wild pitch, our coach sent the runner at 3rd to steal home, the catcher picked up the ball, ran to home plate and tagged our runner out! 2 outs! The next Dodgers batter to come to the plate took a walk. Now, it was CJ's turn to come up to bat.

It was the bottom of the 5th inning (the last inning of the game), there are 2 outs, the bases are loaded, the score is 10 -11 in favor of the Yankees. CJ walks to the plate. Before the first pitch, the coach gives CJ a last minute pep talk. The coach looked him in the eye and said "are you ready to be a hero?" CJ walked to the batters box, got in position, the pitcher throws the first pitch, it is short and low, it hits the dirt in front of home plate. CJ gets back in place, gets his batting stance just right, the pitcher delivers the second pitch, CJ swings, he hits the ball, it sails down the first base line (staying fair), lands on the ground and rolls about 1 foot from the fence. All of the base runners score! The parents and players went crazy! My kid was the hero of the game! He took on the pressure, put together everything that he had learned about baseball, and got the best hit of his Little League career. It was so exciting to see my own kid get high-fived, body slammed, and congratulated by his teammates. I was so excited for him!

Final Score

Dodgers 13 - Yankees 11

CJ shows off his first game ball!

A Great Day for Baseball

2010-03-20T14:58:00.003-04:00

Today was game #5 for the WGLL AAA Dodgers. Their record up to today was 2 - 2. Their opponent for the day was the AAA Mets. It was a great day for baseball. The weather seems to be turning and we finally got a day that actually felt like Florida weather.

Silly baseball sisters entertain themselves during the game.

The Dodgers struggled last week loosing two games. They came back strong this past Thursday with a decisive 11 - 0 win over the Cubs.

Today's match up with the Mets looked to be a tough one. The starting pitcher for the Mets was very good and started off the game by striking out our first three batters. The Mets ended the first inning by scoring 2 runs. Thankfully, our boys did not let it get them down.

The Dodgers came on strong in the 3rd in with a classic 2 out rally. The batters got a bunch of great hits and ended up scoring 5 runs with 2 outs!

The Mets came back in the 4th with one run. From then on it was a battle between the two teams. The Dodgers went up 7 - 3 in the fifth and scored one more at the top of the 6th to make the score 8 -3.

The Mets had their last at bat in the bottom of the 6th inning. The Dodgers pitchers got into a little bit of trouble walking a couple of batters and letting the Mets score two runs. The Dodgers closing pitcher got the job done striking out the last two Mets batters.

Final score

Dodgers 8 ~ Mets 5

CJ enjoys a big win. He ended the day with a double, a stolen base, and an RBI!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-17T11:00:00.005-04:00

Not lovin' the rain!

for more Wordless Wednesday go Here and Here.

Thursday Thought

2010-03-11T00:00:00.001-05:00

"When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child."

~ Sophia Lauren

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday

2010-03-10T08:54:00.004-05:00

A new season of baseball has begun.

Good-luck for a great season WGLL AAA Dodgers!

for more WW go here and here.

From Cub Scout to Boy Scout

2010-03-04T20:17:00.007-05:00

Last Saturday night was Cub Scout Pack 220's Blue & Gold banquet and Webelos Arrow of Light/Crossover Graduation ceremony. This year was especially meaningful for our family because it was the night that our Cub Scout was going to become a Boy Scout. After four years of busy Monday nights, long camping weekends, pinewood derbies, raingutter regattas, fund raising, and community service projects our little boy was about to take a huge first step toward becoming a young man.

It was also the night that I would no longer be a Cub Scout Den Leader. I had mixed feelings of relief that I would be freeing up a big chunk of time in my life and sadness that I would not be spending every Monday night with 10 of the greatest boys you could ever meet. For the last four years I have been dedicated to providing a fun and meaningful scouting program for these boys.

The banquet was held at a local church. The theme of the night was "Blasting into the Future." Dinner was provided by a local pizza/Italian restaurant. The room was decorated with rocket ships and stars.

The program for the evening included awards for leaders and volunteers, a special award for 5 sisters of the scouts, video presentations, and the highlight of the evening...presentation of the Arrow of Light award.

The Arrow of Light is the highest award that can be earned in Cub Scouting. It is the Cub Scout equivalent of Eagle Scout. We were lucky enough to have 10 Arrow of Light recipients in Pack 220 this year.

CJ is awarded the Arrow of Light by Cubmaster Hoyos and Asst. Cubmaster Smith.

After the Blue & Gold banquet we traveled to a near-by lake for the Arrow of Light ceremony. At the beginning of the Arrow of Light ceremony each of the boys is given an Arrow of Honor. The Arrow of Honor is painted by the parents of each boy. Each part of the arrow represents a part of scouting. The rings that decorate the arrow represent each of the achievements that the scout earned while in Cub Scouting.

Next, each of the boys is called forward to shoot a flaming arrow into the lake. This is the part that the boys had been looking forward to all year.

After the Arrow of Light ceremony the boys moved on to the Crossover Graduation ceremony. Each of the boys walked across a bridge that is decorated with the Arrow of Light. The crossing of the bridge symbolizes the boys crossing from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. This is the moment that it really hit me that these 10 boys were no longer Cubs, they had grown up and were ready to be Boy Scouts.

The members of the Boy Scout troop wait for the boys at the far end of the bridge. The Boy Scouts welcome each of the new Scouts into the troop. The Scouts remove the old Webelos neckerchief and replace it with a Boy Scout neckerchief. They also remove the blue Cub Scout shoulder loops and replace them with green Boy Scout shoulder loops.

And just like that...they are Boy Scouts!

When I look back at our years of Cub Scouting I will remember all of the work that went into it. I will also remember how much fun we had, the friends that we met, the memories that we made, and the difference that we made in the lives of the boys.

Thursday Thought

2010-03-04T20:09:00.003-05:00

"Men are what their mothers made them."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-02-24T15:25:00.003-05:00

Having fun at Animal Kingdom. Wish we were there today!
For more WW go here and here.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-17T09:31:00.004-05:00

My boy at the Dayton 5oo!

For more WW go HERE and HERE.

I Would Rather Be Blogging!

2010-02-09T12:57:00.002-05:00

I couldn't say it any better than this picture. I wish I was blogging, but instead I am taking care of other projects. I will be back to the blog soon. But not soon enough for me!

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday ~ Birthday Wrap-Up

2010-02-03T07:00:00.001-05:00

Last Wednesday was the girls 7th birthday. We had a week full of activities, out-of-town visitors, and parties!!!

We started the extended party off with a birthday-night-dinner at Romano's Macaroni Grill. Everyone had a great dinner, the girls loved being in the spotlight and the highlight of the evening was when one of the servers came to our table and sang "Happy Birthday" to them in Italian. That was definitely a memorable moment.

One of the best parts of the week for the girls was having their cousins visit from MN. They had a lot of fun spending time with the boys. Both of the girls would love to have a little brother or sister. They will have to settle for younger cousins!

After dinner we went back home to open a few birthday gifts and have birthday cake #1.

On Saturday we had birthday party #2. This year the girls decided that they wanted to have an ice skating party. An ice skating party was not one that I ever thought I would be planning in central Florida, but I guess you just never know where life will take you.

At the ice rink we spent three hours skating and had pizza and popcorn at our own reserved table. It was a super fun and easy party, plus we got the added benefit of exercise.

After the skating party we headed home for birthday cake #2, ice cream, some snacks, and a few more presents. The girls saw a Penguin cake, like this one, at Target. I made this one myself. It turned out pretty good. It must have tasted good, because we didn't have much left at the end of the night.

It was a fun week, the girls got to do a few things that they really wanted to do, they got some nice gifts, and had fun with their cousins!

Happy Groundhog Day!

2010-02-02T20:50:00.004-05:00

Happy Groundhog Day!!!

Oopse, I have been MIA for the last few days. I have been caught up in a whirlwind of birthdays, scouting activities, and field trips. I am looking forward to getting back to bloggyland. Unfortunately, for tonight, it is back to mommy stuff and wrapping up a few loose ends. See you tomorrow for Wordless Wednesday!

Six Word Saturday

2010-01-30T08:43:00.006-05:00

Twins ice skating Birthday party today!!!

For more 6WS go HERE.

Spelling Bee

2010-01-29T09:14:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was the 2nd Annual Spelling Bee at my kids elementary school. CJ was lucky enough to be one of the participants this year. The participants for the spelling bee were chosen over the last couple of weeks through a series of smaller spelling bees held in each class. The winner from each class was sent to participate in the school wide spelling bee. All of the words for the school wide spelling bee were determined to be Eighth grade level words. Most of the kids made it through the first round. A few of the 1st and 2nd graders made it through several rounds. In fact, the second runner up was a girl who is in 2nd grade! Amazing! She is an incredible speller. The winner of the spelling bee was a girls who is in 4th grade.

CJ made it through the second round. He did great on his first word(FRUIT), but got nervous in the second round. He had all of the correct letters in his word (SQUEEZE) he just mixed the letters up a little bit (SQUEZEE). Oopse! Oh well, we were really proud of him for being one of only 20 kids in the school who was able to participate. There were some really difficult words and all of the kids did great.

At the end of the spelling bee all of the kids posed for a group picture with their certificates. One funny note... CJ's last name is spelled wrong on his certificate! Our last name is a bit challenging, but when it is for a spelling bee, you would think someone would have double checked ALL of the SPELLING! ;-)

Thursday Thought

2010-01-28T09:58:00.004-05:00

"The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves."

~ George Washington

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday ~ Happy Birthday!

2010-01-27T09:07:00.003-05:00

Happy 7th Birthday!!!

Today my babies turn SEVEN!

Hope you have a great day!!!

Weekend Fun!!!

2010-01-25T09:31:00.010-05:00

It's BIRTHDAY week!!! This week the girls turn 7 and uncle Jay turns 29(again). Uncle Jay, Aunt Sarah, and cousins Devan and Owen are visiting from Minnesota. We started our week of fun with a visit to the Magic Kingdom.
CJ had Little League tryouts in the morning...so we didn't get to the park until early afternoon.
The girls got Princess Jasmin costumes for Christmas, and wanted to wear them to the park.

Here are the 3 crazy kids posing in front of the train station. They were super excited to meet up with their cousins. They didn't even want to stop to watch the parade going down Mainstreet. They just wanted to head strait back to Fantasyland to find the cousins!

Our first ride of the day was on the Tomorrowland Speedway. Devan could not wait to drive the cars. Aunt Sarah was taking a picture of Caitlyn and me while I was getting her and Devan.

Caley just loves her cousin! She was thrilled that he was paying so much attention to her. She would love to be a big sister.

Crazy cousins posing outside the Dumbo ride. Even baby Owen got in this picture. The kids had a great day and everyone was really good. We made it through the WHOLE day without any major meltdowns. With 5 kids, that is saying ALOT!!!

Great Deals Everywhere

2010-01-22T13:59:00.006-05:00

As I am getting ready to go out to do some shopping before the weekend, I am browsing some of my favorite websites, and finding coupons and great deals EVERYWHERE!

Check my sidebar for a ton of postings about FREEBIES and COUPONS.

Here are a few places that I visited ~

http://www.oldnavyweekly.com/ ~ got a 15% off total purchase coupon.

http://www.partycity.com/ ~ got a $10/$30 purchase coupon

http://promotions.whymilk.com/ ~ got a free gallon of milk with $100.00 grocery purchase coupon + entered for a chance to win free milk for a year.

Keep hunting! There are tons of deals to be found

Thursday Thought

2010-01-21T16:04:00.004-05:00

"A nation under a well regulated government, should permit none to remain uninstructed.

It is monarchical and artistocratical government only that requires ignorance for its support."

~ Thomas Paine, Rights of Man, 1792

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday

2010-01-20T00:05:00.000-05:00

In just ONE short week they will be 7 (Seven!). It has been a fun seven years. I am looking forward to the adventures of the next seven!

For more WW go HERE and HERE.

Trying Out a New Look

2010-01-19T22:04:00.004-05:00

It's a new year, I am looking forward to some new adventures, and I thought it was time to try a new look for my blog. I haven't spent too much time with this one yet, but I kind of like it. I will "try it on" for a few days and see how I feel. I thought I wanted something "Springy" but this layout really caught my eye.
I like the colors and the design at the top, so this just might be the change I am looking for.

We shall see how I feel in a few days!

Six Word Saturday

2010-01-16T23:19:00.003-05:00

Where do I go from here?

For more 6WS go here.

Awesome Day at CVS!

2010-01-13T15:55:00.006-05:00

I look for good deals everyday and always use coupons when I go shopping. Today I got a deal at CVS that I just HAD to share.

CVS has 12.6 oz Pantene haircare products on sale 2/$6.97

When you purchase two bottles and use your Extra Care card you get $2.00 in Extra Bucks.

That brings the Pantene to 2/$4.97

In addition, there was a coupon for $3.00 off two Pantene products in the 12/27 P&G brand saver.

That brought the price of my two bottles of Pantene down to 2/$1.97

In addition to all of that, I had $1.00 in EB's from using my GREEN BAG TAG (CVS gives you $1.00 in EB's for every 4 times that you use your Green Bag Tag)

So, after all was said and done, I got 2 bottles of Pantene for $0.97!!! Or $0.49 per bottle.

That is a deal that I will take any day!!!

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday

2010-01-13T09:18:00.003-05:00

It only seems like yesterday that I was dropping them off at Pre-K. This was taken on their first day of Pre-K in August of 2007. In 2 weeks they will be 7 years old (~sigh~).

For more WW go to 5 Minutes for Mom and Seven Clown Circus.

Monday...Ugh!

2010-01-11T09:59:00.003-05:00

Glitter Graphics

Trying to get motivated on a COLD Monday morning!!!

Snow? In Central Florida?

2010-01-08T18:45:00.003-05:00

Snow in Central Florida? Apparently there is a chance that it really could happen. We have the cold temperatures and we are getting the rain, so there is a slim possiblilty that SOME of us in Central Florida might actually see SNOW! The weather forecasters are saying that it would happen early Saturday morning. Whether anyone in our house is awake to see it will remain to be seen. Let's just say...it's Saturday morning, no school, no morning commitments, and cold temperatures, that sounds like a good sleeping in morning to me!

Old Navy Coupons!

2010-01-08T10:12:00.006-05:00

There are still coupons available on this weeks Old Navy weekly online coupon site. Go to this website http://www.oldnavyweekly.com/ to see what coupons you might find. I clicked on the shoe of the model on your far right and got a 25% off entire purchase coupon. Just click around the site, you never know what will come up! Good-luck!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-06T16:39:00.002-05:00

In three weeks they will be SEVEN years old. How has the time gone by so fast?

For more WW go HERE.

Kisses at CVS

2010-01-04T13:22:00.004-05:00

I found a great deal at CVS on Holiday Hershey's Kisses. I have visited two stores in the last 5 days and both stores had 75% off of all their Christmas items. Both stores had an abundance of Holiday Hershey's Kisses. After the 75% off, they came to .87 cents per bag!

I bought four bags and put them in my freezer. I plan to seperate the red and green kisses to use for Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day. I know I will not be able to find Kisses for .87 cents per bag before either of those holidays!

Get out to CVS fast, they are sure be sold out of Kisses soon! They had great deals on Christmas wrapping paper, ribbon. tissue, and boxes too.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs for $8.99

2010-01-04T11:15:00.004-05:00

Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs will be released on DVD and Blu-ray tomorrow, Tuesday, January 5th. Here is a way to own the movie for $8.99.

Target is selling the movie for $15.99. Commom Sense with Money has a rebate on her blog for $4.oo when you buy the movie and two Ronzoni products. In addition there is a $3.00 printable coupon that you can use at the time you purchase the movie. And, if that isn't enough, there is a 1$/2 boxes of Ronzoni at Coupons.com.

Now that is a good deal. We will be having movie night with some type of pasta dish at our house on Friday night!!!

Six Word Saturday

2010-01-02T23:09:00.003-05:00

Housework, Ice Skating, Birthday Celebration...Whew!!!

For more 6WS go here.

Happy New Year ~ 2010

2009-12-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

New Years Widget by Widgia

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday

2009-12-30T00:00:00.003-05:00

'Tis the season for winter sports, but ice skating in Florida??? Who would have thought. Chris and I both grew up in northern states and we often wish that our kids could experience winter and the Christmas season the same way that we did.

This week they got to experience a small piece of northern fun. We took the whole crew skating at a local ice skating rink.

I was a little unsure of what to expect prior to taking the kids skating. They all said that they wanted to go...however only CJ has skated before and that was once or twice about seven years ago.

We let them know before we went that they would fall on the ice and it is not as easy as it looks.

When we got to the rink everyone was anxious to get their very stylish rented skates on and hit the ice. To my surprise, they all took to it right away.

The girls traveled around the rink holding the sides and one of our hands for the first half hour. CJ headed right out and gave it his best shot. He fell...a lot...but he never gave up or got discouraged. He loves to play hockey in the garage and would love to try ice hockey. I believe his desire to play was all the motivation he needed to keep trying.

After the first half hour, Caley was skating like a pro. She stopped holding the side, was pulling me around the ice, and spent quite a bit of time skating on her own. Caitlyn was a little less adventurous, but she eventually stopped holding the side and ventured out on her own too.

The boys had a great time and loved being able to wear their hockey jerseys on the ice rather than just around town.

By the time open skating was over, everyone was having a great time and loving the ice. The girls cried when we had to leave the rink. Who would have thought of all the activities I have ever asked them if they wanted to do, it would turn out to be ice skating. It looks like ice skating lessons are in our future.

You can take the people out of the North...but you can't take the North out of the people!!!

For more WW go HERE and HERE.

Ready for Santa

2009-12-25T00:01:00.005-05:00

Christmas Eve dinner is over, the Candlelight service at church has come and gone, a few of the gifts have been opened and played with...

The cookies and milk are in place and waiting for Santa...

The new Christmas PJ's are on and everyone is in bed.

Now we wait for the Santa to arrive!

Merry Christmas to everyone!!!

Wordless Wednesday ~ 2 days to go!

2009-12-23T14:40:00.004-05:00

Counting down the days until Christmas at Downtown Disney.
For more WW go HERE and HERE.

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday ~ Santa Sightings

2009-12-16T00:22:00.005-05:00

We have been seeing Santa all over town this year. We saw this Santa at Norway in EPCOT.

This Santa showed up to our Pack Meeting on Monday night to had out Pinewood Derby cars to all of the scouts.

For more Wordless Wednesday go here and here.

I WON!!!

2009-12-15T20:10:00.002-05:00

Last Friday night our town held it's annual Christmas tree and street lighting festival. At the festival there were lots of local vendors with things to sell and give away. Several of the vendors had raffle ticket drawing for cute holiday baskets full of all kinds of Christmas stuff. I entered several of the drawing, not for a minute thinking that I would win ANY of them. Well, of all the great surprises, I got a call yesterday from our local power company. I actually WON the raffle that they were holding. I won this cute sleigh full of all kinds of cute stuff. The sleigh was filled with 4 scented candles, a candle snuffer, vanilla scented potpourri, an oil lantern, two leaf shaped candle stick holders, a light -up snowman, a fleece blanket, and a Manheim Steamroller CD.

How fun!!! I guess I should enter raffles more often!

Why We Should Believe in Santa Claus

2009-12-14T10:47:00.006-05:00

Whenever my kids question me about wether or not I believe in Santa Claus I always answer them with a very confident, YES! For the last few years they have come to me with stories from the kids at school and in the neightborhood who do not believe in Santa or who say that there is no Santa Claus. My response to them has been that I think those kids are silly not to believe in Santa. I expain to them that it is harmless to believe in Santa, and if you don't believe in Santa you might not get a gift from him on Christmas morning. So, wether they really believe or not, we continue on with the myth and the tradition.

This week I was thrilled to read a story in the Sunday Parade magazine that helped me to justify my continuing belief in Santa. Here is a short exerpt from the article...

"There is a moment in J.M Barrie's Peter Pan when the audience is invited to revive the dying fairy Tinkerbell and told, 'If you believe in fairies, clap your hands.' And every time, the theater breaks into sustained applause. That is not to suggest there are theaters full of seriously deluded people. What it does tell us is that there are times when we need to pretend to believe in things we know not to be true. We know that the world is a place of suffering and hardship, and we know too, that justice and kindness and love and such things will not always prevail against these hard realities. Myths help us to get by. The day they all die and we tell our children exactly how things are, the world will be a poorer, less enchanted place. So don't be ashamed to clap your hands at Peter Pan or act as if Santa exists. He stands for kindness and generosity, and those things are alive and will continue to be alive --as long as we believe."

~ Alexander McCall Smith

To read the article in it's entirety go to Parade magazine online.

Question of the Week ~ Favorite Holiday Movies

2009-12-13T01:01:00.006-05:00

The question of the week over at Multiples and More is..."What are your favorite Holiday movies?" Here are a few of mine.

It's a Wonderful Life (it is not Christmas without this movie!)
Miracle on 34th Street
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
The Santa Clause
Polar Express
Christmas with the Krank's
A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Christmas Carol
Home Alone
When Harry met Sally (I know this is not a traditional Christmas movie, but there is Christmas in it, and I love to watch it at Christmas time.)

To see what other people are watching at Christmas time...head over to Multiples and More!
Happy movie watching!!!