Michael looses his FIRST tooth

Last night Michael ran out of his room screaming (oh and his mouth was dripping blood)-he had bent down to pet the dog and hit his mouth on the side of his bed....and presto out came one of his 2 loose teeth. Well the Tooth Fairy came to visit and brought him a golden dollar and fifty cents ("Is this enough money to buy a webkinz Mom??). Michael also noted that Henry saved his life-not sure how but he was forever grateful to the dog for being in the room when the tooth was knocked out.

The Wiz (Saturday night performance)

Prairieland Carnival 2009

The Wiz-Opening Night

Cross Pointe Ladies Night Out @ Artful Designs

Sue, Joanne, Sue, Tami, me
Sue and Tami getting ready to paint

Tami hard at work!

Joanne and I

Sue getting ready to create Italian inspired tiles

Joanne won the "coolest paint technique" award! I can't wait to see her piece after it is done!! Part of her glaze will "explode" in the kiln to create this watery effect-it looked awesome even as she was painting!

For the month of February, I sponsored a Ladies Night Out at a local pottery place this past Thursday. There were snacks, drinks, and a lot of laughing and fellowship. It personally took me over half of the evening just to pick out a piece to paint (thank you Tami for letting me copy). I really enjoyed just hanging out with some awesome ladies in an environment that was kid free!!!

Kid's Picks

I'm sure my kids (my 7 year old twins and the 5 year old) would be the first to tell you that their current favorite books are the Captain Underpants series. I'm not sure if they are really the best reading material (yep, they are FULL of bad potty humor) , but my son has been an engaged reader for the past 2 weeks and I am thrilled to see him reading!!

Our family does a morning book club called "Mom's Rocking Readers". I initially started this to cut down on morning crabbiness and it has turned into a really special part of our day. Our book club has finished the first Harry Potter book and we are currently reading book number 2 :Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets. Our members are ages: 9, 7, 7, 5, 4, 35, 37. Everyone above the age of 4 participates by reading at least a paragraph aloud and we do try to get a chapter done every 2-3 days. This book has been slower but we have had a lot of sickkies and we haven't been able to read every day. Nonetheless, it is a great book and we are all looking forward to watching the movie when we are done!

My 5 year old is enamored by the book : Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly and my 4 year old LOVES the Good Dog Carl series.

I get so excited when I see them reading-it is one of my favorite things to do as well!!!

Menu Plan Monday...the sickness continues

Okay, I have 2 kids on the mend and 2 that are not doing so hot. I am sick of coughing, used tissues, and red crusty noses. None of us are sleeping and I want Spring to come NOW!!

This week is chaotic as the play opens on Friday. I am grateful for Presidents Day-at least it is a day home. Peris does have practice from 9-1 so she will be gone. I will be glad when the play is over-it has been a great experience but she is exhausted.

My menu is okay for the week. I'm going to put in a few new things for the fam to try. We cannot live on mac and cheese alone!!!

Monday - Baked parmigian chicken with noodles and sauce on the side

Tuesday - Mac and Cheese

Wednesday - Turkey

Thursday - Stroganoff meatballs over egg noodles (new)

Friday - Pizza

Saturday - Michael's carnival so we are eating at Prairieland

Sunday - Chili, cornbread (I still haven't made this from 2 weeks ago!)

Head over to www.orgjunkie.com for some really good recipes!!! That's where I'll be heading to see if I can perk our meals up for next week!!!!

Happy Heart Day 2009

Our valentine's pizza
Ella reading to Emmy

Fiona reading to Daddy

Ella reading to Emmy and Fiona

Mike checking out a funny book

Happy "Balentimes" Day to all. Our day has been very laid back. We have 2 kids on the mend and one getting ready to bite the dust. Peris has a horrible runny nose, cough, sore throat and we are waiting for the fever to start. Fiona and Emmy, on the other hand, are feeling much better.

Tonight we had a heart shaped pizza for dinner instead of our original plan to grill out (it would help if I would have purchased lighter fluid-oops). We had "we love reading" fest before dinner and just enjoyed each other. Now the kids are have a "Wii love the Wii" fest downstairs-what would we do without Mario Kart??

Prairieland Skate Night

The most popular guy of the evening...Scott
Mark helping Michael get his skates on

Scott helping Michael skate

Aunt Christine and Emmy go around (this is where the guard scolded me for taking pictures so I didn't get many photos of our night)

Ella getting ready

Emmy and Fiona ready to hit the ice

(Peris was at a slumber party)

Last night we went to the open skate sponsored by Mikes school. Mark, Aunt Christine, and Marks friend Scott met us there. Poor Scott didn't know what he was in for-Michael clung to him all night. Mark has been replaced. We had a lot of fun. Thanks Mark, Scott, and Aunt Christine for spending time with us. You guys are all wonderful.

He loves me....

Last night my wonderful hubby brought these gorgeous flowers home as a surprise. I think this thoughtful gesture is my reward for enduring a day of 2 whiny, sick little girls, picking up grouchy kids from school, rushing to make dinner before basketball, and watching the dog dump about a gallon of urine all over the clothes basket and floor....did I mention the whiny girls??

They did make me feel special and appreciated:)
Thank you Daddio!!!

The Sickies

"I am not happy Mom"
cough..."Cheese"...cough..cough...hack

We are making the best of our sick days here together. The warmer temperatures are making it easier to get outside for walks with the girls.
We are headed out for some much needed fresh air. PBS kids has lost its luster and we are now crabby and irritable.

AHHHHH......

It is time....for the windows to be opened!!! The heat is blasting and I don't care!! It is almost 50 degrees and I need to have some new oxygen circulating in this house that is infested with germs!! The slider is open as well as all of the upstairs windows. I can feel the air pouring in and I love how it smells!!! It's the promise of good weather to come.

Fiona and Emmy are both under the weather. I sent Peris off with a sore throat so I am sure she will bite the dust next. She is just too busy-a nine year old should not have her schedule. As I have mentioned before-lesson learned. Hey-we've never had a nine year old before thus she must pave the way-poor thing.

I have the little ones settled watching PBS kids-yesterday went downhill very quickly so I am armed with the remote today. We will take Henry for a walk later (if I can find the tire pump for the jogging stroller) and we might make some play doh.

It sure does feel good to have this breeze.....

Vaccinations

After a post that I made on my Facebook account (25 things about me) where I addressed my fear of vaccinations, I had several people email me with questions: why do I fear vaccinations? Do I vaccinate our kids? Have we had problems with vaccinations? How do I feel in general about vaccinations.

Let me make one thing very clear. My opinions are MY own. There are many parents who would not agree with the choices that we have made and I say kudos to you for making your own choices. As we all know, parenting is one smorgasboard of choice. Do we bottle feed or breastfeed? Do we do preschool/montessorri school/keep them at home? Do we work? Use daycare? Become stay at home parents? The vaccination issue is just one more stand we take as advocates for our little people.

That being said, we do vaccinate our children. We choose to do this differently-let me explain. Until my youngest daughter was two years old, we vaccinated our children according to the routine schedule given to us by our Pediatrician (this is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics). We had no reason to question this routine schedule and did not know that we could alter this schedule. Due to personal circumstances with our youngest daughter (an autism diagnosis when she was 2) I began to do a lot of research into links between autism and the environment. This sparked a need for change in our family unit so we then decided to vaccinate our children by separating the MMR shot and requesting that it come thimerisal free (which we are told now that most shots are free of routinely). Our children receive the measles and then 30 days later go in for the mumps followed 30 days later by the rubella shot. Yes they are getting 3 shots versus one and no I do not feel that I am a bad/mean/cruel parent for doing this. We also do not do combination vaccinations such as the newer kinex shot (for dtap and polio) and yes Emmy did have a wicked reaction to this particular vaccination-a red, hot, raised welt that last from August 18, 2008 until December of 2008. We also do not do flu vaccinations due to the high metal content.

Many people will tell me freely that there is no official link to any disease/disorder and a vaccination-but to those people I say: until you have walked in my shoes you have no place to judge. Until two of your children receive an autistic diagnosis , until you have spent thousands of hours in therapy, watched your child retreat into themselves/not speak/not make eye contact/not play with another sibling, until you have waited to hear your daughter say "Mama" and your son to stop behavior that he cannot control, until you have taken your child out into public and have had people openly stare when your child is falling apart instead of offering to help...PLEASE do not tell me that you are right and I am wrong. Because even if you do, I am not listening:)

So there you are....an answer to your questions (I hope). And for the record my daughter has come back from a very dark place and is living a full, typical life. Our son has also come a long way and will continue to blossom with the love of his very large family.

Monday Menu

I am almost ashamed to post my menu this week. As of today, I have one child home sick with RSV/early pneumonia (that would be Emmy) and one child home with a cold and fever (that would be Fiona). Throw in tech week for the Wiz (Peris), late nights for the hubby (Derek), piano lessons and chess (Ella, Michael, and Peris)..oh, I forgot circus practice, a doctor's appointment, my work, reading partners, ice skating, a birthday party and valentine's day-whew. Needless to say, my menu was adjusted over the weekend and will be readjusted for the week depending on illness. Here is what I hope to serve at some point during the week...

Monday - chicken nuggets, veggie, fruit

Tuesday - grilled cheese, veggie, fruit

Wednesday - Hot dogs, fries, fruit

Thursday - Tortellini, meat sauce, bread, salad

Friday - Pizza

Sat. - Valentine's meal
Burgers on the grill (our family favorite lovingly prepared by Daddio)
Curly fries
Pink cake with pink icing and sprinkles

Sunday - Chili (from last Sunday)

If desperate, I always have the makings of breakfast night-God bless the waffle iron.

Webkinz Party February 2009

1st grade Family Reading Night at Metcalf

ASMC Basketball 2009

Menu Plan Monday

In the spirit of a post devoted to our weekly menu, I thought I would include the lovely snapshot of myself cooking...bacon. Yesterday we had breakfast for lunch and so I made Derek and I our favorite low cal (NOT) treat.

This week isn't as busy-I'm not working at all which really helps in the evenings. We do have our afterschool commitments (NOTE TO SELF...do NOT let Peris participate in Circus and the play next year-SHAZAM!!! what a huge time commitment for a 9 year old) but our evenings aren't nearly as crazy as last week. After some major frustrations with hearing repeated "yucks" and "eewws" at dinner time, I am giving myself a break and going back to some tried and true meals. I just need a week where I am not getting upset after working hard on a meal-it really gets depressing (does anyone else experience this??). So here is our plan...

Monday- Grilled cheese, soup, salad

Tuesday- Sphagetti and meatballs, french bread, veggie

Wednesday- Meatloaf, veggie

Thursday- Turkey breast in the crock pot

Friday- Breakfast night

Saturday- Clean out the Fridge/pizza for the non-adventurous

Sunday- Chili, cornbread, sandwiches for the under 10 set

For some amazing recipes check out www.orgjunkie.com

Have a super week!!