Mom for the Win!

Every once in awhile I have a genius mom moment.  I was inspired by this post on Oh Hello Friend, and then tweaked it to fit what I wanted it for...

I pitched the idea to the girls - and miracle of miracles - they didn't shoot it down.

They made end of year gifts for their 5th Grade friends!  I walked them through Danielle's directions and then they had at it...I made a sample and they made the rest.  Instead of the bags (they had to make almost 60 of these) it was cheaper to just washi tape them to cardstock and save the time stamping the bags...if we were just doing a few of them, I think the bags are absolutely fabulous.  For the cards, I just set up a table in a word doc to give the girls cutting and folding lines. 

Admittedly, I am not the crafty mom when it comes to school things.  Store bought is just fine with me.  BUT, I do love a good (glitter free) craft that the girls can make on their own and this one was just screaming to be made in our house. 

Pen and Paint {and a story about big ugly faces}

I must admit, I got some pretty sweet swag at the Blue Ridge Craft Weekend (which I still need to tell you all about... I haven't forgotten, I'm just searching for the right words).  Sweet. Swag.  One of my favorite things was this print from Pen and Paint...

I have loved so many things in Lindsay's shop for so long now and have been so indecisive...so it was a wonderful thing for her to choose something for me - a fabulous gift!  And it looks perfect in my living room where I get to look at it all the time!

{and just in case you were wondering, I got the frame at Hobby Lobby.  Molly - stop cringing.  I think they're on sale this week...and thank you CB for that great find!}

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On a completely unrelated side note....  The girls were fighting last night.  It happens sometimes.  Big sigh.  They were in their room yelling at each other and Chris was listening in the hallway.  One of them said to the other, "Shut your big ugly face.".  Not really an awesome thing to say to your sister, but my question is...Do they not realize that their faces are identical?????  Just sayin.

Lap Blankets

The girls came home with these lap blankets from Pop Pop last weekend...

 

...and they are so excited about them!

1.  Because they are beautiful and they love them.
2.  Because Pop Pop told them the story of these lap blankets.  His mother made them and used to put them on the pews at church for people to use if they were cold.  Pop Pop wanted the girls to have these two because he wanted to pass them down in the family.

They are taking this task very seriously and have already talked about how they can't wait to give them to their children.

First Day of School

I left before everyone was ready for school this morning, so Chris had to take the pictures....

There was this cute one...

{first day of 5th grade, first day of pre-k}

When they got to school, Chris realized that he hadn't taken any pictures of them with the backpacks on (something I always do) so he did that on their way in the building...

Um, yeah.

And apparently, he had the attitude to match (or at least he did by the time I got there to pick them up).

I asked the three of them to wait while I filled out some after school program paperwork.  He said no.

The principal told him to sit.

He said no and then sat on the floor the middle of the lobby kicking his feet.

Then he bolted out the front door and I had to chase him to bring him back in.

Then once it was time to leave, he took off again...and tried to run from the principal when he squatted down to talk to him.

He moaned almost the whole way home and would not talk about his day.  At all.

He told us two things...

1.  There was a boy a girl that weren't very nice on the playground.

2.  He ate carrots.

Big sigh.

{Mrs. Spry, we miss you!}

Youth Art Month Exhibit

The girls were bouncing off the walls last week when they brought home invitations to the Youth Art Month exhibit at the Lamar Dodd Art Building at UGA...where their work would be on display with other students' art from the district.  They were having a special reception for the artists over the weekend and so, well, being the good, supportive, (and PROUD) parents that we are, we went. 

As a special surprise, I invited Aunt Molly, without them knowing, to join us.  Molly and I went out to lunch first and then met Chris and the kids in the parking lot at the art building.  We could hear the girls (and Q) screaming when they saw her get out of the car.  If Molly didn't already know how much all three of my children love her I think she figured it out in that moment. 

Casey's artwork was a landscape design...

...clearly the work of a genius.

Chandler's was an abstract art self portrait...

...clearly the next Picasso.  She was SUPER excited about the third eye.

{Molly, Casey and Chandler}

Sewing 101

The girls asked for a sewing machine for Christmas.  Seriously. 

I had brought out my mom's old sewing machine (like a 1982 Kenmore that weighed 100lbs and made this God awful clunk-clunk noise) back in the spring and we made pillows together.  And then they started begging for their own machine. 

But, I had no idea what a good sewing machine really was, or what would work well to teach kids to sew on, what would last, etc.  I didn't want something junky, but I also didn't have $400 or $500 to spend on a machine.

And then Elizabeth posted this with a link to this and I felt like I had hit the jackpot.  {And if you don't already read E Tells Tales, then you should.  Girl is funny, I tell you!}

So Santa hooked them up with the sewing machine and and all the trimmings, and the plan was for Meme and Great Gram to help get us started on our way.  Because I had never sewed anything (start to finish) from a pattern before and really had no idea what I was doing.  I am also highly aware that I get irritated when I don't know how to do something and I didn't want to ruin Christmas that way.  But Mem's and Gram left before the sewing could commence.  (Aaaaagggghhhhhhh!  That was me freaking out in my head.)

So I talked Chris into making a skirt with me when the kids went to bed.  That way we could figure this whole pattern thing out between the two of us and I could cuss and not scare my children.  And then I would know what I was doing and could walk them through it.  (Have I told you lately that Chris is the best husband/father ever???) 

So we did, and then I did, and now two little girls are very happy to have their own handmade skirts!

 

**As I am typing this, Chan is pinning together squares of fabric and sewing them together...just for practice.  I think I might have a seamstress on my hands!**

Conversations Overheard

This was the conversation that these crazy two had on the way home today...

Chandler:  Don't you think that we should open a shop together when we grow up?
Casey:  Yes!  Pendley's Closet?
Chandler:  No.  Sparkle Star.
Casey:  Um, why Sparkle Star?
Chandler:  Because when we grow up we're going to be glowing.

And that could really mean a whole lot of different things, now couldn't it?

I love overhearing kids' conversations, don't you?

ps - I made a haircut appointment for Monday.  Hooray!

Casey the Writer and My New Workout Plan

Casey came downstairs the other day and said, "Soooooo, what do you think????  Do I look like a writer???"  And, well, the answer is clearly a yes.

When we went shopping last weekend, I let the girls pick something new from Claire's and all that they wanted were fake glasses.  Ahem, Molly?  I really think they might be your children.

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I also had an epiphany last week.  I have fallen off the working out wagon.  My schedule is just nutty and during the week it is almost impossible for me to make it there.  But then I suffer from guilt.  And things just go downhill from there.  But then came the epiphany and I think its going to turn things back around for me.  

I am going about it all wrong.  Over the summer, I was going 3 to 5 times...during the week and saving my days off and cheat days for the weekend.  Clearly, this is no longer working for me.  So, I need to turn it around.  I need to go to the gym Friday, Sat and Sun...when there is a little more time to squeeze it in and cutting myself a little slack during the week.

Not too long ago, I had a melt down...on the phone with my mother...in the parking lot of the post office.  Awesome, right?  And she said something amazing to me.  The problem is that I keep putting too much pressure on myself.  

And so, I am taking the during the week pressure off.  During the week, my job is my job, my family, and getting the girls where they need to be.  Period.  End of story.  I have to make it day to day and then I can concentrate on everything else over the glorious, way too short, weekends.  

So, this is my new plan.  I'll let you know how it goes.

ps  - don't forget to cast your vote using the poll on the sidebar--------------------->

They really are blond.

The girls and I watched Soul Surfer together last night.  I read the book (and loved it!) years ago when it first came out and meant to take the girls to see the movie over the summer and just never got around to it.  Soooooo...we rented it off Amazon, streamed it and viola! a fun, girl, Saturday night.  (Chris and Quinn played upstairs during the movie .)

Prior to watching the movie, we prepped the girls for it...young teenage surfer girl, shark attack, loses an arm, strong faith, bravery, courageous, gets back in the water...and talked about how it had a PG rating so the shark attack scene couldn't be too, too, too terrible.

They were ready.  I was ready.  We were all ready.  When that particular scene happened, the girls hid under the blanket until things were less bloody.  All was well.

Then I realized that perhaps, all was not well when Chan said {and I am not kidding}, "Why is she trying so hard to surf right now?  Why doesn't she just wait until her arm grows back?"

Thud.

{That was me hitting my head against the wall.}

Later in the movie, the shark is killed and they call the father to bring down her surf board from the attack so that they can see if the teeth match.  It does and the father leaves the scene on the brink of tears.  As he was walking away, Casey said {and I am not kidding}, "Really?  Really?  He's just gonna leave and not get her arm back???"

Thud.

{That was me hitting my head against the wall...again.}

And the end of the movie, after the girls declared that it was just "-ish" Chandler said {and I am not kidding}, "I don't care how much they paid me, I would not want to be the actress in that movie, because I would NOT want to get my arm cut off for a movie."

Thud.


{That was me hitting my head against the wall...yet again.}

Roller Skating 101

You may be wondering where Casey is at the beginning of the video.  Just hold tight, you'll see her and her skating prowess approx 12 seconds in.  Trust me.  You'll want to stick around for that.

Dance Class

Really super pictures, right?  :)  I had PTO Thursday night at my school so Chris and Quinn had to take the girls to dance class.  Without me.  The first one of the year.  It made me kinda sad to miss it.  This year they are taking class at the Hamilton Mill Studio (whew!  yet another drive to make!) because with all of the changes in our lives, I wanted somethings for the girls to stay consistent.  Miss Bethany is that consistency.  Can I tell you how much the girls (Casey especially) adore her?  A.Dore.Her.  I am really excited about this year.  Chan has decided to go back to dance after taking a few years off.  She's in ballet and jazz.  And Casey has moved up another level for her ballet and tap.  I can't wait to see what this year holds for them.

I See a Cage Match in Their Futures

We have tried to separate them. Really, we have. We put them in different classes at school. They participate in different extra curricular activities. They have their own bedrooms...not that it matters, they still sleep together every night. When one asks to go outside, the other one wants to go too. When one wants to watch TV, so does the other. We force them to spend alone time in their room everyday, doing their own thing, but clearly nothing is going to solve the issue of fighting.

This morning: Chris was at a workshop. Quinn was at the sitter's. I told the girls to get dressed while I took a shower so that we could leave on time for my hair cut appointment in Athens. As soon as I turned the water off, I heard them. Casey's shrill, angry voice, "Say it like you mean it!!!" and then Chandler screaming her head off. I figured I should dry off and get dressed before making an appearance. I mean, I don't see what good it does for me to referee every single little incident between the two of them. They need to start learning how to handle things on their own. They also need to learn when they should come and get me to settle a matter.

Apparently, I do need to still step in and apparently, they do need some more training on solving their problems and on when to get mom before resorting to violence.

I stepped into the hallway just in time to see Chandler slam the door on Casey's finger. As soon as they saw me, they both began sobbing hysterically and continued screaming at the other one, and to me about the other one, trying to save their own skins.

Here's what happened: Casey came into Chandler's room so that they could jump off Chan's bed onto the air mattress that is still set up on her floor. In the jumping, she stepped on Casey's head. Casey cried foul and began screaming for Chandler to apologize, which she did, but Casey insisted that it wasn't sincere and that she needed to "say it like she meant it." (That was the screaming I heard when I got out of the shower.) Chandler swore that she did, in fact, mean it. Casey got in Chan's face, still screaming at her, and then Chan proceeded to bulldoze her out of her bedroom into the hall. (Her logic being that Casey never asked to come in her room, and while it was all good when they were jumping off the bed, it was not ok now that Casey was screaming in her face.) Only Casey grabbed hold of the door frame and refused to leave. (think Garfield) So Chandler slammed the door on her, pinching Casey's finger in the door.

I took care of the injury, but did not pass out sympathy. They were still yelling at each other and we had to leave so as to not be late.

The rest of the day has been fine. I think they're afraid of what I might do if they behave that way twice in one day.

Is this a twin thing? What do I do? Their fighting is increasing the older they get. Big sigh. Mabry? Erin? Melinda? Anybody?

Hamming It Up

{Casey, 8 years, 3 months, 28 days, 8 hours, 18 minutes}

{Chandler, 8 years, 3 months, 28 days, 8 hours, 17 minutes}

{Quinn...doing something very strange...like choking himself with the rocks. Not to worry, he wasn't really choking, he was just being weird. And this is a picture that I shall show to girlfriends in the future. This, I believe, may have been Frankie's favorite picture of the morning. Just so you know.}

Bring on the diva. Seriously. Who are these children?
These dresses? You can find them at Southern Belles and Beaus in Watkinsville. Just in case you were wondering.

They really are beautiful, aren't they?

And oh so handsome.

Love. This.

And I love this one even more. If that's possible.

And I'll let the pictures below speak for themselves. Q is completely the cutest child ever. These are the infamous Easter clothes. You know, the John John that Chris did not want Q to have. Here it is. Its awesome, right? I, for one, am glad that I ignored Chris on this one. The delightful Amber of Baleigh Grace Boutique whipped these up for us and I am thrilled with them!

Today was my favorite session ever. And we've had a lot of sessions. Q was incredibly good - the best he's ever been. And Frankie? God love her. She works magic with my children. You should take your children to visit her. Seriously. She is the best there is. Not to worry...these a sneak peeks, I'm sure you'll see more from this session too. :)

Observations Made by Casey and a Happy Birthday to Uncle Mark

My children are brilliant. Really and truly. And yes, I am talking about all 3 of them.

Chandler is amazingly tenderhearted and kind; she is brilliant in her social skills. We actually insisted that the girls be put in separate PreK classes because up until that point Chandler made friends for the both of them and Casey just tagged along. She is also (clearly) an amazing reader...or just an amazing test taker (a prefect score in Reading on her CRCT). Either way, its another sign of brilliance.

Quinn has a great memory. He knows where he puts things...where I put things...where his sisters and daddy put things. He scratched his cheek today and I said, "Oh, Buddy, did you get a scratch?" and he responded by pointing to the spot on his arm where he used to have a scratch. For only having 4 words in his vocabulary, he communicates A LOT! Seriously, brilliant.

Casey is another genius child in our family. (How we were blessed with 3 of them, I'll never know.) She made this observation while watching a soccer match with Chris the other day, "Daddy, have you noticed that almost all of the soccer players have black hair or are bald?"

Have you ever watched a soccer match on TV? This is absolutely true. Brilliant observation!

And Happy Birthday to Uncle Mark...the man who does cannon balls into the pool (over and over and over again) so that the children can "ride the waves."

Got Fevers? We Sure Do.

Good Lord. Seriously? The girls have continued to run fevers for the past two days. Actually, the only time that they were fever free was Tuesday night after the tepid bath, while sleeping with an ice pack. Chandler has gone over 104, 4 times in the past two days. I called the pediatrician today and she said that I could bring them in tomorrow for blood work. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before or not, but the girls are BEASTS at the doctor's office. Like go ahead and strap them to the table if you expect to get anything done kind of beasts. They scream. They wail. They foam at the mouth. Well, maybe not that last part, but close enough. And frankly, they are getting to be too big to
a. carry on like this...its embarrassing and...
b. be held down by me (Have you seen me? I'm kind of on the scrawny side.)

(side note: We were once told that they were the worst patients they had ever seen. Of course, this was when one child escaped from the room - while I was holding the other one for shots - ...butt naked...and went tearing down the hall screaming and trying every door to see if it was an exit. That was one of my most favorite days ever. It was awesome. I wish you all had been there. I'm sure you're glad you weren't. I do attribute this behavior to their time in the NICU after they were born. Nothing says Welcome to the World! like an IV in your head. I don't blame them for being unforgiving to the medical community. Really, Dr. Flowers, I wish you were closer. I think they would forgive you.)

So, needless to say, I am trying to avoid blood work at all costs. But after over 48 hours of antibiotic, steroids, and non-recalled tylenol/motrin, it might have to come to that. Sheesh. Yay for summer! Actually, it is Yay for Summer because thinking about all the sick days we would have to take for this little bout of whatever the heck it is....ugh.

That's all I have to say today. Now scroll down and enter the giveaway post directly below this one! It ends tomorrow night. It'll be fun. More fun than the doctor's office. Just sayin.

Summertime Blues

Quinn having his dessert - outside and naked (well, aside from shoes, shades and diaper).

Last night, at bedtime, Casey told me that her stomach felt sick. I told her that she was just nervous about the award ceremony at school today. At 4:30am, Chan came into our room and told me she was going to throw up. She didn't have a fever, so I got her settled back into bed with a trashcan strategically placed next to the bed. When Chris got up to take everyone to school, both girls were running fevers. Awesome. Today was the much anticipated Awards Day at school followed by big ice cream parties in their rooms. Tomorrow is their last day of 2nd grade. And they had to miss it. This afternoon their fevers reached 103 and Chris took them to the immediate care (our peds office is apparently closed now on Tuesdays...I was working my last day of post planning). Both girls tested positive for strep. Double awesome. Things were going well after the visit and into the early evening...so well all 3 kids had ice cream on the patio...and then they snuggled on the couch, watched a little TV and their fevers returned with vengeance. Chan - 104.7, Casey - 104.2 After 35 minutes in a tepid bath they were down to 102. The girls were counting on going to school tomorrow (yeah, right, like that was gonna happen) and are devastated to be missing it.

And let me just say, I was equally disappointed to miss the award ceremony. I love hearing teachers say nice things about my girls. I love watching them walk across the stage. I love applauding for them and cheering them on. I love watching them as they receive their awards - the looks of excitement and pride on their little faces - seeing the payoff of a year of hard work. As a mother, missing this day, seriously killed me. You can ask the ladies I work with, I didn't stop whining about it all day.

We have a middle of the night ER plan...just in case. I hate high fevers. They freak me out.

Sneaky Children

The girls had a luau at school today. They announced it to me on Wednesday with a plea for grass skirts. If there had been a weekend in between the request and the party, I would have considered making a trip to Party City and getting grass skirts...but there wasn't...so I told them no. A grass skirt purchase would require going into Athens, something I am not typically willing to do during the week. We live in the country, people, and no grass skirts for the luau are the price we pay. Then they asked if they could wear their pool shorty shorts....um, no. See, when both of your parents work in schools, you tend to have to be big followers of the dress code.

Chris (who usually doesn't pay attention to what the girls are wearing in the morning - like capris in the middle of December) was on to them this morning. They had on shorts with jackets zipped all the way up. They were trying to hide the fact that they were wearing tank tops to school. And they were busted.

The ironic thing is that I was just telling the media clerk at work today about how the girls are pretty good about following dress code and how strict we are about it. No short shorts, no flip flops, no tank tops, and that the girls know and understand these rules. I guess knowing and understanding wasn't stopping them this morning from being sneaky.

Casey's Explanation

Chris and I are both teachers. We are not big fans of standardized testing, but we understand that it has become part of life, and more specifically, part of our lives. The girls are at testing age and last year they did really well - they both exceeded all 3 areas that they were tested in. This year, Casey exceeded in all 3 areas and Chan only exceeded in 2. She scored an 845 in Math and an 850 is the line for exceeding. Essentially, she missed one question to not be the exceeding category. Casey took the time to explain to me why this may have happened.

Casey: Mama, you shouldn't worry about Chan's score. She probably just had to go poo a lot that day and she lost focus. I know. That happened to me during testing. It was all the mints. They made me have to go poo, like, every hour.

And there you have it. For the record, I am not at all worried about Chan's scores. She did a great job. Especially in Reading - a 920 - a perfect score!!! She did not miss a single question in that section!

Today I am Writing 3 Posts in My Head

Yes, I am that talented. But really, this is how it is when you blog. I have 3 different posts that I want to write and the rough drafts are currently being revised and edited in my head. I owe you a Mother's Day post and it will be coming later in the week. This just goes along with who I am - I can never seem to get cards in the mail on time, so at this point I pretty much just go ahead and buy Happy Belated Birthday cards, so why would I blog about Mother's Day on Mother's Day And now for a bunch of randomness...

At the gym today they had the food network on. Now don't get me wrong, I love some cooking shows as much as the next guy, but really? While I'm on the treadmill? Food Network? It seemed like a form of cruel and unusual punishment.

And speaking of food, the unthinkable happened tonight. Casey asked me on the way home from the gym/dance class what we were having for dinner. Sloppy Joe's and chips. (Healthy? Yes, I know, not so much. But I was in the mood for it this week. It reminds me of my childhood and I hadn't had one in at least 5 years. I know its been this long because Chris and I have never had one together.) Her response..."Yuck!" We got home, she took her stuff upstairs, Chan and I got everything put on the table and I called her down. She sat. She put the Sloppy Joe up to her mouth and began making faces and gagging. So I said, "Case, if you don't want to eat it, don't eat it. But don't sit there making faces and pretending to throw up. That's rude. You can put it down and go upstairs. You can just go hungry tonight. And if you decide you're ready to eat then it will be waiting for you. Your choice."

And so she chose not to eat.

Girls Night Out Part I

Last night? Yeah, um, I was just too tired. I'm tired tonight too, but I figured that missing blogging two nights in a row would be unforgivable (my mother-in-law worries when I don't blog).

Tonight, all I wanted for dinner was hibachi. Seriously. I couldn't get my mind off of it. Chris offered to buy as a way of getting out of a Mother's Day dinner. But he also didn't want to take Q out for dinner. So, tada!, instant girls night out. Me and the eight year olds. I was actually quite excited about this. The girls had never had hibachi before and I couldn't wait to see their faces when he made the big flames in front of us. 3 minutes after placing our order, Chan announced that she thought she was going to throw up. And then she started puffing out her cheeks and holding her stomach. I called Chris and he came to get her. Which is why this is Girls Night Out, Part I...Chan went home and now I owe her a dinner out. They are 8 and they already know about rainchecks.

Dinner? Casey LOVED it! She wants to eat the rice everyday. Steak, shrimp, chicken...yum, yum, yum!!! When everything was aflame, Casey jumped up and hid behind my chair. And then giggled nervously for 10 minutes.

Then a terrible thing happened when we were leaving the restaurant. Two boys with their father were sitting in one of the booths. I glanced at them and noticing that they were high school age (the age the majority of my former students are), I glanced again. One boy said, "Ms. Fondriest?" And I said, "Yes," with a warm smile on my face.

"Do you remember me?"

And I blanked. I had no idea who this kid was. None. It was HORRIBLE. This really, really, never happens to me. My heart sank. Ugh. What has happened to me??? And the poor, pitiful look on his face! It made me feel like a terrible person. Then he told me his name and I felt even worse. He is now finishing his sophomore year in high school, but when he was in 6th grade, he was one of my favorites! He just looked so grown up and he had changed so much, I didn't recognize him. I will be pouring over old year books tonight so that this doesn't happen to me again. :)