teacher gifts

Teacher gifts.  It's truly a love/hate relationship for me.  I so appreciate teachers and value the job they do...and I love to treat them throughout the year.  However, it begins to really feel like a chore sometimes.  I really want them to like what we give them...nobody needs more "stuff"!  So, I do struggle at times.  I do love the letter/questionnaire for the teachers...my cheat sheet...because it helps me treat them to things I know they'll enjoy.  And still, by the end of the year...ugh...I have trouble.

This year we decided that we would do the same gifts across the board.  Gift cards are always appreciated, I think, and we found a cute way to make it a bit more personal.  Cinemark has a website where you can personalize gift cards with your own photos {which we staged to appear as though the boys were watching a movie}.  The down side {which reminds me, I need to e-mail them some feedback on this} is that in order to personalize a gift card you have to purchase a greeting card to go along with it which is a giant rip-off.  I like to make my own cards so I was not wild about having to choose and pay for one.  And, at $4.50 a pop you hate to just discard it.  Plus it made my $20 gift cards $25 {yes that's right...20+5=25, and 25 x 3=75...ouch!}.

The only redeeming factor about the greeting cards is that they do allow you to personalize them, so I let the boys pick out the cards and type a message to their teachers which would then be printed inside, plus we added some cheesy movie-ish sayings like "Hope your summer is two thumbs up!" and "Hope your summer is 5 stars!"  Ty wanted to address and decorate his own envelopes with portraits of his teachers {beautiful likenesses, which I'm sure made them smile}.

Colin is getting to that age where, although he appreciates his teachers and likes them, he'd rather not get too crazy with the gifts.  So, I very simply decorated his card...

We, of course, hope they liked them.

blog-worthy

We are increasingly busy as the school year winds down...why, oh why can't schools appreciate how much is going on at the end of the year and limit the activities?  Jeez!  Art fairs and field days and picnics and field trips...sheesh!

Moving on.

Last weekend my niece, Courtney, graduated from high school.  We traveled to her hometown {2 hours away} to help her celebrate.  Courtney is pregnant and due in July.  She has decided to keep the baby
{a little girl}, and I know that she will make a good Mom.  It's a tough thing to become a Mom at her age...I'm proud of how strong she is, and of how she has embraced her future.  We wish her only the best!  We love you Courtney...unconditionally...

I also made a purchase off of craigslist.  I'm hoping that with a little paint and some new knobs this little beauty will be the perfect catchall for all of our art supplies.  I was hoping for more of a buffet or sideboard {couldn't ever find one reasonably priced that I liked}, but quickly gave up on that idea and moved on to dressers.  I figure if this doesn't work out here then we can use it in Eden's room.  I'm hoping it'll look adorable in turquoise blue with a little distressing...I'll keep you posted!

And who could resist these?  I cannot believe that I was skeptical about having a girl.  It is so much fun!
I love her to pieces!  {shout out to my boys whom I adore as well...but, I can't paint your toes!}

I'm off to watch Oprah's final show...

snack duty

* I feel like I need to preface this post with a little reality check.  I may have slightly...in my late night posting session last night...made this post sound like an earth-shattering, mind-blowing snack amazingness was headed your way.  My husband was curious as to what great idea I had in store...and was more than disappointed to hear what it actually was. "Oh, that's what it is?" he said.  Perhaps we, me and my friend who came up with the idea, are the only two people who appreciate how awesome an idea this is.  I will say that when I took treats to baseball last year several Moms were impressed...just saying.   You be the judge...

Snack duty.  The dumbest idea of all time in my opinion.  Let's move on.

So, you have snack duty.  You have a drink to hand out...a snack or two.  Kids scrambling all around you...grabbing...What did you bring?  What's for snack?  It's a royal mess... impossible to organize, right?

WRONG!

Check out this brilliant idea.  Simple, right?  Just cram them all into a quart size bag and into the cooler.  When the game is over...pass 'em out.  This wonderful, clever, make -you- look- like- a- genius idea brought to you by my friend Jenny.  {Jenny...I'm sorry my clever idea, which you were so anxious to hear about,  is actually yours!  lol}

Truly,  people will be in awe.  I promise...I know from experience.  You can just smile and say...  "What?  Oh, really...you think that's brilliant?  Stop...you're making me blush!"  Thanks Jenny!

6pm game time + dinner = @#$%!!!&*#$@!!

Baseball season is in full swing {pun intended}!  And, with games two nights a week starting at 6 pm, we're once again feeling pretty challenged in the meal department.  With both of us working during the week our game night meals have to be fast and easy...and we really want to make them relatively healthy too.

Enter the sandwich.  That's our super brainy answer...{we're totally a double threat!}   And let's face it...sandwiches can get pretty boring {especially when you're eating them two nights a week}, so we've really tried to find some alternatives to ham and cheese on whole wheat.

These are two of our faves...

Italian Pressed Sandwich from Mad Hungry

1 rectangular ciabatta or other thick crusted bread, about 18 inches long by 5 inches wide

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 lb. prosciutto, thinly sliced

1/4 lb. hard salami, thinly sliced

1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced {we just use thinly sliced mozzarella}

fresh ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon dried oregano { or use fresh basil}

5 whole sun-dried tomatoes in oil, thinly sliced {we use fresh}

Slice bread horizontally and drizzle cut side with olive oil.  Layer prosciutto, salami, and mozzarella.  Top with pepper, oregano, and sun-dried tomatoes.  Cover with other half of bread and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.  Press under heavy saucepans or cans for up to overnight in the fridge.  Unwrap the loaf, cut into servings and serve.  {serves 6}

Lightning-Fast Wraps from The Magic Kitchen Cookbook

8 grape tomatoes

2- 10 inch tomato-basil, spinach, or whole grain flour tortillas

1/4 cup light toasted onion sour cream dip { we've used party dip or plain greek yogurt}

4 very thin slices deli turkey, chicken, beef, or ham {about 4 ounces}

1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves

1/4 cup shredded carrot

Spread each tortilla with 2 T. of dip.  Divide meat between tortillas.  Top with  spinach, tomato, and carrot.
Tightly roll up tortillas.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for up to two days.  Makes 2 to 4 servings.

Now, I realize some of you probably don't need a recipe to make a sandwich...probably most of you...but I like recipes.  It's just how I roll.  I do switch things up from time to time...my kids don't like fresh mozzarella {yet...I'm working on them} so we use thin slices...it still works.  We add a little fresh fruit..some chips...badda- bing, badda- boom...dinner.

Stay tuned...we have snack duty on Friday and I've got a sweet idea that my very brilliant friend came up with.  It'll make you look like a genius!

Mother's Day 2011

Yes, I am just now getting around to posting my Mother's Day photos.  

I had a glorious Mother's Day this year.  I was well taken care of {as usual}.  First, I got to sleep in and then was served breakfast in bed.  I also received chocolate covered strawberries...my favorite and a Mother's Day tradition.  My other gifts included a garden stone which read "mothers are special" {thank you Colin} and a Mom book {new tradition} which was featured in the May issue of Real Simple magazine {but I read about it on Sarah's blog}.  Adorable!   My favorite gifts ever...made by my babies!

We then took a picnic lunch to Springbrook State Park and hiked around the lake.  The weather was beautiful...the day was perfect.  I'm such a blessed Mama!

my sweeties and me

my BIG boys

Ty showing off his muscles {he had to attach his water bottle to his shorts!}

Oh darn.  No big ideas here.  No beautiful pictures this time.  It's ok, because I've learned long ago that this is a place for me to write my feelings, vent, share...if only with my family...if only for our history.

Today was hard.  Emotionally and physically.  Physically because I'm T.I.R.E.D.  Don't want to get my lazy bones out of bed, tired.  Because my heart told me to stay home, but I listened to my head instead.  It took all my strength to keep it together.  Emotionally because I care far too much about things outside of my control.  Because I know that being true to me means dealing with the judgements of others.  Because trying to be emotionally strong when I'm physically tired is impossible.

The month of May is FULL of stuff.  Baseball games, appointments, concerts, track and field days, end of school days, graduating days, birthdays...all on top of our normal days {i.e. work days}.  And bottom line is this...I know that all these things are important.  I enjoy a lot of these things.  But, nothing beats staying at home...snuggled with my family...with nothing to do.  Nothing.  Boring and normal.  That's what I really crave.

Sounds boring?

I say it sounds perfect.

teacher appreciation + cheat sheets

teacher appreciation

It's teacher appreciation week!  We wrote our thank-yous this weekend and potted some pretty annuals for our favorite teachers...

The cards are my favorite.  I hope the teachers like them...

"cheat sheets"

Sarah's been asking me to do this post for a while and I figured that this is a perfect time to do it with teacher appreciation and end-of-year gifts right on top of us.

At the beginning of the school year I sent this letter to Colin and Ty's teachers...  

It's basically a little, informative letter about the boys.  I don't know if you can read it very well in this picture but it tells the teachers their name, birthday, who's in their family, and about some of their favorite things.  Then enclosed with that letter is another sheet....

This asks the teacher to fill out information about themselves and return it to the student.  It asks for their birthday and some of their favorite things like favorite food, color, magazine, snacks, store where they like to shop, activities, hot drink, and cold drink...just to name a few.  Then I stash it here...

in the family "owners manual" {idea from the lovely and talented Sarah } where it remains until I need to shower the teacher with a treat. 

I appreciate {so much} the job that teachers do.  They deserve, in my opinion, some royal pampering for putting up with our little darlings all year.  I like to acknowledge their birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas/Hanukkah, teacher appreciation and end-of-year.  Sometimes if they have something special going on I acknowledge that as well.  This year Colin's teacher got married and one of Ty's teachers became a grandma.  Colin's teacher likes to scrapbook, so I gave her some wedding rub-ons.  For Ty's teacher, I made a "brag book" out of one of those cheapo photo books you can get for a dollar, the ones they used to give you for free when you developed a roll of film...back in the dark ages.   Birthdays are nothing more than their favorite drink, snack and candy...for Thanksgiving I got a bouquet from Costco and turned it into two bouquets with tags that read "thankful" for the pre-school teachers {Colin was too embarrassed to take his teacher a bouquet}.  I do spend a little more for holidays and end-of-year gifts, but I'm talking a $10 gift card to their favorite store for Christmas/Hanukkah and maybe $20 for end-of-year.  Although, with two kids in school now I'm really thinking next year the holiday gifts will be much less...just a little thought...

So, that's how I do the whole teacher gift thing.  The letter makes it really easy to treat the teachers throughout the year to some of their favorite things.  I should work on making one for my husband :).

Enjoy your week...

Easter weekend

We had a busy and productive weekend!  It went by way too fast, as weekends generally do.  We painted our very ugly front door and now it's not as ugly, but it's still pretty bad.  We're trying to "get by" with it for a bit longer...like until we bust out of this joint.  But, with super-inflation looming around the corner we'll realistically be here a bit longer.  BOO.  

The color we chose was "poppy seed" by Behr {paint and primer in one}.  Not diggin' it completely.  Too dark for a north facing door...I think we need a shot of color.  But until we get rid of the red, peeling paint on the bottom 1/4 of our house this is going to stay.

Also, we chose curtains!  Yes, I made a decision.  I took a risk {for me anyway} and I gotta say I'm liking the result!  I did not go with the patterned curtains...just plain, old neutral ones.  We got these at Home Depot.  Cheap and easy {that's what she said}.

Our little chicks ready for the hunt.  Don't you love how they dressed up for the occasion?  {Sarah, E is wearing the dress you sent for her birthday...it is so cute on her!}

And, one last picture cuz it's so stinkin' funny... what a squirrel!

Have a great week!

P.S. I also made one of these over the weekend.  It turned out way cute!  Post pics soon!

crummy monday

Crummy Monday started Monday-eve, better known as Sunday, at about 10:30 p.m. when dear, little Eden woke up crying and clearly uncomfortable.  Gas? Ears?  Whatever it was wasn't good...I was up until 2:30 then Dad took over {pulled her into bed where she finally zonked out, of course} and I crashed until 6:30a.m.

It's cold.  It's supposed to rain and be chilly all week.

Dropped the boys at school.  Left Eden at my Mom and Dad's {guiltily} and headed toward another work week.  One of my favorite patients died over the weekend.  55 years old.  Sudden.  Sad.

Tom Brokaw once said "Life is like Jr. High"...or something close to that.  And my workplace fits the bill. So does 2nd grade, turns out.

I'm like every Mom.  I want my children to have friends and be happy.  When they don't..., when they aren't..., it hurts...a lot.  I want to fix it.  I can't.  I pray.  I wonder...what if I had made that choice or done this instead of that?....I make myself crazy.  I give advice that I should take..."people who don't make you feel good aren't people you should keep around".

Here's to a happier Tuesday.  Let's put Monday to bed!

Could I really have just forgotten my password to blogger?  Yes.  It has been a while.

Blog-land seems to be on the same page.  I seem to come across a lot of other bloggers with, what I have diagnosed as, blog-block.  Many have expressed their guilt about the time they spend blogging.  Others have nothing to say.  Some are finding life too busy.  I can say I have a bit of "all of the above" going on.

I'm in love with my children.  I have so much to say about them.  They feed my soul.  I want to record our memories here.  How is it then that all three had birthdays and little to nothing was recorded here?   Don't know, except that I've been living my life with them.  I've been loving them.  I haven't been writing much.  I hope that they will look back and remember the time and not miss the "reporting".

It seems that I have just enough energy for my everyday life right now.

And that's ok.

Bottom line...when they are all in bed, and I sit down to type, and nothing comes out, it is because my body is screaming go. to. bed!  


So I have been :)


I will leave you with an exciting tidbit.  I hung pictures on my bedroom wall!  I know, I know...I was feeling brave.  And you know what?  I love them!  And, I have plans to hang even more!

Risk...

it's highly recommended by me!

** did you notice the other addition to my blog at the right?  I'm seriously considering changing the title of my blog...

for Sarah

OK Sarah...here she is in all her crazy glory.  This picture looked a little less psychotic on my tiny camera window.  She is, however, psycho over chocolate...like her mama.

Will be posting again soon...I hope.  Had a great thought for a post this morning, but...well...apparently I need to start writing things down.

*Curtain update:  not going with either.  I'm stuck and will probably never own actual drapes.  I'm kinda over it for right now because I hate dealing with window treatments!