A little kitchen conversation...

Noah exchange (yesterday morning) -

"Mom, is there a college near here?"

"Yeah, bud...quite a few of 'em."

"Good - cuz I want to go to one like ten minutes away."

"You do?"

"Yeah, cuz then I can see you all the time."

That's my boy. <3 br="">

May Mayhem

Between Abby's Night Owl Sleepover (only five girls stayed over this year vs nine last year - live and learn)...

Organizing and putting on the school's very FIRST talent show...(Abby and three of her buddies sang the CUPS song/Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone - they were so cute.)  
Insert video here - have yet to upload, of course

Finally finishing Noah's skateboard mural that my dad started back in MARCH...


And then getting ready for Noah's backyard campout party (actually had the party on June 1st)...


Things have been a wee bit nutty. Fun - but nutty.

But in keeping with my resolution, I forced myself to post a few pics to the blog that I already posted on facebook.

June will be just as eventful. Dress rehearsal tomorrow night. Recital this weekend. Last week of school - YIPPEE!!! Choreographing a little Aladdin Jr. Packing up for VA. Abby's gymnastics showcase, and right after, the kids and I are heading down to Virginia for 7 weeks where I will be teaching musical theatre camps this summer (hence the Aladdin Jr. reference).

This will be the kids' first time doing something like this so they are pretty excited...and they get to take the camps for FREE! We are staying with my dad and stepmom which will be fun too - a little crowded, but fun. Just trying to get all of my ducks in a row before we leave. Definitely stepping outside the box venturing off to VA this summer, but I think a escape from the neighborhood kids constantly knocking at my door ...er....change of scenery will be good.

Really, really good.

I Could Use More Moments Like These...

Nowhere to be. 

Ignoring my endless "to-do"s. 

Just playing a little Rummikub with my boy ( - took the game along to my mom's this past weekend. First time the kids had played. Noah can't get enough of it!)

Post Mother's Day resolution - play more board games. Force yourself to do puzzles even though you hate puzzles. Noah asked me to help him with his 100 piece Marvel Comics puzzle the other day. I whined a little a first, but I did it anyway. I just can't resist that kid.

She's Nine...

I can't believe it. It was Mother's Day nine years ago when we brought her home from the hospital - only two days old. Little fingers, little toes, swaddled (somewhat) in a little Classic Pooh receiving blanket.

I blinked.

Facebook post: Birthday lasagna and a full size drink! No more kid's cups for this nine-year-old!

This year has flown. I am talking by the speed of light. Seriously, I'm trying to figure out how to freeze this age. Abby being nine and Noah - almost seven.

When did this even happen?

Facebook post: 4/9 - Dinner outside at the taco stand

The closest thing to freezing time?  My camera. Even if it is just capturing a moment with my phone. The moments I want to remember. The ones I am afraid I will forget.

My facebook page has become a mini-blog of sorts over the past several months - posting (probably too many) pics of the kids and captions. Lucky for me, it's been right there at my fingertips since I haven't been able to make the time to sit down and write an actual blog post.

This going-back-to-teaching thing (just part-time among my other side jobs) has been a lot more challenging than I thought it would be...and even though most some days, I feel like I am barely keeping my head above water, I've realized that blogging was an outlet for me. I've missed it. I love looking back at these stories about my kiddos and my experiences as a mom (as long winded as they may be) and re-living those moments - frozen in time.

So I am making a Mother's Day resolution - for myself and my kiddos - to post more this next year. Write more. Tell their stories and mine - stories we can laugh about, learn from, and remember for years to come.

Because, holy cow...those years are coming faster and faster.

Facebook post: 9/4/12 - And they're off!

 

Facebook post: 12/31/12 Kiddos begged to stay up until midnight this year so pj party 

in the living room ~ Happy 2013!!!

 

FB post: 2/27 - After school donuts at Yum Yum!

FB post: 3/31 - Happy Easter! :)

FB post: 5/12 - Best part of the day: Snuggling with the kiddos on the couch watching 

dvred American Idol. Sure love those kids of mine.

 

Wreckless Abandonment

I never thought I'd be one - one of those bloggers who posted and commented pretty regularly, then dwindled down to a couple of posts a month, and then NOTHING.

There were a few blogs that I followed regularly - and would check back periodically hoping for a new post, a quick update, an explanation even as to why their poor blog had been so neglected.

ZILCH.

I hoped that everything was okay and maybe life had just gotten too hectic, and something had to give. Still, I couldn't quite understand how you could put so much time into writing and reflecting and posting all those crazy cute pictures and then just stop.

Now I get it.

Life just gets crazy sometimes. And as my kids get older, things are just getting busier, and time is flying faster. It's really freaking me out to tell you the truth.  At least, I've managed to post pictures and snippets on facebook...if only I could bring them all over here. I'd be all caught up! The only reason I am able to write now is because I skipped out on football practice tonight. (Yes, Noah is playing TACKLE football this season. All Daddy's idea, of course. I swear, I need a Xanax prescription to handle this.) Trying to keep up with everything (and everyone!), this summer seems like a blur, and I can't believe that school starts next week...

And this year, I am going back with the kids.

Yep! After an eight year hiatus, I interviewed at the kids' elementary school and was offered a learning support position. Woohoo!!! Thanks in part to the great recommendations their teachers gave me since I volunteered so much last year. I am sure some people thought I already worked there. :)

I have workshops tomorrow and Thursday - and I have no idea what I am going to wear. My semi-professional wardrobe is very much lacking after all these years of being at home. That's actually why I stayed home from football so I could figure that out. (I am procrastinating, can you tell?) I am really excited to be going back though and to be at the same school as my kids is what I've always hoped would work out.

So I can't make any promises, as I am not sure what September will bring, getting into this new routine, plus teaching dance, writing for BKids, and taking the kids to football and gymnastics - but I really do hope to be able to squeeze a little blogging in there somewhere.

Fingers crossed!

As Promised - Before and After...

Let's do this!

Marking the spot!

The anticipation...

The BIG moment!

Didn't shed one.single.tear - even surprised herself!

Cute as cute can be...

Seriously.

When did my baby girl get so grown up?


*Sure do love you, sweet girl...and your rose crystal earrings!

It Can't Be...

It can't be May. Where in the world did April go? Never has a month gone by so fast. I've thought about posting several times, but then my self-diagnosed ADD kicks in, and I am on to other things. I've also been hesitant to post...afraid of what might come out. Do you ever wish you had a switch to just turn off your thoughts? Over-thinking everything, worrying too much, what if-ing, remembering, wishing things were more like they used to be? Drives me nuts.

It can't be six days until Abby's 8th birthday. Seriously can.not.be.  When did this creep up on me? I was just now making her a pink and purple castle cake for her fourth birthday. And now she is sporting little pink crystal flower earrings that we have to clean twice a day. Yep. She got her ears pierced this past Saturday - an early birthday gift. A perfect way to end a perfectly girly day at "Sweet and Sassy" with her Brownie troop. They got their hair and nails done and had a little runway fashion show. It was too cute - although I could personally never justify spending that much on a birthday party. But their troop sold SO many cookies so this is what they picked as their reward - 2400 boxes, people! Not us - we sold a measly 75 boxes, but I didn't hold my own cookie booth every weekend like some of the other moms did. Wowzers. I will have to post some pics of Abby before and after - she was over the moon excited (after it took her 45 minutes to muster up the courage to do it) and kept thanking me over and over for letting her get her ears pierced. Such a cutie.

It can't be that my brother, sister-in-law, and their three kiddos are now in Texas - a THREE DAY DRIVE away. It hasn't sunk in. Thirteen hours was already far enough to Chicago, but he was presented with an opportunity in TX where he knows a couple of guys - short commute, all moving expenses paid, profit-sharing - so they decided to do it. I wasn't on board with it for purely selfish reasons - it's SO far away. My heart hurts thinking about it. I can't really blame them though. This 45-50 minute commute that Pat has is for the birds. We hardly see him. Brian's commute was over an hour between parking the car and taking the train into the city and then walking to work. Now his commute will be 8 minutes. Still why does TX have to be half way across the country? Plane tickets are so durn expensive. sigh....

It can't be that I have been interrupted six times in the last 15 minutes since sitting down to write this between requests for snacks from the neighbor kid, phone calls, refereeing...It's no wonder I feel like I have ADD. Now off to take Abby's friend home, then Girl Scouts, then the last TPO meeting of the year that class moms supposed to attend ( - hoping the DS will keep Noah occupied for at least part of the meeting).

It can't be that it's almost the END of the school year...

Good gravy.