Happy Camper

This weekend we all went camping for Memorial Day Weekend. I think it was our best year yet- L and O are really at a super age for camping. Almost my entire family came up to visit yesterday. It was great. This is a funny observation that I made: There must be a certain age that a switch is turned and you go from being a caterpillar lover to a caterpillar hater. All of the children were fascinated with holding and catching and watching caterpillars while all of the adults were flinching and flicking and flinging them off of us. I wonder when or why that happends....

Homework Happiness (A little sarcasm)

I SWORE I would keep this positive. But how can one blog on the joys of motherhood without a mention of homework? I have to wonder- when I was a classroom teacher, did I torture parents in this way? There is no truer test of a mother's need for wine than a good ole evening of homework. I have noticed this reverse correlation: The more creative the assignment, the less "bonding". (Read between the lines: Do you really think the five year old is planning the craft follow-up activity for the buddy in pre-school?) Well- enough on that. Of course I am grateful that my children can do homework and that we have a kitchen table to do it at. In fact we even have a luxury I never enjoyed during my homework days- an electric pencil sharpener. I used to have to go down to the garage to sharpen my pencil- I can just imagine if the poor cherubs had to walk down the stairs to a manual pencil sharpener every time the point broke!
Well- dinner is almost ready. My husband is slaving away at the stove. (Translation: J is stopping at the pizza store on the way home from work.)

Poem to Honor Owen's Star Student Week

Owen
Playful, Persuasive, Passionate
Son of Helen and Justin
Lover of Playmobil, Harry Potter and Pizza
Who feels love, companionship and success
Who needs calmness, support and encouragement
Who gives hugs, jokes and new ideas
Who would like to see Hogwarts
Resident of Denville
Robbins


(This bio-poem was written by Mommy 5/3/08 for his star student packet.) This is the format of a biopoem:
Line 1: first name
Line 2: Four words that describe your character
Line 3: Brother or sister of...
Line 4: Lover of...(three ideas or people)
Line 5: Who feels...(three ideas)
Line 6: Who needs...(three ideas)
Line 7: Who gives...(three ideas)
Line 8: Who fears...(three ideas)
Line 9: Who would like to see...
Line 10: Resident of
Line 11: His or her last name

Reduce Reuse Recycle

This week Laurel made a speech for a homework assignment on how to take care of the earth. She focused on Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. It was such a sincere and innocent speech- may she always think so clearly. For her example for reuse she stated, "This beautiful dress is a hand-me-down. We get most of our clothes from the church. Every April there is a rummage sale. Reuse is better because when you buy new clothes it goes through a factory and on a truck and sometimes even an airplane." Of course it sounded cuter coming from Laurel's animated voice but hopefully part of the message is coming through.

Laurel Spends Time With Grammy

Several years ago a parent told me that as good as it felt to score a soccer goal in high school, it felt even better to watch her son score a goal. Everything is magnified when you see your child accomplish something. I would say the same is true with spending time with Grammy or Nana. As much as I love to spend time with either one, my heart swells when I see the joy it brings for Laurel or Owen to get their special time.
This weekend Laurel had a date with Grammy. She had a wonderful time seeing the Great Falls in Paterson, going to get more sewing supplies at A.C.Moore and visiting Turtle Back Zoo.

Everyone should make a toast

If you are ever feeling down or ungrateful, get a bottle of Prosecco (of course only if you are of legal age) and make a toast. There is always something to toast. Toast the weather, toast the season, toast for the fact that you have a glass to raise to a toast. It is such a mistake to save toasting for only MIDNIGHT once a year. Toast at least once a onth if not once a week. And toast early- 6pm or 7pm before exhaustion sets in. There is no better way to BEGIN a night than with a toast. Give it a try!

Eating Peanuts with Owen

Last night I sat outside with my five year old son and a bag of peanuts. He asked if he could have some. I told him sure. He took a peanut and said, "How do I get it." At first I did not know what he meant. Shelling a peanut is so automatic to me I did not realize it could be a learned activity. I showed him how to squeeze a peanut by holding the peanut with the seam on the side and squeezing. This did not work for five year old fingers. So Owen picked out peanuts that were already partially cracked. WHo would have guessed so much conversation could be generated. "Wow- this one is fat.... Oh, it's a skinny one... Did you see that one shoot out?.... I do not like the skin by itself.... Cool this one has two..." Soon there were no more single peanut or open peanuts left. We had to find an alternative opening strategy. I showed him how to put a peanut on the table and pound with a fist. This is the perfect five year old technique!