Parenting tip #249

Here it is.  My parenting tip for the day.  I saw this on Pinterest, and I just had to share.  It made me giggle & I am going to use this tip soon.  Muuuahh ha ha.  {that is my evil laugh in case you were wondering}

The only thing about this I have an issue with is the grammar.  The last line should be two separate sentences. As in Lean in real close & whisper.  It's much scarier.   Rant over.

Sincerely,

J- Mom of 3 who refused to nap today & who sometimes has moments where she still thinks she is an English/Grammar teacher.

Mindless Monday

This post really doesn't have a purpose.  I just have some random thoughts and happenings to share.

1.  I may have had the best grilled cheese sandwich of my life today.  Just sayin'.  It wasn't your momma's grilled cheese & probably is a little too spicy for littles unless they are into spiciness.  The recipe can be found here.

2.  I have a kazillion projects that I really really want to get done soon.  Our July is just so packed that I find myself wondering if I will ever finish these projects.  We recently moved  N & O into the same room (bunk beds are wonderful!) and now I need to finish H's nursery.  I also have a roll top desk that needs painting, an armoire that needs painted & moved into H's room, and a few other projects that either need painted, sewn, or just decorated.

3.  Our dog snorts like a pig when she sleeps.  Random, I know.  But she is sleeping right beside me & if I have to listen to her snorts, you need to know about them.  Important stuff.  I'm also thinking she is trying to create another dog.  Our supposedly non shedding dog is leaving clumps of hair everywhere.  Or maybe its a sign she needs to be groomed...

4.  The baby started solid foods this week.  Can you really call strained peas, pureed peaches & bananas, & mushed up sweet potatoes solids?  Anyways- I think she likes it.  Can you tell?

mmmm...I will raise my non existent eye brows to show you how I feel about bananas!

5.  I still sing the Gwen Stefani song when I spell bananas.  Just sayin'  You know you do it too.

6.  I need to make more laundry detergent.  It will be a blog post.  I love making my own laundry detergent, but I hate grating the soap to make it.  But unless I want to wear dirty clothes, I need to get grating.

7.  This blog post is a form of procrastination.  I should be cleaning.  

8.  My 5 year old lost her first tooth last Thursday.  It may or may not have been the result of her chin connecting with her knee earlier in the week...  The tooth fairy came.  Her name is Agatha (she left a letter). 

9. I got a very nice sunburn yesterday.  On my shin.  Not shins...shin.  The right one to be exact.  Who does that??  Of all places to get a sunburn, I manage to burn my shin.  It will be super sexy when it starts to peel.  But the aquatic center here in town is very nice & we had a blast as a family.  Even the baby liked swimming- along with the 4 year old who last year was very afraid of putting his face in the water.  This year, he has turned into a fish.   

10.  I haven't been to the gym for over a month.  H is having a growth spurt or something & since I am the only one in the family with the...uh...equipment to feed her, I am the one waking up at 2, 3, and 4 am.  This makes waking up at 5 to hit the gym nearly impossible.  Hopefully now that she is on solid foods, she will sleep better & this mommy can go work out.  I feel better after exercise & a mommy that feels better is a happy mommy.  

11.  Touching your eye after making & eating the sandwich mentioned in #1 is not recommended.  That being said, I think my random rambling is over.  The tears are making it hard to read the screen.  **Ouch!**

Have a blessed week everyone! (or all 4 of you that read this!)

Why Grandma & Grandpa's house is magical

I grew up in an extremely small town.  Not 20,000 people- which some people consider small.  Not even close.  My town's population is 209 & I have a hard time believing that is correct.  I had ten people in my graduating class.  When I graduated, I couldn't wait to leave my small town and small community and pursue bigger and better things.  I chose a college as far away from home as I could, without going out of state. (Dad said out of state schools cost too much.  Frugality runs in our family.)

As I have grown older, I have come to appreciate the small town I lived in.  Not a lot of my friends now can say they participated in every. single. activity. their school offered. (except cheerleading- no desire to do that one)  I was a 3 sport athlete. I was also on the academic decathlon team, speech team, drama team, in choir and band, mock trial, and the list goes on.  Granted, I did have to run cross country at another school since ours was too small to have a team.  Plus, I could still call up an old teacher if need be, and they would know exactly who I was.  I taught for 5 years, and I KNOW I couldn't tell you the names of every student I taught.  Of course I had more 6th graders in one year than there were k-12 students in the school I grew up in.  :)

But I have come to realize that I took advantage of living in a small town.  I know it instilled in me values I will have forever.  Skills that have helped me succeed.  Lessons I learned, mistakes I've made, and dreams I have dreamed were all forged in that small community. 

Grandma & Grandpa's house

Where you can...

 Fight off imaginary villains with a big stick- "Stay out of the sandbox!"

 Play under a willow tree

 Find the perfect hiding spot...

Jump over a running stream...

Spot a frog on a lily pad...

 Learn how to shell peas...

        

 Look at LOTS of pretty flowers...

Enjoy the beauty in a walk along the railroad tracks...

See the sun set over the farm...

I pray that my kids will always love going to Grandma & Grandpa's.  My mom often voices that one day they won't want to come hang out with her & will find the farm "boring".  I hope that doesn't ever happen.  For now I don't have to worry.  They love our visits there.  Even if it takes nearly a whole day to get to my parent's- its worth it. 

For home truly is where your heart is.