Friday 31 May 2013

A Week in Review (May 19-25)

A Week in Review (May 19-25)

Watched:  My little man have a blast at his field day put on by his PE teacher.  They had so many fun games that I have put into my bank for later.  I also appreciated getting soaked by all the kiddos during the water ball fight.  It was a crowd favorite both during his 2012 Field Day and this years.  I think most of the kids remembered.  Nick had a dental emergency, so he had to leave just as this event was starting, so it really worked out perfect for everyone.  Jack got to throw one at his dad, and Nick didn't have to endure the torture of being soaked.  He did have to endure the dental chair, so I don't think he was much happier.

Read:  I finished up The Host (The Host, #1).  I stand by my comment earlier that this would be a more popular read if people didn't know it was written by the same author as Twilight.  There were similar elements, but love triangles are pretty common in writing.  I think this book is a fun sci-fi-ish read and would recommend it to a wide variety of readers.  I will definitely read the follow up.

Listened:  I took a break from audiobooks this week and listened to the two Fun. albums that I had asked my brother to burn for me.  While I think almost everyone has heard "We are Young", they probably haven't heard many of the other songs which are all quite fun to listen too.  Both the albums are available are on Spotify if you would like to check them out.  The Gambler is probably my favorite, but I am partial since that is the song that my brother and his wife chose to put on their slideshow that I made them for their wedding.

Made: It through the school year.  I am so glad that I chose to go on this journey with them.  Their parents all had very kind things to say about my time with their children.  Our final day of Water Day ended up being pretty chilly, but I think overall everyone had fun for the most part.  I hope they all have continued success as they continue on in their school careers!

Felt:  Kind of sad that I will never be the mother of a preschooler again. It is my area of expertise and I enjoyed sharing my ideas with his teachers.  I am looking forward to the next chapter of his life.  I know that I will become super involved with the PTO and I hope that he meets people who will become life long friends.

Planned: To get myself a new grooming brush.  When I picked up Barley from his grooming appointment on Thursday, I was able to see them using a tool on him that I had never seen it.  It is called the Zoom Groom.  It is basically just a silicone shaped dog with nubs underneath it.  However, it pulls out his undercoat like a champ without making me feel like I am irritating his skin.  They even make one for cats.  HERE is link to the Petco page talking about them.

Loved:  That my mom made into town for the start of an almost week long visit.  Hence why this post is so late!  We had a blast taking her DeAnna Rose and acting like tourists rather than normal patrons. They didn't have any pins in her hometown, so the next time we go back, we will have to see if it is up there now.  I think Jack will be pretty excited if the pin is there.

Here are the pics for the week:

The Statue of Liberity Game--They had to fill the plunger up with water from the cup, then carry it over their head back to a five gallon bucket. Which ever team had the most water was the winner. 


They also did a jump the rope game. Timeless classic!


They ended the day with a sweet treat. 


Here is his on his final day with his teacher and two aides. 



I also convinced Nick that he should get passes to Worlds of Fun with us and we had our first trip on Thursday. 


Last our DeAnna Rose Pics




Tuesday 21 May 2013

A Week in Review (May 12-18)

A Week in Review (May 12-18)

Watched: A circus. It was way too hot in the building, but the kids had a good time. I enjoyed it enough to see myself going back every couple years.  Because it was held inside a gym, it was very intimate   They did pony rides and Jack rode an elephant, but I didn't get a good shot of that. 

Read:  I finished up Water for Elephants.  I have had this on my To Be Read list for quite some time, but I hadn't heard much about the book, except that most people liked it and that had been turned into a movie. Plus, I also the way that the cover looked.   I thought the characters were extremely well developed. I was really drawn into the story by my emotional connection to the characters. I liked the way the story was told by 23 year old Jacob and 90/93 Jacob.  If you are looking for a book about circus living and determination, I think that this is great book for you.


Listened:  I'm just still plugging away on my audiobooks.  Since I finished up , I am now able to focus on 
The Host (The Host, #1). I am hoping to finish up this upcoming week.  A lot of people compare it to her famous Twilight series, and while I think it as some obvious correlations, I would bet that most people could read the book and have no idea that they were the same author.  I also believe that most people would enjoy the book more if they didn't know who the author was.

Made: it through a long week, 3 days of which Nick was out of town. Jack and I had our moments with each other, but we both survived unscathed. We also had a few fun moments using up our mini golf groupons.

Felt:  Proud of Jack. He earned his yellow belt in karate this week. He thinks that he is going all the way to a black belt. He enjoys his time at class and we will keep him going as long as he enjoys it.  We were hoping for a class in the summer, but they decided that the there were not enough students to warrant a class. 


Planned: A fun week for my kiddos.  We made a darling video that I was able to upload for parents and I think they really enjoyed it. We also read Little Bunny Foo Foo, which was such a big hit we had to re-read each day we met.

Loved: My Mother's Day gifts. Jack made me some fun things at preschool and Nick did a bunch of honey-do stuff. They took me out to Mongolian BBQ and made grilled fished. Yummy!  They also bought me tickets to Buzz Under the Stars, Night 2. My favorite band The Killers will be playing!  Looking forward to jamming out :)

Here are the pics for the week:

Jack raising his yellow belt after his year end performance. 


He had to put it on right away. 


Next we had his field day that is put on my the Early Childhood Center behind his school. 


Notice the seahorse is backward. I think he was using it like a broom. Haha
A pic of the artwork that was hanging in the hall. 

Pics from the circus:


We also got to play with Aunt Valerie and had a surprise visit from Aunt Debbie and Uncle Kevin(but I failed to get a pic!  Not sure what I was thinking)


Sunday 12 May 2013

A Week in Review (May 5-11)


A Week in Review (May 5-11)

Watched:  Two movies with hubby.   Fishing hasn't been treating him well, so he thought taking a few days break would be good.  We watched both Ted and This is 40.  While I thought both of them had their funny moments, I wouldn't really suggest them to very man people. Ted is pretty vulgar and This is 40 says that spend you a lot of that time envisioning how you would kill your spouse and generally being upset with them.  I am lucky, that although 6 years away from that, that isn't how Nick and I live!

Read:  I blew through the book WonderThis book was chosen by the Bitch of Month in my reading group. It is a juvenile lit book, but still has a great message for adults. Sadly, it seems that I run into more of the Julian's of the world and less the Summer's. I think that this book may quickly becoming a common part of the upper elementary reading list.  I also made good progress on Water for Elephants and The Host (The Host, #1). Hopefully I will have one of them finished and ready for review next week!

Listened:  To help myself get through two books mentioned above, I have them both as audiobooks.  I listen to one disc from one novel and then switch in to the other novel and listen for a disc.  I got about two whole discs listened to during my Saturday garage sale trip/errands.

Made: Nick finally help me hang the pictures that we took down for painting in February!  I had really wanted to use 3M strips to hang them so that I could easily change spots on the wall without having to worry about any holes.  Well, let me tell you.  Two broken frames later, I am sure that a house that keeps their windows open in the Spring (hence getting higher humidity) and satin painted walls to do NOT make a good combination.  So everything is hung with the traditional hangers and I just need to replace a couple broken frames.

Felt:  Like an idiot.  I got a ticket for texting and driving.  I was actually only reading a text, but it didn't seem to matter.  Just so you know, in Olathe that fine is $130.  Ouch!  Not exactly how I liked to end my day, but...

Planned:  On being busy for the next couple of weeks, but then things got stepped up a notch when Nick got the information that he would having to be making a last minute trip out to San Diego.  He will be gone for three full days!  I have started some big lists because writing it all done helps me function much better.

Loved:  There was a lot I loved this week.  I loved that we were able to purchase a starter motorcycle for Nick. He had been looking at them for a while and we found a great deal one and he went ahead with it.  It's a pretty weak one so I know there is no chance of him deciding to go crazy fast on it.  I do worry about the other drivers.  I was able to help him get a couple things to go with it cheaply so that was pretty exciting for me too.  I loved the nice weather we have been having.  Yesterday, while we were waiting for Jack to finish playing with his friends, Nick decided he would cut off this dead branch on our tree out front that has been bugging me.  Well since he had the ladder and saw out, I asked him to cut down a couple more dead pieces that I found upon investigation.  It ended up being a bigger project than I think he was hoping for!  However, he cut and bundled them all without complaint!  I also love that Blogger updates their app so I can caption photos :)

Here are the pics for the week:  Jack requested that I take this pic and send it to his friend who lives behind us. Apparently they had some sort of convo about how fancy he looked!  Too cute!

Nick on his new toy!

The pile of branches that Nick cut and bundled.  I didn't realize there was that much dead wood in the tree. 

Monday 6 May 2013

A Week in Review (April 28-May 4)


A Week in Review (April 28-May 4)

Watched:  A neighborhood baseball game form.  Nick and Jack were out playing some baseball when one of the neighborhood boys came over to join in.  That brought a couple more, who brought a couple more.  Jack was by far the youngest, but he enjoyed himself.  I wish we had more boys his age, but he does well with the older ones.

Read:  Not much.  I seemed to do many other things and then, by the time I got into bed, I was ready for sleep.  I have promised my friend Beth that she can read my copy of The Host (The Host, #1) after I am done, but I just can't make myself read it quicker.  I know that the weeks until the end of the school year will be loaded with stuff to do, but my goal is to get it finished by the end of May.  I had originally thought I would finish it at the end of March.  Oops!

Listened:  I started Water for Elephants on audiobook.  I am really enjoying listening to it. It has drawn me in with its beautiful language and description of the circus.  I think that Jack and I will be attending a circus next week, so I think it's great that I am reading it now. It was chosen for my TBR pal on my book club.

Made: Amish bread.  I had heard of it before, but had never tried it or made it.  I was offered a starter bag from one of my Bunco friends and I saw it through.  It turned out pretty yummy.  It was a bit more work than I needed to do that Thursday, but I stuck to it.  If you are interested in trying it, comment and let me know.  I am sure one of the people I gave my starter to would share with you!

Felt:  Disbelief.  It went from 80 and sunny one day to snowing and 35 on the next day.  It was hard for everyone to handle!  I modified my lesson plan because I knew that my kiddos were going to have a hard time and I was right.  The modification went very well though.  They are forecasting 70's with a few thunderstorms next week.  I sure hope they are right!

Planned: To attend my brother's graduation, but due to the weather, he did not have a proper one.  Isn't that ridiculous?  The weather has been horrible all week and was foretasted to be the same on Saturday. Because the university is converting their former basketball arena into a volleyball one that wasn't available and the new basketball arena isn't quite finished either, they were slated to have an outdoor ceremony at Memorial Stadium.  They changed the plan 3 times in a week as to what their back-up was.  When I packed on Friday, it was going to be outside, so I packed my heavy coat, winter books, and some trash bags to sit on so my booty wouldn't get all wet.  As I was getting up to at 7am to be ready to leave, my brother texted me and said it was cancelled.  We could now just all go up and collect his diploma from a table.  They only had two backdrops for pictures and line to get to the dean was forever.  It was an odd experience, but it did leave us with more time for celebrating.

Loved:  Spending time with my family this weekend in Nebraska.  Why the weather did not cooperate, we all had a ton of fun being together.  Jack learned to play Marco Polo and loved it.  We also got to play some charades and some Catch Phrase.  We played some Neighbor too and Jack was thrilled because he won both games.  We also got to goof off with my brother's friends, which helps a soul stay young and Jack has a good time with their goofiness.

Here are the pics for the week: