The Fish Hook

Wrestling...wouldn't be a good dad if he didn't show the boys how to do the "fish hook." :D

GO WESTLAKE FIRE!

Baylie's first volleyball game was today. It was a close game but they pulled through and WON! The school is thinking about changing their mascot...is fire a mascot anyway?? (Please...there is just something about hearing in the stands, "go flamers!")

Noise Putty

With the way the market is going today it makes one think. Is it fair that millions of Americans who overreached and borrowed more than they could afford are now being bailed out by the government and lending institutions to stave off foreclosure? Why shouldn't these people be made to pay the consequences for their poor judgment? When my husband and I purchased our home, we were careful to purchase only what we could afford. Believe me, there are much larger, much nicer homes that I would have loved to have purchased. But, taking responsibility for my behavior and my life, I went with the house that we could afford, not the house that we couldn't afford. The notion of personal responsibility has all but died in our country. Here are a couple of economic rules we try to make our kids stick to.
1. I will not buy toys for no reason. Birthdays, yes. Christmas, yes. Rewards here and there for a job well done, yes. But, we're standing in line at the drugstore and you see a toy that you want, you need, you have to have -- no way.
2. If my children want a toy for no particular reason, they are perfectly welcome to buy it themselves, with money they earn from doing household chores. And if you read the fine print, "chores" are defined as anything they do to help around the house that is not already expected of them. For example, they will not earn money for cleaning their own room, or for cleaning up messes that they make.
Ben and Nolan decided they need money. They each went outside and picked weeds. For each plastic bag they FILLED, they earned 2 dollars. Ben earned $2, and Nolan $6. While out shopping for much needed Sunday shoes for Nolan, we happened upon Noise Putty. Noise Putty is a blob of goopy fun that you can take with you wherever you go. Okay, here’s how it works… squish your fingers into the goop and as the air escapes around the side it makes a gastronomical noise. Noise Putty is fun, safe, and comes in a variety of different colors. Oh, and it’s also odor free! Both boys decided they HAD to spend their hard earned $$ money on this gem. Of course they did not bring their money with them. It is amazing that a store can charge $2.50 for a pile of crappy goo anyway. (no pun intended) By the time the boys had paid their 10% to church, upon reflection, Ben did not have enough to buy the crappy putty. But then he looks at me, expectantly, his little eyes filled with longing. And what do I do? Well, in the interest of avoiding the massive tantrum that would cause my entire world to collapse on the ride home, I do what any good government would do. I bail him out, and give him the extra .70 cents. He will pay me back...it's just a loan, just like Freddie and Fannie said.
And the whole way home was filled with waves of giggles and flatulence noises! Even Baylie, the way too cool pre-teen smiled!

Kindergarten Art!

Just a few of Nolan's kindergarten creations from today...I wish I could save all 236 that he has brought home so far...(just shy of 1 month of school...wow, now that's ALOT of paint!)

Our little Cub

Ben had a boy scout pack meeting today. He earned 5 belt loops, (his favorite to put on his belt) and a couple badges. I even got a pin...that Ben pinned on!

Kindergarten Spanish

Here is what Nolan has learned so far in Kindergarten spanish class.

Oh geesh...

This is ALMOST Baylie and I...she now has TWO blogs to my one! Okay...we are going mom/daughter date this weekend!!

baylie's high school experience

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Just say NO!

Lately, I've been feeling over committed. Stretched too thin. Overwhelmed. Considering the summer was supposed to be down time, this is not good. Considering it's just the beginning of the school year for the kids...this really is not good.
So I've decided I need to cut back. But that is easier said than done! There is always something I need to do or want to do. So what does that leave to cut out of my busy schedule? Things I haven't said yes to...yet! Since I have the disease to please, like most women (and some men!), I often commit myself to things because I feel badly saying no.
Not anymore!
Just say NO.
So after reading an article with a few ways to say no politely, I decided to share it, just in case you too need to stop saying yes to things that add additional stress to your life.
Ten Ways to Say No
1. My family comes first and they keep me very busy!
2. I have too much on my plate right now.
3. I can't do "X" but I could do "Y."
4. Maybe next time.
5. I really need to cut back right now.
6. I'm going to have to skip that this year.
7. Thanks for asking, but I'm going to have to pass.
8. I don't have time to breathe, let alone take on one more thing!
9. I wish I could, but I can't.
10. No, thank you.
This list will probably not help me to stop being over committed...they all sound way too rational and far too nice for me. For some reason, I probably still will feel the "Yes" word slip out occasionally but this is a start eh?

PTA again...urghhh

I’m not trying to launch a political career or anything, but now that my 3 kids are all in school full time, I’ve decided to join the PTA again at their school. I enjoy being involved in my children’s schools; my kids get so excited and feel so important when their mom is in charge of something, and I like the feeling of being a part of the community. But that being said, it’s not always easy to fit in the meetings, or to find the time for yet another responsibility. At our preschool, the Parents Association was pretty laid back. You did what you could, you came to the meetings you could make, and they were grateful to have any help at all. But at the "real" school, the PTA is run like the United States Army. Meetings are held on the first Monday of each month at 8:15am. Each committee is expected to give a brief and succinct report. Receipts must be turned in within thirty days. Unlike the harried mothers of two and three year-olds at the preschool, the grade school moms seem to be professional parent volunteers, and they take their jobs extremely seriously. The attitude is not one of gratitude, but rather, of expectation. As in, ask not what your school can do for you, but what you can do for your school. Or, to be more exact, as in, your child attends this school, and if you want your child to have a good experience here, then you’d better get off your lazy arse and pitch in, or else don’t even think about complaining. I’ll be honest: it’s more than a little intimidating.

But nonetheless, I enlisted. Well, okay, technically, I was recruited. At the end of last year, I was called by the former vice PTA President, who is now president, who explained that now that I have had practice for a year I should take on a committee chair again. I told him that I was slightly wary of committing to something like that, since I also have 3 kids' homework, a church commitment weekly, boy scouts, girl scouts, volleyball, karate, etc. But he assured me that the PTA was friendly towards busy moms. And I was like, well, that’s just fantastic. Here we go again....