Santa - Come Back!

So in Kindergarten, K was somewhat isolated from older kids. They didn't eat in the cafeteria with the older ones and separated them in extended day. But K started day camp last week. The kids are more mixed K-5. On the second day, K lost a tooth. When she was putting under her pillow at bedtime she says to me "Mom, do you give me Christmas presents?" I said of course. She says "But does Santa give me presents - or is it just you?" I was so sad. I thought we would have more time!!! I said, "why are you asking that?" She said "A boy in my camp says he doesn't get presents from Santa, they are all from his Mom and Dad. He says Santa isn't real" I said, "well maybe he isn't a very good boy, and that's why Santa doesn't bring him presents." She thought about that and said, "he seems ok". I asked her what she thought. She said "I think Santa is real" and I said, "well, there you go".

I think she is ok for now..but I was so sad that it happened so quick. And its summer -what were these kids doing talking about Santa anyway???? Sheesh!

we are off to the beach for a few days....will try and post....

Kids Who Behave in Restaurants

Whenever I am talking to people at work or something and mention we went out to dinner, people always say, "Oh, I can't take my kids to restaurants". It makes me want to scream. The reason why kids "can't" go to restaurants is because the parents don't take them to restaurants. The only way kids learn how to behave in restaurants is to go to them. We make a concerted effort to go out with the kids every two weeks or so.

Now, I'm not saying we bring them to Ruth Cris Steakhouse or some high-end restaurant (although we do occasionally)..but just going to the neighborhood joint or a chain restaurant like Chilis or Olive Garden or something is enough.

And you can't expect little kids to just sit there, wait for their food, and make polite conversation. You have to be prepared. We carry crayons and coloring books, as well as aqua-doodle sheets and pens. It is not always easy. Especially with Big Man - keeping him in his seat is not an easy task.

Some times it is a nightmare, and we end up getting our food in boxes and leaving. But I think that has only happened once. More often we don't have a leisurely dinner, but more sort of rush through a bit so that the kids can handle it. But most of the time it works out just fine. The kids understand how to behave, amuse themselves with crayons or the like, and we have a nice family dinner.

But we think it is important that our kids learn how to behave in public. And the only way that will happen is if we do it. (And it means we go out for dinner without paying $15/hour for a babysitter.)

More and More Mom Blogs

Ok, so I got tagged with a blog designed to get people to check out more mom blogs. So...here you go!

--------- START HERE -------------

Instructions:1. Copy and paste this tag from "Start Here" to "End Here". (don't forget the image)2. Place your blog's name with your URL at the end of the tag. If you have more that one blog, please add them too! Just make sure that you post this tag in all of your blogs.3. Tag 5 blogs that is not yet in this post (just to avoid duplications ^_^ )4. This is the twist... Go to the 5 blogs that you tagged and comment on any of their posts. Why? So that search engines can crawl to your site. ^_^5. Return to the Momhood Moments blog and leave a comment saying that you joined the tag together with the URL of the tag. I'll be checking on it and add you in the master list.Momhood Moments Tags You List: (updated June 13, 2008 10:14pm GMT+8)1. Momhood Moments 2. Business Mars 3. Concealed Mind 4. http://www.ritzie.info/ 5. Personal Development Blog For Money 6. Vhiel's Corner 7. Anything and Everything in Between 8. Can of Thoughts 9. moms..... check nyo 10. Pinay dot US 11. My Blog Entry 12. Byaheng Pinay 13. The Sweet Life 14. A Mother's Journal 15. Welcome to my World 16. Thoughts of Mine 17. Pheandy's blog 18. stolen shots 19.veniz-great things come in small packages 20. Motherly Instinct 21. A Mother of Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow 22. Filipino love stories 23. A mom's note 24. Tasteful voyage 25.Pinaymama's Diary 26. My So Called Life 27. Straight from the Heart 28. Deranged Insanity 29. Aeirin Collections 30. FunFierceFabulous 31. Teacher's Corner 32. Hailey's Beats and Bits 33. Twerlermz Blog 34. Our Family Adventure! 35. Complex Life 36. .Bisdak's Footprints 37. Mummy Diaries 38. It Is Nap Time 39.Motherhood and All Its Adventures 40. Threetimemommy.blogspot.com 41.YOUR TURN! =)--------- END HERE -------------





I chose to tag: Teff at http://www.xtraordinari.net/, Laura at http://walkinglunaticfringe.blogspot.com/, M at http://2under2whoknew.blogspot.com/, and Suzie at http://wellbehavedwoman.blogspot.com/.

The Gift of Life

I gave blood today. Specifically I gave a double-red donation - meaning they took double the number of red-blood cells than a regular donation, but gave me back the other stuff (platelets? white cells? No clue really). For me, it makes things easier, because they get double the red cells (which are most needed), and I only have to donate 3x a year.

I have O-negative blood, which is the universal donor. So once I give, I get calls every 8 weeks or so begging me to give again. Giving double red will shorten that - because I can't give again for 16 weeks.

I believe that every community in the country is facing a serious blood shortage. If you have an hour or so - please go donate some blood. I know some people aren't crazy about it, and Lord knows I don't like needles. But I like to think that if someone in my family or amongst my friends needs blood one day, I did my part to replenish the supply.

For more information visit http://www.redcross.org/donate/give/.

Come On DOWN!

I am a game show junkie. I have always like them. I remember loving being home sick from school cuz it meant I could watch the Price is Right. Now days I don't get to watch many shows - but I have always loved Password. So I am so excited about the new Million Dollar Password. I love the game, but not sure about the way this one works. Basically if you make it into the money round, you first have to get 5 words to make $10k, then $25k - which is a safety level. Once you reach $25k, you can never lose it. But all the rest are losers. Starting with $50k, $100k, etc you would lose it all down to $25k. And in the million dollar round you have to get 5 words out of 5 with no mistakes and no passes. I just don't see anyone ever going for that. They need to have another safety level. I would LOVE to be on this show.


I tried out for Scrabble when I was in college, but didn't make it. I have a friend who was on Jeopardy. Anyone ever been on a game show?

Last Day of School!

So today is the first day of summer, and the last day of K's year of Kindergarten. This morning that made me sad. I know how much she loves her teachers and how much fun she has had. I am sorry for her that it is over. Also, the school kind of protects the Kinders (as K calls them) by keeping much of their day separate from the older kids. They don't have lunch in the cafeteria with everyone else (they eat in their classroom) and for extended day, the Kinders and Preschoolers are in their own room. Next year she will be in the mix with everyone else. She has been very anxious about it, and we have been trying to work that out. She was very comfortable in kindergarten, and I'm sure she will be in 1st grade too.

The worst part is - she is missing the last day of school! Last night she was complaining of a sore throat and by bedtime had a fever. Given that her siblings both had strep last week - we assume she has too. She is at the dr now, but we started her on antibiotics last night (left over from her brother).

DH went to school this morning to drop off gifts for her teachers and pick up her remaining stuff. The teachers had awards they were giving all the students in the class. My guess would be that K would have won "Most Likely to Answer a Question Without Raising Her Hand". Her teachers were much nicer. She got "Future President"!!! So awesome.

Luckily to celebrate summer, we were planning on having lots of messy Popsicles with dinner - should be good for the sore throat!

Pure Joy

So we have a partial season plan to the Washington Nationals. We all enjoy going - although the girls think we are there for entertainment other than baseball. Namely Screech and the President's Race - which happens during the 4th inning. The President's race is simply a race around the field by the mascot-like Presidents of Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington and Teddy Roosevelt. The biggest part of the race is that Teddy never wins. He always stops for a hot dog, or falls down, or something intervenes so he doesn't win.

The kids LOVE this race. And they so want Teddy to win. (Although K has figured out he never will). However, they are afraid of the giant Presidential heads if they are within 20 yards of them. Sometimes the Presidents wander around the Park, and the girls are terrified. They are pretty big - about 7 or 8 feet tall, with big foam heads.

They also love the official mascot - Screech. He is a baby eagle and oh so cute. The girls - especially B, love Screech. B always says she wants to give him a "high five". Well, a few weeks ago she got her chance. Screech was in the upper deck near our seats. DH took B down to see if she could high five him. The whole time she was standing waiting for him, she was so excited she was jumping up and down. It was precious. And then, Screech not only high-fived her, he gave her a hug. She was in Nirvana.

Now she needs to find and try and see him every game. Maybe one of these days she'll even be willing to high five Teddy....

Love Notes

Not a new idea, but one that works for me!

A few weeks ago I started writing notes to my oldest and putting them in her lunch box. She has just started to read on her own, and I thought this would be a way of encouraging her.

It has been such a great thing. Everyday I send her a little note, and every day she writes me a note back. It has been so great. Her notes usually respond to something I said. Recent quotes from my sweet girl, "You are a good mom to me be cas you alp me wan I am sic"..."I am hipe that you love my school wrc", and my personal favorite "I love you becas you are my boust friend mom". Obviously spelling not a big concern in kindergarten. But is surely has been a great way for use to communicate! And helping her read and write is a bonus!

Go over to Rocksinmydryer for more ideas!

People Watching

It's pool time! We have been going to the pool the last few weeks. We all have a great time. It is so nice, that for the first time, I actually feel I get to relax a bit at the pool. K is a good swimmer and is fine on her own (I make sure I can still see her!). B is getting much better. She wears a life jacket or has a noodle, but she putters around by herself (with us nearby). Obviously, one of us still has to hold onto Big Man, but it is great to not have everyone hanging on us all the time! It's actually been lots of fun for all of us.

Yesterday was so funny. We had only been in the pool for about 10-15 minutes, when Big Man started repeating "done, done, done". I brought him to the side of the pool and he hopped out. So I got out and wrapped him in a towel. He then sat down on a pool lounger and sat there for the next 35 minutes. He was so funny. I went back in the pool and he just watched what was going on around him.

100 Things About Me

So it is blogging tradition to post 100 things about you when you make your 100th post. I did not even notice when I made my 100th post way back here. So now, as my 200th post, I will post 100 things about me. I don't think I'm close to deep enough to have 200 things about me.

1. I have been married for almost 12 years.

2. I am allergic to nearly all living things - animals, plants, flowers, etc. Even formerly living like fur coats!

3. I have only lived in 6 places in my life - and 2 of them were dorm rooms.

4. I LOVE 80s music. I can't tell you how many times I have seen Huey Lewis and the News in concert (and the most recent time was like 2 years ago!!!)

5. Despite having been addicted to Diet Coke for much of my teens and all of my twenties, I haven't drunk caffeine for 7 years (except for the occasional caffeinated root beer and tea at Chinese food restaurants).

6. I wear a size 8.5 wide shoe.

7. I lost nearly 70 pounds in 2000 in preparation of trying to get pregnant with #1.

8. I am working on losing that same 70 lbs now!

9. Despite being from an Irish Catholic family, I do not have any first cousins.

10. I have only one brother and no sisters.

11. My mother was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 4...and lived with it for over 58 years!

12. Although I have had a cell phone since the late 90s, I am only on my third actual phone.

13. Purple is my favorite color.

14. I love polka dots.

15. I am a really good parallel parker.

16. My favorite movie is Ever After with Drew Barrymore.

17. My favorite number is 17.

18. I am an Amazing Race fanatic!

19. I have only lived in two states - and both are Commonwealths.

20. Despite never had any gynecological issues, I experienced infertility with my 2 daughters.

21. I have mild asthma.

22. I love nuts, but am severely allergic to pine nuts - but no other tree nuts.

23. I broke lots of bones as a kid, but never had stitches until I was in my thirties.

24. I never ran a day in my life before last year, and now I run 3x a week.

25. Big Man was a completely unplanned (un-medicated, unexpected) miracle. And is weirdly spaced equally with his sisters (26 months behind #2, who is 26 months behind #1).

26. My favorite winter drink is hot chocolate with Bailey's.

27. I wear high heels nearly all the time- ever since I was in high school.

28. I used to do stained glass.

29. I kill all plants.

30. I have only owned 3 cars in my life and two of those I have currently.

31. My friends used to call me the "cruise director"

32. I have worn contact lenses virtually every day since the 10th grade.

33. I have been in 10 weddings, not counting my own.

34. As a kid, I took lessons in piano, guitar, violin, trumpet and french horn.

35. I am a Boston Red Sox fan.

36. I have season tickets to the Washington Nationals.

37. I made nearly everything for my wedding - my veil (with the help of my MIL), my shoes, the invitations, the favors, the centerpieces, and the programs.

39. I love magazines.

40. I used to sing alto in high school and college.

41. I'm a Delta Gamma (yes I ama)

42. I had a 4.0 in graduate school (after like a 2.75 in undergrad).

43. I miss Cape Cod summers.

44. I'm a little addicted to Purell.

45. I am seriously addicted to chocolate.

46. I love Cool Whip.

47. I love all fruits - except I'm not crazy about oranges.

48. I was a radio DJ in college.

49. I once operated a studio camera for CNN.

50. I know how to Chisanbop.

51. I once worked as a lifeguard.

52. I love playing card games.

53. I love board games.

54. When I was a kid I would roller skate every day on my paper route.

55. I once bought 25 cents worth of gas.

56. I make an awesome blueberry pie.

57. My eyes are a cool light blue color.

58. When I am pregnant, my blood pressure goes down.

59. I make a great appetizer that involves kielbasa and Kahlua (actually that is the recipe) - and it is soo good.

60. I can't draw or paint to save my life.

61. My mom died only 4 days after the birth of my second child.

62. I really really really wanted to get married outside, but chickened out.

62. I can't speak foreign languages - i have taken lessons in French, Spanish and Japanese but I really suck at them.


63. I love Chinese food.

64. When I was pregnant with #1, the only thing that could keep me from throwing up was Orange Juice - which I used to hate.

65. I am a really fast reader.

66. I am a wimp when it comes to spicy foods.

67. I used to knit. I miss it.

68. I am very crafty.

69. I have no willpower over ice cream (unless it is plain vanilla or a gross flavor like mint chocolate chip).

70. I don't like mushrooms - but love Veal Marsala (i pick the mushrooms out).

71. A giant beefsteak tomato with salt (and maybe some balsamic vinegar) makes an awesome summer lunch.

72. My hands are made of asbestos - actually probably my whole body. I take really hot showers, and have been known to touch hot pans straight from the oven.

73. I used to bite my fingernails. Now I peel them.

74. My eyes are REALLY sensitive to light. Going in the sun without sun glasses really hurts.

75. I have really high arches in my feet.

76. I scare some people with my driving.

77. I like peanut butter and bacon sandwiches (although I haven't had one in probably 10 years!)

78. My DH taught me to drive a stick shift. My MIL was afraid we would break up over it, but it was fine.

79. I have ridden a segway.

80. I love scented candles and candlelight.

81. Prior to this year, I hadn't been to a dentist in more than 10 years!


82. I have ridden in a glider plane...way up high...and was TERRIFIED.

83. I love roller coasters - but more the old-fashioned ones than the crazy death-defying ones now out there!

84. I love a crackling fire.

85. I don't have my tonsils anymore, but I still have my appendix.

86. I love to drink water - I probably have more than 65 oz per day.

87. I used to know how to program in Basic.

88. All my kids have the same middle name (my maiden name).

89. Someday I really really want to own a house on the water (or close to the water).

90. I have taken a bartending course and worked as a bartender for over a year.

91. My blood is type O-negative, and I try to donate whenever I can.

92. I was a music/drama geek in high school.

93. I never rode a bus to school. I was a "walker" for elementary, jr high, and high school.

94. I applied to something like 9 colleges, and my parents sent in a deposit to 2 different universities before I decided where I would go.

95. I used to be prone to migraines, now I only get them occasionally (thank God!)

96. I am a sucker for cute office supplies.

97. I used to remove my own braces with pliers.

98. I refused to drink beer in college - only fruity liquor drinks and those awful 2-liter bottles of wine coolers!

99. I am a bit of a television addict. I blame my parents, up through high school I could only watch 1 hour a day of tv (even on weekends!)

100. I found it very hard to come up with 100 things about me!

Public School ROCKS!

So my oldest, K, goes to the local public school. And by local, I mean 2 doors away. I have to say that we are lucky to live in an area that has some of the best public schools in the country. That said, I know a bunch of people that send their kids to private school. That just kills me. You pay all this extra money in property taxes and other fees to live in an area with high quality schools - and you send your kid to private school. I just don't get it. But anyway...

In our County we have options for school - we can go to the neighborhood joint, or we can select other options- like Montessori or Spanish-immersion. But we really wanted her to go to the local school, and I am so glad we made that choice.

First, at the Kindergarten orientation last year the Principal said we could schedule an appointment to come meet with her individually. So, I did. And at that meeting, she suggested I take an hour and visit the three kindergarten classes to get a feel for them, and offer my advice on which one would be best for my child. And so I did, and we love the teacher we selected that K got.

Now, as we approach 1st grade, I asked the Principal if I could do the same thing and for first grade. She welcomed my input, so I went and observed the three 1st grade classrooms. They were all great, but I definitely had a preference, which I emailed the principal.

I know that not all public schools are as welcoming, or helpful, or high quality. But I am so grateful for ours!

Four and Fabulous

It is B's birthday today. What can I say? She is so incredible. Funny, sweet, so articulate, stubborn, smart, goofy, gorgeous. As my MIL says, "with three kids someone has to be the middle child, but it sure isn't going to be her!" She amazes me every day. She loves to talk (and does so CONSTANTLY), and even when she has misbehaved, is very practical about it - "Mommy, I had to miss having ice cream because I wasn't a good listener. I hope I listen better next time." (preceeded by a 30 minute screaming/crying fit, but at least she gets it!) She is also very photogenic, as you can see! Happy Birthday, big girl!

Typhoid Family

So we had two parties this weekend for B's birthday (which is tomorrow). This morning I brought B and Big Man to the Dr and both were diagnosed with strep throat. In my defense - they didn't have symptoms!!! Sam just woke up this morning with a 101-degree fever. B has yet to have a fever, but did have a rash on her torso that we assumed was due to either the heat, suntan lotion, or the pool. Apparently, no. They both have strep and we exposed nearly everyone we know to them. Including two pregnant women and a 7-week old infant. Oh yea, we are that family. Can't wait til K gets it.

Big Man also has an ear infection, and apparently the constant draining of his ears (with the tubes) is not normal. He is now on drop 2x a day and has to go back to the dr every two weeks until it stops. Oh yay.

My adorable children.

Last weekend we went to a gorgeous park in Northern Virginia for a photo shoot. The photographer was Jennifer from fingerstotoes.com. Meadowlark Park was a great location and we all had fun. The kids got bags of food to feed the fish, geese, turtle, and ducks at the ponds. They had a blast trying to feed them. Lots of flowers were blooming- it was really beautiful.

The pics are amazing. The first few are previewed here, but we will soon get a disk with a bunch more - I can't wait. My favorite is this one. But Jen's work is great. She does only natural-light photography. If you are looking for some family photos, I suggest you check her out!

A Little One-on-One Time

Usually being a family of 5 is fun. But for the kids, it means they get very little one-on-one time with mom or dad. So..we have started a new program to fix that. Every week it will be someone's day (K and Dad, or B and Mom, etc)..and that person will get to have one activity on their own. It may be going out for ice cream with mom, or going to the library with dad, or for a bike ride, or a museum, movie, etc. We aren't doing it for Big Man yet, as I don't think he would even get it. But we started it last week (K and Dad) and the girls love it.

K and Daddy went out to breakfast and then took her bike to get fixed. It's now me and B's turn. She wants to go out for ice cream, and maybe to the library to pick out a book or movie.

They are very excited. I am too, there are some things that are just too complicated to do with all of us, but one-on-one will be fun!

Works for Me Wednesday - Activities for the Kids

So this week, Rocks in My Dryer is having a themed "Works for me Wednesday". It is the ""Mom, I'm Bored" edition. So, I contribute, first my post from the other day on walking bingo. Anyone who wants the cards can email me and I will share the file.

But my second suggestion is for the parents of geeks in the group. My daughter is really taken with math. She loves it. I think it was last summer that she initiated the "plus game" - where we give her numbers and she adds them in her head. A few weeks ago she asked for some math worksheets to practice during extended day. (seriously, this is my kid??!!) So, of course, I googled it, and found some great sites. The first is superkids.com. This site has TONS of educational worksheets - math, logic, vocabulary, etc. It is really great and all FREE! You don't even have to register! Other great ones include: http://themathworksheetsite.com/ and http://www.kidzone.ws/math/.

So there you go - there is what works for me!

I L-O-V-E I-T

Did you watch the Scripps National Spelling Bee last weekend? I am a total bee-geek. It is the best reality television going. Those kids are so cute - and they all have their own little stories. I love watching their little idiosyncrasies and nervous tics and tells. There was this one girl - I think she was from Chicago - and when she knew the word she would totally light up and practically start jumping and would be breathing really heavy. It was so sad when I saw the first word she didn't know and she got it wrong. You could so tell she had no idea.

And the two boys that were the final two - they were so great. Both so composed, but the kid who won was also really funny. He got a word at one point- "numnah" - like I have any idea what the heck that is - but he thought it was "numbnut" - so did the whole audience - and he was like "WHAT???!!" and then COMPLETELY relieved to discover the word is "numnah" - he actually said, "well, that's a relief". Cuz, you know, numnah is easy to spell. (for the record it is some kind of sheepskin pad or something) The words that they get in the last few rounds are not only difficult to spell - they are beyond SAT words. They are impossible things I have never even heard of, much less could begin to spell. I just love watching it - they are all so impressive!

(ok, for the record, Blogger is convinced that numnah is not a word - see! they spell impossible things!)

Overheard...

Driving home from the pool on Sunday.

"I was good momma. I only whined when I was drowning."

Yes, she had a life jacket on. No, she wasn't actually drowning, but had decided to forgo the noodle for a bit, and wanted some help. Yes, I did jump in the really cold water to help her.

K had been whining and I was reprimanding her, when B popped up with this. Made me totally crack up and lightening the situation immensely!

Ahhh..the things they say....