A GOOD WEEKEND

Waffles and bacon for breakfast
A parade
Bouncy houses in the park
A birthday party for my mom
and
The State Fair =

An awesome weekend!!

5 QUESTION FRIDAY

1.  How do you (or would you) keep yourself awake when you have to drive 5 hours, the kids are not talking to you because they are watching a movie (and they haven't watched tv all week so there is no way you are going to get them to shut it off), and you are getting sleepy?

2.  Have you started  your Christmas shopping yet?

3.  Who wants to go on a girls weekend shopping trip to the Mall of America...with me?

4.  Best concert you ever saw (I might have already asked this once but I'm too lazy to go back and look)?

5.  Best new product you've recently tried?

Have an awesome weekend.....

INTERESTING THINGS I'VE SEEN ON FACEBOOK LATELY.....

It is sad to realize that sometimes the friendships you thought were for life are really only for a season.

For believers, this present life is the closest they will come to hell.  For people who don't surrender to Jesus, it is the closest they will come to heaven.

Most people believe God exists but they don't live like He is real.

Micah 7:7  But for me I'm not giving up.  I'm sticking around to see what God will do.  I'm waiting on God to make things right.  I'm counting on God to listen to me. 

Ecclesiastes 10:3  The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left. 

The Ghost of School Years Past....

Just sitting here (by myself) thinking back to what I remember from Kindergarten and 5th grade.....

Kindergarten-Interestingly enough I remember both times Miss Hoaglund was unhappy with me (those people-pleasing tendencies sure started early).  The first time was when my best friend Lori and I tied our shoelaces together.  They were so knotted up that the teacher couldn't get them undone and so we had to stay inside for recess.  That wouldn't have been such a bad thing but my dad was the principal and her dad was a teacher at school and we were both so afraid that one or both of them would come in the room and find us so we did what any self-preserving kindergartners would do and hid in the toy shelves for the whole recess.  The 2nd time was when there were 3 or 4 of us standing in line at her desk to get help.  Evidently the child in front of me was taking a long time so I started sighing and putting my hands on my hips (thinking that would help!) and she sharply told me to be patient and wait my turn.  Those "lack of patience" tendencies also developed early!!  The only other thing I really remember about K is sitting around an old upright piano, that was in our room, and singing.  Pretty self-explanatory as music has always been a necessity for me!!

5th grade-Good old Mrs. Hohnbaum....a smallish, older woman with gray hair that was always, and I do mean every day, in a little tight bun.  She was a good teacher, in a "look over your glasses" kind of way.  This was the year that I started to notice boys.  I had my first major crush.  He had the cutest little Feenamint box that held all of his fake money.  (Does anyone remember that gum? It was advertised not to stick to your teeth if you had had dental work done!)  Not sure if I liked him or his cute little gum box more.  This was also the year that I really got in trouble from a teacher and he said if he ever saw me doing it again I would get a spanking.  (This was a big threat to me as my parents always said, "Get spanked at school-get spanked at home.  End of discussion.") What exactly was my great offense??  I kicked a boy and it was kind of close to his special area.  Evidently this teacher had "private area issues" as I think he kind of overreacted.  I was at least a good 6 inches away.  And in my defense he had kicked me first but did he get yelled at?  NO!!  (Just another injustice in the life of a first born!)

I sure hope my kids have better memories than I do or at the very least, memories that are as innocuous as these are!! 

FIRST DAY PICS....

THE NIGHT BEFORE....

Tonight when he went to bed Camden said, "I wish I could make the night go faster so I could already be on my way to kindergarten."  Uh no.....I wish I could make the night go slower sweet boy.

Even though a couple of days ago I was feeling pretty cocky about my new station in life i.e. the freedom post.  Well what a difference a couple of days have made.  I have changed my tune a little now that the kinde eve is here.  Still only at 3 crying bouts but it is just under the surface at all times.  So thankful tonight that I had the opportunity to stay home with them during these years and so excited to see what God has in store for them. 

As if I weren't emotional enough, I decided to work on a little video tribute to my kiddos.  Make sure you turn your music on and grandparents and auntie you might want to have a tissue ready!! 

A GOOD IDEA

One of my friends does a "back to school" dinner with her kids and it has always seemed like such a great idea. Last year I forgot but this year she reminded her blog readers and so we did it tonight. We had a great time eating together, learning our family verse for the year, setting some personal goals and praying for the school year and for Mrs. Jensen and Mrs. Grutsch (especially Mrs. Grutsch since she will have Camden!).

Here are the details and pictures of our night......

OUR VERSE FOR THE YEAR

THE TABLE


THE KIDS WHO ARE GOING TO SCHOOL :-)



THE TOAST


THE DESSERT

Thanks for sharing your great idea Jenn!! What a great kick off for our year!

3,718 DAYS....

This one totally snuck up on me.......

Camden starts Kinde on Wednesday and I'm prepared for that...I really am. We have played hard this summer knowing that this day was coming. I have a list of all the things that I need/want to do now that I will have the time (painting, appointments, lunches with friends). School supplies are ready, uniforms are ready and there have only been two bouts of crying.

But this I was not prepared for. For 3,718 days (10 years, 68 days), I have always had to be in the pool with my kids. They have needed me to catch them, play with them, protect them from flying objects, and to help the lifeguards monitor them. Today that all changed.

Camden decided that he wanted to try jumping off the board and sliding down the slide himself (in 10 ft.). He did it....over and over again....for 4 hours! It was then that I realized that I no longer HAD to be in the pool monitoring.

Do you know how many times I have not taken my kids to the pool because I didn't feel like swimming or I didn't want to have to get ready again or I didn't want to get my hair wet? Do you know how many times I've longed to just lounge in a chair poolside and read my book?

Well.....now I can and you know what?

IT FEELS AWESOME!!!

Yeah baby you heard me right....It's great!! I love it!! Can't wait until next summer!! I'll be the one at the pool everyday, reading my book, chatting with my friends...Oh yeah!!!

OK...I'm actually a little sad about it but once I got to the end of the post I just had to go the other way. Not sure where that came from. Probably from the fact that I have spent every waking hour with them, by myself, for the last 7 days.

5 QUESTION FRIDAY

Hot or cold lunch (for your school-agers)?

What hot lunch did you absolutely have to have when you were growing up?

Favorite elementary teacher and why?

Least favorite elementary teacher and why?

When do you think school should start (date not time)?


School doesn't start until Wednesday but can you tell it's on my mind??

THINGS I LEARNED AT THE MAYO CLINIC....

A person can really get addicted to crushed ice and bendy straws!

I like bacon......a lot!!

All hotels should have curved shower bars!

Most of the people I saw receiving treatment/having surgery there were skinny?!

All hotels should be able to clean the crumbs off of the desk daily!!

It really works much better if the people who are wanting to get on an elevator wait for the people who are getting off to exit first!

I really like bacon....in fact I think it is my new favorite food! I'm trying to figure out a way to incorporate it into every meal!

Valerie Bertinelli is a big liberal.....HUGE!

There are no subways in the subway level of the hospital.......oh wait, that's what my sister learned not me!!

It takes about 1 hour to completely read a People magazine.

The old King of Jordan who died (sorry...can't remember his name) donated a really neat, mother of pearl case with the nativity carved on the front of it, which is displayed at the Mayo clinic.

If you sniff an alcohol pad it helps fight nausea.

There are some really caring people in this world (mainly nurses!)!

Did I mention how much I love bacon?

I know, I know.....DEEP!! :-)

RE-POST

Hate to be re-posting something but I had discovered this quote back in Oct. 2008 before the election. It is even more disconcerting now but eerily so accurate of how things are going in this country!

From William Boetcker (1873-1962)

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatreds.
You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.

--William J. H. Boetcker in 1916

5 QUESTION FRIDAY

1. What is the most bored you have ever been?

2. Best biography you have ever read?

3. If you admit to watching...what is your favorite Real Housewives edition?

4. What is your most noteworthy surgery ? (feel free to skip this one if it is too personal!)

5. What is the best thing about your children getting older?

SOMEONE HAD A BIRTHDAY.....

Camden's 6th Birthday!!!