Max bedtime routine

Max has a routine. He’s very good about getting his shower. Each night he comes out and can barely get his underwear on before he must start playing legos. This is my view every night when I go in to start getting him settled. 

He always has a story or three to tell me at this point. Recent months it’s been about the legos or Pokémon cards. He is a creative sole. 

Every night must end with prayers, a math discussion, songs, a back scratch and a call for me to return so he can tell me or ask me one more thing. This happens at least once but often more times. The final request is always to send Daddy in to say good night. 

I love my boy!

Ellie loves art!

This is the second year Ellie has chooses to participate in the Refections art program which the loca PTA does at the school. This year her drawing made it to the county. Tonight we were able to go to the reception and celebrate her love of art. 

This year’s theme was within reach. Ellie did a great job and we enjoyed looking at all the art work from the county school students as a family. 

I hope she always loves art. She seems so happy when she’s doing her art. 

It takes a lot of muscles

Tonight we are at to dinner and as per Clair’s typical schedule, near the end of the meal she announces she needs to go to the bathroom. As she takes the thrown I ask if she’s here to poop. 

“Yeah, Mommy. It takes a lot of muscles to poop.”

She says this clear and mater of fact like while staring me in the eyes and pushing hard to accomplish the job. 

Her honesty, openness and way with words amuse me to no end. 

Lunch time drama

Max and Ellie are repeatedly unhappy with their lunches. There are 3 or 4 things david rotates for them and he’s not interested in having to think about deviating. After another morning of being upset (first picture) the pie decided to take action. 

For the past 30 minutes they’ve been brainstorming a week of lunch ideas. Ellie has typed up a menu to give to David. 

Let’s see how this plays out :)

Finally some snow to play in

This winter we have only had ice, until today, finally some snow the kids could play in. Clair was truly beside herself. She had no memory of ever playing in the snow. Every time she saw a few flakes this winter she got super excited. Today, when I told her she could finally go out and play in the 3 or so inches she squealed with delight. 

Max and Ellie were happy to go out too, as long as there was hot chocolate when they came in. Expectations just keep increasing with age. 

They made snow angles. They sled down the hill. Ellie snowboarded down on the sled. They played on the playground. Max even spent time digging at the top of the hill and pushing the snow off the fence line. Clair also tries to help me clear snow from the driveway. 

I’m so happy they all finally got their snow! I think there will be more fun tomorrow because more snow is expected. 

Hours after coming in, Clair Still has her red rosey cheeks she got while outside! 

 

Sunday Funday Shopping Routine

Most Sunday mornings I can be found at the local Moms grocery store with the kids in tow. They have learned to tolerate this component of our weekly ritual. I get a weeks worth of shopping, the kids get treats from the sample collection.

As they get older they’re learning to help me some. Some weeks are very well behaved and other weeks we make it through and they are normal kids. 

I enjoy the experience. There are several people at that grocery store who I enjoy seeing each week, and who are kind to me and the kids.

Yesterday during checkout I noticed the kids just doing their normal thing looking at the books playing with their stickers and waiting for the bags to be packed and our exit to ensue. I just took a minute to enjoy this image that has been such a part of our routine for years and snapped this picture. They are quite at home at moms and so am I. It’s a wonderful place to shop. Thankful for this memory of something simple and routine, yet magical with my kids as they grow.

St Patrick’s Day Success

This year’s St Patrick’s day festivities fell On Saturdaywhich meant that I had seven years worth of moderately fun adventurous days that had taught my kids this, a weekend holiday, should be a very exciting St. Patrick’s Day. 

There was not as much emphasis on the leprechaun traps this year. However both Ellie  and Max still managed to create something. 

Oh he reminded everyone that they should start with green buttercream frosting on something delicious and treaty. The entire day was about green sugar. The more green sugar but the kids consumed, the more they felt they were getting their moneys worth out of the holiday. It was so bad that everyone except David went to bed at night with a sugar headache. We had green rice crispy treats with M&Ms and Reesie‘s PCs. We had mint green fudge with Oreo cookies. And so many more little treats along way. 

We watched a Irish film that was geared towards kids about leprechauns and a banshee. They enjoyed the family movie showing as part of the day celebration.

We had green decorations with flashing lights. There were Decorations from years past that also made an appearance throughout the day. 

Finally we had some friends over to enjoy form beef and cabbage with Irish soda bread for dinner. The kids weren’t much on the food but the adult enjoyed it. And of course the kids enjoyed double deuces of more green treats after dinner.

It was a good St. Patrick’s Day. I enjoy watching the kids have fun and celebrating this holiday with them. It is one of my favorites! I hope it brings them a little special memory of childhood when they grow up. 

St Patrick’s Day Preparations

I decided to remind Clair to wear green to bed so the leprechaun wouldn’t pinch her in the night. I thought this a grand way to create some excitement about tomorrow and avoid having to get dressed in the morning. 

It was all well and good until the concept of an actual live being running around the house started to take hold in Clair’s mind. She became worried. First she was worried about me getting pinched - straight to tears when she decided my real pajamas didn’t count as green. We worked through that by me changing into green underwear. 

I get her into her bed and she begins to worry. I don’t even want him in my room. So I look around and decide there’s enough green in her room he won’t come in anyway. She gets really excited and starts pointing out all the green in the room. Life is good; so I think. 

Meanwhile, neither Ellie nor Max want to wear green because they want the leprechaun to come pinch them so they can see him and catch him. 

Fast forward an hour and a half, Clair is still awake. She’s now worried that the leprechaun will pinch her cold blankey. I assured her he’s not interested in that. She didn’t quite believe me. 

Hopefully I do a better job of making tomorrow fun instead of fearful. Sigh ....

A snuggle monster is real

When Clair is dismissed from school each day, she is asked to say goodbye to both of her teachers before leaving. This means she sits there waiting for her turn to say goodbye to the headteacher, Miss Debbie, and then the swcond teacher, Ms Megan who is sitting in the back of the room.

It’s a time consuming ritual, and requires patience for the children who are anxious to go see the ones who have come to pick them up.

For years Sarah has taking Clair to and from school. The recent change with our schedule means that I get to pick Clair up each Wednesday. She is so excited when I walk into the classroom she can hardly contain herself. She sits there waving, and smiling, and just giggling and wiggling in her seat. She is clearly anxious to be dismissed to come give me a great big hug.

Today when she was called she gave Miss Debbie a hug and then walk past me to give Miss Meghan a hug. She stopped to explain to Miss Megan, “ on the days when my mommy is here it’s sometimes hard to remember to come give you a hug too because I am so anxious to get to my mommy because she has the best snuggles in the world!”

Now, some may worry the teacher would be offended, but not Miss Meghan who is fantastic. She just looked at Clair and said, “awe, Clair, that is so sweet.” Then she looked at me and said “ how could you do anything else but sit around and snuggle all day with that one.”

I smiled and told her that’s what we do on these Wednesdays.

I sure do love my girl who loves me so much!

We went out to lunch and had frozen yogurt as a special treat to spend more time together before I went home to finish.

I was really worried about Wednesday’s would work, and I’m starting to see them as the blessings God has given us. I didn’t get to enjoy the older two before they went off to kindergarten. And I know that starting kindergarten changes everything. I appreciate getting this time on Wednesdays to truly enjoy my four-year-old, pre-kindergarten, Clair bear.

Block letters from my 4 year old

Clair has loved letters since she understood what they were. She wants to know how to spell and write everything everyday. Last week she took it a step further and decided she would do block letters for me like Ellie does. 

She did this on her own and brought it to me! I didn’t figure out block letters until I was older. I’m throughly impressed with this, yet not all that surprised.