A Full Week

This seemed like the first full week of school that we've had since early January due to all our snow days. Stuart left to go to Camden to visit his parents on Thursday, so he could attend his dad's oncology appointment today. So, I've been single-parenting for the last 24 hours so far.

The week has been pretty good, and fortunately no one had to stay home sick this week. However, we began the week with a plumber cutting out a square of drywall out of our wall behind the master bathroom shower! I came home from work on Monday to see a hole in my wall. That isn't the best way to start the week . . . especially when the plumber revealed that there was actually no leak in that pipe, so the hole was actually a big waste! I then began the hunt to find a drywall repair person who can make my wall look new again. Hopefully, I will get a reasonable quote from someone who is coming to look at the damage tomorrow.

Arden made some big strides this week with potty training and has been going 2-4 times on her own in the potty each day, which is a big increase in the frequency of recognizing that she "needs" to go. I haven't even been taking her at all yet and just letting her tell me when she wants to go. Today she even pooped in the potty for the first time (sorry if TMI!) which is a huge accomplishment. We even called Daddy in Camden to tell him the news. Arden was actually able to talk to him herself and tell him the good news! The boys had a lot of trouble with attempting #2 in the potty, and she is about a year ahead in age of when they began this stage.

I went to a conference in Springdale today, so I had a sub. It was actually a really, really good conference, and I took away many hands-on activities which I plan to try in the classroom in the coming weeks. It focused on integrating drama, art, and music with literature, and the presenters were all from major universities around the U.S.

Owen went to Fast Lane after school with his classroom teacher, as he won an outing with the teacher at a school fundraiser auction earlier this year. He had a great time with several teachers, their winners, and their own children. At first he was a bit apprehensive about spending time with his teacher outside of the classroom, but it turned out to be much more fun than he expected, and it was good for him to see that she is a regular person and a mother, too!

Have a great weekend!

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

We've been busy, as usual, since my last post. We returned to school after the last round of snow days which I mentioned in the last post, and then we had ANOTHER snow day on Tuesday of this week due to slight ice! So, that makes 8 snow days to make up this year. Our school district voted to give up the student break on Feb. 15-16 and remain in school to make up two of the eight days.

Stuart and I did an early Valentine's date and went to the Todd Agnew, Meredith Andrews, and Pocket Full of Rocks Christian concert here in town last Friday night. We got a babysitter for the kids and really enjoyed it. Stuart worked at the World Vision booth before the concert and during intermission. He has really gotten involved with that ministry which sponsors needy children around the world, and Stuart is working to promote child sponsorship at our local church. We just signed up to sponsor our second child monthly, and this little boy is one who shares the same birthday with Hudson. It is a really neat ministry to communicate with these children across continents and help provide financially for their food, medical care, and education for only $35 per month.

We enjoyed a fun Super Bowl party and fellowship time last Sunday with our small group from church. The kids enjoyed playing, and I think only the husbands and Owen were watching any of the game. I know the Colts were one team, but I couldn't tell you who they played or who won! I just enjoyed visiting with friends, watching the kids play, and eating lots of yummy snack food.

After we returned to school on Wednesday from our snow day, Hudson came home sick. He was subdued in the car when I picked him up on Wednesday afternoon, and then right after dinner began to throw up. So, he stayed home on Thursday with Stuart. Hudson managed to make it back to school on Friday for his class Valentine's party since he hadn't been sick since Wednesday night. However, he was still pale and lacking energy. Well . . . when I picked the boys up from school on Friday, Hudson threw up in the car on the way home from school and then more once I got him inside! Ugh! I guess he wasn't quite over the bug after all, or he tried to eat too much at the party, and his stomach couldn't handle it yet. He is still laying on the couch this morning and also has congestion and a cold. He hasn't gotten sick again, but he is running a slight fever now. I'm just hoping he gets better soon, and that no one else in our family gets the stomach bug!

We don't have any big plans for Valentine's Day since we already used a babysitter last weekend. We might order take-out for tonight and rent a movie or something simple like that. We both agreed that we were just too tired since Hudson is sick to do anything but rest this weekend. However, Stuart did get a really nice "present" this week because we traded his 2009 Honda Civic for a used 2009 Honda CRV! He got the Civic last June when his old 1990 CRV was dying and having engine issues. We couldn't afford a CRV then, and I hadn't gotten my teaching job. Stuart liked the Civic, but he found that he was just too tall to drive it comfortably for longer distances. So, he had been looking for used CRVs that we could trade up for with very little cost difference. He found this used CRV that is royal blue with gray interior that had only 7000 miles and one owner for 7 months! It was a good deal, and it is only a little more each month for us than the Civic was costing. He is so, so happy to be back into a taller vehicle!

Arden is driving me crazy by trying to potty train, which is all her idea since I wanted to wait until school was out. She is refusing to wear diapers and can undress herself and rip them off. She only wants Pull-Ups (which she also takes off about every 30 minutes). She is constantly saying she needs to go pee pee and undressing herself. Yes, she is actually going about once a day on the potty but not consistently. It is a lot of work because she can take off all her clothes and her Pull Up by herself which she routinely does about 15 times per day! The boys NEVER undressed themselves, so this is very different for me at this age of just turning two. Also, she is very independent and stubborn and refuses help with putting clothes back on, so it takes a long time to get her dressed again, and it usually results in her screaming in frustration or anger that I force her to let me help her. I hope she masters the whole potty training thing soon! This stage is exhausting!

Have a good Valentine's weekend!

Snow Days (again!)

We had another large snow on Thursday night and Friday. It began with sleet on Thursday night, and we accumulated around an inch of that. Then on Friday, it snowed literally all day until around 9 at night. It was beautiful to watch, and at times it was really heavy with large snowflakes. It reminded me a lot of when I lived in Colorado where snow like that is common. We ended up with about 5 inches of snow on top of the ice. Needless to say, no one was able to get out on Friday or Saturday. We were stocked up with food, and I don't think many people lost power since we got more snow than ice (compared to the huge ice storm last January). Stuart bought a snow shovel before this snow, and we actually shoveled part of our driveway. This is the first snow shovel we've owned in our entire marriage, so you can tell that the weather is different here than in central Arkansas! Stuart is already talking about getting a 4-wheel drive vehicle as his next car!

I have enjoyed being home with the kids on Friday and today. I think we will probably resume school tomorrow (Tuesday), but today is already our seventh snow day this month! I know that people are upset that school has closed so much because all the days will probably be added onto the school year and push back the date that summer vacation can start. I'm already looking at my last teacher work day as June 10 which is very late. However, I've actually appreciated the snow days! As a working mom this year, I've enjoyed reconnecting with my kids for more frequent breaks and getting projects done around the house without having to wait until Spring Break! Since Arden is in daycare this year, I have missed being with her as much as I was during the week last year, and the snow days have given us lots of time to play and watch Dora together! I don't mind having less summer in order to see my children more frequently along the way. For me, it's been a nice break and a way to reenergize for the rest of the school year.

I can't believe that it's already February today! Wow! I guess most of January was taken up with seven snow days and two large storms. Stuart and I have a sitter and are planning to attend the Todd Agnew concert here in town at a local church on Friday night. I plan to do our taxes in the next week, and I hope we get back a little bit of a refund. Then, the students are out again on Feb. 15-16 while teachers have professional development. We don't have any big Valentine's Day plans, but we might order Mama Fu's for take-out and bring it in.

I've been getting two flooring bids the past couple weeks and trying to figure out the cost of getting wood flooring installed downstairs in our house. I am missing my wood floors terribly since I loved them so much in our last house. Light colored carpet everywhere is NOT kid-friendly! It looks like I've decided on a local, family owned business to do the installation, but no one can get my wood for as low a price as several internet suppliers. They are quoting me $1.75/SF less on the exact brand and style of wood that I know I want because a good friend has it in her house. I want the 5 inch, distressed style planks that work well with kids and pets since they won't show scratches and nicks as much. So, I'm debating if I go through the trouble of having the wood sent by freight to my house where I have to arrange to have it unloaded, meet the delivery truck, and inspect it myself for damage. Right now, I think I will try it for the first flooring project which involves laying wood in the hallway, dining room, and office, since I will save $800 on those rooms alone just by purchasing the wood direct from Georgia. Depending on how much money we can save, I would like to get the first part of the wood flooring done before school gets out for summer.

Well, I'd better start my crock pot meal, so that we can eat tonight! Happy snow day!

You know you're old when . . .

you get excited to find cabinet knobs half price
you wish for rain in the summer in order to help water your lawn more cheaply
your children tell you that your face is "crinkly"
a student asks if the picture of you and your husband is of you and your son
you fall asleep before 9:30 while watching Grey's Anatomy on DVR
the skin on your hands looks mysteriously more baggy than usual
you are too tired to want to go out on a weeknight after working all day
a coupon for $2.00 off a favorite product is exciting
a date night takes three months of planning to fit into the family schedule
the current big item you're saving for is new flooring for your house
you begin to consider buying that foundation makeup that firms up your skin
you realize that you have worn the same outfit every Saturday for a month because it's comfortable
you have researched Roth IRAs and 403b accounts
your oldest child is almost past your shoulders in height
your 20th wedding anniversary is this year

A Year with Frog and Toad

Last Saturday, I took the boys to the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville to see a play there for the first time. We had been given free tickets to attend the play through Hudson's participation in the H.I.P.P.Y program. This musical was originally a Broadway show that was based upon the children's books about two characters named Frog and Toad. Frog is the happy, upbeat, organized friend, while Toad seems to be grumpy and worried about everything (think "The Odd Couple"). The differences in their personalities make for a lot of humorous events!

Owen and I had seen this play at the Arkansas Children's Theater in Little Rock several years ago, and we had really enjoyed it. However, this was the first time that Hudson had been to a full-length theater production. The Walton Arts Center was amazing, and this version of the play was much more professional than the one I had seen previously (though it was good too). This version completely amazed me, and I would have seen it again, if it hadn't been the final day of the play before the tour left. The actors were professional, New York City trained performers with degrees from places like NYU and the Boston Conservatory. The show included scenes that were not included in the smaller show I'd seen in Little Rock, and the actors were very impressive in their musical and dancing abilities. In fact, we all liked the musical score so much that I just ordered a copy of the CD from the original Broadway version this week, and it should arrive in a few days.

I'm looking forward to singing along with the boys in the car and learning all the rest of the lines! If you ever hear of this play in your town, you really need to take your kids! It was wonderful!

The next production I'm looking forward to is Grease which will also be at the Walton Arts Center in May. I think Owen and I will be attending that one since it's a bit too mature for Hudson, and Owen acted in a short production from Grease at a drama camp. These tickets are a bit pricey, or we might all go. I'm so glad that my children are already loving theater like I do!

Search List 2010

This list is mainly for me since I want to keep a running list of what I am looking for used this year. I will add to it as more things come up that I realize I need/want, and I will update when I've found the items on the list. Since I plan to print my blog as a book each year, this is a fun way for me to remember what I search for during each year!

Search list for used items in 2010:

1. twin mattress and boxsprings for Arden

2. side table/nightstand for Arden

3. Fisher Price Loving People dollhouse furniture and people for Arden's house

4. Leap Frog grocery cart replacement food
*1/28/10: I found a complete used set on Ebay with a good Buy-it-Now price of $20.00. These were discontinued items and hard to find. I had been outbid on many previous auctions for more than this!

5. Custom bedding for master bedroom (queen size)

6. Entertainment center with side bookcases for bonus room (maybe this year, but might be in 2011 due to other house projects)

I found another great deal on Craigslist this week and stumbled upon a like-new Radio Flyer Canopy Wagon that has folding seats and a removable canopy. The owners said they used it twice. It retails at Walmart and Target between $120-$140, and I got it for $40! However, I had to go out in 8 degree weather to test it out in an ice-covered parking lot when I met the lady for pick-up, but it was worth it! It will be wonderful to use to transport all our pool items to our neighborhood pool this summer, plus it will be great at Silver Dollar City and the Tulsa Zoo which I hope to visit this year. Last summer, I realized that all my neighbors used wagons at the pool to haul all the gear and snacks, and I looked for one all summer to purchase. Luckily, most people probably weren't out on the hunt for a wagon in January, so I was able to bargain down the original price. :)

Snow Days

We are going to be on snow day #3 tomorrow! It just posted on the Bentonville website that they have closed classes again for Wednesday. I guess Bella Vista and more northern roads are still bad because my street is now completely clear. I was actually really wanting to go to work tomorrow because it's getting a little stir crazy being inside with three children and no where to go. They are about bored with electronics and getting restless, too. I think they want to get out and see their friends, and I haven't left the house since Saturday. Now, I'm getting concerned that it will be a long time before Arden goes back to daycare if we are closed until next week which might make her transition rougher for her return and separation from me again.

Unfortunately, more snow is predicted to come in tomorrow night with several inches in accumulation. Since we are only having high temps in the teens right now, nothing is melting much at all. I expected we would go to school on Wednesday, but then we might be out again on Thursday. I really wanted to check in with my students and give them some assignments to do at home in case we got more snow! Ha. They are probably glad we didn't meet after all, even if I had a fun activity planned that involved using toilet paper.

So, I might take the kids out in the next hour to run a few errands before it all refreezes overnight and more snow comes in tomorrow. This is too reminiscient of last January when school closed for a week due to an ice storm. Now, it looks like we will possibly have this entire week out of school and have to make it all up in June.

At any rate, it has been a nice, long break, and I will be ready to go back to school when the snow thaws. God has helped prepare me for the return to work by giving me enough extra rest that I'm actually getting bored!