Just One of Those Days...

Today our elf was found making a mess and chowing down on our Gingerbread House items! We are hosting a gingerbread house building party tonight and it seems that Charlies wants in on the activities today as well! Want to know what else Charlie has been up to in 2014? CHECK IT OUT HERE!

Our morning started out pretty early, being the first in line at the library to buy a chess kit that they were selling. It is a rolling chess school basically and was perfect for what my son wanted. If he hadn't gone with me it would have easily been a Christmas gift, but alas I had nowhere to take them for an hour and this way they got to play right away! He was over the moon thrilled and could not wait to sort and look through it all.

TGIF my Friends and Remember to Enjoy Every Minute!!

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Holiday Festivities, Teaching Tools and Yay it's Thursday!

Ohhh what fun we had last year making up these snow filled ornaments! The children put their fingerprint on each one so that the 3 snowmen were each a different child. We used a funnel to fill it with salt and then added on a hat and buttons and a face with a sharpie and we were done! Simple and sooo cute! Now I am trying to think of what we will do this year! 

As I am preparing for our neighborhood Gingerbread House party, I have lists all over the place and stuff everywhere. My children seem oblivious to it all as they sit with a puzzle and helping the youngest learn his 50 states. No wonder they never hear me calling them, they are oblivious to chaos. 

I have been lucky to have found a group on Facebook that allows me to sell my older manipulatives as my youngest moves up and on. As I find them to photograph them, I realize just how much fun we have learning around here. These frogs are a dime a dozen and usually just end up in the trash, but pair them with some sight word flashcards and you have a serious game of learning on your hands! Do this with math flashcards, or anything that needs to be learned! I will have to update this post with where the Elf on the Shelf is today as my children have not found him yet and they are getting quite impatient! 

Enjoy every minute my friends and remember to aim high!

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Wordless on Wednesday...

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Waiting Room Woes...

Charlie the elf was found playing with the coffee k-cups and he brought along his pet. This silly elf really enjoys doing crazy things. Check out our other Elf tricks HERE! Today was an interesting day that threw our schedule right out of the window. My husband has had wisdom teeth pain since Thanksgiving and today was the earliest they could get him in. 1 tooth turned into 2 being pulled with sooo much pain and over 3 hours in a waiting room the size of a hospital room with 3 children! It's a great thing that I always carry purses large enough to transport a body. I had some crackers from soup at dinner the night before, fruit snacks leftover from a movie theater kids pack and a bottle of water. 2 decks of cards, 4 restaurant crayons and a small pad of paper along with 2 sheets of stickers. This kept the entertained the entire time when combined with a 10 minute walk around the exterior of the building for some fresh air (didn't want to leave too long with my husband in the room) and a bathroom break.

When we came home daddy needed a nap and it was time to get creative with quiet games. These foam mats were perfect for indoor hopscotch and then some reading and a movie were just the ticket. 

Enjoy every minute my friends!!

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Monday's Musings and Menu Planning...

Oh Happy Day, it's Monday and all is going well. How have you been this weekend? I pray everyone had a safe holiday. We spent it on the road a lot, but still had fun and enjoyed ourselves, technically we are still on vacation for a couple more days!

Ten Things That Have My Mind Running Too Much:

~ It's December. I still have not finished my shopping.
~I would like to finish up the quarter but we seem to be taking it quite easy this time around
~Wondering what's for breakfast as my tummy is rumbling
~The calm of the morning has a way of making all the worries go away
~This green tea is too bitter and I don't want to brew anew.
~I need to get on a better workout plan, I make too many excuses.
~I really hate the book I am reading, but I am forcing myself to power through it.
~My husband is having oral surgery tomorrow and I hope he will be okay
~Dining out with people that are rude to the waitstaff really upset me and I have to sneak back to tip extra on the sly...
~As I drink my tea, working in our hotel room, I watch my children sleep and I remember that no matter what, these children are the best thing I have ever done.

Our Elf got crazy over the weekend and was found hanging from one of the war planes dangling from the ceiling in the boys room. The kids absolutely LOVE when Charlie is up to nothing but mischief but boy does it take a lot of planning to keep him on the run. Funny Story:

When my 8 hear old found him hanging there, he took his clothes and changed in his bathroom, when asked why, he said he didn't want Charlie seeing him naked! Hahahah!! I love how fiercely the believe. See what else Charlie has been up to in 2014!

We took the kids to see this fantastic light display in the town we are in and it all dances to music and there is so much to see. One window even has a television in it with Santa looking out at everyone. It is truly amazing. They are a Toys for Tots drop off and then give out Believe bells from the Polar Express. Due to this trip, our Menu plan is shorter this week!

Monday: Out of Town
Tuesday: Out of Town
Wednesday: B - Out of Town
-L - Out of Town
- D - Shrimp Alfredo with Basil & Tomato Salad (Pasta is an easy dish in case we get home late)
Thursday: B- Cereal & Fruit
L- Pasta Salad with Veggie Sticks
D - Stuffed Chicken breasts and steamed carrots with garden salad
Friday: B- Diced Ham & Eggs with Melon Ball Salad
L - Turkey Rolls, Laughing Cow & Veggie Sticks with Pretzels
D - Sushi Night!
Saturday: B- Rainbow Pancakes with Sausage and Strawberries
L- Cheese & Crackers with Ham Rolls
D- Pork Roast with Green Beans and Chef Salad
Sunday: B- Breakfast Casserole with fresh squeezed juice and grapes
L- Out with friends
D- Spaghetti & Meatballs with Caprese Salad

Enjoy every minute my friends!

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Super Saturday!

Happy Weekend my friends! Aren't long weekends the best? I don't want it to go by too fast, but we are having so much fun having my husband here on these extra days! Today's adventure is the town Christmas tree lighting with friends and then some shopping and other fun stuff along the way. I just wanted to pop in quickly with Elf on the Shelf updates! Check in HERE for all he has been up to this year so far!

Charlie used a scarf to scale the windo and sits atop the curtain! Hot Coffee, he pet, was holding the bottom of the line! Ignore my nasty came-with-the-house-blinds, they are getting a makeover this weekend with new roman shades and a curtain rod and tie backs! 

Charlie loves to change his sweaters and enjoys time spent with his new pet, Hot coffee! A simple jewelry box and pipe cleaner make his suitcase perfect for him! Read more about the SWEATERS HERE!

This morning Charlie was found fishing for pretzel goldfish in a new sweater!

Enjoy every minute of your weekend my friends!! 

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Fun on Friday

Friday is here and just about gone, what did you do with your day? Were you shopping, spending time with friends and or family, relaxing, cleaning? Please share! Ours was a lazy day spent in the theaters and then lounging around our home and you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way!

We shopped in the morning and then headed to an afternoon showing of Mocking Jay (yes, we took the kids, more on this tomorro). As we were headed home and discussing the movie, we chatted about wanting to see Penguins of Madagascar next. My husband then asked what was stopping us from seeing that today as well? We turned right around and were only 20 minutes shy of that movie starting! Hahaha!! We still had our drink and popcorn with us, so we refilled them for free and were ready to settle in with another film!

Our Elf on the Shelf brought Pajamas with his likeness on them and the kids were excited to wear them last night, so we had to photograph them wearing their jammies this morning. Roman absolutely adores penguins, so a penguin always makes its way into our photos! 

We have recently finished watching the Houdini miniseries and my son has now become obsessed with escaping from boxes, handcuffs and anything else they can think of. I only hope they do not attempt any under water tricks! 

Enjoy every minute my friends!

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Thankful Thankgiving Thursday...

Happy Thanksgiving my Friends! I am in quite a rush but wanted to stop and wish you all the very best and also stop to think about being thankful during this time.

10 Things I am Thankful For-

~Family & Friends
~All of you out there that care about what I have to say
~Food to eat, a roof to sleep under and a car to get us to see our friends & family
~My husband who was so amazing when I passed out at the blood bank last night
~ My children who warm my heart every single time I look at them
~That my mother-in-law is a great person and not one of those psychos you hear about
~That I still have 2 fantastic grandparents that my children have gotten to know so well
~My Faith that has gotten me through so much
~My parents that have been so supportive with every aspect of my life
~That I wake up every morning with a purpose

Our Elf on the Shelf is back for 2014! He arrived with a BANG and brought lots of gifts! I will share more details on Monday, my family is seriously in the car as I sit on the couch finishing this up!

Enjoy every minute my friends! Let the stressful moments roll of your back and live in the happy moments. Life goes by too quick to not enjoy it all!

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Wordless Wednesday

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Wordless Wednesday - A moment to let your photos do the talking.
Link to your wordless posts in the comments please!
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Enjoy every minute my friends!

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Let Them Craft, Cook, Make a Mess and Love Them!

As the years go on and the children get older, I sit and think about how much time I have left with them. I cannot believe that I don't have any babies around the house anymore. 9,8,7...that's how old they are and with them all skipping grades, that ages them even more. This means they may leave my home eaarlier. This is one reason why I adopt the Enjoy Every Minute motto. I want to be able to hav plenty of great memories in my bank when they finally move on to have families of their own. I don't want to have any regrets or be that person that can't function without her kids and has no identity once they are gone.

 I want to enjoy every minute with the babies I had then, the big kids i have now and the teens I will have tomorrow and then when it's just my husband and I, we can go on adventures of our own, knowing that we equipped the kids to function without us. We may be around for big family holiday gatherings or we may be on the other side of the world, but the one thing we will always have? Memories and so much Love! We will visit our children often, not wait for them to visit us, we will let them know with frequen calls and letters how missed and loved they are but understand that their lives are busy too. We will have had our time with out kids and I don't want to miss a minute of it, knowing that as each day passes, that is one day less I will have with them.

This is why I say LET THEM LIVE!! Our house is in perpetual chaos. Is it a tornado where I fear they may be taken away? Nope, it's just got clutter. There are too many pictures on the wall, too much junk piling up on the coffee table and their rooms have probably hidden a secret or two somewhere in the mounds of blanket forts and sleeping bags. Time is running out and I don't want to miss opportunities. What? You want to use a hot glue gun AND a saw to build a birdhouse? Sure, just let me be in the same room. You don't feel good? Let's take a day off from school and read those library books about bridges and then show me that you can build one of your own with proper structure and tell me all about it, what kind of bridge it is and what it resembles...ohh yeah, it's a play day, no learning or fun at all!

Let them create their own lives so that they don't become to dependent on you. Oh dear, are you wearing stripes with plaids and adding a Santa hat when it's 92 degrees out? Okay, you look 

awesome. The last thing we want to do is kill their creativity and curiousity. It may make us look like careless parents when we get the stink eye from someone at the grocery store because our kids have mismatched socks on and pillowcases hanging around their necks but well you see...they are superheroes saving the laundry people of today from the dryer that eats socks...

As long as they are not harming themselves or anyone else, let them try it. There will be bigger battles ahead and they need to learn the results of their consequences today. Every day is a new one to make new choices, let them do it. Oh, you want to climb to the top of that rock wall without me standing behind you...okay I will watch from afar and realize that you did it all on your own...without me. Yes, everyday they get a little bit stronger and a heck of a lot smarter and you know why? Because you let them grow.

Knives and stoves and ovens oh my! Why don't you bang on a pot while mommy cooks. No? What? Oh yeah you are 9. Okay, you wash the stuff and I will chop...no wait. Here. Be careful, tuck your fingers away and have at it. Here is a stool, lean in close and I will share a secret. Okay, you chop, you over there, you stir and you...hey little one, stop sampling! I think sometimes we think they can't do it because we don't want to admit that our children are growing. Too fast if you ask me, but we can't stop it. The time will come that that they want to walk, then run and then fly and it's up to us to make sure that they can dust their knees off when they fall and then keep on going. It's up to us to let them know that we will always be here for a hug or a phone call or even advice but we need to let them go first.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings and remember to enjoy every minute...

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