Top 5 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues

I know I've been a terrible blogger this holiday season and I must say it felt great to take a step back and slow down. We had several weeks where the after school activities were on hiatus and it felt great not to be rushing everywhere all the time.

Alas, all good things come to an end and our chaos starts back up this weekend. On top of that I start school on Monday. We're busy bees!

What's making this post holiday transition harder is the weather here. It's too friggin cold! I hate the cold, snow, ice and winter. Yes, I do live in BFE in between a bunch of mountains. Boo. One day I hope to convince hubby to move somewhere warmer. The lack of sun and cold everything brings me down.

 

Here are my top 5 winter blues beating activities (in no special order):

 

1. Read, read, and more read. [I have a small problem with it ;-)]

2. Start a new project [crochet, jewelry making]

3. Watch movies with my loves.

4. Try to force myself to exercise. [endorphins help you feel happy]

5. Plan trips for the Spring/Summer. [helps take my mind off things]

Holidays

I have been very VERY behind on posting lately. With the holidays approaching us, a sick child, and general chaos I have let this slide.

I am happy to say we are almost done shopping :-) We always look through the clearance sections all year round and pick up things as we go. This year we scored several large items much cheaper then even waiting for Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

We scored an awesome desktop computer that was originally $800 for about $200. I needed his for my upcoming classes in January that I am taking online and my laptop is evil. Next after several years of saving we purchased and iPad Mini with 32G and Retina display for under $100.

The break down:

For the computer my hubs researched online for months about the type he thought would be best. next he watched for sales and then looked ahead at the holiday ads. He had his plan in place but it did get thwarted as the model he wanted was discontinued and they were putting out a newer version that was not even as good as the one he wanted. The miracle on this was that we found the exact model at a store most people don't go shopping for computers at and found they were selling the display model on sale plus an additional 20% since it was the model. BINGO we got it and they did a fantastic job of  getting it ready and packed for us. They spent a good deal amount of time showing us how to reset the computer out of store mode and get all of the factory setting back including the trials of all the fun stuff. I know I know this is really luck but he had it down to $400 prior to them discontinuing the model. We also had points saved up on our credit card that we put towards it brining the cost down further.

The iPad has been something we've been working on for years. Hubs has been doing online surveys that he turned in for Game Stop gift cards. We also waited for sales and got a used one. They have great warranty's for this kind of stuff. I have bought him an used Xbox years ago from a store and they replaced it no problems when it didn't work. It was on sale for $299.00 then we had over a $100 in gift cards. They also had a special deal with free shipping. Score one for us! They shipped it in less then a week and it looks like it  has never been touched.

So moral of the story is to do the leg work it pays off! Even when it's frustrating.

Chore/Behavior Chart

Lately we've had trouble with having our daughter complete her chores and keep her behavior in check. We decided to create a chart.

There are many different chore charts and behavior charts out there. I have not been able to find just one that I like. I also didn't want two different charts floating around our house. So I found different examples of charts and combined them to make one chart that fits with our family's needs. Essentially it's a bunch of ideas put into one.

All items I either had already or purchased from Walmart.  The supplies used were round sticky magnets, dryerase magnetic board, ribbon, tape, my computer, and a laminating machine.

First I searched Pinterest for different ideas of chore and behavior charts. I went to many different websites and looked at all the different types that they have. I made sure to find items that I would be able to use for free.

Next I printed out the different ideas that I liked best. I then wrote on note paper how I wanted it to look like. This helped me organize my thoughts.

Once I have my thoughts together I started creating with pic monkey and Microsoft Word the different items I would need for the chart.

I laminated all of the important parts that would be needed for our chart. I then placed magnets on the back of each laminated piece. Every piece was cut out individually. I laid them all out on our dry erase magnetic board.

After messing around with a bunch of different layouts I finally decided on one.

Our chart has several different parts to it. There is the upper part where it's divided by the days of the week as well as things to do, things that are done and the total for the day.

The to do column has a list of chores she needs to complete for the day. When she's completed them she moves them to the done pile. 

At the bottom there is a how's my behavior doing section. It is divided up into five sections. Awesome where she can earn three tickets, good where she can earn two tickets, start of the day, warning, and loss of privilege.

Some loss of privileges we may use are loss of television, loss of innotab time, loss of play date, or loss of activity.

 Each day she can earn up to three tickets. At the end of the week she adds up the total amount of tickets and can redeem them for a prize.

They're only five choices of prizes for two different prize tiers. We did 7 to 14 and 15 to 21 tickets earned. She may pick out one prize from each section depending on how many tickets she earned for the week.

Some prizes we used were pick out dinner, pick out dessert, rent a Redbox movie, pick out a family activity, and pick out a game. These are just some examples of the prizes we used.

It's not perfect but hopefully it will work for us. 

Frozen Halloween Update

Late last week the Princess received a package from her Mimi. Inside was the Elsa costume! Needless to say she has changed her mind and wants to be Elsa for Halloween. :-) Such a fickle pickle she is ;-)

The excitement she had once she opened it was ridiculous.

6 Things No One Told Me About Having a 6 Year Old

So we are going through a rough patch of it I guess. It's like having a 6 going on 16 year old sometimes! So I have decided to make a list of the 6 things no one told me about having a 6  year old. (those that know me will understand why this is hard for me ;-)

1.  They question everything and have an answer to contradict what you tell them. Especially when they don't like the answer they gave you. Mom what color is the sky? Blue. No it's not it's green. 

2.  Stuck somewhere between being independent and not quite so. At least in our house she is capable of doing things but does not always want to or want to try to. 

3.  Making decisions is like asking her to throw away a favorite toy or something. She can't do it.

4.  You can't trick them into thinking homework is fun. They are too smart now a days to be swayed into thinking this worksheet is awesome!

5.  Every in justice in their lives is the end of the world. No you cannot wear make up. But whhhhyyyy? I'm big enough. Older girls do,  it's not fair! Mommmmyyyyyy!

6.  Cleaning your room is sacrilegious.

A Tale of a Frozen Halloween Costume

There once was a fair Princess from a not so far away land where she was asked by her Mother what she wanted to be for Halloween. Like many other Princess' from the other kingdoms this fair maiden wanted to either be Queen Elsa or Princess Anna. When she went to open up her dress up bin she was disappointed that her Queen Elsa dress was short unlike her Princess Anna one. So she picked up her Princess Anna dress and decreed to all the land, "I shall be Princess Anna for Halloween!"

Now I was happy she picked something we already owned but sad she picked something like everyone else. Last year she was Olivia the Pig :-) If I was uber creative and motivated I'd make my hubs dress as Kristoff or his favorite Olaf.

Rambling: Age bias

I'm not sure about any of you but I experience a lot of age bias by other parents. Meaning because I look/am younger the older parents either think I'm not responsible or loose if you catch my drift. Many people are choosing to wait to get married which then pushes back having children later in life then previous generations. Guess who does not fit that mold.

Several years ago at my daughter's old daycare I had a parent come up to me and ask me why I thought my child should attend the daycare since I was a teenage single Mom; she also asked why I was bringing my accident child to such a great daycare when there were other centers in town for people like me.   HELLO???!!! First of all not all teen Mothers are bad. I have seen/known some very awesome ones. Next who the hell do you think you are to come up to me and say that especially in front of my then 2 year old?! I'm sorry I am not what you think a Mother should look like.

I was married for 2 years prior to getting pregnant but since we got married at what is now considered young (22 & 24 yrs) I am obviously some young, irresponsible, uncaring, parent who let's their child live in chaos. WRONG! I am an uptight, over protective, strict, structured, loving 32 year old parent of a 6 year old. I am involved in her life and put her first. I'm sorry if that doesn't fit your hoity-toity view of an appropriate aged parent. Find something better to waste your time on.

Wedding Anniversary

Happy 8th wedding anniversary to my wonderful husband. We have been together as a couple for 10 years and have been through a lot. He is my best friend, my rock, my heart and soul. Thank you baby for coming on this crazy journey with me.

Friendship Defined by a First Grader

 

Today we invited one of her friends to come over tomorrow and play. While this was being set up she informed me that she knows what friendship is.

So I asked what is friendship?

O: Well (insert friends name here) told me all about it.
Me: And what did she say?

O: That friendship is being kind to each other, it's helping out a friend if they need it like when they fall, friendship is being nice and helping each other.

Me: :-)  That's great! What do you think of what your friend told you?
O: That's what it is Mom so that makes her my best friend even though we're not in the same class this year.  We have friendship like that.

My heart filled with this and I looked over at my husband who was smiling. After she walked away we discussed how wonderful it was for her to have such a great friend.

It seems now a days those basic principles on friendship are no longer followed.  I hope they continue to grow their friendship and support each other the next few years with everything that's waiting for them as they grow.

I just can't stop smiling.

Fall

Fall is coming :sigh: I'm not a huge fan. I do not like cold weather at all. I do not like wearing a winter coat. So Fall and I would be great if it skipped Winter and went back to Spring. Three seasons would be okay with me.

The things I do like about Fall are:
-Pumpkin spice coffee
-Halloween
-the colors
-leaf piles
-cute boots

What is your favorite season?

Random Things: Bath and Body Works Candle

I was not asked to write this post in any way. I just decided to do it. Last week we received a coupon in the mail from Bath and Body Works. I can honestly tell you I have not set foot in that place in probably more then 15 years ago and in another state. The coupon was for a percent off a purchase of some type then one for a free 3 wick candle less ten $22.50. I was skeptical but it worked! We got this awesome candle for free!

I guess the advertising worked. Send me a coupon for free stuff and I'll enter the store. I did not buy anything else but I did get some future ideas :-)

FINALLY Finished The Granny Square Blanket

Yes it is true. I finally finished the granny square blanket for my daughter. It's not perfect but I did my best. I have never done this pattern before or a blanket this big. She loves it so that's all that matters.

What do you guys think?

Previous post had me thinking

Due to the previous post it got me thinking about anxiety and depression. This post has been floating around in my mind for a while now and is a big deal to me to share.

So here goes.
I have depression, anxiety and PTSD sprinkle in a little OCD and we're good.

I am very self aware of these things and I think my background in Human Development and Family studies along with Youth and Family education have helped in recognizing things within myself and made me an effective counselor when I was working in the field.

I grew up in such a way that once I left the sanctuary of my house things sucked. I could not walk out of the house to the bus stop or friends houses with out someone either throwing things at me as well as insults about my appearance and basically how much of a waste of a human being I am. I never understood why I was targeted.  Now I know there are bullies and people say suck it up but this went on for YEARS. On top of all this there were some serious other types of abuse going on outside of my home to complicate this. The serious issues are enough to cause most teens to contemplate suicide and self harm. I did not try either.

Some how I had it in me to just graduate and all would be good. I am very thankful the internet was not like it is today when I grew up that would have been torturous. I found other, safe outlets to get lost in to deal with the pain.

 Let me make one thing crystal clear my parents are and were wonderful. They have never done anything but support me. I don't plan on getting into the super serious stuff because quite honestly I am not ready for my family to have the details. So Mom I know you read this and I hope to one day be ready to tell you. Please don't be mad.

As I got older I started to withdraw from the world and peers. I thought I was not worth it to be friends with people and I lost trust in them.  Once I hit high school I was so withdrawn and distrustful that the handful of people that reached out to me to hang out and such I turned down for fear of them doing something Drew Barrymore Never Been Kissed like. I hated every second of high school.

All I wanted to do was get by and graduate. Graduate and then I can decide who I see, what I do, who I am. I did not go to any dances except Jr & Sr prom, no football games no parties nothing. I got good grades stayed out of trouble and found solace in books. Books where the characters went through the ringer and turned out okay.

I missed 30+ days of school my senior year. All of them excused. Now a days I would have been held back or my parents in trouble but no one questioned it since I was considered a good kid.  I skipped all senior activities and ran like hell to my new freedom after graduation. It took going away to school my jr year of college to finally allow my self to be me. I hid my personality and tried not to dress how I wanted for fear of someone saying something to me. I kept my status quo.

I tell you these things because there was a teacher my sophomore year that took notice to something not right with me. He took notice and approached me with out ever pushing. I never confided but I will never forget how he treated me and made me feel like a worth while person in school. Teachers make an impact. They influence. Joking about serious topics is not okay.

I know some people will read this and say get over it but let me tell you something I wasn't diagnosed with the aforementioned for nothing.  I have made huge strides and have the worlds most patient and supportive husband. I have no idea how I got so lucky.

Moral to the story. Talk to your kids about how their words and actions hurt others. Talk with them and really listen to what they're saying to you. Support and love them. Get involved in their lives. Have the hard/serious discussions.

And teachers watch what you say teens listen more then you think.

Wayward Comments by a teacher

The other day I was perusing my Facebook feed and came across a post by my cousin. This post disturbed me greatly. My cousin is in high school and one of the teachers made a joke in class and when the students didn't laugh the teacher stated that she was going to go kill herself. SERIOUSLY!?!! A teacher stated this to a group of impressionable teenagers who then laughed at the suicide comment.


This teacher just basically made a joke of suicide. Some of these kids may even be depressed and now could see suicide as a valid solution to a temporary problem. I am appalled. Suicide is not a joke.

Per the CDC:

Youth suicide is defined as: Suicide (i.e., taking one's own life) is a serious public health problem that affects even young people. For youth between the ages of 10 and 24, suicide is the third leading cause of death. It results in approximately 4600 lives lost each year. The top three methods used in suicides of young people include firearm (45%), suffocation (40%), and poisoning (8%).

Deaths from youth suicide are only part of the problem. More young people survive suicide attempts than actually die. A nationwide survey of youth in grades 9–12 in public and private schools in the United States (U.S.) found that 16% of students reported seriously considering suicide, 13% reported creating a plan, and 8% reporting trying to take their own life in the 12 months preceding the survey. Each year, approximately 157,000 youth between the ages of 10 and 24 receive medical care for self-inflicted injuries at Emergency Departments across the U.S.

This teacher disgusts me. They made a  mockery of educators and suicide itself. Please if you or anyone you know may be contemplating suicide contact someone for help. Search the Suicide Prevention Wiki for a list of contacts http://suicideprevention.wikia.com/wiki/USA

Hello Hobbies: Shadow Box Gift

I wanted to share with you a project I did for my brother and his wife. They got married almost 2 years ago in NYC and had a very unique wedding. Most of their decorations were handmade by someone or created by them. The theme and design were created by them, Away We Go! It was pretty darn cool.

I decided the day of the wedding after seeing all of their cool decor to create for them for Christmas that year a shadow box with their pieces.

It took some time for me to figure out how to attach things to the board as I have never done a shadow box before.  I folded out their brown bag as the backdrop for the box. 

Next I used some ribbon from their pinwheels to anchor the fortune teller. The fortune teller opened up with basically what was their program of events for the day.

The top left corner has a blue paper flower that was a cupcake topper.

The right corner I attached the place card holder cork that is holding the ticket for the Carousel we went on after the ceremony.

Lastly I placed our flowers in the left corner hand corner. What is neat about all of the flowers is that they are handmade PAPER flowers. Yes paper! They looked awesome.

I think this turned out pretty neat. I am no expert on directions on how to do this. It was a lot of trial an error. Basically what looked good to the eye.

Kids and after school activities

It's that time of year again...well for us we do it all year...the time that not only does school start but all of the after school activities.  Olivia does swim lessons and gymnastics for sports type and we have her enrolled in Huntington Learning Center two days a week (wonderful place). So most week days we are not even home until almost 7 pm.

This past week we noticed that she is not as enthused about gymnastics while she is there anymore.  She loves getting ready and going but noticed that shes goofing off more and not following directions.  Once home we asked her do you still want to go. The answer was a resounding yes! Actually it was more like , "YES MOMMY!!! I want to win a trophy!." Which then resulted in the discussion of how she is not in the pre-team class that follows the track to get a trophy. Next question from her was why not? Another tough conversation about her behavior and not trying.

So we have left it up to her. Do you want to continue on as is? Try harder to make pre-team or switch sports all together? We also asked her if she wanted to maybe learn an instrument, take an art class, or even acting/theater class. The answer we received was still I want to do gymnastics and I want to work harder.

We shall see. Do you put limits on how many activities your child can do during the school year? Do you only allow activities that your child shows passion for? She's our only child so we just kind of choose as a family what can fit in our schedules.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Yes I know I continue to be a bad blogger. Shame on me for not writing more for here! However, I am not a WAHM nor have I ever claimed to be a blogger that forces the posts out of me. This is the real, messy life that most of us lead.

School is starting back up next week and I am very excited for my daughter. We were able to meet the teacher a few days ago along with some of the kids in her class. Her two best friends from last year are not in her class and honestly her new class is a nice mix of the three kindergarten classes that they had last year. She met several new children which whom she started to play with along with an old friend from one of her activities who has never been to her school before. I have high hopes this year for her in that the transition will be easier and she has a great teacher!

So the school year begins and the chaos gets worse. My day now becomes drop off at B&A school care, go to work, pick up from B&A school care, take to [tutoring, gymnastics, tutoring, swimming], come home, dinner, and get ready for the next day.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Monday-Friday.

I've started pinning some ideas for organizing our dinner menu and chores for the week so we are not wasting as much quality family time on the weekends. [thank goodness for Pinterest app on my phone] Once I start those I will post.

Back to School Check list by a First Grader

Some how the summer has flown by and there is only 1 week of summer vacation left.  I thought about a check list to help with getting back in the swing of things but then realized there are so many of them out there, plus we don't have to buy school supplies our PTO is the BOMB! and raised enough money last year that we don't have to.

I decided what better list then one from my big ol' first grader! The following is a list of 7 things that she thinks is important when starting 1st grade and the new school year  :-)

1.  Buy pencils.
2.  Take a bath and put on pjs.
3.  Make new friends.
4.  Be nice.
5.  Take my back pack.
6.  Get a princess haircut.
7.  Wear matching clothes.

The Birth of My Daughter

*some mild graphic descriptions*

Six years ago today I gave birth to the most beautiful daughter.  The love I felt when I held her the first time was incredible. I knew I'd do anything to protect her. The instant connection was amazing.

I was induced 2 weeks early. During my routine visit to the doctor at 37 weeks they found she wasn't moving as much and thought her stomach wasnt developing properly. I was immediately placed on bed rest for a week prior to induction . 

The day of induction was scary and exciting. I was about to meet my daughter. However she had other plans. 

The entire first day was spent in the L&D bed as I had to be monitored at all times. I was given pitocin so if something happend they could stop it if need be.  By 10 pm that night she was still not out. They decided to insert a ballon cath thing to help me dialate.

It worked and by the afternoon of day 2 she was born. They found that my placenta was already calcifying prematurely and that her stomach was fine. By the time we left the hospital we knew she had a very bad case of GERD. She was already on soy. 

Once home she had her formula switched several times, medications, as well as many specialist appointments as she was slow growing. She ate, threw up, screamed and didnt sleep.  It was heart breaking and scary as a first time Mom.

We're lucky in that a few years later the GERD was finally controlled. Although she has hearing issues now she developed typically.

She is the light in our lives. Our stubborn, outgoing, creative, beautiful princess.

Happy Birthday Baby! We love you to the moon and back.

The Princess' 6th Birthday Party...with a Frozen appearance

Frozen party update:

Yesterday was party day! It was a beautiful day and perfect for an outdoor party. The kids bounced, swam, swung, and ran.  We also had pizza, cake, snacks and drinks. I think they all had fun. So much in fact we forgot to do pin the nose on Olaf.  She ended up playing that with her cousin after everyone left :-)

I ended up not going too crazy like I thought I would since Pinterest had so many wonderful ideas. It felt good not to go overboard. A few decorations and a cake made by her Father.  That was one tasty cake! I love the fact he wanted to make it for her. It will be something special she will be able to store in her memory forever.

I think the kids did not even notice I didn't go all out. It felt like one of those birthday parties I grew up with. Not too structured but still fun. All of the kids got a long well even if they didn't know each other. It was wonderful. 

In her own words "I think it was just beautiful."

The Olaf balloon her Dad insisted we needed.

The beginning of the food table.

Playing with friends is always the best.

The delicious cake her Dad made.

Bouncing with friends.

Inside party table pre-cake.