I woke up this morning at 5:20am like usual. Since there had been a threat of freezing rain during the night, I asked Hannah to check to make sure school had not been delayed. She grumpily assured me that everything was normal so we both got ready for Seminary.
At around 6:02 Hannah and I were the only ones sitting in my basement. Feeling slightly suspicious of the fact there were not 13 other sleepy teenagers sharing the lovely church issued table, I asked Hannah to check once again about school. And lo and behold, school had been closed for the day!
With wide grins and a few grumbles that we were both awake when we could have been sleeping, Hannah and I made our way upstairs. We waited a few minutes to make sure no one came. Four students showed up (late I might add) and were shewed away amongst joyous calls.
But the thing that really bothers me is where did the bad weather go? Sure it rained during the night, but there was no ice I could detect. And what about the call for snow?
I find it quite hilarious that our district cancels school at the THREAT of snow. No snow present needed to win.
I guess this former Ohioan just doesn't get it.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Chinese New Year
Today was one of those days that flew by in a rush. I can barely recall its beginning or ending. But I sure remember the middle.
I had the fun pleasure of being the craft organizer for our annual FCC (Families with Children from China) celebration of Chinese New Year. Of course, I was super excited to come up with some ideas that would be indicative of New Year and The Year of the Rabbit. Here's what I came up with:
1. The ever so popular Chinese lantern. They looked amazing strung up across the tables!
2. Shakers to be used in the Dragon parade. Funny, enough the children were too busy being dragons that they forgot to use their shakers! Oh well.
3. Shrink-a-dink rabbit necklaces and zipper pulls. This was a HUGE hit. I literally spent 4 hours helping children (I think there were about 60 kids) trace, color, cut, punch, and string beads. My fingers were raw when we were finished. But they were totally fab!
I had the fun pleasure of being the craft organizer for our annual FCC (Families with Children from China) celebration of Chinese New Year. Of course, I was super excited to come up with some ideas that would be indicative of New Year and The Year of the Rabbit. Here's what I came up with:
1. The ever so popular Chinese lantern. They looked amazing strung up across the tables!
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| This is one of the lanterns Emmett made after we took it home. |
2. Shakers to be used in the Dragon parade. Funny, enough the children were too busy being dragons that they forgot to use their shakers! Oh well.
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| Can you guess which children are Lilly and Emmett? I'll give you a hint: they are not in Chinese clothing! |
3. Shrink-a-dink rabbit necklaces and zipper pulls. This was a HUGE hit. I literally spent 4 hours helping children (I think there were about 60 kids) trace, color, cut, punch, and string beads. My fingers were raw when we were finished. But they were totally fab!
Gung Hay Fat Choy!
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| Here we are in our matching Chinese t-shirts! What a CUTE family! |
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Snow Day
I don't know why, but sometimes I just can't help myself. That's how I felt this morning anyway when I saw Hannah quietly cuddled up in blankets enjoying a sleep in on this snow day.
That's when it hit me that I should probably wake her up...by singing OPERA of course!
So, with a lung full of air and a suppressed grin, I tiptoed to the bed and let it rip! I hit some notes that I am certain only dogs can hear.
With a startled yelp she opened her eyes, sat up , and announced "I'm awake!"
Music to my ears.
That's when it hit me that I should probably wake her up...by singing OPERA of course!
So, with a lung full of air and a suppressed grin, I tiptoed to the bed and let it rip! I hit some notes that I am certain only dogs can hear.
With a startled yelp she opened her eyes, sat up , and announced "I'm awake!"
Music to my ears.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Sick Day
Lilly stayed home with a 100.8 degree temperature. She was so excited.
It is not often that Lilly and I get a day alone, so we had to fill it with some creative collaborations. We decided to make some Valentine's Day decorations for her upcoming party.
First, we made a paper chain to drape across our dining room chandelier. All it took was 6 - 12x12 scrapbook papers in pink and red colors and a stapler (we tried double sided tape at first, but it was not doing so well with the thicker paper). Lilly had to take some time to figure out how to successfully hold the paper and stapler at the same time. But after a few times, she was a pro!
Then, we decided we needed to make a tissue paper flower to fancy it up a bit (we ARE Fancy Nancy fans after all). Lilly had a fun time helping me fold the paper and hang our beautiful flower.
Not a bad start to our party decorations!
It is not often that Lilly and I get a day alone, so we had to fill it with some creative collaborations. We decided to make some Valentine's Day decorations for her upcoming party.
First, we made a paper chain to drape across our dining room chandelier. All it took was 6 - 12x12 scrapbook papers in pink and red colors and a stapler (we tried double sided tape at first, but it was not doing so well with the thicker paper). Lilly had to take some time to figure out how to successfully hold the paper and stapler at the same time. But after a few times, she was a pro!
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| Still struggling to figure it out. |
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| Got it! |
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| Look at Lilly modeling our paper boa! |
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| Finished product - but looks a bit plain... |
Then, we decided we needed to make a tissue paper flower to fancy it up a bit (we ARE Fancy Nancy fans after all). Lilly had a fun time helping me fold the paper and hang our beautiful flower.
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| Fold 10 sheets of tissue paper accordion style. |
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| Tie a pipe cleaner tightly around the middle. Make sure to make a loop with the extra for hanging. |
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| Pull five sheets one direction, and five the other direction. |
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| Now that is MUCH fancier! |
Not a bad start to our party decorations!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Good Riddance!
We are so excited to announce that Emmet is now cast free!
No longer will we have to endure baths in the sink that turn into wrestling matches as we try to pin Emmet down long enough to wash his hair.
No longer will we need to cover his cast with one of Eric's socks thus leading to an epidemic of holey, mismatched socks.
And no longer will we have to smell his stinky little foot!
It is amazing how excited I was to give his foot a bath. Except it was really icky as six weeks of dead skin and scabs were washed away. Hannah and I were laughing hysterically because every where Emmett sat he left a pile of discarded skin cells behind. Way Yuck!
No longer will we have to endure baths in the sink that turn into wrestling matches as we try to pin Emmet down long enough to wash his hair.
No longer will we need to cover his cast with one of Eric's socks thus leading to an epidemic of holey, mismatched socks.
And no longer will we have to smell his stinky little foot!
It is amazing how excited I was to give his foot a bath. Except it was really icky as six weeks of dead skin and scabs were washed away. Hannah and I were laughing hysterically because every where Emmett sat he left a pile of discarded skin cells behind. Way Yuck!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Cease Fire
Our 6 year old little Darling has a way with big temper tantrums. Most of them are associated with clothes. Like most children she is uber-sensitive about the way the seam in her socks fits on her toes, but my personal favorite clothing complaint is the one about how her shirts bunch up around the neck whenever she inexplicably stretches her arms out in front of her and crosses them at the wrists. No matter how many times I try to tell her that there is absolutely no reason she should have to do that during any given normal day, she remains unconvinced.
This disagreement between us has gone on for months. The pinnacle of the Clothing Wars was the day Eric had to physically hold her down while I put a shirt over her head. It was at this fine moment that it occurred to me that maybe this wasn't how all families with young girls started out their mornings. Things had to change.
That's when the internet came to the rescue.
I did a quick search and found this really interesting topic: Sensory Disorders. Many people with this issue have problems with clothing. Of course Lilly doesn't have this issue, but she definitely has Issues with clothes. And as I was reading, I found this really neat cure for the Issue at hand: rub different textured items over the body to get the skin used to different sensations so that the sufferer will get used to these textures and realize that clothing is not going to hurt them.
I thought this was ingenious.
That night I began the Ritual. I took a flat paddle brush and scraped it over Lilly'e entire body while she stood there in her undies with a perplexed "have you gone crazy" look on her face. I nobly explained to her that this was a type of Occupational Therapy that helps people with clothing Issues. The next day it was a dry Loofah.
On the third day she was miraculously cured and never complained about how her clothes felt again.
But occasionally we still have disagreements about what is fashionable. For instance, there was a period of months that Lilly would only wear what she called her "Horse Rider" clothes. Basically this meant she had only two pairs of bottoms that she would wear: a pair of purple capri leggings or a pair of knee length denim shorts. (Note: Oddly enough she refused to wear either of these articles of clothing during the summer when they were appropriate. Instead she waited until the cold days of November to decide they were acceptable). Then she would add a nicely worn out t-shirt and tuck it into the waistband of the chosen bottoms. To finish the ensemble, she would wear her knee high black leather boots. And Voila! Horse Rider extraordinaire!
To negotiate a cease fire of the Clothing Wars, I came up with a bribing system. For every 7 days that she wears the outfit I pick out for her, she gets a treat. Today ended the first week of said negotiations.
Lilly has a brand new fashionable Barbie and I have a brand new fashionable daughter.
All is fair in love and war.
This disagreement between us has gone on for months. The pinnacle of the Clothing Wars was the day Eric had to physically hold her down while I put a shirt over her head. It was at this fine moment that it occurred to me that maybe this wasn't how all families with young girls started out their mornings. Things had to change.
That's when the internet came to the rescue.
I did a quick search and found this really interesting topic: Sensory Disorders. Many people with this issue have problems with clothing. Of course Lilly doesn't have this issue, but she definitely has Issues with clothes. And as I was reading, I found this really neat cure for the Issue at hand: rub different textured items over the body to get the skin used to different sensations so that the sufferer will get used to these textures and realize that clothing is not going to hurt them.
I thought this was ingenious.
That night I began the Ritual. I took a flat paddle brush and scraped it over Lilly'e entire body while she stood there in her undies with a perplexed "have you gone crazy" look on her face. I nobly explained to her that this was a type of Occupational Therapy that helps people with clothing Issues. The next day it was a dry Loofah.
On the third day she was miraculously cured and never complained about how her clothes felt again.
But occasionally we still have disagreements about what is fashionable. For instance, there was a period of months that Lilly would only wear what she called her "Horse Rider" clothes. Basically this meant she had only two pairs of bottoms that she would wear: a pair of purple capri leggings or a pair of knee length denim shorts. (Note: Oddly enough she refused to wear either of these articles of clothing during the summer when they were appropriate. Instead she waited until the cold days of November to decide they were acceptable). Then she would add a nicely worn out t-shirt and tuck it into the waistband of the chosen bottoms. To finish the ensemble, she would wear her knee high black leather boots. And Voila! Horse Rider extraordinaire!
To negotiate a cease fire of the Clothing Wars, I came up with a bribing system. For every 7 days that she wears the outfit I pick out for her, she gets a treat. Today ended the first week of said negotiations.
Lilly has a brand new fashionable Barbie and I have a brand new fashionable daughter.
All is fair in love and war.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Nostalgia
This weekend I helped a friend do a "Chocolate Tea Party" for her newly turned five year old daughter. It turned out darling - she did a beautiful job. And it made me remember the "English Garden Tea Party" we did when Hannah turned eight. It would have made Jane Austen herself proud!
So, for all of you party lovers out there, I decided to post some lovely pictures of lovely girls at a lovely party!
I literally spent months scoping out thrift stores and antique shops for the perfect cup and saucer sets for each girl. I wanted them all to be mismatched and cost less than $2.00 each. Thankfully, I gave myself LOTS of time and in the process learned how to make really fancy three tiered stands out of thrift store glass plates and wine glasses! And the best part was that each stand cost less than $1.50 to make. Talk about shabby chic at its cheapest!
The lovely ladies at the party dined on the finest finger sandwiches, strawberries and cream, assorted cookies, and of course "tea" (which was actually lemonade and punch- we are LDS afterall!)
And what English tea party would be complete without dancing? Well, luckily, Eric and I had just started taking English Country Line Dance lessons so I was able to impart some of my newly gained knowledge to my young proteges. But first, they had to be schooled in the art of Fan Language - an essential part of any young ladies education!
The cake was a yummy strawberry and raspberry jello and whipped cream cake. The only objection was that the raspberries decorating the top began to drip down the sides! Hannah had to make a wish fast!
It almost makes me want to cry to think back to that party and the little girl who just turned eight, got her ears pierced and was baptized. Now that she is fifteen, I don't often have the opportunity to have parties like this for her. Things have changed and she has changed. Her last party was a murder mystery (I'll post that later) and there were BOYS there! Oh, how time swiftly passes us by! But, happily she is still my little girl who holds my hand when we go to the mall together and who cuddles on the couch with me when we watch Jane Austen movies!
I know what you are thinking, and I agree - I am a lucky mom!
So, for all of you party lovers out there, I decided to post some lovely pictures of lovely girls at a lovely party!
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| The Birthday girl - How beautiful she was in her fancy dress! |
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| Table fit for any English nobility. Check out the tiered stands! |
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| Each English beauty received her very own one-of-a-kind tea cup and saucer to take home |
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| I actually grew all the flowers in my very own garden! |
And what English tea party would be complete without dancing? Well, luckily, Eric and I had just started taking English Country Line Dance lessons so I was able to impart some of my newly gained knowledge to my young proteges. But first, they had to be schooled in the art of Fan Language - an essential part of any young ladies education!
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| A fan was every girls secret weapon |
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| They all caught on very quickly - maybe it is in every girl's nature to be coy! |
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| Practicing for a Ball - Aren't they lovely? |
It almost makes me want to cry to think back to that party and the little girl who just turned eight, got her ears pierced and was baptized. Now that she is fifteen, I don't often have the opportunity to have parties like this for her. Things have changed and she has changed. Her last party was a murder mystery (I'll post that later) and there were BOYS there! Oh, how time swiftly passes us by! But, happily she is still my little girl who holds my hand when we go to the mall together and who cuddles on the couch with me when we watch Jane Austen movies!
I know what you are thinking, and I agree - I am a lucky mom!
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