Great School & A Change Is A Comin'

The other day I talked about my kiddies 1st day of school pictures. CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THOSE PICTURES. This week has been a busy one, I now have a 2nd grade daughter and 3rd grade son. Look how much they've grown! How does that happen? 

(yes, I am aware that I need to sweep my dusty porch!!)

I may have said this before but I'll say it again, I love the kids school! They get 2 days of P.E. each week, prayer before lunch over the loud speaker (yes this is a public school!), and the best teachers a mama could ask for. Both kids have been blessed with great teachers and a good group of kids in their classes. The biggest advantage to living in a small town is that I am close personal friends with much of the teaching staff, so I always know what's going on regarding my kids education. 

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Health update: My hubby has been doing pretty good with his health. His heart is strong and his little health scare has created great changes in our home. We are still eating very healthy, my husband has dropped 40 pounds! (way to go sweetie!) I have dropped 15, sure not as impressive but I am working hard on it (most of the time). 

(no that is not us, but I thought if it was a real picture of us running it might scare you! AHHHH! Image me 50 pounds heavier and my hubby would NEVER wear spandex pants!!) 

In the next chapter of our healthy lifestyle/weight loss journey we will be doing a full body detox. I am scared out of my mind! We have never done this, I have no idea what to expect. So in preparation of this body cleansing I ate some cheesecake... What? I figured if we're going to detox might as well say good bye to an old friend, ha ha.

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I hope you have had a great week. I hope to fall into my back to school rhythm very soon where I can juggle all these house hold chores and get back on track with my playstation Zumba (oh yeah, I do that. LOVE IT!) Well, I must be off. My Friday night glass of red wine is calling my name. 

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time... 

30 Days About Me (Favorite Artist/Band)

Could there be a more difficult question??? Well I know my favorite musicians for sure! (for those who have followed for awhile, you've already seen these pictures, sorry!)

The little drummer boy rockin' out

There's my girl jammin' on her guitar!

Hum, music I like. This is a mix bag of everything under the sun so I'll just make a list:

• My Dad, he has been a drummer since he was a kid. I love watching him play, he loves what he does. I hope my kids inherit his passion for music and follow their dreams just like him. 

• Adele
• Cydi Lauper
• The Doors
• Metallica
• Jason Mraz
• Darius Rucker
• Lady Antebellum 
• Miranda Lambert
• Brett Dennen
• Bruno Mars
• Ke$ha
• Damien Rice
• Jason Aldean
• Katy Perry 
• Mumford & Sons
• Muse
• OneRepublic

That's probably a very small list that I can think of right now, and I'm sure as the day goes on I will think of like 20 more I should add to this list. But for the most part I like artists with musical passion no matter what genre. 


What's your favorite Artist/Band?





au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time... 

30 Days About Me (A Photo That Makes Me Happy)

School Days

With school getting ready to start it has me all nostalgic about 1st days of school from years past. It seems like only yesterday my munchkins were tiny babies wrapped up in my arms. This year my daughter will be in 2nd grade and my son in 3rd. It just goes by too fast! 

These pictures make me smile, we always commemorate the first day of school with a picture. It makes me happy that they both love school so much and that they look forward to each new year. 

Fall 2006

Fall 2007

Fall 2008

Fall 2009

Fall 2010

The munchkins go back August 18th this year and we will once again take our annual picture. And these are pictures that make me happy. 

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Better Today Then Yesterday

It's been a week. One week ago we lost Sammy, our boxer. (You can read my way too sad sob story about how much I love him here.) 

The kiddies taking Sammy on a walk a few weeks ago

This has been a   L O N G  week. When you are sad time seems to slow down. I am pleased to report we are all feeling better in our house. It was pretty depressing around here for a few days. Our other 2 dogs wouldn't even play with us, it was pitiful to watch a dog go through the grieving process. Who ever said animals don't have feelings is full of bologna. The kids are doing better. My daughter is like a rock, nothing over emotional ever bugs her, but my son is my sensitive one and this has been hard for him. 


All in all life goes on. The house seems slightly emptier these days but we have to keep chugging away. This Saturday will be my daughters 7th birthday (Wow how time flies!), and then we will be preparing for the 1st day of school shortly after. 


Summer is slowly drifting away. I hope you've had a chance to do something fun with the ones you love. 




au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time... 

Mama, I wanna Be A Rock Star

Music is a huge part of our family. My mom always sang in church, my dad has played the drums since he could walk. He has been in more bands then I can count. I grew up playing the piano and trumpet. I sang in the church and school choirs. Needless to say music speaks to my soul. I always wanted my kids to have the same passion for music I was raised with. My son wants to play the drums to be like my dad, and my daughter wants to be like Hannah Montana and play guitar.

Last Christmas they both received "starter" instruments; cheap, small versions of the more expensive counterparts they desired from my parents. The deal was take care of them for a year and practice, if they were still interested they would get an upgrade.

Boy, did my mom and dad deliver on their promise!

The little drummer boy rockin' out

There's my girl jammin' on her new guitar!

Thankfully we have a huge basement so the kids can play to their hearts content when ever they want to. I love hearing the sounds of their music flowing through my house :) It's what I always wanted. Lessons start next month and the kids are so excited! 

Anyone out there start playing guitar or drums at a young age and have any advice?

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Is It Summer Yet??

School is on it's last week for the kids. Their excitement is cracking me up. I remember counting down the days as a kid for school to be out. 20 more days left! 8 more days left! 3 MORE DAYS LEFT! I must have driven my mom crazy.

Last summer the kids had a great community pool within walking distance, the summer before we had our own above ground pool, this summer... nothing. What will my water babies do?! I'm such a spoiled brat when it comes to water. I have always had a pool, or lived close to the beach, or had a best friend with a pool :) Not sure how we'll survive. Yes, I am aware I'm whining, sorry.

So what am I going to do to keep us all entertained when the sun is hot and boredom has kicked in?

We have a few trips planned, the biggest being to Disneyworld, and a couple little trips to visit my parents. Other then that we'll be at home. My goal is to not let the kids get sucked into the "boob tube." I really don't want their brains to turn to mush from staring at the screen for 15 hours a day. Oh, trust me, there will be days when i'll say "just go watch the TV for goodness sake!" But what will I do during the idol times? Hum... I think this will have to be my most creative summer yet. I'll let you know what we do to keep busy, once I figure it out that is.

Have a super fabulous summer everyone!

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Never Lose Hope, Haiti Relief

Recenly our family learned about a great organization and we wanted to share it with you...


With the horrible tragedy recently in Haiti it brought up a great opportunity to teach my kids about the importance of basic human needs. One of those is fresh drinking water. My kids love anything that involves science so they were very interested in what "Water Missions International" is doing during this tragedy. They make these amazing water filtration systems to allow people to purify their muddy, dirty water.

At my parents church they had one of these filtration systems there for people to see how they work, and help raise money for the relief efforts. They also allowed people to write little messages on the tank that will be sent to Haiti later this week. Here is what my children drew:

My daughter drew 2 friends sharing clean glasses of water, I hope 2 friends in Haiti will be standing there smiling at this image and raise their glasses together.

As I watched my 6 year old son write out "Never Lose Hope" around his drawn cross, tears filled my eyes. All on his own he knew they needed this message. Such a universal phrase, something we all need to remember in our darkest hour.

Regardless of faith, ethnicity, age... Never Lose Hope.

Have a wonderful Sunday,

Lizzie

Happy Tree Climbers & Neverending Boxes

Oh my goodness have things been nutty lately!?

We made it South Carolina December 22nd, 2009. Had a nice simple Christmas with my parents... Then, the unpacking began. We have too much crapola, I'm telling you. It is ridiculous the amount of stuff one can aquire in their life.

The kids started their new school after winter break. Thank the Lord they both LOVE their new teachers and have made friends fast. My hubby has settled in nicely with his new job, he's already trying to climb to the next level. (Such a workaholic!!)

How am I doing? Suprisingly well.
Yes, the basement is full of boxes yet to find a home.
The laundry is piled all over the house.
The fridge is empty cause I haven't been to the grocery store in like 10 days!
Moral of the story is our house is a mess, but we're all happy and healthy :)

The worst thing about our new place? NO INTERNET! I am dying (hence the lack of blogging) My cellphone keeps me minimally connected for now.

The best part of our new house is the yard! Acres of forest and creekfront property to explore. The kids are loving it (and I'm enjoying the silence inside while they are outside, ha ha)

I hope to catch up with you all soon and can't wait to share pictures of our beautiful log cabin on the lake! Um, once I get it clean of course :)

My munchkin was so excited when he made it up a fallen tree all by himself

My mini munchkin loves pretending she's a cowgirl on her horse when she's sitting on this log

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Sweet Old Videos

I love running across videos I forgot about! This gem I am sure you will all enjoy.

In honor of this wonderful holiday season, I give you a Christmas pageant video from our family :) (never mind the fact that it's from 2007... I'm a little behind on my camcorder stuff.)

My daughter is the little blond in the middle and my son is 2 down from her in the red shirt. Enjoy!!!



au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Just Sit Down!

Do your kids sit on the couch when they watch Television? The reason I ask is because mine don't. They do everything but sit quietly on the couch.

...doing head stands, laying upside down, standing in the middle of the room, spinning in circles, on top of a dog, on top each other!

exhibit A:




*the reason for all the orange attire? Our favorite college football team The Clemson Tigers kick off in 13 days! We're a very prepared family :)

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Spinning In Circles

What a week! First off let me thank you all for your sweet words of encouragement as I got back on track with my workout routine :) Oh and I apologize for all the people I scared with my last post, really, I had no idea you were all so... so... WIMPY! ha ha

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This week my munchkins stared school. It was bitter sweet. For the first time ever both my babies are in all day school. They both did great on their first day, I am so proud of them. One super cool thing about them both being in school now is MONDAYS! I know, I know... most people don't like Monday, but guess what? My hubby doesn't work that day so for the first time in who knows how many years we get to have a day together... Alone! We plan on making a weekly tradition to spend that day together doing something fun :)

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On a totally unrelated and slightly gross note. My cute little puppy, Jackson, has a disgusting new habit that I can not break him of. No matter what I do this whacked out dog keeps doing it! I need help people, any advice you have of making him STOP this behavior would be greatly appreciated. He has acquired a taste for the unusual. I can't get him to stop eating this no matter what I do! Prepare yourself, it isn't pretty...

Yeah, He's eating his own poop. I have no idea what is wrong with him. What's even worse is he loves to give kisses. OK, say it with me "EeeWwww" Needless to say, the munchkins have been washing their faces quite a bit these days.

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Now onto happier, less yucky topics. August 6th my sweet mini-munchkin turns 5! I love when my kids have a birthday, it gives me a reason to be all goofy and silly with them :) We will be having a simple little family night. She has picked out her birthday meal (Hot Dogs with Cheetos) and her presents are waiting to be ripped to shreds. Saturday we are going to the local Children's Museum to celebrate.

Wow, I no longer have little babies, I am shocked they really did grow up too fast. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, I'm off to watch my DVR recordings of "Shark Week" yeah!!!

*Oh yeah also, if anyone has a good recommendation for reusable snack bags for my kids lunches please please let me know!!! I have looked on Etsy, but there are so many i have no clue which have been tried and true. Thanks all :)

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Back Home! Nature Camp Edition

Each summer my munchkins go to Nature Camp at Blackbeard's Cove Family Fun Park. They have a blast learning about insects, protecting our planet, various vegetation, and all sorts of animals. Last summer I posted about their week of learning and this time around I have more pictures!

Both kids did things I didn't know them capable of. My son went hunting for "good snakes," while my daughter actually enjoyed holding bugs! It is really amazing how spending time out in nature can help a child grow.

A wonderful woman named Nana Butterfly runs the program. Since my kids had been to this camp before it was very cute to watch them run into her arms yelling "Nana! Look how big we got this year!"

I grew up going to many summer camps... wilderness camps, Girl Scout camps, Church camps, every kind of camp! I am glad to see that my kids enjoy this as much as I did :)



Thank you all for your wonderful comments while I was on a little break. I feel fully refreshed and ready for whatever life can dish out.

Life is back in full swing around our place, especially with school starting August 3rd. (Is that not the most ridiculously early date for school to go back?!) I have a bunch more fun vacation moments to share so stay tuned!

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Bike Parade

This morning the kids participated in a fun 4th of July bike parade, hope you enjoy the video :)



au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

A Blast From Independence Day Past

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY EVERYONE!!!

I redirect you all here "Independence Day? Mommy What's That?" to a post I wrote last year to explain this great holiday to my kids.

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Interview With My Munchkins

Jen over at Under The BIG Blue Sky did a great interview with her 2 cute girls and I thought I would do the same. Kids really do say the funniest stuff :)

Mama (28) interviews Munchkin (6) & Mini-munchkin (4):

1. What is something mama always says to you?

Munchkin: I LOVE YOU BIG BOY

Mini-munchkin: THAT SHE LOVES ME

2. What makes mama happy?

Munchkin: ME LISTENING TO HER

Mini-munchkin: WHEN SHE WANTS TO DO SOMETHING EXCITING

3. What makes mama sad?

Munchkin: WHEN DADDY'S GROUCHY

Mini-munchkin: WHEN ME AND BROTHER FIGHT.

4. How does your mama make you laugh?

Munchkin: SHE HAS THE MOST WONDERFUL TICKLES

Mini-munchkin: MAKING FUNNY FACES

5. What was your mama like as a child?

Munchkin: I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT!

Mini-munchkin: CLIMB TREES, DO HER HAIR WEIRD

6. How old is your mama?

Munchkin: 29

Mini-munchkin: 50 & 8

7. How tall is your mama?

Munchkin: 20 FEET

Mini-munchkin: 100 FEET LONG

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

Munchkin: PLAY WITH ME & READ JANE AUSTEN

Mini-munchkin: GO TO THE GYM

9. What does your mama do when you’re not around?

Munchkin: WATCHES JANE AUSTEN MOVIES, AND LAYS AROUND KISSING DADDY A LOT.

Mini-munchkin: READ

10. What is your mama really good at?

Munchkin: MOPPING THE FLOOR & GETTING THE MOST SKINNIEST

Mini-munchkin: GETTING FOOD AT THE GROCERY STORE

11. What is your mama not very good at?

Munchkin: SOME SPORTS

Mini-munchkin: CLIMBING ROCK WALLS

12. What does your mama do for her job?

Munchkin: WATCHES ME AND SISSY WHILE DADDY'S AT WORK.

Mini-munchkin: UM, CLEAN.

13. What is your mama’s favorite food?

Munchkin: WATERMELON

Mini-munchkin: SUSHI!

14. If your mama was given one wish, what would it be?

Munchkin: TO HAVE MORE TIME WITH US!

Mini-munchkin: TO HAVE A GENIE IN A BOTTLE

That was so fun. Please feel free to play along. I learned some interesting things I didn't even know!!

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Wax On, Wax Off...

I noticed my last few posts have been pretty wordy so I thought I'd share something short and sweet this time. My kids still love karate, their last belt ceremony they received their orange/yellow belt (kids this young go up in half steps). Here they are with their favorite teachers:



What was your favorite sport as a kid? What do your kids enjoy doing?

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Is it wrong to WANT to slap someone?

The city of Phoenix is doing something super cool this year. It's a program called "The Culture Pass." Here's how it works: Culture Passes can be checked out like books. Each pass grants admission for up to four people to the museums, zoos, gardens and other places that are taking part. The best part? IT'S FREE!

When a friend told me about this Culture Pass thing, I was so excited. What a wonderful way to take your kids somewhere fun and educational and save a few bucks! WRONG oh boy was I WRONG!

I arrived this morning 15 minutes before the library opened (the passes are handed out first come first serve) kids in tow, ready to pick up my pass for some summer fun. Stood in line like a good mommy waiting my turn. The doors opened... CRAZINESS!

pushing

swearing

cutting in line

rude ladies

running

It was a mad house. Within 5 minutes every single pass was gone, we didn't even get one. My kids were so bummed. The thing that really bugged me was that many people had multiple passes (you are supposed to get 1 per family) I saw someone with 8. I asked if she was going to use them all, she barked at me sternly "YUP!" and passed them out to her kids so it looked like she only had one. WHAT?!

What I learned today is people are willing to ruin other peoples fun for their own personal gain sometimes. Adults are willing to shove a child in order to get what they want. That we will not be going to all the museums and cultural events I had hoped this summer :(

Here's what puts it all into perspective though: As we were leaving my son looks up at me and says "It's alright mama, we have a bunch of crafts at home, I'll paint you some art. And it's already free!" That's right buddy, I'd choose your homemade art over anything else in the world.

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Housework, Sick Kids, FATNESS & Cute Clothes

I have been a busy little bee around our house this week. Our gorgeous wool rugs were finally delivered and I could start putting the final touches on my front room and living room. Pictures coming next week! With all the picture hanging, furniture moving and decorating going on the rest of the house started to look like crapola, so today I am working on all the everyday cleaning (laundry, dishes, cleaning up, etc.) Where is that fancy cleaning robot from "The Jetson's" when you need her. Oh Rosie... I wish you lived in my closet!!!

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The weight loss front in still going strong, I have dropped 20.6 pounds! Although, I am sad to say I am STILL the same pants size. Darn my Norwegian hips that never seem to shrink *grrrrr* Bet you can't guess where the weight loss has happened the most? Yup, you got it... my boobs :(

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My mini-munchkin is sick, she has strep throat. Poor thing has been laying around on the couch for 2 days. You'd think I'd enjoy this quarentine at home since I am ALWAYS running around doing things. Nope, this quiet at home all day stuff has me stir crazy. I haven't been to the gym in 3 days, and I am starting to have full on conversations with the dogs. "Well hello Louie, isn't it a pretty day? Wanna help mama fold laundry? You do? Wonderful! Come over here and you can sit on the bed and watch!"

Yeah... I am losing it.

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My hubby and I have decided to get on a strict budget (i'm talking Alpo for dinner people!) in an attempt to be 100% debt free and self sufficiant. So due to this change in our finances I went out and bought a new Harley Davidson tank top and a cute little hat to match! What?! If my hubby's gonna ride one I have to look cute standing by it right?

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

What This Mama Loves The Most

First and foremost, too all the moms out there...Happy Mother's Day!

What does being a mom mean to me? Patience, understanding, caring, sometimes even a bit of frustration. But most of all it means unconditional love forever. I was so amazed at how fast I fell deeply in love with both my munchkins the second they were laid in my arms for the first time in the hospital. I didn't grow up around a lot of little kids, I was an only child. I was worried I wouldn't "get it." How wrong I was. I can honestly say I never understood unconditional love until these two came into my life.

My munchkin, my oldest, my boy... He is 100% little boy, scares me to death on a regular basis with his dare-devil antics and his willingness to go all out in an instant. Wow, he has taught this mama about a lot of things over the years: Transformers, Star Wars, falling and always getting back up, but mostly that boys (men) have such strong emotions as well, they are just as caring as a woman, well... when they want to be :)



My princess, my baby-girl, my drama queen... she is a girly girl to the core. I never knew someone could own so many dresses! All that patience I mentioned earlier? Yeah, I learned that from dealing with her, ha ha. She can bring the drama for sure. But she als has such a sweet softer side that I am blessed to see often. She has taught me about loving diamonds, spinning with a big skirt on, Dora The Explorer, but mostly that we are all human. We hurt sometimes and we need to reach out and ask for help, someone will always be there to hold your hand.


On this mother's day I hope you reflect back on what your kids have taught you. You'd be surprised what you've learned over the years, I know I was :) Have a great day!

Ta Ta for now