Mom's Birthday and Stephen Fite Concert

Mom's Birthday
My mom loves Chinese food, but she never gets to eat it because my dad isn't a big fan.  I knew mom's birthday was coming up very soon and I couldn't come up with a gift idea.  Susan suggested I make her a Heart Felt Wreath for her front door.  The week I was to make the wreath, my family and I came down with a terrible stomach virus that took days to fully get over.  I never got to make the wreath, so I thought a nice bouquet of flowers and cake to celebrate the day.  Then, I thought of taking her to P.F. Chang's for lunch the Saturday after her birthday.  Talking to Susan, she couldn't come up with an idea either.  So, I suggested that she get mom some flowers and I'll do the cake.  The day, I would be bringing her a cake, my dad had plans to take her out to their favorite seafood restaurant, Red Lobster aka "Crawdad's".  What now?  So, I treated her to a 4-course meal at P.F. Chang's.  OMGosh!  The FOOD.  Two of my sisters, niece and I were able to take mom out to lunch.  We had so much fun!  We all piled up in my vehicle and headed to Bridge Street in Huntsville. 

June's not into Chinese food too well, so I introduced to her Mongolian Beef and Lo Mein Vegetable noodles.  Someone from her work told her to order the Sweet and Sour Chicken.  I'm not too big on Sweet and Sour Chicken and now neither is June.  I ordered a regular size portion of lo mein noodles to share with the whole table.  June said she will have to remember the Mongolian Beef and noodles the next time she comes, which made me feel special.  I love to introduce good food to people who will appreciate it.  Susan and Mom both ordered Crispy Honey Shrimp.  I've had the Crispy Honey Chicken before, but I really liked the shrimp better. 

On the way home, we dropped Leslie off at Chase's house and got to visit with his parents, Kellie and Larry.  I just LOVE them.  It's great when two families that will be coming together in the future get along so well.   I think it limits the stress for the young (soon to be) newlyweds when their families are happy with each other.  Leslie and Chase left soon after we got to his house.  He coaches basketball for a young group of kids, so they left for the game.  Us ladies stayed and visited with his parents, to get to know each other a little better.  I received the best complement from Larry.  Backing up, the last time I saw and met him for the first time was during my mom and dad's anniversary party last July.  Well while we were all talking, he asked which sister I belonged to.  HAHAHA!  He thought I was one of my sisters' daughter.  I loved it!  We all started laughing, including Kellie because I see and talk to her more than him.  Kellie quickly told him that I was a sister.  He said that he thought I belonged to one of them because I looked so young.  I told him that I knew I liked him for some reason.  LOL!  That was everyones laugh for the day. 

Mom had a really good birthday weekend.  Dad taking her out to eat on her birthday.  Us ladies going out for lunch and visiting.  Maryann and Kevin had mom and dad over for supper on Super Bowl night.  They didn't stay for the whole ballgame, but they had another lovely evening with Maryann's family.  She received tons of cards and nice birthday wishes over the phone from relatives and friends.  Next we'll have to plan a special event because it will be her 75th birthday. 

I would like to ask that you please pray for my mom.  She has been experiencing some pain down her left leg like electric shocks.  She's been seeing specialists for her pain and discomfort.  She's had blood tests taken and x-rays.  Monday, I got a call from June.  Mom had a bad morning and had a hard time getting out of bed.  Once I got to their house, she was resting in bed.  I found out that the pain down her leg got worse and she ended up taking two Lortab pills to kill the pain, so she could rest.  Mom got an appointment with her doctor, so I went with them.  The doctor pulled up the results from the x-ray.  It showed mom had a collapsed vertebrae.  After hearing mom's description of the pain, her doctor feels the disk is being pushed and is more than likely pressing up against a nerve.  She even thinks maybe the disk is inflammed.  I believe mom's doctor is working on scheduling a consultation with a back surgeon for a possible back surgery.  This time, they are talking about having a plasty done on her lower back.  This plasty is like putting cement in between her vertebrae.  The doctor seems to think this will help mom a lot.  We are all on wait and see right now.    

Dr. Seuss Activity Booklet
I finally finished Katie's Dr. Seuss activity booklet.  After printing the book out on card stock, I protected it with clear laminate paper.  I punched a hole at the top left corner and placed an "O" book ring to keep it in tack. 

I love the fact that Katie can write on it with a dry erase pen and just wipe it clean.  I'm hoping to pass this booklet down to Colton.  CLICK HERE to print the activity book pdf file.  Katie likes her new book and thinks it is so cool to be able to write on it over and over.  I love it because it will help her to practice reading, writing, and solving math problems. 

Katie
Yesterday, Katie and I went on a school field trip to see Stephen Fite in concert.  As a chaperone, I was assigned to watch over 2 little boys in Katie's class.  The one little boy, L, was privileged to sit right next to me before the show started.  L could not be still for nothing.  He was either hanging on my arm or begging to get something to drink.  I was trying to get my group to make the same movements as Stephen was demostrating and singing the songs.  L wanted nothing to do with it. I loved how the audience was encouraged to participate in the concert - singing and dancing.  Stephen even got a few school teachers up on the stage to help him out.  I really liked the songs because they were all surrounded around learning.  You'll have to check out the website.  

Our group

On Stage

Afterwards, Katie and I went shopping.  I wanted to get the kids Winter coats and jackets for next Fall/Winter.  Right now is the time to get really great deals from Dillards and Belk because they are pushing their Winter stuff, to make room for Spring and Summer clothing.  I had Katie pick out her coat.  Can you guess what color she chose?  Pink.  We found a very nice coat for her and I only paid $14.99, it was originally $53.  I grabbed two coats/jackets for Colton.  His coat is a Nike insulated for $24.99 and the thinner jacket with hood was $14.99.  I also picked him up a nice pants suit for $11.99 (long sleeved dress shirt, sweater vest and couroy pants).  By the end of the day, we were both exhausted.  We didn't head home until close to 5PM. 

Colton
I was going through Colton's closet and went through the clothes I bought him this past Summer for this Spring.  I bought him a Will'beth Jon-Jon suit and it is so precious on him.  The suit came with a matching cap, but it doesn't fit his big head.  I hate it, but he didn't mind wearing it today anyway.  I thought he looked so darn cute, sitting on his Thomas while wearing a train suit with cap.  I had to take a picture.  Maybe he won't hate me later.  LOL!

Let's Get Reading!

I wanted to share with all the mommas out there that your little preschooler is getting bored with the same ol' same ol' Summer reading skills. "Learn To Read" by Starfall.com is a hands on phonics for your little readers. It's filled with lots of fun. Learn to build words by playing word games. I love the books that create the story while helping you to pronounce the words, right in front of you. There are great little mini movies on alphabet skills. Plus, lots and lots more when you visit the main index. It has tons of interaction, so to keep those beginning readers excited to read.  It will give you mom's a break and children won't be so bored. Happy reading! Learn To Read website.

Tea Time and School Readiness

Precious Party Themes
I'm not hosting a "Alice in Wonderland" party theme, but I had to pass along this inspiration. So so precious! If Katie absolutely is still into "Alice in Wonderland" and I have enough time and patience to pass around, I might be tempted for next year. Too too cute! Here's the direct link to the post from The Tom Kat Studio
The TomKat Studio: {Sweet Customers} Gorgeous Alice in Wonderland Birthday Party & New Color Option for Collection!

Is this not precious or what? I love it!

I have two unfortunates. One, I won't have time to come up with this decor and foods within two weeks. Two, Katie decided she wanted Hannah Montana as her second birthday theme. You talk about being surprised. Surprised because at first she wanted a "Princess and the Frog" but without a frog cake. Ugh!  It went from that to "Strawberry Shortcake". I was actually planning to make a large strawberry shortcake accented with ripe red strawberries on top. Now, "Hannah Montana". So, I'm going to try my hand at creating a purple/pink glittery cake with pink daisies. Wish me luck!

Prayer Request
My friend, D, is almost finished with her cancer treatments and she sounds great. Her round of Chemo is complete and after next week, so will be her radiation. She told her boss that she'll be ready to go back to work a week from Monday. Her boss, M, told her that we just need to wait and see. According to her doctor, she will need to heal for four weeks before they will do the biopsy. The biopsy will determine what will be the next step. She wants everyone to know that she appreciates all the prayers, cards and pictures (Chuck). Thank you again for keeping her in your prayers!

My cousin, Tanner, is still hanging in there with the Chemo treatments. Of course, he has his ups and downs. It must be hard for a teenager to be going through this and not be able to have a normal teen life. He practically missed all last year because of his immune system. Lord willing, his treatments will be completed in October (2 years). I spoke to my aunt Nell (Tanner's grandma) the other day. She said, he is in good spirits (always has a smile on his face and doesn't hardly complain). His faith in God keeps him going and staying strong. His mom, however, is having a very rough time right now. There are days when she cries all day. Please keep them in your prayers.

Your Daily Dose of Laughter

Doug emailed me this video. The Huffington Post wrote an article about how hilarious this guy was freaking out over a full double rainbow. How he goes on and on about it, it's too funny. The first thing that goes through my mind is "WHAT IS THIS GUY SMOKIN'?"

This video was posted on YouTube on January 8, 2010. "Hungrybear" wrote under his description how it was incredible and the camera didn't capture it's vivid intensity and brightness. The constant "Oh my God" and "What does this mean?" (I'm assuming that his is talking to himself) is followed by cries and a complete emotional rollercoaster.

School Days
Well, my wait is over. I finally got Katie's school supplies list and man, oh man. I never knew that Kindergarteners needed 3-ringed binders and dry-erase markers at such an early age. But low and behold, they are on "the list". I'm also a happy camper because the school system has posted their 2010-2011 school calendar.  Now, to find out who will be the lucky teacher for our sweet, precious Diva.  {hmmm} I'm still waiting to receive a package that us parents are suppose to get this month. 

Also, I guess I won't need to purchase a cloth mat through Etsy or from Monograms Plus because on the list, there was a note stating that cloth mats can be purchased at school office. So, I guess I'll go and see what they look like.

Doug went to the store for me and purchased some of the items on the list. I have one question for ya. Last year, I was told to purchase a "shoe box" to keep all of Katie's stuff in. This year, they want a "school box". Now, is that the same thing as a shoe box? Doug interrupted it as a pencil box and grabbed one. I had already picked up a Tinkerbell pencil bag that Katie picked out, so I don't think she'll need a pencil box as well. I just need to call the office and find out what school box means.

She has to take a mesh backpack and a lady, I befriended through Katie's ballet, introduced me to JansSports designer backpacks.  I found the exact one that her daughter, C, had last school year.  I really liked it.  Well I found it through Mountain Sports for $24.95. I know it's probably a little steep, but the momma went on about how well it held up all year long. It might be money well spent in the long run.

There is another JansSports mesh backpack that I think Katie would love, but it cost a little more. Again, I found one at Mountain Sports. It cost $30 from Mountain Sports, but I found one on eBay for $27 plus shipping.  Bottomline, I'm still going to have to pay around $33 for it. 

BTW, Katie's readings are still going.  She has her days, like today, where she doesn't feel like reading.  I've had to go into negotations with the reading.  If she can read 5 "Bob Books", I'll give her 2 hours of television time.  If she can recognize 5 letters, in consecutive order, correctly, she gets 2 hours of television time.  We've been doing the 5 letter game for the past week and today was the only day, she's actually won.  So good for her!  As far as the "Bob Books" go, they start out very easy (red books) and get a little challenging as you improve (red, pink and green).  Each level has 4 books equally. 

Currently, she can read all the red books without any problem.  She's been on the pink books for a few days.  She has some difficulties with remembering the words, but they help her with reading comprehension.  She's getting there and I know she can do it before the Summer is over.  Not only are we reading, but she started on a Mead Preschool Workbook (I can't find a picture of the book online) that I purchased from Walmart in April.  I love it because it has a little bit of everything (colors, shapes, letters, reading readiness, beginning writing skills, patterns, dot-to-dot, numbers, early math skills, science, social skills, etc.) .  She's almost finished the whole book.  There are times, where she thinks it's boring like having to practice writing her letters and numbers, but she has really enjoyed the science, social skills, patterns and the early math skills.  Getting her to write in between the traditional paper grid lines has been a challenge for me, I guess she thinks she's the exception to that rule.  I suppose she'll just have to be told by her teacher in order for it to sink in.  I'm still not fully satisified on her letter/number recognition.  Like I said, I made a game out of using her Leap Frog Catepillar.  I hope it is helping.  On average, she spends about 2 hours a day on her reading and workbook skills.  Today, I had her working 3 hours because I felt like we were running behind and I only let her read 3 books yesterday. 

Quick Colton News
He is beginning to take interest in colorful books.  He recently discovered the "Miss Spider and the Sunny Patch Friends" books from our personal Library.  I remember Katie taking an interest in those books when she was almost 2 years old.  Well, he is following his big sister's footsteps.  I think it's the bright colors that attracts children.  We have 3 "Miss Spider . . . " board books and several hardcover/paperback.  Katie still likes to read them to this day.  I think we have every "Miss Spider . . . " DVD ever made.  So, today I got out one of the movies and let Colton watch it for the first time.  Because his attention span isn't that long, he did spend half an episode watching it.  Meanwhile, he grabs his books and brings them to me.  He thinks Bounce (bed bug) is funny.  He seems to giggle when he sees Bounce's picture. 

My little Flash is wearing me completely out, chasing after him because he gets into EVERYTHING.  And he is CLIMBING EVERYTHING.  He climbs not only the chairs, but the bookshelves.  Ugh!  Thankfully, he hasn't gotten hurt, but I've really had to step up my game.  Please pray for me.

School's Out For Summer . . . or is it?

Katie and I felt it was time for this momma to have a day off from cleaning and spend some good quality time with her special daughter and baby boy. Saying this doesn't mean I have the tidiest home. You can't tell it, but I do clean every day. It's all part of motherhood!

Anyway, I want to make sure Katie's Summer vacation has some structure and not wasted away. I don't want her to lose all the knowledge sitting on her little shoulders by the time school is back in session. My goal is to keep what Katie's learned this past school year (colors, shapes, numbers, letters, letter sounds and number/letter recognition).  Mrs. Katie's tried very hard to get her little spongy students ready for reading.  I hope, with a lot of hard work and effort on Katie's part, to have her reading early beginner books before school starts in August.  I'm probably crazy, but I'm determined.  A lot of people have told me not to push and that she is too young.  She may be, but I know Katie's limits and I know she's ready.  I have to find creative ways to make it exciting because she thinks reading is so BORING.  That is until she gets some words or small sentences correct, then she's wanting to give me a HIGH FIVE. 

I'm so glad that I found 1+1+1=1 blog! Carisa was a Kindergarten teacher for 4 1/2 years before becoming a stay at home mom, so she knows her stuff in my book. She's introduced me to lots of learning tools for Katie, to make learning a little more fun than normal and I'm loving lapbooks. I've printed and put together a few just today for Katie. One Little, Two Little and Homeschool Share has some cute lapbooks, you can print for free.

Katie and I read "Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom" lapbook that I got from 1+1+1=1. Here's the direct link to Chicka Boom Tot Book.  There are other things to print out and the complete themed workbooks look GREAT! I was mostly interested in the books because Katie started reading early beginners Scholastic paperback books approximately 3 or 4 months ago.  Homeschool Share has other neat kid tools than just lapbooks. I could see loving this website in future Summers to come. They not only cover reading, but studies like geography, literature, and science. I try to introduce these other catergories into Katie's life, but I don't want to overwhelm her.

Today, we worked on her pattern (cut and paste) skills, pre-writing skills, letter recognition and finally read the "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" Tot Book aka lapbook, "Hermie and Wormie" lapbook and our first volume from the "Bob" book collection.  She did great (with a little help) when it came to the "Bob" book!  She automatically knew the words "sat" and "on."  I had to help her sound out some of the words.  Once she got them, she breezed through the short sentences.  "Hermie and Wormie" lapbook was a little hard for her because they had words like "catepillar, Buzby, ladybugs, stinkbug," etc.  After we finally made it through the book, I put it back into the folder (I created) for another time.  Overall, I guess we spent a total of 3 hours on her studies, which would be about the same time she would have been in school.  We'll have to switch up a lot during the week, so boredom doesn't set in too early.  I also printed off some sight words from 1+1+1=1 as well for the ending letters "at."  I think it will help.  I tried helping her word building skills awhile back with "at" because you can make so many words with "at."  An added bonus, she learns about rhyming, which she has an interest in already. 

Prayer Request
A new friend just found out that she has breast cancer and will have to undergo a double mastectomy. I don't know when the surgery will be, but she needs your prayers.

My other friend started her cancer treatment for the colon cancer. Of course, she is more tired than normal, but she hasn't started the sickness yet. She will have to have the treatment for 6 weeks at least. Please continue to prayer for her.

Thanks!

Katie's School Year End Program 2010

I was so proud of Katie, she sang so loud to every song. She has her moments when it comes to singing aloud in public. I told her on the way to school this morning that Grandma Peggy and Paw-Paw Millard couldn't come, but I would tape it for them to see so she had to sing loud. Well, she lived up to my request. My mom and dad got to come and watch the program with me.

After her part was over, she got a little impatient because I promised her a Dairy Queen ice cream when it was over. While we were watching the music class perform and the Kindergarten graduate, she kept asking if it was over yet. Ugh! I was hoping she would get excited over Me-Me's sisters playing the violin. I would love it if Katie grew an interest in playing the violin or piano. All she would say is "yeah, I know." Apparently, she saw them perform quite a bit this year. Katie was so relieved when we got to leave. We all went to Dairy Queen for ice cream. Dad couldn't believe that I like to eat fries with my chocolate blizzard. HAHA! He said it didn't appeal to him.

Katie and her closest friend, "C"

The girls goofing around before the program

Little angels!

Katie getting ready to sing in front of everyone

Doug and I are so proud of Katie.  She has grown up so much this past year.  It's hard to believe that she will be 5 years old very soon.  She's enjoyed school this past year and will miss all of her friends and especially Mrs. Katie.  She told me this morning, she was sad to be leaving Covenant School; however, she's excited to be starting Kindergarten next August.  She asked me if it was Summer yet.  When I told her "yes,"  she asked me when is her party with her friends.  I guess I had better get prepared to be hearing this question for the next several days until the party. 

In Conclusion . . .

Nashville Tragic Flooding
Now that the flood waters are receding and bodies are being discovered, reports are 17 people have died due to the flash flooding in Tennessee alone. A total of 30 deaths have been reported out of three states (KY, TN & MS). This is so awful to hear and to see the pictures makes you go numb. Those poor people! I just want to give them a hug and let them know that it will be alright. God is in control and this happened for a reason. We may not understand it fully, but it happened and we must accept the fact that it was in God's time.

Opryland Hotel reported they received $75 million in damages and will be closed for 3 to 6 months for repairs. I didn't post the picture, but I saw where the Titan's stadium was under water as well (not completely). It's reported, the storm dumped rain on Tennessee more than a foot from Saturday to Sunday, causing the rapidly rising flood waters in the middle of the night. Please keep these people in your prayers. I know they would appreciate it.

Colton's Teething AGAIN!
Okay, I've survived the molars coming through and now we have the canine teeth to make their appearance. Ugh! Poor baby was miserable yesterday, had a very tough time resting last night and had another rough day today. During prayer time, Katie remembered we were supposed to go to ballet today. She thought I forgot, but I had to explain to her about Colton not feeling well and running a slight fever. Please remember him in your prayers because he is just miserable and when your miserable, you don't feel like doing anything but laying around. I did get him to eat a little more today than yesterday, so that's good news.

Katie's Fright
Poor Katie had her first real fright today. I had her working in her workbook, while I went out to the storage building to air out some of the boxes full of clothes. I knew some of my clothes got a few sprinkles of rain on them from Saturday and wanted to make sure they dried completely before being stored away. I told Katie where I was going, if she needed me and that I would be right back. Apparently, he forgot or wasn't REALLY listening to me. A lady drove up and scared her to death. Bless her heart, she said she didn't know where I was and didn't know what to do. No matter how much you drill your kids, they really don't know the importance until it happens. She sort of forgot the rules, but I won't go into that. She came into the storage building with me and I knew right off the bat something was wrong. I guess she figured she would get into trouble. Once I got her settled down, she had been crying, she told me what happened. She described the lady to a "T", she even told me what her car looked like. I walked swiftly to the front of the house, but she had already left. Katie kept saying she was sorry because she forgot what to do. So, we went back over our rules. In a way, I'm glad she got a little scare. I know that sounds harse, but I'd rather her be scared of a small incedent like today than something very serious. I reviewed our rules and talks about people we don't know and what we are suppose to do. I drilled her a few times before I felt confident she knows what to do next time.

The lady came back later today. I remember her from the yard sale on Saturday. She wanted to know if I sold my Disney Crocs. I'm sorry, but this is Tuesday. The yard sale was on Saturday. Why would you even think that the shoes you should have gotten would still be available? By the way, Katie was correct on the I.D. After the lady left, Katie (all big eyed) was jumping up and down saying "that's her mom. What does she want? She doesn't want me, does she?"

Katie Reads Her First Book
While Colton was trying to get some rest, Katie and I sat down with her book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" by Eric Carle. The first time she read it, I helped her a little (to get started). She pretty much memorized the book from the many many times I've read it to her. When she got the words correct, I made a very big deal about it. I guess it gave her confidence to read it again. This time, she told me she didn't need any help. If I corrected her or tried helping her, she'd get mad at me and tell me again that she could do it. I told her "I have no doubt that she could do it, but ya got to get the words correct." There were times where she wouldn't even look at the words. Memory! Oh well, I was told that is how they get started. She said she would read it every day, so we'll see. I've probably mentioned this before, but I'm planning on getting her the "BOB" books. I went to Books-a-Million the other day and they wanted $16.99 for "My first BOB books" set. Online at the same store, I could get it for $11.99. Go figure! Walmart sells the sets online as well, but I couldn't find them in the store. I looked both in the toy department, where they keep the books, and the book section. NOTHING! Walmart sells the sets for $11. So, I guess I'm buying them online.

Mother's Day Weekend
We are planning on having a Country Boil on Sunday for our mothers, Peggy and Jerry. We figure, we better get our fill of shrimp while we can right now. Shrimp prices are going to start getting higher and higher. In our boil, we like shrimp, sausage, potatoes and corn on the cob. (Yum, yum!) Not only will we be celebrating Mother's Day, but Doug and Jon will be another year older on the 12th of May. Doug-42 and Jon-16! I'm sure Doug appreciates me posting his age. Woo Hoo! Susan wants to try a new recipe for "Hershey's Chocolate Cake" and a sugar free dessert for Jon. I love chocolate, so I can't wait to try it.

So, what are your mother's day plans this weekend? I'd love to hear.

Susan Shout Out

CONGRATULATIONS SUSAN!!!!!

I have to congratulate my big sister, Susan, for being inducted in the Winston County Schools Hall of Fame for her outstanding athletic ability. I remember in the day, she was very good in basketball. Now, she is being honored for her success. Love you Sue and I'm very proud of you!