Weekend Top Five

A good weekend. Each day started out cold and rainy, and ended up beautiful.

Here are my top five:





5. MIL visit and Noah's field day
My MIL came for a short visit Friday afternoon. I was originally supposed to have a garage sale and she was coming down to take Aaron for a few hours, but I ended up moving the sale and she came down anyway. After some grocery shopping due to a huge sale on meat, we went out to a park by Noah's school to pick him up from his "walk-a-thon" (kind of like his schools' version of a field day).

No surprise, Noah spent the entire half hour walk with the girl from his class.

Noah's on the left
4. Baseball game
For Noah's second game, he and I rode our bikes to the ball park, which was a fun change. Noah finally got to play "catcher" for one of the innings. He struggled a little because the pads kept falling off of him and he seemed a little scared of the ball at first, but it was much more fun than hanging in the outfield, which he did all three of the other innings.





3. Meijer Gardens
My brother and his family were here for the weekend. So after a very rainy beginning to Saturday, we decided to take the kids out to Mejijer Gardens.

The butterfly exhibit was supposed to close at the end of April, but there were still quite a few flying around. We were fascinated by one big African moth. It was bigger than our hands and the volunteer there was very knowledgeable about all of the butterflies.








There is also an arboretum and sculpture park. I will be sharing my favorite sculpture later in the week.


Here's Aaron and the bear sculpture















The kids had fun playing in the children's garden, including a HUGE treehouse with different rooms and rope bridges, but my favorite part was the nature trail they have. It runs along a river and ends up at an old farmhouse and barn.















The major event of the nature trail was "turtle spotting". They were everywhere. The turtles were very active and we saw a ton of them. My sister in law won the award for being the expert frog spotter.










I even got a cute picture of all five cousins peeking out of the little kids' gate










2. Mother's Day Gifts
Steve got out of bed early Sunday morning to make a pancake breakfast for us before church, and I opened my presents from the boys. Steve had taken the boys to one of the Michael's craft nights to make me cards and had also helped them to paint trivets for me. Noah was also proud to have made a stepping stone for me. I can't wait to find the perfect place to put it in the yard.






1. Mother's Day Afternoon
We had a nice relaxing visit at my parents' after church for Mother's Day. My brother's family was still there as well as one of my stepbrothers and his family. We came home mid-afternoon and it finally got warm outside so Steve took the boys outside to play for a little while.








The Week Ahead:
We have baseball games Monday, Wednesday, AND Friday this week, and Noah's Spring concert Thursday night. Top it all off with my student recital on Saturday afternoon. Should be a busy week. I can't believe there are only three more Mondays to deal with before summer vacation. Woo Hoo!

Have a great Monday.

Thursday Thirteen: Mother's Day

I know probably a lot of people are doing this one today, but that's okay. I have come a long way this past year. Last year on Mother's Day, I sat around with the other women in my life crying about how horrible of a mom I was. And I REALLY was. I can't say that I am a great mom now. I know that I would NEVER win any mom of the year awards. I still lose my temper at times, and I am not very good about stopping and thinking about my reactions before they come. But I also know my feelings toward them and toward my parenting have become much more positive over this last year. For that I will be celebrating on Sunday.

I am also taking this chance to share the Mother's Day card that Noah brought home from school yesterday. I will cherish it forever.

Here are Thirteen Things I have learned about being a mom over the last year.

13. Every morning is a do over

12.Little boys are so forgiving

11. Reiterating a child's feelings ("I know you're _____ but ______") makes every argument less escalated and usually ends with said child fixing their behavior

10. It is VERY HARD to remember to do #11 when you are mad

9. My boys teach me as much as I teach them
8. Sometimes little boys are more correct about their school schedule than their mom.



7. If you have a concern regarding a child's need, it is okay to pursue it until it is resolved. Even if it means removing child from a non positive environment

6. It is okay to hand a child with a temper tantrum over to Daddy after a long day
5. It is NOT okay to THROW a temper tantrum AT Daddy after a stressful day

4. My heart melts every time I sit with my little boy while HE reads to ME.

3. My favorite gifts are the ones made with paper, markers, glue, and various craft items my children find around the house

2. I will stop anything for little boy hugs and kisses

1. I am so lucky to be a mom

I was talking to a very important mom in my life the other day. I was musing about whether I was being grumpy at the kids because I hadn't renewed my hormone prescription yet. She said something that made me laugh then, and it still does each time I think about it.

She said, "Kristi, you're not mad at the kids because of your hormones. You're mad at them because they're p*@#ing you off."

It made me feel better to remember that it isn't always the mom's fault. Sometimes those kids really are just being bad. Takes the pressure off a little, don't you think? That mom has always been the first to tell me when I am getting it right, and also when I'm getting it wrong. That is REAL parenting and I have been lucky to have her in my life.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there. Whether you are going into Mother's Day this year feeling good about your parenting, or not so good, remember that you are the only one who loves your kids as much as you do.

Have a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday: Batman's New Wheels

Weekend Top Five

Sitting here emotionally exhausted (see #1) and sunburned to a crisp on my cheeks(#5), I write my weekend top five. I feel my stress level rising each day again and I am hoping to use this week to get it back under control. Here's my Weekend Top Five:




5. Impromptu Garage Sale
Deb and I were planning to hold our annual garage sale next weekend, but with funds being extremely low for groceries and a forecast for rain for next week, I was driving Noah to school Friday morning and decided to try it this weekend instead. It turned out to be a good idea. I made enough to make a purchase for Noah (see below) and some groceries as well.

Unfortunately, I got a VERY sunburned face along the way.



4. "New" Bikes
Going into this spring, Aaron was still riding a little 12 inch bike and Noah had learned to ride his 16 inch last summer without training wheels. Aaron REALLY needed to move up, which also meant we needed to move Noah up as well.

The bike debacle lasted several days. We had taken the trainers off of Noah's 16 inch when he learned to ride it lat summer. Along the way, a piece was lost and Steve spent several days and visited EIGHT different stores before finding a replica that would work to put the trainers back on for Aaron. He was so excited, and took off way better than he ever did ion the little 12 inch.






Taking Noah for a new bike was a little more challenging. 20 inch bikes are quite large and none of the floor models would fit him. After leaving one store and heading to Toys R Us, it was worth the $10 assembly fee since an employee took the one we found back three different times to adjust it to fit him, including putting a brand new tire on it since it was a floor model.

When we got home, we took a family bike ride for the first time. It is going to make for a very fun summer of riding.

3. Good News On The School Front
Anyone who follows my facebook page knows already, but I am still shouting it from the mountaintops that we finally have an answer for Aaron for school next year. As I've mentioned before, I really don't feel like he is ready for kindergarten this fall, being a late October birthday, so I had started researching other options. Our local district doesn't have young fives so I had been entered into a lottery at one of the local charter schools and was wait listed. I had also applied for spots in three other local school and wouldn't have heard until June or July.

No more waiting! We got a letter on Saturday in the mail saying we got into our first choice school. The Y5's teacher has a wonderful reputation and now I can go into the summer knowing what we're going to do for him in the fall.

2. Superhero Birthday Party
My nephew turned five so we headed to their house after church. After an hour and a half drive, we were all ready to start partying. My SIL invited the boys to wear superhero costumes for the party. Of course, any chances to dress up in costumes is a dream for my boys, and they were so excited. Aaron is in the Mr. Incredible costume on the far right and Noah is in back with a Batman mask. This is their super hero muscle pose.




1. Fireproof
Not sure what to say about this movie. I saw some on and off reviews when it came out, but didn't pay a whole lot of attention, due to its title. I have had an irrational fear of fire my whole life and I have purposely avoided this movie, even after I read and heard SO many people talk about it.

Steve finally borrowed it a few weeks ago and watched it, and borrowed it again this weekend. He had suggested I sit and watch it with him several times, so on Sunday night, I stopped writing this post, curled up under a blanket in my hubby's arms, and watched a movie about a husband and wife who have basically lost love for each other, and while the husband (played by an adult Kirk Cameron) finds a relationship with Christ, he also works to save his marriage.

Steve was generous enough to fast forward through the only real fire scene while I hid my eyes, and by the end, I was sobbing uncontrollably the entire last fifteen minutes. I had been having a bit of a pity party the previous couple of hours prior to this movie, so it was a good reminder, once again, of where to keep my priorities.

If you choose to watch this movie, be prepared for cheesy acting with a wonderful message. Also, don't skip past the Behind The Scenes. They had me crying all over again when you realize that the people making this movie are The Real Deal.

The Week Ahead:
Now that we have a place for Aaron to go to school next year, I have two weeks to get all of the registration stuff in or we lose our spot. So tomorrow, it's off to get his shots that we never got around to doing in October, as well as getting his paperwork in and also a copy of his birth certificate to the school. We also have yet another field trip for Noah this week and Noah's first baseball game, with uniforms and "opposing teams". Still not sure if we'll put the garage sale together again next weekend or not. We'll see how the week goes.

Have a great Monday and let em know if you posted your weekend.

Friday Follow Ups: A Rambling Post

An interesting week. We played around with a lot of the routines in our household this week, most of which have made life much better.

This is one of those posts where I am just trying to sort through the events of the week. It has felt REALLY long. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

As I mentioned on Monday, Aaron was having accidents pretty much constantly last week and into the weekend. I started reminding him to use the bathroom pretty much every hour on the hour, if not more frequently, and he has been accident free all week. I was worried that maybe he was sick but I think he was just too busy to stop and use the facilities.

The issue we were dealing with Noah with staying up way too late because of his sniffling was another one we tackled this week. At my SIL's suggestion, we changed him from Claritin to Zyrtec. I was a little worried because instead of $3 a month, it will be $13, but it has made such a difference, that it may be the best $13 I spend each month.

Another change I am making is moving Aaron away from taking naps during the day. We had been having a lot of trouble keeping him in bed at night and had even confiscated the bed from him for awhile. For no other reason than pure selfishness, I was putting off quitting naps. I loved that time to myself. But in the interest of what Aaron needed, I instead have allowed him to sit on his bed and look at books instead of going to sleep. It has served the purpose of falling asleep quicker at night, and not fighting with him every day to settle down at quiet time.










After 10 days of being diet cola free, I am falling asleep way better than I ever was before, and staying asleep in the night. I still crave it every day, but I know it is a good change that I am already seeing the benefits from.

I spent the latter half of the week sorting clothes and toys and getting ready for next week's garage sale. It has been a challenge since we have no space to put the stuff we're planning to sell, even after it's sorted. I hope we can make enough to get Noah a bike. Both of them have grown out of their current ones and bike rides are not comfortable for either of them.






Steve spent most of the week trying to find a missing piece to Noah's old training wheels to put back on the bike when we give it to Aaron. I think we're going to have to bite the bullet and shell out $15 for a new set of training wheels for that bike. He also was dealing with the loss of a co-worker who suffered a massive heart attack in his sleep this week. Kind of freaky that someone our age, with two young daughters, can just be gone like that. Makes you appreciate how precious, and short, life can be.

After three practices, Noah actually STILL likes baseball. I am hopeful. He is worried about when they start games next week, but as long as he keeps having fun, I think it will be okay.









An elementary school a mile from our church closed this week because of suspected swine flu. The kindergartner had had relatives visit from Mexico over spring break, and a number of other kids from the Spanish immersion school traveled there for spring break as well. It should be interesting to see where it goes from here. I'm not going into a worry mode, but I am double checking the kids that they wash their hands a little more often than usual.

Wow, lots to report. Sounds like Aaron is done with his "quiet time" and it's time to start some more toy sorting. Have a great weekend. We have a superhero birthday party to go to on Sunday. Should be right up the boys' alley.

Thursday Thirteen: The Castle

I wish I could take credit for today's T13, but alas I cannot. My dad is the true photographer in our family. While we were there this weekend, he gave me a CD he had made of the pictures he took while we were on vacation. I struggled with the settings of my camera and never could capture the beauty of the lights changing against the castle, and the fireworks as well. He did an awesome job so I had to share.

Here are 13 of my favoprites that my dad took. I love some of the angles.

Begging For Your Vote...Shameless Plug

Want to see a nasty picture? These are the nicotine spots that constantly return to our bathroom ceiling each week AFTER I wash it. We are non smokers who have lived in our home for seven years (to the day next week). This is all remnant of the previous owners. I have tried everything to try to clean them, but the keep coming back. We have been told that the only way is to scrape all of the paint and start over again.




On top of this, all of the paint in the bathroom has chipped and peeled off all the way to the plaster.

Needless to say, like everyone else these days, we do not have the funds to fix our bathroom. Then I came across a "stinky room" contest. It istright up our alley. I have entered the contest but I need your help. The winner revceives a special odor reducing paint as well as money to fix the room in need of repair.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE got to the website and vote for me. If you go into "view all rooms" and then select bathroom from the list, I am listed as "Kristina" from Wyoming, Michigan. When you vote, you get entered into a drawing to win four gallons of paint of your own. It's a win win situation (I hope)

Thank you. I would be glad to return the favor someday if you let me know. And wish me luck!