Krispy Kreme Doughnuts = Best Day Ever! (Who knew?)

It sure has been a long winter! We have been scrambling for a chance to exit our den (I mean home) and end the hibernation. Sarah received some free doughnut coupons from her preschool teacher for Valentine's Day and we said "why not". We don't typically frequent doughnut shops. Not that I wouldn't enjoy every last second of being there and partaking in their gooey goodness. But, let's face it. It is not the healthiest breakfast a family can have on a Saturday morning. But when you say free, you speak my language. So we loaded up the van and made our way to Lexington for the girls first Krispy Kreme experience.

Notice the mischievous grin.  Sarah was mesmerized by the doughnut making process.  Yes!   I am justifying my trip as an educational experience!

Couldn't you just eat every one of these?  Yum!

Leah enjoyed herself as well.  It is so interesting to watch any assembly line, but especially one with such a sweet ending!

I wish I had gotten a chance to show the girls eating the finished product.  We only got one per person and they were gone in seconds!  Sarah informed me that this was the "best day ever".  Who knew a short jaunt to the doughnut shop would get this kind of response.  We still have some more free coupons, and we can't wait to return!

More Library Fun

As I said in my last post...I LOVE our library. The building is beautiful, the atmosphere is great, and the librarians are top notch. I took a little video of my kiddos during toddler time. As you will see, Leah loves it as much as her big sis.

 Even the big kids enjoy hearing "Brown Bear".  It is a crowd favorite!  Leah asks for this book everyday.

We just love Ms. Mary Lou.  She never forgets a kids name once she has taught them (even after a 3 year extended absence).  She loves the little ones and they love her.

If you don't already take your kids to the library, come join us anytime!

Library time and Spring's Arrival (Well, almost)

WE'RE BACK!!!!  After a very extended absence, the girls and I are back to enjoy library time at our local library.  Even though we live in a small town, our local library has some of the best children's programs in the area as far as I am concerned.  I started taking Sarah when she was very little, but we quit when her day was moved to Tuesday.  She couldn't go because she had preschool.  Then came Leah and boy did she take early morning naps!  She was always asleep when it was time to leave.  But once January arrived, she consolidated into one nap, thus opening up our mornings and a world of opportunity for her.   We started going back to the library in February and she loves it!  Toddler time is very short (30 minutes) and for good reason: the lack of attention span at this age.  They sing, read, dance, shake bells, sing, read,  and blow bubbles in 30 minutes (whew!).  The kids love it!
Afterward, we hang out and read, play on the computer, and socialize with other moms and kiddos.  It truly is a great way to spend a morning. 

Leah loves this toy...a little too much.  Any kid that tries to play with it has to deal with her!

She also loves talking to the local wildlife.

Afterward, if the weather is nice, we head down the street for some playground time.  Yipee!
We have been lucky this February to have a string of nice days.  We deserved it after the cruddy Winter we suffered through this year.

We have a really nice, yet small playground near our house.  It is great for parents of multiple kids, because they can run the entire playground and still be within eyesight. 

Leah couldn't get enough of the swings.  She is so much happier outside.  Come on spring!  These nice days are few and far between in February.

This is Sarah's first year of true playground independence.  I don't have to help in any way, shape or form now.  She is truly kindergarten ready!

My chestnut haired beauty.

WELCOME SPRING!

The Great Coleman Fish Saga Volume 1...

Let me preface this post by saying:  I am not a fish lover.  Yes I had an aquarium as a child (didn't we all?)  I raised tetras, guppies, algae eaters, etc.  When you are little and there is not much to do, why not take care of fish?  I am no longer little, and I now have SO much to do.  This is why I am not a fish lover.  Sarah, on the other hand, is in her words "a friend of nature".  She is just like I was as a kid.  She loves cats, dogs, birds, and yes, fish.  So on her fifth birthday, she sweetly asked her father for some fish.  He agreed...without consulting me.  Needless to say, I was not happy.  This is because he was travelling overseas and across the country as much as he was home.  We all know how trustworthy a five year old can be with a living thing.  So who do you think got to take care of the fish?  Yes, you guessed it, ME. 
The first fish were of the 39 cent variety and lived in an inexpensive fish bowl.  This bowl became unbelievably dirty every three or four days or so because a five year old was feeding the fish and she thought they looked "hungry" many times per day.   Chris became tired of cleaning the tank, so he went and bought a tank that had an aerator.  He couldn't find the water conditioner the day he moved them to their new home, so he placed them in the untreated water where they immediately began swimming VERTICALLY (I was not home at this time, and could have shown them exactly where the conditioner was).  The next morning, Chris is off on his latest business trip, and I walk in Sarah's room to wake her for school.  She is lying in bed sobbing hysterically because her two fish (Cleo and Nemo) are dead.  She thinks the air bubble cord "shocked them" to death.  :(
I am mortified because we have never dealt with the death of a pet yet and I am to do this alone.  So I do what most parents do,  I promise to take her to the store for more fish (against my better judgement). 
We head to the store the next evening, and Sarah is directed to the cold water fish.  Our choices are BIG goldfish, and little goldfish.  Sarah, being convinced that the little goldfish cannot live in this new world that contains cords and air bubbles, opted for the BIG goldfish.  The $5 goldfish.  Because I was alone, and weak, I said "yes" and she was so happy!  She let out a giggle that I had never before heard that even made the Wal Mart man chuckle as she chose her fish.  She chose a medium sized one and then she chose Goliath!  As he scooped this fish out of the water, it flipped like a giant bass on a fishing pole.  She was elated and I was not.  When we got the two fish home, I quickly realized that the SECOND tank would be way too small for the biggest fish.  Could we take him back?  No.  Why you ask?  Because he became the house favorite.  What a personality this fish had!  He loved to eat, and he would scoop up the gravels in the tank and suck off any excess food spitting them out like he was putting on a show.  Sarah's heaping helpings of food made him squirm in delight, which, in turn, made her squeal in delight.  Leah loved the new fish because she could see them so much better (due to their large size).   She would find the fish food and walk in the room saying "fish".  My heart melted.  I myself even grew to like the big guy.  The two are pictured here below.

I decided it just wasn't right to keep this fish so contained.  So I went to the store and bought a third (yes a third) tank that was a three gallon with aeration.  It lit up and changed colors and Sarah thought it was so cool!  We kept them in this for a couple of weeks, but with Chris gone virtually the whole month and me busy with my UK job and single parenting, the tank got dirtier and dirtier.  By the time Chris returned, it was way past time to change the water.  One morning when Sarah woke up, the big fish was gone and the little fish was very sick.  We quickly took the little one out of the new tank, and placed him back in the old one. 24 hours later, the little one was gone as well. 
Two months and $60 dollars later, our great fish experiment was a HUGE failure.  Sarah was sad, Leah was walking around with the fish food looking for her friends and even I was depressed.  I hate to lose any life on my watch.  I guess this is just not the time for fish ownership.   On the bright side, we have three tanks for any eventuality of another fish coming our way.  That is, unless any of you are looking to buy a tank.  Any takers?   :0)

Sooo Busy!

Sorry I haven't been blogging lately.  I have been busy with work for UK, trying to select a kindergarten for Sarah (still haven't decided that one) and planning a teacher appreciation brunch for Sarah's volunteer preschool teachers.  Whew!  I am tired just writing about it.  I have created a blog for the parents of the preschool and just posted the event.  I am too lazy to post twice, so I will just direct you there.  The site is www.buildingblocksparents.blogspot.com.  I snuck in and filmed the kids during Bible class and posted a little video of the fun.  What a blessing that school has been to Sarah!
 I have upcoming footage of the many dance parties we have been having during the cold months of winter, so stay tuned.
Angie

Cabin Fever!

This has been our view for the last 60 days! We are working on one of the top snowiest winters in central Kentucky EVER! Needless to say, the kids were more than excited in December when the beautiful white flakes descended upon our lawn, but the fun is wearing off quickly. With the hubby gone and the roads slick, our outings are few and far between of late. We have had to compensate by making our own fun within our four walls.

Lucky for us both girls have late fall and early winter birthdays.  We have a multitude of new toys around between birthdays and Christmas to occupy the brood.  This particular toy was Leah's favorite birthday present.  A zebra that changes from a walker to a ride on.  Sarah and Leah have spent hours rolling each other around the house.  Yes, Leah does push Sarah, but Sarah has to steer.  It is so funny to see my infant turning into a toddler before my very eyes.

Leah has a gift of making anything a toy.  Yes, even decorations from my bookshelves.  This photo box became a seat for a couple of days.  Hey, whatever gets us through the day, right?

Sarah has taken to watching cooking shows and trying to come up with her own ahem..."recipes". This day she made a "smash cake" that had no cake in it! She took milk, whipped cream, grapes and strawberries and mixed them up. "Yummy?" She was so proud, she took it to uncle Jason's to let everyone sample. Jason was not such a fan.

Alena, on the other hand, loved it and at almost every bite!   Maybe she should create a for kids only cookbook.

One day she decided to transform herself into an "Indian princess".  She used her stick on earrings to complete the look.  She is hilarious!

When we can take being inside no more, we spend the compulsory 30 minutes to dress everyone and head outside.  It has been so cold this month that our outings are usually shorter than the preparation time.

Katie was happy to see us join them out back.  We have kept a heater running in their building for much of the month.  It is hard on the wallet, but a necessary expense.

Shelly just wants inside.  She can't understand why anyone would come out to play in this weather. 

Leah loves snow and is as happy as a clam!

Sarah tries her skill at igloo building (for about five minutes).   It has been so cold that the snow is too powdery to pack.

Leah loves to sit, lie, and roll in the snow.  She even sticks her face right in!  No complaints from this one.  She is up for any adventure. 

Sarah posing, even in the snow.  Once a model, always a model.   We are more than ready for old man winter to move on.  We are ready to plant flowers and vegetables and hit the parks.  Come on spring!

Thanks Dana, I needed this!

Today was what I would like to call a rather challenging day.  I sliced open my finger on a dog food can, my daughter woke up this morning to find two dead goldfish in her aquarium, and my husband just left for yet another week in Kansas City.  After cooking, cleaning, bathing children and putting said children safely into bed alone, I truly needed a good laugh.  Thanks Dana for providing this for me.  I just had to share with all of my "peeps".

Get with the Program!


I found this on a friends blog and I am still laughing. Enjoy!

11 Step Program for those thinking of having kids by Amy Lawrence on Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 10:24am


Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.


Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...


1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.


Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.
Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...


1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.


Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? T o find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?
Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.
Time allowed for this - all morning.


Lesson 6
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.


1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.
Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.


Lesson 7
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.
You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.


Lesson 9
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.


Lesson 10
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.


Lesson 11
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.


This is all very tongue in cheek; anyone who is parent will say 'it's all worth it!' Share it with your friends, both those who do and don't have kids. I guarantee they'll get a chuckle out of it. Remember, a sense of humor is one of the most important things you'll need when you become a parent!