Momma Mov

Gingerbread Houses lead to the Dog House

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:36:00 +0000

I decided to skip right to the part of gingerbread houses that kids like the most -- frosting and candy!

Our houses were actually small wooden bird houses that I bought at Michaels. I was channeling my inner "Nana" with these -- she had a SPECTACULAR "gingerbread" chalet that was a custom-built wood frame. Truly, a sight to behold. I wish I had a picture...

Here are some shots of what we put together...

Unfortunately, I did not take the pictures I *wanted* to take with good lighting, etc., before they houses were attacked by a Labrador.

Here are my "after" shots.

Mac strikes again...

There's an app for that...

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 23:53:00 +0000

In the category of things I should have thought about BEFORE having 3 kids in 4 years...

I don't like noise.

Can't stand even the sound of the dryer running. Disposal? FORGET ABOUT! I really don't like noise.

And yet our house could not be noisier.

I have not found a solution to the noise, but I have found a way to QUANTIFY it... the dBMeter Pro from the app store.

Picture me, running around the house saying things like, "kids we have to get it down to less than 'HEAVY TRUCK'. We are really shooting for 'BUSY RESIDENTIAL ROAD' - can you do that for me?!?"

Of course while I want to use the app to get the noise level DOWN, they want to see if they can set a new record. They are shooting for 'PNEUMATIC HAMMER' or 'JET PLANE TAKING OFF'

Like I said... no solution. But like a good business student, I have a METRIC!

Tomorrow, Today

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:04:00 +0000

Bedtime last night... I said, "Okay, Hobs, let's call it a day!"

His response was, "Yep! And then tomorrow will be TODAY!"

Pretty cerebral for a 4 year old... we might have a philosopher on our hands!

Name Change, part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:47:00 +0000

Hobs: "Dad, when Olin is a big boy, are we going to change his name?" *

Dad: "I don't think so, Hobs. But if we did, what should we name him?"

Hobs: "I think we should name him JACK!"

* Background, if you are just joining us. Hobs' full name is William Hobson Movalson. Until he was about 18 months old, we called him Will and from there, the nick name Hobs just stuck. Of course it was thoroughly stuck when we moved to Eugene and met two Calvins.... He is just learning that he has "another" name.

Trick or Treat!

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:35:00 +0000

What kind of mommy blog is this without pictures from HALLOWEEN on November 2nd!?! Sheesh, it's like I actually have things to do with the kids! :)

Meredith announced she was, "very PROUD of Olin. He was so BRAVE trick-or-treating!" Olin apparently stole the show as a fish... His little "doo-doo" thank-yous and his "byyyyyeeee" upon departure were a hit in the neighborhood. :)

I Love Mom... forever!

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:23:00 +0000

Considering pulling Meredith out of school so she will continue to write only "I LOVE MOM" for the rest of her life...

The following were both created this week.

Exhibit A

This one is TINY

Exhibit B

One is HUGE

♥

Lego Rant

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 02:50:00 +0000

Nope... My Lego rant does not involve stepping on a piece barefoot.

Gone are the days of building a city out of a pile of mostly red squares and rectangles. First, the sets have been inspired by adults who are more than a little obsessive compulsive. These things have to look realistic, so the parts list resembles the reference list from a history text book. Yes, we are working with more doohickies than Home Depot.

Gorgeous thing - so much promise! You can build THIS, ambitious child! Except the box says 5 - 7 and he's not quite 4. I'm sure I am not the first mom to bend *those* rules and assume MY child is up for it!

THEN there is licensing. Star Wars, Harry Potter... While it would be short sided for the wife of a sports marketer to bash licensing, I am a Lego purist. Why can't they just be Legos!?

We spend 45 minutes with an anxious child trying to create the Playmobile-like picture on the box using instructions inspired by ikea (or is it the other way ariund?) Who do you think is doing the building? Not the child. NOT THE CHILD, I tell you!

What my child apparently wanted WAS the preassembled Playmobile police transport vehicle, not the Lego version, because he wants that thing PERFECT and TOGETHER. and an hour ago.

Assuming you pass the test and get the damn thing done, (42 steps on the aforementioned set) prepare yourself for tears when said vehicle hits the deck and breaks. All the King's doctors and all the King's men can't put that stupid thing together again.

So the pieces (173 to be exact) go to the Lego pile. Only 20 of them resemble the Lego bricks of yesteryear. The set gets used exactly NEVER because no child is happy with a ghetto jalopy when mom was able to build the perfect machine promised on the box.

Even the most enthused babysitter doesn't have the time or patience to find those obscure pieces... And moms won't even try because we are well aware that several got sucked up by the vacuum or rolled under the couch when the vehicle met it's demise.

I'm hoping this is just the 3 1/2 year old Lego experience and when is actually the recommended age, these things will provide hours of solo fun. I'm also hoping that innocence and youthful confidence will inspire creativity and independent construction. (I'll have to get back to you!)

What's missing here

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 04:32:00 +0000

Well, we are 15 months into living in Oregon and I have yet to gripe about what I miss from the Bay Area...

For starters, my list does not include earthquakes, drought conditions, traffic or over priced real estate. I EXPECTED to miss Nordstrom and In-N-Out, but somehow, I am surviving just fine, thankyouverymuch! The truth is, I don't miss much, but if you twist my arm, here's what you get!

Rubio's - I almost named Olin "Rubio" based on how often I ate there while pregnant with him... funny, too, since he is SO BLONDE. (and Rubio = blondie in Spanish) 56,000 "likes" on Facebook and 200 locations in the western US but none in Oregon? You are KILLING ME!

Ducky's Car Wash - In a place where cars get FILTHY, you'd think we'd have an inexpensive, thorough, quick interior / exterior car wash. And why wouldn't it be named Ducky's? (honorable mention: Touchless in SF)

Menlo Park Presbyterian Church - truly an amazing place. We are still looking for a church home and, without question, MPPC is a tough act to follow. Any ideas on how to lure Nancy and John Ortberg up here?

Steak - we miss steak houses. Town and Flemings, in particular... Fred Steak from Schaubs, too. Vegan comfort food doesn't quite fit the bill, Eugene!

Stanford Shopping Center's flowers - There is no shortage of foliage and flora in Oregon and my bargain flowers buckets from the Scandinavian Festival were pretty fabulous, but my dream is to have seasonal planters like those at Stanford........... okay, I am back. I absolutely miss that added bonus of shopping there.

Sudafed - my hoarding instinct kicked in when I learned Sudafed is only available with a doctor's prescription in Oregon. Seriously? Thanks, addicts, for messing that one up for the rest of us. And yes, I will be picking a few boxes up while I am in California... just in case.

Ivy - Well, it did take me 15 months to discover that you cannot buy ivy in the state of Oregon because it threatens native species... but I am SHOCKED! Ivy? You can't grow IVY? On the plus side, it is one less thing for me to keep alive. My Nana Doreen would be horrified... good thing the fake stuff is looking more and more authentic! (more on this issue)

SFO - without question, my biggest gripe with Eugene is travel. Sure, we were spoiled living 20 minutes from SFO for so many years, but for-the-love-of-Pete, can we get a direct flight to Southern California!?! (sorry, people, Allegiant Air twice a week doesn't count)

I forgot to mention we've been cheating a bit --and I am not talking about my too-frequent trips to California in the last 6 months. Greenlee's Cinnamon Bread is available at Safeway and we get KFOG via the internet.

Still love it here... I've forgotten how to fill my gas tank and you can't beat the whole no sales tax thing. :)

Photo Booth or Port-A-Potty?

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 21:23:00 +0000

While the following photos might border on inappropriate, I will say that:
a) they are funny
b) I was acting on instinct: I had all three kids in one place!

sufficed to say, these will not make the Christmas card... and yes, my daughter will probably want to kill me for making them part of the permanent record. :)

First Day of School!

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 22:09:00 +0000

School has begun... THANK GOODNESS!

Meredith is a Kindergartener!

Meredith with her teacher, Mr. Hamann, at Meet the Teacher Day

Waiting for the bus on the VERY first day of school!

Hobs is a three-day-a-week Preschooler!

Ready to go!

Mrs. Fuller and Mrs. Ford!

Summer Fun List

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 23:01:00 +0000

Lest I feel too guilty about my time away and our crazy summer... I pulled together a little list of all the great stuff we did to remind myself what we DID do! (remember - this IS my electronic family diary!)

* trick-or-treating in August * Chuck E. Cheeses * Cars 2 Movie * painted 4th of July t'shirts * 4th of July Parade in Harrisburg * birthday party for Mac * cooking classes for Meredith * camp fire * backyard camping * bike ride to Saturday market * mastered ipad game called "app store" * Portland Childrens Museum * overnight in Portland (with a boy babysitter for dinner!) * Lane County Fair * miniature golf * road trip to Southern California + 13 nights in 3 different hotels * water slides at the Amazon Pool * painted pottery * Spy Kids 2 Movie * Science Factory Camp * St. Thomas Camp * swim lessons * Eugene Rodeo * art projects galore * boat ride * Smurf's Movie * chutes and ladders tournament * strawberry picking * Taco Tuesday x3 * all-comers meet at Hayward Field * beach * made playdoh * surrey bike ride * self hair cut for Hobs * trampoline * play dates at the pool * saw fireworks! *

whew... I guess that is more than a few things! Maternal guilt (somewhat) resolved!

There went summer!

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 04:02:00 +0000

Yes indeed, summer as flown by and tomorrow is the first day of school! Yikes!

We've had ups and downs... and at the moment, I am in the throws of shingles, wondering how I got a virus that affects people over age 60. :( Ah, well, all is not lost! We've made the most of August and I am on the mend... I hope!

Here are a few gems from the last two months:

Meredith loved getting her hair done... maybe a little TOO much!

Meredith and Hobs in Robby and Heather's Wedding!

beach time in Ventura - a big highlight!

Time with the Haley Cousins!
Oh, how we wish Chris Haley and Rick Hambleton
were here to see this crew assembled!

Back in Eugene for Stephanie and Ian's Wedding!
(why yes, MOM is in a picture! Thanks, Beppe!)

Flower Girl!

Greeter

Spotter

Shenanigans at home:
"mom, I didn't squirt him!"

Mac turns 10!

Playing at Autzen... a special day!

We may have a broadcaster!

A new tradition... Taco Tuesday at Eugene Swim and Tennis

"Meredith, you look like a CRINIMAL!" -- Hobs''

Popsicle stand (thanks, Stephanie!)

Our version of "Friday Night"... or why we don't go to restaurants.

We are back to school tomorrow -- and I couldn't be happier! So ready to get back into a routine!

Rush's Eulogy

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:31:00 +0000

Before I get to the hard part, I'll start with the easy part of my speech -- and that is, to invite everyone to join us at the museum -- across the street and to the west -- immediately following this service. My mom, sister and I look forward to greeting you there for lunch. And now the hard part.

I hope my Dad can see what I'm seeing right now -- A room packed full of friends. And you should know my Dad chose each of you very carefully - the way a captain might choose a crew for a very long voyage. And already today so many people have told me how proud they were to be part of Dad's crew and I know he felt the same way toward each of you.

Part of the reason captains choose crew carefully - and vice versa - is that when you're all aboard together you implicitly share a common experience. What the ship goes through everyone goes through. And today, we are all here huddled together sharing the same loss. Missing him together.

As crew members, everyone contributes something in particular to a boat, but each person's simple existence on board provides the ballast, the even keel to keep the whole thing moving together. I -- and speaking on behalf of my sister and my mom -- are really, really grateful for the crew that's here to help us hold the rail down through this storm. We've never seen waves like this.

But selecting a fine crew is just one of the things a great captain does, and my Dad was more than a great judge of character. Captains have a strong sense of tradition - how to dress a ship right, and operate himself and his vessel smartly. You didn't see my dad's shirt tail untucked very often and his was never the boat with drying laundry flapping on his boat's lifelines. Lucky for us, Dad's sense of doing things right was contagious. He tended to make everyone around him sit up a little straighter. "Remember who you are and what you represent," his grandfather would say.

A captain looks out for his crew - and Dad took care of mom, and us, before he took care of himself. Captains are loyal to their crew - no finer example of marital loyalty exists between Dad and Mom, his first mate. You are welcome to interpret that any way you please. And his loyalty was tested further when one particular member of his family resettled in ultra-liberal Cambridge, MA.

Dad operated his ship with purpose. From taking the reins at Hoffman Vance and Worthington, serving on committees at the US Naval Academy, Ventura Pacific Citrus Co-op, even joining the board of Santa Barbara Bank and Trust. He was a conservative leader (another phrase you are welcome interpret as you wish), but took measured gambles, transitioning Hoffman Vance & Worthington from largely agricultural management firm to a commercial property management firm and like the best captain/leaders, he trained and groomed others to be competent leaders themselves.

He balanced that purposefulness with whimsey; I remember helping dad make a life-sized the shark fin made out of plywood, a lobster buoy and gate hardware -- to tow behind the Whaler and then see if it was compelling enough to convince the kids taking their swim tests at the girl scout camp at Catalina, shooting off old flares on the 4th of July -- and whatever mischief I'll never know about at those Rancheros rides.

But captains are self sufficient and sometimes keep to themselves. And so did my Dad. Thoughtful captains tie the halyards off the mast so they don't bang against the rig and keep others up at night -- and Dad made sure he never bothered others with his troubles. Right to last week when surely everything in his body hurt -- when reasonable hope had run out, and he had long lost the ability to do the things that make Rick Hambleton Rick Hambleton - no complaints. No self-pity. He proves that the best captains don't whine.

And so we are here together while Dad has set out on a voyage he has to do on his own. It was hard to me to watch him get ready to set out and surely harder for Ricardo, Mom and Katherine to see him cast off. We are heartened to know that he is in the company of the family and friends who have made that crossing already -- heartening for us and and surely Dad is a welcome arrival for them, too.

But now we transition. Neighbors in the Ventura Keys have honored my Dad by lowering the flags in front of their homes to half mast. This has meant a great deal to us. As I speak, our family's own flag is being raised to the top of its staff and we invite others to start the rebuilding process and join us in lifting theirs, too. Let us remember that the magnitude of hurt we feel now is proportionate to the extraordinary friendship and experiences he gave with us. Extraordinary indeed.

Sail on smarty Dad. We miss you

Richard Steadman Hambleton, Jr.

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 19:08:00 +0000

Richard Steadman Hambleton, Jr. died July 20, 2011, peacefully at home at the age of 63 after a valiant struggle.

Rick was born to Doreen Howes Hambleton and Richard S. Hambleton, DDS on May 25, 1948, in Pasadena, CA. After graduating from Polytechnic School, Rick attended Colorado College and graduated from University of Southern California with a BA in Political Science. After graduation, Rick worked for W. E. Hutton & Co. and graduated from New York Institute of Finance. He joined Hoffman, Vance & Worthington in 1976, becoming a partner of the firm in 1979. He valued his long associations with the Agricultural Leadership Program, Ventura County Taxpayers' Association (Past President), Ventura Maritime Foundation (Founder and President), Fales Advisory Committee of the U. S. Naval Academy, Ventura Port District (Past Chairman),Ventura Pacific Citrus Co-op and Santa Barbara Bank and Trust (Board of Directors).

He crewed on 5 Transpacific Yacht Club races to Tahiti and Hawaii, eagerly looked forward to the annual Rancheros Visitadores and Rancheros Adolfo treks and relished his time aboard Kairos.

Rick is survived by Carol, his wife of 39 years, and their children Katherine Movalson (Brian) and Rush Hambleton (Sarah). His cherished grandchildren Meredith, Hobs and Olin Movalson and River and Rosie Hambleton adored their "Poppy". Additionally, Rick leaves his sister Rinda Bishop (Bill) and brother Rob Hambleton (Cindy), his sister-in-law Kathy Enright (Mike) and numerous nieces and nephews. All will remember Rick as an honorable, authentic and gentle man with enthusiasm for all he did.

Rick's Memorial Mass will be celebrated at Mission San Buenaventura, on Monday, July 25, 2011 at 11 o'clock.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Rick's memory to Livingston Memorial VNA and Hospice, 1996 Eastman Avenue, Ventura, CA 93003, or Search Dog Foundation, 501 E. Ojai Avenue, Ojai, CA 93023, would be greatly appreciated.

not so lazy days of summer

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 04:16:00 +0000

Lazy days of summer? I think not! Here are some highlights from our week...

Tried to take the squad out for dinner last night... ha! Did about 25 laps of the restaurant with Olin. And to think we are DRIVING to Southern California in 10 days.
Worst parenting decision of the week: Letting Meredith watch Toddlers and Tiaras on TLC.
All Comers meet on Wednesday at Hayward Field. Olin ran 60 meters in the diaper dash, falling twice but forging on.

Eugene Pro Rodeo on Friday. Meredith wanted to know why they were tackling the baby cows. I loathe the people selling fake Barbies and other crappy toys.
Best event of the week was Max's half birthday, since a little thing called the BCS got in the way of the real deal back in January. ;) Well done, Megan and Mark!
Cringe-worthy moment: Meredith leaving an impromptu, pre-4th of July, highly-illegal fireworks gathering said, "this would have been a perfect party if they had goody bags." (doh!)
Just when I thought Eugene was feeling like a small town, I dash to Portland only to run into Heidi and Deana. I can't escape! ;)
Speaking of Portland... Britney Spears was in town Tuesday night and we couldn't tell who were concert-goers and who were prostitutes. Really.
Loving the new payment system at Nordstrom -- wireless device with receipt emailed to you, a la Apple Store. (also love the purse I bought...)
Confirmed I am not capable of going to the Nike Employee store without buying black pants. (but at least I have curbed my Cole Haan boot habit... that was getting spendy, even at 50% off)
Also confirmed that Olin and I are among "the millions who suffer from seasonal allergies." Learned that allergists call it "The Valley of Death." Grateful for Claritin and chewable baby Singular.
Hit of the week: Stephanie's chocolate-dipped pretzel sparklers. We have a new tradition!

What will next week bring? WHO KNOWS! but we are ready! :)

Eugene, a year later!

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 21:57:00 +0000

We are marking our 1 year anniversary in Eugene this week! Our departure and the goodbyes still sting but we are so comfortable here it's hard to believe it has only been 52 weeks!

I have a new appreciation for the void left when people move away as Meredith's best buddy is moving to Seattle. :(

I didn't take myself too seriously last year and didn't really buy all the "we will miss yous" from friends. I was consumed with what had to get done to sell a house and move with three children, including a 12 week old baby. l had to be somewhat numb and unemotional to survive.

Survive we did!

I joke that we moved to Eugene, I drive a BMW, I joined the Junior League, I have a friend named Buffy, and I fly privately to football games. Truthfully, we bought a used base-model BMW, Junior League has been a great way to engage locally, Buffy is one of my favorite people and I am still oozing appreciation for the generous, once-in-a-lifetime invitation to fly to the BCS game.

Truthfully, we called our move to Eugene hitting the "reset" button. I summarized the situation with two equations:
Silicon Valley = chaotic living
Willamette Valley = simple living
I had a vision that we'd suddenly eat organically, I'd drop 50 lbs, all of our clutter would vanish, the children would write-off TV and all their plastic toys. "Leave it to Beaver" 2010 style... It was going to be PERFECT!

1 year later, my assessment is... it isn't that simple! Organic, home made meals don't make themselves -- and that's the *only* drive thru that doesn't seem to exist around here! Living in "track town" doesn't make you an instantly svelte track star. Label makers and trips to Target don't keep happy meal toys out of the house or kid gear where it belongs. Yep, running a household is a lot of work, even in Oregon!

Other reflections a year later:

Olin was so tiny!
Meredith and Hobs were so little!
How did we pull that off?
I never want to move again. Ever.
WHAT WERE WE THINKING?

Whew... glad it is behind us, not ahead of us!

One of the keys to our transition has been the outstanding people we've met... Between the pool last summer, St. Thomas preschool, and Junior League, its been easy to get connected. (Of course I realize all I really needed was Kim Darden, who knows EVERYBODY and EVERYTHING in Eugene!) The other keys to the transition were the iPhone (so I could look anything up and map it!) and Facebook. (Never underestimate the power of Facebook when you are new in town.)

Side bar: How I met Kim!
At the pool one day last summer a nice little boy started playing with Hobs. The little boy's mom said, "CALVIN! It looks like you have a new best friend! What's his name?" I responded, "You aren't going to believe this but...Calvin's new friend is HOBS!". It was the start of a beautiful friendship for the moms, too!

A post about our first year in the Pacific Northwest wouldn't be complete without mentioning the weather. I can't count the people have asked me, "How are you dealing with the rain?". Well, I loved having seasons and it wasn't that bad until late May when the rain just kept GOING. (BTW, second wettest spring in the last 117 years!) Spring was LONG and I am grateful I knew firsthand what I had to look forward to in July, August and September.

A year ago it was all new and 365 days later I barely notice the giant "O" at Autzen and drive thru everything anymore. We are here and couldn't be happier!

******
Related posts:

Oregon Update (impressions after our visit...)
Getting to know the locals! (brush with the law #1)
The Move... (flying on a 1-way ticket)
Eugene! (this is where we moved!)
Oregon Top 10 (why we love it)
Oregon Updates (settling in / related drama)

Longest day = shortest night

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 13:06:00 +0000

I had more than a little trouble getting Miss Meredith to bed last night... but at least it led to some interesting conversations!

9:45: "Mommy, why won't I get shocked by the cord on the floor?" followed by, "How does electricity work?"
Less than impressive answer returned by me; Google search for "explaining electric shock to children" returned less than helpful results as well.

9:54: "I want to learn more stuff -- like, how God puts life into people!"
Go ahead and Google THAT....

10:00: After a discussion about July 4th being America's birthday but not Obama's birthday, I add: "We've never had a girl president but probably in your lifetime."
Her response, "Maybe that will be me!! Or maybe I will be a cheerleader..."

And with that, I told her we had enough to dream about... But it was a VERY short night: Olin was up at 4:45!

Morning report: Meredith announced she is bagging her campaign for president so she can focus on cheerleading.

School's Out for Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 00:07:00 +0000

How is it possible we are done with this school year? I can't believe it - and I can't believe Meredith is already headed for KINDERGARTEN!

Somehow I made it through this year without forgetting a pickup or any major school activities. (okay, we might have missed a few show-and-tells...) Note to self, it is only going to get crazier, so reinforce those organizing skills.

I am very pleased (shocked, in fact) that we made it through the year without any missed days due to illness. How did we pull that off?

Some recent pics:

Pre-K "Ho Down" in Creswell

I hope Meredith doesn't ask me to name the kids in her class from THIS picture!

Okay, here's the real class picture... missing a few kids, though

Pre-K Graduation

Mrs. Diette and Meredith

The graduate!

Last Day for 2.5's Preschool Class

Mrs. Kendall and Hobs! (it took all year, but we finally got him saying "Mrs." instead of "Mr." :)

Hobs with his preschool buddies. Watch out Mrs. Fuller - here we come!

Possibly worthy of its own blog post... Here's how I've been taking the kids to school once or twice a week this spring.

We are a sight to behold!

And with that... we are off to enjoy SUMMER!

Big expectations!

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 15:09:00 +0000

Me: "Meredith, what did you dream about last night?"

Meredith: "All the fun things we are going to do today!"

Yikes! Momma's gotta get going on *something* fun!

What's for Breakfast?

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Thu, 26 May 2011 04:08:00 +0000

What happens when you ask a three year old to set the breakfast table?

And before you give me a hard time about having 4 bottles of syrup in the house... We are an Aunt Jemima family and its not carried at the two stores we shop regularly. We've been hoarding it... and there was a little spousal miscommunication about our inventory level.

Where are we?

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Tue, 24 May 2011 20:29:00 +0000

For Brian's birthday, I had an idea but knew I didn't have the skills or time to execute -- Etsy to the rescue! :)

Laura - aka "WoodWords" - on Etsy made each of the 10 signs for me and my favorite local handy man, Andy Stapleton, put them on a post and anchored it cement. I only wish I had had Laura weather them for me... but something tells me that will happen soon enough!

Auctions, Auctions, Auctions!

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Mon, 23 May 2011 02:51:00 +0000

I'll admit we have young kids and we are new to the school scene... we are just getting started with the fund raisers. I'll order a Scholastic book here and there. We did the Makit Plates. Cookie Dough? Can't really get into it.

But the AUCTIONS... loving the auctions! Last year at the Trinity auction we won an amazing fire house visit and got on the list for two super fun "subscription" parties -- an Easter Party and Sledding in the school parking log. At the Junior League event, we won a party to be hosted at our house - and catered by two people I adore!

Friday night was the preschool Family Fun Night, including an auction, and it was great! What I wish we had won was $405 worth of gift cards, all donated by 2 and 3 year old classes. I also stuck a ton of raffle tickets in the bin for the awesome costume collection Meredith's class put together. Such great prizes!!

While we didn't buy it, the picture at the tops is Hobs' class platter, done by yours truly. (The center of each flower is a child's finger print.) It fetched $50.

Not as impressive as the full Dr. Seuss number put together by a brilliant dad or the absolutely adorable animal theme plates Meredith's teach did for both her AM and PM classes... definitely room for growth on my part!

What did we *ACTUALLY* win?

I dare say there has never been a more practical item on the auction block! It is great to have families involved in the paper industry! :)

Why that guy is laughing...

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Fri, 20 May 2011 18:17:00 +0000

This morning I called to cancel a service appointment for a car. I was holding Olin on one side and juggling the phone on the other.

Here's how the conversation went:

"Yes, I need to cancel. Its M-O-V-A-L--- OH S***!!! Olin, DON'T BITE ME!"

(Olin begins to scream... LOUDLY, my left shoulder really hurts and the guy on the other end is CRACKING UP)

Me: "Oh no! I am BLEEDING!!! I'm sorry - I am going to have to call you back."

At this point, he is laughing really hard - not even trying to hide it. I don't think he was wondering why I had to cancel and I can only imagine what he told his friends at the water cooler...

Glad I could provide a laugh!

Love and Death

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Thu, 19 May 2011 19:09:00 +0000

5 year old Meredith had some interesting insights on love and death last night.

LOVE
"I love mommy, daddy, Hobs, Olin and JUSTIN BIEBER."

Separate conversation... I asked her what hearts do in our bodies, "They LOVE!"

DEATH
"at least when Mackie (the dog) is dead he can't steal our food anymore."

Olin is Walking!

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine Movalson) — Wed, 18 May 2011 22:09:00 +0000

Olin officially started the day before Meredith turned 5! Here he is, just four days into life on his FEET!