vitalesweets

New Home on Tumblr

2015-10-22T11:01:00.000-04:00

Thank you, blogger-sphere, for hosting me all of these years. We are now on Tumblr so please visit and follow http://asamustardseed.tumblr.com/

From Italy/Spain to Rochester

2015-09-28T14:03:00.001-04:00

We've done it again! We joined forces with CCI Greenheart to welcome another student from overseas into our home. Alma is an intelligent, lovely, sweet girl who is part Italian and part Spanish. We were thrilled to have her in our home for several weeks and to include her in some very special events like the wedding of our dear friends. Although we miss her greatly, we have many wonderful memories to hold on to and, of course, social media to stay in touch! As another brief update, our dear Thomas from France is actually in Chicago studying as we speak. Micah and I know how to sell that city for sure!

Erie Canal

SUNY Geneseo

Mama Mia's ... obviously

Letchworth State Park

Strong Museum of Play

Rochester's Party in the Park

4th of July

Making Carrot Cake (alma loves this recipe!)

Colonial Belle Boat Tour on Erie Canal

Minnehan's

Niagara Falls

Maid of the Mist

Hard Rock Cafe

Avon Vintage Drive-In Theater

Soccer 2015

2015-09-28T13:48:00.000-04:00

As if he didn't have enough excitement coaching T-Ball, Micah decided to coach youth soccer over the summer, as well. He ended up loving it and worked alongside another great coach/dad in the community. The team was a lot of fun and Addison was more comfortable and relaxed with this sport. Their smiles say it all and they were sad to see the month fly by. Fortunately, we all brought plenty of popsicles to hold them over on that last practice!

New York Museum of Transportation

2015-09-28T13:38:00.001-04:00

The New York Museum of Transportation is located in Rush, NY and is quite the diamond in the rough. Addison has always enjoyed trains as well as her friends so one sleepover weekend, we headed over to take advantage of their Sundays only hours!

No need to set aside your whole day for this trip as the museum isn't large but it is a perfect morning or afternoon stop. I'd recommend taking kids who are very interested in trains and about age 5+ as their is more information to absorb than activities. Two enjoyable aspects for all ages are the trolley ride and the old train cars and engines you may walk onto. The trolley ride is about 30 minutes but fun to ride on with little ones for a relaxing little trip at the end of the visit. Take advantage of being surrounded by the old artifacts, read and ask many questions to get the most out of the museum! For those who love model trains and if you attend with kids, visit the model train room. There is an awesome set up the kids watched for quite some time and I'd say that was there favorite things aside from the trolley ride.

The museum offers one time admission fees, memberships and/or group visits. They also have special event days which you can view on their website. Check it out soon to read about their upcoming Halloween Special and Holly Trolley Rides in December!

My dad instilled an appreciation for history and trains and for that reason I loved this museum and will surely return.

These kids are living

2015-09-23T10:44:00.001-04:00

Dance Emporium 2014-15

2015-09-23T10:35:00.001-04:00

These lovely girls had a great season and are about to start up again. This will be Addison and Alyssa's fourth year at Dance Emporium - hard to believe!!! They are joined again by many of the girls that did Hip Hop and Tap last year but we're sorely missing Juliette this year.

Besties

2015-09-23T10:21:00.001-04:00

There is nothing quite like the love you can have for close friends. Of course, all relationships come with struggles, arguments and frustrations but those can make or break relationships. When they don't break the relationship, they build a tougher bond. Sort of like that thick skin or scar you develop after a painful cut. Everything fuses together stronger than ever. My friends mean so much to me and I'm glad Addison is learning the importance of that in her own friendships. A simple shopping day with Kelly and our girls and, naturally, we are simply enjoying each others happiness and time.

Color Run 2015

2015-09-23T10:17:00.002-04:00

Natural Craft

2015-09-23T10:13:00.002-04:00

This is such a fun and simple craft for grown ups and kids alike. You simply scour the yard or gather while you take a stroll. What is it we're scouring and gathering? Colorful plants and flowers!

There is some trial and error and some plants and flowers don't translate onto paper as you may hope.

Tools:

Hammer

Paper

Plants or Flowers

Napkin or scrap paper

To do: Place your good paper on a flat surface that can be hammered on. Place your plants and flowers face down and as flat as you can make them. Place a napkin or scrap paper over your plants. Gently hammer all over the scrap paper or napkin, especially where the plants are. Lift your paper/napkin gently to see if the colors are transferring. Once completed you may peel off the plants and if it's a good day you'll have something like this:

Purse Life

2015-09-23T10:08:00.002-04:00

You are what you stow. Your purse contents are a representation of you. I'm sure someone important has said these things at some point in time. Here is a glimpse into my purse life. I can't exactly say this is a representation of me. For example, those numerous glosses and chapsticks, rarely used. Although, when I do look for some, it's good to have options. All 10 of them ... There are numerous pens and note pads. Always a necessity. Wallet, of course. I do like to have stamps handy. Bubbles, sanitizer, bouncy ball, storybook, memory game, rings - with kids around me constantly you'd be surprised how often those come in handy. I'd have to say the kids stuff leaves the purse more than anything else. Lotion and gum - of course. Glue gun insert-why?? Summary would have to be that although this doesn't clearly represent what I'm all about my purse life absolutely provides a glimpse of what I strive for on a regular basis, some sort of an acceptable appearance (lip products), entertainment of children and completion of personal tasks (stamps and envelopes).

T-Ball 2015

2015-09-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

Easter 2015

2015-09-23T09:23:00.000-04:00

We moved into our house in the summer of 2012. Our first Easter (2013) we had an Easter egg hunt in our yard which has turned into a wonderful tradition and opportunity to get our friends and families I provide childcare for together. It's like a meet and greet, party and adventure in one!

As a Christian, the holidays can be tricky. I personally don't see it that way but I know it's complicated for other Christians. There are many that choose to steer clear of Santa and Easter Bunny and so on. Long story short, I read books to my daughter about magic and faeries and so on so a little make believe around the holidays does not make me feel like a "bad" Christian. I make a point to share stories about Christ and what we're truly celebrating as well as letting kids enjoy the magical aspect of it all. That said, we go all out for our Easter hunt! We talk all season about spring, Christ's resurrection, and just as he was reborn, plants emerge, animals are born and so on. Our yard makes for a fun hunt. I spend all morning prepping eggs donated from various friends. The kids receive everything from candy to coins to tattoos and stickers - you name it! They are thrilled to take off into the yard and in the flash of minutes that it takes them to clear each and every egg, we are inside unraveling the small surprises. Seeing our "group" grows is as beautiful as the Easter story of rebirth. Each year we are renewed with more people to love and care for as shown below.

Top (from left): Alyssa, Olivia, Lucy and Addison
Bottom: Gaius
2013

On Couch (from left) Addison, Juliette, Olivia A., Gaius, Alyssa, Kinley and Olivia
Floor: Derek and Sydney
2014

Back (from left): Jack, Kinley, Tori
Middle: Nathan, Addison, Juliette
Front: Livi, Kate, Alyssa

Celebrating Age

2015-09-23T09:08:00.001-04:00

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

Proverbs 27:27

Micah and I and our friend Dave share March 30, 31 and April 1st as our birthday week. It's this time of year that I count the wonderful blessing of friendships that I've made in this life as a parent in a small community. Having everyone together for a night out exceeds expectation. We have a blast each year and our group grows as each year passes and new friends walk into our lives. Not only a celebration of our age but what builds in our lives each year.

Weeds, People...

2015-07-26T17:53:00.000-04:00

When we bought our home we were taken aback by the beautiful landscaping in our back yard. The yard begins pretty flat but the major incline guides your eyes right up to the tree line at the very top. This goes without saying that you do pause for a moment to enjoy the rocks placed at the beginning of the incline centered by old wood rails that have been repurposed as steps. The rocks look absolutely stunning when properly cared for. Unfortunately, the late spring and early summer months seemed to slip between my fingers and I've found myself gawking miserably at an entangled blanket of weeds strewn about the rocks.

I filled at least three wheelbarrows full of weeds that were masking the rocks

For the past three days I made it my purpose to uncover what I once loved about our yard. At two hours on Friday and about four to six hours on Saturday and again Sunday, I am feeling the work in every muscle of my body. I started with the patio and a smaller set of rocks that are not shown in this image and worked my way from left to right on the shown rocks. When you spend that much time alone and in the ridiculously beating sun, your thoughts sort of prance around different ideas and let me say that God, NOT the heat, breathed some ideas into my head.

Now, I know many of you loathe weeding. I mean, you're basically tearing your knees apart on gravel, spiky, itchy grass and whatever slugs and beetles are lurking around. Sweat is tickling its way down your face which you inevitably wipe with your filthy, sweat soaked gardening gloves. Your fingers tearing away, sometimes accidentally pushing your finger nail back. Lovely. Oh and the bugs, they know exactly how to really buzz right around your ear or flutter in your face like it's their job. Not cool, bugs, not cool. THAT SAID, I am sort of a lover of weeding just as I am dishes. I'm a childcare provider so both of these activities scream elongated moments alone to zone out and be free of noise, stress ... diapers. Today, my third day of weeding, I started to complain a bit in my head. Why on earth would God create these devil plants? Some of them are relatively easy to pull but they are few and far between. The majority have outrageously thick and deep roots that are apparently grabbing the earth while I am pulling in all my glory, seriously, they're holding on for life. Some are so webbed together I swear that faeries in fact do exist and have created a massive net of viney weeds and spread them in and out of and through the hundreds of rock. WHY?! This is a non believer's dream! Perfect God, huh? Well, why did he create weeds?? Of course that leads me to ask myself why is He referred to as perfect, what does that mean exactly? I'll tell you what it doesn't mean! Perfect does not mean perky and pleasant 24/7. You know the story of Noah's Ark. In Genesis 6:5, "The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, 'I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created - and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground - for I regret that I have made them.'" Of course you can't believe in my perfect God if you think perfect has something to do with pure joy all of the time. One look at that scripture and you can tell He was pissed. Super pissed. And He acted on his frustration in a severe way. If you ask me, He's a little more like you and I than we imagined. Perfect is defined in the dictionary as absolute. God exists independently.

God is perfect in that the hope he gives is everlasting.

THAT is our perfect God that you're always hearing about or referring too.

He makes tough decisions that we can't always explain or find reason for. Satan can lay out groundwork and we often feel like God has abandoned us in that bad things happen regardless of His presence. Road blocks are far too common in life. Even something as simple as bills. I seriously have this struggle each year where I feel like I've worked my butt off, saved up all of this money for a trip or something major and then our nasty Waste Management bill creeps up on me and really makes me get a little nutty.

Weeds, people.

We get smothered by them and I know YOU know what I'm talking about. You literally can't breathe with some of the terrible things that happen at times to you or a friend or just by flipping on the news. So how do we, WHY do we go on another day? Don't we see or at least hope for a silver lining?

I finished my work in the yard today. I felt disgusting and chugged probably 40oz of water within minutes. Physically, I felt exhausted but kind of like a badass. I mean, I was in a war with those green masses. Guys and gals, when I stepped back and took a good look at what was there all along, it was gorgeous. Paired with Micah mowing the lawn yesterday and us tidying up toys, etc. Beautiful. That's God. That's the hope right there in those rocks. They were there, I knew they were there, I went through blood (rose thorns, nasty buggers), sweat and ... not so many tears but I did accidentally crush a few crickets and snails, sorry guys .. some physical pain to reach that stunning result. Being able to find my way back to this beautiful view which, by the way, someone or a few someones put a great deal of effort into, was my guide. In that same way, God is always there. You struggle along the way, you lose hope here and there, honestly, and you may even give up. He's there. You'll manage to find your way home to Him, find His peace and His happiness. There's nothing quite like the provisions our perfect God has for us amidst any chaos.

My "Baby" Brother

2015-07-26T16:57:00.000-04:00

Here he is folks. The little stinker who killed 6 lovely years as an only child for me. Womp Womp. The kid who once chased me around the house with his deadly matchbox cars to which I pleaded help and was responded by my dad with, "You're bigger than him!" The kid who really irked me in front of a friend once which resulted in each of us knocking the wind out of each other with either a blow to the back or to the stomach. I can't remember which of us did what to the other but I know it hurt and entertained my friend.

We were buddies when we were smaller but once I was in high school our relationship was somewhat nonexistent. I was in my teens and he was in elementary. I do remember him coming home upset due to kids picking on him on the way home and me being enraged over the whole situations. I'm almost positive I ran into that icy cold day hunting those kids down. He was still my little brother no matter how much we could relate... Eventually, I went off to college in Chicago and he did his thing at home in upstate NY. Once he was in his last year or two of high school we were able to reconnect when I'd come home to visit and although we're not checking in on each other daily I'd say we're good friends who have each others back. We understand each other. Not everyone from our small hometown eats chicken adobo with rice on a regular basis when home for the holidays.

Recently, my brother made the decision to join the Marine Corps. After witnessing him struggle to find a passion in college I could not have been more proud of this choice. This displayed his willingness to find discipline and structure in his life and so far it has worked wonders. Since making this decision, he's become engaged to his lovely girlfriend and has become a much more responsible, independent and confident person who, I hope!, is making healthy and happy choices regularly.

One big Ooh Rah to this guy!

Girls Nights Gone By

2015-07-26T16:46:00.001-04:00

We have all been so busy since the summer kicked off. Kelly has since married the love of her life and we were so proud to be there for that special day. Post wedding, we all had to catch up with our calendars and the never ending logs of summer programs, camps, sports as well as planning family vacations. We haven't been able to pin point a day where we can all get together yet but are desperately looking forward to that. I make so many fond memories with these beauties.

Must Show Off

2015-07-26T16:41:00.002-04:00

These are some projects that the kids worked on last school year. I can't help but show off their work. These kids are so talented and creative and that shines through their work. My favorite is their self portraits. 'Nuff said!

Weather Can't Stop Us

2015-06-09T10:37:00.001-04:00

You can only sit through an Upstate NY winter for so long. On days when we could handle it, we'd venture out into the snow. On days when I was feeling crazier I fully embraced the idea of dress up, bakery stops and storytime all in one! These little princesses did not lack in activities snow or no snow!

Matthew 7:12

2015-06-09T10:35:00.000-04:00

As I catch up on posts and sift through some of the photos from a few months ago, I'm reminded of our wonderful neighbors and how grateful I am to have them. Over the winter we were hit pretty bad and our long driveway does not sit well with all the morning traffic as kids get dropped off at our house early in the morning and picked up in the afternoon. Try to balance caring for children with keeping the driveway clear is not simple. Our dear neighbor came by when he could with this beast. Both a thrill for the kids and a joy for me knowing I could set aside an hour or two to do lessons and so on rather than out there breaking my back.

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Black History Month

2015-03-02T20:44:00.001-05:00

Juliette and Addison worked very hard on a Black History Month book last year and with the addition of Kate and Tori I figured it'd be great to do it again. This year we focused on Ruby Bridges and Jackie Robinson with brief lessons on Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King Jr. We read children's books about each person. For Ruby Bridges week we each took turns describing her and I wrote their individual responses in their books. They were inspired by how strong, good, smart, brave and kind Ruby Bridges was and we discussed what they would do if a new child was in their class and felt different. They also drew pictures of Ruby for their books. Some had her at her desk, some walking to school. We were fortunate to have recently finished The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes and Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, both of which are about a girl who is different and new in a classroom and judged harshly as a result. Forgiveness is a big theme when it comes to the story of Ruby Bridges.

Frederick Douglass allowed us to explore slavery and what it means to be born into slavery. We discussed the harsh reality of Douglass' childhood. He worked in terrible conditions, fieldwork in extreme heat, very little to eat, abuse and hardly any clothing, etc. We also talked about his freedom. They enjoyed hearing of his freedom to have a family, his freedom to write about his life and start a newspaper as well as his friendship with Abraham Lincoln. Born into slavery but dying a free man is something these child will never fully understand but what they did understand is that Douglass did not give up. They were especially drawn in by his childhood experiences and how thankful they should be for all they have. We displayed their ideas about slavery and freedom with a chart displaying symbols of slavery and freedom.

Having discussed Martin Luther King Jr. in the beginning of the year, they felt confident discussing him and connecting him with the other African Americans we talked about, especially Ruby Bridges. Both Bridges and King were peaceful, faithful people. They both faced hatred and it showed the girls that power and courage can be undertaken at any age, any gender. We decorated boys and girls of all colors in our books to represent that we are all equal no matter our appearance.

Jackie Robinson was a totally different ballgame for the girls, literally! I was very excited to introduce him as they have a growing interest in baseball with t-ball season coming up. They are used to discussing more political scenarios as opposed to sports and celebrity which I don't think had crossed their minds. That even in film and sports there were major regulations. It was surprising to them that an African American was given such a hard time to join a baseball team, especially with the dominance of African Americans in many sports today. The hatred an amazing baseball player experienced on the field mirrored what we'd read about so many other famous African Americans. For their last section of their book they shared with me something they'd love to be the first to do and they stitched a paper baseball together.

Never stop sharing and teaching children at ANY age!! Their minds have so many different ways of seeing things which may open your own mind to another way of understanding even the most complex subjects!

Valentine's Party

2015-03-02T12:56:00.003-05:00

We handmade all of Addison's Valentine's for classmates last year but with two parties and 25+ kids we opted for store bought. Of course, she had plenty of teachers to spend time making Valentine's for! Lots of buttons, paint, cutting, glitter and glue later we had sweet little heart envelopes/cards. Simple and sweet!

Disney on Ice 2015

2015-02-24T09:55:00.001-05:00

Disney on Ice may have meant something to you long before the days of Frozen. For me, it's one of my earliest memories with my parents, right up there with Harlem Globetrotters, movies in the theater and fishing with my dad. I remember Mickey and Goofy. I remember a scene they did from the Mickey and the Beanstalk story which included this HUMONGOUS arm/hand balloon and scooted out from the side of the rink. It was huge and alarming but I thought the whole thing was so cool, especially that spinning light thing my parents bought me as a souvenir. Unfortunately, no such flashlight reached the hands of my daughter this year because they cost an arm and a leg these days (I still can't believe I bought 2 plain pretzels for them that they weren't even that hungry for .. why I didn't get them cotton candy to share is beyond me .. bahahah. For the better, I suppose-less sugar!) I did buy a $4.50 bottle of water - again, that's a little outrageous and I usually bring things but it slipped my mind. I do believe in souvenirs, though, and we got a steal on two large figurines. Addison picked Jasmine (huge surprise) and Tori chose an Anna doll. The kids had an amazing time with front seating and we were met by Kelly, Brian, Alyssa and Evan after intermission. So fun to share in the experience with our friends. I truly felt like a kid again and LOVED The Little Mermaid bit!! If you scroll down you will see that even the boys found the joy in it all, hehehe.

Portraits

2015-02-24T09:32:00.001-05:00

The kids and I usually do a craft with each letter we work on and for letter 'P' we decided to do self portraits. I used to love this as a kid and with Tori, Addison and Juliette's passion for art, I didn't have to do much convincing. We got out mirrors for them all to use and I walked them through the basics and encouraged them to really look in the mirror and follow the lines they see. They did an amazing job, you can even see hints of natural shading that I didn't even get into. I can't get over these results!

Fairy Tales

2015-02-24T09:23:00.002-05:00

With shows like Once Upon a Time and being a longtime fan of classic Disney films, it is a treat to see many of our princesses "come to life" through film. We are so excited to see Cinderella. (Let's face it, knowing Downton's Rose and Daisy will be in this flick is pretty fantastic). With the beloved Hermione (Emma Watson) starring as Belle soon - there is a lot of movie magic we're awaiting.

"My" Kids

2015-02-24T09:19:00.001-05:00

This is my current crew. Nate is in school full time and the 4 girls are in school half day every day except Tuesday but it's primarily the girls and I throughout the day. In the fall Juliette will be leaving us for kindergarten in another district and Tori, Kate and Addison will begin kindergarten in town. Kinley will be in preschool twice a week. They are growing MUCH too fast for my taste!! I am excited to take on new kids (so if you're looking or know someone who is please feel free to message me!) and for what the future holds for these amazing children!