Haphazard Happenstances

It's a chore!

2012-05-30T08:23:00.003-05:00

Okay, I have a confession to make. My girls have never had to do chores.

Sure, they make up their beds occasionally, but to be perfectly honest, I make up their beds 90% of the time. They used to be responsible for cleaning the game room once a week. However, because we stay so busy with soccer and school stuff they have very limited "down time". I'd rather that time be spent playing than cleaning.

Tsk, tsk... I know. But here are my thoughts... They HAVE a job... and they are doing it well. They are excellent students at school and they practice soccer 4+ times a week That's their job!

So... what's the hubbub about chores now? Well...it's summertime and it's time to incorporate some chores into our daily routine. Plus, Elisan will be in middle school in the Fall and it's time she learned to do a few things around the house.

Believe me, I'm not dumping a bunch of crazy stuff into their laps like scour the oven. I'm starting off easy... like making beds, sweeping, dusting, emptying the dishwasher, setting the table, collecting trash, washing clothes and folding laundry... easy stuff that doesn't require the use of harsh chemicals. (My rule... not theirs.) I've also added a section for "Quiet Time". Unfortunately, I've had to schedule summer reading time for the girls... otherwise, there would be wailing and gnashing of teeth if I asked them to do it voluntarily.

So far... two days into summer... we've had no complaints. Who am I kidding... check back with me next week to verify that the complaining has begun.

Here's a sample of my chore chart and I've included a blank chore chart to download here.

So, what's your thoughts on chores? The sooner the better? Why start now? Gimme your pros and cons!

Well, hello summer!

2012-05-29T16:41:00.002-05:00

First summer swim!

Blog Brain Dump - It's a doozie!

2012-05-29T10:30:00.000-05:00

Ahhh, the first official day of Summer vacation is upon us! I could not be more thrilled! I love having my girls home with their mama. It's my chance to "deprogram" them from the attitudes and mouthy-ness that comes from being at school. It also gives me a chance to reconnect with the girls... and that's the most important part for me.

I don't know where to begin. It's been a crazy last few weeks, so it is only fitting to have a blog brain dump entry. So, hold on... it's gonna be a doozie!

We said goodbye to our hair stylist Alison Allain a few weeks ago. Alison and her family are moving back to California. We are going to miss her so much. Not only is she an amazing Christian, she is an awesome stylist. Our hair will never be the same... (sniff!)

Here's Elisan, among friends before they loaded the Hummer Limo and headed out to Gattiland for food and games. A limo ride and trip to Gattiland was award to kids who raised $300.00 or more for the school's Spring fundraiser. We had lots of fun... that's right, I said we, because I was asked to chaperone again this year. Kyla was with the 2nd grade group, so she is not in this picture.

Here's the school's praise team group leading the praise songs at chapel for the last time this year. She had so much fun participating in this group. I'm so proud of her.

The final chapel at school is also "Awards Chapel". A moment to brag... Elisan was awarded the "Music", "Spanish", "Language Arts" and Presidential Award for all A's for the entire year. She was also awarded the "Young Mary" award for her 5th grade class, which is an overall award for grades, character, leadership and Christian-like example.

Kyla was also award the "Young Mary" award for grades, character, leadership and Christian-like example in her 2nd grade class. It was DEFINITELY a proud mama moment!

The last week of school ended with school parties and fun! Here's Kyla with her "friends that are boys" and second grade teacher. The 5th grade class was able to have an off-campus party and it was held at a fellow fifth grader's home. They live in a beautiful area, as you can see. (*Note to self...It's never a good idea to let Elisan apply spray sunscreen on a windy day. Let's just say... she had a patchy sunburn.)

The last day of school is reserved for the school's talent show. Grades 1st-5th can participate and let me tell you... it's one LONG talent show. Here's Elisan and her BFF singing their song. They did great and what can I say... I'm so proud of them. (I sound like a broken record!)

Here's Elisan with her 5 teachers. She had such a great year and I know she'll really miss these teachers. Especially, Mrs. Smotherman, the one in the light blue dress. She was Elisan's favorite teacher of all.

And finally, over the holiday weekend, we traveled home for a family picnic for my dad's side of the family. There must've been at least 50 family members there. We don't get to make the big family events very often, but I'm glad we were able to make this one. The picture below is (most) of the great grandchildren. I know of at least three who are not in this picture. (That would make 25 great grand children in all! Wow... our family is busy!)

And that's about it.

And, that's enough.

Whew. I need to take a break.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-05-23T09:03:00.001-05:00

"Go West" Road Trip

2012-05-18T10:08:00.000-05:00

We're taking a "Go West" summer vacation this year! We'll be joining the thousands of families across the U.S. as we make the road trip to see the Grand Canyon, Arches National Park, Monument Valley, etc.

Yep, that's right... a road trip! As in many, many, many hours in the van.

I have a list of stuff that I want to put together for this trip and one of those things was a "on the go" scrapbook for the girls. I saw this idea online and I think it will be a great idea for the girls as they collect brochures, postcards and other knick-knacks along the way.

I created a starter scrapbook for them which includes a map of each state we'll be traveling through, along with state facts, a questionnaire and a field notes section. We'll use a hole punch and a ring binder to connect the pages and then when they want to add to it, they will simply punch a hole and add it to the book.

We'll be traveling through New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado. Here are the scrapbook pages for Colorado.

I think this turned out cute and I know the girls will be excited to gather up fun stuff for their books!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-05-16T14:13:00.001-05:00

And then, there were three

2012-05-11T13:03:00.000-05:00

I'm "that" person. The person who says they will NEVER do __________ (fill in the blank) and yet, here I am, admitting that I've gone against my best intentions.

Last night, we had a tumultuous Spring storm hit Central Texas. The girls were a bit nervous, but we prayed with them, tucked them into bed and away to dreamland they went.

Meanwhile downstairs our white fluffy Malti-mutt T.J. was holed up in his bed. As soon as I sat down on the couch, he comes running to me and jumped into my lap, curls up in the tightest little ball and sits bug eyed with fear. Honestly, I've never known T.J. to be fearful of storms, but last night he was definitely afraid.

So come bedtime, Randy tells T.J. to get in his crate for bedtime and he usually goes without hesitation. But, last night, he looked at us like we were crazy and followed us up to our bedroom.

As soon as I flipped the light switch off he jumped onto the bed, but Randy immediately told him to get down. I mean... because really... we aren't the kind of people to have a DOG sleeping in our bed, ya know?

About 10 minutes later, a particularly close lightening bolt and the subsequent thunder roll not only had T.J. up on the bed with us, but he managed to wedge himself smack dab in the middle of us and was trembling with fear.

And don't you know... RANDY of all people calmed him down and allowed him to stay in the bed with us.

So, yes... Randy is not as heartless as he tries to make people think. And, we allowed our dog to sleep with us in the bed.

We are "those" people now.

Ditched for a Donut

2012-05-10T12:11:00.000-05:00

Well, it's over.

On Monday, Elisan's school had a middle school orientation breakfast for the 5th graders.

On the menu?

Donuts. And lot's of them.

Elisan was sitting by me, shooting daggers at me and I ask her what was wrong.

She says, "I'm tired of this gluten free diet. I'm tired of having to say no to everything I love. Pizza, bread, biscuits, rolls and now... DONUTS!"

I told her, "I've said from the beginning, if at any time you want to stop the gluten-free thing, just say the word."

And she did. Then, she marched herself right up to table and helped herself to a big ol' donut.

After school we discussed the donut and the diet and how she didn't want to do it anymore. And we told her it was fine with us, because really, it was only an experiment.

The relief that washed over her face was all I needed to see.

So, pass the donuts. And, the pizza, please.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-05-09T09:45:00.001-05:00

Playing catch up!

2012-05-04T09:14:00.002-05:00

It's official... only 3 weeks left until school is out for the summer! I'm excited for several reasons... I'll be happy to have my girls home with me (let the deprogramming begin!) and the busy-ness will nearly come to a screeching halt!

I don't know about you, but these last several weeks have been extremely busy and it's only promising to get busier as school wraps up.

Here's what we've (they've) been up to! Let's see... Elisan was inducted into the National Elementary Honor Society in April. We're so proud of her! Way to go Elisan!

Both girls participated in the school wide Jog-A-Thon. The Jog-A-Thon is our school's biggest fundraiser. This is always a fun event for everyone!

The girls have been playing lots and lots of soccer! Only two weeks remain of soccer and then on to select soccer try-outs! That's when the fun REALLY begins!

And finally, the ACAA District Track Meet! As you know, I volunteered to coach the 5th grade girls and boys. After the first practice, I was informed that the 6th grade kids did not have a coach, so I volunteered to coach them as well. In total, I had 28 boys and girls! A little more than I bargained for, but it worked out great.

For three weeks, I was up at the school every day during their PE classes coaching them in all things track related, from baton passing, long jumps, discus, shot put, hurdles and explosive starts. I liken it to "herding cats". (I could not have managed it all by myself! Here's a shout out to my mom friends Rene, Kellie and Luann who helped me tirelessly!)

The track meet was a lot of fun! And I'm proud to announce that my 5th and 6th grade girls team won FIRST PLACE overall! I was shocked... and excited... and so very proud of them. My 5th and 6th grade boys team placed 5th and I'm very proud of them too. I'm thankful and blessed to have been able to coach and lead this group of amazing kids!

Here's my girl in her events. She threw the shot put (10 feet, 3 inches), ran the 800M (4:00.81) and the 1600M in a little over 9 minutes. I'm so proud of her for getting out there and trying as hard as she did. We may have a trackster in the family afterall!

Y'all... I'm here... barely

2012-04-23T19:14:00.000-05:00

Just popping in to say that I'm here, but barely.

I've been busier than a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest these last two weeks and I wish I could stop long enough to write an update, but I'm tired.

It will have to wait. Until track season is over. Or, maybe even when soccer season is over. Either way... it ain't happening today.

Just call me coach!

2012-04-11T12:41:00.001-05:00

Yep, that's right. You can call me coach. At least for the next three weeks. I've volunteered to be the 5th grade track coach at school. I'm excited and I know it will be fun. My brother and I were tracksters growing up, so it's definitely a sport I'm familiar with and love.

Why three weeks? Well, that's because the 5th graders only have ONE track meet and it's on May 1st. So, I have the opportunity to encourage them and get them excited about track & field before they enter Middle School.

All I can say is, I'm glad I've been doing my own bit of running lately... I'll need to be able to keep up with them!

Shameless Plug

2012-04-09T14:18:00.002-05:00

Each year, the girls' school holds it's biggest fundraiser in April! It's called the "Jog-A-Thon" and the proceeds raised from this event go back to the school! To learn more about the Jog-A-Thon, click here.

What better organization can you think of to donate to, than a Christian school? And... you don't have to buy overpriced cookie dough or popcorn. You can just donate and know that your money is making a difference in the lives of children. As a family, we're proud to be apart of this school and how it has blessed our children, in addition to the contribution it makes to the surrounding communities.

This year, the school has made it easier than ever to donate to each student's fundraising effort! (And your donation is tax deductible!)

If you would like to donate a dollar... two dollars... five dollars to either one of my girls fundraising effort, follow the below links! My girls thank you and so do I!

Donate to Elisan
Donate to Kyla

BFF's

2012-04-06T11:20:00.001-05:00

What you call weeds... we call Red Poppies

2012-04-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

The Red Poppy Festival is coming up this month!

It's always a fun festival event in our town.

Parades, Arts and Craft booths, Food, Entertainment...

It's a true small-town "downtown square" event.

She chose green?!

2012-03-29T18:21:00.001-05:00

Am I really old enough to have a kid in braces?

It's a bullet point kind of day

2012-03-28T13:24:00.003-05:00

I feel the need to check in, but I'm not feeling particularly wordy today. So, bullet points it is...

I was a proud mama at Monday's Chapel at school. Kyla led the Bible pledge on stage, Elisan led praise and worship and Kyla's class performed a skit about Moses.

Both girls played goalie at last weekend's games. Guess we're training up goalies? Let me tell you, there ain't anything more stressful than watching your kid play goalie. But, they're pretty darn good at it... Sigh... Valium anyone?

Last week when we got several inches of rain, TJ decided to cross the ditch full of water to see what was on the other side. Unfortunately, he wouldn't come back over. He was mad at me because I would not rescue him. If his barks were translated into words, I'm sure he would have been saying some naughty things to me.

I ran seven miles on Monday. I was exhausted and felt like garbage the entire day. I am beginning to think our bodies are just not designed to run more than 3-4 miles at a time.

I also have had heartburn and indigestion lately. What? Is this what happens when you turn 39 because I'm not sure I like it.

I just finished booking hotels for our summer vacation. We're doing the "GO WEST" road trip tour, that will include Big Bend, Carlsbad Caverns, Grand Canyon, Moab and Santa Fe. I remember this trip from when I was a little girl in our tricked out Ford Conversion Van, complete with 4 Captain's chairs, shag carpet and bed with storage underneath.

It's time to freshen up my Spring/Summer wardrobe. Have I told you how much I hate to shop for clothes for myself? I loathe it. Are Nike running shorts appropriate to wear everyday? Like everywhere? If that's the case, I'm set! That's all I seem to want to buy and/or wear.

Blog Brain Dump

2012-03-20T13:14:00.001-05:00

We're on week five of removing gluten from Elisan's diet. I'm positive I've removed at least 97% of the gluten from her diet, but I'm sure gluten is sneaking in there, in some form or fashion. (Hidden gluten makes me mad!) But, I've gotten better at reading labels and making smarter choices for all of us. What's crazy is that I've always considered our family to be moderately healthy eating family, but I'm quickly discovering that we can be doing better overall.

Anyway, going back to Elisan...Randy has been a little overzealous in measuring her height. He measures her every week so see if there has been any change. Well, I'm happy to report that in ONE WEEK, she grew nearly 1/3 of an inch. I know, that doesn't seem like a lot, but trust me, it is. That's the most she has grown in over 4 months. There might actually be something to this gluten thing afterall.

So, Spring Break was last week and the girls spent their entire break in soccer camp. The camp began at 8:00 a.m. and lasted until 5:00 p.m. I was sad that I didn't get to spend more time with them over their break, but they had so much fun! I think they enjoyed the camp more than they would have enjoyed hanging out with me. (Sigh...) At the end of each day, they were exhausted to say the least. But, they were ready to go back the next day!

I love this picture of the girls. Look at them both. Sitting on their knees, while all of the other kids are sitting cross-legged. Don't they look like twins?

Randy bought Formula 1 seat options today. I said "seat options" not tickets! Oh, you didn't know there was such a thing? Well, I didn't either!

Apparently, it's like we're now season ticket holders, but without the tickets. We "own" the rights to the seats, but have to actually purchase the F1 race tickets. But, with the seat option, we have rights to purchase tickets for all venues at the F1 arena in Austin. Randy is beyond excited. He called me earlier to tell me that he selected our option seats on the front row at the finish line. I can see ear plugs in my future. Hopefully, come November 18th, I'll be attending my very first Formula 1 race, which incidentally will also be the debut F1 race in America! Whoohoo!

Spring Pictures

2012-03-19T10:38:00.001-05:00

We had such beautiful weather on Saturday, I seized the opportunity to capture my cuties for their Spring pictures. Despite the wind, I was able to get a few that I really love!

Here are my favorite individual pictures.

I love this one of the girls together!

And this captures them perfectly!

And of course, no photo shoot is complete
without a little silliness mixed in!

I'm no expert

2012-03-13T11:27:00.000-05:00

Okay Y'all! Let me be honest... I'm no expert in all things gluten free. In fact, since we've only been doing the gluten-free diet for Elisan for three weeks, I'd say I'm pretty much a novice, newbie, green behind the ears (whatever that means.)

The last three weeks of GF eating have been okay. I've experimented with baking breads (in a bread machine) and making pizza dough, cookies and cupcakes from a gluten free mix. Elisan's biggest complaint is sandwich bread slices. But, she's content eating fresh deli meat and a cheese stick for lunch, in lieu of a sandwich.

Elisan is also a BIG snacker. Not like in the way of eating all day long... more in the way of the quality of snack foods presented to her. She doesn't like the gluten free crackers and will only eat fruit when it suits her, so I've had to brainstorm a few snack ideas.

This snack is very portable which makes it great for a school snack or after sports practices. And, Kyla likes it too, which is great, because she has felt "left out" with the gluten free diet... (GO FIGURE!)

(Disclaimer: I never said it was "healthy" so to speak. It's just a fun snack to keep around. And be sure to double check your ingredients for gluten free status. All the ingredients shown are GF, but do your homework!)

So here it is...

Elisan's Marshmallow Chocolaty Chex Mix
(Gluten Free)

1 cup Chocolate Rice Chex
2 cups Popcorn (Freshly popped on the stove, with olive oil. Salt to taste.)
2 packages "Fun Size" M&Ms
1/2 cup of Kraft Mini-Marshmallows
1 small box of Sun-Maid Yogurt Covered Raisins
Optional: Handful of shelled roasted peanuts

Mix prepared ingredients in a large bowl and serve. Serves 2-3

Enjoy!

Blog Brain Dump {... a and sigh of relief...}

2012-03-07T11:54:00.005-06:00

I've got a doozie of a story to tell you. It's so weird that Randy and I are still scratching our heads over it.

Saturday morning, I woke up from a really vivid dream. I rolled over and nudged Randy awake and I told him about my dream. I dreamt that he was offered a job in Denmark working for the same company he worked for previously.

(For those of you that don't know, Randy took a job in Denmark over 8 years ago. The job was a temporary assignment and we were there for only 6-7 months, but we have very fond memories of the overall experience.)

Well, Randy called me yesterday morning from work and he said, "Tell me about your dream about a job offer in Denmark again." I told him and then he said, "I just got offered a job in Denmark." (The job was at the same company he worked for previously, but this time, he was offered a manager position.)

As you can imagine, I began freaking out! I mean, who dreams about a job offer in Denmark only for it to come to pass 3 days later?! (And really, 8 years later from the time he first worked there?)

Y'all, I was ready to pack my bags, sell the house and move! I was so excited about the prospect of moving back to Denmark, especially now that the girls are 8 and 10 years old (not 8 weeks and 2 years old) that I could hardly sit still. Randy even seriously considered the job offer, but ultimately, he turned down the position.

I know that moving to Denmark right now is not feasible with our current lifestyle, kids established in school and all of the other things we have going on at the moment. But, don't think for a second I wasn't giddy with excitement. In fact, I'm a little sad that Randy could not accept the offer.

But seriously... the dream foreshadowing the offer? That's very strange. (Anyone have any thoughts about this?!)

So, sigh of relief... my computer is fixed! Apparently, I clicked on a rogue link that inevitably sucked the life out of my computer. What's weird is that I'm pretty good about NOT clicking on random/weird links. Randy thinks the rogue link was disguised as a link from our virus scanner. Clever, no? Those computer hackers are getting too smart for us.

After reformatting the hard drive, I can happily say that my computer is back to normal. And I cannot say enough about having a back up system for your computer. Had it not been for my massive external hard drive... well, let's just say... I would still be in bed right now... grieving.

The moral of the story is... get thyself to an electronic store and buy a big 'ol back up drive and save everything there.

And I leave you with this. Another installment of "Not For The Squimish"!

These photos are from the weekend games. Elisan is number 33. That's my girl!

Oh good! It's Friday!

2012-02-24T10:37:00.005-06:00

So, the story of my life... I've been busy. The girls have been busy. We've all been busy.

This past weekend, my BFF Cyndi and kids came for a quick visit. I just love her and her family and I'm so glad our kids get along. While she was here, Cyndi and I decided that it would be okay for Elisan and Joey to maintain a long-distance boyfriend/girlfriend relationship when they reach an appropriate age... say 15-16? That way, they will rarely get to see one another and when they do, it will be when we (or they) come for a visit. Yep... we're conspiring against them... I mean, for them. I can totally get on board with a long distance relationship. Less stress at home.

On Wednesday, I chaperoned and carpooled a group of girls to the Alamo in San Antonio for a school field trip. It was Elisan's first trip to the Alamo. If you've never been to the Alamo, let me just say... the Alamo is very tiny.

I mean, the story of the Alamo is HUGE... "Remember the Alamo" and all of that... But, the physical size of the Alamo is teeny. It's almost shocking how small it is. But, once you step through the mission doors and read about all of the lives that were lost, defending our great nation of Texas... well, it is a great reminder that the story of the Alamo is HUGE and is not to be forgotten. I love Texas and I'm so proud to be a Texan.

So, after researching the affects that gluten can have on growth development alone, Randy and I decided it was time to eliminate gluten from Elisan's diet for about 6 months. We're not expecting her to shoot up like a weed in 6 months time,... however, we do want to test to see if there are positive effects from the removal of gluten from her diet. She's TOTALLY on board with it and is excited about the prospect of gluten being the culprit in her lack of growth.

We did warn her that gluten may not be the cause of her delayed growth and she's okay with that too. But, like I mentioned to her... if we can eliminate certain foods from your diet that can maybe help you... then WHY NOT?

Yesterday marked the first full day of gluten free eating. So far so good. I just need to be educated and find a good resource/book on the subject.

We're not going so far as to "cross-contamination" and all of that. We're just going to be more mindful about her options and stick to a gluten free diet as close as possible. Other than the height issue, she is not suffering any other effects - like stomach problems, delayed speech/learning, etc. So, we're just going to "test" it out and see what comes of it.

If anyone knows of any spectacular resources regarding gluten free eating, I'd love to hear about them.

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Quartz Parchment Shears

2012-02-16T12:57:00.004-06:00

One our new favorite shows to watch with the kids is "The Regular Show" on Cartoon Network. Now... let me preface this by saying... this is a show geared for OLDER kids... And by that I mean, they use the word "suck" a lot.

A LOT.

But, it's funny and for the most part, we haven't had to shield our kids away from any inappropriate content.

(Sidenote: I've had to shield my kids away from inappropriate language while watching the Biggest Loser lately. What's up with that?)

Anyway, I have to admit, I put up much resistance to the girls watching "The Regular Show" because I just didn't see any real redeeming "take away" messages from it.

(They weren't getting any redeeming "take away" messages from "The A-Team" either, but at least "The Regular Show" is only 7 minutes long vs. 50 minutes long... but I digress.)

That is, until I saw the episode entitled "First Day" and essentially, the two main characters (Mordecai and Rigby) are playing an endless game of "Rock, Paper and Scissors" when one of the fellow characters (Pops, who is a lollipop and is like reallllly old) referred to the game as "Quartz Parchment Shears".

I know, I know... not hilarious stuff... but it was funny and I still laugh about that episode.

So, set your DVR and after you put the kids to bed, take a peek at "The Regular Show". It's really kinda funny.

It's worth the trip!

2012-02-15T14:03:00.003-06:00

I entered a blog giveaway two weeks ago and look what I won!(Compliments of Mandy at "Home with Mandy" and Dunkin' Donuts.)

I happened upon Mandy's blog "Home with Mandy" recently doing research on an inexpensive alternative to Le Creuset cast iron cookware. She blogged about H-E-B's new line of cookware called Cocinaware. And would you know it? It IS a beautiful and inexpensive alternative to the more expensive Le Creuset version. So, anyway, I quickly discovered that she's located right here in Austin and she is a foodie! Her website has a lot of unique recipes with a Southwestern flair.

So, pop on over to Mandy's blog and be sure to check out her printable recipe section!

V-day Recap

2012-02-15T06:24:00.003-06:00

These three people make me the happiest wife/mother on the planet!

(And yes, that is a phone that Elisan is holding. We figured it was time she had a way to communicate with us in the event she is not with us or if there is an emergency. It's a pay-per-minute BOOST phone. My baby is growing up!)

Kyla had a sweet V-day party at school!
So thankful to be able to attend these special events!

Kyla's teacher, Mrs. Engelbrecht (or Mrs. E), is an amazing woman. She is a strong woman of God. She is also a recent breast cancer survivor, which makes her even more amazing! She is kind and loving and truly loves her students. I'm thankful for her.