A Box of Chocolates

All That's Left is For Me To Run

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:13:00 +0000

My Ipod is charged.

The running playlist programmed.

Nike+ ready to record my distance and speed.

I even got some new running sneakers.

Yep, all that's left for me is to put it all together and get out there and run!!

Hmm, maybe I need to get some cheerleaders??

or butt kickers?

Any volunteers??

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2 Days On, 1 Day Off, 2 Days On, 2 Days Off

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:08:00 +0000

Work on Monday and Tuesday, then off on Wednesday in honor of Veteran's Day. Back to work for Thursday and Friday, then off for the weekend.

I have a good feeling about this week...

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Avoiding the Red Pen

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:35:00 +0000

Becoming a teacher was always a goal of mine.

I knew that I wanted to have some type of career, but I also knew that I wanted children too so being a teacher always seemed to be the perfect compromise. Of course my love of learning and kids made teaching even more enticing, not to mention the summer vacation! Then there was the bossy side of me too who couldn't wait to have the attention of my minions, I know could I really have been that naive??

Growing up, there was all the practicing I did of grading papers. Red marks here, red marks there, red marks everywhere. I loved correcting my little brothers papers or just correcting make up work. I couldn't wait to be a real teacher when I could grade real papers and assign real grades.

Skip a few years to today.

I have a huge bag sitting next to me overflowing with papers that need to be corrected! YUCK. I think that grading may just be my least favorite part of being a teacher. I have become a master at avoiding grading too, which makes it even worse because my bag is just getting more and more stuffed. Meanwhile, here I am still avoiding by writing this post!

Nothing like a little procrastination!
Oh and for the record I NEVER use a red pen.

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Wordless Wednesday - Stuck in the Tree

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:24:00 +0000

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Survived To Tell About It

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:39:00 +0000

The only good thing about last week is that it came to an end!
Never to be lived again.

I knew it was going to be a tough one when I looked at my planner and didn't see anything except appointment, after appointment, after appointment. Along with, you know, my real job of teaching, I had a Board meeting Monday night, PTO Tuesday night, and an Aspiring Administrators meeting Wednesday night. Plus I had a special education training Wednesday morning and a behavior training Thursday afternoon. Did I mention writing many substitute plans???

Oh and in case you forgot, last week was also Halloween week, which at school means C-R-A-Z-Y kids! As if trick or treating wasn't enough to excite them we also had two assemblies and a fall party on Friday afternoon.

Like I said, I knew it was NOT going to be a pretty week.

And that was BEFORE germs infested my children!
Saturday night Zoe spent the night at a friend's house and on her way home vomited in my friend's car (Thank God it wasn't my car...yeah, I'm a good friend like that!!). When I took her temp it was 103 and stayed right around there all day with Motrin. She pretty much slept the day away, which was really unlike her so I knew she wasn't feeling well. Thankfully overnight her fever broke, but since she couldn't go back to school until she was fever free for 24 hours Dave stayed home. Dylan and I went to school where I was hoping we would stay germ free, however that was not to be.

Dylan ended up fading fast in the afternoon and by the evening he had his own fever. I took off Tuesday and stayed home with both kids. Dylan's temp ended up getting to 104.7 before a cool bath and meds brought it back down that afternoon. It was Dave's turn to stay home on Wednesday and then I was back home on Thursday since Dylan still had a low grade fever the day before so he couldn't return to school.

Finally, on Friday, we all headed back to school, Zoe for the first time the whole week and Dylan since Monday. Nothing like heading back to school the day before Halloween. Thank goodness we didn't miss all those parties and assemblies!

And that my bloggy friends is why I am absolutely thrilled that last week is in the past, never to be revisited again.

Moving on now.
This week looks very refreshing as other than a PTO fundraiser at a local restaurant, where all I have to do is eat, I have NOTHING in the evenings. My calendar looks pretty darn empty. No complaints here though! I'll be just fine sitting in my pj's enjoying some hot cocoa on these cool, fall nights.

Ahhh...Life is good again!!

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North Carolina and the Pumpkin Patch

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:14:00 +0000

Last weekend at the last minute we decided to jump in the car and drive to North Carolina to visit with my brother and his family. In case you didn't know, my brother is an active marine and currently his unit is packed and waiting for the command to head to Afghanistan. There isn't an official word yet, but rumor has it that he may leave before the end of the month. We shall see!

Anyways, my parents decided to head there last weekend since my brother had weekend leave and we though, what the heck, let's go too and have a family weekend. After a full week at work and school it was quite a long 7 hour drive on Friday afternoon, but totally worth it to hang out with everybody.

Since our weekends have been so packed lately, we haven't had a chance to get to the pumpkin patch so we took the opportunity to head to one in North Carolina. My sis in law searched a place for us to go and we headed there Saturday afternoon with, I believe, just about every other family who lived within a 30 mile radius. It was packed. You bought tickets to take a hayride to a field and then chose your pumpkin and rode the hayride back to weigh the pumpkin and pay.

We discovered they had a great business idea as the pumpkin "patch" consisted of a couple very dry pumpkin vines with pumpkins strew around it. Obviously they don't grow many pumpkins in North Carolina!

It was a cute farm though. They had little wood building all decorated for fall. This is one where Grandpa took a break on a rocker, while Dylan mixed up something smelly in the cauldron

and picked some cotton from the cotton patch.

After searching the patch, all the kiddos found their pumpkins.

Grandpa also treated us to some tasty treats like moo pops (marshmallows on a stick covered in white and milk chocolate)

along with some interesting creme puffs and a delicious apple crumb pie, which Zoe devoured.

The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out and catching up. It was great to spend time with my brother, sis in law, and little niece. They are expecting a new addition to the family in December, my first nephew, and I enjoyed chatting with them about the baby too.

There is nothing like spending time with your family!

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Wordless Wednesday - A Boy and His Gun

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:53:00 +0000

Disclaimer: No eyes were poked out with the shooting of the BB gun or taking of the photographs!

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Annoying Allergies

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:16:00 +0000

I must start out by saying that I realize that my family is very blessed that we do not have any allergies in our family. So far nothing seems to bother my kids and we all eat everything, well except for hubby and his veggies, but that is a completely other subject. Therefore I am writing this from my own selfish, perspective.

As a school teacher, I am very aware of the number of kids who have some type of allergy to food, whether milk, gluten, strawberries, or the unspeakable peanut. Each year it seems like I get a few more. Most of the time they are allergic to only one item here or there, so I haven't really had to pay close attention to them, although I did have a peanut girl (yes that is what we all called her) my first year of teaching and that was absolutely miserable. No pbj for me that year as I ate in the room and goodbye to my afternoon snack of pb m&m's (not that I really should have been eating them anyways). Every snack that entered the room I had to scrutinize and let's not even talk about class parties.

While I know it was not something that could be avoided I felt bad for the students who were in the classroom that year as many snacks had to be thrown away, special treats couldn't be shared, and peanut butter, a childhood staple, couldn't be enjoyed by anybody for the whole school year. It seemed like 23 people had to suffer along with 1 girl who actually had the allergy.

What's my point?
Allergies are annoying.
They don't just affect the person who has them, but everybody around the person has to suffer too.

Doesn't seem quite fair.

You are probably wondering where all this is coming from, right?
Last week Zoe had a field trip to a pumpkin patch. Since they were going to be gone during lunch time, parents were asked to pack a lunch for their child. So what does every parent who doesn't have a kid who has a peanut allergy pack? PBJ of course. It's the go-to sandwich. Doesn't have to stay cool, can be squashed, and always ready to eat. Zoe's lunch was packed with fresh fruit and veggies, a juice box, and her field trip ready sandwich and off to school we went.

As I walked in the front door, there on the board was the announcement:

The Pre-K class will be visiting J's pumpkin patch today. Please make sure they are dressed appropriately with sneakers, jeans, and a jacket. Don't forget your child's lunch. No peanut butter products, please!

Crap! Couldn't those kids with the allergy just sit off to a side since they are eating outside? Why does my child have to give up her lunch? (Don't forget I warned you this was a very selfish post!)

Of course, this would be a morning I was already late so what does a late mommy do? Call Daddy to the rescue. Thankfully Dave was able to stop by Wawa and drop off a Lunchable (cause that is so healthy and all) to Zoe, and a crisis was averted.

Zoe had a lunch and
No peanut people were injured.

The only negative result was my agitation because allergies are annoying!

Does your child's school do anything special about peanut allergies?

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Disney on Ice

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:03:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I hosted a giveaway for Disney on Ice 100 year celebration tickets in Philly. Well my family also got to attend opening night for free thanks to Feld Entertainment and Mom Central.

We are huge fans of Disney on Ice and never miss a show when it comes to town. There is just something about seeing Mickey and all his friends skating around on the ice. The scenes are always spectacular, the costumes stunning, and the music makes you just wanna get up and dance too.

Just like Disney to make one night...magical!!

Here are some picture highlights of the show.

Mulan was impressive as always, but her dragon had me totally mesmerized!

This was the first time we saw Pinnochio in one of the shows, which was neat, but Monstro stole the show!

Intermission was the time to get a snow cone and plastic cup to add to our collection.

Princesses were everywhere and with our close seats we could see the love in their eyes, or in this case the surprise in Belle's.

The green men were hands down Dylan's favorite. He is still talking about the green army!

No Disney show would be completed without a little "Small World"

These were just some of the many performances, but I was too busy watching the show to take more pictures. There were also appearances by all the princesses (except for Aurora which Zoe was quick to point out), Nemo and Dory, The Incredibles, Jiminy Cricket and the Blue Fairy, along with Mickey and Minnie of course. Dave and I were both surprised at how quickly the time went when it was over. It was definitely a night enjoyed by our whole family!

It's not too late to see the show in your town! Check to see when Disney on Ice's 100th Celebration will be coming to a show near you.

Disclaimer: Thanks again to Mom Central and Feld Entertainment for providing my family free tickets to enjoy the show!

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Lazy Weekend

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:03:00 +0000

This weekend was just what I needed.
Other than a bit of cleaning (and I mean A bit) and some laundry I accomplished absolutely nothing!

After treating the kids to breakfast out, I spent yesterday morning in front of the computer and I must say that it was nice! I've sporadically posted here and there the past couple of weeks, but had not read some of my favorite bloggers posts in way too long so it was great to catch up. Hopefully I'll keep my reader under control from now on cause that 1000+ was hard to handle.

I also played with the software for my SMARTboard at school, found some fantastic pre-made SMARTboard lessons, and created a couple of my own. I just love technology! Can't wait to share everything with my students. I need to learn some more about Flash because some of the cool lessons I found seem to be made through the program. Any of my readers know anything about Flash????

In the afternoon, I dropped Zoe of at a friends where she was spending the night. She was invited to see a Wizard of Oz play so she dressed up in her Dorothy costume and her friend dressed up as the Wicked Witch and they were off to follow the yellow brick road. It seems that they all had a blast as my friend texted me pictures all night. Although I'm not sure Zoe will be invited over again since she had a missing mommy meltdown on the way to the theater which was over an hour away and then threw up in my friends car on the way to bring her home today. I felt horrible!! It seems that she has caught a bug and since coming home she hasn't left the couch. We are pumping her with fluids and trying to get some crackers in because she did throw up once more and has a low grade fever. I knew it was going around, but was hoping we would be lucky. Guess not.

As for the boys and I, we had some Mexican food last night and then went to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in the theatre. Dylan has been dying to see it and was jumping all over the place as we were buying our tickets and obligatory movie theatre popcorn. It was a pretty cute movie and hubby was impressed with the 3D. I wasn't feeling 100% last night either so when we got home I went straight to bed and crashed.

Today was another lazy day. Even lazier than yesterday as it is 6:30 and I still have not showered, nor have any intention of doing so. I feel better than last night, but still not completely up to par. I have spent another day on the couch, dozing, fiddling on the computer, and watching TV. Hubby made a yummy pot of crab soup and fresh cookies for dinner which was a treat.

I'm looking forward to continuing my laziness right on through my Sunday night shows!

So how was your weekend? Do anything fun?

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Birthday Pictures

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:06:00 +0000

So I started this post about 3 weeks ago right after the big birthday, but then life interfered with the posting, so here ya go.

I can't believe my little girl is FIVE! Since the big celebration happened in New York we decided to keep the birthday celebration on her actual day pretty low key. She invited her two bestest friends, along with grandparents and neighbors, over for a a few hours of dressing up, eating pizza and cake, and opening presents. Gotta love the simple parties!!

Chocolate ice cream cake was her order along with the big ol #5 birthday candle.

Each year the kids put in their costume order with Gramma Sally, who uses her magical sewing skills to make the kiddos the best costumes around. This year she gave Zoe her costume as a birthday present. Isn't she the cutest Dorothy you ever saw??? Grandma even provided her American Girl doll with a matching costume and we got lucky when we were in New York and found a pair of sparkling ruby shoes to match. Add Toto in his basket and the costume is complete!

Needless to say the costume didn't come off for the remainder of the afternoon as she played with her presents. Daddy bought her Disney Sing-It for the Wii and she loved singing with Hannah Montana.

She has been big time into reading and Grandpa and Grandma gave her a collection of books on cd's so she spent quite awhile listening to every one.

When I asked Zoe how she enjoyed her birthday she exclaimed, "Two thumbs up...It was the best ever!" Well I guess that sums it up.

Happy Birthday ~~Princess~~ my little Dorothy!

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Kid Conversations - Sweet and Funny

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:20:00 +0000

First the sweet...

When we were in New York last weekend the doors to St. Patrick's Cathedral were open so we took a minute to step inside. It is an absolutely gorgeous church and you can't help but become mesmerized with the beauty.

There were many places where you light candles and Dylan wanted to know why there were so many candles and what they were for. I explained that people light candles to signify sending a prayer for a loved one (I am not Catholic so I hope I got that right). He thoughtfully stood still for a second and then asked if he could light one for Mako since he was thinking about him. He asked it so quietly and with such love that it completely stopped me in my tracks. I was so choked up that my little boy would be so thoughtful that I couldn't really respond. Thankfully, my mom in law was with me and came to my rescue telling him what a nice thought that was. In the end we didn't light the candle, but I'm sure Mako could feel all the love Dylan was sending him as he is running around in heaven!

Then the funny...

As we were driving out of the city, Zoe very excitedly said, "Look Mommy." When I looked out I didn't see anything except an old factory with lots of smokestacks.

So I asked her what she was looking at. She said, "Do you see those tall things sticking out of the building?" I said yes, and told her they were called smokestacks. To which she replied, "I know what they are mommy, they are the things that make all the clouds in the sky."

After I stopped laughing I explained what they were really for and how they most definitely were not for creating clouds or at least fresh clouds, but I gotta give her props for her creative thinking.

Out of the mouth of babes!

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One Ends and Another Begins

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:34:00 +0000

What a week we have had!

In 7 days we have spent a day in New York, celebrated Zoe's 5th birthday, went to Philly for Disney on Ice, and drove through Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina to visit my brother for this weekend. Quite the travelers we are!

I have lots of pictures, but other than our New York pix just haven't had the time to get them uploaded. Guess I'll add that to my every growing to do list.

I'm hoping that this week things will slow down. Other than a field trip and a PTO meeting things should be quiet around school (as quiet as quiet can be with a class full of 5th graders that is). Next weekend is unplanned as of now and I'm hoping to keep it that way. Of course unplanned still means soccer games, SeaWitch Festival in Rehoboth, and Zoe going away for a sleepover!

The fun never ends!!
Here's to a great week ahead!

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Ode to My Broken Computer

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:07:00 +0000

A contributing factor of my being MIA recently is that my computer bit the dust. It had been giving me grief for quite awhile and finally it gave me the dreaded blue screen that warned me that the hard drive was about to be erased, then a bright green screen, and that was all it wrote. Thankfully hubby doesn't think anything is lost, but that I need a new motherboard which means once we can afford to get a new one of those all should be well again.

Hubby has been nice enough to share his laptop, but it just isn't the same, especially when he likes to use it and Dyl uses it too. I do sneak in some time now again, but I hesitate to download any of my applications, you know like TWEETDECK (oh how I miss my groups and automatic Facebook/Twitter updates) because his is pretty ancient itself and already runs pretty slow.

Isn't it funny how reliable we become on our electronics? I think I was so depressed about not having my computer that I ended up ignoring all things personal that I use it for like twitter, facebook, and of course blogging. It was almost as if I was saying, if I can't use my computer, I'm not playing at all. Sad, I know!

Anyways, I decided enough was enough. I'm hoping the extra hours I'm putting in at work will cover a laptop fix sometime soon, but until then I'm trying to get over myself and learn to share one laptop with three people in the house. Even got three posts up last week and a few in progress for this week. The ball is slowly starting to roll again!

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Wordless Wednesday - Kids in Central Park

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:15:00 +0000

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New York, New York

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:53:00 +0000

Every year the kids and I take a bus trip to New York City for a day of fun. This year our trip fell on the day before Zoe's birthday so we decided to celebrate her 5th in city style. Zoe got to choose a friend to come spend the day with her along with Dylan, her two grandma's, one aunt, one uncle, and me.

The day was jam packed with a trip to American Girl, a visit to the Central Park Zoo and Children's Zoo, afternoon tea at Alice's Tea Cup, and a dance on the piano at FAO Shwartz. Not to shabby for turning 5!

Here are a few of the pics I snapped as we enjoyed the beautiful day!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

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Happy Birthday Baby Girl

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:22:00 +0000

Well not really a baby anymore.
Although don't we always look at our kids as our babies, no matter what their age?
Right mom??!!

Zoe turned 5 today.

It's been a bittersweet celebration as I watch her bloom into a beautiful, smart, thoughtful little girl and say goodbye to her toddlerhood.

There is just something about my baby turning 5. At 4 I think you can still get away with thinking of your child as a toddler, but 5??!! 5 means kindergarten, reading, writing...independence. ((Sigh))

On the flip side though, boy do I love having a little girl and I do enjoy her getting older. Everyday she makes me smile with something she says or does. Sometimes she can be so much older than her 5 years. She is definitely my girlie girl. She enjoys dressing up, putting on cute shoes, wearing her jewelry, and spending a day shopping. I can see many days of shopping together in our future...and getting our nails done too of course!

I love you, princess!!

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Soccer Mom

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:07:00 +0000

Ever since Dylan started soccer a few years ago I've enjoyed being known as a soccer mom. This year Zoe decided to test out her skills and joined the team for her first season.

Yes, Miss Model posed for every picture I took.

It is definitely a different kind of season as I now walk back and forth between fields so I can watch them both. I'm missing my folding chair and just sitting for a couple hours!

After a minor meltdown on the second soccer practice, I'm happy to report that Zoe seems to be getting the hang of it. She enjoys the drills, but loses steam during the games. You would think as much as the girl moves she would have stamina, but not so. She doesn't connect with the ball very much, but she does look pretty darn cute running around in her pink soccer shoes. We'll see how the rest of the season goes.

Dylan is having a blast and I enjoy watching him interact with his team.

He is really coming out of his shell and it is great to see him taking more risks. Gotta say though that I never knew how much of a clown he was in front of others. I wish I would have recorded his dance moves that he was displaying on the field the other day...cracked me up. He seems to really enjoy playing soccer which makes me happy considering he is my kid that never seems to move, but would rather just sit with his computer or PSP. He definitely plays strategically trying to think ahead where the ball will go. I think he is going through a growth spurt that is throwing off his balance though cause I swear he spends more time falling on the ground than he does running across the field!! With all those boys (and a couple girls too) on the field there is never a dull moment.

Talking about watching the kids on the field, lately I've been amazed by the number of families that drop off their kids and leave while the kids are at practice. Call me weird, but I look forward to watching the kiddos each week. I just chalk it up to being a soccer mom.

I'm curious though, do you watch your kids at practice or do you drop and run?

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Wordless Wednesday - Happy Birthday Grandpa

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:55:00 +0000

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I'm Baaaack, but not sure if better than ever

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:19:00 +0000

I cannot even believe that it is October already. Where does time go?

The other night on a rare Twitter-a-thon I made the comment about how it's funny that we bloggers like to talk about being part of the community, but that in the almost month I haven't blogged not one person had emailed to see what was up. I honestly wasn't pointing fingers, I just found it interesting. Now I do have to say that I have had a few people tweet me to see what was happening and some of my readers who are my facebook friends also check in there, but that is about it.

After sending the tweet I had quite a few people reply back asking me if everything was okay, how I was doing, and a few even mentioned they did miss my posts ((remind me to send out their checks!!)). Then I had a couple people admit the same thing happened to them...they went m.i.a. and nobody even seemed to notice.

Then it hit me. Call me the black kettle cause here I was musing why people hadn't emailed me to see what was up when I had completely ignored some of my favorite bloggers when they had disappeared. Geez. Then there is the fact that while I haven't been blogging, I also haven't been visiting any of my favorite blogs either. I didn't have a clue what was happening in any of my "friends" lives.

The more I kept thinking about my blogging community, including the bloggers I've met IRL and the ones I only know through their posts, the more I realized that I'm starting to miss it all. I miss checking in on everybody, reading what everybody is up to, and sharing what is happening in my part of the blogosphere. Blogging is something that I do for me and I miss my "me" time.

So what I'm trying to say between the paragraphs of rambling words is...
I'M BACK!!

and boy does it feel good to be back with my box of chocolates!!!

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Disney on Ice Giveaway!

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:44:00 +0000

I know I've been missing in action for a bit lately so what better way to make a come back than with a giveaway!!

Disney on Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic this year and they're bringing the show to the Wachovia Center in Philly! If you haven't ever been to a Disney on Ice show then you must take the time to go see this one. We never miss an ice show when it comes to town as the whole family becomes entranced in the Disney Magic.

My family will be heading into Philly for opening night, October 14th and I have four tickets to giveaway so you and your family can go too! All you have to do to win is leave a comment right here. Just a single comment. That's it. Of course if you live in the Philly area and want to tell all your friends about the giveaway so they can enter to win too, that would be awesome. I'll be choosing the winner on Wednesday, October 7th so comment quickly!!

If you can't make opening night or aren't the lucky winner, no worries because you can still get a great deal on tickets when you use the coupon code "MOM" at www.ComcastTix.com. Enter the code in the promotional box to receive four tickets for $44 to see a Monday through Thursday show or Friday matinee. Or you can enter the code and receive $4 off each ticket for a Friday night or weekend show. Great deals for a family night out!

I hope to see you there!!

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Are You There, Readers? It's Me Mel!

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:56:00 +0000

I honestly think this has been the longest I have ever gone without writing anything. Hopefully a few of you kept me in your readers!!

Although I have plenty of stories to tell, pictures to share, and posts already written in my mind I just can't seem to find the time to write them down.

Teaching 5th grade has been quite the experience. I am in love with my big kids and enjoy the conversations that we can have. I am gaining confidence that I am truly smarter than a 5th grader. However, I feel like I've gone back in time to my first year of teaching and just trying to survive. I clearly took for granted all the work I had created in previous years for 3rd grade. No wonder I felt like I was becoming bored in 3rd grade. All the work was ready for me. The past few weeks I have been working later than I ever have. Even my custodian commented about how late I've been at work after he had watched me leave right at dismissal for the past 4 years. I'll get there again I'm sure, but boy am I exhausted on the way.

On the homefront...
Soccer season started Saturday and this year Zoe decided to join her brother on the soccer field. Quite the challenge to watch two kids on two different fields, but they both had a blast. I know he is my son and all, but I gotta say that Dyl has got some skills. I'm looking forward to his games this year! Zoe rocked her field with her pink soccer shoes, pink pants, and pink shirt. You couldn't miss her for sure. She seemed to enjoy her first soccer practice, but is chomping at the bit to play a game. I did snap many pix, but haven't gotten a chance to upload them. Maybe sometime this week.

Some other great news is that it looks like my parents are getting closer to moving nearer to us. When I say nearer I mean within bike riding distance! I haven't lived near my parents since I was 18, which believe me what forever ago. I'm looking forward to having them nearer. Who wouldn't appreciate more babysitters, right?? It will be great to be able to spend the holidays with both of our families now, not to mention beg for free dinners after working all day.

Other than that, it's really been the same old, same old.
I truly miss my blogosphere and reading all the blogs. I haven't opened my reader in forever and probably don't want to now because heaven knows how many posts I will find unread. How long is it until Thanksgiving break???

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Yep, He's a Teacher's Kid

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:51:00 +0000

Zoe has been very frustrated with herself because she can't read.

She knows the words say something and often she just makes up her own stories which I always tell her is a way of reading, but other times she gets mad because she wants to know what they really say. I have been trying to make some time everyday to work with her on reading and of course we read books together as much as possible.

Her favorite thing lately is to cuddle up with Dylan and ask him to read his homework book with her. The other night I snuggled with both of them for their regular reading time. I was so proud of what I heard...

D - "Ok Zoe tonight the book is called 'Smokey'. Before we read we have to make some predictions. Look at the cover. What do you think the story is going to be about?
Z - "I see a train."
D - "Good job, Zoe. You are right it is about a train. Look at where the train is. What do you predict is going to happen to the train."
Z - "The train is in a pond so I think it is going to crash."
D - That is great Zoe. Now I'll read it to you to see if you are right.

Dylan went on to read the book and had Zoe make other predictions while he read. It was so neat to see him using what he has learned about reading to teach his little sis.

Makes this teacher mama very proud!

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Sunday Stars

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 10:15:00 +0000

McMommy shared a beautiful article from a Newsweek Columnist that really hit home. I don't know about you, but I can always do with a reminder to stop and live in the moment. Since heading back to school and all the schedules that go along with it, it was nice to read that it is okay to just stop and enjoy what is right in front of you...your family!

Do you wear a size 9 shoes? Oh how I wish I did because Christine has some traveling shoes that she wants to pass on. If you are a shoe lover who wears a size 9 you gotta go check out the story of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Shoes!

Nell wrote a touching post on how we moms are linked together by the love we have for our children. It's a great reminder of how we must cherish the moments we have with our kiddos because life can sometimes be way too short!

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It's Time To Lock Her In Her Room

melsboxofchocolates@gmail.com (Mel @ A Box of Chocolates) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:07:00 +0000

Tuesdays are daddy and Zoe days since Dave is off and keeps Zoe with him instead of sending her to daycare. They always seem to find something fun to do on these days and this past week their adventures took them to an arcade on the boardwalk.

The most excitement seemed to come when she was playing skee ball. Evidently the game was giving tickets when you would win and some friendly people gave Zoe their tickets so she could get a prize. As soon as I got home she showed me her prizes and told me all about everybody giving her tickets. This is our conversation:

Me - "Wow, those are some cool prizes. You are so lucky that those nice people gave you their tickets."
Z - "I know. They must have thought I was beautiful."
Me - (thinking - vain much?) "I'm sure they thought you looked like a nice little girl who would enjoy getting a prize."
Z - "Well it was boys who gave them to me so I think they must have really liked my dress."

Well then. Guess we better invest in that lock on the door a bit sooner than we had intended!

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