Reboot

heh.  It took me almost an hour to get in here, but here I am!  Okay...so 2011 was not a great year.  So far, 2012 has been better to me.  I have a different blog that I am keeping up with, and I am going to try to reboot this one.  Let's see if I can do it!

Create a classroom

Or maybe just a fun playspace when it is "too wet to go out. And too cold to play ball. So we sat in the house. We did nothing at all. So all we could do was to sit, sit, sit, sit, SIT!"

Yeah, Cat in the Hat is still a favorite around here, although others are becoming more frequent choices.

Anyway, what I started to say was that WallCandy Arts has nifty chalkboard decals that can be stuck right on the wall. No drilling, nailing, screwing! (Since I have a board I have been trying to decide where to hang as a semi-permanent fixture, this is pretty cool!)

And there's no reason it has to be stuck on the WALL! I'm thinking about getting a couple of the squares and putting them on the kids' table. Or maybe...MAYBE...if they are flexible enough...sticking them on a roll of paper that I can put down in the hallway as a inside-sidewalk. hmmmmmm....

Well, that was quick!

I put in two weeks doing the writing job.  In that time, I quickly discovered that finding 15 hours a week is almost impossible.  Sure, I can grab 10 minutes here or 20 minutes there to chat or browse the Net, but the job really doesn't work that way.  I need to do actual research and really devote thought to what I am writing...in short, it is WORK.

I am disappointed, but honestly, my time is more precious than $8-$12 an hour.  I'd much rather snag a boardgame with Beloved or a chance to read a book or do something novel, like shower.  So...yeah.  It was a quick realization that this won't work out for me right now.  Bummer, but better I resign than to get fired because I miss the time-mark.

Fairy birthday party ideas

Some ideas that I found in one of my magazines that I might use at some point...maybe you'll use them sooner than I will?

Beautiful Bower
Create a bower by hanging silk scarves and several yards of inexpensive tulle from teh ceiling with tacks and tape. Then staple artificial flowers here and there on the tulle. For extra twinkle, sting up some white holiday lights.

Hunt for Fairy Treasure
Get a collection of jeweled buttons (try freecycle, thrift stores, or the bargin bin at a fabric store) and hide them all over the party space. Hand out small drawstring bags for the children to collect their treasure in. After gathering the treasures, string them on pipe cleaners for make gorgeously gaudy bracelets.

Tea Time
Maybe for your every day tea, you don't want to use the thimble-sized cups, but what better for fairies to sip from? Borrow sets from friends for the party to ensure enough cups for everyone!

Fairy Berries
Melt some white chocolate and add a few drops of red food coloring. Dip strawberries in the chocolate and sprinkle with sugar or sprinkles. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve on a leaf-covered plate.

Edible Magic Wands
Buy a package of sugar cookie dough and some bamboo skeweres. Roll the dough out to 1/8" thickness and cut cookies out using a star-shaped cookie cutter. Place 1/2 of the stars on a cookie sheet, then press a skewer into each one. Top them with the remaining stars so that the skewers are sandwiched between the two cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for about 9-10 minutes. Allow them to cool completely before frosting and decorating them.

Fruit Sparklers
With your star cookie cutter, cut slices of watermelon and pineapple. Thread onto skeweres, along with sliced star fruit and assorted berries.

Rainbow Cupcakes
Prepare your favorite white cake mix according to the directions, then divide the batter evenly between six small bowls. dye each bowl a different rainbow color.

Line your muffin pan with baking cups. Evenly distribute the colored batter in layers, gently spooning the batter over the color underneath. Bake according to the directions on the box. Cool completely and remove the paper before serving. If you like, top each cupcake with a whipped-cream cloud.

Work continues...

The kids are off at Grandma's and my aunt's...*wry smile*  Neither one felt up to BOTH kids overnight.  Ah, well, I guess that is the joy of being a "grand"...you have paid your dues and can now insist on YOUR way.  *smiles*

The basement is coming, but for the second weekend in a row, I am the injured one.  Really, all I ask is that *I* be the sacrificial kid and none of our awesome, wonderful, amazing volunteers get anything more than aches from over-exertion.  Today, the injury is from stepping on a nail.  *sigh*  It was in a board, lying point up...I stepped down, nail went through my boot sole and through my skin, puncture-wound style.  It really didn't bleed much.  I've washed, treated with tea tree, taken a mini-break to blog about it, and I'll be back to work.  wooo-hooo.

Other, more mommy news...Girl is teething again.  She's got her first lower left molar crowning, and I suspect the lower right is cutting too.  Poor kid...she's been just really miserable and crying at the drop of a pin.  She also took her very first independent steps this week!  She wants to do it herself so badly...she walked a whole 2 blocks using her Walk-n-Ride.

Boy is really loving school, but has gotten a little annoyed with one of the boys in class.  He is 3 1/2 and has a speech difficulty that makes him hard to understand.  He has also decided that Boy is HIS best friend and doesn't like it when Boy interacts with other kids.  *soft sigh*  I feel for both sides.  I'm proud of Boy in his attempts to be polite and friendly, and I hope that he can find a way to be inclusive and a supporter of this other child getting more involved with the group...but we will see.  On Thursday, after this child had said hello about 2 dozen times, Boy turned to him and said, "You only have to say it once."  *chuckles*  That is a line WE have used on him when he's asked repeatedly for something.  Funny how your kids will duplicate your words and mannerisms.

Alright...Beloved's sent someone looking for me, so it's back to work.  Enjoy your weekend!

Quiet here...

Because I've been up to my elbows in mortar!  And I have the lye burns to prove it!  Oiy. 

The good news is that the basement is coming along.  The front rooms are DONE, and about 1/2 of the rest of the basement is prepped for parging.  The bad news is the lye burns and all the work has kicked up a LOT of dust.  I spent all day cleaning, but Boy was still coughing and struggling to breathe.  Despite "just" watching television today, all that effort finally wore him out and he fell asleep before his regular bedtime.

*sad eyes*  Beloved wants me to push for a specialist referral.  I know he's right, but damn it...this is supposed to FIX it!  I don't want my little boy to be sick!  *deep breath*  I cannot imagine what parents do with major diagnoses.  When I stop to think about it, I am at a loss for words.

Celebrate TODAY

"There are exactly as many special occasions in life as we choose to celebrate."
-Robert Brault


How many times have I been asked why I dye my hair strange colors, or why do I pack facepaints for every picnic we go to, or why we're having THIS get-together?  *smiles*  I usually stumble around with an answer, but the real answer is right here...We like to celebrate life!

I hope you can take a breather today and do sometime wacky and wonderful and wild and fun!  Do it "even if" the kids "don't deserve" it because the truth is, you will all feel better if you do.  Trust me, I know!  It's a lesson I have to remind myself from time to time, too.