New phrase

A new phrase that Kyle's teacher says and I've adopted. All parents of toddlers/preschoolers might find it handy.

You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!

Love it and use it often. :)

SinuCleanse

I heard about this life changing device on Oprah and saw it demonstrated. I was curious about it and then a friend told me her testimony last winter. So, last winter I bought one and started using it. This winter I've become aware once again that EVERYONE needs a Neti pot. When I get a cold I will do it 2 times a day and it is amazing the amount of "stuff" that comes out of the sinuses with this device. Immediately I can breathe so much deeper and I think it is also helping me clear of my colds quicker and also keeps my sinuses from getting infected since the mucous does not sit up in the sinuses. I wish I had known about it when I was pregnant as I that is one symptom that drove me crazy and I'm sure this would have been helpful. Anyway, I'm a believer! As one friend who is also a Neti pot believer said.. it's life changing!! Well, off to do my neti pot!

Life is getting easier

I have had many moments lately that have made me aware of how life has gotten easier in the last year.

1. The biggest is having 2 kids potty trained which I don't think I take for granted yet! It is so nice and recently both are in undies at night too with me taking them at about 1030 every night. I wasn't sure it would work for Kyle because we had tried not long ago but he's doing great (5 nights in a row) and very proud of his accomplishment.

2. Leaving the house with my keys and any purse/wristlet or any carrying device I want -- NO DIAPER BAG!!! I have thought I should have a change of clothes for each in the car just for those fluke times when something crazy happens but I LOVE being able to leave the house with my purses. I have kind of overindulged this year in that area. I think I have about 4 new carrying devices at least from the last year.

3. Naps only rarely have allowed us some afternoon play dates which are so nice, especially in winter when the days can get a little long. It's nice to get some house things done in the am, head out after lunch and not feel like after 1 pm we are quarantined! The other nice thing is that museums, etc. are much less busy during that time. Of course this is just for Tues and Thurs. The other days they'll be at school by 9 am

4. I am LOVING working on VBS during the week and actually feeling I have a "job" When I'm in that mode I'm very aware of my need for my own outlet and accomplishment beyond the kids. I think there have been times in the last 5 1/2 yrs that not having that has taken its toll. I think that working full time for 14 yrs prior to staying home probably has something to do with that. I will say it's a little hard for me to flip that switch and jump back in mom mode. But, I'll figure that out with time I think and if I know I have a day coming up to work on things I'll be able to let some of the work tasks stay on hold.

I'm sure there are more but the kids are getting their breakfast now and although they are great with the solid part of breakfast, I'm not ready for liquids yet!!

Changing schools

Well, just days after posting my last post and stating that I was confident Allison's school was the plan for now, Kyle's preschool director stopped me and they had an opening. So, we thought about things and asked Allison what she thought. She wants to go to Kyle's school. I had thought if she was sad to leave her school, I might just let things be. BUT, since she really wanted to change and it would make my life easier, we are switching to EUMC in Feb. The positives will be no more waste of about 45 min in parking lots on Mon and Wed. With drop off/pick up being 1/2 hour different we have had some wait time. Not a big deal but it is 1 1/2 hours /week that feels wasted. The other positives are that it is cheaper, it is one more day so she will actually go m/w/f and I won't have to be late to my wed am Bible study.

Anyway, field trips, parties and just preschool stuff will be easier and she'll go there next year so she'll already be used to the school. Glad she's flexible about it. And now to decide what days to send her next year. Registration is Jan 30th - preschools sign up very early for the fall. I wish I knew if Kyle would get am kindergarten like I hope but I'll just have to trust that it will all work out in that way. I think Kindergarten round up stuff starts around April.

Allison's First Day of School

With Allison not napping much anymore and GKCamp planning needing to get underway, I started thinking that I needed some guaranteed time to get things done. Last year the 8 pm - midnight hours were not ideal. That is what spurred me to find a program for Allison starting this winter instead of in the fall. She was SO excited today and told Kyle he would be starting Kindergarten (since that was the plan and she remembered that her starting of school would coincide with that event.) Anyway, he obviously did NOT start Kindergarten but she did start preschool. She was very excited and maybe a small twinge of nervousness (or that could have been me transferring my emotions to her- who knows!) As I bent down to tell her good by she looked a little unsure but the teacher asked if she'd like to come get a sticker and she was off to her room for a fun day at school!

She is going to a school about 1 mile from Kyle and on Mon/Wed from 930 -130. He's M/W/F 9 am - 1 pm. So, it works out really well and although I'd prefer her to be at his school (for convenience sake) I'm confident this was the plan for her. She only goes 2 days a week which is the most I really wanted her to go and the school is so small that she has 6 kids to 2 teachers. What a ratio! I also learned of 2 families that go there and so that made me feel confident in the choice.

Anyway, her highlights were craft time and playing with the dolls. There is only 1 other girl in her class so she will surely talk of Gaby a lot and I have no worries about her hanging with the boys. She has had lots of practice in that area!

Happy New Year!

We brought in the new year with the Plavchak's (my cousin and her family). We were at their house last year with many of the cousins (7 out of 10 I believe). This year that didn't work out so we just kept the tradition alive for our families. I will say spending New Year's Eve with my cousins and their families (no matter how many or how few) is going to rank as my favorite way to spend the holiday. I hope we can keep this tradition alive!

This year we went to the Children's museum in the afternoon. JT had been there when he was younger but didn't really remember it. The kids all had a lot of fun. We came back to our house to eat spaghetti and played a lot of Wii - Bowling, Ski jumping (wish I had a picture of Mark doing that), Boogie (like karaoke with dancing). The kids all went to bed at 930 with the adults hanging in there until nearly 1 am. It was truly a really good start to the year!

We ate too much, laughed a lot and just created good memories. We couldn't decide if our sore sides were from laughter or from playing Wii. Maybe a little of both!

Christmas Holiday

This was such a fun year with the kids. I anticipate that Christmas is going to just get better and better as they get older. Our season started with the Preschool Lane breakfast where Kyle got a new Bible, the Purdue PMO Chrismas concert, Kyle' preschool program, a great time with both sides of the family and time at home as well. A hit for Kyle was the karaoke machine, Allison was all about baby dolls and gear. We ended our season on the 27th by going to the Lion King.
A few photos of our celebrations:

Pictures form Nov 2008.

Fall Women's Retreat- A great weekend time away. I should really do a whole post on this weekend some time when I'm feeling contemplative. God really showed up (or maybe I was just finally listening) Hmmmm.....


Kyle's preschool Thanksgiving luncheon.