Bedtime Routine

From the time our kids were newborns, we always had our routine. Bathtime, books, song, and then bed. Once Lori had hair long enough to comb (which was probably before 9 months!!), then that evolved into a short show so she would stay still. Showtime has remained. It gives them some time to unwind, and we snuggle, and some times that is when I check email, put clothes away, etc.

I love how these 2 little people also have developed their own individual routine. Since I'm home during the week by myself with them, I put them to bed the most. And on the weekend, Hunter still wants me to put him to bed. Lori is a daddy's girl, so she will ask him. She wants us to pick her up to put her in bed, even at 5 1/2. Lori must have her closet door closed when she goes to sleep, we pray, and then I must sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Then we chat for a few minutes--this is usually when I get crazy questions to answer because she becomes philosophical at this time of night. And the door to her room stays cracked open.

Hunter could care less about his closet being open or closed. He must climb in bed himself (when he was an infant, that child would VAULT into his crib because he was ready to sleep). Then I need to sing "Shine on Me." Then, even though he is tucked in already, he needs to stand up to give me hugs and kisses, "knocks" me over on my back, and says "let's sleep like this, Mommy." This lasts about 30 seconds, until he giggles and says, "I can't sleep like this!" Then we lay back down and do prayers. His door must be shut completely.

I know that some moms absolutely dread bedtime, but it is one my favorite times of day--I love having that quiet minute with my babies to snuggle and say I love you. My kids have always been great sleepers, so I never face that time with dread. Plus, once they are down I know I have some quiet until Scott gets home!

I'm so boring I'm writing about my steam pan!

 

I was washing dishes tonight and contemplating how awesome my steam pan is, especially with how much use it gets. I think that 5 out of 7 nights I use it to steam veggies or boil pasta. It is small and not really fancy, but it does the job.

Why do I use this so much? I try and make sure that we some kind of veggie with dinner. Since I'm lazy, usually that means opening up a bag of frozen veggies, dump some in the pan, and let them cook while I'm getting the rest of dinner ready. I know that they also make those Steamfresh bags, but I can get a bigger bag of veggies much cheaper and just use my pan. Plus, I never like the way my veggies taste in those bags. My hubby takes steaming one step further. He'll add olive oil, lemon juice, or seasonings to the water at the bottom of the steam pan, and the veggies taste even better. 

Are there any other ways that you like to serve veggies that are as easy as this? Remember, I'm lazy when it comes to cooking, so if it has too many steps, I'm done.

Opportunity

I was talking with a friend this summer about my frustration with a committee that I was on, particularly the lack of leadership. I mentioned that when I was done with the National Board process that I might consider applying for the position.

This position came open in the fall, and I didn't apply--I had just started working on my National Boards, I had a student teacher, and I felt like it would be way too much for me to tackle.

Well, the position came open again, and my friend and 2 others immediately emailed me about it and told me to apply. I kicked it around and thought about it, and decided to apply.

I hope that I didn't make a mistake in throwing my hat in the ring. While I've had leadership opportunities in the past, I've never held a leadership position for such a large group. I'm a little concerned about hitting roadblocks--I have some pretty specific ideas about what I would like to do and how I can get there, but I'm worried that I will be prevented from doing these things.

I'm also worried about coordinating performances with people I don't know, in a venue I've never been to, in a conference I've never participated in. I'm the queen of "I have to see it, then I can do it." I'm really apprehensive about taking charge of that part--I want to be successful, and I feel like I'll be flying blind the first time around.

I am excited about the possibility in using my talents to serve an amazing national organization--I hope that if I am selected, I can live up to my expectations and theirs.

Favorite moments of 2012

Hunter skis!! My husband has been trying to get Lori to go skiing for 2 years, and she wants NOTHING to do with it. I was so happy that Scott finally has his ski buddy!

A former student of mine was the lead in "Beauty and the Beast" at her high school. Several other students had huge parts as well--this is remarkable because our school is 1/3 the size of the other middle school that feeds into the hs. This year we have a huge crop of leads in the show as well. Makes me so proud of all of the hard work that my colleagues and I have done in building our drama and music program. Plus, the fun of my daughter and niece meeting "Belle."

I went to Flamig Family Farm with my kids and aunt and cousin. G thought Hunter's ice cream sandwich looked great, so she helped herself.

We won a tour of the Friendly's ice cream factory in Springfield, MA. Amazing experience!! Interesting to see how it was made, impressed with how incredibly clean and well-taken care of the facility was, and there is NOTHING like eating ice cream right off of the line. Yummy!!

 My cousin Christina (Lori's godmother) asked both of the kids and my niece to be in her wedding in May. Hunter was diagnosed with pneumonia 2 days before the wedding--and he was a trooper!! The kids were adorable.

Laurel Music Camp--this was my 1st year really back at camp--although I was there for several days the past 2 years, I was there the entire week this year. Both kids stayed with me, which was awesome, and I really had more fun this year than I have had in a long time. I love that my kids are camp babies, and it was fun to really work with campers again.

In July, we made the trip out to OH for a wedding of 2 college friends. I could have posted a MILLION pictures from the trip, because the whole thing was amazing. So happy for my friends, excited to see so many old friends and in some cases, their children (like my DZ little and big sis in this picture), and mostly, to go "home." Although we live in CT and were both raised here, part of my heart still feels like Columbus, OH is home for me. It was special sharing that beautiful city with the kids.

Speaking of OH, my best friend from high school married one of my college roommates. Short story is FB friends-phone calls-trips back forth-married. I got to be the best man and Scott actually performed the ceremony. I was happy to see everyone get married this year (we had 8 weddings!!), but I can not deny that this wedding was especially close to my heart.

In August, Scott and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in Maine. Alone. For 2 nights. With no kids.


Need I say more??


                                                 

Sending my oldest off to Kindergarten. Bittersweet, but so proud and excited for her.

 Also sent my son off to preschool. That boy had no fear of going to school!!

Love any minute that my kids are with my nieces. They are adorable, and it brings back so many memories of growing up with my cousins as kids. Can't wait to welcome my nephew in 2013!!!!!!

Glow stick bath!!

Meredith from From Meredith to Mommy posted about a glow stick bath, and I thought it was a great idea! This pic is from her post:

On this snowy night, Scott was very late getting home from work. We got into an accident on Christmas Eve, and his rental car has rear wheel drive--not very snow friendly! Anyway, looking to keep the kiddos occupied, so we gave it a try. They absolutely loved it! They used the glow sticks like stirrers in a cup, and Hunter thought they made awesome drumsticks. 

Will definitely try this again!

Festive and Frugal

I love doing fun things around the holiday, but also want to balance out the cost of things. Fortunately, my kids are pretty easy to please when it comes to this.

1. Hubbard Park, Meriden  They do an AMAZING Christmas light display, and it is totally FREE. I know there are probably others that are better, but why pay to see pretty lights when you can go here for free?

2. CT Cellar Saver Train Display Again, so many holiday train displays our there. I was looking for something quick, cheap and close to my house to do to kill an hour this afternoon. Found this place online. So worth it. 12 minute drive from my house, and my kids thought it was awesome to drive over the Arrigoni bridge.

 

3. This sounds dumb, but using cookie cutters to make sandwiches or make their food into something. It is so simple, and takes me an extra minute of thinking, and they love it. It is the one thing I do that is "OAM-like." I do this for every holiday--my husband thinks I'm insane. Once, I had my husband figure out how to make a hardboiled egg shaped into a heart. He did it even though he thought I was nuts.

4. BRUNCH--we used to host my in-laws for Christmas Eve dinner. I'm Portuguese, so that means seafood, seafood, and more seafood. 2 years ago, we decided that we wanted to be able to see my dad's family on Christmas Eve so that they could see the kids. So we moved the in-laws to brunch. Way cheaper to make a quiche, baked french toast, etc. than doing a big dinner. And then we get yummy leftovers on Christmas morning. A great way to entertain on a budget. 

5. Making the choice to NOT go overboard with gifts. Even before we HAD to be really frugal, we made the decision that Santa would get 1 gift only for each kid, they would get 1 gift from us, and then have lots stuff in their stockings. Some people might think that is silly, but if you knew how big my family is and all of the stuff my kids already get, you would understand why. My kids always end up getting everything they want and need (and many things they don't want or need) between everyone, and they end up playing with only 1 or 2 favorites all the time anyway, so why waste our money? I feel like they really appreciate what they get much more when they get that one special item instead of having a million things under the tree. And materialism isn't what Christmas is all about anyway.

6. Shopping "all year long." I start shopping the week after Christmas. Wrapping paper, gift bags, ornaments and non-perishable stocking stuffers? I always buy on clearance after the holidays. I also buy things as I see them and keep them stashed in my gift bin. I can't afford to buy everything all at once, so it helps spread out the cost. I also LOVE my rewards program on my credit card. I get lots of gift cards through it, and either give those as gifts or use them to purchase gifts. 

7. Handmade gifts. We always bake for our neighbors, teachers, and for people at work. It is just a little token of appreciation, I enjoy it, and now my kids get involved and they love it, too. I also made scarves for several co-workers this year.

How do you stay frugal and festive?

Gifts from my kids

I have always tried to instill in my kids the joy of giving at this time of year. Since they were little, they helped bake holiday treats for friends and neighbors, made crafts and ornaments to give to people, and helped pick out gifts for each other and for their dad.

This year, I decided to take it one step further. My friend told me last year that she brought her kids to the dollar store and had them pick anything they wanted for family members. The things they picked were quite funny, and they put their interesting thoughts on what people needed. I decided to do the same this year.

One Saturday morning, I took both of the kids to the dollar store in my town, and gave them the list of who they needed to buy for. I was actually pretty impressed at what they picked.

• A car for my youngest niece because she always wants Hunter's when they are playing
• A rubic's cube for my brother because "Marky likes games." 
• A candle for someone
• Little Christmas knick knacks that look like pieces to a cheapo village set--because "they needed more Christmas decorations at their houses"
• A GIANT pen for their grandfather, because "Grandpa needs pens."
• Christmas pencils for Scott because "Daddy needs pencils when he is working in the garage.

I love that they actually put thought into what they bought. They even helped wrap the presents and were so proud when they put them under the tree. I hope that people appreciate their tacky, dollar store gifts (we got everyone real gifts, too) because they came from the hearts of my kids.

My favorite thing about my kids and gifts is that 3 year olds can NOT keep secrets. In the car yesterday, my son already told me what he got at the store with my husband for my Christmas present. I know this irritated my husband to no end, but my son was really excited that the picked something out, so I'm not going to squelch it.

And I don't like surprises anyway.