Four Days In....

Here we are.  Four whole days into the new school year and already Son Circus #2 was home sick with a fever.  Poor kid.  His immune system took a beating during chemo, and he always catches everything going around.  Fevers are the worst for him though.  He gets a fever and can't seem to shake it.  He woke this morning with achiness and fever.  So of course he had to miss day #4 of school.  He was bummed, but fell asleep so quickly after being told he had to stay home that he really didn't think much about it.  He slept nearly all day.  Fever bounced around from 101 to 102 most of the day. 

:(  When this little guy is sick and down and out for the count...he's out. 

Nice way to start a school year, right?  Well, that's not all folks. 



First day of first grade!

First day of kindergarten

Kindergarten

Ready for school!

Meet and greet day

Daughter Circus, was sent to the principals office on day #2.  Yes.  My daughter, the sweet child who NEVER EVER gets into ANY kind of trouble at school...was sent to the office and had to sit in the focus room for 2 and a half hours (which I still find excessive, but if it's school policy, ok fine).  The girl has struggled with a speech/sound disorder since she was about 18 months old.  During that time her twin brothers were born, and we went right into Childhood Cancer with Son Circus #2, and then right into seizures with Son Circus #1 so it was difficult, and everyone kept saying Daughter Circus would be FINE and she was just reacting to all of the things that were going on, but I knew better.  I just felt it wasn't normal. 

I was right.  (Imagine that, I had been right so far with both of the other kids, but hey let's doubt me with my daughter). 


So the girl has really struggled and she has come a long way, and I am really proud of her.  Unfortunately....she reverted back to some word behavior that she used to do when she was younger.  She used to speak in word fragments and so 2-3 word phrases were her BEST friend.  She would store them away and then bring them out at later times when she needed "words".  Those words she used to "fill in" may have had NOTHING to do with what was being talked about, but they were WORDS and it was something quick and easy, so she'd use them.  TRUST ME when I say it made for a LOT of confusion early on before we understood what the heck was going on. 


She still does this occasionally, but mainly when she feels stressed/frazzled/frustrated, things like that.  Where she feels like she is being rushed and forced into speaking and not given ample time to gather her thoughts before she speaks. 

Unfortunately...on the bus to school on this particular day....she heard a 3 word phrase....at the time...she didn't think anything of it....but later that phrase would come back to bite her in the butt.


In a flustered rushed moment in the play ground where she felt over whelmed by a seemingly pushy 2nd grader....who was VERY persistent about forcing my daughter to play with her and not with the child my daughter WANTED to play with (who is someone she knows very well and has been friends with for a long time and this particular friend "gets" my daughter so well).  Anyway....the older girl kept at my daughter, and as my daughter  got more flustered she struggled to put more words together, and that 3 word phrase was uttered.


The other children rushed off and told my daughters close friend what was said (she didn't believe my daughter had said that and she said even if she had she didn't care because she knows how tough words are for her friend, so she wasn't worried about it and told the girls to just leave them alone so they could play).  However, the other little girls went and tattled on her.


My daughter was hauled off to the office not even knowing what she had done wrong.  She didn't realize she had done something wrong. 


This child beat herself up all day long over this.  When she got home she sobbed, and thought the principal and her teacher (who my daughter adores and thinks highly of), were going to hate her and think she was a bad kid and that her friend wouldn't want to be her 'sister' anymore (they have always called each other sisters).  I have never seen my daughter so distraught.  She sobbed.  She was miserable.  She didn't want to go back to school, her tummy hurt, she tossed and turned and had a VERY difficult time falling asleep.

She begged me to write a note to her teacher and principal, so I went in and spoke with her principal (I wanted to address a few things anyway).  I wasn't angry, I understood that she needed to learn those words were not appropriate.  I was/am still a little miffed at the 2 and a half hours spent in the focus room, but at least a teacher was in there with her, and I understand what kind of work and stuff they had her doing, so it's ok. 


The poor kid though, I felt so bad for her.  However, a valuable lesson was learned. 


Today was a MUCH better day for her.  She's a positive kid, and she may get upset about something, but she comes back swinging and ready to start all over again and believing it will be a better day. 


Son Circus #1 had a big mile stone this week.  Not only did he start kindergarten, he also had his first loose tooth...and lost it.  Like, literally...lost it.


He was eating an apple last night, he swore up and down the tooth was loose, I did not feel ANY wiggly teeth, so I just humored him and said ok fine you have a 'loose' tooth.  He went to bed.  He woke up this morning and holy Smurf.  He DID have a loose tooth after all.  That sucker was just barely hanging in there.  I knew he wouldn't let me pull it.  He is a bit dramatic about anything boo boo related....makes a mountain of a mole hill when it comes to the tiniest of boo boo's and blood like totally freaks him out (takes after his dad...). 


Anyway, he went on to school and I sent on a zip lock baggy for his tooth to go in incase it fell out at school.


The banana I had packed in his lunch box was the culprit that caused the tooth fall out.  The tooth made it all through school in the special baggy I gave him.  HOWEVER, it was on the bus that there was an issue.  My son decided to remove the tooth from his bag and show it off to his best buddy on the bus. Unfortunately....the tooth was lost.  No tooth to give the tooth fairy.  I'm think the tooth fairy shouldn't stop by, at least not tonight....make him sweat it out a bit.  Going to have him right a note tomorrow for the tooth fairy to explain what happened.


He keeps trying to put all the blame onto his friend.  Nope.  Doesn't work bub.  Yes your friend MAY have had the tooth last, however...YOU were the one who took the tooth out of your back pack to show it off.  You know the rule is you do NOT take things out of your back pack until you get home.  No matter what it is.  Food, drink, papers, TEETH....I don't care.  If it is in your back pack, LEAVE IT THERE until you get home.  He tooootally didn't listen.  This isn't his first time going to school, he was in preschool for two years, he knows the rules.  Leave stuff IN your back pack.  So the blame is not on his friend, it is on him.  He is responsible for his person and his belongings, and the missing tooth.  *sigh*  I put a call into the bus barn....I warned them it was an odd request.  They laughed and assured me it was NOT the oddest request they had ever had (I would love to have heard what some of the other requests were!!).  Anyway, they were going to look around the bus.  They didn't call me back tonight, so I'm assuming they didn't find anything, I didn't think they would.

He had just got home and changed into play clothes.  He was still carrying on about his lost tooth so he was mad, plus it's SUPER hot outside so his cheeks were read, and he was just blah and not happy.  So it isn't the best picture.  However, I think it captures his whole experience with "loose tooth" quite well.  He really does NOT like the whole idea of his teeth falling out, it rather upsets him!

I also goofed up my daughters home work for this week and the child let me have it when she got home.  I misread the slip of paper the teacher sent home, so now that's MY fault.  Ooops. That is what happens when three kids start thrusting papers at me, while making demands for orange juice and after school snacks as soon as they walk in the door and flinging book bags and tennis shoes everywhere. 

It's a MAD HOUSE round here after school!!


Doesn't help that they get home from school at freaking 4:30! I'm trying to cook supper at that point, so we can be sitting down to eat at 5:30 (which the husband has to be at work at 5).  So then it's all CHAOS!


I have to get kids doing home work (sight words, reading books, poetry folder, Friday folder, blah blah blah blah). Snacks, supper, drinks, don't trip over that shoe, go change out of your school clothes, HEY go hang that back pack up it doesn't go there, shut the front door, don't let the dog out!! Dang it...now I have to chase the darn dog down...STOP beating up your brother, give your sister back her toy, and on and on it goes.

I know I'm not alone here.


Morning aren't any better really.  Wake up at 6am, get dressed, wake up kids, get their breakfast done (I pre prep all that stuff the night before so the table is sat and all that needs to be done is pour the cereal and milk, or make their oat meal).  Anyway, they eat...and usually these kids scarf down their food but of course they don't when they NEED to eat a little quicker...


They get dressed, usually 2 out of 3 gets dressed quickly and without issues! We review sight words and re-read a book, practice #'s and ABC's while we're getting dressed. All that good stuff.


I move on to their hair (the boys have to have 'fancy' hair now and Son Circus #1 has a Mohawk, his brother has spikey hair, and of course my daughters hair always takes a bit to do because there is soooo much of it). 


How we get out the door and to the bus stop in time, I don't know. So far we've managed and I hope we continue to do so!















Thankfully we do baths at night before bed and always lay their clothes out for school the night before, makes life a MILLION times easier.  I make sure their bags are packed, and lunches done, and my coffee pot is programmed and ready to go in the morning to be done and piping hot when I walk into the kitchen.  I'm chugging back my 2nd cup by the time the kids are stumbling into the kitchen for breakfast.

I love packing lunches for my kids.  On this particular day I made home made lunch ables for them.  Love Pinterest and it's many awesome ideas.

Girl Scouts will be starting back up again soon for my daughter, and my husband is getting the boys into cub scouts, so that will make life busier.  Plus,  I'm doing a bit of babysitting (just for a couple of weeks to help out a friend).  A nice start to the school year ;) 

I am also planning the daughters birthday party (she has begged for a Hello Kitty theme, and I'm actually pretty excited about it). 


I may also possibly be the worst mom ever because I'm not inviting a single kid in her class. I'm inviting some kids from the OTHER classes because they were in her class last year and she knows those kids the best and I know their parents.  I'm not a big huge fan of having to invite an entire class room full of little girls to a birthday party when my child may not play with EVERY single one of them, and no matter how hard you try...your child may not like all of those kids.  It's ok to not "like" everyone (that doesn't translate to being mean or a bully to them, but you do not have to be BFF's with EVERY single person that you meet!)  I'd like my daughter to not feel stressed out by thinking she HAS to befriend all of these people and be this big huge social butterfly.  (Which she IS very social, she is also very cautious though because she's been hurt by other kids before because of her speech, and they just tear her down).  So I'd rather stick with friends that she is already close to.  Maybe after this year we can add a few new kids to her friend list. 


So I know I mentioned in a previous blog that the daughter was riding a bike with no training wheels now.  She is also now tying her own shoes. This child has had ZERO interest in tying her shoes.  NO interest.  She didn't care.  It was a none issue.  She'd do "when she was six"  well...six has been ticking away, and she's got less than a month to go until she's 7 now.  One day out of the blue she decided she wanted to learn (just like with her bike and the training wheels).  Just random....out of the blue, "hey mom, I want to do this".  So I act quickly before she can change her mind!


The girl can tie shoes.  She can do it, and she rocks! She did it when she was six, just like riding her bike with no training wheels.


She sets goals, she sticks with it, she does things in her own time.  Teach her, show her, support her....don't RUSH or PUSH her because that makes her refuse to do it.  Just be there, and she'll get it.  She's got this.  She knows what she is doing.  She's a smart kid!

A total of 3 cups of shredded carrot, and 9 cups of shredded zucchini.  I will have more zucchini to shred later this week! Yay!

I spent my afternoon in the kitchen, while Son Circus #2 was sickly and napping on the couch all day.  I prepped zucchini for baking.  I shredded 9 cups worth of it and have it all measured out into bags ready for baking.  I did some shredded carrot as well. I plan on making this delicious looking oatmeal zucchini, carrot cookie thing I found on Pinterest.  Looks delicious! I'll slip them into the kids lunch boxes for "dessert" while also sneaking in a bit of veggies to them.  My kids LOVE veggies, but aren't fond of veggies with their lunch, so I have to be sneaky.

My afternoon with a cup of coffee, some zucchini, a potato peeler, a very old bowl that I recently inherited from my mother, that metal bowl means a lot to me.  It was a wedding gift back when my Mother married my father.  It's been used to prepare so many meals, I was involved in helping prepare so many of those meals with my Mother and my Grandmother, and I am so glad I can use that bowl now to create meals with my own children :)  Baking has always been a HUGE part of my family life!

Thankfully I have kids who love things like asparagus (my daughter will eat the heck out of that stuff!!). She also loves lima beans (ew), and brussel sprouts (yum!), and will sometimes eat spinach.  My sons like all of that too, but they also like tomatoes, peppers, and they all like broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, peas, corn, and tons of other stuff, so they are far from veggie haters.  They just turn down veggies with their lunch (unless its lettuce they will eat that all day).  For the most part I think I got lucky having kids who aren't really all that picky.  Cept for my daughter and tomatoes.  She has a think with them now, she does not like them.  She used to, we'd always catch her sneaking over to the neighbors garden to steal his tomatoes when she was younger.  Now she won't touch tomatoes, or tomato sauce.


While trying to prepare some frozen foods to be able to bake with later, I'm also trying to throw together some easy crock pot meals, but not sure how well that is going to go.  I'm going to attempt it!!  I love my crock pot, but creating pre frozen dinner plans still kind of blah me out. 

FYI do you know how difficult it is to take a selfie while trying to grate up carrots?

Mom Circus

First Day of School Approaches!

With the rainy weather we've been having, it's already feeling a bit like fall to me! Especially today.  Fall is by far, my most beloved season.  Oh how I love fall.  The smells, the sights, the tastes, and sounds.  I just love everything about fall.  The rainy days, the sunny days, the smell of the leaves,  the wind,  the crisp breeze, wearing hoodies on walks, the crunch of the leaves.  The sounds of geese and ducks flying south for the winter.  The excitement of raking up that first HUGE pile of leaves and then just JUMPING in with wild abandon and having a BLAST, like we do every single year. 


This year we look forward to firing up our new (to us) fire pit.  A neighbor was moving and passed the fire pit on to another neighbor, who decided it would look better in our yard and we'd get more use out of it, so here it sits.  I cannot wait to fire that bad boy up and make some s'mores this fall in the evening with the kids.  They are as much of a fan of the fall as I am. 


I love the idea of school starting, home coming in our community, farmers markets in the fall, all of the fun fall themed activities in our community, HALLOWEEN is one of my most beloved fall activities. The costumes, the excitement, the candy and fun.  I love decorating for fall, and later for Halloween and Thanksgiving.  I love it.  LOVE.  IT.  It just makes me all excited and giddy just thinking about fall.

Currently, I have fall scented wax cubes melting in all of my wax warmers, and fall scented air fresheners in every room JUST in case someone wants a spritz of fall while they sit and relax or whatever. I'm already busting out my favorite fall time recipes.  SOUPS and CHILI's and ham and beans are some of my top favorite fall recipes.  Potato soup, is one of my HUGE favorites along with my delicious home made chicken noodles soup (it's even better than my mothers, although her potato soup is still better than my home made potato soup). 


I'm already waving by to summer.  Buh bye!

I know summer isn't over YET, and it's still going to be here for a few more weeks, but this early peek at fall just has me in a cozy, snuggly, fall mood.  Not to mention this hasn't been an awful summer full of the worst heat ever.  It's actually been a fairly mid summer, and I have no complaints.  I just hope that this winter isn't too awful.


Don't get me wrong, I love winter.  However, the first snow or fresh fallen snow is quite magical to me.  About the third day of the stuff....I'm done.  No thanks.  I'll pass.  Move right on along snow. I don't really mind the cold so much, as long as I'm stocked up on hot cocoa and marshmallows! I look forward to Christmas and the decorating, buying presents, putting up the tree, taking the kids to see Santa and all of that fun festive stuff.  It is exciting and fun.  I wish the days were longer though, and it didn't get dark so early in the winter.  I am one of those people who struggle with the winter blues.  I NEED the sunlight, I NEED to be outside in the sun enjoying my day.  I need to feel dirt between my fingers as I garden.  I need to hear the birds, and hear the crickets.  There just ISN'T any of that in winter.  It can be bleak.  It can be depressing.  So not even half way through winter I'm completely done with it. You can't stay out sledding as long as you'd like, you can't have snow ball fights and build snow men as late as you'd like because it's nearly pitch black by 6pm. 


My husband has always wanted to live in Alaska.  I think it would be beautiful and wonderful.  However, I'm not so sure I'd be a good fit for Alaska! So I'll just stay put where I am, in the middle of the country.


Here I get to experience all the seasons. Spring with it's gorgeous green grass, and beautiful tree blossoms, and flowers sprouting forth from the earth.   The birth of new life and the beautiful sights and smells of the world around me.  Summer, with it's fun and excitement, the long nights, and fun activity filled days.  Swimming, and humidity so bad it's like walking into a wall of well...humidity. Seeing the wild flowers as they start to bloom, watching the hay fields blow in the breeze, and watching as the farmers start to cut the hay and bale it.  The smells of that are awesome (and awful all at the same time, aww mid west allergies, wonderful).  Fall, well we all know what I think about fall, and winter too.  I live in an area where I get to experience all of the seasons.  I see trees changing color, snow and ice, blooming flowers, cool weather, warm weather, you name it...we got it. Wouldn't trade it!


Currently I'm just looking forward to not only the first day of fall, but also to the first day of school. Other than a few clothing items that we need to get, we're pretty well done.  The kids are excited, I can't believe my sons are going off to Kindergarten.  Before long my kids will be going off to college.  Doesn't seem possible! Time will fly by I know it will :(  I try to make the most out of each moment.


I'm really excited/nervous for the boys to have their first year of kindergarten.  Son Circus #1 told me yesterday when he got home from Kindergarten Jumpstart (it gets kindergartners ready for the routine of kindergarten and let's them get to know some familiar faces so they aren't so scared on the first day of school, gets all those jitter bugs out of the way). 

Anyway, yesterday he told me "Mommy, I had to sit in the think seat 4 times today!" 

I asked him WHY he had to sit in the think seat that many times, and he said "Because people wouldn't leave me alone, they were being mean to me!" 

Which generally means....that Son Circus #1 was being a bit...'bossy' or wanting what the other child had and the other child wasn't giving in, and so he would get upset and throw a fit and not be very nice. 

How do I know you ask?  Because I have witnessed this happen on several occasions, and that is generally the exact same answer he gives.  Whatever the problem is...he says it's everyone else's fault, and HE is the one everyone is being mean to.  It's been a task trying to help him learn how to take ownership for his own actions and not be so mean when he plays with others.  Soooo yeh....Kindergarten should be interesting....I hope I don't get too many phone calls from the school.  He did good in preschool, but that dynamic was a LITTLE bit different (to some degree).  First of all, Kindergarten is ALL DAY LONG.  As the day wears on...my sons, well their personality goes down the toilet the further the day goes on.


Son Circus #2 does NOT like to be rushed, at all.  Period.  End of story.  Don't rush him.  He will have a complete melt down, before completely shutting down, and you will get NOTHING out of him for the rest of the day.  ODD will do that to a kid.  Fun times. I hope his teacher (she's new at their school) will be able to handle him.  I'm sure he won't be/isn't the only difficult kid in class. I'm a bit disappointed that I haven't had the chance to talk to any of their teachers yet this year.  Usually at this time I've talked to them on the phone.


As nervous as I am about my sons starting school, I know they will do just  fine.  They love to learn and I know they will be eager to participate!


Mom Circus

HAIR Raising Experience

Well I realize I haven't blogged in over a month, good gracious! I really didn't realize it has been that long.  It's actually been fairly busy around here I guess I just didn't have the time to sit down and say something.  Surprising, because I'm sure I can always find SOMETHING to say.

July was a really fun month for our family. We had a wonderful 4th of July.  We didn't travel anywhere we just stayed in town, but we stayed in town and hit up several in town activities and it was a blast.

 Water fights in the back yard!

Ice cream in the back yard

Bounce houses at the park

Riding the miniature train at he park

Miniature train rides at the park

Quality time together at the park

A group selfie with mom at the park!

STAMPEEEEDE!!!!!!

Fireworks over the lake at the park.

We also did the ever fun and joyful thing of doing some back to school shopping.  Scoring some nice back packs on sale for $3 (that came with lunch boxes, double score)! Of course all of those lovely school supplies, and a few clothes here and there and all of that loveliness. School starts earlier this year than it did last year so we started thinking back to school earlier around here, though I think I would have been thinking about it and getting ready anyway, especially with the way the kids have been whining, fighting, and just in general trying to kill each other.


I would love to say that August has started out on a better note than July, but that would be inaccurate. Circus Son #2, my little over achiever, and friend maker everywhere he goes....made friends with some head lice last week.  Fun times.  I hate lice.  This makes the 3rd time in my nearly 7 years as a parent that I've ever had to deal with lice in my family.  I NEVER had it as a child.  Oy vey.  I hate lice.  We have a fairly good idea WHERE/WHEN/HOW he got it, and am none too pleased, but what can you do?


Did the whole lovely treatment of the whole family, bedding being washed, stuffed animals being put on lock down in trash bags (I leave them in for a month to be on the safe side).  So.  Much.  Work. 


Unfortunately, the child with the most tender of head, had to be the one to get the worst case.  *sigh*  It's been a P.I.T.A. not fun for him, or me.


We had already been planning on getting the boys a hair cut, but were going to wait until the day before school started to completely throw people off who are so used to my sons always have long gorgeous hair (as they've wanted, they loved their long hair).  However, the whole lice thing kind of sped that up a bit.  Shorter hair...is easier to deal with.  So they got their hair cuts early.  Thankfully anything we have found in Son Circus's hair has been dead, that's a relief.  It's just getting through all of his super fine hair to get it all out.  Requires lots and lots of combing.  He hates that part, a lot.  He screams like I am scalping him no matter how careful I am.  This boy just LOOKS at a hair brush and screams though so I'm really not surprised.  He hates having his hair brushed or messed with.


We've done the whole lice chemicals, mayonnaise, tea tree oil, olive oil, hair gel, Lice Shield (to help prevent re infestation, it doesn't kill any that might be there).  Every day we hit him with something new (and as chemical free as possible). 


The night we did the mayo treatment, Son Circus #1 had a big laugh out of it.  He kept telling his brother he was going to eat him because he smelled like a sandwich.  Much to my dismay...he even tried to shove a slice of cheese onto his brothers face.  Son Circus #2....was not amused.  He did not appreciate cheese in the face and it almost ended up in a scuffle between the two, which would have sent mayo flying all over the dining room.  Did I mention Son Circus #2 is a very sensitive little guy and gets upset easily?  Of course "big" twin brother knows how to push all of his buttons and can tick him off in about 0.1 second flat without even trying.

Son Circus #2 is now known as "Mac Salad" due to his mayo treatment, he finds it hilarious.  Unless his brother says it....then it's not so funny.

Son Circus #2 was in the processing of letting his brother know he wasn't happy with him, and yes that is a wadded up slice of cheese in Son Circus #1's hand...he had just tried to smoosh it into his brothers face.

It's been a HAIR raising experience this past week. 


I'm going to miss my sons having that beautiful long hair.  That's  the way they've wore their hair for 5 years.  It's what we are all used to, it's what they've always loved.  I've always told them that should they ever want it all chopped off, that's ok.  It's their hair. 


They decided they wanted/needed a new look for Kindergarten this year.  Their hair was in their face and they could only see out of maybe one eye, if they were lucky.  That isn't very conducive to a good learning experience. We agreed the hair had to go so they could learn better.


I'm telling you though.  When that hair was finished...any trace of my angelic sweet sons that MIGHT have been there....was/is definitely gone! Now when I look at them....all you see is their mischievousness and you just KNOW they are up to something. They are certainly all boy.  Wound for sound and always ready for some kind of crazy adventure.

BEFORE AND AFTER!  Where did my little cherubs go? Where did this gorgeous young boys come from? 

This morning I caught Son Circus #1 trying to smuggle a package of fruit snacks into his bedroom, in his underwear.  Watching him try to sneak across the living room while his pants were making a crinkly noise, was kind of comical.  He definitely reminded me of a drug mule trying to cross the border and not get caught.  Thankfully, I didn't need to call out the dogs to sniff him down, I just let him know he was busted and to give up the contraband he had hidden in his under wear.  He wasn't very happy about it, and if looks could kill, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be typing here right now. Chances are that next time, he'll be picking a quieter food to try and smuggle into his bedroom.  Yes, their will be a next time.  He's my food smuggler I'm always catching him trying to sneak off with food.  Obviously he thinks I don't feed him enough.  I don't know, 3 meals a day, plus 2 healthy snacks a day (sometimes 3 if they are having a good listening day).  I'm pretty sure they get fed quite well. However, he is of the mind that food should always magically appear before him and he should never have to wait for it. IF it doesn't appear before him magically, he makes it appear.

Some other big news for our family?  Daughter Circus is now wearing glasses.  She wears them because her eyes are having trouble coordinating together.  So she needs them when she is watching TV, reading, writing, or doing other school work or in the class room in general.  She does not need them when she's riding her bike or playing in general or for PE. 

It was a sweaty, crazy hair, play clothes kind of day when she got her glasses ;)

She loves her glasses...but it's been difficult to remind her to put them on whenever she watches TV.


Also, Daughter Circus is now riding a bike with NO training wheels! This child has been riding ON a bike since she was very young.  She's always been very coordinated and well balanced, but refused to let us take off her training wheels.  As in, she would have a COMPLETE melt down and scream and cry and panic.  I figured, it wasn't a big deal....just let her be and she'll let me know when she's ready.  No pushing her into things.  I gently encourage, but I do my best not to force into doing many things.  The other day she came up to me and said I could take off her training wheels.  I kid you not when it felt like I pulled the necessary tools out of thin air just to get those wheels off quickly before she changed her mind.


True to her word 2 years ago....she kept telling us "I'll do it when I'm 6".  She may be turning 7 next month, but she still did it.  She still learned to ride a bike with no training wheels when she was six.  Now if only I could get her interested in learning to tie her shoes...thus far...absolutely ZERO interest in tying her shoes (another thing she promised she'd learn to do when she was six).  At this point, I think her brothers may beat her on tying their shoes. The boys tried to take their training wheels off too, but they aren't quite ready yet.  I mean THEY are ready they want them off, but their balance is NOT ready.  Though I give them HUGE props for trying so so hard over the weekend.  They just aren't quite ready yet.  I think by next summer they will be just fine.


To be fair, I was almost 8 before I learned how to ride a bike. My husband was older than that, he was about 10 or 11.


Daughter Circus has also taken a HUGE interest in cooking as of late.  I mean, she's always helped me in the kitchen, but now she's really into learning how to cook.  Recently she has learned how to make oat meal for her and her brothers every morning.  She does really good.  She measures everything out and puts it in the microwave (but when it's done I remove it so no one gets burned).  She's very proud of herself on her new found cooking skills.  She even helped Daddy make pancakes one day and she did a very good job.







How can I forget to mention my nephew?  I was able to visit him the other day, and I got my baby squishes on! Was so great to get to see that little guy! Though he isn't so little anymore, he's now almost 5 months old! He is growing up too quickly.

LOVE this little nephew of mine!

My husband and babies.  OH my aching ovaries.  He loves babies so much, he is so cute to watch with them and they always love him too.

Why yes, my nephew is a Prince Charming!

His blue eyes are just like his moms! My little sister always had the bluest of blue eyes when she was little.

Oh and musn't forget that the Tooth Fairy, has visited our home 3x this summer!  Daughter Circus is on a roll here.  At this rate, she may not have any teeth when school stars in a couple of weeks. She still has ONE more loose tooth up top.  She's upset because now she can't whistle because she's missing her "whistling tooth". 




 Time to get on with my day, have a lot to do.  It's looking a little dreary outside like we might get some more MUCH needed rain.  I'm also thinking this looks like a LIBRARY day!


MOM CIRCUS