Well , if anyone is still reading .... thanks. I know I've let too long go in between posts and you may have stopped looking. Sorry about that.
I went last weekend down to Sarasota to the Hilltop Memories Creepover and had a great time! Four of us went Saturday night over to Yoders Amish Restaurant, and all I can say is that if you are in Sarasota, GO. The food was amazing, the place is great, the wait staff super friendly and I had a wonderful piece of rhubarb pie. And since rhubarb does not grow in Florida, it's something you rarely see on any menu. My mom used to bake a rhubarb pie, once a year, for my dad's birthday. She still does --- but he no longer gets it since they've been divorced for over 30 years, but his birthday hits right when the rhubarb is ready to pick in Battle Creek.
While at Creepover, we had a mini coffin decorating contest. I tried to convince people that I was going for the minimalist pine box look (which is how it came to me) (as in .... I did not do anything to mine!), but once there I caved in to my self-imposed peer pressure and painted it pink, with some jewels and sparkly stickles and a rub on that said Sleeping Beauty. Ok, still lame I know but I least I did something! However, I should have stayed with the pine box because what some of the creative things that others did with theirs was A.MAZ.ING. A couple of people made a complete little diorama, another person made hers into a mini scrapbook that was very cute, one did a Michael Jackson display complete with music and lights and movement, one had a skeleton trying to escape out of the coffin, one had salt packets, a cigarette and a diet coke emblem in hers. The creativity was outstanding!
Christina is working for me this week and she needed fabric and I needed a birthday present for "Baby Wyatt" ... although I was informed recently that I could 'just say Wyatt' by his big brother Tyler. It's hard to believe that our big little boy is turning one on Saturday. He is an absolute delight -- full of smiles and trying very hard to walk. Daddy gave him a haircut not too long ago and it's amazing what that first haircut does to a little boy to make him look less like a baby and more like a toddler. He has more hair than big sister Adreya who is still struggling to have enough hair to hold a barrette. Anyway ... last night we drove up to the Villages and went to dinner, Joanns Fabric and Target. Mama picked out two cute little pants/shirt/tie outfits for Wyatt to wear to church. One has a cute sweater with a penguin and one has a tweed vest. So cute!
Then we wandered through the toy section so I could have some ideas about Christmas. All of the kids are crazy about dinosaurs. PBS and Jim Henson Productions has a program on called 'Dinosaur Train' and the characters are very cute. They are interactive characters and they talk to each other. Somehow they know that there is another one present and they speak to each other and sing and carry on. Very cute. One was snoring and the other one woke him up. Amazing what technology can do these days.
I've been trying to figure out a way to have some one on one time with each kid. It's been challenging because right now if one comes with me, there are four that want to come with me. Excluding one -- or two -- or three -- has usually ended up in someone having a meltdown and its been difficult for them, and me, as I don't like to be the cause of the problem. But I think that we are getting to the point of understanding the concept of taking turns so I think I'm going to do 'Friday Night Dinner with Grammy' dates and alternate through the older 4 to pick them up on Friday night after work and go somewhere to have dinner and perhaps 'do something' after dinner. Maybe a movie or miniature golf or board games at my house or shopping. Since I'll know when I'll have which kid, I can watch for something interesting to fit the child. And I've made an executive decision that if we go shopping, that they will be buying something for someone other than themselves. The question I will be asking is 'Who do you want to buy a present for?'
When my girls were young and I had very little discretionary income, they were allowed to 'tell me' if they saw something they liked. I would acknowlege the item, we'd admire it, talk about it and then I would 'put it on their list'. I carried a notebook in my purse and I'd dutifully add it to the list of things they liked. That list came in handy for birthdays and Christmas, and most times just acknowleging them liking the item was enough. It also pretty much eliminated the 'I want to have that, buy me that' begging that frequently was going on whenever we were in a store. I'm going to do that with the kids too and use it for ideas if one of their siblings chooses to get them something. So if Brendyn chose to get something for Madelynne, I could look at Madelynne's list and know what she liked. But I think this is a better option than them buying for themselves or thinking that they are going to get to buy something everytime they are with me. We're going to try it anyways.
Christina had the idea to take pictures on these nights and I'm thinking that's how I will complete the balance of my Project Life book.
So .. now you are caught up! Oh. Here's the newest knock knock joke from the kids:
Knock knock
Who's there
Interupting cow
Interup ..
MOO!
LOL! Have a great day!!!
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