Mile Stones and Napkin Notes: Sending Your First to Kindergarten

As I've already mentioned many times, It's unbelievable to me, how fast the summer has flown.. I must say that since I fully expected that I would never work in all of the things that I had hoped to do with the girls this summer, I've completely met my own expectations.  Still, we have had a wonderful summer.

As the school year fast approaches, I can't help but think of the kind of life changes that some of my friends will be going through this fall as they send their oldest child to school for the first time.  Getting used to waking while it's still dark, preparing lunches and keeping up with school schedules is difficult enough..  But, if you know me, you know that I'm prone to being a little sentimental when it comes to my children. So, sending my little one off to spend most of her day with another woman  was an incredibly emotional event for me.    And, since I can tell you now, that Kindergarten was a wonderful experience for us, and that my daughter grew from that experience in beautiful ways, I thought I'd share my thoughts about that experience and wish those of you that are sending your children off for the first time, as well as all the other moms out there, the best school year ever!

Coming to you from August 2008--

Last night, as I was trying to cut the most perfect heart out of a sandwich with a cookie cutter, I began to think about my friend Julie…. What does Julie have to do with my heart sandwich?  Well, nothing really.  I have a theory that ADD is contagious, as this is how my husband's mind works, and mine seems to be working more and more like that every day.  Anyway, back to Julie:  A little over two years ago, Julie had a baby prematurely. Jaden was born 8 weeks early. Julie just happened to be visiting her mother near Pittsburgh when she started having complications. She called me and told me that they were moving her from her small hometown hospital to a hospital in Pittsburgh and that there was a possibility that a cesarean would have to be performed. I called the next morning and she seemed a  little dazed  drugged but, she managed to tell me they had performed a c-section at just 32 week gestation.

  Jaden is now a very active and thriving two year old. But during the first days and then weeks after he was born, as a friend, I sat feeling helpless as I listened to Julie’s feelings of helplessness. First, I will say that I marveled at how well Julie held it together so that she could do all that she could to help Jaden. She was strong but there was stress, and tears… lots of tears. She couldn’t hold him, she couldn’t feed him, but she could pump milk to be fed to him through an IV. So she clung to the one thing that she could do. And she pumped. And she took milk to the hospital for many, many days. Later, she told me that she wrote on the milk bags, To Jaden, Love Mom. She explained to me that all though nurses were taking care of him and she couldn’t, she needed them to know that she was his mother….

Now, I am not trying to equate something that most mothers do (taking their children to Kindergarten) with something as traumatic as having a baby prematurely. But last night, as I was preparing to send Emma off to Kindergarten, I found myself desperately trying to find a way to let these people know that I was not only leaving a student with them, but that they were going to be taking care of someone’s heart, my heart. And I became all too aware that this is the beginning of letting her go. I feel like in many ways, this is the day I have been preparing for since the day she was born. I have always known that the day was going to come where she would spend more of her waking hours with someone else than she does with me. I pray that we’ve packed enough love and guidance in.. I pray that somehow in the best understanding that a five year old can have, she understands how proud I am to be her mother, that God trusted me with her. And as she goes out into the world, that she remembers that even more importantly than belonging to her daddy and me, she belongs to God.

So anyway, I fashioned a heart out of sandwich, and put our family picture with a note that said, “We love you” in her lunch box. I questioned if I was giving her enough to eat and listened to Adam laugh as he told me she had never eaten that much food in one day much less one meal. I ironed her dress and fixed her hair. I took the pictures and walked her to her class. I made sure she looked me in the eyes as I told her she was not to leave that afternoon with anyone but me. She quickly got busy with a project that the teacher had given her. And so after one last picture, I gave her a kiss turned and walked out the door into the next chapter of our life. Adam and I said all the things that parents say… That time has gone so quickly. That we will blink and be sending her off to college and then with her husband. And I know that the only thing I can do is ask God to help us guide her and try desperately to cherish each moment along the way.

Sorry about the flare of drama but, this is truly a traumatic time for me. I’m not even going to go into how frightening it is to me to think of when Chloe goes off to school (I know it sounds like I’m talking about sending my kids off to college, I’m still talking about Kindergarten here) and I don’t have a child at all during the day but I guess there’s no sense in agonizing over that until we get to that point. Post on that coming sooner than I want to believe….

So now that you’ve patiently indulged me by reading about my near emotional breakdown, I’m sure what you’re really wanting to know is the nuts and bolts of the matter…

Emma did great. As I was putting her to bed last night, I teased by pretending that I was crying and told her that I couldn’t do it and I thought we should keep her home for another year. She reassured me by telling me that she was excited but would miss me and that it wasn’t like she would never have a day off. There was a brief moment in the car where she told me that she was excited but a little scared. But, when we got to the school, she sported the confidence that she has become quite famous for and barely even noticed when I left. When I picked her up, she informed me that her card was on white all day and explained that that was where it was good to be. And she exclaimed that she loved Kindergarten and that she thought it was going to be a wonderful year..

And I thanked God that this is only traumatic because I’m by nature a basket case and not because any actual trauma occurred.

Blessings,

Quick and Easy Meals and a Nudist Church...

Yeah, I figured if the food didn't grab your attention, the mention of nudity would..

Most of you have probably already gathered that neither I nor Holly  are culinary experts..   I think that I can safely speak for both of us and say that those of you that love cooking and do it as a hobby baffle us.

To me, it's like looking forward to doing laundry... I mean, yeah, I like clean clothes but I'd never do the laundry if I could figure a way out of it.. I do regularly threaten to take my family to join a nudist colony.  I even saw a clip about a nudist church that was aired on ABC News.. My husband wouldn't even have to change professions!  WARNING: Not for the weak stomached.


Yeah, I know, I was speechless too...

So anyway, since I just can't "bare" (pun intended) to bring myself to join all the beautiful naked church goers and X the laundry, I thought maybe we should ask for your help in the kitchen.  Yesterday, Holly's facebook status asked for ideas for easy meals and got a ton of great responses!  So now we know that even though we're not chefs, some of you are!

So here's what we're looking for:  Quick and Easy meals, recipes, and tips that will help us feed our families healthy and spend as little time in the kitchen as possible.  And thrifty would be an added bonus!  Is that wanting our cake and to eat it too?  Well of course, why else would you have cake?  What moron came up with that idiom anyway?

We're open to all ideas that involve being fully clothed!  No intimidation necessary.. Seriously, the bar is set low!

Blessings,

Tips on Choosing a Family Pet ~By: Nikki McElroy, DVM

Today we have a guest post written by a fellow Mom-tage Mom,  who is a Veterinarian by trade: Nikki McElroy.  Nikki is wife to Scott, and Momma to three sweet and silly boys ages six and under.  In this post, Nikki shares some insight, from a Veterinarian's prospective, on choosing the right pet for your family. 

Just for fun, we asked Nikki to answer our silly survey, and this is what she had to say....

1.  My favorite part of Motherhood is hugs and giggles.
2.  My least favorite part of Motherhood is poop and discipline.
3.  Team Edward or Team Jacob?  Neither.  Team Harry Potter.
4.  The last time I swept and mopped was a.) two days ago.
                                                                b.) two weeks ago.
                                                                c.) two months ago.
                                                                d.) not applicable.
                                                                   Actually, A!
5.  On average I wipe ____ bottoms a day that are not attached to myself.  One to two.
6.  Bette Middler in Beaches or Lea Michele in Glee?  I've only seen Glee once, so I would have to go with Bette.
7.  My children are my:  inspiration, motivation, exasperation and financial ruination.

Tips on Choosing a Family Pet 

 By:  Nikki McElroy, DVM

My life is an example of “Dreams Do Come True”. Two of the things that I most wanted to do “when I grew up” are two of the things that I am doing: being a mommy and being a veterinarian. I never thought about how those two things would complement each other. For example, the restraint techniques - pretty much the same whether a mad dog or a mad toddler. You don’t want to get bitten by either.

I love pets. And people. And kids. I think pets are a wonderful addition to families. And I think children benefit from interacting with pets. THAT SAID - not every family needs a pet. Some, not ever. Some, not now.

If you are thinking of adding an animal to your family, here are some things to think about:

It will NOT be your child’s pet. Unless your child is over 18 and moved out (and often not even then), the pet will be YOURS. As in YOU are responsible for feeding, cleaning, grooming if needed, costs, obtaining supplies, instruction for your child on handling the pet, behavior of the pet (dogs mostly) and veterinary care. Don’t think precious little Marvin at age 6 will follow up on his promises to walk Fido daily and scoop the poop. While it is great for Marvin to learn responsibility and actually do those things, far too many Fidos are in the shelter because Marvin got busy/tired/bored and Mom and Dad did not want to step in to care for Fido.

Type of pet: So much to think about here. Accepting care of a pet is a huge deal. Besides your pretty easy fish (and that can vary according to type), most everything else is going to take time, space, money, etc. My brother did not need a Golden Retriever puppy during his first year of medical school. An apartment dweller probably doesn’t need an active Great Dane. Ensure that you have adequate resources before you bring home that precious puppy. Here are some ideas about appropriate pets:

Fish - vary tremendously in cost, but you can get the basic Goldfish and tank accouterments pretty cheaply. Kids can feed them. Adults will have to assist with cleaning. There is some concern with fish tanks and Salmonella infections. Teach your child to wash his or her hands after interacting with any pet and before eating.

Reptiles- These can be neat to watch. There is the initial investment for habitat. Think about the kind of food it needs (do you want to feed live mice to a snake?). Also a Salmonella concern.

Hamsters, Guinea pigs, rats, rabbits - Relatively low cost, but there is recurring food and bedding costs, as well as the initial cage. Often, these guys can be found at an animal shelter. Many people want to let these out for exercise and interaction which is great, as long as there is a safe, confined environment. And really, RATS. I’ve had several people tell me what great pets these are. I’ve seen a few as patients and they are neat, once I got over the long naked tail. I’ve had a couple of rabbits which are great pets. They do chew on cords, wood, etc though and need careful handling.

Birds - lots of these have long life spans and are fragile. I’ve not been a “bird person” but people do become very attached to birds. Birds are sensitive to many fumes, so think about cleaning product use and don’t heat Teflon around a bird. They can be messy.

Cats- can be cuddly or aloof, depending on the personality. Keeping them indoors is recommended, both for safety of the cat and to reduce transmission of disease (parasites and other things cats catch from each other or rodent snacks). That said, if you decide on an outdoor kitty, be sure you are willing to deal with the risks. There are “free” kittens of course, but consider vaccines (every 3 weeks between the approximate ages of 6 and 15 weeks as per your veterinarians recommendations), spay or neuter (YES, DO THIS! More on this later), food, boarding when you travel, toys, other veterinary care. There are also gobs of specific breeds out there with their own characteristics.

Dogs - In all shapes and sizes. See www.petplace.com or www.akc.org for specific breed info. While each dog has it’s own personality, breed guidelines do help you know what to expect. Again, think about time, space, grooming (do you want a Bichon? Then you’ll have to either groom him or take him somewhere every few weeks for a haircut) and economics. Bigger dogs cost more over time (although a smaller purebreed may cost more up front, depending on the breed). They eat more, their medications are often based on weight so they cost more, it’s often more expensive to board, etc.

3. Cost: I’ve mentioned cost a few times. And it is a huge factor. Ask the shelters along the Gulf - many pets have been dropped off recently as those who depend on the Gulf for their livelihood are suffering from the oil tragedy. The ASPCA estimates are that a fish may cost $35 per year all the way up to $875 per year for a large dog. There are many options in veterinary care today. Although it’s not “required” that you provide chemotherapy for your pet if that should be indicated, I think it fair to say that a quality food, comfy bed, vaccines, yearly examinations (vets very often find something that is painful for the pet on exam and the owners had not a clue that anything was wrong) , spay or neuter, and parasite prevention (flea, tick, intestinal worms, heartworms for example) are necessary for a good life for the pet.

Consider pet insurance. Check www.petinsurancereview.com which shows that policies can range from $5.75 per month to $76.79 per month, depending on the coverage. These are not like medical insurance policies. You’d pay up front for health care and then be reimbursed (usually very quickly) by the insurance company. If you don’t want to deal with insurance, I recommend having a “savings account” for the pet(s). Not only are there general yearly veterinary, food, etc expenses, but accidents do happen. Not uncommon for a hit-by-car case to reach above $1000 plus for care, depending on the severity of the injuries. It’s sad to see people decide on euthanasia for a pet that they love, which would likely recover well with treatment, simply because they can’t afford care. Prepare for these kinds of things. If you never use that extra money, great, transfer it over for the next pet or your kids’ college fund one day.

4. The future: Your rabbit may live 8 to 10 years. The bird may live 25. The chihuahua may live for 16. As best you can, try to predict your lifestyle at that time. Be sure you’ll still want Fluffy when Marvin and Mildred go off to college. Way too many pets are euthanized in our shelters. An estimated 3.7 MILLION in 2008. The primary reason people give up their pets is behavior issues. Take the time to train your pet. Have reasonable expectations (the puppy WILL chew, the cat WILL scratch). PLEASE have your dog or cat or rabbit spayed or neutered. If you want your kids to see the “miracle of life”, rent a video.

If you are not at all interested in having a pet of your own, I do hope that you will still teach your kids about them. They’ll likely be around pets of their family or friends and need to know how to interact with them. Bites do happen and can cause serious injury. Most bites are from familiar animals. The highest incidence of child bites is when the child is between the ages of 5 to 9 and most are from interactions initiated by the child. Teach your child to “let sleeping dogs lie”, never try to take a toy or bone away with their hands, never reach toward a dog or cat that is eating, fighting, or with their babies. Practice this: Pretend you are an owner out for a stroll with your dog. If the kids want to pet the dog, have them stop a safe distance away, ask politely “May I pet your dog?” and wait for a positive response. It’s not fair to blame a dog for a bite when he’s overwhelmed by 5 loud, wiggly children. For more info about pet safety, see www.avma.org/bluedog or ask a State Farm agent for a free coloring book called “Fido: Friend or Foe”.

Animals are good for us (lots of studies to back me up on that!) and I think God gave us a great gift in sharing this world with them. Teach your children to not fear them, but to care for and to RESPECT them. Enjoy your pet!

~Nikki shares more about her life and family on her personal blog: 
McElroy Memories.

Tuesday's Tips and Tidbits

As you've already seen, Dana is the queen of cleaning tips and tidbits when it comes to the icky things in Motherhood.  Unfortunately, for my house and the clutter breeding in it, I have zero knowledge in those areas.  However, I could write an entire book filled with tips on keeping boys between the ages of 8 months and 5 years from killing themselves.  It's title would be: Keeping Boys Ages 8 months to 5 years old from Killing Themselves for Dummies.  My four boys keep me on my toes, that's for sure.  But, for the parent already filled with common sense, I don't know that my proposed book would be too helpful.  For example, Chapter One would be titled:  Get Rid of ALL the Knives in Your Home.  ALL OF THEM.

That being said, I don't have too many useful tips to share with the average Momma who is already semi-organized.  I often have to wash loads of laundry twice, because I never remembered to put them in the dryer two days ago.  So, a tip for actually washing out the washing machine is pointless for me.  I do enjoy reading them though.  Sort of like my husband enjoys reading articles in Golf Magazine.  He will never win one of those (ugly) green jackets from The Master's, but he still diligently reads Tiger's tips on smoothing out your back swing.  (Whatever that may be.)

Today, my dear friends, is probably the one and only time I will have any sort of tip to share.  It's one that stems from pure laziness.  I loathe washing dishes.  Yes, I own a dishwasher.  I still hate loading it though.  And unloading.  And re-loading.  It's a job a monkey could do, and sometimes does in this house.  (My children are part monkey.  Backwards evolution occurred when Bert and I procreated.) One of the things that truly gets under my skin is having to wash a dish AFTER it's already gone through the dishwasher.  Okay, so honestly, I never do wash them by hand, I just stick it back in for round two.  But that agitates me, greatly.  So, when my tupperware (take-n-toss and/or the real stuff) got stained with spaghetti sauce after preserving left-overs in the fridge, I searched for a solution to prevent the orange-filmy stain. 

Simple step:  Before storing left-overs that may cause a stain, such as red sauces, spray container with PAM. That's it.  It washes clean when you're done! 

Extremely anti-climatic ending to my Tuesday's Tips and Tidbits debut and farewell post all wrapped in one.  Just pretend it was super useful.

Happy Tuesday!
Love, Holly

Got any tips you would like to share??  We'd love to feature YOU on a Tuesday!  Write to us: themomtage@gmail.com

Book Chat and Giveaway with Author- Sarah Cunningham TONIGHT! 9pm Eastern/8 Central

Join us Tonight!

Book Chat with

Sarah Cunningham, author of Picking Dandelions 

 TONIGHT!  (9:00 EASTERN/8:00 CENTRAL). 

.  

Beth Murphy, Zondervan Representative, will be choosing at random throughout the chat, the SIX winners for the following GREAT books: 

2 sets of The Goat of Many Colors and Get Me to the Ark on Time, by Cyler Black

1 copy of Take Four, by Karen Kingsbury

1 copy of Bittersweet, by Shauna Niequist

1 copy of Good Girls Don’t Have to Dress Bad, by Shari Braendel   

1 copy of The Busy Mom’s Bible

Even if you didn't have a chance to read Picking Dandelions, we would still love to have you join us. And yes, even if you didn't have a chance to read the book, you are still eligible for a door prize!  

Lessons from the Aged and the Young-- By: Sarah Cunningham

I have often wondered if the world might be a better place if each of us made a point to spend more time interacting with two groups of people–the elderly and the infants.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but people who have lived a long while, enduring this planet’s cosmic mix of ups and downs for decades, have this rare commodity called wisdom. That’s why Tuesdays With Morrie went over so well and why I tap a few dying-stories about my grandma in Picking Dandelions.

The very elderly have shaken free from the illusion that they will live forever, or that their bodies are smooth-oiled machines, which gives them this thing called perspective. They know what is important in life (people and faith and faith and people) and they know what isn’t (possessions and appearance and drama). And they’ve got time to talk and patience to love, since a lot of their bodies have given up being able to do much more than that.

Tuesday's Tidbits-- What Your Child's Kindergarten Teacher Wants You to Know

My how the summer has flown and how surprised am I that it is already time to start getting Emma ready to go back to school.. sigh... Sending my oldest child to Kindergarten was quite a traumatic experience for me. The post exploring that traumatic experience coming soon.   But take my word for it, you would have thought that I was sending my oldest off to college. For those of you that are sending your little one off for the first time this year, let me say that we did survive and it was a wonderful year and Emma grew in beautiful ways. Both, in knowledge and in character. Though I'm going to miss my little delight during the days, and I'm certainly not looking forward to the horrible wake times, this year is sure to be less traumatic. One of the things that helped me survive those first days of Kindergarten was having a sister who is a Kindergarten teacher. Having her reassurance that Emma's teacher wanted her to succeed as much as I and having her share tips with me on how to help Emma succeed helped me to approach the situation with confidence. So, I was very excited when Denise  agreed to do a guest post about the things she wishes the parents of her students knew about Kindergarten.. And so without further delay, I'll stop rambling on and let you hear from the expert...

(My sister and my girls at Emma's seventh birthday party where she very willingly dressed up to be our princess story teller.) 

When Dana first asked me to do a guest post about kindergarten for her blog, I asked myself what I would most want my kindergartener’s parents to know BEFORE their students enter my classroom. I decided there are a few things for which I would love parents to prepare both themselves and their little ones. So here goes….. Lessons I would love to give first time kindergarten parents:

First- We teach because we love children. We want your children to do their very best. Kindergarten is the foundation on which your child will build a lifetime of education, so when we tell you that your child needs to do this or that, it is generally because we love them-- just as you punish them and discipline them because you love them, we do the same. So please don’t ever think that a kindergarten teacher has “it in” for your child….your child becomes ours too and that is why we do what we do!

A Reminder to Count Your Many Blessings

Do you ever have one of those days.... One of those days when you feel nothing else could possibly go wrong.  One of those days when you look at the clock and nearly crumble when you see it's only 9am.... Of course you do.  We ALL do.  The blessings we are given can usually be seen best after a day like that.  Perhaps, that's why we have those less than perfect (or really horrible, you pick) kind of days/weeks/months.  And sometimes, when really concentrating on the good, the bad and the ugly, reminders of just how much the GOOD outweighs the bad and the ugly, surface.  Today's guest post does just that....

Meet Jennifer Engelbrecht:  Wife to Nick, Momma to three (four in November) of the cutest kiddos ever, and a Navy Nurse, though she's currently taking a "break", to be a stay-home Mom.  Jennifer's personal blog: The Engelbrechts-- Sounds like life...  is filled with funny stories that are both heart felt, and dripping with sarcasm all at the same time.  Jennifer is open and honest about her personal trials and errors in motherhood, which is a truly admirable trait. Currently, The Engelbrechts live in Guam, where her husband is a submarine officer for the Navy.  Her witty reports about life in Guam, (with three kids ages four and under-- on the other side of the world-- almost as far away from her entire family as she could possibly get, I might add) are always hilarious. 

Thank-you, Jennifer, for sharing about your life, and reminding each of us to take a harder look at our own lives to see just how much we are blessed.  We appreciate your service to our country, and your husband's dedication to keeping our Nation great!  Love, Holly
Here's Jennifer's Story.......

I was an idiot when I married my husband. I was young and in love and naive and in love and irrational and in love, so really, nothing was stopping me. We met in college and couldn’t wait- we had to get married RIGHTNOW. I knew he was in the Navy, and that I was going to be in the Navy in just two short years, but this didn’t even give me pause. I grew up in the military, I didn’t think this was anything new.

One night, a few months before the wedding, my husband to be looked at me, his face grave. He was all business. “Honey,” said he, his voice low and serious. “Are you SURE? You know I’m a submariner, I’m going to be gone for months at a time, eighty five percent of the year. You won’t hear from me that whole time, and you’ll only get emails every now and then. I won’t be able to tell you what I’m doing, or where I’m going, or when I’ll be coming home. It’s going to be a hard life.”

“Oh honey,” I replied, adoration clouding my judgment. “I love you, and you love me! We’re in love! That’s all that matters. Besides, it won’t be that bad.”

And it wasn’t. Not at first. During the first three years, we hardly ever even lived in the same state, so it wasn’t any big deal when he went out to sea, even for six months. Of course, I missed my best friend, but honestly, I had my own life to live, and I was pretty busy doing that. I had my work, and my friends, and my family. I had a nice house, lots of money, hardly any bills, and all the free time in the world to go see every movie that ever came out. But then things changed. The babies started coming.

And kept coming. And coming. And coming. And even that wasn’t so bad, at first, because I still had my career as a Navy nurse, something I loved and was very passionate about. But soon, of course, that changed too. We had to move, and we had two options: we could go west, to Washington State, a long, eight hour flight for our extended families, somewhere I’d fantasized about living since I was about six years old, or we could LITERALLY go to the exact other side of the globe, to an exotic, remote island with no Target or Chik Fil A, no Wal-Mart or Arby’s, where I wouldn’t know a soul, wouldn’t see any extended family for three years, and I’d be alone with my three kids while my husband was underwater.

Tax Free Shopping Days By State

Thought some of you might be able to benefit from knowing the Tax free shopping days in each state.. 

Alabama- 8/06-8/08
Connecticut- 8/22-8/28
Florida- 8/13-8/15
Georgia- No tax free Holiday this year!
Illinois- 8/06-8/15
Iowa- 8/06-8/07
Louisiana- 8/06-8/08
Maryland- 8/08-8/14
Mississippi- 7/30-7/31
Missouri- 8/06-8/08
New Mexico- 8/06-8/08
North Carolina- 8/06-8/08
Oklahoma-8/06-8/08
South Carolina-8/06-8/08
Tennessee- 8/06-8/08
Texas- 8/20-8/22
Vermont- 8/06-8/08
Virginia- 8/06-8/08


Here is a chart of items to be tax exempt per state.  Many items have a price qualification: ex: Clothing articles under $100.  Click here for a more complete listing of tax exempted items by state during the tax free holiday.   Five states in the U.S. (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon) do not impose general sales taxes at all but may have specific excise taxes on gasoline, cigarettes, alcohol, meals, etc

State (Or Capital)	Items Included	Period	Days
Alabama	clothing, computers, school supplies, books	1st weekend in August	3
Connecticut	clothing	3rd week in August	7
District of Columbia	clothing, school supplies	August and November	9
Georgia	clothing, school supplies, computers	1st weekend of August	4
Iowa	clothing	1st weekend of August	2
Massachusetts[2]	school supplies, computers, sports equipment, health & beauty aid	2nd weekend of August	2
Missouri	clothing, school supplies, computers	1st weekend in August	-
New Mexico	clothing, school supplies, computers	1st weekend of August	3
North Carolina	clothing, school supplies, computers, sport equipment	1st weekend of August	3
Oklahoma	clothing	1st weekend of August	3
South Carolina	clothing, school supplies, computers	1st weekend of August	3
Tennessee	clothing, school supplies, computers	1st weekend of August	3
Texas[3]	Cd's, DVD Movies,cigarettes, cigars, tobacco, clothing, diapers, backpacks , school supplies	3rd weekend of August	3
Virginia	clothing, school supplies	1st weekend of August	3

What Makes Your Life Easier??

I've never been a person to think that a single product could change my life.. I'm not an infomercial kind of girl.. I don't believe that dish washing detergent can make me beautiful and I don't believe that a broom can change my life.. But, I have come across a couple things in my 7 short years of mothering that have saved me a little time.  And I was thinking.. If we all shared our mother working, time savers, then maybe we could save a lot of time..  And Lord knows we could all use more of that.. So let's hear it.. What helps you out in your job of mothering?  It can be a product, a tip, a recipe.. Anything you can think of, bring them on.. I was hoping to find time to paint my toenails before the summer is over!

I'll start by sharing a couple of mine...

The Swivel Sweeper--  As I said, I'm not an info commercial kind of girl so when I saw this being advertised, I just turned my nose up  and moved on.. But, since I was frustrated with all of the grass that was being tracked in from the backyard, I picked this thing up when I spotted it in Ross Dress For Less..

And I love it!  This does not do any sort of deep vacuuming but it transitions nice between my hardwood floors and berber carpet for spills and pick up and it keeps my vacuum in the closet for actual cleaning.  Because it's handle will lay all the way to the floor, it gets under beds and furniture easily and since the brushes rotate on all edges, It can get into most small spaces... It also as a super easy release that allows me to empty it in one step.. And, unlike other cordless sweepers I've looked at, the battery holds a charge for 8 hours.  In my opinion, this is a product that every mother needs!

Tuesday's Tidbits-- How to remove ink from a baby doll.

Before I had children I dreamed of being a mother that would encourage ingenuity in my children by not getting freaked out over things like this:

My six year old wrote the names of her dolls on their foreheads so that she could remember their names while she was playing school with them.   She probably would have gotten off pretty easy as it was really an honest mistake in which she stated that she thought it would wash off easily.  

She would have gotten off easy.... But, the shrug of her shoulders when I told her that ink from an ink pen didn't wash off of dolls landed her owing me the amount of work around the house that it would take to earn the money that these dolls are worth.. My windows have never been so clean!  

When I called my mother exasperated at my daughter's response to ruining over a hundred dollars of dolls.  

This is how that conversation went..

Me:  Mom!  I'm so frustrated with Emma.. She wrote on nine of her dolls with an ink pen! NINE dolls.. She said she was playing school with them and wanted to remember their names. I asked her if she had ever heard of NAME TAGS.. And when I told her that ink doesn't wash off of dolls she just shrugged her shoulders.. DOES SHE THINK MONEY GROWS ON TREES?   She now owes me seventeen hours of work so she will know how much work it took for the people that bought her those dolls to earn the money to do so.. And that really isn't even giving her the real picture because I went with current value, not replacement value..  "How can a kid so smart  do things so dumb"?

Mom: (laughs) I remember a smart kid that did some really dumb things around my house... 

Me: I know, I'm so sorry you had to put up with Denise (my sister) all those years (laugh).  

Mom: But,  it all makes sense now.   That's what Chloe was doing..

Me: What? No, not Chloe, Emma did this.. You know, the six year old that should be past writing on things other than paper!

Mom: No, I wasn't going to tell you this because I didn't want you to be upset but when the girls visited on your anniversary, Chloe drew all over the face of my doll from when I was a kid..

Me: WHAT!!! YOU MEAN THE DOLL THAT'S OVER 50 YEARS OLD? THE DOLL THAT YOU PROTECTED FROM US WHEN WE WERE KIDS?

Mom: Well, it's really my fault, I never should have let them play with it.  It's okay.. Really, it's not a big deal..

Me: You've saved a doll for over 50 years and it's not a big deal that my kids ruined it?  It's a big deal to me!

 I bring you the antique that my mom has cherished for over 50 years.  The ONLY doll my mom had as a child.  The one that her parents really couldn't afford and probably sold a kidney for.. I think I remember a story about someone walking three miles in the snow up hill both ways to get this doll!  

Monday's Mom-tage Mom: KRISTY CRAWFORD

The balancing act the working Mother performs is quite remarkable.  I am constantly amazed by my friends and family who are working Moms that manage to be productive at work, and still have the energy to focus on their children and husbands when the work day is over.  Today's Mom-tage Mom has some wonderful tips for those who are trying to deal with the stresses this balancing act provides.  And while her post may have been intended for working moms, many of these tips could also be applied to the stay-at-home mom as well. 

Meet: KRISTY CRAWFORD, loving wife to Patrick, and Mommy to a precious little girl named Addison.  Kristy and Patrick are expecting their second daughter this November, to be named Ansley.  Kristy is a wonderful high school English teacher, who loves her students and takes pride in their successes, before and after graduation.  Kristy is a sweet Momma, who wants the best for her daughters.  She's also a strong Christian woman, sister, daughter, friend, and leader.  On top of all that, Kristy has a wonderful recipe for grilled pimento cheese and tomato sandwich.  (Don't knock it 'till you try it!)

You can read more about Kristy and her family on her personal blog:
Whisper of Hope.  Thanks, Kristy! Love, Holly

Tales of a working mom trying to do it all…

Being a mother is the greatest blessing in my life. It is my highest calling, my biggest priority, my greatest joy. It is also my greatest source of guilt because, as a mom, don’t I want to provide my children with the most bountiful blessings and fullest life?

I have accepted the fact that guilt is a constant companion to the human spirit—no matter her current station in life. I could provide a laundry list of things that I’ve felt guilty about in motherhood, but I suspect that every mother has her own similar list. However, I am also learning that guilt cannot be my motivator, nor can it paralyze me to be the mom I need to be for my family.

I am a working mom. I work because my salary provides extra income that blesses my family and provides us with necessities. I feel good about it because I love my job teaching high school students English—it allows me to use my gifts and passions both for my love of the English language as well as my compassion for teenagers and my students; it provides me with intellectual stimulation; it has blessed me with a great support system of other working moms whom I respect and admire.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t also feel guilty about it sometimes. Even though my daughter spends her days in the early childhood center down the hall from me with daily visits throughout the workday or Wednesdays with my mom, I feel guilty for not being her primary companion during my school day. I long for school holidays, snow days, Christmas and Spring Breaks, and those lazy summer months where our togetherness blesses us both. I am thankful to work in a profession that, I believe, provides both Addison and me with the “best of both worlds.”

That said, working is a year-to-year, semester-to-semester decision for me. Patrick supports and appreciates my desire to work outside the home, and he also supports us changing our minds as our family situations change.

To do my best in my fulltime job as a teacher as well as my fulltime job as a mommy, I have come up with some coping mechanisms. Balancing work and family is no science but a constant transforming process. Sometimes I adhere to these tactics and feel on top of the world; other times, I admit, I feel like we are treading water, but that brings me to my first tactic:

1. BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF. I cannot claim these words as my own as they were spoken to me by one of my assistant principals (also a young mom) on my first day returning from maternity leave. She encouraged me to take things day by day and to not overwhelm myself with things that were not important. She urged me to give myself some room to feel, to think, to change my mind, to make some mistakes, to not be perfect. Those words continue to remind me to just let some things go.

Picking Dandelions....

Have you gotten your copy yet??

You can order one from Amazon or simply click the little box over to the right, in the side bar. 

Amazon has it listed for only $3.44 used, or $10.19 new!  Last time we checked out books from our local library, I had to pay more than that in late-return fees.  (My apologies to those in our community who were chomping at the bit to check out Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? as well as The Runaway Bunny.)

Our book chat is scheduled for July 26th, (9pm Easter, 8pm Central) and Sarah Cunningham herself will be joining us!  Trust me, you do have time to order a copy and have it read by then, if that's one of the things stopping you.  It's an easy read, with many stories that I could relate to as if Sarah Cunningham had been a part of my life, as a witness, and wrote them out for me.

Picking Dandelions has made both Dana and me laugh out loud, on many occasions.  And in the words of LeVar Burton, "You don't have to take our word for it!"  Even Bert, my husband, picked the book up and read through it in about four days.  I asked Bert if I could have a quote for The Mom-tage, and quite honestly, I was expecting something smart-alek and male chauvinistic, since much of Bert's humor stems from these two areas.  (Don't worry.  As I said, his HUMOR... not his true beliefs.  Those who know us well are aware of who wears the pants around here.)  Bert's quote surprised me, when he said, "It's really a great book.  She brings up a lot of good points."  That was his unofficial quote though.  The one he wanted me to use was:

"A refreshing new take on self-improvement and living as a Christian."
~Bert Hudson, Great Husband and Father Extraordinaire.

And hey, if your Summer plans have you too busy to slow down long enough to read even the instructions on the back of the mac and cheese box, we would still LOVE to have you join us July 26th! Come on over to The Mom-tage and click into our chat box (located in the right-hand side bar of our site) and join in the fun.  We had a ball in June, and I'm sure this book chat will be no different.  Hope to see you there!

Love,
Holly

The (not-so) Little Momma That Could

Some days I feel on top of Motherhood Mountain... My kids are dressed in clean, almost-ironed-looking clothing, hair is brushed, and even I have on something other than one of Bert's old t-shirts and sweats. My dishwasher is filled with clean dishes, my sink is empty, and my dog has food in his dish before he even has to scratch the back door. My van has no cheerios and old crusty fries in the floor board and the gas tank is full. Most of the laundry pile is washed and folded, and some of the clean clothes are actually in the dresser drawers where they belong. My floors are swept, and I actually pulled the mop and package of swiffer wet wipes from the closet, planning to mop after the kids go to bed. I remember to speak softly and use words of praise to correct the children throughout the day, and find that they are almost disciplined, and someday may actually contribute positively to our society.

Unfortunately, those kind of days are few and far between.