August

So this is about to be a crazy exciting/ busy month.  I am a teacher getting ready to go back to work and my daughter starts kindergarten.  I also thought that it would be fun to sign her up for cheerleading.  She has practice Monday thru Friday from 6p-8:30. I am hoping that I didn't bite off more than I or she can chew.  She is used to having gymnastics for an hour several nights a week but this will be an entirely new adventure.  I also am depending on my parents because while she has practice he will hopefully be hanging out at their house across the street.  I think they were seeing my mini-panic and thats when the volunteered to keep him.  I am up for any suggestions that you can provide for dining.  I really don't want to be that mom who drive thrus every night to feed her family.  I am not a very good cook but I can handle PB&J and cheese sandwiches (again not the gourmet dinner my kids planned on I'm sure).  I am thrilled and a little nervous for what August brings.  I am beginning a new position at a new school and don't know many people there.  So far everyone that I have met has been super nice and helpful.  I am laughing as I am typing because I am sure my daughter is thinking the same thing...being excited about a new school but a little fearful that she only knows one other boy who will be joining her there and we don't know if he will be in her class.  Every day this new adventure becomes a little bit more real.  She now has a book bag and school clothes and we will go supply shopping soon.  The first week always scares me sometimes the second too.  It seems that once you have made it beyond those two weeks it is smooth sailing for the most part.  Drop off issues, going home issues, and kids crying about missing their moms have all subsided and the educational aspect can begin.  Bring on September.

End of Summer As I Know It

The wonderful smell on the beach and sunscreen is about to be replaced by that of pencil lead and crayons. I'm excited to get back to work so I can start collecting a pay check but I have loved my time off with the kids and am not looking forward to being separated from them for nine hours a day. My daughter is beginning kindergarten this year so I am excited that she will be joining me at work but it's bitter sweet. My baby girl is growing up and heading out into the world of public education. She is of course very excited and optimistic for this year to come and I have done a great job of holding back the years and telling her stories of all the fun activities she will get to do in kindergarten. We have gone clothes shopping and will have her book bag on Wednesday. She can't wait to get her supply list and complete the going back to school rituals. I am hopeful that she will adore her teacher and that the teacher will adore my baby equally and that she makes nice friends and will be brilliant. I am so proud of the person that she has become and need to let go of the baby and embrace my big girl. Ugh parenting definitely pulls on the heart strings.

Love Pinterest

So many of my friends have been talking about this site so I decided to check it out.  I love this site!  I have spent an hour or two each day for the last two days just exploring.  I am being a good mommy and investigating once the kiddos are asleep for the night.  I recently fell in love with a pin about things that you can mail.  The blogger explained that as long as it was 13 ounces or less just about anything is fair game.  Some of my favorites were mailing a flip flop to a friend... sending the second to finish the pair a week later; mailing a bouncy ball to a child on their birthday (it read I hope your birthday is a ball); and finally mailing a plastic Easter egg with little goodies inside.  As an Elementary school teacher this is something that teachers could do as a class project or parents could do with their kids on a rainy afternoon.  My adult friends would probably enjoy a random mailer as well.  There are so many depressing things in life that I love these fun ideas to make someone's day.

Guilt or No Guilt That Is The Question

We are now officially into day 4 of our trip with the kids staying with Grandma and Grandpa. I am enjoying my time with my husband and partaking in activities I would not even think about if I were with my children (having a drink for instance). The hard part comes every time I come across something my children would like to eat or do I immediately miss them like crazy. My parents are awesome and send updates and pictures regularly but I still feel this sense of guilt for not being with my babies. I agree with my wonderfully patient husband that these date days have been few and far between so to treasure the time we have. With that said...Cheers.

Date Night

I feel that in order to have a successful marriage/family it is necessary to allow the kids to spend the night with Grandma and have a date night. This particular date night is on an island off the coast of California. We are here for a friends wedding. The rehersal dinner and showers are over and the ceremony is tomorrow night so I am with the hubby in at Luau Larry's and having a great time. I am not a big drinker but I am excited to announce that my one fruity drink also comes with a straw hat. I am officially on island time and enjoying every second. Oh, and the diet... Well lets just say there are no scales. I wish you all a great date night.

Perfection of Children

I love to watch my kids play.  They have wonderful imaginations and such a passion for life.  They are untainted by the stresses of jobs, finances, mean people, and education with standardized testing.  They truly love their family, their friends, and play.  I am currently an audience to my daughters concert; consisting of her self-created lyrics and dancing.  I love that her dreams for the future are constantly changing with each new exciting activity that she is exposed to.  Currently, she aspires to become a rockstar.  My son being younger just enjoys toddling by her side and assisting her on her many play adventures.  Their interactions are priceless.  I laugh listening to them.  The other day while driving in the car my daughter is in the backseat teaching my son to argue.  I hear her stating now I am going to say "no" and you say "yes".  They then proceed to argue while hysterically laughing at each other for the next 15 minutes.  I try to find different family activities for us to do together and the current favorite is tennis.  We are fortunate to have a court near our home and we play some what regularly.  I worry when others attempt to use the court next to us because I am still working with the kids on simply hitting the ball, not necessarily over the net.  They love this but there is the occasional scream of warning to others on the next court to watch out.  So far the other players have all been understanding and take it with a laugh and throw our ball back to us.  The kids think this is great.  Maybe it's me that is being fooled and they are hitting the ball over there on purpose to interact with other players.  I wish that I could come back to this time and place when I am having a rough day because just watching or playing with them brings such joy to life.

Discount Disney

      My family loves Disney!  My children love to watch it on television, we occasionally wear Disney t-shirts, and we all LOVE to travel to Disney World or Disneyland.  We live in Florida and are not too far from Disney World so due to traveling expenses alone we make regular trips to Disney World.  We have purchased the annual passes which, I won't lie is quite the initial investment but if you are planning on spending 5 days here or more they will pay for themselves quickly.  We have sampled almost all of the Disney resorts but typically stay in one of their value resorts.  Disney provides free parking or transportation to and from their resorts to all their theme parks, water parks, and Downtown Disney.  Being an annual pass holder also entitles you to discounts when booking Disney resorts.  We can purchase a value resort for $75-$120 a night depending on the time of year.  Even though they are value resorts they still include amazing amenities such as incredible pools, arcades, restaurants, and entertainment.  This last trip we made we wanted to relax, so we spent a few hours in the Magic Kingdom before heading back to the resort.  When we arrived we were just in time for BINGO down by the pool.  My daughter won the very first game and got to choose a prize out of their treasure box.  Even though the trinkets were simple it completely made her day!  Disney has a way of making young and old feel special.
     We will soon be making this trip with my grandparents and will need to rent a motorized scooter.  Do not rent these from Disney.  If you google scooter rentals there are tons of companies that will deliver right to the hotel and only charge $20 a day for the rental.  All Disney buses are scooter friendly and it is only a fraction of what the park will charge for a comparable scooter.
    It is also wise to stop at a grocery store or convenience store on the way to the park/resort.  All Disney resorts now have mini-refrigerators so you can bring snacks or things to make breakfast.  Packing a book bag with water and snacks will save you tons of money throughout the day.  Bottles of water can run you more than $2 each.  Snacks are even more but sometimes you don't want to pass up the chocolate mickey shaped ice cream bars and who could blame you.  When you do decide to go shopping if you are an annual passholder Disney offers a 10% discount on many items.
     When dining in Disney whether it be at a park or resort if you have the Table of Wonderland card you will save an automatic 20% on every meal.  There is a $75 initial investment to purchase the card but I have already made that much money back and saved an additional $300 in the last four months.  It has been completely worth it!
     There are relatively new dress up activities such as bibbidi bobbidi boutique or Pirates League.  If you choose to indulge your family is sure to love it and to cut down on some of the costs you can wear your own costume or dress up clothes you do not need to purchase the clothing that Disney sells.
      I hope you find these tips helpful.