PROJECT 365- Day 31 - Hey I Know What I Can Do Today.....
First - I am Very excited that I made it through my first month of P365!!!! Yeah Me!!! :-) I love how it forces us to stop and see the little moments as they pass by through out the day. Sometimes I get a pic of something that I think is "the moment" but then something else happens that makes it to P365...but we have still stopped and caught that moment.
Now back to today..... After dropping off the kids at school today, I came home and thought....Hey I know what I can do today..... I have been wanting to paint the powder room cabinets for awhile now. I tested the color on the inside of the door about - oh I don't know 3 months ago. I have had the paint sitting downstairs waiting. I just haven't worked up the nerve to paint the cabinet. I tried to get My Wonderful Husband to do it instead. He agreed to do it. But his idea of soon and mine are quite different. So this morning I decided to take off the cabinet doors and prime them before I thought too much and decided against it. Once they were primed, there was no turning back. Of course, I forgot to take a "before picture" of the cabinet, so I took a picture after priming. As of right now I am almost done...needs another coat or two. But it's looking good and I can not wait to have my bathroom all put back together with my newly painted cabinets. Hmmm....wonder what I'll get into tomorrow.....
PROJECT 365- Day 30 - Lazy Days and Bedtime Stories...
We changed our plans to go tubing (again) because My Wonderful Husband was sick and just couldn't do it. As it turned out, it was just a lazy day around the house...not a bad thing once in awhile. Daddy was feeling well enough to read the kids a favorite book at bedtime. They love the way Daddy reads this book with all of the voices. Psst..... Good Night! ;-)
PROJECT 365- Day 29 - Ice Fest
From soccer to Ice Fest to family movie night. What a fun filled day. The Bear and The Boy had their second soccer game this morning. This afternoon we went to Ice Fest downtown. The kids loved the ice sculptures and the ice slide and the kettle corn was yummy. We came home and thawed out with a family movie night. Life was good today!
PROJECT 365 - Day 28 - Artists At Work
We are getting ready to open "The Leonard Art Gallery". Blank Wall - check! Cool new frames that have an inside compartment to store extra art work - check! Artistic possibilities - ENDLESS!!!! Gallery opening to be announced! :-)
PROJECT 365- Day 27- It's a Dog's Life
"The Puppy" (ok 13 1/2 year old dog - but she'll always be my puppy) didn't get her required quiet time yesterday since the kids were home for a snow day. So today when the kids finally left for school ( after a 2 hour delay) it was nap time for The Puppy.
She needs her sleep after all.
PROJECT 365- Day 26 - It Worked!
It worked!!! We wore our jammies inside out and wished for a snow day and we got one!!! The Bear, The Princess and The Boy started the day playing video games and drawing masterpiece works of art. When they finally got outside and met their friends, they sledded and snow boarded (sort of) and had a blast. But when everyone got cold and the snow started to turn to a bit of rain, the whole group shed their wet and freezing snow attire in the garage and came inside to warm up with hot cocoa and cookies and a little inside playtime! Overall a snow day well spent!
PROJECT 365- Day 25- If it's going to be cold, it might as well snow....
I know I have mentioned more than once how much I hate winter, cold, snow, etc etc.... I know I have complained at length about how everyone gets sick and all that.... But seriously it has been freezing...too cold for human beings in my opinion... So if it has to be this flippin' cold, it might as well snow!!!! We might as well have a snow day. The kids might as well get to use the new snow boots and snow pants that we ran out and bought before the blizzard at the beach on Dec. 26th.
In light of this new embracing of winter (well sort of), we all decided that it was in our best interest to wear our jammies inside out in hopes of a snow day tomorrow. The kids sort of thought I was crazy when I suggested it. They wanted some proof that it had worked in the past. They wanted to make sure that Daddy and I would do the same thing - because if there was a chance it was going to work, they didn't want their parents to ruin the whole thing.
So as we go to bed tonight and snuggle under all of our blankets and comforters, we wear our jammies inside out and send a silent wish out to the universe......Let it Snow!!!!
PROJECT 365- Day 24- Basketball
Today was The Princess' first basketball game. She was nervous but oh so excited. She was thrilled to be out on the court playing with her friends while Mommy, Daddy, and her brothers cheered her on. She did an awesome job!!
PROJECT 365- Day 23 - Mulan and the ninja
In case you haven't heard, the playoffs were today. Two football games and the Steelers are playing. This is big news in this house since The Bear is becoming a very. big. football. fan. Needless to say, he and My Wonderful Husband were glued to the T.V. for both games. The Boy wants to be interested because his big brother is interested and as I said before, The Princess supports the boys. Support only goes so far though. The Princess was not about to sit and watch hours of football. She had other plans. The Boy decided that The Princess had a good idea and together they played dress up. They were Mulan and the ninja, Cinderella and Iron Man, and whatever other outfits they didn't come up to model for all of us. (The Bear was dressed as a Steelers fan - if a jersey counts as dress up)
Project 365- Day 22 - Brothers and Teammates
Today The Bear and The Boy had their second indoor soccer game. The Princess and I cheered them on while Daddy coached the team. The Bear is turning into one awesome soccer player and don't let The Boy's size fool you.... he might be smaller but he can keep up with his big brother. They are having an awesome time playing on the same team!
PROJECT 365- Day 21 - Snuggle and Read Day
Today was "Snuggle and Read" Day in The Boy's kindergarten class. He got to wear pajamas to school, bring a snuggle friend, and bring a favorite book. He chose his buddy Pluto to come with him and he brought one of his favorite books, I Am Going. I was thrilled that I was volunteering in his classroom today - I got to wear my pajamas to school too, help out with Kid Writing, and sneak in some photo ops as well;-).
PROJECT 365- Day 20 - Daddy's Home!!!
The spring semester is upon us and Daddy is back to teaching night classes. But this time things are a bit different....an earlier class schedule coupled with later bedtime for the kids means that Daddy gets home in time to see the kids and say goodnight before they head to bed. When they heard him come inside and head up the stairs they practically tackled him with hugs! Clearly they are happy that Daddy's home! :-)
PROJECT 365- DAY 19 - Birthday Treats and Celebrations that go on for days...
Since the kids had a snow day yesterday they brought their birthday treats to school today. Rice Krispies for The Bear and cupcakes for The Princess. So we are now on day 5 of the birthday week celebrations. We can really stretch it out around here - but who says a birthday has to only last one day right? ;-)
PROJECT 365- Day 18 - Make a Wish!
Today was The Bear and The Princess' 8th birthday!!! Since Daddy had to teach tonight and the kids ended up with a snow day, we had a special "birthday breakfast" complete with candles in the french toast! Make a wish and happy 8th birthday to my "babies"!!!
PROJECT 365 - Day 17 - If this van's a' rockin'....
While driving back from the beach today, the kids passed some of the time listening to their ipods and rockin' out...
PROJECT 365 - Day 16 - Almost 8....
We celebrated The Bear and The Princess' 8th birthday a couple of days early today with Poppy at the beach house. It was an appropriate day to start the birthday celebrations....since January 16th was the day I went to the hospital....8 years ago today I entered the hospital with two babies who were due March 2nd , but had other plans..... The doctor and nurses worked hard to change the babies' minds about coming so early...but ultimately The Bear and The Princess were determined to arrive on the scene.
Here we are 8 years later...with two really cool kids (and their pretty cool little brother).
Let the birthday week begin.... :-)
Project 365- Day 15 - An Early Birthday Present!
The Bear is a very big Steelers fan. The Boy is becoming one as well since he pretty much likes whatever his big brother likes. The Princess is a supportive sister. :-) Today was the Steelers Ravens game - Nico had been waiting all week for this game. The Bear and The Boy had a soccer game this morning and then we packed up to head to the beach for The Bear and The Princess' 8th birthday. We needed to get there in time for kick off! Dressed in their jerseys and hats to bring luck to their team, they were ready! It turned out to be worth the wait and an early birthday present for The Bear.....THE STEELERS WON!!!!!
PROJECT 365- Day 14 - A Kindle for Work and Play!
As I have mentioned before, in 2011 we are embracing technology! With that in mind, My Wonderful Husband finally got a Kindle! He says that it will be a great tool for research and teaching...but I know that he'll be playing with his new toy a bit too ;-). Needless to say, I am very jealous and want to know when I get my Kindle or Nook??
PROJECT 365 - Day 13 - Dinner and Dancing!
For dinner tonight, the kids used their free Pizza Hut coupons that they get for logging their reading each month. Always exciting! After dinner, Daddy put on some tunes and the kids started dancing...they even broke out the wave....is that what it's called? Either way, they were having fun and they were dancing!!! These kids have some moves!
PROJECT 365 - Day 12 - Delayed Opening
We watched last night as the snowflakes started falling....will there be school? This morning we woke to the automated call, email, and text (did I say hello technology or what?) telling us it was a delay for the kids (but not for Daddy). When I think of a delayed opening, I think ooohhh I get to sleep a bit later? No rushing around? Yeah! Clearly, when my children think of a delayed opening they think, ooohhh wake up 60 minutes earlier than we normally do and have 3 extra hours to play instead of just a 2 hour delay!! Yeah! So by 8 this morning (a half hour before they would normally be leaving) they were all up, dressed, had eaten, and were busy being busy..... They spent their extra time playing, reading, checking on their monsters on the computer, and finally reading a Highlights magazine together while they had a snack before leaving for school. Overall, a good delayed opening.
PROJECT 365- Day 11- MONSTERS!!!
Our house has been invaded by monsters...... the cute, furry, sort of educational kind that you can adopt and care for online.....Yes, the newest obsession in our house is moshimonsters.com. The Princess, The Bear, and The Boy spent the better part of the afternoon on the computer playing with their monsters. After a conversation about the website at dinner, I asked where they had heard about this...school? other kids?.... Their response, "We saw it on TV"....and so it begins I guess.....
PROJECT 365- Day 10 - Home Alone....
This morning My Wonderful Husband went back to work after a glorious semester of sabbatical. (I can't believe that I have to wait another 6 years for another sabbatical.) All three children went to school. I didn't have to be anywhere but had stuff around the house waiting to be done. After dropping the kids off, I came home, poured myself a cup of coffee in my obligatory Tink cup (the back reads, Mornings aren't Magical), put my pink slippered feet up and sat. Yes, I said sat. I just sat and drank my coffee. The silence was deafening..... So when my self imposed "time out" was over I got up, put on some Pandora and got to work mopping, vacuuming, and cleaning. I didn't say that I could sit for long..... It was so strange to be home alone, but the time went quickly and before you knew it, it was time to get the kids, unpack backpacks, do homework, get dinner, get The Princess to basketball , clean up dinner, and on and on.... *yawn* ...Tink and I might need to put our feet up again soon ;-).
PROJECT 365 - Day 9- Tastes like summer....
So, in the early Sunday morning hours (ok...maybe not that early....but I was sleepy) My Wonderful Husband let me sleep in and went out to get donuts for the kids for breakfast. Essentially I am really writing this blog today by word of mouth.... but the fact that My Wonderful Husband not only went out in the wee hours of morning (ok 7 ish) to get a special breakfast for the children, then came back and documented the said special breakfast by taking a picture AND relayed to me the conversation that was sparked by the special breakfast, is very, very cool. Clearly, he is on board with this project!!! I thank him for his participation today (and for letting me sleep through it)..... But I do digress....
A bit of important background; this is a family that loves summer. I feel as though that may be an understatement, but if you read my one of my previous blogs, you understand that I do not love winter. Summer though, is warm and sunny and we spend lazy days at the beach..... Again I digress....but there is a point somewhere in here. During the summer we tend to let the kids have donuts for breakfast a bit more often than we normally do. First, not to be a "stateist", but we spend most of our summer in NJ and they clearly have better bakeries than anywhere else and we take advantage of that. Second, when My Wonderful Husband is out surfing at the crack of dawn, he has a distinct advantage in getting to the bakery early to get the freshest yummy treats. Third and most important, donuts are an easy breakfast for the kids to get themselves when they decide to wake with the sun and their Daddy is surfing and their mommy is the only sane one who enjoys sleeping in the morning.
So to make a long story, not much shorter, when The Bear, The Princess and The Boy woke today to find that their Daddy had gotten them donuts for breakfast they were excited to say the least. These kids LOVE donuts. As they quickly picked their favorites and gobbled them down, The Boy declared "YUM!! THESE TASTE LIKE SUMMER!".
Project 365 - Day 8 - A Spontaneous Pizza Party
We woke up to more snow this morning. The Bear and The Boy's indoor soccer game was canceled. But it was Saturday and the day was full of possibilities.... The kids' friend (let's call her Neighbor Girl ;-)) came over to play and a spontaneous pizza party broke out in the playroom.... It was decided that pizza and a movie was in order before heading out to sled. This fun gang spent the day chillin', sleddin', drinkin' hot chocolate and playin'......what a perfect use of a Saturday.
PROJECT 365 - Day 7- Can we go play in the snow?
We woke up to snow this morning...not a lot but enough for playing. Unfortunately for the kids not enough for school to be closed or even delayed. So, much to the kids' disappointment they had to wait until they got home from school to go play in the snow. They wasted no time either.... as soon as they got home they quickly dropped their backpacks, grabbed a quick snack, got their snow clothes on and ran outside to meet their friends and play in the snow!
Project 365 - Day 6 - Three Healthy Kids!
I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but I am not a big fan of winter. I am good with it leading up to Christmas....the lights, the tree, hot chocolate, warm fires...all very sweet and homey.... But once Christmas is over, I am DONE with this weather. It's cold and dreary and everyone gets sick and you can't go outside as much and everyone gets sick, and I can not wear enough layers of clothes, and everyone gets sick.... This year it started before Christmas with pneumonia and asthma attacks. After Christmas, it was the flu, fevers, headaches, and stuffy noses. Did I mention that in the winter EVERYONE GETS SICK??? So after getting snowed in with a blizzard at the beach house, not getting to do some of the fun things we had planned and cutting our trip short when The Bear started getting sick thus missing more of those fun plans, we had a few days of rest at home before school started again. After a relaxing few days everyone was better to go back to school the Monday after the break.
The Princess was even ok for basketball practice on Monday night. Then she woke up that night with a fever of 105! She was home for the next two days. Have I mentioned that this rarely happens in the summer? I'm just sayin'.......
So after two days home resting, drinking lots of fluids, and watching a lot of TV, The Princess was feeling better. So, finally, this morning, everyone was well and went to school. Daddy drove them, so as they pulled out of the garage I heard the music pouring out of the van and I saw three heads bopping along to the music..... (Apparently this "joy ride" was the topic of The Boy's Kid Writing today at school). Thankfully they came home this afternoon happy and still feeling well. It was kind of cold and overcast outside (and their friends were not home across the street) so they played down in the playroom. It was so nice to see everyone up and about and playing. I had to get a picture of these three healthy kids..... Because it's winter and you never know how long this will last..........
PROJECT 365 - Day 5 - Hello Technology!
So I finally downloaded Skype....I know, better late than never. This has been a year of firsts so far. I had already helped Poppy download it and get it set up. So tonight before dinner, the kids got to Skype with Poppy. He doesn't have a web cam yet so he was able to see and hear the kids but they could only hear him. No matter....this was a truly amazing experience for both the kids and Poppy! Hello technology! Hello 2011!
PROJECT 365 - Day 4 - Testosterone
I took several pictures today trying to get the "right" shot to say something about the day. The Princess was sick....again....a pic of her cuddling on the couch?...The Bear and Daddy playing football after school?....maybe... The Boy and Daddy being silly....likely to get that one again ;-) My new totally cute brown boots?........they really are cute.
Then the moment presented itself. The kids were upstairs getting ready for bed. I grabbed my camera just in case and went upstairs. The Princess was ready and in bed, The Boy was running around half ready as per usual but no sign of The Bear....I started to say to him, "What on earth is taking you so long to get ready for bed?" (This is a question that I ask so many times that it belongs on my "Save your breathe app." (we'll discuss that another day after I copyright it ;-)) I turn to walk into the bathroom and find my soon to be 8 year old son posing and checking his muscles in the bathroom mirror. Seriously. Apparently almost 8 is the new 16. Now, I know it is only supposed to be one picture, but not to be outdone by his big brother, The Boy then runs in and poses with his muscles! So if yesterday was all about girl power, I guess today is all about Testosterone! The Princess and I are clearly outnumbered around here. I lose track of how many times she mumbles "Boys..." while shaking her head and walking away. They make noises, and laugh at sometimes inappropriate things. They wrestle. They could make anything into a sport. They would play video games all day, every day, if we let them. They will watch any sporting event that is on TV (just like their Daddy) But they do make us laugh, keep things interesting and balance us.... They tell us when we look nice, occasionally play Barbies and dress up because they know that makes The Princess happy, they sometimes agree to turn off sports and put on Hannah Montana (or in the Daddy's case, he might turn off sports for The Real Housewives) and they would do anything for each other, their sister ( their kids or their wife) and their Mommy and Daddy. We wouldn't trade them for the world. We love our boys!
PROJECT 365 - Day 3 - Girl Power!
Today was not only the first day back to school after Christmas break (exciting in and of itself).... It was also The Princess's FIRST DAY OF BASKETBALL PRACTICE!!!! She has been wanting to play basketball for quite some time now and has been patiently waiting for the season to start. Her brothers started indoor soccer before Christmas, but she had to wait. Then she got sick and there was the fear that she would not make it tonight. She wasn't having any of that....she willed herself better all weekend long and made it to practice. She is on a team with some good friends from school and they are all about the GIRL POWER!!! These girls know how to go out there, play hard, and have fun!
I am new to this, so I am posting twice today.... I posted the pics for Day 1 and 2 of PROJECT 365.
PROJECT 365 - Day 1 - Calendars
We started off the new year getting over colds and the flu. We just hung out all day and relaxed. We used the day to get our calendars ready by adding all of the special days- birthdays, anniversaries, sports practices and games, show and tell days...you get the idea. The Princess, The Bear, and The Boy used the new silly pens they had gotten in their Christmas stockings. They also used stickers to mark the days. We are ready to jump into 2011!! Happy New Year!
PROJECT 365 -Day 2- Label Maker....Where have you been all my life?
I woke up with an overwhelming feeling of needing to get things in order. So I started the long process of "undecorating". To most, this is not as much fun as the decorating....but to a self proclaimed clean freak and organization junky like me, it might even be more fun. Just a lot of work. Then I remembered that my wonderful husband had bought me a label maker (last year) that I had never actually used yet. ( I know...can you imagine??? Where has this thing been my whole life?) So with the help of my new FAVORITE toy, I undecorated and got things in order. I am exhausted but relieved that it is all done. We got the kids ready to go back to school tomorrow and I will have a clean house :-). Now.....what else can I label????
My twins (I will refer to them as The Princess and The Bear) were born in January 2003 and my youngest (I will refer to him as The Boy) came along in May 2005. My mother passed away in March 2006. So not to make excuses, but I was a bit preoccupied for awhile. I wanted to start scrapbooking when the kids were born but never "got around to it". Two years ago (or maybe 3?) I made a resolution to at least start taking more pictures to document our life. I also promised myself that I would start scrapbooking. Well, I did better with the pictures. Especially after my Wonderful Husband got me a new PINK camera that I carry with me wherever I go. Finally, last spring I started scrapbooking and I. was. hooked. This year, I was inspired to do PROJECT 365 - a picture every day of the year to document 2011. So in light of that inspiration, I decided to start my very first blog. I'll use this blog primarily to post the pics from PROJECT 365, but who knows....:-) So cheers to a new year full of new projects and a fun way to document all of the fun, crazy, exciting, sometimes mundane, everyday, and almost always, silly things that we experience as The Leonard Five.
