Spring Break

When I was in college and teaching, I looked forward to the breaks, especially spring break. Even though we didn't take trips over the breaks, I was doing something different. I wasn't teaching in the classroom, but enjoying days at home with Morgan. It was a time to refresh and reenergize before the final stretch of the school year.

Now, I have a love/not so fond of you relationship with our school breaks.

I love not having a schedule but I am also not so fond of not having a schedule. I find that the only difference in our normal routine is that we are not having school. I am thankful for a break from lesson planning and teaching but I don't come back from our breaks feeling refreshed, recharged, and ready to take on the rest of the school year.

This year we have been following a modified year round calendar. We started school in early August and have taken scheduled breaks throughout the year. {we will definitely be following this type of schedule next year - loved it} I have found that taking the longer breaks has helped in giving us {mainly me} more time to recharge. We are beginning our second week and I am hoping it is more restful and productive than our first week.

Our first week was busy:

* we started the week with Landon's birthday party

* had one day where we ran errands

* morgan had piano lessons and gymnastics {4 days}

* visited the new indoor jump house

* helped stuff 10,000 eggs, 400 bags of jelly beans, and divide tickets for games for our churches eggstravaganza {are you loving mauryn's outfit... }

* celebrated Landon and our neighbors Val and Amiah's birthdays

* attended our churches eggstravaganza

My list for our second week:

* take Landon to have 6 year photos taken

* clean out closets and make a list of spring clothing needs

* visit the jump houses

* take Morgan to the Owl City concert

* Morgan has gymnastics {4 days}

* try to make a pillowcase dress for Mauryn

* work on skirts for the girls

* dye eggs for Easter

* lesson plans

What are your plans for spring break? Do you find it a time to refresh?

Intimidated

If you have read this blog for any time you know that I love to bake. love it.

It relaxes me.

But there is one thing that has intimidated me for a very long time.

Pie crust.

If I was to make a pie, I would just buy a frozen pie crust.

Last summer, Sarah posted a tutorial on how to make the perfect pie crust. Since I am a visual learner, a tutorial with pictures was just what I needed to attempt my first pie crust.

A few weeks ago, I took on a homemade pie crust for a french silk pie. It was easy. So much easier than I had imagined.

French Silk Pie

recipe came from one of my former students

1 pie crust

1 c sugar

3/4 c butter

3 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

1 1/4 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

* Cream sugar and butter together for 4 minutes

* Blend in cooled chocolate and vanilla

* Add eggs one at a time, beating on medium speed for two minutes between each egg. Scrape sides of bowl constantly. Turn into pie shell.

* Top with whipped cream and chocolate curls.

This pie is very rich. I am not a huge chocolate fan but I love mixing the chocolate filling with the whipped cream.... yum! I really love white chocolate so I think the next time I make this pie I am going to try it as a white chocolate pie.

Is there anything in the kitchen that has intimated you?

Leaping Lemurs

Animals,

the zoo,

plus the pbs show zoboomafoo

equal a zoboomafoo themed 6th birthday at the zoo for Landon.

His party day started with a number six pancake with candles. We usually do that on their day but since he spent his birthday out of town at his sisters gymnastics meet he didn't get his special pancake.

the invitations
Our zoo doesn't actually schedule birthday parties but they let me schedule his party as a field trip. It was so fun. Our guide talked about four different animal groups: insects, reptiles, birds, and mammals. She told them about the unique qualities of each animal group. Our guide had something for the kids to hold or touch while she described each group. Then the kids were able to touch an animal from each group. Definitely a highlight!! When our time in the classroom was over, we had a guided tour to see a few animals before being able to take on the zoo on our own. It was an easy party and my boy loved every minute of it.

Perseverance

A few weeks ago, during one of Morgan's gymnastics meets, Lance and I noticed Morgan was limping. She left the floor after completing her routine and had the coaches wrap her foot. When the meet was over Lance and I asked her about it. She said her heel was hurting. Lance thought she may have bruised her foot so we iced it and gave her some ibuprofen.

As the week went on, Morgan's heel was still giving her some issues but not enough where she wanted to take time off of gym or competing. Morgan and I flew to Coeur d'Alene for her meet. Her first rotation was the balance beam. She completed a beautiful routine and was moving onto warm ups on the floor when I noticed she was crying. Morgan is not a crier. I knew she was definitely in pain. I walked down to the floor to talk with her. I told her she could scratch on floor and vault and just compete on bars. She looked at me like I was crazy. There was no way she wasn't going to compete even if she was in pain. Honestly, I was surprised. I thought she would jump at the chance to sit out those rotations. She is tougher than I thought!

When we returned from Coeur d'Alene, I scheduled an appointment with a podiatrist. After talking with the doctor and having x rays taken we learned that Morgan has Sever's Disease. It is not uncommon with children as they grow but it is exasperated by the fact that she is a gymnast. The doctor wrapped her feet, told her that she needed to wear tennis shoes {no bare feet, no flip flops, etc...}, get heel cups for tumbling at gym, and use ibuprofen as needed. Morgan was worried he would tell her that she had to quit gymnastics or take time off but he said as long as she was able to manage the discomfort she could continue.

Although she is no longer limping and the pain is gone in her heels when she walks, Morgan still has some pain when she tumbling and vaulting at gymnastics.

This last weekend Morgan had her state gymnastics meet. She was determined to compete in all events even though her heels were still giving her some trouble. She was going to persevere.

Morgan finished 8th in her age group and in the top third of all the girls in her level. She toughed it out, did her best and had a great time. Her team took 2nd place which was very exciting. As a group they have struggled with injuries and being consistent in their routines. It was fun to see them all have some strong routines.

Last competition season was difficult for Morgan. She had struggled with some of the new skills but the uneven bars were her greatest challenge. It was hard to see her struggle. She was focused on conquering the bars. It is her favorite event even though it was hard for her.

This year, it all came together. She persevered and mastered her bar routine. In the last few weeks she has consistently placed in the top for bars. At the state meet, Morgan had the bar routine of her year. It was amazing. I may have yelled and shed a tear or two. I was so proud of her. She set her mind to do improve and she did it.

Morgan placed 2nd in her age group on the uneven bars and 2nd place out of the 64 girls in her level.

Morgan has taught me about focusing on the goal, pushing through the pain, and persevering in order to meet a goal. Thanks Morgan for being an inspiration to me.

Giveaway winner: sorry i didn't get this up on sunday. i was under mounds of laundry and prepping for a 6 year olds birthday party.

Kym {i will deliver it to you on wednesday}

He's 6!

Dear Landon ~

You forgot that you were not supposed to get any bigger. Remember, you were going to stay 5 and be my little boy.

You are spending your 6th birthday at Morgan's state gymnastics meet and you have been a trooper! As long as you get to swim {you are a little fish}, have McDonalds for lunch {your favorite fast food}, and had a few presents to open you were happy.

Your big brown eyes and your smile can make me melt.

You are constantly on the go and into something. You can be very intense and aggressive but you also have the sweetest most tender heart. You look out for others. You are always honest, even when you might get into trouble. You love to cook and bake as well as play any sport that involves a ball. You like to play your drums, strum your guitar, dance, and listen to music. You are interested in animals and love to visit the zoo {maybe you will be a veterinarian like your daddy one day}. I love that you are interested in so many things.

I love you sweet boy! Happy Birthday.

Road Trips and a Giveaway

Road trip....a word that could cause stress or anxiety in some people. But I LOVE road trips. always have, even as a child.

I love driving.

I love seeing different parts of the country.

It is relaxing to me.

Even with my kids.

I am blessed to have great little travelers but I have also learned a few things along the way to help make our road trips a little easier.

1. Preparation. I talk to the kids and let them know how long we will be in the car. We set goals for how far we will make it without a stop. If someone needs to stop we will but we try to make our goal. It is like a little game for them.

2. Snacks. I rarely buy individually packed snacks. But for our road trips, I buy a variety of individually packaged snacks to keep in the car. The kids are excited about having their own snacks and it prevents us from purchasing snacks at convenience stores along the way. I also keep a little secret stash of suckers, M & M's, and other favorite candies that I throw out every once in a while after a long stretch of driving, as a prize for a game we have played, or because mama needs some sugar!

3. Games. We play the typical road trip games such as keeping track of the different license plates, trying to find all the letters of the alphabet on signs and billboards, and I Spy. The kids will also come up with games along the way, like trying to decide what a certain cloud looks like or creating a silly story that we all build upon. I will sometimes copy maps so they can track our travels on a map. The kids will take along card games, and puzzle books such as word searches, mazes, and dot to dots. You can also check out this website for some other great ideas.

4. Ipods, Leapster/DS, DVD player. There are only so many Wiggles songs or Alvin and the Chipmunks this mama can listen to in a day. I am very thankful for ipods so the kids can listen to their own music without disturbing anyone. The kids do take along their leapsters/DS and I throw in our DVD player. Honestly, they don't use them that often. I love having the DVD player in the car if we need it but I am usually amazed that we don't pull it out. If they ask, I will generally let them watch something but if they don't ask and they are enjoying the trip I don't volunteer it as a choice.

5. Adventures in Odyssey and Jonathon Park. This is by far our favorite activity on a road trip. We love to listen to the stories on Adventures in Odyssey or Jonathon Park CD's. Before any long trip, I will invest in one or two new CD's just to change things up. But it wouldn't matter if we had new ones, my kids will listen to the old stories over and over again. They are mesmerized by them. It isn't just the kids, I love them too!

I have an Adventures in Odyssey CD to giveaway to one of you! Just leave me a comment about how you survive {or avoid} road trips with your kids.

I will draw a winner on Sunday.

* this is a cd as a gift from me to a reader. i am not being paid by focus on the family to talk about or giveaway the cd.

St.Patrick's Day

Even though I grew up in a community that had a parade and celebration for St. Patrick's Day, I have never done much for the holiday.

We don't eat corned beef, cabbage, and soda bread {even though my husband has some Irish in his family line}.

In February, my friend Denise made these adorable shirts for her girls. I wanted to make them for my daughters but time ran out before Valentines Day. A few weeks ago when I was at the fabric store Morgan spotted some fun green socks. I picked them up to make her a shirt. The socks, shirt, and fabric sat by my sewing machine for weeks.

With St. Patrick's Day looming in the future, I finally sat down to make Morgan's shirt. Since her gym colors are green and black, I decided to make a shirt representing her team rather than just a St. Patrick's Day shirt {since her state meet is this weekend she can wear it again}.

Morgan's gym was having a green food day. Each girl was supposed to bring something green to share. Morgan decided to dip pretzels in white chocolate colored with green food coloring and then covered with green sprinkles. They were yummy!

Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day? If so, what do you do to celebrate?