In the car on the way to school:
Me "Well, it's more transient there"
Jared "I don't think so, I mean it's the north..."
"You don't know what transient means do you?"
"Nope. I was just trying to look past that"
"Yeah..."
"Is it like transparent?"
"Yeah, no...not at all."
....

My two littles.
They compliment each other perfectly,
and yet,
are completely different.

The boys get "tickets" for good behavior at school.
Jack is meticulous with his tickets,
they are pristine...
he puts his name on them and keeps them in a special envelope...

Colten shoves his tickets in his pant pockets...
(I wash at least five a week)
he uses them as bookmarks, keeps them loose in his backpack...
they are crumpled, wadded up, torn...a mess.

Today at school they can use 20 tickets as admission for a special "fun-day".
This morning...
Colten had no idea if he even had 20 tickets,
Jack was desperate for his brother to go to the special event with him,
and was willing to give him some of his tickets...
so they're at the table sorting Jack's tickets.

Here is where they are remarkably different.
While Colten's folders, backpack and locker are a complete and total disaster,
he is right on target in the morning.
He has his routine down, breakfast, brush teeth, fix hair, get shoes on, coat, backpack, lunchbox...all by 7:30.
(which leaves plenty of time to harass the rest of us for "making him late")
So he's checked the clock, gathered his tickets, shoved them in his pocket,
and gone about his morning...

Jack on the other hand is completely in the clouds.
and normally still eating breakfast at 7:25.
and talking....he has much to say.
This morning he was telling Colten a long involved story,
as Colten was getting his backpack together...
His tickets still spread across the table...

7:34.
"Hey Jack why aren't you putting your shoes on?"
"Oh, because I don't have any socks on"

7:40.
Jack makes his way to the truck...

We pull into school.
"Mom!"
"Yes Jack"
"I don't have my backpack"

His backpack.
The only item he needs for school every day besides his lunchbox.
The one with all of his tickets in it.
That backpack.

Then there were tears.

So I drove back to school this morning.
Backpack and magic tickets in hand.
I made the office ladies actually send him down to see me.
They wanted to give him his backpack.
I wanted a thank you.
Which I got.
and
That was my morning...
and a perfect example of my smalls.

My husband is now in the sky.
Flying home to see me.
(thank goodness)
I'm cashing in all my tickets for a fun-weekend...
Yeah I am.
xox

for the record,
the only editing I did was to change the "no"s to "know"s,
mainly because I really thought we was using the wrong one.
I got an eye-roll for that.
"hello people of my mother's blog"
almost made me pee my pants.
crazy child of mine.
I have approximately 13 seconds before I have to have these children
fed and at sporting events,
sporting events spread across this town...
Just wanted to stop in and say hello.
Hello to the people of my blog.
I have been scrapping a mini-album-card for Jack's birthday.
It's a card.
and a mini album.
It's like a mini-album pretending to be a card...
My friend Tara sent me these darling little scalloped board book albums,
that I love...
although..
darling was not the word I was using as I had to cut around each of those cute little scallops...
heehee...
ok.
have to run.
xox

hello people of my mothers blog,
its me, jared
i was told that some of y'all wanted to know about my "grape-juice-on-my-head" story
so here goes nothing....
so we had just gotten home from barnes and noble and everyone had gotten something there except me...so i got stuck with carrying everyones drink inside the house
i had taken a glass of grape juice, i love grape juice, into the car before we went to the store...so i thought it was empty, which turns out it wasn't...
so i put the "empty" cup of grape juice sideways on my head so i could hold the four other cups without dropping them
the rest of the "empty" cup of grape juice, which had a lot more in it then someone would normally expect it would, spilled all over my head and my north face, resulting in a very sticky, slightly purple head and coat...and now all of y'all know my story of the grape-juice-on-my-head
thank u, thank u, thank u
jared
ps i did type this all in "txt language" but my mom edited it so thanks mother

Jack was laying on our bed this weekend, I thought he was playing games on Colin's blackberry...Upon further examination he was actually reading Tiger Wood's statement...

what a goof.

I love that kid.

Silly me...

Before I forget (yet again)
I have being meaning to ask if any of my bloggy friends want a copy of
Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred dvd?!
I used it once, maybe twice,
waaaay too much jumping for my bad knee...
However, a lot of my friends have used it,
or are using it,
and LOVE it.
Just figured I'd ask....since I own a copy,
and will never use it again...
seems silly to keep it.
Comment, or email me, and I'll send it to you
...just because.
♥
I am currently on the Maui Wowee Bar diet...
which I sense will be far less effective than the dvd.

ETA: YAY!!! That was quick! The 30-day Shred dvd has a new home. ;)

this weekend Colten went to a birthday party, Claire came over, we went to BestBuy, Colten had soccer practice, Jared finished up his English project, I made maui wowee bars (everyone loved them, except Jack...are you seeing a trend here?), Col and I watched The Hangover (again), we bought a new suitcase, Colin left for Vegas, the boys and I went to Barnes and Noble, and GameStop, Jack tried to make a duct tape wallet, and got a new yo-yo, all the boys got haircuts, and played playstation...
today we (almost) left for school on time, my best friend called, we talked way too long, I need to fold a mountain of laundry...
tonight Jared has soccer practice after school, Jack has baseball practice at 7, we're going to have haystacks for dinner --- crushed tortilla chips, rice, beans in a bowl with whatever toppings you want to add -avocados, cheese, tomatoes, black olives, green onions, sour cream, hot sauce...
(with the exception of Jack & Colin this is a favorite around here)

Alan: Can I ask you another question?
Sure.
You probably get this a lot. This isn't the real Caesar's Palace is it?
What do you mean?
Did, umm... did Caesar live here?
No.
I didn't think so.
(The Hangover)

this is what happens when you go to grab a post it note at my house...
boys.
.......
speaking of boys
My favorite nephew turns 2 today!

Happy Birthday Evansen!!!

We LOVE you

SOoooooo MUCH!

We hope that today is filled

will lots of tom-toms

and yummy cake.

♥

........................................................

I can't believe that I will have 2 new nieces this summer!!!

I'm SO excited!

I love being an Aunt-*e*...

I promise

I will not call the girls

Zeus

and Chuck

{much}

after they're born.

Although

Coley is really holding out for Athena.

(Are you listening Aunt Gabby & Uncle Mike?!?)

now...

If we could just all live closer...

that would be excellent.

xoxoxox

Arguing with Colten before school. Listening to the GLEE soundtrack. Eating oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins. Drinking my second cup of coffee. Doing laundry. Praying for good news at the doctor today. Making a list. Wishing I was going to Vegas with my husband. Debating what to get the Jack for his birthday. Wondering if Coley's IEP is even worth it anymore. Thinking I definitely need another cup of coffee. Happy my keurig is working again. Hoping Jared wins his first varsity scrimmage tonight. Enjoying the idea I don't have to make dinner tonight. Laughing at a facebook status. Wishing I didn't need to mop the kitchen floor. Loving the way my new conditioner makes my hair feel. Needing a haircut in the worst way. Wanting my gray hair to just disappear. Emailing Colten's teacher. Worrying my new doctor will be scary. or cute. or dumb. or a combination of the three. Breathing...

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand." -The Velveteen Rabbit

I have blogged about Old Baby.
I have scrapped pages about Old Baby.
Old Baby is Jack's blanket.
I am sure I've told the story of how Baby got his name,
but briefly I will again...
I got a lovely blanket for Jack's crib...
it was kind of expensive, and I assumed it would a pretty part of the bedding.
Jack quickly decided it was his favorite comfort item in the whole wide world.
By the time Jack was two, Baby (his name for his blanket), was looking a little rough.
The company that made Baby was going out of business,
so I decided to order another Baby.
Exactly the same.
Then I could swap them out, and Baby would stay pretty.
When the second blanket arrived.
Jack took one look at it,
and declared
"I DO NOT YIKE DAT NEW BABY! I only like my OLD BABY"
ever since then,
he has called his blanket Old Baby.

Old Baby is looking extremely rough now.
At almost nine years old,
he has holes, big big huge holes,
and really long pieces of fabric hanging off of him.
Jack hasn't wavered in his love for his blanket.

I now sneak into his room after he's asleep to take Old Baby out of his bed.
I worry about him getting tangled up....
and
In what I believe is just an effort to further his Mom's slightly irrational concerns...
Jack sleeps with Old Baby like a scarf around his neck.
So I sneak Old Baby out of bed.
and put him at the foot of the bed.
Jack in return wakes up at some point in the night,
and sneaks him back in bed.
And.
I may have a nervous breakdown...

But there is something about seeing Old Baby,
laying on the edge of the kitchen table,
after dropping the kids off at school...
that takes me instantly back to Jack's babyhood.
and
while I am convinced he possesses a slight choking hazard...
I love all that blanket represents.
I think it's the most beautiful blanket in the entire world.
xoxox

My dad has made me a Valentine print every year since I was born.
Cool, huh?
I've always envisioned a whole wall of Valentines.
Someday...
when I have enough money to frame them all this will happen.

Whew.
Where did this weekend go?
It was a pretty good one.
Jared and Colten had soccer practice.
Jared had a dance at school Saturday night.
We went to see Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief.
(we then spend the next few days discussing all the things they changed from the book, and I finally understood Jared's frustrations with the Harry Potter movies)
Jared and I had a huge argument.
(teenagers are not always easy to deal with)
We had steak, loaded baked potatoes, asparagus with lemon butter, and artichokes for our Valentine's day dinner.
and Andy's for dessert.
(strawberries and melted chocolate chips in vanilla frozen custard. hello love)

Jared finished his science fair project last night.
One project down.
Three more to go.
(one more for each boy)
I don't mind them having major school projects, it's just having them all at once...
it's been crazy.

And how about Menu Plan Monday on Tuesday?
(because that's how I roll)...
Actually I'm sort of embarrassed to post this weeks menu.
I am making all kinds of easy stuff this week.
And I don't do it by days, I like to mix it up....
So this week we will have
...
*Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti (from Gabby...and honestly I thought it sounded kind of gross...but she raved about it, and I saw other bloggers say it was good...so I made it last night, and four out of five of us agreed it is yummy...Jack said it was "not so good")
*BBQ Chicken sandwiches (Love my crockpot)
*Tostadas (w/ black beans)
*Italian French Dips (Rachel Ray) -REALLY good. and Easy.
(My 2 favorite words when we talk about cooking)
*Bagel pizzas
(just like it sounds....make your own pizzas....using bagels. Or if you're me, GF pizza crust. Boys usually do pepperoni with some combination of ham, pineapple, black olives & mushrooms. I do goat cheese, and veggies)
*Bowtie Pasta - garlic bread and salad...
*and we have a Chik-Fil-A school fundraiser on Thursday,
Colten is the student of the month for his class so he has to help out with it.

I subsitute things to make mine wheat/gluten free.... it's not that hard.
(and not as tasty, ... but I digress)

I hung the boys Valentine curtains in their doorways before going to bed last night.
I've done it since they were little bitty.
...
It scares Jared every year when he opens his door.
ha.

Happy Valentines Day!
xoxoxoxox

♥ Haiti ♥

this is my new purse Erin and Pete (and babyChuck) got me for Christmas.
I love it. LOVE it.
It's fantastic because I can fit a water bottle, snacks, and books/magazines in it...
and it's waterproof.
and it's cute.
it's perfect for soccer and baseball this spring...this however was the conversation yesterday
when I threw my purse in the backseat on the way to pick up Jared.

Jack "It's alien eyes"
Cole "Oh yeah...you're right"
Jack "But...if you turn it upside down...Cool sunglasses"
Cole "Mom...what is this suppose to be on your purse?"
Me "Leaves"
Jack "Nah... It's definitely not leaves..."
Cole "Yeah...I don't see it either"

sigh...
I love my alien-eye purse.

Define random...

(the Puerto Rican capital building ... now a gladiator arena)

Phil: "I just installed a sweet home theater system in the family room. The...umm...the trouble is Claire struggles with technology of any kind...I mean remotes, cell phones, computers..."

All I wanted to do was watch The Hangover while cleaning...
really just listen to it,
but I wanted it on...

and I can't figure out the tv.
Seriously.
I think the playstation is now what plays movies?
but I can't figure it out.
the blueray thingy ... I guess isn't plugged in?
I have no idea.
but.
I can't make it work.

Phil: "Where were you pointing it?"
Claire: "At the tv"
Phil: (laughing) "uh honey, no...I'm sorry, it's a home theater"
Claire: "What? So I ...I can't point it at the tv when I want to watch the tv"
Phil: "No. You point it at the receiver"
Claire: "What's a receiver?"
Phil: "Ok. Imagine our home theater system is a human body...so then the receiver is the brain, the tv is the face..."
Claire: "I know what part you are"

Ironically
I started this post...
and the power went out...
now the alarm system is beeping at me.
You guessed it.
I can't make it stop.

(on the phone)
Claire: "Hey it's me"
Phil: "Heyyyy"
Claire:"Listen, I've got a bunch of moms over here that want to watch the talent show dvd and I can't get the sound to work"
Phil: "Is there a picture?"
Claire: "Yes"
Phil: "Be honest...did you do that thing where you get frustrated and you start pressing all the buttons?"

Claire: "I have this theory that Phil purposely installs complicated technology so he has a reason to talk to me like I'm a child. Last month it was the thermostat."

Phil: "The little snowflake makes it cold, cold, cold. Set Temperature makes it hold, hold, hold...The little flame makes it hot..."

The boys are back in school.
Yesterday they went back on a one hour delay...
they'd been out for so long...it took me a minute to remember what time they normally went,

in order to factor in any sort of delay...

You can tell they've spent the majority of their lives in the south,
because they all ask where their toboggans are...
when they're looking for their hats.

to·bog·gan (tə-bŏg'ən)
n. A long, narrow, runnerless sled constructed of thin boards curled upward at the front end.

nope.
winter hat.

Valentines are done.
and
mailed.
Thank goodness.
I'm still finding glitter on my face,
even after showering...
I watched too much BigLove while making them I think...
because I'm starting to think a sister-wife isn't such a bad idea.
I could use the help frankly.
Especially tonight when all three boys have to be somewhere at 5:30.
I'm not sure why people aren't excited when their kids learn to drive.
Three drivers and three kids just seems to make better sense.

I have to go clean now.
minus any hysterical movie playing in the background to amuse my ears...
and

minus a sister wife to help out...
but.
not minus a super annoying beep-beep-beep every four and a half minutes...

Claire: "Ok Phil I apologize for breaking the worlds worst remote...that you bought...stupidly"

eta: I can actually work the stereo,

I'm now listening to the GLEE soundtrack...so all is not lost.

and... all those quotes are from Modern Family. Just in case you didn't know Phil and/or Claire...

♥

...and it's another snowday...
which I really don't mind except the boys bogard the computer...
and the tv...

Yesterday while the littles were outside playing,
J was playing some war game on the playstation...
online,
so you can hear other people...
(which is all new to me)
there was a baby crying...
so I asked Jared if there was a baby in the war game,
because that just seemed wrong on SO many levels...
no.
it was some guy playing the game...
with his baby.
who was crying.
which made me crazy...
and I commented like 27 times...
finally J said "Mom. I'm not the one with the baby, and that guy can't hear you!"
oh.
true.

still.
What is wrong with people?

Funny story:
Our radio in the truck displays the song title of the song playing...
So I get in the car the other day...
and the radio says "Light On"
Yeah, guess who spent a good few minutes trying to assess which light was on in the truck...
I even checked that the doors were closed.
and then...
realized that I wasn't looking at the dashboard.
it was the radio.
and then I felt super cool.

and least I can say I'm pretty sure we know where Jared gets it from...

ok.
back to card making...
xoxox

this will just have to be a random post, because I am pretty random these days...

1: fact: I am not a card marker.
One might ask why I decided to make the Valentine cards then...
and...
I would have no answer for this.
I decided just to go very very simple...
However...if you are getting a Valentine from me please note that it is not suppose to arrive in pieces, if it is in fact in pieces, ignore this, and please focus on the thought.
It's the thought that counts, right?!?
(Glitter paper...what the hell was I thinking?!?! besides {I. like. glitter.} I can't get anything to stick to it (like...umm....the photo)...glue makes the actual card warp...and well, it's been fabulous)

2: When your doctor calls you on a Sunday...it's always going to make you vom in your mouth a little. Going to another doctor...and might I add, I am not a fan of doctors,
soooo three in a week is a bit much for me.
Hopefully someone will figure something out....
In the meantime, I still think I will be fine...although clearly currently all is not fine.

3: Today is a snow day.
My boys are home.
The roads are completely clear...but there is snow on the ground.
They were suppose to be done with school May 25th....
I'm guessing come June they will still be in school...at this rate possibly July.
(but I'm enjoying the sleeping in...so I'm not complaining)

4: No jury duty this week. Boo.

5: It's actually good the boys are home today because there is soooo much leftover SuperBowl food, they need to eat it...before I do. (is the SuperBowl not about the food?!? heehee)

ok, I need to go finish up these cards...

I still want to do meal plan monday
however,
that would involve me actually have a meal plan done on monday...
ha.
xoxoxo

My philosophy is basically this and this is something that I live by and I always have and I always will. Don't ever, for any reason, do anything to anyone for any reason ever, no matter what, no matter where, or who, or who you are with, or, or where you are going, or, or where you've been ...ever. For any reason whatsoever...Sometimes I'll start a sentence and I don't even know where it's going. I just hope I find it along the way. Like an improv conversation. An "improversation." -Michael Scott

Yesterday:
I didn't have to go to jury duty because we have off until monday.
I decided I should stop diagnosing myself because I'm not actually a doctor...
and went to the doctor.
Colten informed me that he hoped the reason
my tummy hurts is because there is "a baby in there"...
While I am not actually a doctor I did know that was in fact not true.
Bought myself new lipstick and nail polish to make myself feel better.
(it totally worked)
Got home and had a package from Tara waiting for me filled with scrapstuff...
I love mail-love.
Picked up the boys.
Went home.
Got a text from Jared that he didn't have soccer (2nd day in a row)
and I needed to leave to get him again...
As we were waiting at the light, a semi turned the corner, and jumped the curb.
Colten "Did that semi just pop the curb? I think it almost tipped"
(it didn't really "almost tip"...but it did that shaky thing)
me "It would have squashed us, huh?! Jack would have been fine on his side of the truck. Hopefully you would have called 911 Jack"
Jack "No, I probably would have panicked....and been like ok 9....now where is the eleven?!?!"
Ha. that cracked me up.
Painted my nails navyblue.
Liked it. a lot.
Frozen pizza for dinner. Mine was rice crust.
(noooo likey that)
Soccer for Colten.
Baseball meeting for the Jack.
Home at 8.
The Office.
Greys.
bed.

Today:
More rain.
Dropped the boys off at school.
Edited some photos.
Might scrapbook.
Might clean.
It's really a want versus need situation.
I will pick up the boys.
Jared has soccer the one day this week it would be nice if he didn't.
4:45 I have an ultrasound.
Fajitas for dinner.
(Fa-GEE-tas I like to say)
I plan on vegging on the sofa with my husband tonight.
(hopefully that's what he has planned)
or....he can take me out on a date.
(I'm not picky)

Tomorrow:
I have to work on ♥ ♥ ♥ Valentines ♥ ♥ ♥
because
they aren't making themselves for some odd reason.
(annoying)
We will run some errands.
(Colin will not be excited about this part)
I will make vinegar glossed chicken from this cookbook for dinner.
(really great cookbook btw)

that is about my show.
Have a lovely weekend friends.
xoxox

ETA: Nooooo worries! Just a pain in my side, and while I'm not a doctor (see above)...I think I'll be fine ♥ xxxxxe

"The shading is all wrong...I hate it" -Jack
so.
that's Jack's bulldog.

he desires his drawings to look just like "they are suppose to"
which can be difficult when you're only eight,
and it's sometimes hard to make your cursive letters look like "they are suppose to"

I tell him the beautiful thing about being an artist is
that things are "suppose" to look however you want them to look...
there isn't a right,
or a wrong way.

“Artists can color the sky red because they know it's blue. Those of us who aren't artists must color things the way they really are or people might think we're stupid.”
-Jules Feiffer

still.
to him.
they should look like they look in real life.
and it is a sometimes frustrating process.
...
Jack has been checking out "how to draw" books
from the library at school...
how to draw states in fact...
so "how to draw Georgia"
"how to draw Hawaii"
you get the idea.
which is only amusing to me because it also gives Jack facts.
and Jack loves facts.
state birds.
state flowers.
state capitals.
he likes to randomly dole out facts to us...
"Do you know Montana's state flower?"
so to him it's a win-win...
advice on drawing things
and random facts.
perfect.
...
I however
am not a fan of the "how to draws"
but I would never tell him this...
because my focus is not how he "learns"
or what he chooses to draw
or paint...
but just that he draws and paints.
and continues to love it.

happy face...

ok....
ok....
it wasn't that bad...
dare I say,
It was sort of interesting?
In a law-and-orderish type of way...

fabulousity

so....
I'm not sure I mentioned how uncomfortable group settings make me...
especially those unknown to me...
but yeah
they do.
which is why I can think of approximately 147 things
I'd rather do right now than go to jury duty
(for the whole month*...might I add)
but that's where I'm going.
(singing baby Jack's song "happy face, happy face...." on repeat)

darn you snow for melting!
we had such a good thing going...
sleeping in...
wearing sweat pants...
sigh.
at least I might get more than 2 books in for the month of February?!

anyway...
that's where I'll be
:)
xoxox
*is that normal? a month? I thought it was a week...?!?

snowday.
#3.
the boys are joyous to say the least.

so I just wanted to revisit my 2010 goals...and see where I'm at
I know it's only been a month...but it's still good to remember what it is I'm suppose
to be working on...

I would like to learn to knit
this goal is a work in progress...
I now know someone that knits, AND has offered to teach me, so I'm closer...
I would like to learn to sew
this one...nooooo progress.

I want to scrapbook more...at least once a week
this is the one I really want to do and haven't...
I'm going to focus more on this.
Getting a kit from StudioCalico once a month may be the motivation I need....
(hint..hint...Colin...hint...hint)

I want my photos printed. caught up. and in albums
um...yeah, this isn't even close.
let's ignore this one for now...

I want to work on my organization
(specifically in regards to menu planning, preparation and grocery shopping...ick. I'm bad at this) I am actually doing pretty good at this!
I'm getting a menu done...getting to the grocery store is still a hurdle. (not a fan)
but I'm improving!
I think I may even start posting my menu on Mondays like this...
we shall see about that though...
(I am not a fan of making the menu/grocery list/shopping/cooking...but I love seeing what other people are making....crazy, eh?)

I want to take a vacation with my family.(*a vacation that doesn't constitute staying in a hotel for soccer or baseball)
I may have to accept the fact that all travel this summer for us, may in fact involve soccer and/or baseball. I'm still hopeful, but it doesn't look good...

I'd like to work on getting in better shape.
I would like to also ignore this one for the time being...
I mean I still want to get in better shape...
but I'm not actually doing anything to achieve this goal currently...

next....

I want to read more...1-2 books a month sounds like a reasonable goal.finally, a goal I'm actually doing!
I read 2 books last month...and I'm almost done with a third.
whew.

I want to draw some
well, I still do...

I want to be more present in the now, and focus less on the future
working hard on this.

I would like to work on being friendlier...even when I don't feel like it...but without being fake.
I've been saying since the first of the year...
"A kinder, gentler me..."
It's my new mantra.

on the subject of kindness...
I love this quote:

"All I ask is one thing. And I'm asking this particularly of young people that watch: please do not be cynical. I hate cynicism. for the record. It's my least favorite quality. It doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you are kind, amazing things will happen" - Conan O'Brien 1-22-2010
and...
I loved this post that Stephanie wrote.
And for the record, I think I've always been kind.
I just come off as distant and "not outwardly nice" in group settings...
like soccer games...etc...
It's more that I'm uncomfortable...
So I'm working on that.I tell my kids all the time...
"Be nice"
Be nice to each other.
Be nice to those you meet.
Be nice to those you don't really like...
just...be nice.
Kindness does matter.

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle"
-Plato

if you're having a snowday...
I highly recommend making some cookies to go with that hot chocolate.
these are really good...and they're gluten-free*!
(*if you use GF oats)
when I say gluten free around here
my boys usually say "gross" but not to these...
they loved them.

Oatmeal Jumbos
(from kathy & gabby)

1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
1 & 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups quick-cooking rolled oats (GF if you want)
3/4 cups peanuts, walnuts, or pecans (I did not use nuts...my boys are not fans)
1 & 1/2 cup m&ms or chocolate chips
(I used chocolate chips...and I pretty much just dumped the bag in...shhh-hhh...)

Mix.
Bake at 350 degrees.
for 10-12mins.

My boys took 2 and put a little vanilla ice cream between them....YUM!

on Friday...
the boys squeezed into their waaaay too small boots from when we lived in Ohio.
(2 years ago)
there is a school behind our house with a hill...
so sledding and fort building were had.
and
red cheeks...
and warm baths.

Saturday too...
*hysterical photo of the frozen Jack.Jared even played in the snow with his friends... Big kid style.
(photos from J's friend HannaMay)I stayed inside.
Where it was nice and cozy-warm.

We haven't had anymore snow since Thursday/Friday,
but no plows
means no school...
so my boys are home again today.
Which is good news for me,
because it meant no jury duty...
which I apparently have all month.
(I know...fun, right?)
xox