Posts Tagged ‘preschool’
Lucas and Meredith’s preschool has a Yankee Candle school fundraiser every year, and I just love it. Who doesn’t enjoy Yankee Candles? You can’t beat them ~ I have yet to find a candle that’s as fragrant. I just went through the catalog to see what candles we might want to purchase for our own home. The Sparkling Cinnamon smells so good! I also like Home for the Holidays and Eggnog (one of my favorite holiday beverages). Hard to believe that we’re thinking about Christmas goodies already, but Christmas is only about three months away!
If you’re interested in making a purchase to help out Luke and Meri’s preschool, check out YankeeFundraising.com. Send me an e-mail or leave a blog comment to let me know what you’d like to order, and I’ll get it taken care of for you. (You can mail me a check, send PayPal, or whatever’s easiest). Every dollar that’s raised goes DIRECTLY to Luke and Meri’s preschool class to benefit THEM, which I think is awesome. It’ll help buy new toys, supplies, decorations, activities, etc. as well as help cover daily classroom expenses. And when your order comes in, I’ll get it to you ASAP.
Thanks for your consideration!
Busy afternoon today. I’m dropping Lucas off at preschool at 12:30, and I have lots of stuff to bring with me. I’m taking four empty milk jugs to contribute to the construction of the school’s igloo, and I also washed some dress-up clothes as part of their winter cleaning. While Luke’s in school, I think that I’m going to take Meredith over to the local yarn store that a friend told me about yesterday. (Lord help my wallet, LOL!) Then, after preschool, Lucas has a quick checkup at the pediatrician’s office. Sometime today, I also have to make a grocery list and work on the finishing touches for this town calendar. And I’m doing laundry ~ and I’d also like to relax and do some knitting tonight, if possible. Such a busy time of year!
Yesterday afternoon, I took the kids over to our town’s train station to help decorate for Santa’s arrival this Saturday. Lucas was *so* excited about the model train that’s there. He also saw Santa’s chair sitting in the corner and asked me, “How tall is Santa?” It was super cute. The tree that they chose for the station is so beautiful and full and smells incredible. Lucas is contributing his glittery bell ornament that he made during moms’ group on Tuesday. :) I helped string lights on the outside of the depot, and while we were doing that, we saw an eagle flying overhead! Yesterday was a great day for decorating because it was actually pretty warm ~ in the 40s and low 50s! I can’t wait to take some pictures on Saturday. It’ll be interesting to see whether Meredith enjoys Santa or is afraid of him! Oh, and Santa will arrive on one of the town’s fire trucks!
Well, I’d better go ~ the laundry probably needs to be switched around. This week has gone by *so* fast ~ how did it get to be Thursday?
A *very* happy 33rd birthday today to my husband! (He’s now as old as me!) While Lucas was in preschool, I carefully wrapped Jeff’s birthday gift. And by careful, I mean that I *painstakingly* tried to disguise what was inside ~ the new Force Unleashed video game for the Xbox 360. He had mentioned a few gift ideas to me, and that was one of them. So, I got a box and wrapped the game in paper towels for cushioning. Then, I went around the house to figure out what items I could include inside the box to make some rattling noises. I seriously thought that he would never figure out what was inside. (He has this annoying amazing talent for guessing what’s inside a wrapped package.) Afterward, I called him at work and proudly said, “You’re *never* going to figure out what’s inside this box! I did a *really* good job of camouflaging it!” And then, he replied, “Hmm, let’s see … is it … The Force Unleashed?” I swear. Why do I even bother? I spent 10 minutes of my life putting together that box and going to such special effort … next time, I should just hand him some money and say, “Happy birthday ~ go buy something!” LOL! :) But, he said that I totally “hit a home run” with this gift ~ that it’s what he *really* wanted. So, I’m excited about that. P.S. Isn’t it neat that my birthday is 9/12 and his is 12/9?
Speaking of birthdays, I always try to keep Jeff’s birthday separate from Christmas preparations. I don’t give him any Christmas-related gifts, and I don’t wrap his birthday presents in Christmas (or even winter-themed) wrapping paper. He wanted a “Star Wars” cake, but unfortunately I don’t have one put together. :( Hopefully I can concoct something yummy for a special dinner tonight, though.
Lots of Christmas cards are starting to appear in our mailbox! So exciting! I *love* getting our mail this time of year! Thank you to everyone who has sent us cards so far! Ours are gradually going out as I get them addressed. By the way, if you’re still working on your holiday cards and need some inspiration (fast!), ChristmasCardsDirect.com has a ton of fresh, original, pretty designs that you could use to create Photo Christmas Cards this year. We always do a family portrait for ours, and it’s especially neat to see how our children have grown and changed from year to year! For 25 cards, you pay only $1.99 per card ~ and the price drops with the more cards you order. One thing that I like most about the website is that it’s *very* easy to navigate ~ more so than some photo uploading sites out there. They even give you ideas for sentiments to have printed inside your cards. And what I found interesting to read was the section about photography advice and tips. There are articles about photography basics, photographing special events and milestones, nature, and family and friends, to name a few. There’s also a “Photo Tip of the Day.” ChristmasCardsDirect.com features more than 200 card designs, and you can also request up to six free samples if you’d like to see the finished product before you order. So, if you’re nervous about getting your holiday cards out on time and want something a little different this year, make sure to check them out!
Lucas sat down on our living room floor this morning and drew a school bus! Pretty good, huh? He *loves* school buses, and I keep thinking about how he’ll be riding one before we know it. He keeps telling us that he has to be 10 years old before he can ride one, though! :)
How are you guys doing today? I totally slept like *crap* last night. And I’m a “single mom” from now until Sunday, when Jeff gets home from Texas. Pray for me! LOL! :) I think that I’m totally going to crash at some point today. I’d *love* to take a nap this afternoon, but I don’t know whether that’s possible with Meredith not taking naps anymore. She gave up naps when she gave up her crib (Lucas did the same thing). But it’s a tradeoff … she does *really* well now with falling asleep at night! Anyway, I’m *so* tired today that I’m not expecting to get a whole lot done. I’m not awake at all. I *have* to put in a few loads of laundry and do the dishes, though, because we have no plates on which to eat!
Speaking of food … one of Lucas’s preschool teachers asked him yesterday what he ate for Thanksgiving dinner. Lucas responded, “Crackers.” LOL! :) Yes, that’s true … we did have crackers and cheese … but he sure ate a lot more than just that! His teacher said that she wishes she had thought of that ~ it would have made cooking much easier! :) I made some potato soup from scratch last night, and it was *so* good. It was a slow cooker recipe that Carol gave me a long time ago, but I turned it into a top-of-the-stove recipe. That’ll be lunch today, along with some rosemary-olive oil bread! Yum!
I’m *really* proud of how well I’m doing with learning how to knit. First, I put together just a small square for some practice, and then I tried another pretty new yarn. Sure, I’ve had to “frog” lots of times (did you catch that ~ I learned a new knitting word last night, LOL!). But I’m trying to be patient and go easy on myself because this is all so new. Last night, I practiced some purl stitches but was unsuccessful. I think that I need to watch a video online again in order to get it right. It’s so wonderful to have a craft that I can pick up so easily where I left off (which is essential when you have two young children!). When I get the purl thing right, I’m going to try my very first pattern: a waffle-stitch washcloth. It seems pretty easy, and if it turns out OK, it might be a nice little Christmas gift along with one of my handmade soaps. But I’m not getting my hopes up too high. I doubt that it’ll look as nice as the one in the photo! LOL! :) I want to see whether we have any cool yarn stores nearby, too. You know, all I really want to do today is sit on the futon in our bonus room and knit while the kids play. But nothing much would get done then, huh?
And now for a completely random note: I *really* admire people who enter the medical field. It’s something that I just couldn’t do. My friend Theresa is an xray technician in Indiana, and she has been working *really* hard with her career. It takes such a special person to care for others in that way. I have to take Meredith for the second part of her flu shot this Friday, and sometime I also need to schedule her lead check at the hospital (Luke had the same thing done when he turned two). I also have a routine physical in February, which I’m *so* not looking forward to! But it’s always good to get checked out. My cholesterol levels were *really* awesome last year, so I’m curious to see what they’re like now (hopefully the same).
Gotta go ~ this calendar project is calling my name. I’m *almost* done with it (which is a good thing, considering it’s already December!). I need to work on the cover and then print everything out to make sure that there are no mistakes. I’m waiting on some more information from our neighbor, too, in order to finish it. And when Luke goes to preschool this afternoon, Meri and I are going to make a grocery store trip. We are *seriously* out of food (unless a small box of brown rice and a few onions count, LOL!). Can’t make much with that!
We watched two movies this weekend: “Transsiberian” and “The Love Guru.” Yes, two dramatically different films! :) “Transsiberian” was recommended to us by a coworker’s girlfriend, and although it was kind of weird in some ways, it was just excellent! I *really* enjoyed it. Most of the story takes place on a train, and Woody Harrelson plays a funny part. The scenery was amazing. “The Love Guru” was silly and good for laughs. Cracked me up that Mariska Hargitay was actually in the movie! I tried to do some knitting during each of these movies, but it was too dark in our living room ~ and the movies *really* captured my attention! :)
Speaking of knitting … I’m knitting now! Yay! :) Carol was *so* sweet to show me the techniques. I even purled a few stitches last night! I can’t tell you how excited I am to learn something new. Right now, I’m using some sage green yarn that she gave me to knit a basic rectangle. I think that I’ll turn it into a coffee cup “cozy” if I manage to actually do it right! :) I’d love to get good enough to make pretty dishcloths, and even down the road maybe I can make some hats for the kids. Carol started me off with some neat knitting supplies and two books to borrow. I’ve been checking those out. I put my name on the list for Ravelry, too. And yes, Kae, I *definitely* need to knit a little pair of pants for my carrot! LOL! :)
Tomorrow is going to be a crazy-busy day. In the morning at 9, I have my moms’ group meeting at our church. Then, it’s lunch on the road as I drive Lucas to preschool at 12:30. I pick him up early because the kids are doing a “Thankful Presentation” (complete with a surprise for the moms ~ I can’t wait to see what Lucas made!). Then, there’s a preschool parent advisory board meeting tomorrow night. I’m absolutely going to crash after that, I think.
Off to finish up some graphic design work ~ have a wonderful Monday, guys!
Today at preschool, Lucas’s teacher asked him what he’s thankful for. I couldn’t *wait* to hear his answers! Lucas said, “Food. Ice cream. Pizza. Toast. Apples.” LOL! :) So cute. What can I say … Lucas has inherited his father’s big appetite! :) We’re supposed to compile some pictures relating to those items, and then the kids are going to make “thankful posters” at school for their Thankful Presentation, which is November 25th.
I’ve started getting into Thanksgiving mode, too. While Luke was in school today, I thought about our Thanksgiving cards for this year and sat down at the computer to sketch out some designs. I’ll be making my family’s traditional Thanksgiving Cake, and I’d like to make a pumpkin pie from scratch. (We attempted that last week while our parents were visiting, but I used a carving pumpkin ~ which was definitely too watery and the wrong kind, as I learned from Stef. Thanks for the tip!) My family always gives the “first Christmas present of the year” on Thanksgiving Day, and it’s always something handmade (my mom started that tradition a long time ago). So, I’m excited to hopefully do some crafting soon.
I have a headache today ~ probably just due to “female stuff.” It’s so dreary and dark outside that it’s making me lazy, too. (We’re loving this 60-degree weather, though ~ no need for Classic UGGs, LOL!) We have a ton of pepperoni to use up, thanks to my inlaws ~ so tonight for dinner, I think that I’m going to bake some pepperoni and cheese-stuffed breadsticks and make a salad. Daylight Saving Time is still screwing me up … this morning, it was only 9:30, but I swear it seemed like it should be lunchtime!
I’m unfortunately skipping my MOMS group meeting this morning because both kids have bad colds. :( Green stuff keeps coming out of Meredith’s nose, and they both have coughs. Right now, Lucas is relaxing on the living room couch underneath a blanket, which he hardly ever does. Meredith is also very snuggly (which I love, of course!). I have a *ton* of things to get done, and it’s a very rainy, dreary day ~ so it’s a good opportunity to be at home working on stuff and just hanging out. I have to call the printers today to touch base with them about this calendar that I’m designing, and I’m also interviewing a lady over the phone for a feature story that I’m writing ~ not to mention it’s preschool day!
Many thanks to Cheryl, who *so* generously sent a wonderful Tigger costume for Lucas in the mail! He looks *so* freaking adorable in it (and it’s warm, which is a requirement of Halloween costumes here in upstate New York!). I didn’t get to see the costume on him for long, though, because he refuses to put it on until Halloween gets here! :) I couldn’t find a Tigger costume except for on Amazon.com, and it was $50! Crazy. Thing is, I should have started looking for the kids’ costumes earlier. Note to self … start in September!
I’m in the process of making a grocery list for the items that we’ll need when our families are here. Thursday’s dinner will be roasted butternut squash soup, crusty bread, a mixed-greens salad with walnuts, pears, cranberries, and apple slices, and maybe some green beans; Friday’s dinner will be homemade pizza with salad and possibly breadsticks; and then Sunday through Tuesday will be meat and potatoes/slow cooker meals. It’ll be a huge grocery shopping trip, but I’m *so* looking forward to cooking! I just hope that the weather will be nice this weekend for her party. I heard a rumor about the “s” word ~ snow! Hope not!
Greetings from the land of the stuffed up, clogged, congested ~ whatever you want to call it. Yes, I’m still not quite 100 percent ~ but I’m doing much better now, thank goodness. I can hear a little more, and my head doesn’t ache like it did before. One of the moms at Lucas’s preschool had this same virus, and so did the husband of the teaching assistant. Yesterday when I dropped Luke off, they were both going on and on about how bad the virus was (especially the vertigo that comes with it). They understood perfectly why I wasn’t able to get into the car and drop Luke off at school last Thursday.
Anyway, today will be spent going to the post office to mail a few eBay packages that are completely late, working on designing this 2009 calendar for our town, setting up interview appointments for two feature stories I need to write by the end of the month, and doing whatever cleaning I can. It’s hard to believe that our families will be here next week! Yikes ~ so much to get done.
Today is Wordless Wednesday, so I’ll leave you with a picture from our recent trip to Canada. I think that some Picnik is in order for this shot, although I haven’t had a chance yet!
When I walked into Wal-Mart this morning with Lucas and Meredith, an older lady looked at us and frowned. “That little boy needs a coat!” she said, in quite a nasty tone. Then, she sighed in disbelief and shook her head at me. It was one of those, “Geez, some parents just don’t know what they’re doing” kind of looks. Well … you know what, lady? I just dealt with a five minute-long screaming tantrum in the parking lot because our toddler didn’t want to put on his coat. So finally, I just stuck his raincoat into our shopping cart and said, “OK, Lucas … it’s your choice. But when you feel how chilly and rainy it is outside, you’ll understand why it’s necessary to wear a coat on a day like today.” It was 60 degrees and rainy this morning. I wanted him to experience it firsthand. You know, I *really* wish that some people would refrain from making comments such as those when they have *no* idea what the situation is. I’d like to see her deal with a screaming toddler sometime! Maybe her kids are grown now and she has just forgotten what it can be like at times.
Sorry … I have PMS and don’t feel like taking any crap from anyone. Maybe I need one of those magnetic bracelet thingies that will help relieve my stress, LOL! :) The bright side of today is that I enjoyed a yummy pumpkin-spice latte from Starbucks and got quite a few things done so far: grocery shopping, getting gas, putting in a few loads of laundry, and preparing things for Lucas’s preschool field trip tomorrow. The rest of today will be spent working on my current freelance project.
Perhaps I should have purchased some Midol at the grocery store! LOL! :)
