pretty and pampered

With the big sisters going back-to-school, Bethany loses her two favorite playmates. She sees all their excitement and anticipation building up, and then they're gone. I try to plan fun stuff for us to do for a few weeks until she starts preschool.

She had seen her sisters get haircuts (and shampoos) last week, but I told her if she waited I would take her somewhere special. A new salon for kids opened nearby, and since they mailed us a coupon, we decided to check it out. When we arrived, there were no other customers, so she thought she was really being pampered. First, she had her hair washed with chocolate shampoo. Even with the booster, she had a hard time reclining with her head in the sink. But it definitely made her feel like a big girl. One of the perks of this place is that you get to sit in an elevated vehicle for the cut (she chose the pink jeep) and you also get to select a DVD to watch (she chose Tom & Jerry).
Her hair had grown fairly long, but not quite enough for a 10 inch donation. We ended up taking about 8 inches off. The stylist finished her up with a blow dry, then a little spritz and a clip. Very cute!




The final surprise was the complimentary manicure (she chose purple). It certainly made her feel special.

back to business!

this summer was busy. fun, but busy. it also went by very quickly. can't believe it's over. now here we go, tumbling head first into another school year !

first on the list: elementary school

Anna is in 2nd grade and super excited. I love that she is so enthusiastic about school. She loves being with her friends. She loves reading. She loves art. I'm anxious to see what she does with her newest skill: organization!

She squealed several times this morning in the car on the way to school. Ear piercing squeals. Squeals of excitement. Any butterflies she had in her tummy were not nerves, just pure excitement!

The drop-off process was going smoothly. This is our family's 6th year at this school, so we've gotten the routine down pat. Anna has a teacher this year that Katie had 4 years ago. I was feeling confident. Then... I passed one of the staff in the hallway... her comment was "only one this year?" (referring to the fact that Katie had moved on.)... well, that was my breaking point. I'm glad I was walking a step behind Shayne and Anna because I lost it for a minute.

Anna got off the bus with a skip in her step. I said "how was your day?". She said "I loved it!" I still have to pry for details... my questions alwaysstart with "did you make any new friends", "who did you play with at recess?, "who did you sit next to at lunch?" I want to know who my kids are spending time with!

next on the list: middle school (yikes!)

Yes... big changes in the West house. We've entered a new frontier. But we've entered with eager anticipation. She's excited, so we're excited for her. For the past several weeks, (more like months) she's been known to spontaneously burst out "I'm going to middle school". Don't stand to close, you might get hit with a flailing arm!

She spent a half-day at the school last week running through all the drills - classes, teachers, lockers, cafeteria. She hit the ground running this morning. I've been very pleased to see how they ease the 6th graders into the school. Here is her line-up: GT English, Advanced Contemporary Literacy, Phys Ed, Theatre Arts, Pre AP Math, Social Studies, AIM/Model UN, and Science. She's pleased with all of her teachers so far (has her faves picked out). She has her folders and notebooks labeled and her textbooks covered.

It was a little nerve-wrecking this morning waiting for the bus. It was 25 minutes late! I think she enjoyed hanging out at the bus stop with her girlfriends though. The bus was only a few minutes behind on the trip home. She made it very clear that she didn't want any family waiting for her at the bus stop. The sisters and I hung out halfway up the street. She was very happy to see us. (or maybe she was just happy to get off the bus - no A/C, 100+ degrees!)

She reported a smooth day. The gliches in the schedule were nobody's fault, just the school needing to iron out all the kinks. They report to advisory closes at the beginning and ending of each day just for this week, so the rest of the day is on an alternate schedule. She'll get the hang of it.

It was a great first day of school and it's going to be a great year!

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DT - ed 5

menu: smoked sausage, chicken flavored noodles, and spinach salad

dinner was fast tonite. Shayne was anxious to get some yardwork done while he had good dayligh AND his phone kept ringing.

Anna finished reading Junie B. Jones One Man Band and dove right into Ramona and Her Mother. can you guess which one I picked out and which one she picked out? I had lunch with her at school. nothing like a slice of cafeteria pizza to satisfy your taste buds (ha!). she just finished trying on her outfit for tomorrow. they've been studying Egypt and it's dress-up day!

Katie had her last round of TAKS testing for the year - science. everyone seems to get so worked up about it. hasn't there always been standardized testing? I remember doing that stuff when I was a kid. anyway, it doesn't phase her! she's on the computer right now, doing some of her People to People research. she's so excited about her trip to DC this summer!

Bethany went to preschool today. they've been learning about the 5 senses and she had a homework assignment to turn in. she had a booklet, and each page was a ziploc bag with one of the senses in it. for sight, she put in a photo of her family. for hearing, she put in a small bell. for smell, she put in a purple flower. for taste, a peppermint. for touch, a pice of grosgrain ribbon. it was a fun project to work on together!

week in review - edition 2

here we go again...

last Monday, I went to school with Bethany. they asked me to sub because the older class was going on a field trip and they needed an extra hand at the school. I helped with crayon rubbings, ran the potty patrol, and counted to ten in French for the penny path. it was fun, but it wore me out. no rest for the weary! my Daisy Girl Scouts needed their fearless leader to guide them through another meeting. we are working on our 'Bridging to Brownies' program. only 2 meetings left this year!

Tuesday started with another wonderful lesson in ladies class. then my girlfriend dragged me to the craft store and forced me to look at scrapbook stuff. after school, I took Katie to the middle school to try out some band instruments. she has selected theater arts as her fine arts elective, but just in case she doesn't get in, I want her to be excited about her second choice. she was asked to choose 3 instruments to try (and more, if she liked). her selections included tuba, bassoon and percussion. she also tried the tuba. she tested really well on each of them, but decided to go with bassoon. because it is not one of the popular instruments, she was guaranteed a spot. AND, if she sticks with it throughout her secondary school career, she has a pretty good chance at a music scholarship because colleges are always looking for good bassoon players. who would have thought...

Wednesday - field trip! oh, may aching feet. (oops, I'm not supposed to say that yet). I was fortunate enough to be able to accompany Anna's class on a day trip to Sea World. it was not an open to the public day, but there were a gazillion 1st graders there. Anna's teachers had enough volunteers that we each pretty much spent the day with our own kiddo. we spent most of the day with another mother/daughter from our GS troop. the rides and entertainment were not running since it was just an educational day, but we saw most of the animals. Anna's fave was the Shamu show. It was a lot of walking, hence the achey feet. I drove several parents in my car and we stopped at McD's on the way out for cold drinks. I dropped them all back at the school, then went to my friends house to pick up Bethany (thanks Lisa!). We pulled into the driveway about 5 minutes behind my cousin Greg, and 5 minutes before the girls got off the bus. Greg had been on a road trip from Virginia to the Grand Canyon, and was on his way to Florida, via motorcycle. We took him to eat at Alamo Cafe and then dropped Katie off so she could get set up for her orchestra concert. We were all supposed to go, but everyone was was worn out, so ended up trekking back for the show by myself. (Bethany, by the way, had laid down for a nap around 3:30 p.m., not to wak up until 7:30 a.m. the next morning.) The show was great, although I'm not sure why they try to cram so many schools into one night. It was packed. I was actually glad that I didn't have the sisters with me. It would have been uncomfortable for everyone. by the way, now my feet were really aching!

Thursday morning, one of Bethany's friends came over bright and early because her mom had a doctor's appointment. Before I delivered them to school, we sent Greg on his way. I did my parent volunteer work at the school, then came home to prep for my weekend getaway. What?!? I didn't tell you? scrapbook retreat. no kids, no hubby. a bed all to myself. no meals to prepare or dishes to wash. I prepared a fancy dinner for Shayne and the kids (nachos!) and I was on my way.

Friday :)

Saturday :)

Sunday I was actually ready to return home. What do I love about being gone? My kids are so excited to see me when I get home! They had done a little traveling themselves, so the house was not in too much disrepair. A B-I-G thanks to Shayne for giving me the time-off!

dinnertime - edition 4

menu: shepherd's pie - a standard in our house, always double it and share!

Another crazy busy week has passed. Today felt a bit more normal (whatever that is). The school year is coming to an end, our loads are being lightened and extracurricular activities are wrapping up.

Katie had a fairly low-key day. She came home talking about an extensive math problem it took 2 full pieces of paper to solve. Math is not her fave, but she's still good at it when she puts her mind to it. She is currently reading the children's classic Heidi, by Joanna Spyri. Last week she read The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Can't wait to see what she chooses next!

Anna had a super day, but not because of school. She got to go home with a friend for the afternoon. Just some good ol' girly girl fun! They played dress-up, made friendship bracelets, and surfed the net. We were working on her math homework after dinner and got stumped on this problem: can you come up with a doubles fact from 10-4? I said no, it would need to be 10-5=5 ot 5+5=10. Shayne said yes, 5+5=10 and 2+2=4. Who is right? (Anna put a question mark and said she's ask the teacher tomorrow.)

Bethany and I had a lovely day together. After Ladies Bible Class, we went to lunch with some of the other ladies at Pei Wei. Bethany was the only child there, and she kept the table entertained. Despite the fact that we rarely eat asian food, she took right to the chopsticks. Her fortune cookie said "do not search for happiness, create it'. So perfect for her!

week in review - edition 1

didn't have much spare time in the evenings last week. do you want to know what we were up to?

*inhale* Tuesday uh, one of those days, started off fine, had two extra kiddos for the morning, went to ladies Bible class, then out to lunch with 3 in tow, they all did great, on our way home, got a call from the school nurse that Anna had thrown up in class, fortunately, Shayne was working from home so he was able to pick her up, got home with the 3 girls, got Anna cleaned up and settled in her room, enforced madatory quiet time, 2 extras went home, Katie came home from school with the neighbor girl in tow, she had forgotten her housekey, so she hung out with us for a few hours, add 3 more to that mix for another hour or so as a favor to another friend, minus 2 of those 3, then bye bye to the neighbor, one left plus my own, let's eat dinner!, then off to math & science night at the school, got a preview of the art show, played some math games, saw some cool experiments and met some creepy creatures, drop the extra off, then get back home to my sleepy baby, my sick baby, and my hubby, get everyone off to bed, then have some mommy daddy time. *exhale* one of those days!

Wednesday was a little smoother. I kept Anna home, just in case, and Bethany thought that was wonderful! She had a playmate all day, which also allowed me to get through some of my piles and stacks. We worked on Anna's sarcophagus project, and Katie's egg-packing project. I am always thrilled on Wednesday afternoons when I relize I don't have to worry about dinner. We eat at church before our wednesday night classes. Shayne and I are team teaching the preschool class, and it was my week to teach - one more thing to prepare for. We have a rascally bunch of kiddos, and evening classes are rough because it's usually past their bedtime by the time we finish. Get my kids home, bathed and off to bed. whew!

Thursdays are always my "go" days. Get the girls to school, get B to preschool, go back to the other school to volunteer for a few hours, run a few errands, pick B up and get her home so she can get a quick nap before the girls get home at 3. (I love the school bus!) I did stop this afternoon and treat myself to a foot massage. It was part of a package Shayne gave me for Christmas, and I've been having some heel pain (plantar fasciitis), so the timing was right. Another school activity - Young Masters Art show - both of the girls had pieces submitted (I love it when that happens.)










I posted Anna's picture upside down BECAUSE it was accidentally mounted upside down. If you look close enough, you can see the sun shining at the bottom of the ocean. You'll also seethat the art is made up completely of dots. I'm sure their is a name for that technique, but I don't know what it is. Katie's picture is a simply patterned pastel. Both are beautiful! So proud!!!
After the art show, we had plans to meet some friends for dinner. They were visiting SA from out of state, and despite our busy week/weekend, we made it a priority to see them since we hadn't seen them in several years. It was difficult to carry on a productive conversation in a noisy restaurant, and with 6 children between us, but the time together was still fun! Here all the girls...

Sad to say, but I honestly can't remember what I did most of Friday, but I know I was exhausted by the end of the day, so it must have been something! Probably prepping for the weekend, prepping for scouts on Monday night, prepping for my scrappin' getaway next weekend + kitchen + laundry + misc parenting duties. Shayne was supposed to be gone for the church men's retreat, but it got rained out, so they had it at the church instead. That means he came home really late and left really early the next morning. I slept upstairs with the kids so I wouldn't be disturbed. Katie had a friend sleepover, and we played games and watched movies most of the evening. There may have been a bit of karaoke in there too. :)

Saturday morning we lounged (as much as one can lounge once the 4 year old wakes up). We did some family chores and waited for Daddy to get home. We had our out-of-town friends over for dinner, and Shayne made yummy cheesy tortilla hot dogs on the grill. We were confined to the inside of the house all day because it was wet wet wet outside! (Thank goodness for the rain!)

Sunday morning brings church, which these days is almost an all day event. There are several different classes we are involved in, so we often take two cars so we can divide and conquer when we need to. Needless to say, everyone was ready for bed come sundown Sunday night!

I realize that's only 6 days, but that'll have to do for now! Monday wore me out again!

dinnertime - edition 3

menu: Stouffer's Express - Chicken Rigatoni (a new family fave!) and bluberry applesauce

We are all recovering from a busy 10 days. We've had family coming and going, lots of food and drink, lots of linens to wash, lots of activity... hopefully we'll all be back into our routine in the next few days!

When I picked up Bethany at preschool, she was being carried by her teacher and crying big, real tears. She had fallen on the way back in from the playground and scraped her knee up pretty bad. The Dora mermaid bandage made it better! She was also V E R Y tired. Since she wouldn't let me touch her knee, I just let her soak in the tub in lieu of quiet time. Her favorite time of day is 3:00 p.m. - that's when her sisters get home from school! I feel very blessed as a parent to have 3 children who truly enjoy being together most of the time.

Katie had some exciting news today. The music teachers selected her (and her friend Hailey) to emcee the teacher talent show next month. They have been most supportive of the girls as they prepare for their trip to D.C. this summer. They wanted to give them this opportunity to be in the spotlight, especially since they are moving on to middle school next year. (yikes!) Katie also had a special visitor to her class - her teacher has been out on maternity leave. She came to visit today with the baby. She'll be returning to work in the next weeke or so.

Anna came home very happy today, for no particular reason, which makes mommy very happy! She said they had a fun art project - tissue paper flowers, and they read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs AND part of Junie B. Jones Something Smells Fishy. Continuing their study of Egypt, their project this week is to make a sarcophogas (when I was 7, I din't know what that was). She has to create the design on the outside, and wrap the mummy for the inside. Art is totally her thing, books being a close second, so I guess that explains her good mood! Love it!

I spent a good part of the day sorting another to bags of hand-me-downs. We are so lucky, but sometimes I feel bad that my kids rarely have anything new. I guess I shouldn't worry about it until they worry about it. I'm sure it will come soon enough!

dinnertime - edition 2

menu for tonight: Auntie Anne's pretzel dogs (purchased from one of the school fundraisers) and raw carrots - prepared by Katie; Sonic slushes to drink - leftover from our afternoon errands. this is one of those quick and easy nights - Shayne's not here, so I just want to get the kids fed and to bed!

Shayne spent the night in Brady last night with his brothers, so we rearranged our morning routine a bit. I let everybody sleep until 7, then we got up and ready really quick and were out the door by 7:30. All the girls needed a little extra beauty sleep, including me! (especially me!)

Thursdays are fun for Anna because she gets to see ME during the day! I usually spend a few hours doing copying, laminating, cutting, hanging, etc. for the teachers. Sometimes I even get to eat lunch with her, if the timing works out right. The are learning about plants, and specifically talked about seeds today. They got to sample several foods, then describe the differences and characteristics. She liked the avocado, strawberry, lemon, and lime. She did not care for the pea or cucumber, and thought the papaya was particularly disgusting (she used the term 'vomit' to describe it). She designed a glittery samurai poster to wrap up her reading group's review of the Magic Tree House - Night of the Ninjas book. In P.E., she was given a green star for winning her sprint.!

Bethany had a full day of preschool day. When I left her, she was working intently on a ball of orange play-do. She also painted a rainbow, on it the teacher wrote Bethany's words "At the end of the rainbow, I would like to find new clothes like pink and purple skirts." (refer to previous 'skirt' post for additional laughs.) Would you believe that we both catnapped again today? Two-days in a row! woo-hoo!

Katie spends Thursdays in an alternative classroom for gifted students. She was a little disappointed today because, after 2 days of testing, she found out her class was working on an art project most of the day. In GT, she spent most of her time working on her research project: Slavery in the United States.

After school, I loaded the kids in the car, grabbed a few slushes at Sonic Happy Hour, then went driving around the area looking for wildflowers. We made several stops, and got several great shots!

dinnertime - edition 1

trying something new, since I've been slacking so badly on blogging lately.

our dinner table conversations usually revolve around the events of the day, I'm going to try to record them.

so, here I am, with the laptop at the dinner table...

menu for tonight:
Hamburger Helper (cheesy hashbrown flavor) and spring mix salad

Katie took the math portion of the TAKS today. She thinks she did very well on it. The principal came by early in the day and sprinkled them all with magical fairy dust. Everyone in her class finished in time to go to P.E. She finished earlier in the day, and had several hours to read. Her book of the day is Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. Her homework today was to balance a checkbook. Shayne gave her several figures to work with, and I tore out the middle unused section of the check register. She spent some time on the computer, then worked on her People to People thank you cards.

Anna's class is studying ancient Egypt. Her homework assignment this week is to build a model of a pyramid. We brainstormed several ideas yesterday and decided on legos. We completed the structure today. The most colorful pyramid, for sure! She found out today that one of her pieces of artwork was selected for the Young Masters Art Show next week. (Katie had one selected too.) She's been invited to attend a birthday costume party this weekend. I wonder what she'll wear...

Bethany went to Sonshine class this morning while I was at Ladies' Bible Class. They had a bug hunt and and made puzzles of the earth. There was a potluck afterwards, mostly grown-up food, but she ate some broccoli and coconut cake. We went to the library to pick up some books we had on hold, and she picked out 2 for herself: Counting Kisses and Counting Wildflowers. She also picked out the Scholastic Cinderella DVD that included stories of Hansel and Gretel, Three Billy Goats Gruff, and the Elves of the Shoemaker. (We haven't watched it yet.) She and mommy had an awesome nap - don't get to do that together much anymore.

Everyone is heading for bath and bed now. I'm planning on walking the neighborhood tonight - really feeling the need to move. If I can squeeze it in, I'll also watch my DVR shows - DWTS & Idol.

Hopefully we'll have another update in a few days!

skirting the issue

Bethany is almost 4.

Bethany is all girl, but not too prissy.

Bethany loves to wear skirts and dresses.

I've tried to convince her that she can wear some of her dresses with blue jeans underneath. She didn't go for it. She doesn't even like to wear stretchpants or leggings underneath. Tights don't bother her so much, fortunately.

Bethany's closet consists mostly of hand-me-downs. With two big sisters, plus several thoughtful friends, she definitely has an abundant wardrobe. Ask me how much of it she'll wear... let's say less than half. When Katie and Anna were that age, I never let them wear dresses to school. It was always pants and tennis shoes. Since they've been passed down, and she's at the bottom of the chain, I've let her have a little bit more flexibility.

Yes, I realize at this point, I should post some adorable pictures of her wearing said dresses. If you've been following our blog, you'll know that I've been slacking in the post area. I have now made the decision that it's more important to get the thoughts down than worry about whether or not the pictures are attached. I'm hoping to get back on the bandwagon soon!

Back to the story... because she is so passionate about her wardrobe choices, I've been able to use it as a bartering tool. "if you pick up your toys, I'll let you wear a skirt to school." "if you stay in bed and take a nap, I'll let you wear a skirt tomorrow." You get the idea. It has worked better than anything else I've tried.

Bethany's birthday is in a few weeks. Looks like we'll be shopping for skirts!

subbing

I unpurposely discovered last year how easy it would be to do some part-time substitute teaching at the girls elementary school. Unfortunately, the school district was not accepting applications for new subs at the time, so I had to wait. I went through all the paperwork and training over the summer, and started working back in October. I've only made myself available on the days when Bethany is in preschool, so I'm still filling this last few years of having her at home with plenty of mommy time. Because Katie has been at the school for 4+ years now, and I did quite a bit of volunteering for Anna's class last year, I've gotten really familiar with all the in's and out's of how the school operates. There is really a wonderful network of families - friends - classmates - teachers - siblings - etc. that have made it easy to get my name out there. I have been able to work about once a week, and have to turn away as many jobs as I accept because of scheduling conflicts.
I also have to mention the wonderful support of friends who have helped us out as we've adjusted to a different schedule. Bethany's preschool day is 9-2. A full-day sub job is 7:30-3. That leaves a clump of time that she gets juggled. Shayne is fortunate enough to have the option to work from home sometimes, and that has helped a lot. And I know he's enjoyed being a little more tuned-in to her life too.
I have enjoyed being up at the school more, just so I can be close to Katie and Anna. No, I do not think I would qualify as a helicopter. It's just nice to be near - I love the spontaneous smiles, hugs and kisses in the hallway or cafeteria. It's enabled me to connect on a different level with their teachers as well. I truly believe that having that open line of communication between teachers and parents is a HUGE part of a child's success in school.
Bethany has another full year of preschool, then she'll be able to join us. Of course, by that point, Katie will be in middle school. I'll be able to work 3-4 days per week. Shayne already has those paychecks worked into the budget. For now, I've got my foot in the door, and it gives us a little fun money.

beanboozled

The girls found these Jelly Belly candies in their stockings on Christmas morning. I think they waited until after breakfast to start the sampling. The good ones are good, but the bad ones are BAD! Problem is, you just don't know until you've started chewing.

Bethany found one of the boxes today and there were just a few jelly beans left in it. She has decided she really likes the licorice flavor, so she went for black.

She started chewing and said "mmm!".


I said "did you get black licorice?"


She said "yes".


I said "let me smell".


***me taking a big whiff***


Definitely NOT black licorice! She was quite amused at my reaction. I tried to get her to drink something so the smell would go away, but she refused. She kept breathing on me, and I literally had to get away from her. It smelled like old gym shoes. It was actually SKUNK! Nasty!

I wonder who comes up with these flavors! Do they actually have taste testers? Blech!