Happy Mardis Gras!

I know I am supposed to be all excited for Lent or whatever. I know the blog/instagram world is all like "I'm so ready for Lent." But... meh. #iloveordinarytime So don't get me wrong, tomorrow I will be there ready to rock my ash and get ready for Easter but I am living it up today.

We started the day with a play date for M! Poor kid doesn't have a lot of friends that are hers so it was fun for her to host someone her size for a while. It was still mostly parallel play and her friend is younger than her by nine months but it was still fun!

Afterwards we went to Carter's. I had ordered some short sleeved shirts for the kids and somehow ordered the wrong size for C. I am 99% sure I have never taken her to a clothes store before and it was an experience. We did an exchange for the shirt and then walked around. She had great enthusiasm for everything. It was hilarious. "I like this dress! Oooh boots! Look at this nice butterfly shirt! I love these jammies!"

With our reward points and their sale she was able to get these jammies for $7!

And I have learned already at age two that if in the future I want to take her clothes shopping to be prepared both with my wallet and my "saying no" game. 

After we picked C up from school we came home and had some donuts and paczki! 

Because on paczki day, you should have those. But I am not crazy enough to have those before school! But, okay they can go ahead and spoil their lunch. I hope you are celebrating in your own little way today! 

Checking in From The Couch

I am going to be the 99th person in the world to tell you that if you haven't watched The Crown then you are missing out! Golly but I love it.

I love British royalty and I am 99% sure that I live in the wrong country and maybe the American revolution wasn't quite the grandest thing that has ever happened. (But I still love you America because, well, I am not British.)

You may have seen The New Yorker humor column that said this:  "This two-hundred-and-forty-year experiment in self-rule began with the best of intentions, but I think we can all agree that it didn't end well," she said." 

All the LOLs. But to further my British viewing pleasure we have also been watching the new season of The Great British Baking Show that came to Netflix. I loved it in 2015 and I love it just as much now. It's so calm. It's got the loveliest kitchen tent. The people are wonderful and they're baking, though half the stuff I've never heard of. Which, of all ironies, one of the things that really confused the lot (British slang!) was angel food cake. 

And then, this past week I read The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan. 

You guys, if you need a good fun read this is the book for you. It doesn't involve much thinking, it's definitely fluff, but it was such fun to read! It's British/Scottish and features a mobile bookshop, love, men in kilts and even though the ending is ever so predictable it reads like a swell romantic comedy movie and if they make this into a movie I'd go. This would be a wonderful travel book. It is not going to change your life but it will probably make you feel warm inside when you're done. 

Alright, I am going to sign off and keep watching the Brits make choux pastry. 

The Best Weekend

I am so excited to tell you that we had the BEST weekend.

On Friday night, Husband and I went out for dinner and a movie. For the SECOND time in as many months! That's kind of amazing and I love it. It was a nice Valentine's date. We saw Hidden Figures and I really enjoyed it. It was so refreshing to watch a nice, uplifting and happy ending movie. This is definitely one not to miss. Octavia Spencer was great but I am sad that Taraji Hensen isn't nominated for an Academy Award. For all the running she did in a pencil skirt and heels she certainly deserves some sort of recognition!

Saturday was sunny and in the 60s. We turned M's crib into a big girl bed. She has been climbing in and out at her leisure lately and it just wasn't safe so we turned in into the toddler bed option. The other highlights include LOTS of outside time, tricycle riding, a dinner out as a family and a family fun adventure to the lighted skybridge.

Yesterday was more of the same wonderful weather and we spent the bulk of the day outside. C discovered his one true food: fruit pizza and our lives will never be the same. I had book club in the evening and it was a good time.

And today is STILL weekend because of President's Day! Which may be my guy's favorite holiday ever. We started our day with a documentary. Then we made our special holiday treat. 

Lincoln and Washington cookies anyone? The kids LOVED making them and so did I if I am being honest. We also read This Little President. 

After a President dance party (to the President song of course) we are now outside playing before the rain comes this afternoon. I intend to soak up as much of this false spring as possible before the inevitable return of winter. 

So that is our really wonderful LONG weekend and I loved every second! 

7 Happy Things

The world is a terrible place, well that's what you'd think any way if you spend too much time on social media or watching the news. So, in an effort to remind you of the little things in life, here are seven things that make me happy!!

1. Oscar Mayer Carving Board Southwest Seasoned Chicken

Can you say yum? Husband brought it home for "Taco Tuesday" one week. (Which is really, better names "bastardized Southwestern food Tuesday" since we include quesadillas, tacos, enchiladas and fajitas in our rotation.) They were a great addition to our quesadillas and we've been keeping it in our fridge ever since. I love to make a quesadilla up quick for lunch because I don't really dig peanut butter and my kids survive on pb and js. 

I bet these would be really good in a southwest salad too. 

2. Brain Quest

The kids each got a set in their stocking this Christmas. C got the preschool one shown and M got "my first" for ages 2-3. I know my brothers and I had brain quest in our day but man, it is even more fun now. These two we have are even more fun because obviously my kids can't really read yet so I get to play too! It is making for some good quality time and learning all wrapped into one. I am not the biggest fan of reading aloud (I do it, my kids do not want for books and reading time.) but this has been fun for me. 

3. My new oversized chair. 

I told you about our new couch back in December. Well for Christmas Husband got me the matching oversized chair and a few weeks ago he was able to go pick it up! 

Here is a picture of it in action from "favorite sports team" day. (M was not about to be left out!) Because of the addition of it to our living room, we rearranged the furniture. I am digging it and the chair. C calls it "The chair for two kids." I call it supremely comfy! 

4. Finding Dory is on Netflix

We never made it to go see it in the theater and we still haven't seen it. I am smelling a Movie Night in the near future! 

5. I Learned The Secret to Pandora Radio

The secret is never to like a song. Give it all the dislikes in the world but never thumbs up a song. That way it is constantly trying to find you something you like instead and gives you variety. Because we've all been there with Pandora where it only plays the same 4 songs in every version possible until the end of time. It is making my Pandora listening so much better. 

6. It is February! (Without Lent.)

Lent is still half a month away! The groundhog predicted some more winter, which is fine by me because regardless we should be well into Spring by the time Easter rolls around. And I'll be honest, I like a good gap between my Advent and Lent. #iloveordinarytime 

7. Nibbles the Book Monster

Do you have an Usborne consultant? Well, get one if you have young kids. We bought a copy of this book to gift to our niece who is 5. Well C liked it so much it was almost a little overwhelming. He played search for Nibbles and has been putting Nibbles into every single story we've read. 

Not my picture but it could be.

So I ordered another copy for us and as a bonus got the Nibbles stuffed animal too. The fun my kids have had with this since C got home from school today is crazy. Who knew? But it's fun and I am loving it!

Around Here

Well we survived Kindergarten Round-Up yesterday. It was slightly more intense than I was anticipating but in a "I am sure the kids didn't notice" kind of way. When we got there, we filled out a form and a name tag. Each child had a name tag pinned to their front and a number pinned to their back.

There were teachers all over the room to observe the group with their notepads. Each table in the classroom had an activity and C picked coloring. (Which really has been his thing lately but man oh man, a year ago I would have said you were drunk if you had told me he was going to like coloring.) So he sat down and started coloring his I Love School picture and I left.

Some kids were scream-crying and clinging to their moms so I was delighted that we didn't at least have that problem. From what it sounds like, they did a mini class. They read a book about sunflowers and planted a sunflower seed with a little poem. "Sunflower, sunflower, when you are tall, I'll be at St. Paul's in the fall." They had a snack time. And then they took each child individually for an evaluation.

Husband, M and I were in the "fill out paperwork and listen to the presentation" meeting and they showed us the educational evaluation they were using. It included letter, shape, color, number, beginning sounds and sight words identification. If C was having a good day, which it seems like he was, he should have rocked that part! Sight words being the weak spot but it was announced that it wasn't a requirement at all, just a benchmark. And and the were on the list though and he definitely told us he knew those, which were the two words on the list I would have anticipated him knowing.

When we went back to get him, they told me how sweet he is and that they could tell he has a tender heart, so that's good to hear.

I am not sure when we hear back about how it all went but I am happy with it! I can't properly express my relief in finding out last week that we could wait until May to decide which class will best suit C's needs next school year. Yesterday I thought I would be nervous but it was just another day. I felt very calm and collected and it was good. I even talked to a bunch of other moms and made conversation which is pretty good for me!

Today we hosted a play date for some friends of his from preschool. The twins whose birthday party he went to in December. They had a great time and I am so glad I put myself out there to invite them. I was nervous to do so but the best way to feel involved in the community is to make some friends right? Anyway, it was a fun play date and bonus: the house is clean. Always a nice feeling.

Valentine's Day Cards!

Happy (nearly) Valentine's Day! I love celebrating Valentine's Day with my people. I know that some people really dislike the commercial aspects of it and I get that. There are no diamonds being purchased from our household! But I also think that life's too short to not take some extra time occasionally to love on the people we love!

C's doesn't actually have school tomorrow because it is round up day for the school's preschool and kindergarten. Kind of a bummer for the teachers I am sure, but they celebrated today with a red/pink party and a valentines exchange.

Once upon a time, when my youngest brother who is 8 years younger than me started kindergarten, there was a girl in his class named Gabrielle. Her dad is a graphic designer and he created the most beautiful valentine cards. Every year of my brother's elementary school years I would get super excited if Gabrielle was in his class because without a doubt she had the best valentines. Well then I went and grew up and married my very own graphic designer.

What I am saying is I took C's valentine exchange very seriously. I spent hours one Saturday perusing Pinterest trying to find a clever not overdone valentine that we could recreate or tweak. Though I actually wound up finding the same 25 things on Pinterest over and over again. So I switched to Etsy.

And I found my jumping off point and gave Husband some specific directions and then I stepped back and let him be creative. (Side note: when working with graphic designers telling them to "work their magic" or "do their thing" is about the least helpful and most eye rolling thing you can say.)

We bought the snack pack box of 20 which is perfect because that's how many kids are in his class. (Including him.) His class wanted the Valentines addressed with names so the kids could practice name recognition during their delivery so we incorporated the names into the designs. 

The Teddy Grahams (both Honey and Chocolate) say: Have a Beary good Valentine's Day Leo! 

The Chips Ahoy say: Ahoy! A treat for my Valentine's Matey Ellie! 

The Animal Crackers say: Have a Wild Valentine's Day Joe! 

And then on the back of all of them there is a printed from and he wrote his name out by hand in red Sharpie. He did them over three days so it wasn't overwhelming. Then we stapled the card piece to the cookies. 

Husband also designed the teacher's cards for his three teachers. (Teacher, assistant and aide.) 

Then inside the cards we put a $5 Starbucks card. 

I love that we were able to incorporate C's favorite things (walrus, polar bear, penguin and well he likes all animals so lions aren't things he dislikes.) in a cute way that aren't overly mushy. I am NOT anti commercial valentine cards because my favorite thing was going to Walgreen's and picking out which ones I would give out. I am just trying to channel my inner "Gabrielle's Dad" hoping C's cards bring someone the excitement that those cards brought me. They sure make me giddy so hopefully it's contagious. 

He LOVED the party today and really liked looking through his bag of cards when he got home from school. They also had heart cookies and cups/napkins with hearts on them. And they played some games and had a good time wearing pink and red. 

Happy Valentine's Day to you my friends, I hope that you have a wonderful day tomorrow and you can find a way to celebrate love of someone. 

Snow!

You may recall that Winter and I are not on the best terms this year. 30 years of loving snow led to this year of barely tolerating it. Well it snowed overnight. I was blissfully unaware and it didn't really snow much. Just enough to shovel so, okay then.

Today was our conference with C's teachers. And we together decided happily on sending him to roundup on Tuesday. He will be evaluated by the kindergarten teachers and the big plan is to hold a spot for him both in kindergarten and transitional kindergarten so we can decide in May where he will be the most successful  for the 2017/2018 school year. 

My mama heart sighs a great big relief and this makes me so happy. It was what I wanted, more than anything. I wanted to give him a fair chance to see how the WHOLE school year went. And his teachers and now the principal are on board with this plan! 

After the conference we came home and played in the snow! 

There was way not enough snow to make a snowman so we just made a snowman face. 

It was so fun to get out and breathe some fresh air and play in the snow as little as there is. And I am glad we were able to because it's going to be in the low 50s Friday and Saturday so this little bit of white will be short lived for sure. 

Pretty much a perfect day if I do say so! 

Kindergarten Debate

This is a hard post to write. Kindergarten round up is two weeks from now. And I am so conflicted.
In times gone by this was a no-brainer. Will your kid be 5 by September? Sign 'em on up. But the times they are a changing. And that frustrates me to no end.

It frustrates me that society expects so much out of five-year-olds. Kindergarten is not just learning through play anymore. It's all day and filled with high expectations and standardized tests. I want my kids to LOVE learning. Ask my friends, a year ago, I said that I didn't want him to go to kindergarten at five because I wanted him to have an extra year as a little boy. I want him to have another year to play.

Our wonderful Catholic school (yay Catholic schools week) HAS a program for this. There is a half-day Transitional Kindergarten. It is more academically focused than preschool, and meets longer and more consistently (every day) but still focuses on social skills and play. And it is a great program. We are so lucky because not all places offer such a solution.

We have an born-at-the-end-of-May boy. Who, is doing a bang up job at preschool, he really is. We have seen such growth and academically he is right on track. Saturday he did his letter book homework completely by himself. He got his pictures of things that start with "O," his scissors and glue stick without any assistance. He sat down, cut the pictures out and glued them to his book.

But he is significantly younger than most of his class. (And the afternoon class too.) And that shows some times. Honestly, my guy has always been just a little more emotional than his peers. He is a very tenderhearted guy who has never had any problem empathizing. He just feels emotions on a deeper scale than most people. And I think another year to grow and control his emotions would be good for him. Though who knows if a year would even make a difference.

It frustrates me, that I have to decide in February what will be best for my boy at the end of August. Because six months is a lot of time to pass and I just don't know anymore.

Most people I talk to say, wait. That an extra year is the best gift I can give him. That I will love having some more time with him. That he is young and we expect too much out of kindergartners anyway. That they wish kindergarten would go back to being like how it was when we were young. There is NO harm in waiting a year before kindergarten but if you start them too soon people grow to regret that. Having to repeat kindergarten can be traumatic and teachers will absolutely do that if they think they won't be successful.

The Internet of course says that "redshirting" is the worst possible thing I could be doing to my child. He will be bitter about it. He will become dissatisfied with school and probably drop out. That by having my kid start kindergarten at age six I am further stunting the children who didn't go to preschool and widening the gap for the nation. It is because of the six-year-olds in kindergarten that it has become the new first grade.

How can you win? Some of us are just trying to do the best thing for their kid and how on earth are we supposed to figure that out. We have a conference with his teacher (every one does) to discuss the plan for next year and I feel like we will wind up erring on the side of "being a kid" and choose Transitional Kindergarten for next year. And logically it makes the most sense.

But emotionally, I am struggling. I am really having a hard time letting go of one thing. I have a group of friends where we all had babies around the same time. And all of those kids are going to kindergarten in August. Those who are both older and younger than my guy. Those who are both more and less prepared than my guy. It is hard. Even though I know that waiting a year is probably best plan for my son, I feel left out. And it isn't about me!

My cousin is a kindergarten teacher and she gave me some things to think about and told me to "go with my gut." Which is great advice but right now my gut doesn't know what to do. I kid you not, daily I see something that makes me think "He's ready for Kindergarten." And then the next day something will happen and I go "I think he could really use an extra year before standardized tests and being gone all day long."

It's so dumb. But I am really struggling with it. (Especially when I feel pretty sure I would send him to the public school next year but because of the high standards and ages of the kids at Catholic school I feel more inclined to wait.)

I have taken this to prayer, to adoration, asked others to pray for me. And I've got no clear answer at all. Which probably means there is no clear cut answer. It boils down to this:

1. We send him to Kindergarten in the Fall. He is successful. He graduates at 18 and life is good.
2. We send him to Kindergarten in the Fall. He runs into problems throughout his education and doesn't love school.
3. We delay Kindergarten until he is 6. He is successful. He graduates at 19 and life is good. 
4. We delay Kindergarten until he is 6. He is bored and resents being the oldest in his class and doesn't love school. 
5. We home school and I don't have to think about this at all ever again. (Except I know that my guy will not learn best from me and I just don't feel like this is a real choice.) 

So there is no right answer. It's a total crap shoot. Just like all parenting. Where ever we do end up though, no one will be able to say we made our decision on a whim. And with that uninspired conclusion, I will end this train of thought post.