Rules of the Road

I saw a boy get hit by a car today. He is fine. That's the first thing you need to know. He is fine. But it shouldn't have happened.

I was at an intersection waiting to turn left. This is one of those intersections in life with a left turn lane, going straight lane and a right turn lane. A car pulled into the right turn lane and with her head turned left, squinting into the sun to see if she could go, some boys walked into the crosswalk. They had a walk signal. They were in the crosswalk. They were eating chips which is a typical breakfast as indicated by the many many kids I see walking to this particular intermediate school every single day.

I knew it was going to happen before it did but there wasn't anything I could do. She started rolling to turn and hit one of the boys. He jumped back and put his hands on the car to stop it and then the driver realized. She was in shock. The boys kept crossing the intersection. The driver rolled down her window, she saw me watching. I rolled down my window to ask the boy if he was okay but he just kept walking. It was loud and maybe he didn't hear me.

My light turned green and I drove home.

Then I emailed the principal. I didn't know what to do exactly but I figured in case later this kid was upset or actually injured somehow or reported it, I would at least back up the kid and let them know it was real. Maybe they'll remind their students that drivers are morons and to be safe. I don't know. The principal responded a bit ago that no one has reported anything. That worries me though. Because kids should expect more from adults driving.

I take car seat safety seriously. M is still rear-facing and she is going to be until she turns four. C is front facing but in a five point harness still. He's short. And he doesn't weigh a lot. So he is going to stay in 5 point for a long time. Does this mean he gets in the car at car line, I pull forward a bit and then park, get out and buckle him in? Yes. Yes it does. I know that some of my friends and specifically my in-laws think I am crazy and over reactive about car seats. My car. My kids. My rules. And if they want to make fun of me for reading my car seat manuals and actually following them? Well that's something I can deal with.

I do what I can because cars scare me. I cannot control the other drivers on the road but I can control what goes on in my car. And that is that everyone is going to be as safe as possible. No winter coats in the car seats. Nothing between the kid and the back of the seat. 5 point harnesses. Extended rear facing. Not using an expired car seat.

While I am driving I do the best I can. No cell phone. Lights on every trip. And I try very very hard to be cognizant of the speed limit. Tailgate me all you want. but a school zone is a school zone to me between the hours of 7-5 on school days. No turn on red, means, even if there's nobody coming, I am not turning on red.

I can't stop seeing that boy. I can't stop thinking about his mother and how she would feel if something more serious had happened. I can't stop thinking about the driver of that car. I hope she has a better day and that she learned her lesson from this without drastic consequences. Thank God, there are no drastic consequences.

Please do the best you can. When you're driving. When you teach your kids to drive. When you buckle your babies in. When you make sure that YOU are buckled. Just try to do the best you can.

All the Things With Us

Hello! Let's go real quick as I tell you about some of the real life stuff that's happening in our world. 

1. It's Cinco de Mayo, also known as my parent's wedding anniversary. We will not be celebrating with any sort of Mexican food because my kids just don't really groove on it. But that's okay. I do love a margarita so maybe I will make that happen. But who knows? 

2. My guy made some art with the geographic shapes. I call this preschool geometry. He calls this "Hot Air Balloon Festival." 

3. In other news, our guy got his last Imagination Library Book today. And when I read him the note on the inside from Dolly Parton I may have gotten choked up a little. Today was also the last page of his preschool letter book homework. This year has gone FAST. 

4. M and I were rock stars today. We did drop off, then we went to Target, Petsmart, McDonalds for a beverage, one of the high schools to pick up an Usborne book from my local book gal, the chocolate shop and then home for a minute to write out cards and wrap up the teacher appreciation week gift. Then we went to pick up.

5. We got all three teachers a little apple box of chocolates from our local handmade chocolate shop, then put the book in for the preschool. It was Nibbles, because it's C's favorite book and I thought it would be a good addition to the classroom. 

We didn't gift the stuffed animal. But we have him!

6. Have I ever written about how M calls oatmeal "eatmeal?" Because it's my favorite. We have it for breakfast a few times a week and it's always a winner. We do old fashioned oats, a little brown sugar, protein powder, cinnamon and some unsweetened applesauce for our own spin on the apple flavor you can get in the little packet. I like just brown sugar in mine however. 

Unrelated picture of my girl at soccer this week.

I don't have enough interesting things to tell you to make a number seven, but since I never link up anyway that's okay. Have an awesome weekend!

May Reading

Time marches on and suddenly we turned another page on the calendar. May started innocently enough, the weather forgot to be notified that the "April showers" were in fact over but it could have been the snow that they got up north so... no real complaints.

M had her well check for 30 months Monday. She's healthy. Our wonderful pediatrician was maybe going to be on maternity leave but she wasn't so we actually did get to see her. Though there's little chance she will be around for C's well check at the end of the month. But that's okay, we were just excited we got one kid in.

I didn't read a whole lot in April. I didn't even finish the book club book, which as it turns out didn't matter because only one other person showed up and she didn't even start the book. So we went to Bed Bath and Beyond and wandered around looking at all the random things. It was fun.

The book was "Present Over Perfect" by Shauna Niequest.

The idea of the book is good. We shouldn't worry so much about being perfect all the time or trying to appear that way, what is more important is that we are present with our family and friends. 

But that's about it. Niequist has many other books and clearly she's not a bad writer, but it is almost insulting to have an author complain about how stressed her life is and how she is going to say no to writing books and speaking engagements... in the book she wrote. She goes away to her cabin in Michigan to "get away" and jets off to Hawaii to relax, it's just not real life. Most people don't have the means to spend a month at a cabin away from the hustle or take vacations just because they're feeling overwhelmed. I thought the book would meet the average woman where she's at but I just kept feeling more and more alienated by Niequist and her privileges. Of course shes entitled to be stressed out too in whatever life she lives but it just didn't allow the book to feel genuine. 

I had such a hard time with this book that I put off reading the other book club book that I needed to read for this week. "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern. 

It was a quite enchanting read. I will be perfectly honest with you and say that I really didn't think I was going to dig this book. Even so much as to return it to the library unread the first time I checked it out. "Present Over Perfect" really ruined me I guess. That and the summary of "The Night Circus" just didn't grab me. 

But once I started reading the book hooked me quickly and it was a pleasure. There is an air of mystery throughout the book, as though you're never quite sure what is real, which evokes the spirit of the circus through words. It was very cool. I love the somewhat open-endedness of the book, that the circus can be whatever you want it to be. Morgenstern is a wonderfully descriptive author and I really felt this book on a deep level. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read. This isn't a life changing book or the greatest literature, but it is solid entertainment. 

I was on such a high after finishing "The Night Circus" just after rest time yesterday that I decided to buy Bunmi Laditan's new book on Kindle last night. 

Husband is gone again for work and I figured since I was in the reading groove I may as well let it continue. I read this in one fell swoop, starting shortly after my kids were in bed and finishing around 12:30. I did take a break for a shower and a phone call with Husband but it was a pleasure to read and I couldn't stop. 

"Confessions of a Domestic Failure" kind of says everything any stay-at-home-mom would want to say. It reads just like Bunmi on Facebook/Instagram/articles so it's real and has a familiar voice. The book starts out more like one of her rants but then a plot is discerned, while kind of an obvious one, is just so funny and real you can't help but love it. Does it all wrap up with a nice little bow? Sure. Would you want these characters to end any other way? Not one bit. 

The book is refreshing because it hits the nail on the head with motherhood. It's messy, lonely and hard. But it's also good. Having a book describe that so well gives readers permission to feel like that and to not be #soblessed every waking second. This is going to be the feel-good book for 2017 and a sure fire hit. If you are looking for a gift for a new mom that is for them and not the baby, this would be a good choice. I laughed out loud several times and also found myself nodding in agreement occasionally. 

It's a solid 4 stars. It loses a star for it's predictability but truthfully it is the predictability that makes this book so comforting. "Confessions of a Domestic Failure" is not putting on airs or pretending to be "literature" it feels familiar and wonderful. And I mean, it came out yesterday and I finished it already. Partly because Husband was gone sure, but I still chose it over Netflix so that is saying something I think. 

So that's what I have been up to in May so far. Real life mixed with a lot of reading the past three days. I'm going to log on to our library site right now to try and get something else to read. 

Spring Program and Art Show

Oh golly. My guy had his school spring program yesterday. It's kind of the big hurrah to preschool because they don't do a graduation or anything like that. (Which is totally okay!) My FIL brought both of my Husband's grandmas to the program and then Husband's uncle came too so we had quite the crowd to see C! It was lovely but my mama heart is just now processing all there is to process that preschool is coming to an end.

There's only 16 days left! And it's all capped off a little too much for me because the last day of school is also his birthday! I am getting all emotional just thinking of it. All the bittersweet.

So anyway, focusing on the good stuff, his program. Want to watch a song? Yes? Well okay... if you insist. :)

They decorated the gym with all kinds of spring art work and it was so awesome to see. The art is so so cute. We got to take all of it home with us. 

These look uninteresting from far away but they are just the cutest up close! With the cheerio eyes, macaroni beaks and corn kernels by their feet. Speaking of, look at those adorable feet!! 

I wish I had gotten a picture of the tables, the center pieces were little watering cans, with flowers with the kids school pictures on it, then they had egg carton caterpillars as well as pom pom caterpillars on leaves. Super sweet. I also only got a terrible picture of the butterflies by the entry. 

It was just the sweetest little program. My guy humored me and let me take his picture with all three of his teachers and his best school friend. I certainly channeled my mother that's for sure, I was on a mission! 

My guy with his sweet teacher, she is so good with the kids. She put on a heck of a program and we will miss her for sure! Well, until M is in 4-year-old preschool. Hopefully she is still at our school!! (She's been there for 8 years so odds are in our favor I think...) 

So that was the exciting end of the week we had! 

The Post in Which I am Grumpy Cat

All of the nos. No. 

This travesty has recently come to my attention: 

They (ABC) have remade Dirty Dancing. And, it looks terrible. Because obviously.

I don't even understand why they would want to remake it. Especially in a made-for-television movie. This was an appropriate tribute: 

Because it's Jennifer Grey carrying a watermelon and even Jennifer Grey post nose-job is still Jennifer Grey.

I don't know why any actor would agree to sign on? I mean, really? Are their careers really suffering that much? Poor newcomer Colt Prattes, I just feel bad for him. His "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." doesn't even hold a candle to Patrick's. How could it? There really are no winners here. I know the internet is a place for trolls and Negative Nellys, but there is not one positive comment on Face.book and they disabled the comments on YouTube. That speaks volumes to me. 

Why on earth did ABC need "the musical for a new era" in the first place?! I have loved this movie since I was little and the "dirty" went WAY over my head. I can assure you my children will watch it too. We have the DVD and the CD soundtrack as one does. I can tell you that on May 24 I will most certainly be putting in my DVD and watching Patrick Swazye and Jennifer Grey as God intended. Until then I am just going to be horrified and saying no on repeat. 

No. No no no no no. 

The Pendulum Always Swings Back

Before I get into my post I would like to wish you all a VERY happy Miss Congeniality Day.

Weed whacking. That is one of those dreaded tasks in our household. Husband really really doesn't like to do it. And I really really like how our yard looks with the edges neat and not have tall grass around our tree and fence. So every year I nag. And every year he puts it off until he gets sick of my nagging. So I did some probing, and part of the reluctance is that our weed whacker takes a gas/oil mix and our new lawn mower is gas only and we only have one gas can. Plus the weed whacker is really heavy.

This was a problem I could solve. So yesterday after drop off M and I went to Home Depot and I bought myself a new toy.

It weighs 3 pounds and I can use it! In a "girls can do anything" kind of moment, I put it together all by myself, got the battery charged and went out and took care of business. The Rosie the Riveter mindset stuck with me all day and I was killin' it. Laundry got done. Kitchen was clean. Yard looked good. Kids played outside the bulk of the day. It was pretty awesome. 

But, like always the pendulum swung back hard today. Where everything went right yesterday, things were just a little off today. Nothing major happened but it just was a let down from the awesomeness of yesterday. Yet, here we are, fed, clothed and healthy (sans a little seasonal allergy) so life is still pretty good. I put pigtails in M's hair today for the first time ever. This picture was from pre-nap and they did look better post nap when she sat a little more still. 

We are in that wonderful time of year where the morning requires a light jacket (ha! Miss Congeniality again!) but by lunch time it's awesome. So pretty much exactly like the meme. 

However your days have been so far this week, good or bad, I hope you are able to find the goodness in them. Perspective is always helpful. 

Hot Wheels Party!

Happy birthday to my favorite!! Today is Husband's 33rd birthday and we celebrated the way all dads do... with a Hot Wheels party! C got it into his head that his dad should have a Hot Wheels party and that he wanted to get him a box of Hot Wheels fruit snacks for a present. Husband rolled with it and we had a pretty awesome party!

The ladies at the grocery store thought that C was hilarious. He was SO proud about picking up the cake that he picked out. Why is grocery store sheet cake so darn good? 

My mom LOVED the theme and got Husband appropriate gifts including 4 new Hot Wheels vehicles. (C and M were VERY pleased with that development.) We also obviously had BWW for dinner. 

So while Husband was in Vegas I got to work on a mini bedroom makeover. Husband has been a trooper for the past three years and has had a book shelf on his side of the bed. With one of the shelves acting as his night stand. On Wednesday night I took everything off the bookshelf, tore it down to pieces, got it out to the garage and cleaned the spot out. It was a little dusty. 

Thursday night I got to work building the night stand. I will admit here and now that Husband is usually the builder of furniture in our house but it didn't take me too long! We "wrapped" it with a big bow. M really loves the big bow. If you have a toddler in your life, make any gift more exciting with the addition of a big bow. 

Friday after art class I put all the new bedding on to the bed. I got new sheets and pillow cases just because. And then I also got a new duvet cover and shams. We had a quilt but it was getting stained and ripping. It wasn't a nice quilt, I think like $40 at Kohl's so it was super okay to move on. 

I did get it looking a little nicer and neater for Saturday when he got home but this was a quick picture while the light was good in there. It reads much more gray in pictures and on Skype, but it is more blue than gray. I like it. Husband also likes it. Everybody wins! 

Well when he got home from Las Vegas he was tired (because the red eye) and coming home to a nice clean bedroom with new bedding was an even better treat than I imagined! 

It was a GREAT birthday day spent at church (With a two year old who loudly proclaimed during the baptism "Church is NOT my favorite!" Oy vey.) and in the backyard with a little partying in there too. I am so happy we were able celebrate Husband and we get to love him another year!