Kids: To Invite or Not To Invite

Kid is turning five.

Five?

Five.

Wow.

I have a question for the Moms (and Dads) out there. How old were your kids when they started inviting a bunch of friends to their birthday parties?

Up until now Kid's birthdays have basically been family get togethers. But now he's in school.

Although, to be honest, he goes to a private school that only added Kindergarten this year (and at the last minute) so his class is very small and there is only one other boy besides Kid.

Then there's church. Girls there too. Poor Kid is surrounded by girls.

So, do we invite his one boy friend from school and the two girls from church (and OK maybe the little neighbor boy) or do we just do a family thing again?

I have to be honest that my hesitancy about inviting so many is because A. Our house is SMALL (and family is already coming) and B. A bunch of new kids means they're going to bring their parents (I would imagine) and my social anxiety may not be able to deal with such things. Haha.

I really don't know what to do. Maybe we should just stick with the family and the cousins.

OK, and MAYBE his best friend from school.

Sigh. Decision making is NOT my thing.

If it Doesn't Have a Tail It's Not a Monkey . . .

Kid logic is awesome.


Kid: I scratched my toe.

Me (Misunderstanding): You scratched your tail? You don't have a tail.

Kid: No, I scratched my TOE.

Me: Oh. I knew you didn't have a tail.

Kid: If I had a tail I'd be a monkey!



P.S. Once again, virtual cookies and 1,000 internet points if you can tell me where my title came from. :)

Random Tuesday Thoughts!

I have not been random (on this blog anyway) in far too long. Today, I shall be random once again. If you would like to be random as well you can click the box and link up over at Stacy's place.

1. September! I. Love. September!

2. Amazon has some free kindle books. This has resulted in my "To read" pile growing far too large.

3. Speaking of my "To read" pile, I've GOT to get my hands on A Clash of Kings. Must know what happens next!

4. Dear George Lucas, Cut. It. Out. It was PERFECT the way it was. STOP changing things!

5. Realized that Kid's birthday is a week away. This means his party is less than Two weeks away! I'm not panicking, not at all! Where's my towel!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

6. If you have any awesome suggestions for a Lego birthday party I'm all ears. (Well, all eyes I suppose.)

7. Ringer starts tonight. I'm sort of excited to have Sarah Michelle Gellar back on my TV.

8. Pinterest rocks! I found a website that suggested making pancakes in mini muffins cups, in the oven. Perfect. No turning, no flipping, just baking and eating. (Bonus if you add chocolate chips and pumpkin!)

9. What's your favorite creepy book to read for Halloween?

10. I love my New England Patriots. Yeah, Baby!

I may have more but I'll stop now. Hey, at least they were all short.

Bonk, Bonk, on the Head

Dear Blog, I'm so sorry I abandoned you. I have no excuse.

Around here life has being going on.

Kid is having a fantastic time at school.

I received a call a couple weeks ago from his teacher. She told me he was outside running around, hit his head and had a huge knot. She wanted to let me know in case I wanted to come get him.

She put him on the phone.

Me: Hey, Baby, what happened?
Kid: I was running, at the park, and I looked backwards and ran into a pipe.
Me: Are you OK?
Kid: Yeah.
Me: Do you want Mommy to come get you or do you want to stay at school?
Kid: I want to stay at school.

His teacher texted me a picture of the knot on his head. It was indeed huge. But she told me that as soon as he was done talking to me he was already asking to go play. He's a tough little thing.

 This is after the knot had gone down quite a bit.

P.S. Virtual cookies and 1,000 internet points if you know where the title for today's post came from. :)

Six Word Saturday!

Saturday. I have six words (or more) today! If you want to play 6WS then grab the box and Cate will explain everything on her blog.

Happy Birthday to THE BEST DAD!

I know some of you would argue this point but I'm pretty sure I have the best Dad ever. (And I wouldn't say it if I didn't think so.) He taught me SO much and so much of what I am today is because of him. (I hope he would think that's a good thing.)

I always had what I needed and occasionally I had what I wanted (but I wasn't Very spoiled). 

He's good and fair and wise and loves the Lord (and taught me to love Him too).

I so wish we lived closer to him so that Kid could experience Grandpa's awesomeness more often. 

Happy Birthday, Dad! I love you with all my heart!

Six Word Saturday

I know I haven't been around in a WHILE but I'm here now.

If you want to play Six Word Saturday link up at Cate's by clicking the box.

I can feel Autumn coming. Yay!

Happy Saturday!

A Man Made Me Cry, In Walmart

Monday, after I dropped Kid off at school I went grocery shopping.

I was walking through Walmart, minding my own business when an older (60's) man drove up behind me in one of those motorized carts.

"I just wanted to tell you you're beautiful."

Me: *Speechless*

"Has anyone ever told you you're beautiful?"

Me: *Mouth Hanging Open* Uh, rarely.

About now I'm thinking that he must just be telling me this because he's one of those people that think everyone is beautiful, no matter what and that they should all be told.

"Well, you are. You're one of the most beautiful ladies I've seen around here."

After he said that my previous theory didn't really hold. So there I was with my mouth hanging open. Then, it occurred to me that he drove up from behind me. So I said (And now that I think about it, it probably sounded sort of cocky but I promise I didn't intend for it to sound that way.) "You got that from the back of my head?"

Then he explained that he saw me in the other aisle and made it a point to drive around and tell me.

Now, I was standing in the middle of Walmart crying. Then, I was trying to laugh to cover up the crying. Haha. It was ridiculous. I'm so glad no one else was in that aisle. lol

He quickly assured me that he hadn't intend to embarrass me, he just wanted to tell me. He asked if I lived here. I said yes. Then, being who I am, I had to add that I didn't live in Walmart but I did live in town. He got a kick out of that and asked if I was from here originally. I told him no, I was from PA. He said he noticed I didn't have a "twang" when I spoke. Haha (Thank goodness!! lol)

He asked me if I was married and I told him yes. He told me I should go home and tell my Husband that I'm beautiful and if he didn't see that there were others who would. Haha.

It was such a strange experience, but I have to be honest, it was nice. Also, he wasn't hitting on me or anything like that he was just trying to be nice.

Monday was a strange day for me. Haha.

The Big Day!

Oh my word! It happened.

The first day of SCHOOL!

I woke my BABY up and took him to SCHOOL!!

My BABY!

I didn't cry at all. Of course, J and my Mother-in-Law were also in the car so I didn't want to cry in front of them. Haha. I held it together.

After I dropped him off I came home, made a shopping list and went to Walmart. Alone. As I wandered through the isles of Walmart, in the middle of the morning, Alone, I began to think. Think about my BABY off at school. Think about how he wouldn't be home with me during the day all the time anymore. I missed him.

I started to feel some anxiety and also a little panicky. I had to slow down and take some deep breaths. A panic attack in the middle of Walmart, not really what I needed.

I managed to make it through just fine though. I came home and made Kid a cake. Green inside and out. Green is his Favorite color! I had intended to make it in the shape of a crayon but I ran out of time.

He had a blast! The first thing he said to me when I picked him up was "I painted!" :)

I heard all about the rest of the day. Kids and playing outside, swinging on the swings, eating lunch, Ms. Hanna (Teacher), painting, reading books. I'm so glad he had a great time!

Now, we just have to do this for nine more months! I'll be used to getting up early by then, right?

Random Tuesday Thoughts

It's Tuesday! Link up with us rebels over at Stacy's place and join the fun!

1. So, Bradley Cooper will play Lucifer in Paradise Lost? Bradley Cooper is playing the devil. This is really going to mess with my morals. I'm fairly certain you are NOT supposed to find such a character THAT attractive.

2. So, my BABY starts Kindergarten in less than two weeks. Oh. My. Oh. My. Oh. My.

3. On a related note . . . I've had the Kid home with me everyday for the last (very soon to be) five years. WHAT will I do with my day???

4. Do you/your kids read the Magic Tree House books? I read the first one to the Kid the other day and he loved it. Sat for the Whole book. We have three more but way out of order. I'm going to keep my eyes open for these books.

5. Kid's birthday is in September and I'm still not sure about a theme for his party. I'm usually Much more prepared than this. He's not a whole lot of help either.

6. Cooking shows. I have knife envy. I love their big knives that effortlessly slide through anything. I want those knives.

7. So when Kid goes to school I will do . . . What? What on earth will I do with my days? I suppose I'll finally have time to write my book. Unfortunately I don't work so well without a looming deadline.

8. This afternoon I'm going to pick up the school supply list and then I get to shop. That might be fun.

9. Have a great day everyone!!

My BABY!

According to the public school system here in our town you must be five years old by September first to attend Kindergarten.

The Kid will be five years old on September twentieth. Nineteen days too late for Kindergarten.

So, we looked into a private school that J's cousin attends. However, we were told that they did not have Kindergarten. This was right around the end of the last school year.

Last week I found out that the school had decided to add Kindergarten this year. So, I called them. I spoke to the Kindergarten teacher. Ms. Hanna. She told me that they were not accepting students based on age but on where the student was academically. So, we made an appointment and the Kid went to test.

We took a tour of the school. Older buildings but still nice. Big classrooms. Large grounds and lots of run around room. Then, the Kid took his test.

After, she told me she had a meeting and she would call me and let me know.

Now, I didn't know whether I should try to convince the Kid that it would be OK if he didn't get to go. (Because he was already very excitedly telling people "I'm going to Kindergarten!") Or, should I be freaking out about school clothes, and school supplies?

Fun Fact: They start school AUGUST FIRST!!!!!!! (PANIC!)

Ms. Hanna did call me back that night and told me she would be happy to take the Kid. She said he did well on the test, listened very well and understood all she said to him.

She has a small class since it is a private school and it's the first year for the Kindergarten. The Kid will be surrounded by girls. (Help! Haha Just kidding.)

Now I really get to panic. Did I mention they start August first????

Also . . . My Baby!

 (This is a photo of a photo, that's why the grainy.)

I wish I knew how old he was here but I'm thinking just a couple months.

He's going to SCHOOL!

This was on the way to take his Kindergarten test. 

My BABY is going to Kindergarten! He is SO excited!

Now. Pencils, crayons, paper, glue sticks, lunch boxes, lunch, clothes, shoes, etc, etc, etc . . . Help! :)

Random Tuesday Thoughts!!

It's Tuesday and I'm SO late with my random. Oh well, better late than never! Link up over at Stacy's to join the fun!

1. Wait! It IS Tuesday! Oh my word! I've had an awful time with that fact today.

2. Harry Potter at midnight this week. I've never done a midnight premiere. I'm both excited and anxious about the crowds. I do plan to take my camera though because I've heard tales told of the craziness of Harry Potter fans. Any advice you can give, I will accept. What time should I get there?

3. You know I can lay in my bed at night and think up all kinds of random. I sit in front of the computer and Poof! Gone!

4. J's been watching MTV's Teen Wolf. I've never been a huge werewolf fan but I find this show . . . Just completely ridiculous. My word, it's just totally and completely not my thing. Where are the vampires? Vampires I like!

5. Um, MTV . . . Why is there even an "M" there anyway? I haven't seen Music on that channel in ages. (Not that I spend a lot of time watching MTV . . . Or any time really, unless J is watching that silly Teen Wolf and I'm in the room.)

6. J's been watching Falling Skies . . . Falling Skies has recently been renewed for a second season. My thoughts on this? WHY????

7. I have a list of TV shows that I would like to watch. Thanks to Netflix I can pour through them. However, lately I've just wanted to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer (even though I've seen them all a few times). Oh well, everything else can wait. Giles, Willow and Angel, apparently, come first.

8. I wish I was one of those people that could read really fast. There are a bunch of books on my to read list and I don't have the motivation because it takes me forever to get through a book.

9. My random this week is pathetic. I'm going to put a notebook by my bed and start writing down those 1 AM random thoughts. I'm sure they're a LOT more interesting than what I've got going on here.

10. Have a Great Week!

That's The Night That The Lights Went Out In . . . My House

It was a little after 9 o'clock last night. J was in the bedroom watching a movie and the Kid and I were in the living room.

Suddenly, Nothing. Pitch Black!

All the power went out. Lights, TVs, Air conditioner, everything just stopped. I went to the window and looked outside. None of our neighbors had lights and the street lights were out. Apparently this wasn't enough for me, I had to actually walk outside to confirm the lack of lights.

My neighbor was outside, I could barely see her, she said "It was so fast! I couldn't even see my kids!"

I grabbed my phone and called the electric company. Of course, since it had just occurred they had no idea what was going on but assured us they would try to get our power back on as soon as possible.

We called some family on the other side of town. Nothing there. J called his work. No power there either. We're talking the whole town. No power. Everything was black!

It was soooo craaaaazy!

We sat in the living room a bit longer, waiting. Nothing. My computer was about to die so I shut it down. J was watching a movie on his computer.

The Kid didn't want to go to bed in his room because you couldn't see a hand in front of your face in there and I didn't really blame him. So the Kid and I went to my room. I'm so glad I had Rupert at least I could play music.

When J came to bed there were THREE of us in our bed and it was beginning to get warm with the lack of air conditioning. The Kid wanted to cuddle and it was just too hot. Finally J went to sleep in the kids bed. He had to get up early for work and there was no sleeping with three of us in that bed.

The Kid finally fell asleep. I blew out the candle, and read on Rupert (New kindle app!! FTW!!) for a while until I was tired enough to sleep through the heat.

Then, at 4:30 in the morning, it all started back up. Suddenly the air was back on (THANK GOD!) and so were the kitchen lights. I had gone around and turned off the lights but I forgot about the ones above the sink and the stove. It was a sudden wake-up. Haha

After I got up, turned off the lights and put the covers back on our bed I went back to sleep.

What. A. Night.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

A few weeks ago The Save At Home Mom posted a recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge and I HAD to try it!

 Our Walmart didn't have Coconut Oil so I put it off. Well, recently I was shopping and there it was! Just sitting on the shelf! Waiting for me to buy it! Coconut Oil!

I grabbed it and made it a point to try this fudge. Want to know how I made it? I'll tell ya!

You will need:

1/2 Cup of Coconut oil
1/2 Cup of Cocoa powder
1/2 Cup Natural Peanut butter
1/4 Cup Raw Honey (To be honest, I used regular natural honey. We don't eat honey around here and the raw stuff was a large jar and expensive.)
1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 a cup of Coconut Oil

1/2 a cup of Cocoa powder

1/2 a cup of Organic Peanut Butter

1/4 Cup of Honey

1/2 Teaspoon of Vanilla

 

(I know it says "Mexican Blend" but it still vanilla.)

Pour all the ingredients in a bowl.

Looks, uh, yum?

Blend them all together.

Get cute little cupcake papers and put them in your cupcake tray.

Pour some fudgey batter into each one. (Mine made 15)

Now put them in the fridge for about 40 min to an hour or in the freezer for about 20 minutes.

When you get them out they're nice and solid and cute.

And . . .

They taste SO GOOD!

give them a try!

They're tasty, easy to make, minimal clean-up AND I can't find any reason to tell the Kid "No" when he asks for some fudge!

Random Tuesday Thoughts!

It's Tuesday! Random Tuesday! Apparently the holiday threw me off.  Well, if you would like to participate link up over at Stacy's (Who is carrying the RTT baton for Keely) by clicking the box!

1. I feel as though I'm low on Random.

2. Someone gave J a Bunch of fireworks yesterday. He had to work late last night and early this morning so we plan to set them off tonight. Dear neighbors, you're welcome. :)

3. I bought a ticket for the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. I've never been to a midnight movie premier before. I like to go to movies after opening weekend so I can get my seat in the back corner. I plan to be at the theater two hours early. I'm going to sit there with my book until the movie starts. I want my back row seat.

4. Today is laundry day. It was supposed to be yesterday but I never actually got around to it. It's OK, it WAS a Holiday after all.

5. The Kid and I went to the public pool last week. He wore his water wings. We were there for almost two hours before one of the lifeguards came up and told us that the water wings were not allowed. The Kid was very upset and so was I. I wish I would have thought to say "WHY the heck not?!" but alas, I wasn't really thinking about anything but my poor upset Kid. According to the sign, which I then read, no floaties of any kind are allowed. Water wings, vests, noodles, etc. I understand the big stuff but not floaties for four year olds. Anyone have any idea why this would be?

6. Well, I really am low on the random and I do have laundry to do. I suppose I shall leave it at this.

Happy Birthday, America!

Happy Birthday, America!

My country, 'tis of Thee,
Sweet Land of Liberty
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountain side
Let Freedom ring.

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills,
My heart with rapture thrills
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet Freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

Our fathers' God to Thee,
Author of Liberty,
To thee we sing,
Long may our land be bright
With Freedom's holy light,
Protect us by thy might
Great God, our King.

Our glorious Land to-day,
'Neath Education's sway,
Soars upward still.
Its hills of learning fair,
Whose bounties all may share,
Behold them everywhere
On vale and hill!

Thy safeguard, Liberty,
The school shall ever be,
Our Nation's pride!
No tyrant hand shall smite,
While with encircling might
All here are taught the Right
With Truth allied.

Beneath Heaven's gracious will
The stars of progress still
Our course do sway;
In unity sublime
To broader heights we climb,
Triumphant over Time,
God speeds our way!

Grand birthright of our sires,
Our altars and our fires
Keep we still pure!
Our starry flag unfurled,
The hope of all the world,
In peace and light impearled,
God hold secure!

- America

 - Rev. Samuel F. Smith