Nailed it!

When your kid loves cooking shows, you jump on board. I don't mind most of them. We actually enjoy watching them together. So she decided that this year I should make my own birthday cake because we saw a really cool cake on Nail'd It and she thought we could do it. Things I learned....
1. Marshmallow fondant is surprisingly cheap and easy to make.
2. I am a motivated learner, but not a cake decorator.
3. I don't mind saying NO to my kid, but when it involves fun stuff like baking I say yes more.
4. I have the ability to laugh at myself.
The following is a picture of their cake verses ours. Feel free to also have a laugh. It is shockingly not too bad. I can already hear the judges saying how dry it is, how we needed thicker layers of buttercream between the layers, and how the fondant wasn't rolled properly. HOWEVER, it is ours. We did it. We enjoyed it. And, yes, we will do it again. Probably for her birthday and after we have had more practice...

Mama

The word that warms my heart. And turns my head to every single child that says it within a mile of my ears. I swear I get whiplash turning around when I hear it JUST in the the off chance it is my kid and I just didn't hear her the first time. Mama's, you get me?

Homecoming time

It's homecoming time in my little town. That means a parade with candy and a big game! We are excited to carry on this tradition since this is the school my husband and I went to years and years (and years) ago. My stepson just graduated from there and my daughter will go there soon enough. We are rocking our purple and gold love today for a big W!

Happiness equals fur

We have a dog. This means we have fur. Everywhere! In places you wouldn't even imagine. I find it on my desk at work sometimes. It is crazy. I can't find my keys sometimes, but we never run out of time to find dog hair! Charlie is a 75-ish pound black English Lab. He thinks he is a human, but we won't tell him the truth. He is empathetic, loving, playful, and does a great job of keeping the food off the floor. He is great with kids as long as he doesn't get too excited because he has been known to bowl a kid or two over. On a whole, he is a lovable addition to our family. The only downside is that we have hair. Everywhere! I should just buy stock in Swiffer, Mop n Glo, Dyson, and any other product I use to keep my home looking and smelling decent. Notice I didn't say good. When the windows are closed, it straight smells like a dog runs my house when you first walk in. Once you get a few steps in, though, it is a nice smelling home again. Tonight I couldn't find good ol' Charlie boy and I had a moment of panic. I found him sitting on my daughter's feet while she practiced piano. He was just enjoying the good tunes, so he was not in the mood to come to the sound of his name. My daughter was so excited to have an audience that she played everything she knows and then some. Then they danced together. Then they snuggled together. Then it was the cutest thing ever and I decided that I should just give up cleaning up after sir sheds a lot and let him be the cutest snuggler ever. I heard dog owners get into heaven faster and for my sake, I hope that is true. It makes all the brushing, sweeping, vaccuuming and hollering even more worth it. I mean, check out this lovable face. Who could deny any of that?!

It's almost fall, ya'll!!!

It's almost fall in the midwest. This means apple cider donuts, football, cool nights, and everything in between. Except... It is 80 degrees and muggy. In mid September. In northern Illinois. What?!!? This is going to be one of those situations where you get all excited to start making apple crisp, apple pie, apple cake, apple cider, and applesauce from the comfort of your own baggy sweater but you have the air on and you are wearing Daisy Dukes under your favorite football jersey because it is SO STINKING HOT. Seriously?! All this means now is that winter is going to be hard, fast, and brutal. I will give away the indian summer for a reasonable fall. I baked apple cake last week with all the ceiling fans on blast, so at least my house smelled like fall goodness. Fingers crossed for good weather all year long, not just in moments like this where we don't really need it.

On 9/11 we never forget

My thoughts and prayers go out to anyone who knows about 9/11, who helped, who suffered, who lost, who mourned, who donated, who prayed, or who was there. This day makes me sad on so many levels. I am a patriot through and through and this act of terrorism shakes me to the core thinking that our American soil, safety and liberties were changed forever on that day. Stay strong, America. Be thankful, be gracious, be kind, be willing, be charitable, be loving. Just be the best you that you can be. WE the people need to stand up, unite and stay strong for future generations. Keep telling the story. Let it be known that we overcame and still stand strong. Excuse me while I go have a good cry out in memories of those that we lost, those hurt helping out, those families who have one less table setting to put out. Hug your babies, thank your friends and family, just never forget. 

Oh, the tears

Tonight I took my daughter to her gymnastics class. She was very frustrated and came out several times with a look on her face. I asked her what was wrong and she just got upset. She said she is mad that she can't do the skills that her teacher is asking her to do. I told her to take a deep breath and keep trying. After class, she came out and started to cry. She told me that she doesn't like not being able to do stuff well. I reminded her that she is only 8! The other girls in her class are 10 years old and up. She is always the smallest, so she must expect to be a little bit behind the taller and bigger girls. We have been going to Gymnastics Academy for about 6 years and we LOVE IT. The coaches are great, the family that runs it is great, and the communication is great. Even her teacher told her not to be so hard on herself and to take a deep breath, keep trying, and just have fun. It is so disheartening to watch my baby girl cry, but I am proud of the fact that she is trying and truly cares about her craft. Gymnastics is the only sport she has ever been in long term and she loves it. I had to remind myself that she can cry about anything she is passionate about and to be supportive in that. We had good hugs and reminders that as long as you always try, then it is okay. Tonight I am so thankful for the coaching staff at Gymnastics Academy for taking care of my daughter and treating her so well over the years. We are truly grateful for their skill and hard work!Gymnastics Academy North

Sunday is lazy day

We were in a parade this morning and my daughter had a blast waving paparazzi style to everyone. Afterwards we ended up at home with no plans and we were actually OKAY with it. We constantly move, go, plan, do and as fun as our lives are, this is sometimes exhausting! My daughter was able to call a friend and walk over to her house which meant laying around and watching football for the adults! Today's life lesson: embrace cancelled plans, don't feel like you constantly need to be in motion, and get a house 2 doors down from your daughter's best friend :)

Fall Fest

Midwest in the fall means Fall Fest! We participated in the kiddie costume parade this morning, which is an all time favorite. I mean, I was doing this when I was 8 which is a long, long time ago... Needless to say, our homemade sheep costume won and my little one was ecstatic to win free rides for the day. Who doesn't like winning? Who doesn't like free? I thought for sure she wouldn't win because her little cotton balls kept falling off. But for the cost of three bags of cotton balls, I got to spend mama and me time crafting her costume and then doing the parade with her. At the end of the day, she is happy which makes me happy. Together time is really all that counts to me! Their costume and mine!

Football season has arrived

Just like some folks eat 4th meal, we midwestern folks have our 5th season of football. It comes during what other people call the fall season :) It's Thursday night and the Bears are playing the Packers to open the season! Um. Yes please! I then realized that my 8 year old doesn't actually like football... She LOVED cheerleading, but those pesky football games got in the way. So I am sitting home right now watching the game in the living room surrounded by craft projects while my husband is out with friends watching the game with football loving adults. No worries. The dog and I are cheering. This is mom life, folks, and either way I am diggin it. GO BEARS!

Irony

My baby girl is sick. She slept in late, napped early and laid around in between with a ton of construction paper, markers and washi tape. Oh, the little things that can make a kid happy. Since I had the day off I decided to check out Netflix. If you haven't watched Working Moms yet, you must! So, the irony of me being a working mom and taking the day off with my sick kid then watching a show called Working Moms... you get it :) The first 5 minutes are filled with nudity and F bombs. Be advised if you don't like that kind of humor. Me, on the otherhand, I was dying of laughter. It was hilarious! Huge props to Netflix for getting working moms who nurse their babies correctly. Those were dark days, folks! Rough. Watch the show. You will thank me! And fingers crossed my baby girl feels better by tomorrow.

back to school colds...

First, I got my back to school cold. I get it every year and I should know better. How long have I been teaching? I'm not new here! I walked around for 2 days carrying a half gallon of orange juice and taking the good stuff every 4 hours like clockwork. Now my daughter has caught the back to school cold. She has asthma so the slightest cough and sniffle are enough to freak anyone out because that can turn into pneumonia in a flash. She roughed it through school today, but tonight she got really wheezy and we called it. I just put in for a sub and made a to do list so that I can be productive on my day off. Is it just me or do other moms feel the need to get stuff done on a sick day to make it justified????? I will spend the day watching girly movies with the sick princess and struggling to get all the girl scout badges on correctly. Grading papers, running the Swiffer and an in house work out are on the back burner. We will wait and see how snuggly my sick girl will feel. Stay strong and stay safe out there, mamas! Start buying vats of orange juice and Robitussin because I heard it's going to be a rough winter. Grrr....

Labor Day fun

Happy Labor Day, folks! Enjoy the day off of work and with your family and friends. I get asked a lot why I work when I am a mom. Um... Because I DO! If I don't teach, someone else might, but I love teaching. I love the connections being built and the experiences I have. I love being able to have a whole different life outside of my home, my kids, my husband that makes me unique. I love showing my daughter that women can excel at anything with some effort and planning involved. I am embracing this Labor Day because I am a working mom who is in a union. I am enjoying this break. I am embracing my family time and I hope that all of you do, too!