learning the fine art of chess

We have learned a lot from Y care. Someone at Y care taught my daughter how to braid her hair. Someone else taught her how to tie her shoes. And another person taught her chess. She gets a lot done in those afternoon sessions!

Chess is not a game a play. My brain doesn't work like that! However, my daughter loves strategy games. She plays Stratego, TinTin, and now chess. It seemed only fitting that we get a new chess board for Father's Day so my favorite folks can strategize together. 

There's nothing better than hearing, "Want to play a game, daddy?" She tried to hold her own. She definitely did better than I could have done. I got to watch and be the cheering commity. That works for me! 

Long gone are the 92 games in a row of CandyLand or Go Fish. Now the whole family can enjoy all the fun together. There are only a few games we haven't taught her to play yet. With that brain of hers she will have them down in no time! We definitely love games in this house!

showing dignity through disparity

When you get evacuated from your home for a minute, it really puts some things in perspective. We only ordered from or ate from local dining establishments. Always support local! We relied on local friends and news sources for help and/or information. We put our faith in local community efforts to support the town that we know and love.

I saw this post and was reminded of the ripple effect. Think big, act big. Shop small, save all. Do good, help the hood (fine, I just made that up but it's funny!) There is a lot to be said for being the bigger person. Acting like the champ. Leading by example. 

We experienced so much in my tiny little town this week, but we made national news, welcomed the EPA and other government agencies, and tried to save face. All I was reminded of was to save grace. Don't be a fool. Take a deep breath. Collect yourself. 

We had so many options for our family. I felt blessed that we could have camped, found a hotel, or bunked in with family. Despite ALL that, we decided that no matter what happens next, we will proceed with dignity and grace. We will support local businesses also dealing with this matter. We will recommend local to people asking for help to choose a restaurant or a shop. We will show dignity and grace when we stick our heads up to proudly proclaim where we are from!

Be the ripple! Demonstrate a ripple! Keep your head up against all odds!

you're never too young to cook and bake!

I love to bake and my husband loves to cook. Between the two of us, we are setting a pretty good example in our house for independence, hobbies, good eating, creativity... The rules are simple

 You have to try a food before you say you don't like it. You have to clear your spot at the table. Sometimes you help with dinner. 

My daughter has started preparing little meals for us. Last Thursday we had homemade pizza with macaroni and cheese. Have you ever looked into homemade pizza crust? So simple- flour, yeast, oil, water, sugar. Cheap and easy. 

Last night we had macaroni and cheese with breakfast cookies for dessert. She has aprons, measuring equipment, kid cookbooks, and interest, so why not?! Breakfast cookies are high protein, egg-free cookies that are actually really good. We split up meal cooking so we aren't stuck with only Kraft based choices ;)

Giving her a little freedom and trust has gone a long way. She wants to help. She is learning fractions and math skills through measuring. She has to help clean up, so every which way I win! And she gets to try new things, so we all win. I truly hope the art of cooking and baking is always her passion! We have so much fun with it!

What to do with a half hour???

 We had a half hour to kill before bed. Being a girl mom is the BEST! Thirty minutes is plenty of time for fun! I offered painting canvases, bracelet making, baking clay beads, games, or I said we could just fill a basket with stuff we don't want. And out of all those choices, what did she choose??? Fill a basket. 

I was kidding, by the way. How does a kid NOT want to play with all of her own stuff and do artsy fartsy fun with mom? So we got a laundry basket and started upstairs to work our way down to the basement. We now have a box of stuff to get rid of. We even have a pile of fun started for summer break!

I am definitely proud of this kid. She knows what she likes and she is honest about the stuff she doesn't like. Since art stuff never goes bad or goes out of style, we can constantly find new ways to have fun and be creative without just staring at a TV all summer or doing the same thing everyday. Next time we get bored or have free time, I may just offer up doing dishes or brushing the dog instead of filling a basket and see what she says :)

Always look on the bright side

 We look on the bright side of life a lot! Sometimes you just need to take a deep breath and find the bright spot. Today I doubled over in laughter over a conversation about glow sticks. I was dying of laughter over glow sticks. BUT, it was a bright and sunny side of my day. 

 My daughter was in charge of dinner tonight and it was SO GOOD. She did a great job. It was fun being her sous chef in the kitchen and watching her do her thing in the kitchen. It was a great meal and a great bonding experience. BOOM. Bright side :) 

 We went to a garage sale and bought a new card game for the camper last weekend. It is Sorry Revenge. After playing for a few rounds, we picked it up and really enjoyed it. Without even trying, we found the bright side. I am trying to find something bright every day to enjoy and embrace. 

 Trying to find the bright side can get tough when you've been looking through the darkened glasses of shame, doom, stress, or whatever it is you have in your soul. I realize now that the more I smile, the more the little people in my life do. The more the dog enjoys life. The more my husband enjoys life. 

There is a really annoying song from back when I taught preschool, "Stay on the sunny side, always on the sunny side. Stay on the sunny side of life. Lalalalalalala. You'll never feel ashamed. You'll never feel the same. Stay on the sunny side of LIFE!"

what's YOUR superpower?!

We had a discussion a few weeks back about super powers. What would YOUR super power be? Everyone had different responses. Most people said they wanted the ability to fly. Some wanted to have super strength. 

I thought it would be cool to go invisible. Can you imagine sneaking up on a robber or a crook and whispering BOO in their ear? Remember that scene in Ghost where Patrick Swayze messes with the bad guy? That was the best! You could do so many fun things. 

My kid has decided she wants to fly. We talked about all the cool places she could go. Or all the cool places she would see. She wants to sit on top of tall buildings and look down. She wants to fly around with our dog on her back. She definitely had some good talking points!

I may demand a new vote. Is there a way a parent can take away their kid's pain or sorrow? Is that a superpower? As we get older and find more emotion and empathy in certain situations, there are more hugs, more tears, more snuggles. She needs to experience some sadness, but it's heartbreaking to watch your little munchkin be sad knowing there's nothing to do to fix it besides hugs and loves.

So... superpower! What would you choose? Would you use your powers for good or for evil? So many options! All I know is that we will be getting capes and maybe tiaras if this ever truly happens :)

new snack spots are the best!

Not sure how we have totally missed out on this delectable little snack spot. We had dinner at a Mexican place and then walked over to check out the confectionary. I was like a kid in a candy shop in there! Forgive the pun ;) We have been broadening our horizons and trying new spots for food, gifts, and fun.

We got "exhausted parent" flavored ice cream. That consisted of boozy flavored ice cream with large chocolate chunks. They let us mix another fun flavor with chunks of candy in it into the pint. And, of course, the Beloit Mix puffcorn. It was ALL so good! 

The popcorn, ice cream, and fudge treats are all made on site daily. If we must continue to eat tasty treats to help our community, we will. Someone has to help make sure that all the fun stores stay open and thriving. And notice the empty bag. Time for a new flavor!

you can learn a lot from flower gardens

We are expanding our flower garden to be a little longer. Now don't confuse me with someone who actually gardens or does it well! I just figured it would look better going the entire length of the garage instead of stopping half way. Insert mini me. She obviously wants to help.

We dug out the existing border edge and yanked up the grass in the new garden spot. We went and picked out a few new plants to start. She helped me transplant and water. We plan to pick up more plants at the new store that just opened in Rockton for all our flower needs! I am hoping that it will be a constant rotation of colors, flowers and plants in bloom throughout the year.

I need more garden pavers and a few more filler plants and voila. We will be done. I honestly got the plant Hen&Chicks because that is just adorable. No idea what it will look like. Don't even care. The name sold me!

Now we can weed the vegetable and the flower garden together. Do I hear bonding time? Yep. Do I hear less work for me? Yep. Do I hear instilling a sense of pride and accomplishment? Yep. Did I take it too far? Yep. Don't even care! We will have pretty flowers to look at while we chill on the deck. 

remembering to enjoy every moment

This expression is currently my self motto. Things are good. We have our health, we have each other, we have the love of our family, jobs, spring time. However, we hit a rough patch and had some bad days. Good days are good. Bad days are not as good. 

We embrace what we have because that's the best way to get through! Smile, enjoy the little moments, and just be grateful. My little one went from 10 years old to practically 30 overnight. We discuss everything. She has big questions that are in depth, insightful and real. She keeps me on my toes with her big plans, big dreams, and big thoughts. 

She has planned her own wedding, her future career choices, and her first job, but she's still at an age where she wants to snuggle at night. I will take it! No matter what happens each day, I know I will come home to a family that loves me, food on the table, and snuggles. I will take that over some other options any day. We will continue to stop and enjoy each moment. We will be thankful, grateful, and gracious despite the laughter or any potential tears. We WILL enjoy every moment!

a little paint makes a big difference

We needed a change up. The dark blue room came with the house, so we got dark beige curtains to match. And now... it needs lightened and brightened. What a better way to get a clean slate and teach your kid a life skill? One can of paint and 2 paintbrushes. Two days, big messes, laughter, conversations. So worth it!

I painted the aqua and my little one helped paint all the trim white, the shelves and the closet. They're finally white again! It looks so fresh and clean in there. Now when she takes friends in there to play or has a sleepover or does a movie night, it will look nice and fresh. She can take ownership for the work she has done.

I got more work done with my buddy than I would have done alone. I got to show her some useful skills. She got to feel useful and grown because she got to help. Painting isn't my favorite thing, but the results make it so worth it! It was a fun little project that kept us busy and it doesn't take much money to get a clean, new look. 

We just love it. It's a bit bright and a bit girly, but oh well. The room looks bigger and cleaner. The little one feels good about herself because she got to help me. And now her beanie boos will have a clean, fun room to live in :)

we DID find it here!

This blue arch make us so happy! It means grandma time. Time to unwind, bake, eat ice cream, thrift shop and movie watch. Is it quite the drive? Yep! Have we done it enough that it's no big deal? Yep! 

We spent an entire afternoon binge watching children's movies and playing Uno. Then we moved to the front steps to watch my daughter ride her bike all over the neighborhood. There were naps and honey do lists. There was a day of reminiscing. An afternoon of hiking. A morning at the library. In my mind, this roadtrip always means SLOW DOWN AND ENJOY IT. 

The beauty of taking an 86 year old (but 68 at heart) and a 10 year old anywhere means you can go at your own pace and you aren't going far. Our big outings are always Goodwill, Dollar General and picking up Popeye's for dinner one night. I mean, we are party animals! These places are purely tradition. Even my ten year old looks forward to hearing, "I will give you this twenty dollars and you can buy whatever you want!" 

Spring has arrived. April has arrived. We got grandma time in. Things are looking okay! Heads up because the next stop is Easter!