I Hate Broccoli

http://mywebtimes.com/archives/ottawa/display.php?id=422050&query=write



Finally!! A chance to explain to the masses what I've been preaching for years!

A Call to Action

Every summer my family would drive out and spend 3 weeks in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, visiting our grandparents. And, the first day we'd get to either state, we'd head to the local supermarket and get 4-5 boxes of these delicious treats called Tastykakes. The reason they were so coveted is because you could only buy them out east. They didn't sell them in Indiana. So, this once-a-year treat became something we looked forward to almost as much as going to the shore or a Phillies game. It was brought to my attention this morning by my dear Aunt Judi that Tastykakes might be in danger of going out of business! She implored me to step away from my ever-going anti-broccoli agenda and focus on saving this Philadelphia institution. From the butterscotch krumpets to my personal fav, the kandy kakes, this company cannot fail. If not for its delicious goodies, than for its historical and timely value. This banner of Philly has been around for almost 100 yrs. Filling our bellies and making us smile since 1914 (though it's just been making me smile since the late '70s - I'm not THAT old yet!). So, click on the link below and make your voice heard. We will not let Tastykakes go quietly into that good night. No! We will fight to the bitter end to see that those extremely fattening, yet highly delicious treats will not cease to be, but live on for generations to come. One day I want my grandchildren to go to the nearest market and find a shelf covered in those signature blue and yellow boxes and know that we fought to make sure they didn't lose out on having those timeless treats.

http://www.causes.com/causes/561588

Field Trip

Today was Livie's first field trip of the year and we also got to celebrate her birthday at school!



She wore her "5" shirt today and showed the class that she was now a whole year older. :-)

I asked what kind of snack she wanted to bring today and she said, "popsicles and donuts". Quite a combo! So, popsicles and donut holes it was. Yum! Just enough sugar to make the field trip that much more fun!

The kids all got to sit on one of the engines, while one of the firemen talked about the ambulance in front of them.

Livie got to be one of the demonstrators. Because she was wearing her birthday crown, she got lots of birthday wishes from all the firemen. :-)

She got to show the kids what it would be like to have them take care of a broken arm. She let the kids feel the bag thingy they put on it.

She even got to sit inside a real firetruck!

And, they got to see how the knobs worked as well. We spent time looking at the fireman's quarters and saw a fireman go down the fire pole too. It was really cool! Attached to the firehouse is the police station. I didn't take pictures inside of there, because I didn't know if there were certain rules about that. They got to see the 9-1-1 call center and they had cool electronic mapping systems. They got to see the jail and got their picture taken. Boy, do I hope that is the only time Livie has THAT experience!

Then they all got to go in the back of the police car. Again, hoping that she doesn't have that experience ever again either! I rode in the back of a police car once, but it was after someone crashed into me and I didn't have another way home. It's not comfortable back there, let me tell you! But, for a 5 yr old? Totally cool!

Being Thankful

When I was a kid, my mom would make us gather around the table, shortly after Christmas was over, and begin (what seemed like) an endless pile of thank you notes to everyone who gave us presents. The actual number of thank you notes was probably in the single digits, but no kid wants to sit down and do that when there are other things to do like play games and fight with your siblings.


Well, I now realize how important it was for us to write those thank you notes back then, though I still struggle to always send one myself when the time calls for it, but I want to try and instill those same values in my kids that were instilled in me all those years ago. And, when they grumble and complain - as they always do - I remind them that if they don't want to write thank you notes, then they don't need to get the presents to be thankful for and that seems to quicking get them on the right track, though the grumbling never quite ceases. ;-)

Noah is currently learning cursive, so he wanted to practice that with his thank you notes this year. We're getting a late start after all the sicknesses, so today was our first day. I only make them write 2 a day, so it's quite a process, but at least we finally started it!

Here is a video of a bit of what goes on when they write. Made me laugh when Madie called me "The General" and that I was forcing them to work like little elves. ;-) Just a moment before, Livie had turned to me and said, "If Madie doesn't stop singing, I'm going to get super-mad, because she's going to mess up my drawing!" You'll see in the video that she explains how hard it is to draw a mouse. It takes lots of concentration and she is not to be disturbed during the artistic process. So, to all you who give presents to my kids, please know what a process it is to get those thank you out to you. You have to know that a lot of work and effort goes into making them, so they're just that much more special.

Look What WE Got!

Because of the sicknesses that have been going on around here (which included a quick ER trip for an ear infection late last night), it's taken me a while to get around to posting about this, but the kids got a very special package in the mail the other day! They got these booklets from their Great-Aunt Phyl and they were SO excited!! It's a booklet all about Haiti and Aunt Phyl and Uncle David's life there. It has pictures inside of their house and their dog. Pictures of Haiti - the Jehu Boys, their food, their creatures! Plus, lots of information and interesting facts about what it's like down there. The kids were fascinated and sat quietly reading the books for quite a long time. There is even a quiz in the back! And, by sitting quietly and reading, it was like I got a gift too. A gift of peace and quiet during my Sudafed-induced coma. :-) Thank you Aunt Phyl for your wonderful gift!!!

Not Quite What I Expected..

This is a picture of what my counter has looked like for the past nearly 2 weeks. Every conconction of medicine for me and the kids is sitting out, waiting for use. The paper by the candy cane pen? Why that's a schedule of who has had what medicine when. This has been our story since we got back from IN on the 23rd. Like I put in the title of this blog, not quite what I expected to be ringing in the new year with! Just glad we were all in pretty good shape for Tuesday, or we might have missed that opportunity for Livie's birthday. Granted, I had to take meds in my purse that day as well, but only used it a couple times for Livie. For the past 2 days, it's sounded like a chorus of coughing. As some were at the tail end of it and others just in the midst. I've been sick for the past 3 days now. Meaning, I haven't gotten nearly what I hoped to get done during this time. Vacations are for having fun, getting out together as a family, and getting some things accomplished in our house. Our biggest accomplishments (excluding our trip to Chicago)? Getting out of our pjs each day! :-) No trips. Only family bonding over medicine doses. Not quite what I had envisioned for our Christmas break. Anyway, I'll stop my rambling and complaining now. Just 2 short days until vacation is over. Sigh. Hoping that section of my countertop will soon by clear again and everyone back to good health. At least in time for life to start back up again. Happy New Year, everyone! Let's hope that these past 2 weeks will be left behind in 2010 and that 2011 will bring nothing but good times for all! :-)