released.

These 3 documents arrived in the mail yesterday.  I had stopped by the house to grab a sweater before picking the kids up from school.  I noticed an extra plump envelope from our home school district.  "it couldn't be"..."wait a minute"....were just a few things that ran through my mind as a new layer of perspiration formed in my underarms.  I ripped it open only to find our permits for 2010-2011 SIGNED.  On the dotted line. 

We are free to stay at our school in a different district another year.  We had been denied initially.  After sending in a fabulous plea complete with photos of the kids in their school shirts as well as letters from some big wigs in support of us...they approved our release! 

I was so excited about the news that I forgot my sweater :/



I caught one of my 3 scholars during his reading time this afternoon...and it suddenly occurred to me, "When did he start spanning three couch cushions?" a minute ago he was two couch cushions...and a second before that, I swear he was only one. I do love how he insists on doing homework in his soccer uniform, as if it is going to make the time until practice go faster...



Hunter swears the camera is not his friend...and rarely allows me to take posed pictures of him... after seeing this one, I'll take what I can get!



And while you are feeling warm & fuzzy...here are the Easter treats Avery & I put together for her to take to her dance friends and classmates.  Really simple: frosting bags, puffy Cheetos, and bright green ribbon.  A crowd favorite for sure.

exhale.

No Boy Scouts.  No Girl Scouts.  No report cards.  No E600 glue and sequins.  Not even a husband (he flew the coop for the sunny side of Detroit for a few...) Minimum Day schedule all week.  80 degree weather to enjoy.  And possibly even a pedicure in the near future.  I could get used to this.  And no daddy means eating all the naughty food: In-n-Out Burger...and our favorite: breakfast for dinner...and it also means 6 additional bed mates: 3 human and 3 with fur. Fun!

dance fever.

A fabulous experience this weekend in Long Beach at the Spotlight Dance Competition.  Avery and the rest of her team danced to "Ease on Down the Road" by Michael Jackson.

She did it! She sparkled and shined. She loved every minute of it.
The group got 2nd place overall in their division, as well as walked away with a Diamond rating (the highest) and a special judge's award.

I tried to take pictures whenever I could, but the "photo police" were in full effect...

This is my favorite piece of documentation: Avery just minutes from show time...taking it all in...standing in the wings watching the performers from side stage...

sneak peek...

bobby pins? check!
fish net tights size small? check!
ruby red lipstick? check!
5 gazillion sequins? check!
1 super excited 6 year old? check!
1 nail biting and oh-so-proud mom? check!

Avery is as ready as she'll ever be... I'm so proud of her. Should be a very exciting weekend.
Dance Competition wrap up coming soon.

a big week.

report cards are due.
late nights finalizing grades. update: grades are finalized.
entering grades. grades have been entered. done.
a new Trimester has begun at school.
new curriculum. started poetry unit.
state testing just around the corner.
pressure.
I almost forgot parent conferences start Friday!

we were denied our request for release from our school district for next year.
an appeal needs to be made. thoughts organized.
an appeal needs to be written. letter has been written.
an appeal needs to be sent. in the mail.  fingers are crossed.
the kids could lose their permits for next school year.
losing sleep. awake from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m.

Avery's first dance competition this Saturday.
sequins. lots of them.
one at a time. 
adhered with E6000 glue and a toothpick. costume is done.  finally.
she is six.
pressure. still nervous.
"is it a 'winning game', mom?"
"yes it is, my love."
scary.
losing sleep.

Dance practice Monday Wednesday.
Girl Scouts Thursday. Focus was being friendly and nice.
Boy Scouts Thursday.Tie-dyed shirts blue & gold.
Passing League Thursday.
Soccer Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Saturday.and now Sunday too.
Football game Saturday.

some weeks are too big for their britches.
this is one of them. I'm not complaining. 

Amazing what 24 hours can do.  Feeling much more under control since posting this on Monday evening.  Inhale. Exhale.

table for 6.

A new guest has been joining us at dinner each night. 

I don't mind.  She doesn't eat much.  She is quiet during the prayer.  And she has impeccable manners.



Speaking of our new house guest...she sure did come with a lofty wardrobe.  Within the first few days of her arrival, I kept finding her tiny accessories strewn around the house.  If you know anything about the American Girl Doll, her wardrobe costs more than I am willing to pay for myself most days. 

I did a little research.  I found this clothes organizer on the American Girl website retailing at $48.00.  Now I am no genius, but isn't that a over-the-door shoe organizer?  And isn't it the same one that can be found at Target for $7.99?  Why yes my friend, that is precisely what it is...

WhaaaaLaaaaa!  The $7.99 version on the back of Avery's door...straight out of the package.

With the help of my label maker, we now have ourselves a handy dandy American Girl Doll Clothes and accessory organizer for under 10 bucks.  It is perfect.  Avery and Lanie can pick out their outfits together each morning.  Lets hope Lanie does a better job of putting her clothes away than Avery.  If her organizational skills are anything like her table manners, we are golden.

reading for time.

I am a hypocrite. I am a teacher and I am guilty of assigning reading logs to my students. 35 minutes a night. 4 nights a week. I have to say as a teacher I love it. Keeps kids on track and when the parent signatures are honest, the reading log reinforces accountability.

However as a mom I hate it... the reading log that is. I hate that my boys are trained to set the oven timer and listen for it to ring like a dog sensing an earthquake. Most nights, the second that timer goes off, they race for the reading log to be signed...mid sentence...mid climax....it doesn't matter. That bell means they are done reading. FREEDOM.













Recently, Davin has become interested in reading for fun.  No timer.  No parent signatures. 

He brings home a new non-fiction book (usually about animals) from the school library each week.  He loves the pictures and the pages loaded with scientific facts.  Both boys love when I pick a novel that we read together.  Currently we are reading "The Lightning Thief".  One chapter a night.  Davin is intrigued by the fantasy of the Greek mythology that is embedded in the story.  I love his inquisitive side when it comes to comprehending this story.  I enjoy our post-chapter discussions. 

One of my favorite questions: "Mom, I wonder what it would be like to have horse hooves instead of feet?  Do you think I would be the fastest kid in school?"

colorful cupcakes.

Family Fun Magazine had this really cute recipe for rainbow cupcakes just in time for St. Patrick's Day.  How hard could they be?





Instead of looking like layered rainbows they turned out pretty psychedelic, reminding me of a few shirts I have hanging in my closet.  I swear I heard "Born to be Wild" coming out of the back of the oven.

Luckily my critics will consist of a room full of 5 and 6 year olds (they won't know the difference).

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

del mar by self-timer.

It is amazing how rejuvenating 24 hours can be...

a little R & R...

Looking forward to a little down time this weekend. Dusan & I are headed to Del Mar. He is coaching the Orange County Law Enforcement Football Team again this year. The downfall is the time it takes up every weekend. The bonus is they do a tiny bit of traveling to play other teams in other counties. We have enlisted the help of the Grammie's to get the kids everywhere they need to be so that we can turn his away game into a fun overnighter just for us. I am looking forward to our long walk on the beach after his game on Saturday... and maybe again on Sunday morning...

photography by Blue Lily

Hope your weekend is relaxing too.

blue lily photography.

just a few of my faves...




















See more of what Blue Lily Photography does here.

six is sweet.

You would have thought a trip to the American Girl Store would have been enough...Sunday we had an all-you-can-eat ice cream sundae soiree for Avery's birthday.  The minute her classmates arrived, the sky opened up like a full bladder on a long car ride... We managed to scoop sundaes through it all sheltered by the aluminum patio cover.  The rain was short-lived and the kids were able to run and play in the back yard to their heart's content.  I only snapped a few moments from the event...it was tough, but I forced myself to just "be there".  I'm not sayin' the camera was not slung around my neck the entire time...but these are the moments that I captured... and they are some of the BEST.

Although sparkler candles can be festive...they equal a long time to wait to make a wish...and lots of smoke in the face. 
Note to self: stick to the standard wax number candles in the future.



My Gram and Avery getting a little Lanie and me alone time before the festivities began.  Gram can dress a doll with the best of them.  I see a playdate in their near future.  Gram took home an American Girl catalog to brush up on her reading {wink}.

Notice Avery is supposed to be looking at the camera, but really she is eyeing Gram's folding technique...

And after it was all said and done...my friend came to watch the Oscars with me.  My friend has new skills beyond that melt-your-heart smile... my friend is sitting up.