Have you ever been blindsided by a person you thought was your friend? Someone you support who you thought supported you until the day they blow up and tell you what a mean person you are. How you are rude and mean to everyone. How you are a horrible parent who only yells and is mean to their kids.
So after the shock and horror wear off, you have to think, is there any truth in what they said? It's easy to dismiss it all and say they must be crazy. But there is a niggling, what if they are right? You feel horrible, because why would anyone make this up?
Honestly though, I don't think anyone else would describe me this way. I didn't think this person would describe me this way. I'll be the first to admit I yell at my kids, but I am also the only person who is there 100% for them. I'm coming off a 3 year stretch of being a single-full-time-working parent. And if there is anyone out there who knows how to get through a day without yelling at 6 & 10 year old boys - I'll be the first to sign up for lessons from you. I even decided to ask my kids if I ever yell at them for no reason, "No, we're always doing something we shouldn't when you yell."
I ask those who know me best, "am I really the way this person said I am?" And I can't get anyone to confirm the accusations.
So it comes down to realizing that sometimes, things aren't about you. You just got to be the person they took their frustrations out on. It's hard not to take it personally though. But I'm not going to buy into someone else's pain and bitterness. Our realities and perceptions are probably not the same. And I know I am far from perfect, but I am not the monster you made me out to be. I am truly sorry your life is rough right now, but I am not the person to shoulder that for you when you try to bring me down with you.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Skipping the Cleaning
Last week we brought home Alexander and the Wind-up Mouse and when I was looking at the pictures I thought, "I could easily make a cookie mouse that looks like Alexander!" And so I did. I really wanted gray mice, like the artwork, but when I stopped at Rouse's on my way home from work they did not have any black coloring, so I thought "Mice can be brown!" and good thing because the chocolate frosting made them. I used a sixlet for the eye and a gum drop cut in half for the ear. The tail is made of pull-apart Twizzlers that I found in the Easter candy section. I also made two kinds of purple pebbles (from the book): cookies with gum drops and some with food coloring.
The cookies turned out to be a big hit and I was told I was the first parent to ever bring a snack. Of course I'm already working on ideas for next week's snack! Another side effect was that the kids wanted to make their own cut-out cookies and that made for a nice Saturday project.
Updates on our budget (New Year's resolution). Month 2 was good. I am happy we can stay on budget with food - that is the hardest part! We saw we needed to add a category for "housewares." Just things we need around the house. Our shower was redone and the seat/shelf was taken out, so we needed to buy a new shelf and there was no category for that! We are hoping that congress can work things out so that Alex isn't furloughed one day a week starting in April. That will take some serious paring of our budget if it happens.
Alex won the weight contest losing 4lbs. I lost 1/2lb, but at least I was consistent! My goal for March will be to double that and lose an entire pound ;) Now Alex gets to plan date night as his reward.
I missed 4 days of my devotion book, so I guess that means I missed about once a week. I'm going to try and keep that up for March also.
I didn't have a goal of running in February, but I ran 72 miles over the month! I've been averaging around 50 miles a month since I started keeping track in October. I'm chalking the increase up to no visitors/no visiting! I also ran a 5k for church yesterday, the Skeeter Run, benefiting Image No Malaria. My time was 30:20. I haven't run any 5ks since 2009 and I don't think I've ever had a time under 35 minutes! So all those miles must have paid off. I am looking forward to running the Color Me Rad race in May with my sister-in-law Alison.
I think one of the best days in February ended up being the day I skipped cleaning the house and made cookies for Primetime Family Reading Time. Primetime is a family reading program where we go to the school, have dinner, have books read to us and then have discussions on them, take the books home and read them all week, plus there are "door prize" drawing each week. Last fall we won a Dominos gift card, the game scrabble, a Halloween gift pack with books/stickers/candy, and a crate of building blocks.
 |
| Our family at Primetime Family Reading Time at John Dibert School |
The cookies turned out to be a big hit and I was told I was the first parent to ever bring a snack. Of course I'm already working on ideas for next week's snack! Another side effect was that the kids wanted to make their own cut-out cookies and that made for a nice Saturday project.
Updates on our budget (New Year's resolution). Month 2 was good. I am happy we can stay on budget with food - that is the hardest part! We saw we needed to add a category for "housewares." Just things we need around the house. Our shower was redone and the seat/shelf was taken out, so we needed to buy a new shelf and there was no category for that! We are hoping that congress can work things out so that Alex isn't furloughed one day a week starting in April. That will take some serious paring of our budget if it happens.
Alex won the weight contest losing 4lbs. I lost 1/2lb, but at least I was consistent! My goal for March will be to double that and lose an entire pound ;) Now Alex gets to plan date night as his reward.
I missed 4 days of my devotion book, so I guess that means I missed about once a week. I'm going to try and keep that up for March also.
I didn't have a goal of running in February, but I ran 72 miles over the month! I've been averaging around 50 miles a month since I started keeping track in October. I'm chalking the increase up to no visitors/no visiting! I also ran a 5k for church yesterday, the Skeeter Run, benefiting Image No Malaria. My time was 30:20. I haven't run any 5ks since 2009 and I don't think I've ever had a time under 35 minutes! So all those miles must have paid off. I am looking forward to running the Color Me Rad race in May with my sister-in-law Alison.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Onward February
So we made a budget and stuck to it for the first month. Now starting month two.
I am flabbergasted that the 2nd highest item on our monthly budget is food (the highest being rent). We've budgeted $1,000 a month and that is only grocery shopping and eating out ONCE a week. It seems incredible, but the food here is more expensive than what we are used to. We pay $3.99 for a gallon of milk when it is ON SALE! Otherwise, it feels good to be on the same page as Alex about where our money is going.
My February resolutions include a weight loss contest with Alex and doing my devotion book every day. We haven't gotten a family photo yet, so we need to get on that for this month!
Otherwise, we're about to get into the deep of Mardi Gras! We've been to a few uptown parades and this weekend is guaranteed to be packed full of parades. The kids have the whole week off of school next week and I am super glad I am at least going into work Thursday!
I am flabbergasted that the 2nd highest item on our monthly budget is food (the highest being rent). We've budgeted $1,000 a month and that is only grocery shopping and eating out ONCE a week. It seems incredible, but the food here is more expensive than what we are used to. We pay $3.99 for a gallon of milk when it is ON SALE! Otherwise, it feels good to be on the same page as Alex about where our money is going.
My February resolutions include a weight loss contest with Alex and doing my devotion book every day. We haven't gotten a family photo yet, so we need to get on that for this month!
Otherwise, we're about to get into the deep of Mardi Gras! We've been to a few uptown parades and this weekend is guaranteed to be packed full of parades. The kids have the whole week off of school next week and I am super glad I am at least going into work Thursday!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
It's a New Year
Okay, it's been a while!
First we had the busy holiday season, starting with a drive to Ohio for the Thanksgiving week, continuing with another drive to Ohio & Michigan for Christmas week and ending with my sister Marie staying with us the week after New Years.
What can I say? It was hard to get into a holiday mood with the warm temperatures in December down here! The leaves didn't even change colors until the first week of December. Currently we are in the middle of a long drizzly cold(er) spell.
Now we're starting to get back into the swing of things including starting back up with kid's date night and swimming. I also signed Greyson up for the Edible School Yard Garden Club and Grant up for Yoga on Wednesdays after school, so we'll see how those go. We did Prime Time Family reading time in the fall and are looking forward to that starting up again at school after Mardi Gras.
Speaking of Mardi Gras, we went to our first parade last week. A 12th Night/Joan of Arc parade. It was small (over quick) and not crowded, so it was perfect for easing our way into the parade season.
I made some resolutions for the New Year. The first was for at least one GOOD family picture every month. I went to make our Christmas card and realized that even though we had family pictures, there wasn't one good enough to print as a card. I found one that was too dark, one that was too light and one that was slightly blurry and we had 3 small photos on our card. I'm hoping to have a lot more to pick from when December rolls around again.
My next resolution was to do smaller monthly resolutions. For January it was to make a budget with Alex, which we did last week. And so far (for the week) we've stuck to it. Now to continue!
Thanks for stopping by! I am hoping to at least get back to monthly posts - maybe more often if my kids are funny ;)
First we had the busy holiday season, starting with a drive to Ohio for the Thanksgiving week, continuing with another drive to Ohio & Michigan for Christmas week and ending with my sister Marie staying with us the week after New Years.
What can I say? It was hard to get into a holiday mood with the warm temperatures in December down here! The leaves didn't even change colors until the first week of December. Currently we are in the middle of a long drizzly cold(er) spell.
Now we're starting to get back into the swing of things including starting back up with kid's date night and swimming. I also signed Greyson up for the Edible School Yard Garden Club and Grant up for Yoga on Wednesdays after school, so we'll see how those go. We did Prime Time Family reading time in the fall and are looking forward to that starting up again at school after Mardi Gras.
Speaking of Mardi Gras, we went to our first parade last week. A 12th Night/Joan of Arc parade. It was small (over quick) and not crowded, so it was perfect for easing our way into the parade season.
I made some resolutions for the New Year. The first was for at least one GOOD family picture every month. I went to make our Christmas card and realized that even though we had family pictures, there wasn't one good enough to print as a card. I found one that was too dark, one that was too light and one that was slightly blurry and we had 3 small photos on our card. I'm hoping to have a lot more to pick from when December rolls around again.
My next resolution was to do smaller monthly resolutions. For January it was to make a budget with Alex, which we did last week. And so far (for the week) we've stuck to it. Now to continue!
Thanks for stopping by! I am hoping to at least get back to monthly posts - maybe more often if my kids are funny ;)
30 Days of Thankfulness, 2012 edition
1. I am thankful for my home, where my family lives. Together.
2. I'm thankful for Alex, my companion and friend for 19 years. Who loves me with all my faults and always tries his best to be a good husband and father.
3. I am thankful for Greyson, who is responsible and helpful beyond his 9 years. I am also thankful for his love of books and learning...even if it's not always what is traditionally taught!
4. I'm thankful for Grant. He can always make us laugh, even when he is frustrating. And his caring attitude touches me.
5. I am thankful for my parents, who continue to help me out in so many ways. They never hesitated to watch my kids, especially when I was a single parent living 3 hours away. They've made the 2 day trek to see my new home already. They helped me out enormously with college so that I was able to start my adult life debt free. And they have made me into the person I am today.
6. I am thankful for the men and women who have gone before me working to make this country, and the world, a better place. I am thankful for those who fought, in battle and protest, for my right to vote.
7. I am thankful for my siblings. While I remember a lot of fighting growing up, I am thankful for the friends I have now. Thankful for Stanley & Alison for being willing to help me out with my kids, thankful for Shelly & Jeff for being willing to open their house to visitors and thankful for Marie who has been my housemate, friend, babysitter, 2nd parent to my kids, provider of clothes/books/movies and I love that we are her home away from home!
8. I am thankful for the jobs I have had. My current one is exactly what I was looking for. At my last position at Growth Works I met so many wonderful people and I'm thankful for Judi, who gave me a job, twice! I am thankful to have worked with Detroit Conference UM camps, it was my dream job and I'm pretty sure over half my "friends" list comes from the connections I made.
9. I'm thankful for humor in unexpected places :)
10. Thankful for the profound impact United Methodist Camps have had, and continue to have, on my life and now my kid's lives (Our favorite is still Camp Kinawind ;))
11. I'm thankful for the pad thai my husband made for dinner and the yummy drinks he made for dvr watching. He's the best ♥
12. Thankful for a date day with my husband. Also thankful for the veterans and active duty military that gave us this day - I hope you have all been spoiled yesterday & today!
13. I'm thankful for exercise. Thankful that my body works that way and thankful I have someone to stay with my sleeping kids!
14. I'm thankful not only that I can go on Greyson's field trip tomorrow, but that he wants me to go!
15. I'm thankful my kids like books in all their forms! Reading themselves, being read to, books on CD and books into movies. There is also a healthy appetite for non-fiction!
16. I am thankful for my family's health. All of our concerns have always been on a small scale and I'm thankful my heart doesn't break to see my kids suffer. My heart always goes out to those who aren't able to say the same.
17. I'm thankful my family likes to play games together. Tonight's picks were Mexican Train and Apples To Apples. Also thankful none of tonight's games resulted in tears!
18. I'm thankful for family movie nights with homemade pizza/calzones :)
19. I'm thankful for a safe and relatively quick trip. 1060 miles in 16 hours with 2 kids!
20. I am thankful for friends. Friends who check on me, who support me, who encourage me and who are genuinely happy for me. Friends who can pick up right where we left off the last time we saw each other. I'm also thankful for family who are friends.
I couldn't have made it through the last 3 1/2 years without all of you. I am so very thankful for my friends!
21. "This is the thanks for all that's good:
Home and family and friends and food."
From the book This is the Turkey
22. I am thankful for Sarah Hale who worked for 38 years to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. I'm thankful for all the heroes who use the superpower of persistence.
I'm thankful for Abraham Lincoln, the fifth president that Hale petitioned, who finally signed Thanksgiving into a national holiday hoping to unite a divided nation.
I hope that this day sees us putting aside division and bringing us together to celebrate all that we have to be thankful for beginning with the people that touch our lives.
23. Thankful for a safe trip to Michigan and back and for getting to stock up on my favorite Michigan wines :)
24. I'm thankful for my car and the 161,000 miles it's traveled with me. That's a lot of trips to camp, Traverse City, Ohio, New Orleans, Virginia Beach, Disney and so many other places!
25. Preemptively thankful for a good night's sleep for the whole family because it's been a long day.
26. Today I'm thankful for the electricity in my house and all that it provides.
Thankful for a hot shower, heat, and washing machine!
27. Today I'm thankful for half-day Wednesdays. I'm looking forward to the break in routine.
28. Thankful for AEPHI and the influence it has had and continues to have in my life. As well as for my sisters, and other Greek friends ♥
29. Still thankful for my refrigerator :)
30. Thankful for my two best friends who were born on this date!
2. I'm thankful for Alex, my companion and friend for 19 years. Who loves me with all my faults and always tries his best to be a good husband and father.
3. I am thankful for Greyson, who is responsible and helpful beyond his 9 years. I am also thankful for his love of books and learning...even if it's not always what is traditionally taught!
4. I'm thankful for Grant. He can always make us laugh, even when he is frustrating. And his caring attitude touches me.
5. I am thankful for my parents, who continue to help me out in so many ways. They never hesitated to watch my kids, especially when I was a single parent living 3 hours away. They've made the 2 day trek to see my new home already. They helped me out enormously with college so that I was able to start my adult life debt free. And they have made me into the person I am today.
6. I am thankful for the men and women who have gone before me working to make this country, and the world, a better place. I am thankful for those who fought, in battle and protest, for my right to vote.
7. I am thankful for my siblings. While I remember a lot of fighting growing up, I am thankful for the friends I have now. Thankful for Stanley & Alison for being willing to help me out with my kids, thankful for Shelly & Jeff for being willing to open their house to visitors and thankful for Marie who has been my housemate, friend, babysitter, 2nd parent to my kids, provider of clothes/books/movies and I love that we are her home away from home!
8. I am thankful for the jobs I have had. My current one is exactly what I was looking for. At my last position at Growth Works I met so many wonderful people and I'm thankful for Judi, who gave me a job, twice! I am thankful to have worked with Detroit Conference UM camps, it was my dream job and I'm pretty sure over half my "friends" list comes from the connections I made.
9. I'm thankful for humor in unexpected places :)
10. Thankful for the profound impact United Methodist Camps have had, and continue to have, on my life and now my kid's lives (Our favorite is still Camp Kinawind ;))
11. I'm thankful for the pad thai my husband made for dinner and the yummy drinks he made for dvr watching. He's the best ♥
12. Thankful for a date day with my husband. Also thankful for the veterans and active duty military that gave us this day - I hope you have all been spoiled yesterday & today!
13. I'm thankful for exercise. Thankful that my body works that way and thankful I have someone to stay with my sleeping kids!
14. I'm thankful not only that I can go on Greyson's field trip tomorrow, but that he wants me to go!
15. I'm thankful my kids like books in all their forms! Reading themselves, being read to, books on CD and books into movies. There is also a healthy appetite for non-fiction!
16. I am thankful for my family's health. All of our concerns have always been on a small scale and I'm thankful my heart doesn't break to see my kids suffer. My heart always goes out to those who aren't able to say the same.
17. I'm thankful my family likes to play games together. Tonight's picks were Mexican Train and Apples To Apples. Also thankful none of tonight's games resulted in tears!
18. I'm thankful for family movie nights with homemade pizza/calzones :)
19. I'm thankful for a safe and relatively quick trip. 1060 miles in 16 hours with 2 kids!
20. I am thankful for friends. Friends who check on me, who support me, who encourage me and who are genuinely happy for me. Friends who can pick up right where we left off the last time we saw each other. I'm also thankful for family who are friends.
I couldn't have made it through the last 3 1/2 years without all of you. I am so very thankful for my friends!
21. "This is the thanks for all that's good:
Home and family and friends and food."
From the book This is the Turkey
22. I am thankful for Sarah Hale who worked for 38 years to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. I'm thankful for all the heroes who use the superpower of persistence.
I'm thankful for Abraham Lincoln, the fifth president that Hale petitioned, who finally signed Thanksgiving into a national holiday hoping to unite a divided nation.
I hope that this day sees us putting aside division and bringing us together to celebrate all that we have to be thankful for beginning with the people that touch our lives.
23. Thankful for a safe trip to Michigan and back and for getting to stock up on my favorite Michigan wines :)
24. I'm thankful for my car and the 161,000 miles it's traveled with me. That's a lot of trips to camp, Traverse City, Ohio, New Orleans, Virginia Beach, Disney and so many other places!
25. Preemptively thankful for a good night's sleep for the whole family because it's been a long day.
26. Today I'm thankful for the electricity in my house and all that it provides.
Thankful for a hot shower, heat, and washing machine!
27. Today I'm thankful for half-day Wednesdays. I'm looking forward to the break in routine.
28. Thankful for AEPHI and the influence it has had and continues to have in my life. As well as for my sisters, and other Greek friends ♥
29. Still thankful for my refrigerator :)
30. Thankful for my two best friends who were born on this date!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Being a tourist in our (new) hometown
The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of family visits! We got to play tour guides, first to my parents and then Marie, and show them our favorite spots and the famous tourist ones too.
First up was a swamp tour on a pontoon boat. The first one we went on, 3 years ago, was the Cajun Critters Swamp Tour and we liked the guide so much that we always use him when we go. We placed guesses as to how many alligators we'd see. Greyson won with his guess of 10 - we saw 9. This time of year they are slowing down as they are getting ready to hibernate. We also saw a TON of birds!
After we finished the tour we headed to Parkway for po'boys. Parkway has served po'boys since they were invented in the 1920's to feed the striking street car conductors.
Then it was on to City Park where we rode the minature train around to get a look at the park.
We then headed to Old New Orleans Rum Distillery for a tour that we had bought for a good deal on LivingSocial. We learned lots of interesting facts about rum distilling and New Orleans info. My kids were the only kids on the tour. They seem to get quite the education on adult topics!
Then we meandered over to the Old US Mint. We bought a Louisiana State Museum membership, but this museum is now free! The first floor has displays and information from when the building was used as a US Mint. The second floor has a display on Preservation Hall and New Orleans Music.
We then headed to Jackson Square since that is the most recognizable French Quarter spot. We thought we'd get beignets, but the line for Cafe Du Monde was down the street! So we headed to Johnny's for ice cream.
We caught the trolley home and cooked out for dinner after the kiddies swam at Grandma & Grandpa's hotel.
We went to Oak Alley Plantation for the first time. And it was definitely worth it! The alley of 300 year old Live Oaks was amazing and everyone enjoyed touring the Big House. We ate lunch at the restaurant and all the adults enjoyed mint julips and burbon twists.
We ate dinner that night down the street from our house at Lakeview Brew which has great sandwiches, as well as salads & soup.
Dinner was my favorite restaurant Dick & Jenny's. The first time Alex and I went there was for our 10th anniversary. I almost always get the appitizer sampler for dinner and have the ice cream cookie sandwich for dessert! I have never been disappointed with their eclectic food.
My parents left the next morning but it wasn't long until my sister Marie arrived!
Again we took the trolley downtown and this time we headed to the Audubon Aquarium and then on to the Insectarium. I've always enjoyed the Insectarium because it's so different! There are not many places you can go to see and learn about bugs. Plus Marie and I sampled cookies and candy with bugs in them! We then walked to the other end of the French Quarter and ate at Louisiana Pizza Kitchen.
It was also Alex & my anniversary so Marie volunteered to watch the kids. We went to Ralph's on the Park across from - you guessed it - City Park, for an adult dinner. Marie & the kiddies had Magazine Pizza.
Saturday October 6
First up was a swamp tour on a pontoon boat. The first one we went on, 3 years ago, was the Cajun Critters Swamp Tour and we liked the guide so much that we always use him when we go. We placed guesses as to how many alligators we'd see. Greyson won with his guess of 10 - we saw 9. This time of year they are slowing down as they are getting ready to hibernate. We also saw a TON of birds!After we finished the tour we headed to Parkway for po'boys. Parkway has served po'boys since they were invented in the 1920's to feed the striking street car conductors.
Then it was on to City Park where we rode the minature train around to get a look at the park. We then headed to Old New Orleans Rum Distillery for a tour that we had bought for a good deal on LivingSocial. We learned lots of interesting facts about rum distilling and New Orleans info. My kids were the only kids on the tour. They seem to get quite the education on adult topics!
Sunday October 7
We started out the morning by attending services at St Luke's UMC. Then we hopped on a street car to take us to the French Quarter for lunch at El Gato Negro. Yum!Then we meandered over to the Old US Mint. We bought a Louisiana State Museum membership, but this museum is now free! The first floor has displays and information from when the building was used as a US Mint. The second floor has a display on Preservation Hall and New Orleans Music.
We then headed to Jackson Square since that is the most recognizable French Quarter spot. We thought we'd get beignets, but the line for Cafe Du Monde was down the street! So we headed to Johnny's for ice cream.
We caught the trolley home and cooked out for dinner after the kiddies swam at Grandma & Grandpa's hotel.
Monday October 8
We went to Oak Alley Plantation for the first time. And it was definitely worth it! The alley of 300 year old Live Oaks was amazing and everyone enjoyed touring the Big House. We ate lunch at the restaurant and all the adults enjoyed mint julips and burbon twists. 
We ate dinner that night down the street from our house at Lakeview Brew which has great sandwiches, as well as salads & soup.
Tuesday October 9
Grant had been sick the night before, so the kiddies and my mom and I mostly hung around the house. We did take a little time to go over to City Park and play on the playground and tour the Sculpture Garden. Alex took my dad on a tour of projects he works on.Dinner was my favorite restaurant Dick & Jenny's. The first time Alex and I went there was for our 10th anniversary. I almost always get the appitizer sampler for dinner and have the ice cream cookie sandwich for dessert! I have never been disappointed with their eclectic food.
My parents left the next morning but it wasn't long until my sister Marie arrived!
Saturday October 13
We ate dinner at The Velvet Cactus which serves Mexican food. Yummy dinner and yummy drinks! We then headed over to City Park and saw a wedding taking place as well as other special events set up.
Sunday October 14
Again we took the trolley downtown and this time we headed to the Audubon Aquarium and then on to the Insectarium. I've always enjoyed the Insectarium because it's so different! There are not many places you can go to see and learn about bugs. Plus Marie and I sampled cookies and candy with bugs in them! We then walked to the other end of the French Quarter and ate at Louisiana Pizza Kitchen. 
Monday October 15
Monday was my first day of work and the kiddies went back to school, so we didn't get to spend as much time together. But as soon as I got home Marie and I went out for frozen yogurt - YUM! After picking up the kiddies from school we ate at Theo's Pizza. Yep, with kids you end up eating pizza a lot! We like Theo's because of the yummy toppings they have!Tuesday October 16
Again with the work and school ;) That day Marie and I got Creole Creamery Ice Cream when I got home.It was also Alex & my anniversary so Marie volunteered to watch the kids. We went to Ralph's on the Park across from - you guessed it - City Park, for an adult dinner. Marie & the kiddies had Magazine Pizza.
Wednesday October 17
I don't work on Wednesdays, so Marie and I were off to do some of what she calls "lower-48 shopping." We stocked up on Halloween goodies at World Market, and holiday scents at Bath and Body Works and had lunch at our favorite chain - Jimmy John's! The kiddies had a half day of school, so after we picked them up we headed to the Audubon Zoo to check out our favorite animals. For dinner we went to DatDog, a restaurant we were introduced to by our friend Katy. Lots of different kinds of 'hotdogs' with lots of yummy topings! Marie and I topped the evening off with a visit to The Columns Hotel for drinks.Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Priceless Treasures
I neglected to say my absolutely favorite thing about New Orleans in my last post. And that is: That's where my home is, where my family lives together.
We've designated Tuesday nights, because that is what works for us. And surprisingly we have been able to do this at very low cost (mostly free).
The first week Greyson and I took a picnic dinner to City Park and ate on an island. Then I took him to KMart to spend a $5 giftcard he had that he was dying to use. He also took $1.50 that he had gotten from the Toothfairy. He spent $5.74 at the register and then bought a $.25 gumball at the machine and a $.50 necklace from the same machine. Yep, he walked out with a penny in his pocket! And for me it was so much better than trying to go with 2 kids into the toy aisles! That night Alex took Grant swimming at a rooftop pool at a hotel. Yep, both my kids thought dad was the best date.
The second week Grant and I made cheese quesadillas (his favorite) and then got out a cookie baking set he had gotten for his birthday (last year). While the sugar cookie dough was chilling we took a trip to Whole Foods for toppings (total spent $10). I admit, because of time and homework constraints, I did most of the work. That night Greyson and Alex went to a friends house for a cooking lesson.
This week was our 3rd Kid Date Night and Greyson and I rode our bikes to City Park to again have a picnic on "our" island. I was a little worried about the sun setting, so we rode right back after dinner and then played a couple rounds of Mancala. Alex took Grant geo caching and Grant came home with pockets filled with feathers and an army figure's leg. Yep, priceless treasures!
Kid Date Night
When I was a single parent, I really missed having individual time with my kids. I started thinking how I really wanted to be able to have a time with each of them alone. And now that there are two parents in the house, we are able to do that.We've designated Tuesday nights, because that is what works for us. And surprisingly we have been able to do this at very low cost (mostly free).
The first week Greyson and I took a picnic dinner to City Park and ate on an island. Then I took him to KMart to spend a $5 giftcard he had that he was dying to use. He also took $1.50 that he had gotten from the Toothfairy. He spent $5.74 at the register and then bought a $.25 gumball at the machine and a $.50 necklace from the same machine. Yep, he walked out with a penny in his pocket! And for me it was so much better than trying to go with 2 kids into the toy aisles! That night Alex took Grant swimming at a rooftop pool at a hotel. Yep, both my kids thought dad was the best date.
This week was our 3rd Kid Date Night and Greyson and I rode our bikes to City Park to again have a picnic on "our" island. I was a little worried about the sun setting, so we rode right back after dinner and then played a couple rounds of Mancala. Alex took Grant geo caching and Grant came home with pockets filled with feathers and an army figure's leg. Yep, priceless treasures!
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