Monday, August 1, 2011
Long Story Short: NOmance!
11:38 PM |
Being an All Boy house, we don't talk much about ROMANTIC love. So, it was surprising to me, when #2 reacted to a quick trip to buy flowers for my stressed out gal pal. My inquisitive little boy asked, "Mommy, why are you buying ROMANCE flowers for your friend?"
Boy, did that open a can of worms! I found myself explaining to my three year old that these were NOMANCE flowers...not ROMANCE flowers. And that it is nice for people to buy their friends flowers to cheer them up, if they are upset or sick. Or sometimes flowers make a nice Thank You or Thinking of You gift.
NOMANCE is now a coined phrase in our home and the subject of different kinds of LOVE is a HOT topic for our boys.
Long Story Short:
They are now privy to the basic concepts of EROS, STORGE and AGAPE love...
Thanks to a quick trip to the store for a bouquet of flowers!
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Friday, July 22, 2011
Summer Day Camps to the Rescue
11:50 PM |
What's a full-time mom (in her third trimester) to do, with her 6 year old and 3 year old boys, during Summer break? She taps into an amazing resource called "Your Local Church"!
The benefits of children's programs, offered by neighborhood churches, is long.
So, I'll give you....
Mom's Top Three Reasons
To Send Your Kids to Church Day Camps
1. Price
Most churches offer FREE or very affordable Summer programs. This year Vacation Bible School & Church Sports Camp ran $10 per kid per week! That's pretty amazing considering privately run Day Camps can be $100 or more per week!
2. Positive influences, strong values
& good clean FUN!
Who wouldn't want their kids learning about Team Work, Endurance, Sportsmanship, Compassion, Gratitude and Forgiveness, all while having a ton of FUN? These are things my boys would NOT be experiencing by sitting at home in front of the T.V. all Summer long!
3. A Guilt-Free Break for Mom (and/or Dad)
Vacation Bible School gave me THREE hours for FIVE days to prepare for our baby, go to my OB appointment alone, clean my house, shop and meet a friend for breakfast! Church Sports Camp gave me TWO hours for FIVE consecutive evenings to meet my girlfriends for frozen yogurt, prep the nursery and DATE my husband TWO nights in a row!
This is a HUGE relief for a full-time/homeschooling mom! Don't get me wrong...I love, love, LOVE, my boys! But, I'm sure a few of you can appreciate the luxury of leaving a urine sample at the OBGYN's without an audience (of young children corralled into a small restroom with you, while explaining to them, for the 5th time, what you are doing and why).
And I know there are a bunch of you who would JUMP at the opportunity to have a childless dinner with your spouse without having to pay a sitter or beg an extended family member for childcare. Now, imagine getting to do that up to 5 evenings in a row, if you choose!
It's comforting to know that your kids are safe and having fun, while you enjoy a few kid-free hours to do as you wish!
It's comforting to know that your kids are safe and having fun, while you enjoy a few kid-free hours to do as you wish!
(Our Vacation Bible School Program for Summer 2011)
With school just weeks away, our time of Summer Day Camps has come to an end. Both boys have really enjoyed learning, growing and gaining some healthy independence this Summer! We are definitely looking forward to see what Summer FUN our church cooks up next year!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Mega Pick
11:29 PM |
My husband and I have been watching a lot of American Pickers and Pawn Stars lately. And we've recently got a hankerin' to do a little pickin' ourselves. In fact last weekend I had a two day Mega Pick at my friend's yard sale. It was a bitter-sweet experience, as she and her husband are moving their three WONDERFUL boys (who are very close in age to my boys) out of state soon. Sure, I scored a bunch of AWESOME play equipment, toys, books and even some coveted Legos for my boys. But at the price of saying good-bye to a sweet family! Among my loot is a really cool "hand cycle", for lack of a better description. It's pictured below. My oldest son LOVES it! He loves spinning in circles, going backwards and trying to make it up the slope of the driveway. I've never seen anything like it and it's something I'd want to replace if it ever broke! However, I doubt I'll ever run across something like this again.
Son #1 on the "hand cycle"
We are definitely developing our own methods of hunting for good garage sales. My husband likes to use his Garage Sale Rover app on his phone. I'm a bit more old school. I actually go out to the front porch, pick up the local newspaper and open it up to the classifieds section. When it comes to actually finding the sale location we also have two different styles. He likes to use his fancy smart phone GPS navigation and I like to use the back of my hand, because I know the streets of our town "like the back of my hand". By the time his GPS loads the information, my keen sense of direction and mad navigation skillz could have had us there and back!
Then there is always Free Stylin' ala Mike & Frank of American Pickers. Only our method doesn't include looking for "rusty gold". We scan the sale for anything that is NOT pink! Being parents of boys, we have no need for anything pink. If I see someone's front yard blanketed in pink fluff, as we do our drive-by-scout-out, I give the signal to my driver and we jet away to the next potential pick.
We are usually on the hunt for: Legos, Little Tikes or Step 2 play equipment, outdoor play equipment, boys clothes, homeschooling supplies, educational books, and puzzles.
Do you have a preferred method of pickin' or junkin'? What are you usually on the hunt for? And what is the coolest/oddest item you've come across at a yard sale?
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Welcome to S.O.M.
11:37 PM |
Welcome to Sons of a Mom! You can call me "Mom". You might as well, because everyone else in my world does! I catch myself answering to the demanding tone of "MOOOOM!", the slightly worried mom-locating cry of "moooooom?!" or the annoyingly huffy whine of "Maaaahom!" in public places, regardless of whose child called for Mom. Turning my head to these familiar calls is a natural reflex for me, born of my mere 6 years of Motherhood!
I'm surrounded by boys or Men in the Making, as I like to call them. I'm outnumbered 4 to 1 right now. Of course, I'm counting my husband and male Yorkshire Terrier! Well, I guess the male to female ratio in our home is actually 5 to 1 if you count the little MIM (Man in the Making) currently enjoying my cozy womb. When I say cozy....I mean cozy! I'm due in exactly 25 days with boy number THREE!
I'm excited and ready for this baby to join our Boys Club! If you are a seasoned mom of sons, I'd love to hear any wisdom you might have!
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About Me
- Mom
- I am blessed to be able to be a full-time mom of boys. I don't consider myself an expert on much of anything, other than raising my sons. I'm confident in my parenting abilities, but am definitely learning as I go. Sometimes I feel like Super Mom. And other times I feel less-than-super. However, I am constantly working on improving myself as a wife, mother, homemaker, friend, and Christian woman.
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