Busy

I never liked hearing that word coming from someone's mouth. A few years ago, I vowed not to utter it to any friend as an explanation for why I couldn't come see them, call them, spend time. I have always felt that it's a big fat excuse :)

What I didn't realize was how busy I wasn't! I still really believe that you can make something a priority if it needs to be, regardless of how busy you are. But when the kids were younger, I was nowhere near as busy as I am now. People often told me that the older they get, the busier you get. I never really believed it. But it's true! I know some stay home moms who planned to go back to work after the kids went to school full time but it hasn't happened. They are too busy to go back to work :)

Recently, a friend who happens to be a neighbor said to me..."your car is never home during the days. What are you doing"? I thought it was kind of funny. After all, I am a stay at home mom!!

But that's really the last thing I do.

The good news is that weekends really feel like weekends now! It used to be that a weekend just blended in with the rest of the week. But now, it's different. It almost feels like MY day off too. Of course, with sports for 2 kids there are many crazy weekends. But that time to not have anything planned is golden.

These are not complaints. In fact, I love all the things I have going on. I love watching the kids play sports. Doing Social Services at the school has been inspiring. Working in the classroom is so much fun...getting to know all the kids. There are days I want to not have a thing on the calendar and the beauty is I can pick a day and protect it.

I still don't ever want to tell someone "I am too busy" but it's certainly getting a lot harder!

Teacher Conference Gift

I worked on Teacher Conference gifts this week as we are meeting with the kids' teachers this week. I like to go with something small to thank the teachers and to brighten those long days they have meeting with parents one after the other.


These boxes started out white. They were glittered and decorated. One teacher is a beach type and the other is very elegant. I tried to take that into account! Made some pretty fabric flowers, addred some tulle, feathers and bling. Inside will be gift cards to Barnes and Noble and some personalized bottlecap magnets to match the outside.

I think it's important to make sure our teachers feel appreciated throughout the year!

Beautiful Girl

My friend Liz had a quote on her blog that really reminded me of Ellie:

"The least strained and most natural ways of the soul are the most beautiful." -Michel de Montaigne (French Renaissance Writer)


Her Dad and I often talk about the joy that comes from a little girl who follows her own heart and instincts. I know we have a long way to go, but her choices are always hers at the moment and I really hope it continues! She is not swayed easily by the influences of others. Sometimes this works against me :)

She's not afraid to wear mismatched socks. She doesn't mind if everyone around her is doing one thing and she is doing another. She doesn't get embarrassed by anything about herself. She plays what she wants to at recess.

It is really wonderful to see her choosing her path, following her heart and being such an original girl. We always can tell her choices come from her natural self and from her beautiful soul. She really is unique and knows how to follow her heart.

I'm in Knots!

The last couple of weeks, I have been tying a lot of knots! I have completed a couple of craft projects that both involved tying fabric.

The first one is a Halloween tulle wreath for the front door. This one was a huge project! It took 4.5 yards of black tulle. Cut into small strips. Tied one after the other!! But I do love how it turned out.








The next one was a blanket for Lucas' birthday. I made it twin sized for his bed. He really loves it! It didn't take me too long and it turned out really well..

Sharing

I really love this:

Cub Scouts

Lucas has joined the Cub Scouts. He is a Bear this year and has really loved it so far. He is very motivated by the patches and belt loops so that certainly helps.

His den of 8 has 2 leaders so it's very well organized and really a lot of fun. I had a hard time picking which pack to enroll him in but decided to stick with the one at his school. I am really glad I did and have heard great things about how active they are.

He has done some cool stuff so far and we are only a month in. At the first meeting, they made marshmallow guns using pvc pipe which they cut themselves. It was pretty neat to see how hands on they were. Then they had the marshmallow fight :) Next meeting they made Alka Seltzer rockets which was a huge hit. Then they built a cardboard fort and had a battle with soft balls. Finally, they made a toolbox out of wood. Super fun!


Lucas got his Bobcat Trail badge last night. He also presented the colors at the meeting. They will be doing that at the Veteran's Day assembly at school and he is super excited he gets to wear his uniform to school.

Fall is in Full Swing

Fall must be here! Back to school, soccer and the pumpkin patch. It has always been a very busy time as we rush from school to the soccer fields, as I fall into my volunteer work at the school.


The kids are growing up so fast. 2nd and 3rd Grade. I am so proud of both of them: they were both elected by their classes for ASB: Associated Student Body. They will help plan the monthly service projects and spirit days at the school, as well as help the special needs kids in their classrooms.

We hit the pumpkin patch last weekend and came home with 85 lbs of pumpkins. Of course Ellie picked a gigantic one!






Soccer is going great! Coaching Ellie's team has been a lot of fun. The growth in the girls has been fantastic to watch! I love that all her friends are on the team and they just love each other. Tia and I worked our magic on their team shirts. They used to be a deep maroon color and look what we did! We are the cutest team on the field!


This year I am heading up Social Services at the school. This means running all the food drives, the toy drive, mitten trees etc. In years past, the school has worked a lot with Hope Link and most of our drives go to benefit them. This year, I have a broader vision for our community outreach projects. I want to reach out to our school community, our local community and our global community. My plan is to cover all 3 with service projects this year. In a school of 900 students, these projects are a lot of co-ordination and my budget is $65 :) So it will be a lot of time but I can't think of a better position for me to really sink my teeth into.

I'm also room parent for Ellie, helping with writing in Ellie's class, Art Docent for Lucas' class, working in the Student Store and running the Sunshine Club at the school (meeting needs of families going through a tough time). I really do love being a presence at the school for the kids, my own and many others.