Pot Holders

As I was making lunch today, I opened a kitchen drawer and it dawned on me...we have a buttload of hand-woven pot holders. If wealth were measured in pot holders, our family is loaded. I am glad Bennett loves her little loom, but this is a bit ridiculous. Some of you have received these pot holders from us as gifts, but it appears that not enough of you have. Don't be surprised if the next time you have a baby or a birthday, you receive a pot holder. Consider yourself lucky to have one, and consider yourself appreciated for helping us downsize.

Cardboard, I Love You

Do you know what is the best toy that has ever been invented? Cardboard. Cardboard makes kids happy. Cardboard boosts their creativity. Cardboard occupies them for long periods of time. Cardboard trashes up your house...oh well, what's new. Cardboard, I love you!

Behavior Management Tool: The Gummy Krabby Patty

Twice a year at Easter and Halloween, the Frankford Candy & Chocolate Company does me a gianormous favor. They produce Gummy Krabby Patties. You can purchase a bag of these completely nutritionless goodies at Walmart for $2 a bag. For $2 you will receive approximately 20 little gummy crab cakes that will make your life wonderful. Your kids will be happy as all get out, and they will do most anything for one of these Krabby Patties. They will be cooperative, they'll be cheerful, they will share with each other, they will clean their room, they will shine your shoes, they will mow the lawn...they will do anything you ask, as long as you will give them a Krabby Patty. Who needs behavior management skills and wise disciplinary sense when you can simply rely on the Krabby Patty? Okay, maybe that is not sound child rearing practice, but I do encourage you to pick up a bag and enjoy the magic, if only for a fleeting moment.

Shopping at Walmart and Having Fun Doing It!

Our children loathe shopping and running errands. They especially dislike time spent at Wal-Mart. Dad and I don't particularly enjoy being at Walmart either, but Dad's primary love language is "quality time." I'm thankful for that. However, what this means is that when he needs a new bulb for the brake light in his car, we ALL go to purchase it at Wal-Mart. All of us, all together, all being a family....all hating being at Walmart. Last night was different though. Last night our trip to Walmart was remarkably pleasant. Below are the reasons why. The Halloween aisle is ready to roll! We are not big on Halloween at our house, but every year the creepy, automated hands bring the girls loads of entertainment.

Zowie! The second one from the right narrowly missed Ainsley! Good thing she's so quick!

Since we're only 100 days out from Christmas, why not browse the toy aisles and begin dreaming up that Christmas list? Bennett is jamming on a flat, cardboard virtual guitar of some sort. The girls are pretty sure that Cardboard Brian will have this puppy on his list this year.

Walmart entertainment continued into the parking lot as we left. The ladies in the family watched in suspense, horror and thrill as Dad went up against a wasp on the outside of his car window. Here he is, about to smash it with his pocket pack of Kleenex. What a hero!

Things We Get Excited About!

There are a couple of things we are really excited about this week! In order of importance they are: 1. Bennett has FINALLY mastered bicycle riding on two wheels. She is still perfecting the initial takeoff from a stopped position, but once she launches the girl is cruising. Pretty soon, she'll look something like this...

....Excitebike rider! I digress. Does anyone remember the glorious Nintendo game, Excitebike?! If you don't, I'm sorry. You haven't lived. Excitebike was rad, and Bennett, you are doing a rad job on your bike!

2. The development of this product is very, very exciting to me. I purchased it for the first time today and with a $3.00 off coupon, I might add! The promise that this product holds for me is unprecedented. I have many a t-shirt with small stains from greasy little fingers, marker, ink pen, salsa drip...you name it. Ainsley is also a clothing trasher. I have high hopes that this product will somehow be able to resurrect 50% of my wardrobe and 90% of hers.

Bennett's Recent Illustrating

Here is an illustration Bennett drew to accompany a writing activity at school. Uh, can someone tell me, at what point in child development do youngsters learn to draw people playing Battleship on the floor? I seemed to have missed that skill, my personal self. I think I might need to have my child give me some drawing lessons. And thank you, author/illustrator Marissa Moss, for your influence on Bennett's drawing. She now labels EVERYTHING. Betcha didn't know that was a pile of play dough on the table in the picture. Thanks to the label, now you do!

Randoms

A few random pictures from the past few days...Sitting home on a summer evening, feeling a little bored? There is a simple solution! Dig the Foxtail out of the garage and toss it around. Do your best to get it stuck in a tree so that you can watch Dad attempt to knock it down with a soccer ball. My, my...we are easily entertained at our house.

Whiffle ball is another boredom buster. Bennett is quite good, I might add!

We came home one evening to find "Flo" sitting at the kitchen table, writing a note to Bennett and Ainsley on a paper plate. We realized that Grandpa and Grandma had stopped by our house while we were out and Grandma had set up this "scene" for the girls. I guess the creativity, imagination and making of scenes runs in the family. That was fun to come home to, Grandma!

A whole lotta animals surfing on a whole lotta flip-flop/surfboards.

'Twas the 105th Day Until Christmas

To what did my wondering eyes appear this morning? A kid, fresh out of bed, wearing a Santa hat. What in the world? Oh yeah, I forgot. Christmas is only 105 days away! This hat is most definitely appropriate in September.

Just Plain Weird

We have really strange kids. I love it! You just never know what you will find when you wander into their bedrooms or come across their drawings or things they've written. I decided to see what's been going down around the house the past couple of days, and here are a few things I found... Well, Ancient Egyptian Lady has decided to explore other cultures. That is one big sombrero, chica! Also, she looks to be doing something with pastries and packages that are tied to strings around the base of her performance platform. No clue on that one. Whatever she's doing, it must be part of a competition because there is a wooden judge's gavel behind her back. If I were judging this event, I would totally give the gal a 10!

Mr. and Mrs. Yarn Doll are sleeping while they wait for a large, decorative egg to hatch in the neighboring box. "Rachel" is certain to emerge any day now and in style, no doubt. She's wearing a beautiful heart bracelet as to look her best when she pecks her way out into the world! It's never too early to become fashionable.

We have a bazillion of those little rubber bracelets that form a shape or word when not being worn. Why didn't I invent a money maker like that?! Sheesh! Anyway, I found Bitty Baby with the words "WILD LOVE" laying on her torso. Something about this just bothers me, but it was an entertaining find in the playroom.

Family Fun

WARNING: Super long post about amusment parks and camping ahead. We had quite the Labor Day weekend! It was loads of fun, kicked off by a road trip to an amusement park. The weather was perfect, the park was busy but not too busy and the company was fantastic! Here we are, posing as a family before entering the park for the day. Notice everyone is dry and hairdos are in tact!
Uncle B. was Ainsley's BFF all day. She kept pretty close to him, constantly grabbing his hand. She thinks he is just wonderful!

We enjoyed many a ride at the park. The girls even got a double ride on the covered wagons, against their wills. The ride attendant forgot to let them off as she unloaded and loaded wagons. On the second trip, you could clearly see the concern on Bennett's face. But alas, the attenant did eventually free the young pioneers!

The large, spinny raft ride was great fun. The water we were floating in looks quite bad though. Yikes!

Cousins flying the friendly skies!

This frog hopper was definitely a favorite of the little girls! Check out the wide open smiles!

Oh man, this was funny! Dad was in line to ride the mini-semis with the girls. They somehow got split up, and the attendant ended up making Dad ride in the back of a semi by himself with a ridiculous acting teenage boy in the front. Every time he came around, I just about wet my pants laughing at this poor man! I've said it before and I'll say it again...way to take one for the team, Dad!

Way up high in the sky chair, Bennett shows her canned "terrified face." She was really doin' just fine.

Uncle B. was a hero at the park! He won the grand prize at one of the games and traded his "jumbo" winnings for three "medium" prizes so each girl could have something. Three cheers for Uncle B!!!

Look at the group of crazies that I found on the train!

Thank you, thank you, Grandpa and Grandma, for taking us on this little trip! It was a wonderful time for us all!!!

Labor Day Weekend, Part II involved camping. Now we like to rough it, so we pitched out tent as close as physically possible to Grandpa and Grandma's house. This proved to be a great idea, as we were forced indoors at 1:17 a.m. due to lots of lightening. Yes, we are smart campers!

We enjoyed a campfire dinner with lots of family.

Ah, no campfire is complete without some good stories. Uncle B. was chosen as the storyteller for the evening. Our personal favorite was the one about how in 6th grade, he jumped into a hotel pool and his trunks came off. Dad, then around 18 or so, grabbed them and threw them out of the pool, and Uncle B. had to fetch them in the buff. Seriously, Dad would do something like that?!?!

Grandpa built an incredible campfire!

Our tent was the size of a one bedroom apartment. Luxury living!

It even had a lovely sitting area. However, at 1:17 a.m. we realized that aluminum lawn chairs are not what you want to sleep next to in a tent during a lightening storm.

For those who are wondering about Cardboard Brian, he camped with us. However, he had to stay indoors all night. It was too windy, campfirey and damp for him to join us in the wild outdoors. He decided to hang out with Bennett's sled dog in the sunroom. And yes, Brian has become a hipster...notice the fashion scarf.