What a Day!

Sundays are always pretty great. I believe I have previously mentioned our family tradition of meeting everyone for brunch or lunch. So we did that today, and then my aunt took all of the kids to the candy store. And to ride on the coin operated machines. I think they used to be called penny horses back in the day, but today they are (a) rarely ever horses, they are instead helicopters and trains and motorcycles and (b) no longer cost a penny. The kids were, well, as happy as kids in a candy store.

We dropped by my in-laws and left the kids there for a couple of hours while we went to see Ghost Town. I don't know if you have seen it or not, but it is fantastic. Paramount once again dropped the ball by not promoting or advertising a really great film. I am not going to say anything else about it, because I hate it when people give away all of the details. Just go see it. You will be glad you did.

I am feeling especially blessed tonight. I snuggled up in bed with both of my kiddos as we read together Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Cookies and Henry and Mudge: The First Book. If you have not read the Henry and Mudge series, I urge you to do so. They are funny and real and full of heart. You can start with any book in the series and jump right in. We actually started with Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat. We fell so in love with it that we went to the book store the very next day and bought three more titles. (Click here for some Henry and Mudge fun.)

And if you have not read Amy Krouse Rosenthal, the author of Cookies, I urge you to check out her books as well. We have several of her children's books, and I have several of her adult books. Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life if one of my favorite reads.

Wishing you all a very happy week!

Sick

Everyone here has been sick all week. Apparently there is some wicked virus making the rounds - the coughing, sore throat, runny nose, my head feels like it is going to explode and Oh, there is an elephant on my chest kind. It has put quite a damper on the week. Poor Emma missed out on school, soccer practice and her game today, as well as ballet. Aidan missed his beloved Gymboree. The good news is that we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think we will all be back to normal by next week.

Being sick does have one upside: you get to snuggle in bed with the whole family for hours on end, just reading stories or watching Little Bear. Errands that are so important every other day just aren't that pressing. You find that it is possible to just stay home, all day, for one whole day. Even if that means all you have to eat is Dora chicken noodle soup.

Saturday

Saturday's show was a lot of fun. My mom went with me, which was nice. It is just too hard to do without a helper for at least part of the day. I snapped a few photos of my booth. I packed up really early in the morning (about 4:30) so I ended up forgetting a few things, but I think it turned out fine. I figure I will just keep trying different set up arrangements until I find something I love.

I used two 8 foot tables this time. I hung several blanket from cute little bird clips that we screwed into my backdrop screens. I think the addition of the bigger, brighter pink gerbera daisies really perked up the backdrop. I placed the car seats with their covers on the tables this time, and people noticed them a lot more and really gravitated toward them. They really were the stars of the show, along with the nap mats. All in all I am pretty pleased with how it turned out, but I think it will be even better next time with the addition of the things I left behind.

I welcome any and all feedback! And please feel free to share your own booth photos or ideas!

Ghost Baby

My dear husband sent me this photo update of their day, taken with his camera phone, while I was away at the craft show on Saturday (more on that later). This is not a ghost baby, it is actually my two year old, Aidan, covered in powdered sugar.

Apparently while Brandon was helping Emma retrieve dress-up clothes, Aidan utilized his super toddler speed ability to push the antique wine rack up to the cabinet, climb up onto the counter and retrieve the brand new bag of powdered sugar from the baking cabinet.

He then sped through the house, depositing piles of the sticky powder in the kitchen, living room and our bedroom, covering himself in the process. Of course he had time to empty the bag before Brandon caught him. Not surprisingly, Brandon saw the humor in the situation and sat him down for a quick photo op.

I don't know if you have ever tried to clean up powdered sugar before, but it is not fun. Three days and two bottles of Swiffer cleaning solution later, my floors are still sticky. The stuff is like glue! I fear this might be a job for an industrial cleaning crew.

Update: I showed Aidan this blog and this is the conversation we just had:

Aidan: "Wow! That's me! I was making a mess. A big mess."

Me: "Yes, why did you do that?"

Aidan: "Cause I wanted to. Daddy cleaned it up. It's a big mess."

Me: "Yep."

Aidan: "That's sugar. I love sugar. It is so sticky."

Me: "Do you like to make messes?"

Aidan: "Yeah. I love messes."

A new low

I actually wasn't going to blog today, or at least not until right before bed, but I have to share this story with you. Immediately.

We have two dogs and we love them dearly. They are pretty pampered and they NEVER miss a meal. So why do they walk around scavenging like castaways half of the time? Sassy, our Airedale/German Shep mix just hit an all time new low.

Emma created a lovely piece of art in pre-K this week. She glued Cheerios in the shape of an "O" to a piece of construction paper. "O" is the letter of the week. I cleaned out her folder and set the papers aside. (I am stashing all of her papers in an archival box that I picked up.) Since I am busy getting ready for the show Saturday, I did not make it to the box right away. I heard a strange crunching sound and decided to investigate, whereupon I found our dear Sassy eating the Cheerios off of the construction paper. Glue and all.

Conflict

Emma's first soccer game was announced this week. Wouldn't you know it is scheduled for Saturday -- the same day I am scheduled to be in Stillwater for the Fall Into the Holidays Show. UGH.

My mom is going with me Saturday, so we will drive to the show and I will get her set up and then drive home for the game. I will then return to Stillwater after the game. This might seem like a lot of driving, but this is her first game! Missing it is not even an option.

This is terrible, but I am praying that we get rained out Saturday. We have a 60% chance, so it will very likely happen, I just need it to happen in time to postpone the game! I must say I do have pretty good luck when it comes to praying for rain.

On a sad note, a dear friend just lost her grandmother to Alzheimer's. Thoughts and prayers to you and your family, Jen.

Labor Day Recap

I did not get around to posting over Labor Day weekend. Here is a quick rundown of the exciting events:

• Friday was great. Got together with the girls for dinner, wine and wonderful conversation. We decided to start a dedicated craft/book club, so I am super excited about that. Good times!
• Saturday was busy. My mom took the kids to her house for the afternoon so I could edit a script for Brandon. I spent a portion of the evening in an urgent care center because I had an allergic reaction to something I ate, probably carrots. I will just have to see what the allergist finds.
• Sunday was great. We took the kids to brunch with my family and then visited Brandon's parents.
• Monday was relaxed. We ate donuts for breakfast and took the kids to the toy store. Emma has had her eye on a "moving baby" for months now. We were able to find just what she wanted, and just what I needed. I am guessing a mom designed the doll because while she does move and coo and make cute little noises when she takes her bottle, she also comes with a blessed off switch. Aidan, much to my surprise, chose an enormous Hulk toy. I must say it is a bit scary looking, but Aidan LOVES it. The thing's eyes light up, he slams his fists down and exclaims "HULK SMASH!" in a menacing tone. Not at all something I thought my little guy would like. He is growing up so fast.

I hope you all had a great extended weekend with family and friends. Have a great week!