Still Here

We're still here.  The kids have been back to school for three weeks now and they are loving it.  I wish I had something exciting to write about but we've just been doing the normal day to day and I'd hate to bore y'all.  I'm working on a 10 year anniversary post but it's slow in the making.  In the meantime you might enjoy this Taylor Swift song that brought me to tears this afternoon.  Seriously, I heard it for the first time today and teared up.

I'd love for my kids to Never Grow Up.

Taylor Swift - Never Grow Up lyrics

What Have I Done?!!

Look what I've gotten myself into:

The volunteer coordinator at the Elementary School called last week while I was at the gym.  In her message, she said she was looking for a Room Mom for Lauren's classroom and would I be interested?
I conveniently took my time getting  back to her thinking she'd find someone else.
(I am SO NOT Room Mom material.  I've come to terms with the fact that I am not a leader nor one of those Type As like Room Moms are supposed to be.)

This week, while I was at the gym, the volunteer coordinator called and left a message AGAIN.
She was still having trouble finding a Room Mom and would I please consider it and call her today to discuss.
She got me thinking:  I may not have the confidence but I certainly do have the time.
I'm lucky enough not to have to work outside of the home.
My one and only reason for not working is to be there for my kids..

So I called her back and said, despite it being out of my comfort zone, I'll be Room Mom to Lauren's class.
Very much relieved, she reassured me everything would be okay and she'd give me more direction at the Room Mom meeting tomorrow evening.

When Lauren got home from school I told her I was going to be her class's Room Mom.  I told her I was nervous because it was something I had not done before and it was the same feeling she gets when she does new things.
She told me I should cry a lot then because that is what she does when she is nervous.

I felt an immediate shift in my thinking when I heard her say this.
It went from being about (poor) me to about being a good example to her.

Although I may be nervous and out of my comfort zone I'm going to give it my all, do my best and have fun. 
Lesson to learn:
It takes courage to go out of your comfort zone but the rewards will be worth it.
 (I hope!)

signed:
Lauren's 2nd Grade Room Mom

Oh My Weekend

Oh My Goodness.

This has been quite the weekend and we are only half way through.

Lauren is at her absolute BEST* right now.  

*said with sarcasm!

Last night she attended her first birthday party of the school year.

It was a Slumber Party but from what I heard there was not much Slumbering done.

Host Mom said they went to bed around 2am and woke up at 7:30am.

~~Lauren said she had the BEST time and can't wait to have her friend over for playdates.~~

I'm happy for her but Lauren and only FIVE hours of sleep is not a good combination.

She's already lost 50 cents for saying bad words.

  --->  "Be Quiet Tyler!"  <---

(said with the same meaning, sass and emotion as "SHUT UP" so treated with the same punishment)

((yes, her parents are soooo mean))

Bed time coming up shortly!

In other Oh My Weekend news:

14 cars were broken into in our neighborhood the other day.

We have about 100 houses total.

I know we're close to Atlanta but I like to pretend, being the distant suburb we are, that we are free and clear from Atlanta's crime.

Thoughts are this was an inside (inside the neighborhood) job and that one juvenile has been caught.

Matt was working out of town when this happened but now that he's back I had him put up a motion sensor light by the garage.  It's a cool one with bells and whistles and timers and dimmers.  I can't wait for our first trespasser!

Dinner tonight was fantastic.

I love it when Matt makes sounds as he's eating.  This tells me it is good and should tell you to most definitely try it!  =)

Stuffed Cuban Pork Tenderloin

(I used kite string to tie it together)

Served with sliced apples, oranges and Smoked (fingerling) Potato Salad.

Oh My Weekend...

Despite Lauren testing everything, everyone and my very last nerve right now... it's been fun.

More fun to come tomorrow.

We have a Mom's Club Fiesta Party to attend.

Time to put the grouches to bed.

Night Y'All.

tin and aluminum

Matt and I are quickly coming upon our 10 Year Anniversary!

August 26, 2011 will be 10 years of wedded bliss.

(all Bliss...right Matt?!)

((He said right!  well I'm sure he'll say "right!" when he reads this post.))

I've had the best 10 years of my life so far.

(of course I had a great childhood...so Mom, Kevin and Brian...don't feel left out)

When I was young and silly (last year?) I thought we'd celebrate our 10 year anniversary with the traditional gift of "tin or aluminum" or the modern gift of "diamonds."

However, I am much wiser now.

  Unbeknownst to Matt I bought my own 10 year anniversary gifts:

an actual composter

(my neighbor's will thank me for getting rid of my see-through compost bins)

 

and some new workout gear

So instead of the "traditional" gift of Tin and Aluminum I'm quite happy with my 10th anniversary gift of 

Dirt and Sweat!

(Of course, I won't say no to a date night with Matt as well.)

Happy almost Anniversary Matt.

I love you.

wonderful wednesday

 Look what greets me everyday after school.

(It makes missing them all day worthwhile.)

All the way up the drive-way Tyler is shouting, "Momma, Momma!"  He can't wait to tell me about his day.  (especially who was naughty, crazy or wanted to marry him.)  Even Lauren chirps in now and then.  I love hearing about their day and am so happy they still want to tell me about it.

BFF Weekend

We all survived the first week of school.
It was a big adjustment for all of us.
(In addition to separation anxiety, getting up at 6am again is hard.)

To celebrate the first weekend of the school year we all had a fun and relaxing weekend with our BFFs.

I played Bunco.

Matt played Tiger Woods (on the PS3 with the glow wands?)

But, most importantly Lauren and Tyler played almost constantly with their BFFs.

 Tera and Lauren
at the park

BFF picnic at the park

Tera & Lauren

Big Tyler & Little Tyler and Me

Tyler & Troy

in the sandbox

The weekend eventually came to an end and we're back to our weekday schedule now.

The kids are back at school, Matt is back to work and I'm back to making tasty dishes to eat.

Sunday dessert was:

Bourbon Glazed Peaches with Yogurt

(the picture looks funky but they were delish)

Dinner tonight was very kid centered (since Matt is working out of town.)

We had Baked Mozzarella Bites, Kid-tastic Pizzadillas, steamed asparagus and green salad.

It was a Kid-tastic Hit!

(Matt texted to say he had Chicken Fried Steak...I'm still thinking our dinner was better.)

I hope you all had a great weekend and spent some quality time with your BFFs just like we did.

Another Knot Untangled

When I had kids, no one ever sat me down, looked me in the eye and told me that my children would really, actually, one day grow up to be their very own person.  Their life path was so knotted and twisted (and intertwined with mine) that I naively didn't think it would ever Really work its way out.  However, since the day they were born their self experiences have been working through the knots and Untangling themselves to tell their very own (separate from my) life stories.

(I'm sure it gets worse as they get older but I'm already feeling it this week.)

So with that said, school is back in session and since Tyler is now in Kindergarten (All Day Long) I'm getting  used to the mostly empty and very quiet house.  I made myself a schedule to keep busy and to not dwell on things.

I'm back at the gym daily (after taking about 6 weeks off this summer.)  Already my back feels better but my muscles sure do ache from the new workouts.  I also have a Zone cleaning schedule for the house.  (You know, clean one area each day and eventually the house gets clean)

I thought I would be a total wreck now that my BABY TYLER was at school all day.  However, the fact that he LOVES it and comes home bursting with great stories makes me feel a lot better.

Unfortunately, some of his stories involve a girl on the bus.  She's a first grader and Tyler calls her "the crazy one."  He told me today she said she wanted to marry him and she even tried to kiss him.

As cute as he is I don't blame her but I told Tyler to tell her and anyone else! that His Momma said no one was allowed to kiss him....Until I Say So! (or at least 20 years from now.)

Needless to say, Untangling my Life is an exciting journey!  I'm glad you're here with me.  Lord knows I need the support.

Kindergarten and Second Grade

 Today was the First Day of School!!

(why they start the year so early is beyond me)

The kids slept fine last night but I tossed and turned all night with anticipation.

Lauren and Tyler

First Day of School, 2011

Tyler is ready to go.

Nap-Mat in the Back-Pack, Lunch Bag in hand and looking pretty cool.

He proudly picked out his own outfit.

 Look at my big Second Grader!

Her bangs are pretty cute, eh?

Waiting for the bus.

Lauren knows the drill but where is Tyler going?!

They ended up sitting together in the first row/window.

As I waved goodbye I noticed Tyler tearing up and blinking very quickly to try to hide it.

This about sent me over the edge. 

I kept a smile on my face until the bus pulled away.

Then I had a teary moment because my (last baby) boy was on the bus going to school.

...welcome to the rest of my life....(sniff)

I kept myself busy with a pre-written schedule so I wouldn't dwell on things.

2 hours at the gym, weekly groceries, zone cleaning (house cleaning,) shower, WAIT FOR THE BUS!!

I was so excited when they finally got home from school.

I tried to quiz them for information but they weren't having it.

They both told me they had fun and liked their teachers and pretty much agreed to all the questions I asked.

Tyler was the only one who offered up some personal information.

He said "there's a crazy one and a naughty one in my class, but no one pulled a stick."

(when they get in trouble by the teacher they have to pull a stick)

Lauren already had homework.  It was a weekly assignment but she wanted to get as much done as she could.  She spent an hour! doing homework after-school.

Tyler, who had no homework, fell asleep waiting for Lauren to finish.  He was asleep 30 minutes after getting home.  It was a BIG DAY for him for sure.

(did you notice the change in outfit?  When he got home he decided he needed to change out of his school clothes.  They weren't  fancy to begin with but he knows what he wants. He is definitely a 'Little Man!')

I'm very excited for this school year.

We love the teachers and I can't wait to see how much they learn.

Time to go read now.

Lauren gets to read to us for 20 minutes every night.

Meet the Teacher

 Last Friday was Meet the Teacher Day at Lauren and Tyler's school.  (I'm wiping a tear from my eye because they are both old enough to go to the same elementary school.)

Lauren let me braid her bangs back into a ponytail but she told me she wants to cut them back before school starts.

I think they look pretty cute as they are and she can JUST ABOUT tuck them behind her ear.
Oh well, she knows what she wants and I respect that.

Anyway, back to Meet the Teacher Day.

Tyler has the same teacher Lauren had in Kindergarten...we know her and we love her.
That was a given but, Lauren's 2nd grade teacher...
WOW!

She called Lauren the other day to welcome her to her class.

Then, at Meet the Teacher Day, she greeted Lauren by name as we walked in the classroom.

(She said she studied last year's yearbook to help her recognize her students.)

I love this type of dedication!  Dare I call her the perfect teacher?

We'll find out soon since school started today!

Mommy vs. Foodie Blog

I love being a Mom and I love writing about it.  (My kids are hilarious and easy subjects.)  I also love cooking  but I don't write about that as often.  (The meals taste good but they don't make for entertaining stories.)

I still cook just about every night we are home.  I think all my dinners are pretty tasty and if my family knows what's best for them they will always agree.

This post is dedicated to the Foodie Blogger in me and the pile of recipes I have congregating on my computer desk.

Enjoy the Good Eats from the past few days:

Flank Steak with Bloody Mary Tomato Salad  (this was even better as left-overs the next day)

Jay's Signature Pizza Crust  (I love trying new pizza crust recipes and this one did not disappoint.  Next time I will divide the dough into two pizzas because it over-flowed my pizza stone.)

Farmer's Market Pizza  YUMM!  (Even Matt liked this and he never likes anything without a piece of meat it in.)

Chicken with Corn served over green salad  (I seasoned the chicken well and cooked it in my Foreman grill) (The children ate their serving with some Ranch dressing)  This was a deliciously light yet filling salad.  A total family hit!

Coming Up This Week:

Creamy Linguine with Shrimp and Veggies

Black Beans and Yellow Rice

(maybe I'll even take pictures when I make these meals)

Since I am a Mommy Blogger at heart I had to post this cute picture of Matt reading to the darlings.  I can't believe school starts on Monday.  I'm going to miss my lazy summer days but then I'm excited to get back into a routine and actually get things accomplished!

Grilling Confession

We ate Carolina Barbecue Burgers for dinner tonight.

(similar to this recipe but I used 96% lean ground sirloin instead of the ground turkey)

Since these were to be grilled on the charcoal grill I expected Matt to actually grill them up for me.

---However---

Matt has been extremely busy at work AND he's been on vacation 3 of the past 4 weeks.

He called me to say he'd be working late.

I've never told Matt this but I've always thought I could manage the charcoal grill myself.

(behold my Grilling Confession)

This was my opportunity to find out. 

I rolled up some newspaper and added it to the bottom of the charcoal chimney, then I added my briquets and lit the newspaper.  10 minutes later it looked like this.

Burgers and Onions a-grill

They turned out pretty well.  Not as juicy as Matt would have made them but the kids ate their entire burger each and for that I'm super proud.

My name is Christine and if need be, I can use the charcoal grill.