Code Red

At the dinner table, as usual, I asked the kids if anything special, funny, sad, scary, interesting, educational, [insert any adjective] happened at school.  I'm practically begging them to open up because they don't tell me much (unless someone broke a bone or got in loads of trouble.)

In response to my question they said the usual "No" but today it was more like a, "No...but..."

I pounced.  "But WHAT?!"

Lauren nonchalantly said they had a "Code Red" today.

I've heard of other schools in the area practicing for a "Code Red" but this is the first time L and T's school have had the drill.

I'm thinking the Mountain Dew Code Red should be the only Code Red my children ever know of but unfortunately it is not.

image source:

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/mountain-dew-code-red/images/30601438/title/mountain-dew-code-red-photo

The "Code Red" is the latest drill practiced in our schools in light of the recent school violence.

I asked Lauren what it meant.

"It's like when a burglar breaks in the school and you need to hide from him.  And a Code Yellow is when a parent forgets to get a visitor sticker or if a dog is loose in the parking lot.  That's happened before, you know"

Good to know.

I then asked Lauren what happens during a "Code Red."

"Well first the principal said [over the loud speaker] it was time to get ready for a 'Code Yellow' so Mrs. X locked the [classroom] door.  Then the principal announced a 'Code Red' and we had to turn off the lights and go hide where all the book bags are. ... We stayed there until the principal unlocked the door.  For like three minutes."

Tyler said his experience was about the same except he had to hide behind the book case.

I'm glad the principal and school has a plan in case of an emergency but I'm quite sad that it has come to this.

I, myself, grew up only with the Fire Drill.

Living in the South now and with the threat of tornadoes my children regularly practice a Tornado Drill in addition to the Fire Drill.

And now they have to add Code Yellow and Code Red drills to interrupt their early elementary education.

So sad but unfortunately necessary.

PS.  I promise a Cruise Re-cap Post is on its way.

Weekly Menu 2-22-2013 & Cruise Teaser

Guess what we did this week for winter break? 

We hopped on a Carnival Cruise Ship for a round trip out of Jacksonville, Florida which included Key West and Nassau.  I was quite skeptical about taking a cruise, especially a Carnival cruise since the liner has been in the news recently BUT! I loved every minute and can't wait for the next one.  A more detailed cruise post will come but first I have to get to my waist slimming weekly menu.  Lord knows I didn't stick to my healthy eating plan on the all-inclusive cruise ship.

Friday:  Pastrami Reuben Sandwiches with French Onion Soup (Since I served the soup with sandwiches I omitted the slice of Italian bread over the soup.  Kids, Grammy, Matt all loved it.  Dinner Success!)
Saturday:  Hot-and-Sour Soup & Kung Pao Shrimp
Sunday:  Vegetarian Taco Soup & cheese quesadillas
Monday:  Greek Villagers' Salad & hummus & flat bread
Tuesday:  Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas & celery & fruit
Wednesday:  Vegetable Calzones (search for "vegetable calzones) & caprese salad
Thursday:  Greek Meatballs & orzo
Friday:  Teriyaki Tuna with Ginger Vegetables & fruit

I hope you all have a great week.  I also hope that I stop swaying on dry land.  I still feel the motion of the ocean.  =)

If you give a Grammy Duck Tape...

If You Give a Grammy Duck Tape,

She's Going to Make a Wallet

(or two)

(from Boy's Life magazine, Feb. 2013)

Tyler's wallet

Wow, there's a lot of room for CASH in there.

AWESOME!

 Lauren's wallet.

L was a great help with the Bunny Ears and Funny Faces.

You may think this is a funny face picture

but this is her Go-To face whenever she sees the camera.

The finished wallet.

She obviously LOVES it.

I only got the natural smile/giggle below

because I went against Everything I teach the kiddos and yelled out,

"Butt Nugget."

So, Grammy's pretty awesome with Duck Tape...what should we give her next?!

Weekly Menu 2-9-2013 and Grammy Memories

Weekly Menu 2-9-2013

Saturday:  Baked Ziti with Turkey Sausage, garlic bread & fruit
(Instead of the turkey sausage I used jalapeno-cheddar chicken sausage that was on sale.  It was really good!  The kids scarfed it down.)
Sunday:  Thai Green Curry, pearl rice, l/o baked ziti, green beans & fruit
(Yumm!  Matt said this is what he thinks of when he thinks of curry.  A little spicy but nothing L and T couldn't handle.)
Monday:  Buffalo Chicken "Cupcakes" and left-overs  (Grammy's request)
Tuesday:  Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki, l/o rice & edamame
Wednesday:  left-overs or pantry meal
Thursday:  Pork Chops with Creamy Marsala Sauce & egg noodles

Grammy's here!!

We've been anticipating Grammy's visit for awhile now.  Lauren mentioned to me that she needs to make some more favorite memories of her.  Her favorites currently are when Grammy overflowed the coffee maker and also when she let an egg roll right off the counter and splatter on the floor.  Lauren cracks up every time she tells us this story.

Well Grammy flew in yesterday afternoon and did not disappoint in the new memory category.  She taught the kids a very memorable rhyme.

"What did you have for breakfast?"
"Pea Green Soup."
"What did you have for lunch?"
"Pea Green Soup."
"What did you have for dinner?"
"Pea Green Soup."
"What did you do after dinner?"
"PEA GREEN SOUP!"

ha ha ha ha ha.  The laughing hasn't stopped nor has the repeating of the rhyme.  I'm sure this will quickly spread around the school and without a doubt Grammy has made a new memory with the kiddos.  =)

a little Lauren, a lotta Tyler

Lauren's latest project from Art Club is an awesome guitar made out of cardboard, newspaper, paper mache and personalized with paint.  It looks awesome and she is super proud of it.

Remember when I pulled her and her brother out of school early because of the impending Severe Thunderstorms?  Well she was in tears on the drive home because she thought she was going to miss a chance to work on her guitar.  (By the way, Art Club was cancelled that day)

Her guitar sure looks good.  And she looks pretty cute holding it, no?

So lately on this blog I've been talking about Lauren A Lot and Tyler A Little.

It's mostly because Tyler refuses to be in a picture unless it looks something like the pic below.

2013

(almost SEVEN)

(L is almost NINE)

He's going through a stage where he doesn't want to be in any pictures for fear I'll put them on the blog.

He says, "Momma, don't put my picture on the blog!"

So, since I can't put any recent/decent pictures of him up I thought I'd reminisce and post pictures of him from the February 7ths (or so) from the years gone by.

Grab a Kleenex and let's get started.

Feb. 2007

(he's almost ONE)

(L is almost THREE)

2008

(almost TWO)

look at those eyes!

2009

(almost THREE)

(L is almost FIVE)

2010

(almost FOUR)

2011

(almost FIVE)

2012

(almost SIX)

with Emma who is almost nine

and another from FEB. 2012

the Beast Unleashed

I can't believe he is almost SEVEN now and his sister is almost NINE.

Someone needs to tell me how to STOP TIME!

First Week of February (and lots of Lauren)

After spending the last week of January waiting for my conjunctivitis to go away (to no avail) I finally went to the Minute Clinic at CVS to get some antibiotic eye-drops.

This bottle of approximately 15 eye drops and about the size of my vitamin cost my insurance more than $100.  Luckily I only had to pay $20.

They must make a killing because every other kid is getting eye drops for pink eye just about every other day.

Moving on to a less contagious topic

(unless you are looking below at Lauren's contagious smile:)

Lauren went to an American Girl Doll birthday party for her friend.

Here she is wearing her new AG dress.  Her AG doll had the same dress and I'm bummed I didn't get the two of them together.  Some day!

She had a lot of fun and all of the girls looked so pretty with their dolls.

It was a GREAT! BIG! week for Lauren.

She came home with a printout of all her 81.2 Accelerated Reading (AR) points for the month of January.  (When a student reads a book they can take an AR test and earn points.)

Not only did she earn more points than anyone in her class but her teacher even acknowledged with a note that she's "never seen this before."

Like her teacher said, "She is amazing!"

She's GREAT at reading but she's also getting BIG.

She lost her first baby molar!

And to my horror (at her growing older) she has another one that is slightly loose.

(I thought this wasn't supposed to happen until she was closer to 12.)

 (hey Oregon peeps - notice her t-shirt?)

I probably should document her frustration though.  Having lost a big old molar she thought the tooth fairy would bring her a Lego set.  I think she was less than thrilled with the (already generous!) $2 left by the fairy.

I'm sure in no time she'll be able to buy her own Lego sets because Matt and I think she may have inherited his engineering gene.  Check out this video of her invention to spin the dial in Twister Hopscotch.

This week we also got started on our school Valentine Cards.

I bought suckers and felt mustache stickers and put them together.  

(Get it?!  When the friend eats the sucker he/she will look like she/he has a mustache.)

I'll take a picture of L and T sporting a lollipop mustache soon. 

I'm going to tape the suckers to this Valentine Card.

 pretty cute, eh?

And talking about pretty CUTE

What's a post without a picture of Tyler!

The Cute-ness is killing me.

Hope you all had a great First Week of February.