Bowling!

Yesterday our playgroup went bowling. It was a smaller group, but that didn't stop the usual chaos ;o)

Little bowling shoes :o)



Sofia rocks out!



The ramp things are awesome (and made the looong game go a bit quicker).

The twins are up!

Yeah...the ramp is fun to climb on as well. Goober.

We Have a Kindergartener!

Last week Logan had his Kindergarten screening. I'm not going to lie, I was stressing out on it. I know what he can do and what he can't do. And *I* think he is ready for kindergarten. But, I know this child does not like to "perform" and the last screening we did was disasterous.

A month or so ago, Logan's teacher sent home the paperwork for the screening. My heart kind of sank. For one, I knew the time before starting kindergarten was rapidly approaching, and it's a subject I don't like to think about too often. Five years have passed way too quickly. Secondly, we went thru this screening a few years ago and it was disasterous: it was poorly organized, chaotic, long, and when they finally got around to giving us the results, and I expressed my concerns over his speech, they totally blew me off. I was not impressed and we didn't go back the following year. And, come to find out, Logan DID need some speech therapy and has been going this school year. It's going great! I just wish it would have been done sooner, when I first raised the issue...grrr....

I talked to Logan's teacher and found out that the screening was similar to the one we had done in the past, but it would be done at school during school hours. Whew. I know he does better on things when I am not around. I filled out the paperwork and stressed.

It took me awhile to crack the code of his scoring sheet. He has more circles than uncircled items (good). His handedness is left, which has presented its own unique challenges for us ;o) and pencil grasp is with fingers (yay!) and not a fist. In the comments section, it says, "good job" and "sweet boy." And, finally, at the very end it says...."pass."  So, I take that to mean we are set for kindergarten!

Prior to the screening, Logan brought home his progress report for the 3rd quarter. It's the first time it hasn't sent me in a tizzy over something or other. Three's (proficient) are dominating the sheet, and in some cases he went from 0 to 3. And, finally, he has a 1 (beginning) on Printing First Name. He has come such a long way since the start of the school year. He has learned so much and everyday I am amazed. He rocks at his sight words and has started sounding out words. I think he will be reading to me soon.  I know printing will be our big focus during the summer. He may have his name down, but the rest of the alphabet is rather questionable :o)

My Take "The Hunger Games"

Last night we went to see The Hunger Games. It was fantastic. Definately one of the best movies I've seen in a LONG time.

I waited a long time to see this, as I read the series close to probably two years ago. After much nagging, Matt decided to read them and finished all three over the course of a weekend. I'm currently rereading them and I am amazed at how much I forgot. So...if you've read them once, consider reading them again...whether you plan to see the movie or not.

Ok...back to the movie. I will admit that I was worried about how violent it could potentially be, because the book was one of the most violently chilling I've ever read. But...I also knew they (the producers, directors and all those fun people) were trying to keep it at a PG13 rating. They handled this extremely well. They captured fear and horror with various shots and angles and music and perspective, which, I suppose, could be even more chilling.

At first, when the cast was announced. I was unsure of Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss) and Woody Harrleson (Haymitch). Lawrence was outstanding! Harrleson...well, he still isn't how I have Haymitch pictured, but I liked him in the movie. There was one point in the movie where he spoke and I was like, "Aha...so THAT's Haymitch."  I was also impressed with Lenny Kravitz as Cinna. I cannot forget Effie...she amuses me with those wild outfits and hair (and Effie is also my grandmother's name, so I'm pretty taken with the character).  And the costumes...oh my....the costumes!

My biggest irk with THG (books and movies) is that it is being compared way too much to "Twilight." Aside from these being books for "young adults," I think the similarities stop there. Oh, and maybe a love triangle, but even that is entirely different.  They are totally different stories, taking place during totally different times. So seriously people, knock it off :o) I love Twilight. I love THG. You CAN like both. There's no need to pit the two against each other.

We're Off to See the Wizard!

Yesterday was another first for Logan. It was his first time seeing a stage production!

About a month or so ago, our cousin Stephanie asked if we'd be interested in going with her and her son, Carson to see a production of "The Wizard of Oz" at Sullivan's Little Theater on the Square. I was sold instantly-I LOVE Oz and had never seen it on stage (I've seen "Wicked," but that's different). Plus, this performance was put on by the theater's Dance and Drama Students, so I thought it may be more "kid friendly," and more suitable as a first outting for Logan.

Of course, we had some confusion when I told him we were going to a theater. He thought we were going to see a movie! I finally told him we were going to see some kids do a show, just like Mommy and Daddy came to see him do a Christmas program. That kinda seemed to help. Plus, Logan is pretty familiar with the story.

I thought the group did a very good job. It was a very talented group of kids, and it makes my heart happy to see kids getting into the theater arts. I'm unsure of the ages of these kids, but I'd say middle school thru high school.

Logan did great sitting thru the performance. It was about 2 hours long (with an intermission) and he sat still the whole time and didn't talk. I'd glance over at times and he was glued to it. He had a huge smile during the Munchkinland scene (it was insanely bright and colorful), and was pretty concerned when the Wicked Witched melted at the end. I loved how the cast mingled with the audience afterwards. We saw a lot of kids getting their pictures taken with Dorothy, and Logan kinda, sorta, talked with the Wicked Witch on our way out the door. I think he was relieved that she was ok ;o)

I will definately take him again! I'm looking at some of the kid productions coming up this summer and seeing if something may interest him.

It's (almost) That Time of Year...

I am probably the only person out there who dreads the approaching warm weather. Sure, I like my capris, my flipflops and not wearing a coat. But, I have issues with it.  I didn't used to be this way. I mean, I'm more of a winter girl, but one thing has just sent me over the edge and makes me want to move to a colder climate.

Snakes.

Why does it have to be snakes?

We have a slight snake problem here. By problem, I mean we see the little suckers frequently. Too frequently.  Close to the house, on the sidewalk, out in the yard. Ick. Last year, one was up on the bottom porch step when Matt was mowing. Last year, after we had the house insulated, Matt killed several in the basement (our theory is, they had always been able to get in and out. When they sprayed this rock-hard insulation, they couldn't get back out).

And I'm terrified of them. I know, I know. They won't hurt me. They eat bugs.  But I DON'T CARE. I don't want them anywhere around me. Some people are afraid of spiders, some storms, some elevators. My biggest fear is snakes. It makes spring pretty dang stressful. So with temperatures predicted to be around 70 next week, I'm getting edgy. And it can be a horrible, horrible feeling.

Matt is sympathetic, but it gets to a point where he's just plain annoyed with it.  Like, when I want to go out the front door as opposed to the back. How I will make him walk out first. How I will not take the trash out. Ok. I don't do that much anyway. He's smart enough to know that I won't help with yard work...which is fine, he doesn't do the dishes :o)

But, we do make a pretty good team: If I see one, I yell for him. He goes out and kills it. It works. What sucks is when he isn't around lol. Fortunately, the stupid things do not bother my parents, sister, or my in-laws, so I have plenty of people around to protect me and willing to do the dirty work.

I would absolutely LOVE to find a way to get them out and away from my property, but we haven't found anything yet. We've tried Snake Away, moth balls, sound devices....there's really nothing to indicate stuff works or not. Honestly, I hope they find their way over the abandoned house and property just south of our place....which likely could happen because whoever owns that place now only managed to mow like twice last year. So, if anyone has any ideas, throw them at me. We will try anything!

We Bought A Keurig!

Over the weekend, our five year old Hamilton Beach Brew Station decided to flood the countertop. Twice. It wasn't quite as disasterous as it could have been: my microfiber dish traying pad absorbed most of it. We concluded five years was a pretty darn good life for a coffee maker and...ok, I'm not sure what Matt did with it, but I do know it is no longer in the house.

We had talked about buying a Keurig before the coffee maker died. However, we did not see the need to have both a coffee pot AND Keurig. For one, the Keurigs are expensive and we'd be buying double duty in terms of coffee and K-cups for the Keurig. But even when the maker died, we were still pretty on the fence about the Keurig.

We weighed the pros and the cons and finally concluded that a Keurig, while expensive on multiple levels, would be the better option for us right now. With Matt working nights, we were making a pot of coffee at around 8 p.m. A lot of coffee was thrown out. In the morning, I'd make a pot and a lot would get thrown out. Say what you will about the expense of the K-cups...when you are throwing out multiple pots of coffee, you aren't gaining anything. With the Keurig, Matt is making his cup of whatever before leaving for work and I have my cup of whatever in the morning. And with the exception of me miscalculating where the end table was this morning and me literally dropping my mug on the floor, we haven't wasted coffee! Plus, Matt needs caffiene, and I really am not supposed to drink it, so we can have our coffee and drink it too :o)

You'll hear that you can only get one cup out of the K-cup. I've also heard that you can shoot for two cups but the second tastes nothing like the first. I've used my K-cups twice and haven't tasted a difference in cups. And I've done this with a few different types (the maker came with a little sample pack of different flavors and brands). I haven't tried for three. I'm generally done at 2 in that span of time.

When we registered the Keurig on their website, they sent a coupon code for 2 free boxes of cups with the purchase of 2 boxes. I got for packs of various cups for around $30 and even had free shipping! Those haven't arrived yet. Plus, it must have been a sign, because the day we decided to buy the thing, we got a free sample in the mail that I had applied for on Facebook. I should also be a freebie of the apple cider as well.

I didn't really consider my Brew Station to be huge, but I cannot believe how clear my countertop looks now with the Keurig. It's pretty small. We will, however, have to get something better to store the K-cups. Matt has them on this little shelf, and I bump the shelf daily and knock them off. I know they make some neat storage options. That's next on the agenda...perhaps next week when Carson's has their Goodwill promotion I can get a good deal on one.