Goodbye Perfect Attendance

Today was the first day of kindergarten.

Or at least it was supposed to be.

 

 

Last night Lauren came in from playing outside and her cheeks were bright red.

She said that her head hurt and she was hot, so I laid her down on the couch and gave her a cold wash cloth.

She's probably just over heated.

 

Then she fell asleep and didn't want to wake up for dinner.

She didn't take a nap today so she must just be tired.

 

After we all finished eating I woke her up and brought her to the table.

She wouldn't leave my lap and said her head still hurt and she didn't want to eat.

Hmmm, this isn't normal.

 

I carried her upstairs to take a bath and by the time I sat her down in the bathroom she was crying because her head hurt and she didn't feel good.

I checked and she had a 102.5 fever.

She's going to miss the first day of kindergarten!

 

I gave her some ibuprofen and put her to bed.

I thought that since all the kids were sick last week we would be safe this week!!!

 

I went downstairs to tell Marcus that she was sick and was trying not to get upset.

But then I started to realize she would still have a first day of kindergarten ... just not the same day as everyone else.

She'll have her very own special day.  :-)

 

So today, instead of going to school with all the other kids, Lauren stayed home with me and I took care of my little girl.

I'm kinda glad to have this last day with her not yet in kindergarten .

 

She even told me, "Mommy, I like being sick.  I mean, not the fever and throwing up and feeling bad part, but the part where I get to stay home."

Crap. She's already figured it out.

 

 

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I've kept my menu very simple in anticipation of the first week of school :

 

Monday: Tacos, Spanish Rice

Tuesday: Spaghetti, Salad

Wednesday: Baked Corndog Muffins, Broccoli

Thursday: Dinner at Nana and Pops' House

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Eating Out

Sunday: Smoked Chicken Quarters, Baked Beans, Salad

 

Tomorrow I'll post reviews for last week's meals, along with Papa's Paella recipe - yummy!

 

 

Meet the Teacher

Last night was "Meet the Teacher" night at Lauren's school.

We were all excited to meet the wonderful person who is going to help guide Lauren through the beginning of an amazing journey.
 

 

 

Maybe my expectations were too high.

I'm not really sure how I was expecting this to go, but I know it didn't happen.

 

When we walked into the classroom, the lady we thought was her teacher (we couldn't see a name tag or anything) was busy talking with another family, so we patiently waited our turn.

When she finished talking with them she just stood there, looking around at nothing in particular.

 

And we were only about five feet away!

 

So after a few seconds I took a step toward her and asked "Are you Mrs. Kin-cha-low?  Is that how you pronounce it?"

"It's actually Kinch-low."

(In her defense, she was nice about this)

 

She knelt down and said hi to Lauren, but was more matter-of-fact than warm-and-fuzzy.
This is a kindergarten class, right?!

Mrs. Kincheloe told Lauren to walk around the room and figure out where all her school supplies belonged and put them away.

Then she handed me a folder with a few forms to fill out and return to her before we left.

 

While Marcus helped Lauren and Marc walk around the room and get things put away, I sat with Kate and filled out the forms.

 

As I looked at the forms I had a few questions, so I got up and waited in line.

She again kept talking to other families and past children who stopped by.

I know it shouldn't bother me as much as it did, but I was getting upset about being ignored.

 

I think this bothered me mostly because I'm worried this may happen to Lauren.

We've worked hard to teach her to be polite and wait her turn, but what if it doesn't work in this class?

 

Hopefully this was just because "Meet the Teacher" night was a little hectic.

Hopefully Mrs. Kincheloe will turn out to be the wonderful person who is going to help guide Lauren through the beginning of an amazing journey.

Hopefully.

 

Embrace the Camera

Here's what happens when you ask your three-year-old to help you embrace the camera...

 

You get a some-what-decent shot.

 

Then you start laughing because he's so stinkin' cute!

 

Then you make your husband take out his phone to start taking pictures of the cute three-year-old.

 

And then you slowly start to fade out of the shots because, after all, you asked a three-year-old to help you

embrace the camera.

 

 And then, when you can finally get the phone back from your three-year-old, you attempt to take your own picture ...

which doesn't turn out all that much better than the three-year-old's shots.

 

 

 Click here to find out more about Embrace the Camera.



Our Opposite Family

This weekend our kids were invited to the Spacek kids' birthday party.

The Spaceks are our "opposite" family, with kids the same ages as ours, but opposite genders.

We met at daycare when all the kids were in the same classes together.

 Unfortunately, we don't get to see them much anymore.

Cole started kindergarten last year, and now Lauren and Case are staying at home.

So, needless to say, we were all excited about the party.

The kids put on their bathing suits, we loaded up the car, and headed toward the Spacek's house.

Unfortunately, this is what we saw.

As we got closer to their house it started lightening, and then the rain came.

So the outside water party became an inside party.

The kids played around the house, ate pizza and had cupcakes.

If that had been it, they would have enjoyed themselves.

But then the sun came out.

The original birthday plans were on, and it couldn't have been more fun!



Meal Plan Monday

Before I get into my menu for this week, I wanted to give some reviews on last week's recipes.

Parmesan Tialpia

This one was good, but I wish that it had some spice.  I think next time I may add a little cayenne to the parmesan mixture.

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

These were delicious!  I used Spanish rice to make them because that's what I had on hand, and it turned out wonderfully.  Adding the chicken stock to the pan and covering it to cook was briliant.  This was the first time I've had stuffed peppers that were really cooked through.  The only thing I'll change next time take the foil off in the last 5 minutes and not add the cheese until then.

Roasted Squash

We love squash at my house and this is a great way to prepare it.  It gives the squash good flavor, but still allows the squash to shine.  I have a feeling we will be making this often.

Pork Tenderloin in Pan Sauce

Marcus loved this one ... and I thought it was good too.  I'm not much of a pork tenderloin fan in general, but if I'm going to make it, this is one of the best recipes I've found.

Roasted Mushrooms

These were amazing.  I made them exactly as the directions said, but realized after a few bites that I had forgotten to add the balsamic at the end.  So I jumped up from the table and brought it out, and it pushed this dish over the top.  After trying these Marcus said he thought he could eat mushrooms every day ... and I agreed!

Balsamic and Spinach Tomatoes

I made these for all my in-laws at Sunday dinner and they were a hit.  The last time I made these was in the middle of the week, so I had to put them in the marinade before I left for work and they sat all day ... and that was a mistake.  This time I maridaded them for about 4 hours and they were much better.

I found all of these new recipes on Pinterest.

Don't you just LOVE Pinterest?!?!

Marcus gives me a hard time whenever I get on Pinterest, but I've noticed he's started backing off as I cook more of these delicious recipes.

So here is this week's menu, again with several Pinterest recipes.

Monday: Green Chili and Cheddar Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries

Tuesday: Chicken Tortilla Casserole, Roasted Cauliflower

Wednesday: Cajun Chicken Pasta, Salad

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Mini-Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potatoes, Peas and Carrots

Saturday: Corndog Muffins, Chips, Green Beans

Sunday: Papa's Perfect Paella (recipe coming next week)

I'll let you all know how things went next week!

They Make Me Smile

At night when we're getting ready for bath time, I herd the kids up to our room.

I then head into the bathroom while they usually gather around my phone and take turns playing a game.

Yes, I know, I know.  They shouldn't be on the phone.
They should be reading a book, coloring, or doing some elaborate craft from Pinterest.

But the phone is easy and keeps them entertained for the 2-3 minutes it takes to get everything set up.

I have never claimed I was Supermom, and this is one of the 23,976 reasons why.

So I turn on the water and make sure it's just the right temperature.

I dump all their toys into the tub.

I set their towels out and gather their jammies for when they each get out.

It's a good routine and it makes things run much more smoothly.

The other day I ran through my routine as usual.  When I walked back into my room to get the kids I was stopped dead in my tracks.

Sometimes there are moments in life that you can't help but smile from ear to ear.

This was one of those moments.

Evidently the kids had found some of our hats and decided they were more fun than the phone.

See, sometimes they make the good decisions, even on their own.

The Day Is Almost Here

Tonight was the first of many big nights.

I picked the kids up early and we went to Burger King (Lauren's choice) for dinner.

And then we headed to Lauren's new elementary school for (gulp) kindergarten orientation.

When we walked in they gave her a name tag.

I think it made her feel pretty special.

Then we were told that the parents were going to the cafeteria, and the kids were going to the library.

I was a little worried about how she'd do on her own, but she walked right in and sat down.

While we were learning all about the school and how things are run, Lauren got to listen to a story and go on a bus ride around the school.

I think my little girl is going to do just fine in kindergarten.

And that makes this momma happy.