Summer has officially started - Day 1

After a crazy last week of two super cute performances, two celebrations, and lots of weeping mommies, we have officially entered into summer. My little Mouse sang a darling song about growing into a flower. My seats were not the best so I had to throw a few elbows just to get this shot. I cried like a baby!

She was the "K" in her poem about Kindergarten. I cried like a baby!

 

Its done, its over, I officially have a first grader. How is that possible? I am crying like a baby!

And then there is my Jedi. He was the most darling little cowboy for his preschool performance. His teacher is so super creative that she had them make these cute vests and stick horses to ride into their show.

So cute! Although we would have rathered the horse be a light-saber, and the vest be a dark cloak, I think he survived!

The kids made items to raffle off. I bid on this great western themed mural that all the kids made. I won it! My playroom is going to be sooo cute with this in it!

 

I officially have a Kindergartner. I might add that he is a cute one too! Such a happy little Jedi. I am crying like a baby...again!

That brings us to our first day of summer today. I think it is summer anyway. (confused face)

We did okay..

1. The cable TV has been officially turned off. NO TV at all with the exception of the DVD player that is still connected because I am not willing to give up Friday night movie night. I am a salt addict after all and when else am I going to overload on popcorn?

2. I took care of 2 other children. One of which ended a long bout of constipation in my bathroom and flooded it after the toilet clogged. Happy for her. Not happy for me. :) Child is okay, bathroom is cleaner than it started, toilet has been plunged.

3. One child crashed into the side of the house while riding the quad in the backyard. Lessons will be given on quad riding tomorrow. Helmets will be become mandatory. Child is okay, house is okay. Mommies, near death rapid heart-rate has subsided.

4. Princess dress wearing child has realized that floor length princess dresses and bicycle chains sometime mesh and require scissors to untangle. Child okay, bike okay, princess dress is a little shorter than normal. 

All in all, I think it was a good solid start to the summer. Now, we just need to work on this weather so that mommy can be poolside while watching floaty clad children learn how to rightfully swim!

Also, please keep me in your prayers. This TV thing is going to be hard, I'm not going to lye. Something has got to give because of it, either my sanity or my mount Everest pile of laundry will only get larger. Happy summer and late Taco Tuesday!

 Love,

I Heart Faces; People's Choice - May

I took this photo on Mother's Day this year, while looking at my daughter and feeling oh so blessed to be her mother.  It wasn't until I was editing the photo later that I had a flash forward of what she will be like as a mother to her own children someday. 

She sat in this chair in our hallway and cared for her stuffed turtle after our puppy put a hole into it's soft pelt. My sweet little girl bandaged up her baby and sang to it quietly after kissing it's wounds. Maybe all of us girls and women are born with the nurturing instinct, but I know my baby will be a great Mother someday. I also know that I am so beyond grateful to have her as my daughter.

So, this is my best face of May. My baby, caring for her baby. :) 

Go see more best faces of May over at I Heart Faces.

Love,

I Heart Faces: Motherhood

Mother's Day yesterday was a reminder of how blessed I am to have my 2 little monkeys and am able to celebrate the day my own special way. After a day of relaxation, I got a call around 10:30 pm letting me know that my dear sister-in-law had just delivered my niece. What a wonderful mothers day gift that is!

After speaking with my sister-in-law on the phone this morning, I could hear the utter exhaustion in her voice as she explained to me that she had only had an hour of sleep that night.  Apparently, she just couldn't stop looking at her little creation even when the baby slept. I get that! I find myself fumbling into my 5 and 6 year old's rooms, during the middle of the night, often just to catch a sneak peak at them sleeping softly. I am not sure that will ever change. As a mother, you are constantly thinking of someone other than yourself and sleep just isn't the same again. 

Have you ever seen that glow of a new mother, sleep deprived and all? The light that has come on in their eyes. They are so full of love and pride and joy! This photo captures that glow of a new mother, which is the topic at I Heart Faces this week; Motherhood.  By next weekend, I hope I will have gotten the chance to capture the glow of my sweet sister with my new niece wrapped in her arms too.

Love, 

 

Teacher Appreciation Week

Don't forget our teachers this week!  My children have a few of the best teachers ever but the great part about saying that is I know there are "the best teachers ever",  all over the USA!  In these hard times we are really relying on our teachers to pick up the slack and make the larger class sizes work, take in the children who's parents couldn't afford that last year of preschool, and buy all of those supplies for the classroom that were cut from the budget. Not  to mention they are making our little peanuts SOOO smart!  I love our teachers and I hope you do something super nice for your teachers this week. 

A Big WHOOOPIE for Teacher Appreciation Week!!!!  Here are some blogs with super ideas if you are all out of your own. Click on their pic to learn more....

 

Love,

 

I Heart Faces: Soft and Sweet

Soft and sweet is the challenge this week at I Heart Faces. In my eyes, this photo encompasses it all with this 4 month old little boy and his doting mother. Makes me wish for another. Okay scratch that last part written in my moment of weakness. :)

HEAVY my heart is, heavy to carry,
Full of soft foldings, of downy enwrapments--
And the outer fold of all is love,
And the next soft fold is love,
And the next, finer and softer, is love again;
And were they unwound before the eyes
More folds and more folds and more folds would unroll
Of love--always love,
And, quite at the last,
Deep in the nest, in the soft-packed nest,
One last fold, turned back, would disclose
You, little heart of my heart,
Laid there so warm, so soft, so soft,
Not knowing where you lie, nor how softly,
Nor why your nest is so soft,
Nor how your nest is so warm.
You, little heart of my heart,
You lie in my heart,
Warm, safe and soft as this body of yours,
This dear kissed body of yours that lies
Here in my arms and sucks the strength from my breast,
The strength you will break my heart with one of these days.

-Edith Nesbit 

Love, 

Shameless Blog Party

Okay, we have all done it and we have all lived through it. Some of us like it more than others but truth is, we all were happy when we got our goodies. Yes, ladies, I am talking about jewelry parties! I have hosted a number of them and I have been to a number of them.  I wear my pretties when I get my occasion date night with the hubster and sometime I just vacuum in my jewels! Okay, my life isnt that sad, I get out every now and again!

Anyway, all of us stay at home mommies are trying to earn and extra buck any way we can. I have started a photography business, friends of mine are doing party planning. consulting, pampered chef, cookie lee, candles, you name it, the list goes on. Here is the deal, we know how it is to loss our identity when we decide to stay at home with the kiddos. We no longer feel like we financially contribute and we are dying to converse with adults. So we start these little side businesses to do both. 

Another friend of  mine recently entered the world of stay at home mommyness. She has also decided, much like the rest of us, to go into business. She is selling Stella and Dot, super cute sparkly stuff!! I tried to host a party for her and I had minimal response. Here is the deal folks, you get to drink wine and shop, really, you can't make it?  Weird?! Anyway, lucky for you, I am going to do a blog party for my friend Patty!!!

Patty and her beautiful family! Hi Patty!

So here is how it works...

1. go to the wine cabinet and pour yourself a tall glass

2. have a little appetizer style snack sitting next to the computer 

3. Take a drink of your wine

4. Go to www.stelladot.com/cunningham 

5. hit locate hostess and type in Michele

6. Do some perusing around  (oh isn't that cute, what about that,  mmmm!)

7. think about how your mother would love something for mothers day.

8. throw some things in your cart and checkout!  

9. okay, was that so hard?  THANK YOU!

See ladies, consider yourselves very helpful to our stay at home mommies trying to get by. And thank you for welcoming Patty into our shameless self promoters and  elite club of crazy ladies who talk to ourselves and join PTC groups. You know who you are and I love you all!

Love,