The Fort and Presidential Power

Yesterday, A asked if she could build a fort in the family room. I agreed but asked her not to make too big of a mess. She started with one blanket and one chair and was thrilled.
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She then asked C and M if they wanted to play in her fort. Well, of course it was not big enough. C and M got to work increasing it's size, gathering pillows, blankets, dinning room and kitchen chairs, and a tablecloth or two. It got rather large.
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They created a real fort. They also created a "fort club" including passes for entrance, a president, vice president, and secretary. I think they even wrote their own Constitution. It was quite elaborate. I even managed to sneak out to Target for a half hour and leave C in charge as they were playing so well.

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Upon my return, I was told there was only one problem. M wanted to be vice president and A was voted vice president. C had voted against M and placed her in the position of secretary. She was not interested. The problem is that A can't be a secretary. She can't read and write yet. She's only 4 you know!! It would be hard for her to write down the rules.

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I suggested a re-vote. A became President, M vice president and C as Secretary. Crisis solved.

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A called the meeting to order, "Okay, Let's Pray." What a great way to start, Madame President. Moments later I heard them discussing the rules again. President A again said "Okay everybody let's pray".

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Now that's the kind of leadership we need in Washington. Too bad she can't read or write.

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Hours later, after lots of "fort" time and a trip to the pool, it was time to tear it all down and go about re-assembling the house. Little Miss A went up to her room to play Barbies and wanted to let the "others" do the work. Good thing the Prime Minister (aka Mom) was all over it and said that even the President had to clean up. Maybe she's not ready for a leadership role yet!!

These Kids Are Funny

My MIL is always recommending that I write down the funny things my kids say before I forget them. Guess she must know that my mind just isn't what it use to be.

Over the years, I have been documenting the our kids' funny ways of the kids in our family scrapbooks, but, considering I'm more than a year behind in the books, I'm thinking that I might not remember the little "things" by the time I get the photos on the pages.

For the past year, I've been trying to write down the funny things soon after they happen right here on this blog in hopes that someday I could cut and paste these Cyber words into my Close to my Heart Scrapbooks. That is the plan at least....

Straight from the backseat, kitchen table, and pool deck, I bring the latest installment of "These Kids Are Funny."

We were at a remote control airplane field watching a demonstration a few weeks back and A had enough. She asked if she could sit in the car. It was cool and the car was in plain sight so I said yes.

M decided about 15 minutes later to go join her sister in the car. A said; "No Get Out, This is My Alone Time".

Along that same theme, the other day, she asked when the big kids were going back to school. I told her the middle of August. She then asked about herself and when Preschool would start up. I told her September. She pumped her fist in the air and said " Yes I'll get some alone time from these kids".

Then, just today, after we'd finished dropping her brother, sister and dad at a Golf Course to watch a tournament, she got a glimmer in her eye and said "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"It's time for some Burger King Lunch." How can you resist that phrase. A loves to go out to lunch with just me and sit there and talk. Her first question is usually "So, what's new?" I told her maybe it's moments like this that make me want to keep her home with me forever!

C and M were and are as hilarious as their sister, but often their comments are more personal in nature or involve long detailed background stories. They just aren't as quick with the one liners.

However, this was not always the case.

When C was 3 he had just finished a morning at preschool and we were on our way to a play date. I had been called that morning at home by the Preschool director that there had been a little incident at school. Seems a boy had pushed C and he had pushed back. This was a first for our mild manner boy. C had to spend sometime in the time out corner. He was not use to missing out on the fun.

As we drove to the friends house that day, I asked about the "incident." His sad little face wrinkled up and he told a little about the Mean Boy who always pushes. When I pressed a little harder, he looked at me and said, "Stop talking about it, you are ruining my day."

M was very quiet as a young girl, with an older big brother and some eyesight issues, she really did not talk until she was 2 when C went to kindergarten. At about that time, she started to call herself by a unique name and would only respond to that name. It was M....dot-com-dot-org.

Yup, her whole name with dot.com.org at the end. Like she was website. She always referred to herself in the 3rd person with this name. It would confuse some people, but we said that she was just a girl ahead of her time !!

Guess you could say this silliness runs in the family.

I Just Saw the Nanny Diaries and It Spoke to Me

We joined Family Video this week. Keeping with the theme that "summer is all about movies," I decided to check out this fairly new area video store and I pleasantly surprised.

They had a huge selection of free kid movies. We could check them out for 5 days at no cost. A picked up two little movies for her afternoon rests. She takes a little portable DVD player to her room and watches while laying her head down for a little bit.

We came home with 6 movies for under 2 dollars. For the first month, all our rentals are 1/2 off and most movies are $1 for 5 days. Even their new release movies are under $3.

I picked up the Nanny Diaries. I've read the book when it first came out and had wanted to watch the movie but never got around to it; I figured this week, when P was traveling late a few nights, it would be perfect.

It's a funny movie. The story is sad, tragic and tugs at your heart adorable all at once. A young college grad takes a job as a Nanny on the Upper East Side of NYC. She is overwhelmed at first with the job and responsibility, but later she becomes the little boy's constant in his life of chaos.

The one line in the movie that really spoke to me was when the Nanny says that Grayer, the son, should be the parents greatest possession/accomplishment/treasure; not all the stuff, not the philantrophy they do, not anything else; he is their greatest legacy on earth.

It reminded me of the Bible passage Psalm 127:3: Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him.

Some days I need to be reminded of this...especially as summertime winds down and we are getting bored and ready for routine.

WFMW: Summer Produce Recipes

If you read my blog yesterday, you saw that I've been a busy little "Martha" in the kitchen with some of my summer produce finds.
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I thought today for Works For Me Wednesday, I'd share the recipes that I used to create the yummy stuff! These are not my own recipes; however for most of them, I've either changed them in a little way or goofed up to make them more my own.

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Garden Salsa from my friend Sue

4 to 6 Tomatoes

2 Cucumbers

2 White Onions

1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce

1 (28 oz) cans of Ro-Tel Tomatoes

1 Jar of La Victoria Red Taco Sauce-Mild ( I used about 3/4 of the jar)

3 T Red Wine Vinegar
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Chop up veggies and mix together with everything. this may be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.

'My improvisation 1 had only 10 oz cans of Ro-Tel so I used 1 can of mild and 1 can of original. The recipe called for Trappy's Red Devil Sauce instead of Taco Sauce, but I could not find it at the store.

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Fresh Refrigerator Pickles a combo recipe from my MIL and Cooks.com

3 Large Cucumbers

1 Onion

1 T Salt

2 tsp celery seeds

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup white vinegar

Wash and scrub the cucumber. Slice into a medium bowl leaving peel on, about 1/8" thick. Remove skin from onion and wash under cold water. Finely chop the onion and add to cucumbers. Sprinkle with salt and celery seed (salt). Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour.

In small saucepan, bring vinegar to boil and then remove immediately from heat. Stir in sugar, stirring until dissolved. Allow to cool, then pour over cucumbers ( after they have been sitting for 1 hour and you have discarded the juice from the bowl)

'Mix well, cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving. I used mason jars to store them.

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My improvison: I used two small containers of pickling cucumbers from the farmers market; I cut them into spears rather than slices. Because I did not have celery seeds on hand I used celery salt.

I also added a sprig or two of fresh dill to each jar. We were looking for more of dill taste than sweet. 1 tripled the recipe for 4 jars of pickles because of the type of cucumbers I was using and the size of the jar.

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Chocolate Zucchini Bread from the Southmoreland B & B in Kansas City

3 lg eggs

1 cup oil

3 cups of grated Zucchini

2 tsp Vanilla

2 1/3 cups Flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup unsweeted Hershey cocoa

2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two medium loaf pans with Pam. In a large bowl, mix together the first 4 wet ingredients. In another large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, then add them slowly to the wet ingredients and beat well. Pour mixture into greased loaf pans and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

I make no changes to this recipe. I will occasionally use a little more Zucchini, if that's what I have. I use one Pampered Chep Stone Loaf Pan and one Pyrex Loaf Pan. The Pyrex is done in about 47 minutes and the other is about 5-8 minutes behind. Store in Fridge for up to a week. Great for snacks, breakfast, whatever.

Hope you enjoy this summer produce using recipes. For more great WFMW ideas check out http://www.wearethatfamily.com/.

Getting Domestic: The Produce Edition

I bought canning jars the other day at the grocery store. You heard that right, after harvesting our lone red tomato and purchasing a bushel of cucumbers at the Farmers' Market this weekend, I was inspired to get in the kitchen and make something of my fresh produce.

Look at my results:

Homemade Refridge Pickles: Made with Farmer's Market Pickling Cucumbers and Fresh Dill

Homemade Salsa: Made with Garden Tomatoes and Cucumbers from the Farmer's Market

While only 1 large tomato came from our garden I feel good that the other 4 came from our local Hy-Vee with a tag saying they were grown here in our state on a farm about 1.5 hours away. They were very fresh.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread: A favorite from a Bed and Breakfast in Kansas City

Made with Zucchini from a friends garden. They were huge and yummy. This recipe makes two big loaves and we've already eaten the first one in a day's time.

I'm not a food blog but I could post the recipes if you wanted. They are not originals but they are treasured "friends". We had a little sampling party tonight with the salsa and the pickles before dinner. Yummy! The salsa had just enough kick and the pickles were crisp and tasty with a dilly sweet taste.

Who knows, maybe later this summer, I might can a few more items that actually require canning. Both of today's recipes in my Ball Canning Jars are just for refridge; no boiling required. I'll have to admit that the real canning seems a little difficult to me!

On a completely different note, we've found a fabulous bread store in town that sells fresh bread. They are a bakery that sells directly to stores in the area and, for years, we've loved their hot dog/hamburger buns and Italian bread. Now. we are getting their bread at deep discounts. The outlet store is right near my husband's office so when he walked in today from work with the bread, he smelled like a "bagel" according to A.

All this bread was purchased for only $3.75 and the most expensive was the Cinnamon Raisin Bread at $1.85 which we enjoy in the mornings toasted with a little butter.

Raisin Cinnamon Bread, 12 Hamburger Buns, Loaf of Italian Twist Bread and a Loaf of Wheat Bread ....

Am I making you hungry?

Watch Out HGTV: My Home Improvement Project

The Before Picture

Who knew watching hours of HGTV shows could actually result in talent for the viewer? Too bad the new season of Design Star started this weekend because with talent like I possessed last week, I might be a contender. Or not!

Having lived in this house for 9 years, there are few of the original "decorating" pieces that could use an update. While I would love to just overhaul everything, it's not really practical. Unless, of course, I could convince one of those HGTV people to come and do over a room/house for me!! For FREE!

My outdoor light fixtures were starting to drive me crazy. We have a grey house with black shutters. Our outdoor lights were bronze. Yuck.

I'd seen on some other blogs how people would use spray paint to update fixtures, but always thought I'm not really that crafty. Looking at new lights, I realized however if I tried this project and failed it would not be too expensive to just replace them. In essence, I could try with hand at painting and, if I failed, I could replace them for under $100.

So off to the big home improvement store I went. I talked to the "paint guy" at the store, explained my plan, and asked for his help. Even though I came prepared with my online research of what I needed, it's always best to ask for help, too. Two cans of glossy interior/exterior enamel black spray paint and a sponge type sandpaper tool and I was ready. Total cost $8.50.

At home, I started with the light on the back deck. It's lower to the ground so no ladder needed. It's in the back so if I goofed up no one would know, and it's shaded in the afternoon so no sun glare. I laid down a tarp to catch any parts/screws I dropped, got a bucket to keep the parts on one spot, and then started disassembling the light.

Here is where I will leave out the 2 hours I spent in the basement with the circuit box trying to figure out which circuit breaker turned off the power to the deck. I'll also leave out the fact that my husband said be careful as you don't want to kill yourself with the power.

Needless to say; I soon realized I didn't need to turn off the power as I never actually go to the power source as that part of the light stayed intact. It was a fun start to the project, however, and now, as an added bonus, our circuit breaker is labeled accurately.

Now there was sanding to do, spray painting to do, and glass cleaning on my agenda. At first, I just spray painted on a sheet in the yard, but black grass not so pretty. The garage, while much hotter, was more protected and had less wind.

The first light took about 3 plus hours to do and a helpful husband to figure out reassembly of the parts. Let's just say I needed to watch how I took it apart just a little bit better.

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I loved the results. The light was a shiny black; it matched the decor on the deck, it looked sleek and modern and if you didn't look too closely you'd never know I had used spray paint to transform it from yucky bronze to fabulous black.

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The next day I tackled all the front lights. I created a little spray paint sheet for each light careful not to mix the parts of the various fixtures together and went to work. At one point, my hands looked like I had developed a rare skin condition called spotty black. Despite the "illness" and the mess, the work was easy. Again, my husband had to come to the rescue to put them all back together again. You might say I'm not good with puzzles and he is!

I only ended up using one can of spray paint so I can either tackle another home improvement task or I can return it and take the kids to Sonic for happy hour drinks. Half price slushes at Sonic are also one of my "Works for Me on Wednesday" activities.

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Wonder how our master bathroom light fixture might look black? Stay tuned!

The After pictures: The Front porch light, one of the bigger lights on the garage and the back deck light.

WFMW:Summer Movies on the Cheap

Watching movies is one of my favorite summer past times. I love to stay up late at night watching movies that I've DVR'd or rented on "school nights" in the summer. I love walking out of a movie theater in the summer; all chilly from the air conditioning with squinty eyes and then feeling the warmth of the hot summer air on my face.

However, it's not always the most economical endeavor to take 3 children to the movie these days so I've found a few ways this summer to give the kids the movie experience without breaking the bank.

Last summer, someone turned me on to the "Free Movie" or "Kid Matinee Movies" that many of the big chain movie theaters offer every summer. Every Wednesday and Thursday at one of the theaters in town you can go to a "special" showing of a Kid's Movie for $3.00 a person including a small popcorn. At another theater in town, they offer Free Movies at 10 a.m. Tuesday-Thursday.

The movies are normally appropriate for toddlers to early teens and are films that are either on DVD already or just about to be released to DVD. So far this summer, we've watched Tale of Desperaux and Horton Hears a Who. You can find out about these movies by going to the website for the theater and it will list out the entire schedule for the summer.

Second, we've found the Buck Theater; which in reality is $2.00 a person before 3 p.m and $2.50 after 3 p.m. This is still a huge discount over the regular matinee price. Last week, we saw the Hannah Montana movie for a total of $8.00. It was a fun movie (G rated) and a perfect way to spend a cloudy afternoon. I actually like it much better than the Disney series on TV.

Here are a few websites to check out for Summer Kid's Movie programs http://www.amctheatres.com/ ; http://www.ravemotionpictures.com/; http://www.marcustheatres.com/

Finally, we've started rented movies from On Demand. When people in the past told me they were renting a pay per view movie. I assumed they were $10 a pop and thought that going to the video store would be more economical. Not true. There are on our On Demand Guide numerous older movies for 99 cents. That's how we watched a long list of Disney Classic Movies this winter. New Releases run $4 to $5.00 each which is still much cheaper than taking the whole clan to the theater plus the snacks are cheaper. We watched Hotel for Dogs earlier this summer and loved it!!

My youngest will only eat popcorn at the movies so we'll usually buy a small popcorn. However, for the older kids, I'll admit we have been known to smuggle in our candy. We've hit up the Dollar Store or Walgreen's candy aisle and gotten boxes of candy for $1.00. While I deep down know this is probably not right, neither is charging $4.50 for 32 ounces of soda or $6.50 for a big box of popcorn. I noticed last week that a family at the Free Movie had purchased one of the largest drinks which promised a free refill and filled up their own little sippie cups for all the kids and then got a refill for the mom and dad to share. Not a bad idea.

Last but not least, before we rent a movie or go to a movie, I always check out this website first to see their review of the movie. http://www.pluggedinonline.com/. Not only do I love how they breakdown the movie with violent, language, and spiritual content, but they are always spot on when they recommend a movie. I've been known to allow my oldest child to go to a movie that I might otherwise have rejected by first talking through with him some of what he might see and should expect. Likewise, the opposite is also true and I've vetoed movies that where either the right rating (G or some PG) because of the review I've read here. Great site. Check it out.

Cheap movies in the summertime work for me. For more WFMW ideas check out http://www.wearethatfamily.com/

My Life As I Recall: College Summer Job

My kids think that all I've ever been or done is be a stay at home mom. When C was little, I used to manage a small Christian bookstore run in our church. By the time M was in preschool, I decided that "part-time" and "managing" did not really work for our family or the store so I decided to forgo my "paying" job and stay home full time.

While I've never regretted the decision, I sometimes feel as if my kids are missing out on knowing a real part of me as a working, career woman.

As a way to keep the memories of my days among the employed fresh in my memory I thought I'd from time to time write down a few of my funniest, toughest and most interesting days out "there"in the world. I'm calling this My Life As I Recall....

Hey, I've had some interesting jobs. I've been to some very interesting places and, while I never really climbed the career ladder, I've certainly been in/or near some places of power. Along the way, I've been run over by a car, driven some very influential people around the state, sat in on some high powered meetings, and attended some neat events.

In my "former life" I've had jobs as a Senator's Wife's Driver and Aide, Personal Aide to a Governor, Runner in a Law firm, Fundraiser for a Non Profit, Christian Bookstore Worker and Manager, Popcorn Shop Worker, Nanny, Insurance Office Guru, Scheduler for a Senatorial Candidate, and a few more. I've seen the world of Republican politics in my state from so many different levels and, while I wish that my candidates had made it to Washington, one did make it to the Governor's Mansion and the others made a big impact on our state/country in many other ways. Someday, I might return to that life or watch it again close up. For now, however, I just go by mom.

Take 1: Summer Jobs in College

I was blessed not to have to have a job during the school year throughout most of my undergraduate years. My job according to my parents was school. However, it was expected that during the summer I would get a job and work either full or part time to gain experience and some money for the upcoming school year.

Following my freshman year, I came home for the summer and got a job for our county working in the Assessor's office downtown. My best friend's dad was the County Assessor at the time and, while she spent the summer working at the local Water Slide Park, I was working full time in an office in the auto tax division. I spent my summer alphabetizing car registrations. All summer long from 9 a.m to 5:00 p.m. with an hour for lunch and two 15 minute breaks a day, I alphabetized.

Needless to say, my little 19 year old self was the youngest in the office by decades and they were not thrilled with how quickly I was working.

To pass the time, I would go over to the courthouse on breaks and lunch to sit in on trials. I became good friends with the court administrator for various judges and they would call me when they had "good trials" to watch or when juries were coming back with a verdict. I decided that summer that I was going to Law School and would be like one of my heroes on LA Law with the swanky suits and challenging cases.

Two big lessons I learned that summer: (1) Stay in College, you don't want a job alphabetizing for the rest of your life. (2) Making friends with the people you work around makes your life much easier. By the end of the summer, I was allowed to work my breaks around court cases, I could take an early lunch to see a prisoner come into the courthouse all because I made friends with the right people and they got a kick out of watching my young self get so involved in the goings on in the courthouse. When I left for school in the fall, I had gotten two of the other workers hooked on the courthouse and they were reading murder mystery books and legal dramas, too!!

Hope you enjoy this look back. Next installment: The Political Bug Bites

Reading My Way Through Summer

I really enjoy summer reading. It is my opportunity to really get lost in the pages of a good book. Too often during the school year, I read on the fly. I manage a few pages here and few pages there; fitting my reading into the carpool lane, the dentist waiting room, and maybe a few moments before bed. No real time to get captured in the pages and involved in the plot and characters.

I'm one of those readers who can't really re-read a book. It is a one time only experience. The characters are too personal for me; the story lines become like real time, and I can't just pick the book up again and recapture that feeling. I think that is why I've never really enjoyed science fiction or historical fiction very much. I can't imagine myself in the story or think of the characters as real life friends.

As a teenager. I would spend time each week at a small bookstore in town: The Little Professor picking up the next book to read. While my memory is not so good as to remember the titles anymore. I can remember how the books transported me to another time and place. Every page was an adventure.

I've found my most favorite genre of books tends to be in the Christian Fiction section. Why? Besides the fact that I feel most comfortable reading the stories, relating to the characters and find the suspense books both exciting and non-gory, I like to think that I'm supporting those authors who share the same beliefs and values.

A few of these books are in a series; I think you can easily pick them up without having read the previous books, but feel free to read anything by these authors. You will not be disappointed

The Rook, The Bowers Files Series #2 By: Steven James
This is a criminalist; FBI type book. Excellent Read. The plot has lots of twists and turns. Loved it. I had read the first book; The Pawn and am anxious to read the next book in the series

Double Minds By: Terri Blackstock
A captivating story about a songwriter in Nashville, Parker James, on the cusp of making it big in the Christian Music Scene. Blackstock does not disappoint with this book and I'm hoping to see Parker James in future books. I feel like I've been to Nashville now and if only I could sing/write songs, I could make it big there!!


She's in a Better Place, Fairlawn Series #3 By: Angela Elwell Hunt
Jennifer Graham and her hilarious family at the Fairlawn Funeral Home had me in stitches throughout this entire book. I read this on a road trip with the family and read pages out loud to my driving husband because they were so cleaver and funny. Who knew a funeral home/director could be so fun! You have to read this whole series, its that good!

The Real Enemy, Sophie Trace Trilogy Series #1 By: Kathy Herman
I have to admit this book took me a while to really get into. I was reading during a hectic time this spring, but the book is excellent. Brill Jessup, the main character, was a tough character to dig into but as the book develops I became so involved I was sad to see this book end. Looking forward to book #2 this fall.

Word Gets Around, Daily, Texas Series #2 By: Lisa Wi gate
My Texas loving husband is probably the reason I picked up this series last year, but the characters in book #1: Talk of the Town are what kept me wanting more. Must admit I just started on this book today, but I'm already cruising along and so thrilled to have something to take to the lake this weekend that will grab my attention.

For my birthday earlier this summer I was given these two books and quickly had both of the read.

Just Take My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark
While I have always loved Mary Higgins Clark I'm had been getting a little tired of her characters and plots thinking they were too predictable. This newest creation, however, had me captivated to the final page. It's the perfect beach book.

The Girls From Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow
Like me these girls are from Midwest stock and, while they are a few years my senior, it was fascinating to read a non-fiction book that followed 12 women's lives from high school to today. While I could related to the cultures of the 1980's and the milestones they have experienced in life thus far such as college, marriage, kids; I'm grateful that many of the crisis they have gone through I have been spared. It was sad to read of the trials they have gone through with abortions, divorce, multiple partners, illness with parents, etc. As I read, I just kept wondering where was their relationships with God. Where was their dependence on a Savior? I also felt gratitude to my parents for the faith they instilled in me so that I could avoid some of their pitfalls. Interesting read-just not a feel good one.

I've read a few more books this summer already, but unfortunately I have not become disciplined enough to keep a book log and I've forgotten what they are already. I think this might be my mid-year New Year's Resolution to write down the books and authors I've read.

If you have any books you'd suggest please leave a comment....I'm open to suggestions.

WFMW:Reshirting for Kindergarten

We've decided to redshirt A this year. I heard this term over the weekend and it works for me. We are not sending A to kindergarten this fall even though she will be 5 years old in August and qualifies according to our state guidelines.

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She's probably ready for kindergarten. She loved Preschool this year. She knows her colors and letters so intellectually, she is more than ready. Socially, she's a little shy, but once she warms up to the situation, she is very comfortable in a both school setting or with friends.

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We aren't redshirting her because we don't think she's ready now. Instead, we are just saving her for the future. We're were thinking more about a young 12 year old in junior high or a 16 year old taking the SAT tests and deciding her future college/career choices. Kids grow up too fast these days and we don't see any reason to rush her along the road.

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Redshirting sounds so positive. Focused on holding the best back so they are well prepared for the tasks ahead. Much better than holding her back from kindergarten this year, we are just holding her out until the time is right.

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A's birthday is early August. By the time school starts, she will be 5 years and 2 weeks. That's really young in my opinion for all day every day school. Most afternoons, this child still takes an hour "rest" in her room to give her some time recover for the activity of the day. On preschool days this Spring, she would often fall asleep during these rest times.

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Sure, as the third child, she's well accustomed to the school, teachers and activities of school so she' s probably more ready than either C or M were when they went off to school. However, her parents are also more prepared and, we know that by redshirting her, we are giving her the greatest advantage in the years to come. She'll be 19 years old when she heads off for her freshman year of college instead of barely 18.
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A is going to our favorite preschool in the fall. Just three mornings a week for a few hours. Enough for the social/school skills she needs to keep fresh and still give us the flexibility to do mom and girl things the rest of the day/week. We love our time together A and I

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C and M both graduated from this lovely Baptist preschool; we love their teachers, curriculum and setting. We are so excited to return there for our final year ever of Preschool!! It's a great place to nourish her love of learning and Jesus. Her redshirt year will be filled with lots of great adventures and memories.

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I plan to soak up all the time I can with A this year. I know that once "school" of the official kind becomes a part her life it all changes. For now, we are going to make the best of this year and enjoy every moment we get together. When A heard that the other kids go back to school in August and she doesn't start until September, there might have been a little holler go up from her. She's looking forward to mom and A time too. We've got places to explore together, lunch dates with some of our "friends", tea parties to have in her room, and lots of fun planned.
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Redshirting works for our family this year and it has nothing to do with a mother not wanting to say goodbye to the preschool years just yet! By the time A graduates from college, my husband and I will be ready for the retirement community in a warm climate!!

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For more WFMW posts, check out: http://www.wearethatfamily.com/