Award Recap

The kids and I did their "special boxes" today. I save the best and most memorable trinkets, papers, art work, and certificates and keep them in Rubbermaid containers for each of the kids, aka "special boxes". I used to drive myself nuts with the random piles I'd create as I set school work aside to later put in their boxes which are stored under their beds. It's much easier to move piles to and fro as I needed counter or table space for other projects than to just pull the boxes out and deposit special items as they came around. 

In my mind, at least.

About a year ago I hit upon a system in which I stash all said specialties in an empty kitchen drawer until drawer gets so full that I can't close it. Then I'll pull out all 3 boxes and the kids will reminisce as I transfer stuff from drawer to box, using my beloved Sharpie to mark the dates and translate kindergarten scrawl. I know, I know. I'm a little OCD about said system, but it works. 

So humor me.

Anyways, the end of the school year last week also meant the influx of all classroom related papers, projects, and paper mache (not really, but I was going for alliteration and needed another "P" word). I planned an "organize special boxes" into our 2013 Hosmerville Summer o' Fun knowing:

1. I haven't added to these boxes since we moved nearly 10 months ago &
2. That when the kids came home those last few days that their backpacks would be full~to~bursting. 

Today was that day.

We sat down and went through a school year's worth of goodies (but not before having to pull out treasures from years' past and then pile them NOT IN ORDER!) *ahem* OCD mom attempted the "it's chill" mom mindset for oh, all of about 5 minutes before she couldn't handle her carefully chronologically ordered special boxes being reduced to piles of  8 and 6 1/2 years of chaos. (You can guess which of the kiddos were reliving the good ol' days of their childhoods with me.)

With the End of the Year Awards Ceremony still at the front of my mom brain, I'm jotting down the awards my prodigies offspring received. For years~down~the~road~reference only, of course. And definitely not so this momma can brag;)

Austin:

• Principal's List: All A's
• Star Reader 
• 4th Grade Obedience Award (based on Hebrews 13:17)

Audrey:

• A/B Honor Roll
• Silliest Robot (in the robot building contest)
• Rising Reader
• Super Reader
• 2nd Grade Faith Award (based on Hebrews 11:1)
• Perfect Attendance for the ENTIRE school year

Lexi:

• Principal's List: All A's
• 1st Grade Obedience Award (based on Hebrews 13:17)
• Perfect Attendance for the ENTIRE school year

The girls were overlooked for their perfect attendance during the awards ceremony but when their report cards came and I saw the mistake we stopped by the office and they were sweet enough to double check their records and print off certificates.

And now that the special boxes are back in birth~through~respective~ages order and my kitchen drawer is clutter free, I'm breathing easy again.

Road Trip

With the promise of salt water taffy and all things sugar, Tom and I managed to lure the kids out of the house for a quick road trip to Jefferson, TX. We checked out a few antique stores before making our way to the Jefferson General Store. The kids were like kids in a candy store. Literally. We browsed for a bit with the kids in awe over candy cigarettes (with the boxes saying "just like dad!"), the enormous jaw breakers, and the bacon flavored everything. We bought ice cream cones from the counter and then huddled under the awning while waiting for a brief thunder shower to pass. 

Our impromptu trip into Texas was ill~timed as all the other little shops along the main streets of Jefferson had shut down while we were wandering around in the general store. With the three kids crammed in the back of the Challenger and all of them claiming boredness and starvation, the Mean Parents, aka Tom and I, thought it would be the perfect time to extend our road trip and check out Carthage. Shortly after we moved to Shreveport, I rented had rented "Bernie" from Redbox. It was only after Tom and I started watching it did we realize that the movie was based on a true story out of Carthage, TX.  After a quick drive around the historic town square, it was evident that downtown Carthage was not the place to be on a Saturday nite. Alas, our excursion yielded no Jack Black or Matthew McConaughey sightings either.

With the A Team threatening eminent demise if they didn't eat Right.That.Very.Minute. we grabbed a table at the Jalapeno Tree. The complimentary chips and salsa and serve~yourself soft serve ice cream would've been good enough for me, but my kids wanted "real food" (as opposed to fake? I dunno.). The food was some of the best Mexican I've ever had. But I gotta admit, the pictures Tom snapped with his phone while we were waiting for our table are even better. Fun times in East Texas, for sure!

Wordless Wednesday

Summer Survival

Summer break is 6.5 school days away. But who's counting? I have been pulling together summer activities, events, and schedules in an attempt to organize the highly anticipated upcoming summer season.

Summer in Louisiana will be new to us. Well, mostly. We rolled into town mid~August last year and got a taste of a high humidity/high heat Louisiana summer. Or maybe that was just the sweat pouring down our faces. Whatever.

At any rate, my summer mission is "keep~the~kids~busy~yet~cool~so~we~don't~veg~in~front~of~the~tv/ Ipad~all~summer~long~all~while~staying~within~strict~budget~confinements". Missions this big and cost sensitive require intense planning and preparation. And this mom is determined that all of the "2013 Hosmerville Summer Fun" not break the piggy bank. Lucky me, tuition down South is paid in 10 monthly installments so I have 2 months' worth of tuition money to work with. Some mom at the school must've realized that not having to pay tuition over the summer months equaled more money in the budget to spend on summer fun. Smart mom. 

Looking at the vast offering of summer camps (art, drama, music, dance, sports, barrel racing and calf roping~ whaaaaa?!?!) I quickly realized that even with 2 months of tuition funds to work with, my kids would be home bound, or at least not camp bound, for the entire summer. *sigh* Time to get creative. *SIGH*

Who am I kidding??? Creative to me is defined as "get~on~Pinterest~ASAP" and "when~all~else~fails~give~a~shout~out~to~all~your~facebook~mom~peeps~and~beg~for~ideas".

So, after much googling and link clicking and pinterest browsing, and facebook soliciting, I have pulled together a "game plan" for the entire 76 days of summer break. From "school gets out" to "school begins".

For the first time in, like, forever the certified teacher in me has taken over and I have written my days out in a loose lesson plan style (no objectives {unless I could throw in a generic "the student Hosmers WILL have fun}, no transitions, no evaluations.... it is summer after all;) And I am so confident stupid that all projects, activities, and events will be executed perfectly according to schedule that I wrote my plans in ink.

Here's to the start of a really great summer 2013!

Order Up!

Audrey and Lexi were playing dolls yesterday and came out of their room requesting marshmallows. They claimed their dolls were "hungry". I directed them to the pantry, where for once I had exactly what they wanted.

A short while later, it became apparent that "snack time" had morphed into "let's~mix~these~marshmallows~up~with~water~and~make~a~big~mess time". I caught on and nixed the experiment before it turned into "mom~cleans~gooey~marshmallow~out~of~the~carpet time". 

The girls took their concoction to the table. Audrey tasted it and pronounced it, "Good!" (with just a bit of surprise in her voice). She offered me my own dish, but I politely declined. She turned to me and said, "I can make four things now." Ticking off on her fingers she counted:

1. eggs
2. bread (aka toast)
3. ummm, ummm..... {so I suggested, "pbj?" } Yeah, pbj!
4. thinking for quite awhile, she finally said, "Those things that look like donuts except they're not..." {hmmm, searching my mind... bagels?} Yeah, bagels!
5. and don't forget marshmallow goo. So actually, five things my little chef is proficient in making.

A short~order cook is born. I'll let her make dinner tonite set the table tonite.

It's A God Thing

This month has been ridiculously hard, financially speaking. It's the first month we have been supporting house (in Michigan) and home (in Louisiana). From the beginning, the numbers didn't add up. And it's been scary.

I looked at our monthly budget and the needs of my family. And they didn't add up. I'm not talking a dollar here, 10 bucks there, tweak, twist, turn and.... voila! the budget is balanced. Nope, not even close. From my human perspective, meeting the most basic needs of my family without going into debt looked impossible. I was going to need a God~sized miracle to get through the month and stay "in the black". 

I said, "Well, there's this need...". And God said, "Done." I said, "... and there's Austin's birthday, I'd like to make it special". And God said, "Provided for". And I said, "But what about....?".  And God said, "Trust Me".

And I am only sharing something so personal because I HAVE to testify, I HAVE to give thanks, I HAVE to proclaim God's goodness and faithfulness. Because, you see, it's only the 22nd of the month, yet God has provided so abundantly that ALL of my family's needs (and some wants) have been met NOT ONLY for the month of February BUT ALSO for the month of March!!! 

Jaw dropping. Head shaking amazement. Speechless (almost;).

Can I get a "Hallelujah! Praise God! Amen! Amen! AMEN!!!"?

"Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full- pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap..." Luke 6:38

Put A Lock On It

I'm pretty sure I know why all those antique wardrobes and armoires had those pretty locks on their doors and drawers. It must've been women who owned these pieces of furniture. And these women must've had daughters. 

I was rushing out the door the other day and went to grab my Old Navy zip up jacket. It's gray, multi~colored flower pattern goes with just about anything when I'm going for the "sporty" look. 

I searched the laundry room (spot #1 for outerwear I am currently rotating through). Nope. Nada. 

I dashed to the hall closet (spot #2 for outerwear when I have enough ambition to actually hang it back up after wearing). Nope. Nada. 

I didn't have time to look further so I grabbed a different jacket and ran out the door. 

Several days later, me and my crew were headed out, yet again, and I glanced up to see Audrey walk through the kitchen with MY Old Navy jacket on! I said, "I've been looking everywhere for that jacket!" She replied casually, "Oh, I've had it in my room."

 And so it begins.

Ed And The Dreds

This story is too funny not to share. I like to do all my grocery listing, coupon sorting, menu planning, and shopping on Mondays. It's almost a treat to head into the store kidless so with all 3 kids now in school I make sure this job gets done between drop off and pick up. No extra add~ons or 100 extra stops to look at the new displays or products. You moms with young kids (or wives with husbands) know what I mean. It's just easier to go solo. But last Monday my day got away from me and since I only had a few items to grab, I waited until after I had picked the kids up from school. My faithful co~pilot (aka Eddy) was with us, too.

We were in and out of the store within 10 minutes. Now, this particular store has great customer service and it's store policy for the bag boys to push your cart out to your vehicle and load your groceries for you. It's all a little weird for me as I feel like I'm perfectly capable of pushing my cart, but it's a nice touch. Anyways, the kids and I were half way out the store doors before a bagger caught up with us and took over the cart duties. We made small talk and as we approached the van I could see Eddy watching us from the back side window. The kids got in and I went around back with the bagger to load the groceries. I lifted the back hatch and saw Eddy standing up looking over the back of the seat at us. As the bag boy reached forward to put the bags into the van, Eddy leaned forward and gave his dredlocks a quick sniff. He must've liked what he smelled because he then gave the dreds a very gentle, delicate, quick lick. I saw all this happening and was giggling to myself. The bag boy was clueless and didn't even realize I had a dog until he reached up to close the hatchback and said, "Oh, I didn't even see you had a dog there!" which made the fact that Ed had taken a taste of his hair even more funny.

I got into the driver's seat still laughing to myself, not realizing the kids had witnessed the "dred kiss" also. Until Lexi said, "Eddy kissed that boy's hair! He's gonna wanna go home and wash his hair." Before I could respond, Austin piped up and said, "Eddy's gonna wanna go home and wash his mouth!" It's really too bad that doggy toothpaste wasn't on the grocery list that day.

I've Got The Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down In My Heart

Yesterday, the kids sat in with the adults during Sunday morning church service. As our pastor began his message, he asked us, "What is it that robs you of your joy?" As I mentally started a joy~robbing checklist of my own, Lexi leaned over to me and said, "Doing the dishwasher". In complete serious. I almost laughed out loud because "doing the dishwasher" entails rotating the unloading of the top rack, bottom rack, silverware basket with her brother and sister. This is tough stuff for a six year old;) Despite the problems, the worries, and the heavy burdens that threaten to rob me of my joy, I can always find a reason to smile when I'm with this precious gift from God. She makes me laugh. And if you're worried that she's walking around with a long face because she's just been asked to unload her part of the dishwasher again, don't be. This girl is resilient, even in the aftermath of her joy~robbing dishwasher duties. Just like we should be, too.

Bubblicious

My 6 year old is a fanatic gum chewer. I'm not sure when her obsession began but whenever there is gum in the house her favorite question becomes, "Can I have a piece of gum?" Yesterday to celebrate her 100th day of school, each of the students in her class were asked to bring in 100 pieces of his/her favorite snack. What did Lexi choose to bring? You guessed it. Gum. 100 cherry~lime, tangerine~blueberry, strawberry~citrus, and cool mint individually wrapped pieces. The students pooled their treats into some sort of 100 day soup and each came home with a bag of goodies. Lexi grabbed her bag to snack on at Austin's game today and on the way home, Austin caught her enjoying her umpteenth piece of gum. "Lexi," he said (being the good big brother that he is;) "how may pieces of gum have you had?" Without missing a beat, she replied, "You don't need to know." Still not willing to miss out on an opportunity to nark on his little sis, Austin shot back with, "No, but mom does".

La Cucaracha, La Cucaracha

As I'm rushing around trying to oversee the morning chaos that is uniforms, hairdo's, lunches, backpacks, and breakfasts Audrey turns to me and says, "Why do they only have jumping beans in Mexico?" Before I can tear my focus away from the pb&j's I'm assembling, she answers her own question with, "maybe 'cuz they have a lot of music down there." And because she seemed satisfied with her answer, I agreed 100 percent. *cue fiesta music*

It's A Barbie World

Listening to the girls play Barbies. Where do they come up with this stuff!?!?! Crack.me.up.

Audrey's Ken~ I gotta find a girl who loves me for who I am and not for the $100 I have.
Audrey's Ken~ Alright, alright, I'll marry one of you.... I just gotta do enney~meeny~miney~mo.

Lexi's Barbie~ I'm gonna get married, too.
Audrey's Barbie~ Who are you going to marry?
Lexi's Barbie~ Well, there's no one else to marry, so I guess I'll have to marry my dad.

Audrey to Lexi~ Can you make some of your girls jealous because she just brought Ken? (to prom)
Audrey's Barbie~ And look, you have a pimple and I don't.