A Cookie Cutter Diva's Life

Today was a pretty crafty day in the school room for most of the day! It was definatly a much smoother day today then it was on Friday by far. I think the more we go on the easier it will get as well.


I really enjoyed getting half our day done before dad came home for lunch and taking recess and lunch while he was here so that he could enjoy getting to visit with them too. I know he feels like he is missing out on so much of their lives right now as well as I do.


First one of the fun activities we did today on top of the text book work was for arts and crafts/music we made homemade maraca's in honor of Cinco De Mayo coming up out of some toilet paper rolls I have been saving. I knew they would come in handy soon!



First we took a toilet paper roll and put plastic wrap on one end, attaching it with a rubber band.



Then the kid shad their choice of different items such as beans, rice, misc items from the kitchen to put inside as fillers.


we covered the other end the same with plastic wrap and a rubber band and had fun playing music and learned about the different sounds the different items could make!

Then for science today we did a Friction Spider chosen from my friend Emily's Blog about Electric Preschool Activities.


http://www.learningvicariously.com/



First you draw a circle. I had one child cut out the circle and draw a face while the other child traced his hands and cut them out for the legs.




We assembled them with tape as suggested.



Then on to assemble the friction part. We didn't have any note cards so we used an empty poptart box from our recycling bin and cut it into the shape of a note card and punched holes in it. As well as attaching a used popcicle stick we had saved in our stash and a long piece of craft yard.











Also attached at the bottom of the spider is three pennies to allow a little weight.









When the string is held tight the spider sits still. When
the string is cut a little slack Mrs. Spider comes crawling down!

























For our snack time today we had Wubbzy's Marshmallow Lasagna after a friend of mine mentioned her son asking for it! I had never heard of it but it looked super cute and I thought it'd be a big hit with the kids but saddly it was not with mine as they are not smore's fans at all. What kid isn't? They are strange little kids lol But I'm sure it will be a big hit for other children and thought I'd pass it on!






Wubbzy's Marshmallow Lasagna



http://www.nickjr.com/recipes/wubbzys-marshmallow-lasagna.jhtml?path=/recipes/wow-wow-wubbzy/cookies-treats/all-ages/index.jhtml



4 Graham Crackers

8 Jumbo Marshmallows

2 Chocolate Bars

Sprinkles

So we had a pretty fun day around here today and of course the kids were excited it was so beautiful out and didn't rain before recess and they got to play at the park behind our house for recess!

A great site for printing out work sheets and has several different subjects from writing, math, and more that I thought I'd pass on..

http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/index.html

Well I'm finished eating my extremely LATE lunch and guess I better try to continue folding the pile of laundry I have going on and put it away before it's time to take the boys to wrestling!

Watching Army Wives really hit home in so many ways tonight.
I'm sure so many of us can relate in so many ways to Pamela in the sense that we have been an Army Wife for so long that we almost loose a sense of who we are and don't know how to be much else. With that being said, like Claudia many of us made that choice to give up certain paths in our lives to walk besides of our soldiers and stand by their side no matter where the Army sent them and may send us. Rather it be up rooting our family to move to a brand new place clear across the states in 60 days, leaving family behind and having to say our good byes and see them only on holidays or leave time, leaving close friends we have made along the way, leaving a college degree behind and putting it on hold till we can make new friends or find new childcare to resume it, leaving a career behind that might be easy to pick up at the new duty station or very hard for some if you have to build a new clientele even, our kids leaving behind their familiar friends, their schools, and so much more all to build a home where the Army sends us. We chose to take the path rather it be an easy one or a hard one and most of us don't regret that in any sort of way when it comes to following the love of our life or the new adventure the army life can give to us. But in a sense, some of us get lost if we had to give up certain things in life that were much more and don't know how to be more than an Army Wife.
What would we do if tomorrow we were told that our spouse lost our job in the military? What would we do if our spouse was lost at war? What would we do if our marriage fell apart from the very thing that we gave up our lives for? How do you just pick up and start your life over again as a civilian and give up the community that you know? The life style that you live every day? When you live the life every day it doesn't seem to phase you much more then that till you realize what all would be gone. Maybe some of us don't shop at the commissary and make a trip to HEB or even Walmart to get groceries because we don't want to deal with the line on pay day or it's closer then the commissary? But to be told that we could no longer use the benefits at the commissary? We'd be a little lost! We complain about the health care we receive sometimes on post (I know I do with my run around on my thyroid issues here at this post and waiting 2yrs to get treatment or taken seriously) but to be told it is no longer an option for us? That we no longer have health care? That we have to find a job that can even slightly amount to what we once lived off of? We of course appreciate it much more when it's not there and we are in a state of shock when we realize just how beneficial it really was!

How do you continue to live someone else life yet keep your own? Are there things you do to ensure that you don't "loose" yourself?




I didn't have to give up a college degree I started or a career even to come here but I know that the thought of PCSing even from here sometimes throws me for a loop. We know when he returns from his upcoming tour we will more then likely be PCSing and that sometimes looses me a little thinking of what I have here, what I will be loosing. I like to think here I have that sort of "Army Wives" community that they have on the show and have that with my friends. I know when I first moved here I really did have that but unfortunately two of my very best friends Tara and Katharine PCS'd but I still have some very close ones left. I have the kind of friends here that I know will stick with me through thick and thin. Who will bend over backwards to help me when I need them to the most. Who know the crazy side of me when I had fun, when I cut loose, when I could kick back and have good times but can deal with the completely lost wacko that I am right now on this roller coaster with my health. Have they run away? No they have stuck by my side just like they did with Claudia Joy when she found out! They have made me deal with things I didn't want to deal with and offered help when they could to ensure I got things taken care of and offered laughs and good times when I felt up to it but didn't hate me for those times I didn't feel up to it. I'm sure they are disappointed as any friend would be but they are sort of like a marriage.. they are there through thick and thin, for better or for worse, through sickness and health and that is why I love my friends here and why I can't ever imagine leaving them.

Sure, a PCS is a new adventure. I will meet new people. I will make new friends. But you don't just meet people and automatically fall into a friendship like that. It's hard to find friends like that and even harder to find a little group like that. Army wives have a way of hitting it off and finding that common ground and sticking together but sometimes you find some really really great ones that are hard to let go of and it's been hard that I've had to let go of two.. we don't talk nearly as much as we did here as I'm horrible with communication it seems and keeping in contact when far apart but I miss them so much every day!





I cried at so many parts of the show tonight. Watching Joan miss her daughters first birthday reminded me how fortunate I was that my husband left the day after our daughter Brooklyn's 1st birthday but almost missed it! But also reminded me how sad I am that he won't be here for our last child Peyton's first birthday.

It's sad to think about but as a deployment draws near it just makes you cherish the time you have together so much more and start holding on to every little moment you have together and every little memories and not waste a minute!






On a lighter note! Today was a pretty awesome day! I felt wonderful and these heart meds seem to really be helping out! A friend of ours had their daughters birthday party out at the lake today and we made it out there late but made it none the less and had a wonderful time! Especially since they opened it up for swimming today and the kids defiantly needed that after the disappointment of the hole in their brand new pool I had to return!


I absolutely love the start of summer and can't wait to spend more time out at the lake and watch the little happy faces running up the stairs and screaming down the water slides!

There's nothing like a good Saturday spent finding great deals, garage sale hopping and good times with friends!



I woke up this morning earlier then I normally do on a Saturday unless I set my alarm and planned to go garage sale hopping. So I decided since I was up I would go check out the village wide garage sale in one of the villages on post. Last time I went it was a pretty good turn out and I found a lot of cute baby things for friends of mine that were due that I couldn't pass up. This time I think I found a good hand full of garage sales! I was very disappointed! But none the less I still found a few good deals!



The best deal I found was the first garage sale I asked this lady how much she wanted for some of her boy toys because I spotted some dinosaurs and such the boys would love and she asked me if I wanted to take it all. I'm thinking why yes, my boys so need 5 buckets full of imaginex dinosaurs, ships, and other accessories! I said well depends on how much you want for them? She said $5 for them all and of course my response was as much as I truly don't need that I can't pass up a deal like that and I know how excited my boys will be! And they are just that! I think they have been playing with them for about 5 hours now at the kitchen table!



I found a few outfits for Peyton this winter and a few outfits for Brooklyn when she goes into the next size. It's getting so hard to find good used boy items anymore! I hate that you can't find anything past the first few years because boys are so rough on their clothes it's hard to find anything that anyone has left that hasn't been torn to pieces or is even worth putting on my child. That is one thing I'm very picky on is the clothes my kids wear and how they look! I take big pride in how they look and have fun dressing them. It doesn't have to be name brand but we do have our own styles. I'm not apposed to hand me downs at all or used and in fact I love them! I won't be picky if things are handed down to me because I'm grateful for those clothes, especially when it comes to boys and when it comes to having four kids. If it's not something that was my taste I might use it for more play clothes but most of my friends all have very good taste anyways so I have yet to see some hideous clothes handed down to me haha But if I'm going to buy them then we have a style we usually go for. But I can find so many cute things for little girls! They always wind up with way to many clothes and sadly some of them I think they wear the life out of them because they are our favorites but most of them they only wear a hand full of times! Brooklyn gets more wear of course but Peyton especially doesn't get much wear out of some of her clothes! But I'm definitely going to have to start accepting that my garage sale days when it comes to clothes have come to an end when it comes to the boys and is about to come to an end with one of the girls and start learning to shop better sales or outlets!



The last garage sale I hit up I found some home school curriculum's for prek, kinder, flash cards, dry erase boards for practice, a few different home school items and a few baby toys as well. They were Bob Jones which is a pretty good curriculum but not sure if that's a route I'm going or not but I definitely didn't want to pass up a good deal and figured I'd jump on it and take some time at home to over look it for next year and then decide if I wanted to use it along with what I already had chosen for next year as well.

A great link for those homeschooling and not homeschooling if you are starting your journey to teaching your little ones how to read or wanting something for them to practice on.. this link was passed on to me the other day and thought I would share!

http://www.progressivephonics.com/





I met up with two friends after my garage sale adventures this morning at the food court on post and had lunch with them and let the kids run out some much needed energy. One of them was a friend who used to live in housing here and has recently moved so I don't get to see her very much lately with some recent changes and I miss getting to see and chat with her and the kids are missing each other since they were in the same class! My husband however I think was a little bored out of his mind with all of the girl chat today but he's a trooper and that is one thing I love about that man is he never ever fails me with spending time with me. If he's off he goes with me even if winds up being the only man there with a ton of women. He would rather spend that time being the only man there and get to spend time with me and his children over spending it at home alone with out us and I adore him for that! He may have his moments where I want to strangle him.. like when it came to me telling him several times to take out the trash today and he didn't so I finally walked over and shut his xbox off and he quickly got up and took it out then.. but for the most part he's pretty awesome and I love him!



I was excited to finally get the kids new pool up today when we got home since it was beautiful out today and didn't rain but to our surprise it was taking forever to fill up and I finally noticed there was a nice big slit on the side of our brand new pool! I also noticed there was a return receipt from where it had been taken back before us! I was so upset but thankfully walmart didn't give us any problems with bringing it in and returning it. So I did that tonight and I was going to exchange it out rather than return it till I realized from the time I walked from my car to the customer service desk I had miss placed my cell phone!! I walked back and forth about three times trying to see if I could find it and no such luck! So I returned the pool and made a quick deposit at the bank next door and left to pick up our Chinese food and head home in case Bryan needed to get a hold of me. Plus he doesn't like me being out with out my cell phone in case something were to happen to me.



I come home and was almost ready to cry when he comes out laughing and asks me if I had forgotten something! So to my surprise I was very happy to hear that it was found and I'll be getting it back tomorrow but until then I'm lost with out my side kick haha



We enjoyed some Chinese take out for dinner and finally watched It's Complicated since I got sick right after we started it last night and it was absolutely hilarious!! A much needed good laugh over some yummy Chinese food! A perfect Saturday night!

Sometimes I think I can catch it and pull them in the house and blare some music and side track them but it's like they have dog ears and hear it before I do!

Can't beat the price of happy kids I guess!

Not much else going on tonight. It was a chili dogs, tater tot and America's Funniest Home videos type of night around here!

Mean while I guess I will start my grocerie list tomorrow. It's about that time again! I need to get back into making baby food. I've really slacked in this department the last few weeks.

We just recently started Miss Peyton on some baby food a few weeks ago. Mostly cereal.

If you haven't made your own baby food before and are looking to cut your budget some, this is a great way to do so! You get so much more for your money and it's by far a healthier option for baby as well!

Some great tips on how to start up, store, and even some great recipes can be found here!

http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/index.html

of course I'm also hoping to get back into better planning with meals as I've slacked on that some lately too with how I've been feeling. We've been so quick to eat out and grab fast food which is a nice quick fix but definatly puts a stress on the budget with a larger family and isn't making me loose weight any faster for sure!

Here is a great weekly meal planner if you don't yet have one also!

http://www.5dollardinners.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/weekly_menu_planner.pdf

Well, off to spend some time with the hubby and watch a little bit of tv together for the night!