Reading to Kindergarteners

It’s not easy to command the attention of a room full of Kindergarteners. It’s even harder to keep their attention once you grab it.

As part of her 5th grade reading class, Alexandra read “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” by Dr. Seuss to a very rowdy Kindergarten class. I know they are rowdy because this is the class Parker is in, and I volunteer during Library time for this class. They can be rascals.

It started out just how she practiced…

Then the kids wanted to get closer…

They wanted to sit on her lap…

Parker says Alexandra was “Awesome!” and didn’t mess up once. Alexandra said it was fun but they rushed her because “they couldn’t see the pictures.”

And never, ever turn your back on a classroom full of Kindergarteners. After she finished reading the book the kids thanked her by covering her with stickers! Lots and lots of stickers.

Life around here

Life at home

The dogs are playing tug-of-war with a sock. This is why the girls never have socks. Parker has made a tent under the dining table (in background). She has brought out every single stuffed animal she owns to camp out with her.

Ouch!

I took Alexandra to the doctor for something completely unnecessary. She can be a bit of worry-wort about some things, even though her mother told her it’s nothing. The doctor confirmed that too.

Then, BAM…the doctor informs me that she needs shots, not at 13 as I thought, but when she turns 11…which was 4 months ago. Surprise, Alex! She was not happy. She thought about making a run for it. She cried for 15 minutes and begged to come back another day. She finally realized there was no way out and let the nurse inject her with Meningococcus and Tdap, and this is what happened (above)…Ouch!

Of course, it’s my fault.

God Rays

I worked for my old office all last week to fill in for “my replacement” who was on vacation. On my way to work on Friday morning I saw this through my windshield…God Rays.

Together we are Stronger

We participated in the Woodrow Wilson Academy’s Wright Cause fundraiser on Friday. About 3 p.m. there was a rain shower but then the skies cleared in time for the walk to start and it couldn’t have been a more beautiful afternoon! It was a 3 mile walk. I tried to walk at a fast pace since I didn’t have time to workout all week since I was working. The girls took off at the front of the crowd to run the whole 3 miles. I think they ran maybe 1/4 of the mile. Alex will need some serious training if she wants to join the cross country team next year.

Face painting

The face painting is always a hit with the kids.

Hula Hooping at the gym

Parker hula hooping in her new leotard at the gym. The girls each got 3 new/used leotards this weekend. They feel like “real gymnasts” now.

Turning 34…again!

Yeah, it was my birthday last week. Birthdays are a good thing. The more you have the more you should celebrate.

I chose Greek for my birthday dinner. Axios Estiatorio in Denver’s neighborhood known as Berkeley. (If you are want to kill some time you can read the complete restaurant review I posted here.) Hint: I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

The basic run down is this: The Mezze (Starter) was Keftedes Meatballs (Lamb-Tomato Sauce, Kefalotiri Cheese, Pita $9).

Keftedes Meatballs

Hubby’s one and only Greek food experience has been with a Gyros. I love Greek, but never get to eat it. It makes me very happy that hubby went on a little food adventure with me to Axios. This is going to become my favorite restaurant!

Halibut

It was a tough choice but hubby surprised me and ordered the Halibut. He never orders fish unless it’s fried.

Kreopita

I had my mouth ready for Spanakopita (my favorite Greek dish), but was talked into Kreopita (Spanakopita’s Lamb cousin). Kreopita is my new favorite dish, although the Rabbit Stifado and the Lamb Giouvetsi will need to be tasted before I can give my final verdict.

Chocolate cream pie

The Baklava was calling my name, but we opted for saving desert for birthday pie later in the evening with friends. See, the candles say I am 34. The candles don’t lie!

May 1st snow

The next morning, May 1st, there was snow on the ground in Colorado. And, May 2nd it was melted away.

Project Life…Week Three

She’s such a nerd…

It was Twin Day at school (Spirit Week). The whole 5th grade dressed as nerds. She’s working on her Rhode Island state project wearing the glasses.

She’s a science nerd too…

Alex’s Science Fair display.

Daddy and his girls

Foothills Community Church hosted a Father/Daughter dinner and dance. The girls (and Daddy) got dressed up and had a great night! They went with our good friend with his 2 daughters.

Twin Day

Parker’s Twins…or Triplets.

Listening to SiriusXM on TV

I’ve been reliving my youth via SiriusXM. Now playing:  “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi. They still rock. I miss the 80s. Today is my birthday. I really miss my carefree youth.

And, now you will have that song stuck in your head. All. Day. Long.

My gift to you. You’re welcome.

What? You don’t throw a birthday party for your dog?

That’s my boy!

I’ve never planned a doggie birthday party before. Not even for my beloved, spoiled rotten Beagle, Bailey! But for some reason the girls wanted to have a party for Rocco who turned 5-years-old last week, or 35-years-old, however you want to look at it.

Frosty Paws mini “cake”.

I just didn’t have the energy to bake a dog-friendly cake for this party (like this one at Bakingdom). We just served Frosty Paws doggy ice cream with little dog biscuits on top. I did decide candles would not be safe with a skittish poodle. But, we had party hats. You have to have party hats.

Rocco, don’t think you will be getting ice cream everyday.

I have a soft spot in my heart for toy poodles. We had one when we were growing up. She was grey and her name was Bandy. As in, Moe Bandy. I dressed her up and took pictures of her in crazy sunglasses and hats. She was spoiled. Rocco might be a little spoiled too. We call him Little Prince. He wears a blinged pink collar. And, when I have him groomed he is so handsome! He needs to be groomed now.

Rocco, are you done yet?

Thor is waiting intently for Rocco to finish his ice cream because he already scarfed his down. They have this routine when eating dinner: They will eat what they want out of their own bowl, then they check each others bowl, and eat whatever is left. And, sometimes, if there is no food left, they just lick the empty bowl. Is this just weird or normal dog behavior?

Yummy, that was good!

Nah, he’s not spoiled…

When we inherited Thor and Rocco (it was in the Will) I never thought they would be loved so much by the girls. Even though they are loved and members of the family, part of me still feels like they aren’t really our dogs; we are just taking care of them for our friends.  I imagine Ed, Big Ed, and Pearl were looking down and rolling their eyes at this party.

I have bad news for Ed…Thor turns 10 next month. And there will be another party!

5 Things I Can’t Live Without.

5 Things I Can’t Live Without.

Sunglasses. Denver averages 300 days of sunshine a year. Surprised? Even on a cloudy day I can be seen wearing my shades. I buy maybe 6 pairs of sunglasses a year. These are currently my favorite pair. Until I crush them in the bottom of my purse.

iPhone. I love that I can do anything one this phone. But mostly, I love my playlists. Some days I spend an hour on the treadmill with the Christian Rock playlist. Other days Pitbull is needed.

Softlips Vanilla Chapstick. Besides 300 days of sunshine, Denver is very dry. Chapstick is a must year around! ‘Enough said.

Sony a290 DSLR. I take a lot of phones on my iPhone now. It takes photos almost as good as my DSLR. And, I am lazy; the iPhone is lighter and easier to carry. But I still love my camera.

Acupuncture. Some women get a massage to relax; I get acupuncture. It keeps my hormones harmonious, and clears my sinuses. I feel so relaxed after, and I get acupuncture every 3 weeks. My acupuncturist took that picture of me with needles in my face…there are also some in my feet, arms & hands.

What are the 5 things you can’t live without?

Most popular.

I’ve been blogging for over 4 years now. That’s 484 blog posts on this blog. I have blogged about everything that has been happening in the life of my family. From vacations, to raising our children, food I’ve made, my photography and design, documenting our crazy life, life and death, hopes, dreams, faith…you name it!

So many topics that it got me thinking. What have been my most popular posts? In case you are curious too, I looked it up my WordPress Stats page and here are my top 5 posts {drum roll, please}….

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Number 1: Donut Party. My daughter’s 8th birthday party was a donut theme. She’s not much of a cake lover, that’s reason for the donuts. I even design her very own Alex’s Donut Shop Logo to put on all the party swag.

Number 2: Crazy Bird. As I was saying earlier about documenting our crazy life, this time it was a crazy woodpecker that broke into our house and harassed us.

Number 3: Birthday Party Ideas. You guys like your parties. Besides the donut party, I posted a Hao! Kai-Lan party for $60, our annual ice cream social, a Halloween themed birthday party, punk princess party, Candyland theme birthday, Ice Sk8ter party, and hubby’s 50th birthday party. We like parties too.

Number 4: Advent Begins…Hope, Preparation, Joy, Love. I shared our family traditions of Advent.

Number 5: Saying Sorry. Is saying, “sorry” good enough? If you say that one little word does it make the wrong okay? Is it enough to be forgiven?

I had a craft blog for almost year before I started over with got2havefaith blog. Why the name got2havefaith? Well, it steams from this post. In a nut shell, hubby and I found out we were pregnant with our second child. I was excited. He was freaked out. I would always say, “You have to have faith that it will all work out.” God has a plan. Got2havefaith was born and Faith became that baby’s middle name.

My very first post on this new blog: So, you Want to be a Princess?

Two of my favorite blog posts: Motherhood…it’s Tough and Finding Joy in the Simple Things.

The post with the most comments: Marriage is… Written in September 2010 this post continues to surprise me when I receive a comment on it. And, who doesn’t love nice comments?

I hope that even if you have just stumbled upon my blog by accident, or have been reading for a while, you would check out some older stuff too. Who knows, you might see something you haven’t seen before. And, I want to thank everyone who has subscribed to my blog, clicks the “Like” button, leaves comments and stops by to read. You guys rock! Even though I write this blog for me as a creative outlet, I love to know that you are enjoying it too. I won’t lie, it is a bit of an ego boost.

So, there it is…my stats. Have you checked yours?

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Feedly App

Oh, one more thing. Do you know about the Feedly app? It’s one alternative for Google Reader users, since it’s going away. It’s another way to read your favorite blogs on your tablet.

Organize your favorite blogs, news sites, podcasts and Youtube channels and access them all in one place (or sync with Google Reader).

Feedly is available everywhere you go. Your phone, tablet and computer are always in sync.

I am trying it out…’cause I love apps!

5 days into Spring Break

36 eggs to dye…

Yes, they are very happy…for now…

And, very creative…

A little bit messy…

Very colorful…

It’s just like a spa…

…unless you’re looking for a fashionable resort where a Swedish hunk named Stefan serves you champagne while you relax in a whirlpool tub.

Then this isn’t it. It’s just a 1970s bathroom redo.

But, it was a nice visual anyway…

Inspiration from Lowe’s: Paint color from Valspar, called Sauna.

Bathroom Before

The first thing we did when we purchased this house in 1998 was gut this bathroom. There was even a window in the shower. It’s been that long since it’s been painted! It’s so tiny. Typical for this middle-class neighborhood.

Bathroom after

Alex helped me paint. I still need to switch out the faucet for a silver version…

This is the first item on our to-do list during spring break. Remember when I said I was so excited about spring break? Yeah, it’s going to be a long one. Three days into it and the kids are fighting like cats and dogs. {sigh.}

Where’s Stefan when you need him?

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{Linking up with: Winthrop Chronicles, Sweet Little Gals, Mommy by Day Crafter by Night, Him & Her, Homework, Not Just a Housewife, The Artsy Girl, and last but not least Blackberry Vine.}

Thank Goodness it’s Spring Break Time!

Tomorrow is the start of Spring Break…thank goodness. I am so looking forward to sleeping in everyday, not having to wake up early to get the girls off to school, no making school lunches, and no after-school activities!

Parker and friend after the show

Parker and her friend participated in the school talent show on Thursday night, but there was a full dress rehearsal on Tuesday, and the girls practiced twice a week for 3 weeks on their gymnastics routine. Alex channeled her inner Abby Lee and played choreographer. The girls did forget some of their routine, but they are only 6-years-old, so I will cut them a break. This prompted Parker to proclaim, “That was embarrassing!” I thought they did awesome. But I may be biased.

Art from my little artists

The school art show was this week too. Both girls have art on display. They are so talented. They get it from me.

Alex in the Hamster Ball

We went to Big Time Trampoline Center after school on Wednesday. They have not had gymnastics all month (unless you count the cartwheels and round-offs in my living room). Gymnastics start on April 1st. Both girls are at Level 4 and very excited to be back in the gym.

Westward Ho!

Alex took a school field trip to Four Mile Historical Park. The kids got to ride in a covered wagon and cook corn fritters over a camp fire. Alex was so impressed with the corn fritters she got the recipe!

Earlier this semester her class studied the Oregon Trail. They were divided into groups, or wagon trains. Everyday they were given a challenge to get through, i.e. trading goods with Indians, deciding what and how much crops to plant, where to find water, etc. Everyone on Alex’s wagon train died of starvation.

Alex received a student award for Honesty. Her classmates voted for the kids who best displayed the Core Virtues of Honesty. I am going to start calling her “Honest Al”. No?

On tap for Spring Break, besides sleeping in?

• Painting the girls’ bathroom and updating it with accessories. Alex picked the color.
• Maybe hiking to Alberta Falls and Bear Lake in Estes Park. The forecast is for snow this weekend so we will have to see how the weather is later in the week.
• Finish the Skate Club newsletter. This is my last issue as editor. Alex is no longer skating. It’s kind of sad that we will no longer have to get up early on Saturdays for practice, no more sitting in a freezing ice rink, no traveling to competitions & spending all our free money on skates…not! Oh, wait, I guess my money is going to gymnastics instead. At least the gym is warmer…
• Dye Easter eggs.
• Have friends over for roasted chicken. A new recipe. I hope I don’t screw it up.
• Planting Pansies in our hand-painted pots to give to neighbors.

Basically, we’re not doing much…

So, do you have big plans for Spring Break/Easter? Let me know.