Yay for school (and a super scary Harry moment)

This week saw all three kids officially go to school! Jack started about three weeks ago. Harry and Addie started this week. So far, all three are loving it!

Jack is having a great time in first grade. He says his favorite subject is science, and I see why! They are doing a pretty cool unit right now on monarch butterflies. Just today he excitedly told me that they have four chrysalides (plural for chrysalis, thanks Google.) He only knew one kid in his class before starting, but he is getting along well with his tablemates, and has been playing with a few boys in his class. I am hoping in the next few weeks that he will start to make more friends in his class. (He can never seem to remember anyone's names, which is probably a dealbreaker as far as friendship goes. ;) ) He is always excited to see his friends from other classes at recess. Also, new this year, he is riding the bus home. He thinks this is a pretty big deal! The highlight of the ride is that he gets to sit with some of his friends from outside of school. I'm pretty sure that this is a major rite of passage into being a "big kid." He's in a motor vehicle, without his parents, and gets to choose where and with whom to sit. Next step: driver's license.

Harry is back at the same pre-school he went to last year, with the same fabulous teachers, in a different, but still wonderful, location. He also has many of the same classmates as last year, including his BFF Ave (or Aba, as he says.) He is not very forthcoming with information when he talks to me, but from what I can gather by eavesdropping on his conversations with Cory, he really enjoys when they do the "caterpillar walk." I think it is pretty much just all the kids walking in a line, but he thinks it's pretty great. The program he is in really great, and I am so happy he gets to go again this year!

Even Addie is going to school! She goes to the baby lab at the college two mornings a week. (This means that, after drive time etc., I have THREE HOURS a week WITHOUT CHILDREN. Granted, I will likely spend some of that volunteering at Jack's school, but still...) So far, she seems to really like it. They have all sorts of baby friendly things for her to climb on, and climbing is definitely one of her favorite things, baby friendly or not. She also thought it was a pretty big deal that they had tiny tables and chairs for her to snack at, instead of sitting in a highchair. She got up, more than once, to help herself to more snacks and juice. I'm pretty sure she thinks she is a big kid too. (Though I insist that she's still a baby...)

The other big event during the past week was the start of kettle corn season (also known as football season.) While at the first game, one of the most terrifying moments of my life as a parent occured. I was getting the price board all ready for the kettle corn booth to open. I told Jack and Harry to go over to the bounce house that is literally right next door to the kettle corn booth. Only one other family was in that part of the stadium, as the game had not yet started. I looked up every couple of minutes to see four little blonde heads bouncing. After about ten minutes, my mom went over to check in with them. She came over panicked, and said that Harry wasn't there. Not seeing how that was possible, I checked for myself. (Turns out the other family had three blonde boys.) I felt panicked as well as we dashed around looking for Harry, but as I mentioned, the game hadn't started yet, and the stadium was still pretty empty. The had the horrifying realization that he must have wandered out of the stadium to the still very crowded tailgate area (I squelched thoughts about him wandering into the street to help me attempt to keep my cool.) My mom flagged down a police officer, and I seriously thought I would barf as I gave him Harry's description and listened to him radio it out the the other cops. It turns out, Harry had gone to the bounce houses in the tailgate area, where he was confused because he "couldn't find my brudder." Some "army guys" found him (ROTC kids, I think,) gave him a piece of Double Bubble, and took him to the ticket stand where I, filled with relief and the feeling of being The Worst Parent on the Planet, picked him up. He told me, "The army guys tooked care of me." ( Humorous side story: About three days later, at bedtime, Jack said, "You care about Harry more than me because he got lost and got gum, but I didn't get gum.")

P.S. I should, hopefully, have a yummy give-away to post tomorrow!

So not cool...

Remember when you were a kid and you'd hear an adult say something was "cool" and you'd think to yourself, "Wow. He/She is way too old for that. Awkward." I recently realized I am that lame adult.

So, a few months ago, the radio alarm went off, and I really liked the song that was playing. Later that day, I Googled some words I remembered from the song which led me to the Neon Trees. Despite the fact that I am sure I am clearly fifteen years older (at least!) than their average listener, I quickly added a Neon Trees station to my Pandora account. When I listened to them while cooking dinner, I felt pretty hip. (Me using the word "hip" is positive proof that I am definitely not hip, but I digress...) So anyway, fast forward to me driving the car without the Ipod last week. I was flipping through the radio stations, and happened upon the song I originally heard that made me like the band. Feeling pretty cool, (and that I'd lucked upon a decent radio station,) I left it on said station. All my dreams of hipness vanished when a smooth voiced d.j. came on and let me know I was listening to "Lite Rock 99" or whatever and transitioned into a Michael Bolton song. Michael freaking Bolton. I am lame and old and listen to an old person radio station. But I'm okay with that. Kind of. (Also, I'm telling myself that the d.j. was the rebel of the station. Whatever works. I don't think the band is for lame old people ;) )

Jack's Sixth Birthday!!!

When Jack came to me a few months ago and said he wanted a Harry Potter birthday, it was one of my proudest moments as a parent. I had been waiting to hear that phrase since becoming a parent. (And the fact that he was planning his birthday party months in advance is further proof that he is truly my son!) I was excited for th opportunity to combine three of my favorite things, Jack, Harry Potter, and birthday parties, into one awesome event! I began planning immediately, and here are the results! (I will include a list of all the websites I used as resources at the end of the post.)

The Menu
There are so many different foods mentioned in Harry Potter, it was hard to narrow down what to make! I decided to focus on the sweets that Jack was most familiar with from the movies and from reading the first book. I made chocolate frogs with a mold from Amazon. I also made pumpkin pasties, cauldron cakes, butter beer, pumpkin juice, and licorice wands. Cory made fruit wands (fruit kabobs) and a great cake with Harry Potter fighting the basilisk. I also served veggies and cheese and cracker (so there would be at least a few healthy options!) and Bertie Bott's Beans (Jelly Bellies.)

Activities
When the kids came in, they got their pictures taken in costume (thanks Mandy and Jessica!) in front of Platform 9 3/4. (Awesome printout from Steph and Jake. Thanks, you two!!) I used those pictures to give each child who attended the party a personalized thank you card. (Grandparents got pictures of Jack as thank you cards ;) ) After that they were sorted into houses. I made nametag necklaces with pictures of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw crests (I didn't want to make anyone be in Slytherin. And really, who wants to be a Hufflepuff?) on them. The kids chose them from a hat, which put them into teams for the games. It was really hot out, so we spent most of the party inside, but we went outside to play Quidditch (a relay race where the kids rode a broom and threw balls into laundry baskets. The last kid had a snitch to put in the basket.) We also did a magical creature hunt through the forbidden forest (stuffed animals of dragons, unicorns, etc. hidden in the yard.) Inside, we played pin the sock on Dobby. (Again, big thanks to Steph and Jake for the great printout!) The kids also made wands at "Ollivanders."

My little wizards

Magical Creature Hunt

Making Wands

Quidditch

Pin the Sock on Dobby

Favors and Decorations
The kids took home broom treat bags filled with Bertie Bott's Beans, chocolate frogs, and Harry Potter Silly Bands. (Thanks Stacy!) They also each got a "Care of Magical Creatures" textbook ( they could choose from different books about nocturnal animals, strange sea creatures, snakes, etc.) For decorations, I just printed out Hogwarts and house crests and hung them on ribbons to make banners. I also printed out signs to hang up with names of businesses from Harry Potter ( an Ollivanders sign at the wand craft, a Three Broomsticks sign by the drinks, etc.)

Resources
Here is a list of websites I used for ideas, printables, etc.
Most of the recipes came from here.
I found lots of ideas for games, favors, and more at The Hostess With the Mostess.
I used this template for the invitations.
Everything I needed for chocolate frog boxes was found via The Enchanted Tree.

It was an awesome party, and Jack and I are already thinking about ideas for next year! Now only six months until Harry's birthday party!

Disney World!

We have been back from an eleven day Disney World trip (yes, eleven days!) for about two weeks. Jack's birthday party was five days after we got home, (another blog post next week?)then we had a week of VBS, so I just now finally have time to sit down and tell you all about it. My mom, Aunt Elaine, the kids, and I were there for six days when Cory flew in to join us, and drive back home with us. We had lots of fun. We went to each park twice, except for Animal Kingdom. We also went to the Daytona Beach on the way there and the way back, which meant my kiddos got to see the ocean for the first time! And Addie started walking! I think the easiest way to break down the trip is by park. I'm just going to combine the days we spent at each park into one description.

Magic Kingdom
If you can only go to Disney World for one day, make sure you spend it at the Magic Kingdom. (We spent two days there.) The kids were so, so excited as "Mickey's Castle" came into view on our ferry ride to the park the first day. With the help of The Unofficial Guide to Disney World, that I borrowed from my friend Stacy, and the companion website, Touringplans.com, and their amazing phone app, Lines, we were able to ride every single ride that the kids were big enough to ride. (I think there were maybe four that we didn't do.) We rode many rides multiple times. I don't think we ever waited in line more than 25 minutes. Jack's favorite ride was Pirates of the Caribbean. Harry loved Winnie the Pooh. Addie danced the whole way through It's a Small World. After pretty much every single ride, Harry cried because he wanted to ride again. We assured him that every ride would be fun, but he seemed to forget that each time a ride ended. Here are some pictures of us at Magic Kingdom!

Epcot
We spent two days at Epcot. Thanks to fast passes, and the fact that Harry was too little for the ride, but could still get a fast pass, Jack was able to ride the totally amazing ride, Soarin', four times! Right next door was a boat ride that took us through the innovative gardens that Epcot was cultivationg. Harry totally loved this ride, even though it was kind of for adults. My kids LOVED the Tres Caballeros ride in the Mexico part of the world showcase. It was kind of like It's a Small World, but absolutely no lines, and it starred Donald Duck. Also, the very friendly workers plied my children with dozens of Mickey Mouse stickers every time we rode :) Another super fun thing we did there was the Kim Possible Mission game. They gave the kids a cell phone looking "communicator" that played videos telling where to go for their next clue. When they got there, something interactive happened. (They made a guitar play, a puppet dance, etc.) I have to say, I thought it was pretty cool! And, the very nice worker let us pick where we wanted to do our mission (Mexico) instead of making us walk far in the downpour and risk missing our Soarin' fast pass!

Hollywood Studios
This park had a lot of shows, and most of the rides Harry was too little for( and Jack was scared of some of them, even if he was big enough. Tower of Terror lived up to its name for him!) But it was still fun! The Star Wars ride was really neat (even though poor Harry was heartbroken he couldn't ride.) We loved the Indiana Jones show, the Little Mermaid show, and the Muppet 3D movie. And the Toy Story ride was ridiculously fun!!! On the second day at Hollywood Studios, just the boys and Grandma went. Jack got to go to Jedi training and lightsaber fight Darth Vader! Then they got picked to go on stage during the Indiana Jones stunt show! And a popsicle seller gave them a free popsicle, just for being cute!

Animal Kingdom
We spent one day at Animal Kingdom. The safari was really neat, and got us really close to the animals. (We were about half way through before Jack realized they were real animals!) The kids LOVED the Boneyards playland. (They would have happily spent all day there! And the Lion King and Finding Nemo shows were amazing! There was also a really fun Bug's Life show.

Universal Studios
As an added bonus, Cory and I got to go to Islands of Adventure at Universal Studios to go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Thanks Chris!!!) And an added bonus to that, we went kid free (Thanks mom and Aunt Elaine!!!) It was our firt kid free outing since going to see the last Harry Potter movie in November, (eight months ago!) and it was the day before our anniversary, so it was perfect! I will just say it was completely awesome, and not go into tons of details like I am tempted to. We spent about eight hours in the park, and probably seven of them were spent in the Harry Potter section. That's how awesome it was (or how dorky I am?) I will now show restraint and only put two pictures up.

I will end this very long post with a few tips for taking little kids to Disney:
*If you have a baby in a stroller, bring a carrier with you too, as strollers are not allowed in any lines. The stroller parking is often far away from the rides, and one "stroller parking lot" can serve for an entire section of the park. This means you could end up holding your baby for a long time!
*We didn't do this, but you have the option of using your multiple day ticket over the course of fourteen days. So if you want a more relaxed pace, you could go the parks every other day (or whatever schedule you want.)
*You can bring pretty much any food or drink into the Disney parks, as long as they aren't in glass containers. You can save a ton of money by packing your lunches.
*Use the Lines app to see if one person should go grab fast passes for a ride, or if you should all just go get in line. Also, if you find out a kiddo is too small for a ride after waiting in line, they will give you a rider switch pass for up to three people.
*Strollers must be folded up before riding on any of the parking lot trams. Good to know before loading your stroller all the way up just to have to hastily tear everything out of it and quickly fold it down! Also, a double stroller is a pretty tight squeeze into the tram rows, so go for the first rows in each car. They are double rows with wider aisles.
*Character meet and greets: The best place to meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto is at The Character Spot at Epcot. Go there first thing when you get to Epcot, and you will wait 20 minutes or less to meet them all! (Later in the day, it is 40 minutes or more.) The best place to meet the princesses (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Belle) is the Town Square Theater when you first walk into the Magic Kingdom. Again, go there first for a 20 minutes or less wait.
*Don't waste your time at Stitch's Great Escape at the Magic Kingdom. Super lame!

yummy summer food

I think I've mentioned (once or twice....every other minute) that we joined a CSA, Embarras Valley Farm. We have been getting fresh produce, once a week, for about 5 weeks. We split the share with our awesome friends, Steph and Jake, and even split in half, it is still a ton of yummy veggies. Aside from it being grown locally and sustainably, the other big benefit is that we, as a family, have been trying all sorts of new things. Some have been hits, others misses. Either way, we are trying things we never would have tried before! Here are a few of our culinary adventures over the last week or so.

One veggie that was new for all of us was Swiss chard. (Doesn't it look so pretty in the pictures?) I decided to use the chard to make a creamy Swiss chard pasta. I thought it looked really lovely, with the oranges and reds of the chard. However, it was not a huge success with my taste testers. The chard had a really fresh, outdoorsy taste, which is my nice way of saying that it kind of tasted like grass clippings. It wasn't terrible, though, and since there are tons of leftovers in my freezer for another day, it is something we will try again. At least once.

Another new to us veggie is the radish. I was under the impression that I didn't like radishes, and that they were super spicy. I think I just didn't know a good way to prepare them. I used our radishes to make an amazing radish tart. I added some chopped tomato, green pepper, and green onion, and just used the whole egg instead of just the yolks. It increased the baking time a bit, and tasted so, so good. I will definitely make this again if we get more radishes. (I also used the greens to make a modified version of radish green soup. I froze it to save for soup-weather.)

I also made this easy and delicious kale salad (kale, carrots shredded in my food chopper, one chopped apple, a handful of craisins, and raspberry vinaigrette.)

Pretty cucumber mint "fancy" water

Taco pizza with dough from my awesome yard sale bread maker, (thanks Bethany!)and lettuce and cilantro from the farm (hopefully, between the farm and my planter garden, I will be able to use fresh salsa next time I make it!)

Also in the past week, thanks to abundant amount of fruit from our backyard mulberry and cherry trees, Domingo for picking said fruit and my Ball Canning House Party, I canned mulberry and cherry jam! (The boys loved mashing the berries!) It was pretty easy and tastes really great! It also looks so pretty!

I had enough cherries to also make a crockpot cherry buckle. Easy and tasty. (I, obviously, used cherries instead of blueberries, and I added more sugar, as my tree is a sour cherry tree.)

It has been fun trying new things! I can't wait to see what this week's share has in store for us!

Bullies

In kindergarten, we had a problem with Jack getting bullied. He is such a sweet, friendly, enthusiatic, tender-hearted boy. The same characteristics that make him a great kid also make him an easy target for bullies. Cory and I talked and talked to him about how to handle the bullies (which he usually forgot as soon as the bullies started to pick on him.) We talked to his teacher many times, which did not do anything to help the situation. Eventually, we talked to the principal. He seemed genuinely concerned about the situation and tried to help, but at that point it had been going on for so long, and it was so close to the end of school, that I don't think much changed.

The bullying situation has left me in a tough spot as a mother. It was completely heartbreaking, infuriating, and frustrating that these kids were picking on my sweet, wonderful little boy. And there was nothing I could do about it. Even when volunteering at the school and witnessing it, I had no authority to step in and discipline the bullies. There is nothing worse than feeling completely helpless as you watch some kid hit your baby while unable to do anything about it. Jack would look at me as if saying "Do something." It was horrible.

Now, we are preparing for first grade. I have been carefully considering what to do. Do I request Jack not to be in the same class with the bullies, or do I let him learn a real life lesson about fighting his own battles? Both choices have appeal. Jack has been taking karate over the summer, so hopefully he will have some self confidence to stand up to the bullies. On the other hand, these particular kids have already marked him as a victim, so maybe they won't care about his new found confidence, and will pick on him anyway. It is hard to balance wanting to protect him from everything, and letting him learn to handle things on his own.

After agonizing over it, I decided to request him to not be in the same class as the bullies. Cory went to the school today and filled out the paperwork. I know that there may be other bullies, but hopefully, he will not be an easy target for them. These (2) particular kids already have him marked, and I don't think I would be okay with not being able to do anything about them for another year. I know I can't micro-manage every aspect of his life, but he is still just a little kid, and I have to do whatever I can to protect him. I feel like I made the right choice. I hope I am right!

It's summer!!!!

I know that Memorial Day is considered the "unofficial" start of summer, and that the summer solstice, marking the actual beginning of summer, is a couple of weeks away. But none of that matters. The way you can tell that summer has officially begun is Jack starting to play t-ball! Last week, he had his first two games. Few things are as nostalgia invoking or apple pie-y as watching two teams of little kids play baseball. It is adorable and hilarious, and pretty much defines summertime. This is Jack's first year playing, and even if he never plays again, every kid should play summer t-ball at least once. He is still getting the hang of the game, but he enjoys it. He is also one of the oldest kids on the team. I am relieved for him to finally be involved in something where he isn't the youngest! So far, his strengths seem to be making piles of dirt on third base, hugging his friends from the opposing team, and throwing his mitt onto the roof of the dugout. He is having fun and learning, though, so that's what's important!

Another better-than-a-calendar sign that it's summer is the fact that we have already been to the cabin twice! Last year, I'm pretty sure we didn't make it out at all since Addie was just a newborn. We had so much fun both times! The first trip to the cabin, we swam, rode the pedal boat, and got to see Auntie Erica. The second time, Aunt Jane took the kids for rides on the ski boat, (Addie's first boat ride!) Aunt Elaine started to refresh the kids memories on how to swim, and we went tubing! (Harry for the first time. Jack had been once before. Addie stayed safely on land!) We've already had a lot of summer fun, and it's just the first week of June! Looking forward to lots more fun!!!

****Also, the winner of the yarn was April! I will get your prize in the mail sometime this week! Congrats!!!***