Life is Rough at Our House

Julie to Nate and Emma: Why are you two being so naughty today?
Emma: Because we don't get to do fun stuff. All we get to do is play.

Pure Genius!

Today I was chatting with my awesome sister-in-law Hillary. We were comparing stay-at-home-mom notes and bouncing ideas off each other. Although we both LOVE our day job, sometimes situations arise that stump us both and seem overwhelming.

One of my situations is our play room. It is a constant mess and for the past week I have been battling it out with my kids to get them to clean it. I've threatened, rewarded, punished, etc. You name it, I tried it... to no avail. It was still a huge terrifying mess. Honestly, I'm really surprised no one has twisted an ankle or broken their neck stepping foot in the chaos.

Hillary mentioned that she has paid her kids 1 penny per item picked up.

AHA!!!


THIS WAS MY SOLUTION!!!

We ended our conversation and I immediately gathered the troops. I told them I was going to go to Dollar Tree after dinner and they could buy anything they wanted. The catch: they had to earn any money they spent and they would get 1 penny per item picked up in the toy room. I'm not kidding when I say they jumped up and down, then ran upstairs! I followed them up and when I saw how quick they were working and how much money was adding up, I joined in to bring down my costs...wink,wink. 30 minutes later I have a super clean and organized playroom, 1 happy momma, and 2 happy kids...All for the price tag of $4.90. (Kind of crazy to think that we had 490 items lying around...but those army men, legos and matchbox cars add up fast!!)

Pure Genius! Thanks Hillary!

Hard Worker

Our conversation on the way to school this morning:

Nate: I wish we had robots that would do everything for us. Then we wouldn't have to do any chores or anything!

Me:(recognizing a teaching moment) Sure, but work is actually good for us Nate. It makes us stronger and makes us smarter.

Nate: Is dad not very smart then?

We're Diggin' It!!

My dad, Grandpa Hansen, always loves to send the kids science gifts. One time we got an awesome ant farm, another time a remote controlled flying saucer. Most recently, he and Nana sent an Easter package filled with eggs...dinosaur eggs!! Nate and Emma had to chisel and brush the dirt away to reveal different tiny dinosaurs. They absolutely love this and will sit for hours unearthing the little creatures. If it weren't so messy, I might consider bringing these on our coast to coast airline trip this summer.
If you're interseted in these wonders for your little crew, check this link!

THANKS GRANDPA!!

These pics are from the last time Grandpa came to visit and brought some eggs with him:

Happy Easter

Here's a quick picture of the kids before church in their Easter attire (minus a vest and shoes!)

And here's a more accurate picture of how they were behaving
all loaded up on the treats the Easter Bunny left if their baskets!!!

Where Did You Last See It???

It's no secret that *sometimes* things go missing at our house. I mean, come one, who WOULDN'T think to look for their shoe...or the tv remote...in the oven drawer?

I caught Brandon in the act! I have completely given in and this drawer is now his favorite kitchen spot. My sad pots and pans had to find another home. And don't worry, it doesn't get hot when the oven is on.

It's Going to be a Busy Spring

We signed Nate and Emma up for baseball this spring. Nate is playing on a coach pitch baseball team and Emma is in a "sweeties softball" league, which is basically t-ball softball. For the past few weeks we've been breaking our budget getting the kids outfitted in practice clothes, cleats, new mitts, LOTS of practice balls, new bats, bat bags, batting helmets, and what not and attending lots of practices. And I will just say, its been worth it all! This last Friday was opening ceremonies, followed by team pictures and each of their first games. So far we've loved every minute.

(Emma is far left)
Emma's team, the "Dirt Divas" are adorable!!!
They are just too stinkin' cute for words.

(Emma is 3rd from left)
Nate plays for the Diamondbacks and we've had a ball watching him learn the game of baseball. He's a pretty good hitter, when his coach isn't accidentally striking him and the rest of his team out. Ooops! For now he's playing pitcher and outfield, but his coach is doing a good job of moving the kids around and teaching them the positions.

(above, Nate is 3rd from right, below, Nate is 1st row on left)
Andrew especially has had fun fitting in extra batting practices and throwing sessions when he's home from work, or early on Saturday mornings.
If you need to find us in the next month or two, just go to the ball field!

Nate's Loose Tooth

For the past few weeks Nate has been wiggling his first loose tooth. On Saturday night he was ready for me to pull it. I was a little nervous (having remembered my own cowardice at that age) and made sure he REALLY wanted me to pull it. I gave it a good pull and it didn't budge. I thought for sure he'd want me to stop, but he asked if I'd try once more. I obliged and out it came. Shortly thereafter we had to make a pillow for the tooth fairy. After all, Nate can be a wiggly sleeper and we didn't want to lose it! He woke me up early the next morning to show me what the tooth fairy had left behind in that tiny pocket!

Nate don't like hicks, y'all

Whenever Andrew and Emma go grocery shopping we come home with "new and exciting" things that "mom" doesn't allow (or give in to.) One of their more recent shopping trips led to some interesting conversations during the week.

Nate came home from school on Monday and exclaimed, "MOM. I DO NOT like hicks!" Confused, I gave a "huh?" He repeated, "MOM. I DO NOT like hicks!" We live in the south so my first assumption was that Nate was being rude about the locals, so I was gearing up to give him a lecture about manners. He expounded, "You know, that drink you put in my lunch... I DO NOT LIKE IT!!"

Fast forward.

Later that day I was telling a friend about this conversation and I could tell she was having an "aHA! moment." "So THAT'S what Emma was talking about today!" Again, I gave a "huh?" She went on to explain that during the car ride home from preschool Emma was really excited because she had a "KFC" drink in her snack today.

The culprit: Hi-C.

Our Boring House

Conversation this morning when Emma saw me taking down the heart Valentine garlands around the house:

Emma: Mommy, when are you going to put up the March decorations?
Julie: We don't have any March decorations.
Emma: So, our house will be, like, normal?
Julie: Yep.
Emma: That's sad.

Too bad I threw out that pot of gold last year!

Cookies for breakfast?

This morning Andrew offered to make scrambled eggs for breakfast. As he was cracking the eggs he yelled out to the kids, "Who likes eggs?" Emma responded enthusiastically, "I do...in COOKIES!!!"

(She obviously has helped me make many a cookie and LOVES cracking the eggs!)

That's one way to warm your milk...

Lately, Brandon has been testing the "baby-proof-ness" of our home. With slamming cupboards, clanging pots and pans, emptying drawers, swishing in toilets, emptying cereal containers, and the like, he is also testing my patience. Yes, I know he is a baby, but there's only so much a mother can handle before she takes action. So two days ago while he was napping, I pulled out my trusty drill and got SERIOUS about baby proofing. Now he has limited access and only plays in mom approved areas. My sanity is restored. But this morning I found him like this....

And then I noticed this...

Is there a child lock for that?

Emma the Clown

Today at Emma's preschool it is CLOWN DAY... We quickly threw together various things from the dress up box and came up with this. Not bad, I'd say. Emma thoroughly enjoyed it without any embarrassment! She sure has spunk!