Weary Wednesday

This is what the last 3 days have looked like at our house.  Both of the boys' asthma is flared up so there has been a line at the nebulizer!  Ethan missed school yesterday and Andrew has missed all week so far. I love Fall but I hate the sudden weather changes it brings,  it does the boys in every time.  When they have a flare up it can turn ugly quick so I typically set my alarm to go off every 90 minutes to 2 hours during the night so I can stay on top of the breathing treatments to hopefully avoid a trip into the ER.  I am completely exhausted but it works.... usually!  Hopefully they are better by the weekend and we can all get some rest!

Tricks and treats!

Well,  Halloween has come and gone and I think it's safe to say we're all pooped!  I hate when it falls on a school night.  I feel like I am not able to fully be "in the moment" because I am constantly watching the clock, worrying about baths, bedtimes and morning alarms that will come much too early for my liking!  But, nevertheless, we made the best of it.  We got a pretty early start and set out before the sun set in effort to keep it an early night.  I LOVED the costumes each of the kids picked out this year because they fit their personalities just perfectly. 

Hannah chose to be Dorothy this year and I was thrilled.  I think I have secretly hoped she'd choose Dorothy every year since she was 3 years old!  I LOVE the blue checkered dress and the red sparkly shoes!  This was my the year!  She has fallen in love with musicals and singing, even more than before, since she has started voice lessons, so when she saw that Dorothy costume that was it!  I had to laugh though because she wasn't thrilled with the typical Dorothy shoes.  She wanted something a little more "her" so this is what she came up with:

An old pair of Converse and some red glitter and there you have 'em!  She made a beautiful Dorothy just like I always knew she would!

Ethan wanted to be a Rock Star, which is certainly ironic if you know Ethan.   When you think "rock star" one might think of someone really outgoing and social, sometimes loud and boisertous and maybe a little self centered..... 

I know what you're thinking.  That doesn't sound like Ethan.  Ethan is quiet, likes to keep to himself, hates conflict and would do anything to please the ones he loves!  Yes, that is all true but this kid LOVES music and can play a mean air guitar.  And of all three of my kids, Ethan is the most likely to have a full sleeve of tattoos when he gets older.  This kid is so used to getting poked with needles it's nothing to him anymore!  So, when he saw this costume I knew it was so "him", tattoos, piercings and all!  Once he put it on his little personality just lit up and this confident kid came out and I loved it. 

 

 Then there is Andrew.  Was there any doubt that he would be anything other than "Super Duper Mario Kart?"  Umm, I think not!  If you know Andrew, you know he eats, breathes and sleeps Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Koopa Troopa, so he didn't have to tell us twice.  This kid goes through life just like Mario, with reckless abandon.  Without fear and full speed ahead is just his nature and I wouldn't have it any other way!

In the grand scheme of things we had a great time, aside from the little cold Andrew woke up with.  That was certainly no treat!  He made the best of it though and was the last one of the little ones to want to come in from trick-or-treating, as usual, although he did request to be carried back because he was "too tired".  

Andrew with his cousins Emma and Izzie.

The big boys had a great time coordinating their costumes this year.  Since Ethan decided to be a Rock Star his cousin Jacob decided to follow suit and be a Rapper!  These two were hilarious and it was a riot watching people's reactions as they opened their doors to this motley crew!

This was the first year that Hannah went out with a big group of friends rather than us.  She has a fantastic group of friends who are all very kind, respectful and responsible so I wasn't at all apprehensive about letting them trying it out without an adult this year.

Once we got the boys home and showered they just had to go through their bags to see what needed to be eaten immediately, what could wait until tomorrow and what had nuts and needed to be traded with Hannah when she got home!

Everyone must have had a great time because all 3 of them were asleep within 5 minutes of being tucked into bed!  

  

Happy Halloween!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Scary Good!

Okay, I'll be the first to admit, I don't really enjoy cooking with my kids. There, I said it. It's not that I don't enjoy spending time with them, because I do. I can just think of 1000 other ways that I would rather do it! It's not the kids that make it unenjoyable, it's the actual cooking itself.  Heck, I don't really even like cooking without my kids! I hate the preparation but even more than that, I hate cleaning up my mess!  I'm not a "cooker", never have been.  I do enjoy baking, but even that manages to stress me out if done in large doses! 

 But, I thought in honor of Halloween I'd suck it up, put on my Perfect Mom costume and do a few fun and easy Halloween cooking projects with them!  We found a couple of recipes online and got cookin'!

Hot Dog Mummies

(Makes 10) 

These were so stinkin' easy!  The kids literally did everything themselves.  All they really needed me for was to get them in and out of the oven and Hannah probably could've handled that if I had let her.

Ingredients

1 can of refrigerated breadstick dough

10 Hot Dogs

Mustard (optional)

Directions

*Separate the dough into individual pieces. 

*Use scissors or a knife to cut each raw breadstick into 2 strips

*Wrap the strips around each hot dog, starting at the bottom, to cover the hot dog like a wrapped bandage.

*Leave a small area unwrapped at the top (this will be the “face”).

*Wrap a final piece of dough around the end of the mummy in a turban fashion.

*Place the wrapped mummies on a cookie sheet and bake at 350° for 15 to 18 minutes until the dough is golden brown.

*Let cool for 3 or 4 minutes, then use the mustard to draw a face on the exposed area of the hot dog.

 Mummy in your tummy!

Tombstone Cupcakes

Makes 20 - 24

These were more work than the Mummies but the kids had so much fun making these!

Ingredients

*1 box cake mix

*16 ounces chocolate frosting

*3/4 cup chocolate cookie crumbs (we used oreo’s)

*Milano Cookies (or any oblong shaped cookies.  We used some vanilla sandwich cookies and pulled them apart.  We scraped the frosting out of the center and we got 2 “headstones" out of each cookie.)

*Black piping gel (you can find this at almost any grocery store.  Wilton and Betty Crocker both make it)

Directions

*Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions for cupcakes.

*Lick the beaters and crumble up your cookies while you are waiting for your cupcakes to cook.

*Once they are out of the oven and cooled completely, frost them, and cover generously with the cookie crumbs.

*Use the piping gel to write "RIP", Mom, or the names of every person in your family, like my kids did on each cookie.

*Stand each cookie up and push down into the top of the cupcake to create a headstone. 

Enjoy your Graveyard!

Eosino.........what?

In case you were wondering about this picture from yesterday's Wordless Wednesday post.........

It is Ethan in my bed with his "barf bowl" on his head.  It was taken on Tuesday evening after a long day spent in the hospital getting blood work and IV fluids to get him rehydrated after a week long bout of nausea and vomiting, likely due to an ugly beast............ 

Eosinophilic Esophagitis

  It's a mouthful, but this is the disease that Ethan lives with every single day. Thankfully, right now his E.E. is pretty well maintained but for a couple of years he was a very sick little boy.  Ethan was finally diagnosed almost 2 years ago after suffering for far too long.  Throughout everything, he always seems to have a smile on his face and a positive attitude.  There is no cure, only strategies to deal with the symptoms.  Luckily, Ethan doesn't have many flare ups but when he does they are doozies and they are heartbreaking for me to watch as there is virtually nothing I can do other than comfort him.  He is fully aware of the foods he can and can't have and although I know he feels isolated when he can't have the ice cream, cheese pizza and peanut butter sandwiches that his friends are having you will rarely hear this kid complain.

Wordless Wednesday!

Monday Moans...........

What better way to start the week than having my car and my hair begging for attention!

Yes, those are gray hairs poking up off the top of my head. No, I'm not happy about it.

It's Monday, enough said!

What's your Monday Moan??

When life gives you lemons..........

Make Lemonade!

That's exactly what Hannah and some of her friends did this past Monday. They decided to make the most of their day off of school and learn the value of hard work by setting up a lemonade and cookie stand!

I have to say I wasn't too optimistic. Truthfully, I wasn't sure they'd even break even. Well, I was proven wrong pretty quickly when barely and hour after they opened I got a phone call that they were out of cookies! So, I spent the next 4 hours running back and forth from the grocery store to the oven to the Lemonade stand keeping them stocked! Those girls gave me a run for my money I tell ya!

They had to be convinced to shut down for the night at around 6pm. They had a taste of success and they didn't want to quit!

The girls had such a great time and more than tripled their investment! Several of their friends came by and hung out and they even put some to work! They already have plans to do it again in a few weeks.

Tricks or Treats?

Ahh, Halloween is upon us. I have to say, I have a love/hate relationship with Halloween since I became a parent. I LOVE seeing the kids in their costumes and running door to door filling their bags with goodies. I LOVE watching them get so excited to get to stay up past their bedtimes so they can dump their loot all over the floor as they marvel at what they have collected!

What, I HATE is all of the hooplah that occurs in preparation for the big day! I always find myself stressing about costumes, accessories, etc and end up putting it off until the last minute. And the fact that they charge $30 for a costume that looks like it was made out of crepe paper and hot glue just adds insult to injury!

This year I had the kids start looking early. I was determined not to do my usual procrastination dance. We made several trips to the local Halloween store so the kids could get an idea of what they wanted. Once they made their decisions I got busy looking online for a better deal! I gotta say, I'm pretty darn proud of myself this year! I not only got their costumes early but I saved nearly HALF of what I would have paid at the local Halloween store! Plus, all three kids costumes fit, which is always a concern when ordering online.

It feels so good to have it done and just be able to look forward to trick-or-treating!

Now, lets see if it carries over to Christmas shopping! I'm not counting on it!

Friday Favorite!

Spring used to be my favorite season, even back when I was a little girl. I used to love sitting out on the porch on warm spring afternoons collecting roly poly bugs in an old butter dish! I still love Springtime but as I grow older I have really fallen for Fall. One of my favorite things in the world is to open up all of the windows in the house and to let Autumn in. I love seeing the curtains flutter around as the cool breeze floats through the house. And I really love flipping that switch on the A/C to OFF!

Another one of my favorite thing about Fall is CANDLES. These candles to be exact. Now, don't get me wrong I love candles in Winter, Spring and Summer too but there is just something different about candles in the Fall. The scents are so warm and welcoming and often times nostalgic. I love that my Pumpkin Patch candle sends me right back to my Mamaw's kitchen when I was no more than 5 years old.

I just love the way a burning candle can change the atmosphere of my house. Sometimes a comforting scent is all it takes to calm me down! I don't know if any of you are like this but I don't like to burn a candle in a room that is messy. I feel like I am "wasting" the candle when I do that. I guess because I can't fully enjoy the candle because I'm to busy stressing over the messy room! I know.... weird. But I have been known to quickly pick up the living room or the kitchen just so I can light my favorite candle ;)

What is your Friday Favorite?

Full Swing

Well, the new school year has been in full swing for a little over a month now and we have finally all settled in. It has been a year of change for all three of them.

Hannah turned 11 on August 10th, just days before starting Middle School. She is officially a Briarhill Bulldog! Her nerves about starting a new, much bigger school, quickly subsided once she had the first day under her belt. She has completely immersed herself in "middle school life" and is loving it! She is full of school spirit and is enjoying her newfound independence. She is riding the bus to and from school and has begun taking voice lessons. She has been a little shocked by all of the homework she has now but she is acclimating well. It is really bittersweet watching her start this new journey. It's sometimes hard to accept that she is growing up so fast but being her mom is so much fun right now.

First day. About to head to the bus stop....

Hannah and her BFF Kaitlyn showing off their new backpacks!

One last goodbye.

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Ethan tuned 9 on his second day of 3rd Grade. This is the first year he hasn't been in the same school with Hannah. I was a little worried at first about him not having her there but he has done great. If we're being honest here, I think having her there with him was more reassuring to me than it was to him... I think he likes just being "Ethan" and not "Hannah's little brother"! He adored his 2nd Grade teacher and asked her numerous times last year if she would go to 3rd Grade with him. Each time, she hugged him tight and told him that she couldn't go, but would come check on him in his new class. Imagine his surprise when just 3 weeks before school started this year a sweet little note came in the mail from Ms. Hamm letting him know that she WAS moving to 3rd Grade and had already made sure he was in her class! He is already having a great year!

He was rather annoyed that I was trying to take his picture so this is all I got!

Ethan and Ms. Hamm

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Andrew has had the least amount of change but has had the hardest time. He returned to his preschool in September and is doing great now but we had a few stumbles along the way. Aside from going from a 2 day a week class to 3-days, he has a new teacher. I never anticipated that this would even phase my little ball of fire but he was very resistant. He wanted his old class and his old teachers! Drop-off was hard on both of us for a couple of weeks but has since become a breeze. He still plays with a lot of his "old" friends on the playground but all in all he is happy, so Momma is happy!

................Until next time...............