First Day Of School!

Maggie's First Day Of School!

Coupon Crazy!

My crazy, OCD, overachiever friend turned me on to this website a few months ago The Grocery Game; At first I thought she was crazy and that it was VERY time consuming, but I was so very wrong. I cannot tell you how much money I am saving every week. It is unbelievable. The idea that I used to spend what I did on things in just crazy. I was throwing money away. It takes alittle while to get started, collecting coupons, but after a few weeks, Man, you are saving like mad! Give it a try, you won't be sorry!

So, I will admit Becca was right!

RE Classes

This afternoon was Declan and Killi's first RE class. I was not sure how it was going to go since we had to go straight from school to St. Francis, but they did great and both really enjoyed it. They both talked about it all through dinner. What they learned and all the new friends they had made. It was good and I am happy they enjoyed it. The traffic getting home wasn't great, but it wasn't awful either. All in all I am happy with our first trip.

For A Laugh...

This has become my new theme!


I know you are laughing if you clicked over:) Only I am only half kidding!

A Trip Downtown...

Today after I picked the kids up from school we headed Downtown(DC) to pick husband up at work and get our picture taken with and say Good Bye to Congressman Jerry Weller. Husband spent the better part of our first decade in DC working for the Congressman. And it was a wonderful experience for both of us and for our family. We could not have made it in this town without the insight, experience and friendship we have received from Congressman Weller over the years. This year, he announced that he was retiring and going to live in Guatemala with his wife and child. Anyhow, he was kind enough to take a picture with us on the Capitol steps this afternoon. So, that is what we did. I have not been into the HOBS( House Office Buildings) since Husband left back when Killi was a baby, so I had forgotten have FEW children cross through those doors:) It was abit like bringing the circus to town, everyone staring and trying to talk to them, it was funny.

We got to the office early, which ended up being nice, we got to hang-out and catch-up with the Congressman, and best of all, the kids were well behaved:) After our visit, we headed to the Capitol for the picture and again the kids were great. We did the picture(I should have it in a few days:) and walked back to the office door and said our finial Good Byes. It was alittle sad, but I am happy that we went and glad for the opportunity, it gave me closure.(I like that:)

In the mean-time, here are a few other pictures from the day:

Unhappy Hubby!

Husband is having a rough go of it! He is feeling under-appreciated and just fed-up. Soccer practice didn't go well as we only had 5 kids and 1 of them(Declan) was not well behaved. So, Husband left practice angry and headed home. There he was left over tension from our meeting with the school this morning, where he felt I did not approach the situation the right way. On top of that he is tired and wants some time alone with me(awful husband I know:) He has been working alot of hours and going in early most morning to get home to coach soccer(where Declan is being an ass) or so we can have dinner as a family and he can see the kids before bed. I am sure it is hard for him and I know how tired he is, and most days I do love him:)

Swimming and Another Busy week!

Swimming lessons started tonight. It started rocky, but finished good. Maggie was a bit sad when it was time to get in the water, but once in she loved it. Killi was awesome and excited to see her teacher. She seemed happy to have Maggie in class with her. There was also a little boy from pre-school in the class. Declan, is in the 7 o'clock class since he is a little more advanced than the girls. I didn't stay to watch him(Husband met us after the Steelers game:)so I could get the girls home, showered and in bed before it got too late.

Tomorrow Husband and I are going to meet with the school about Killi, then have lot of errands to run before picking the kids up and heading to soccer practice! Then Tuesday the kids has an early-out at school and we are headed into the city for pictures with Husband's former boss, a retiring Congressman. Wednesday Maggie and I have Open House at her school. Thursday is the first day of R.E. for Declan and Killi. Then finally it will be Friday and we can relax. Until Saturday when we might go apple picking:)

I am sure I will get this all going and be able to do-it-all, but right now, I am struggling to find a rhythm.

Family Vacation!

Our House is completely paid for, room assignments have been made, supply list is written,meal schedule formed, Now all that we need is for Thanksgiving Week to get here! We have a HUGE trip planned to OBX for Thanksgiving and I cannot wait. Lots of family fun and more folks just keep joining in!

I will be counting down until we go- which will be good and save me from thinking about Christmas at Halloween:)

Because It Is Friday...

- I have help for the next three days

- we stayed out late and went to dinner with the Kelleys

- I am tired

Harder Than I Thought...

Kids are complicated. I came into motherhood with 7 years as a nanny, babysitting since I was 8(yes my aunt was/is crazy:) and a brother who is 7 years younger than me. I also taught Kindergarten and Pre-K for a few years. I thought I was going to be prepared. I had seen it all. Good kids, sneaky kids, mean kids, cute kids, psycho kids, kids with physical disabilities kids with mental disabilities, kids with developmental delays. I have seen it all. But none of it began to prepare me for what being a mother was going to be like. Sure, I loved the kids I was a nanny for(still do) and I enjoyed almost every child I taught, but both the love and anger and the joy and frustration are so much greater with the children I gave birth to. And it is not getting easier as they get older. The problems may be fewer, but they are much more complicated. And it is getting harder to juggle the three of them. And the closeness in age(3.5 years between the 3) that I loved so much when they were NOT in school and different activities has given way to activities that everyone can do(sometimes with a bit of bribery:)

Anyway, that is that. If anyone has a cure for (the most stubborn) 3 year old, that I created(for reasons that at the time seemed justified) who is now controlling my life and ruining her siblings, feel free to share.

Family Fun!

We had a great weekend, mostly. Friday night my mom, sister and queenie arrived, on time, which is very unusual for that flight:) By the time we got home from the airport and to bed it was after midnight, so we had 4 tired babies in the morning and soccer pictures and a game starting at 9am. After the game my aunt and uncle were waiting at our house for us, they drove down from NJ that morning to meet the baby and she my mom and sister(they were also happy to visit us:) We all went to lunch, except Husband who was on hold with the Allstate(long story). After lunch my mom and her sister took the kids on a walk, and it was VERY HOT and they all came home very dirty(a sign of a good time)

In the afternoon, we got a phone call that my brother and Kelly got engaged! We were all very happy for them and happy to welcome Kelly and Angie into our family!

After the kids went to bed we played a game of Trivial Pursuit 80's and Husband and I won, but my aunt and uncle may have let us:) Sunday we all went to Bob Evans and then my aunt and uncle left and my mom weeded(because she is awesome) and they she and Megan cleaned and organized my kitchen and boy is it clean & neat:) Other than that we mostly just hung out. Here are a few pictures of the girls watching football with Gus:

Because It's Friday...

- The kids are off for two days

- Husband is home with us

- we are having house guests

- I am tired:)

- The Fireballs will have their first soccer game(fingers crossed!)

- we will have lots of fun

What a great day Friday is!

Almost Here!

Tomorrow is the day! Grammy, Megan and baby Gracie will be here! We are so excited!

I will have lots of pictures to share!

KILLI - The Fashion Queen

Killi LOVES clothes! I am not sure where she got this love from(you know, Meg?)but every night when we pick out her clothes for school in the morning it is a long, calculated event. I think she feels good when she is dressed clean and neat and in what she thinks is pretty:) Here is what she wore today:





She is so excited the skirt twirls!



* FYI- I do take her shopping with me and let her pick out her clothes because she is hard to fit and please- and yes she picked this herself:)

On Saturday We...

Had Lots of Fun Playing in the Rain!

Catching raindrops and jumping in puddles entertained them longer and they enjoyed it more than all of their "store-bought" toys.

First Week Down!

We made it through the first week of school with only minor issues. We are officially done with the school bus. After the bus didn't pick the kids up on Tuesday and then didn't get them home until 5:30pm that night, today Declan told me that the older kids on the bus were teasing them on the bus today because they had to sit in the back of the bus(and not together) because the Dumbass driver thought it was a good idea for a 5&6 year old to sit with 10&11 year olds on the bus. Whatever, we are done with it! Yes, I will admit that I am a bit over protective of my kids. It is a weird over protective though, I will sit and watch my kid fall-off the monkey bars, but I like to see it and that is how I parent, I watch but let them fall. So, school is very hard for me and I would love to have them home forever but I know that is not best for them. I have been very lucky so far, to have teachers that have been patient with me(because I am a big pain-in-the-ass:)

I am meeting with Killi's teacher on Monday and I am hopeful that meeting with her will put me at ease for the year. As for Declan's teacher, I have already sent a note, stopped in the classroom after school and emailed her- yes, I know it is too much for only 4 days of school and I am sure I am driving her crazy, I am going to back off now!

Funny Kid!

I really will get pictures up soon, and the Declan and Killi LOVE school so far.

Here is a funny Maggie story for all of you:

I have been telling Maggie that once Declan abd Killi went to school that it would just be us and that we would be able to play games ALL day long(yes, I know that was a big mistake:) well, sure enough Declan and Killi get off to school the first day and she says, "OK, I am ready to play a game now." Ok, I say and we go to pick the one we want, we have Candyland, Memory, Chutes ans Ladders all the good kids ones, but no she wants to play the letter game and giant floor puzzle of the US game. I love her to death, but boy is she a GEEK:) Oh, we also got to read dozens of books. What;s that you ask? Dolls and Legos, Barbie and Mr. Potato Head, nope not for this kid, not with her "mommy game time"!

Much To Say...

I have lots to post about the first day & I have pictures too. I will do my best to get them up tonight, last night was crazy, but tonight Husband is away on business so I should have some free time.

1st Day Of School Stress!

Ok, It's 2am and I am still up. Perhaps I am having slightly more anxiety than I wanted to believe over the First Day Of School tomorrow. Killi was a little nervous before she went to bed, which has now made me very nervous for her. I want so much for this to be a positive experience for her and I just have this feeling, call it a mother's intuition, that it is going to be a very difficult year for her and me fighting for her. Problem is, that unless you are a mother, trying to get people on board with your intuition is hard. I guess the best I can do is be thankful that it is only kindergarten, so if it is awful, I won't have much to clean up. Hopefully I will be wrong and all will be wonderful. She is just the sweetest kid in the entire world(and I am not just saying that ask anyone that knows her:) and I cannot bear to think of her struggling through school.

Well, I know this, when she gets home from school, I will have the cake she wanted with the chicken parm that she asked for all ready to go.


And yes, it is also Declan's 1st day of a new school and 1st grade, but he is super cool now and assures me he is going to be fine and I need-not worry about him or Killi as HE will look out for her. Until the morning comes and he begs me to drive him to school and never leave:)

WHY?

There are people I know that educate their children through the philosophy of unschooling. I know little of this philosophy except that at the fundamentals of it is the belief that humans naturally want to learn and that put in an educationally rich environment children will learn. My point in mentioning this is that I have done that in my house(until they are school age) and have seen it play out in three very different ways. With Declan, Husband and I put forth very little effort in teaching him colors and numbers and such as we had little time with Killi arriving when he was 15 months old and Maggie when he was 3 1/2. That is not to say that we didn't read to him or play with him, but we were not very hung up on a time table for his learning, and despite our involvement, and due to the fact that I was very strict about what he watched on TV and he loved Thomas trains, he learned all of his colors and numbers on his own. Now with Maggie, the littlest monster, I have been far less strict with what is on TV, but I do have had more time to spend with her as the others she will follow me around with a book until I agree to stop moving and read it(she has gone so far as to follow me to the restroom:) She would be happy if I would play letter and number games and read to her all day long, and because of this, she too has learned all those know-before-kindergarten things. Killi, who I have offered the same learning experiences to such as reading, game playing, educational shows will do none of them. For her, having to sit through a story is as bad as time-out, playing letter games is as fun as being hit by her sister.

The point of this rambling post is to ask this, Do all humans strive to learn or only those that can learn in a traditional way? And at what point, if you are an unschooler do you need to point your children in a direction to learn things that they need to succeed in life? And why oh why does my Killi not want to do all the "normal" kid things? Why will she not let me read her bedtime stories?



*Please note that this blog is in no way a judgment on unschoolers, I wish I had the skills and patients to do it.