It only takes 1

1 little girl +
1 hour of "quiet time" +
1 tired mommy =

1 big job ahead of us

You can't have it all

We're here today to discuss Cub Scouts. Pinewood Derby. Speed vs. Style. And Science Fairs.

The important things.


Really. This is more about the perfectionism that my son has inherited from his mama.

He loves his car.
But he loves winning more.
And his car was not fast.
Cool, but not fast.
He held it together.
But he was disappointed.
Understandable, yes?


Turning disappointment into a learning experience, Tyler now knows what he wants to do for his science fair project.

My Car Is Cool, But Why Isn't It Fast? The Science Behind Pinewood Derby Speed.

No matter what...
We are proud of him.

Now I Get It!!

Because if it's written with lipstick, it all makes sense.(Thanks, Rob for the little lesson)

Between my little stint of trying to play basketball yesterday and my morning of yoga, I've decided that I do not recognize my own body. Who knew I had all of these hidden muscles!

And who knew I would ever "play" basketball again...not my kids, for sure.

As I walked outside to leave, my boys asked, "Where are you going, Mom?" (Obviously, curious because it's not too often that they see there mom leaving in the evening in her exercise clothes.)

"I'm going to play basketball at the church." (Something they hear often,...but from their Dad.)

Strange stares and little smirks came from the peanut gallery and then a series of chuckles.

The neighbor boy pipes up and speaks what all of the other boys are thinking, "YOU play basketball?"

I try, my dears. I try.



And thanks for the vote of confidence.

It's official...

January is my least favorite month of the year. After all of the Christmas joy and winter break fun, I'm finding it hard to get motivated.

A few things to look forward to...

Planning Tyler's birthday party. It's already been decided. The movie comes out right before his birthday, but he wants to wait to see it at the movie cafe. I need to hurry and read the book beforehand.
I stocked up on clearanced candy canes after Christmas. I think my kids will "love" them. Who says candy canes are only for Christmas.

Never enjoyed the movie, but loved reading the book (from the 30th anniversary intro, all the way to the end of Buttercup's Baby). Goldman is so clever and I am so gullible. Book club is next week.

This looks too yummy. And would be perfect for a Valentine's Day Sunday brunch. Is January too soon to enjoy it?

I need this. So I'm going to make one. With the highest hopes and purest intentions that the mac and cheese will last longer in our pantry. Doubt it, though.

My favorite show will be back on next week. I think owning one of these shirts would cheer me right up.

Making some of these crayons with the kiddos. Finally, something to do with all of those broken crayon pieces.

I guess I'd better get to work.

For my friend Lindsay...

We are the Crapo Family:

Trevor, Lindsay, Gabrielle, Gavin and Gage...this is only half of our family......Five children, that we have been trying to adopt for the last three and half years, Madalyn, Sophie,Gracie, Sawyer and Kenyon ...are right now in the mist of the Haiti earthquake in an Orphanage.

They are rationing what water they have.

We have traveled to Haiti 12 times...living with them in a hotel for 7 to 15 days at a time...we are THEIR Mama and Papa....the people they are expecting to come and rescue them....

We do not have the word ....YET.
We feel so confident that it will happen soon.....
We have very close connections with the Department of State and Joint Council.....we believe the kids WILL be able to come to the US...it is not a matter of if...but when.

We are doing our best not to go crazy with worry....Heavenly Father has preserved their lives, now we have to leave them in his arms for just a little longer.
We CAN prepare for them ...

Please read our blog: http://www.facebook.com/l/eede3;onthewingsofmiracles.blogspot.com

Any little bit helps...

You can also keep tabs on the Joint Council website ....as they quickly rush to come to agreement with the Department of State ...in their effort to get the children of American adoptive couples out of Haiti as soon as possible.

http://www.facebook.com/l/eede3;www.jcics.org/Haiti.htm


Thank you so much,
Lindsay Crapo

Log Your Memory

...to later jog your memory. I don't know why I hadn't seen this site around...maybe it's new. I have taken a bit of a scrapping hiatus. I can't be expected to keep up with all things digi-scrap, now can I?

The reason I found this little blog/site was because one of my layouts was featured on their blog this week! Their Tuesday blog post focused on "inspirational layouts that tell a story that isn’t entirely bright and cheery." But never fear! My layout wasn't depressing either!

Here's the link to the blog post (I'm chia).
http://logyourmemory.com

Here's my layout...

Alllvvvviiiinnnn!!!! We've been RAKed.

Crazy me took my 4 kids tonight to see Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.

And it was one of the best random decisions I have ever made.

Because typically, I don't care to take all of my children out in public by myself.

But I wanted them to have a fun night. Sometimes, I do enjoy being the "fun one".

I planned on eating with them at the Movie Cafe, ordering a pizza and chicken fingers, but the time was posted wrong on the website, so we ran over to the Bell quickly before the movie started.

Because out tummies were full from our bean burritos and tacos, we only ordered a popcorn and pitcher of soda to share.

My "cute" kids were being admired by the only other guests in the theater, a mother with three of her four grown children. Any time Evan would laugh out loud and exclaim, "That was SO funny, Mom!", they would laugh along. When Anna got up and busted out her dance moves at the end of the movie, they watched and giggled. I appreciated their patience and understanding.

I love going to the Movie Cafe for the mere fact that my children can be children there. They are free to wiggle (and dance) and laugh out loud without being hushed. And I've never been there when it has been crowded.

At the end of the movie, the waiter told me that the other family in the theater had picked up our bill!! I was so grateful for their kindness. It wasn't that we couldn't afford it, but I didn't feel so alone as a parent who wanted her children to have a fun filled night at the movies.

We thanked the family and ended our family night talking about the kindness of others. I introduced the kids to the phrase "Random Acts of Kindness" (RAK). How they makes us feel. What we could do to show kindness to others, complete strangers.

Perfect ending to a great evening with the kids.

Just pulling in from the CooCoo Train

Chicago was fun. Chicago was cold. Chicago wore us out.

And we can't wait to go back!

But during the summer next time.

Chicago Tour 2009 Top Ten

1. Visiting the Shedd Aquarium
2. Looking over the city from the Willis Tower (formerly known as Sears) and the Sky Deck
3. Riding the CooCoo train to the city
4. Shopping at the American Girl Store (for the girls)
5. And shopping at the Lego and Apple store (for the boys)
6. A night without children at Cafe Iberico and touring the underground city
7. Meeting up with Ross and Emily in Evanston
8. Cousinpalooza...play, play, play all all day.
9. Seeing one million dollars at the Federal Reserve
10. Walking...walking... freezing... freezing...eating...eating...

Good times in Chicago. Thanks for having us, Zamoras!