A New Place You Have to Try
Okay, I know that I usually blog about my kids and how wonderful they are but today I have to blog about something else that is wonderful: Frozen Yogurt! I’m not talking about just any frozen yogurt, but the kind you get at a place called “Orange Leaf.” Now knowing how I am usually a day late and a dollar short on everything, this place is probably old to everyone else, but since I didn’t discover it until today, it will remain new in my mind. My friend and I (who just had a sweet baby girl and is, like me, trying to watch her calories) decided we would give this place a try for lunch. Neither of us really knew what to expect, but we were fairly sure that it would be pricey since it’s location is near other pricey establishments such as “The Toggery.” Well, we were not surprised by the prices as they were, indeed, a little steep (.45/oz) but what did surprise us was the variety of flavors and toppings AND how amazing all those flavors were. Between the four of us (we both had our 4 yr olds with us who were happy to taste test) we tried about 6 of the flavors and every time I tried a new one, it became my new favorite. Larissa got the “Wedding Cake” and “Cookies & Cream” and I promise you it was better than any “Blizzard” I have ever eaten. I got strawberry, peach, and pineapple. The pineapple tastes exactly like a “Dole Whip” from Disney World. I didn’t put any toppings on because I really wanted to see how good the yogurt would be on its own, and because I’m cheap. It didn’t need the toppings but there were MULTIPLE to choose from. I ended up getting a pretty good size bowl and it weighed 10 oz. (cost about $4.50). Some may think that’s ridiculous but I got a lot more enjoyment out of that bowl than I would have gotten out of any combo meal, and it only came in at about 300 calories and NO FAT! I realize I sound like a commercial, but this place was just too good to keep secret. I looked for coupons and, as of yet, there are none, but I will keep you posted if I find any. In the meantime, take your $4 that you usually spend at Starbucks and go here instead. You will be soooooo happy you did!!
TGIF!!!!!!!!!!
Wordless Wednesday: Corey Made a Donation to the Tooth Fairy!
Well, this is tooth #5 for Corey, and it is the first time that he actually had something to lay under the pillow. The first two he swallowed so we had to write notes to the TF explaining the dilemma, the 3rd one he almost swallowed while eating pancakes, but was able to spit it out first. I talked him into letting me purchase it from him because I really needed a tooth to go in my “First Tooth” keepsake box and with his track record I didn’t know if I would ever get one. The fourth one (yep, you guessed it) he swallowed again, BUT the fifth one finally came out the old fashioned way. It was his top front tooth so it was a little sad for me because those are the ones that really change their smile and once it’s out, it becomes an everyday reminder that my baby is no longer my baby. Anyway, it was a pretty big deal to put the tooth in the envelope and seal it shut, and before we could put it under his pillow, he just had to draw a little picture of two stick guys with light sabers on the front. This all happened Saturday night, so when he went into church on Sunday, the first thing he said was “Pastor Brian, where’s the lost and found? Cuz’ I lost my tooth!” He hasn’t stopped smiling since:)
I'm not so sure why he is doing "crazy eyes" but at least you can see the gap!
Happy Wednesday Everybody!!
I Should Have Kept My Mouth Shut!
In a previous post, I discussed my complaints that I had with the new bell schedule that had been put in place for Pulaski County Special School District. I didn’t like the changes and wasn’t happy with the lack of common sense among the people who were making the decisions for the district (none of that has changed). Apparently I wasn’t alone as many other parents and teachers as well as union leaders took their complaints before a court and had the new policy reviewed by a judge who also found it ridiculous. So, yesterday the judge ruled in favor of the parents/teachers/union who had issues with the extended school day and ordered the district to AGAIN change all the schools’ end/start times by September 13th. Are you kiddin’ me?!! Now, don’t get me wrong. I still think Corey not getting out until 4pm is overkill, and I really felt like making the kids go so long without a snack was ridiculous, but Corey has already adjusted very well to the later release time (and he absolutely loves the later arrival time) and his teacher decided to allow a “working snack-time” at about 2:30, so that concern was lifted as well. By this time, I’m sure that all the parents who had to arrange for childcare due to the new times had already done so and everyone, whether happy about it or not, was falling back into their school routine just fine. I was irritated about the extended school day and I was irritated that the changes happened in such an unorganized and rushed manner, but what irritates me more than anything is that they now are going to make rushed, unorganized, and drastic changes all over again after the school year has already started and everyone has already adjusted to the previous changes. Yes, I ranted but it was just that, a rant. What’s done is done and I didn’t expect or even want anyone to change the new schedule due to the simple fact that kids need consistency. If I have learned anything about kids while being a mom, it’s that consistency is key. I’m pretty sure that I am not the only adult who knows this, so why in the world did anyone think that changing the kids’ schedule after the school year had began was the answer ? They introduced the longer school day because they felt like PCSSD students were behind other states and districts when it came to the amount of instruction time they were receiving. By the time all these changes have gone through and the kids, once again, sink back into a normal routine, a good week or more of school time will have been wasted on acclimating to all this chaos–ironic.
Oh well, I’ve learned consistency is key,but I’ve also learned kids bounce back quickly and most are pretty flexible (unlike their parents…guilty). So, I guess the best answer is for me to, once again, put on a happy face and encourage Corey to stay positive–not too difficult for him as long as he’s got a snack!
Wordless Wednesday: Holding on to Summer
Here are a couple of pics from our final summer outings. I know there are a few weeks left of summer, but when school starts, it is pretty much over for us. I’m actually looking very forward to Fall. The only thing wrong with Fall is that it ushers in Winter:(
Corey loves to chase the ducks and I love it when they turn around and chase him back! He tried terrorizing these ducks but all they cared about was getting the crackers.
I'm enjoying this smile while I can because with TWO loose top teeth, his smile is about to change drastically.
Yeah for static electricity!
It took them a while to figure out that it works much better IN the water:)
I remember looking at pics of my mom and making fun of her for wearing sunglasses like these and now i'm wearing them and Larissa is making fun of me. Ironic.
A set of Summer pics wouldn't be complete without Corey holding some "creature."
Happy Wednesday, everybody!!
The New School Schedule
Okay, I gave it a chance and my opinion of the new school schedule hasn’t changed–it’s still ridiculous! As I mentioned in a previous post, Pulaski County Special School District has completely rearranged all of the schools’ start and end times for the school day. We were informed over the summer that the school day was going to be lengthened by an hour in order to accommodate a mandate put in place that requires teacher’s to have a scheduled planning period that…I’m not going to try to explain something that I don’t understand myself. A teacher friend has explained it to me a couple times and I still don’t have a clue why a student’s day would be lengthened so that a teacher could have a planning period. Doesn’t it make more sense that the students shouldn’t be around during a planning period? I’m pretty sure what it all comes down to is money and the county’s attempt to be as cheap as possible. Anyway, what I’m saying is that I had already prepared for a longer school session. Corey was going to be required to arrive at school no later than 7:30 and wasn’t going to be dismissed until 3:15 (as opposed to last year’s schedule which was arrive at 8:00 and be dismissed at 2:45). It wasn’t until last Friday that all the schools were informed that, due to parent’s complaints about putting their children on the bus in the morning while it is still dark, school board officials decided to completely rearrange all the arrival and dismissal times. This move came so late that the schools didn’t even have time to rewrite their manuals in order to include the new times. What baffles me is why they overlooked the fact that during the winter when the sun goes down by 5pm, the kids will indeed be getting off the bus in the dark. At least most parents are around to put their kids on the bus in the mornings, but most are working at the time of drop off. This entire situation really makes me question the common sense or lack thereof among our school board officials or whoever it is that is making these decisions. Whether or not this is helpful to the teachers (the consensus even among the teachers that I’ve talked to is it’s not) it is absolutely ridiculous for the students. The school day was long enough as it was, but to make the kids go until 4pm?!!!! Who REALLY thought that this was a good idea? I’d like to meet them.
If all of this wasn’t idiotic enough, the officials felt that because they were making the kids go so long after eating lunch, they needed to provide a snack. I completely agree that the kids should be given a snack time a few hours after lunch. Corey focuses much better when he’s not thinking about how hungry he is (which is why I always send a little snack to school with him). However, they are not allowing the teachers to give the school issued or parent provided snack during the school day. They are requiring the teachers to give the students their snack as they are leaving the classroom to go home for the day. Here’s an idea: instead of wasting money on buying snacks that they kids can’t eat anyway, give that money to the teachers to compensate for the money that they would earn during the planning period, get rid of the planning period and restore last year’s arrival/dismissal times! This entire thing reminds me of the wasteful scenarios we hear about going on in D.C. on a daily basis. We all roll our eyes and chalk it up to stupid politicians who have been stripped of all common sense…hmmmm.
Oh well, I just needed to rant. Now that I have, I guess I’ll put on a happy face and learn to adapt, because if I see it negatively, so will Corey, and that obviously won’t help anyone. There are always pros and cons to every situation. I’m just having a hard time finding any pros when it comes to this one. If y’all can think of any, feel free to share, or if you agree with me, feel free to share that too–I love to hear I’m right!
Wordless Wednesday–One Day Late!
I decided to delay my wordless Wednesday post a day so that I could post Corey’s pictures of his first day of 1st grade. Kindergarten was hard, but I honestly think watching him go into the classroom this morning was just as hard if not harder. He was totally excited to go and he barely looked back. I know that’s great but couldn’t he have at least acted like he was going to miss me?! I am so excited to see him and get to hear all about his first day, but this day is going to take forever because they have totally messed up the bell schedule this year. School doesn’t start until 8:30 and Corey won’t get out until 4:00 p.m. Isn’t that INSANE?!! The poor kids aren’t going to have any time to play before it gets dark and how in the world are they going to make it that long when they eat at 11:30? Anyway, I guess I will save all those rants for a different post and get on with posting the pics.
I hope everyone enjoyed their Summer and is transitioning easily . If not, just remember, it’s already Thursday!
His favorite thing in the world right now is playing "Lego Star Wars" on his DS, so naturally he had to have the Star Wars backpack. I really miss Thomas the Train.
I'll never understand how Dads can act so cool about all of this.
Not much has changed since last year--I'm still a wreck!
We had to wake her up to come take pictures with Corey and I will pay for that for the rest of the day.
This is the "C'mon, Mom, enough pictures already" smile.
If you would like to compare this year’s first day pics with last year’s, click here.
I’m Going Home!
It’s been four years since I have been back to my hometown, Florence, CO. I’m not exactly sure why it had been that long, but it has. The church I grew up in (where I met my husband) is having a reunion and asked that my husband’s parents come back for it since they were previous pastors. They asked if the kids and I would like to tag along. It’s only for three days, which is a VERY short visit for such a LONG drive, but since the opportunity to go comes along so infrequently I jumped at the offer. Now I’m trying to get things together that will make a 16 hour trip seem…less than 16 hours. Any ideas?
I am really excited to see my family of course, but I’m also really looking forward to seeing the tiny town that I grew up in and all the changes that have been made. The high school that my dad (who is 33 years older than me) and I both attended is no longer the high school but the middle school instead. They built a new high school and the town’s grocery store “Super Foods” has also been relocated. I know these little changes probably don’t seem like much to anyone from a city, but for a town that pretty much stayed the same the entire 18 years I lived there, I think it’s a pretty big deal. I heard they gave Main Street a total face lift which is great because the town needed it. Aw, I’m getting all nostalgic!
I hope to see a few friends but most of my good friends no longer live there so what I am most looking forward to is “Jade Cafe” which is the best Chinese restaurant I have EVER eaten at. Every time Matt and I eat at a new Chinese restaurant we always compare it with this one and we have yet to find one that even comes close (although “Fantastic China” in Downtown Little Rock isn’t bad). My mom has a few places to eat that she’s excited to take me to so I’m guessing my weight gain issue is not going to be resolved this week, although I really am going to try to be good.
Another thing I’m looking forward to is getting to sing at my sister’s kids’ dedication on Sunday. My father-in-law dedicated her first child so she has waited until he was able to do the other three. Being in the military keeps me from being in attendance at most of these kinds of things so I am excited to be a part of this one.
What’s ironic is that my 10 year high school reunion is also this weekend, but I never received an invitation and only found out about it this evening on Facebook (the person organizing it obviously lacks organizing skills). I won’t be able to attend because of scheduling conflicts but I just thought it was so weird that it was falling on the first weekend that I’ve been home in more than 4 years. Oh well!
Anyway, wish me luck! I’ll tell you how it went when I get back:)
Wordless Wednesday
Matt recently took a trip to Germany, and, as is custom, he brought back some souvenirs for the kids and I. I got a pair of shoes that are totally cute but completely uncomfortable. Oh well, they’ll make a great shoe rack decoration until the appropriate amount of time passes and I can donate them to another unsuspecting victim. Corey got some of the best chocolate ever made and a classic German pretzel, and Larissa was given this adorable ceramic doll that looks just like her. I love presents!!
P.S. Don’t feel bad for me, I “borrowed” a little of Corey’s chocolate (how do you think I know it was the best ever made?)
He was still pretty much asleep but I think he enjoyed the pretzel.
She wanted to have her hair done just like her dolls. It's amazing how much they look like each other. The hubs did good!
Help, My Pants Are Tight!!
So, I am blogging today about a personal matter that is actually a bit embarrassing. However, I am a little desperate at this point because I’m not sure what to do. I work out and eat pretty healthy most of the time. I cheat a little on the weekends but for the most part I stick to a healthy diet and exercise plan. This has always served me well until recently. My weight always fluctuates anywhere from 3-6 lbs daily which is a little strange but it’s always been that way so I’ve never been really concerned. If I gained weight (usually on the weekend) I was always able to get it right back off during the week. However, a month ago, I gained about 5 lbs in one weekend and for some reason was unable to get it back off. The next weekend I gained another 2 lbs and have steadily been gaining weight since then. I am working extremely hard at the gym (2 hr workouts which result in about 1,200 calories burned) and have been watching my calorie intake very closely. But, I haven’t lost a thing. I have now gained 12 lbs in a matter of 5 weeks. No, I’m not pregnant. I almost wish I were because then this wouldn’t be so frustrating. I talked to my doctor about having my thyroid tested (I have been experiencing a little hair loss and extreme exhaustion in the afternoons) but he said to come back for a test if I gained another ten pounds or so. What?!! That would mean a 22 pound weight gain! My normal weight is 113 so that would make a HUGE difference on my frame. So, because I can’t get any answers from my doctor, I am left sitting here wondering what in the world I did to mess up my metabolism this way and what I could possibly do to correct it. I would like to figure it out before I end up getting to that 22 lb weight gain. What’s ironic is that I have actually started eating healthier these past few months than I ever have in my whole life. I continue to increase my workouts and decrease empty calories and yet the results are mind boggling. I’m pretty sure that this situation is not unique only to me, so I am hoping that someone who has experienced this or something similar can fill me in on what they did to correct it. Anyone?!
Wordless Wednesday: Season Closed
Last week, Corey’s baseball season finally wrapped up with a trip to a Travs game where the boys (and girl) got to run out on the field with the Travs baseball team. They were in Heaven and it was probably the highlight of the entire season for them. On the same day, Larissa had her final dance lesson for the season. She absolutely LOVES dance so when I informed her it was her last one for a while, she was pretty much devastated. I don’t know that she has learned a single thing from the lessons but she really does love putting her little outfits on and prancing around the studio in true ballerina fashion. I would say that it has been really nice getting a break, but the same day that baseball ended, football practice (which he LOVES) began, and ballet starts back up in just a few weeks, so I can’t say that I’ve felt much relief. Oh well, this is my life and, believe it or not, this is what I have looked forward to doing since I was a kid in sports! I hope everyone is having a fabulous week–Happy Wednesday!!!!
She's got this whole princess ballerina thing down...that is until she starts dancing:)
The anticipation was killing them!
Nothing makes her happier than a TUTU!!
He looks like a natural, doesn't he?
LaRhonda Puckett is an Air Force wife and stay- at-home mom of two. Even though military life is anything but easy, she wouldn't trade it for anything, because she believes it is central in teaching her family that as long as they have each other and Christ, they have all they need.