Certificate of Acheviement

I love that Colby goes to a school that still has holiday parties, parades for Halloween, able to send in cupcakes for birthdays and celebrations for everything.  The school does a great job celebrating milestones and achievements in classrooms also. For example I turn to one of Colby's favorite classes, PE.

What kindergartener doesn't love PE. (I call it gym but Colby always corrects me that it is PE, gym is where it's at!)  He's not a boy that comes home and tells me all the details of his day but I do usually get a play by play of PE.  He loves learning and playing all the different games and sports  they have to offer and once they move onto another activity they come home with a certificate of achievement once that unit is done.

As shown above, he did a fantastic job at bowling. He told me he even enjoyed setting up the pins over an over again. (who likes that?) These crowning certificates are taped on the door for all to admire. 

 The basketball certificate cracks me up. "Awesome effort" translates to you tried but boy you sure don't have the hang of it.

And here effort is  mentioned again!  An "active player" translates into you ran around and burnt off enough energy that you can go back to your classroom and not burst and drive your teacher nuts!

And then, my personal favorite, the certificate that will serve him well later in life....

Cup stacking really?  Isn't this a gate way to flip-cup? And no effort mentioned on this certificate, just an awesome job in achievement in stacking!  That's my boy, this skill will take him far in life (or at least in drinking games in college).

Warning Labels

With a 4 and a 6 year old I had long past the stage of worrying about finding soft, age appropriate toy or trying to latch a baby into a 16 point harness seat, swing, highchair or concerning myself with newborn warning labels.  Well, those days are back.  And with being a third child myself I feel completely fine saying that Vivienne will survive with whatever I do for her.  Don't worry she sleeps on her back and I strap her into her bucket car seat correctly and keep the 4,000 legos off the floor around her. But sometimes  you have to throw caution to the wind. 

Warning labels sometimes take it to the max. I love the "at all times", what about when they are in the car and you cant see them, or you leave them on the floor to go to the bathroom or if they are screaming bloody murder because they are so tired and need to soothe themselves. I don't smother Vivienne with blankets and stuffed animals but when you have a snuggle item that soothes her you keep it with her. 

I mean are you going to try and take this from her! I sure as hell am not.  Watch out world, she's got her eyes on you.

My New Love

So I've been absent for awhile.  I've been busy with the holidays and having a baby.  Yes, all good things with great stories and pictures to tell.  But that will come another day.

 Last week I finally got out to do a little retail therapy.  Here in the fabulous Upper Valley that means hitting up a handful of stores.  Seeing that I've only bought maternity clothes over the last 9 months I was excited at the idea of finding some cute clothes for myself. As I maneuvered the stroller up and down the isles I figured I would grab what I liked and return what didn't work out.  (I've had to adapt with a newborn, don't push my luck on time) I started finding some cute things and then on one of the clearance racks I saw a pair of black sweat pants.  I've got tons of yoga and running pants (because I do so much of that) but no real pair of sweatpants.  I mean, does anyone purposefully buy sweatpants.  I feel they are something that come into your life from different avenues, stolen from the husbands drawer,  mysteriously acquired in dorm room in college and you have had them for years (or decades) or your favorite sports team gear that everyone has to have. What I don't need is more comfy clothes but, alas, I found myself grabbing them, purchasing them and bringing them home. Later in the day when I was trying on my new finds I had almost forgot about the sweatpants.  As I proceeded to go through the bags and being satisfied with my haul I came across the pants in the bottom of one of the bags.  I had tried everything else on so I slipped into the pants and I immediately ripped off the tags. I tell you, I hit the jackpot.  I now understand why some people wear sweatpants in public.  It was like coming home, but to a home that was more comfortable than I had remembered. I admit, unapologetically, that I have worn these pants everyday since their purchase.  I have taken them off and put on other clothes when I go out (the bus stop doesn't count, they stay on then) but I come back to them everyday.

Why do I share this story of my new favorite pair of heavenly black sweatpants? The reason is simple, the happiness that it gives me and the smile that it brings to my face. No really, I found myself laughing at my pure joy and thought that I should write about it.  I'm hoping to be back at the blog again and I figured I would start with some humor before I smother you with stories of newborns. Thanks for coming back.