What's Cooking Wednesday: POPS

Did you ever realize that things on a stick just taste better?  It's more festive, maybe even a little taboo to gnaw on something that's been stabbed with a sharp piece of wood.  Ok, maybe it's just me, but I love 'pops,' so I thought we'd celebrate Father's Day a little early by making pops (also known as food on a stick).

On the agenda as possibilities:

• cake pops
• marshmallow pops
• oreo pops
• jolly rancher pops
• yogurt pops
• chocolate covered strawberry pops
• brownie pops
• sausage pops
• carrot pops

ok, those last 2 just make my job of scrounging up lunch a little easier.... 

What else could we put on a stick?

How are you celebrating your POP this week?

Movie Monday: Happy Feet

Happy Feet 

(6/11/12)

Here are the specifics for movie night:

• Starts at 8:30 (yes, it's still a little light at 8:30, but we have to keep to our schedule)
• Anyone can come
• Bring chairs (or blankets... there is lawn space available)
• Bring drinks/snacks for your family (I will have a water cooler, but that's about it)
• Bug Spray, Bug Spray, Bug Spray!

I hope you'll join us- we had a good time last week!  If you don't know where I live, message me and I'll send you the address!

Thoughtful Thursday: Food Bank/ Soda Jerk

Today begins one of my very favorite parts of summer- volunteering at the Brazos Valley Food Bank!  The kids LOVE LOVE LOVE doing this every few weeks and it always sparks some very interesting conversations about the realities of our community... 

Here's a picture of the volunteers from exactly one year ago :)

This will be our first step in our thoughtful Thursday adventure!

I should start this second part by saying that my grandfather is almost 88 years old.  He lives close by, but we don't visit nearly enough... He LOVES telling stories about how he was a 'soda jerk' in the 30's and he really does make the best rootbeer floats ever.  Today, we are surprising him with Bluebell Homemade Vanilla ice cream, A&W Rootbeer, and a frosty mug.  I'm sure he'll want to make it, but I want my kids to have the same memories and hear the same stories I did growing up, so we'll watch and listen and soak up the history.... oh, how I love this man!

What's Cooking Wednesday: Smoothies

The kids constantly beg for smoothies, but I have always thought of them as extremely expensive.

Today we are going to go visit the Farm Patch in Bryan and shop for interesting fruits and veggies, the go home and make smoothies- we may freeze some- I haven't thought that far ahead....

Go HERE for some great smoothie ideas...

What's your favorite smoothie recipe?

Time to Read Tuesday: Book Fair

TODAY will be our first visit to the Larry Ringer Public Library!

You can click HERE to see their June 2012 schedule of events.

Today, they will also be holding a Scholastic Book Fair in their back meeting rooms.  The kids have been saving for this, so I am hoping ALL of us find some great books to keep our skills sharp through summer!    I am trying to think of somewhere interesting for us to go read.... any ideas?

I've decided I need a hammock!

Make Something Monday: Art Journal

It's officially the FIRST day of summer.... an adventure awaits!

Today, for Make Something Monday, we are starting our art journals.

What you will need:
1 blank sketch book per kid
Sharpies (have to be Sharpie if you plan to watercolor over it)
Watercolor paints (I like the cheap ones from Michael's)
paint brushes

Today, I am going to have the kids to draw a self portrait on a piece of white 12X12 card stock with black Sharpie.  Once that's done, they will watercolor over the drawing and this will be the cover of their journal.  We will probably also add the first page- I will write their name in big block letters and they will use Sharpie to decorate inside the letters, then use watercolor over the letters.  That may be all I can do today, but it's a start.  I plan to have them add to this every few days all summer- by the end, I hope to have a great representation of tho they are right now- like a little snap shot in time.

 I took the first image, but the last 2 were from michaels.com

A Tearful Goodbye

"Ohh, you're a teacher?  Must be nice getting paid to take the summers off!"

If I had a dollar for every time I heard that, I wouldn't HAVE to be a teacher... so, let me clarify-

We get paid VERY little for the amount of hours we spend working AND if there's a teacher out there that really, truly 'takes the summer off,' I sure wouldn't want them teaching my child.

So, you ask, if the hours are so long and the pay is so little, why I do it?

This is why-

Tomorrow, I say goodbye to one of the best first grade classes the world has ever known.  Though I know these kids will never forget me, will set a special place for me at their wedding, name their first born (boy or girl) after me, ... here I am, assuming I made as great an impact on them as they did on me... I will miss them terribly-

 every. single. one. of. them.

So kids, you have my email address and you can pretty much track my whereabouts on this blog, so email me, find me,  because I am SURE I will need a former first grader hug very soon!  I love you all!

2012 Summer Bucket List

This is our summer bucket list, as compiled by the kids and me.... now, to get Daddy to agree :) 

Welcome!

I am NOTORIOUS for creating blogs, making them all cute, and dropping them after a few (days,weeks,months) so I am setting a short term goal with this one!  It's our summer blog- It's about trying to maintain my sanity while home for the summer with 4 kids, ages 6,9,10,12.   It'll be interesting-