Bullying, Farting, and Young Love...

Today the school held an assembly about Bullying,

Today I have now heard my children call one another a bully countless times... Imagine that.

Isn't that usually how it is?  Teach a child some useful information and they turn it around and use the information in the very way it was NOT intended to be used?

Well, that's how it is with my kids....

They are now bullying one another by use of the word Bully. 

Today Sam accidentally kicked Brenna and didn't say sorry.  According to Brenna, he is now a Bully.

Today Brenna took Sam's spot next to me on my bed.

According to Sam, she is now a Bully.

Today both kids recited some VERY important information they learned in this assembly...

"Don't stand by, Be an Alibi!"

(Really this is suppose to be "Don't stand by, Be an Ally!")

I thought that to be quite the funny interpretation of what they thought they learned.  

Not sure my kids gained a whole lot from this bullying assembly... Wonder how many more times I can count them calling one another a Bully before bed.

Any guesses?

Well, +1 happened JUST NOW!

Anyway, I had to share this little bit of information shared with me by Sam's little girlfriends mom...

Aubrielle turned five today.

You can read about that HERE

(Have I ever told ya'll how much I LOVE her little family? In case I haven't... I LOVE THAT SMITH FAMILY!)

Sam worked very hard on this card for her...

Not sure how well you can see it, but the card reads "Happy Birthday to... My Aubrielle."  It's what he asked for me to help him write, then I left him to decorate the card by himself.  I came back to find a picture of him and her, which he was quick to point out that his legs are longer than hers because he IS a little bit taller than her..."RIGHT MOM?" (apparently his manhood rides upon being a little bit taller than her). They are walking hand in hand, surrounded by a ton of hearts and flowers.  He wrote I love you 3 different times on the card.  I guess one time just isn't enough...

He very shyly gave this card to Aubrielle this morning, to which she so graciously accepted the card with a hug and a smile.  Apparently she sat with this card in her lab, admiring it through the first part of class today, and apparently those 3 I love you's did the trick...

She told her mom, "Sam really does love me Mom!" 

Cute right?

Well, it gets better.  Shelley (Aubrie's mom) came to tell me about how Aubrielle's party plans were coming.  Sweet Aubrie has been SO concerned with making sure that Sam has fun at her party so she has made all her birthday party choices based upon whether it can be for both boys and girls.  They are having a late night movie party and will be watching Little Rascals (because Sam will like it too). Party favors even include mustaches and WHOOPEE cushions because "Sam will LOVE that, Boys like farting!"

Now if you knew Aubrielle, you would totally understand just how much this shows her love for our little Sam.  She is a TOTAL girly girl and farting is just not something to be expected of a princess like her.  Yet here she is incorporating farting into her party just for her Sam.  Sounds to me like our Sam has found himself a keeper.  Already offering compromise to ensure the happiness of the one she loves... and he does the same for her.  

Young Love, It's the BEST! 

Speaking of farting... How is a teacher suppose hold her composure in class when a student rips a big one at circle time?  THAT happened yesterday and let me tell you... Holding a straight face was much more difficult than I had anticipated. 

Crazy Corn Maze, Pumpkin Patch, and Pumpkin Carving...

What did you do with your weekend?

Well, we had a long one so we were able to squeeze a TON of fun into ours.

I've never really looked at corn stalks and thought "Wow this sure is pretty," but when we decided to go to the Crazy Corn Maze that is exactly what I began to think as I watched my cute family make their way through the maze. 

See what I mean....

Pretty right?  

Anyway, we could hardly keep the kids contained when we arrived.  They were beyond excited to get started and get lost.

We had a really good time, but I was scared the entire time that we were going to lose one of the kids because they kept running ahead of us.  Children of the corn kept running through my head and I couldn't help but thing "What if someone comes and grabs one of the kids and pulls them into the rows of corn and we never see them again?"  I know I am a HUGE worry wart.

And then of course the kids thought it would be funny to play upon Mom's worrisome ways and would hunker down in the corn and see if they could worry me even more because I couldn't see them.  

I of course would always find them. HA!

Bill even opted to get in on the hide from Mom fun, but he too failed miserably, but in his defense he had no hope in success with the kids by his side.  Just as I came around the corner I could hear Sam whisper (very loudly I might add), "Shhhh guys, I see Mom!"

Doesn't matter that his plan didn't work.  As you can tell from the picture above he still thought that he was super funny and clever.

On a different note, I must say that having a husband like Bill makes it very difficult to enjoy the fun of getting lost because with a map in hand he knew exactly where we were and exactly where we needed to go to get to our next checkpoint.  

In case you have never been to the Crazy Corn Maze, they have 10 questions that you are suppose to answer and then ten different check points within the maze with different shaped hole punches at each check point to ensure that you found each of them.  If you find them all then you get a prize at the end.  Though we didn't get lost, you had better believe that we found ALL ten of those check points.  

Now, no Tomlin Family outing would be complete without two things.  One, dancing Brenna and two, some kind of potty drama.  Without fail, everywhere we take our kids we have to visit a restroom at least 2-3 times.  AND without fail Brenna is busting out some type of dance related moves.  The dancing poses no problem at the corn maze...

BUT you can imagine what kind of problems come along with the potty thing, especially when you are dead center of the maze with no easy access to a potty.  I must say I am SO proud of Brenna for making it all the way through the maze without having to pee... THE BOYS

On the other hand were a different story.  Yes this includes Bill.  Both were hit with an immediate NEED to go pee, but as I mentioned we had no easy way out to get them that much needed relief.  

(Note to EVERYONE, visit the pot before you enter the maze)

Fortunately for boys, they have the option of just being very discrete in the act.  Yes, they BOTH tucked themselves away in the corn stalks and did their business...

Bill MAY or may not kill me for these pictures.  He should know better though... HA!

We finally made our way out of the corn maze, though I am sure we made it out much faster than many do it did seem to go on for quite awhile.  

An added benefit to having gone to the Corn Maze is that it doubles as a pumpkin patch.  We were, however, very disappointed with the pumpkin options.  It seemed that the majority of the pumpkins were beginning to or in the major phases of rotting.  We were pretty limited.  This may be a result of being late into the month along with the warmth and dryness of our summer?  I'm just guessing here, but it seems like those combined could be likely causes.  

We finally decided on the pumpkins we felt right for each of us and headed out.  We hit up Jordan Landing for some dinner and of course we can't go there without making a stop at Barnes and Noble.  We didn't get home until late so the Pumpkin carving had to wait until Sunday.  

Amazingly enough we managed to keep the table fairly clean during the carving process.  YAY for easy clean up.  

Brenna decided on a vampiress pumpkin.

Sam and Bill of course had to have the scary element to their pumpkins.  Sam wanted his JUST LIKE Dad's, but Bill talked him out of it.  

I of course have to have a girly/cute pumpkin.  She even has eyelashes.  

Our little Tomlin Pumpkin Family.

I think each of our pumpkins represent each of us very well.  I sure hope each of your weekend was as fun filled and awesome as ours was...

Have a HAPPY MONDAY!

(A little over a week till Halloween, are you as excited as I am?) 

Life as I Remember It: My Wedding Ring

Jumping ahead quite a bit in my life I know, but this is a story that recently became fresh in my mind as one of the ladies I work with had quite the traumatic moment regarding her wedding ring this week in class.  This event made me recall the story of my ring and just how heartbroken I truly would be if anything bad happened to it.  Yes I know that everyone out there has a special bond with the ring that symbolizes the vows made on that special day to the one you love, BUT mine has a greater meaning to me and Bill than just what it represents.  Let me tell you why...

Bill was fresh home from war when we (really I gave him an ultimatum, I had waited a year for him after all... the least he could do is marry me) decided to plan a quick wedding.  We had already committed to purchasing a home together so really getting married was only appropriate (in my mind anyway).  Due to our quick decision (and my demanding ways) to marry, I didn't get a proposal.  I was okay with that.  As a result to not getting a proposal, Bill decided that I would not see my ring until we said our I Do's.  I was okay with that too.  Bill and I were married within 5 weeks of his return so the wedding itself was very small.  Talk about those 5 weeks will have to wait for another post... Back to the ring story.

Bill and his Dad headed off to the Mall one afternoon (I want to say within the first week Bill was home) to scope out rings.  Bill had a general idea of the style of ring I wanted, but also had some ideas in mind that he liked himself.  He was very particular in what he was looking for really because he wanted to find something that incorporated both of our ideas.  I'm not certain where all they looked, or how long they looked for I just know that he found what he was looking for.  As he and his dad sat discussing rings, of course the topic of "how are you going to propose" came up.  Bill's response was I'm not.  He told the ladies in the jewelry store that he had just returned from overseas and that how our marriage plans came to be.  That conversation then led to one about war, his experiences, and of course their appreciation for his sacrifices for our freedoms.  All the while there was an older gentleman in the store along with Bill and his Dad that was discussing watch repairs with one of the other workers.  This store is quite small and everyone's conversations with one another really are easily overheard.  Conversations of military and war relations continued throughout the entire purchasing process.  Bill completed the basic paperwork and put a down payment down on my ring.  In an attempt to surprise, but opted to only put a down payment down rather than making the complete purchase to ensure that the element of surprise with me still existed (we did share a bank account after all and he didn't want me to know quite yet what the cost was going to be).  Once the sale was completed Bill and his Dad walked down to the little coffee joint that sat next to the Nordstrom's entrance at the time, grabbed a coffee, and sat to talk awhile.  After having sat there chatting for about 15 minutes Bill's phone rang.  The call came in from the jewelry store and the sales lady was crying.  She explained to Bill that he needed to come back to the store to complete the final purchase work on the ring.  Confused, Bill complied and headed back to the the jewelry store.  Upon arrival, he noticed that all the ladies in the store were in tears.  They told Bill that they needed to finalize all the paperwork because someone had paid off the remaining balance on my ring.  As it turns out, this someone was that gentleman who was having his watch repaired.  He overheard Bill's conversation of war and how he had just returned.  He overheard our story and the difficulties that war brought to our life and how Bill's time away brought us to the realization that marriage was our next step.  This gentleman asked the jewelry store to keep his name anonymous as he wasn't giving us this gift as a way to be in the spotlight.  He just wanted to offer a simple Thank You to Bill for his service for our country.  This gentleman explained to these ladies that he too had gone to war, Vietnam, and no one ever thanked him for his sacrifices and he wanted to make sure that Bill knew that there was at least one person out there grateful for him putting his life on the line for our freedoms.  He wanted to make sure that I knew that there was someone out there thankful for being the person worrying from home as the love of my life was thousands of miles away in harms way every single day. 

Soon after leaving the jewelry store Bill called me and told me about what happened.  I cried and he cried.  I can't even begin to describe how much a simple thank you means to Bill when he gets them, but this act of gratitude was far more than we had ever anticipated.  There are no words to describe how thankful we are for this man and the kindness he showed us.  I know that those who came home from Vietnam weren't as fortunate to be offered even a handshake as a thank you for what they went through.  If I could, I would wrap my arms around this man and thank him for his sacrifices as well, and thank him for giving us the most wonderful and memorable thank you of our lives.

I proudly wear my ring, my symbol of the vows made on my wedding, and the constant reminder of one man's appreciation for my husbands sacrifices.  My ring holds great meaning for Bill and I... It symbolizes far more than what most wedding rings symbolize.  I am grateful for it and look forward to passing this story and my ring onto my children.  

Know What I love about October... and Brenna's Monster Ball

I used to HATE Fall...

It meant that the snow was coming and summer was officially a thing of the past.  I totally dreaded this season... In my younger years anyway.

In my adult years I have really come to love Fall, more specifically October.  My first born entered our lives on a beautiful October day.  This is when my feelings about Fall began to change.  I now look forward to October.  We still have a few lingering warm days accompanied by some crisp cool/cold days that we get to bundle up in blankets on the couch or in bed with a cup of hot something to drink.  I love that.  In October I get to bust out all the spice candles/air fresheners, which in case you didn't know are my FAVORITE scents. In October we are given a little bit of the best of both warm and cold seasons.  October really is that happy medium. 

In my adult years Halloween has become one of my top favorite holidays as well.  On October 1st you had better believe I am busting out my Halloween decor. I LOVE decorating for Halloween and I love busting out my creative juices to come up with fun original costumes for my kids.  I have found that I get really bummed out when my kids choose costumes that come in a bag ready for wear.  They are boring to me and look cheap, no matter how much money you spend on them.  AND in all reality it takes away from my own personal enjoyment.  Last year was one of those years... Brenna was Alice and Sam was Super Mario.  I didn't get to make anything.   This year October has been wonderful and my kids didn't let me down in the costume department.  I am feeling very festive and my cup is overflowing.  Brenna decided she wanted to be a Monster High Doll.  She didn't really care which one, so when I happened upon a Monster High skirt at Ross for 5 bucks it was decided that she was going to be Claudine Wolf (the werewolf).  I made her ears out of sticky back felt and just wrapped them around a headband then glued a bow to one ear.  I used an old see through stretchy black shirt I had and cut it to shreds and placed it over a solid brown long sleeve shirt.  I found some cute purple leg warmers for a buck somewhere (sorry can't remember if it was target or the dollar store) and put them over some cute black spiderweb tights.  Easy and inexpensive costume that looks just as good as those $30 ones you can buy at the store.  

We still may add some accessories to the costume before Halloween, but all in all it cost me less than $10 for the entire costume.  SWEET!

Sam chose a Mummy for his costume this year.  I was really excited about this because I knew that it would be another inexpensive costume to pull off, but I would still be able to enjoy making it.  I got a sweatsuit from Walmart (shhhh don't tell Sam, but he is wearing girl bottoms because they were out of the heather gray in boys) and 2 yards of plain fabric that cost less than $2 a yard.  I tore that fabric into strips and just hot glued it to the sweat suit.  Below is a pic of Sam at Brenna's party and his costume wasn't 100% complete yet, but even still I think it turned out well.  

As you can see there is still more sweatsuit that needs covered and come Halloween we will have his hair sprayed white and spiked up all over out of the head wraps.  He wants a little bit of dirt and blood splatters as well.  Not only was this costume cheap to make, BUT it will also be WARM on Halloween night.  Double bonus right?!?!  Though his girly friend would much rather him be her Prince Charming, I think she was okay with a "Mummy Prince" instead...

  

Yet another year of costumes to be proud of if I do say so myself!

All these above pictures come courtesy of Brenna's 7th Birthday Bash.  Brenna's birthday party theme selection was a PERFECT choice to put me in the Fall spirit.  I got to create a Monster Ball for my princess.  Surprisingly, I didn't break the bank with this party either... though I personally think it looks like I did.  The best part of homemade stuff is that in most cases it costs far less than what you can buy in a store.  Homemade also looks better (in my opinion anyway).  I have discovered that the dollar store really is the BEST place to get the bulk of stuff for parties (plates, cups, table cloths, spiderweb, goody bag fillers).  My number one tip for birthday parties it DO NOT buy the cups and plates with characters on them to match the theme.  They are rediculously priced and really unnecessary.  After about five minutes of food on them they end up in the trash anyway, so go to the dollar store and just pick a color that coordinates with the theme. The dollar store really does carry the majority of must haves for parties, and it saves a GRUNDLE of Moolah!  I can't tell you how many bags of spider web I used this year, but I can tell you that I was grateful for the dollar store for this one decor choice alone.  I have spiderweb spread indoors and outdoors. My black, white, and red living room really is the PERFECT place to create that creepy, but classy, Halloween environment.  

The Perfect place to host a Monster Ball...

Now Brenna's Monster Ball was no simple event.  It wouldn't have been complete without all the homemade Halloween treats I made... We really had it all....

And you had better believe that the majority of this food was devoured by all the little ones that attended...

We painted little pumpkins too...

(Which may not have been one of my better ideas because paint ended up in far more places than just the pumpkins)

I should have known better.

All in all though, I hosted a pretty good Monster Ball and Brenna was very happy with the event as well.  

 Brenna has been blessed with some pretty awesome friends.  She had a great turn out (above pic isn't even everyone who showed) and made out like the little princess she is.

October is in full swing and this is just a small amount of the fun I have been able to have this year.  Being a teacher opens up a whole other world of fun and creativity.  Up next in our month is all the Halloween celebrations themselves.  I have two days of Halloween festivities at school with my own kids and my preschool kids, then of course there is HALLOWEEN!

I sure hope everyone is enjoying the Fall and October as much as I have been... It really is a time of year that brings joy to my house.