The Wednesday Wars...

Finished another fabulous book! I found this book through Erik's book order at school and thought that it looked good....I am so glad that I bought this book as I will definitely read this again at some point. Now I need to hand it over to Erik and let him read it as well. Here is my review for Goodreads.

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Fabulous story! If you liked Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko, then you will love The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt too. This is a great coming of age story about a boy who learns a lot of life lessons by reading Shakespeare with a teacher who changes his life. You'll fall in love with Holling Hoodhood. This book is funny and tender at the same time. I highly recommend it!

View all my reviews >>

Mommy the teacher...

Austin started preschool this week and it was at our house. (We are rotating with 3 other friends) We have such a cute group of kids (2 boys and 2 girls). It is going to be a fun year!

Austin wasn't quite sure what to think about me being his teacher, one of his friends called me teacher and Austin replied "That's not teacher, that's mommy!"

Funny kid!

Here is my boy on his first day of school


and here is what we did this week:






Our theme was all about me, so we spent our preschool time this week working on these little scrapbooks for the kids to take home. They all turned out so cute. What a fun souvenir to have to remember my little boy at age 3. He's growing up way too fast!

Want to make your own scrapbook for your little one? You can find the printable pages here. Be sure to check out the rest of the site for some great printable games and activities for your preschooler. Also, in my planning for preschool this week, I also came across this awesome site and this book that I am going to put together for my older children (a good Sunday activity...don't you think?!) So many fun projects to work on.

Happy Scrapbooking!

Christmas cuteness...

I am so making this and here are the free patterns.....Adorable!!!
I better get started if I want this done by December. Anyone want to quilt along with me?

Finding Hope

Today I am so grateful for the freedoms that I enjoy. I am thankful to live in a country where I can worship, live, speak, and raise my family the way that I desire. I am thankful that there are men and women serving our country to protect those freedoms and working hard to make sure that 9/11 doesn't happen again. I remember that in the midst of the sadness and fear that came that day, it seemed like the human race came together. Everyone seemed a little kinder, a little more patient, a little more loving....may we never forget!

BYU...

vs. Oklahoma! What an awesome game. Brett and the boys (all 4) were huddled around the TV watching the game while I was getting in a little sewing/ watching the game myself. There was a lot of cheering going on in our house! What a great way to kick off the College football season!

Final score:
BYU 14
Oklahoma 13
Go Cougars! ♥

So many projects...

So little time.

Here is my list of things I want to create:

Sew a cute scripture bag for Ali (This is first on my list, and it's going to be fun! I love sewing purses)

Family wood blocks

Finish nativity

Several re-finish projects.

Finish my darn diaper bag (argh!)

New pics for my little frames

and just when I thought that I had way more than I could handle, I got this in my e-mail from Martha Stewart...How cute and simple is that?! I am thinking I need to make one of these for my kitchen. I may need to make a trip to the thrift store to find just the right plate!

and last but not least, I would love to start on some fall projects and start decorating my home for my most favorite time of year! Too bad it is 100 degrees outside, kinda makes getting into the fall mood a little difficult.

Doesn't that list look like fun?! I can't wait to get started and I think that I am going to attempt to set aside some time today to do just that. I hope to be able to post pics of some finished projects soon! Wish me luck!

Mean Mommy 101...

For those of you who want to be a Mean Mommy like me, here is a quick tutorial to help you out.

First: Every day (yes, every day) that the kids are off-track, write up a list of chores that you would like each child to be responsible for and leave it at their place at the table. Then require that they tackle those chores immediately after breakfast. *Note: the longer the list, the better the grumbling. Little do the boys know, but this little list of chores is still going to appear when they return to school. (insert evil laugh)


2nd: Check their work to make sure that it was done properly, if not have them do it again.




3rd: Add a few more chores as the day goes on just so they don't get too bored or if they start fighting too much. (I tell my kids that if they can't play together, then they will work together.)

4th: After the chores are completed, for a little reward, take them here:

*Warning: This step is questionable, because I am not sure if this little outing is worse for the kids or the Mom.

Then if they are really good at Joanns, you may be able to let your guard down a little and take them here:


But just to look! Remind them that you are not buying anything!

If you do these things, you can be a Mean Mommy just like me. This system works and believe me, your house will be tidy and your boys will learn to clean up after themselves. They'll also learn to be patient while shopping for fabric and crafts (especially if you bribe them with treats). Their wives will thank me someday!

Good job boys! The house looks fabulous!