PTA Program

One way our local schools try to get parents involved in PTA is at the end of each meeting they have a grade level perform a music program. Tuesday night was the 1st graders' turn. Each class sang a song related mostly to February. Abigail's class theme was Martin Luther King and they were to dress up in a 'Patriotic' outfit. She did quite well. Other class topics included George Washington, the Heart, Groundhog, Love, Teeth (guess February is teeth month??), etc.

Below is the entire first grade class... now you can understand why lunch can be a bit chaotic.

Happy Birthday, Nathan!

We celebrated one of our nephew's birthdays this afternoon at a bounce house place. Everyone had a great time. We followed up with eating at Palio's Pizza. Our girls love all of their cousins. They had fun sitting at their own table tonight eating their pizza. It is hard to believe Nathan is 7. Time really does fly. Happy Birthday, Nathan!

7 Weird Things About Me

Okay, I've been tagged. I've had trouble thinking of 7 weird things about myself. I'm a pretty normal, boring person. I even asked my wonderful hubby to name something weird about me, and he wisely answered that he couldn't think of anything. So, here goes...

1) I am an exercise fanatic. I sometimes think I am addicted to it...I truly love the adrenaline rush I get from it. I work out at least 5 days a week and have for almost 2 years, and I can't think of a week during those 2 years that I didn't get my 5 days in. I used to hate it and would come up with many excuses not to go. Now, it makes me feel energized, awake, and happy. Even when we were in Sea World last year, I was so pleasantly surprised to see the hotel had a decent workout facility. And, yes, I actually worked out while on vacation because I couldn't stand it. Once last year, my kids had a stomach bug. They recovered, but I could feel it coming on. I went to the gym anyways. I somehow made it through my workout before going home and vomiting. I worked out twice last week at 5:45 a.m. because I had busy days, and it was the only time I could go. I love it.

2) I eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch every day. Breakfast - Weight Control Cinnamon Oatmeal; Lunch - Turkey Sandwich on Whole Grain Bread with Baked Lays and a glass of Iced Tea. Same thing; everyday. Sometimes I meet friends out for lunch, and if it's somewhere like McDonald's, I always eat before I go because I would honestly rather eat my turkey sandwich for lunch than McDonald's. Every Saturday morning, Brian makes waffles or pancakes for the girls and himself. I happily eat my oatmeal. I am very predictable.

3) I have watched Oprah almost everyday since she began her national show in 1986. I can remember coming home from middle school and turning the TV on everyday to watch her. Luckily, these days we have DVR, so I can watch it at night and breeze through those commercials. I don't always agree with everything she says or does, but I usually find the topics of her shows very interesting. I find her to be an amazing woman who has overcome many obstacles to become the influential woman she is today.

4) I read the obituaries daily. I have done this for as long as I can remember. I see children the ages of my children, moms the same age as me, men and women the same ages as my parents. I have learned of the deaths of former classmates, teachers, neighbors through the obituaries. Some people think it's strange or morbid, but it always makes me so thankful for the many blessings in my life. The two strangest ones I've seen was a man in his 20s who had died from an infected ingrown toenail. The other was a lady who had died and the second line read that she loved to shop at Walmart. That line will definitely NOT be in my obituary.

5) I can not stand unpainted toenails. It drives me crazy. My toenails always have paint on them. Granted, in the winter, it is sometimes chipped paint, but I really do not like to look at my toes without polish. I remember being big and pregnant and painting them, even though I couldn't see them.

6) I have a terrible fear of bees/wasps. People always say not to bother them, and they'll leave you alone. Well, they don't leave me alone. They fly after and chase me. I still run from them. I dread when summer gets here, and I hear them buzzing around.

7) I am a coupon clipper. I love them. Every Sunday, I spend a few minutes clipping them. I have a coupon organizer and place them by category. I purposely avoid Walmart because they don't like my coupons. Every thing has to match up EXACTLY with the coupon and can not be expired. For example, I once had a coupon for Centrum Silver...I bought regular Centrum; they wouldn't take it. This is why I love Target. I actually used a coupon from 2006 the other day...they don't care. If it says you must buy 2 of an item, I just buy one because I don't need two...they don't care. Emma took Tylenol Sinus medication out of my buggie the other day; I still used my $1 off coupon (not knowing she had taken the medicine out - I wasn't charged for the medication though, which is how I know she took it out)...they don't care. I love Target.

So, that's my list...maybe I'm more odd than I thought!

My Little Valentines

Both of the girls had Valentine's Day parties this week. Emma's was on Thursday and their party included playing 'Letter' Bingo w/ candy hearts. I guess some of the kids decided not to 'play' and 'eat' instead.


Abigail's party was today. Not sure why you schedule the class party for the day after the holiday instead of say the day before the holiday. In addition to the typical candy exchange and food to eat, they split up into teams and competed on who could stack up the most candy hearts.

Hannah Montana Mania

Well, I broke down and took Abby to see the Hannah Montana Movie. I was secretly excited to see it as well. The tickets were overpriced at $15/person, but I had never seen a movie in 3-D, so it was worth it. At first, I wasn't too sure about this whole Hannah Montana craze. I did do some research on her though as well as watch several interviews. She appears to be an intelligent, funny, and very grounded young lady. There needs to be a positive, young female role model out there since there seems to be, well,....none at the moment. I really do like her though. When I saw her on Oprah, she said they attend church as much as possible as a family. Ephesians 6:10-11 is Miley's favorite verse: "Finally, my brother, come close to the Lord for if you put on the full armor of God you can stand against the walls of a devil." Her parents appear to be very involved in her life, and they really value family. Abby was singing along to the songs she knew. Many of the moms were singing and waving their cell phones around as if we were at a true concert. I also saw quite a few girls standing up, singing and dancing (some were right up against the movie screen reaching up like they were also at a concert). I didn't see a dad in the theater; just lots of moms with girls around Abby's age. It was a fun, girl time for us! In case you are wondering about Emma, she told me flat out that she did not want to see the Hannah Montana, and she would be staying with her Daddy instead. They also had a great time since Emma requested they eat Taco Bueno for dinner (Brian also ate there for lunch - can you tell whose daughter she is?)

Dance Practice

As most of you know, Abby dances competitively. Their first competition is only weeks away, so we are trying to practice her jazz dance and tap dance. Tapping in the house presents a problem; she has all the movements down and knows the routine, but her teacher told me she needed to work on making her tap sounds louder. Hmmmmm....can't really do that on the carpet. So, one of the dance moms told me they practice in the garage. Out we went this afternoon to practice. Emma knows all of Abby's dances as well. Emma takes a dance combo class on a weekly basis, but I'm afraid she will be on the competitive route in the next few years as well (can you say $$$$?) I honestly don't push them to be in dance, but given their predictions of being close to 6 feet tall, I have encouraged it. Nothing wrong with learning to be graceful. So far, they both seem to really enjoy it.

Princess Play

Emma and I went with some friends today to a Tea/Princess Party open hourly play. As you walk in the door, each girl gets to pick out her own princess gown. Emma immediately spotted the pink one (her favorite color) and the pink feathered matching "glass slippers." She can be a rough and tough little girl, but she is still very much a girly-girl.