I'm so sorry. I'm way behind on posts. I promise, I've been very busy preparing meals and crafts to post on here, but it seems lately that every second I get to sit down at the computer (or phone) is sucked up by emails or other business. Let me tell you a little about what's been new in my life.
First of all, I am heavy into fundraising for the upcoming relay for life. As some of you know, I try to raise as much money each year to help people battling cancer. My Dad is a survivor and I hope and pray that many more people get to live long happy lives because of the fundraising that I do. This past weekend we had our big vendor blender to raise money for our cause. Our team had over 20 vendors come together. We hired Cinderella to do a meet and greet and photo opportunity. We had a face painter come. We had crafts and music. There were lots of raffles. It was a wonderful day. This coming weekend is our big painting weekend. We hired an art company to come teach a painting class. Each person interested has registered to paint with us that night and the company is donating a portion of each registration fee to our fund. After that, the big weekend is the Relay for Life weekend which takes place on June 20 and 21st. We will have raffles, games, crafts and lots of other ways to raise as much as we can.
So the next big thing in my life lately is the fact that I have registered for my very first 5K! It is a little shocking for me to be typing that. I am doing a mud run/obstacle course in August. So now my training begins. And I hate running. lol What did I get myself into?!?! I'm taking my gym time to the next level, training as hard as I can. Building muscle, running intervals, trying to get my body into decent enough shape. It is hard but I am proud. I'm feeling great and starting to see improvements in my body. It's definitely not perfect or even pretty, but its getting stronger!
So bear with me. I am working hard on making sure I have some pretty clever ideas for you all on the blog soon. Check back with me often, follow me on Pinterest, and if you haven't already, check me out on Facebook. I'll be back posting regularly soon!
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Friday, May 9, 2014
Happy Teacher Appreciation Day! (A love letter to my childrens' teachers)
I started babysitting when I was 8. I had my first nanny job at 13. I taught a lab preschool while I was in High School. I went on to a few internships at preschools while I was in college. I graduated from college with a degree in early childhood education, and taught for 5 years. Then I got a nanny job, then I had my own kids, now I run a nursery program and babysit in my free time. You could say that my life has revolved around children. I loved teaching, I adore being around kids. It really takes a special person to teach children all day, every day. The pay sucks, but the benefits outweigh the paycheck. The hugs, the smiles, the fact that you are nurturing and educating this tiny person, someone who may grow up to do amazing things. Its just the best feeling in the world. I loved my teaching jobs and I miss them very much. These days, I am not able to volunteer in my kids' classrooms much, but when I do, the memories of my teaching days come back and I enjoy my time there a ton. These teachers work so hard. I am very lucky that both of my older children have very loving and fun teachers. Their teachers are excited when my children achieve something, or overcome a struggle. They give them encouragement and cheer them on. They teach them so much, and I can't thank them enough. I know how hard it is to be a teacher sometimes. I know that they have to follow certain guidelines and rules. I know that in this day and age, they have so much work that they have to teach the children, and little time for fun. But my kids come home everyday happy and full of stories of how their teachers helped them and made learning fun for them. I truly love the teachers that my children have. I wish that I could show them how special they are to me and to my kids. I wish that I was rich enough to spoil them rotten and show them how much their job is appreciated.
That being said, I'm not rich. But I did come up with a cute little gift that my kids could hand to their teachers today to show them how much we appreciate all that they do. I ended up finding this little poem on the computer.
"Teachers have such busy lives, working hard at school. They sandwich lots in every day. We think they're pretty cool. When students act like turkeys, or ham it up in class, they exercise such patience and handle all the sass. They never put off 'til tomato what they could do today. Lettuce appreciate their efforts and help them along the way. When they're in a pickle, they help each other out. Teachers are smart cookies. Of this we have no doubt. When the chips are down, teachers still pull through. We want to thank you very much for all the things you do."
I typed it up, putting the lunch references in bold type, and adding little pictures of food. Then my kids and I took a little trip down to Subway where we bought their teachers gift cards so they could get lunch on us. Then for the aids in my daughter's kindergarten class, we got them hand sanitizer and hand soaps with a little note from my daughter stating "Hands down, I think you're the best." We love our teachers, and they give so much of themselves each day. It is hard work to keep a class of 15-25 kids engaged and interested and happy all day. My two older kiddos have teachers that give all they have each school day, and it shows. My kids love school, love their teachers and love the things they learn. I am so grateful to have two kids who are happy to be getting on a school bus each morning!!!
It's just a little token of our appreciation. I hope they enjoyed it. And for all of you out there with kids, I hope you gave those teachers a little token of your appreciation. Whether it be a small gift, or something large from a group of kids, teachers love to hear that they are appreciated. (Doesn't everybody?!?!) If you haven't gotten a gift for your teachers, feel free to copy my idea, or find something else on Pinterest that you think your teachers would like. They work hard and deserve a little treat now and then. Thank you to all of you teachers out there!!!! And to Mrs Nilson, Mrs Duffany, Mrs Raber, Mrs G, Miss Beth, Mrs Geist (My son would kill me if I didn't include you!), and all of the other teachers that have helped mold my children into the (mostly) wonderful people they are today, Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and my children's hearts. We appreciate every day you are there and everything you do. I hope we show it enough how much we truly do appreciate you all. Thank you!!! ~S,H,S,A,and little H.
That being said, I'm not rich. But I did come up with a cute little gift that my kids could hand to their teachers today to show them how much we appreciate all that they do. I ended up finding this little poem on the computer.
"Teachers have such busy lives, working hard at school. They sandwich lots in every day. We think they're pretty cool. When students act like turkeys, or ham it up in class, they exercise such patience and handle all the sass. They never put off 'til tomato what they could do today. Lettuce appreciate their efforts and help them along the way. When they're in a pickle, they help each other out. Teachers are smart cookies. Of this we have no doubt. When the chips are down, teachers still pull through. We want to thank you very much for all the things you do."
I typed it up, putting the lunch references in bold type, and adding little pictures of food. Then my kids and I took a little trip down to Subway where we bought their teachers gift cards so they could get lunch on us. Then for the aids in my daughter's kindergarten class, we got them hand sanitizer and hand soaps with a little note from my daughter stating "Hands down, I think you're the best." We love our teachers, and they give so much of themselves each day. It is hard work to keep a class of 15-25 kids engaged and interested and happy all day. My two older kiddos have teachers that give all they have each school day, and it shows. My kids love school, love their teachers and love the things they learn. I am so grateful to have two kids who are happy to be getting on a school bus each morning!!!
It's just a little token of our appreciation. I hope they enjoyed it. And for all of you out there with kids, I hope you gave those teachers a little token of your appreciation. Whether it be a small gift, or something large from a group of kids, teachers love to hear that they are appreciated. (Doesn't everybody?!?!) If you haven't gotten a gift for your teachers, feel free to copy my idea, or find something else on Pinterest that you think your teachers would like. They work hard and deserve a little treat now and then. Thank you to all of you teachers out there!!!! And to Mrs Nilson, Mrs Duffany, Mrs Raber, Mrs G, Miss Beth, Mrs Geist (My son would kill me if I didn't include you!), and all of the other teachers that have helped mold my children into the (mostly) wonderful people they are today, Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and my children's hearts. We appreciate every day you are there and everything you do. I hope we show it enough how much we truly do appreciate you all. Thank you!!! ~S,H,S,A,and little H.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Mother's Day discount courtesy of Two Smiles Gift cards
The Spring holidays are behind us and Mother's
Day is around the corner. Even though this beloved holiday is meant to honor
mothers, it seems to add to our to do list as well! Between making brunch
reservations, shopping for the other mothers in our lives and coordinating
family plans, it's definitely a labor of love. Luckily, there is an occasion for
us to take some time for ourselves to celebrate our achievements all year long
and it's coming up as well! That's right; it's almost time for National Mom's
Nite Out.
On May 8th, mothers everywhere will be getting
together in the ultimate celebration of motherhood. And while ALL mothers
deserve a night of fun and pampering, we all know other mothers who might be in
special need of a celebration this year! Because HP is all about offering easy
and innovative solutions to moms and families, they've created a fun and simple
way for you to spread the National Mom's Nite Out message to the other moms in
your life.
With the
specially-created National Mom's Nite Out TwoSmiles card, you can select a perfect gift for another mother, while encouraging
her to treat herself to a much-deserved night out. On TwoSmiles.com, you can
create a custom greeting card and attach a gift that your recipient will be sure
to love- a gift card from one of her favorite retailers! For the ultimate
National Mom's Nite Out gift, we suggest sending a friend a movie gift
(TwoSmiles offers Fandango, Regal and AMC) so that you can both go see MOMS'
NIGHT OUT the movie, which releases on May 9th, 2014. However, this is just one
of the many gift options available on TwoSmiles.com- you choose the gift that
suits your recipient best!
Speaking of gifts, what mom wouldn't love a photo panel or
mug? HP Photo Creations is discounting these great gift ideas in honor of
National Mom's Nite Out and Mother's Day. Check out the great selection here and use the code HPTY to receive 40%
off your photo panel or mug order from now until May 31st. Feel free to
share the code with your friends and followers as well!
Whether you're thanking a friend for picking up
your extra carpool days or brightening the day of a fellow mother who's had a
tough week, the National Mom's Out card on TwoSmiles.com or an HP Photo
Creations gift is sure to strike the right sentiment.
Wishing you a wonderful National Mom's Nite Out
and a Happy Mother's Day!
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