Another Pandemic Holiday Season

 Happy Spooky Season! 

We are coming up on another wonderful holiday season that is only going to be filled with SLIGHTLY more togetherness for those that are able to travel or be with people they were not able to be with last year during this time. 

For my family here in my home, we have some fun plans coming up for this season and we cannot wait to do them. This includes celebrating Halloween with a costume walk around the neighborhood (weather permitting), a spooky scavenger hunt with goodie bags and treats to find, some fun cookie decorating and goodie making, a family pumpkin picture painting activity, and of course making decorations and getting the house all spooky! (I still need to purchase some lights but I am working on it). SO we will be super busy the next few weeks getting the house together and preparing for all the fun to come. 

This really is my favorite time of year because I love the colors, scents, and sounds of the season combined in all the different ways you can do so. 

Of course, this year also comes with its own stressors of the kids being back in school (with masks and with the older ones vaccinated), thinking about all the planning that comes with the holidays when we go from one to another within a month of each other. 

There is one major difference this season and year though, I am more prepared than I have been in a long time. I have made lists and done research about things the kids have mentioned wanting and about what I want for Christmas, I have thought about the dishes we will prepare for Thanksgiving, and I have already ordered the rest of the items I need for Halloween apart from the lights that I still have to get. 

So while the holidays and even the regular days are not 100% back to "normal" we have a great start to this year's festivities and I am excited to see how many new memories we make. 

Hope you all have a safe and healthy holiday season. I will check in around Halloween to post some spooky fun content. 

Happy Haunting! 

Soon Summer Ends

 ...And School Online...BEGINS! 

In just a few short weeks we start a school year of distance learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic that is rocking our world right now. 

To get ready for this "distance learning" as it is being called I am making lists of supplies needed, schedules that can keep us on track, and fun activities to tie our learning into our day to day to keep it fresh in their minds!

It shouldn't be too hard to get them started online since we ended last school year with it, but I know there are some changes and we are ready to tackle whatever comes our way. 

My youngest has started reading chapter books to prep him for second grade and continue on with his reading skills (which are awesome by the way). I have printed out worksheets that work on his ability to follow directions and practice his writing skills (we had also improved these tenfold at the end of the year) and plan to get some special pencil grips for him to help him continue on with his progress!

We plan to enter into this school year with a fresh attitude for success. No matter what the year throws at us we are going to stay positive and find a way to make it work. 

Stay tuned for my school supplies list for online learning and other tips and tricks for making the school year start smoothly if you too are distance learning this year! Coming later this week! 

A Roller Coaster Month (and it is not over yet)

The month started off with me feeling a little sad about some things, one of them being that I was laid off from my job, turns out there just was not "enough work" for me to be on their payroll so they had to let me go, so one month before my one year mark at that job they terminated my employment.  It is making things a little harder on us financially and it makes me feel horrible.

To make ends meet a little better we sold the van. That helped pay some bills and caught us up a little bit. Made me a little bit sad though because I really liked the van, but when you need the money that is what you do.

Mckenzee started the third grade that same week! September 8 was her open house where she put away her school supplies in her desk and we met her teacher (then we went and got some ice cream).
On the 9th she started school and came home full of chatter about her first day! She LOVES school! She looked adorable too!

We also celebrated her 8th birthday this month! It is crazy how the time flies and how big she has gotten over the years, I remember when she was just a little thing dressed in little tiny dresses, no hair because it didn't grow in until she was over a year old.
Now she is a beautiful girl, who loves to sing, dance, go to Girl Scouts, make new friends, read. She works hard to draw and wants to learn how to make her handwriting "pretty like mommy's" as she put it. I am very proud of her.

The only other down I have is my health issues lately. I have had pain from some internal issues, a pulled muscle in my stomach, and a cold that seems to want to linger lately. I am hoping a trip to my doctor next week will give me the answers and treatment I am seeking. I kinda just want the doc to go ahead with the surgery and remove all the things that are causing my pain and issues. Hopefully he will.
That is really all I have to say for now because it is hard for me to concentrate with my pain and stuffiness. Hope you are all enjoying the first day of Autumn!

#MomMoments

School Supplies and Readiness

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I took a look at the calendar this morning and had the panic attack moment of realizing school starts in just four short weeks.  Thankfully some of her supplies from last year are in good shape and she can use them again this year, so that should save us some money. She also wants to use a bag my mother gave her as a school bag and that is more money saved.  It seems every year in school it is more and more money to spend on supplies, I think I need to find a way to get coupons or stock up over the year so that when school starts I have most of what she needs already saved up and read to pack in.  She is very excited to be starting the THIRD GRADE (though I wish time would slow down some). She will also be starting her last year as a Brownie in Girl Scouts (next year she will be a Junior) so she is super excited about that. When she went on vacation in CT/RI my mother sewed all her patches from this year on her vest and it looks awesome! All her family is very proud of her accomplishments in Scouting the last year! As am I! It is amazing all the new things she is willing to do now that she has been introduced to Girl Scouts, she has matured and done things she was once afraid to.

Her older brother starts the SIXTH GRADE soon and it drives me nuts to know that he is almost 11 years old already! How can so many years have gone by when it seems just yesterday I was teaching him how to walk and eat with a spoon?! Where does the time go.

Then there is Spencer! He is so smart and talks to well that unless he is upset I can understand just about everything he says.  I am thinking since he loves books and seems to have a knack for remembering things, I am going to start small and begin teaching him his letters/numbers/colors/and shapes so that he is more than ready when the time for him to start school comes about. (That day will be tough as I am pretty sure he is my last baby). I love to watch them grow but it drives me nuts that they seem to do it at a break-neck speed. I blink and suddenly they are all grown up and don't need me as much any more...it is a little heart-breaking but smile inducing.  WATCHING CHILDREN GROW IS AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER!

That is all for today, as I make the mad rush to Payless and Walmart to find all my last minute supplies I hope you are all doing the same and that I run into you soon! ;)

Fall is in the Air!

The colors of the season are upon us. The crisp air, the breezes that lift the leaves from the trees and drop them so perfectly on the slowly fading grasses of summer, the scent of apples and pumpkin everything! 

I am a huge fan of this time of year! I love pretty much everything about it! I love dressing up a little warmer, I love taking pictures of the changing leaves, I love going apple and pumpkin picking. I cannot wait to take the kids out to pick their pumpkins and take their pictures with the fall backgrounds. 

This will be Spencer's first walking Halloween, where he can actually say "Trick or Treat" and get his own treats! I am very excited about it. My mom is sending us a costume too so I don't have to worry about finding him one (which is good with finances being tight and all). This year he is going to be Sully from Monsters, Inc. Mckenzee will be one of three characters, depending on whether my mother gets them done or not. We picked up a Belle from Beauty and the Beast costume but shhhh we are giving it to her for her birthday on Friday since she LOVES to play dress up! However if my mother gets them done, Mckenzee will also have her choice of either Elsa or Anna to be this year as well. 

This year also marks our first Thanksgiving AND Christmas on our own without any others living in the house with us. The holidays will be small and a little tight but we are SO going to make it work! #MakingItWork 

Anyways, I just really wanted to share this with you all, here are some pictures I took over the years at pumpkin picking and one I took of a tree in our yard/parking area! 

I love the colors in this one! 

Fun at the farm! 

More Fun! 

These we fun to take! 

My favorite shot! 

My kiddos over the years! 

#FallFun #MamaLovesAutumn

So it Begins....

It all starts now. 

First it is school, my daughter starts second grade on Wednesday! She is so excited, she is in a new school (hopefully this is the last "new school" in a while)and she LOVES school. This year she actually got a character back pack (for the first time) Disney Fairies! She also has some great back to school outfits thanks to her Gramma and Memere back in CT! My son started middle school this past week and he is a little less excited than his sister. He has always had a little trouble with school because of his ADHD but with the program he is a part of he has been doing well. He is an excellent speller and pretty good at word math problems (like his Mama ;) ). It bums me out a little that I don't get to see him when he goes to school and such but I know it won't always be that way. I am a little disappointed that his father (the photographer) couldn't get a good picture of Andrew on his first day I mean seriously, I thought he prided himself on picture taking skills! 

Now soon to follow after school starts is Halloween, my mother's favorite holiday! This will be Spencer's first Halloween where he can actually walk on his own AND have (some) of the treats he gets. I am hoping that I can make a Halloween dinner or treat sometime close to it just to make it really fun for them this year! 

 This picture is from about 4 years ago and to this day is still one of my favorite shots from pumpkin picking when I had my oldest boy and daughter with me! They are so cute in this picture! My mom thinks I should send it in to Jones Soda for their photo bottles! 

Before I know it after Halloween passes it will be time for Thanksgiving and then *YIKES* CHRISTMAS!!! 

This Christmas will be DJs and my first one on our own without anyone else in the house! Just us and the kids! We even have our own ornaments and everything so I am kinda excited for it to come...except for the recent job loss part that totally bites! 

We are making it all work and we are doing it on our own. We are going to make the best of whatever we can in this holiday season and for many more to come! 

Well that is all I have time for right now readers! Hope you enjoyed and know that BECAUSE my little girls starts school on Wednesday, there will be a picture filled blog of her *YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED* :) 

#MakingItWorkTogether