My Neck 'o the Woods

I'm hookin' up with the gals over at the RHOK. They have a new thing called Your Neck of the Woods (or something like that), where you're supposed to just give a little glimpse into what's going on in your 'neck of the woods', a.k.a. life. They do this on Tuesdays, and since today is Tuesday I decided to give it a try.

This is my Katie. She's 7 years old. She has always been a girly, girly, girly girl. Princesses rule her world (and still do), and she's counting down the days until the Royal Wedding (hmmm, wonder where she got the obsession with the RW **looks away innocently**). Anyway, lately she's turned into a total GOOFBALL!!!! She makes these crazy faces all the time and says the silliest things. I can hardly get a straight answer out of her anymore--everything she turns into a joke! This new emerging personality trait is what's been going on in my world.

Doesn't she know that's not how she's going to capture a prince to marry?? Manners...etiquette, my dear. (She does have a perfect curtsy, though).

What's going on in Your Neck of the Woods? Go over to the RHOK and let them know!

PMS?

I find it funny that my 7 year old thinks this is what PMS makes you feel like. I found this drawing in her room this morning when I was picking up.

I'm sure that P.M.S. stands for something else. But let's all pretend that it means you will feel like a princess. I'll let you know in a couple weeks.

Name That Tune!

Once again, Impulsive rocked it and got yesterday's answer...Tiny Dancer by Elton John. So here's the score:

Impulsive=2

Korinne=1

And here's today's lyric:

"When through the woods and forest glades I wander, I hear the birds, sing sweetly in the trees."

What's that song?

Wordless Wednesday--She Shoots, She SCORES!

My, my, my...it's been a week already. How time flies. When you're having fun (or when you're so busy that time just gets away from you).

Anyhoo...Wordless Wednesday for you again this week. Sorry the photo is so cruddy, taking photos in a gym with an iPhone while chasing two other kiddos does not lead to quality photos. But here's Katie at her first basketball practice.

You seriously don't know how momentous this is.

Wish us luck.

And sorry there's so many words...guess it's not really Wordless Wednesday.

Shake Your Booty--or Not

As you know, I'm a huge fan of Dancing with the Stars. I love dancing, was a dancer, and actually, I'm pretty darn good at it, too--but it's one of my hidden talents that you will NEVER see. Generally speaking, DWTS is okay for my 1st grader, Katie, to watch. She loves the show--that apple didn't fall far from the tree, at all. Sure, I have to explain a little bit to her about appropriate costume choices and dance moves, but overall, it's a show that she and I can enjoy together.

Usually on Tuesday nights we just kind of watching bits and pieces (it's just the results show, you only need the last 5 minutes). Katie, however, enjoys watching the guest performances and the dancing that goes along with it. So last night when I had to make a quick run to the grocery store during DWTS, Katie told me she'd tell me what happened when I got back.

This is what she told me about what I missed; "The girls were dancing and sticking out their booties and shaking them and their boobies. It was bad. Really not good, mommy. I can't even show you."

So she drew a picture of it instead.

I guess that booty really made an impression. Look at the size of that thing!

Notice the frowny face and arrow pointing at the girl--that's Katie showing how she felt about that dancing.

That's my girl!

Now...I just need to figure out how to explain to her that the Rumba and Tango (her fav dances) probably aren't appropriate dances for 7 year olds. I think I'll teach her to Jive tonight.

First of First

Today is Katie's 1st day of 1st grade. It was bittersweet because she has been so excited about starting school for about a week now, me...not so much. We've had the best summer...just relaxing, swimming, perfect vacation...I'm not ready for it to end. But as the Bible says, to everything there is a season. And today ushers in a new season...school season.

When Katie started Kindergarten I was excited and sad because we had reached a huge milestone...school! I was ready for her (and us) to take on the adventures of school. But for some reason, as she starts school, I'm a little nervous. Now she has to be grown up, be completely responsible for everything, she's expected to know what to do and how to do it. No more, "she's just a Kindergartner, it's ok." I just pray that my little girl will face challenges with confidence, be a leader, know when to ask for help or challenge herself to find the answers herself. I know that Katie has it in her--I've seen it. But I a mom, I worry, because that's what mom's do. Don't get me wrong--I'm SO excited for first grade, just a little nervous about it.

As WM, Josie, Patrick and I were leaving school, we stopped with another group of parents because the principal was making the morning announcements/welcome. After announcements were prayers. Each day starts with prayer at our school. And that was when I was reminded that my daughter is not just in the wonderful hands of her teachers, she is in the hands of our Father.

How refreshing it is for her to be surrounded by people who will encourage her to pray and be proud of her faith--every day.

What a wonderful place for her to be!

Lucky Seven

Today is Katie's lucky day...today she turns 7 years old!

She's a little dynamo who still believes when she grows up that it she can be a princess (or a dancer or a teacher or an artist or a clothes maker or a golfer...whatever her passion is for that day). I don't care what she grows up to be....she'll always be my little girl, my first born, my child who taught me how to be a mommy, my girly girl. What a special day today is for her and for me...remember this day and the moment she came into our lives (3:13 p.m.).

"I love you for infinity...and more" my sweet Katie. Happy Birthday!

Paper Dolls

Who needs to buy those sissy, baby paper dolls...

When your mom has a subscription to InStyle magazine?

My Katie will spend hours doing this. She cuts out the girls, then flips through the magazine and cuts out the dresses and shoes and purses and other fashionable things and then tapes the outfits onto the girls. She loves doing it and she also stops along the way to check out the make up, nail polishes, hair products...she always has comments on which dresses look nice and which ones she doesn't like "at all." It's really quite funny coming from a 6-year-old. I swear that I don't talk to her about this stuff. She sees me looking through the magazine, but I don't tell her that girls should dress like this or that or wear make up, etc. She just loves it...it's part of what she's made of. I don't mind, but along the way I remind her that she is beautiful no matter what. And...in case you're wondering...she's never once asked to try on my make up (painting her toe nails has been her only request) or get her ears pierced (which is not allowed until she's 13 years old).

Go ahead and play paper dolls, my sweet girl...cut up mommy's magazines...dream of wearing beautiful clothes and sparkly jewelry...but stay my 'little girl.'

Perfect Pairings--Palm Sunday

Again, like normal, I'm a little late getting this posted today. This is Katie waving her palms that she got at church this morning. We walked to church today and as we walked home, she waved them the whole way. You can see more Perfect Pairings over at Baloney's Blog.

¹²The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. ¹³They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
"Hosanna!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Blessed is the King of Israel!" ¹⁴Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written,
¹⁵"Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey's colt."

--John 12: 12-15

Have a prayerful and peaceful Holy Week.

Getting to Know You

Last Wednesday Katie's Kindergarten class invited their dads for "Donuts with Dad." The daddies joined their little ones for a "D" shaped donut and some special one-on-one time with their kiddo. One of the things the dads brought home was a "Daddy Facts" sheet that the kids did. Their teachers asked them the question and wrote down the answer. I thought you might like to get to know WM a little better...via our 6 year old daughter.

She was doing pretty well...got his name correct (thankfully, that would bad if she didn't know her dad's name!), she got his age right (I'm sure he appreciates me telling his age-but if you've ever met WM, you know he doesn't look 46).

His favorite food and drink...beer and raisins. That's great...but we're not sure where she came up with this. Especially the raisins??

Cooking...macaroni? Yeah, he can do that, but really WM's a pretty good cook.

The one that cracked us up the most was his favorite thing to do is "do funny stuff to my mom." Hopefully she's not talking about 'funny' stuff.

And what he says to her most? "No?" I guess that's better than what the kid next to her said his dad says most to him, which was "I don't care."

(She did better with his questions than she did when she was in pre-school and was asked questions about me--she said I was 17 years old and weighed 61 pounds and did commercials).

Katie and WM on their way to the 50's Dance at Katie's school.

WM and Katie have a very special relationship. The daddy/daughter relationship that you read about. From the minute she was born she was wrapped around his finger. It's really quite special. They even have their own special song (The Promise by When in Rome).

Happy Monday--it's SPRING BREAK!!! Yeah!!!

Dessert a la Six Year Old

Every once in awhile I like to share a recipe with you, so I thought I'd give this one to you today.

This one come via Katie, my 6 year old. She's an aspiring chef creative with food.

It's very simple and makes quite a beautiful presentation.

You need 3 simple ingredients:

1 slice of bread

1 Tag-a-Long Girl Scout cookie

5 Strawberries

This is easy...tear up the bread and put it in a bowl, then put the cookie in the middle, then make a circle of strawberries.

Here's what your finished dessert should look like--so pretty.

Gross, huh?

Move Over Katie Couric

Many of my Facebook friends read a "statue update" of mine lately where I said:

"I find it hilarious that my 6 year old reads the newspaper while eating her breakfast before school. She has the most serious look on her face."

Several people commented that I needed to take a picture of that. I don't think they believe that a 6 year old would actually read the newspaper. After all, newspaper readership has been increasingly on the decline since the birth of the internet. I could give you a bunch of statistics on newspaper readership (remember--until July 2009 I was in the marketing/PR/advertising world--I know what I'm talking about), just let me just say that 18-49 year olds aren't really reading the newspaper as their main news source. Maybe there's a new trend emerging in newspaper demographics.

(I swear, I did not pose her for that pic. When she sees me coming with my camera she starts cheesing it up and posing. I had to be very stealth to get this pic).

It doesn't matter, I have a 6 year old who likes to read the paper. Yes, the first section she reads is the Comics, but then she moves on to the hard news sections, often spelling a word that she doesn't know and asking what it is.

As silly as it sounds, I'm proud of my little 6 year old for reading the newspaper. Some might think this is the foreshadowing of girl who's going to be nerdy. But I bet no one will call Meredith Vieira, Diane Sawyer, Ann Curry or Katie Couric a nerd.

I shouldn't find this surprising, after all, she is the product of a mother who has a degree in Journalism. And WM's mom has said that he used to do the same thing. Maybe it comes naturally.

Katie Couric? Watch out Katie Couric....there's a new Katie in "news" town!

Perfect Pairings-Luke 2:12-14

"This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."--Luke 2:12-14

Headwear 101

I think I've pointed out before, my 6 year old, Katie, is very fashion-forward. And as every fashionista knows, accessories are extremely important. Katie's accessory of choice is head wear.

A flower is always a nice touch.

As is a skirt.

You can never go wrong with football shoulder pads.

And don't forget to wear...this...to your next dress up function.

Always keep a hardhat with you, in case of construction.

Animal print is always in.

Merry Christmas from this little elf!

Perfect Pairings-Luke 1:28

The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." --Luke 1:28