Afterschool Snacky Snack

So I wanted to make my monkeys feel extra special when they walked in the door after school today. What better way than with something yummy for a hungry little tummy?!
I love strawberries and I also love and adore chocoloate. Who doesn't, right?! Well my babies certainly take after their momma when it comes to taste buds, and those two particular yummies go really well together. So I melted me some chocolate and dipped my strawberries. Pure deliciousness, check.it.out!

+PLUS+

=EQUALS=

And my two spunky lil monkeys said they were pretty darn yummy!

A couple of our sweet neighbor friends liked 'em a little bit too!

I'd say they were a hit.

Good times :)

First Project to Blog About!

So I LOVE a crafty PROJECT! For many many reasons that I could list but won't cause it could take a while... But let me try to explain quickly, in a nutshell, the manner in which I go about my craftin': Un-organized.
Seriously. It's bad.
Now let's talk about Pinterest. I've been on Pinterest for only a short while now but I am blown away by all the wonderful pins of organizing & crafting ideas out there, but it kinda makes a girl feel a bit like a slacker. Especially this girl. Ironically, though, I've also been inspired to enhance my organization skills so I'm gonna give it a go and try my darndest! There's quite alot to be done so here we go...
First on the list, now that my monkeys have finished their first full week of school, "Command Central". I have vowed not to become a slave to all the papers, dates to remember, lists of things needed, etc. that go along with two very busy kiddos. So I've designated an area in my kitchen to help with this. This particular space has been home to our friend "Chef Baker" whom I painted shortly after we moved in. It was a crafty kind of moment ;)

I think he's kinda cute myself.

Unfortunately, this wall space is the prime area in my kitchen to serve as the family grand central station, if you will. Now, I've placed a shelf with a basket for each girl and various supply things used on different occasions, as well as a bulletin board that holds our calendar & all those fabulous papers  that make our world go 'round. I put a little white board we have up there too, but that may be coming down soon, don't really need it I think. Anyhoo, it's very mismashed at the moment, not very fabulous, but my goal is to get it to be super cute and efficient to fit our needs and help us function as smoothly.as.possible.

So I'm needing some fabulous ideas for cleverly covering up Chef while incorporating the shelf, bulletin board, hook for their school bags, etc. And Pinterest is coming is very handy for lots of fantastic ideas!  But like I said, it's a PROJECT! in process so, fingers crossed, I can git er done relatively soon, but, be patient with a sista, k!

Sarah

Back to School 2011

So my monkeys went back to school today. Fourth grade and Kindergarten! Woohoo! Sniff sniff :( Woohoo!?

Yeah, Momma's having mixed emotions. I'm thinking something is wrong with me because you see, I've honestly never been too terribly sad (? emotional ?) about the first day of school. Even though I'm typically quite an emotional gal. Like, I wear waterproof mascara because I tear up at least once a day. Sometimes for no reason at all. Maybe I need professional help... hmmm... Anyhoo, I sincerely hadn't ever felt a tiny pang of sadness about the first day back. Maybe this is why: You see, I'd been a stay-at-home Momma since the oldest monkey came along 9 years ago and when she started pre-school 3 days a week, at 3 years old, I was pregnant with our other monkey. So, perhaps, Momma was a little tired and looking forward to the few hours break it provided, plus, she was SO excited to be a Big Girl and go to school that I really didn't need to be sad, I was actually happy, selfishly maybe a tad, but happy that she was happy, ya know?

Fast forward to the little monkey starting school and it was actually a serious necessity for Momma's sanity. We were in the midst of a situation (more on that at another time, maybe) and I was single parenting. She was two. I needed a few hours of peace and heeded the advice of trusted friends, so she went to Kid's Day Out. 4 hours a day, 3 days a week. And, she loved it. Sigh.

Both my monkeys have thoroughly loved going to school. They don't beg to sleep in, stay home and watch cartoons. Oh no. They want to be out in the world! Being busy! Learning! Moving around! Strutting.their.stuff! They've made it easy for me to not be sad to see them go. However, this year, there has been a huge lump in my throat.

I had a taste of going to work full time this past December. I was scared, yet excited, to get back out there so to speak. I loved that I accomplished something everyday that wasn't completely about children. I got to use my adult brain and it felt fabulous!! I looked forward to coming home after being gone all day and all that jazz. But I did miss my babies.

Then, I had the opportunity to stay home over the summer (more on that at another time too), and I've.never.been.happier. Could it be the absence made my heart grow fonder? I'm thinkin probably so. I'm thinkin I appreciate these days with my monkeys more than I ever had before. I have the choice to return to work in a few months, and I keep going over the pros and cons... Only to keep coming back to the fact that these sweet girls of mine keep getting bigger and bigger. They're not slowin down. At all. And I don't want to miss another minute. I want to be home for them, while they're little enough to need me and/or want me. Cause I know it won't last forever. Sniff sniff :(

So my bank account may not be growing, but I'll work on that later.

For now I'm gonna be a cookie-baking, milk-pouring, (DIY project-doing!), stay-at-home Mom. It's what I/we need. For now :)