Sissy's First Day

Its official, we survived the first day of Kindergarten!  Well, Sissy did much more than survive, she thrived.  Despite some butterflies and trepidation this morning, Sissy looked calm and confident as she walked into her class.  When I picked her up, she was all smiles!  She was so proud of her good behavior stamp.  She even exclaimed, "I wish it was yesterday so I could be back at school right now."  ;)  I am fairly certain she meant tomorrow.  All evening she kept asking if it was night yet because, "I can't wait for it to be the next day of kindergarten."  For my shy child this is nothing short of miraculous! 

My feelings about kindergarten are a bit more complicated.  I am shocked that the sweet baby girl I gave birth to is a tall, well spoken, precocious kindergartener.  Its seems like only yesterday she was an infant snuggled in my arms, a wobbly toddler, an inquisitive pre-schooler.  I'm not sure how she grew up so fast, but I really don't approve.  On the other hand, I am so proud of the little girl she has become.  She is smart, funny, and a joy to be around.  I am so excited to watch her blossom even more as she learns new things this next year.  I can't wait to have her read me books, practice math problems, and quote science facts.  I am confident she will excel and develop a deep love for learning.  

Underneath all the other emotions is a deep and overwhelming sadness.  I am going to miss my little girl desperately!   With Sissy, I was given the utterly unique gift of raising a person who would become my best friend, a person I had waited my entire life to meet.  Sure, I am her caregiver.  I set boundaries.  I discipline her when I have to.  Ultimately though, we've spent most of the last 5 years talking, playing, and having fun together.  We "get" each other.  We share countless inside jokes.  We both enjoy books,

crafting, snuggling, puzzles, chocolate and romantic movies.  We treasure our time together.  When the twins were born, she was only four and yet she was a great source of sanity for me.  She loved them like they were her own boys, and felt tremendous pride.  We talk about how fast they are growing, and reminisce about how cute they were as babies.  She tells their names when strangers ask, and loves showing off how many words they can say.  She is the cutest miniature mama.  Somehow, she has always seemed a bit like an adult trapped in a tiny body.  Short of my husband, that tiny adult is my favorite person be with.  Now with her gone at school, there is a great void left behind.  Oh, and also deafening silence.  Literally.  Sissy started talking four and a half years ago and never stopped.  I know it is selfish and irrational, but I am literally jealous of her time away.  I am just so very accustomed to spending each waking moment with her.

All that said, I love my boys very very much and I am looking forward to some one on two time.  Somehow its just different with them.  From day one with the twins, I felt like their Mama, provider, protector, nurturer.  But they are a bit foreign to me.  They are wild, unrelenting waves crashing on my shore, or in other words, boys.  I know that over the next few years I will grow increasingly close to them.  I know that with Sissy gone, they will likely develop language at lightening speed.  I know that both the twins and myself with adapt to a different and much quieter home life.  I know that we will go on playdates, create inside jokes, and build a deep appreciate for action movies.  I know that we will find our own routine.  Tomorrow, I will wake up with a plan for our "new" adventure, but for tonight, I will mourn the loss of Sissy time. 

Labels for school

We are preparing for Sissy to begin Kindergarten on Wednesday, and her school requires that every item she brings to school be labeled.  Um yeah... that means every single individual crayon, marker, and glue stick.  The idea of hand writing her name on the curved surface of 50 crayons seemed miserable, so I decided to make labels instead.  I found these Moroccan tile labels on the World Label blog!  The downloadable template is a smart pdf, so you can just enter your text.  I chose to print mine on paper since I needed them so small, but each design fits perfectly on a label you can print at home.  I cut them out and taped them on. Voila!  

Hope they help with your back to school prep!

Wemberly Worried: a book review

On our most recent trip to the library, we stumbled upon a charming little book that is so very appropriate for the start of the school year.  The book is Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes.  

Wemberly Worried follows a cute little mouse named Wemberly who worries about everything.  She worries about little things, big things, and all things in between.  Most of all, Wemberly worries about going to school. 

"By the time the first day arrived, Wemberly had a long list of worries.  What if no one else has spots?  What if no one else wears stripes?  What if no one else brings a doll?  What if the teacher is mean?  What if the room smells bad? What if they make fun of my name?  What if I can't find the bathroom?  What if I hate the snack?  What if I have to cry?"   


In the end, Wemberly makes a friend who also worries and also wears stripes.  Our favorite page says, "Wemberly worried.  But no more than usual.  And sometimes even less."  Ha, I love it!

Sissy's picture of Wemberly.

This book was the perfect conversation started with my own little worrier.  She related with Wemberly, laughed at her a bit, and rejoiced when she found a friend.  It also allowed us to talk about all of her own worries about school, which in many cases mirrored Wemberly's.  Sissy worries about finding her class after drop off, knowing where the bathroom is especially during P.E., meeting her teacher, standing up to bullies, and mostly about missing her brothers.  Thanks to Wemberly, Sissy and I were able to address many of her worries before the start of school. 


I highly recommend picking up Wemberly Worried if your own little worrier starts school this fall.

Campfire Cones

Over the summer we perfected the art of s'mores!  We had them with Peeps, different chocolate candies, different marshmallows, graham crackers, Ritz crackers, and they were all delicious.  And then we discovered campfire cones!  Basically, you take all the delicious elements of a s'more, stuff it in a sugar cone, and let it melt together!  These became the hands down favorite.  We've served them to visiting family, eaten them on camping trips, and made them in the oven at home.  No matter what the occasion, these ooey gooey treats are remarkable.  In the spirit of celebrating the few remaining days of summer, I thought we'd enjoy them again this weekend, and it seems only fair to share!

Campfire Cones

Ingredients:

• Sugar cones
• chocolate chips
• peanut butter, Nutella, or Sunbutter
• banana
• mini marshmallows
• chocolate candies (Reese's, Rolos, etc.)
• Aluminum foil

Method:
 
First, spread a little bit of peanut butter, Nutella, or Sunbutter inside the cone.  Fill in the cone with alternating layers of diced banana, chocolate chips, chocolate candy of your choice, and mini marshmallows.  

Take care to gently pack the marshmallows tightly as they will melt into almost nothing.  Fill the cone all the way to the top.

 

 Lay the cone on a square of aluminum foil.  Use a reasonably large piece of foil as the extra layers will help protect the cone from burning.

Wrap securely.  Cook for approximately 10 minutes either around the edges of a campfire, on the surface of a grill, or in the oven at 350 degrees.

Remove the cone from the fire and check its meltiness.  If its ready, let it cool a moment and then eat the ooey gooey deliciousness.  

Personally, I think the banana is perhaps the most shockingly wonderful part, but its all pretty yummy.  The cones are especially great for kids since all the mess in contained in a neat little package.

Hopefully you can all find an evening to enjoy campfire cones and reminisce about the wonders of summer!

Back to School

Despite my very best efforts, I can't hide from it anymore.  Sissy starts Kindergarten in two and half weeks.  Regardless of my trepidation, I want her to feel prepared, confident, and excited.  So, today she and I took a special mommy and daughter day to buy school supplies.  It was fabulous, and in the process we may have created our back to school tradition.  

We dressed up, left the twins at home with my mom, and headed to the Disney Store for a new backpack.  We looked at every single backpack (and shoe, and costume, and doll), but she finally decided on the Merida pack.  She was a bit  disappointed to discover they were sold out of the matching lunch box.  She still wanted the pack though, so we were checking out when we found the very last Merida lunch box on display behind the counter!!  It seemed magical, and meant to be, and filled with great omens for a wonderful Kindergarten year.  She left with a spring in her step and a bit less fear about the impending change.

As we were walking out, I noticed the Build-A-Bear Workshop.  I had never done a Build-A-Bear with Sissy, but it dawned on me that a new (and very special) lovie, might be the perfect confidence boost for my tender little girl.  I had her pick a new friend who would accompany her to school.  A friend that would always be in her backpack reminding her how much I love her.  A friend she could hug when she needed to be brave.  Sissy picked a sweet little bunny, and very seriously made her wishes, gave her a heartbeat, and brought her to life.  She named her Furry, but has since been calling her Fluffy, Floofie, and Floo Floo.  Sissy informed me that its fine, she had two weeks before she has to figure out her name for sure!  I foresee Furry, or whatever her name turns out to be, spending many school days in Sissy's backpack.

After our outing to the mall, Sissy picked our lunch destination.  She selected her favorite Chinese buffet, and my sweet daughter ate her body weight in shrimp.  Somehow, she still had room for crab wontons, watermelon, cheese sticks, sherbert, and a cookie.  She even determinedly worked through the stale fortune cookie.  We talked a bit about Kindergarten, meeting her teacher, eating lunch at school, and other worries.

 
Finally, we headed to Wal-Mart to purchase the items on her Kindergarten supply list.  I made a list with little pictures of the items so she could lead the shopping trip.  Sissy picked scissors to match her back pack, seriously debated between the blue and pink pencil box, and otherwise made all the important decisions.  I love watching her feel empowered and independent.  

When we got back home, she proudly displayed all the purchases to her Gigi.  She had a story to tell about each one, and was ecstatic to introduce Furry to her brothers.  I believe she a took a big step towards not only accepting, but embracing the idea of Kindergarten.  Maybe I did too.  Maybe.

Okay, okay, in the spirit of full disclosure, this is really what she looked like after our marathon shopping trip ;)  It took some serious persuasion to get the happy picture.

Happy nearly the end of summer!

Bourbon & Donuts French Toast Bake

My aunts have started coming to visit each year for my mom's birthday.  We catch up, play with the kids, sight see, and just enjoy being with family.  I usually prepare a lot of the meals so my mom can relax with her sisters.  Plus, having lived in the South for the past 19 years, I feel a certain obligation to provide guests with fabulous fare ;)  With that in mind, I created a divine and decadent breakfast...  Bourbon & Donuts French Toast Bake!  Warning, this is NOT one of my healthy alternatives, but it is delicious enough to splurge on at least once.

Bourbon & Donuts French Toast Bake

Ingredients:

 

1 dozen glazed donuts (preferably stale)
8 large eggs 

1 cup half-and-half

2 cups milk

3 tablespoons granulated sugar (divided)

2 teaspoon bourbon
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

Dash salt

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Method:

Cut glazed donuts into 1inch pieces.  Arrange pieces in a buttered 9 by 13 inch baking dish.  In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, 1 tablespoon sugar, bourbon, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat until blended but not too bubbly.  Pour milk mixture over the donut pieces, making sure all are covered.  Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Sprinkle the almonds and 2 tablespoons of sugar over the donut pieces.  Cut the butter into small cubes and place evenly over the top of the casserole.  Bake for 45 minutes until set in the middle and golden brown.  Serve warm with maple syrup.

I will warn you though, if you serve this to your guests, they may never leave!

Personalized Front Door Decor

My mom's birthday was this week, so Sissy and I made several items for her, including this cute personalized door hanger.  

The process was very simple, quick, and fun!  We can't wait to make a big Q for our door. 


Supplies:

• Wooden letter
• Acrylic paint and brush
• Decorative glass stones
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Method:

Paint the letter with the acrylic paint.  We painted two coats on the front, back, and sides.  The paint dried very quickly, so we were able to do both coats in less than an hour.

 

Once the paint is dry, lay the glass stones on the letter to determine placement.  Our letter was small, so it would only hold one row of stones.

Glue the stones onto the letter using a hot glue gun.  Place the stones onto the letter quickly once the glue is on the back, or the glue dries funny and the stone won't sit flush.

 

And you're done!  Easiest craft ever.  

Our letter came with an indent in the back to hang it on a nail, but you could also add a cute ribbon to hang it from.  It might also be a beautiful addition to a wreath.  

Happy summer!