The Pink Lamp

Back in early June, we had one casualty of Campbell's birthday party - the floorlamp in Cassidy's bedroom. Our original party plan was to encourage guests to enjoy the backyard, but the temperature was pretty toasty and people didn't want to venture outside.

We definitely gave our air conditioning system a workout that day!

Cassidy's bed has a slide, which is a huge draw for every child that comes into this house... so naturally, all the kids congregated upstairs. It got very rowdy and Cassidy's floor lamp was knocked over. Her lamp was completely broken - there was no way to fix it.

I'd been meaning to get her a new one, but was hoping to replace it with another really nice lamp like she'd had. You can get inexpensive floorlamps at any Big Box store, but I really preferred to replace her lamp with something heavy and nice... but there's been no time to search for a replacement.

While Lieutenant Sexy was away, a girl up the street listed a nice floor lamp on Facebook that she needed to get out of her house to make space for a new baby. I knew it would be perfect for Cassidy's room, so I snatched it up for the bargain price of $15!

I got the girlz to help me spray paint it, and now Cassidy has a gorgeous pink lamp in her bedroom.

It's even heavier than her first lamp. I feel for the poor soul that tries to knock this one over!

Wiping down the lamp

First coat of pink paint!

Almost done!

Perfection!

When The Cat's Away...

... the mice will play.

And cut down the shrubbery.

The bushes in front of our house are a constant thorn in my side. They grow faster than we can keep up with them, and are usually completely out of control by the time I get a chance to haul out the yard equipment and trim them back.

I used to use the electric cutters, but ended up cutting the orange power cord and tripping a breaker. Ever since then, I've been using lawn shears (or whatever those big yard scissors are called). Safety first, y'all.

Horticulture is not my strength, so even my best efforts are medicore.

But my skillz really tank when the shrubbery looks so bad I can't stand to look at it any longer... and I feel like I can't stand to look at it for ONE MORE MINUTE and I NEED to cut it down NOW.

That's when things like this happen.

The bush was so overgrown this time, I had to cut some pretty thick branches with my little lawn scissors. I got as far as I could, but had to stop because my arms were aching so badly.

Lieutenant Sexy was out of town last week. By the time he got back, I'd completely forgotten about the bush-mauling incident. That is, until he said "I see you cut the bush again" in his man-tone.

And I was all "Oh yeah... I'm going to fix that when I can move my arms again".

The cycle starts again.

Success!

Day 1 of school was a success! Campbell LOVES Kindergarten and is so happy to be back with her Posse. Cassidy seems to be settling into third grade pretty well. She said they played a math game yesterday, and her team lost even though she got her answers correct.

Campbell brought home 2 papers yesterday, both of which looked terrific.

Campbell's class read The Kissing Hand yesterday, which made me incredibly happy. We have that book, and every year we read it together the night before the first day of school. Sadly, I looked through every bookcase in our house on Tuesday and couldn't find it anywhere. We listened to it on CD instead, which is totally not the same. I was relieved to hear Mrs. H read it to Campbell and her friends!

I have my fingers crossed that Day 2 brings more good news!

The First Day of School!

The girlz should be pulling up in front of the school any minute now. They're BEYOND excited to get back to school with their friends!

Mandatory Fun Day #2

Mandatory Fun Day #2 was heavier on the fun than Mandatory Fun Day #1!

We started our day at the hair salon, which is always a favorite for the girlz. We LOOOOOOOOOVE our hair stylist - she's not only one of the nicest and most humble people you'll ever meet, she also happens to be insanely gorgeous. The girlz adore her.

After our hair appointments, we took a spin through the grocery store to gather up school lunch supplies. Then we spent a good amount of time at home packing up their backpacks and triple-checking to be sure the girlz both had the correct paperwork, school supplies, PTO dues, afternoon snack money, and school bus entertainment items.

Then we went to mall to enjoy some of our favorite things....

Lunar Golf

Claires

Sky Jumpers

The girls got a split heart necklace that says "Sisters 4-Ever". It has a tiny little magnet inside, so the pieces actually click together. So sweet.

The last big thing for the day was an appointment at the diva spa for hair, nails, and make-up for the girlz.

Their American Girls got hair styles to match the girlz. So fun!

We had a great day. I got the girlz home and in the bathtub early so we could relax and unwind before laying down for the night. Tomorrow is a really big day!!!

Mandatory Fun Day #1

Mandatory Fun is finally here! The girlz have been looking forward to this treat all summer long, and now it's finally here! The bad news is that I haven't had one second of free time this summer, so my Mandatory Fun Plan was on the light side this time. The good news is that the girlz are easy to please, so today's skinnied-down plan was still a huge hit.

First up, a trip to the dentist. Not exactly my idea of fun, but we were due for an appointment and I needed to make the best use of our day off. I told the girlz it would be fun, and it was! And we got great news - no cavities!

Next up was a trip to the Stuff Mart for new ice packs and a trip to Old MacDonald's House for lunch.

Then we went to the movie theatre to watch Smurfs 2. I was quickly reminded why I don't take the girlz to movies - Campbell needed 3 potty breaks during the 100 minute-long movie.

Love her, but good grief.

After the movie, we stopped by Sweet Frog for yogurt. These girlz LOVE their Sweet Frog!!

We ran home to change our clothes and then headed to the school for Orientation. Once again, Mama and Papa helped me be in two places at the same time. LOVE THEM.

I've spent the last two hours reading Orientation Manuals, filling out forms, and trying to make sure the girlz are fully prepared for Wednesday morning.

The countdown is on. One more day and a wake-up until the first day of school!

So Alike, So Different

One thing I love about our school is the option to request teachers in the Preschool and Lower School. Every year, we meticulously research the upcoming grade's teachers and their style to ensure we make the best choice for our children.

Both of our girlz tend to do MUCH better with teachers that manage a highly structured classroom, so we've always requested the same teacher for Campbell that Cassidy had. One of the cool benefits is that we get the same projects and artwork for both girls. I love seeing how our two girlz approach the same project at the same age and walk away with such different results!

The artwork below was done when both girlz were in PK4. It was displayed during each girl's Preschool graduation ceremony and is now hanging on the wall of my office.

Cassidy

The detail-oriented child. Every person must have exactly three eyelashes. Mommy wears glasses, so she must have glasses in this picture. Girls should have heart-shaped lips, but Daddy needs a regular boy smile. Faces are required to be equilateral and perfectly drawn - just as they appear in real life. Legs must be correctly placed. Everything is proper and in good order.

Even without the name on the front, this picture has Cassidy written all over it.

Campbell

The abstract thinker. Symmetrical eyes are sooo 2012. Equilateral eyelashes? Boooooring. My initials would look GREAT in Mommy's eyelashes! Legs clearly look MUCH better when they don't align with the trunk of the body. I think I'll rename this picture to "My Family, Only Cooler".

And just like her sister's picture, there is no need for a name on the front. This artwork is 100% Campbell.

They're so alike, and yet so completely different. I love it!!!

Last Day of Camp for 2013!

The last day of Camp Super-Fun wasn't supposed to start like this. Campbell had a terrible, terrible meltdown this morning. It was one the longest and most emotional meltdowns she's ever had. And to think I foolishly thought these would stop as she got older - HA!

She cried and screamed for nearly an hour and a half. On a normal day, she gets over it within 45 minutes.

What was the issue? Just a minor glitch... it started when Campbell decided she didn't want to wear the bathing suit I picked out for her. When I set out the remaining choices and asked her to choose a different suit, she couldn't make a decision and started crying. That turned into angst over her breakfast food choices and pushback on the shorts I had chosen. Then she had a fit because I chose to sunscreen/bugspray Cassidy first, which then led to another meltdown because I put Cassidy's hair up first.

It's kind of hard to put somebody's hair up when they're rolling around on the floor, screaming like a banshee. It's even harder to apply sunscreen and bugspray to said banshee.

Just as I was starting to worry that she wouldn't stop, she finally got herself together.

Camp Super-Fun is NOT close to our house. It takes a bare minimum of 30 minutes to drive there from our house, and then I still have the return trip home -- plus another round trip in the afternoon to pick them up.

I could have completed a full round-trip to Camp Super-Fun in the time it took just to get the girlz calmed down and out the door this morning. I didn't risk trying to get a picture because I wasn't about to tempt fate after the 90 minutes of hell Campbell had just subjected us to.

The tantrums do stop eventually, right? RIGHT?!?

Wordless Wednesday

Three More Days...

The girlz have only three more days of summer camp left to go. We've received both of their teacher assignments for this school year -- we got the teachers we asked for, so all is well. One extra-cool thing about this year is that our set of sisters will be taught by a set of sisters!

All of the required school supplies are sitting in crates on the dining room floor, waiting for the big day.

The school clothes have been purchased. Everyone has new shoes.

The girlz will get their hair cut next week and I'm hoping to squeeze in a trip to the dentist (if I can remember to call when they're open to make an appointment). I also have several other exciting things planned for our Mandatory Fun.

I admit, I'm more nervous this year than in past years. Dr. Pediatrician says Third Grade is the pivotal year for children with attention issues -- the point when maturity catches up and the child can redirect themselves OR the attention issues escalate to the level where medical intervention becomes necessary. Lieutenant Sexy and I prefer not to put Cassidy on medication, so I'm praying she matured enough this summer to counteract her wandering tendancies.

Only time will tell.

I'm trying not to worry or think too much about it, but I do anyway. I have vivid memories of the Third Grade. I seriously loved the Third Grade and I want Cassidy to have an even better experience. I truly believe we've done everything we can do up until this point -- and now all we can do is wait.

And pray.

And try not to worry!  

Heart Breaker

Lieutenant Sexy had the night shift all last week and through this past weekend, which meant the girlz and I needed to stay out of the house all day Saturday and Sunday to let him sleep. It wasn't a good pool day, so I decided to take them to the mall Saturday to finish up the back to school shopping.

We did good - we found several outfits for both of them, plus a few pair of shoes. Everything was going great until Cassidy decided to squeeze herself into one of the rides outside the Circle Store.

That's when my heart broke.

My girl is too big for the kiddie rides she's loved her entire life. The rides I used to bribe her into sitting on Santa's lap when she was 3. The rides she's enjoyed every year on our Mandatory Fun days.

She can't sit up straight and there's not enough space for her long legs.

She's so proud. It's bittersweet.

This Is What WERKIN' Looks Like

I stumbled on this little gem tonight, and it's an excellent representation of how I spend my work day. Lieutenant Sexy laughed when he watched it... he's heard at least 90% of this video come out of my mouth.

Hilarious. And disturbingly accurate.

Enjoy this small glimpse into my life...

Go Big Or Go Home

Cassidy had a very late trio practice last night. It was an anomaly - they normally won't be that late. Since she's at Camp Super-Fun this week, I knew the late practice would be difficult after a physically demanding day. We're paying for the time she spends with the choreographer, so I decided to insure my investment.

That's a fancy way of saying I bribed my child. Again.

I promised Cassidy I would buy her a Slurpee if she paid attention during class and did her very best. That was all the motivation she needed -- she did GREAT. And not only did she pay attention, she remembered steps the instructor forgot!

So I upped the reward and told her she could get any size Slurpee she wanted. And in typical Cassidy style, she chose the biggest Slurpee cup they had. She even asked if we could bring a small one home for Campbell. How could I say no to that?!?

Go big or go home!

I'm thinking I may be onto something. This Slurpee reward deal may translate nicely to good performance in the third grade.

Hmmmm......

Sleeping Beauties

I took a few picture of my Sleeping Beauties the other morning. I just couldn't resist!

When I see Cassidy sleeping, I don't see an 8 1/2 year old little girl - I still see a newborn. Thank goodness she got through her Evil Infant phase... she's so much easier to live with now.

And this picture of my pixelated children makes me laugh. Notice Campbell's arm - she's a Cuddlebug that has always required lots of contact, even when she's sleeping. She subjects us to a nightly game of Musical Beds, which doesn't help anyone get a restful night's sleep.

It's a good thing she's cute.

Summer "Lasts"

We're in the homestretch of summer, and with that comes the summer "lasts".

The girlz are at their last camp of the summer.

This is the last week of summer dance classes.

It won't be long before we're enjoying the last swim of the summer.

Part of me is sad to see it go.

And then I remember that I've been stuck on one setting since the end of May -- FAST. The number on the Umizoomi Tripometer is about 5,100 miles higher than it was on the last day of school.

5,100 miles, and yet I never drove that car out of our area code.

So I've quite literally spent all summer driving the Umizoomi Car in circles (very quickly). But the girlz have had a terrific summer, and that's more important than the obscene amount of money I've spent on premuim gas in the last two months... right?!?

I think I'm going to need a vacation once school starts to recover from this summer break!

Sunday Sweetness

I took this picture of the girlz as we were walking into church this morning.

What a tremendous blessing these two are!!

Fire Camp Graduation

Cassidy graduated from Fire Camp today. It was a bittersweet day -- she was so excited to have one last day of fun at the fire station, but was also very sad that it was her last day of fun at the fire station!

Fire Camp has been Cassidy's most favorite camp of the summer. They showed a cute slideshow of pictures taken during the week, and Cassidy was in a ton of them.

In his closing remarks, Cassidy's favorite Fire Marshal mentioned that this group of kids worked better together than any camp group he's seen. He then talked of how several kids grabbed mops and started helping clean up (without being asked) after one particularly messy day. It made me unspeakably proud to know Cassidy was one of those kids -- a few days ago, she proudly told me all about how she got to mop the floor of the fire station.

You can't put a price tag on the education she got this week.

Great job, Cassidy!

More Fire Camp

I hate to sound like a broken record, but I really can't say enough good things about Fire Camp. While the kids were at the station today, they received an emergency kit and a new bike helmet. This is HUGE for us because we've struggled to find the right helmet for Cassidy's huge noggin. The best part is that the fire fighters adjusted the helmet to Cassidy's head - it sits exactly right and doesn't slide back.

She was wearing the helmet when I picked her up (she was the only kid with her helmet still on) and she hasn't taken it off all afternoon.

She wants to go hiking this weekend so she can use her emergency kit.

I sent an email to our new Fire Chief this morning to thank him for this invaluable summer program. I'm completely blown away - not just by the quality of the supplies Cassidy has come home with, but more by the life safety skills she is learning. Considering what today brought, I'm wishing I had waited a day to send that email!

I find it so humbling that our Fire Department thinks enough of our local children to serve them in such a big way.

Amazing.

Fire Camp, Day 1

Our local Fire Department hosts a summer camp every year for children 7-10 years old. We have friends that have gone and LOVED it, but we learned about it too late last year and had already committed to other camps during the weeks Fire Camp was offered. We planned for it this year, and Cassidy was beyond excited to see what the fuss was all about.

Even though it's at a Fire Department that's not all that close to our house, I was hoping she might know at least one other camper. We know lots of children through school, church, dance, and Upward -- but obviously there are many, many more kids that we don't know. Imagine our surprise when we walked into the conference room this morning and saw lots and lots of familiar faces. We know about half of the kids at the camp, and one is a very close friend and classmate of Cassidy's.

What good luck!!

So far, I'm very impressed. The Fire Department has given Cassidy a very nice backpack, t-shirt, and water bottle. She took a ride on the fire truck and learned how to check the smoke detectors. She will be drawing an emergency exit plan for our house over the next two days.

Cassidy graduates from camp on Friday and has already asked if she can go back next year. When the kids age out, a select few are allowed to come back as Counselors -- she wants to do that, too.

While Cassidy was playing with the firefighters, Campbell took a road trip with Mama and Papa. Check out their faces - they have the exact same look on their face. Papa and Campbell are two peas in a pod, seriously.
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Princess Party

I hate to be the Debbie Downer, but I'm ready for school to start. I'm tired of driving all over creation every day, trying to keep track of what the girlz need for the camp-of-the-week, making sure we have food for lunches, spending a minimum of 4 nights each week at the dance studio (usually more), piles of laundry, stacks of dishes, and trying to come up with dinner every night.

Oh yeah, and then that's that little gig called a demanding career.

Sorry, girlz. Mommy is more than ready for the school bus to roll up in front of our house!

Anyway, we purchased a Princess Party at a youth group fundraiser several months ago. We had our party this past weekend, and the girlz LOVED it. We invited one other family that we're close to, but they couldn't come... so it was just our two princesses, which was fine.

Cassidy before church

Campbell before church

Princess Campbellina, ready for a Royal Tea Party!

Princess cake

The girlz and our youth group friends

We're on the home stretch of summer... the first day of school is three weeks away!