This summer when we were in Iowa my friend Andi introduced us to the Go Fish Guys. http://www.gofishguys.com/guys/index.html Their music is deemed as great music for kids that won't drive their parents Bonkers! So great that I find myself listening to it, without the kids around. While we were there she gave us the CD "Superstar". We listen to it quite often, usually recalling her boys reactions to different songs as we hear them. For Christmas she sent us the "Snazzy" CD.
I decided to GO FISH and I'm HOOKED! The beat, the words, the style is all great. The words though I think is what has really got me. There is a song called the Mom Song that is truly right on.
Do you know the name of Elmo's Fish? http://www.gofishguys.com/music/index.html Listen to the Mom Song, but look out you'll be hooked soon too!
What a blessing to find music that we can enjoy and the kids can too!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Flip a Card
Father and son bonding time is so important. It was nice to see my boys having time this weekend together. What had started as a shopping trip, with little sister in tow, turned in to Dad and Son time as I met Katie at the bottom of an escalator and took her home to get ready for a birthday party.
They boys I'm sure talked about many different things as they wandered the stores together. Upon returning home Zach proudly showed me the puck that Daddy had miraculously created from a piece of foil. He was amazed that Daddy could do such a thing. (Not much of an amazement to those of us who grew up with foil in our lunch bags on a regular occasion, but...to a 7 year old in today's world WOW!) I know I said that it was great, and watched him play with it off and on through the evening.
Two days later....
I was up at school yesterday and stopped to ask Zach's teacher how her weekend was. She'd been babysitting all weekend, and I was interested in hearing how it went. As Zach walked towards us I could tell immediately that he must have had a hard morning. Poor kid, would of gotten away with me not knowing except for the complete look of guilt on his face. BUT, needless to say he looked like he was in trouble so, naturally I asked his teacher if something had happened. She said he had to Flip a Card first thing, but couldn't recall why. So, she asked him.
"I was drawing on my desk" he replied.
"You were what? Zach, do we draw on furniture?" I asked shocked, please he knows better he's 7!
"No, we don't."
"Please don't do that again, you know we don't do that" I said then walked away after mentioning to him that his teacher had not even been telling me about that and that he could have told me later had it not been for the look of guilt all over his face.
I mentioned to the teacher how at least he feels bad when he gets in trouble. His sister...well that's another story.
So much later in the evening when I finally stopped for the day I remembered to tell his dear father about the situation. As I'm recalling the event at the cafeteria, Phil is looking the opposite direction and motioning for me to hurry up with the story. WHY? Well......
You see during Dad and Son bonding time over the weekend, and the great making of the foil puck, Phil began telling Zach about the great games he and his friends used to play on their desks at school. Everyday in their lunch bags they would have foil wrapped sandwiches, as there were no zip lock bags, so they would make balls and then this one boy would smash them and make them into pucks. They would then proceed to DRAW the different team symbols on their DESKS and play hockey with their pencils. He even explained how he used to make the Minnesota Northstars symbol. Ok, he never said you should draw on your desk, he also never mentioned that he couldn't draw on his desk or shouldn't.
Mind you we know our son very well so at this point we are both laughing envisioning the possibly full scale version of a hockey rink that Zach was probably starting to make by clearing off the stuff of everyone he shares a table with and drawing out on his desk. We could envision the Redwings crest, the goal lines, and the circles as we've seen them on paper many times.
So, this morning I asked Zach again, what were you drawing on your desk yesterday?
I don't know was the reply...I can hardly wait for Phil to get a real answer tonight.
In the meantime...If you are going to be telling your children stories of your youth please remember that somethings after being shared need to be followed up with..."you should never draw on your desk or any other furniture!" before sending them off to school. Or else they too might have to flip a card!
Phil will be following this with a response trust me, my version is much better!
They boys I'm sure talked about many different things as they wandered the stores together. Upon returning home Zach proudly showed me the puck that Daddy had miraculously created from a piece of foil. He was amazed that Daddy could do such a thing. (Not much of an amazement to those of us who grew up with foil in our lunch bags on a regular occasion, but...to a 7 year old in today's world WOW!) I know I said that it was great, and watched him play with it off and on through the evening.
Two days later....
I was up at school yesterday and stopped to ask Zach's teacher how her weekend was. She'd been babysitting all weekend, and I was interested in hearing how it went. As Zach walked towards us I could tell immediately that he must have had a hard morning. Poor kid, would of gotten away with me not knowing except for the complete look of guilt on his face. BUT, needless to say he looked like he was in trouble so, naturally I asked his teacher if something had happened. She said he had to Flip a Card first thing, but couldn't recall why. So, she asked him.
"I was drawing on my desk" he replied.
"You were what? Zach, do we draw on furniture?" I asked shocked, please he knows better he's 7!
"No, we don't."
"Please don't do that again, you know we don't do that" I said then walked away after mentioning to him that his teacher had not even been telling me about that and that he could have told me later had it not been for the look of guilt all over his face.
I mentioned to the teacher how at least he feels bad when he gets in trouble. His sister...well that's another story.
So much later in the evening when I finally stopped for the day I remembered to tell his dear father about the situation. As I'm recalling the event at the cafeteria, Phil is looking the opposite direction and motioning for me to hurry up with the story. WHY? Well......
You see during Dad and Son bonding time over the weekend, and the great making of the foil puck, Phil began telling Zach about the great games he and his friends used to play on their desks at school. Everyday in their lunch bags they would have foil wrapped sandwiches, as there were no zip lock bags, so they would make balls and then this one boy would smash them and make them into pucks. They would then proceed to DRAW the different team symbols on their DESKS and play hockey with their pencils. He even explained how he used to make the Minnesota Northstars symbol. Ok, he never said you should draw on your desk, he also never mentioned that he couldn't draw on his desk or shouldn't.
Mind you we know our son very well so at this point we are both laughing envisioning the possibly full scale version of a hockey rink that Zach was probably starting to make by clearing off the stuff of everyone he shares a table with and drawing out on his desk. We could envision the Redwings crest, the goal lines, and the circles as we've seen them on paper many times.
So, this morning I asked Zach again, what were you drawing on your desk yesterday?
I don't know was the reply...I can hardly wait for Phil to get a real answer tonight.
In the meantime...If you are going to be telling your children stories of your youth please remember that somethings after being shared need to be followed up with..."you should never draw on your desk or any other furniture!" before sending them off to school. Or else they too might have to flip a card!
Phil will be following this with a response trust me, my version is much better!
Monday, December 17, 2007
Create Your Own Beautiful Cards!
The cost of cards these days is crazy. True you can find some here and there for .99, but generally speaking it's a lot more than that. Pictures to me say so much more, as do the words I would choose to write verses the words some card maker who doesn't even know my family might choose.
That's why I've begun to use Creative Memories StoryBook Creator Plus for all of my card making. It's quick, it's easy and it's Personal!
Here are a few samples of cards I've done recently.
Beautiful cards for .19 at the most! Certainly, can't beat that. Invitations, Thank yous, Birthday Cards, or just because. They'll never be the same again. AND Most people would think twice before just throwing out a picture. For more information on making photo cards go to www.mycmsite.com/kropwithkathy and look at the Storybook Creator Plus Software. or email me at kropwithkathy@yahoo.com
Need to go make up a photo card template for 2 classes at my children's school. Their teachers are using them as cards for the kids with Polar Express pictures! Activity today, card tomorrow!
Just Another Manic Monday
I think the Bangles had it right back in the day. It's just another Manic Monday! It doesn't seem to matter how much I plan, or get things ready for Monday morning. It is still crazy around here. Today it was the same old thing, make your bed, brush your teeth, get dressed EAT YOUR BREAKFAST. Of course, most of those things got done. Walked the kids down to the bus, Katie in her PJ's as it's Polar Express Day for Kindergarten. Came home to finish drying my hair to find...1 bed not made, clothes all over the floor and a light on!!!!! MONDAYS! Hopefully, tomorrow will be better in that aspect.
Off..to work time!
Off..to work time!
Friday, December 14, 2007
The Great Gift Search
Here it is December 14th and I'm on the great gift hunt. Normally, I have a list and know exactly what I'm looking for. This year has been a bit different. We made our list, I even took the kids to Toys R Us to look for things they might like. Then we divided up the list between their Aunt and 2 sets of Grandparents. That's why I'm stuck.
I love my kids, but they simply don't play all that much. They play pretend, they create contraptions and make up stories. That is wonderful play. It's great for their imagination and for them getting along. It just does nothing for the pile of Rescue Heros, legos, and Transformers in one room, or the entire doll house, polly pocket and Barbie toys in the other. I want my kids to have nice things, and toys to play with....but it's really hard to spend money when they don't seem to be all that interested in anything.
So...the dilemma is what to get, and of course where to get it. Like every other family it seems we've contemplated getting a Wii. Unlike many we're not in a dire search for one. If we should find one, we'll be happy but we're not out in line at 4 am to make sure we get one. If I knew we'd be able to get one the Santa shopping would be that much simpler. 1 girl and 1 boy game DONE. So...now what to do. I guess it's back to wondering the aisle of Toys R Us and searching for the just right gift. At least there are 4 mornings left before school is out. I should be able to find something between now and then. At least I hope I can.
Merry Christmas, hope your shopping has been easier!
On a good note, the decorations have been up since November 10th and the baking has been started, can't complain about those areas.
I love my kids, but they simply don't play all that much. They play pretend, they create contraptions and make up stories. That is wonderful play. It's great for their imagination and for them getting along. It just does nothing for the pile of Rescue Heros, legos, and Transformers in one room, or the entire doll house, polly pocket and Barbie toys in the other. I want my kids to have nice things, and toys to play with....but it's really hard to spend money when they don't seem to be all that interested in anything.
So...the dilemma is what to get, and of course where to get it. Like every other family it seems we've contemplated getting a Wii. Unlike many we're not in a dire search for one. If we should find one, we'll be happy but we're not out in line at 4 am to make sure we get one. If I knew we'd be able to get one the Santa shopping would be that much simpler. 1 girl and 1 boy game DONE. So...now what to do. I guess it's back to wondering the aisle of Toys R Us and searching for the just right gift. At least there are 4 mornings left before school is out. I should be able to find something between now and then. At least I hope I can.
Merry Christmas, hope your shopping has been easier!
On a good note, the decorations have been up since November 10th and the baking has been started, can't complain about those areas.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Hymn to a Good Wife
I've been sick all week, so perhaps it's the time spent getting extra rest. Maybe it's the end of the year. Whatever it is I'm finding myself in need of reshaping my day, and my thought process. Which brings me right back to Proverbs 31.
This is a hard Proverb for most women. It tends to make us feel at first glance like we could never accomplish these things. God does call us to "be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect". Certainly not an easy task. And from the time I've spent in the Word I believe not a task that He expects us to complete while here on earth. What He in is great wisdom is asking is for us to work towards doing the right thing, working diligently. Back to Proverbs...
A good women is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds.
Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it.
Never spiteful, she treats him generously all her life long.
WOW! Isn't that awesome. I know there are things that bug us about our spouses, I'm sure mine could name a few things about me that he'd like to change. But the point is when there are those things that you would like to see different don't talk about them with everyone!!!! I get so sick of hearing all the stuff people are doing wrong. Why not concentrate on what they are doing right. If we all spent time focusing on the good things, the small annoyances would be just that...SMALL.
Today, try it. See if we all can just say positive things about the people we love. And when others start to complain, why not say, have you made a list of the good things lately.
New year, new life, new focus. Positive and joyous! God wants that for us.
The other focus is on the verse that says
She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast for her family and organizing her day.
Ok, I'm not a morning person, BUT there are ways to organize the day and get back focused on what needs to be done. Working from home allows me the freedom to get things done around the house, while getting work done. But I've strayed away from setting business hours, which in turn has slowed down my business.
Time to get back to Calendar Blocking.
That is taking the day and breaking it down into workable sections of time. Time to focus on different aspects, job, family, etc. For me that's going to mean starting at 9 and working on Creative Memories paperwork, connecting with my team, or working on album projects to refresh my business until 11. From there I can work on other things in the day. If I don't make work a priority it won't work itself.
Let's get going and get inspired to do the right thing and get focused on living a wonderful life!
This is a hard Proverb for most women. It tends to make us feel at first glance like we could never accomplish these things. God does call us to "be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect". Certainly not an easy task. And from the time I've spent in the Word I believe not a task that He expects us to complete while here on earth. What He in is great wisdom is asking is for us to work towards doing the right thing, working diligently. Back to Proverbs...
A good women is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds.
Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it.
Never spiteful, she treats him generously all her life long.
WOW! Isn't that awesome. I know there are things that bug us about our spouses, I'm sure mine could name a few things about me that he'd like to change. But the point is when there are those things that you would like to see different don't talk about them with everyone!!!! I get so sick of hearing all the stuff people are doing wrong. Why not concentrate on what they are doing right. If we all spent time focusing on the good things, the small annoyances would be just that...SMALL.
Today, try it. See if we all can just say positive things about the people we love. And when others start to complain, why not say, have you made a list of the good things lately.
New year, new life, new focus. Positive and joyous! God wants that for us.
The other focus is on the verse that says
She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast for her family and organizing her day.
Ok, I'm not a morning person, BUT there are ways to organize the day and get back focused on what needs to be done. Working from home allows me the freedom to get things done around the house, while getting work done. But I've strayed away from setting business hours, which in turn has slowed down my business.
Time to get back to Calendar Blocking.
That is taking the day and breaking it down into workable sections of time. Time to focus on different aspects, job, family, etc. For me that's going to mean starting at 9 and working on Creative Memories paperwork, connecting with my team, or working on album projects to refresh my business until 11. From there I can work on other things in the day. If I don't make work a priority it won't work itself.
Let's get going and get inspired to do the right thing and get focused on living a wonderful life!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Merry Christmas!
Both the letter and the card were made with Storybook Creator Plus Software. It's an amazingly easy software that allows you to make Storybook albums, cards and personalized letters. Check it out on my website www.mycmsite.com/kropwithkathy
Monday, December 3, 2007
Flat Stanley in St Louis!
Flat Stanley has made his first stop in St. Louis, Missouri. He actually landed first in Glen Carbon, Illinois and then Zach's Aunt Barb and Uncle Chuck made a trip into St Louis to take his picture. Here is the letter they emailed us.
Dear Friend Zach,
Your Aunt Barb and Uncle Chuck took me to St. Louis this morning. St. Louis, Missouri, is a city in the Midwest. The city is on the banks of the Mississippi River. St. Louis is famous for many things, but there are two places which we went to see this morning. The St. Louis Arch is one of the great tourist attractions in the United States. It is a national monument that is 630 feet tall. In front of the Arch is the "Old Courthouse". It is very historic. I have had a good time in St. Louis. This afternoon, I'm leaving on an exciting trip. You will hear from me again soon.
Love from your traveling friend,
Flat Stanley
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