10 Things About You (In A Bag!)

Natalie was all, "I have to fill a bag with 10 things about myself for school."

So I handed her a gallon plastic bag.

She was insulted:

She said, "I can't fill stuff about my LIFE in that tiny bag!"

Well, excuse me.

"I know what I'll do," she told me primly and went up to her room. I could hear some crashes and banging. Twenty minutes later she returned. "Done," she said triumphantly, holding up her bag.

This is what she had in it, with her explanation:

(She used the drawstring bag she got from the very expensive tea party at Disney World)


1. Her baseball trophy "because I played baseball even though it was pretty boring."

2. A picture of her kitten Ruby "because I'm a cat mommy now."

3. Rainbow Dash "because Pinkie Pie would have been too loud at my school."

4. A medal from gymnastics "because I do gymnastics even though it hurts my bones."

5. A picture of Five Nights At Freddy's "because I love playing that game. It's not scary for me. At all."

6. A picture defeating Darth Vader at Disney World "because I beat him and I like Star Wars."

7. A raptor "because I love Jurassic Park and Jurassic World!"

8. StampyCat "because I love his videos."

9. Carrots the Bunny "because I love white bunnies. I wish my Mommy would let me get one." (No.)

10. A cow from Minecraft "because I love Minecraft!"



She said the presentation went well in class. Then she asked what I would have in MY bag.


I said:

1. Diet Coke "because it helps keep me friendly."

2. A book "because I love to read."

3. A photo of Henry VIII "because he intrigues me even though he'd have beheaded me. I'm mouthy."

4. Fries from McDonalds "because they are SO good."

5. Chocolate "because it helps keep me sane when my kids aren't listening to me." (Natalie was a tad insulted at this.)

6. More Diet Coke "because seriously, if I don't have it, I'm not very nice. Gimmie."

7. A picture of a restaurant "because I love going out to eat. I hate cooking."

8. A picture of a TV "because I like watching TV. Probably too much."

9. A picture of Target "because I love Target even though it gets me in trouble on a weekly basis."

10. My phone "because I'm on it many times throughout the day. But never when I'm driving. I'm not stupid."



What would you have in YOUR bag?

Daniel Tiger Goes To School Book and DVD From PBS Kids **Review**

**I was sent a book and DVD copy of Daniel Tiger Goes To School in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own**

Kids are heading back to school!

Some might be nervous. My kids were always eager to go, but Natalie sometimes had her moments when she suddenly didn't want me to leave her.

Daniel Tiger has a fun DVD and book to help ease children into heading back to school:

Confused on who Daniel Tiger is? Well, do you remember Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood? The characters in the show are based off of that. You can learn more about Daniel Tiger on his webpage.

We were sent a DVD:

There are several episodes on the DVD so it's about 100 minutes long.

It also included helpful hints for going back to school:

Natalie seemed to enjoy the DVD:

She was very amused that Max seemed to want to come in and watch too.

Ruby joined in as well.

Now, Daniel Tiger might seem a bit young for an eight-year-old, but Natalie still enjoyed the DVD.

She also liked reading the book:

As you can see, it's filled with colorful pages.


If you want to buy your own copy of Daniel Tiger Goes To School, you can purchase it on the PBS website. If you sign up for their newsletter, you can save 15%.

You can also buy Daniel Tiger Goes To School on Amazon.


To learn even more about Daniel Tiger and other PBS shows, you can FOLLOW PBS Kids on Twitter and LIKE them on Facebook.

Why I Don't Do "Fancy" Lunches

You see them everywhere.

Links to making lunches that will "delight" your children.

First of all, if I made a lunch like this....

Credit

....my daughter Natalie would go, "I don't like olives. Or the meat. The cheese also tastes funny to me. Also, the eyes are boring into my soul." 

Now this one is cute:

Credit

But I'm not about to take the time to make the minion faces. Sometimes people seem to think that because you stay at home with the kids, that you have all this extra time to make character lunches.

I don't.

Do you want to know what my kids eat?

I know people might say, "Ew, plastic bags!" and I'm all, "I re-use them a few times." 

I know people might gasp, "But that's...WHITE bread!" My kids won't eat bread with "stuff" in it.

I know people might shriek, "Carrots sticks are better than chips!" Doritos never killed anyone. The orange stuff might get every dang where, but my kids will be okay. I promise.

I know people might bellow, "Do you know how much SUGAR is in those fruit cups?" Hey. The package said 25% less sugar. So there. 

I think it's amazing if you make a lunch with faces. I'll admire it. I'll praise it.

But I just won't ever do it. 

Things That Annoy Me Thursday: People Who Can't Read Listings Properly

I decided to sell Natalie's toy chest.

It was difficult for me because it had been in her room since she was a baby. Then I realized at 8, she was probably too old to have a toy chest in her room.

We replaced it with a cube shelf from Target.

But it still made me sad.

"She's growing up," I said to Tom.

"Could you get me more M&Ms when you go to the store?" was his reply. He doesn't get weepy like I do about the kids getting older.

I listed the toy chest on the Tinker page. I stated that it was an on base pick up and that we would NOT deliver. We COULD deliver, since Tom has a truck, but no thanks. Why? Well, because people say they'll show up, and then they don't show up. Or when you pick a day and time the person is all, "Can we switch the day and time?" Or the person will say, "Could you deliver it thirty minutes away?" and it's like,

So I stated that the buyer MUST pick up the toy chest on their own.

Soon after I listed the toy chest, I had 3 messages from people asking if I could deliver. One person said, "I'm only five minutes from the base."

Another went, "I only live 10 minutes away. Would you take $5?"

I listed it for $20, which is a deal, since we paid about $90 for it.

Why can't people read? Why?

I told all those people that I stated NO DELIVERY.

One person answered, "I don't see the big deal."

The big deal is we don't want to waste our time. Thanks. Also, read what I wrote with my listing. We don't need the $20 desperately.

Finally, mercifully, someone who could read properly said she'd pick it up later that day.

She showed up when she said she would and then the toy chest was gone.

I might have gotten a lump in my throat.

Tom went, "One less big thing in our house. Awesome."

Seriously though. Read listings. No delivery means NO DELIVERY.

Hey, It's Okay Tuesday!

I got this idea from Glamour magazine. They have a section called Hey, It’s Okay and will list a bunch of things to be okay about. You're welcome to join in and do something like this on your blog. Doesn't have to be on a Tuesday either. Just make sure you link up and that the post you link up is a Hey, It's Okay Post. Grab the button if you'd like!
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--To not be surprised Josh Duggar admitted to cheating on his wife. He always gave me a bad feeling. His dad sort of does too.


--To have watched Fear The Walking Dead. It was entertaining enough. I'll watch again.


--To be ready for all the pumpkin stuff. I love it.


--To have also watched the Unauthorized Full House Story on Lifetime. It was a hot mess.


--To hope someone doesn't try to scam me again on eBay this time. I listed some of Natalie's clothes here. (To read the story of the scammer, click here.)


--To have a giveaway for an Orkin Back to School Prize Pack here.


--To be amused by Natalie's Minecraft Creeper jacket. (You can buy your own at Target! Only $18.99)

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Inside Natalie's Closet: Back To School Outfits

My kids are back in school!

Back to school means new clothes. New shoes. Even though my husband is like, "I'm confused. Isn't her closet full of clothes? And shoes?" But he doesn't understand.

When Natalie was little she got a lot of her clothes at Gymboree:

She's 8 and she still gets clothes at Gymboree, but she also has branched out to Justice. I like Justice, don't get me wrong, but their stuff is expensive. I cannot pay $30 for one shirt. So if she likes an outfit from Justice I have to pay attention to their sales. Sometimes they have sales on jeggings. Sometimes it's only on tops.

It's sort of like a game to shop at Justice if you're a cheap-o like I am.

I was able to get a few things from Justice during a sale.

The shoes are NOT from Justice. Those are from Gymboree. Both items are a size 8. The top is a little big, but I worried a size 7 might be too small. Natalie is at an awkward size at the moment.

Natalie says everything is comfortable. She's picky about things that "feel weird."

Natalie's moods change in a snap so suddenly she was like, "I don't want to do this anymore."

And then she was happy again.

**Outfit Change**

The top is Justice. The jeggings are from The Children's Place. The boots are from Gymboree.

Natalie will have to wait a bit to actually wear this to school. It's been 90 degrees here. We dip down to 80 sometimes. It seems to get cool by the end of October.

She says third grade is harder than second. She's miffed there isn't snack time.


**Outfit Change**

This is what Natalie ended up wearing on the first day of school. It's from The Children's Place.

Then she got upset.

"Why do you like to bug me so much?"

In the past I could make farting noises to get her to smile. But now?

It's getting harder.

How did I make her laugh? I might have sang I Like Big Butts. I mean, it made Emma laugh in Friends, so....

And then she had to take a photo with her kitty:

Happy Shopping!

Why I'm Happy School Is Back In Session

School started on Wednesday.

It was tough. Not saying goodbye to the kids--but waking up early again. I am not a morning person. The world just doesn't make sense to me until after 11.

Tommy started eighth grade:

And Natalie started third:

I do miss them while they are gone. But there are reasons why I'm happy school is back in session. And here they are.

1. Towels will no longer be everywhere.

I won't find them in the the yard, the floor, the couch, the lamp or the cat anymore.


2. I won't have to hear the neighborhood kids asking for food all day long. Or a drink.

I don't mind giving kids water. We have a water dispenser on the fridge. But sometimes the kid is all, "I don't like water. I want a juice box." I say, "You live five houses away. Walk over and get one then." I'm kidding. I don't say it. I want to. Instead I go, "You may have water or water."

As for the food, I'll pass out fruit snacks but again, someone will inevitably go, "I don't like these. Any cookies?" I say, "Yes, but they're mine."


3. I won't have random kids be like, "Can I use your bathroom?"

...when they live about two houses away. I always want to say, "Did your toilet blow up, or what?" Because then I worry about random pee on the toilet seat. And sometimes kids will emerge from the bathroom thirty seconds later and you KNOW they haven't washed their hands. And then they put their pee hands on our furniture. On our cats. And it just freaks me out in general.


4. Schedules are back!

I prefer a schedule. I mean, I do enjoy sleeping in. But then it can get rather boring. During the school year I know the kids are out of the house by 835. Then it is errands. Then I have lunch at 11. I clean at noon. The kids are home by 4. Then it's homework. Dinner. Baths. Bedtime. It is fun to be able to go places and not have to worry about school, but what happens if you've run out of places to go?!


5. It's QUIET again.

I need it. Kids seem to like to gather here, and it's okay until they get hysterically loud. I'm talking the kind of loud where you think someone is injured. I run out and find one kid sitting on another because its her horse. I remind the girls that contrary to what television shows and movies portray, that girls DO NOT have to shriek whenever they are excited. It frightens others and hurts eardrums.



Is school back in session for your kids?

Things That Annoy Me Thursday: People Getting Ticked At Target?

I'm sure by now you all know that Target has decided to move away from gender based signs.

I think it's pretty great. I love Target. I've always loved Target.

However.

My daughter never paid attention to those signs anyway.

I mean, you guys know how she wandered into the "boy" section to get a Jurassic World and Minecraft shirt.

It doesn't bother her. Never has.

She loves Minecraft even though some kids have told her it's "for boys only."

She picked out her backpack even though she knows many boys have the same one. She doesn't care.

She got her lunchbox in what would have probably been the "boy" section. There were a bunch of pink, purple, and yellow lunch boxes and then the colors started to get darker.


Natalie doesn't care. She would never NOT get something just because it's in the BOY area. She has many Legos that aren't pink and purple.

Some people are upset that the signs are going away. I don't understand this. We really don't care one way or another because of the reasons I listed--BUT if it makes another kid feel comfortable, why not?

Ahh, Target. You might make my husband go, "You spent HOW MUCH?" on a weekly basis, but to me, you'll always be my favorite.

Hey, It's Okay Tuesday!

I got this idea from Glamour magazine. They have a section called Hey, It’s Okay and will list a bunch of things to be okay about. You're welcome to join in and do something like this on your blog. Doesn't have to be on a Tuesday either. Just make sure you link up and that the post you link up is a Hey, It's Okay Post. Grab the button if you'd like!
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--To be excited that school starts tomorrow for the kids.


--To NOT be excited to have to wake up early again. I also dread the homework.


--To be going to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory with my husband to celebrate the fact that they kids are back in school. It means we can have day dates again!


--To have answered, "Nobody," when Natalie asked who was taking her to see Shaun The Sheep. It's not a movie I want to sit through.


--To be doing a back to school fashion show with Natalie soon.


--To have been catching up on shows with Tom. I recorded a lot of them for when he returned home. Right now we're watching The Americans. Awesome show.


--To love my new shirt.

It's fitting. I DO hate to run and I DO love desserts. (I bought it at Kohls!)

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How To Make Sure Your First Cat Doesn't Hate Your New Cat

I was hesitant on bringing in another cat.

I admit it.

It's probably because I watch too many episodes of My Cat From Hell. If you don't know what it is, it's basically about this guy, Jackson Galaxy, who helps cat owners get their cats to calm down. Sometimes the cats scratch everything. Sometimes the cats pee everywhere. Sometimes the cats attack people.

We got lucky with Max. He wasn't Crazy. But what if the next cat was? And then I worried that Max would HATE the other cat. In My Cat From Hell, sometimes cats act out if a new one is brought in.

I did not want chaos to ensue, so here are things we did to make sure Max wouldn't hate Ruby.

1. We didn't shove Ruby in front of Max constantly. We let Max come to Ruby. He'd sniff her, hiss, and then sniff her some more. When he wanted to. (Also, Ruby doesn't put up with nonsense. If he sniffed her too long, she'd slap him.)

2. We got the cats another jungle gym. We had one, but we figured another would be best. It was a good idea, because Max enjoys it:

And so does Ruby:

3. Each cat has their own food dishes. However, I think each cat eats out of both. But still. They know they can have their own if they want.


4. We made sure to give Max extra love. We didn't want him to feel replaced.

In the end our ideas seemed to work. Max only hisses at Ruby if she gets too close to him when he's trying to eat. I understand. I growl if my kids get too close to me when I'M trying to eat too.

And now they are friends.