Thing 1 is an award-winning scientist!

Well, she did it. Thing 1 won 1st place in the science fair last night for the first grade. Her daddy and I couldn't be more proud. We are the proud parents of an award-winning 1st grade scientist.

She got a blue ribbon for placing 1st, AND a spiffy trophy that declares her as the best scientist in the first grade. You should have seen her smile.

Thing 1's project was about density. She wanted to see if an egg would float or sink in water, salt water, cooking oil, and karo syrup. She was very interested in why things float (or not), so she and her daddy cooked up this project.

She is also quite pleased with herself, and apparently enjoyed the experience enough to want to participate again next year (so far, anyway).

So now it's on to the regional science fair where she'll compete against other winners from the area. However that turns out, she's a winner in our book.

Our First Science Fair Experience

Thing 1 came home from school shortly before Christmas with several thick documents in her backpack that announced the highly anticipated coming of the school's Science Fair. There was no question whether or not she planned to enter a project - it was a done deal.

Now being the nightly homework, reading, and dinner parent that I am, I immediately thought, "This sounds like the perfect job for my husband!" So I assigned him Science Fair duty, and haven't looked back since.

The project is due on Wednesday, and they're very nearly done. The experiment itself (something about eggs floating in water ... or not) was finished by last weekend.

Now comes the hard part, though.

Thing 1 has to do the work herself. That means she has to put together her display with all the photos and text all by herself. I know it will be hard for my husband not to help her, but this has to be her project. In the long run, it will be a very good experience for her.

Once again, I'm a proud Mom.

I'll let you know at the end of next week how she does.

Thing 1 Is Growing Up

Today, I realized that Thing 1 (age 7) is growing up. Oh, I've seen it coming for some time now. But today, it finally sunk in.

This morning she said, "Can we have eggs for breakfast?" When I told her we could, she said, "Great! I'll crack the eggs and stir them up." And she did!

Very well!

She also added all the spices for my special "Gig 'Em Aggie" scrambled eggs. Her Dad makes "Hook 'Em Horns" scrambled eggs (she secretly tells us both that she likes ours the best!).

Not only did she (mostly) make breakfast, she also helped Thing 2 with his.

Thing 2 was not interested in eggs this morning. He wanted waffles and cinnamon rolls. Who could blame him? Sounds like the perfect breakfast to me!

Thing 1 toasted Thing 2's Eggos to perfection, poured on the syrup (got a bit carried away here), and even cut them into bite-size pieces for him.

Now let me assure you that this is not the norm around here. Not by any stretch of the imagination. That's not to say that the kids don't do nice things for each other (or us) from time to time ... because they do. But it doesn't usually happen to this degree of "niceness".

My baby is growing up.

Needless to say, I was a happy Mom this morning.

Even if it was too darn early to be making breakfast on a Saturday.

It's birthday party time again!

Thing 2 has his 5th birthday coming up in mid-March. This year (so far) he wants an Iron Man party. As with his older sister, Thing 1, the theme can change ... and change often!

Eventually we'll agree on a theme, and the search will be on for fun things that he and his friends can do at the party. This happens twice a year, every year. It's always a struggle to keep coming up with activities the kids will enjoy, won't be too much trouble to pull off, and (most importantly) won't cost too much money.

Here's a little tip for you. Check out this website: http://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/. Visit this site once, and you'll be hooked. This collaborative site is a huge repository of birthday party ideas by theme and by age. So if you (like me) were interested in what fun things other parents have done for their 5-year-old's Iron Man party, all you have to do is read through the postings. I'll be doing that over the weekend.

Each posting is different, but most contain information on the following categories:

• invitations and thank you notes
• food
• games and other activities
• craft ideas
• party favors

For every birthday party we've ever done, I've always been able to find some good ideas from this site. Usually I end up combining the ideas from 3 or 4 different postings, and the kids have always had a great time.

And while we're on the topic of birthday party planning, here's a great resource for getting those party supplies from the comfort of your own home: http://www.birthdayexpress.com/. This place has all the cups, plates, napkins, party favors (and more!) that you'll ever need. The prices are reasonable and they ship your items pretty quickly too.

Here's to happy birthdays, and happy birthday parties, from now on!

Sometimes I have to go out of town for work ...

... and it's both good and bad. Today I'm leaving on a two-day trip to South Texas for a trade show. I don't have to be away from home too often with my job, but from time to time, it happens.

Thing 1 doesn't get too sad about it anymore - mostly because she trusts that I will bring home surprises if I'm able to (and I usually find a way to do so). Thing 2, being only 4, still gets a little teary-eyed on occasion.

Being away from home when I'm on these work trips is both good and bad. It's bad because I DO miss them while I'm away. Those phone calls before bedtime just don't compare to a goodnight hug and kiss.

The good part is that I get a little "me" time ... even if the trip is work-related. I can watch whatever I want on TV, and it's usually not Sponge Bob or Spiderman cartoons. I actually get total control of the remote (sorry, honey)! I can lounge in the hotel bathtub ... drink a glass of wine ... read a book - all at the same time!

Or, I can sleep.

Mom's need time away from all the home and family responsibilities sometimes, if for no other reason, just to rejuvenate. I come back mentally refreshed and ready to be a Mom again.

My husband is a terrific father. I couldn't ask for better. The kids are in good hands with him, so I have no worries at all.

So if you ask me if I feel guilty being away from the kids ...

... I'll truthfully answer, "not really." :-)

Pierced Ears for Christmas

As you may have noticed, there is a certain element of "Drama Queen" that is a part of Thing 1's personality. That said, it should come as no surprise that the drama machine was fully engaged when Thing 1 got her ears pierced shortly after Christmas.

The back story on this is that she asked us for several months before Christmas to get her ears pierced. Being only 7, I kept putting her off so we could make sure she was serious about it. As we got closer to Christmas, we finally gave in and said that we would get her ears pierced as her Christmas gift. "Thrilled" doesn't begin to capture how excited about it she was!

Fast forward to the day of the ear-piercing. Thing 1 is absolutely torn in two about doing this. She really, really wants to do it, but is scared half to death about actually getting it done. At the store, she happily picks out several pairs of earrings that she can wear after the first 6 weeks. Then comes the moment when she will have to get in the chair. Even sitting on my lap, she was in tears. She got as far as letting them clean her ear lobes, mark the spots with a pen, and load the gun with the $37 earrings before she came unglued.

After much discussion, tears, pleading, and coaxing, Thing 1 agreed to watch a few girls get their ears pierced. Once she realized these girls didn't bleed to death or worse, she was ready to do it herself.

So for a total of $80, several pairs of cute little girl earrings, an earring holder, and 1 1/2 hours of a Saturday afternoon, Thing 1 now has beautiful and sparkly ears.

New baby cousins!

You know you're getting old when your baby cousins start having more baby cousins. My twenty-something cousins, Sarah and Christina, each delivered very cute and very healthy babies within the last week.

Sarah was first last week with new baby cousin Naomi ... so cute. And tonight, Christina gave new baby cousin Elijah his long-awaited debut. I haven't seen pictures of him yet, but I'd be willing to bet he's a cutie too.

Sarah, Christina, and I had lost touch over the years, but that's to be expected with a ~ 20 year age difference. I was in college when they were barely in grade school! But, thanks to technology's version of crack (a.k.a. Facebook), we have reconnected (seriously, I'm addicted!). That, and a brief reunion last year.

They are wonderful and beautiful girls with equally wonderful husbands. I'm so happy for them and so proud of the adults they've become.

Welcome to the world, Naomi and Elijah!

Great websites to check out

Today I have some excellent kid-related websites for you to check out. They are all filled with great information that I know you'll use and enjoy.

www.kids-in-mind.com
This site lists thousands of movies (including the very newest releases), and objectively rates them based on their content. This allows parents to decide for themselves - based on their own family values system - whether or not the movie is appropriate for their children to watch. The movies aren't just "kid" movies either. Most adult movies are included as well.

Movies are assigned a numerical rating (0 - 10) in each of three categories: 1) sex and nudity, 2) violence and gore, and 3) profanity. The higher the numerical rating in a category, the more sex, violence, or profanity you should expect to see. Detailed descriptions of the scenes that contributed to the numerical rating are included as well.

A really nice feature they include for each movie is the section on discussion topics. These range from issues that your children may have questions about, to ideas/lessons/values you may want to discuss with them after watching the movie.

Here's a link to the review on Bedtime Stories, which is currently in theaters. This will give you a good idea how the system works.

www.kidzaustin.com
For parents in the Austin, Texas area, this site will be listed in your Favorites very soon. For the purposes of this site, the Austin area includes Austin, Bastrop, Buda, Cedar Park, Dripping Springs, Georgetown, Pflugerville, and Round Rock.

It includes information on literally everything you could think of related to raising children in our part of the state. It covers camps, indoor activities, outdoor activities, sports, party places and suppliers, great deals, schools, camping spots, links to blogs and articles, and more.

Probably my family's favorite section is the www.kidzeatfreeaustin.com. It lists all the restaurants where your kids can eat for free, by day of the week. Fabulous resource - especially in this wonky economy. There's also a monthly e-newsletter you can sign up for that has very timely news and updates to their standard offerings. We use this ALL the time.

That's it for today! I hope you check out these great sites - I know you'll love 'em!

It's BLEEDING!!!!!

What is it about the sight of blood that completely wigs out some kids?

Earlier this afternoon, Thing 1 hit her bare foot on her grandmother's wheelchair ramp coming in from the back patio. As soon as it happened, she said, "Ouch!". But that was it.

But the moment she looked down and noticed it was bleeding, all hell broke loose! She screamed for a bandaid, and screamed even louder when I said that we needed to clean the cut first.

The whole dramatic scene played out over about 10 minutes ... Thing 1 screaming all the while. We finally managed to drip some peroxide on it before hastily pasting on a Barbie bandaid. Once the bandaid was in place, the screaming stopped.

Of course, now she's milking it for all it's worth. She's all propped up on the couch watching Mulan.

Thing 2 wanted to watch Indiana Jones, so now he's pouting.

Oh, and can she (sniff, sniff) have some goldfish?

And (sniff) some water with a straw?

Oh well, at least it's finally quiet ...

New Year's Resolutions

In addition to the now familiar resolution we all have (everyone, sing together now!) like losing weight, getting organized, and finding more time for ourselves/our families, I have another one that I'd really like to throw some weight behind (no pun intended).

I'd like to take on a more active role in my children's education. Realistically, I know I don't have the time to be Room Mother or anything like that. But as Thing 1 approaches 2nd grade and Thing 2 approaches Kindergarten, this is becoming more and more important to me.

Recently I discovered Bill Bennett. He's a former Secretary of Education under Ronald Reagan. He does a conservative political talk show in the mornings, and I love to listen to him on my commute into work. He's written several books on U.S. history, politics, faith, family values, and education.

So the first part of my new years resolution will be to purchase this book and read it cover to cover. Among many other great things, The Educated Child: A Parents Guide From Preschool Through Eighth Grade features an outline of what to expect--or demand, in some cases--in the K-8 essentials.

Once read, I plan to put Dr. Bennett's great ideas and resources to work with my own children's education in 2009 and beyond.

You Know You're a Mom if ...

... you can answer a proud "YES" to any of the following:

1. you know what a "Mom purse" is


2. you actually own a self-described Mom purse


3. in your Mom purse you can quickly and easily access the following items: a) an unused Spiderman bandaid, b) Thing 1's My Little Pony from a McDonald's Happy Meal, c) travel tweasers, d) stickers from their last haircuts, e) chewed up lollipop sticks, and f) enough gum to keep Thing 1 AND Thing 2 quiet for at least an hour.

Mom! Slow the *%$! down!

The other day, Thing 2 (son, age 4) and I were on our way to pick up Thing 1 (daughter, age 7) from her afterschool program. We were running pretty late - later than usual, I should say. So with lateness and not wanting to be fined in mind, I was trying to hurry.

Now, Thing 2 has let me know on several different occasions that he thinks I should slow down. That I drive too fast. I say, "What does a 4-year-old know about driving?" So I usually thank him for his advise and continue on in my need for speed.

This time was different. This time, was one for the record books. I was approaching a stop sign pretty quickly and finally came to an abrupt hault. From the back I hear a gasping in of breath and this ...

"OH MY GOSH!"
"And I say that, because I don't want to say, 'Oh my GOD, or What the HELL.'"

I mean really! What do you say to that!? It was incredibly hard not to laugh at him, but I somehow managed not to guffaw.

I did, however, tell him that he was right.

Those were things we didn't want to say.

And then I slowed down.