Happy Birthday Greta!

 Greta had a great 9th birthday celebration.  Her Papa Bill and Arlene came to visit and took her out to dinner to her favorite chinese restaurant, Chopstix, two days before her birthday.  The next day she had a slumber party with two of her friends and her big sister.  It was a busy day that started off with swimming at The Centre, an indoor pool with slides and other fun stuff to play on, and then back to the house to play.

The dinner she picked out was corn dogs, edemame, sweet potato wedges, and watermelon.  She thought a lot about her birthday dinner because she wanted it to be balanced between junk food and healthy food.  Everyone was too full for cake after dinner so the presents were opened and then they went off to play.  A few hours later, after everyone had on their jammies, they all enjoyed a late night snack of cake and ice cream.  I had my concerns about giving them sweets so close to bedtime but I guess all the activity exhausted everyone because when lights went out so did the girls.

I can tell this is going to be a good year for Greta.  She has matured into a  confident, funny, and thoughtful young lady. Greta has found a sense of contentment and understanding that she has never had before.  She contiues to be very artistic and a noticer.  She notices  beautiful things that others miss.  Plus, if she notices something beautiful about someone she will compliment them... even if it is a stranger in passing.  That is a wonderful gift to give people.

Slumber Party Guests:  Heather, Gigi, Greta, and Paige

Greta 9 yrs old and Gigi 11 yrs old

Heather and Greta

Greta and her Bestie - Paige



Greta designed her cake and I iced it.  She loved the results!





Thinking about her birthday wish.



I hope your birthday wishes come true.

"The Viv" Library Tote

Meet "The Viv".  This is a new tote bag designed for a busy SAHM to stay organized and have it all in one tote.  My friend, Tab, is a SAHM to her 18 month old Vivi.  Tab's dilema was that she needed a bag that could carry everything for the day and go from the library to the beach.  Ya' did I mention that she just moved to Hawaii?  Tough dilema, huh? 

 

 

 

It just so happens that I have been designing a new tote that would allow it to be over stuffed with bulky heavy things but not be too large for everyday use.  When I go to the library with the girls my bag is frequently overflowing with books.  I thought that an adjustable flap would be just the thing.  It tucks into the bag when not in use but if you need a few extra inches to pile the stuff up, the flap comes out and ties closed.  If it falls over in the car, the books stay in the bag and don't slide under the seat.  Hmmm, if I had a dollar for every time that has happened to me. 

Tab also needed a toiletry bag to contain her lip gloss collection and keys.

The last addition was the diaper clutch.  It will hold a few diapers and a small package of wipes.  It is easy to find and you don't have to carry the entire tote bag around for a quick diaper change.  I hope "The Viv"  gets years of usage at the library and the beach.

Back To School in 2012

We are not morning people... with that said, Gigi has to be at the bus stop by 6:30am so everyone is up before 6am.  I love the picture of her with her hard earned iPad (she saved money all summer to buy it).  It is the perfect example of her excitement, or anxiety, for the first day of school.  She got up early and got ready quick enough to have some free time before the bus came.  I bet that doesn't happen again.  ha ha

 

 

Her school is brand spankin' new.  When we went to the Meet The Teacher night they were still waiting for desks to be delivered.  The proposal of how the new Sixth Grade Center will be run is impressive.  The policies are based on the book Seven Habits of Highly Effective Students which is a branch of the Seven Habit of Highly Effective People.  The students are involved in the day to day activities.  Classes are 90 minutes long so teachers and students have time to really get their hands dirty and do interactive learning.  I have high hopes.

Let me point out one thing about Gigi in these pics... her shirt is wet.  This is the one thing that bugs me about this kid but it is also the one of the many things I love about her, she doesn't care that she got her shirt wet when she washed her face.  I suggested that she change into a dry shirt and she said "I don't care if it's wet.  It will dry."  Simply stated.

See, Greta goes to school at a decent hour.  Note that there is daylight.  ha ha  An interesting note about our family... we don't buy new back to school clothes.  I don't know why.  We've just never bought them.  I love Greta's outfit.  It was a surprise to me that she picked it for her first day of fourth grade.  Unlike Gigi, she has definite ideas about what goes together and how clothes should be worn.  We have had many arguments about Greta taking too long to get ready and me trying to convince her that her clothes don't matter as much as she thinks.  I never win.  For the first day of school she chose a pair of hand-me-down shorts and a t-shirt that is so old that the hem is coming undone in one spot.  She was going for cute comfort.