If I had any friends in real life, I could just ask them for advice on these matters, but since I don't, I am enlisting the help of all of you wonderful bloggy friends :) Feel free to speak your mind and leave me a comment with your answers to any (or all) of the following questions:
1) What is a good teacher gift to give as an end-of-the-year thank you? Keep in mind that my kids have about 12 teachers total, plus the baby's nanny, and I don't have a lot of time or money.
2) For you women only (Fr. Dave, since you are the only man that reads this blog, please move on to question number 3) - How do you get rid of unwanted hair for the summer months where I will be spending all my days at the beach or a pool. Ok, not really, but on the rare occasions I do put on a bathing suit (I can feel my belly rolls laughing), I would like to not look like I just stepped out of a jungle with no access to any sort of feminine hygiene.
3) What is a quick and healthy go-to dinner for these warm months? I always hate turning on my oven in the summer....
4) If you're baby has a receding hairline like a balding old man, but is growing it thick and luxurious in the back, would you cut it?
5) For anyone out there that is an early exerciser (I'm planning on switching over to this on some mornings once Phil and the kids are done school)...how do you do it? What time do you wake up, when do you eat, do you sleep in your workout gear?
6) How do you give your eldest children freedom to do big kid stuff while not making your little feel left out or including them in the big kid stuff before they are ready? For example, the older boys REALLY want to watch the old Star Wars movies, but we don't think out 4 and 5 year old should be watching them too. Only they want to, and we can't keep holding back the big kids just because they have younger siblings. Or can we?
7) Do you have any questions for me?
Have an awesome JUNE weekend everyone!!!!!!
Have an awesome JUNE weekend everyone!!!!!!
#4) Leo had (and still has) a receding hair line! I buzzed it when he was a wee babe because the back of his head was growing fast (but only at the top, not near the base of his skull). It looked bizarre on the kid so I cut it. But Xander looks cute to me! And it looks like his hair is growing evenly. So he's probably good!
ReplyDelete#6) My sister has 6 kids and it has been difficult to shelter some from what the others watch. So, the rule is they can watch anything that doesn't have sex scenes or sexually explicit content. They have been watching some crazy movies as a family, and the younger ones always get bored and start playing or leave the room. The content is above their heads. After having seen this philosophy in action, I will adopt the same policy and let my kids watch anything together that has been approved by mom and dad and if the younger ones actually stay through the thing, it'll be a miracle.
You know, you're totally right about the younger ones losing interest when it's over their heads. Good thinkin' Lincoln!
Delete#1..I just have the kids write a thank you note. No gifts.
ReplyDelete#6...get another tv..or a little dvd player. My teens watch older movies and the 11 and 8yr old watch kids movies. it works.
Thank you notes - why didn't I think of that? Probably because I am so bad at them myself!
Delete#1) In the past I've done a bottle of nail polish and fancy nail file and put it in a pretty bag. A couple of times I've done a few rub off lottery tickets for any men. I also think Christine's idea is good too...a simple thank you note from them is precious.
ReplyDeleteHere's a question....do you get the bus driver a gift?
Since I am the bus driver, I definitely think you should get the bus driver a gift!!! Ha! BUt I'm sure the bus driver is a thankless job and they would love to be thought of in a small way :)
Delete#1. Jessica @ Shower of Roses just posted a few teacher ideas yesterday or the day before. Not sure if those would be helpful, but maybe??
ReplyDelete#2. I will be back to see what others say on this one. I'm intrigued :)
#5. When I was getting up earlier (now that we're on summer time, I'm still trying to find a different schedule) to exercise, it was around 5am or 5:15. The night before, I had the clothes all out and ready and had in my head my plan for what workout routine I was going to do. I found it easier to jump out of bed and get going that way. After exercise I showered and got ready and then ate breakfast. I have tummy troubles if I eat right away in the AM, so it worked pretty well for me to go this route. Good luck!
#7. How is it you don't have IRL friends? I doubt that. Although, I think I am with you. I am limited in my IRL friends and right now feeling in a 'rut' with not connecting well with some of the few I do have. I guess it's a season of motherhood I'm in right now, but I'm struggling with staying connected. Not to mention, the pickins' are few in these parts ;)
Happy Weekend to you!
My tummy is on the same schedule as yours, I think! And I do have a few very dear friends in real life, it's just that I never seem to have/make time to see them. I wish I was one of those ladies who has lunch with the girls, or coffee regularly with a friend, but the demands of the job and the kids and their activities, plus WANTING to spend alone time with my husband all seem to get in the way of friendly activities.
Delete#1 ~ Written thank you notes with a drawn picture of what they learned/ favorite thing about the school year.
ReplyDelete#2 ~ Noxzema bikini shave & trim razor – LOVE it.
#3 ~ Sandwiches with salad or something on the grill. ( I'm still working on my summer meal ideas)
#4 ~ I’d cut it. (Haha.. easy for me to say – my 3 yr old needs a trim and I just can’t do it!)
#5 ~ I *try* to do it first thing before my son wakes up. I lay my workout clothes next to the bed (so I step on them when I get up), then put them on right away. I have to get up around 5 if I want to workout & shower. I usually eat after my shower or when my son is up around 6-6:30. That’s the goal anyway. :)
I would love to just have sandwiches for dinner, but I don't think that's going to fly well with the hubby and kids. But maybe I can slowly start incorporating it :) And I'm going to look for that razor ASAP, thanks!
DeleteOh this is fun!
ReplyDelete1. For gifts at the end of the year I like to do a small pot of flowers....make a sign that says, "thanks for helping me bloom". I buy something small and use cheap plastic looks a like clay pot. Otherwise you'll use all your money on the pot. Another idea, my SIL must have got old tea cups from a garage sale and put the flowers in them. So cute.
2. Bic
3. Get the crock pot out and use that as much as you can. You can prepare in the morning and not have to worry about anything when you get home.
4. My son's hair was much the same. I had it longer until recently but you could have the back cut but ask for the front to be a little longer. Also, so it's not too goofy looking like a bowl cut ask for them to cut not use the clippers on the back. It can be a little longer (think of using your fingers to cut you'll have at least a finger width of hair vs. clipper it gets really short.
5. I'm going to also start exercising before my husband goes to work otherwise we have litte time together at night. Lay out the clothes before you go, grab a protein bar eat that while you get dressed and off you go!
6. That I don't quite know except that a friend of mine...their big kids get to come back out after a little bit in bed and watch the big kid movie.
7. Did any of my ideas work?
I also doubt that you don't have oodles of IRL friends!
Crockpot = jackpot idea! And I am so loving the flowers "bloom" idea...especially in old teacups. That's great!
Delete1. I'm the teacher, so I definitely say extravagant gifts . . . hehehehe. Honestly, I think thank you notes from the kids are brilliant. Even a $5 Starbucks gift card is going to cost an arm and a leg with 12 teachers!
ReplyDelete2. I just use a razor. I'm so old fashioned like that. I do use a men's five bladed razor, though. Have for years. I haven't found a ladies razor that's worked as well.
3. I'm terrible with dinner ideas. So not the person to ask on that topic. But in the summer we do a lot of BBQing, and summer before last we did joint dinners a lot with my parents {who live next door}. It worked out great! We'd BBQ chicken or burgers, my mom would bring over the salad and rolls, or vice versa.
4. Leave his hair. It won't be long before he'll have to have it cut all the time. He's a baby. It's sweet. I vote for leaving it :)
5. No comment :) My exercise routine consists of chasing the littles around, and after dinner strolls. I'm not much help. {Okay, so I did have a comment!}
6. I feel like we're starting to face this more and more. I like the idea that the littles are going to lose interest in it after awhile anyway.
7. Any fun summer plans?
Fun summer plans include selling and buying a house. Maybe I should just call those hopeful summer plans, since it definitely won't be fun!
Delete1. How about a single flower or rose and a little note for each teacher?
ReplyDelete2. Amazon women rock!
4. I never cut my baby's hair. It's part of the fun for them to look cute and silly.
I've never heard of that rock! Off to google it now.....
DeleteOh my goodness, what a ditz I am...
Delete#2- wax. Get an at-home wax kit, drink you some liquid courage, and just do it. Or, have you AND Phil drink the liquid courage, and have HIM do it, in case you chicken out. For a moment's pain, you have weeks and weeks of smooth skin. No razor burn. No constant upkeep. Also, if you put some of that roll-on deodorant on the skin area a day or so after waxing, it'll keep any bumps away. Shaving sucks. It doesn't last, and if your skin is anything like mine, it erupts into angry rash a day after doing it. No thank you. Waxing is the way to go.
ReplyDelete#3 do you have a grill? You can do almost anything on the grill. We don't have AC, and last year, I had a friend of mine take pity on me and send me a dozen grill recipes, so I wouldn't have to turn the oven on in my house. If you have a grill, I'll send you some of them.
I don't know about the rest. But I do know we should see what our schedules look like for June 16th- the day before Father's Day, right?
Do you have a particular brand/type you prefer? I tried the strips that already have wax on them (semi disaster) and then Nad's (complete and utter disaster), but I really like the IDEA of waxing lol.
DeleteI agree with the men's razor option. I forgot my razor on the honeymoon and used my husband's and I was SO much smoother than normal! (Win?!)
Phil loved your suggestion, and yes we have a grill and I would love some new recipes! Let me know when you all are ready to come up :)
Delete#2- Get a bathing suit with a skirt . . . you will never have to worry about it! The only problem is when you forget and wear a regular bathing suit . . . oops! I have worn skirted suits for years and love them. I splurge and buy from Land's End. The only time I wear a regular suit is when I am going to swim laps.
ReplyDelete#5- You just do it. The key is going to bed early. If I am not in bed by 10PM, I cannot get up. I try to get up by 5:30AM. I do not eat, I just get dressed and go to the gym. I do not sleep in my workout clothes, but I do lay them out the night before.
#6- We are not the family to follow on this one! Our 4 yr old has seen more of Star Wars than I would care to admit! On most occasions though, we try to get them all in bed, get A to sleep and then let the other two come out. If my 4 year old gets to watch, we skip most of the battles and scary parts.
Yes, all of my bathing suits have skirts, but sometimes little hands pull it up or when I get in the water, it floats up and the people have goggles, and well that's a natural world I dont think they are ready to discover!
DeleteI don't even think there is anything wrong with Star Wars (although I haven't ever even seen one minute) but it seems the older they get, the more we are holding them back, and I don't want to always be doing that :)
Boom Baby! Food is done. No idea if they are quick, but at least there is a plan. lol =)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2012/05/june-2012-monthly-meal-plan.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ConfessionsOfAHomeschooler+%28Confessions+of+a+Homeschooler%29
#1: I have no idea. I stink at teacher gifts. Luckily, all the teachers this year are ones my kids have had before, so I already know what they like. And they like gift cards, score! Plus, the kids write thank you notes.
ReplyDelete#2: I shave, but my SIL says waxing is the only way to go. I'm starting to agree with her because shaving was invented by the Devil. Hate it.
#3: We eat a lot of sandwiches or we use the grill or crockpot.
#4: I'd only cut it if it is really bothering you something fierce. I have the opposite problem -- my kids' hair grows directly into their eyes before anything grows in the back.
(notice how I am skipping the exercise question because I am a slug)
#6: My older ones have watched Star Wars, but the little guys have not. It is a bummer for the smaller ones, but we let the older ones stay up later on a weekend to see it (in installments) and sent the little guys to bed. It actually worked out pretty well: the bigger kids felt like they were granted a privilege due to their age, and the little ones learn that there are just somethings you have to wait for. They seem to be okay with it, although Bun is obsessed with being Darth Vader and he has never seen any of the movies. I don't know about that kid.
Once we (hopefully) move into a house with 4 bedrooms, then the little kids can go to bed earlier than the big ones...but for know three boys are in one room, so it's hard to sneak them out. And yup, shaving must be from the devil!!
DeleteCut the hair
ReplyDeleteGrill as much as possible or we eat a lot of cold chicken or cold pasta and salads
I just write thank you bites since I limit extra spending. As much as I would like to give gifts I have to cut costs somewhere. In the past tho I would give gift cards to book stores or coffee shops.
I personally don't think star wars is that bad but just my op. there is so much worse out there especially for older kids and comparatively it's mild. But in general when it comes to outings or things geared toward older ones I enlist a relative to take the older ones someplace. Right now mostly the 3 oldest go places while the others don't for now but sometimes it's only 2 or 1. I just say uncle or aunt or gma only have room in the car for up to 3 kids since its true since they have smaller cars. But as far as movies... There are some things that the rest won't watch.
I WISH my kid's grandparents/aunts/uncles would take the older ones to do big guy things...you're lucky!!
DeleteDwija, somehow I deleted your comment last night before publishing it - but thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm too late to the party....been keeping you on google reader to come back when I have time, but never get that time!!
ReplyDeleteI think someone already said skirt for swim suit, if people happen to see when it is lifted quickly by little hands or by the water, then they have too good of eyes and shouldn't be looking there anyway.
Grill, grill, grill!! Hot ham and cheese, just melt the cheese under the broiler....I know it's technically a sandwich, but might sufice them a little better? Stromboli is another easy summer thing, bread dough, with fillings rolled into it....like meatballs w/motz cheese, then use a marinara sauce for dipping or pouring on afterward, or ham and cheese, or turkey and roasted red peppers...with cheese, etc....tacos, they are always easy especially in the summer! (those are probably dumb ideas, huh?)
Star Wars fans here and my littles love Star Wars too. Seriously, they are PG except the one that is PG13 because of the lava fight where almost Vader Anakin loses his arm and face and etc....so let them watch, (except that one) I love that my 2 1/2 year old loves Chewbacca!!! (just my opinion, I don't like separating the family so sometimes it's ok for those kind of movies to be watched with them around....they usually end up leaving and playing anyway!) Otherwise, we also let the bigger kiddos stay up late one night and watch something when the littles are in bed, like right now, Tom is watching X-men movies with our oldest, they watch them from 9-10pm, over a few nights. With all those boys, you have to watch Star Wars at least once. I have done it twice. (just to make the big boy--my husband, when we were first married, then my little boy,a second time recently happy!--we did them after littles were in bed though)
My gift idea for teachers is Masses or prayers---spiritual bouquets, from the kiddos!
Cut the hair--mullets are never cute.
I'm out of order, aren't I?
Once my babes are over one and not getting up all hours of the night, I exercise early--set alarm for 5-5:30 and just get up and get dressed quickly, (have clothes sitting in bathroom) get my water bottle full of icy water and then do it!! I love doing it early! Then, I don't feel like my kiddos are keeping my from my workout and I have time to do longer workouts too, if they happen to sleep in!! (for me, it's the shower that's harder to fit in!) I do find myself really tired late afternoon though....