S Club Mama

I really like feel-good movies and Dolphin Tale 2 promises to be just that. I also love movies that my children can see with me that aren't animated (love me some animation but even minions can get old!).

With Moose it seems when we have attacked one problem behavior (usually more embarrassing than harmful), another one comes along. So as soon as we seemed to have solved the hands down the pants ordeal (by wearing non-elastic waistband pants always), he began to chew on his collars. Collar chewing is not problematic in that it harms anyone or anything...except the shirts! Those precious shirts that I'm saving for Squirt's hand-me-downs. I don't mind hand-me-downs (mostly) but I do mind nasty chewed up, twisted collars. With this comes hours of my time scouring Etsy and the internet for something to combat this with. Etsy came to my rescue...my laundry's rescue...by showing me the iPuke shop . Yes, you read that correctly, iPuke. I'll let Sandy, the shop owner, explain for herself. It just makes sense to go with the flow. The birth of my daughter had been 15 years in waiting. All was perfect with the pregnancy and we came home after my C-section to a changed ...

I know I do many book reviews on here, but let me tell you this: "Life, Animated" by Ron Suskind is one of the best books I have ever read in my life. Perhaps because it is so personal to me - about Ron's son who has autism and loves Disney movies. My own son with autism loves movies and tv in general - he doesn't care who makes it. But he, too, has a vast knowledge of lines running through his head. image via Ron Suskind's website Suskind's son, Owen, used Disney movies (older, hand-drawn ones as this was mostly in the 90s) after he regressed into autism (unlike my own son who didn't regress, just stopped progressing for awhile) around age three. He used Disney to re-learn to speak, later to read (using the credits), and always to communicate with his family. Sometimes my son will use lines from movies or shows in appropriate ways but the Suskind family truly used whole scenes to develop a unique way to speak with their son. I am just amazed at the...

May Day baskets and popcorn balls kitty cuddles with Whiskers field trips to the big park (above and below) school programs the exodus of preschool Squirt with his teacher travels back to my hometown which means small town parks along the way Mother's Day at yet another small town park (above and below) field day Moose with his best friend and more field trips to the hospital field trip, not actual trip (thank You Lord!) May has been busy and summer will get busier with tball starting next week. Both boys are on the same team and it's Squirt's first year. He's not so excited about the ball and the possibility of being hit with it. Wish me luck.

Oh dear, how did it become May? Wasn't it just August and school was starting? Times seems to zip on by when you want it to at least slow a little. Today I sent my baby to his last day of preschool. *sigh* In 30 minutes, I will no longer be a mother of preschoolers. In a few hours, I will be the mother of a second grader. I am so thankful for how this school year has progressed. Each year it's difficult for me, especially with Moose. Not knowing what they learn or who they talk to or who's nice to them (who they're nice to). Just difficult for this mama, but I've prayed about this and know this is where they are supposed to be for now. And we have an amazing school system here. Teachers and paras and staff that LOVE my children. This has never seemed like a place where these are just people doing their jobs; it always has felt like my children are getting the best care. The principal always says hi to my kids and myself and makes chit chat. The secretary is so...

I had a revelation the other night while I was attempting to sleep (after having a few hours long nap during the day) and I really had this inkling to start writing up healthy...ish tips on this blog. I thought about starting a new blog but really, I don't want to. I love this blog and I love the people that read it (the few, the proud!). I have had quite the journey to becoming healthy...ish. What is healthy...ish? I was talking to a friend a few weeks back who was lamenting over fitness, exercise, and eating healthy. It's hard! It's hard to find time to work out, to not be frustrated when the scale doesn't match the effort, when those extra brownies/ice cream/chocolate shows up on your hips or butt or arms (wherever). I was telling her that really how I lost my weight was by living a healthy...ish lifestyle! We don't diet here. It's just not realistic for us. I'm never going to have 6-pack abs; I do have abs, I feel them under the fluff and they're...

I'm not an avid reader of Money Saving Mom but I do subscribe to a few of Crystal Paine's newsletters so my inbox usually has an email about how to save money or a giveaway or the like. I do scour a lot of blogs (probably too many some days) so I'd seen " Say Goodbye to Survival Mode " by Crystal Paine and had read numerous reviews. I think that title is something every mom with young kids wants to be able to say, so I was very excited at the opportunity to review this book. Paine gives you "9 simple strategies to stress less, sleep more, and restore your passion for life." I'm coming out of the really little kid stage (my youngest enters kindergarten in the fall - how can that be?) but I all too well remember the days of inward panic and stress over the tiniest things while my children were very small. I couldn't keep up with the dishes, the diapers, the laundry (still have troubles with this one...), the financial woes, the stress. I felt ...