Build a Bear Winner

A couple of weeks ago, Hunter got a letter from Fed Ex. It was a little odd because we didn’t recognize the return address. We opened the envelope and saw at the top of the page, “You have won the Run For the Stuffing Sweepstakes!” Hunter was so excited and knew exactly what it was, but I had no clue. A couple of months ago Hunter and Emma went to the mall with their friend Paige and her grandmother. While at Build a Bear Hunter entered this Sweepstakes and now he found out he was the winner. The prize was that he would get 45 seconds to run through the store and grab anything there. The letter explained that he could bring a best friend with him for the shopping spree. Hunter took a few minutes to think about who he would take with him and decided to bring his sister Emma. She was so excited and they spent the next week counting down the days until the big event.

We arrived at the mall 45 minutes early because the kids wanted to check things out and make a strategy, and if we were late because of traffic or something it would be the worst thing ever. So we got there when the gates were still down and the kids watched as the employees got ready for the big moment at 10:00. They ran in circles around the mall practicing how long 45 seconds was, and the employees could see how excited they were. At about 9:50 they brought Hunter and Emma their name tags and t-shirts, did some warm up stretches, and handed the kids their boxes to fill. Emma went first and one of the employees carried the box for her and followed her around the store in case she wanted something up higher. She ran right to the back of the store and went for the outfits first. She was a little hesitant about just grabbing everything and stopped a couple of times to get a good look at things. It was fun to watch her running around the store looking for the best things to grab. Hunter was next, and he started at the animals and went for the sports outfits. He got going pretty fast too, but was also careful about being too grabby. I was teasing the kids afterwards that it was hard for them to be grabby because mom and dad have spent so much time telling them not to be greedy. Although they did make quite a haul, it rang up to over $260.00.

Rob and I had such fun watching the kids. This will be something they remember, and it wasn’t about how much they got, but about the idea of running free through Build A Bear and never being told no. What could be better?

Say Pudding

Emma thinks that the word “pudding” is hilarious! Every once in a while she will be talking to someone and out of the blue she’ll say, “say pudding.” If the person says it she laughs like it’s the funniest joke in the world. We still haven’t figured out why it’s so funny, and I still think there may be some sort of joke that I’m missing, but it puts a big smile on my face to see her laughing when we play along.

Emma Turns 6

Emma had a great birthday! Thanks so much to all who called and sent her gifts or cards. She woke up to find a vase of pink carnations on the table and a Happy Birthday banner on the wall. I brought donuts for her class, and they had a mini party for her where she made herself a birthday crown. I brought her to the toy store after school to buy a certain holiday doll that she has been saving for a month to get. She finally had enough for it after getting some birthday money. For dinner she chose to have Daddy’s Crepes. He won’t let me make them, it’s too fun for him. It was like having dessert for dinner! Strawberries, bananas, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce were some of the fillings we had. We opened presents, talked to family on the phone, and Hunter went to scouts. Afterwards we had ice cream cones for dessert complete with a candle for the birthday girl. It was quite a full day, and she loved it.

Emma has an ever growing collection of dolls now. We are going to need shelves or something to house them. Aunt Jeanette gave her a battery operated ballerina doll that will dance with her. It’s so fun to watch. There are three remotes that go on her wrists and right ankle, and the doll will move when she does. Emma and Hannah dressed up in their leotards to try it out the next day. Her current obsession is with the American Girl dolls. She loves to look through the magazines that come in the mail. I don’t know how we ever got on the mailing list, but that is her new goal now. She has a miniature Samantha doll, but wants to save up for a certain full size one. At her current rate she should have enough by her next birthday! We’ll see how determined she will be.

Knitting Machine

Emma has been saving her money for a while and when we went shopping last week she had a chance to spend it. We went to the toy store and she just couldn’t find anything she wanted badly enough that was within in her budget. She was upset about not finding anything, but seems to grasp the concept of saving for what you really want. The next place we went was a childrens’ consignment store and she found the greatest deal. A brand new knitting machine, never opened, for 1/3 what it would cost retail. She was so excited to get it home and try it out. We loaded the yarn, and she turned the crank and made herself a nice pink tube. It took mommy forever to figure out how to get it off of the machine, and Emma finally got it. We decided to make the tube into a purse. We stitched one end closed and hot glued a ribbon handle at the other end and a white daisy in the middle. She then got started on a scarf, but that was more difficult, mostly because you really have to pay attention and stay focused longer. So it turned out to be a small placemat instead. She let me take her picture, but didn’t want me to post any with her in it, so you can check the gallery for that. Such a great project, I wonder what she’ll make next.

Madame Vegetable

Emma and I were at the grocery store not long ago, when she saw these little lettuce things and thought they were so cute. Because they are so cute, they must be good, so she begged me to get her some brussel sprouts! I have never made them before, but said ok. I thought I would steam them or something since I think that’s what you are supposed to do with them. I only got a total of four because I was sure she wouldn’t like them. After several days she didn’t want to wait another second to try them so she got out the ranch dressing and ate all four of them raw, and loved it! She has always been more of a fruit and vegetable person, especially compared to Hunter the candy addict, but I was shocked. She was hopping around telling me how much she liked them, and then went crazy again a couple of days ago when we had corn on the cob, another of her favorites. I’ll have to take a hint from her and get into buying more produce again, I have been doing more canned things lately because it’s easy and it keeps longer. Good job Emma!

Ok, I Give In – I’ll Be the Mom

When I was a kid there were two words I absolutely hated to hear, and honestly still struggle with today. They are Practice and Plan. My mom was always telling me that I needed to practice things to get better when I was frustrated at not getting them right the first time. And we always seemed to start the morning discussing “The Plan” for the day. I found myself in a discussion with Emma over her frustration with making her bed today. She said, “I can’t get it to look right.” And I said, “Then I guess you need more practice at it. You can do it.” She did do it although she huffed and puffed the whole time because it was “so hard.” So there it was, my mothers words coming out of my mouth. It wasn’t the first time and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Because I have given in to using the first word, I thought I should just give in with the second one too. I made up a general schedule of the day for the summer. The kids are always asking what they can do, so I thought up a schedule of events for the days without big plans so I don’t have to come up with entertainment ideas all day long. It’s posted on the kitchen wall now, and I’ll let you know how it works out. I’m sure I’ll do some tweeking.

8:00 Breakfast – Eat and clean up

9:00 Get Ready For the Day – Dressed, Hair, and Teeth

10:00 Clean Up – Check Bedrooms and Play Area

11:00 Kids Play, Mom Errands

12:00 Lunch

1:00 Workbooks and Reading

2:00 Quiet Time or Earn Good Works

3:00 Free Time – Games, Drawing, Swimming, Projects, Practice, TV

4:00 Free Time – Games, Drawing, Swimming, Projects, Practice,TV

5:00 Clean Up – Laundry, Kitchen

6:00 Prepare Dinner and Eat

7:00 Helper Jobs and Bedtime Routine

8:00 In Bed