Barftastic

Nothing like waking up to a puking kid at 2am to get you in the blogging mood!

I can't fall back asleep and I need to stay vigilant for round three (already had round two).  It's the Dude, poor thing.  He isn't much of a puker so this is unusual.  He also feels and processes things differently, so he's not 100% sure how his body is feeling and I honestly think he doesn't feel pain in the same way as the rest of us.  So in between puking fits he was trying to have a conversation about something completely unrelated, but his sentences would be interrupted by gakking.

Enough about puke though - (although, I'm a mommy blogger, so that's kind of why you came here, right?) on to the update of random current facts!

*  We moved!  3 blocks away.  During the summer.  I did leave for a few weeks there and the big stuff was moved then, but I think I took about 1,743 little trips of loads in the van.  It was different from a cross-country move, but just as exhausting.  We weren't planning on staying in the neighborhood, but the house came on the market and just felt right.  So the Dude got to stay at his school and I didn't have to learn new routes to get places.  Woop!

* WonderGirl is in middle school - and I din't know if I mentioned it, but last year was awful.  Her classmates were cruel and her teacher didn't do anything to stem it until I finally sent the husband in.  I'd sent countless emails to teachers and counselors, all sticky sweet because that's how I roll, but I finally asked for husband's t write a letter and it was kind of terrifying, but it got the job done and the last few weeks were bearable.  I pity the people he has to negotiate with at work.  But this year, she is a changed girl - coming home every day with positive adventures and stories of the science class lizard and tales of Drama club.  I asked her what the difference was this year from last, and she told me it was that she wasn't being bullied anymore.  Yeouch, and oh thank heavens.  It was heartbreaking to watch, but it makes life sooo much sweeter now.

* I got a fisheye lens for my birthday!!  And the kids got a trampoline for the new house.  No one has broken anything so far, and it is so, so awesome.

* I stumbled on these pics just now - the Dude is totally into history right now, and requested an American Revolutionary War party.  My genius?  I set up an obstacle course through the house that I called "Minute Man Training" and at the end, there was a pic of King George on the fence with shaving cream for hair - and the kids took their "muskets" and sprayed off the shaving cream, or as I called it, "Shooting the Wig Off of Old King George."

And no kid's birthday party is complete until they all start chanting "No taxation without representation!!" at the fence.

I'm pretty sure that this totally voided the warranty on the trampoline, but then we threw all the kids on it with a massive amount of water balloons and let them have at it.

 Bonus - cleanup was a cinch.

And here's a fun twist - since then, the Dude has switched sides, now considers himself British (he actually prays with a British accent now) and deems the American rebels as traitors.  Yay!

* This Christmas was so sorely needed for our family.  We needed a season of giving and service and focusing on each other.  A friend gave us a Giving Manger and it has been such a blessing!

 The idea is to place straw in the manger every time you do an act of service for someone, and at Christmas the baby Jesus arrives in the manger that is now filled with good deeds that soften his bed.

It's now 5am and I am going to try and organize some 365 shots before the family gets up.  I'm only a month behind, I can get that done in an hour!  Maybe!  Anywho, have an awesome day :)