Project 52 v2011: Weeks 22 through 26

I just realized I’ve not posted my photo-of-the-week in several weeks. Since this is how I’ll go back and journal, I need to get them on here!

Week 22: May 28 – June 3, 2011

A few weeks ago I painted the upper part of the wall in the dining area with tinted chalkboard paint. I wish I’d done this three years ago! The girls do their work there, I can write math meetings on the board…it’s fabulous.

Week 23: June 4-10, 2011

The kids have started their one-on-one playdates with their baby cousin on Wednesdays. Bippie came to pick up Elizabeth and they went to see Rio at the theater, then back to the house for playtime. Bippie sent me a text with this photo of the girls having a great time.

Week 24: June 11-17, 2011

This week was Nin’s week for her playdate. Bippie picked her up early in the morning and they headed to the zoo to see the penguin exhibit, ride the carousel and train, and then went back to Bippie’s – where they laid down for quiet time. To encourage LG to nap, Bippie asked Nin to ‘pretend’ to be asleep. Only, Nin really went to sleep and took a three-hour nap while LG didn’t sleep at all!

Week 25: June 18-24, 2011

This was Annie’s week. Bippie came to get her and they went to The Wonder Place to play, shopping for a little bit (Annie came home in a new dress, shoes, sunglasses, necklace and bracelet…little toot!).

Week 26: June 25-July 2, 2011

Since we didn’t want to have to transfer Harrison’s car seat back and forth, on his playdate day, I took him to Bippie’s house to play. We were a little worried about how they would get along. LG tends to not want to do anything with Harrison or let him touch any of her toys when all my kids are around her. However, they played fabulously together. After lunch, Bippie did the quiet time thing like she did with Nin…everyone lays down and ‘pretends’ to be asleep so LG will sleep. Once again, my kiddo slept for hours while their baby-cousin didn’t sleep at all.

Preschool and Crafting

1.  Preschool has begun. We are now 2 weeks in and I think it’s going to be okay.  Day 1 went well. Day 2 – a screaming little boy was carried in by the preschool director after she pried him from his car seat. (yikes) Day 3 went well and he stayed for lunch and quiet time. When I picked him up, he wouldn’t talk to me but warmed up after a peach Sprite “peace offering” from Sonic Happy Hour.  Yesterday he asked me to drop him off rather than walk him in. We’re making progress!!!  While he’s at preschool on WF the girls and I head to the library, grab a study room and get almost all of their school done while we’re there. Math is the only thing we have to do when we get home. On Mondays, we come home and get everything completed before lunch, then we have a couple of hours to do stuff around the house before we pick up Baby Brother. Really liking the new schedule.  Here’s Baby Guy ready for school (and refusing to hold his backpack or look at the camera):


2.  We have been doing some paper crafting.  I made a covered composition book as a journal for a friend’s birthday and made another friend a covered notepad to use as a grocery list. The journal used Friends ‘Til the End and Gratitude Journal . The notepad used Mehndi Medallion (the best $5 stamp set ever) and Half and Half. No photos of either. Elizabeth made a bookmark for a friend using Half and Half along with some accents from Tiny Treats: Valentine and Limitless Layers that a PTI Forum friend sent her (they arrived the day after one of E’s sweet little friends moved to south Florida and she was very sad and weepy…it was a fun mail day for her and cheered her up so much…talk about perfect timing!) The sentiment below the doggy is from Mixed Messages. E’s friend loves orange and her dog is black and white. 

  
And a close up of the inside:

Recipe:
Orange cardstock: Michael’s
Ink: Versafine, Onyx Black
Stamps: (all Papertrey Ink) Tiny Treats: Valentine, Gratitude Journal, Half and Half, Mixed Messages
Dies:  (all Papertrey Ink) Limitless Layers, Half and Half

Social Networking and Social Etiquette: Can the Two Co-Exist?

I have become increasingly perplexed at how social etiquette seems to have flown out the window with the advent of social networking. Why is this?  Why is it perfectly acceptable to post photos of an invitation-only event for everyone on your friend list (perhaps everyone on the Internet) to see? 

Someone I know posted photos of a party she and her husband host each year. Until photos the Xth annual event were posted on Facebook, I never knew such an event happened. Several other people and I commented that it looked like everyone had a wonderful time. She seemed a little defensive in her responses to each of us - her house isn't big enough to invite everyone, etc. etc.  You know what? I know you don't particularly like my husband. I know we're not close friends. I'm okay with that but you posted photos of a private party on Facebook. For all of us to see. Don't get upset when we comment. And don't get upset when someone jokes about not being one of the "cool kids" or "my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail" when you post photos of the event year after year after year. Either stop posting photos of the party or set the album so only those in attendance at the party can see the pictures.  Or even better, put them in a Flickr album, make them private and then share a guest pass via email with your friends who were in attendance. 

Another friend thinks it is okay to post photos of private dinner parties/birthday parties/other private events. My husband and I went to an invitation-only wedding ceremony. I didn't dare post anything about attending the ceremony as the potential for hurt feelings was massive.  Gang, that's why private parties should stay private. Do you really want to hurt someone else's feelings? Do you need to feel superior? "Look! I was invited to Mistletoe Madness!!" (so were a couple hundred other people, but it's still an invitation-only event). Really, it's best to not share the photos.

Etiquette exists in part to help prevent hurt feelings. Part of preventing hurt feelings may be that you don't share photos of your private event on Facebook. I would really hate to be a teenager growing up in this day and age. 

All I Want for Christmas

Follow this link to check out the shoes I just created on Converse.com.

Seriously, how cool are these?!  And yes, I know they're totally impractical, but I LOVE them. I think I will buy them for myself after Christmas. 

I mean, really - Chucks with zebra print, lime green and purple?!  Fabulous!!!!  You know you want some!  Click the link above and design your own pair. 

Here are the ones my kids designed for themselves:

Nin - a fun pink and purple mix:

Elizabeth: pink with a splash of teal:

I just love my Annie - this girl has a style all her own - and these would either go with everything or nothing at all:

 How funny is that girl?!  I love them. 

Harrison: the boy loves purple and blue. He did love the grey camo for the tongue, though.

Here's what happens when you let the girls design for their daddy. I'm cracking up. And fact of the matter is, my husband would wear these.  I did talk them out of pink laces. I think he'd draw the line there.

Tomorrow! Tomorrow!

Sweet baby boy starts preschool tomorrow morning. Excitement abounds – I think more from his sisters than from him. He is still saying, “No thank you, Mommy. I stay home with you and the girls.” Sweet little boy!!! Although today he seemed a little more upbeat about the possibility of going. We’ll see what happens tomorrow when it’s drop-off time. 
I’ve made a little “first day of school” treat for the three ladies in the office, his teacher and co-teacher, the music teacher, and the PreK teacher…even though we don’t have her this year (she had all three of my girls and we all love her). I’m doing water bottle “tags” with drink mix.  I got the idea from google images and I don’t remember what I was looking for when I found it but I thought it was a fun little treat. This is the blog post I found…mine aren’t nearly as cute since I don’t have all the cutie punches or Nesties yet (working on that!).  I wanted to go a little more “primary” since it’s the first day of preschool. I used yellow for the tag, stamped the tag in blue, sentiment in black and apple in a reddish pink (I really need a good *red* – hopefully PTI will have theirs out next month!!).  The drink mix is a raspberry lemonade. I love raspberry lemonade!

Because these drink packs are wider than Crystal Light, I had to cut the “tag” a little wider.  The yellow cardstock is 3” x 8.5”, the patterned paper is 2-7/8” x 6”.  I adhered the pattern paper and then scored at 2” and 6”, used adhesive on either side of the “pocket”, die cut the hole for the top of the bottle, and put on the Tag-It. As I look at it now, I wish I’d used foam tape and some baker’s twine. I’ll know to do that next time.
Recipe:Cardstock: Michael’s
Patterned paper: ancient from my stash, but I think it came from Michael’s about 10 years ago (I need to be on Paper Hoarders!)
Stamps: Tag-Its #6 (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Chipped Sapphire, Worn Lipstick (Distress Ink), Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko)
Dies: Nestabilities Standard Circles, Large (Spellbinders)
Water bottle, drink mix – get your favorites from the grocery, WalMart, Target, etc.
Thanks so much for stopping by!