The Cheese brought home a Thanksgiving card last week. On the front was a hand-print turkey and on the inside were the pre-printed words "I am thankful for..." followed by blank lines. Here is what the Cheese wrote in his card:

my famle
I luv my mom dad
Pomr fred

This is what is known in kindergarten as Guess-n-Go spelling. I first learned about it when I was volunteering in the Cheese's classroom. I was helping with a center

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I tried once to keep a gratitude journal, but similar to keeping a diary when I was a teenager, no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't stay faithful to writing in it daily. I love the idea of a gratitude journal--taking the time each and every day to count your blessings. It's this time of year when people really seem to focus on being grateful for all that you have in your life. I've read lots of good… Read More

I braved the crowds today at the grocery store. The day before Thanksgiving has to be the absolute worst time EVER to grocery shop, but there I was--with both children no less. And I knew better too. I had already done the bulk of my shopping last Friday in anticipation of the craziness. Yes, I like to plan way in advance when it comes to avoiding chaos. I have plenty in my life and have no desire to create more. … Read More

The Cheese brought home his first report card the other day. I opened it with a smile. We had visited with his teacher about his progress a few weeks back during parent/teacher conferences, so I knew that there wasn't anything to worry about.

Not to be one of those bragging, talk-about-your-kids-like-they're-so-great kind of parents, but the Cheese is a good little kindergartner and the Golfer and I couldn't be more proud. So far, he seems to be a quick learner and we know that it… Read More

This will be the first time in my entire life that I am totally in charge of cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Guess it's a good thing that it will just be the four of us: The Golfer, The Monkey, The Cheese, and me. (Sounds like the name of a funky rock band, doesn't it?)

Because we decided to go home for Christmas instead of Thanksgiving this year, we will be celebrating Turkey Day on our own. As much as I will miss being around… Read More

We have a craft box at our house. I came up with the idea because I was tired of our kiddy crafts being all over the house (Play-Doh being in one closet and the crayons hidden sporadically around the house.) So, I bought one of those large, plastic, see-through bins to keep all of our kid crafts in. It's kind of nice really--pulling out the craft box every so often and getting creative with my children. Usually The Cheese and I get… Read More