Teacher Appreciation Ideas

This is one of my favorite weeks of the school year!  We have been blessed with so many wonderful teachers since Ross started preschool and I love letting them know how special they are.  Here are a few quick, easy and inexpensive ideas to try.

Poems or notes that let the teacher know how much you appreciate them.

Flowers from your garden.

Funny notes/gifts - for example we have done Extra gum, dum dum suckers, mints, packets of seeds, bottle of tea, lifesavers, votive candles, etc.  Here is what we have written to go with them:

• Thanks for being an EXTRA cool (great) teacher!
• Thanks for keeping me from being a DUM DUM - you're a great teacher!
• Your dedication MINT a lot to me this year.
• You plant the SEEDS of learning in all you teach (have also done this with a pot, a ziploc of potting soil, gloves and seeds.
• You put the TEA in teacher!
• You have been a LIFESAVER for me this year!  Thanks for the extra help in math, etc.
• You light the FLAME of learning for me.

You can see the opportunity for this one is great.  We usually do one thing a day for the entire week of Teacher Appreciation.  My kids love trying to come up with new things each year!

S'more bags - box of graham crackers, package of marshmallows and a few milk chocolate bars.

Potted plant - cheaper to DIY if you have a lot to do:  buy clay pots, potting soil for containers, bedding plants.  To dress up the clay pots you can simply tie colorful wire edge ribbon around them.

Home baked cookies, cakes, brownies, etc.

As a classroom we have put together a scrapbook, bought a gift card to the teachers favorite restaurant and even had an after school get together at a park.

The main thing - let your children's teachers know you appreciate all they do.  Most of them spend a lot of extra time outside of the classroom preparing for our children.  Most of them also spend a lot of their own money on the classroom.  Writing a note or sending an email is the least we can do!

What are some of the ways you show your appreciation?

The Sweetest Thing

Lily said the sweetest thing to her Daddy and I the other day.  Rick and I were sharing an embrace in the kitchen when Lily pushes between us and says "I wanna be loved too!"  I love that kid!

Yet ANOTHER Snow Day...

Here we are - the first day of February and we have almost used all of our snow days!  We are under a "Blizzard Warning" with a forecast of 12+ inches.  So, what's a mom to do today (and probably tomorrow) with a house full of kids?

• Make Banana Bread
• Do laundry
• Pray the kids sleep late :-)
• Force the kids to do the homework they brought home
• Get crafty and work on these homemade Valentines from Family Fun and maybe lots of these for me and the girls to wear

What do you love to do on Snow Days?

Siblings

"I think people that have a brother or sister don't realize how lucky they are. Sure, they fight a lot, but to know that there's always somebody there, somebody that's family."
Trey Parker and Matt Stone, South Park, Cat O***, 1999


My oldest son has been lamenting the fact that he has brothers and sisters.  He has many friends that are only children or the only kid still at home.  He is pretty sure that if he didn't have these siblings that he would have a laptop!  Instead he gets a lot of silly, crazy memories to look back on!

Silly, crazy memories indeed!

Back to School Time

We are in the midst of back to school preparation. 

We considered homeschooling the kids this fall, but decided after much prayer that this probably isn't the best year to start.  So, we have been getting ready by buying school supplies, new backpacks and lunch boxes, a few new clothes, getting haircuts and filling out ALL.THOSE.FORMS.  You know which ones I mean, right?  Health and personal history, buzz book, PTO volunteer, OTC medication, etc., etc.  Between my three school age kiddos we have 14 forms to fill out this week.  School starts Monday and will bring another slew of forms I am sure!

So, this week has been crazy and chaotic.  We have had a transition day at the middle school and meet the teacher at the elementary school.  The weather has been too hot to send the kids out to play.  Today is our "take it easy and relax day".  We are all still in our pj's at 10:40, breakfast was eaten at 10:00.  Lunch will probably be a treat of Little Caesar's $5.00 Hot N Ready pizza eaten at an "indoor" picnic since it is soooo hot outside.  Maybe watch a movie this afternoon.  Just a day to relax and enjoy one another.

The Best Day of Their Lives!

That is what our three oldest have said about our trip this week to Six Flags.

They didn't care that it was hot, they didn't care that they didn't go to the arcade and play, they didn't care that we didn't ride very many rides.

What they loved:

Riding the Log Flume two times in a row to get soaking wet
Ross riding the roller coasters (his favorite) with dad
Riding Thunder River and getting soaking wet
Gigantic turkey legs
Souveniers
Riding the Tidal Wave and getting soaking wet
B.o.b. in concert (Rap artist - not dads favorite)
Riding the Colossus ferris wheel at sunset
Glow in the Park Parade
Being one of the LAST cars in the parking lot

We arrived at the park around 2:00pm and left the parking lot a little after 10:00pm.  It was a fun day despite the heat, with little whining from any of us!  It was fun to see our kids having so much fun with each other and looking out for one another. 

A few pics from our day:

l-r: Bryce and Lily in Bugs Bunny Nat'l Park; Rick and Ross on Tony Hawks Big Spin; Bryce looking out from the top of the ferris wheel; Ross and Bryce getting wet; Haley, Lily and Bryce resting and rehydrating; Haley pretending to give Bryce and Lily a ride!
  

Frugal Friday Fun

Fun, cheap, easy things to do with or make for the kids:

Cute Skirt to make in a Snap - we made two, one for each girl

Play Dough made with Kool-aid - we are doing this today for the littles

Family Fun Summer Craft Ideas - lots of great ideas

Have a fun, frugal Friday!

In the Good Ole Summertime

I can't believe how fast the summer is flying by!  I guess having a newborn and being sleep deprived will do that to a mom.  Here are a few memorable moments from the first half of our summer.  Enjoy!

Rick's 50th Birthday

Celebrating Riley (and Rick's) birthdays

 

Father's Day

And a fantastic family reunion

where the kids had a blast in Aunt Katie and Uncle Lin's pool.  What a great time!

Things that make me SMILE

My hubby, Rick...

My kids...

Carson - 2 months
Ross - 11
Lily - 6
Haley - 10
Bryce - 4









Fireworks...

and tons of things I don't have pictures of:

cucumbers and yellow squash from my garden

the bunny that likes to escape the heat in my cucumber plants

sidewalk chalk drawing on my driveway

flavored creamer in my coffee

homemade ice cream

rain when the sun is shining

butterfly kisses from my 4 year old son

warm cookies

hand made cards from my kids

clearance plants that are blooming like crazy

a phone call from a friend

nuzzle from my cat, Pearl

Today...

Today I feel like a failure.  The baby is out of sorts, the 4 year old is sunburned and cranky, the 6 year old is bossy and not listening.  The 10 year old is mad that everyone gets to do stuff she never gets to do and the 11 year old has been caught lying.  *sigh*

Although I would love to crawl into bed and pull the covers up over my head, I know that will not solve a thing.  Neither would yelling, screaming or (me) throwing a tantrum.  Today I understand why some mothers in the wild eat their young.

I am repeating the mantra "this too shall pass" - and very quickly I know.  Soon I won't have 5 kids under foot.  Soon their dad and I won't be the most important people in their lives.  Soon.

So for now I will take a deep breath, and forget about the laundry that didn't make it upstairs yet or the dishwasher that got loaded but not started.  I will save until later the basket of toys I wanted to sort through and I will gather the kids around me and enjoy the chaos.

Hot, Hot, Hot!

It was quite a hot one here today in Missouri - heat indexes over 100 degrees! The kids needed to cool off so out came the baby pool, the sprinkler and the ice pops! I love these moments - where there is no bickering or fighting - just loving and sharing.