One word...behind.

When discussing the world of education..that word...behind...drives me crazy. If I ever say that word to you when we are having an in-person conversation about school...you have my permission to just smack me.

Our cat is behind in reading so Jocelyn is teaching him...only joking!

Let's think about this word behind. I hear it all of the time...we are behind in school. My little girl is behind in Math. My son is behind in reading. My teenager is behind in 9th grade. Behind who? Of course if we put together apples and apples yes someone could be behind in a sense...but does this matter? According to whose standards are they truly behind? Is their some golden rule that someone needs to follow and if not they will get in trouble by the educational trackers.

Who is to determine that a person should be doing XYZ by a certain age? Should we compare our kids next to what our neighbor is doing or kids at the very same age of our own kids?

What if my son or daughter has no interest in reading and simply won't read until they are age 7. Age 10. Age 12. At what point are they behind?

What if my son or daughter doesn't learn the 50 states by the age of X....at what point are they behind?

I guess I am the type of person that doesn't care about peer pressure. I don't care if my child isn't excelling at a faster rate that the kid next door.

All children learn at their own rate. If a parent is home educating their kids....then it is ok to cover things at a different grade than a different family...or better yet not even cover the same things!

So to all my mama friends out there that are homeschooling their kiddos or have kids in public schools...stop comparing your kids with others. Stop driving yourself crazy. Your kids are not behind....they are working at their own pace:). A pace that is just right for them! Breathe.

 

 

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A little bit of randomness...

~~We are entering into a whole new world of craziness. I am slightly excited...only because the kids are excited. We start soccer tomorrow and all 4 kids are playing. Yikes. The three younger ones start tomorrow and Jocelyn will start on Thursday. Trying to manage 3 different team games and practices...let's just say that is our entire week. We were not able to play sports when we lived outside of Lincoln because of logistical reasons so we shall see how this new adventure goes.~~

~~I turned 35 last week. My birthday was kind of ho-hum. As I get older they kind of lose the excitement factor. Sean and the kids picked out some pretty sweet gifts for me this year and we went out for dinner over the weekend. The girls made me a crunchy sprinkle cake. I loved getting facebook messages from friends and family. I know that is really lame, but when it is frigidly cold outside and no plans for the day, it kept my day going. Next year my plan is to celebrate big so I enjoy the day. Sunshine is my goal.~~

~~I think something is wrong with our dog. Please pray for her. Her mind may be going. She is only six years old. When I call for our cat Tiger....she ALWAYS perks up and comes to me. She has forgotten who she is...I hope things don't get worse.~~

~~I took a few months off from running and I am slowly getting back at it. We have a Y 5 minutes away...so I can go run there during Seans lunch break. We also have a trail a block away!! I am signed up for three races this year. I have several goals but my main one is to shave at least a minute (preferably more) to my half marathon time. I was extremely slow last year...only walked one time up a hill...but still slow. I have increased my iron intake so hopefully that will help. I am pretty anemic...so maybe that is correlated with my slowness. We shall see.~~

~~I really like it here...we have hit the 3 month mark already! I love that Sean really, really likes what he does. As I type this he is watching a show on the sportsman channel...and keeps saying oh there is xxx from work and there is xxx from work.~~

~~That is it....fun times I know:)~~

Oh and if you missed my last post....my Thirty-One party ends tomorrow....January 28th...there are also a lot of nclaimed giveaways. If you lost your invite on facebook...let me know.

 

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Celebrating my 35th birthday with Thirty-One!!

This is my BiRtHdAy week....so I can not think of a better way to celebrate me turning 35 but to have a party!!  My friends and family are scattered all around the United States...so having a party where we physically all come together is quiet impossible. 

My friend Kendra approached me a few weeks ago about the idea of having a Facebook party!  Facebook has allowed me to stay connected with friends and family who we no longer live close to...or have never lived close to!  So I thought about it for a few days and thought...hey...what a great way to celebrate! 

So what kind of Facebook party am I having?  There will not be drinks or any cake served.  So I know...bummer...BUT there will be giveaways!!!  We all love FREE things right?!! 

Ever heard of Thirty-One Gifts??  Kendra first introduced my MOPS group to Thirty-One Gifts three years ago.  She was just starting off in the business and was one of the first reps in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Today Kendra is a rock-star in the Thirty-One arena and has moved up to an Executive Director position. 

What I LOVE about this business is that it is a Christian based organization (Proverbs 31 ring a bell?)  I also LOVE how each year they come out with great new products and awesome new prints!  From bags, to purses, to wallets, to home organizational products, to personalized stationary....Thirty-One Gifts has a wide variety of items that cater to all different tastes. 

I am going to share with you, how I have used Thirty-One in my own home...and I do believe that I bring a Thirty-One bag with me just about anywhere we go.

Here is a little peak of a few of the products that I own so far-- minus 3 things. 

**Please note that some of these products were purchased 3 years ago, so the patterns may not be available and the product may have been discontinued...but trust me...there are so many versatile new things since I first started buying away!**

I have A LOT of favorites but these three bags have by far been the most useful for our family.  I started off with one...and my husband said to me one day....the sweetest words any wife wants to hear..."Hey we need like two more of these things."  I argued with him and totally disagreed....only joking.  I obeyed my husband like any good wife should and ordered two more!  These are the large utility totes.  They fit perfectly in the trunk of our mini-van.  We use them when we go on vacations, to SAM's club (since they don't have bags), to the lake etc..  Most weekends I have at least one filled to the brim in my trunk!

My next favorite is just an everyday type of bag: the organizing utility tote.  I take this church every weekend to keep our miscellaneous things in.  Bibles, snacks, extra clothes etc.  Wealso use this as our library bag.  I keep our co-op supplies in here when we are in session.  This is my go to back when I am not toting around a lot of things.

My Super Organizing Tote is something that I use for going to the pool.  I used to use my large utility tote, but I didn't like that there wasn't a zipper and the kids felt like my bag was a free for all, so I love that this bag is big, deep, and has a zipper.  There are also 7 side pockets to put swimming extras in like lotions, sunglasses, goggles, and toys.  It is also enough to fit several towels and swimsuits!

This keep-it caddy is a smaller tote, but has been great for the girls to keep their crazy loom supplies in.  

We go on A LOT of picnics through out the course of the year.  My picnic thermal fits at least five lunch containers plus lots of extras.  It has a thermal lining so it keeps our food nice and cold.  There is also a front pocket to store napkins and utensils.  It also is a great go to bag for throwing up kids if you don't have a bowl handy in the car...doesn't leak and is easy to clean up! I am not thinking they want their bag to be marketed like that...but true story.

To go along with my picnic thermal is the About Town Blanket.  I just purchased this last month...so I haven't used it yet, but I am excited to have my kiddos try it out.  It folds up easily and then whoola we have a blanket to sit on for picnics.  There is also a nice little pocket to store things in!

This is also a newer purchase...so we haven't filled it up quiet yet, but I love my hang-up home organizer.  I store our emergency numbers, coupons, mail, my workout calendar...and I am sure I will find more junk to put in this handy little thing. 

I have two of these littles carry-all caddies.  I won one from Kendra!! Woot!  I am boring so I just store kleenex boxes in them.  I keep one in the car, so the box doesn't get smushed.

Last, but not least is this cute little wristlet.  I used it for the first time in Vegas.  I can keep my phone. money, and credit cards in it...and don't have to worry about carrying a purse everywhere.  This will be really handy when pool season starts back up!

So how can you snag some of your own Thirty-One products?  I am going to invite all of my women facebook friends to the party.  No offense against my male friends...if you would like an invite I will send you one.  If we are not facebook friends...please send me a request and I will invite you!  Kendra will have some great contests and giveaways.  You can win by participating in her giveaways.  Those who order as part of this party are eligible to win!  You have until now and January 28th at noon CST to place an order!  The new spring line has just come out...and there are some great new items now available!!

There are also some awesome monthly specials going on....these deals are great! (below)

If you want to take a little peak at the catalog you can click:  HERE!

Ready, set, go...let's celebrate me turning 35 with Thirty-One!!!!

Thanks!!!

If you can't find me on facebook...send me an e-mail and we can work on finding each other!

Fun with our cat!

Our cat Tiger provides us with quiet a few laughs. We have had him for over a year now. If you don't know the story of our cat...he literally showed up on our doorstep. He hung out on our street for a while...our kids started to feed him...and he wouldn't go away. Go figure. Sean agreed that we could keep him as our outdoor cat...but you know how that goes...when he has two little girls batting their eyelashes....

Here are few fun moments with our cat Tiger!

He did actually jump...

 

 

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A week away from everyday craziness:)

I am on my way from Las Vegas right now....and I can't wait to hug and kiss my babies. I always look forward fo breaks from the chaos of our everyday lives. This vacation was a bit more unusual than what I am used to. Not unusual in a bad way. I am used to vacationing with Sean. Sean was not on vacation this time he was busy all week in meetings and I just hung out with a friend most of the time. We knew it would be like this since it is his first year in this industry.

I have been selling stuff for the past three months so I would have some fun money to spend. So we treated ourselves to a day at a spa and got massages. It was fabulous....I could have spent everyday there.

We shopped at an outlet mall and I took a nap at the pool one afternoon.

We had pedicures.

I walked the strip.

A selfie of me:)

Paris hotel

 

Me in front of the NY NY hotel

Part of the strip

This attraction is going to be open in 2014...the little pods on the ferris wheel are bars and hold up to 20 people

The gondolas at the Venetian

The pool at the Pallazo

I took a few naps and slepted in.

We ate A LOT of food. I am sure I gained around 100 lbs.

I spent my personal limit of $10 on the slots. I ended up winning that back and $14 extra.

We saw some very interesting people. I have been to Vegas three times now and it seems like the crowds keep getting crazier. Not sure why anyone would even consider bringing a child down to the main strip.

After hanging out with Sean's work friends...I have to say I completly understand why he really, really likes his job. Such a fun group to hang out with. They all truly love their jobs and I am thankful that Sean is part of this great organization.

Thank you mom and dad for keeping the kiddos for us! I know it is an exhausting task!!

 

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