Trick of Treat

It is finally that time of year when the craziness comes out in all of us.  HALLOWEEN!

I enjoy Halloween and all that it brings, but it seems to be stressful and busy no matter how much you plan. (or how big your kids get)  Has anyone else felt that?

Now that my kids are older, they either don't want to dress up or they figure their costume out on their own----I love it.  Makes life easier for me. This year was great since I really only had to worry about one costume--K's!  I thought it would be so easy.  She wanted to be a bear.  She had it all planned out herself--black pants and shirt and some ears.  She was happy with that.  But then I realized that if we didn't get the perfect ears, people would think she was a black cat.  So I figured she needed some sort of brown fur attached to her collar or something, too.  Of course, I wait until 2 days before she needs the costume to find that there are no "bear"ears to be found.  After much deliberation, I decided that if she was going to be a bear, then she was going to be the best darn bear around.  So....here comes the stressful part.....I decide to make it..... from scratch...in less than 2 days.  I head to the fabric store.  I pick out the pattern, fabric and all the sewing items I need.  It took me 3 hours just to cut out all the pieces.  Of course, I pick the hardest fabric I can to cut out and so it takes longer than normal.  Then it sheds everywhere and so I think I still have black and brown fuzz all over the house.  So I frantically sew all through the evening....neglecting my motherly duties of cooking dinner for everyone.  The next day, I sew whenever I have time - in between volunteering at school, running a few errands and getting kids where they need to go.  On top of that, I felt guilty for not making dinner the night before, so I make some delicious soup to make up for it.  I am happy and relieved when by 10pm I am finished.  Phew!  It was actually easier than I originally thought it would be and it turned out so so cute!  I made it big so that she can wear it next year if she wants.  She loves it--it is so soft and warm.  I am sure she will be wearing it for several days.  All I can say, is I am glad I didn't have to make more than one this year.

K had her school party and parade on Friday.  That is always fun.  And then that night was our Ward Fall Festival.  We got to go and enjoy tons of different chili and cornbread for dinner.  I even contributed this year by bringing Wilk's  famous Firehouse chili. The girls had a great time wandering around with their friends and going to the different booths that were set up.  Afterwards, was trunk or treat in the parking lot where they always come away with enough candy for the year. Sadly, T has grown out of this party and so was off with friends.  (When did I give him permission to grow up??)  It was a nice night....literally.  It was warm enough for short sleeves while we sat in our open trunks and handed out candy.  I will take this kind of weather over blizzards any day.

 "Smarty Pants", Super Girl, and the Black Bear

Saturday we carved pumpkins.....it is awful when that is the only time all week that we had to sit and carve them.  I guess it is better than last year...we didn't even buy any pumpkins. K carved hers all by herself this year for the first time.  I did have to get most of the "guts" out for her--she said it was too slimy.  But she did all the carving alone.  We did find out that Duke loves the "guts".  What a crazy dog!

That night, we went to Boo Bash at the high school.  T was there all afternoon setting up and then he worked it all night with other ROTC kids.  I thought it was much smaller this year, but the little girls enjoyed it, they got more candy, and best of all, it was free. I think the haunted house was every one's favorite--we went through twice!  We ran into some friends while we were there, so we invited them over afterwards for games.  It was a pretty fun night for not being Halloween yet. 

K and J were a bit disappointed that they could not go trick or treating on Halloween since it fell on a Sunday this year.  But they enjoyed handing out candy to those that did come around (which was not very many).  Next year will be here before we know it, girls.  Happy Halloween Everyone!

After 17 years...

Yep, that is right.  It has been 17 years since I last worked outside the home.  And those years have been great and worth everything to me.  But I always said that when my last child went to school full time, I would get a job.  Okay, well, K is in 3rd grade this year and that means that I am 2 years behind schedule.  But I want the perfect job.....

The criteria...

1.  I want to be home for my kids
2.  I want to be able to go to all their sporting events and school functions 
3.  I want to help out in the kid's classroom and chaperone field trips
4.  I want to have at least one day off during the week to run errands, do laundry and watch a movie while eating bon bons!  :)
5.   I want to be able to have all school holidays off, including all their breaks and the summer.

So what job could I get that has all these requirements and still bring in decent money.
Hmmmmm........Does it really exist?

Well, it does and I have been working for a month now as a Substitute Teacher!

Yea, I never thought I would be doing this. I started out as an El Ed major at BYU and changed after taking the first 2 classes---decided that being a teacher was not for me.  Funny, how time changes things.  This is the perfect job cuz I get all those perks mentioned before.  Who Knew!

It has been a long process that wasn't suppose to take as long as it did (I started it back in January).  Many problems and setbacks that were very frustrating and I often wondered if I should really be doing it.  But with a lot of persistence and time and prayers, I got hired by the district. I decided that I would start at the elementary level for now and then if I want to, I can add middle school and high school to my profile.  I can add any schools I want to my list or take some off.  I can even put what grades or subjects I want or not. 

So far, I have subbed for Kindergarten, 2nd grade, 4th grade, and the librarian.  I have done 2nd grade multiple times and I must say, they are my favorite so far.  (Although I really loved the library) I have only worked at K's school so far and that is fine with me.  I know almost everyone there and so I feel very comfortable.  But I look forward to doing more grade levels and different schools in the area.  K can hardly wait until I sub her class.  I have been requested numerous times and have had to turn down some teachers because I already had a job for that day.  But I am thrilled that so many are asking for me....I hope they will keep that up even after I sub for them once.  (Although I doubt a certain Kindergarten teacher will--long story)  It is sometimes hard as the kids always try to get away with things they know they shouldn't do.  But I can always count on at least one child in the class to keep me informed of what the routine is. It sure makes the day interesting at times.  But I am enjoying it so far and so grateful that I was able to stay home for all those years and just be a mom.  And with this job, I get paid AND still get to be home with my kids.  The best of both worlds. I am very lucky!  

Here I am off to my first day at work back in September!

What Else??

One last picture opportunity for fall break happened when we went to the pumpkin patch.....

It started out to  be an iffy day, weather wise, but it ended up being just fine and we had the place pretty much to ourselves.  Of course, it was just the girls that wanted to go...those boys are party poopers!  There was so much to do and see.  There was a slide.....

plenty of animals to pet.....

a train to ride......

a swing to swing on.....

hay to play on......

hay rides......

and of course, pumpkins.....

Okay, I know I have posted a few of the bigger things that we have done this fall break and they have been so much fun.  But sometimes the little things are just as fun and exciting.  (even if it is just US that finds it exciting)  And because they are simple, there are not any pictures to go along with it----remember journaling, folks!

We went  (or did).........

**mini golfing (yea, I  must say, I won!!)

**the dollar movies (a couple of times)

**Sonic (can't forget those simple pleasures)

**Rizuto's (another favorite place and not just during fall break)

**yard work (ok, so maybe that was not the most fun ever, but it needed to be done)

**haircuts (very over due and much needed)

**Denver---twice (Oh yea, I already mentioned that before--too fun)

**baking Halloween cookies (doubled the batch but somehow didn't get double the cookies--so we like the dough better)

**church activities (dances, activity days, firesides, visiting teaching, home teaching, Sacrament talks, missionaries to dinner...the normal)

**Cross country meets (the last two of the season)

**volleyball (ok, so we do that every week, but it is still worth mentioning)

**hiking (got to get that in before the weather turns cold)

**sleeping in (oh, can't forget that lovely item)

**staying up late (so J and K enjoyed this the most since they are always the first to bed on school nights)

**reading books (ok, so M read the most these last 2 weeks--the Fablehaven series, all 5 books---TWICE... no lie)

**girl's night out (Ok, that was just me, but I am sure the kids enjoyed the time without mom)

**hanging out with friends and no kids (Ok, just me again, but hey, still fun)

**sleepovers (not me, but the kids sure loved them)

**date with my hubby (gotta love those)

Best of all, time with my kids.  I see them growing up so fast and in an instance they will be gone.  So I am treasuring all the time that I can get and loving every minute of it.  Sometimes the best fall breaks are spent right here at home.  Now it is back to real life and school---Happy Autumn Everyone!

The Mile High City!

This is Downtown Denver......

And there is so many fun things to do in and around this city.  Best of all, it is only an hour from our home and the perfect spot for a mini vacation that is much deserved.

We were lucky enough to get away for a couple of days during fall break to spend some quality family time together.  First off, it was FREE day at the Nature and Science Museum.  LOVE IT!!!  We had a great time going through a lot of the exhibits.  We have been there many times, so it is nice not to feel like we have to see everything every time we go.  They have exhibits that change all the time, so we try to hit those that are not around all the time--they had 2 this time.  The Health Expedition had activity stations to participate in.  I found out that my arm span is longer than my height.  Everyone got a printed profile of their bodies at the end. 

The Amazon Voyage showed us the animals found along the Amazon River.  There were many interactive areas such as getting electrified by an eel and sticking our hands in slug to see what is on the bottom of the river.  The best part was when T got to wrestle a anaconda.

Of course, we had to see the mummy exhibit for J, the bears for K and the space exhibit.  And we can't forget finding the gnomes in many of the murals throughout the exhibits.

The one thing we haven't done before, was go to the IMAX and see a movie.  So we saw HUBBLE 3D.  It was cool to see pictures of space taken by the Hubble telescope and in 3D no less.  M wants to be an astronaut even more now.

It was a great day at the museum, but we were quite hungry after all that, so off we went to Cafe Rio for some yummy burritos.  (We ran into some friends there enjoying the food too)  Then it was off to check into our hotel and get down to some real family fun.  This was a very nice hotel and we were all thrilled that everyone got a bed and in the same room.  That almost never happens with 6 of us.  I do believe that we have found THE hotel to always stay in.  It was nice to actually check into a hotel right at the designated check in time.  (we usually get there after dinner)  So we had plenty of time to swim and swim and then swim some more.

In between that time, we played games, watched movies, read books, and did I mention we swam?!  It was a nice relaxing night and the next morning too.  We slept in until the last minute for breakfast in the lobby and then took our time to check out--it was nice and lazy. 

T and my hubby love fishing and just got into shooting.  So since we were so close, we headed off to this place.....

The biggest outdoor store ever and so much fun to walk through too.  The second into the door, we lost the boys as they scurried off.  Us girls hit the toy area where K found lots of bear things---stuff animals, puzzles, toys, and so on.  The only thing that would drag her away was the many large "stuffed" bears everywhere in the store.

She couldn't get enough and kept telling me to take a pix of her with a different bear....really not sure how this obsession came about, but it is crazy.  If you haven't been into one of these stores (another one is Cabela's), they have many animals stuffed and placed in outdoor scenes throughout the store.  We had a good time looking at the huge fish tank and even the cute little live ducks swimming in the pond.

Finally we made our way to the boats and had a great time getting in them to "test" them out and see which one we would buy.

We also had to jump on the ATV's---I like the one M is on, but I really am not picky---I would take any one of them.

After that, we headed to Hammond's to satisfy our sweet tooth.  They offer tours of their factory and give out free samples.  Gotta love it.  It is so interesting to watch them pull and stretch and cut the candy into candy canes, lollipops, and ribbons.  They must have some might strong arm muscles after doing that all day every day.

By this time, we are starving and where else do you go when you need a good burger.......Duffy's.  There is nothing like a Cricket burger to satisfy those hunger pains.  T's was the most elaborate with green chilies, jalapenos, bacon, and cheese.  Although M's was pretty good too with cheese, bacon, BBQ sauce and onion rings.  Top it off with a basket of their fabulous fries and a Sprite and we were rolling ourselves out of the restaurant.  YUMMO!

There were a few other tours we were thinking about taking, but decided that we would hold off on those until our next overnighter in Denver.  What a great time we had together - just what we needed.