We are geniuses!

So first, we had a beaaaauuuuutiful weekend... it was so warm and sunny!  We actually got to wear shorts in April!!!  WHOA!!!  It was pretty windy too so Friday and Saturday, Max whipped out his kite that Mamaw and Papaw bought him last fall and got great use of it.  Chris and I both made the comment that this was the first kite ever that we've used that has actually worked.  It was fun!   Luckily our yard is big enough to fly the kite; something we can do without having a lawn!  Yipee!!

Sunday morning Nicole, another friend, and I drove down to Sawyer Point on the river for the 6 mile March for Babies walk/run.  Again, beautiful weather!  Doing the Cincinnati walk is so nice because you get to go inside Great American Ballpark (I snapped a picture of a guy in his Braves uni who was in the dugout prepping for the game... hee hee), walk all along the river, cross the bridge into KY and so on.  We estimate that we ran 3 miles of it and walked the other 3... it was fun!  I feel bad that this year I didn't raise money for the cause though; I kinda took that upon myself each year since Max was born premature.  Next year, back to the fundraising!

Then tonight, and here is where the genius part fits in, we took Max up to the golf course to hit at the range.  He has some junior clubs that our old neighbor gave him and this was his first time trying them out.  He loved it... and then it hit us... PERFECT sport for Max to play... it's quiet so there won't be any loud noises to startle him and it's done individually!!!  WAHOO!!!   We'll see how this goes... he says he wants to be on a golf team now... oh brother!  That and tennis... way to pick the two most expensive sports, Maxer!

ps-  Max also wanted to show Grandma his new shirt she sent him for Easter... :)  It's one of my new faves!!!  Fits perfectly!  Thanks!

Max's First Soccer Game... FAIL!

Ok, so you remember last year, the tears, the struggle... the stupid 3 year old league we were in at the Y?  Well this year Max said "4 Year Olds don't cry" so I believed he'd be fine.  We paid the $64 (UGH) to sign him up, he had two practices and did AWESOME, even demonstrated to the whole team how to dribble, so we were looking forward to a BEAUTIFUL unseasonably warm and sunny day for Max to play his first game.  Heck, his team color is even YELLOW... his favorite!!!  We thought for sure this would be a good year...  WRONG!

We ran over with the team, got his yellow shirt on, and he was ready to go... until... the coach made them huddle up and put their hands in and yell "1-2-3- GO YELLOW"... and therrrrrrre's the trigger... Mr. Sensitive (aka Max) ran off the field crying... he hated soccer, he hated Chris, he hated his friends on his team.  Nice.  That was what set him off last year, when the team did their cheer and he wasn't ready for it... he was sensitive to the loud noise then, and apparently now.  I think it took all Chris and I had to not beat him in front of the other families, for real.  It is SO frustrating to have him be so excited to play, then be too emotional to actually get out there!  Why the back and forth?  Why the indecisiveness?  UGH!  

Needless to say the entire hour was spent coaxing him out on the field, him then yelling "NO" at everyone, then him either sitting on the side lines or making a run for the parking lot.  Chris is STILL in a bad mood about it.  After leaving the game Max screamed to go back to the field... we will give him one more chance... practice is Monday and if he goes and participates as usual, we'll let him play in the game next Saturday.  If that doesn't work and he throws a fit, that's it, I'm getting my money back.  

Parenting is so hard.  

Happy Earth Day!

Being eco-friendly is near and dear to my heart!  I buy organic when I can, I always use toxic free house cleaners, even the soap we use is all natural!  And I bet you didn't know all the carpet in our house is made from corn!  YUP!  Corn.  Regular carpet fibers are made from petroleum oil, like nylon, polyester and olefin... corn carpet saves the planet from CO2 emissions, has superior stain resistance, is UV fade resistant and so much more and corn is a 100% annually renewable resource!  Whatcha think about that?  :)

In honor of Earth Day, here are some tips on how you can save money and go green!

1.  Eat Less Red Meat (or none, like I do!)

-reduce your carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions by going meatless at least once a week.  You'll save money too, since meatless meals are cheaper!

2.  Dollar Test Your Fridge!  

-the fridge is an energy lover... give it a dollar test to make sure it's not leaking cold air into your home.  close the door on a dollar bill; if it's held tight and is tough to pull out, you're good.  if it falls our or can be pulled out very easily you should replace the door gasket.  

3.  Open a Window!

- need to air out your home?  air fresheners, especially aerosol ones, can be flammable and most of them emit toxic fumes.  instead of spraying, open a window for ventilation, especially when cleaning (if you don't use non-toxic products).

4.  Make Cleaning Products Yourself!

- checkout this site for great tips on how to make your own cleaning solution with vinegar and water:  Versatile Vinegar

with a little vinegar, water and baking soda you can clean most things in your house!  it's a great disinfectant!  i keep a large spray bottle filled with one part vinegar and 4 parts water under my sink to mop the floor a few times a week.

5.  Shoes off at the Door!

-most of the dirt in our house comes from dirt outside our house... make your home a shoe-free area so you don't have to clean as often

6.  Get a Klean Kanteen!

-my fave!  stop using plastic water bottles  (ok, sometimes they are convenient, especially when you're traveling or something) and invest in a Klean Kanteen instead!  You will not only save money but you will save landfills!!!!  No more plastic to litter them.  I refill my Klean Kanteen everynight, stick it in my dollar-bill-tight fridge, and use it the next day... 

So there you have it!  A few tips on how to be more Earth-friendly this Earth day!  :)  And Dad, thanks for planting three new trees in my yard today!  Way to celebrate!  :)

Easter Weekend

A few pics of our Easter weekend... we actually went to church on Saturday night and went out to dinner afterward, then on Sunday had an egg hunt with all the cousins at my parents' and dinner with the family... mmm... au gratin potatoes!  :)

Here are a few shots I took:

Also, just for Kim... a pic of me (and Max wearing a blanket as a dress... ugh) in my cute-cute-cute new stuff... a hand-knitted cowl and a new screen-printed tee, made just for me... I love them, Kim!  Thank you!!!!!  (oh and my new short haircut)

Boogie Fever!

A Disco Party!  

Kelly and Tim hosted a 1970's disco party last night and the best part was, most everyone dressed up!  That makes it so much more fun!!  We took Max to my parents' for the night and hit the party at 7pm... Kelly went all out... disco lights, lava lamps, "vintage" candy, dancing music, games of twister, etc.  She even made all the couples pose for "prom pictures"... It was really REALLY fun!  

I borrowed a dress from my friend, Elizabeth, and bought my 'fro at Party City... Chris, who SWORE he wouldn't spend any money on an outfit, came home one night with a big bag of "stuff" and ran into the room to try on his new garb... I nearly died.  He was so hilarious!  Chest hair, side burns, afro, polyester track jacket, WOMEN'S athletic shorts with rainbow stitching, tube socks, etc.  He looked FAB!  Needless to say, he won the "Best Dressed" award, voted on by party attendees last night!  

Enjoy the pics!  We can't stop laughing!

Kelly, Me, Nicole

Our "Prom Picture"... beautiful!

Close up...

The costume winner, and his prizes!  (was there ever any doubt?)

Susan and Nicole rubbing the chest hair

Twister!

All the girls... my 'fro is blocking poor Jill!

Jim, Tim, Kelly, Me, Nicole, Susan

Pre-party shot at my parents'

(Nutso) YMCA Easter Egg Hunt

Last Saturday was the YMCA Easter Egg hunt, sponsored by a local church.  I am pretty sure we'll never do that again...  (ok, we probably will but it was CRAZY and crowded)

Max invited his pal Hayden and off they went, coloring eggs, getting their faces painted and then racing for eggs.  They were in the 3-4 year old group that was cluttered with kids and parents, most of whom were too involved to notice they were in the way of other little kids trying to get an egg!  Anyway, Max had a great time and loved every minute.  The weather was cooperative as far as no rain, but it was dang cold...  those boys couldn't care less though... they loved it.

Max and Hayden... ready for the race.

Face painting!  Max = watermelon, Hayden = alien

Hugging, of course...

Egg coloring

Max's coloring contest entry, hanging on the wall

This is JUST the 3 and 4 year olds... (oh, and Chris's finger in the corner)

Max, Hayden, Peyton, Drew

Fruits of the Spirit

Every month at Max's school, they memorize a new scripture and a new fruit of the Spirit.  In April, the fruit of the Spirit is patience.  Ok... so I go pick Max up from school last Wednesday and his teacher grabs me by the hand and giggles and says "oh I have to tell you what happened today"... of course, my eyes got wide...  

She pulls me over to a corner so no one else can hear and proceeds to tell me that since it was the first day of the month for them, she read to them the scripture and the fruit of the Spirit.  All of the sudden, Max bursts into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.  Miss Heather takes him to a chair and says "Max you have to tell me why you're crying" to which he replies (use your best cry voice here) "My mommy doesn't have patience and I'm so worried... "  GREAT!!!!!  Thanks, Max!  So Miss Heather said she starts laughing, even though she felt bad cause Max was clearly upset, and then tells him that yes, mommy has patience it's just sometimes hard being a mommy, blah, blah, blah.  Then Max said "but she always tells the cars to go faster or move!".  (I'm secretly glad he added that little tidbit of info so it doesn't seem that I'm ALWAYS impatient- but it's true when we're driving he often tells me to "be patient" when I'm angry at the car in front of me, beside me, whatever)

So there it is.  Max cried because he's worried I don't have this particular fruit of the Spirit and now everyone knows.  Lovely.