Source: Patrick Corrigan / The Toronto Star, Politicalcartoons.com

All winter long, I could not wait for summer. It was all I talked about it. It was so cold and it felt like we were stuck in the house all the time. Once summer arrived it would be so nice. No schedules, we can sleep in,the kids would get a much needed break and we could all really relax. Together.

Somewhere along the line I forgot I have four kids with very different personalities. Oh yeah, and I should have known they would all want to do different things all the time.

Jazz (17): only wants to go shopping and to the mall with anyone but us. Almost all family activities require a *sigh*

Nannah (13): full of attitude and convinced I am out to ruin her life because I will not buy her Coach shoes. Favorite phrase “What are we going to do today?”

TJ(11): has come to the conclusion there are too many girls in this house and I need to have a baby brother for him. All he wants to do is fish and catch snakes in our yard (and annoy his sisters)

Kayla (9): Even though I let her roller skate through the house and constantly find things for her to do, has taken the phrase “I’m bored” to a whole new level.

1. My dvr is filled with kids’ shows and Leverage keeps getting deleted along with Teen Mom
2. My house will not stay clean for longer than 10 minutes
3. I can not take anymore  of the can you drop me of at  *insert place here* and pick up my five other friends from all over the state and drop them back at home ?
4. I am tired of hearing, there is not anything to eat. Trust me there is always something to eat here
5. The. Constant.Arguing.

I am officially started my back to school shopping last week and I could not be happier. Can you tell it has been a long summer?

I love my kids but I can’t wait to miss them!

This is what TJ said when he came in my room last night. Apparently he only gets respect from our dog, Scottie and me. He says his sisters always need to know what he is doing. They are constantly barging in his room without knocking, making themselves comfortable.

He feels that Jazz, Kayla and Nannah are always bossing him around. He just wants respect!! I could not help but laugh because I know it is true. The girls have such strong personalities and TJ is much more laid back. He is starting to stand up for himself though a little more each day. When I hear it I can’t help but smile.

I guess it can be pretty hard growing up with three sisters, lol.

The girls in my family love Tinkerbell, especially Jazz. Her 16th birthday party even had a Tinkerbell theme. A few weeks ago, my family was invited to an advanced screening of Tinkerbell and The Great Fairy Rescue. I took all girls and Kayla’s friend Christie. I can not even explain how much we loved this movie. We talked about it all weekend.

“Years before meeting Wendy and the Lost Boys, Tinker Bell met Lizzy, a little girl with a steadfast belief in the power of pixie dust and the magic land of fairies. During the fairies’ summer visit to the flowering meadows of England, two very different worlds unite for the first time and Tink develops a special bond with a curious child in need of a friend. As her fellow fairies launch a daring rescue, Tinker Bell takes a huge risk, putting her own safety and the future of all fairykind in jeopardy.”

Watching this movie was magical in so many ways. We enjoyed seeing Tink discover humans and had questions answered that we never thought to ask. Like where do fairies come from and can humans understand fairies? The little girl Lizzy, is absolutely adorable and is the first human friend of Tink. Her father is a scientist who believes only what he can see with his eyes and tries to discourage Lizzy from believing in fairies. Tink manages to get caught by Lizzy and the other fairies have to rescue her. But not without a few problems. This movie is funny and definitely worth owning.  It comes out tomorrow September 21st, on dvd.  The colors and animation were beautiful on the big screen and I can not wait to see it again at home. Dvds are great for all the extra features they have and I hope there is something good on this one.

Before you go out and get your copy of Tinkerbell and The Great Fairy Rescue, make sure to print this coupon for $10 off. This is for the dvd and blu-ray combo pack. I already have my coupon printed and I am going to get my copy tomorrow!

My family was able to see Tinkerbell and The Great Fairy Rescue for free at a local theatre. The opinions given are 100% our own.

Nannah went to a baseball game today. And she was armed with her camera. I love that she is into taking pictures to capture memories. It is so fun to see her experiences through her eyes. She was pretty amazed at how big  Miller Park is.  Nannah even got a chance to see the  Klement’s Racing Sausage.  She was a little mad at herself for not catching it on camera. It is funny that she didn’t know how long a game could actually go and one of  her friends fell asleep They all enjoyed the nachos that came in a baseball cap though.  Hockey is still number one in her book but she did have a good time!

It is Friday and some how the kids and I really got lost in reading. You would not even be able to guess what we were reading.  The Encylopedia of Immaturity Volumes 1 and 2. Basically they are guides about how not to grow up. Of course being the big kid at heart that I am,  I could not wait to check it out.

From Klutz.com

We found a lot of interesting stuff. Kayla made a paper fortune teller. Do you remember those? When I was younger we used them to see who we were going to marry, how many kids, what kind of car we would drive and stuff like that.

The kids even learned the Official Rules to Jinx. Hey you gotta know the rules if you want to play. My kids love bubbles, so the how to on handmade bubbles was a big hit. I have been trying the how to whistle with your fingers how to. I have not mastered it yet. Of course the kids did.

The kids had fun learning to:

•  do Cat’s Cradle with shoe  laces. That brought back some memories
• spin a basketball on their finger
• walk the dog with a yo-yo

There are some pretty funny jokes and pranks in there too. My entire family loves these books.  They agree with me that they are fun to read.

On Sunday night a friend of my chidren passed away in a car accident. She was not buckled up in a seat belt. She was only 6 years old.  It has been so hard to explain to my kids why she will not be coming over to play anymore. Or why we will not see her cheering at the next basketball game. I kept choking up myself.  This was such a terrible loss and my heart hurts so much for the family.

We need to stress the importance of “everyone” putting on their seat belts. I don’t want to even hear

• it is too uncomfortable
• I forgot
• I am just running a “quick” errand

No more!!!! The risk is too great. It is just that simple. Do not even put your foot on the gas unless everyone is buckled up!

I went over to  the Safe Kids website to join their We Believe Campaign. 

We believe that all kids deserve to grow up safe, healthy and injury free. If you believe in a world without preventable injuries, join us in our fight to protect kids. We need one million concerned parents, grandparents, neighbors, teachers, nurses and others who are committed to stopping preventable injuries.  Add your voice to the thousands who have already signed on!

I signed the pledge. I hope you will too.

Kayla was really feeling the airbed. The mattress felt so much better than futon. She was absolutely in love with it and just had to have it. She did give that mattress almost a year before she started complaining. I was even a fan of the futon mattress because it was super thick and really comfortable. Then they broke one of the legs. I think from jumping on it but I don’t have any proof.  By that time not only had she discovered this mattress made it really hard for her to sleep at night. She actually said this, lol. Anyways, she then begged me to let her use the airbed. It is has one of those mattresses that lifts up off the ground. I don’t know how they did it, but Kayla and Nannah poked a hole in it the first night. Of course we lost the patch thing. So I had the fun job of blowing it up every night. I finally found a replacement one on sale  for only $38. But guess what? She has decided she wants a regular twin mattress. So I guess I am back to trying to find a good deal on one.

When I get a chance I love to get lost in a book. It makes me smile when I see my kids doing the same thing.

Kayla just loves the Junie B  series.She gets them every chance she can from the library at school. She reads it to me too and this little girl is pretty funny!

I see myself as being a little unconventional when it comes to some of my parenting choices. I let my kids ride scooters through the living room and down the hall. I also let them jump rope if it is raining outside. I like to let them be kids. A few years ago TJ got a futon bed which he was really happy with. When it came time for Kayla to get one she wanted one just like it because it the coolest thing ever. Fast forward a little and she hates it. Then one of the legs broke and she hates it even more. So since money is a little tight I decided to let her just use one of the air beds I had the closet. It is a queen size one hat raises pretty high off the floor. Guess what? She loves it. She sleeps in every night and even enjoys making it up. Who would have guessed it? She happy because she feels like it is a new bed, I am happy because I was able to use what I already had and did not have to spend any money!

Only problem now is there is a little hole in it and I need to find the patch kit. Other than that all is good. I am not sure how long this is going to last so I am keeping my eye out for sales and on Craigslist!

My kids love the opportunity to talk with children their own age. Someone who shares the same interests as they do. Tomorrow, A Child Writes launches. It is online community which will match your children up with other kids so they can be penpals in a safe environment while making a difference.

What makes A Child Writes different from other communities is thier monthy feature. Each month a cause will be featured. During that month, the members can color pictures or make crafts to send to people affected by that cause or charity. I think this is a great way to teach kids to think about others and give of themselves. Parents will get the opportunity to learn more about the featured cause of the month in the Parent Resource Area. The featured cause for April will be Autism Awareness.

A Child Writes will also host moderated online parties that will be on a certain topic. There will be games and prizes for kids to win in their age groups. I love that fact that no chat will ever be not moderated. Safety first!

For participating in the community and sending artwork or crafts, each month your child will be entered into a contest.  3 winners that will win a prize. For April one grand prize winner will receieve: Noah’s Ark Ani­mal Work­shop Party in a Box for 6 (Includes: 6 pre-selected ani­mals, stuff­ing, wish­ing stars and cus­tom made A Child Writes™ t-shirts for the ani­mals). The two runner up winners will receive one pre-selected ani­mal, stuff­ing, wish­ing star and cus­tom made A Child Writes™ t-shirt for their ani­mal. Read more here.