Top 10 reasons why today is a good day

1. The weather is amazing.

2. My blog reader is down from 1,339 unread blogs to 513. That's progress, people.

3. The kids and I had a great day shopping including buying one top, one pair of pants, (with 20 and 30% off coupons) a pair of clearance sandals, and Season 1 of iCarly making the ride home very peaceful.

4. Olive Garden's never-ending pasta bowl.

5. Starbucks iced raspberry mocha.

6. The house is somewhat picked up and the laundry is caught up.

7. I found super cheap birthday party supplies and made Claire's party invitations on Scrapblog.

8. In 50 minutes the kids will be in bed and I will retire to the couch with my drink in one hand and the remote in the other.

9. Perfectly brewed iced tea.

10. Two complete strangers told me what good kids I had today.

Proscrastination

The list of things I should be doing is staggering. Laundry, packing lunches, making lesson plans...the list is quite long.

But those things aren't fun.

Redesigning my blog?

Now you're talking.

Harvesting pineapples on Farm Town?

Oh yeah, baby.

And did I mention there are currently 828 unread blogs in my reader?

Le sigh.

Reason #59 Why I Love Blogging

You.

I poured my heart out. Shed a few tears. Shared my concerns.

And you listened. To a sappy mom. Worrying about sending her son to kindergarten. Which, in the big scheme of things, is such a minor concern. I get that. But it was my concern today.


But more than that you shared your experiences, sympathized with me, and offered words of encouragement.

You helped make a sad-mommy day a little brighter.

On a normal day, the 30 sweaty and smelly 11 year olds sitting in front of me are more than enough to keep my mind occupied. I typically don't have time to worry and wonder about what my own kids are doing.

But today, I wondered. I stopped. I looked at the clock. I desperately wanted to call someone just to find out how he was doing. Was he crying in a corner somewhere? Was he getting mad and stomping? Did he spill his lunch all over his shirt? Was he locked in a bathroom stall, unable to button his pants?


There were all questions I needed answered.

But then I read your comments during lunch. And on my way home. And I felt better. And I am so thankful for those comments. And for you.

And, as most of you assured me, Cole had a good day. Better than good, actually. When I picked him up after school today, he literally jumped up and down screaming, "IT WAS GREAT!" He grabbed Claire in a big hug as she ran on the sidewalk towards her big brother. He told me all about his day. "We got to watch Clifford! I got chocolate milk and sat in the cafeteria! WE HAD TWO RECESSES! I loved it!"


Behind my sunglasses, new tears were shed. Tears of joy. I knew, then, that this was going to be okay.

Excuse me while I get emotional

My baby starts kindergarten tomorrow.

I never really expected to get emotional about it.

But I also never expected to love anyone so much.

And tonight? When he told me he was nervous about kindergarten? I tried to fight back the tears. But I couldn't.

Because what I want to do is scoop him up in my arms and hold him.

All day long. No school, no teacher, no changes. Just us.

And part of me really wants to just push the stop button and keep him 5 forever.

But I know he must grow up and go to school.

And that he will love it. And they will love him.

If only I could get rid of this lump in my throat.

Over and Out

It's over.

My summer is over.


I start back to school tomorrow.

Hold me.


Remember this post? That I wrote in June? When I had just gotten out of school and was all, "I am not fit to be a SAHM. Get me back to work!"

Yeah.

I was just kidding.

I just want to stay home a little longer.

Waaaaahhhhh.


This summer was short, rainy, and cool.

And did I mention it wasn't long enough?


I spent my last few days of freedom with the kids. State fair. Park. Swimming. Lunch with Aunt Susie.


And now? I have to go set my alarm clock.

For 5:00 a.m.

Waaaaaaahhhh.

Look who's famous!

Click here!

Faces Only a Mother Could Love

While some people are busy doing things like this

and this,

some of us are simply taking pictures of these.

I do love a good cow face.

John Deere Backpack Winners!

Thanks to Rungreen's generosity, three lucky readers have each won themselves a John Deere backpack! And the winners are...

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

54
60
28

Timestamp: 2009-08-11 02:00:34 UTC

Winners of the green backpacks are

#28-Rebecca at My Crazy Life with 4 Kids!

#60-Shelley at I'm Changing My Name to Ouisa!

Winner of the black backpack is number 54-Aunt Rene!

Congrats, ladies! Email me with your shipping info and Rungreen will get these backpacks shipped out ASAP.

Joyful to PO'd in five seconds flat

What I've Been Up To

*Giving away these John Deere backpacks. Contest ends Monday.

*Mentally preparing for the fact that I start school in 6 days. Excuse me while I vomit.

*Enjoying a day at the spa. You know it's bad when they break out the goggles.

*Making this. So proud of myself for the lattice crust.

*Making the cutest kid food ever! Just look how clever. The kids loved it! I got the idea from here, who got it from here, who got it from here, who I am pretty sure got it from Kevin Bacon.

*Watching Little Miss and Jose do yoga. This is a pose Jose was born to do.

*Stressing the importance of dental hygiene. At least someone was listening.

*Enjoying the view.

What about you? Been up to anything fun?

CSN Mattresses-Your One Stop Shop

I recently stumbled upon a new-to-me website while trying to find a new mattress. CSN Mattresses is an unbelievable website with everything from mattresses to toys to power tools. They have something for everyone. I am excited to have the opportunity to do a product review for them in the next couple of weeks. Until then, give this website a try. Fans of John Deere might try this, if you're in the market for new bedding, try here. Need outdoor toys? This is the place for you.

Happy shopping!

John Deere Backpack Giveaway!

My good friends at my favorite John Deere website, Rungreen, have a great back to school deal for us! They are offering you, my loyal readers, 3 John Deere backpacks! Just in time for those back to school supply lists!

Two lucky winners will win this green John Deere bookbag / backpack.

One reader will win this black John Deere backpack.

Even if you don't have a child going off to school this year, these backpacks are great for going on trips or for holding little toys or crayons!

To enter to win:

Simply tell me which backpack you would love to win-green or black!

Bonus Entries (all separate comments):

*Go to this site and subscribe to Rungreen's email newsletter
*Follow Rungreen on Twitter
*Follow or subscribe to this blog. (If you already do, that counts too!)
*Blog about this giveaway and link back to me.
*Tweet about this giveaway.
*Follow me on Twitter.

Fine Print:
*Winners are chosen by Random.Org. If you want all your chances counted, make sure you leave individual comments, not all of them in one!
*Winner will be contacted by email; be sure to include your email if it's not enabled
*Contest ends Monday, August 10, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. EDT
*Rules for each entry must be followed to be valid
*Good luck!

The Obligatory Vacation Post

We had a great time at the dairy farm! If you are within driving distance to Chicago and have little ones, I highly recommend it!

Despite not being able to have any contact with the actual cows on the farm, there was plenty for the kids to do. Cole didn't even complain about not being able to get in the cattle barns and work!

The milking wheel was so cool. The cattle were so calm and loved the ride. Some of them even try to sneak a second ride on the wheel!

And look at that holding pen! A sea of black and white with one lone brown cow. Chocolate milk, perhaps?

But the highlight of the trip for me was the birthing barn. We were able to see 2 calves born. My husband has seen this before, been right up in there, but it was a first for me. It was awesome to watch. The cows were so calm. They simply laid in the straw, chewed on their cud, and quietly delivered their 70 and 90 pound calves. I'll spare you the gory shots, but here are just a few of the awesome experience.

This calf had JUST come out and was already trying to stand and nurse. Unfortunately, it kept going for the knee cap.

This little guy was mesmerized.

They even have a nursery! Is that not the cutest thing ever?

After our trip, we headed to the hotel where there was lots of swimming and bed jumping.

And eventually, there was some sleeping, albeit with kids sleeping horizontally with feet all up in our business.



The end. That wasn't too painful, was it?