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How Can I Toss a Nia/Nate Original?
15 JulIn our house, there is a “computer” room.
In that room, there is a computer – but there are also several overflowing boxes.
In those boxes, there are pieces of paper that I treasure very much.
They show off first ABC’s and 123’s, families shaped like hearts, crayon pressed so hard by Nate that you can scratch your name in it, school work documenting little Nia’s Math and Spelling skills, colorful finger paint art and Nia’s illustrated stories.
Nia/Nate Originals
I cherish every creation in those boxes. Each one is so special and shows how the kids have grown. But now I’m afraid – the collection of Nia/Nate Originals is growing too large. They are only 6 and 3 – I can’t possibly let the collection keep growing – it would eventually take over our house.
But where do I begin? How do I choose one over the other? What if I throw one away that I will wish I had later? It’s just so hard for me to even think about sorting through those boxes and dividing the contents into “keep” and “toss” piles.
In my head, I have issues.
Parenting Lesson Number Who Knows What
20 JunTaking YouTube requests from the kids is a pretty common thing for us. In fact, when they even see me just sit down near the laptop they surround me, hurling search terms out in the air – Spiderman! Barbie! Me! Lightning McQueen! Hannah Montana! Charlie Bit Me! Funny Videos!
It actually can be a lot of fun. We all really crack up over Charlie Bit My Finger and the other night we watched some boy talk about his cool Spiderman action figures for six minutes. (That one wasn’t a blast for me but Nate was totally into it.) That same night, we ventured into a few “Lightning McQueen” videos. That’s when we saw a cute picture of a Beagle puppy labeled, “Talking Puppy!!” Of course, I clicked on it.
The clip was fine for the first few seconds but then – well – you can just watch it and see for yourself.
Yeah. Not the best thing for the kids to see, especially right before bed when that’s pretty much the last thing they’ll see for that day. I told them it was pretend and that it was just some guy who was wearing a lot of scary makeup for Halloween. That, plus a few more “innocent” Spidey and Barbie videos, seemed to help them forget about the crazy man screaming at them as they were trying to watch the dang puppy say “I love you!”
Of course, I’ve known you never know what you’re going to get with YouTube vids but my cockiness with my searching and selecting ability got the best of me. I guess I’ll just have to screen the videos the best I can before pressing play.
Mixed Emotions after American Idol Announcement
22 MayI think this video of Nia and Nate pretty much captures the way many people felt after watching this season’s American Idol finale.
Swing Sets are So Worth It
28 AprEver since we moved from Savannah, we’ve been wanting to get an outdoor play set for the kids. It was a decision that didn’t come lightly. Andrew really wanted to make sure he was getting one that would last. He did online searches, he ordered the catalogs, he researched the wood used to make different ones – this was not a spontaneous purchase.
Yay!
Some of the sets we saw cost thousands of dollars (quite a few cost more than both of our cars!). Of course, we weren’t going to get one of those, but we wanted what those offered – installation and a good warranty. In the end, we found one we all liked –
It’s the baby of all the Rainbow play systems and it’s perfect for us! It has all the features the kids love and the peace of mind and quality that Andrew loves (it’s also made in the USA and plants 5 trees for every one they use). I’m just happy the kids finally have a fun outdoor place to escape to and enjoy. I love that Nia and Nate can just walk outside whenever they want now and swing their little hearts out! Mom and Dad can even get in on the fun – it’s built to hold the “big kids” too!
Bouncy Birthday
28 AprNia’s 6th birthday bash was a blast! As usual, all of my pre-party stressing was for nothing. Everything turned out just fine – there was plenty of favors and food for everyone, the only tears shed were from a little boy whose mom didn’t let him get a temporary tattoo, only one “I’m Nia’s best friend” argument was overheard (thanks Paul! Also, Nia handled it super, saying “You can have more than one best friend.”) and the princess of the party seemed pleased throughout!
Out of all the moonwalk businesses out there, I’m so glad I picked our town’s jumpy place. Our group had the entire space to ourselves and the owner and worker were so accommodating and nice, they really helped us create great memories.
I’m just so glad Nia enjoyed herself. I’m finding it’s getting harder to keep coming up with different, fun ways to celebrate the kids’ birthdays. After this party, it seems like we can’t go wrong with jumpy places!
Love you Sweets!
Birthday Bliss
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