Thursday 13...School Edition

13 Things about the 1st Day of 1st Grade

written by Z-Man

1. I wore a nice shirt.

2. I put my school supplies in my cubbie and my desk.

3. I fell and hurt my knee. (ahhhh...sad face from mom!)

4. We had music class.

5. My teacher looks like she is about in her twenties. (she is precious!)

6. I played with J and B at recess.

7. I sat by A at lunch.

8. We had a visit from our new counselor...Miss Bee.

9. I did worksheets...monster ones.

10. I don't like that lunch is so short.

11. I just ate a couple of grapes and my M&Ms.

12. My least favorite thing was sitting.

13. My favorite thing was my locker...number 60.

Well, looks like I was worried for nuthin! We are off to a good start.

Thursday 13...vacation edition

We made our list, checked it twice. Washed, ironed and packed our clothes. Remembered every toiletry item possible. Negotiated which stuffed animals to pack and which to stay home. Recharged every battery and made sure to have every cable/cord. The snack bag is reminiscent of our Y2K stash. We have more gear than one family needs, but the thought of leaving it at home sends chills down my spine.

Along with our daily "essentials", we also packed an armory of parental one-liners. You know what I am talking about. They are the ones your parents used on you. But this is not the 70's, we have revamped some of the classics.

Here are 13 of our most repetitive parenting phrases. And by repetitive, I mean this is all we have managed to say in 4 days. Over and over and over....

1. Please be patient.

2. DON'T fight with your brother/sister.

3. What does 'cooperation' mean to you?

4. Say what you want to say in a nicer way.

5. Do you ever get what you want when you talk like that?

6. Do I need to take that away from you?

7. When you are ready to talk like a big boy/girl, I will be ready to listen.

8. Please share...24 crayons should be plenty.

9. I said...BE PATIENT.

10. NO means no. You don't have to ask 100 times. The answer is still NO.

11. S.H.A.R.E!!!!

12. Have a happy heart.

13. Good manners show you care about people.

And when 1-13 fails...

"Because I said so!"

Thursday 13

13 Restaurants I Like, plus What I Order:

Alana posted a meme on her blog about her 5 favorite restaurants. She shared her favorite places plus the memories behind her favs. I am going to change it up a bit since it's Thursday. And raining. And I feel like it.

Because most of my favorite places are your run-of-the-mill food chains (and that doesn't make for an interesting story) I am including my food recommendations. I am not a daring restaurant eater. Once I find something I like, I order it every time. Every time. With little or no variation.

To quote a good friend, "I like what I like."

Olive Garden: Chicken Marsala with extra goo and oven roasted potatoes.

Red Lobster: Coconut Shrimp with garden salad and TONS of cheddar biscuits.

"Local Hillbilly" Dairy Land: Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger basket with REAL cherry coke. Don't go without cash cuz they don't take credit cards. Also, don't go with 6 adults and 12 kids. People have been known to stare.

"Local" BBQ: This is a hole in the wall, but the BBQ is supreme. BBQ Pork Nachos

Uncle Julio's: Start with queso (duh!)and dip their handmade tortillas. Then complete with Chicken Fajitas and extra guacamole. Our favorite one is in Ft. Worth (actually it is the only one we've tried!)

La Madeleine: Caesar Salad and Tomato Basil soup (actually, they are French. They call it Salade and Soupe.) Top it off with Strawberries Romanoff. You are very welcome.

Applebees: Quesadilla Burger. This is a new and daring try for me. It is sloppy good.

Shorty Small's: THE CHAD! It's not on the menu, but if you ask for the cook named Chad he can prepare it. Beware.

McDonald's: $1 Double Cheeseburger made like a Big Mac, loads of salty fries and a big Coke.

Nakato's Japanese Steakhouse: Hibachi grilled shrimp, extra veggies, steamed rice, and lots of shrimp sauce. Lots of fun memories at this place.

Dale's Donuts: Kolaches and ice cold chocolate milk.

Grand Lux Cafe: Patty Melt is TO DIE FOR! Lots of thousand island dressing to dip your huge melt in. YUM!

Bob Evans: Blue Cheese, Walnut salad. Very good if you are a blue cheese lover. Plus the coffee is smooth and it keeps on coming.

Happy Eating! Maybe we can dine together soon.

Thursday 13

13 Ways to Say "I'm Sorry."

Please forgive me.
I shouldn't have done that.
My bad.
What was I thinking?
I feel awful for...
I really messed up.
I will try harder next time.
I care too much about you to let this come between us.
I'm a jerk.
Help me understand what you are saying.
Oops, I did it again.
I should know better.
Are we OK?

Skip, I'm sorry for not treating you with respect tonight. Please forgive me.

Thursday 13

13 Words To Tell A Story:

Neighbor's cat came into our backyard to potty in the playground. How convenient.

Thursday 13

A Day in the Life of My Girl

hair curling
baby rocking
somersault flipping
everywhere skipping
costume dressing
secret telling
eskimo kissing
brother bothering
kartwheel flopping
constant snacking
blue eyes peeping
real tears rolling
fingernail painting

Oh, I wish I could go on and on. She is a blast! Loulabelle adds a fullness to our family that I can't describe. I love you, sis.

My Hot Date

shin splitting
head aching
skin burning
feet throbbing
hugs sharing
courage strengthening
hearts melting

Wouldn't trade this day for anything!

Thursday 13

A Date with My Son

lemonade drinking
roller coaster riding
tea cup spinning
big hill navigating
hot sun sweating
toboggan ride wetting
ball throwing
sand digging
tunnel crawling
people screaming
popcorn eating
swings flying
hand holding

Thanks, mom for keeping L. I am looking forward to a fun day.

Thursday 13

13 Rules For Better Living:

Alana tagged us for this fun post. I am not much of a rule-follower, but here are my "rules".

1. Always start your day with a cup of coffee or caffeine of some sort.

2. Always check your blogs while drinking #1.

3. Find something your husband loves and take an interest in it for him. Take baseball, for example. I haven't always loved it...but now I live for the sound of it in our house because that means Skip is home.

4. When drinking milk, you must eat something. Otherwise it tastes funny.

5. Never sleep with socks.

6. Never, or at least almost never, honk your horn.

7. Throw out the Cool Whip and go for the spray whipped cream. YUM!

8. Try to use your waitress/waiter's name. They LOVE that!

9. Dishes have to be scrubbed BEFORE putting in the dishwasher.

10. Gum is the perfect bribe, I mean, INCENTIVE for getting your kids to obey.

11. Cheer, hoot, holler for your kids. Even if they don't hear you, they know you are there cheering them on. Also, know the team name so you aren't cheering for the "Black Guys!"

12. Don't let fear stop you from anything. You will regret losing out on many opportunities.

13. Anything with syrup needs to be on a separate plate...and for the love of all that's good in this world, get a new plate between dinner and dessert!

Thursday 13

13 Books I Want To Read:

1. A Girl Named Zippy--Haven Kimmel
2. Glass Castle--Jeannette Walls
3. Lovely Bones--Alice Sebold
4. Einstein, His Life and Universe--Walter Issacson
5. Night--Ellie Wiesel
6. Sisterhood of Travelling Pants; series--Ann Brashears
7. Serpent's Moon; trilogy--Ginger Garrett
8. Into Thin Air--Jon Krakauer
9. Peace Like A River--Lief Enger
10. Wish You Well--David Baldacci
11. Deadline; trilogy--Randy Alcorn
12. Grace In Low Tide--Beth Webb Hart
13. Making Your Children Mind w/o Losing Yours!! Dr. Kevin Leman

Please feel free to leave any book recommendations that you love! Always looking for a good read.

Thursday 13 and The Summer Can

The "Summer Can" made it's appearance last summer as a way to maintain fun and sanity during the long, lazy days of summer. The kids and I decorated an empty paint can with fun scrapbook paper of flip-flops and sunny skies. Then we wrote activities (mostly free ones) on slips of paper to be randomly drawn on a day with nothing else planned. I can't wait to get the Summer Can down from the shelf, dust it off and start having some fun with my kids. The key to The Can's success is to be flexible. I have to remind myself to slow down and play with my little people

For my Thursday 13, I thought I would share 13 fun things from the can. If you have any good ideas for activities that your kids love, post them in the comments. We are always looking for ways to spice things up!

Happy Summer!

1. Nature hike
2. Write a letter to a friend and mail it
3. Feed the ducks
3. Take daddy lunch at work
4. Sprinklers!!
5. Visit Library
6. Build a fort and have a picnic
7. Backyard Olympics
8. Bouncy House in garage
9. Do a puppet show and video
10. Cook a fun snack together
11. Visit the fish hatchery
12. Paint pictures
13. Free choice!!!

Thursday 13

Since the blogging revolution has struck, I have enjoyed reading tons of blogs. I came across a topic called Thursday 13. I like that idea. So, today I am going to try it. Anyone who wants to play along is welcome. Just choose any topic and write 13 things about it. Have fun all who are blog-minded.

13 Things I Hope My Kids Learn From Me

1. I hope they learn to laugh often. Life is too hard to be cranky.
2. I hope they see me reading my Bible and learn to trust God's word.
3. I hope they learn to love cooking.
4. I hope they have amazing friends like I do. I love you all, each in unique ways!
5. I hope they learn to never give up--not to let fear hold them back from the prize.
6. I hope they remember to care for others in need.
7. I hope they learn how to spot bargains from a mile away.
8. I hope they learn the importance of naps--the sooner the better on this one.
9. I hope they learn that their TO DO list can always wait.
10. I hope they learn that life is not all about them.
11. I hope they learn how to love their mates by watching their daddy and me.
12. I hope they learn to have joy in all circumstances--this is a work in progress.
13. I hope they learn that the most powerful sentence is "I'm sorry, please forgive me."

13 Things I Have Learned From My Kids

1. Underwear makes the best juggling toy.
2. Bedtime is the best time of day for snuggling and telling secrets.
3. Water, in any form, is pure joy and giggles.
4. They forgive and forget so easily.
5. Our days should be filled with singing and dancing.
6. Chocolate milk is the best form of calcium.
7. Eating worms won't kill you.
8. "Silly sauce" makes vegetables taste better.
9. Being flexible should be #1 on my TO DO list.
10. Playing outside is the best solution to "the grumpies".
11. Riding a scooter, full speed, down a hill is really fun!
12. God is bigger than the Boogey Man.
13. There is no black and white--everyone is a friend.