My Daddy Helps People

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Mae

Life in our house is returning to normal after the holidays Preschool is back in session and all our regularly scheduled activities have started back up. However, normal is about to become ‘different’.

We were blessed that Rand McNally was able to have nearly 2 straight weeks of vacation over the holidays. It was AWESOME. We did some fun things out and about, but mostly we enjoyed being home together as a family.

When McNally returned to work Peanut kept saying “I miss my Daddy.” She has the sweetest voice and hearing it reminds me of what the next year will be like.

Daddy is deploying.

It wasn’t something we had on our radar but it is going to happen. When McNally recently left on a trip to prep for this Tour, I explained to the girls that Daddy is in the Army to help people, and sometimes people in the Army have to go away.

I am not the only person who has had their husband deploy. In fact, this will be a second tour for us. However, it is our first with kids and that changes things.

I have been ‘Pinning’ all kinds of ideas and getting strategies to manage the next year from my MANY experienced friends. I figure as I come up with ideas and find things for our family I will blog about them to share with other families.

For starters, we have ordered both girls Daddy Dolls. These are great for a boy or a girl! You email them a full length photo of the Dad or Mom and they Photoshop the background out and create a doll with the picture. They are going to be amazing for the girls!!!

Here are some examples from their website!

Another fun thing my husband has been doing is recording a few of the Hallmark Recordable Story Books. You can purchase them at Walmart, Hallmark stores, even grocery stores! We bought a few of the Christmas ones on Clearance so we could record them and put them away for next year!

This is one of my favorite books and we will be getting it for the girls. Hearing McNally reading it will probably make me cry, but the words are PERFECT!

A perfect recordable book

I have a bunch of other ideas I plan to share here in the next few weeks. I am sad. The girls will be sad too. We haven’t told them. No point until we get closer. The military is constantly changing dates and times. We don’t want to them to worry that every time Daddy goes to work he is ‘leaving’. We are strong family and this will strengthen us.

Surviving Christmas: The 4 Gift Rule

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Mae

Yes, this is a post about Christmas in September. No I am not completely off my rocker. I am a planner I do my best to get the majority of things done early so I can enjoy the real reason for the season.

I have been trying to get ideas from the girls so I can start stashing things I find on sale! We have a new plan this year…. we are scaling back gifts.

Last year I really thought I did well I think each kid had maybe 10 gifts from Mom and Dad, 1 from their sister, and then their ‘Santa’ gift. It still felt like too much.

This year I am making it MUCH easier. We are sticking to the 4 Gift Rule!

Something you:

Want
Need
Wear
Read

We are going to stick to this rule for adults too! I am really excited about this. I don’t have to fret about what I am going to buy. I have already some ideas going for the kiddos.

Munchkin (Age 4):

W: Magformers- These awesome squares/triangles ect. that you can build 3D shapes with!

N: A star ‘turtle’ in pink

W: A dress for her and her American Girl Doll (Purple and sparkly of course!)

R: This is up for debate… she is reading so maybe some ‘easy readers’

Peanut (Almost 2):

W: Her own ‘laptop’. She would LOVE something to ‘type’ on!

N: Still thinking!

W: Not sure!

R: Tag Jr. Reader and Books (we actually have these from Munchkin but she will LOVE them!)

So what is on your Christmas Lists?

Kid-Friendly Egg Dying

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Mae

So besides the obvious Jesus’ Resurrection, Reese’s Peanut- Butter Eggs and Jelly Beans; egg dying is a HUGE Easter tradition.

You can find about ANY type of dye kit these days. There are HUNDREDS of ideas on Pinterest on how to make the most beautifully decorated eggs.

Now I am going to be completely honest with you. We usually get a box add our vinegar and scribble with crayons and voila EGGS! So don’t expect me to give you some AMAZING decorating techniques.

I am however going to give you something I learned when Munchkin was MUCH younger. The coolest kid-friendly Easter Egg dying technique.

Behold the wire whisk!

Simple and yet SOOO amazing!

You know the cheap wire ‘egg holders (droppers)’ that come in the kits. They are SUPER kid friendly. They really aren’t even adult friendly! I read on a parenting message board about using the wire whisk.

Last year we did and we will NEVER attempt to let Munchkin use an Egg Dropper again!

What you need:

Wire Whisk(s)

Egg Dye in Plastic Drinking cups

You choice of crayons, stickers, other things that make eggs pretty (see Pinterest!)

Note the plastic drinking cups allow for more dye coverage

This is so simple. Place the Egg inside the wire whisk. Allow the toddler/preschooler to dunk the egg in the cup. Wait until the Egg reaches the desired color and then remove.

Removing the egg from inside the whisk can be messy but isn’t too terrible. This should be done by an adult. Rinse whisk before switching dye colors.

Munchkin waiting for the right hue on her egg

This was fun and easy to do. It really allows the toddler to be a much more ACTIVE egg dyer!

Success!! A pretty Easter Egg!

I hope you have fun this Easter! This is Rand McNally’s favorite holiday, and the day he officially asked me to be his girlfriend a LONG time ago . Enjoy your family and friends this weekend!

A Mother’s Plea

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Mae

It is almost 10 pm, both girls are asleep in their rooms and all I want to do is go in an apologize, hug them, and tell them I love you more then ANY phone call or text. Today a little 4 year old boy lost hid life and it appears that it was caused by his Mother who swerved into another lane while on her cell phone and hit a truck that had 3 men inside.

Though the details are still surfacing I am sitting her trying to cry for her, for their family, for the family of the 3 others who were in the oncoming car.

We heard the sirens today, saw the trucks flying down the road. I posted on my Facebook wall and was told that there was an accident. This accident has really made me think about life and how precious it is.

Munchkin is almost 4 so full of life, curiosity, and excitement for each day. I can not imagine what this Mother is feeling (or will feel when she is faced with the information of losing her child). No CALL -NO TEXT is worth it. I can not judge this Mother because I am guilty of taking phone calls ALL the time with out using a hands-free device. Hell, I even have Bluetooth in my VAN and yet I still answer and chat on the phone.

This.stops.NOW!

I am begging you… pleading that you do the same. Your children are more precious than the call. Remember 15 years ago or so… when no one really cared about talking to anyone until they were home. Nothing is more important then a human life. No sale at Target, no vent about your husband, no lunch date… NOTHING.

Please… stop using your phone while driving. Stop putting the people in your car and on the road around you at risk.

Leave your phone in your purse in the trunk or back seat if you can’t trust yourself. Turn it OFF. Invest in a hands-free device… there are TONS of options to make driving safer.

I am asking you to join me in this effort to honor this 4 year old child who lost his life today… let us do our part in protecting others and stop driving distracted.

Life is precious.. ditch the cell phone and drive.

My prayers go out to ALL involved in the crash this morning and to all the Firefighters, Medical Personnel, and Police on the scene.

Edited to make some corrections that of course were needed since I was an emotional basketcase when I wrote this last night!

Just a reminder…. It’s time to Change your Clocks on Sunday!

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Mae

When I was in college or high school I used to LOVE the Fall time change. It basically meant you got an hour more to sleep on a weekend. Who wouldn’t love that!

Then I became a parent… and got on the band wagon of UGH! It’s time to fall back ALREADY. It takes almost a month for someone’s body clock to get ‘reset’ from a change. This is why when we visit family on the East Coast we don’t change bedtimes from our Central Zone. It isn’t worth it!

We have a strict 7am policy in our house. This policy, though unwritten states you must stay in your room until 7am unless you are ill or need to use the potty (then you must go back to bed immediately). How may you ask do we have a 3 year old who knows the time? Behold the alarm clock (she has now earned her books back on her shelves after learning NOT to pull everyone off during rest/nap time : ) ).

We first started by when this (number 7 on the clock) looks like this (number 7 on the paper) you may call for us. Now she knows that the 7 has to be the first number.

Which leads me to how I have been getting her ready for the time change. I started last night. I changed her clock, while my husband was giving her a bath. Not a whole hour… but just 15 mins. This morning as expected she was at her door at exactly 7:16 (usually takes her a minute to get there!). I have already changed her clock for tonight.

I will be interested to see how it works tomorrow AM. However, she is pretty good about keeping to the 7AM rule.

If Mommy doesn’t sleep, Mommy isn’t happy. The saying goes… if Mommy and Happy and NOBODY happy!

Just another reminder…. When you change your clock replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.