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Posts Tagged ‘Little Man’

A VICTORY PARADE

Friday, February 7th, 2014

Not sure if you heard, but the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII. Yep, it’s a pretty big deal around here. Our city has been riding high for weeks. First the anticipation leading up to the big game, then the absolute domination and victory, and finally the victory celebration! Big W and I had been planning to attend the Victory Parade even before the Hawks had won. Once Little Man heard it was during school hours, he was in too! I am going to give it to you straight. It was amazing to be there, but it wasn’t pretty. I did my best to set us up for success. I made a reservation for breakfast, we drove down early {8:15am), and got a great parking spot in a central garage. Good so far. With the parade scheduled to start at 11am- we headed out around 10 o’clock to find a spot to view the action. This is where things to a turn for the worse. My littlest guy was miserable. He had a headache and his nose was running like a faucet. It might also be good to add that he is a natural pessimist and is not a joiner. I was in trouble.

The odds quickly turned against us: 700,000+ people, the temp well-below freezing, a mom who is 60″ tall {in heels}, a parade that started 1 hour late, and a grumpy, sick kid.

This was our viewpoint. Not good.

The parade didn’t get to us until just before 1pm. The quote of the day came from Little Man. He looked me straight in the eye and said, “Mom, I think I might actually die.” We did get a glimpse of Marshawn Lynch throwing Skittles, Coach Carroll, and Russell Wilson holding the Lombardi Trophy. Here is a quick glimpse of our day:

My big guy was disappointed, to say the least, and we were frozen to the bone. Lucky for me, a few friends shared their awesome shots from the day. It’s almost like I was there.

Was it worth it? Yes! We were part of Seattle history. Was it fun? Meh. I am counting on a repeat Super Bowl win by our Seattle Seahawks. Next year, I will hunt down a friend who has access to a sweet balcony or great roof top view. Like anything in parenting, the first time you are just working out the kinks!

When was Little Man the happiest? Picking out candy after the parade and taking a selfie in the car. {Only a mother could love that face!}

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Tags: life with boys, Little Man
Posted in Life with Boys | No Comments »

THANK YOU NOTES AND KIDS

Tuesday, January 21st, 2014

I am always so impressed when my kids receive a thank you note from a friend just days after his party. I always think to myself, “Impressive.” Let’s be honest, we know that the child isn’t begging to write a note to each of his friends! His mother made it a priority and got them in mail. And I know that it is WORK! On the flip side, it is important to me that my boys understand the importance of expressing gratitude-whether it be in person or through the mail.

Little Man had a birthday last month and I was determined to send thank yous! He usually has little-to-no stamina {or interest} when it comes to “extra” work! This was going to be tricky. When I found this thank you card kit for kids there was hope!

Here are my tips for writing thank you notes with kids:

1. Keep it fun.

The awesome card kit came with 10 colored thank you cards and a ton of African-themed stickers. Little Man and I spent time at the kitchen table decorating the cards with monkeys, lions, plants, flowers and speech bubbles. This work was easy, we chatted, and there was little resistance!

2. Decrease frustration.

When children are little, writing multiple cards is very taxing. To decrease the frustration and fatigue, I scanned and printed the inside of one of the colorful cards. Little Man wrote a simple message. Then we scanned and printed enough copies of his message for each of the thank you cards. Next, we cut and pasted the message into the cards. He loved watching the papers come off the printer with his hand writing. {I also had him simply write his name on the envelope as the return address and I took care of the rest.}

3. Do a little at a time.

Writing, cutting, pasting, licking, writing. It takes time and isn’t super exciting. The best thing to do is to break the whole project into pieces. Just do a little at a time. We did the stickers and took a break. He wrote the message and we took a break. It actually took us the better part of an afternoon to complete the cards. There were a few moments of whining, but no tears. I will call that a success.

The cards are in the mail. They didn’t get there days after the party, but they got there just the same.

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Tags: life with boys, Little Man
Posted in Life with Boys | 2 Comments »

GUYS READ [FLY GUY]

Tuesday, July 23rd, 2013

When you find a book you love, you need to share it! Little Man devours these books. With thirteen titles in the Fly Guy series, it is sure to keep him interested and entertained! The main character, Buzz, is a boy who has an unusual pet. He names him Fly Guy because, well, he is a fly! Colorful illustrations and funny plot lines are engaging for kids. Preschoolers will love this as a read-to-me book and older kids just like the humor. The reading level is for kids grades K-2. I am happy to see that the author, Tedd Arnold, has added non-fiction titles- including one on sharks! The most recent title released, Fly Guy and the Frakenfly, is on its way to our doorstep this week! If they love it, they will read it!

Keep them reading: Elephant and Piggie/Wings of Fire, Lunch Lady, Scaredy Squirrel.