Sledding

 Last summer we bought some property up in the mountains with the hope that sooner rather than later we would build a cabin.  On President's day we took the kiddos up there to do some sledding.  The HOA plows the roads to your lot, but only if you have a cabin.

So we drove as close as we could to our property and then snowshoed in the rest of the way.  The unplowed road was perfect for sledding!  Not too steep but long.  Just what you want.  There are only a few cabins in the area, so we had the place to ourselves. 

And yes, even I who will avoid snow at all costs went down a few times!  And you know what?  It was fun and I didn't even get cold.    I know.  A real shocker.  Hope you haven't fallen off your seat.

What's on my floors lately

Here are two of the latest things I pick up.

1) Flossers - And no, it's not because my kids are great flossers.  And yes, it could possibly be that they still struggle with throwing trash in the trash.  But here's the real reason.  After finding these on the ground on a regular basis all over the downstairs I finally figured out why.  They use them to open locked bedroom doors.  That sharp point fits perfectly into the slot on the doorknob.  So when kids starts locking each other out of bedrooms......out come the flossers and then they eventually end up on the ground.

2) Mini rubberbands.  You know about the Rainbow Loom craze?  We don't even have one and yet I find these rubber bands and bracelets made from these bands all over the house.  I blame Owen entirely.  He manages to come home with a new one several times each week.  He tells me that kids will make them for him.  I'm a bit skeptical on that one.  Someone has even shown him how to make them with his fingers.  We don't even need the loom!  So he makes them and takes them apart regularly.

Saying Goodbye to the Mullet

I hate to admit this, but my son had a mullet and I let him keep it.

It's true.

Please don't judge me.

Several months ago, I took my boys over to my sister-in-law's house to get their hair cut.  It was Owen's turn and when she asked him how he wanted his hair cut, he insisted on long in the back and short on the sides.  A mullet.  What does one do?

Since I battle with him over his clothes, I decided to let him have it.  And that's how it's been for the past little while.  Sadly, these pix don't show how mullety it was.  These were taken when the sides had grown out a bit.

A mullet.

Last week though, he decided he was ready for a new do.  This time he wanted to look like Tin Tin.  Off went the long hair.

I'm relieved, but I do miss the curls.

So Proud of this Boy!

Today I went over to the school for parent, teacher conferences.  I went into Bennett's class with Bennett to talk to his teacher.  She praised him up and down about how good he is doing.  His attitude is great, he is paying attention in class and he is working hard and turning in all his homework.  She told him several times how proud she was of him and how she knew that he could do it.  Bennett was absolutely beaming and I did my best not to cry.  I was so proud of him too.

This wasn't the case last year.  4th grade was really hard for Bennett.  He struggled with his teacher and his grades and attitude towards school suffered.  By the end of the year he had pretty much given up and he was academically behind.  Even though Scott and I tried to make the best of the situation and help him as much as we could, it just was not a good year.  I was close to tears towards the end because I could see how demoralized Bennett was.

Last summer I found a tutor that I liked that helped him catch up.  I also made sure that he had an excellent teacher this year.  Scott and I met with her at the beginning of this school year to talk to her about Bennett and the struggles he had.

His amazing teacher and his tutor have made a world of difference.  They have been so positive and encouraging with him.  This more than anything else has helped him.  I am so grateful for them.  I am also so proud of Bennett.  He has shown me that a positive attitude and hard work can make all the difference.

Taylor is 14

Wow, he has officially been a teenager for an entire year.  Time goes by so fast!
For his birthday, Taylor wanted to go on an overnight ski trip with his Dad.  From the report I got, they skied a lot and ate hamburgers several times.  What more could you ask for?  Glad they both had a good time.

On his actual birthday he wanted French dip sandwiches, French fries and Mountain Dew for dinner. Done. 

When we got to dessert I realized we didn't have any candles.  We did have some Sparklers leftover from last summer though.   Sparklers on a cake?  Why not?  We thought it was a great idea, until the Sparklers started shooting ash all over the icing. So we quickly took them off and Taylor held them while we sung Happy Birthday to him!

So grateful this kid is in our family.  He is a great kid.