mischief managed, IV

Today, a 4lb bag of chocolate chips spread across the carpet downstairs.

Toy dump trucks were used to run over the chocolate.

Chocolate chips are not so hard to clean up, but I would recommend a vacuum cleaner attachment for the little crumbles of chocolate from the bottom of the bag since picking them up by hand or vacuuming over them may melt them into the carpet.

Tiny pieces of chocolate will melt very quickly into the carpet.

No, I did not get the camera out to take a photo.

After the clean up, the damage was minimal.

The worst of it is that now our basement smells like chocolate.

mischief managed, III

The artists Jack, Ben

hendersonville classic

My first 10k and I'm proud to say I finished in under an hour (58mins 48 seconds to be exact). The highlight of the race was being passed by the same 10 year old boy, TWICE!

Me and Becki both ran the 10k

The racing gals! Me, Becki, Deanna, Liz, and Suzi
Way to go girls.

PS- I just checked the results and I was 8th place for females 30-34, and Becki was 2nd for her group. Way to go!

tennessee cookout

It's officially hot and humid in TN which means it's summer bbq time. They call it a "cookout" here in the South. We've already fired up our little charcoal grill for a couple of fun evenings with yummy food.

old gray hair

well, I am in my 30's now.

mischief managed, II

The usual suspects (Pete, Ben- Jack was sleeping)

Some thoughts:

-This is why moms sometimes haven't taken a shower and still look like they just woke up at 5 o'clock in the evening (don't be fooled, they've been awake since 5:30am).

-Do they make 5-year-old proof fridge locks?

-On these days, I think I love my children. If I yell at my children and curse under my breath while scrubbing dried egg yolk off my kitchen floor, does it make me a bad mother?

-When do I get my two weeks vacation time?

-On the "sunny-side," my floors are smooth and silky.

50 birthdays (or something like that)

Today is my 50th birthday! I can't believe it, I mean I don't feel a day over 30!
Ben did have to help me blow out the candles since I was out of breath from old age.

symphony on the lawn

Tonight we picnicked on the lawn at Vanderbilt where they hosted the Nashville Symphony Orchestra for a free family event. It was a great casual way to enjoy the symphony and bring the kids along.

Our view of the orchestra.
(Photo by Pete)

Pete on the lawn.

Jack on the lawn.

Ben on the lawn.

Dad on the lawn.
(Photo by Pete)

the end of soccer (for now)

I'm seriously contemplating putting a hiatus on soccer for now. Pete always wants to go to soccer and play in the games, but he never actually plays. He usually finds some grass, dirt, sticks, or mud to play with on the field and couldn't care less about where the ball is and what his team is doing. He's always been like this, it's just more noticeable now that most of the other kids on his team are actually playing.

Here are some pictures from his final soccer game, which happened to be on his 5th birthday. He also had a team pizza party and got a trophy.

pumpkin eater turns 5

Pete requested a Scooby-Doo party this year for his 5th birthday. We played games, ate snacks, smashed a pinata, ate candy, opened presents, ate cake and just had a fun time with a few of his friends. A huge rainstorm blew threw just before it started and so we held a l.5 hour birthday party with no electricity, which I don't recommend, but it turned out well. The power company showed up to fix the damaged lines just as the party ended, pretty good timing I'll say.

We also took Peter to his new Elementary School to register him to start kindergarten this coming Fall. He's excited to start all-day kindergarten. I'm just overly worried about all the changes to come, but I am looking forward to starting this new adventure.

the life of a pinata

Peter requested a Scooby-Doo pinata for his Scooby-Doo birthday party. I decided to make one myself for the first time. I found plenty of info online on how to make a pinata with paper mache and it was easier than I thought, although very time consuming. Peter and I spent an hour one day gluing all this tissue paper onto the dried paper-mache rectangle. He loved it and it was some of the best mom/son time we've had just chatting as we were gluing. He's such a great helper and a sweet kid.

mischief managed, I

Jack and the pudding

let the hiking begin

Today's hike at Beaman Park in search of the rare Lady Slipper Orchid. The flower eluded us, but the 2.1 mile hike was a hit.