SO WHAT! Wednesday

What time is it?  It's SO WHAT! Wednesday time and this week, I am saying SO WHAT! if:

• I forgot to include the SO WHAT! logo on my SWW post last week.  I don't think anyone even noticed.
• I had more homework during the first week of school than my kids did.  Oh the beginning of the school year paperwork - it's never ending.  My fingers were cramped by Friday.
• I made a beeline for my son's desk at "Meet the Teachers" last night so I could hurry and open it to see if he keeps things neat and organized.  He did me proud.
• My nephew who is in second grade in Naperville, IL had spelling words his first week that consisted of 'whistle, thimble, and cheese' and my son (also in second grade) had to learn 'has, fix, and will'.  I believe that my son's words are a little more age appropriate.  But I have to give a big shout out to my nephew who, despite his anxiety over the intimidating word list - scored 100%! 
• I'm crabby because I'm laying off the carbs...my body is totally ticked at me and rebelling.  I was raised on pasta and white bread.  I'm Italian for goodness sake and I'm irritated! You don't know how I long for a big plate of spaghetti and two slices of Italian bread. 

• I was driving for about 20 years before I realized that the little sideways triangle on the gas gauge actually points to the side of your car that your fuel door is located.  No more guessing or pulling up to the pump and getting out of your car only to realize your gas tank is on the opposite side.  Yep!  You're welcome.

• I have a terrible toothache right now, but I'm working on my So What! Wednesday post instead of sleeping it off.  I've been hearing a lot lately that people look forward to my SWW posts.  Don't want to disappoint. 

What are you saying So What! to, this week?  Link up and dish.

Happy "Over the Hump" Day,

Are you there God? It's me Crissa.

Some of you were expecting me to say Margaret, weren't you?  If you were then you know where this post is going.  If you don't know where this post is going then you're probably a male and this post might be entirely too girly for you.  Don't say I didn't warn you ;)

It's funny how one thing leads to another and another and then BAM! it's all the makings of my next post.  It all began when I realized that my favorite author from my pre-teen years, Judy Blume was on Twitter.  I started following her and after only a few days of following someone posed this question to @judyblume:

"Trying to decide. Do u think 9 is ok age for Are You There God?".

Her response was:

"Depends on child. Are u ready to answer questions?"

I immediately thought OMG, that's exactly what I  was thinking when my daughter got the book for her 9th birthday.  I put the book away in the closet never to be seen again UNTIL...  Until what?  I wasn't exactly sure.  Now I'm pretty sure that I wasn't ready to answer questions.  She was only 9 - too young to hear about all the things that good old Mother Nature had in store for her and her girlfriends.

Ever since she turned 10 I've been thinking that it may be time to pull the book off the closet shelf and let her read it.  I know she would find humor in it and I think it would help her feel better and understand the impending changes.

 
If you're a regular follower then you know that my daughter just turned 10.  It has been an exciting time and a bit of a nerve-wracking time for her and for me.  Exciting because she's growing up, she's becoming more mature and we have great little talks.  She has also recently taken on new responsibilities, such as dog walking neighborhood dogs and helping me out with my side business.  Nerve-wracking in the respect that she's growing up and taking notice of things like her clothes, her hair, her skin, her shape etc.  Some of you are probably wondering, "why is that nerve-wracking"?  Well, I'm here to tell you that there are certain things I don't like to talk about - things that embarrass me, things that make me feel uncomfortable. 

As they say "the apple doesn't fall to far from the tree."  Bella is just like me.  So now I'm thinking that the book's main character, 12 year old, Margaret Simon can help get the conversation going.  There are some things about growing up that are hard for Margaret to talk about, even with her friends but she tackles them in a humorous and heart-warming way.

It's funny how 30 years later Judy Blume is STILL helping pre-teens and their moms cope with adolescence.

As I mentioned, one thing leads to another and yesterday I was looking for something in my storage room in the basement when out of nowhere I see four of my original Judy Blume books from the 1970's.  I don't even know where they came from but I was excited to look at them and reminisce about days gone by.  Plus, they totally helped prompt this post.

A small sampling of my beloved collection



Wear and tear on the covers caused by multiple reads



Look at the price of these books...$1.50 - oh the good old days

"Are you still there Judy? It's me, Crissa. I know you're there Judy. I know you wouldn't have missed this for anything! Thank you Judy. Thanks an awful lot..."

Monday Motivation

Today is starting off very busy, but I didn't want to let it go by without a post.  Today's post is simple but powerful.  Oh and the background is actually this morning's sky at about 6:30 - pretty and pink, just as I see it.

Make Monday Matter,

Funny Foto Friday

Food is the funny foto topic of the day.  I found a few funny fotos of my kiddos eating over the past couple of years that I thought were super cute. 

I bet you can tell what this is...yummy peanut butter and jelly

He literally scaled the kitchen drawers to sneak these m&m's

Isabella and Daddy sharing her first taste of clams

A quaint little breakfast for brother and sister

Bella sharing her breakfast with her Beanie Boos

I don't know what it is about kids eating, but I love to take candid shots of them. Looking back on them, I'm glad I have them ~ they easily make me smile.

Laugh out loud,

My Stupid Mouth...

...has got me in trouble.  I said too much again.  Sorry, I can't help myself.  It's my John Mayer obsession taking over today's blog post.  You see I'm still feeling  bad after having a little "flip out" on my daughter's first day of school.  Sometimes I let my anxiety get the best of me, as I did on Wednesday. 

It was almost like it was my first day of school.  I woke up a 1/2 hour before my alarm went off and began "busting a move".  I wanted to have a little extra time to help the kids get ready and to take my annual first day of school pictures.  Everything was on track.  I even had time to throw a load of laundry in and then...

Well, let's just say that my daughter is a little lot particular about her hair.  She has very thick and very long hair that's not very easy to do.  She was indecisive about how she wanted to wear her hair until she opted for it half up and half down (partial pony tail).  So I did her hair the way she asked and she wasn't crazy about it.  Then she opted for her standard high ponytail.  Ok.  Done and Done.  She went on her way to eat her breakfast and pack her book bag.  During breakfast she said "my hair doesn't look nice - I don't like it".  Uh Oh.  I was like "oh no, we don't have time to re-do your re-do" and then I proceeded to get irritated because she really wanted it done over.  So I yelled at her about being so picky (not my finest moment, I admit).  I felt bad so when she came back upstairs - I told her I was so sorry for yelling at her and I didn't want her to be upset on her first day of school.  She hugged me and said "that's ok mommy, I understand and I'm not upset".  I was happy at the way it turned out, but sad that I made her feel bad over something so silly. 

I'm not perfect.  I make mistakes.  Sometimes my mistakes hurt people, sometimes they hurt me, sometimes they embarrass me, but it's how I recover from them that makes all the difference.

I may not always be proud of my behavior, but I am proud that I'm not afraid to say I'm sorry.

Be sincere,

SO WHAT! Wednesday

This week I am soooo saying SO WHAT! if:

• Shannon at Life After "I Dew" didn't post her now famous SO WHAT! Wednesday link up, last week.  It was her baby girl's first birthday and she had some celebrating to do.  I mean some serious celebrating, friends.  She prepared for this party for months and from the photos I saw, she definitely should be in the party planning business.

• I did it again.  I watched Lemonade Mouth on Disney again.  I totally lost count, but it has to be somewhere up there in the bajillions.
• I stay up late to get my blog posts done.  I love blogging and I love that people tell me that they love my blog.  It makes it all worthwhile.
• I think everyone should have at least one personalized accessory from Thirty-One Gifts.  Growing up I could NEVER find anything with my name on it.  Crissa wasn't exactly on the list of top 50 girls names when I was growing up.  Lisa, on the other hand, well she could have anything she wanted with her name on it.  Now everyone can have their name on their lunch bag, their storage tote, their wallet, etc.

• My son made his own cast out of paper towels and scotch tape to cover a tiny speck of a cut he had on his toe.  He was looking from some Mama sympathy.  Oh and SO WHAT! if he realized after he taped it all up that it was the wrong foot!  {that was seriously funny when he realized}

• I don't think that my hubby should ever use the letters 'lol' in a text, or an e-mail, or in any circumstance for that matter.  Don't get me wrong, he sure knows how to Laugh Out Loud, but there's something a little too weird about a grown man using 'lol' at the end of a sentence.  (Don't worry, he only reads my blog when I tell him too.) 
• I have to pull my blog up on my iPad and put it in my hubby's face when I want him to read something clever I said.  He lives with me and is used to my quick wit, so he doesn't feel like he's missing anything {little does he know}.
• I started hyperventilating when I saw my debit card statement on line and there were OVER $300 in charges from an iPhone app that my kids love to play.  Apparently it cost $20 for a jar of treats in the virtual Pet Hotel and apparently these dogs are HUN-GRY!  So the app is only .99 cents but it costs a whole lot more to feed these carnivorous little canines.  My only saving grace was the fact that their iPods are tied to my iTunes account and my debit card changed so they needed to get my new verification code before processing EVEN more charges. 

Well, on that note I have to go check my e-mail to see if Apple Support responded to my frantic request to refund my money.  Link up and tell us what you are saying SO WHAT! to this week.

Happy "Over the Hump" Day,

School Daze

Really?  Where has the summer gone?  Today was orientation for my kids and tomorrow is their first day of school already.  I feel like it was just the last day of school and the beginning of summer.  I used to get that "day before school starts" anxiety from the time I was in first grade all the way through my Senior year in college.  Now I have it all over again and I'm not even the one going to school.

I worry about how my kids will adjust to their old routine again.  Will they be in class with their best friends?  Will they like their teacher?  Will they get bombarded with homework the first week? I can't help it, but these are all the things they have said to me over the past few weeks and I personally remember them all too well. 

As parents, we always want to make things as easy as possible on our children (to a certain degree).  Easing them back into a school routine takes a little bit of dedication and preparation.  Below are a few suggestions to help you get the most of out of your children this school year.

Make sure they:

1.  Get Enough Sleep.
As parents we all know the benefits of getting our children to bed early on a school night. They need that added rest in order to get up early in the morning (especially if they've enjoyed a summer of sleeping in). A good night's sleep will help with their attitude the next day and it will help their overall disposition.

2.  Eat a Healthy Breakfast. 
The experts all agree that giving a child breakfast before school helps in knowledge retention, test scores, and overall learning.  So don't let them leave home without it.

3.  Follow The Rules.
School wouldn't be very productive if it weren't for the rules. Remind your children of some of the basics. No fighting. No talking during class. Get along with your classmates.  Respect your teacher.

4.  Develop Good Study Habits.  
Children that develop good study habits are the ones who get through the school year without any major issues.  If your child goes to an after school care program, have them spend that time studying and doing homework.  If they come home right after school, have them get into the habit of doing their homework before beginning any playtime activities. 

5.  Try Their Best.   
Teaching our children to do their best will bring results that both you and they can be proud of.  

Good luck,

Cause and Effect

So my family and I have been walking in Cleveland's Annual "Autism Speaks" Walk for the past five years.  We support my cousin, Angel, who is on the Autism Spectrum.  She's a wonderful, loving 23 year old living with Asperger's Syndrome.  Her mom (my aunt) has made it her passion to get behind this wonderful cause and our large Italian/Irish family happily jumped on board.
 

A small sampling of our large family



 Once a year we raise money for "Angel's Army" and then we walk around Voinovich Park with our team and many others in support of Autism awareness.

View from Voinovich Park, downtown Cleveland

My husband has also been actively involved in Autism awareness for the last five years, as he volunteers his time and talent for a local Center for Autism in our home town.  And I'm happy to say that for the second year in a row, our two children have also gotten behind this wonderful cause by walking with Angel's Army by walking and raising money.  We thought it was important to teach them why we were walking and although our son may still be a little young to appreciate "why" he still goes and gives it his all.

My family

An effect is what happens as a result of the cause.  It is our hope that getting behind this wonderful cause will have a profound effect on those who individuals who live with autism and the family and friends who love them.

Be supportive,
 

Funny Foto Friday

Fridays are fun!  I like to pull out random funny fotos and share them with all of you.  So today, I'm going with a theme...it's all about shoes.  Not that shoes are funny but these pictures all made me laugh for different reasons.

This is Dana and she LOVES her Jimmy Choo's - I mean seriously loves them.

This is Ethan at 2 trying on Mommy's shoes.

...and this, well this is the inside of my back door on any given weekend summer day.

Laugh out loud,

They Need Their Wings

Yesterday was a particularly emotional day for me. At first I didn't know why and then I realized that I've been so busy getting the kids ready to go back to school that it started to sink in just how fast time is going...

The summer of 2011 has been all about growth in our household, literally.  Isabella turned 10 last month and now all of the sudden she's this little adult.  She's almost too tall for me to do her hair - I have to stand on my tip-toes to put it in a ponytail.  She grew her bangs out and her legs got so long.  Not to mention the fact that she's been having regular sleepovers, she had her first slumber birthday party this year, and learned how to text on her iTouch.  Oh Em Gee, friends ~ my little girl is growing up.

And then there's Ethan...almost eight and looking more like my hubby every day.  He had his first sleepover at his best friend's house at the beginning of the summer and that was so strange for me.  It seemed weird that my little boy was sleeping away from our house and not with a family member {let's just say, he did better than his mom}.  We wrapped up the summer with a sleepover at his school friend's who moved around the corner from us.  Ethan packed his overnight bag himself, put it over his shoulder and rode around the corner on his bike.  I wasn't there to see him leave but I stopped by his friend's house on my way to work in the morning to take him home.  I put his bag in my car and he said "mom, I'll just ride my bike home".  I thought to myself "this feels a little strange" and then I was behind him in my car and I cried as I watched him pedal himself home so fast and so grown up.  The bike ride only took about 40 seconds but it was such a pivotal point in my life as Ethan's mom.  My baby boy is growing up too.

On the same day that this reality kicked me in the butt, our friends and neighbors across the street were taking their youngest child off to college.  Officially empty-nesters starting today.  It was all too real for me - I felt her pain and he wasn't even my child.

I know we're not supposed to hold our children back and I never would.  I'm proud that my children are secure enough in their lives to step out of their comfort zone and be individuals.  I'm proud of the fact that they are growing up and into wonderful little people with larger than life personalities.  I'm proud to be their mom.  I just wish they could stay little just a little bit longer.

Today's quote of the day is super fitting for the way I am feeling.  Ironically my aunt and newbie blogger sent it to me yesterday because she thought I would like it.  She also mentioned that she loves reading the quotes on my blog.  Awww shucks.

I know my children have their roots - they are strong and stable.  Their wings have just developed and now I'm watching them learn to fly.  It may not be easy but I know it's the right thing to do.  They need their wings.

Be strong,

SO WHAT! Wednesday

It's Wednesday already and I know you are all dying to know what I am saying SO WHAT! to.  Well, this week I'm saying SO WHAT! if:

• I am all summer partied out.  I mean picnics, family reunions, swimming parties and the invites keep on coming.  I'm so over it, I say bring on Fall.
• My husband puts stickers all over the back of his Zero Turn Lawn Mower like he's getting paid to advertise for these sponsors.  At least it's not the bumper of his vehicle!

• I planned Family Fun Day for our employees and their families last Sunday and it was a complete "wash out", literally.  The baseball game was cancelled due to inclement weather.  Only 1/2 the people showed up and ate 1/4 of the food.  Bummer.  We were offered a "rain check" - uh yeah, no thanks (refer to the aforementioned "all summer partied out" bullet point).
• I am a closet Jersey Shore watcher.  Gasp.  I can't believe I admitted that on my blog.  Seriously though, it is my guilty pleasure because it's just so outrageous and it makes me laugh out loud. My fav is DJ Pauly D because he's the most normal out of the roommates.  I love his crazy little outbursts (cabs are heeeeeeere!).

• I'm a little nervous about the kids going back to school next week.  I don't think I'm quite ready for 5th grade math (which seems to be the equivalent to high school trigonometry back in my day).
• I enjoyed the Smurf's movie just as much as my kids did.  I found myself humming and singing LaLa" La La La La, Sing a Happy Song" for two full days after seeing it.  It was so cute!

• If I can't stand the sound of Presidential candidate, Michelle Bachman's voice.  I'm not a political type and I don't discuss politics - I do discuss people and her voice drives me a little lot crazy.  Plus she wished Elvis Presley a Happy Birthday yesterday and it was actually the anniversary of his death - MAJOR Fail!
• So what if I indulged in a little S'more cake at the Pirates game last night.  You know I love me some S'mores and I was intrigued by it.  I did, however, split it.

Well that's all she wrote.  Link up and share what you're saying SO WHAT! to this week.

Happy "Over the Hump" Day,

I Am So Pinteresting

Seriously...another social media site to distract my already overloaded brain?  What is my world becoming?  Now I am hooked on Pinterest.  As if I needed another reason to log on to my computer, my iPhone, or my iPad.  Pinterest is basically a virtual pinboard for showcasing and curating visual things that you love.

I found Pinterst about a month ago and have really taking a liking to it.  I mean it beats the old days of magazines all over the floor, cutting and pasting and trying to find a place to keep everything I ever wanted to use for future reference.  It's awesome and addicting.  {Great, just what I needed...}

I started using Pinterest as a way to get ideas for my basement storage area that has been haunting me like a bad dream.  It is a complete and utter disaster.  So I started googling storage ideas and then I joined Pinterest, and started curating my own virtual pin boards that I can access anytime, anywhere...via the cloud.

My second mission was to find some cool inspiration board ideas for my home office, which is still a work in progress.  Now I'm pinning outfits that I am not fashionably forward enough to create on my own, ideas for our 2nd Annual S'mores and More party in October, favorite quotes, cute kid crafts, and so on and so on. 

One of the things I found (low and behold) on Pinterest was this funny little reference explaining what Pinterest means to some people.  It made me laugh.

Click here to follow me on Pinterest and introduce yourself so I can follow you.

Happy Pinning,