Life With a Kindergartener

How did my baby grow up so fast? Here we are on day 3 of Kindergarten. He's doing FANTASTIC! Loves his teacher, gets up for school without a fuss, says goodbye easily and has a smile on his face.

Mommy on the other hand still has a hard time letting him go. I still get really sad when he walks off to class, marching in his class line, all independently. I worry about him while he's gone. (What if he can't open his water bottle, what if kids are mean to him, what if he doesn't understand his school work, what if he gets lost on the way to the bathroom, etc.)

I know I need to let him find his own way and it's a part of growing up, but I miss my little! On the other hand, the house is cleaner than it's been in the past 5 years! And he's already learning. I can see what a great year academically this will be for him. Each week they get sight words that they have to learn and spell. He already knows this week's! (He'll be tested on it on Friday, so we'll see how he does!)

Time sure is flying by.

Summer 2012

I've been so busy adding posts to my new "Kisses & Crumbs" Blog that I have completely neglected my personal blog.

Well, for the first 5 years of Landon's life, Summer was just Summer. Just another season. Now that he's preparing to start Kindergarten, Summer is our last chance to cram in fun together. Ok, not really, but that's what it feels like.

In 2 weeks, he'll spend half a day away from me every week day. I know I've left him much longer than that in day care when I was working, but this is different! I'm sad because our week day adventures will come to an end, but I'm also very excited for him! He didn't go to Pre-K, so he has no idea about all the cool and fun stuff he'll get to learn and do. Or the new friends he'll make. (I still keep in touch with my best friend from 1st grade).

It seems like every post I say my baby is growing up, but it's because he is. Life is moving too fast for me!

We've had a good Summer, though. He even got to stay at his Auntie Lisa's house and his Uncle Nico's house- and had a blast at both! We had plenty of beach adventures, slumber parties, zoo, Wild Animal Park, water parks, museums, etc. And there's still a couple of weeks to pack in more fun.

I'm excited for this adventure to start!

P.S. I asked him if he knew what he wanted to be for Halloween this year. He said "A Dancing Hot Dog or Banana". haha

Braver Than You and Me

So, we had our first trip to the Emergency Room for an injury.  Last night, all of the dogs were running wild in the backyard (Ours and Anthony & Karissa's) and so was one unlucky little boy. It was dark and either a dog tripped him or he just tripped over his feet. Either way, it ended with a crash to the concrete and a gash to the chin.

As soon as I saw it, I knew he'd need stitches. I was prepared for a night of crying, pleading, screaming, fighting. What actually happened, is still beyond me. How does one little boy hold so much bravery? I can only describe it as God's calming grace.

He stopped crying within 2 minutes of falling and sat there nervously holding a paper towel to his wound as we got everything together before heading out. He was slightly upset that he had to go to the hospital, but still didn't cry. In the car, we talked about what might possibly happen once we got there and that he might need stitches.

Once we got inside, they took his vitals and asked him if he was in pain. He said no. Being skeptical, they told me that if he said he was in pain later, they could give him an icepack. While waiting for the doctor, he watched tv and was already back to his happy little self.

When the doctor came in to see him, I expected him to be a little reserved. But, he was talkative and told the doctor the story, followed all of the directions and never stopped smiling. Who smiles when they know the doctor might hurt them? haha.

When they told him they were going to put Lidocaine on his chin, they explained that it would sting but he had to leave it one. They put it on the laceration and the doctor and I both stared at him just waiting for the pain to kick and for that first cry or scream. Nothing. Not even a grimace. When they came in to do the actual sutures, they had one doctor hold his head, me hold his arms and they draped a cloth over his face to isolate the injured area. He talked and joked with the doctors the entire time.

Afterwards, he told me he was able to feel a little poking that stung a little and that he was just being brave. What a champ.

6 stitches later and we were out the door.

Be Prepared: part 5

Here we are during the final week of preparing your Emergency Kit. Here are a few other essential items to include in your kit:
- manual can opener and other cooking supplies (utensils, camp stove, propane, etc.)
- plates, utensils and other feeding supplies
- warm clothes and rain gear for each family member
- a copy of important phone numbers and documents
- heavy work gloves
- disposable camera
- unscented household liquid bleach and an eye dropper for water purification
- personal hygiene products including toilet paper, feminine products, hand sanitizer and soap
- plastic sheeting, duct tape and a utility knife for covering broken windows
- tools such as a crowbar, hammer & nails, staple gun, adjustable wrench and bungee cords
- blankets or sleeping bags
- large heavy duty plastic bags and a plastic bucket for waste and sanitation
- Any special needs items for children, seniors or people with disabilities
- matches


Now your emergency kit is ready to go! As noted before, this is a basic kit that will get you through 72 hours. If you've been watching shows like Doomsday Preppers, they are planning for months of survival. If that is what you are also looking into planning for, I encourage you to look into purchasing MREs or freeze dried food made specifically for emergency storage. I have seen buckets available for purchase through Costco and various sites online.


Most of the information I've included can be found on www.72hours.org. FEMA has also supplied a similar list of items that can be found on www.ready.gov

I hope you have found this series of posts informative and if you haven't started preparing your kit, please do so. You can never be too prepared!

Be Prepared: Part 4

Yes, I completely spaced on doing this week's blog. Oops! We're going to cover "Go-Bags" and that will include a lot of different items, so I'll give the rest of this week and next to complete this part of your emergency kit :)


What is a Go-Bag? It's a backpack or other easy to carry container filled with essential items in the case that you'll need to evacuate quickly. Prepare a Go-Bag for each family member and ID tag. You may not be at home when emergency strikes, so it's also a good idea to keep additional supplies at work or in your car. Consider what you might need for your immediate safety. Here is a list of items to put in each person's bag:
- Flashlight
- Radio (battery operated)
- Batteries
- Whistle
- Dust Mask
- Pocket Knife
- Emergency cash in small denominations and quarters to make phone calls
- Sturdy shoes, a change of clothes and a warm hat (make sure to change out sizes if you have little ones)
- Local map
- Some water and food
- Permanent marker, paper and tape
- Photos of family members and pets for re-identification purposes
- List of emergency point-of-contact phone numbers
- Copy of health insurance and ID cards
- Extra prescription glasses, hearing aid or other vital personal items
- Prescription medication and first aid supplies (we have a mini kit in each of ours)
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Extra keys to your house and vehicle
- Any special-needs items for children, seniors or people with disabilities (for our son, we have hard candy and a coloring book. Just to add a little comfort.)


Make sure to keep your Go-Bag in a place that's easily accessible. (Not stuffed up in the rafters or shoved behind junk in the closet.) Ours are stacked inside our master closet, ready to go.
-