Baby Boy Monkey Baby Shower Printables

Little boys are pretty much the same thing as little monkeys, right?  If you're planning a shower for a baby boy, check out these free baby shower printables - you get cupcake wrappers, 2.5" circles, and 3" labels featuring monkeys and chevrons.

PFT

Daniel had his pulmonary function tests today. We'll have the results sometime next week, and then we'll see what happens from there. It was really interesting to see how much he can breathe, and how much air he uses. Poor kid can barely hold his breath, because he doesn't get enough of a breath to bother to hold.

Plus, while we were between tests, Daniel told me his ear was hurting. I looked at it, and it was full of crap, so I got a bobby pin out of my purse to scoop out the crud. His ear drum had burst, his ear tube was OUT, and infected crap started pouring out of his ear. It was exciting. And really stinky. But his ear feels much better now.

I also have spent the last few hours combing through my blog and printing out health-related posts because I am visiting another new doctor tomorrow, and, you know, I like to be over prepared for everything. Especially when I'm meeting new doctors. At any rate, I now have a BOOK to take with me, and I feel really good about it.

Meanwhile, Taylor had a nap after school today, so now she's WIDE AWAKE at ten forty five. This bodes well for our morning routine.

Free Dog Coloring Page Printable

Color a dog's head.  You know you want to.

This printable coloring page is free to download and color, for personal use only.

planning

Daniel will be getting his Pulmonary Function Tests tomorrow. Hallelujah. He's mostly excited about getting out of school early. I'm excited that it's getting done so quickly after last week's snafu.

I also realized that we will have visitors at our house in less than a month! My sister Berit and her boys are going to come out and stay with us for a few weeks. She's going to fly in with my dad, who will be in town for a conference, and then she's going to stay. Plus, my dad will be here for a while! It's fun to have family in town, and my kids can't wait to see their cousins.

Free Baby Shower Printables: Pink Monkeys

Are your friends expecting a little monkey?  These pink monkey printables are perfect for the next time you're planning a baby shower for a baby girl.  It comes with cupcake wrappers, 2.5" circles, and 3" labels.
 

Memorial Day

I've decided that I'm going to blog every day. Because I've gotten out of the habit, and I'm mad at myself about it.

Today I'm dealing with scheduling mishaps en masse. Daniel was supposed to have his pulmonary function tests today, except that the hospital that he was supposed to go to isn't really set up for pediatric testing. So we're supposed to go to St. Mary's, except that they won't set up the appointment without the actual order from the doctor. So now instead of having the test today, we're waiting for someone to call us back so that we can make an appointment.

THEN, I called to set up my appointment for an MRI. Except that the hospital I'm supposed to go to also doesn't have an order, and what is my date of birth again? It's super annoying because now I had to call the doctor, and then I'll have to do more waiting, which pushes back the start date on the new MS meds and I'm just really frustrated with hospitals at this point.

I do for SURE have an appointment on Friday though. It's verified, and confirmed, and I will be there with bells on! (not really. that would be weird)

Yesterday was Memorial Day. We had a great day off from school and work, and we spent it playing in the sprinklers and going on bike rides and eating watermelon.

We also talked about Grandpa-Great, because my children idolize him. They love talking about him. They each have a copy of his life story, and look at his pictures all the time. Their favorite picture is from when he was in the Army Air Corp. They make up stories, and Grandpa-Great always saves the day. (He is quite proficient in nerf gun battles.)

I also reminded the kids that their Uncle Josh is in the army, and that he's in Afghanistan right now.

All in all, it was a good day, and we're grateful to live in this country where we get to live as we choose.

Everyone Has Feelings - Free Coloring Page

Here is a free printable coloring page to go with yesterday's Feelings Bingo.  Because, everyone really does have feelings.

Free Printable Bingo Game about Feelings

When kids are young it's brutally apparent that they have a wide range of emotions.  But sometimes they have a hard time identifying how they're feeling.  (I kind of don't blame them, because sometimes, as an adult, I still have a hard time putting my finger on exactly why I'm feeling a certain way. - that can't just be me....right?  hopefully.)

Play this fun printable bingo game to teach little ones about different feelings.  You can act out the emotions while you play.  Maybe even on purpose.

Construction Zone Party Printables

Little boy birthday parties are fun, but sometimes it's hard to find cute printables for them.  Which is why we made this construction party printable pack with cupcake wrappers, circle cupcake toppers, and a treat box featuring dump trucks, bulldozers, and cement mixers.

Free Printable Coloring Page - Building Sand Castles

The season of sand castles is just around the corner.  Get this free coloring page to prepare for the sand-a-liscious fun.

Printable Minnie Mouse Purses

Do you need a little treat box with Minnie Mouse on it?  Because these little printable purses are fabulous.

Free Printable Coloring Page: Brushing Teeth

This free printable coloring page has a back story. 

When my monkey son was a little younger he was super crazy and hard to keep up with.  One night after his bath he took off running in his fireman towel and it took me a second to find him.  He had gone into the other bathroom, where he proceeded to pull an old toothbrush out of the garbage can - I walked in the door just as he was putting it in his mouth. 

And that's the story of this coloring page. 

The end.

Birthday Updates

Taylor turned SIX today. She was very excited and also very nice, mostly because she's a nice kid in general. She has been asking for a BIG teddy bear for months, so she was absolutely enthralled to get a gigantic bear for her present. It's almost as big as she is, and it's super soft, and machine washable, and the bear has already gone on a bike ride.

She also had a strawberry cake. She really wanted a strawberry cake, because it's more exciting than vanilla or chocolate. Unfortunately, she did not like the way the strawberry cake tasted, but since it was pretty, she was happy anyways. She has also requested that we make a pumpkin cake as soon as people finish eating her birthday cake.

While the birthday girl was at school, I got to take Daniel to a doctor appointment. He's getting checked out for asthma and allergies, because he's always stuffy and coughing and such. He was put on two new medicines, a nose spray and an allergy med, and we also got an inhaler. Daniel also got a chest x-ray, and he's going to have a pulmonary function test next week, so that we can see how his breathing's doing. Daniel was our "bronchitis baby" and he did have RSV once, so, you know.... test away.

We also got Thaddeus' CT scan results back. It's not an infected cyst, but it is a definite soft tissue lump. The doctor said that if we want, we can get a referral to an ENT, but that there's nothing really "wrong". Of course, it's Thaddeus, so we will go to the ENT, and we will do a follow up, and we WILL get the mystery lump removed... we'll just wait until after July 1 to go, because, you know, insurance roll-over. (Once, I thought that our flex benefits account was silly. Now I'm annoyed that we don't put more into it.)

Also, did I tell you that Daniel bought an MP3 player? Because he did, and now it's my job to load it up with all the songs he likes. Of course, since he's MY child, he like all the music I like. This is a problem because now he has a really awesome soundtrack for life that fits in his pocket and *I* am super jealous.

Also, also: since it's our birthday month, I measured people, because I like to remember how tall people are, and guess what? My kids are pretty much the same size.

Thaddeus is 51 inches. Blayne is 51 inches. Daniel is 50 inches. Taylor: is 41.75 inches.

No lie, people have been asking me about my triplets lately. It's hilarious to me and Daniel, and absolutely infuriating to Blayne and Thaddeus. Then, I think about my brother and sister who were in a battle over who was the tallest/oldest for YEARS and I laugh. Sometimes, it's good to be short.

The Sugar Bug: A Game About Dental Hygiene

Sometimes my kids need a reminder about their dental hygiene.  Instead of giving the typical lecture, I decided to make a game of it.  This is a printable card game, all the instructions and pieces are included.  So now you can teach your kids good dental hygiene habits the fun way.

Faux Eggs and Bacon Snack

This snack is STICKY.  But awesome.  And I sent it to school, so it wasn't like I had to deal with all the messy preschoolers.

For two "fried eggs" melt about 12 marshmallows and 1 tsp. of butter on medium-low heat.  (You can multiple this by however many finished snacks you'll need.)

Pour the melted goo into two globs on some HEAVILY GREASED tin foil (I suggest greasing with butter or butter flavored spray, because it will pick up a little of the flavor).  And smear the globs into egg shapes.

Take a couple of dried apricots, smoosh the centers with your thumb so they look like bubbled yolks and stick them to the centers of your marshmallow globs.

Let them cool before you take them off the tin foil.

(I found this idea here, where it has a few more details, you know, if you like details.)

For the bacon I bought some raspberry flavored fruit roll ups and cut them into bacon shaped strips.  Then, when I placed them on the plates, I made them look wavy, like cooked bacon tends to look.  (I think it would have looked better with thicker fruit leather, but I couldn't find bacon colored fruit leather.)

I wonder if the preschool teacher was mad that I sent highly sugared food glue to class?  Because I think I'm making this one again.

Beach Girl: Free Coloring Page

With summer coming up I know the kids are going to need a few extra activities for when they get tired of running around outside.  My kids love to color, so I'm going to be making lots of coloring pages for them.  And who knows, maybe it will bring a little bit of quiet to our summer.....at least for a few minutes.

This free printable coloring page is of a little girl on the beach.

and more waiting

Thaddeus had his CT scan, we're still waiting on the results. I guess the radiologist left out some information on the summary, so we're waiting for it to be RE-read. It's super fun to call the doctor every day and ask the same questions. 

Also in life, I'm still waiting for an answer from VCU. I know I'll be going to school in the fall, I just don't know which one. That's also fun. 

Meanwhile, I had a neurology appointment this week with a new doctor. He's closer, and they have an infusion center at their office, so that's awesome. We went over my history, and I'm going to be starting new meds. They're PILLS, so no more shots. I still have pretty bad injection site reactions with the shots, and I still have other side effects. (I've had the "flu" every Wednesday and Friday for the last 2 years.... so awesome) The neurologist said that's CRAZY TALK, and then we talked about different medication options. So, I'm going to be starting the new and just-approved by the FDA pill called Tecfidera. I got some blood work done, and I'm going to be having an MRI (to establish a new baseline), and then as long as my insurance approves, I'm good to go! 

Beyond that, life is same the old, same old. I'm ready for summer to get here, though... just so people can ride their bikes a little bit longer. I love letting the kids ride around the neighborhood until the sun starts to go down. It's tough to have to be in bed when there's still light outside. 

Printable Sight Words Flashcards

Now that the school year is almost over I want to make sure my kindergartener has all of his sight words memorized.  I think in his class they call them "popcorn words" or something like that, but I call them sight words because you know them by sight not by sounding them out. 

All the words included can be seen in the preview image - I think it's a good amount (although, I think the english language is easier if you just memorize all words since most of them don't follow the phonics rules).

Free Mustache Party Cupcake Printables

Who doesn't love a good mustache printable?  These cupcake wrappers and circle toppers are perfect for any kind of mustache party with six different wrappers and a full sheet of 1.25" circles.

FTW

Sometimes I look at my old blog and think about how cute and funny it used to be, and I want to be back there again. Then I remember that it's a lot of work to be cute and funny at the same time, and I just don't have time for all that nonsense.

Meanwhile, I am in the middle of a bedtime fight with Daniel. He keeps coming down the stairs, and I keep sending him back up. Of course there's a lot more fighting and jumping up and down involved. You know in the cartoons when people jump up and down when they're mad? He's doing that. Plus screaming. And then the other kids come down and tell me that they can't sleep because Daniel is crying too loud, and then Daniel has to scream that he's not crying, and then they have to scream back, and it's a WHOLE THING PEOPLE. A whole thing that I plan to win, because I WIN AT EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME.

Waiting

Thaddeus gets to have a CT scan tomorrow. He has a weird growth behind his ear, and it hurts really bad. I think this it's related to all his ear problems, and is an infected cyst or something, but the doctor wants to do some imaging. At any rate, he doesn't feel too good. 

The other kids are doing fine. I think Taylor is about to grow a couple of inches (or one) because she's been sleeping and eating A LOT. 

Also: I still haven't heard back from VCU about admissions. Troy thinks it's good, and they're just waiting to see if they need me to fill a spot. "If they didn't want you, it would just be a no." All I know is that waiting is stinky.

Birthdays and Church Callings

Oh my life, I have not been keeping up with this blog like I used to. I need to be better about that, because I use my blog to remember important things in life. How else would I remember who had their tonsils out and when?

Daniel turned seven yesterday and he was super excited. In April, he started counting down the days to his birthday. Then when we got to his Birthday Eve, he was so excited he could hardly stand it. He got a nerf gun and a new bike, and I made a a double chocolate fudge cake. He couldn't decide what his favorite dinner should be, so we just had pot roast. But anything you eat on your birthday is delicious because you get to use THE RED PLATE. We only use it on birthdays, and it's kindof a big deal.

Also, Troy was called to be the Elder's quorum president in church yesterday. I don't know if I ever mentioned it or not, but I'm the Primary secretary, and I get to be the primary music leader too. It's pretty much the most fun calling ever. We've been practicing a song for Mother's Day, and we're learning sign language to go with it. I had been practicing at home so that I know the song backwards and forwards, but yesterday, I was so "off" at church. I couldn't remember the words, and I was messing up the rhythm, and it was pretty embarrassing. The good thing about messing up in front of a room full of kids is that they see that it's OKAY to mess up, and they see me laugh about it... even grown ups aren't perfect. (I think kids need to know that.) At any rate, I kept messing up, then when I got home, my head started hurting and my eyes went all wonky, and it was definitely MS related. I'm just glad that it waited until after church to really show up.

Snail Trails: Practice Tracing or Cutting

I don't know about your kids, but mine need some serious handwriting and cutting practice.  We're pretty big into art around here so they have some great experience, but accuracy doesn't really come into play.  With these printable worksheets they can either trace the lines or cut along the lines (some of these are way more tricky than others, but I figure that's good for my second and fourth graders to practice with).

Free Mother's Day Gift Printables

It is scientifically proven that moms love treats that they don't have to share with any one else.  Also, most moms love cute packaging that doesn't cost a lot.  So for Mother's Day this year, check out our "Sweets for Mom" printable treat pack.

This set of Mother's Day Printables includes:

• 2 baggy toppers
• 1 take-out box printable with instructions
• 1 mini purse printable with instructions
• a king size candy bar wrapper
• a standard size candy bar wrapper

May 2013 Computer Desktop Freebie

Happy, happy May friends! I was looking at our previous desktops, and I noticed that I've never really used orange! WHAT? Naturally, I had to fix that ASAP. Hope this month's desktop calendar adds a bright spot to your day!

1024x768 version       |      1280x800 version

 (regular sized monitor)         (Wide screen monitor)

11 Books to Read for Mother's Day

Reading is a big part of our day, and while the kids would be content with reading the same books over and over, I like to change it up every once in awhile.  I figured while we were going for something new they might as well go with a theme.

So here are 11 Children's Book Suggestions on the theme of Mother's Day:

	"Are You My Mother?" by P.D. Eastman is my one of my favorite books from my own childhood.  My kids love it a lot too.
	"If I Could: A Mother's Promise" by Susan Milford looks quite endearing - it lists all the things the mom raccoon would do for her child if she could.  The pictures in this book are super cute.
	"Mother, Mother, I Want Another"  by Maria Poluskin Robbins seems like a silly and fun book about a baby mouse wanting his mom to give him another kiss, but the mom thinks her baby is asking for a different mother entirely and goes off to find one.
	"Fancy Nancy's Marvelous Mother's Day Brunch" by Jane O'Connor is definitely on our list  because I find that one can never go wrong with Fancy Nancy.
	"Hero Mom" by Melinda Hardin looks interesting because it's all about moms that serve in the  military.  And all military moms (and dads, and people in general) are heroes.
	"I Love Ewe" by Aaron Zenz is good for a fast read for the little kids.  The cute animal pictures and fun word play are sure for a quick smile.
	"Just Me and My Mom" by Mercer Mayer looks awesome to read, because I love that little critter lots and lots.  I had a little critter book when I was young and I remember relating to him a lot because he kept making messes no matter how hard he tried not to. So, naturally, he'll always be a favorite.
	"Me and My Mom!" by Alison Ritchie caught my attention because of the picture on the front of the book - it's just so cute!
	"My Mom is the Best Circus" by Luciana Navaro Powell is another quick read, and looks really promising. Because sometimes, as a mom, I feel like I'm living in a circus too.
	"Pirate Mom" by Deborah Underwood looks perfect for my second grader.  I think he'll find it hilarious to read about a mom being hypnotized into thinking she's a pirate.
	"Ramona and her Mother" by Beverly Cleary is for sure on our reading list.  Because Ramona's antics are timeless and hilarious.  Plus I haven't read this for one for a really long time.

Now we just need to get started on our list - which I'm now excited to begin.  And hopefully that will inspire you into a little mom-themed reading of your own!