Cooking Show

Lucy and I love to watch cooking shows.  We watched our fave (Ina) the other day and then Lucy wanted to make everything on the show.  The particular show we watched was where she made a cheese danish, a chicken salad sandwich and chocolate ganache cupcakes and sent them to her office and she had 2 different samples with a special ingredient and asked the ladies to say which one A or B they liked better.  (The secret ingredient one always one).

We like to prepare dinner in the afternoon so that we have time to go out and play.  And lately, we have made our own little cooking show out of it.

The other day we made Beef Brisket (family favorite) broccoli, and rice.  We just measured and cut the broccoli and prepared the pan and measured the rice.  She loves having her cooking show and we even have an audience.

Then she was upseet because we didn't make an A and B version, so we had a taste test for lunch..  A - Strawberry jelly versus  B - Grape Jelly.  We are so living on the edge.

And that is about the most excitement from here!

The Strawberry Jelly won!

Pumpkin Patch

My all time favorite fall activity is pumpkin patch.  I was totally disappointed this year as the orchard we typically go to didn't plant their HUGE patch that goes for as far as the eye can see.  So we were stuck with a small patch of pumpkins to choose from.  And, to make matters worse they didn't have any HUGE ones.  I feel like I need to find the biggest pumpkin in the patch and bring it home with me. 

So this year, the girls somehow decided that they wanted to find as many small pumpkins that they could.  Have I not taught them anything?  They had a good time, and this was for sure the first time I have ever gone to the pumpkin patch in t-shirts and shorts.  We all did not stay very long because it was so hot!

Family Sleepover

Bisson Family Fun Night had to be moved to Saturday night this weekend.  While we tried to pack tons of stuff into the weekend, we were left to just Saturday night.

We decided to watch Camp Rock and have a sleepover in the family room!  The girls totally loved moving our beds into the family room and having a fun sleepover. 

And the last day of spirit week was a purple day!

Take That June Cleaver

This picture always makes me laugh...  why didn't this make the christmas card?

Yesterday was one of those days..  Hopefully the kind of day that only follows a full moon, the kind of day I can at some point laugh about and not scream obscenities.  I have a sign that hangs in our kitchen that says:  "Just do your best".  Well I thought about that sign alot yesterday.... and if yesterday was my best, then we are all in for a world of hurt.

It started out at 7am with the girls playing happily, but unloading ALL of their toys into the Family room.  I know this is where it all got derailed.  I was trying to get them to redirect to say the toy room on the first floor, or say the basement which is filled with their toys or perhaps their bedrooms.  Nope, they wanted to play where Simon and I were of course in the middle of everything because their was no room in the other rooms.  That's great just take over the house.  More for me to clean later.  No big deal.

So I go upstairs to get their clothes and make beds, where I notice a large stain in Lucy's room on her sheets, so I get the clothes, and Ll the sheets off the beds.  While I bring everything down I notice that Ruthie is sitting at the kitchen table doing homework while eating breakfast and junk piled up everywhere, as I panic as she is doing homework in green marker, I say... "RUTHIE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?  YOU CAN'T DO YOUR HOMEWORK IN GREEN MARKER, AND BESIDES WHY ARE YOU DOING IT NOW AND WHY DIDN'T YOU ASK FOR HELP?"  When what I should have said, according to Simon was.....  "Ruthie great job on taking the initiative to do your homework on your own, you are doing a great job."  So Simon and I "discuss" the merits of the way that goes down, and Ruthie begins to cry, saying she doesn't want to go to school and she is extremely upset.  Great!  mark one in my column, make that 2, because I am now mad at Simon and blaiming him for me being flustered. 

Finally get Ruthie to decide she will go to school, take Lucy, and Ruthie to school, Great start to the morning!  I am cleaning the kitchen and crying, as this is the way to start the day when I go to the laundry room to change the sheets and literally inside the washer is a bottle of shampoo!  Seriously!  Where in the heck did a bottle of shampoo come from between carrying the sheets downstairs putting them in the washer?  Take out the shampoo, wash the sheets again.  Empty dishwasher, clean up all toys (6 trips) up the stairs and move to the toy room. Where I notice.. Oh great I left the cover off the grill last night.  Go to put the cover back on the grill on the deck and realize... Not only did I leave the cover off, I left the grill on the entire night and now the propane has run out. 
** forget to mention while I realized all this I was talking to my neighbor on the phone, at which point she accuses me of "BECOMING MY MOTHER"!  Great!!! More choice words for her and we decided to go for a walk and get out of the house!

As I am walking out of the house, I notice Ruthie's Library book and it is Library day at school.  Take the book on our walk, swing by school.  Great!  She is soooo going to be pissed off at me!  Redemption for me by bringing the library book!

The rest of the day goes by well with nothing much to report other than the first thing Ruthie says to me when I meet her outside the school..  "I HAVE AN OVERDUE LIBRARY BOOK"  Which for a Kindergarten child is pretty upsetting, or maybe just a Bisson drama queen!  I guess even though I ran the book up to school by 10am I already missed library.  I also guess you don't get points for trying!

I wasn't even going to try and make dinner last night.  Chinese take-out!  While I know these things are not life altering or earth shattering, all together they can bring you down, and make you think that the only job you have in life, you are not doing very well. 

Today's events.....

**Breakfast playdate at our house after I drop off Ruthie.  2  Moms, 4 kids  (already made half the breakfast stuff)
**  Lucy playdate at her friends at noon
**  have to go to the store in the hour that she is at her friends
**  Come home make appetizers for beer party for tonight at neighbors.
**  Pick up Ruthie from school take everyone to after school birthday party.

**  Babysitter at 6 for beer party

**  tomorrow soccer game at 10am

**  Pumpkin Patch after game before party

**  Football party at 2pm

** Bisson Family Fun night.  We are all moving our beds into the family room and having a sleepover with movies!  Yippee!  And nothing is planned for Sunday but a big brunch and sleeping in!

Wish me luck, if I can't get through the mundane this should be a real interesting 48 hours!

Take that June Cleaver

Ruth Catherine

Is really starting to get into school.  She is enjoying her time and loved the spirit week activities this week.

Tuesday was pajama day...

Wednesday was crazy hair day.

And me... my biggest accomplishment is my fall decor.  We are getting pumpkins this weekend.

Lucy Martin

Lucy had a field trip with school this week and she had a lovely time.  She really enjoyed playing with her friends from school.  My favorite part was the yummy doughnuts and cider!

All day my focus is trying to keep Lucy occupied, if it was up to her, she would come home and take a nap and watch tv all day.  We have a pretty rigorous schedule of activity, workbook/education time, etc.  I literally left the room for 5 minutes and I come back to this......

10 of Tuesday

1.  Lucy is sick, with what I thought was a sinus infection, but it could be something else.  She is on Amoxicillan, but still had 103.2 fever last night.  Looks like another day on the couch today.

2.  She cried so hard when I told her she had to miss school again today.  That is the best news of the day.  Wierdly, this means that she really does like school and thankfully was sad when she couldn't go.  Let's keep up that momentum.  I hope that she is able to go some point this week.  But another day on the couch for us!

3.  Ruthie is really liking school and is making friends and having fun.  I heard from another mom the other day while standing outside school....  "Your daughter is Ruthie.  My son talks about her all the time, wants to make her an art project and plans on marrying her".  Great sir get in line.  When I asked Ruthie if she knew who said boy was she looked at me and was like NO, never heard of him before in my life.  It did make me want to interrogate someone.

4.  Ruthie has a fieldtrip and is terrified to go on the bus because she got sick on all the busses at Disney.  She has requested her father to attend the trip and ride the bus with her.  The teacher said that was fine, that he could attend, that she wouldn't make him do any work and that it wouldn't be that bad.  I had to control myself when I told the teacher... "This is my husbands dream, I am surprised he doesn't sit outside the window at school all day and watch".  He would be at school all day everyday if he was able.

5.  Lucy went to the doctor and our favorite doctor is moving to Alaska for 2 years.  So bummed she so awesome.  She will call us on the weekend from her cell phone to check on the girls.  It is so hard to find someone you really truly love and trust with your family.  There are a bunch of other doctors in the practice, but we will really miss Dr. Sarah!

6.  She measured Lucy because she felt that she had grown so much at camp...  Well she did, she grew 4 inches since May.  Holy Smokes.  That is crazy!

7. I really need to find some time to get out on my road bike.  Simon has been putting more miles on my bike lately than I have.

8.  Fall is my favorite season.  I love the way it smells...  well that and the smell of new shoes..  Who is with me?

9.  Speaking of shoes...  It is UGG time.  yahoo.  Bring it!

10.  Go Buckeyes. 

Apple Orchard

We headed to the apple orchard yesterday.  Tons of fun.  Not at all crowded and after much pressure we got Lucy to go on the zipline, and then we couldn't get her to get off the zipline.  Success!  Now today decorate our front porch and make some apple pies!

Balloon Championships

Favorite thing about our town is all the different balloon competitions they have.  It is so  beautiful to look up in the sky and see TONS of balloons.  Now, if you were to ask me to go up in one, I would absolutely go into cardiac arrest.  My feet need to be firmly planted on the ground at all times. 

                                                                              Our house

                                                                       Front Yard

Another view check out the robes

Different Day

First Day of School

It is so hard to believe that the girls are in SCHOOL.  Ruthie is in full day Kindergarten, and Lucy is in preschool every monring of the week except Friday.

Ruthie is adjusting to school and is liking it, but it is a really long day.  We leave for school at 8:15 and we don't pick her up from school until 3:40.  At which time she is exhausted and grumpy and wants to come home and lay on the couch and watch TV.  I wonder where she gets that from.

Lucy is also slow to adjust, she has the same teacher that Ruthie had last year who is amazing.  Yet, she is tired and cranky when she gets home and we are still working out the kinks of our weekly routine. 

I was joking when I talked with some friends saying that my work here is done now that they are both in school.  I can really sit back relax and watch soap opera's all day and eat chocolate on the couch.  However that has not been the case yet.  Whatever.  Major disaapointment!  The girls have always been totally adaptable, yet we have been through alot these past few months so it is not as easy round here as one would think.  We have had MANY sleepless nights, MANY temper tantrums, Many crying attacks and many adult beverages.  And that has just been my behavior!  So you can only imagine the kids...

We are hoping to really get into the swing of things by the end of the month.  So please keep your fingers crossed!  Hoping to get back to regular updates soon!