Friday, June 29, 2012

Missing:


MISSING:  Teeth but we don't need them returned. lol :)

Last summer on our trip to South Carolina, Braly lost his 2 front bottom teeth.  He didn't lose any all year.  When he got his teeth cleaned in May they told me he had 6 loose teeth.  He said he wanted to lose them all at once.  He's so silly.  When we were in Sheboygan I had to cut his corn off the cob so he could eat it because his teeth were loose.  Just a few days later he lost one on June4th by pulling it all by himself.  Then the other one was ready & he got Grammy Cheryl to pull it on June 5th when she came to help me use my new Kitchen Aid mixer to make bread for the first time in it.  Just noticed that he isn't wearing his glasses in the new pic.  That's because he was ready for bed when I took the picture.
Lost first 2 teeth in July 2011
Lost another 2 teeth June 2012

Sheboygan

On Friday June 1st, we packed the van & headed south.  First we stopped in Green Bay so Auntie Renee` could meet Sadie.  Then we headed the rest of the way to Sheboygan, WI to visit the Gilberts.  It had been nearly a year since they moved but with our trip last year to South & North Carolina to visit family & celebrate Grammy Helen's 100th birthday (a little late) & then finding out we were expecting a baby, we didn't make it down to visit.  So it was a trip that was long overdue.

Here's Tita Belinda & Sadie
 Yummy Cherries
 By the river

At the Greenhouse eating Ice Cream




 Belinda & I used to sit outside in her backyard chatting about anything & everything when they lived in Esky.  There was a lot of visiting that happened because we had to play catch up but since it wasn't just the 2 of us, Belinda had many fun things planned so everyone enjoyed themselves.  All I can say is I could have sat for hours on end talking with my best friend but sure enjoyed all of us doing the fun things that were planned.   We ate at the Pizza Ranch.  It was our first time there & we found out that to get the buffet for the kids you pay according to their ages.  The lady cashier was SUPER nice.  She started by guessing that Morgan was 4. Morgan gave her a strange look & she said, you're 5 aren't you?  Morgan said yes.  Then she went to Braly & guessed that he was 7.  She was right.  Adam & I were smiling & when I looked at him he said, this ought to be funny.  I wholeheartedly agreed & laughed a little. The cashier looked at Gabby, smiled a little & then asked if Braly & Gabby were twins.  Nope.  She said, Oh, okay.  Then she said, are you 8?  We laughed & said no. She asked 9?  We said yes.  What we didn't go on to explain was that Gabby would be turning 10 in just 20 days.  The lady proceeded to guess how old even Sadie was.  SHe was good, I'll give her that but Gabby can throw even the best off their game since she doesn't look her age.  lol 
Friday evening Sadie & I joined Belinda for her small group called "Affordable Style".  Sadie was a sweet angel baby & barely fussed the entire time.  Saturday was great too.  Belinda planned a picnic by the river for us followed by dessert at The Greenhouse which was such a cute & beautiful place & the homemade ice cream was divine. I was going to just share with others but it was so Delicious that I had Adam buy me my own to go since I had been taking care of Sadie.  Oh my GOSH it was so YuuuuuuuMMY!!!  Later for dinner we had a BBQ & then took a tour of the church building.  I loved what the plans were for the space that they have.  Really neat to see how they are changing things & making it so Family Friendly with how you bring your kids to their rooms & where they are located..  On Sunday we got to hear Chris preach about how we need to stop living our lives in spiritual isolation.  Great message!  We enjoyed a wonderful brunch following church & then all too soon it was time to head back home.  Course you may have assumed it but I may as well tell you, Belinda & I fit in as much chatting as we could throughout the whole weekend.



 Kids had fun with the tree in Tita & Tito's backyard


 I think this is our first Family Picture since Sadie was born.
 The girls!
 Tito ready to preach.



 We stopped in Green Bay again so that the rest of the Mleczkos could meet Sadie.  They have a fantastic backyard (minus the dog poo lol) for the kids to play. The boys tossed the football around with each other & the dads & the girls played in the fort & on the slide while Sadie was fed & changed & then it was time to hit the road again.
 Emma & Sadie
Evan & Sadie. She was ready to eat




We are so blessed to have pretty good travelers (minus the car sickness once in awhile, but we've got coffee cans for that now). I recently bought some organizers to hang on the seats of the van so I think our next trip will be even smoother.  Hope we got the cup holder snafoo figured out.  Morgan had a pop from BK in the back cup holders & for whatever reason they decided to make them huge out of that hard plastic & when we turned, the cup slid right out & crashed to the floor spilling & getting everything wet & sticky. I put those insulated pop holders back there hoping that will help but we haven't tested them yet.


Look for a post with the new organizers being featured soon.  I love finding ways to organize my space be it in the house or in my van & I like sharing it with others.  I know I"m not the only one that has kids & needs to travel at times. I can't stand a messy vehicle so when I found this idea on Pinterest I thought I'd try it myself.  If you have any organizing ideas, please share.  I'd love to hear them.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

4 words that kill success


Want to be successful?  Who doesn't right?  Well don't use the phrase "I already know that".  These 4 words make up a phrase that I've been trying to get my children to stop using but until my husband brought this short article home from work, I didn't realize why it was so important for them not to say "I already know that".



As soon as you start to think you know everything, learning experts say your mind shuts down.  What happens, experts believe, is that an "ego-based mindset" makes it practically impossible for you to learn new things, grow your awareness, and achieve greater successes and breakthroughs.

You live in a world of constant change. Speed of change, the globalization of the work environment, and increased use of technology impact the flow of information used by organizations.

Individuals, too, are feeling the impact of these trends and finding it harder to keep up with the new demands in the workplace.  They are finding their approaches to doing anything can become quickly outdated and their knowledge they acquired  years ago is rapidly becoming obsolete. To thrive in today's world, people are realizing that formal training is not enough and that they need an open mind to all forms of learning.

In "The Fifth Discipline," author Peter Senge says a learning organization is"an organization that is continually expanding its capacity to create its future." He points out it is continuously learning new ways of doing things and also, forgetting old ways of doing things.

In "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," author Stephen R. Covey calls Habit 7,"taking time to sharpen the saw. exercising our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions regularly and consistently in wise and balanced ways."

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether this happens at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps on learning not only remains young, but becomes constantly more valuable regardless of physical capacity." -Harvey Ullman

This is why self development is so important & having a good attitude about it because it helps us succeed at not only our business but in our personal lives & relationships.  Always seek to learn something new.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Sadie's Newborn Photo shoot

This is long overdue. No excuses. Just reality that it is harder to balance everything with 4 kids.  I must say though, I am super blessed (when Daddy is at work) that I have 3 helpers who change diapers & help hold Sadie when she needs some lovin & I have to do other things like cook.

Michelle Monson Photography http://www.michellemonsonphotography.blogspot.com/  did this photo shoot & she has the patience of an angel.  She not only says, its okay if it takes a while to get baby to sleep but she means it & helps put mom at ease. Sadie must have felt slightly out of her comfort zone because she would eat, fall asleep, & then wake up rather quickly.  Hard to position her when she kept waking up but I think that Michelle got some fantastic pics of her. I cherish these pics. Kinda wish that this was the 'in thing' when the other 3 were babies.

These were taken when Sadie Kieran was about 10 days old.  She's now 2 1/2 months old.  Wow, the time sure has flown quickly.

I've numbered them so you can share in the comment section below which are your favorites.

P.S. I LOVE comments so be sure to weigh in on your favorites!!! Thanks


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Don't forget to leave a comment!  And stay tuned as I figure out how to fit blogging back into my schedule on a regular basis because I have more pics to share.  Sadie is growing fast...so are my 3 musketeers.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

I just love Color Wonder Dry Erase Crayons

Last fall when I was hitting the back to school sales to get the few things I didn't have already stock-piled; I discovered Dry Erase Crayons.  Not sure how long these gems have been around but I found that they don't smear, are easy to clean off, super vibrant color, & are fun to use minus the awful & strange smell that your typical dry erase marker gives off.  Have I mentioned before that I have a SUPER sensitive sniffer?  Well these babies are wonderful.  I have recently been using them on my Daily To Do list & it makes marking each item off even more fun...especially when it is in beautiful colors.