Double Digit Day!

It's another double digit day!! If you add all my years of parenting experience together, today I hit the big 3-0. That's because my mid-kid is 10!! Henry's excited because it's also the first day of summer. The kids get a Daddy Day, so they dropped me off at work this morning and Henry answered some interview questions for me:

1. What is your favorite color? Blue
2. What is your favorite toy? My finger flashlight
3. What is your favorite fruit? apple
4. What is your favorite tv show? Pokemon
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? pizza
6. What is your favorite outfit? my birthday shirt
7. What is your favorite game? Pokemon
8. What is your favorite snack? Goldfish
9. What is your favorite animal? cheetah
10. What is your favorite song? Bad Blood
11. What is your favorite book? NNEWTS (a graphic novel)
12. Who is your best friend? Emerson
13. What is your favorite cereal? Cinnamon Toast Crunch
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play on the swing
15. What is your favorite drink? root beer
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? books
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? cottage cheese
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? seafood
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? scientist

He asked me afterwards if I kept all his old answers to see how they change. I thought it was cute that he'd figured that out. I hope to print them all out someday so they can see all their answers and how they've grown.

My other tradition has been making the kids birthday shirts. Henry got the first shirt when he was 4I guess that means I've made about 21 of those for my kids. I've saved all of those too. Hopefully they go into a quilt some day. It's fun to see how those have evolved over time too!

 

Happy birthday, Henry! I love you!

He's Mine! He's Nine!

Today my mid kid turns 9! He's the one who taught me how to be a boy mom. There's a lot to learn and I'm still working on it. He's passionate and hot-headed, but he's sweet and sensitive too. He gets mad about injustice and notices all the little things about people. He always knows when I need a hug and his favorite time of day is "tickle time." He plays hard, he loves fiercely, and he prays sincerely. I am honored to be his mom and to celebrate his nine years on the planet today.

We had his science-themed birthday party last weekend. My family joined us as well as Julie's. It was a nice day to spend together. We had his birthday dinner last night, since Ken works tonight. When I asked him what he wanted for his dinner, he said he didn't care. Some people might take that the wrong way, but my boy just loves to eat! He loves all different kinds of foods and is always eager to try new things. I decided that Wood Grill would fit that bill (and get me out of cooking)!

As is tradition, we conducted a birthday interview this morning. Here are his answers:

1. What is your favorite color? blue
2. What is your favorite toy? Snap Circuits
3. What is your favorite fruit? oranges
4. What is your favorite tv show? Pokemon
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Swiss cheese
6. What is your favorite outfit? His "9" shirt (of course!)

7. What is your favorite game? Pokemon
8. What is your favorite snack? anything!

9. What is your favorite animal? tigers
10. What is your favorite song? anything by Taylor Swift
11. What is your favorite book? Pokemon dictionary
12. Who is your best friend? Aiden
13. What is your favorite cereal? Honey Nut Cheerios
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play adventure games
15. What is your favorite drink? Orange Fanta

16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Baby Tiger
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? grits and/or scrapple
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? don't care
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? a scientist mechanic

Here are his previous answers to compare:
Eight
Seven
Six
Five (not an interview, but cute pictures)
Four
Three
Two
One

Birthday Party Planning

Welcome to a Secret Subject Swap. This week 12 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. 

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts.  Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

Baking In A Tornado                            

Southern Belle Charm                       

Not That Sarah Michelle                                     

Spatulas on Parade                     

The Bergham Chronicles            

The Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver   

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy                                     

My Brain on Kids                           

The Angrivated Mom                       

Confessions of a part time working mom  

Climaxed                                                                                      

                                                  

My subject is "At work, they've asked you to plan a party for a big client.  You have 2 weeks and a small budget ($1.000.00).  You pull it off and it's amazing.  How did you do it?"   It was submitted by Southern Belle Charm.  Here goes: 

Sometimes I get an idea or a prompt and all kinds of ideas flood into my brain. Sometimes I draw a complete blank, but then ideas slowly creep their way into my conscience. Then there are those times when I am at  complete loss as to what to write. Those are the times that I bend the rules. Because it's my blog and YOU can't stop me! LOL

Henry's birthday party is this weekend. The poor kid's birthday is right at the end of the school year. In fact, it's usually after the end, but because of the calendar this year, he'll actually be in school for his birthday. He's excited about that! He keeps asking if I'm going to bring him cupcakes and have lunch with him. It makes me a little sad that he keeps seeing his brother and sister get those things, but he misses out. But this year, I'm going to make sure he gets a fun school experience!

I've still got work to do with his home party. He asked for a science theme. This is turning out to be harder than the spy theme he wanted a few years ago. He always seems to pick difficult themes for me. Or maybe I'm just brain-fried at this point in the year.

I'd like to take a moment to point out that we really only do family parties. We've had a few friend ones over the year, but the vast majority of our birthday parties are a nice excuse to gather family together. So I'm trying to create a party that will excite the birthday kid without going over the top and confusing the adults!

Even if I had unlimited budget for a party, I'd still drive myself crazy pulling it together. I don't buy my kids birthday presents. They get their birthday shirts, a party, and a cake from me. That's enough in my opinion! However, if I did have a little bit extra budgeted for the party, there are a few things I would do:

• Book a local park with cover in case of bad weather and comfortable seating for all involved. We have these options available, but I'm never organized enough to book early, and I'm always worried about the weather for an outdoor party. If the budget allowed, I could even rent some stuff to make our yard more appealing for an outdoor party. That would give us lots more space and save me a lot of cleaning! ;)
• Stop fretting over the shipping charges. Again, I'm always feeling late when it comes time to gather materials for a party. I always seem to put off looking for supplies until the free shipping window has passed. I hate paying for shipping, but I will when I have to.
• Buy the pre-cut fruit and veggies. I almost always buy my own fruits and veggies to prepare and arrange myself. I'm frugal like that. But if you forced me to spend extra money on a party, I'd buy the trays and call it done!
• Pre- and Post-cleaning services. My house really isn't that bad this time around, but I've still got some things that need to be done. And there's always stuff to clean up after a party. I'd love to go ahead and out-source that.

I'm not sure this was the direction I was supposed to take with my prompt, but it is what it is. The jury is still out as to whether my client (Henry) will be pleased with his party. I'll let you know next week!

E: Emily #AtoZBlogging

Back when Henry was about two, I was talking with some co-workers at the day care and I referred to him as "my middle child."  They all stared at me thinking I had just made a casual pregnancy announcement. In reality it was a slip of the tongue; mostly because I had always known we would have more kids.

Their first match day. He was in Kindergarten, she was a freshman!

I'm a middle child myself, though an odd one since I'm the only girl and there's a nine year gap between me and my older brother. I still recognize the difficulties of being the middle, though. You aren't given all the benefits of being older and more responsible, yet you aren't the cute little baby either.

When Henry was in Kindergarten I started wondering if there was something I could do to help his middle-ness. His after-school program was participating in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters site based program, meaning that there were a number of Bigs who came in to meet with the kids there at the center. I requested a match for Henry because he seemed to be really craving attention that was above and beyond what Ken and I could offer. This was one of the best decisions of my life. Hands down.

He was matched up with Emily that year and she started visiting him after-school. They hit it off immediately and he talked about her constantly. It got harder and harder to pick him up on days she was there, because he just didn't want to leave her!

The next year Emily came to us with a proposal. She wanted to be more involved with Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Would we be willing to switch from a site-based match (where she could only see him at Second Home) to a community match (where she could see him outside Second Home)? We were in full support of this plan! And Henry was ecstatic. Emily could pick him up from school and take him to her apartment to watch movies. They could go to the Children's Museum. On snow days, they went sledding! He spent one day a week with her from after-school until dinner time. Sometimes he even stayed for dinner!

Emily, Ethan, and Henry

Snow days with Ethan

Beyond the requirements of her match, Emily has come to love my son like I never expected. She's introduced him to her boyfriend, now fiance, Ethan; as well as her actual little brother. They text each other on my phone when they are apart. I'm assuming by now that Emily knows that the messages full of emojis are actually from Henry and not me! He sends her the poop emoji because he says he thought it was chocolate ice cream (although he has confessed that he never really thought that, and just wanted to be funny!)

Henry is excited for his "Emily days" every week. He frequently dresses up on days when they will be getting together. As Emily nears graduation and marriage later this year, we've talked about the match coming to an end. We've both explained to Henry that she won't be able to pick him up after school next year. He knows she'll be moving away (thankfully not too far). Throughout this match, Emily has become a part of all our lives. I have flat out told her that graduating and moving or not, she can't get rid of us that easily.

All dressed up!

matchy-matchy

Emily, when you read this I hope you know what an important part of our son's life you have been and will continue to be. I cannot thank you enough for loving him and spending time with him. I'm not old enough to be your mom, or young enough to be your sister, but I am honored to be your friend and have you as part of our family.

 

Little brother meets "little brother"

If you have ever considered giving your time to Big Brothers/Big Sisters, I would strongly encourage you to do so. It is a great organization and it has changed our family for the better. I know that both Emily and Henry have grown in ways they didn't expect through this match. A match made in Heaven!

How to Make a Tuna Sandwich, by Henry age 8

I received this product at a reduced price in exchange for an honest review. The product links in this post are affiliate links. If you choose to click through and purchase something, I will receive a small commission. Your purchase price will not be affected.

Henry loves to eat. He loves flavors and seasonings and sometimes he freaks me out by running into the kitchen and yelling, "Is that oregano?!" while I'm cooking dinner. At meal time he picks out specific flavors from foods and comments on them. He truly enjoys his food. In fact, after teasing him one day that the only food he didn't like was raisins, he actually ate some raisins and changed his mind! All this to say, that when I needed a kid to help me with a review in the kitchen, I knew he was the one to pick.

I was offered this Bru Joy Side Cut can opener for review, and I was more than happy to check it out. Can openers and I have a love/hate relationship. I hate electric ones because I can never get everything lined up properly to make it work. Plus they take up valuable counter space in my small kitchen. I've always used a hand held opener, but after cutting my fingers open on one too many lids, I sought out a safer option. We've actually owned a few of the side cut style openers, but the most recent one we purchased wouldn't open the thicker cans, like those for tuna fish or canned chicken.

My biggest goal was to discover is this can opener would open a tuna fish can. My secondary goal was to teach Henry how to make a tuna fish sandwich. Thirdly, I'll take any excuse to make a video of my kids being cute! I wish I could have left in all the little songs Henry sang while preparing his lunch. However, there was an awful lot of other background noise and the editing process made everything jumpy.

Suffice it to say, after this review, I know the following:

• This can opener can handle the thicker cans and open lids with edges so safe an 8 year old can handle them.
• Henry may not whistle while he works, but he does some really cute scat singing.
• There's a new sous chef in the Lieber household!

I received compensation (free items and/or cash) in exchange for writing this review.
Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own.This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission should you choose to click through and purchase something. Your purchase price is not affected.
Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

http://www.thelieberfamily.com/p/contest-terms-and-conditions.html

Henry's Birthday

Today is my mid-kid's birthday. He's turning eight years old! He just finished second grade and he gets to celebrate the first week of summer by having a birthday.

We had his party at the coveted "Rainbow Park" in town. He requested a monster theme, so that's what inspired his birthday shirt and cake design. We had a good time visiting with Grandpa, Uncle Alan, Papa, and Julie and her kiddos. The kids had so much time running up and down the hill, they almost forgot about the playground!

Please enjoy a few pictures from the weekend and the traditional birthday interview!

 

1. What is your favorite color? Blue

2. What is your favorite toy? Solar dancing turkey

3. What is your favorite fruit? cherries

4. What is your favorite tv show? Odd Squad

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? meat and cheese

6. What is your favorite outfit? monster shirt

7. What is your favorite game? freeze tag

8. What is your favorite snack? veggie straws

9. What is your favorite animal? tiger

10. What is your favorite song? ABCs

11. What is your favorite book? Frogs versus Scorpions

12. Who is your best friend? Adam

13. What is your favorite cereal? Golden Grahams

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play in the water

15. What is your favorite drink? Orange Fanta

16. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? my monster doll

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? cottage cheese or grits

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? macaroni and cheese, cucumbers, pork

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? racecar driver

 

 

 

 

Learning the Value of a Dollar

I got an email from Henry's teacher yesterday. I ignored it at first because I was in the middle of a bunch of different things and those emails are never good news, right? I finally got to it after lunch and I was floored by what I read.

Henry has a field trip coming up this week. They are going to a local park to learn about animals and habitats. I got the permission form two weeks ago. The trip costs $5 to pay for the bus. I went ahead and wrote a check for $10, knowing that field trip money can be a hardship for families sometimes. I didn't mention it to Henry, he just took it to school and turned it in.

I imagine his teacher was tying up loose ends yesterday when she reminded the students about the field trip. She must have mentioned that some kids still needed their permission forms and money. And I'll bet she told her class that if a student didn't have the money, not to worry about it as they would take care of it. That's how I've heard it many times, and said it myself, in fact, when I was teaching.

That's where the email comes in. Apparently, when my sweet son heard that some kids might not be able to pay for the field trip, he went to his backpack and got out his wallet. He pulled out a $20 and gave it to his teacher to "help his friends be able to go on the trip." She was asking my permission to take the money.

After I finished crying, I said of course that was fine with me. It's his money that he has either earned from chores or received as gifts. I put him in charge of it in order to teach his fiscal responsibility. In my head that meant letting him blow all his money on toys and bubble gum so that he could learn to budget at some point.

He takes good care of his wallet. He lost it one time and after that he has kept very good track of things. He understands how lucky he was to get it back! He loves money. I've found it to be the one thing that really motivates him to do things. Even a tiny amount works! I pay him a nickel for each pair of socks that he matches up out of the laundry basket.

He saved up a while ago to buy a r/c monster truck. He's proud of himself for that. I let him handle the whole transaction on his own. His smile afterwards was just precious. He also likes buying gum. He chews it all the time, but not in an annoying way. I don't even notice it most of the time as he's very responsible about it.

I was initially worried about letting a seven year old be in charge of his own wallet. My main concerns were about him losing it or spending it frivolously. And I'm not saying that those things haven't happened. They will likely happen again. However, he's obviously learned something else about helping others along the way! 

 

This post was part of the One Word Blog Linkup hosted by, Janine of Confessions of a Mommyholic, Marica of Blogitudes, and Lisa of The Golden Spoons! This week, the word prompt choices were Sweet & Soon.

Henry's Second Communion

Ken and I got a lot of advice before we got married. It seems people always want to pass along little tidbits to people about to embark of life changes: weddings, births, funerals, job changes. One thing that really stuck with me, though, was the advice about spending some time planning your marriage while you are planning your wedding. A wedding is just one day, but a marriage {hopefully} lasts forever.

This same advice came back to me this weekend while Henry was preparing to receive his First Communion. He's gone through two years of Sacramental preparation for this event. He knows what he needs to know about Jesus and the Eucharist and how those things fit together. He was very excited for his First Communion.

He sat in his section with about 100 other boys and girls all decked out in their finery. They sang the songs, they prayed the prayers, they tugged on the veils of the girls in front of them (that might have just been Henry).  They practiced bowing, sticking out their tongues or holding out their hands, making the sign of the cross. They knew not to chew, or make faces, or drop anything. And one by one they went up to receive Jesus' Body and Blood.

And then it was all over except for the thank yous and announcements after Mass. We celebrated by going out to eat with the family and friends who had come to see Henry. We shared appetizers and stories and child corralling duties. We had a wonderful time visiting and talking together. And then we went home.

One of the songs they sang at Mass on Saturday had the line, "so we become what we eat." Henry asked about it after Mass. I didn't answer him outright, but led him to answer it himself. He was proud of himself to figuring out that each time we receive Communion, we become more and more like Jesus. He knows that in order to do that he needs to be nicer to his brother and sister, among other things!

Sunday morning we got up and got ourselves ready for Mass. Henry wore his suit again (because the congregation likes to see the kids all dressed up) so he was ready first. Part of that was the excitement too. See, I had told him that his First Communion was special, but every one after that would be just as special too. I think he feels like he has been inducted into a special club, which in a way, he has. Now he doesn't have to cross his arms over his chest a receive a blessing. He can go up and receive Jesus.

When he went up for his Second Communion, the priest started to give him a blessing out of habit. Henry bravely bowed and held his hands out a little more, while I nodded above him. He received and turned around to give me one of the biggest, proudest grins I've ever seen. I gave him back one of my biggest, proudest grins, and I teared up. He walked confidently over to the cup minister and then back to his seat to pray.

I'll be honest, Henry still gets fidgety during Mass. He still glares at me when I remind him to follow along with the readings or kneel at appropriate times. He's still the same boy he was last week, with maybe just a little extra holiness growing inside him. And who knows what will happen after his Third Communion, or his Twelfth, or his Thousandth?

Welcome to the club, Henry!!

Five Reasons Why Being the Middle Kid is the WORST!

as written from the perspective of the middle child

Being the middle child is hard. You come along into this nice family who has already tested out a few theories and made a few mistakes. You think at this point they would have their parenting stuff together and really know what they're doing. But you'd be wrong. First your position as the baby gets usurped by another kid, just as you thought you were getting into a groove. Then all the other issues come along. Being the middle child is just the worst!!

Five Minute Friday: Dear

Five minutes on dear...
GO

Dear Kids,
It's been a long week. It sure was nice to have that time off together to take it easy over Thanksgiving break, wasn't it? This week back to our regular routines has been tough. We've had appointments, illness, lots of snot, and general crankiness all week, haven't we? Even your dad and I are feeling drained.

It seems to hard to celebrate and enjoy Advent, when the speed of things increases so much at this time of year. It seems like we're in a cart, rolling down a hill, picking up speed and sailing over bumps as we go. 

I don't want it to be like that. I want us to calm down and enjoy the season. I want us to feel like we did last night.

I know we were out super late, but I don't for one minute regret taking you out to the reconciliation service last night. Henry and Frances, I know you were nervous. I was too. It's hard to take such a deep look at ourselves. But I am proud of you for going. And your faces when you were done were absolutely priceless! Henry, you especially looked so proud of yourself! I hope you like the feeling of a "freshy clean soul!" It looks good on you!

Henry's First Reconciliation!

And the best part was that even though you got less sleep than usual, you guys still woke up in a state of grace and were kind to each other all morning. I know it won't last for any of us, but I'm glad we're savoring it while we can.

Let's savor the rest of this Advent season together too. Let's see where we can slow down and remember to look at the other person as Christ. Let's keep this feeling going for as long as we possibly can!

All my love,
MOM

STOP

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you; encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community...

Five Minute Friday: Turn

Five Minute Friday has a new home! Come check it out and join in on the free-writing fun!

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you; encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community...
Five minutes on turn...
GO
I sat down with Henry at dinner last night. After I blessed myself I looked at him. "Is it my turn to pick the blessing?" he said excitedly! I grinned and nodded. I didn't think it was necessary to remind him that it was just the two of us. Benjamin is at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Frances was at ballet with Ken.
After dinner we went to the grocery store and he got to pick out all three cereals. He was so excited! He's been upset with me for going grocery shopping without him. I usually go on Sundays when he and Frances are in Sunday School. It's an odd hour when I don't have another good option.
I truly enjoy parenting one at a time. It sounds obvious that it's easier, but it really is. Not just because they don't fight, either. When I've just got one at home, I get the chance to really engage. No one has to take turns trying to be heard. I listen carefully to the whole story because I'm not distracted by two other people trying to talk at the same time.
I am fortunate that I have relief in my parenting. It may not always come as often as I'd like, but it does come. And sometimes I get a turn to be by myself as well.

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