Trying Out My New Diggs

I’ve decided take a short trip to WordPress and sit a while to see how I like it. The journey from Blogger was smooth and quick. Not a bump along the way. The view is different here and I’m just getting used to all the knobs and buttons on the dashboard so bear with me please. Let me know what you think of my new look. And check back for more updates soon!

Library Book Sales

Today we hit the library book sale in downtown Portsmouth. If you haven’t been to one of these you should go. Just check your local library website for information. Most have a Friends of the Library organization for fundraising which holds a book sale either once a month or a couple of times a year. We are fortunate enough to live within easy reach of about 4 cities that hold regular book sales. Many price books by the inch (ie. 1″= $1) so a stack of books 15″ high only costs about $15. We made out today with 14 books and 6 National Geographic maps for only $13. Not only do they sell used library books, but many accept donations from the community, so they have everything from cookbooks, to text books, magazines, maps, travel guides, encyclopedias and, of course, great children’s books. Now we just need more book shelves! The three in the kids rooms and the two in our living room are at capacity.

Speaking of reading, if you have an early reader, like me, here are a few great sites to try:
Headsprout Offers a Free Trial
Learn to Read Free
Study Dog Starts at $25 per year
Reading Eggs Currently offering a Free Trial
Starfall Free
Time4Learning $20 per month

It’s 7/11 Know What That Means?…Free Slurpees!

Happy 7/11 Day! Get a FREE Slurpee today between 7 AM and 11 PM at participating 7 Eleven Stores.
Enjoy! Sluuuuuurp

Free Starbucks Iced Coffee on Wednesdays

Too bad today is not Wednesday, I could use one of these…a double shot. I was up from 3:00 to 5:00 AM with a crying 10 month old and a whiny 3 year old. Yawn…

Print out this card for a free iced coffee from Starbucks….Yum-O!
If you are unable to download this email me at melissabrich at gmail dot com and I’ll send it to you. Participation may vary so ask before you order.

Wordless Wednesday

A rare moment of sibling revelry.

Bored Outta My Gourd

Today was one of those days when I felt frustrated and cranky. Two of my monkeys have fevers so we were pretty much house bound. And, the weather lately has gone between hazy, hot, humid and smoky (thanks to local wild fires) to full on severe thunder storms (boomer shoots, my son used to call them). Not exactly the kind of play outside summer-fun-friendly skies I had hoped for. So I’ve been plodding along, chipping away at Mt. Laundry and wracking my brain to come up with fun and interesting stuff to keep the kids out of trouble. We’ve made bird feeders, started an indoor herb garden, crafted, painted and crafted some more, read books, visited the library, watched movies, played games, worked puzzles, baked and eaten and eaten and eaten (have I mentioned that I can’t stop eating anything that contains sugar?). I’m feeling a little stir crazy and the kids have been literally bouncing off the walls, and couches,and beds, at least they were until the fevers kicked in. The rest of the week calls for mid-90’s with a chance of thunderstorms every day through Saturday. Yipee! Well, maybe the fevers will keep them mellow???

Mom, Your Knees Are Old

So here I am, screaming toward my 35th birthday and hating every minute of it. I don’t know why but 35 bothers me way more than 30 did. I was the same way at 25. It’s the mid-decade crisis. I guess it’s that I’m leaving my early thirties behind and will now be in my LATE thirties and thus, nearly 40. That’s what bothers me. It’s like the end of another era. Another ugly bump on my way over the hill. To add insult to injury, not only have I gone up a size (obviously not getting back to my pre-3rd-baby size) but my three year old told me today, “Mom your knees are old.” I mean, geez! I had noticed the crows feet starting to show, and I’ve been covering up the gray hair for years, but now my knees look old?! Why do our bodies age so much faster then our brains? I don’t feel 35. I can’t believe I’ve been alive for 35 years. I’m just getting used to being a married mom with 3 kids. Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t change it a bit, but foot loose and fancy free, I’m not. Do I have to be 35 too? Ok, I’m whining, sorry. I know there are much worse things in the world. Like turning 36. Guess I should count my blessings instead of my birthday candles.

We Got Our Lemonade Stand!

Hooray it’s here! Delivered via Fed Ex, no less. Our free lemonade stand. It’s totally cool, surprisingly well made and the kids are ecstatic. The kids decided they wanted to help animals, so we will be donating our sales profits to the Mid Atlantic Great Dane Rescue. We’ve got lemonade, cookies and brownies. Now, if only the weather would cooperate, we could drum up some business!

If you missed my previous post on this, check it out here.

Please let us know if anyone else ordered this and how you used it. We’d love to hear about it!
Cheers!

By the way, I’m having trouble with Blogger today. Please forgive the funky formatting on the posts.

Fabulous Food, Friendly Faces, and Fizzled Fireworks

So, the 4th was great fun. We had some friends over for a bbq and we all had a great time, despite the muggy heat and mosquitoes. We ended up cramming into our dining room to escape the bugs. The food was great and we had an abundance of desserts…my favorite Afterwards we packed up and headed downtown to see the fireworks, hooray! It was still humid and the smoke from the Dismal Swamp wild fires rolled in, but that didn’t deter us. The kids were loud and wild with excitement, so we loaded them in the cars and were on our way. The lightning started as we neared our destination, but we pressed onward. We set up near the waterfront and settled in to watch the show with fingers crossed. More lightning and delays…the kids were tired, but still in good spirits and we waited with anticipation…a few fireworks from local revelers popped in the distance amid the looming smoke. Lightning flickered and the thunder rolled in. Then the word came that the show would be postponed due to weather conditions. Fizzle, fizzle, splat. That was that. Everyone packed up and headed toward the cars, and by the time we hit the parking garage the monsoon had descended upon us. At least two of our three kids crashed out on the way home and the third was not far behind. Not the finale we were hoping for, but all in all it was a great 4th. Good company and good memories and you just can’t beat that.

Wordless Wednesday

Three in the bed and the little one said, “zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…”