So with my new job I’ve been on a hunt to find new and fun online educational activities for the kiddos – both mine and the 400 kids at school! I saw this opportunity on my friend Colleen’s blog and jumped on the boat. We get to play on K5 Learning’s site for 6 weeks and you can bet that I’ll keep you updated with what I find and what the girls think of the site, too! Stay tuned…

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K5 Learning has an online reading and math program for kindergarten to grade 5 students. I’ve been given a 6 week free trial to test and write a review of their program. If you are a blogger, you may want to check out their open invitation to write an online learning review of their program.

Only one more week of November left! So it went by fairly quickly, right? Okay…who are we kidding!? – November went ridiculously warp-speed fast. But I had many things to be so thankful for this week again.

Thankful #18: for California “Fall” weather. The crisp, chilly mornings and that golden “autumn” afternoon light – makes me so happy to pull out my sweaters.

Thankful #19: Tuesday night date nights. A little red, er…white carpet action. (@ Disney’s new movie Frozen…world premiere in Hollywood)

Okay, just a little sidenote here…in case you haven’t heard my all-out gush about how amazing the Frozen movie is. It is going to become an instant Disney classic. It is so, so SO fantastic. The music gave me (gives me) goosebumps – it is full on “Wicked/Broadway quality.” And the animation is really so beautiful. The story is contemporary and current with such a great girl-power message. I just can’t stop thinking about how much I loved it – the whole movie is really just breathtaking. I can’t wait to hear how you all like it as well. And I can’t wait to go see it this coming weekend with the girls!

Thankful #20: for our home. No place I’d rather be at the end of the day.

Thankful #21: for rainy days. They are so far and few between here that it feels a little special to pull out the boots and umbrellas! Of course they are much better from my warm sofa curled up with a book!

So, thankful #22 just didn’t happen. Not sure what was going on – but I’m sure whatever it was I was very thankful for it. So instead…I’ll just pop this a-DOR-able pic of my sweet niece in there…because…I can!

Thankful #23: thankful for a free Saturday today. Got to spend time with Grandpa Mike and visit our fave chili place on west side. And tonite (Saturday) got a date night with our good friends. So thankful for a “free” Saturday – at least free of “have to do” things.

Thankful #24: for a little time to craft today. Getting a few projects crossed off the list and a few gifts too. Felt so good to get my sewing machine and paintbrush out and busy! Hope i can keep it rolling this week….

And that is what I fully intend to do. Keep the projects, crafting, thankful days rolling this week. We are off of school/work so we will be working hard at….working hard! Have a blessed week.

Well, we had another busy, crazy week but we had so much to be thankful for as always. The big things and small…

Thankful #12: That we have girly girls (most of the time) who love a good mani/pedi even more than me! Lovely way to spend part of our day “off!”

Thankful #13: For this little cutie. So lucky to share a birthday with her; to live close to her for my baby fixes; and for precious moments between my babies and Amelia. We are all smitten with her.

Thankful #14: For the other girls in my life. Birdie 2 and Cyn – you have the best shoulders and I can’t imagine my life without you. And Greta – you give me such peace – you are the coolest nun, ever!! Love you, girls.

Thankful #15: That the girls didn’t get my musical ability, or rather inability. They both inherited those good musical genes from their Daddy, or Papa or Aunt Meesh. And I’m so grateful. Getting ready for instrument recital tonite.

(P.S. They did great, by the way! I didn’t realize the significance that night, but it was Em’s last recital at Coolidge. Awww….)

Thankful #16: Today I am thankful for having known Aunt Chris. It seems unreal that it has been a year since she left us here on Earth, but she will never leave our hearts. I’m also thankful that mom is able to be with her sisters this weekend. Love you all. #thankful

Thankful #17: for Sunday afternoon solo grocery shops. Added bonus at Von’s – Sbux right inside door. Added, ADDED bonus today – buy one get one coffee free, and my sweet Cyndi was here to share a coffee treat with me!

And, this wasn’t a thankful this week…but I sure do love having these two sweet kitties around, too.

Have a thankful, blessed week!

So, little late getting this one up here but I have a good reason (of course!) – J. was home for a grand total of what, maybe 30 hours? And we had to get him packed up and out the door again this morning for a week in Orlando. So our weekend was really short, and it had been an incredibly long and difficult week. I’m so happy that the girls and I have the day off of school today, so hopefully we can get caught up and ready for the week. I’m also happy to be tackling this month of Thankfuls. Every day it reminds me that even on those rough days that don’t ever seem to end – I have so much to be thankful for.

So last week’s Thankfuls…

Thankful #4: Mondays. Whoa…betcha didn’t see that one coming. I’m thankful for the 8:30 CATZ class that always gets me pumped for the day (see my sneakers peeking out in the pic?) and the inevitable treat waiting for me when I’m done. Best way to start a busy week!

Thankful #5: That we live in a place where fresh, organic food can be delivered to us straight from the farm year-round.

Thankful #6: I’m thankful today for waking up each morning and getting a fresh start. No matter what “less than stellar” parenting moments I had the day before, my sweet girl wakes up forgiving and forgetting and still thinking I’m an ok Mom.

Thankful #7: For my “other” gig. I really love our school and teaching tech to the kids. Although I’m thankful today is my “Friday” too. Whew, what a week!

Thankful #8: For good friends who bring over take-out Thai food and catch up over drinks! Needed this so much tonight. Thank you B and EJ!

Thankful #9: For Girl Scouts and the opportunity to help girls realize their potential.

Thankful #10: For Miss Lisa, my Sunday School partner-in-crime. Thank God for her patience and ability to pull lessons together at the drop of the hat. She is truly a blessing from God!

Thankful #11: For the veterans and all service men and women keeping me, my family and my country safe. God bless all of them.

I have recommitted to doing the Thankful November posts again this year and in an effort to actually publish some photos, I think I’m going to do it via Instagram. So my Instagrams get published to FaceBook automatically but I’ll do an end of the week wrap-up here as well. That way I have it preserved for all-time, and also have SOMEthing posted in November up here at Chaos.

Play along and celebrate gratitude with us. #thankful

Thankful #1: For the day off (for me and the girls) today. So need to get girls, house, myself back on track.

We ended up doing A LOT of housework, A LOT of work on the science project, and the girls got to do a cheer clinic with our high school cheerleaders. They performed at the halftime of the GHS football game. SO fun!

Thankful #2: Today I’m thankful for the continued health of these two loves. They keep me healthy and give me great joy just by getting to be their mommy.

Thankful #3: Today – and always – I’m thankful for James. As he boards a plane for Thailand right now, I’m grateful that he works so hard to provide for our family. His hard work keeps us in ballet slippers, books, volleyball shoes, sushi, and a house we all love. For so many years his working allowed me to be home with the girls, and now lets me work at a job I like doing but don’t have to do. And he still manages to come home and bail me out of parenting flops with grace while always being the fun parent. He is simply…the best.

I can never say enough about my sweet husband. He is my best friend, my partner, my life. I always feel a little empty when he is away, but it will give me a great THANKFUL next week when he comes back safe and sound to us.

“So we only get monthly updates, now?” says my smart-mouthed husband as he pulls up the blog on his huge web screen in the new car.

Apparently while he has been driving around all happy in the new Tesla, he hasn’t noticed the higher than normal level of chaos here on the homefront. Although it was not intentional, it looks like I have barely been able to get a semi-monthly update in around here lately.

But, as always, I am just full of great excuses! And most of them point to my clear inability to “just say no.” No, I’m already at my limit. No, I don’t think that would be great for our schedule right now. No, no, NO. I might have reached my breaking point this week, though. I am having a really hard time juggling everything and making it all look so easy. When I spaced on sending in paperwork for Em that allowed her to continue her GATE classes last week, and then had to tell her that we might not make the cut…well, that pretty much broke the dam right there. I hate that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach where I feel like I’m doing too many things, but not doing any of them very well. And I really hated that look from Em where her mouth was saying, “it’s ok, Mom” but her face was saying the exact opposite, how terribly disappointed she was.

Thankfully they let her slide into the class and all was ok, but I cannot keep up this pace or this feeling that all of life is spiraling out of control. When I accepted the part-time job a few weeks ago, I thought “How perfect! Great hours – I’m still home when the girls are. I still have Mondays and Fridays off. This is going to work out so perfectly.”

Right. So the only thing that didn’t work into my plan was…I added 20+ hours to my week, but didn’t take anything away.  I am still doing all the stuff I used to, and another job on top of it. That right there, my friends? That math doesn’t quite add up.

So this week, I’m working on getting my workouts and eating back on track. Getting in control. I’m planning meals so I’m not walking in the door at 4pm without a clue what we are doing for dinner. I’m setting up a better cleaning and laundry schedule so I just don’t feel so far behind. Getting in control. And possibly, just maybe, taking some new photos of my girls, taking a deep breath, and visiting my happy place here to post more frequent updates.

Because I’m sure you’d love to hear about Addie’s fun Disneyland birthday scavenger hunt, right? (Yeah, me too.)

I can’t get over the fact that we are already halfway through September. It is still pretty hot here so I can’t quite get on the Halloween/Fall bandwagon yet, but it is so close I can almost taste it. (Mmmm…pumpkin goodies are almost here!)

So what’s been happening this crazy September?

Well, let’s start with the youngest member of the household. Addie turned 8. We celebrated Addie turning 8 in many different ways. And Addie has way more activities than any 8-year old should have. We did manage to steer her clear of soccer this year, which means no Saturdays spent on the soccer field, no coaching for Daddy or I, and no whining about how it is too hot to play. If she truly loved playing, of course I would have promoted it, but the truth of the matter is, she did not love playing it. But she really loves ballet. And now tap and jazz, too. She was invited to be in the Select II class and opening that invitation letter was probably the highlight of her summer. So four hours of dance a week is her physical activity. She had to choose between choir (which she LOVES) and ballet (which she LOVES MORE) this year, so that was a tough decision – but dance won out. And of course she’s sticking with piano and Girl Scouts, too. Plenty to keep her busy.

Oh, and we added two kittens to the mix. Those two take up every.spare.minute of her time. You can only imagine the joy they bring her. Working on actual photos of tweedledee and tweedledum. With them both being black…and always on the go, it makes real photos kind of impossible.

Emma Grace is enjoying being the “big fish in the little pond” at school. The 5th graders get to do all kinds of really cool stuff. She and Daddy are going to Astrocamp next month. Mrs. S. asked J. if he’d like to be one of the chaperones since we have all female teachers at school, they need to enlist some Dads to help corral the boys. I think J. is looking forward vetting all of the 5th grade boys and instill a strict “stay away from my daughter” policy that will last throughout high school.

Em got the teacher she wanted this year and is really loving on school. I am really loving that I never have to ask her about tests, homework, etc. She just does it and does it well. Such a relief. They also start orchestra or band and she has chosen the viola as her instrument. That is…well, let’s just say “going.” It is going to be lovely when she gets some practice behind her bow, for right now it is a little, er…screechy.

She’s waiting for club volleyball season to start – which will be her one big activity and she is still taking piano (she’s practicing right now!) and this is a big year for her in Girl Scouts. They are working on their bronze awards and I can’t wait to see how they independently come up with service projects for that!

J. is very busy at work doing all kinds of cool things – but is most recently obsessed with his new car that he gets this weekend! In truth we are all a little obsessed with it. He is getting a Tesla – an all electric car. They are really cool – he and Em are going to fly up to SF and drive it back down the Supercharger highway on Saturday. There will be a full report and photos next week – you can bet.

And me? I was happily plugging along and keeping the house (somewhat) in order and everyone going to the right place at the right time; working on getting our Girl Scout troop up and running again for the year; starting a Media Club at school so the 5th graders can learn to do the newsletter instead of me doing it each month; and doing some fun projects in the TwoBirdies Workshop. And then I decided to stir it up and apply for a part-time job at the girls’ school.

I applied, took the test, interviewed, accepted, did all my paperwork and am starting the job…all within the past week. Kind of crazy, yes – but I am now the Computer Lab Tech, in charge of the computer lab! Can’t beat the hours…Tues, Wed, and Thurs. during school hours, so I go to school with the girls, and we’ll all walk home together. I still get Mondays and Fridays to do what I need around the house/without the girls and when school is closed…I’m off! It’s perfect.

I asked the girls what they thought of me working at their school and Addie was very excited and Emma said, “Wellll…it’s fine, as long as you don’t try to kiss me in front of all of my friends!”

What?!

So anyhow, tomorrow is the first day of the new world order. We shall see what adding another layer of chaos does to our life.

This is how it always happens. I have such good intentions and the then the days, weeks, years just get away from me.

So…I meant to show you all what the TwoBirdies have been up to, and then I looked up from the chaos that is all back-to-school around here and realized, another week is just sliding by over here.

We have been doing lots of tees over in the workshop. If you aren’t friends with us on FaceBook (why the heck not?!), then get a peep at this fun-ness…

Almost every tee we finish I deem “my favorite t-shirt ever!” and this one is no exception. If you could see these in person you’d want to rub your face on them, too! We started doing a few of these for the high school athletic boosters to give away when the members support the boosters. And…they are so, so cool…the Boosters are now selling them as a fundraiser and we just got another order. So I think they are making some cash…and some people very happy. The vinyl is silver and looks so pretty on the navy blue tees!

Before those tees…these were my favorites! We made these for our sweet little friend Autumne as she scoots off to play softball for San Diego Christian.

This is the same navy tees (yeah…bad, bad lighting!) but we used a baby blue vinyl to match the school’s colors. Looks super cool with the blue on blue.

We threw together some rush tees for a basketball team last week for a weekend tournament. And, they took 2nd place – had to be the cool shirts!

And for the Sherlock fans, especially one in particular who is celebrating her birthday on Monday (Addie’s heroine & Audrey’s big sis, Yvette) we “borrowed” a design that I’ve been seeing all over the internet. I’ve only seen maybe two Sherlock episodes and this tee is from one of the two I’ve seen.

So that is what we’ve been up to. Plus vinyl-ing up some stadium chairs, car decals…and we are going to try our hand on pop-up tents/shades next week. So stay tuned for that one!

Have a great weekend…we are on our way to see our Cubbies, Wolverines, friends and family in Chicago and Michigan, so I’m quite certain that this week will fly right in a blink!