A Child's Journey Through the Foster Care System

**CASA display for local home show**

Here is the project I have been working on. It brought back lots of science fair memories ; ) This display will get to travel to several other locations in the next couple of months.

(April is Child Abuse Prevention month.)

Science Fair CASA Style?

Stay tuned for more about what I have been up to this week.

***

Shame on Me - a cautionary chess tale

Shame on me for underestimating my recently anointed 7 year old! I got Evan this No Stress Chess game as a way to help him learn chess (mind you we haven't even tried checkers yet). The chess board is labeled. Illustrated cards tell you what move to make next. A step-by-step process to teach young children the game of chess.

The other night Markas sat down to play with Evan. They didn't even get through the first game before they ditched the illustrated cards in favor of making their own moves. And by the end of their second game, Evan had all but mastered how each chess piece can move. Then it is my turn to play Evan. We played two games. And I kid you not, four games into Evan's chess career and he was already correcting me "mom, that piece doesn't go that way" or "you really don't want to move there... trust me". Yesterday we played several more games and he seriously is making me work for it... giving me a run for my money (and pride). In back-to-back moves of his bishop he took out my queen and a rook and I never saw him coming. Pitifully for me. Brilliant for him.

I have a feeling checkers will be a cake walk for Evan now.

(Maybe I would be wise to brush up on my checkers skills ASAP.)

free stuff

get your free printable bingo cards here

Thanks to How About Orange blog!

3 more little things that make me happy for no apparent reason

1. soup spoons - I enjoy their shape I guess. My fav is eating my oatmeal with them.


2. trampoline jumping under a star-filled sky - Evan insists that jumping in the dark makes you feel like you are jumping higher... this is possibly true. (Plus Evan pointed out Jupiter to me!)


3. seeing doves in my front yard - I have never seen them in the 4 1/2 years that we have lived here

my fav Olympic commercial

To their moms they'll always be kids

here is a post from YouTube:

The kids are not actors, they are junior athletes that participate in the sport that they are shown in. My son is the Nordic ski jumper.

that's what it's all about?

In Memoriam: With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person, which almost went unnoticed last week. Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote "The Hokey Pokey", died peacefully at age 93. The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in. And then the trouble started."

A friend sent me this. I guess it is making the rounds. From what I found on google, LaPrise died in April of '96 at age 83. And there seems to be disputed claims as to the original writer of the song. But I imagine being factual isn't the point of this memoriam, is it? ; )

what 7 looks like : )

** The Birthday** birthday boy cupcakes - Feb. 11, 2010

**The Party **

house party - Feb. 13, 2010

Star Wars Lego theme

the group

Evan is seven!

Happy Birthday My Sweet Boy! just after 4:30am on February 11th, 2003 - the first time I saw your face

"Life began when I saw your face. And I hear your laugh like a serenade."

-Dixie Chicks

Evan told me on the way to school this morning that he didn't feel like seven yet. I said it may take some time to sink in. Then I started talking to him about how exciting seven is. He interrupted me and said, "Mom, you don't talk about it. You think it. And I really need to concentrate so I can feel seven." Before he got out of the car at his school, Evan gave his body a little shake and said, "I'm starting to feel the seven now."

photo fun-ia!

photo fun brought to you by

** photofunia**

If you facebook with me, you may have already seen these. But wanted to share this website again because it is fun, free and super easy.

(another) Snowy Day

more snow = less school

so we made the best of it...

and the snow was prime for building snow people and having snowball fights!

Evan & Thor
me & Thor
This one is for you, Dad. Not exactly the same as when I was little, but you get the idea : )

finally got a picture of a cardinal in our yard. took this picture through our front window. only had one shot, but at least I got the little guy before he flew away.

sharing the blog love

California Linda nominated be for a blog award.

awww, aren't you sweet ; ) Thanks!

7 things about myself that people might find interesting:
1. My least favorite room in my house is that one with the box that can heat up.
2. Marilyn Monroe and I share a birthdate... I'm just saying.
3. I have never been to the West Coast.
4. I am a Sweettart addict (purple is my fav).
5. I am scared of ferris wheels, but love roller coasters.
6. I can't skate - roller or ice.
7. I use to have a pierced nose. (I still remember the first day I came home with it... Dad laughed, Mom cried.)

here are the rules for the nominees:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link the person’s blog who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate 7 Kreative Bloggers.
6. Post a link to the 7 you nominated.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs to let them know they have been nominated.

I nominate: (4 of my favorite blogging friends and my 1 and only brother)

Linda-Linda

Kate

Julie

Selina

Scot

jumping for joy

Evan's birthday came a little early this year... or at least his present did. Markas and him set up his birthday trampoline today. We wanted it to be a surprise for his birthday on Thursday, but it is hard to hide two huge boxes containing all the trampoline parts.

(click on images to enlarge)

lofty ideas

so here is how this story is going to go... ; )

Evan has wanted a bunk bed for ages. I liked the idea of a loft bed so he could have more space in his room. Yesterday while Evan was in school, Markas & I came across this bed in Wally-World. I said by-golly it's time Evan gets a loft bed. So we tried like crazy people to get this thing put together before he got off the school bus. (We fell short by about fifteen minutes.) And not surprisingly Evan was excited to realize he had a cool new bed however he was also a little disappointed that it wasn't a bunk bed. It took some convincing to get him to see the merits (mainly flexibility of usage) of having a loft bed. We rearranged his room. (And are still in the final stages of reorganizing his toys and stuff.) Notice the step ladder in the picture first below? We got that today because after Evan's first night sleeping in his new bed, his mom realized that she couldn't snuggle up to or talk with Evan when he is six feet above the floor! I didn't really think that part through. I also didn't take into consideration the issue of his ceiling fan which meant relocating his bed to a different wall this morning. So my lofty idea wasn't as lofty as I had imagined, but it still makes for a cool space for a boy almost seven years of age.

Bumblebee boy

Evan doing his Obi Wan Kenobi move

funny faces of Evan
**Sunday update** I also didn't think about what a giant pain it would be to change sheets on this new bed! uugghh : /

Deep Thoughts by Evan

Evan & I are driving home this evening...

Evan: My brain is always talking. Even when I don't really talk, inside my brain is talking. [long pause] Mom, why is talking inside my brain better than talking out loud?

Me: I don't know. (yep, that is all I could offer)

Evan: Because you don't have to breath to talk.

There might be some crazy logic to this ; )

***

A couple minutes later... still driving home.

Evan: If a light saber is made of light, then how can it destroy stuff?

Me: That is a really good question! I have no idea about that. (holy crap, this kid is grilling me. Where does he come up with this stuff?)

Any Star Wars buffs out there that can answer this one? Feel free to jump in...

3 more little things that make me happy for no apparent reason

1. a new bar of soap - I'm a Dove girl.

2. funky canvas sneakers - (yes, I actually own the pair shown above) All I know is that it is impossible to take life too seriously while wearing these shoes. I especially enjoy pairing them with nice slacks and pearls ; )

3. color coordinating my bookmarks with the books I read