Rapturous

We spent a portion of yesterday evening in the basement avoiding tornadoes.

My mom and I are going to a canning workshop Thursday evening. Mom: "Comes the revolution, we'll be ready." She cracks me up.

The high school is discontinuing the school paper, so the current editor asked former editors to write about what the paper means to them. I *may* have gone a tiny bit off the rails and talked about the importance of keeping the newspaper going--with or without school funding. Heh.

I am letting K. go on her field trip without me. I am nervous. She will be in a group with her teacher, who is well-versed in Epipens. I will load her up with a million wipes, meds, her own food, etc. And pray.

I think we are seeing the light at the end of the potty-training tunnel. We're bidding on used Leapster 2s on Ebay trying to get one for a reward/toy for summer travel. Is it a much bigger present than the older siblings earned? Yes. Do we care? No. Desperate times, people. Desperate times.

Honor thy mother

Nowheymama: Mom, we saw a really interesting documentary the other night.

Nowheymama's Mom: Really?

Nowheymama: Yeah! The whole way through it made me think of you. I kept thinking, "This movie just says 'Mom' to me!"

Nowheymama's Mom: Wow! What's it called?

Nowheymama: Uh... It's called 'Fat Head.'

Nowheymama's Mom: Nice. Just what every mother wants to hear.

Cookies, Roku, Asparagus

USAToday is featuring Mother's Day recipes this weekend, and the winning recipe is for dairy-free cookies, Delaware Cry Babies! You know I am making these molasses cookies this weekend. Or having my family bake them for me. *cough*

We've decided to cancel our cable and get rid of our 'land line.' (It's provided through our cable.) We drove to Bigger City last night to buy a Roku and to switch our home phone number to my cell phone. (And to eat at our favorite Chinese buffet.) I've been hesitant because cell reception in our house isn't great, but I'm ready to give it a try. As for TV, we have Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and we're thinking about getting a digital antenna. I think we'll have plenty to watch.

I planted asparagus two springs in a row, and...nothing. Imagine my surprise when I found a few sprouts in the garden yesterday! Plants that grow with no attention from me? Priceless.

Onward

Today was the last day of preschool. I managed not to cry during the cute little ceremony, mainly because the college president called my son "Ellie H_______."

So now summer begins for the littlest ones, and I am starting to collect (free) ways to spend the time, especially when it is raining and 40 degrees. Here's what I've found so far.

Barnes and Noble has a summer reading program for kids in first through sixth grade, where you can earn a free book and be entered in a drawing for a Nook. Borders has one, too, for kids twelve and under.

Scholastic has a Summer Reading Challenge.

We'll be doing our local library's summer reading program, too, of course.

PNC's Grow Up Great program has fun Sesame Street activities to download. You can call and request free items, too.

If you have Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in your area, SIGN UP. Kids receive one free book a month from birth to age 5.

And of course we'll be playing Chore Wars.

That's all I've got. Help?

Edit: Misty mentioned crafts. FamilyFun is always good for ideas, and Swistle just posted about craft gifts at Milk and Cookies.