For a good cause...

Today was Roberts Elementary School Spirit Day at Marble Slab Creamery, which means they donated a percentage of purchases by Roberts' families back to the school. Pretty great ... and so is ice cream, so we couldn't pass it up. Earlier in the day, Dennis and Abby planned that they would share a Banana Split. And, THANK GOODNESS, because it was huge.
Tyler gave a few bites of his choice, "Chocolate," to Dennis. But, eventually he and I split the cone. Hey, I'll do anything for a good cause!
This is the funniest picture. It's how we all felt!

It's always "Marfa, Marfa, Marfa!"

You like that Brady Bunch reference!? Well, this post has nothing to do with that. Rather, Abby and Tyler are obsessed with Martha (or "Marfa" ... keep reading) the talking dog! Abby read the book "Martha Calling" a long time ago, and was intrigued by this dog, who speaks like a human when she eats alphabet soup. Well, we saw in a magazine that Martha is now going to have her own TV show on PBS kids. Of course Dennis had to take the kids online to check it out ... and when you go to any of these kid sites (PBS kids, Nick Jr., etc.), there are games, coloring pages and more. Dennis let Abby and Tyler play a couple of the Martha games last weekend, and now they are hooked! Instead of pestering me to "watch a movie show" (that's what Tyler calls TV), they are now pestering me to "play Marfa" (this is how Tyler prounounces Martha. I have a funny story about that too for another time). We don't let the kids watch a lot of TV and I'm thinking computer time will be handled similarly ... I just thought playing on the computer would come MUCH later. With TV, they get a 30 minute show if the TV comes on that day ... and usually they'll try to talk us into another half hour, which we may or may not give into considering the circumstances. Well, I've found it much harder to control computer time. They come in the office to play a game or two, and they are so quiet (not the usual around here)! And, truthfully, the games they play are educational (words, matching, etc.) Plus, they look so cute sitting in the big office chair together. Well, let's look on the upside ... Abby and Tyler will soon be able to update this blog themselves!

Cleaning House

I think this game began when Abby gave Tyler the cold shoulder yesterday. They had been playing well together in his room (something about a sleepover that required lots of blankets and pillows) until she moved on to a game of her own elsewhere in the house. The next thing I know, Tyler is opening and closing his door ... throwing all of Abby's belongs into the hallway.The problem is ... he was having way TOO much fun. Eventually, he threw pretty much every toy and stuffed animal out of his room, not just the things Abby brought in. Little devil! At least he was having fun, but you better believe he cleaned the whole mess up!

My Rant ...

Can someone please explain to me why there's a need for so many self-checkout lanes? I mean, sure, it may be faster on the rare occasion when you leave the store with 1-2 items (and that NEVER happens to me)! But, people with a full cart of groceries should NOT use these lanes. I usually shy away from them because inevitably I'll get behind someone having an issue, and because I am fine having the store employees (who get paid to do this!) help me. Plus, I usually have 1-2 children in tow ... and am buying produce that has to be weighed etc.

Anyway, today, all of the lanes at the Super Wal-Mart were packed, so I decided to give the self-checkout a whirl ... and let me tell 'ya - I won't be going back! Here's why:

1. My coffee creamer did NOT want to scan, and after trying three times, I had to call the "helper" (I use this term loosely ... she was standing up at the "help" desk/register not-so-secretly doing something on her cell phone) over ... only so tell me I needed rub the bar code before scanning it. Seriously now!
2. The machine kept telling me I hadn't bagged things - but I had! The fact is, I had to overfill the bags and keep everything in the "bag area," because ...
3. Tyler kept taking items out of my bags in the cart (items I had already paid for) and putting them back on the conveyor belt! Children who are almost three, and want to "assist" should NOT be allowed in the self-checkout line.

THIS is why I will not be trying this approach again. Self checkout lanes are for the quick trip in to buy a gallon of milk while your family waits in the car ... when every other lane is full of people with really full carts and kids in tow. Believe it or not, I usually don't mind taking Abby and Tyler to the store with me. It keeps me on my toes ... and you get free cookies at the bakery! We save the cookies, and they eat them in the checkout line when the employees are scanning my groceries!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Today is Bill's (Dennis' dad) birthday, so last night we took some pictures in hopes of posting them as a birthday greeting. We're awful people, and didn't get a card/gift in the mail in time! We thought a virtual greeting was a good option. But - lucky us - the kids were in "crazy mode" ...

They finally calmed down and held the signs (kind of!)...
Or not...But after a few tries, we got a keeper! Happy Birthday Bill, from these two little nuts ... and Dennis and I too! Have a great day.

Count 'em ... 70 Years!

Well, I failed to post it yesterday, but that's when Dennis' grandparents celebrated their 70th anniversary. Abby thought this picture was so cool when she saw it the other day. Congratulations to Ray and Alice ... hope you were able to celebrate with Sharen, Martha and Bill, and your friends at The Village!

Funny Faces

I don't know why, but there was a "fitness festival" at the gym tonight. When I got done with my Body Attack class and went to the get the kids in the KidZone, I was greeted by two very excited little people. The gym had booked a clown to do face painting! Mind you, it was 5:30 p.m. and our plan was to head home. But, I gave in and took them to Chick fil A's kids night so they could show off their faces. What a sucker I am! Abby asked to be a "Butterfly Princess" ...
And Tyler was adamant about having the lady transform him into a "T-Rex." She didn't quite know how to do that, and I personally think it looks a bit like the Grinch. But Tyler was happy! This photo was taken mid-roar!

Breakfast Options!

Well, we're only two weeks into school, and I'm already bored with our breakfast options. With school starting at 7:40 (for Abby), we need to make things run smoothly. So this weekend, I made a huge batch of pancakes to freeze (not great in the protein department, but it's an option, right!) and I tried a recipe for "Breakfast Cookies." Now, these are good. And YES, I took a picture of them for the blog! Dennis was passing through the kitchen giving me the weirdest look, but I can't help myself. I'm a blogging (and Facebook ... more on that later) fool! The Breakfast Cookies are out of Abby's Kids Cookbook so I had her "buy in" (very important!) I like them because they fill you up and include all kinds of goodies: pecans, banana chips, apricots, raisins and oats. Along with yogurt and/or a slice of turkey bacon, Abby is good to go! Mind you, her class eats lunch at 10:30, so she really shouldn't be too starving!

Olympics 2008

We had a great time watching the Olympics this year. Tonight, we held our very own closing ceremony of sorts, with Chinese food in honor of the Olympic hosts, and talked about our favorite moments. Abby liked the dancers and pagentry at the Opening Ceremonies. Tyler liked watching FSU's Walter Dix earn a bronze medal in the 100 meter dash. Dennis and I enjoyed watching Des Moines, Iowa's Shawn Johnson take silver and gold in gymnastics. And, we all loved watching Michael Phelps make history. This morning we realized we had totally missed watching Synchonized Swimming, an event I enjoy, as I was on the Syncho team at Miami University during my freshman year. So we jumped online and watched a few of the routines ... much to Abby's delight AND amazement! This was one of my favorite moments. She couldn't believe the swimmers weren't touching the pool bottom, and she was fascinated at how they lifted their teammates out of the water. I don't know if I am disappointed or relieved that I didn't have access to a video camera in college. Abby would surely have been disappointed at my technical ability. I still practice my moves now and again (not in training for 2012!) ... pulling out my best skull stroke and eggbeater legs at the SouthWood pool.

Goodbye Olympics 2008! We can't believe Abby will be nine and Tyler, six, when the next summer games roll around!

Mail Mayhem

Ever since we mailed Cousin Eric's birthday gift a week or so ago (Happy 3rd Birthday Eric!), the kids and I have been talking about setting up a play post office in our house. I "borrowed" some labels and stickers, insurance waivers and delivery confirmation forms, etc. from the nice people at the post office, and took note of a few things that we could copy for our Schnittker version.

It rained off and on here today ... so we stayed inside to catch up on laundry and clean up the office, all the while taking turns being a "customer" at Abby and Tyler's post office. They sold us stamps (stickers) and provided labels and other forms (thanks USPS!) so we could prepare our letters and packages. These were dropped in the mail box (Tyler's red trash can) for eventual transport to the the post office work room. Here, all letters and packages were further labeled (we like stickers a lot!), everything was weighed (with my bathroom scale) and the stamps were cancelled (with princess stamp pads) before they were taken to the sorting station (where Tyler's nighttime pullups are usually kept). Tyler weighed every piece of mail, even three dozen or so pieces of junk mail I pulled out off the office desk for them to play with. After all of this was said and done, our little mailman (Tyler) made the deliveries. Dennis was a very busy postal customer today ... he sent LOTS of letters. I was camped out in the entry way, sorting through piles of stuff that accumulated in the office over the summer. So one letter I received said, "Mommy - Entry Way - House." Tyler also delivered a letter to the cat. It was addressed, "Bailey - Cat Box - Laundry Room." The kids took this all very seriously, making sure every piece of mail had been sorted ... and delivered properly.

Storm Day

Okay ... so the storm actually did hit Tallahassee today (a day later than originally projected!) While I did venture out to my Saturday morning workout class (which was canceled due to a power outage that happened RIGHT before the class started!) and a couple errands, the rest of the family spent the whole morning inside. I guess they were getting a bit stir crazy, so after lunch, Dennis announced he would take them outside to play in the rain! I was happy to let them do it, and was enjoying the dry house ... but they looked so cute. I had to grab an umbrella too in order to get these shots. The rules were few: step IN as many puddles as possible, and don't poke your sibling in the eye with your umbrella! We are STILL getting rain. I think so far we've had over 10 inches today. Thank goodness we don't live in a flood zone! When we came back inside, I was lured into the playroom to see the cool Thomas track everyone had set up this morning. But, if you're a regular blog reader, you KNOW I can't help myself when it comes to laying track! The kids moved on, but I stayed put adding "just one more thing" to Dennis' masterpiece. I like all the curves to be symmetrical and I insist we use as many pieces of track as humanly possible. I seriously can't go near the trains ... I become a woman on a mission!

Popcorn ...

PERFECT for a rainy day! The rain on Friday didn't keep us inside ... it wasn't as storm-like as projected. Instead, we hit the gym for my workout, then joined a bunch of friends for a movie lunch date! All in all, there were 8 mommies and 13 kids, which made for lots of noise during the playing part of the visit. But, once the movie came on and the popcorn was popped, it got MUCH quieter. What a great way to spend a rainy afternoon!

Cozy, Cozy!

Well, we only made it through four days of school ... and we already got a day off! On Friday, Leon County Schools canceled class due to the approach of Tropical Storm Fay. Abby, who was initially upset that she didn't get to go to kindergarten, decided a lazy morning wasn't such a bad idea. (We've been running a pretty tight ship in the morning to get everyone ready and out the door on time!) She made a "recliner" in the playroom using their kid-sized easy chairs ... and even fashioned a bed side table to keep her books within reach. Tyler was happy to join Abby for a cozy story hour (or 1o minutes, as that's about how long it lasted before they were on to another activity!)

Tyler Flies Solo

On Wednesday, Tyler has his first official day of the school year at Advent Parish Day School. This is his second year (last year he was in the Toddler class), but his first attending without his big sister. And, on Tuesdays and Thursdays (or one of those a week ... depending on how much I need to get done that week) he'll fly solo for real! I sub at Advent, but only on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings ... pretty much never Tuesdays and Thursdays. So, Tyler can assume there are no Schnittker women peeking in his classroom window those days. We just trust he'll be on his best preschool behavior! So far ... so good. I've heard that Tyler has great manners, is a good listener and is having a ton of fun. On the first day of school, he got right down to business, kneading flour into the playdough. Helpful ... as it was kind of a sticky batch, and lots of fun too Tyler reports!
One big hit is playing with the water run in the courtyard. Here, he and Avery are checking out some of the water "toys." Ms. Cindy warned parents of the children in her class that the kids are going to get messy. In fact, she isn't afraid to admit that her class can probably get the messiest. Great!
While Tyler does seem to love school, he has relished the afternoons when Abby gets home. Yesterday afternoon they were very busy in the playroom ... and when I peeked in, this is what I saw. Tyler was dressed as a crayon (use your imagination ... but I have NO idea how the horse fits into the equations!)
And Abby was a red marker!

Red Plate Special!

... get it, like Blue Plate Special! Here at the Schnittker house, family members with special things to celebrate get the special red plate! Dennis has been working so hard at FSU in recent weeks. He has orchestrated the creation of FSU's institutional message, otherwise known as the commercial about Florida State that airs on TV during FSU football games. Since this gets sent to ABC and is seen nationally, this process is incredibly stressful for Dennis. He has done a great job putting it all together ... from scripting, to approvals, to overseeing shooting and editing, and MORE approvals, etc. And, as if he doesn't have his hands full enough doing that and everything else that comes with his job on a daily basis, this tropical storm is giving him gray hair. Dennis is in charge of updating FSU's emergency management page on the FSU web site. So... that's why we thought he deserved to use the special plate the other day. We love you Den!

Different Type of SCHOOL

Saw this snack idea in Family Fun (which is seriously like a bible for the mom who can't help herself when it comes to food crafts!) - the grapes are seaweed and the blueberry yogurt is water. It's hard to find a blue food I've discovered! A friend drove Abby home from kindergarten today, which allowed me to get Tyler down for his nap early. When he woke up, we sat around the table and enjoyed this after school (of fish) snack, while we talked about the day. Tyler and I attended his preschool orientation this morning at Advent. He is going to LOVE being in Ms. Cindy's class! All of his buddies from last year are in the class, as well as many kids he knows from around town. They are the older-twos ... so for the majority, preschool is not a new experience. Today he discovered Ms. Cindy's train table, and the "treehouse" (loft) in the classroom where you can relax and read books. Abby had a great second day at kindergarten. She had P.E. as her special area today ... and tomorrow she'll go to Spanish for the first time. Highlights today seemed to be playing mermaids on the playground with a new friend, Taylor, being line leader as they walked to "brunch," and the "graphic" they made on the wall. At first I thought Mrs. Shaw either had a fancy name for poster, or that she was teaching them graphic design on the computer. But it turns out Abby meant to say "graph!" They charted how many boys were in the class compared to girls (9 boys and 8 girls = 17 kids) as part of a math activity.

First Day ... "A" Okay!

Well, Miss A reports that she had a great first day of kindergarten! It started pretty early ... although not as early as will be necessary on a regular basis. All of the kindergarten parents were able to park and walk the kids in to class today, but tomorrow we join the masses in the drop-off line. Abby woke up in a great mood, quickly got dressed and ate breakfast. Wish I had been moving as fast, but somehow we left later than planned (picture taking and video taping perhaps?!), and YES ... I made her five minutes late on her very first day of elementary school! Fortunately Mrs. Shaw was understanding, but you know - they have to treat us kindergarten parents gently. We're prone to crying! I was determined not to do it, but when Abby made her way into that classroom wearing her new backpack - big enough to hold, well ... everything - I started getting misty eyed. Thank goodness the PTO held a Boo Hoo Breakfast for all of us. After spying on Abby through her window with Tyler, I dried my tears and found a friend who was more emotional than me. We made plans to meet for lunch after I worked a few hours at Advent, helping get the preschool ready for their first day of school. Being at preschool with Tyler made me feel a lot better. Do you think they'll let me come and hang out there after Tyler "graduates" and heads to kindergarten in a few years? Oh, let's not think about it! Here's to our big girl, Abby! Highlights from Day 1 ... and information Abby thought you all must know:

• Sydney, the class pet, is NOT an iguana! HE is a Bearded Dragon ... and don't ever touch or pound on the glass when you're visiting Room 423, as you might see him "puff his beard up" or run back and forth in his tank!
• Abby sits on the second carpet square down from the rocking chair in the orange part of the storytime rug, where the five rules are: criss cross applesauce, fold your hands in your lap, listening ears, lips closed, and eyes looking at Mrs. Shaw.
• Don't worry! Mrs. Shaw does eat lunch ... with the kids at their table in the cafeteria, which Abby describes as about the biggest room she has ever seen!
• You leave your pencil box AT school. Abby loves her pink pencil box, and tells us this she wished it adieu at the end of the day with, "Bye, see you tomorrow. Have a nice sleepover!"
• Abby's resting (you can nap if you want but you "have to stay on that mat") spot is right behind the play kitchen, which apparently is called "Home Living" in kindergarten.
• Hand up if you have a question or something to say, but only one finger up if you need to wash your hands or get a drink, and two fingers if you wish to use the potty! Apparently Mrs. Shaw doesn't want a class of kids screaming her name all day long. Brilliant! Can I try this here?
• Abby says she was VERY hungry when lunchtime arrived, and she ate EVERYTHING I packed! Interesting ... since her lunchtime (we could call it brunch!) is at 10:26 a.m. Note: we're thinking about having Abby buy lunch once in awhile, and when she does, she'll pay for it by keying in her very own personal identification number (PIN) on a keypad in the cafeteria. My - how times have changed!
• When I asked her what she was thinking while she was waiting for me at car pick up (I got in line at 1:40 by the way, and made it to Abby at 2:15!) Abby told me she was thinking it was such a fun day and she was wishing there was more of it. How delighted she was when I told her she can go back tomorrow!
• Abby checked out a library book on her own, and tonight she read the whole thing to us. Tomorrow, she can take it back and check out a new one! I think kindergarten is going to agree with her.