Sharing the Love and Appreciation

So, about a month ago, the director at Aubrey's MDO emailed my friend Jennifer and me to see if we would organize Teacher Appreciation Week.

I emailed back that I would love to help.
Since Jennifer and I both have our kiddos in the same class, I thought the director was talking about just their two teachers.
Um, no.
She meant Teacher Appreciation for the whole MDO program -- approximately 20 teachers.
Oooohhhhhh.

Luckily Jennifer can organize functions in her sleep, and the entire week of Teacher Appreciation went off without a hitch! In fact, it was the best one they've ever had!

The director told us the final amount donated usually runs between $150-$190.
It covers a catered lunch and sometimes a small gift for each of the teachers.

Jennifer and I started doing a little math...if there are around 100 kids total and each donates $5, that's $500.
I bet if we just make it easy for the parents to donate, we could get more than $150!

Well, we did end up getting more than $150.
The final total: almost $700!!!!
{Insert dorky mom dance.}

So, if you ever find yourself committing to something you later realize is way more than you can chew, allow me to share with you the key to success!

First of all, I believe most parents want to help and show their child's teacher some loving appreciation.

Our main goal was to simply inform the parents. They can't help or donate if they don't know who/what/when/where/why/how, so we decided to take all the guess work out of it for them.

I firmly believe by making it easy for the parents to donate and letting them know what their donation was going toward made the turnout so amazing.

And since busy moms don't have time to read a packet of information, we printed out informational envelopes with all the details they needed to know: What this was about, where the money was going, how to donate, and why we needed their help. We put these envelopes in each child's bag to take home. We also made a donation drop-off box by the tuition box so it was a great visible reminder and an easy place to drop off their donation.

It 's also critical, with any sort of planning, to pick a theme.
We chose a Summer Olympics theme: Starbright Teachers Win Gold!
 
Since we blew that $150-$190 budget out of the water, the extra $$$ allowed us have an olympic sized lunch catered...

 

{Also included in each envelope were little cards for the parents/kids to write a personal  note to their teacher(s) -- we had each teacher's packet of cards at their seat during the luncheon for them to read and to serve as a place-card.}

We also had shirts made for the teachers. Each teacher was able to choose their size -- no bulk XXLs that no one will ever wear. They can sport these during the Summer session while the Olympics are going on!

Each teacher was also able to pick out a $10 gift card from the following:
Barnes and Noble, Sonic, Starbucks, and OrangeLeaf Frozen Yogurt.

Lastly, we were able to cater breakfast for the other two days of school that week:
Panera bagels/pastries and coffee one morning, Chick-fil-a chicken minis and coffee the next. Mmmm!

The teachers were completely blown away with the all the love and appreciation during Teacher Appreciation Week, which of course, is the whole reason we did it!

Thank you to all the generous parents and especially the hardworking teachers out there -- especially the two lovely saints who teach my I-know-everything daughter. :)

______________________________________________________________________

Sidenote: 

If you're looking for a fun, simple gift for a teacher, instructor, coach, etc. for the end of the year...
I made these little buckets for Aubrey's two teachers, the director/assistant (and even our home study social worker), and they've been a big hit! 

Include a little personal note:

Thank you for all your love, patience, and kindness this year.

We hope you enjoy many fun evenings with your family!

Happy Summer Break!

Target: Plastic-ware*: $1.99/for two.

*These are microwave and dishwasher safe -- very important. :)

Fun straws: $2

Coordinating napkins: $2

Bug Repellant (I had wanted to get a citronella candle): $4

Giftcard to a local eatery: whatever amount you'd like to get.

Then just add color-coordinating ribbon for a special touch.

That's a Wrap!

I will never forget the day I decided to try my hand at wrapping Christmas presents. I believe I was in the tween-age years, and I had just surfaced from our basement after an entire afternoon of The Princess Bride and a mountain of milk chocolate Santa wrappers. I was bored and poking around to see when dinner would be ready.

Just outside the kitchen, the dining room table was covered in boxes, gifts, tape, gift wrap, tissue paper, ribbons and bows. I nonchalantly wrapped one little gift and peaked around the kitchen to my mom, "Hey, does this present look okay?" to which she said, "Oooo...YES!" I asked if I could wrap more and before I knew it, I had full reign on all the holiday gift wrapping.

It was win-win for both of us really. Working a full-time job, my mom didn't exactly have a ton of free hours piled up to tackle the mountain of gifts. And during my Christmas break from school, there were only so many days in a row a girl could watch The Princess Bride before running out of chocolate Santas.

Thus began my love of wrapping gifts...

Now, with this love, it's tempting to want to buy all the chic gift wrap, ribbon, unique gift tags, etc. but I just can't justify spending a fortune on something that will get tossed in the garbage.

And, since we will not be traveling to Kentucky for Christmas this year, we're shipping most of the gifts to our Bluegrass friends and family. I thought it would be fun to use brown packing paper as the wrap and paper doilies with red/white/tan thread (Brown paper packages tied up with string...these are a few of my favorite things... was going through my head the entire time, by the way). No use in doing frilly bows that would inevitably get squished in the shipping process, right? I also found free gift tag printables online and used letter stamps to indicate the recipients. All in all my gift wrap supplies cost came to $4, and I have lots left over. (By the way, the Dollar Store has all sorts of mailing supplies for...well, $1. ha.)

Midway through the wrapping, my little elf showed up wanting to help. Now, because I didn't want to squelch any future desire to one day wrap gifts, I pulled out some finger paints and let Aubrey give several of the gifts a personal "touch".
Can you pick out which ones she helped with..?

Aubrey found a little jingle bell and asked to add it to Grammy's gift...love it.

I had to wrestle the spatulas out of her hands for Aunt Mel's gift with the promise of making footprint snowmen for Zubie's present...

I love the one for Pop Pop, the avid deer hunter...

After all that wrapping, Aubrey asked pitifully, "So, when are you going to wrap a present for me?"
She lives such a sad, depraved life doesn't she?! HA!
Well, that night Daniel and I each picked out a little gift and wrapped it for her. Besides, I don't like the idea of everything being from Santa. He shouldn't get all the credit, you know?!
Daniel's gift to Aubrey on the left makes me melt -- at one point during his wrapping process, he was on www.marthastewart.com learning how to make paper snowflakes step-by-step. Does it get any sweeter than that?! As for my gift to Aubrey, I used some sequined ribbon and added a grouping of cotton-balls as a "snowball". Not that kids don't automatically gravitate toward gifts, but these are two that she's itching to unwrap. :)

It's also fun to use the gift as part of the presentation (like with the red/green spatulas for Aunt Mel's gift). And speaking of Aunt Mel, when it came to getting something for Aubrey's MDO teachers, I took some advice from my seasoned sister -- the teacher. I steered clear from all holiday coffee mugs and any cheesy holiday paraphernalia. I found these chalkboard cookie jars and filled them homemade goodies. Hopefully it's something they will enjoy, share with friends and family, and then be able to use the cookie jar long after the holidays!

Chocolate chip cookies, chocolate covered popcorn with red sprinkles, and double chocolate chunk cookies. I may have tried a little of each treat, you know...to make sure they weren't bad or anything... ;)

The two larger jars are for Aubrey's teachers and the middle jar is for the MDO Director. I figure, the teachers put up the kiddos and the director has to put up with the parents. I'd say they all deserve something sweet for everything they do!

And last but not least, I wanted to give something to Aubrey's Sunday School teachers whom I absolutely adore. I may literally cry when she ages out of their class. They are two Middle Eastern women with the most wonderfully thick accents you can imagine (everyone knows I'm a sucker for accents), and they are -- hands down -- the most genuinely sweet women I have ever met in my life. They dote on Aubrey each Sunday and find the most creative ways to show Christ's love to all the little ones. I hope they liked their gift:

And, well...I'm officially done with my Christmas wrapping this year.
Is it weird to already be looking forward to next year?
I have a problem...
Now pass those chocolate Santas, would ya?!

And in the words of Aubrey's Sunday School teachers...

Meeeehry Chreeeestmas to yoooou, sweet leeeettle ones!

Back to School!

Someone was excited to start school (aka: Mom's Day Out) this morning.

Me: Aubrey, are you ready to go school today?!
Aubrey: YES!!! with arm pumps for extra emphasis.

I will miss this sweet munchkin...

And that silly face of hers...

But good heavens, it sure is nice to be able to shower and go to the bathroom by myself.

:)

Let the Children Come

This evening was "Meet Your Teachers" night at Mother's Day Out, and Aubrey could not wait to get there. (She attended this MDO program in June/July for the Summer session, but the month of August has been off.)

Aubrey has been missing "school" terribly, and the only tears that were shed tonight were because I accidentally pulled into the wrong parking lot. Aubrey thought I was turning the car around to go home, and therefore had a full meltdown in her carseat. "SCHOOL, MAMA! SCHOOL, MAMA!" The floodgates opened again when Daniel and I told her it was time to tell her teachers "bye-bye!" and leave to go back home. Come to think of it, she told me before we left the house to get her napmat -- I think she fully intended on spending the night there! Ha!

Here's a little glimpse inside the church:

There is a 2-story waterfall that is a huge hit with the kids.

And when I say "kids", I mean young and old alike. :)

Every time I took Aubrey to MDO in June/July, she always ran to this random table off in a storage hallway and pretended to be the teacher. I seriously had to get her to MDO early, so she'd have time to get through a "lesson" before taking her to her own classroom! Judging by tonight, it looks like Miss Aubrey's "class" has picked back up too! Haha!

Once she was finished "teaching", we went to her classroom.
Aubrey ran right in and gave the playhouse a big hug.
Instantly she felt right at "home".

Then she quickly found the kitchen while Daniel was lured to the
Sesame Street Tool/Workbench.
I guess gender stereotypes still exist as we get older...

In addition to the waterfall, there are lots of Biblical statues throughout the church. This one is in front of the Children's Ministry. The kids are all drawn to it, and honestly it gives me chills every time I see this -- such a present day view of the scripture:

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
-- Matthew 19:14

I'm so thankful that Aubrey is in a program that comes alongside what we teach at home and reiterates the Biblical principles we pray take root in her heart as she grows.

Here's to a great year!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

You may or may not remember the post about how Aubrey's Mother's Day Out (MDO) program was ending in May because the Director had to leave due to family/health issues. Well, the last day came and went.

I found the picture of Aubrey after her first day of MDO. And then compared it to the one I took of her on the last day.

I feel like the next picture in this sequence will be her in a wedding gown! Okay, a little extreme, but still...this transformation occurred within only 7 months!
{As you can see, however, some things haven't changed: lovey & paci.}

I cannot say enough good things about her teachers. They are absolutely incredible ladies. And yes, I know...it was Mother's Day Out, twice a week for a handful of hours each. But honestly, Mrs. Sheila and Miss Tiffany were amazing with the kids.

I know if I don't start throwing some of her art projects away now I'll wind up on one of those "Clean Sweep" shows, but I just can't part with some of these. Especially ones with her hand-print! Ah, if I even thought about tossing them out, I'm sure I'd have dreams of those finger painted hands reaching up to me from the garbage can crying out, "How could you throw me away?!?!?!"

*This was maybe 1/4 of her artwork.

And my most favorite thing ever: her teachers put together a mini scrapbook for each child. It chronicled their entire year in the program. Well, that did me in. I literally wept as I went through Aubrey's book. It was seriously 15 pages with handwritten notes about Aubrey: what she loved doing, things that made her laugh, special things that she did, etc. all narrated in incredible detail along with pictures to match. There were 8 kids in her class, and each one had a special book. Is that not amazing? I consider it a miracle that I can keep this blog updated as her "baby-book"! To actually print out pictures, write things down, cut out pieces of decorative paper? There is no way.
Oh, and I cannot forget to include her class picture! I was the only parent in the class who ordered the picture. In my opinion: the more horrible the picture, the more fun it is to look at years down the road.

*The teachers' hair gives you a glimpse of the ridiculous wind here in Oklahoma. It's seriously out of control.

So, now that this MDO concluded, it was time for Miss Aubrey to start her new "school" this week.

I was a nervous-wreck about it...

How would her teachers be? {remember, I'm leaving the teachers who make handmade scrapbooks for the kids -- my expectations are a bit high.} Would she like it? What if the kids were too big or mean to her? Oh, and the scariest thing of all: the little ones take naps on nap-mats on the floor. Ahhhh!

Well, ready or not:
Here is Miss Priss before we left for the first day at her new school.

{Daniel picked out this outfit for Aubrey. I would have never picked white linen pants for a 20-month old, but even after a day of outside play and painting a lion face on a paper plate, the pants remained unsoiled. I was impressed.}

Her teachers said Aubrey did amazingly well and get this: she was the first one asleep on her nap-mat and the last one to wake up!

Unscathed white linen pants and napping on a nap-mat? That girl never ceases to amaze me.

When we were driving back home, I asked Aubrey, "Did you have fun at your new school today?" she squealed, "YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"

Ah, a mother's relief.

I guess change is sometimes just what we need to help us realize we are ready for life's next step.

March Madness

So...last week I was informed that the Mother's Day Out program where Aubrey is currently enrolled will be ending in May due to the director leaving for family/health reasons.

For those of you reading this who don't have children or don't know anything about Mother's Day Out programs, this post will make no sense to you. For those of you who are well versed in the sheer madness that is "Mother's Day Out", I appreciate your sympathy.

Now it might be slightly different in other areas of the US, but here in Oklahoma City (particularly Edmond) Mother's Day Out programs are about as competitive to get into as Medical School. I'm not kidding. People start lining up at 4 a.m. for enrollment that starts at 9 a.m. Some programs have wait lists several pages long. Some have children on the wait list that haven't even been born yet. It's insane.

So, like I said, I found out Thursday that we would need to look into other programs for the Summer/Fall. Most programs have already had Summer enrollment so we're pretty much out of luck there and Fall enrollment started today (Monday) at most places.

Daniel and I decided the only way to even have a chance at the "good" ones would be to divide and conquer. So, Daniel set his alarm for an "alarming" time to get a good spot in line at one and when Aubrey woke up, us girls headed to another one.

I sent Daniel to the "Creme de la Creme" program because that man can work magic. And guess who was first in line?? Boo-yah! I'm telling you, magic. Still, there's a chance Aubrey won't get in that one.

See, the key is to get into a good Mother's Day Out early and then ride that wave through the pre-school years. Once you're in, most programs save your spot for the next year (which is why even though Daniel was 1st in line, there may not be an opening for Aubrey's age group). If you wait until your child is of pre-school age to get into these programs, they will literally laugh in your face. I'm serious when I say it's cut-throat out there!

When Aubrey and I went to enroll at one this morning, I unknowingly stood at the front of the line while I tried to get my bearings of where the line ended when a rather scraggly woman (most likely camped out the night before) barked, "THIS IS THE FRONT OF THE LINE -- YOU HAVE TO GO BACK THERE!" And good morning to you too! Yikes...

Oh, and if the long lines filled with antsy children, mother's who haven't had their morning cup of coffee, and packets of paperwork aren't enough -- you'll love the hefty enrollment fees! Ah, the cherry on top! I think the cheapest one we've paid was $45 to just fill out the paperwork! Ay Caramba!

Soooo...all this to say...

Don't have kids.

No, I'm kidding. But, seriously, if you do have kids, get ready -- it's a jungle out there! It's things like Mother's Day Out that you just don't read about in those "What to Expect..." baby books.

{A section of the line forming where Daniel was stationed.}

As easy as it is to get caught-up in the Mother's Day Out madness, I'm at peace if Aubrey doesn't get into any of them. Worst-case-scenario is that she's home with me. Not exactly the end of the world or anything. And while, yes, it's been awhile since I was in pre-school, I think I can still remember the ABC song and how to count. Oh, and I know my colors and shapes. How to share (sometimes). How to go to the potty like a big girl. You know, basic pre-school learning goals.

I think she'll be fine.

:)

Party People

It has been Party Central around here this month!

Aubrey had TWO Valentine parties, I co-hosted a baby shower, and we are scheduled to attend an Olympic Party this weekend! Phew!

For memory's sake, here is a recap and some pictures.

{Playgroup Valentine Party}

Oh, our playgroup...how I love thee! We usually have a themed party for the little ones around each holiday (you know, for the kids...that's the only reason we do it. Riiiiight...)

It didn't take Aubrey long to really get the party going as she discovered a singing/dancing giraffe. Hmmm...looks like she inherited her daddy's moves.Sneaking in a picture with my little Valentine. This was post giraffe dance-off, and she was ready for her re-match and not so much into taking this picture.*It would have been great to have a picture of all the kiddos + moms, but at this age, that would be an impossible feat.

Here are some of the goodies that followed us home.
{Mother's Day Out Valentine Party}

Just a sample of the cute Valentines. Left to right: Heart crayons, a paci clip, and precious Valentine book (not from her class, but a dear friend nonetheless! Thanks again Vivian & Jamie!).

This Valentine party didn't go quite as smoothly as planned...

I showed up at Aubrey's class to find her joyfully playing and having the best time with her classmates. They had just finished up a game of finding the hidden hearts around the room (Aubrey totally dominated this game -- it was a proud parent moment.), and then she spotted me. And proceeded to have a total MELTDOWN.

Her buddy (Maddox) tried rocking her in an attempt to comfort her, but it was useless (still incredibly sweet, I might add...).

She was glued to me. She refused to sit at the cute table with the others and eat her Valentine treats. She just held on to me for dear life, whimpering, and giving the most pitiful looks.

It was so bad, in fact, that we had to bring out the paci. This is such a huge no-no -- the paci is only for napping/bedtime.And as you can see, not even the paci worked.

I managed to leave the party, choking back the tears all the way out to the car as I heard my child wailing down the hall (this event, not such a proud parent moment...). One of her teachers called to tell me that Aubrey was fast asleep within 5 minutes after I left. I guess she was just partied out. Or maybe it is already totally uncool to have your mom crash your school party.

{Baby Shower!}

One of the moms in our playgroup is expecting Baby #2 in March. Since she will soon have TWO in diapers, we decided to help her stock up on Pampers. We reserved a private room at Bravo and had the best time celebrating the soon-to-be newest addition to the playgroup!

Would you look at that pregnancy glow!? Gorgeous!
Some of the playgroup moms:

Some of the decor:
{I made the diaper cake. Obviously a first attempt. :/}

*********
Now we're all gearing up for the Olympic party this weekend!
U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

Valentine Treats!

Aubrey had a Valentine Playdate this week, and I wanted to bring something fun and festive. I decided to make Pink Popcorn! It is so incredibly easy to make, ANYONE could do it. And when I say "ANYONE", I mean it. This is E-A-S-Y. Promise.

So, here it goes...are you ready?

Pink Popcorn

Ingredients:
1 Pkg. Microwaveable Popcorn
(I recommend the Orville Redenbacher's Natural Simply Salted Popcorn. I would advise not using "Movie Theater Butter" for this recipe. You want a mild, basic popcorn taste. However, if you think your ButterLovers would be good, by all means...)
1 Bag of white chocolate chips
(I used Nestle Toll House chips for my first batch, and it was fantastic. I used the Target brand chips for the second batch and could definitely tell a difference in consistency when melted.)
Red food coloring

Instructions:
1. Place the bag of popcorn in the microwave and hit the "Popcorn" button.
*2. Arrange the popcorn onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.
Try to filter out all the un-popped kernels.
3. Pour the entire bag of white chocolate chips into a microwaveable safe bowl. Microwave on High for 30 seconds, stir, 20 seconds, stir, and then depending on your microwave, continue until smooth.
4. Add a generous amount of red food coloring to the melted chocolate.
You want the chocolate to be red, once it cools on the popcorn it lightens to pink.
5. Drizzle the red melted chocolate over the popcorn and toss with a spatula to coat as many of the pieces as possible.
6. Chill in the fridge for approximately 20 minutes to let the chocolate set.
7. Take it out of the fridge, break it up into pieces (whatever size you prefer), and either gobble it up right then and there or store in an air tight container to enjoy later.

*I would recommend taping the wax paper to the cookie sheet before drizzling the chocolate, otherwise the chocolate will stick to the wax paper and as you try to toss with the spatula the whole thing will be all over the counter. You'll have popcorn jumping off the cookie sheet and chocolate getting everywhere but on the popcorn. If you don't tape your wax paper to the cookie sheet, be prepared to do any of the following: use your fingers to eat the runaway popcorn, ditch the spatula and use your hands to mix the popcorn and chocolate (messy, but it works), or cuss.

Also, for those of you out there who try to boycott microwaves when cooking/baking, feel free to pop your corn on the stove and use a double-broiler for the chocolate.

Either way...I promise it'll be incredibly yummy!

*********

For Aubrey's teachers at Mother's Day Out, I made these Red Velvet Cake Balls. You can find the recipe here. Again, super easy and Mmm Mmm good! I did half in chocolate/half in white chocolate and added red sprinkles on top.

{Photo Courtesy of Bakerella}

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All these sweets reminds me I need to make a dental appointment soon. Eeks.