Burnin' Up with the Jo Bros

On August 20 I was no longer the meanest mom in the world. Thanks to Lisa we all went to see the JONAS BROTHERS and quickly became the coolest moms in the world!
It was SO. MUCH. FUN. let me repeat that a little louder....MUCHO FUN-O (like that spanish?)

So the evening went like this....
4pm- leave LaGrange
4:15pm Stop by McD's for dinner
5:45pm get stuck in Jonas Brother concert goer's traffic
6:00pm pass by lots of "official looking" trafic directors who were showing us where to park....what they turned out to be were owners of empty lots or front yards that wanted us to park there for $10-$15! are they crazy??
6:15pm we parked in an empty lot for ....$20;) but not before trying to make a deal with a T-shirt salesman. OF course they were $60 shirts but he was going to give us a deal at $20 each! How could we pass that up??....by driving faster than he could walk:)

6:30 we park and stand in line. The concert was suppose to start at 7pm and at the looks of the line we were hoping we wouldn't miss anything. Like those T-shirts??

here we are waiting in line....ever so excited!

7pm- our tickets were scanned and we were free to get in!!!

7:15pm we make our way to the amphitheater and try to find out assigned seats on the grass:) just teasing. There weren't any....it was just pick-a- spot. We decided the best place would be at the top of the hill. We found a spot closer to the stage but we figured when the people in front of us stood up we wouldn't be able to see anything! and they would be standing up for sure!

We found a spot at the very top and a nice man took a group shot. What you couldn't see were the sweat marks on our shirts.....it was HOT!

This is what it looked like from where we were sitting....really not as bad as it looked because they had those HuGe screens so we could see the singers.

waiting....and waiting....for someone to come out and sing! I don't know what time it was but they didnt' start at 7pm!

I think aroung 7:30pm Miss-its-my-birthday-Lovato came out to entertain us. It was her sweet sixteen!

Demi Lovato is the girl from the Disney movie Camp Rock....she was alright....but not what we came to see!! We were excited when she was done....because that only meant one thing!!! The JONAS BROTHERS were next!!

What we didnt' expect was the 45 minute wait until they came out!! What were they thinking making their fans wait on a school night!!??!!

While we waited we took a picture with the newspaper....we need to send that in don't we Lisa!

Wesley getting excited!!! Sophia said she almost fell asleep while waiting for Nick, Kevin and Joe to come out.....looks like it Fia:)

Patrick being....Patrick;)

Nate didn't love the concert like Fia and Wesley....he had fun trying to NOT be in the pictures though!

this is what Sophia looked like when the Brothers came out! It was about 9pm then....

My camera did get a couple good shots of them....thank goodness they had those HuGe screens so we could see all the action because they were looked like little stick people....but very cute ones;)

Burnin' Up, burnin' up for you BABY!

I'm hot....your cold.....you run around....like you know....

i'm slipping into the lava.....and that is what I sang for the next 48 hours after the concert!

Now....we go over to Patrick for his commentary on the Brother's performance....

Patrick? Patrick??

look at those lips!


Ok....maybe Nate can give us his opinion....

Nate? Nate??

Well just ask Fia and Wesley what they thought...or Lisa and I. We would have paid more for the tickets because it was a FaB-o good time! Thanks Lisa for inviting us!

Jonas Brothers!

Back in the summer my good friend (Lisa-Rick Springfield junkie, neighbor, Sophia's teacher) told me about the Jonas Brothers concert that was coming to Atlanta in August. She was wondering if we wanted to go with her and her boys. Sure...cause that's just the way we roll...

So instead of buying T-shirts at the concert(that will surely be a million dollars) we decided to make some. Lisa found a website that had these transfers you could print off and then iron-on your T. Here is what we printed off.....

We were so excited at how good they looked!! We even made one for ourselves as a joke and then thought about putting something on the back of the Ts as well....it was going to be so fun!

Here is what we came up with for the back. We were going to get someone to take our picture from the front and back to capture every angle;) How cool!

But we forgot one minor detail.....

To print the words backwards so when you iron it on it is readable! I wish I had a picture of my face as I started to peel off the paper! We laughed and laughed and then laughed some more! This is mine and I think I will just wear it anyway....maybe put something at the top that says "if you close one eye you can read it"....then I would need a camera to see who actually closes their eye!

hey....maybe in the year 3000 that is how we will be reading....that is what I can add to the top!

Back in March, I nervously took the training to be an RPM instructor at the gym. The training was intense and frustrating but I caught on quick and recieved my certification in June! I was waiting on my certificate to come in the mail so I could post a pic of it....but it just looks like any ole' certificate so I picked this image instead;) She is saying, "more gear!"

Now I get paid to ride my bike for miles and never get anywhere!! hardy har har

Peanut-Peanut Butter....

and Jelly...anyone remember that song from Girl Scouts??



I have never had a craving for some type of food to where I eat it everyday. My sister was on a Blue Bell ice cream kick for a while and then it changed to sloppy joe's:)--sound like yummy kicks to be on. Recently I have developed a love/need for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They are best on white bread and lots of jelly but tortillas are good also! Strawberry jam is good but I think grape is the best....especially when it is oozing out the middle. Some days I will eat a PB&J for breakfast and then have one for lunch. I especially like them on days that I would exercise before breakfast probably because of the protein in them....but man they taste so good to me for some reason!

I remember this being one of my favorites as a child and my mom cutting them into triangles:) The weird thing is my children don't really care for them. I thought all children loved PB&J...like it is just part of childhood....but I guess for some it is an aquired taste. Sophia is coming around and has been taking it in her lunch so far this year.

To here is to PB&J!

Welcome Back!!

This year I developed lactose intolerance....again. In the beginning it was VERY hard and I missed ice cream, pizza, cheese, yogurt, etc. etc. etc. I would cheat and pay the price....so eventually I grew an aversion to the pain and did not crave that stuff at all! The lactaid tablets helped but only when I took 3x the recommended dose...and since those are expensive I just said good-bye to dairy for now.


One thing I have missed the most is cold cereal. I LOVE eating cereal(preferrably the sugary kind;)) with cold milk! I just couldn't get past that craving. When my neice was visiting last month she was drinking Rice Milk because of her lactose intolerace. Why I didn't catch on right then I will never know....I guess in my brain anything with "milk" in the title was OUT! But later I got to thinking....hmmmmm maybe I can drink that! So I bought some and.....
welcome back cereal for breakfast and bedtime snack and lunch and sometimes dinner if I want!! Wahoo!


The 'milk' (can you really get milk from rice??) is a grey color so I am not sure I want to drink it plain....but it works great with cereal!! I am so happy in the mornings now that I have other options for breakfast!

And they're OFF!

Today the kids left very eagerly for their first day of school! Of course....like everyone else says....this summer went by so fast! I think we say that every year:)

Sophia will be in the 3rd grade...gasp...that sounds OLD! She was VERY excited to get our good friend (and neighbor) Ms. Modling as her teacher. Ms. Modling was VERY excited to get Sophia too;). She was so cute this morning-waiting with great anticipation and butterflies in her stomach!

Nate will be in 1st grade and although he didn't get in a class with most of his friends when someone asked him if he was excited about this year he nodded. Whew! I was a *little* worried . He had such a great teacher last year....someone who knew how to work with his personality so I am a little worried....but we will just roll with the punches...but hopefully it won't be Nate punching!

Richard wasn't able to attend the "Meet the Teacher" day on Tuesday so he walked them into class this morning to see where they would be, meet Nate's teacher, etc. I called him around 8am to see how they did. He told me how he was helping Nate get settled in his class....helped him put away his things and with the work he had on his desk. Then Nate put his head down on his desk. I got this sinking feeling in my stomach thinking Nate was scared or nervous!!

Richard: Nate-what is wrong?

Nate: What are you still doing here? Don't you have to go to work?

They are going to have a good year!

I love digital!

I had this roll of film in my old camera since 2005 and found a roll of film in my mother's desk. I thought it would be fun to see what pictures these were so I had them developed at Wal-Mart. Man....I realized how much I LOVE digital. This cost me about $15 and half the pictures were crap! Oh well...this is the last of my film days!!

ps. this is my last post for today! sure wish I could post something everyday but it is either feast or famine with me! I thought since I had some free time today I better get caught up because this month will be crazy with school, seminary and preschool starting! I hope we can get into our groove by Labor Day so the rest of the year will go smoother! It is always hard to start a new schedule!

Our log books

In preparation for our excursion(see post below) we created our logbooks to record our stamps in along with any notes about finding the letterboxes. I just cut colored paper into 4ths and bound the books with ribbon.
Then we gathered our stamp pads, our initials for our "stamp" and headed out.

Here is a picture of the 3 stamps we located today. I put the name of each letterbox clue beside the stamp and Nate wrote the date for me.

I cute paper into 4ths and then bound them with ribbon. We each decorated the fronts of our books.

Letterboxing

Every since I read an article in Family Fun magazine about letterboxing(letterboxing.org) I have thought it was cool but didn't think we had anything like that in our area. Then my email friend Kaye told me they did it on a camping trip. She directed me to the correct websites (see also atlasquest.com) where you can search your city and it will show all the letterboxes that are hidden near you! I was so excited to see some at Callaway Gardens and even in nearby towns!

Here is a brief explanation of what we did:

Letterboxing is an intriguing pastime combining artistic ability with "treasure-hunts" in parks, forests, and cities around the world. Participants seek out hidden letterboxes by cracking codes and following clues. The prize: a miniature piece of art known as a rubber stamp—usually a unique, hand-carved creation.
Letterboxers stamp their discoveries in a personal journal, then use their own rubber stamp, called a signature stamp, by stamping it into the logbook found with the letterbox, perhaps writing a note about the weather or their adventures in finding the letterbox.

Here is also a great "getting started" article.

So this morning when I found out none of my daycare children were coming I got out the scrapbook supplies to make our own logbooks. i just cut paper into 4s then bound them together with ribbon. (I will have to take a picture of them and post it later....) We decided our trail name would be "MkNSV"-Fia's creation using our initials, and used some letter stamps I had for stamping the letterboxing log books. After seeing some of the other stamps people have used and made we are going to come up with a better one for next time!

I had already printed off some clues for letterboxes located in Callaway Gardens and one in Troup County so we grabbed our books, stamps, ink pads, some snacks and headed out!

This is the trail to the first clue....such cute kids!!

Fia is pointing to the bridge from the clue

This clue was titled "Moonlight Through the Pines"....it read:

You'll begin your search at the Pioneer Log Cabin near the Butterfly Center. After touring the Troup County cabin (circa 1830) find the Wildflower Trail on the NW side. You'll travel along it for a short while, then bear right at the fork and cross a bridge. Eventually the trail will hairpin and turn downhill. Beside the little brook you'll come to 3 large Hollis Quartzite sitting-stones. Have a seat on the northenmost stone. Reach behind and under the back corner closest to the hairpin AFTER FIRST CHEKING IN EVERY DIRECTION to make sure no one is in sight!

It took us a while to locate the box because I was a little leary of sticking my hand under a rock that might have been some animal's home! So we got some sticks and started poking around under and around the rock (these were all suggestions/warnings I found on the "getting started" article). After poking around for a few minutes we hit something that wasn't pinestraw or dirt. It was so exciting to find our first letterbox! From the sites I researched the "planter"(the person who comes up with the clue and puts out the letterbox) will have hand-carve the stamp that goes along with the clue/title. This stamp was a pinecone. It looked like it was carved from an eraser. Next time I will take pictures of the stamps!

Here I am after finding the box! VERY excited:)

Fia is added our stamp to the logbook

Nate is adding the pinecone stamp to his book.

After stamping we carefully put everything back in the container-making sure it was sealed to keep out the elements--and then hid it back under the rock for the next treasure hunter! Now off to the find the next letterbox!

Fia spotted this treasure hunter as well....we tried to tell him where the letterbox was located but he wasn't interested!

We tried locating this letterbox but had no luck. You can email the "planter" about their letterbox so that is what I did. I hope he can give us more clues as to where it is located.

Next we drove to the chapel to find this letterbox. I was a little worried we would have a hard time finding this :

Look for a pine tree stump about 10 feet off the trail on your left. There are two large fallen logs behind the stump.
I mean....aren't there hundreds of stumps and fallen logs in the woods??? But as we were walking I looked for a stump off to my left and sure enough tucked behind it we found this!

Sophia suggested we sit on the logs behind it to stamp our books....what a great idea!! She is becoming a great treasure hunter!!

After this clue was found and properly re-hidden we set out for our last hunt of the day. It was located by the Gardens Resturant. Halfway to this one I realized we had forgot the camera but we didn't want to go back to get it. This letterbox behind a bench on a very quiet and peaceful trail. Nice and shady...which was very needed on this hot day!

Everytime we go to Callaway Gardens we pass through downtown Pine Mountain with all their and their antique/speciality shops. I always say, "i want to come back and walk through these stores" but we are usually too tired from a fun day at the Gardens that we put that off for the next trip. Well I decided to do it today with the kids. The shops weren't as cool as I thought but this one was the coolest. "Sage's Soda Fountain". We went inside for ice cream and sat right at the counter. I felt like I was back in the 1950s! The man who served our ice cream said the place was opened in April but it looked like it had been there for 50 years! Full of antiques and even original milkshake machines. It was a fun experience.

Little Piggies

Ever since I got a gift certificate for a pedicure I have been hooked! You sit in this massage chair, soak your feet in warm smelly(not stinky...but a good smelly) water with jets, and then get your feet scrubbed, cleaned, rubbed, etc. Then they rub your legs (from the knee-down) and feet,. Finally they paint your toenails. Ahhhhhh.....so relaxing!

Sophia has wanted to do this for a Mommy-daughter date also and finally our chance came on Thursday afternoon! When i told Sophia what we were going to do she couldn't stop saying, "Finally!" and "I can't believe we are really going to get our nails done!" all with that cute grin she has! We weren't totally alone because Nate was with us....but he didn't pay any attention to us since he was playing his gameboy....which is why it worked out! There are sometimes when those electronic devices are priceless:)

I sure wish I had a camera with me to get Sophia's reaction as the lady was rubbing her feet. It was so cute. I hope we can do this again Fia!

ps. that is Cricket's nose on the leftside of my foot...in case you were wondering:)

ATL

Last Friday Jessica planned this cool trip to ATL complete with riding the MARTA. That is something I have always wanted to do but never made the time. Jessica found a free parking area at the College Park station. We bought our passes and went down the stairs to wait for the train....or is it a subway? It was cool whatever it was!

I felt like a tourist and we probably looked pretty silly to the regulars on the trains! Plus to add to our awkward-ness I packed our lunches because I thought we would just be having a picnic....what i didn't realize was our picnic wasn't going to be by the car but somewhere in downtown Atlanta! So here we were lugging around a small cooler! At least I had extra helpers since Luke(12, nephew) and Kayla(10, niece) were here visiting from Tennessee. We all took turns with the cooler:)
Nate didn't like sitting down...but you had to or you would be thrown forward when the train started to move!

Kayla and Sophia would fight over the window seat!

Looks like it was Fia's turn!

After getting off at our stop we went up these LONG escalators which is always fun. It was so nice to just follow the crowd too. I didn't have to think the whole time:) I did try to make a mental note of everything so we could do this again with Richard!

This is the "moon sand" box inside the Children's Museum. This was a bit hit with children of all ages!!

We went to Centennial Olympic Park first to play in the fountains after the 12:30 show(they have a water show where the foundtains shoot up to music) but they weren't turning them on until 330pm(which was sad because there were at least 4 school/daycare groups there waiting in their swimsuits to play!!) So we thought we would go play at the park on the other side but it was closed also due to the Black Arts Festival being set up for that evening! So then we decided to visit the Children's Museum. This, the Coke Factory and the Georgia Aquarium are all next to each other. We have been to the Aquarium but never the other 2 so it was nice to actually go inside! Plus it was had A/C!
The museum was geared towards younger children but everyone had a blast. They had these balls that you could roll up and down ramps, through tunnels, etc. that you controlled with pulleys and shovels. Nate and Luke really enjoyed those and I thought I got a picture of them playing....but I didn't:)

They also had a very talented musician, storyteller, juggler guy. He asked Nolan to come up and help him sing. When the man asked what his name was, Nolan said "peter man". :) I laughed so hard!

Kayla trying out the stilts!

After we played in the Children's Museum we headed back to Centennial Olympic Park for the 3:30pm show. I had forgotten the girl's swimsuits so I went to the souvenir shop and got these T-shirts 3/$10 for them to wear in the water. Then they changed into their dry shirts for the ride home. I do believe thier shorts dried out pretty quickly since it was so HOT!

Nate couldn't decide if he wanted to get wet. Lately we have been having afternoon thunderstorms....and sure enough one blew in right as we were just starting

to enjoy the fountains!

But even with the rain it was a fab-O day!!