Just Beth

The newest addition to the Madland family! (coming Aug.23rd)

Meet Biscuit.  (Full Name:  Teeny Tiny Spot Biscuit Butterball Bogus Madland)

Isn't he cute!  It's a Cavalier King Charles.

We can't wait to have him at home.  Ella and Coleman are thrilled!

 

My Pages Talk -- They really do!

I love it when scrapbook supplies come in handy in the classroom.  Trust me .. I have the supplies to furnish a classroom with enough cardstock and decorative paper for a month (or more). Take a look at this!

At the bottom of the right side of the display there's a white thin box called "Sound."  That's a 30-second recorder from My Pages Talk.   Coleman did a project on the Black-Capped Chickadee this past spring in kindergarten.  I remembered I had one of these recorders in my stash and he recorded the sound the chickadee makes from a website on birds!  Meant for scrapbooking but can be used for so much more.  I took a photo of Coleman's kindergarten class, had the class say something to his teacher, and attached it to a photo/frame ornament for a Christmas present.  

The price is around 15.00 -- can be bought at Archivers or from the company website. 

Here's the great part.  We can record over the chickadee sound for the next project on, say, zoo animals. 

This little recorder will be used a lot during elementary school!  

REALLY?????!!!!!!

Ok .. I have not posted since the end of February?! Really??!!

I have come to the interesting conclusion that I am much busier as a mom now that the kids are in pre-school and kindergarten. Ok .. excuse me. Now that the school year is out I'm even busier. But I'm not kidding. You get up .. get them off to school .. do a few things .. pick Ella up from pre-school .. do a few things .. pick Coleman up from K and then do some minimal weekly after-school activities. Then make dinner .. baths .. do something fun with the kids (optional -- depending on the moods of everyone involved) ... and then reading and bedtime. Repeat 5 days a week. I'm spent. I have no time.

And obviously no time to blog.

But I'm not going to complain. But once I realized that I am busier when I thought I'd get a few breaks during the school year -- it's almost like I can accept it more. Maybe I can plan better. Who knows?

Someone just told me -- the toddler years are lonelier for a mom.
The school years are just busier.

In the past 3 1/2 months here's what's happened.

Coleman turned 6. SIX! Geesh!

Ella turned four!

Will and I have a new niece. Coleman and Ella have a new cousin. Ella feels like one of her babies came to life. She loves this child. At this point we think she looks a lot like Will -- scrunchy forehead!

What Else?
I turned 40.
I got really great gifts and a surprise trip to Vegas with just the hubby!
I went to visit great friends in Minot, ND for a Sex and the City II Party!
I taped Bake Decorate Celebrate in Cleveland.
I volunteered a bunch at Coleman and Ella's school.
I ran a bit, lifted a few weights, didn't lose a pound and still need to figure that out ; )
I've had a great spring.
I drove the kids to Minot for spring break and had a blast.
I've read too many blogs, fell in love with GLEE and enjoyed Breaking Bad.
I haven't scrapbooked a page in months but have used my supplies to make things (last minute) for others.
I have loved my family.
I got my braces off!

Now that we're caught up .. I promise to be more current in this blog/journal/work call "JUST BETH."

REALLY!

Getting ready to tape "Scrapbook Memories"

Greetings from Cleveland, OH (or as my friend Susan says, the land of Cleve)!

I'm here to take "Scrapbook Memories."  I will be blogging about all of the fun behind the scenes for the next few days.  Stay tuned!

 

Silence at the dinner table

What's that?  

Ahhhh. Silence.  At the dinner table with two kids under the age of five? 

For one brief evening last week all was well with the world in Madlandville.

No one complained.

Ella did not shout. 

Coleman didn't whine and pout and mutter "I don't like ... " (fill in the blank.)  

 I didn't roll my eyes and think awful thoughts and how I don't like entitled children and how come I'm raising two entitled little %^&*().  

And Will didn't question why he came home from work (I made that up -- he's much more fun that that.  He does, however, wonder why they are like this at most meals).

We had "bbq chicken on the bone" -- grilled by dad and served by mom.  Heck.  They even ate the green beans from the bag.  Cue the choir -- HALLELUJAH!

Dear Dr. L (my orthodontist) ..

  

When you say things are "looking good and really coming along" like you just did --- what does that mean. In other words, will my braces be ready to come off by PROM or should I be thinking more along the lines of FALL FESTIVALS. 

Because I don't dare ask. (It's like asking an OBGYN if I can be induced early .. but I digress.)

When I do ask I don't get a firm date.  

But you see .. I'm turning 40 at the end of APRIL, and, well, these braces are CRAMPING MY STYLE.

Oh.  Yes!  I know.  I volunteered for this.  I'm just ready.  That's all.

Signed, 

Just Beth

I'm munchy hungry so I think I'll just go to bed!

I've had a great day.  Not a perfect day.  But I connected with people today, got a lot done, ate lunch with Coleman and Ella at school (their school lunch is good!) and had a fun afternoon when they got home.  

So ...

Why do I want "12 cakes and 12 steaks?"  Why do I want baked Lays potato chips and french onion dip? Real French Onion Dip.  Real fat-FULL sour cream.  I never crave chips.  Why do I want to bake cupcakes at 9pm at night?   Yikes.  

So I did what I should do when faced with the late-night munchies.  I brushed my teeth and I'm heading to bed.  I, thankfully, won't eat there :>)

But I want to take note of a great blog I've recently discovered.  Nat the Fat Rat is super funny.  She's a great writer.  I like clever blogs with clever names that are written well.  Written very conversationally. I also like the way she decorates.  It's how I think I would decorate in my mind.  It's not how I decorate in reality.  It's how I would live if there were a movie about my life.  Make sense?  No?  

Good night!

It's February! A new month. It's time to ...

*get some sort of musical instruction going for the kids.  Violin or piano.  Neither will be warmly received.  Gotta do it anyway.

*scrapbook once a week.  I miss it.  And not just order pics from Costco.  I want to scrapbook.  Hands on paper and photos.  Make pages.

*do something new.  What should it be... hummmmm.  Beautifying the blog is on my list but I'm still waiting for my book (Typepad for Dummies) to arrive.  Ok .. this month make coq au vin for the first time.  Next -- get the kids to learn something new/do something new, too.  

*finish this project and blog about it:

and while we're at it I'll finish this too.  AND HANG them UP!

Those are picture frames to hold pics of the kids during their first year of life.  Maybe these will be birthday gifts.  Ahh .. now that's an idea.

*plan fun, yet toned down, birthday celebrations for the kids.  Ok .. I'll start by NOT calling them celebrations.  March is birthday month for Coleman and Ella.

And now a picture of this boy.

My dad read my blog and teased me that I had more pictures of Ella on the blog than Coleman.  It's a family joke.  I was the third and youngest child in my family.  I have VERY FEW pictures of my childhood that doesn't involve another sibling. Not that I'm bitter or anything : )  My dad thought maybe I was trying to have more pictures of my youngest -- Ella -- on purpose.  Not the case.  She's just been a velcro three year old lately and GLUED to my side.  I've been doing a lot with Ella while C is at school.   But here's a parting shot of Coleman holding a trophy from chess class.  He loves chess.  And the very junky snacks he can eat there.

Three bowls of ice cream and 4 scrambled eggs later ...

 All is well with the boo.  The surgery went well.  She's been up since 5am -- and still going strong.  Love the spunk.  However, I did expect her not to want to shout for a couple of days.  Boy was I wrong.  She's a loud one!  

This Girl ...

is about to get a tonsillectomy.   That's happening tomorrow.  She's looking forward to lots of ice cream. 

So is her brother.  

Her pre-school teacher took this picture.  Ella loves these little lawn chairs they have outside her classroom.  During the next few days Ella will be home from school getting a lot of loves and hugs.  Just what the doctor ordered.  Oh, and lots of ice cream.