Cousins! Favorite Cousins!

I met up for lunch with my favorite-est cousin in the world, Julie!!

We've done Zombie Burger twice now or was it 3?   It's a little farther for her to drive to it, but she loves it too.

We spent a two hour lunch talking about everything under the sun.

I'm so glad I have this chick in my life!!

This was us last year.

She brings back ALL the wonderful memories!  We were hoping to do this every 6 months but January and life got in the way, so it's been a whole year.  We're going to remedy that!

S'no Wonder

Can you tell it snowed here?  We got a couple three inches and Leon is in heaven.

We got home from the bus yesterday and he wanted to play outside for a bit before coming in.

He carved out a snow platter and I happened to catch him with it.

I used to do that all the time too when I was young.

Apparently he was using them as chalk.

He saw me and grabbed a snowball and headed for the picture window.

Changed his mind for another snow platter.

and pitched it in the air...

I thought he was going to throw it at the glass, but not so.

Whew!

Straight up and then crash back down.

 Then ran back into the yard to build more creations.

It's not packing at all, but with the snow plates and bits, he can use them as blocks.

 It's been cold here!!!  We're hoping it reaches the 30 degree mark soon as I'm already sick of winter.

And Robb doesn't like us to play Christmas music yet...

I've got yogurt in the Instant pot today and made hard boiled eggs just before that.  I've got lunch with my bestie and I'm always promising her that I'll be creative and today I will be.

I've got ALL the fixings for chef salads, which she loves.

lettuce - chopped

green pepper, red pepper - chopped

a bag of bacon bits

a bag of sunflower seeds

shredded cheese

chopped cucumber

chicken bits

chopped luncheon ham

chopped luncheon turkey

chopped up hard boiled eggs

three kinds of dressings and I made some poppyseed dressing too.

I feel like I'm forgetting something...  Maybe I'll grab some Craisins before I leave too. mmmm

 With this weather, I just feel like cooking!!!!

Hip Hop Woman

Busy morning so far!  I've been on my toes all day.  I had to work from town for a while and why not at my favorite hippy, yuppy coffee place with the fireplace and java choco shakes??!  

I felt young and hip.

On my way home, Ryan called and said that I'd forgotten to put Leon's lunch box in his bookbag.  Whoops.  He can't eat shrimp shapes they're serving today or he'll vomit!  So I dashed home, grabbed it and a salad for my lunch and met up with Leon at the school for a bite.  

I found the kids in his class washing their hands but didn't see him right away.  THEN found him working on school work with tears in his eyes.  He had been dragging his feet today...  sigh.  First grade is going to be even tougher on this kid!

At lunch, I found that Leon is the lunch instigator.  He coordinated all the kids sitting around us to tell spooky stories while eating.  Cats scared people and there was a spooky dog.  Those were the main gists of the stories.  No real meat...  or beginning, ends or even a plot.

But it was my turn and why not tell a successful one like my nephew Thomas did when he was 4 and trying to fit in with all the spooky kid stories around a campfire?  

"There was a a a a man!  And an an then, a tiger jumped out of a tree and ET IM!"

Ver.ba.tim.

I told it to these kids and they ate it up.  I didn't stammer around as much though, so that might have been even more effective.

But whatever... I'm the popular, young, hip grandma that can open your bag of pretzels...

Everyone's Grandma

I went to the elementary school yesterday and had lunch with Leon.  He didn't know that I was doing that and was so shocked when he saw me coming down the hall.  

Since they were serving chili, I had packed Leon a lunch in his Spiderman bag and he found seats for us.  He practically laid on the bench beside him to guard it for me while I got my food in line.  But a little girl sat next to him, pushing him over.  He got off the bench looking like he was going to cry.  I called over, Just find another spot!  OH!!!  he did.

I think I paid 3 times what the kids pay for lunch and got the same quantity.  I am probably 3 times (maybe more) as big as any of those kids...  In the past when I attended lunches with my kids, they'd heap on more since I was an adult.  But nope.  Half cup chili...  darn.  

No one got more hugs yesterday than me when I sat down next to Leon.  He was so happy to have me there and show off his "grandma" to all the kids sitting around us.  "She's NOT my MOM...  She's my GRANDMA!"

And I became "grandma" to them too.  

I can't tell you how many milks I opened, or packages of crackers, or bags of chips, etc for these kids around me.  Oh and a straw or two.  The kid next to Leon started calling me Grandma.  "Grandma, can you open this for me?"

Who are you?!...  But ok.

Maddy's 2nd grade teacher, Mrs R. came over and said, "Mrs H and I were wondering, is this YOUR child or what?"  "It's Ryan's son!"  "REALLY!?  He can't be old enough!  How old are each of your kids?"  

I told her and also mentioned that we're getting old.  She was stunned that we're of grandparent age already and she's getting kids of past students already.  I'm sure we're not the first to come through...

Leon was very helpful in making sure I put the spoon in the right place and dump my tray in the right place.  Some details, he's REALLY good at.  Like shutting me up as soon as we stepped into the line in the hall.  SSSHHH!!!  

But he'd already lost all his cubes for the morning and couldn't afford to lose any more.  A program the teacher uses to keep kids on the right track.    Five strikes and they can't do any of the free time at the end of the day.

I decided to start that same idea this morning in our house with salt/pepper shakers from the wedding.  I've got lots of those!  But only needed 5.  Each time he over dawdles or misbehaves, I take one down.  He lost two before he left the house this morning...

The teacher is in for a treat today! :)

 And the gel beads are still going strong at day 2!

Have an awesome weekend.