When Pre-K Drop Off Goes Wrong

Today was Isabelle’s first day of Pre-K. Last year on her first day of preschool, I had Tim stay home with the boys so I could drop her off just one on one in case there were any issues. When I dropped her off then she barely even waved good bye to me and had no problems whatsoever. She LOVED preschool all year so I figured her first day this year would go off without a hitch. Ummm…not so much.

The morning started out great and she was excited to go. She was dressed and with her back pack on a full half hour before we would even have to think about leaving. Since she was eager to go I decided we would head out and run a few quick errands on our way. So we all happily headed out the door as Isabelle held it open for us. She then turned and shut the screen door but didn’t realize Daniel was still standing in front of it. The door caused him to catapult down the flight of deck stairs and land face first on the pavement. The fall was BAD but luckily there were no major injuries. Conveniently since we were early we had enough time to go in and clean up the blood before trying take two of leaving the house! We were then able to take some pictures and successfully arrive at school on time. 

So excited to get to bring her lunch this year!

Hanging up her backpack in her cubby

Things were great. Things were perfect – and then they weren’t. When it was time for me to leave Isabelle started crying…and crying…and crying. She’s been a bit off for the last month or so with saying good byes or even good nights so I shouldn’t have been as surprised as I was. It was the same school, same kids, and same familiar teachers so I thought she would be fine. As it was time for me to make my exit she was crying and yelling “One more kiss and hug!!!” as the teacher had to hold her back. I would have felt worse about it except I was distracted by Daniel who decided that he did not want to leave. Since I had to leave quickly I picked him up which caused him to go into full blown toddler meltdown mode. You know the kind involving kicking, screaming, and full on arm flailing? I thought once I got him in the hallway he would settle down. He didn’t. I thought when I got him in the stairwell he would settle down. He didn’t. I thought when I got him outside he would settle down. He didn’t. I thought when I got him in the car he would settle down. He didn't. Ugh.

Luckily, we are very familiar with the school and the people there so they know we are generally not “that family.” But today indeed we were. We were “that family” with a preschooler hysterically trying to fight off a teacher to get to her mother while her bloody faced brother screamed loud enough for everyone in the entire building to hear. On the plus side, there’s no place to go but up for Henry’s first day of school tomorrow! Right?!

Mommy Bear Media $100 Gift Certificate Giveaway

Welcome to the $100 Mommy Bear Media Gift Certificate Giveaway!

Hosted by Giveaway Promote.

Sponsored by Mommy Bear Media.

Mommy Bear Media offers fast, free shipping on top-rated, family-friendly DVDs.   Mommy Bear Media carefully examines all movies and TV shows and chooses to only sell the best family-friendly movies. They have a fantastic selection of DVDs and Blu-Rays including The Lorax, Tangled, The Hunger Games, Twilight and many more.   If you're a blogger, you'll want to check out the new blogger program Mommy Bear Media has just unveiled. As a Mommy Bear Media Premier Blogger, you'll be able to earn a commission for clicks and sales, be entered into their weekly giveaway pool plus more.

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Enter to win a $100 Mommy Bear Media Gift Certificate.

Open in the United States.

Ends at 11:59pm EST on September 23rd, 2012.

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Have You Cleaned Your Rings Lately?

The local jewelry shop, Cindi’s, in my town was offering free ring cleanings today. I try never to miss the opportunity to do free things so sure enough the kids and I were there when they opened today. I’m sure there’s nothing they wanted more than to have their first customer of the day have a 4, 3, and 2 year old in tow with them! Luckily, the lovely ladies who work there are great sports about it which I knew since we had previously bought Tim a Father’s Day watch there. So the kids devoured the complimentary muffins and left sticky finger prints all over the display cases while I looked longingly at all the pretty jewelry.

My rings hadn’t been cleaned since we bought them six years ago because who has time for that?  I actually ended up leaving them there for a few hours so they could get a good soaking and scrubbing. I made the poor girls really earn their money today! I got them back this afternoon and boy do they SPARKLE! I had never given much thought to how dirty they were since they looked fine enough and are just an everyday staple here. Well let me tell you, a professional cleaning makes a HUGE difference. I’m loving it and my service announcement to you today is to go get your rings cleaned. Once you do, come back here and thank me. Trust me, you’re going to want to.

Note: If you take a close up picture while wearing the rings your fingers will look like sausages.

Find Edible Arrangements 'Summer Strawberry' - Final Week!

Last week 'Summer Strawberry' was hanging out in Nashua, NH. Where will he be this week?

Clues:

Wednesday, September 5 from 4 P.M.- 6 P.M.

- The last appearance of ‘Summer Strawberry’ is in the capital of Massachusetts, the city made famous by a giant tea party and Paul Revere’s warning that, “The British are coming!” during the American Revolutionary War.

- The Edible Arrangements location is easily accessible by public transportation with nearby T stops such as:
Green Line to Government Center, Red Line to Downtown Crossing, Orange Line to State Street, Blue Line to State Street

- Brush up on your history along the way! Edible Arrangements is located down the street from the Old South Meeting House which is part of the esteemed Freedom Trail.

- Continuing with the history theme… ‘Summer Strawberry’ will be at the store located on a street that shares its name with America’s first president, the country’s capital and a state in the North West. 

 Free Fruit and Fun!
Anyone who correctly deciphers the clues and finds ‘Summer Strawberry’ within the designated 2-hour time period will receive free samples of smoothies, dipped fruit or fresh fruit salad when they mention the scavenger hunt. Emailing a picture of ‘Summer Strawberry’ to jkaye@carltonprmarketing.com or commenting on this blog post the address/ store location where you found ‘Summer Strawberry’ will enter you to win the grand prize, a $200 Amazon gift card, or one of four arrangements ! Doing both will get you two entries! Tweeting a picture of ‘Summer Strawberry’ with a caption that includes the hashtag #IFoundFruit and showing it to the cashier will get you an additional entry and a 6-piece box of dipped fruit!  

Live far from the selected store? 

If you correctly decipher the clues but cannot make it to the selected location, you can still enter the contest by commenting the address/ store location of ‘Summer Strawberry’ on this blog post. Better yet, you can visit your local Edible Arrangements during the pre-selected 2-hour time period and mention that you are there because of scavenger hunt and you will receive a 6-piece box of dipped fruit!

Good luck!

A New Pet!

For whatever reason, I felt like I didn't have enough to take care of around the house so I decided we needed a pet. Now I haven't totally lost my mind so our new pet is simply a fish but a fun, new pet all the same. I think I partially got him to fill the void of us not having any more babies so don't be surprised if you see me rocking the bowl to sleep at night.

 

Anyway, so the kids and I headed to the store where Isabelle named the fish and Henry picked out his tankmate. So, (drum roll please), here is the newest addition to the Dollops household...

 

Red Tail and Spiderman!

They've already challenged me to staring contests and they are damn good at it.

 

 

Things to Know Before Bringing Your Family to King Richard’s Faire

The family and I had a fun day today at King Richard’s Faire in Carver, MA.  If you’re a Dollops fan then you know that I am a big planner so when I’m heading out with the kids for the day I need prefer to know every detail about where we are heading. Since the Faire is open weekends through October 21, 2012 I thought I’d share with you top things to know before you head there yourself.

• No outside food or beverages are allowed inside so don't plan on packing a lunch. There is also no readmittance so when you’re gone, you’re gone (period).

• Bring cash, they don’t take credit cards. There is an ATM on site if you forget but you may pay bank surcharges. While you’re at the ATM, make sure to take out enough money for admission as well as food, rides, and games which all have additional charges. There are also lots of shops and items for sale as well ranging from full attire outfits, to jewelry, to skulls. Overall, the Faire is very pricey so you may want to plan ahead what’s most important for you to do/see/buy while you are there to keep your budget in check.

• Bring small bills, too. At the end of all shows, performers will put out baskets and if you enjoyed their performance you may want to tip them.

• If you have children you cannot sit in the first three rows of the Tiger show or your children will be eaten. Okay, I don’t know that they’ll be eaten for sure but it is a real rule and they will ask you to move if you sit there with children.

• Bring sunblock AND bug spray. It’s in the woods and although I didn’t get bit, Henry did come home with a few mosquito bites.

• It is stroller friendly. There are lots of tree roots but we did just fine pushing around our umbrella stroller.

• It’s loud. There are performances going on, musicians playing, and people shouting everywhere you turn. It’s part of the atmosphere of the Faire but can be a bit startling to young kids upon first arrival. You might just want to give the kids a heads up before you enter the Realm!

• Oh and last but not least, the gargoyle by the entrance is not a stature. He’s real…

*My family received complimentary tickets to the Faire. As always, all opinions are my own.*