Sunday Snapshot - School Supplies

Nerd though I may be, but I LOVE school supplies.  I love shopping for them just as much!  Yesterday the day came to head out and gather the items on both boys' lists and I was seriously beside myself with excitement.  I know, I may have a bit of a problem/addiction here but hey, it could be worse.  How can you not love brand-new crayons?  Fresh, unsharpened pencils?  A full bottle of glue?  Everything is unused and new, just ready for the fun and excitement of the new school year!  Oh, so my inner nerd/teacher is showing but again, I'm okay with that.  This was a big year for us though as we entered into uncharted waters.  With Braeden entering Kindergarten we now have one kid in the "grade-level" school and one kid in the Early Childhood program.  The lists shared similar items, you know the usual staples, but were still very different.  

Probably the biggest difference is the fact that Braeden will be wearing uniforms this year so we had to purchase those.  Gone are the days where he had full reign of his closet every day when decided what to wear.  The choice is now whittled down to khaki or navy shorts paired with a white, red, navy, or green polo shirt.  Braeden has always been difficult to dress because he goes through, as I'm sure many kids do, phases.  There was the time he would only wear sleeveless shirts, now we won't touch them.  Then there was the time you couldn't force him into jeans without a meltdown, he loves jeans now.  Currently we are smack in the middle of an athletic shorts phase.  However, he seems super excited about wearing uniforms, as odd as that is, so we could be in for an easy transition.  

Otherwise it was a fun, for me at least, day out shopping.  Target, Academy, and JC Penney all played a valuable role in the day's festivities.  Probably the best part was the fact that my wonderful and financially gifted wife did an awesome job planning and budgeting.  We paid cash for everything and got great deals, spending a ridiculously low amount of money for the multiple bags of goodies!  Dave would be so proud.

So, everything is now packaged, organized, labeled, and ready.  Now I just have to impatiently wait the 2 1/2 weeks until school starts!  

All is well, fully supplied and picture perfect, in Drosche Land.

 Goodies!

 We gave in and let the boys get new lunch kits.  Of course they both picked the same one!

 It's not a complete school supply list without crayons and markers!

 A variety of glue products!

 Fun, miscellaneous supplies and of course fresh pencils!

 Organization and storage options!

 Standard items with multiple classroom uses!

 A new addition to Drosche Land school supply lists!

 A label maker!  No, this wasn't a school supply but is crucial for labeling supplies.  I LOVE this and have one in my classroom also!  One of the best inventions ever, I highly recommend you get one, now!  You'll wonder what you did before it!

 All ready to go!  XL Ziploc bags make an awesome way to bring everything in.  I can't take full credit, it was on the lists.  But I will be adding it to my 1st Grade list next year (sadly I forgot to do it for this year!)

   

The Beginning of the End

Of summer that is.  See, today was the boys' last day at home for the summer.  When you're a teacher's kid, or at least our kids, you return to school at the beginning of August when the teachers report back.  Yes, in a way this gyps them out of 2 weeks of summer vacation, but it is what it is.  Overall it was an easy-going day for us.  The boys woke up, as usual, at the crack of dawn.  They played and watched TV for a bit and I (finally) finished the deck.  I know, I blogged about it long ago, and technically it was finished.  Today I just put the finishing touches on in the forms of borders around the edge to give it a good look and keep critters (i.e. bunnies) out from under it.  Then I took the boys to the neighborhood pool, had lunch, and they took a great nap.  After that it was snack time (cake because it was after all the last day of their summer and I'm a push-over).  Then more playtime and our day wound down.  Nothing spectacular but relaxing nonetheless.

Although I do have the usual (for me that is) guilt over not having done more this summer.  We could have made playdough, gone to the Zoo, swam more, done more home improvement projects, had fun craft projects, etc.  I do this at the end of every summer.  The only saving grace for me this year was the fact that this was the "Summer of Vacations" here in Drosche Land.  A week-long trip to Arkansas, the beach at Quintana, and then a weekend at a Galveston beach house.  Easily the most vacationing we've ever done in a summer.  This did make for a fun and memorable time, not to mention the fact that it provided us with a couple of hundred pictures!

Do you go through this end of the summer blues?  Yes, I know there is the usual "wish it could be longer" but I'm talking about the self-inflicting of guilt for the things left undone.  Maybe it's just me, I do it at the end of the school year with my students too.  There is always room for some coulda, woulda, shoulda.

Tomorrow they go to school, per their request, for "Pajama & Movie Day".  They are stoked!  That means tomorrow will be my last day alone for the summer.  What are my plans?  I'm not sure.  Part of me says I should lay around and watch TV (I'm almost done with the 2nd season of Brothers & Sisters on Netflix), relishing in the bliss of nothingness.  But then again part of me says I have to do something productive.  We'll see which wins out!  I have a feeling laziness and a bit of guilt will be the dominant forces tomorrow!

All is well, nearing the end, in Drosche Land. 

Stuffed

No, I didn't eat too much.  Although I do need to get a bit more in control so I can get rid of the vacation pounds in time for the new school year, but that's a topic for another post.

No, I'm talking about something that everyone, at least I think everyone, has.  A dirty little secret in their house.  Their junk drawer.  Come on, you know you have one somewhere.  A place where stuff seems to land, get crammed, temporarily stored, or otherwise accumulates.  Ours in in our kitchen, the hub of our house.  So much goes on there it's easy to understand how it can quickly get filled.  Having a junk drawer, in my opinion, is alright.  It's just that when it gets difficult to close, or requires extensive force or maneuvering to open, it is high time it gets an overhaul.  Well the time came this morning for the Drosche Land junk drawer to be cleaned.  I knew it would be an undertaking, but 45 minutes?  Seriously.  Before you judge me to much (don't, again you know you have one somewhere) or get self-conscious about your drawer, I will continue this post with pictures.  Enjoy!

 Said drawer, innocent looking enough on the outside.  But on the inside . . .

A chaotic nightmare, desperately in need of an extreme makeover!

 

 Purged of its treasures.

 The contents, carefully organized and grouped.

 Seriously, how did all of this fit in there?

 A couple of coupon/receipt organizers.

 An accoutrement of home improvement supplies.

 Sticky, dirty hands?  We've got you covered.

 A kitchen essential, these get a pass!

Random assortment of gift cards!

 You never know when you'll need to write a note, or many notes.

 Coupons, because that's how my awesome wife rolls!

Kids' stuff, most of it probably confiscated contraband.

 

 Many extra key rings.

 If you're in the market for a great neutral paint color we can help.

 A collection of office supplies.

 Numerous crayons.

This is probably one of the most random things, used to trim dogs' toe nails.  It's a hassle and we've maybe used it twice, but it seems to be a staple in the Drosche Land junk drawer, always winding up in one wherever we live!

 

 Scentsy - of course!

Need hot sauce?  I just can't remember the last time we ate at Taco Bell?

 

 

Because you never know when you'll need a quick tutorial on how to use a tile cutter or electric griddle!

 

 Of course there was a pile for things that didn't fit anywhere else!

 This is my favorite thing that I found in the junk drawer.  I have no clue what it is, so of course I kept it!

Ahhhhh, cleaned out totally.  I may have gone a bit overboard in cleaning it out, but that's to leave room for the many things that will soon begin to reside here!

So, 45 minutes later I had a cleaned out and well-organized junk drawer.  Of course I had to leave a few random objects in there with the essentials (like the mystery object).  But that's what makes a junk drawer fun and unique - the little weird odds and ends you find in there.  Honestly most of what I found got thrown away.  The rest (finally) got returned to where it belongs.  Of course it will fill up again, who knows how long it will take?  But that is the nature of junk drawers everywhere right?

All is well, with a not so "junky" junk drawer anymore, in Drosche Land.

Sunday Snapshot - Superhero

You may not know this, but we have our very own superhero here in Drosche Land.  Sometimes he is the (somewhat) mild-mannered son of ours.  However, lately it is more often we have been seeing his superhero side.  Oh the difference a costumer and cell phone can make in the right hands!

What am I talking about?  Jack.  He has always had such a great and active imagination and it is only developing and getting better.  See, at the beginning of this summer I did a major overhaul in the boys' room.  I cleaned out the closet and got rid of several bags of trash and donations.  Away were the "baby" toys and things they haven't touched or been able to find in ages.  Consolidation.  Scaling down.  Well, in the process I came across some old Halloween costumes, not many granted since they are so young.  There was Batman, Wolverine, and the now infamous Spider-Man.  I pulled these out and thought that the boys might like them to play with, dress up in, you know the drill.  Little did I know how Jack would take to the Spider-Man costume.  Add in an old cell phone of ours that the boys play with and we have Spider-Jack (that's what I've taken to calling him).  

He has become a total costumer junkie now!  He wears it all day long, to sleep in, to the grocery store, etc.  When I can finally pry it away from him for a much-needed washing, he asks me every 5 minutes if it's ready!  As for the cell phone, it is never too far away for Spider-Jack.  He uses it to call in other superheroes (that he calls the super brothers (Batman, Wolverine, Superman, etc.)).  At night he puts it on the window sill to "charge".  

The best thing about all of this - he is always totally serious!  He is a handful for sure.  Full of imagination, full of life, full of love, full of laughs.  He's our Jack!

All is well, picture perfect, in Drosche Land.

 A superhero's essentials!

 When he saw I was taking a picture of them he insisted on taking one with them!

 Spider-Jack!

Well-Read

Well, today was a momentous occasion here in Drosche Land.  Although, no matter how great it was, it signifies growth and change.  These 2 things are often difficult for me to deal with.  However, the awesomeness of today's victory trumps any (well most) of the sadness over the aforementioned growth and change.  See, today Braeden read a book all by himself for the first time!  Now we have known of his ability for a while.  He has spelled and read words often before, but today was the first time that he actually read an entire book, solo.

Now, admittedly it wasn't War and Peace or anything of that nature; rather it was a phonetic beginning reader, you know the kind.  The title of the story was "Mac" so you can correctly surmise that the sound being targeted was the short a sound.  Amy and Jack were off on one of their grocery shopping trips, leaving Braeden and I to ourselves for a while.  I had brought home some of these little books from school, with the specific thought of getting Braeden started reading before he begins Kindergarten.  Like I mentioned before, we have been able to tell for some time that he is more than ready to start reading.  So, with all other distractions gone I decided to start.  He knows all of his letters and their sounds, so this was the perfect book to begin with.  I read it with him once as he sounded out the words, then I let him read it again.  By this time he had pretty much mastered it so I grabbed the iPad and recorded him!  The reasoning was three-fold.  One I wanted to capture this great event for him to have always, two I wanted him to be able to see himself successfully reading so he could be proud of himself, and three I wanted to share it with everyone via this blog and Facebook!  After watching himself he was extremely proud and wanted to continue to read other books!  So we did tackle another, "Dot and Mit".  No recording this time, but another success!

So, both the parent and the teacher in me are beaming with pride in my boy!  Yes it is rubbing in my face the fact that he (and Jack alike) are growing up far too fast which means that I am getting older.  But my pride overshadows this for the moment and I relish Braeden's new found skills, enthusiasm, and love of reading/learning.  In just a few short weeks he will begin Kindergarten and these things will continue to grow and develop.  He is all too happy to start school again and keeps reminding me that he will just be next door to me!  I can't even begin to think about having him in my class and luckily I don't even have to give that idea any thought for a very long time.  For now we will just live in the moment and its little, or big, victories!

All is well, and now literate, in Drosche Land.

The famous book!

 The video! 

Sit. Stay.

Our latest adventure began this afternoon when we opened our house to dog-sit Amy's Mom's dogs for the weekend.  She and Adam will be traveling to Nebraska so Adam can visit the University of Nebraska, one of the choices he is pondering.  It's only fair seeing as how Adam watched Lucy and Rex for a week when we went to Arkansas and Austin and then again for a weekend when we went to Galveston.  We owed them one.  So, for the next few days the number of pets here in Drosche Land will equal the number of humans.  

Basically we are running the house on a time share program.  Our dogs will stay out and about for part of the day while their dogs stay in their kennels, behind closed doors.  The canine inhabitants of Drosche Land will then switch roles so everyone gets equal rest alone time and roam free time.  

In the short while they have been here, although all has gone well, it has become quite clear to me that we are only a 2-dog household.  Don't get me wrong, I love dogs and pets but, barring the purchase of a ranch or other property with lots of acreage we have reached our animal capacity.  We just don't have the room.  Who does?  Martha Stewart maybe, she'd got a little army of Chows right?  But then again she has the acreage, not to mention a bazillion dollars.

Our temporary residents should make for an interesting few days.  The poor visitors are not used to the noise and commotion that 2 small kids can make.  They are normally put up or outside when all the cousins get together at Mema's house.  But I'm sure they, and we, will all survive.  Although I have to admit I'm not looking forward to cleaning up the backyard (if you know what I mean) or busting out my handy Swiffer more often to accommodate the additional mess!  Scoop and sweep!  Sweep and scoop!

All is well, going to the dogs, here in Drosche Land.

Makeover

Ok, so by simply coming to the blog to read this post you can tell something is different.  Well, that is if you are a regular visitor to Drosche Land.  If this is your first time here with us, welcome, but nothing will seem different to you, but continue reading and enjoy.

See, I have been thinking about a makeover for the blog for a while.  When I first created this blog the templates offered by Blogger were few, and the few were not for me.  So I ventured out in search of something better.  Something that screamed "DROSCHE LAND!".  After a lot of looking I found it and loved it.  But over time I wanted something different, something new.  Change is good right?  Even though I am Lutheran and therefore naturally anti-change and personally I avoid change at all costs, I still wanted something new.  But I never did want to sit down and begin the exhaustive search for something new, nor do I have the money to shell out to have a design created (although I have thought about it).  So I put the makeover on the back burner, if it ain't broke . . .  Then Amy started her blog and I looked over her shoulder (in a totally non-creepy way) as she created it.  I had not realized Blogger had revamped their template designer.  There are now far more choices and ways to personalize your blog.  No, this isn't an advertisement for it, but you should check it out if you haven't done so already.

So, last night, with Amy gone and the kids asleep I began to play.  After a couple of hours of exploring, trial and error, and creating I came up with the design you are now viewing.  So, what do you think?  The background picture is one I took this summer on one of our vacations to the beach and I love it.  I tried to keep the color scheme beachy and calming.  Not totally in line with our crazy lives and adventures, but nice nonetheless.  I couldn't decide if I liked it though.  But the hours grew late and I grew tired.  I decided to sleep on it and live with it a bit.  I'm not totally sold, but not sure why.  Maybe I'm being too skeptic.  Maybe my inner Lutheran is showing.  Regardless, I'm not all 100% about it, yet.  

I think I will continue to live with it and see how/if it begins to grow on me.  The good thing is that it is super easy to change if I decide to do so, I'm just extremely nit-picky and anal.  The bad news is that it's easy to change if I decide to do so.  I don't want it to be ever-changing but I am (along with Amy) one of those people who is constantly rearranging furniture and whatnot around the house, trying out a new look.  

So, what do you think?  Good?  Bad?  Ugly?  I'll keep you posted (ha, get it!) on my thoughts.  

All is well, face-lifted?, in Drosche Land.

Just Us Boys

Hamburger Helper.  Scary movies.  No estrogen.

What do these three things have in common?  Well, simple, they all play a large part in the next 2 days here in Drosche Land.  See, Amy is out of town at an administrator's retreat so we are on our own for a while.  

Hamburger Helper.  Who doesn't love this simple, one box meal?  College students, bachelors, and dads agree - it's a winner.  Not only is it good, but it's just at my culinary skill level!  The only thing easier to eat are leftovers, which also happen to be on the menu during these next few mommy-less days!  If I had my choice, or was single, I'd probably be content to live off of a diet of Hamburger Helper and Ramen Noodles (we didn't have any or we'd be eating that tonight!).  I do love me some Ramen Noodles, also a favorite of college inhabitants and those with limited cooking abilities.

Scary movies.  Me, not the kids.  See, Amy doesn't like or even tolerate scary movies of any sort.  I, on the other hand, love them.  I am currently browsing Netflix's instant gallery for something to watch tonight after it gets dark and the boys are asleep.  But I am having conflicting interests as I have discovered Brothers & Sisters and am in love, currently in the middle of the first season.  We will see what tonight and tomorrow hold for my viewing pleasure!  Currently we are watching the kid-friendly movie The Retrievers.  The boys chose it.  A cutesy movie that involves, you guessed it, dogs (obviously Golden Retrievers).  I'm not going to highly, or in any way, recommend it but the boys are enjoying it so that's good!

No estrogen.  Sure it might seem like a good idea.  Sure we might have fun watching scary movies and eating yummy boxed meals, but in the long run we would never survive without Amy.  Lucky for us she will only be gone until Wednesday so we won't have to suffer too long.  Although the movies and Hamburger Helper will make it easier to deal!  :)

All is well, and full of testosterone, in Drosche Land.

Sunday Snapshot - Shameless

What do Garth Brooks and I have in common?  We're both shameless.  For Garth it was the title of a hit song off his 1991 #1 album Ropin' the Wind.  Well, that and his illicit, marriage-ending affair with fellow country star and home-wrecker Trisha Yearwood.  That was pretty shameless too.  For me it's slightly, well totally, different.  I'm referring to the shameless plug I'm about to give.  I've done it before.  Amy's Scentsy business, Apple and all of their awesome products, and my love of S.O.S. Soap Pads.  So it's nothing new and nothing I'm too ashamed of.  This time though, said shameless plug revolves around Amy again.  See, I've mentioned before how much she loves to cook and how good she is at it.  Well, now with more time on our hands, thanks to older kids and the ending of our M.Ed. courses, she is getting back into her field of expertise.  She is also expanding it, digitally.  See, Amy has decided to begin her own blog!  She will be writing about her love of food and cooking.  Judging by her first post, here, I think she is off to a great start!  Then again I am slightly partial!

So, shameless or not I am proud of Amy and everything she excels at.  I know this new adventure of hers will be yet another great thing for her.  Plus, I'd like to think that I influenced her somewhat, maybe not a blogging mentor per se, but pretty close!  :)  So, I won't be plugging her much, she can stand on her own just fine.  But her inaugural day into the blogosphere deserved a dedicated post here in Drosche Land.  So, visit us both and join in all our adventures, edible or not!

All is well, picture perfect, in Drosche Land 

 A screen capture of Amy's new blog!  It is after all a Sunday Snapshot post!  :)

Mastermind

So, you know the phrase - "Jack of all trades, master of none."  Well, I wouldn't say I'm a jack of all trades, maybe multiple trades.  But I can say that I am now Master of at least one, and I have the paper to prove it!  See, I just got my M.Ed. diploma in the mail!  Hold your applause please, you're much too kind.  Yes, I've been done for about 2 months, but now it's official, in writing.  Turns out they won't give you your paper until all fees have been paid, go figure.  Master or not, I was forgetful for a while regarding the fees.  But it is all taken care of now.  I am free.  Free to not worry about homework ever again!  Free to watch what I want, when I want on TV!  Free to read recreationally!  Believe me, I have been enjoying the freedom and I have no further plans to pursue higher education for the rest of my life.  Amy says I will give in and get another degree later in life, but we shall see about that.  

The best part is the fact that Amy is almost finished with her M.Ed. degree!  Then we can celebrate our freedom together and likewise will have more free time to spend together!    Ahhh, life is good and getting better.  I now need to get a good document frame for my new degree, and one for my original degree since I never have.  Harry Wong, education guru, says that teachers should display their degrees proudly in their classrooms, as a lawyer or doctor would display theirs in their places of business.  Who knows, maybe I will!  I do like the idea.  However, after my experience of personal and professional loss in New Orleans, I am hesitant to take something so valuable to school.  Amy is most likely against this for the same reason.  

Hopefully in a month or so I will be posting about another certain, much more beautiful, Mastermind!  I am so proud of her (I'm talking about you Amy!)!  It wasn't an easy road, long and tiresome instead.  But I made it, and Amy is terribly close to making it with me!  Lastly, I was only 6 months over my goal.  I always said I wanted a M.Ed. by the time I was 30.  So it technically wasn't before I was 30, but it was still accomplished during my 30th year.  Goals are good, making them is even better!  Oh, and in case you were wondering (and I know you were) you don't have to call me Master, but if you do, I'll answer!

All is well, masterful in fact, in Drosche Land.

  Isn't she beautiful!

RE-Connected!

I've been meaning to write this post for a week or so but just haven't.  I'm not sure what is going on, it's summer so I have nothing but time on my hands.  However, the blog isn't seeing as much action lately.  Writer's block?  Blogger's block?  Lack of topics?  I'm not sure.  Hopefully this will get me back on the blogging horse and resume my regular postings.

So, you may remember my post, here, where I mentioned that our beloved TiVo box had suddenly stopped working.  Well, after reading said post by lovely wife decided to put in her 2 techno-savvy cents.  Lo and behold, our digital converter had suffered an untimely death.  Well, now we had a decision to make.  The TiVo box, beloved as it ma have been, was antiquated technology.  All of our TVs are HD and digital but our little TiVo box was still of the analog generation.  It seemed silly to purchase another converter for a piece of equipment that was already quite outdated.  So a new converter was off the table.  But then what?  You know we have long since given up cable at the advice of Dave Ramsey as we pursue financial freedom and continue to push our debt snowball downhill.  Recommitting to that outrageous monthly cost wasn't really an option either.  A new TiVo box?  Talk about expensive.  Any other DVR?  Same case.  

With our options dwindling we (mainly Amy) began to research.  Apple TV?  We'd heard of it and you know we (I) are huge Apple fans (the new iPhone comes out in September!!!)!  The more we read about it, the more we were convinced that this was the option for us.  Inexpensive, no monthly cost, an Apple product, untapped future potential.  Ding!  We had a winner.  We headed straight out to the Apple store and got one!

I'll pause here to talk a bit about Apple TV if you are not familiar with it, I already had to school my mom on it (sorry mom!).  It basically connects to our wireless network and allows us access to Netflix, iTunes, and all of the content already on our computers and iPad.  There's more to it but that is a good brief rundown. You can read more about it and all it's glory here.  No, it doesn't have a DVR feature, although who knows about a later inclusion of that feature?  But that was one thing we were willing to sacrifice.  Since Amy is a few weeks out of finishing her M.Ed. (yea Amy!) we will have far more time on our hands.  Plus with Amy's better schedule we will also get home at a more decent hour, also giving us more time.  So this means we may be able to watch more live TV without the need for recording.  If we do miss something we can rent/purchase via iTunes.  All still being less than cable or TiVo service!  Voila - our solution!  

Once we got our Apple TV home we set it up.  True to Apple fashion we were able to do so immediately within a few minutes!  However, here is where we ran into our first roadblock.  We decided to rent our first movie in iTunes, Transformers.  The estimated time was several hours!  WHAT?!?!  Turns out our Internet connection was ridiculously slow.  We figured this since we hadn't upgraded in a while, but we didn't realize it was the same connection cavemen used a millennia ago!  Once again my wonderful wife stepped in and upped our connection.  This solved our problems for the most part, although I will be awaiting an AT&T technician between the hours of 8-12 tomorrow because our service has, for seemingly forever, been intermittent and randomly stops and starts with no rhyme or reason (can you tell we are frustrated with this issue?).  Hopefully said technician will bring me a new router box or something and solve our problems once and for all!  But I digress.

Apple TV is awesome!  I am totally in love with it and am extremely pleased!  As for our dear pal TiVo, we just finished the Grey's Anatomy episodes we had stored on it.  When we clean everything else off (several Glee episodes) we will put it to rest.  So, the moral of this story is Apple TV is awesome.  Oh, that and Amy is a techno-genius!  I was so enamored with our purchase I took pictures!  See below!  :)

All is well, iConnected, in Drosche Land.

 This little box houses a lot of awesomeness!

  iLove!  Small, cute, powerful!  Plus the remote controls every other Apple device!

Sunday Snapshot - Beachy Keen

Well, we are back here in Drosche Land after a weekend getaway with my family to a beach house in Galveston!  The Summer of Multiple Vacations (as I have decided to call it) continued with more sandy fun.  It was great to get together with mu side of the family, something we do far to infrequently.  Hopefully this will be the start to a regular thing that we can do every summer.  The kids all had a blast, as did the adults.  My cousins and I had tons of fun, similar to the times we had when we were little.  Only now we are old older with our own kids.  I can only hope we are able to provide them with the kinds of times we had when we were little.  Judging from the amount of laundry, the tired inhabitants of Drosche Land, and the pictures I just uploaded, I'd say we are off to a great start on that now!  Enjoy!

 Jack loves any game where he can throw something!

 Jack and my cousin Joseph's son Acesa - they are both rough and tumble and sporting injuries!

 My little athlete!

 Goofy poses on the beach!

 The whole family posing!  LOVE this one!