Locks of love :(

Now that Theo goes to "big boy school" he needed a big boy haircut. His school is very strict about the dress code and hair. Boys have to have tapered haircuts and not hair over their ears or eyebrows. The bowl cut/wedge had to go. I was crushed :( So crushed that I just couldn't take him to a barber like usual to have them buzz his hair off. My hair stylist had her colleague cut his hair and give me some TLC ;)

You can see that there was a lot of golden hair on the floor. You can also see how blunt the wedge cut was (and how thick!!) before it was tapered away. That cornsilk hair is just so beautiful that it was a shame to cut it! It's now very tapered and within the guidelines. He still looks like Theo and that's all that I care about. One day we may go shorter in the front...... but one step at a time for now!

First day traditions

I told the boys if they both stayed on green for behavior (what every child starts on each day) then we'd go get frozen yogurt after school. I pulled up in car line and they both just lit up (I feel like a rockstar sometimes!) and couldn't wait to tell me all about their first day.

Jack absolutely LOVED his teacher (remember, he was nervous that night before school) and said the best part of his day was realizing that his teacher was really nice. She runs a tight ship but uses lots of positive reinforcement and that is right up Jack's alley. He's going to love being in her class this year :)

Theo said the best part of his day was when his teacher gave him cookies. He said there were only 4 girls in his class but "100 boys". More like 11. I did get a call home about his hair though. Boys have to have a tapered hair cut that does not go over the eyebrows or the ears......... so Theo will be getting a "big boy" haircut tonight. I think I might cry :(

Both kids got treat bags from their teachers and devoured them when we got home (notice the white shirts were promptly taken off before chocolate consumption!). They each got a card from mommy and daddy, a new book and a "pencil" made by covering a pack of rolos with a kiss stuck on the end.

First day of school!!

The boys started PPK and 1st grade at Lake Castle today! Both are going to the same place (hallelujah) and have PHENOMENAL teachers. I truly couldn't feel more blessed and thankful for the classrooms they'll be in! I sat in Jack's desk last night during his meet the teacher orientation and couldn't help but feel so happy to have him at this school. God used the events from last year as a tool to move us here and it's all for good! I wrote him a note in his notebook for him to read this morning when I was at orientation last night :) Dave and I are so proud of him and know this year will bring great things for him.

Jack switched to a rolling back pack this year since he will be bringing home some books. He was a little apprehensive last night (I could tell) so I had him sleep in my bed. I showed him the pictures of his classroom and teacher and that really helped settle his nerves. His friends from last year will be in his class again and I know he won't miss a beat today!!

Theo was all excited to put on his uniform today. The boys pretty much are wearing the same size clothes! Jack's shorts are a size bigger but that's it. Theo walked right in with his brother and will have a super day in PPK! His class has 11 boys and 4 girls (God bless his teacher). He will take a nap in that class so I recycled Jack's nap mat from way back in the Kehoe days by having Theo's name monogrammed over the stitching for Jack's monogram! Gotta love it!

Last day of summer!

We celebrated our last day of leisure by going to the Discovery Center in Hammond. The kids had a BALL and played HARD. Some Mom's club friends joined us and we even went to lunch a near by Mexican restaurant. It was truly a wonderful end to a wonderful summer!

The boys made a cute school bus edible craft and just generally had fun running around from exhibit to exhibit :) Jack was fascinated by a new exhibit about the body and organ systems. He's going to be a science lover like his mom!

Making new friends

My friend's son will be in Jack's class this year so we introduced the two big boys today at Chickfila. They are very similar and hit it off just great :) Juliet came along so Theo would have a friend. I took the three kids to Target afterwards to get a few things and must have looked like a total circus act. Big cart with 3 kids and a rug sticking out the back. One more day of summer vacation left............

I'm No Martha party

My next door neighbor hosted a party last night that was tons of fun. She was flipping through a food magazine one day and thought "who really makes this stuff?" and it inspired her to throw this party. All of the guests wore aprons and sampled the variety of appetizers, main dishes, desserts and drinks. She went all out with her decorations, all inspired by Rachel Ray's magazine :)

I met several of my surrounding neighbors that I've really only ever waved to and they were all lovely! I snapped pictures of the recipe cards for some of my more favorite items. I will tell you that my drink of choice was the Flirtini: equal parts pineapple and orange juice and vodka with a splash of champagne on top! Went down quite smoothly :)

I brought Coronation Chicken Salad (served at Queen Elizabeth's Coronation and Jubilee) that has a distinctive curry flavor (but it sooooo good). It can be served on top of spring mix or as part of a sandwich. A friend in my Mom's Club served it a while back and gave me her ingredients (but no amounts for anything). I totally guessed and added things slowly but it turned out perfectly!

So, here you go. Enjoy!
Ingredients: shredded chicken (4-5 large breasts), Helmann's mayo (2 cups), green onions (clean scissors and just snip the tops off vs. dicing- do just a handful or two), Nature's Seasoning by Mc Cormick & celery salt (sprinkle liberally but go as heavy or as light as you like things), pepper (just to taste), red grapes (halved), sliced almonds & walnuts (just a handful each to crunch things up), yellow mustard (a light squirt) and liberal amounts of curry powder (I estimate probably 2 tablespoons all in all). I mixed the mayo, curry and mustard separately because I was unsure of amounts but it worked out well that way. Just scooped it right in to the chicken mixture and viola! Serve with savory scones if you really feel Martha ;)

Back to Britain

We had a low-key day today (thank goodness) and decided to meet up with my friend Tara and her daughter, Bay. Tara is Irish and loves her some tea ;) Bay and Theo were in school together this past year. I had to wear my fascinator, naturally!!!

We sat in the Winston Churchill room in the back of the parlor, nice and private for kids. A harpist was playing in the front room and we still enjoyed the lovely music without having to interrupt other patrons. The owners are British and have lots of relics from England. We paid a visit to "The Loo" and had a chuckle.

Jack got a trifle and Theo got cake balls. I got scones and tea with all of the accrutements. And took home Coronation Chicken Salad for dinner ;)