Last year, our PTA started tossing around the idea of hosting a craft fair. We'd sell the space to vendors and let them sell their wares. We wouldn't have to do much other than map out the space, direct and collect the money.
A couple weeks ago at our Executive Board meeting we were discussing our upcoming Secret Santa Shop event. It's something our school does every year. It's a fairly successful event--kids are invited in to shop for family members (even pets), we wrap their gifts and send them on their way.
We got smart this year--we have two new moms who have run SSS at their old schools. They had different ideas and did things differently than we normally do. The nice thing about President K, VP V & I is that we have minimal ego issues when it comes to certain PTA events. Such as Secret Santa. Don't mess with how I do the Book Fair, because I will blow a gasket, but you want to change up the SSS? Rock on with your bad self, let me know when/where I need to be & I'll write the checks to pay for the merchandise!
So, there we were in the conference room. The four of us (Pres. K, VP V, Secretary B & myself) are a fun group, if i do say so myself. We're all type A personalities with varying degrees of OCD. We like to cut up & have fun. And heaven forbid you mess with the kids of our school or the work we do for them. Not.Cool.
We're talking about SSS & suddenly the words "hey, remember that craft fair we wanted to do?" were hanging in the air.
And they stayed there. Nothing was done about them. Until two days ago when K, B & I were picking up our kids.
Next thing I knew, I was emailing our Principal to make sure we could get into the school on the 8th (it's a Saturday), emailing a local parenting group as well as a local craft shop to see if they'd advertise that we're looking for vendors, and copying 575-ish flyers to go home to parents. We agreed that if we could get 6-10 vendors it would be a success.
Yep, we're doing this. Eleven days to put together an event. An event that includes the public. And if the public doesn't participate, we have no real event.
Tonight the parenting group posted our info. Two people have contacted Secretary B for more info. And a parent contacted her.
We might just pull this off after all!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
It Must Be The Christmas Season If. . .
I'm starting a chevron scarf for Sunshine's teacher. I started the "tradition" of knitting scarves as teacher gifts when Sunshine was 2 and in preschool. Three years and six scarves later, the real tradition of the chevron scarf knitted with Koigu was born. The only exception was her Kindergarten teacher at SuperWonderfulElementarySchool. Sunshine started there after Christmas and I felt compelled to make an end of the year scarf. Seriously, it's 90+ degrees in Georgia in May---wouldn't you want a scarf? Anyway, I never made it until last year. And I did deviate in that I used Noro Cash Island. But that's somewhat of an upgrade.
I digress.
This year Sunshine's teacher is a scarf fiend. She's always totally accessorized, colors all matchy-matchy and is truly fabulous. And Sunshine adores her.
I've toyed with the idea of making a ruffle scarf for her but keep feeling compelled to make the chevron scarf. Last night at knitting I got about 7 rows into her scarf when I decided that I was going to make it on the length rather than the regular top to bottom width scarf. So, tomorrow Sunshine and I will be making a trip to YarnHouse Studios to pick up some Silk Garden. I know, I know, not Koigu?!! I'm worried that I'll need 3 skeins of KPPPM & won't get it in time.
We're having a low-key Thanksgiving this year which is nice. We'll take down the Thanksgiving decorations from the mantle and put up our Christmas tree and other decorations. And Sunshine has agreed to dismantle her Barbie Townhouse and store it up in the attic. She's itching for Hunter to start building her AG dollhouse and honestly, I am too. She's acquired several pieces of furniture (Julie's doll bed with another (Kit's) coming at Christmas, table & chairs, 2 wicker chairs, Kit's desk & cookstove. ) and we're going to need to go vertical to make room for all of it!
And you know Christmas is coming when Sunshine is ready for our Elf on the Shelf, Go-Go, to arrive. She put her Barbie couch and bed for Go-Go last night, along with a little skirt and notes. Mommy needs to find a little present for Go-Go to leave for Sunshine! Last year it was a nutcracker (she has a small collection). Hmmm, must look through the hidden treasure box in the armoire in our room to find something!
Happy Thanksgiving to all! And if you're venturing out on Black Friday because you cannot possibly do without rude crowds of crazed shoppers in search of those 3 tvs on sale, please be kind to those poor souls who are working. They'd much rather be anywhere else but waiting on rude people.
I digress.
This year Sunshine's teacher is a scarf fiend. She's always totally accessorized, colors all matchy-matchy and is truly fabulous. And Sunshine adores her.
I've toyed with the idea of making a ruffle scarf for her but keep feeling compelled to make the chevron scarf. Last night at knitting I got about 7 rows into her scarf when I decided that I was going to make it on the length rather than the regular top to bottom width scarf. So, tomorrow Sunshine and I will be making a trip to YarnHouse Studios to pick up some Silk Garden. I know, I know, not Koigu?!! I'm worried that I'll need 3 skeins of KPPPM & won't get it in time.
We're having a low-key Thanksgiving this year which is nice. We'll take down the Thanksgiving decorations from the mantle and put up our Christmas tree and other decorations. And Sunshine has agreed to dismantle her Barbie Townhouse and store it up in the attic. She's itching for Hunter to start building her AG dollhouse and honestly, I am too. She's acquired several pieces of furniture (Julie's doll bed with another (Kit's) coming at Christmas, table & chairs, 2 wicker chairs, Kit's desk & cookstove. ) and we're going to need to go vertical to make room for all of it!
Happy Thanksgiving to all! And if you're venturing out on Black Friday because you cannot possibly do without rude crowds of crazed shoppers in search of those 3 tvs on sale, please be kind to those poor souls who are working. They'd much rather be anywhere else but waiting on rude people.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Veterans Day 2012
PTSD: A Soldier's Perspective is a great blog written from the perspective of someone who's actually been there. Not someone who saw battles on tv or in the movies or on a video game. He was in it. And he gets it.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Think Before You Speak
Honestly, I don't even know how it happened. Remember a couple posts back where I said that the PTA specifies that Executive Board members cannot hold a position for more than two years? And that I was hoping to slide into the Secretary's spot for the next couple school years taking me through Sunshine's 5th grade year at SuperAwesomeSchool?
Ain't.Gonna.Happen.
I'm still sitting here, shaking my head, in total disbelief about how the following occurred.
The other Exec. Board members and I have been discussing the benefits of dissolving our PTA and going the PTO route. Again, mentioned in a previous post. Everyone from our Principal down to teachers and other parents seem to be on board. So last week, our PTA Secretary and I were talking before the start of our board meeting. She very casually says "so, since we're going PTO next year, you can stay on as Treasurer since you've got a routine & know what you're doing."
This my friends is where things went horribly, horribly wrong.
"I know---I might as well do it."
It was out there, I couldn't take it back. I couldn't deny I said it as the President and VP were sitting right.there.
*sigh*
Yep, staying on as Treasurer for a 3rd year.
What's that? That sign on my forehead? It says "Sucker"
Think before you speak, you might wind up being Treasurer 3 years in a row.
Ain't.Gonna.Happen.
I'm still sitting here, shaking my head, in total disbelief about how the following occurred.
The other Exec. Board members and I have been discussing the benefits of dissolving our PTA and going the PTO route. Again, mentioned in a previous post. Everyone from our Principal down to teachers and other parents seem to be on board. So last week, our PTA Secretary and I were talking before the start of our board meeting. She very casually says "so, since we're going PTO next year, you can stay on as Treasurer since you've got a routine & know what you're doing."
This my friends is where things went horribly, horribly wrong.
"I know---I might as well do it."
It was out there, I couldn't take it back. I couldn't deny I said it as the President and VP were sitting right.there.
*sigh*
Yep, staying on as Treasurer for a 3rd year.
What's that? That sign on my forehead? It says "Sucker"
Think before you speak, you might wind up being Treasurer 3 years in a row.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Perfectly Lovely Weekend
Weekends are special in our house---they can be super lazy or they can be hectic, but we take Saturday and Sunday seriously. This weekend has been nothing short of wonderful. For starters, all three of us slept in late on Saturday. Hunter was the first one up and made coffee (thank you, sweetie!). I chose to laze about in bed reading my book and just enjoying the quiet. Sunshine didn't roll out of bed until around 9:15 at which point she came into our room, got in bed with me and watched cartoons while I read. Hunter was kind enough to run to Starbuck's to get our breakfast.
Since Sunshine is a crafty girl and loves her AG dolls, we found this online and thought it would be a cool project to do. Sadly, our tent that you see in the picture is quite possibly the worst quality and has since been returned to major retailer with a bulls eye for a logo. We're currently saving for the AG version as we know the quality is much better.
But, don't Chrissa, Elizabeth, Felicity and McKenna deserve a little place to toast marshmallows?? Of course, they do! So, after we had lazed about for a sufficient amount of time, we went to the park near our house and picked up sticks and rocks. We came home, broke out the glue gun and waited for Hunter to drill the hole in our board.
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| We laid out our rocks in a nice little circle |
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| Sunshine wanted the twigs REALLY tall. I'm pretty sure her dolls will singe their brows when lighting this fire! |
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| We stopped for dinner while the glue was drying. I made zucchini pizzas from a recipe I'd found on Pinterest. Ours were broiled rather than grilled but were yummy nonetheless! |
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| Elizabeth thought she'd camp out to test out the campfire site. |
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| Sunday morning we went back to the park as our soil has a high concentration of clay which isn't conducive to gluing! |
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| We spread the glue on the board and started spreading! |
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| A few hours later and wallah! Instant campfire for dollies! Elizabeth, McKenna & Felicity are enjoying it. |
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| Chrissa is modeling the t shirt that Sunshine and I designed last week. |
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| Then we moved the party inside. Chrissa was so excited she kept falling over backwards. We're off to bring a picnic lunch to the park so Sunshine can get some fresh air and play before we come home and subject her to the horrors of Mommy watching the Patriots take on the Jets. Hunter will fix our Sunday during football season dinner standard--wings and we'll have a salad as well. This week will be crazy busy as our PTA is putting on the annual Fall Festival on Friday. I'll come back up for air hopefully next Sunday! Have a great week!! |
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Insert Witty Title Here
Let's see, in a nut shell, here's what's happened since last I posted:
1) PTA Audit is over. According to PTA guidelines, you can be in a board position for 2 years. You may return to that position but only after a year has passed. I can say with all honesty that I will NOT return to the Treasurer position for Sunshine's final year at *superawesomeschool*. PTA Executive Board members are volunteers. Aside from the occasional lunch, there is no reimbursement. They put in long, long hours to make sure the fun things at school run smoothly. And that's just the hours that you see them at school. There are countless hours they put in once the school day is done. The Treasurer's position is one of those positions. I'm so hoping for Secretary next year as I can take notes, type them up & submit them. It wouldn't lessen my time spent at school, but it's certainly a good deal less work at home!
2) Fall Festival is upon us. Granted, it's 2 1/2 weeks away but everyone is in full prep mode already. My friend K who is our PTA President & Co-Chair of FF is losing her mind. I love her dearly but holy cow, I thought I was bad when it came to Book Fair? She's even worse than I am! Deep down I'm praying for October 26th at 9pm to come quickly. And painlessly. K may need a major girls night after she recovers.
3) A major rite of passage occurred here over the past weekend. Sunshine got her ears pierced. When she was 5, we told her that she could get them done but she'd put it off. "When I start 1st grade" she'd say. When 1st grade was in full swing, she'd say "When I turn 7" The 7th birthday came & went. No pierced ears. Fast forward to last month. She'd ask me questions about whether it hurt, how was it done? Would she get to wear the pearl earrings that Hunter bought her during one of his overseas tours? So, we agreed on a date to have them done & asked one of her friends to come along for moral support. Only my child would have an entourage tag along for an ear piercing! Hunter was asked to come along as he would "help me be brave", as well as her friend H. H's mom & grandmother came as they brought her straight from the soccer field. There were a few tears, partly from nerves & in the end she was all smiles. Of course she chose the birthstone earrings---faux diamonds for April. I'm in trouble with this one! ;)
4) Back to PTA "stuff"---we're doing research on the benefits from dissolving our PTA & going the PTO route. Last year we paid over $1000 do the local & state PTA councils. The benefits aren't that great to be truthful. Yes, we receive a discount at Office Depot or some other office supply store, but it's never promoted. Yes, we have lobbyists but we're a public school---lobbyists aren't that helpful when you're already government run. So far I've done some online research on the hows & whys as well as exchanged emails with another local school's PTA president. They made the switch last year & are very pleased with it. We have a decent size budget for our school but an additional $1000 can go a long way---it would pay for buses for 2-3 field trips or could go for additional teacher grant money.
5) I've become addicted to Almond Joy coffee creamer. I love my Starbucks but can't always make it there in the morning so I'll make coffee at home. A little dash of this creamer in my Starbucks Vanilla coffee, 2 sweet'n lows later & I'm in heaven.
6) I'm nearing the end of the baby blanket that I started three years ago. You know, for the baby who was born in Germany (where his dad was stationed), moved back to the US & is now on his way back to Germany. I've decided that I'm going to donate it to the hospital on post. After I finish, I need to work on my UFO socks to complete my UFOs from years past.
7) I'm so proud of the girl I'm mentoring---she's the niece of the SuperAwesome bookatarian & is honestly one of the sweetest kids ever. She learned to knit in June & is doing so well! Her first project with a pattern was a dishcloth---a picture cloth of a turtle. I'm not kidding when I say I made her rip it out three times. The first time, she had holes from dropped stitches. The second happened when there were errors with her purling. The third, honestly I've kind of blocked because at that point, I felt like the meanest task master ever. The upshot was the dishcloth turned out PERFECT! Her stockinette stitches are beautiful & oh-so-even! I felt like Rex Harrison--by jove, she's got it!! She completed a scarf on her own--complete with switching colors, weaving in ends & everything! I'm so excited about her progress & can't wait to see what else she creates!
8) Today is Early Release Day for elementary schools in our district. Sunshine gets out 2 hours earlier than normal. Usually I try to plan something fun for ER days. Last month, we were in Book Fair & had to go back in the evening for a PTA meeting (where we voted on the annual budget) & Family Night at the BF so I was trying to rest up during the afternoon. We went to see Hotel Transylvania on opening weekend & Sunshine has no interest in Frankenweenie so I think we're going to Barnes & Noble to pick up the 3rd book in the AG Caroline series (A Surprise For Caroline), run by Zaxby's to get Sunshine a birthday cake shake & then home to play before starting homework.
We've been enjoying a few days of more seasonal temperatures which has been wonderful! It's been nice to wake up to temps in the low 60s/high 50s & daily highs in the mid 70s. Keep it coming! This girl wants cold weather!!
1) PTA Audit is over. According to PTA guidelines, you can be in a board position for 2 years. You may return to that position but only after a year has passed. I can say with all honesty that I will NOT return to the Treasurer position for Sunshine's final year at *superawesomeschool*. PTA Executive Board members are volunteers. Aside from the occasional lunch, there is no reimbursement. They put in long, long hours to make sure the fun things at school run smoothly. And that's just the hours that you see them at school. There are countless hours they put in once the school day is done. The Treasurer's position is one of those positions. I'm so hoping for Secretary next year as I can take notes, type them up & submit them. It wouldn't lessen my time spent at school, but it's certainly a good deal less work at home!
2) Fall Festival is upon us. Granted, it's 2 1/2 weeks away but everyone is in full prep mode already. My friend K who is our PTA President & Co-Chair of FF is losing her mind. I love her dearly but holy cow, I thought I was bad when it came to Book Fair? She's even worse than I am! Deep down I'm praying for October 26th at 9pm to come quickly. And painlessly. K may need a major girls night after she recovers.
4) Back to PTA "stuff"---we're doing research on the benefits from dissolving our PTA & going the PTO route. Last year we paid over $1000 do the local & state PTA councils. The benefits aren't that great to be truthful. Yes, we receive a discount at Office Depot or some other office supply store, but it's never promoted. Yes, we have lobbyists but we're a public school---lobbyists aren't that helpful when you're already government run. So far I've done some online research on the hows & whys as well as exchanged emails with another local school's PTA president. They made the switch last year & are very pleased with it. We have a decent size budget for our school but an additional $1000 can go a long way---it would pay for buses for 2-3 field trips or could go for additional teacher grant money.
5) I've become addicted to Almond Joy coffee creamer. I love my Starbucks but can't always make it there in the morning so I'll make coffee at home. A little dash of this creamer in my Starbucks Vanilla coffee, 2 sweet'n lows later & I'm in heaven.
6) I'm nearing the end of the baby blanket that I started three years ago. You know, for the baby who was born in Germany (where his dad was stationed), moved back to the US & is now on his way back to Germany. I've decided that I'm going to donate it to the hospital on post. After I finish, I need to work on my UFO socks to complete my UFOs from years past.
7) I'm so proud of the girl I'm mentoring---she's the niece of the SuperAwesome bookatarian & is honestly one of the sweetest kids ever. She learned to knit in June & is doing so well! Her first project with a pattern was a dishcloth---a picture cloth of a turtle. I'm not kidding when I say I made her rip it out three times. The first time, she had holes from dropped stitches. The second happened when there were errors with her purling. The third, honestly I've kind of blocked because at that point, I felt like the meanest task master ever. The upshot was the dishcloth turned out PERFECT! Her stockinette stitches are beautiful & oh-so-even! I felt like Rex Harrison--by jove, she's got it!! She completed a scarf on her own--complete with switching colors, weaving in ends & everything! I'm so excited about her progress & can't wait to see what else she creates!
8) Today is Early Release Day for elementary schools in our district. Sunshine gets out 2 hours earlier than normal. Usually I try to plan something fun for ER days. Last month, we were in Book Fair & had to go back in the evening for a PTA meeting (where we voted on the annual budget) & Family Night at the BF so I was trying to rest up during the afternoon. We went to see Hotel Transylvania on opening weekend & Sunshine has no interest in Frankenweenie so I think we're going to Barnes & Noble to pick up the 3rd book in the AG Caroline series (A Surprise For Caroline), run by Zaxby's to get Sunshine a birthday cake shake & then home to play before starting homework.
We've been enjoying a few days of more seasonal temperatures which has been wonderful! It's been nice to wake up to temps in the low 60s/high 50s & daily highs in the mid 70s. Keep it coming! This girl wants cold weather!!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
1 Down, 2 To Go
Book Fair that is. One down, two to go.
Our Fall 2012 Book Fair is over---it's been packed up, financials finished & margaritas consumed at the post Book Fair celebration. I'm not sure how it came to me but I came up with a great idea for the formerly known as "One for Books" but now called "All for Books" campaign. Last year, our principal agreed to dress up like a student for a day. He wore a t-shirt with yes, "student for a day" on it, sweats & sneakers. He went to all the grade levels & spent a 40 minute time block with them. I had him go to gym class with 4th graders & he ate lunch with 3rd graders. If you've ever spent any time in an elementary school cafeteria as an adult you know just how painful that can be. This year I asked if he'd be willing to wear a rainbow afro wig & dance on our morning announcements to the Afro Circus song from Madagascar 3 if we raised enough money for AfB. Being super awesome, he said yes. I decided to ask some of the teachers if they'd be willing to do the same if the kids raised a certain amount of money. A good deal of them said they'd be happy to.
Which is pretty amazing if you think about it. Are you willing to put on a rainbow afro wig & dance to this ridiculous song on camera? Our school has some pretty incredible people working under its roof. Teachers I was sure would say no actually said yes. And they brought props. As the dollar amounts increased, the dances got better & more creative. Our teachers are nothing if not competitive!
Monday, our principal records his dance. Super good sport, that man!
Despite being absolutely bone tired on Friday night, I managed to get the online financials finished. It's not too time consuming so I figured I'd get it out of the way before crawling into bed at 10pm.
Now that Book Fair is over, I need to get things together for the PTA's Treasurer's Audit for last year. Had I been smart I would have started gathering everything back in July. You know, like I said I would. I'm hoping to have everything to our auditor by Thursday.
Then I can truly relax a bit.
And hopefully get the Afro Circus song out of my head. Or at least stop laughing out loud whenever I hear it.
Our Fall 2012 Book Fair is over---it's been packed up, financials finished & margaritas consumed at the post Book Fair celebration. I'm not sure how it came to me but I came up with a great idea for the formerly known as "One for Books" but now called "All for Books" campaign. Last year, our principal agreed to dress up like a student for a day. He wore a t-shirt with yes, "student for a day" on it, sweats & sneakers. He went to all the grade levels & spent a 40 minute time block with them. I had him go to gym class with 4th graders & he ate lunch with 3rd graders. If you've ever spent any time in an elementary school cafeteria as an adult you know just how painful that can be. This year I asked if he'd be willing to wear a rainbow afro wig & dance on our morning announcements to the Afro Circus song from Madagascar 3 if we raised enough money for AfB. Being super awesome, he said yes. I decided to ask some of the teachers if they'd be willing to do the same if the kids raised a certain amount of money. A good deal of them said they'd be happy to.
Which is pretty amazing if you think about it. Are you willing to put on a rainbow afro wig & dance to this ridiculous song on camera? Our school has some pretty incredible people working under its roof. Teachers I was sure would say no actually said yes. And they brought props. As the dollar amounts increased, the dances got better & more creative. Our teachers are nothing if not competitive!
Monday, our principal records his dance. Super good sport, that man!
Despite being absolutely bone tired on Friday night, I managed to get the online financials finished. It's not too time consuming so I figured I'd get it out of the way before crawling into bed at 10pm.
Now that Book Fair is over, I need to get things together for the PTA's Treasurer's Audit for last year. Had I been smart I would have started gathering everything back in July. You know, like I said I would. I'm hoping to have everything to our auditor by Thursday.
Then I can truly relax a bit.
And hopefully get the Afro Circus song out of my head. Or at least stop laughing out loud whenever I hear it.
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