What are you doing this weekend?

What amazing weather we are having here in Southern New Hampshire.  FINALLY! Spring is in the air.  So, what are you going to do this weekend?  Here in New Hampshire there are a couple of things going on.  First is the NH Kids Consignment Sale.  This Saturday only 9-4, McKelvie School in Bedford NH.  I believe they may be close to 10,000 items tagged.  And there are great deals to be had.  Go early to see everything, and at the end of the day many of the times will be 50% off (3-4pm).  They do this twice a year, www.nhkidsconsignment.com. 

Next it is NH Maple Producers open house weekend.  Don’t forget to check out which maple producers are participating at www.nhmapleproducers.com/weekend2011.html .  Many have tours and workshops on how maple syrup is produced.  There will also be treats from donuts to candy and everything in between, I even saw that there will be maple cotton candy! YUM!!

I was thinking about what we will do this weekend.  I am feeling like taking advantage of the Currier Museum of Arts free admission on Saturdays from 10 – 12Noon.  Admission for 18 and under is always free.  We haven’t been there for a while so I was thinking that would be nice.  Then I think we will be looking for a bike for my 9 year old.  She outgrew hers and my youngest was able to get an adapted bike this year so they all need one so we can go out and ride together (ok all but me, I will be the one running beside Kayleigh!). 

Another great thing I found this week was a great alternative to the gym.  Balanced Body Fitness is run by a mom I know from the school.  She has been working with the Les Mills workout classes and I have to say I started with them because I really needed someone to kick my butt! And I have no doubt that Cheryl is going to do that! I started with Sh’Bam, which is a super fun dance type of work out.  And today I moved on to Body Combat.  That was awesome too! Sh’Bam is more cardio and Combat did a lot with punching and kicking and toning activities.  She has other classes and programs too! And next weekend there are going to be 2 fun kick off events, Saturday night for Sh’Bam and Sunday morning for Combat. Everyone should check it out.

OK, I am off to do the mom things, clean up, get kids off the bus, go to Girl Scouts and it is Family Night! We try to get everyone to agree on a game to play. We love to get different games. I will give you the list and some reviews next week.
Hope you all have a great weekend and if you want more information on what to do in Southern NH with your family go to: Southern NH Family Fun. Also check out my business/craft website at You-Niquely Created for products such as the BookMark Belt and information about my new adventure You-Niquely Created Make ‘n Take Craft Parties!

Thanks for reading!
~Andrea

Great Deals to be had at the Kids Consignment Sale!

Time to Shop at NH Kids Consignment Sale!!

Incredible bargains on gently used children’s items will be for sale at NH Kids Consignment Sale this weekend! Consignors have tagged over 5,000 items giving local shoppers the opportunity to snag some great deals on quality clothing, gear, toys and books! Pay a fraction of what you’d pay at retail on name brands such as Gymboree, Gap, Lands End, Lilly Pulitzer, Abercrombie, Carters, Children’s Place, Little Tikes, Fisher Price and much more!

Shop Saturday, March 20th from 9am-1pm and Sunday, March 21st from 9am -12 noon at McKelvie Intermediate School (108 Liberty Hill Rd) in Bedford, NH. Many items will go half off on Sunday too! For more information, please visit http://www.nhkidsconsignment.com.

Contact Information:

Judy Cameron and Lisa Mullen, Co-Founders

Cell: (Judy) 603-391-1588, (Lisa) 603-289-2538

Email: info@nhkidsconsignment.com

Website: http://www.nhkidsconsignment.com

Additional great news to let you all know about!  I am looking forward to checking out the great clothes and to meeting some of the great people who attend. The wonderful organizers have decided to have some vendors and I am one, I will be there on Saturday with my BookMark Belts, Fabric gift and party bags and maybe some new surprises!  Come check it all out!

When being an at home mom is the hardest.

For you it might be when you have a sick child.  Or when they are babies and they don’t sleep through the night.  Maybe it is when you ran out of milk and you haven’t showered so you can’t go out and get it, or even when they first stopped napping.  These are all things we have to deal with as at home mothers.

Today is a very hard day for me. I have a daughter that is “handicapped”. For her, this means she is unable to walk on her own at this point, she uses a walker. She is in first grade. This has meant me trusting many individuals to take care of her needs at school. I don’t like that feeling. Sometimes I don’t even like the way my husband watches her. I am worried all the time that she is going to get hurt. I may be overly cautious, but I am her mother. Don’t get me wrong, she does really well, but she can get her feet caught up and trip. This is one of my biggest concerns for her. She rides the special ed bus. I have known the bus driver for years and so I trust her, so when she tells me something weird is going on, I believe her.

Here it is, the meat.  There is an assistant that makes sure my daughter gets to the bus in the afternoon. This assistant is doing things that are not right and could potentially keep her from doing her job properly. So, I had to call the school and complain. I HATE to have to do things like this. It sucks! I don’t understand why people can’t just do what they are supposed to do, I mean she is getting paid for goodness sake! It is disrespectful to my child for her to not get the attention she deserves in this situation.  I spoke with the principal and he was horrified to hear what I had to say.  He asked if I had witnessed it and I had to say no, because I am not supposed to need to be there.  My daughter has told me some of the same things the bus driver said also.  I would LOVE to be a fly on the wall.

                     

This has always been my greatest fear while sending her to school. That someone won’t do what needs to be done and she’ll get hurt. 

But there are other fears. Will she be accepted by the other kids?  This has actually been one of the best things that has come out of her going to school.  She has attended school since she turned 3 in the early education program.  First day of school for my three year old, I hid in the corner just waiting for her to want to leave.  She never wanted to leave!  She has friends.  Actually EVERYONE loves her.  And I know you probably think I am exaggerating.  But really, I’m not. She is invited to EVERY birthday party.  She is asked on playdates. She is a Daisy Girl Scout. We have done library story times and I take her everywhere with us, the whole family.  But really, she is so social.  There was only one time last year she said the boys were picking on her.  Well, you know what, that is a normal boy thing to do! I even loved hearing that.  I will never forget the first birthday party of her Kindergarten year.  It was a boy’s party and they were having it at a science center nearby.  The kids played tag, they included her in tag! They waited for her to catch up when they were going to another exhibit.  They were patient and kind.  I am so thrilled that she has been able to make these friends.

So, when an adult isn’t being respectful of my daughter and her equipment, I am floored that 4, 5 and 6 year olds can be more respectful than this adult that is being paid and is supposed to have been trained to deal with children.  I hope that none of you have to deal with this type of thing but if you do, you have to be strong for your child and do what is right.  That is what I hope everyone gets from this. 

Have a good day, I am waiting to see what my girlie says when she gets home.

So have you cleaned out the closets yet??

Well, I am working on that.  Who isn’t.  But with three children I am constantly in a state of going through clothes!  One puts on her favorite shirt only to find it won’t cover her belly anymore.  Yikes, when did that happen.  Well, if you have been working on cleaning things out after the holiday, I have found a place for you to bring the clothes and make some money off of it.   I am excited because all of those Holiday Clothes that the other consignment shops won’t take now but my kids have grown out of can go without them being put away until next year!  Here is more information:

  Recycling Kids Clothing Makes Everyone a Winner

January 13, 2010, Bedford, NH

        Overwhelmed with kids clothes and toys in their homes, two local moms, Judy Cameron and Lisa Mullen, created NH Kids Consignment. The seasonal sale event is held twice a year and enables families to recycle their gently used kids items to others in the local community.

        The first event which was held in September 2009, featured thousands of quality baby and kids items for sale at a fraction of retail pricing. Shoppers snapped up incredible bargains on brand name clothing, gear and toys. At the same time, consignors cleared out their clutter and made money on items they no longer needed.

        Local charities also benefit from NH Kids Consignment Sale. Consignors may opt to donate some or all of their unsold items. Donations from the fall sale went to Neighbors Helping Newborns, Carenet Pregnancy Center, Kids Closet, New Horizons, Goodwill and Families in Transition.

        The next NH Kids Consignment Sale is March 20-21 at McKelvie Intermediate School in Bedford, NH. For information on becoming a consignor and shopping at the sale, please visit http://www.nhkidsconsignment.com/

Contact Information:

Judy Cameron and Lisa Mullen, Co-Founders
Email: info@nhkidsconsignment.com
Website: http://www.nhkidsconsignment.com/

Tales of an At Home Mom!

 I have been an At Home Mom for 12 years.  My family has had it’s share of challenges.  My oldest has just gotten the diagnosis of Asperger’s (finally – we have been struggling with doctors that were refusing to see what we saw).  And my youngest has Cerebral Palsy and her big challenge is that she doesn’t walk independently – YET!  My middle child is a wonderful healthy girl who is super smart and also very sensitive to what is going on.   Well, they are all now in school full time, my “baby” just hit first grade this year.  So now it’s time for me?  Well, I am going to try!

I am starting a diet game tomorrow.  The Game On! Diet.  There are 6 of us, 2 teams with 3 each.  This is the first time I have had the opportunity to commit with other people “depending” on me.  I am getting excited.   Something this game has you do is to pick a good habit to develop for the next 4 weeks.  I chose to declutter for at least 20 minutes a day.  Along with the clutter that I have accumulated on my body, I have accumulated much more in my home.  And the bad habit to work on will be to not eat after 7pm at night.  I picked this because it will help with the weight loss goal and my other thought was less computer time and if I am going to be eating less, I will need to distract myself somehow

Today is the last day of the kids vacation.  I haven’t been getting out of bed at a reasonable hour for 10 days!  We shall see how tomorrow works out.  I would like to get up before my husband and get in the shower first so that I can be ready to go when everyone else gets up.  I usually roll out of be at 6:15 and go down to see where my son is at in getting ready for school.  Then I have to rush through my shower after he gets on the bus at 7, so that my husband can be gone for 7:30 then get the girls on 2 different busses (my handicapped child can’t go on the regular bus) at 7:50 and 8:10.  Then I usually come in and have breakfast and try to start the day. 

So in a nutshell, there is no lack of “excitement” in my life!  Dealing with school issues, doctors, homework and housework keep me busy.  I have no idea how women can work and keep a family going as well.  I work so hard as it is! 

OK those are my thoughts for today!  I should have more tomorrow as I try to get back to “normal”, start the diet and deal with all those things that went on the back burner until after the holidays were over.

Andrea