Pre-K Graduation



Unbelievably, my son graduated from Pre-K last Thursday. This very well may not seem like a milestone but I have to tell you, it absolutely is a milestone. My son turned five last Monday and graduated Thursday. Five years ago I gave birth and over the years have watched my son evolve into the beautiful, strong, opinionated and intelligent young man.


During the graduation my son and his classmates demonstrated many of the skills that they've learned during the school year. I smiled as they reviewed shapes, months, days of the week and recited Bible verses. As they sang Onward Christian Soldiers and This Little Light of Mine, I smiled with delight. My son with his nervous energy looked over to me for approval and I encouraged him with a head nod and thumbs up.


After the graduation, we met in his classroom for snacks and I was amazed by the lovely scrapbooks Miss  Tracy prepared for all of the students. Photos from all of the seasons, coloring pages and handprints were included in this book. It brings tears to my eyes as I type because his teacher is so thoughtful and caring.


My contribution to the celebration was a lovely cupcake cake from Walmart. It was stunning and the cupcakes were eaten pretty quickly. Because I had to assemble it in a hurry, I didn't place all 36 cupcakes on the display but it still looked inviting and the graduation cap on top is actually a miniature cake.






This graduation is one that I will not forget and this Fall my big boy will be in kindergarten. Where did the time go?




Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom and was provided with product and/or compensation for this post. 

God Save the Queen!

The Jubilee celebrations got off to a wonderful start with a day of frantic activities! Cake-making, flag-waving and anthem-singing were the order of the day as the school enjoyed marking the Diamond anniversary of the Queen's ascension to the throne.

Sadly, the incessant rain for most of the day meant that our street party had to be held indoors, but that did not dampen spirits!



The highlight of our day was the children's wonderful rendition of "Sing," the Jubilee song written by Gary Barlow, as well as the rousing, "God Save The Queen."



Our thanks go to the Friends of St Mary's for supporting our day and to the councillors of Newton Aycliffe who kindly donated a souvenir mug for all the children.

Enterprise City Rules OK!

After writing business plans, marketing strategies and product details, the young entrepreneurs of Y5 and Y6 finally had the opportunity to experience Enterprise City.
After a bust morning preparing their place of work and after the "Swearing in," of the city mayor, judge and post office owner, trading began.



Each business applied for a business loan from the bank and then set about manufacturing and selling their products and services. With due regard to distribution costs and business overheads, each company managed their money and worked to repay their loan. Justice and good citizenship were managed by the city policeman as all the inhabitants of the city were entertained by the radio station.



Workers were well served by the city cafe and also sought sanctuary at the Wellness Centre with a welcome massage after a hard day's graft!



The children had a wonderful experience and have had a taste of what they can aspire to when they grow up.

Our heartfelt thanks go to Mrs Mason, Mrs Minns, Darren, Dale, Catherine and all adults who have made this experience so rewarding.

I need my morning coffee...



Ahhh, that's the stuff. Thanks, WallE!

Puppy update, and a Celebration of Tongues!

First, an update! Remember the puppies left in a box at Wal-Mart I told you about last week?  Well, they're in LBR foster homes now and doing grreat! Don't they look better?  Here's Marty on the left, and his big brother WallE on the right.  Aren't they adorable and tiny?!?!




Okay, now onto the funny! You may have noticed that we boxers are rather blessed in the tongue department. Tongues are wonderful things. You can give grreat big slobbery kisses with them, and use them to lick nummies out of Kongs or peanut butter jars, or just let it all flop out on a hot day. So in honor of pawsome boxer tongues, here's your photo shoot of the Tongues of LBR.



LBR alum Bonkers
 
LBR alum Coda

LBR alums Huey and Josi

  LBR foster Molly

LBR alum Nike

  LBR alum Odie

 Robin
LBR alum Oakley

 LBR alum Timber

 LBR alum Windsor

 My sissy, LBR alum Cinderella

And of course, how could any tongue blog be complete without ME?!

LBR alum Casey 

Happy licking, everyone!

Memorial Day - Honoring Our Military



Today is Memorial Day. The day when we honor those who serve and those who formerly served our great nation in the military. This day is particularly important to me because both of my grandfather's served in World War II, my uncle served in Vietnam as did my Godfather.  These are men that have influenced my life tremendously and although my grandfather's have passed away, I recall their tales of the military. I have my paternal grandfather's flag from his funeral; he is buried in a Veteran's cemetery and it is one of my most treasured  items. 


Although I am not able to visit my grandfather's gravesite, it brings me joy to know that last  December Walmart partnered with Wreaths across America and a wreath was placed on my grandfather's gravesite to honor his service for our country.  This is just one of many initiatives that Walmart has in support of our military. 







This October, I will be running my first full marathon - The Marine Corps marathon in Washington, DC. 


I told my uncle (a recipient of a purple heart) that I am running in his honor and he said "good luck, I've never run that far and never will! LOL At every water stop members of the military will be distributing water, I have a feeling that I will be shedding many tears that day - probably from exhaustion but also because of the men and women of the military who are helping along the way. Walmart is a sponsor of the Marine Corps Marathon and I'm really proud I've chosen to run this as my first marathon. 


On this day I remember the service of my family members and all of the active military and veterans of the United States. Although I have not covered half of the great work that Walmart does on behalf of the military, I also must thank them for their support of those who serve. 




Disclosure: I am a Walmart mom and have been compensated for writing this post. As usual all of my opinions are my own. 






Remembering on Memorial Day


Today I have a warm bed to sleep in, food and yummy treats to eat, toys to play with, and a mom to snuggle. Thank you to all the heroes, two-legged and four, who sacrifice to make sure we have all of that. We honor you on Memorial Day, but we love you every day!!

Summer pasta with Lawry's and Giveaway!




Since summer time is upon us I love quick and easy meals. I created this simple pasta dish that is fairly light and so EASY to make using Lawry's seasonings. 


I started by marinating 1/4 pounds of medium size shrimp in a quarter cup of Lawry's Herb & White Wine marinade. This marinade reminds me of an Italian pasta salad flavor and at another point in the summer I'll probably use it in a cold pasta salad. On the bottle it says it is a 30 minute marinade so I marinaded the shrimp while sauteing the other ingredients. 



While the 3 pepper and onion mix were cooking (frozen, so no chopping!) I cooked the MaiFun Brown Rice noodles. They only take 2-4 minutes to cook! After the veggies started to soften, I added the marinated shrimp. While that cooked I added 1/4 cup of veggie broth to the left over marinade and added it to the shrimp and veggies. At this point I drained the noodles, placed them in a bowl and added the shrimp! 

TaDa! Quick and easy summer meal!

I also created a dinnertisement and my son loved it! He said "I'm ready for a dinner adventure!" Check mine out here. if you create one too you will be entered to win this prize! 


        • Rachael Ray Lasagna Lover Stoneware
        • 2 Zak Designs Serving Spoons: Either happy or surprise spoons
        • Lawry’s NEW Marinades and Spice Blends: Mediterranean Herb Seasoned Salt, Fire Roasted Chile & Garlic, Roasted Garlic Salt, Santa Fe Chili Marinade and Mediterranean Herb and White Wine Marinade

To enter: Create your own dinnertisment
Leave a link to your dinnertisement in my comments.
That is it! 

Contest open until Saturday, June 2, 2012 2PM EST. Winner will be chosen at random.


Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, I have been compensated and/or received products to write this post. As usual all opinions are my own. 


Taking "Boxers" a little too far! Plus Frankie Friday

Okay, people, let me get something straight. Do you know why we're called "Boxers"? It's because we BOX with our front paws, just like my picture I showed you last week.  THIS is not why we're called boxers!


Can you believe these poor little guys? They were abandoned in a box at a Wal-Mart parking lot yesterday! Fortunately, somebody found them and took them to a shelter, and the shelter called LBR right away because they know Auntie Sharon is a sucker for a puppy LBR never turns down a boxer in need!


They're only 5-6 weeks old. Poor babies. Luckily they're pretty healthy, just a minor skin infection. They've got foster homes already, and pretty soon they'll be happy, healthy, and ready to find their furever homes!  Right now we're calling them Wally and Marty, BOL! They'll probably get new names when they go to their foster homes (they're at the v-e-t now), so I'll update you later with new names and new pics!



There's one other very important event today that I need to share with you.

HAPPY FRANKIE FRIDAY!!!
 

Today Blogville is celebrating our esteemed mayor, Frankie Furter. Frankie was very welcoming to me when I started blogging, and I'm happy for everything he does for the residents of Blogville. I'm sending 87 boxer kisses to you today. Woohoo Frankie!!

Mighty St Mary's Warriors!

While the Year 5 and Year 6 children began their journey to employment, other pupils at school have been having fun too. Year 3 went to visit the Woodham Warriors to learn how to play American football.




Celia writes:
On Tuesday Class 3 went to Woodham Community College to play american football.  I was really excited!! First we ran around the huge field and stopped to do some warm ups. I liked all the activities including running races.  My favourite activity was the obstacle course with Kane and Jack. It was really funny when Adam told Miss Miles to throw the ball!

Waiting for a New Serta Mattress....

I’ve had my current mattress for almost 10 years. That is about 2 years past the lifetime of a coil mattress and I. Can. Tell. For a couple of years springs have been hitting me in the back and I toss and turn trying to get a good night of rest. Although it looks perfectly fine on the outside, laying on it tells the real story. So, earlier this year I decided that not only would I buy a new mattress but I’d also buy a new frame because again, although my bed looks pretty it is on it’s last legs. Literally! I have had to pick it up off the floor a couple of times after sitting on it the wrong way and knocking a leg off. Frustrating? Yes! 


Shortly after I made the decision to invest in a new bed and mattress I received an email asking if I was interested in working with Serta. Honestly I didn’t read the entire thing, all I could see was NEW MATTRESS and I immediately responded with a resounding YES! Although I have been blessed with opportunities to work on many great campaigns with different companies, this particular one literally seems like manna from Heaven!


I am eagerly awaiting my new mattress - so eager in fact, that before I’d even signed my contract I went and tried out several Serta beds on my own. This weekend I plan on actually having a personal consultation, choosing a mattress and then waiting two weeks for delivery. If you didn’t know (I didn’t) Serta makes all of the mattress to order! So my new bed will be made exclusively for me! I know I will be choosing a bed from the iComfort line....I’ll tell you more about it when it arrives but can you say “massage and adjustable” three times fast? Yes. I am anticipating hours of rest and relaxation in the near future. 




While you are waiting for me to wax poetic about my new mattress (believe me, this will happen because I KNOW I’ll love it) you can check out the new Serta Mattress Heist on facebook. What is that? Well, the sheep are once again upset that they are no longer needed to help folks get to sleep because of the marvels that are Serta Mattresses. So, they broke into Serta Headquarters and stole the Perfect Sleeper mattress. If you visit the facebook page you will get weekly clues to help find the mattress and win prizes! The grand prize is a Serta Perfect mattress! Check out facebook, solve the mystery and be entered to win. I’ll be waiting patiently to tell you about my new mattress.


Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I have been compensated and/or received product(s) for this post. As usual, all of the opinions expressed are my own. 

 

Jobs for the Boys...and the Girls!!

After our hectic day of interviews yesterday, our Year 5 and Year 6 arrived at school today to be greeted with great news of their success.



All children were allocated jobs and began to work with their "colleagues" to prepare for the launch of their new companies.




Wordless Wednesday


LBR foster Suong

How Enterprising!

Our Year 5 and Year 6 pupils are currently taking part in a very exciting project. We are the first school in this country to have the opportunity to run our very own "Enterprise City." Before the children take responsibility for "running" virtual companies the have learned very important workplace skills and have explored important citizenship issues.

Yesterday the children all completed job application forms.



Today our usually very smart pupils pushed the boat out even further and polished their shoes, ironed their uniforms and even put on ties and suits in preparation for their job interviews.


Every child was given this exciting opportunity to experience learning in a real-life context and to apply their skills in a meaningful way. Well done to them all!



Thank you to our team of Enterprise City interviewers; we looking forward to hearing the results and to accepting our jobs!