Reusable Snack Sacks

In a recent effort to have a 'greener' kitchen, I have been trying to reduce our use of plastic zip top baggies. With school now in session I've been packing 7 lunches a week for the boys (5 for kindergarten and 2 for preschool), which can mean lots and lots of zip top baggies. After doing some research online I found several tutorials for sewing my own reusable snack/sandwich baggies that looked to be within my skill level.



After buying the supplies at the local Joanne's, I tried my hand at two different patterns one rainy evening. The pattern on the right is much easier to sew but I personally prefer the finished product of the one on the left because of the hidden inside seams.




Here you can see one of these baggies in use. I will need to adjust the size to hold a full sandwich, but this size seems pretty perfect for a snack of pretzel thins or any other munchie (by the way these things are really yummy and B1G1 at Publix right now). Because I used a food safe fabric for the lining I can even use these baggies for any moist food like apple slices or strawberries (two of Clark's favorites right now).

I will definitely be trying my hand at a few more of these and even have some more ideas about how to personalize them further for each boy.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

Jaws Alton Daniel Lopez Fisher

A little over a month ago our beta fish 'Bobby' passed away. He had lived to the ripe old age of 4, which is pretty old for a Beta, but the kids were still sad to see their little pal go. Each morning we look toward the spot where his bowl used to sit and remember giving him his smelly fish flakes before breakfast.

This happened around the same time that a neighbor's dog gave birth to 7 puppies. For the past 7 weeks or so we have been wondering if one of these puppies would become our new pet. The puppies are 1/4 poodle, giving them a good chance at being easier on my allergies, so it seemed like one of them might be a good choice for our family.

After the writing of many pro/con lists and playful visits to the puppies, we have finally come to the hard decision that getting one of these puppies would not be the best choice for our family right now. While all four of us still hope to find the right canine companion for our family at some point in the future, we took joy today in a trip to the pet store to invite a new pet beta fish into the family. So here he is....



After looking at many fish we settled on this pretty blue guy. Curtis immediately commented on his back fin, comparing him to a shark, hence his new first name 'Jaws'. Of course for our family one name would not be enough for our new fish so each boy gave his own middle name as well as both of our last names to Jaws. So this little pet store beta was happily introduced to the family today as Jaws Alton Daniel Lopez Fisher.





It was fun to see the excitement on the boy's faces as we ushered Jaws into his new home. Clark insisted that we play music and dance for him once his bowl was set on the record player where his predecessor 'Bobby' once lived. Listening to both boys talk about their new pet and dance and giggle as they relished the excitement of the day was very heartwarming.



Welcome Jaws! We hope that you enjoy your spot in our home.

Clark's Morning Out

That's right, even my baby is going to 'school' now. I enrolled Clark into a Mom's Morning Out program at a local church this year. I wasn't planning to put him into a program until next year but after listening to him cry for half of his big brother's VPK year I decided to listen to his needs. Even during summer VBS Clark cried when we dropped his big brother off, asking "My go to school peeease!?!?!" It became very clear that he and I could both benefit from a little time apart during the long boring and hot summer months, so I took a leap of faith and enrolled him into a two year old class. Clark will be one of the oldest kids in the class due to his fall birthday, but after meeting the teacher and seeing the daily schedule of events I knew that he would fit right in. So now I sit here blogging away freely in a quiet house without any background video game noise or toddler demands. I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry...

You can trace the progression from excitement to tenacity in these photos I took of Clark on his first morning at preschool.






When I told him he got to have his own back pack (handed-down from big brother)and got to go to his own school this morning he was VERY excited.



As we drove over he asked me about who would take him to the potty and got a little anxious when I told him that I wouldn't be there to take him.



As we reached the church I could tell he was getting a little nervous.



And of course once we got in and heard one of the other kids crying for his Mommy the mood definitely changed. Clark has never had any kind of separation anxiety and had no hesitation as he walked into his classroom, but this expression on his face certain shows that there was a little anxiety there on his first day away from Mommy.

After all the transitions this week I'm not gonna lie....I was in tears before I even made it back to my car. I love both of my sons so much that I cannot even put it into words and I can only hope that all four of us will manage these transitions gracefully, and most importantly, together.

The First Day

It's hard to believe that my first baby is in elementary school. It has been a bittersweet transition which, lucky for me, included a resounding thumbs up from the little guy on the first day. Apparently kindergarten is "way fun". Here is the story of my son's first day of kindergarten in pictures.