Party Mix

Ingredients for a successful fourth grade Halloween party:

Spooky BINGO with candy corn markers
Donuts on a stick (orange, of course!)
Candy, candy, and more candy (the sugary-er, the better!)
Charades
The Monster Mash soundtrack
Relay races
One or more students tripping over their costume while taking part in the relay races
Juice boxes
A teacher who dresses up as a Firby, even though everyone thinks she's a penguin
Unselfish moms who don't mind spending their afternoon shouting over the noise of 17 kids who are all yelling at each other not to drop the eyeball "or we have to start all over!"

3:30-6:30 pm

This is what I do most nights from 3:30-6:30 pm. It's MHS volleyball baby, and I absolutely LOVE it.

Last weekend the Varsity 'Stangs won the Sectional championship and are headed to Regionals in LaPorte this weekend. Now, to be honest, most years this is the point in the season where I say "whatever" and secretly hope for a swift loss so that I can come home after school and do...well, I'm not sure what, but it would be fun, I guarantee that. But this year is different. Maybe it is because this is my last go of it. NO more practices, fundraisers, games, tournaments, headaches...Maybe it's because Molly is a senior, and I know that this is the end of the Sliwa legacy. Heck, maybe it's because my team always fell just short of that State berth and I'm trying to live vicariously through these girls. Whatever it is, I'm just not ready to be done. I'm looking forward to the Lady Mustangs spiking their way to Indianapolis, showing the region what we've known for four years...these girls are good.

Funny Things

We all have quirks, and believe me, I have tons. Just ask Josh.

I have this funny habit of wearing socks to bed. As soon as my tootsies are safely under the covers, though, I scrape those darn socks right off of my feet and let them swim in the waves of sheets that cover my bed. Let me point out at this time that Josh hates this. I mean he HATES it. With a passion. The fact that at any given time I may have 3 or 4 pairs of socks swimming around in our bed makes him crazy. And still I continue.

There have been mornings when I look at my freshly made bed (which I do most mornings because I'm weird like that. I even put the decorative pillows back in place) and there are little lumps where the socks are living just below the surface. Sometimes one poor sock gets lost (maybe he's trying to escape) and falls between the mattress and the frame. It slips underneath the bed, destined to be a new Jack chew-toy, all the while leaving his lonely mate to fend for himself. And it has happened on more than one occasion that I've washed my sheets and, lo and behold, there is a sock clinging on to a pillowcase for dear life. Why? Why don't I just take those socks off of my feet, throw them in the wash, and then slip peacefully into a bed void of laundry?

Because if I did that, I'd have to unload the drier, and that is a whole different quirk.

Sisters

Three reasons why I love having sisters:

Beth
Katie
Molly

The end.

I Carve

I don't mean to brag, but I have a pretty fantastic family and some pretty sweet friends. Don't believe me? I could list about a *gazillion* reasons why my friends and family are the best, and maybe I'll do that some time. Not right now, though. I have way too much HGTV to watch.

I do, however, have time to share with you one such reason. It is an event that happens every October, usually towards the middle of the month, and it brings out the most creativity I can muster all year. It joins friends, family, and party subs together all in one house. It is IRON PUMPKIN, and it is a blast. Now you may be thinking to yourself, "Pumpkin carving? What's so special about that? " My answer to you is, "Have you ever seen a pumpkin carved into a deep dish pizza?" Didn't think so.

This year's theme, thanks to Dad, was "Chicago." I didn't think it was possible to turn a pumpkin into a Picasso, a gourd into the El. But I guess I was wrong. These are just a few of the illuminated wonders that could be found at this year's I.P.

We came, we saw, we carved. And now you can see why I brag.

*The only thing that could have made this year's IRON PUMPKIN better is if Kathryn Marie could've been there. We included her in our picture, but in her own words, "Halloween is ruined!"

Welcome to the World of Blogging

So.... I never thought I'd be a blogger. Why would I? I don't really do anything exciting to write about. I don't have any kids to post pictures of. I'm not in a band, club, or group. I'm pretty confident in saying that I don't have much advice on housekeeping or crafting to share with the masses. Which brings me back to So... This is the point in my rambling when any Sliwa or Sliwa-affiliate would say, "buttons on your underwear." (Get it?) So...Why do this? Partly because it is football season, and I could use something to occupy my time while Josh is downstairs yelling at the t.v. (Cooking? Cleaning? Grading? Nah!) But mainly I'm doing this as a gift to myself. I've always liked to write, usually for an audience of one, and this is a good way of indulging in that interest. I make my 4th graders write in a journal every day, so why should their teacher get off the hook so easily? Also, maybe someone else will get a kick out of me. If not, that's ok, at least I do!

*NOTE: I expect that I will have one, maybe two, readers of this blog. That being said, don't be surprised when there's a story about YOU.