Janie and Brian Mauter's web site
I try to encourage an active lifestyle for the girls, although I don’t do a good job myself. We have been trying to find a sport for Samantha since she was 2.9. We’ve tried 3 sports so far, but none have really been her thing. However, each summer, we swim and swim and swim. Lots. She loves it. Because she has become …
Read more →This is our last year down the preschool hallway at school. It feels a little strange. I’ve been sitting in the preschool carpool for 4 years now, so it’s a little “been there, done that.” It will be strange to have them both in elementary school and in uniforms, but that’s a whole year away. This little nut had a hard …
Read more →All summer, Samantha has been dreaming of operating a lemonade stand. I think she got the idea from one of her Highlights magazines. But, there is a young girl who lives a few streets down from us who has a lemonade stand once or twice per summer. I always stop on my way to/from the pool when her stand is open. The …
Read more →First Day of First Grade! Today was only a half day, so she came home hungry and grumpy. Maybe tomorrow will be better. I’ll be sure to pack more in her snack too.
Read more →We started out the last week of summer excited to finally get to the beach. Unfortunately, Brian came home on Friday afternoon late, and told us that he didn’t think he could come with us. Work gets in the way of life. Can I get an Amen? I attempted to get a few others to join us at the little apartment, but just …
Read more →On Friday, August 1st, I thought to myself, “Whew. I made it.” Months in advance, I have to plan out the summer, arranging for camps and activities for the kids. We are on the home stretch now, as the last week of summer is Mom Camp. More on that later. We started the summer with the Balloon Glow. And some dress up …
Read more →My dad built a Ferris wheel out of mainly scrap metal for his grand kids. It’s about 12 feet tall and painted to match other playground equipment that his father made. It looks awesome and Samantha and Ellie will tell you it’s the highlight of the trip home to visit Nana and Papa. One of the tricks was finding an oven …
Read more →Samantha received a butterfly kit for her birthday last fall. I chose not to redeem the coupon for the mail order caterpillars because I was afraid that by the time they turned into butterflies, it would be too cold. Instead, we waited until spring. (Also, I wanted to hear about why we couldn’t order the caterpillars …
Read more →I had a great Mother’s Day hiking around Mt Cheaha. I didn’t really know what to expect since we had never been before, but it turned out to be a great day. The hikes were all pretty short, with some decent views, so we got to enjoy most of the park. Thankfully, the girls love to hike. Climbing up the Observation Tower …
Read more →Happy Mother’s Day to all my mother readers today! I hope you have a lovely day. Ellie answered some questions about me during school one day. They are good for a laugh. (Click for full size.) Samantha answered these questions too. Here they are, if you would like a refresher.
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