Now remember, we live in Boise, ID.  So you’re probably guessing that we flew, right?  Oh no, that would be too boring!  Instead, we set off on a 30-hr. road trip (one-way!) with 2 adults, 4 kids, and 1 baby!

Now we could have driven non-stop for 2 days, with only one destination in mind, but where’s the fun in that?  So instead, we decided to take 10 days off and really enjoy ourselves while showing off America’s beautiful landmarks to our children!

The week before the road trip came in a whirl-wind with pre-Thanksgiving activities at preschool which included Parent Teacher Conferences and a most delicious Favorite Food Feast!

And the entire time I was continually reminded how lucky I was to be able to take off 10 days with my family.

I mean, really, who does that!?!

Seriously, every day I am so thankful that we own our own preschool business and are in control of our own schedule so we can take time off for our family whenever we want.

So on Friday at 1 a.m. we packed 5 sleeping kids intour white Honda Odyssey and drove off into the star-liblack night, ready for the adventure of our lives!

My sweet hubby took the very long first shift of driving, and when we awoke the next morning, the first thing we saw was white-tipped blue mountains and a faint hint of snow on the ground.  As the fog settled at the base of the majestic mountains in Utah, I heard several Oooh’s and Aaah’s from the backseat.

“Wow,” I thought to myself.  ”What a perfect start to our trip.”

Out of habit, I checked my phone for messages.  There were none.  Then I remembered that I had set everything up before I left so I wouldn’t have to work at all for those 10 days.

“This is going to be a great vacation!” I thought as I happily sighed and then turned around to play “Store” with the kids.

As we headed South towards Arizona, the scenery changed slowly into stunning orange and red rocks.  I don’t know if they’re called buttes, plateaus, or mountains, but whatever they are: they’re breath-taking.  The older 3 snapped picture after picture with their DS’s, and my son’s voice was repeatedly heard yelling from the backseat:  ”Take a picture of THAT!

The kids knew we were going to Texas, but they were oblivious to how we got there, or what we would see on the way.  As the saying goes, they were there for the ride.

And I must say, since starting our own preschool, we’ve noticed that our children are a lot more relaxed and content because we’ve been able to spend more quality time with them.

Playing on their “la-la-ness” (yes, that is a word, and it means they’re in their own la-la world) my hubby decided it would be fun to surprise them with a visit to the Grand Canyon!  After all, the kids had no idea we were just minutes away!

We had them close their eyes tight (our 2-year-old couldn’t help but peek!) and we drove up the windy road.  It was a bit of a struggle getting all the kids out of the car when they couldn’t see, but finally we were ready with our 2-year-old in an umbrella stroller, one child holding onto each of the handles, me pushing the stroller, my hubby holding my oldest daughter’s hand while lugging a very heavy baby carseat in his other arm.  Oh yes, we were ready!

We strolled along in the brisk November air among the sea of foreigners, being pushed forward with the hint of anticipation.

Our children had no idea what the surprise was, as was evidenced by their guesses along the way, still with eyes closed tight:  ”Maybe we’re going on a roller coaster!”  ”Maybe we’re going to a hotel!”  ”Maybe we’re going to a pool!”

I can’t really blame them, though, for having such fun-filled guesses, as we’ve taken quite a few exciting vacations over the years since we started our preschool.  Now don’t get me wrong, we’re not rich by any stretch of the imagination; we’re just able to live comfortably without having to stress out about money.

As we drew closer to our destination, I imagined walking our children up to the edge of the Grand Canyon and on the count of 3, letting them open their eyes to the sight of their life!  But perhaps we should have prepped them with WHAT they were going to see, because as we counted to 3 and they opened their eyes, I will admit…

I think they were a bit disappointed that we hadn’t taken them on a roller coaster, or to a hotel, or to a pool.

But after the initial shock wore off, and as they took in the panoramic beauty before them, we saw their eyes open a little wider as wonder trickled in and they finally realized what they were looking at: one of the 7 Wonders of the World.

And in that moment, I wished that every day was as beautiful, as rewarding, and as fulfilling as spending that moment with my family.

So here’s to running your own preschool business… being in charge of your own schedule to be able to spend quality time with your family, and having enough money to be able to live comfortably and enjoy some fun times with your family.

We’re off to our next adventure, so wish us well!

>>> Be sure to share below all the fun experiences and benefits you’ve had because of your own preschool business!  (Or share all the hopes and dreams you’ll achieve once you start your own preschool!)

PS: Stay tuned for an email in a few days that shows you the quickest, easiest, (and hint: LEAST EXPENSIVE) way to make your own dreams a reality!!!  I can’t wait!!!

Yesterday we had our second ultrasound, where we found out what our baby is!

(Here’s a picture of me at 20 weeks!  FINALLY showing!)

My husband said the baby looks like a dinosaur.

I think its spine still resembles a lizard.

But no, it’s not a dinosaur, or a lizard, or even a dog or a cat.  (Though those were high on my daughter’s wish list this year!)  It’s a little baby boy or girl, and I thought it would be fun to play a little gender guessing game with you!

So whether you’re a psychic or have a great understanding of old pregnancy wive’s tales, or even if you are just a great guesser… Have fun guessing what we’re having!

FUN FACTS ABOUT THIS PREGNANCY:

• Baby’s Older Siblings: Girl, Girl, Boy, Girl
• Month of Conception: October
• Due Date: July 21, 2012
• How I’m Carrying: High
• Baby’s Heart Rate: 156
• Foods I Crave: Salty stuff like fry sauce, baked potatoes, hamburgers, and pickles
• Morning Sickness?: Never got it
• My hair is: The same. My hairstyle will never change.
• Beachball or Watermelon? Watermelon
• I’ve Gained: 13 Pounds
• I Started Really Showing: 17 Weeks

Pregnant!

Again!

And this time, for the last and final time!  We couldn’t be more thrilled!

It was the funniest thing, because for so long we knew there was one little more kiddo for us, but didn’t know quite the right time to bring that little one to our family.

If you remember, I’m remarried, and brought 3 children of my own into our marriage.  My sweet hubby didn’t have any children, and quickly grew into his role of the father of our home.  He always wanted a family, he just didn’t know he’d be a dad of 3 kids overnight!

Then, two years into our marriage, we welcomed our own little bundle of joy into our family: baby Sarah!  Well, baby Sarah is not such a baby anymore, but quite the bundle of energy!  She walks around the house–or crawls around growling like a dog–and leaves a mess of toys in her wake.  She has quite the knack for signing and can’t wait until she gets to go to preschool in a year and a half!

Since baby Sarah has joined our family, our preschool has grown incredibly, with us opening up a second preschool in our town.  To say we’ve been busy is an understatement.  We’ve been SWAMPED!  And with the new preschool, came a request from our parents asking for us to create a private Kindergarten program for the fall.  We’ve always been thrilled about the idea, but didn’t know the right timing for it.  Not known to disappoint, we said SURE! and started preparations for our Kindergarten program for the Fall of 2012.

Now, back to our baby story…

We knew that 2011 was all about getting into a second preschool, and had no baby plans on the horizon.  On the contrary, we knew that 2011 was DEFINITELY not the year to get pregnant!

So imagine our surprise, when one week after we moved into the new preschool in October of 2011–and finally felt a moment of peace–that I got the impression that the next month WAS the time to get pregnant.

I can still remember exactly what we were doing when that impression came.  We went to a theater nearby that serves you dinner while you watch the movie.  We had never gone to it before, but thought it would be fun to try out.  So we ordered hamburgers (which, in all honesty, were only so-so; why would we think differently?) and watched the cheesy hometown commercials before the movie started.  (The movie was Transformers, the moon one.)

As my mind was otherwise not engaged–seriously, who even watches those hometown commercials?–I found myself thinking of the upcoming Kindergarten program, and how I’d probably be at the schoolhouse Monday-Friday during school hours.  I imagined my little Sarah bear playing at her friend’s house, and I tried to imagine myself being pregnant NEXT year.  I couldn’t.  All I could think of was how busy I was going to be.  Helping out the teachers.  Shopping.  Talking to parents.  Getting the rooms all set up.

And that was when I realized that once the Kindergarten program started, there was no way I would want to have any more children.  That would be my life.  And I know myself well enough to pay attention to those thoughts.

And then it hit me: If we want to have another child, it has to be right now.  Not literally right now, as in jump on my sweetie in the darkened theater (though the idea of leaving early did cross my mind…)  but as in the next month or two, because we had to time the baby’s arrival for the summertime.

So I turned to my husband and told him what I had just thought.

Of course, he was totally shocked.

We had just finished the schoolhouse, we had parents to keep happy, and more renovations were on the horizon.  In both our minds, now was still NOT the time to get pregnant.  But we said we’d think about it, and see what we felt during the next few days.

Sure enough, we both started feeling great about the idea, and knew somehow we’d make it though all the upcoming months of craziness.

So after just a month of being off birth control, we found out we were pregnant!  Apparently it WAS the right time for our family!

And you know what’s so funny?

My due date is the SAME as baby Sarah’s!!!

JULY 21st!!!

Don’t even ask me how that happens…

So right now I’m almost 16 weeks along, and if you wonder why I’ve been M-I-A in the past months you can blame it on this crazy pregnancy!  It’s all I can do to keep my head above the water sometimes.  But overall, things have been going great.  I’m super hungry, have the worst cravings for PICKLES, FRY SAUCE, and HAMBURGERS, and can’t get enough of FUDDRUCKERS!  Oh, if I could only eat there every night…

In other news, every other mother in America will probably hate me because I haven’t been sick one bit this pregnancy.  With my first 3, I was totally sick during the first trimester.  With Sarah, I skipped the whole first trimester sickness and replaced it with 2nd trimester sickness.  Go figure!  But this time… not an ounce of nausea.  And I couldn’t be more grateful!!!  Seems like God’s giving me a blessing to be able to get through this pregnancy and still do everything I need to do.

Stay tuned in the next 4 weeks to find out if it’s a boy or girl!

But what do YOU think it is?  Our kiddos so far are: GIRL, GIRL, BOY, GIRL…

With my preschool parents, I want to give them such an amazing experience that they rave about us to all their friends.  To never focus on the quantity of students, but the QUALITY of our program.  To give them more than their money’s worth.  To prove that our preschool is not just a safe place to drop off their child, but a place that will love, nurture, enrich, and engage their child with every ounce of energy we can possibly give.  To offer advice to parents who need extra help with their children’s potty training, behavior problems, and overall parenting help.  To support them in their own efforts at home, and to merge the gap between home and preschool, making it a seamless, comfortable transition.

With my preschool students, I want to love them unconditionally, and be there for them at every moment they need my guidance.  To praise them when they do their best, to carefully nudge them in the right direction, to hold their hand as they try out new things.  To make every hour at preschool some of their happiest moments of childhood.

With my preschool teachers, I want to give them every opportunity to succeed and feel proud of their teaching efforts.  To reward them for a job well done.  To provide a secure job where they know they could always stay if they wanted to.  To offer such a job that is both rewarding and challenging, allowing them to grow in their own confidence.

And with my family, I want to get back to a simpler life.  To sit by the river and listen to the calming water flow lazily across the rocks.  To relax.  To leave the computer and just be. with. them.

And with that, I will take my last goal and begin.  Right now.

So here’s to a new year, a new you, and a new goal or two to strive for!

Please leave your comments below about what YOUR goals are for this upcoming year!  I can’t wait to read them!

Here’s how to do it:

STEP ONE:
Go to the grocery store and buy candy bars… A LOT OF CANDY BARS!

Choose candy bars or candies that have a fun brand name that could be used for a word in your message, such as:

• 100 GRAND
• 5TH AVENUE
• PAYDAY
• NOW & LATER
• AIRHEADS
• MOUNDS
• DOVE
• SKOR
• TWIX
• NERDS
• SNICKER(S)
• REECE’S PIECES
• SUGAR DADDY
• SWEETART
• LIFESAVER
• ALMOND JOY
• RIESEN (REASON)
• STARBURST
• SYMPHONY
• BUTTERFINGER
• ROLLO (ROLLOVER)
• HUGS & KISSES
• MR. GOODBAR
• MILKY WAY
• MARS
• CRUNCH
• WHOPPERS
• SUGAR BABIES
• FUN DIP
• SPECIAL (Hershey’s special dark)
• SMARTIES
• ROCKY ROAD
• FAST BREAK
• RUNTS

STEP TWO:
Write Your Message Using As MANY Candy Bars As Possible!

It helps if you have a marker board, or some other hard board to write onto (Dollar Tree sells hard display boards for just $1!)  When you’re writing, get creative!  Use a sharpie marker to X-out any part of the candy bar name that doesn’t apply to the message.  And if you get stuck, you can always put a candy bar up there and then put what it’s supposed to be down below.

Here was my message from the preschoolers to my teacher on her birthday:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  You are the STARBURST of our day!  I know sometimes we act like AIRHEADS but us RUNTS love you so much!  You are a TREASURE!  (Gold coin).  We told Miss Joy to get you 100 GRAND for your PAYDAY, and she said You Deserve It!

STEP THREE:
Finish off with a fun gift for your friend or loved one!

When it comes to gifts, I think cash is king, so I put together a fun card for my teacher to read to make her THINK she was getting cash…

It says: “Here’s a hint to what your present is.  It starts with: ‘M-O-N’ and ends with ‘E-Y.’”

Money, right?

NOPE!

“M-O-N-K-E-Y!”  Then on the bottom of the card it said, ”Ha ha!  Just kidding!  Turn the board over to find your REAL gift!”

I finished it off with a monkey taped to the board with him holding a sign saying “Happy Birthday!” in one hand, and a $50 bill in the other hand!

She loved it!  And I know whoever you send your candy bar card to will love it also!

***  Who thinks they can come up with a message using the MOST of the candy bars listed above?  Write it in the comments below and I’ll post ‘em as they come in!  Have fun!!!

I’m in NEW YORK CITY with my cute hubby! Our kiddos are staying with grandma and we’re celebrating our 2nd anniversary. Can you believe it… 2 years already!

But I’ve never been to the big apple before so I need your help. Please?

I’ve only got 24 hours here and I want to do every possible thing that I can do as a tourist (yeah I’m talking about being the ultimate tourist for the next 24 hrs! Bring on the fanny packs and the cameras!)

But I have no idea what to do in this huge city, and especially when I only have such a limited time to do it in!

So in the comments below, could you please tell me some of the places I should go before I leave? I figured you’d probably know better than I would.

Then I’ll choose a few of your ideas and take pictures of me there! (Stay tuned for the pics; I can’t hookup my camera to this hotel computer.)

Thanks again! Can’t wait to read your ideas!

UPDATE: Thanks for all your ideas so far! We got a double decker bus and we’re going to the empire state building. MORE pics and updates to come! Anyone ever eaten at Rays pizza on broadway? So good!  Here’s some pics of us:

A lot of my students have asked me: “Why did you start a preschool?”

I always respond, “There were a lot of reasons.  But only one reason really mattered: I wanted to stay home with my children and be the primary influence in their lives.”

And being home to capture my daughter’s first smile is THE reason why I chose to start a preschool.  Being home with my children is the absolute greatest blessing and reward that comes from my choice to start a preschool.

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

So what are the other reasons why I chose to start a preschool, and how else has this job blessed my life? The driving force behind me choosing to start a preschool came from my divorce 3 years ago and subsequent need to support my 3 children by myself.  I had to find a way to pay the bills in 30 days or we would be out on the street.  No fear could ever be more real or more threatening than that. I THOUGHT I ONLY HAD 3 OPTIONS TO MAKE A FULL-TIME INCOME:

1. I could get a job and put my kids in daycare.  The thought of being apart from my children as they struggled through the divorce literally made me sick to my stomach.  I actually lost 10 lbs. during the divorce and have no doubt that it was due to the intense stress I was put under with feeling like my kids were going to be taken away from me and put in daycare.  I wanted to stay home with them and be there when they needed me!
2. I could work lots of little jobs from home that would hopefully combine to make a full-time income. But having tried several at-home opportunities like eBay and Pampered Chef, I knew I couldn’t continue to send my children out of the office all day while I told them: “I’m sorry I can’t play with you right now.  Mommy’s working.”  I wanted to spend quality time with them at home while I worked!
3. I could start a home daycare.  After talking to other daycare owners, however, I realized that I would be working 12-hour days watching other people’s children and I would be thoroughly exhausted at the end of each day.  I wanted to give them a happy mother and a stable home!

So in reality, NONE of those were options for me.  Because none of those choices allowed me to spend quality time with my children at home while I worked.  So I searched for a new option. And after discovering that I could start a preschool, only work 5 hrs. a day, spend quality time with my kids while working, and still make $4,200/mo. I knew it was the perfect job for me! WANT TO LEARN MORE?

This business has absolutely blessed me in so many ways I can’t even list them all.  But I will list the most prominent rewards that have come from choosing to start a preschool:

MY TOP 4 REASONS WHY I LOVE MY PRESCHOOL:

1. I can finally PLAY with my children while I work!

It’s sometimes been hard for me to put away the daily tasks and actually sit down and play with my children.  Now we play all the time and spend real quality time together during Arts & Crafts, Story Time, Free Play, Rhythms & Movement, and much much more!

2. I can finally SUPPORT my children! Each month I know exactly how much I am going to make, because my preschool students have registered under a 9-month contract.  I know that I will be getting paid for the next 9 months and I don’t have to constantly keep advertising!
3. I can finally HELP OUT the family budget! What a relief it is to know that my preschool income adds money to our family budget each month and helps pay bills.  It’s almost like an insurance policy just in case something happens and we need more money!
4. I can finally GET PAID what I’m worth! I know that my skills and talents are worth way more than I could ever make in the workforce, especially after I would have to pay the daycare bill and actually take home much less money.  I love that I only work a few hours each day and yet make over $40/hr.!

SO WHY DID I CHOOSE TO START A PRESCHOOL?

I chose to start a preschool because I wanted a better life for my family.  Because I wanted stability in this uncertain economy.  And most importantly, I chose to start a preschool because I wanted to be home with my sweet children and really be there for them when they needed me.

So now I ask you: If you chose to start a preschool, how has it blessed your life, or how can it bless your life?

It all started 5 years ago, when I had my 3rd child, a sweet little cholicy boy named Ashton. My marriage was falling apart, and I knew I was done having children. But even though I knew I was done, I knew there was a little baby girl still up there in heaven waiting for me. I just didn’t know how I could possibly bring her into this world. So I was content with my 3 little children, and told God “I’m sorry, but I just can’t have her right now. I know you understand.”

Fast forward to 2 years ago, when my marriage failed and I was SO GLAD I stopped having children when I did. I simply couldn’t imagine being a single mom raising a newborn. This is the point in my story where you all know that I started a preschool so I could stay home with my beautiful children.

And then I met my sweet hubby. After a whirlwind courtship of just 7 weeks we were married. He became a father of 3 overnight (they know he is their stepfather but they adore him so much they call him “Dad”) but he still hoped that someday he might have a child or two of his own. Though I finally had my BODY back and so wished I didn’t have to go through the miserable weight gain again, I slowly became excited about the idea as well.

A year into our marriage, we knew it was time. And we got pregnant immediately. We were so thankful! I contemplated if this was the time that my baby girl would finally come join our family. And sure enough, at just 7 weeks along, when I saw her for the first time as a little tadpole in the ultrasound, I KNEW it was HER. Of course, the ultrasound wouldn’t prove it until 20 weeks, but I knew all along she was finally ours. And that’s when her name came to me as well. It was so beautiful, so sweet. Like it had always been her name.

So after a busy pregnancy with life flashing by quicker than we could catch up, she joined our family at 3:29 p.m. on July 7, 2010. And our life has been so much richer ever since!

Now who thinks they know her name? Her first and middle initials are S.M. Post your guesses below! Good luck!

And with such an exciting event in our lives, we wanted to celebrate it with something really exciting for you as well! Stay tuned in the next few days for a special email just for you!!!

My youngest is 4 1/2 years old (the youngest of 3 children) and will be going to Kindergarten next year.  As most stay-at-home moms know, we look forward to that day when all our children are finally in school so we can have some MOM TIME!

But, after getting remarried a year ago to a wonderful man without any children, we’ve always hoped to have a few of our own as well.  So while I knew that meant that I would have to say Goodbye to my body again, and deal with morning sickness again, and struggle with all those out-of-whack hormones again, I’ve been eagerly looking forward to becoming pregnant.  And now I am!

So with the New Year, I have lots of exciting things in store for 2010!  Not only will we have a brand new bundle of joy joining us in July (21st is the due date!) but we’ll also be unveiling a whole slew of fantastic new products for our preschool teachers over the next few months!  Truly a wonderful year coming up!

Thanks for joining us on this journey, and please leave a comment with your well-wishes.  It’ll be great to read them when I’m having one of those “down” days.  And if you have any advice for me (I don’t even remember what the baby stage is like!) feel free to give it, as this will definitely feel like a brand new experience for me and my hubby.