Life on Planet Caddick

Here's Zach sporting the shirt he made!

*how I learned to be the troublesome parent without seeming like the troublesome parent* I attended a Parent/Teacher conference workshop yesterday where a whole 2 of us showed up to learn how to be more involved in our child's education. It was sad testament, I think, that showed how parents seem to think school is a babysitter or rely on the school system to educate their children without taking any responsibility themselves. I know that a lot of parents are single parents who work, I get that, I really do - but I also know there are a lot of parents who don't - many more than just two of us. I'm not going to soapbox this to death, but I couldn't let it pass without saying something. I didn't learn a lot of new stuff, but I did learn that what I'm doing already is not only good, but highly encouraged! See, no worries, stalking is OK! LOL Seriously though, I seemed to be involved the perfect amount. Too bad my volunteer packet got approved, now I'm ju...

Today we just got back from a four day trip to Hilton Head Island! This is the first time any of us have been there and it was a blast! We used our vacation club membership to stay at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort. The place was super nice with a WAY more relaxed atmosphere than DisneyWorld! We had a few touches in our room that only come with staying on a Disney property: From Hilton Head 2010 We also had an excellent view of the marsh grasses and inland waterway from our balcony: From Hilton Head 2010 Our first night was pretty uneventful. We arrived, went to the Piggly Wiggly to pick up some food for our stay and settled in. As Zach was enjoying the jacuzzi bathtub the phone rang. It was the front desk - did we know our spa was pouring into the room below, they asked? Nope. So, we spent the next morning packing and moving to a new room - then we spent a few hours at the pool, From Hilton Head 2010 checked out a hammock (which was made in Greenville, NC - where Zach...

OK - just one more post this weekend and then I'm done - PROMISE!! I forgot to tell you about our August - it was a blast! For one week we went from three in the house to eight in the house! That can be quite an adjustment but it was awesome! My dad and nephew David were here from Michigan, and we also had Kayla, Austin, and Addison (our nieces and nephew) from Georgia for a few days. I don't think the house was ever silent! Since David lives in Missouri and the Georgia group were on their way to Ohio, we decided to go to Myrtle Beach one day. Now, Myrtle Beach in the summer is horrific! So much traffic, so many people - but we figured when else would we have everyone together, really? So off we went! Traveling (even for a couple hours) with a 16 month old is harder than I remembered. When we moved from North Carolina to Washington Zach was about that age - and I must only remember the good parts of the trip! But, we finally made it and hit the beach!! Addison LOVES t...

Well, I figured it was probably time for a REAL update - not my random messing around and touting the wonderfulness(?) of my reusable Swiffer Dusters! Life is going great! Erik is inching ever closer to retirement (we are now under two years!) and my housekeeping skills have improved greatly in the last couple months. I totally miss homeschooling Zach though. School - what to say about school. Zach is really enjoying it, I’m really stressed about it but, open house went well. We do still have some issues with timed tests (well, test taking in general), but that wasn’t something I made a huge deal out of whilst homeschooling. I treated his tests the same as his regular work because he test stresses like me. He has decided that he wants to join the Planet Earth Club. They meet twice a month and talk about recycling, alternate energy, renewable resources, you get the idea here. He is my little earth protector man. I am also hoping they will do some projects. Speaking of projects ...

In my never ending quest to keep FLYing I have discovered this - Anyone who owns a Swiffer duster will probably guess what it is! But just in case - I found these on Etsy . I'm sure if you are crafty you could make them yourself, but since I'm not I have to rely on the crafty people to do it for me! They are made of fleece and completely reusable. I got three for the same cost as a box of disposable refills so I've already saved money (and landfill space!). The best part is they work great! So, I'm still taking my babysteps to get my house in order. I think I'm doing a pretty good job (except the BIG scratch I put on the counter - OMG that really sucked!). 'Til next time -

Since quiet is still the theme of the week I thought I'd try a slide show too! Shannon has inspired me to learn to do more things with my blog and since I can't vacuum or do laundry or any really useful things I'm taking the time to learn something new! So, here is a pretty lame, but short (thankfully!), slideshow of how the painting of my house is going!! Enjoy!!! I'm thinking it needs more work on the size but it will do for now!