Come One Come All

Hello ladies! People are always asking "what should I be teaching my kids to prepare them for school" Every year when school begins my mom has a parent night for those with that same question..... and many many more. Every year I go and listen. And every year I think to myself "I know my friends would LOVE to come and hear this." So I asked her and being as fabulous as she is, she has agreed to do a workshop for any of my friends that are interested. Yes she will be doing it for free. Because she loves me. Ok it's really because she loves children so much and wants them all to succeed.

My mom has been teaching since she was 17 years old. She has her own curriculum that she created with her mother. It is amazing. She has used it to teach countless children over the years. She's even used it with adults that were never able to read. It's easy to do and the kids LOVE it.

Even if your children are years away from school..... even if you don't have kids, I promise this is useful to know. If you have older children that have struggled with reading, this will help them. The most important thing, is that you build a strong foundation early on with your children. They do SO much better as they continue through school. I've been in the classroom for 8 years..... I've seen it.

Here is what she will be covering:

*The single most important thing you can do to help your child succeed in school
*What your child should know before entering kindergarten
*Simple ways to teach your child what he/she should know before going to school
*What your child's "learning style" is
*The basics of teaching your child to read
*How to choose the best literature for your child
*Poetry to teach your child.

I'm posting this so I can get an idea of how many people are interested in coming. We are planning on doing it sometime in February. So please leave a comment or email me at blondedaisy3@yahoo.com if you would like to join us. If you have any questions let me know.

ALSO, I think this would be very useful for fathers to learn as well. I deal with both parents during the school year and let me tell you..... It's nice to be on the same page when teaching your children. When you follow through and are consistent it's amazing what your children can do. But I'm sure you all know that already. :)

So bring your guys, we'll have snacks and drinks, and it will be a really fun/educational night.


Loves to all!!!

Baby Girl Has Arrived

Megan Ruth Stradling made her debut Wednesday, January 12 at 6:30 pm. She is absolutely precious. Every time I leave her I just crave to hold her again. She's the first niece on my side and we couldn't be more excited. Apparently my brother and sister-n-law are the only people in our family that are trying to carry on the family name, 3 boys and now 1 girl. Congrats Heather and Ty!!!!

Best Time of the Year!!!!

Last year I took a ton of pictures. This year, not so much. We took ONE on Christmas Day and that's it. And now I'm sad. Oh well here is a picture of our "Oh my gosh so fabulous" Christmas Tree. Our star was too small and wouldn't stay up straight, and I didn't have very many ornaments this year. Well there are over 100 bulbs on there but you can't tell because the tree is so big. But I loved it. It smells AMAZING! I'll be sad to see it go.

Notice all the gifts around the tree????? NONE of them were for us. They were our family gifts. This is what drawing names on both sides of our families looks like. AND the gifts for our parents weren't there either. Not sure how we end up with so many. But we loved it. Thanks to both our families for making Christmas so fun. We're so lucky to have every member of both our families here with us on Christmas!




I had a wonderful birthday! Slept in very late, went shopping and then Tanner and I went to the "Bamboo Club" and saw "Sherlock Homes". Fantastic! My gift was going to be tickets to Michael Buble when he comes in April.... But they are quite expensive. At least any seats worth having. So instead my girlfriend Emily and I are heading to New York City for Spring Break!!!! I can't even tell you how excited I am!

So far being 28 is like being 27 or 22 for that matter. I don't feel like I'm getting any older. Ok the wrinkles make me feel older. Next year's gift.... Botox!

Anywho, happy birthday to me! It was fabulous!



We decided to have a New Year's Eve Partay this year and let me just say.... it was FANTASTIC! At least I had a good time. We played "The NewlyWed Game"(thank you to Leah and my mom for coming up with the questions!) and "Never Have I Ever". It was HILARIOUS!!!! Both games had us laughing/crying. I would love to go into more detail but what happens at Chateau Wootan stays at Chateau Wootan. Here are the pics. I'm so sad I didn't get any of Sara and Corian! Thanks for coming you guys we love you!

Tanner and I are probably the most blessed people in the world. Not only do we have the best families, we have amazing friends. Thank you to Janae and James, Sara and Corian, Laci and Jared, Savanna and Cameron, Jenn and Cosmo, Cheryl and Travis and Jill and Shaun for coming and spending the evening with us! So much fun! We love you all!!!!!








The Cranes

The Elmers

The Krummenachers

The Wootans (obviously)

The Westovers

The Driggs







Savanna and Cameron



























Happy New Year!!!!!!!!