Stream of Consciousness

Stream of consciousness.....literally as it comes to mind..............



1) We soooooooooo cannot wait until Mr. Bowden Brigade gets home. There's always no less than 4,297 things going on all at once and well...it's time!

2) What am I thinking when I have those feelings that I REALLY want to go back to school and want to teach? Wait...what?

3) It feels sooooooooooooooooooo good to have a gym membership again...and one that includes unlimited tanning. GTDG....Gym, Tan, Don't Judge!





4) Neeley made these Cranberry Gems tonight and they are scrumptious! #onlyhadoneipromise







5) Neeley has state assessments this week and this is HUGE for us since we don't have many assessments in this district since we arrived here late. Beddy-bye time in 20 minutes!







6) The weekends fly by too quickly. LOVING the Vitamin D we received at the City Park today! Neeley and I went and took advantage of the sunshine for some friendly games of volleyball and old school 4 square.








7) Excited that the Schwan's truck will be stopping at my house tomorrow evening with my prepaid order. Hello frozen fruit for my Tropical Shakeology! :)








8) It's almost March. Yikes!







9) I wish I had a good book to read and time to read it.








10) We're {fingers crossed} planning a trip to the beach and to Disney World for sometime this summer. #don'tevenknowwheretobegin







Time to go get some bedtime snuggles with that not-so-little girl of mine before bedtime. This is looking to be one CrAzY week for us. I owe so many a phone call, a note, an email, or a message . . . but for now it will have to wait.








Have a good one!

Frozen yogurt pops, anyone?

Frozen yogurt has increased in popularity among the choices for healthy snacks for children. Packed with fat free or low fat yogurt, fresh or frozen fruits, skim milks, sugar free juices, and other nutritional foods, frozen yogurt can be eaten in a variety of ways to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters.

Frozen yogurt pops are a fun, convenient way to introduce new foods to children. Take away the candy, cookies, cakes, and pies, and instead put a frozen yogurt pop in to the hand of a child and sit back with satisfaction.

A quick way to make these yummy treats is to pour the blended yogurt, fruit, milk, juice, and ice mixture in to small disposable cups, add in a popsicle stick, and place them in to the freezer. No kid can ever deny the sheer goodness presented.

For a simple treat, try this recipe:

1) Place 2 cups of your favorite fresh fruits in to a blender.
Add in 2 cups of plain or vanilla yogurt, preferably of the fat free or low fat variety.
Pour in up to a quarter cup of white sugar, depending on the nutritional needs of the child, as well as the natural sweetness of the fruits.
Cover, and blend until smooth.

2) Fill small paper cups ¾ of the way full with the yogurt mixture. Cover the cups with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Poke a popsicle stick through the cover and allow the stick to stand up in each cup.

3) Place the cups in the freezer for at least 5 hours. To serve, remove foil or plastic wrap and peel off the paper cup.

Depending on the fruits selected, and other ingredients used, the calorie count for each frozen yogurt pop should weigh in between 75 and 100 calories.

These can be made in many varieties, so mix and match and have fun in the kitchen with children!

Find my original post over at http://www.examiner.com/children-s-fitness-in-topeka/frozen-yogurt-pops.

A Fun Lil Trip To.....Well, Tripsdrill, For Goodness Sake!

We really do have some fun family getaway places here in Germany. These Germans sure do know how to do it up right and have a good time. We teamed up with another family here last weekend and met up at another one of our theme parks here.



Tripsdrill Erlebnispark is home to some wild rides, amazing roller coasters, and beautiful scenery.









It was so nice to spend the day with good friends. We realize that our times of fun and adventure here in Germany are very shortly coming to an end. So, we made the most of the day and enjoyed the beautiful weather!!

















He can call the Hogs from anywhere!!! ;)







Giggles & grins all around! :)





All this and a picnic lunch certainly made it a day to remember!

Ronnie & Neeley's Daddy - Daughter Date At Kart-O-Mania

The Bowden's Go Monkeyin' Around With Those Cute Macaques!

Digital slideshow customized with Smilebox

It's All About Neeley Day!

Oh My Gosh! That girl of ours is certainly growing up waaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy too fast!

This year brings about so many changes for us, but we can't forget how it all affects our Lil Miss.







She had a GREAT time at her camps this summer, and just finished her Girl Scout day camp last week. Since she is skipping the 5th Grade and going directly in to 6th Grade, that means she is also skipping over to the Cadette level in Girl Scouts so we had to Bridge her last week at camp too. {Pictures above}

She made several new friends at this camp and that is exciting. Hoping it helps her to pass the rest of our time here quickly.

And I've never met a craftier kid!



She just completed a 4 week Purse Quilting class here at our Arts & Crafts store on post. Our of 5 participants, she was the only 10 year old girl among other 18 year old girls. :) Makes my Mommy heart proud! How cute is her bag!?! She is LOVING showing it off.

We are VERY excited for this new school year. 6th grade here brings so many more opportunities for students and Neeley is ready! We are looking in to the 6th Grade curriculum in Kansas as well but so far do not see where she may have any real issues.

Will keep you posted!!

A Lil Summer Fun

Lichterfest 2011

The annual Lichterfest was so much fun! This is the annual fireworks show that is done in the park across the way from us here on RB. It's so nice to get a free fireworks show every year without having to go far. We can literally take 3 steps out our front door and see them perfectly.



Neeley and I had just gotten off of a plane that morning so please don't look at us too closely. These were taken about 11 pm that night and I can go ahead and tell you we were feeling a bit like death at this point but Neeley was determined to stay up and see the fireworks.

{Ronnie was eating the freeze dried ice cream sandwich that Neeley brought him back from Space Camp. :)}

We will always cherish moments like this!

Flight Director For A Week

Neeley and I just returned from a week in Huntsville, Alabama, where she was able to attend Space Camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.





Neeley was one of sixteen chosen to receive a scholarship through the Air, Space & Missile Defense Association to attend for the week. Go Team Armstrong! Here's the link to a write-up about the group on the Army website.







Neeley was chosen as Flight Director of her group for the week and had a "blast." :) I have begged and begged her to write about her experiences here but she isn't having any of that. I'm sure the experience sounds way cooler when she tells it. LOL She just said she got to live like an astronaut for a week and I guess that's enough. :)





I got to hang out in the hotel and enjoy some much needed downtime, and spend time with Nana & Papa! :) It was such a good time!! While Neeley was at camp, we got to enjoy some good eats and good shopping in the ol' USA. And that makes my heart happy!!







Now if we can just get back on Germany time, we'll be good. Neeley slept until well past noon today and I felt like I could have laid there forever. :) It's crazy to think this was the first time for us to be back in the States in over two years. Wow!