Is the suspense killing you?

Just in case you were wondering about my poor kids and their recent winter wonderland minivan sleigh ride, the dealer was able to fix our window yesterday. The window regulator bolt fell. Whatever--as long as you fixed it.

Izzy was still pretty miserable last night, despite the antibiotics. Mary woke up this morning with a nasty cough. I'm waiting to see how much of that was "forced." Keith seemed right as rain this morning.

And then a co-worker came down with the stomach bug yesterday (poor thing was puking right at her desk). And her sister. And then there was an article in the paper about this bug making its way through Rochester.

Anyone want to place bets on how long until we catch it? Not all the hand-washing in the world will help us now. We are soooo doomed.

Even Better

The driver's side window in the minivan got stuck DOWN last night. Then the plastic John put up didn't stay up. The kids and I had to drive 25 minutes this morning in the FREEZING, WINDY COLD.

That little trip will probably give the already sick ones pneumonia.

And I'm catching a cold.

Lovely.

I give up (Christmas in OUR home)

Forget it. John and I shouldn't even attempt to celebrate the holidays, 'cause it just hasn't worked out for our poor kids lately!

Let's start by telling you about way last Tuesday. The school called (and hour and a half before school let out) and asked me to pick up Mary because she had a stomach ache. No other symptoms, no fever, "but she just LOOKS miserable". Well, I couldn't get out right away, so the kid had to sit in the nurse's office until the end of school. I knew what was wrong the second I walked in the door: NOTHING! She bamboozled the nurse! Actually, to give the kid credit, she probably DID have a tummy ache. Come to find out that she had snuck some poptarts into her bedroom and had a feast of 3 and a half of them! (Yikes! I can barely eat ONE of those suckers, they're so super sweet!) But the kid didn't look ANY kind of sick. I know I know my kid better than the nurse, but come ON. Anyway, I was most displeased, but I bit my tongue. But if the nurse calls me again, and that kid isn't vomiting or feverish, I'm going to tell the nurse to stick that kid RIGHT BACK IN CLASS!

Fast forward to Thursday. Mary wakes me up at 5:00AM and complains her eyes are "blurry." Well, it's 5AM, kid, mine are blurry, too! No, I'm NOT a sympathetic parent at 5AM! I sent her back to bed. A more reasonable hour later, she gets up, and I see that her eyes are indeed RED. Hmmmm...is that because she has pink eye or because she's been rubbing her "blurry" eyes for the last hour? Told John to keep an eye on her and went to work.

Mary's eyes seemed to improve a little, and they weren't hurting or itching or anything, so John took her to violin lessons and school and went to work. I was "on call" all day figuring I'd get the call to get my pink-eyed kid any minute. No phone call. When I picked her up from day care I saw that her eyes were indeed quite pink again. So, she went through a whole day at school AND at her after-school provider's house and NO ONE saw the pink eyes? (Maybe she should have complained of an upset stomach!) So, revision: the nurse can call if the kid is vomiting, feverish, OR has pink eyes.

So for the second year in a row, Mary missed out on celebrating her birthday at school due to illness. Last year she had a stomach bug (that proceeded to go through the whole family Christmas week--bleh!). We took her to the doctor as we thought we had to do to get her diagnosed and on meds. The doc told us that next time Mary (or Keith, even) gets what is obviously pink eye, to just call her, and she would give us a prescription for the eye drops over the phone. I guess Mary and Keith are old enough to tell us/the doc if their ears/throat hurt. If not, the doc has no problems just sending along a prescription without seeing her. Gee, and I thought NO DOCTOR on Earth would do that! So, if we'd called her when we first suspected the pink eye, we could have gotten a script and sent her back to school on Friday, where she could have enjoyed her rice krispie treats with her classmates AND the Polar Express movie they were supposed to watch that day! *sigh*

John and I both had Friday off, so after the doctor's and pharmacy visit, we took our freakish-looking kid to see Charlotte's Web. Cute.

Saturday: I had to come in to work for a little bit to get in payroll (I so hate my job during the holidays). I brought Mary since she had soccer in this part of town at 12:00. She starts complaining of an ear ache. Keith had complained that morning, too. Great. Now I seem to have an epidemic on my hands. I remind Mary that if her ear honestly hurts that badly(and I KNOW ear infections hurt horribly), then she will have to miss soccer, and we won't get to take her to get her ears pierced for her birthday as promised. So does it REALLY hurt? Within five minutes, her tune has changed, and she's all ready to go to soccer.

Saturday night we took Mary to the mall for her birthday. Newly pierced ears and an outfit for her Build-a-Bear. She's a most happy 7-year old--and no more complaints at all of an ear ache.

Sunday I realize that neither Izzy nor Keith are acting quite right. Yup. Both have a fever. Keith's is pretty mild, but Izzy's is at 102-103. On Christmas Eve? Lovely! But at least it's not pink eye or the stomach bug (Oh good grief, I'll take pink eyes and fevers over that stomach bug ANY DAY).

Christmas morning. Keith wakes up with a pink left eye! Most of the day Christmas, both Keith and Izzy are not quite with it. Izzy had a feel-good spell of several hours, so I got brave and stopped giving her meds (Keith's fever was so mild--99--I wasn't giving him any). She did pretty well until naptime when the fever came back with a vengeance--102 again. Now, I'm not going to call some on-call doctor on Christmas day about fevers and pink eye (especially when Lord only knows where the closest OPEN pharmacy is, anyway!), so we let it go until today.

Today I had to work, and since both our day care providers were closed, John got to spend the day home with the kids. He took them in to the doctor even though their fevers really hadn't come back yet. Keith has pink eye (duh) and an ear infection in one ear. Izzy has an ear infection in BOTH ears. *sigh* Good thing he took them in.

So, that was our Christmas. Fevers and Pink Eyes. I say again: at least it wasn't the stomach bug!

Besides all the medical drama, it was quite a nice Christmas. I want to thank you all for the gifts and for the contributions for the swingset. John found one a Home Depot that he kind of liked and is on sale, but we're going to keep looking over the next few days/weeks. It's not going up until the spring, anyway, so we've got plenty of time to pick one we really like (and maybe isn't too much of a bear to put together?).

Favorite gifts so far:
Izzy--baby doll and stroller
Keith--Spongebob Leapster game
Mary--Littlest Petshop pets
Me and John--Guitar Hero--IT ROCKS!!!!

Have a Great Holiday!

I'm pretty sure I won't have a chance to log on until after the holiday, so I just wanted to say "Season's Greetings" to ya'all. :-)

My sincere apologies

A good number of the X-mas cards have gone out. But not all "intended" cards are going to make it this year as I still have not located my address book. (And frankly, I haven't even looked. My nights/weekends are so busy that just walking through that myriad of boxes down in the basement on my way to hurridly throw in a load of laundry so that Mary will have clean shin guards on time for her soccer practice in two hours gives me a sense of panic and urgency that I just can't bear.) So maybe next year, but for this year, I'm basing who gets cards on 1) addresses I have memorized (getting fewer year by year), 2) cards that have been sent to us this year--AND actually have return addresses on them, or 3) the return addresses from the stack of cards received last year that for some strange reason I DID find. I have two scrap pieces of paper somewhere in the house with hurriedly written addresses of family/friends that have moved within the last year. If I find those, those people will get THEIR cards, too. (Although I'm missing the now-too-small baby gift that was already packed and ready to ship for the new Shellenbach baby. Maybe I'll find it and can send it out when/if they have a second!)

Also, there are just a few of Mary's school pictures going out in said cards. We don't have enough pictures for all, and there are just no pictures of Keith and Izzy right now. Intentions were swelling; I even got Keith and Izzy's hair cut for the pictures for which they were supposed to be sitting. It just didn't happen. We're hoping to get some done post-x-mas craziness.

Speaking of the x-mas craziness: John and I split up the kids and took them shopping on Saturday so they could look for something for each other. John took the boy to Toys R Us, so I took the girls to Target. What a freakin' nightmare. The crowds, the navigation of the narrow aisles WITH the crowds, the trying to get your (almost) 7-year old to pick something for her BROTHER and NOT for herself. I still had a couple gifts to buy, but I'd had enough and got out of Dodge. Forget it. John's not getting ANYTHING this year, but the Guitar Hero thing we bought for the whole family! So sorry, honey! Buy yourself a CD at a later date! I can't take the pressure!!!!

And other news....

With all the chaos after our trip, and my pc crashing, and my sudden increase in work load, I did forget to mention one thing: our littlest is now TWO! Yes, on Monday, November 20, while we were in Indianapolis actually, Izzy became officially no longer a "baby".

Thanks to the family/friends who sent gifts. I haven't been able to send thank you cards yet as I misplaced my address book in the move and heck, I don't even know where the thank you cards are, for that matter. Oops. Don't expect any X-mas cards this year either, folks!

Anyway, I finally took Izzy for her first hair cut this week. She sat like the little princess she is and didn't fuss one little bit. Well, until it was time to leave, that is, and she discovered she couldn't take the Dr. Seuss book she was "reading" with her. Darn those beauty shops wanting to keep their books and not let toddlers steal them!

Ho, Ho, Hurl

Well, I got my pc back--but not my file. So I have to recreate a database from scratch. But I've had no time to do it since I got another project handed to me that was a bit more important. I had to call up some files from storage and make copies of stuff from 2004. It was not fun. Especially when at one point it became apparent that SOMEONE in 2004 did not do their job right (and no, it wasn't me). Made for a very stressed-out Carrie for a few days there.

Mary got her report card this week. It reminded me of employee reviews now-a-days. "You see this 5 here? We're putting it down as the highest rating--but you can't actually achieve that rating. It's just there to taunt you and give us a lame-ass reason to not give you a raise." Mary actually did really great on her report card. But seriously, if they are not going to grade at a 5 point level, why the freak is the 5 even there? It's just WRONG!

John and I braved the Super Wal-Mart this weekend and loaded up the cart with all new lights and stuff with which to decorate our new house. Then John went back and got more. The problem: how on earth do you decorate a house that faces the road side-ways? Seriously, our house is built straight back off the garage, so all you see from the road is the garage. John thinks he'll have to string up lights down the front of the house (which is the side), the garage (which is the actual front), AND the back (um...the other side) in order for it to look "just right". Hmmm....maybe this year we'll just stick the animated deer out in the lawn and call it a day!

I told John that I'm a bit confused about what to do about X-mas gifts. John and I have a standing rule: gifts are optional--NOT obligational. And this is for ALL holidays, including birthdays and especially those dumb-ass hallmark holidays. If we decide to get each other something, we usually search around for something unique that we know the other person will like. But now we've got a house and stuff we actually NEED for it. John drools down the aisles at Home Depot and Lowe's every weekend. Are we really at that place in our lives now where we're going to buy each other stuff for the house and NOT for each other? So, what the heck do I get John for X-mas? A gift card? 'Cause I haven't a clue what high-powered tool he wants. Well, YUCK. How impersonal! So what do you get John for X-mas when he already owns a comb--AND a snowblower????

Back to reality

We're back! Although apparently some of you never realized we were gone--or just were too busy doing other things (obligatory family feasts, etc.) to pay attention. Don't worry. We're not that offended. Well, much. I think JJ and Dave were actually relieved that Friday night ended up just being a "quiet" night at home as both were exhausted from their work week and unplanned baby-sitting escapades on turkey day. Just the five exta Q's there to mess up their home.....

Anyway, I'm glad we got to see the folks we did and sad we missed the folks we missed. It's getting harder and harder to do the whirlwind Indiana tour. Here is an official apology to those we missed (specifically to the Michigan folks whom it was just impossible to fit in this go-around). Maybe next time.... And please everybody don't forget that I-90 DOES run both ways. (That's how we get HOME every time). Now we've got a house and can put you up for a visit!

I came back to work Monday morning to a blue screen on my pc. It's been downhill from there. Last week was a horrendous week for my co-workers (not sure if my presence there would have made it much better or if I just would have been yet another person "dealing with the drama"). Anyway, I've been spending the last two and a half days attempting to clean up THAT mess plus get my day-to-day work done, and I STILL don't have my pc back. And the IT guy can't find a certain folder that I have to have--and I'm the only person in the company who had access to it. Uh oh.

It's hump day. Surely the next two days will be better, right?

You say it's your birthday?

Well, it's my birthday, too, YEAH!

Other folks who share a birthday with me:
-my step-mother
-an old friend from high school with whom I've sadly lost contact (HB, Michelle, wherever you are!)
-a co-worker (Lisa, you can share my cake with me)
-Petula Clark (Finian's Rainbow; Goodbye, Mr. Chips)
-Edward Asner (wow--miscellaneous)

And please note it is also America Recycles Day AND National Teddy Bear Day.

I'm still waiting for my honorary trash and teddy bear gifts to appear in the mail from you all.

And onto a different subject: YES, the rumor is true, and I'm pregnant. OH, GOD, NO!!!! NO! NO! NO! BITE YOUR TONGUE, DAVE!! But, yes, we ARE coming to Indiana next week. Problem is that we can't figure out where and when yet. And no clue with whom we're spending Thanksgiving day. We have four cities to visit and scattered viewing availability for our relatives/friends. (Reminds me why we haven't done this in a year.)

So, the tentative plan is: Indy, Monticello, Fort Wayne, Three Rivers.
Wait, no, no: Fort Wayne, Indy, Monticello, Three Rivers, Fort Wayne again.
Wait, NO, that won't work, either: Three Rivers, Fort Wayne, Monticello, Indy?
NO: bun, bun, patty, ketchup, SHOE.

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!!

*sigh* Screw it. We're staying here and ordering Chinese.

More Halloween pics

Yeah. The whole department got into it this year.

Flickr account

Just downloaded the whole camera onto flickr. It still needs to be organized, but hey, at least the pics are out there.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47576375@N00/

Halloween pic

The Ballerina, The Obi-Wan, and the Hatless Witch and their Lame Adventures in Trick-or-Treating

Our kids have been pretty spoiled in trick-or-treating years' past. We've always gone with our daycare provider and close friend Leona, her husband, and their two daughters. Usually in Scottsville, but one year we did go to a mutual friend's neighborhood in Henrietta. Both places were great. LOTS of kids, LOTS of lit-up houses, pretty low on the traffic--not to mention the fun of hanging out with good friends. This year Leona and Co. Decided to go to their church party instead of the neighborhood scene. No problem. John and I have a new house and new neighborhood to check out. I did get a little antsy last week and almost called our Henrietta friend to "bum a ride" on their neighborhood. I mean, our area has very few sidewalks, NO street lights, and our particular street has more older folks about than young families. But, what better way to learn things about your new neighborhood/neighbors then to go around in the dark demanding candy from them?

I got off work a few minutes early, raced home, threw a pizza in the oven, and threw the costumes on the kids. We gulped down our food, and then we set out around 6-ish.

The very first house we hit is our next-door neighbor (of course). After adoring our cute kids in their cute costumes, she warned us right off the bat, "Did anyone tell you we just don't get a lot of trick-or-treaters out here?" The second house, we got tons of exclamations of "Wow! We actually got some trick-or-treaters this year?" (And almost acquired a new pet as their dog followed us right out to the street.) The third house: "OMG, where did YOU come from?! We NEVER get trick-or-treaters. No, seriously, where did you come from?!" (Had to explain that we'd just moved in last summer.)

We saw all of two trick-or-treating groups (each with two kids and one parent) while we were out (and one of them were from the third house we'd hit--and I think they were still in awe of us). John and I decided to try a different tract of homes close by. We walked over to a nicer, they-so-make-more-money-than-we-do tract: you would have heard the crickets if they weren't already gone for the winter! Plenty of lit up houses, but NO trick-or-treaters!

All told, we were out about an hour. I'm sorry, but it's just no fun to go out on Halloween without seeing a bunch of other kids in their costumes. And it's no fun going down a road with no sidewalks when you're toting a (almost) 2-year old in a stroller. And even though it IS fun for your (almost) 7-year old to brandish a flashlight since there are no street lights, it is NOT fun to pick up all her candy in the grass after the THREE times she tripped in the dark.

Next year we're driving to Scottsville. Or Henrietta. Even if no one invites us!

Happy Halloween!

One screwdriver to remove plates expiring TOMORROW: $6.99

Bi-annual vehicle registration: $72.00

Having to go renew the registration at the DMV in your Halloween costume: PRICELESS

The longest day of the year

You Hoosiers had the first taste of the "fall back" time change Sunday. When I was younger and kid-free, I loved this time change. Extra hour of sleep--yes! Well, when you have kids, they don't understand the time change. Kids wake you up at 7:00am--even if it's the 7:00am that was YESTERDAY and not today. So, I have to get up "early" Sunday morning, and somehow make it through the whole "extra hour" day. You wouldn't think one extra hour would be much (especially when it technically happened at 2:00am and NOT 7:00am). Well, when kids are on a schedule, and you're trying to get them to change it by that much, an hour is a long freakin' time! I mean, what do you DO with an extra hour?

So I pulled up my sleeves and tackled that extra hour with a thankless task: housecleaning. Just to make it somewhat more bearable, I got the kids involved--with bribery! I made up a list of kid-friendly jobs, and for each task they accomplished, they got a piece of candy. I've never seen Keith and Mary less whiny or more helpful! Why didn't I think of this sooner?

And why all the housecleaning? Because I'm finally having "the girls" over to the house this Friday for a buy-some-crap party. Personally, I usually avoid these parties like the plague--except the one *I'm* giving--the kind where the wares are FOOD items. Only invite me to parties with food, folks! Anyway, John and I are in panic mode 'cause the house just doesn't quite seem ready yet, and we'd really like to buy new furniture before we invite people over. But you know what? If we waited until we could afford new furniture, we wouldn't be having people over until the kids were out of college! IF then!

So, the kids and I wore ourselves out cleaning (while John wore himself out with bagging leaves and mowing). What depresses me is that the house is already on its way to becoming a mess again. Despite my best efforts, I'll still be doing that last-second panic cleaning Friday night at 6:59, opening the door breathless to my guests at 7:00.

WHY, OH WHY did I do it?! Oh well. It'll be fun to have some people over for a change.

Perfect Post!

I had the perfect post to the blog the other day. It was witty, informative, and lacked spelling errors. It had a kinda stream of consciousness about it--that you could actually understand. I was very proud of that post. And then clicked on "publish". And then I got a network error. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Now the perfect post is just another one of those coulda-been moments. You all would have been impressed with my post--I just know it. And now I know I can NEVER, EVER recreate it. This brain can only spew out that kind of greatness once in a great while. It has to do with the rotation of the planets, the phases of the moon, and the percentage of sleep deprivation on which I'm currently running. I'll never get that perfect moment again.

I gotta remember to save these things first....

Painting lessons

1. If you choose a very, very dark blue color, don't be lazy--put up a coat of primer first.

2. When painting the ceiling, use long, continuous lines of color.

3. IF you buy the "how to paint, ya moron" book, actually read it and FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS.

Please don't patronize my kid

Last night when I picked up Mary after work, her day care provider told me that Mary was reading to the other kids. "She's making it up," Debbie says, "but it's nice that she enjoys reading to the other kids like that." I looked at her kind of funny for a second. I mean, Mary loves to pretend, but I've never really known her to "make up" what she's reading. Mary then came upstairs and showed me her new library book. As Mary and I were talking about the book and her reading to the other kids, I guess the provider finally got clued in. "You mean she WASN'T pretending? She can really read that? She's in first grade, and she can already read chapter books?! Wow!" I admited that sometimes Mary does need help with a word here or there, but yes, the child CAN read chapter books already.

PRETENDING, INDEED. HMPH!!!

Walk for Awareness

Sunday morning, I partook in the Breast Cancer Walk for Awareness here in town. Several girls from my department/building here at work decided to go since several co-workers/friends have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. I brought Mary Anne and put Izzy in the stroller, and we wore our pink. It was a beautiful, perfect fall morning (apparently it's rained for this event for many years past). Mary was a little trooper and walked the whole time with minimal whining. After the mid-point, she was even jogging back and forth along the sidewalk. She really had a lot of fun.

We were one of the first groups to start the trek, so on the return trip, we got to see the mass of people just starting out. It was just incredible all the women there and all the pink. I'm glad I went, I'm glad I took the girls, and I plan on making this a tradition.

Some progress

One step forward:
We can finally fit the mini-van in the garage! Yay! Just a few more things to rearrange/stash in the basement, and the car will be able to enjoy our new home, too. Whew!

And now for the two steps back:
John started painting Keith's room. He gets one coat on the ceiling and decides "I don't like it". So we're putting our heads together trying to visualize how we want this room to look. But that blue he already put on the ceiling is very, very dark. Methinks we may have to prime before we can paint a lighter color up there! AUGH!!!!

Can I brag a little? (OK, a LOT?)

Last night John went to Curriculum Night at Mary's school. John signed up for bringing cups and peppermints to the future winter activities, signed up for the winter parent/teacher conference, and then got to talk to the teacher for a bit about Mary. The teacher told John that Mary is making the transition to the new school wonderfully (she's apparently well-liked by the other kids in her class). The teacher also said that she was "blown away" by Mary's reading and drawing skills. John and I know that the kid reads well--she moved on to reading Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein with no problems last year--and we even know she's pretty artistic. The fridge is constantly filled with her drawings and colorings, and she's always arranging her toys in little "dioramas" on her dresser or in the play room. But I guess it just doesn't hit you until you compare her little drawings to all the other kids in the class that wow--she really IS advanced for her age. She can draw horses, unicorns, whales, dolphins, lions, etc.--and she puts immense detail into them. Mrs. W. mentioned that Mary must have had a great kindergarten teacher. And yes, she did! And not to knock Mrs. G. (who was great, indeed), but I think a chunk of the credit needs to go to the day care provider Mary had since she was six months old. No way I could ever find anyone to measure up to Leona, and that's the reason why I'm willing to drive an extra half hour out of my way every day to keep Keith and Izzy there. She's irreplaceable; she's the best!

But let's not take credit away from our girl. Mary definitely is a good, quick learner. I hope she can keep up the drive in the many, many years of schooling to come!

You go, girl!

Update

Keith's room is still not painted.

The garage is still full of crap.

BUT, we did manage to get a ton of yard work done. John did most of it, but the kids and I helped when we could. We're pulling weeds and cutting down annuals and raking up leaves (already? aw, man!) and trying to figure out how to shape the yard for the spring. It's blatantly obvious that the previous owners only mowed and that was it. We've gotten confirmation on that from the neighbors on both sides. Apparently, the previous owner used to set his mower on the lowest possible setting so that he wouldn't have to mow as often. The poor tree roots have taken quite a beating--but so did his mower. One neighbor told us that the guy had to take his mower in to be fixed a few times for running over those tree roots! It's exhausting, but I'd still rather be outside doing all the yard work than inside doing laundry or dishes (or painting!) or whatever.

Mary Anne is going to take violin lessons! The school offers them free of charge and encourages kids to start this young, as it's apparently easier to teach them at a younger age. We have no idea if Mary will take to the violin any better than dance, but she seems interested, and it's worth a shot. We're taking her tonight to get her fitted and rent her "new" violin.

I may not get to be a Girl Scout leader this year! Absolutely no one showed up for recruitment night. It's getting tough. The schools no longer allow the Girl/Boy Scouts to advertise via flyers going home, so they have to depend on posted signs, advertisements in the papers, and word-of-mouth to get kids in. In fact, I didn't even know about recruitment night. We don't get a newspaper, and since Mary is bussed, we never drive by the school to see the signs. If I hadn't been so diligent about contacting council every other day about the status of a troop for Mary and me, I would never have known about it. I may have to stick Mary in an already existing troop in Penfield or possibly lead last year's Scottsville troop. Those poor girls still don't have a leader, so I am definitely needed there. We'll see how things unfold....

Like thieves in the night--or the plain sight of day

Izzy being somewhat unresponsive to the Sesame Street and Spongebob stickers I bought her after the first day of potty training, I made the bold switch to Hershey's Kissables. I blame my day care provider--that was all SHE had around the house when Izzy decided to suddenly try becoming a "big girl". I don't know that many girls who will respond to stickers after having chocolate as an inducement.

Anyway, I bought two little bags: one for the kitchen for potty #1, one for the upstairs bathroom, for potty #2. Izzy is doing much better for me at home, but there are still times here and there where I'm changing more diapers than I'm handing out candy. No big deal. But yesterday I happened to notice that the package of Kissables looked suspiciously "flat." Hmmm.... Sure enough, it was completely empty.

Any time candy goes missing in the house, I immediately know who the big culprit is. "MARY!" Sure enough, she shamefacedly admitting to eating all of Izzy's potty candy AND even sneaking some of the candy out of the bathroom. Well, now I know why Mary kept jumping up and wanting to cheer Izzy and give Izzy the little reward every time she used the potty. Little sneak.

At dinner, John and I made her feel bad enough about stealing from her little sister and told her that (once again) she won't be getting any candy for awhile (maybe we need to try something else, 'cause the little thief never seems to learn her lesson). And just to make sure, we asked Keith if he happened to be taking any of Izzy's candy. Nope. Not that there was any doubt. Keith is so happy-go-lucky you can't even imagine the thought even entering his head.

Fast forward to two hours later. It's way past bedtime, and I'm trying frantically to get Mary and Keith to bed. They've got their jammies on, they've brushed their teeth, and I'm trying to corral them onto the couch for their bedtime story. I hear rustling in the bathroom as I walk by. Sure enough, there is a little thief sneaking a piece of candy. But no! Not the properly shamed child #1 (still too soon for even that expert thief to try again). No! It's the innocent! The middle child who apparently realized what his life of innocence was costing him--no candy! Cripes! If we hadn't discussed it at the dinner table, he never would have been the wiser!

WHAT HAVE WE CREATED?!

Locke siting at Myrtle Beach

My step-father has an uncanny resemblance to a certain, strange character on a popular TV show....

I'm so "tarred"

...as my Grandma would say.

Due to the belief that I'm over-worked (and let's not forget under-appreciated!), I'm forcing myself to go to bed early every night. I've noticed my work skills depreciate as my stress levels go up and my sleep quotient goes down. So, I've done absolutely NOTHING this week (How could I? I've been nodding off on the couch before I even get the kids put to bed!). Meanwhile, John has finally officially finished all the paint, trim, and touch-ups on the girls' room. I'm supposed to mop the floors tonight, but unless I suddenly get a burst of energy before 8:30 tonight (when the kids go to bed, and I'm free) then that floor will just have to WAIT.

We start Keith's room this weekend. Wonder if that will also take another month? And possibly a trip to some sort of shrink for some high quality meds?

The Perils of Potty Training

Nope. Izzy is NOT one of those kids. The little stinker is using the potty about 50% of the time. And usually it's the 50% of the time that she's NOT with me. She's basically been staying dry all day at the day care, but when I'm home with her, it's hit or miss. Kids are so frustruating! But it's encouraging that she's showing any interest at all. She's about a year ahead of both her siblings on this count. Go, Izzy!

Other than the potty predicament, the weekend was pretty boring. John still painting trim, me still cleaning walls. Why am I so tired when I didn't get as much done this weekend as the previous?

A Momentous Day

Yesterday was Mary's first day at her new school. First off, the bus was about 10 minutes early. John was just calling me asking me where her jacket was, when he noticed the bus outside the garage door (yikes!). The driver said the schedules were a bit off and that he'd be there that early every day.

For the return trip, we have Mary going to a day care provider around the corner from our house. Unfortunately, the bus won't drop off right in front of the house, so Mary has quite a little jaunt from her stop to the house. The provider sends one of her older kids down the street to pick up the little kids, but since it was the first day, and we're the over-protective type of parents, John decided to take off work early and meet the bus, too. Well, John got there in plenty of time, the bus stopped, no Mary came off...and then it started rolling again. John, "Uh, excuse me!?" and stops the bus. Then Mary apparently saw John and headed to the front of the bus. Mary of course didn't recognize her stop and claims she didn't hear the driver call her name. Anyway, she made it off and got the thrill of being picked up early by Daddy.

It's hard to get out of a 6 year old what goes on when you're not around. You can ask all kinds of open-ended questions, but you're never 100% sure if what she's telling you is what really happened. The only things we could get out of her about her first day was that she "had a blast", she went to the library, and she couldn't play on the playground equipment because she didn't have sneakers on (uh, why didn't anyone tell THE PARENTS about that little rule?). I'm not sure what else happened during the day, but at least she seems to like it so far and was very eager to go back this morning.

Keith started his "preschool" yesterday. His day care provider covers preschool basics with the kids, but took most of the summer "off" from teaching since they were basically outside all day every day. Well, the little kids were jealous about their older siblings starting school yesterday, so she picked yesterday for them to have their "own school" and start their lessons again. She gave them all an alphabet puzzle. My goodness, you'd think the thing was gilded in 24 karat gold with the way Keith handles it. Since Keith is now the oldest, he's the most advanced. Leona quickly learned that he just needs to work more on his handwriting, 'cause he's got the alphabet down pat.

Izzy had a pretty busy day, too. After day care, we all went to Pizza Hut and Target. We didn't get home until after 8:00. I started to put her into a clean diaper and her pajamas, when I noticed that her pull-up was dry. Hmmm.... "Hey, Iz, you wanna sit on the potty?" I sat her down then went to go get her a book to look at while she was sitting there. By the time I got back, she'd already peed in the potty! Wow! This kind of caught me off guard--I really thought she wasn't quite ready yet and hadn't been pushing her yet. I hadn't even bought her any rewards--stickers--yet. So Mary gave Izzy one of her stickers, and we all cheered her on.

This morning Izzy woke John and me up at 4:00 and would NOT go back to sleep. Not in her bed, not with us, no where, no how. I finally got up just before 6:00 and got in the shower (John had already given up, too and had gone downstairs to sleep on the couch). When I got out, Izzy started fussing again. Since it was basically time for her to get up anyway, I picked her up and took her into the bathroom. Sure enough, she was still dry from the night before! So, I put her on the potty and even through the tired tears she was still crying, she peed in the potty again! Wow. It's too soon to tell, but there is the glimmer of a hope that she will be one of those kids who practically train themselves. I haven't had one of those kids yet, so I doubt it'll be that easy, but one can hope.....

Stuff I got done this weekend

1. Touched-up the paint in the girls' room.
2. Mopped the kitchen floor.
3. Scraped the wallpaper off Keith's walls.
4. Painted the trim in the girls' room.
5. Worked 4 hours OT.
6. Finally cleared that one #$% level in Super Mario Sunshine.
7. Completely cleared out ALL the boxes of toys from the playroom then put them back--in an orderly manner. WOW.
8. Put a second coat of paint in the trim in the girls' room.
9. Cleaned the bathroom.

John and I are soooo sick of painting, we're not sure when Keith's room will ever get done. And my thumb and wrist hurt from all the painting and the Super Mario. Ouch.

Look out, Trading Spaces! We're ready for you!

John and I took a couple days off this week and finally started painting the girls' room. John was a bit apprehensive about the two shades of blue we picked, but now that we've gotten two coats on and the paint has dried--it looks awesome! John and I are feeling proud of ourselves for the job we did since we're such amateurs and haven't painted anything in years. We still have to paint the inside of the closet and the trim, but so far, so good. I'll have to try to load some before/after pictures when it's done.

We took Mary to her new school yesterday for orientation where she got to meet her teacher. We walked around the school a bit and dropped off the ten tons of supplies we had to buy. After visiting five different stores (one of them being an office supplies store), we were still short one thing: the BROWN clipboard. What the freak? Where did all the brown clipboards go???? But I felt pretty good when I noticed that in all the mounds of supplies accumulating in the bins separated on the floor that there were only about THREE brown clipboards there. Obviously, we weren't the only family who couldn't find one. Whew! I was beginning to wonder about a conspiracy. "Hey, Mack! Here they come! Hide the brown clipboards, quick! Make sure you leave about 20 CLEAR ones out, though!" I am proud to announce that on my lunch hour today I did stop at yet ANOTHER office supplies store and finally found one! Ha! I fooled them with my diligence and easy access to multiple shopping choices!

The long weekend is yet another bummer for me. The biggest pain about doing payroll is that any time there is a three day weekend, it means I'll have to come in the Sunday to work. It's not too bad since I get paid double time and usually only work 2-4 hours, but it's quite an inconvenient break in what used to be a guaranteed three-day stretch of much-needed time off work. I'll just keep focusing on the extra dough I'll receive. Yay! Money for more paint!

Have a great weekend, everybody!

What are you gonna do with your life?!

I WANNA ROCK!

Er, well, not quite. But now that I'm having to drive almost 45 minutes every day to and from work, it gives me quite a lot of thinking time. Well, when the kids aren't being so noisy that I can't even focus on driving, let alone thinking. (Boy, is this drive going to be fun in the winter!) Anyrate, as noticed with my previous post, I'm thinking a lot about my job and how I don't really like it that much. The pay is great, the benefits are greater, but there is still something lacking in it. Perhaps it's just that I've worked for this company for eight years and in my current position for six. Perhaps it's the fact that I'm in a union, so--despite the great pay and benefits--I've somehow or another been screwed out of a promotion several times due to asinine rules--from both the union and the company. I get told time and time again what a great employee I am, but I feel no benefits arising from it. I am STUCK.

So, what do I do? Isn't it interesting that I have a degree and yet no idea how to use it anymore. My teaching license expired five years ago (and was only good in Indiana, anyway). If I wanted to go into teaching again, I'd have to get my master's degree. We don't exactly have the cash for me to pursue that. While going through the angst of trying to figure out how to stay at home with my kids, I thought about and pursued all kinds of different options: selling crap from home, running a day care, becoming a medical transcriptionist, etc., etc. But nothing really sounded like it would fit my life or fit "ME"--or was too expensive to get into.

What a position to find myself in. Too qualified for some jobs, not qualified enough (and no money to get it) for others. But what it all boils down to is: I don't know what I want to do. I don't know what kind of job to pursue to feel as if I'm doing something worthwhile and not robbing myself of time with my husband and kids. So I stay at the same old job, afraid of losing the great pay/benefits that so many other jobs lack now-a-days, and wait perhaps for fate to intervene. Maybe we'll move out of Rochester--nope, that's not going to happen NOW. Hmmm...maybe when my union's contract comes up in February, I'll get laid off--not likely, but ya never know. Maybe a giant bundle of cash will fall from the heavens and right into my lap. Maybe I'll get some sort of miraculous flash from God telling me what would suit me and my lifestyle perfectly. Yeah, right.

So all these thoughts swirl round and round my head while I drive 45 minutes to and from work (when I'm able to block out the kids, that is). What the heck AM I gonna do with my life? Now that our housing situation is no longer temporary, what can I do to improve my vocation?

*sigh* I need a shorter drive.

I need a new job

Internet BAD

So I decide to go online the other day to look for horse decals I can stick up in Mary's room. You know--the stickers that are non-permanent and won't ruin your paint and when your kid gets sick of their current room theme can just be ripped off like PRESTO!. Anyway, looking up stuff is BAD. I found a comforter set which is just adorable (and reasonably priced) and--if purchased--would screw up the color scheme that we picked--and already bought--for her room. It's a good thing I've got some pretty solid will power....but it sure is tough! I am considering buying her one of the horse pillows. Mary's a might bit jealous of the Saturn glow-in-the-dark pillow that middle child received and has been grumping about it for a few days. *sigh* BTW--I never did find any decals to stick up. Gotta keep googling, I guess.

Someone asked me the other day when we were going to have a house warming party. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

"He's CUTE!"

Have I mentioned that little Izzy just LOVES baby dolls? I'm still adjusting. Mary Anne was never into them--being more of a stuffed animal/horse lover. Watching Izzy's face light up when she sees a baby doll, or even a live baby, is just priceless.

Well, the other day, she toddled by the box of toys that contains the talking/moving Yoda that Keith got for Christmas. He didn't phase her one bit. She picked him up, called him "BABY!" and announced to all of us, "He's CUTE!"

Yoda is the last toy I would expect any toddler to find cuddly, but she carried him around and babied him like you wouldn't believe. And then we turned him on....

Nope, she didn't freak out. She just sat there mesmerized while her new "cute" doll stood there and told her the story of "A New Hope" while moving his mouth and eyes. That kid is something else.

House update: We didn't get too terribly much done this weekend--just more purchasing. We bought some stuff to decorate the bathroom and TRY to de-emphasize the blue, blue tiles that are EVERYWHERE. We found a comforter set for Keith with a solar system theme (and even bought the Saturn pillow). We also finally picked the colors and bought the paint for Mary/Izzy's room. We decided to match up with Mary's current Care Bear sheet set and bought two different blues and a bright yellow for trim. I did finish scrubbing adhesive off their walls yesterday, so we are now officially ready to paint. I also got some of the massive amounts of weeding done. I don't think the sellers did ANY work to the yard after the deal, 'cause all the flower beds are nothing but weed jungles.

Talk about being OLD

John and I spent most of our weekend working on our new house. John mowed and cleaned out the gutters (which he believes hasn't been done for several years and is probably the reason why the roof is in such bad shape in certain spots). I took the time while Izzy was napping to start washing down the walls in Mary/Izzy's room to get ready for priming/painting. It took me 5 hours (between the two days) to finish about 80% of the room. Hmmm...There was a lot more wallpaper adhesive there than I first thought! Mary helped out at first, but she quickly got bored. At one point she was hauling up a chair, a box, and a load of crayons/coloring books to settle in and watch while *I* did all the work. Then Izzy woke up, and there the room still sits--with glue still stuck to part of one of the walls. Wow. We're NEVER gonna get these rooms done. We'll be sleeping on the couches and on the floor for the next 10 years!

Anyway, after all that work, my body was an aching mess Sunday night and well into Monday. Old, old, old!!

The garage is still a mess of boxes. I was going to make eggs and toast for dinner the other night and started giggling because I realized that I didn't know where the toaster was. My kids weren't so amused.

Mary is spending the week at Girl Scout day camp. I was a bit apprehensive about dropping her off to ride the bus to camp, and even Mary was a bit sheepish at first, but she darted onto that bus (her first "real" bus ride), and was a real trooper. I could tell by the look on her face when I picked her up last night that she had had a blast. It was a bit pricey, but I'm sure glad that we sent her now.

This was supposed to be the kids' last week at our old day care provider's place. But we are still not 100% happy with any of the places we've interviewed, so I guess they'll be there at least until school starts (three more weeks!). I'm seriously considering keeping Keith and Izzy at the current place for the next year and driving the extra 15 minutes out of my way (each way!) to a person I know and trust. Mary is out of luck, though. She has to be somewhere local to get to/from school. But if John drops her off, that leaves only having to find after school care. I'm going to see if the school provides anything like that (the old school did). If I do this, I may still send Keith to a preschool at the new location for a couple days a week. I think it would be good for him to be exposed to more kids his age. Decisions, decisions.

Endnote: farewell to the cats

Just wanted to let everyone know that we did decide to drop off not just Tarquin, but also Winston to the SPCA. There were some tears, and some aggravated "meows", but now that they're gone, John and I are kind of relieved. No more peeing on the carpet, no more chasing after naughty cats running out the door, no more hair balls and cat vomit, and no more RESPONSIBILITY. It's bittersweet. We loved those cats fiercely, but we did feel bad because it seemed we just didn't have the time to care for them properly. We hope they find good homes soon. We think Winston will have the best chance since he's such an adorable-looking and extremely loving cat. Think happy thoughts....

:-(

Moving Day from HELL!!!!! Parts 1, 2, and 3!

Poor John.

Moving day SUCKED.

First off, I couldn't get a U-haul until Sunday the 30th. No biggie at first--we had found out the manager hadn't rented out the apartment until Sept. 1, so we knew we didn't absolutely HAVE to be out the "five days before your lease runs out" crap that they try to sell you (don't get me started). Let's just say that the week before moving, we couldn't seem to get much packing done. I took off work Thursday to try to get some done, but I ended up spending 2 1/2 hours at Sears that morning getting John's out-of-date inspection done on his car (another amusing story for later). So then I went home, got quite a bit done--including scrubbing the bathroom tub--before I then had to leave to go to our new town to 1) register Mary for school and 2) interview another day care. So all told, I got about 2 hours of packing/cleaning done that vacation day off from work.

So, Thursday morning the maintenance man shows up at our place to paint, thinking we've moved out 'cause it's 5 days before the end of the month, and "someone is moving in." "Well, yeah, but not until September 1st," I tell him. Hmmm.... Found out later that day that the apartment manager, finding out that our closing did go through, went ahead and told the new leasees that they COULD move in for August. Umm....sorry, we're not out until Sunday! Gotta admit, she was pretty cool about it. She said she'd sent painters over first thing Monday morning.

Well, we did the best we could. Sunday comes, we get the U-haul, and John starts loading. I'm trying to finish packing up the "loose ends" while he's doing the initial loading. Please, everyone, keep in mind that we couldn't find anyone to watch the kids while we're doing all this. I had two volunteers: one person who is currently 9 months pregnant with three other kids at home (I wouldn't even think of dumping my kids on her like that!), and another friend who is a twenty minute drive in the opposite direction. Sorry, not very convenient. And the kids were NOT very helpful--specifically the littlest one. I tried putting them all into a bedroom to play together, but it just was NOT happening. John had scheduled a friend to come and help around 2:00. Well, 2:00 comes, and we realize we have a problem. There are a LOT more "loose ends" than we figured. We have more crap now than we figured. We ran out of boxes. And the kids are keeping me from helping as much as I should.

John gets his friend (and more boxes), and the two of them load up all the heavy stuff. By the time they had loaded and unloaded the FIRST load, it was after 9:00pm. And they still had to go back to the sellers' new house to pick up the sectional that the couple kindly sold us for $100.00. John's friend did not get home until after 11:00.

At this point, I've had to put the kids to bed, so I'm kinda stuck in the house--and I've got to go to work in the morning for @#$% payroll. John goes back to make another load. He finishes the SECOND load around 3:30am--only to discover that the truck won't start! He's so exhausted, he just comes home and crashes. He probably got around 2 hours sleep before he got up, took me to work, took the kids to day care, and then started in again. We had called U-haul, only to discover that that truck "has a tendency to do that" and that we should keep trying, it'll eventually start! And thankfully, it did (after about 11 tries).

One of my co-workers called in for the day (don't get me started on that either), so I ended up stuck at work until after 2:00. John unloaded the truck then went back and loaded up the THIRD load all by himself (again). I got to help him unload it Monday afternoon (Yay! I actually DID get to help!). We finished up just in time to go pick up the kids from day care.

And here John was getting on to me for getting the 26-footer. "It's too big!" Well, I guess I did ONE thing right that day!

Now we've got a garage FULL of boxes, so we can't park in there. Many of the boxes were so hurriedly packed that they're unmarked. Clothes, food, etc. is all inter-mingled in our over-100 degree garage.

Oh, God. We'll never get unpacked.

Oh, God. Good thing we bought this place. I'm never moving again!

*sigh*

Poor John.

It's official: we got mail

John called me from the new house last night while he was in the process of pulling the offensive floral wall paper off the walls in Keith's room (Showing pink paint underneath! Aaaauuuuugggghhh! Quick! Get some black sludge slathered on those walls! This room has apparently been girly since 1962!!! We must de-toxify!) . Ahem. Anyway, we got our first official mail since claiming ownership of the house: the electric company, the water authority, the insurance company, and the trash company have already sent their love. How thoughtful.

And here I was hoping they really wouldn't notice.

Technical difficulties?

Hmmm...my blog seems to have a hiccup? Just testing....

We have a house! Now what?

Closing did go through Friday afternoon--although not too smoothly. First off, I couldn't find anyone to watch the kids while we were in a boring office signing a million papers, so all three kids got to be privy to the inner-workings of house closings. They were not amused. Then the bank kept sending over the wrong paperwork--with wrong names, wrong figures, or just missing things. It took forever. Then as we were leaving, we see that John had gotten ticketed for his car being three weeks out of inspection. Now how ironic that he'd had the appointment to take it to the mechanic THAT DAY but canceled it due to the chaos of the house closing. GRRRR!!! Whatever--WE'VE GOT A HOUSE!!!

Friday night we stopped by the place to see it and show it to the kids. The sellers dropped by and showed us some of the "quirks" and things they had done to the house--and offered us their sectional for a sweet price. Awesome! Now we won't have an empty living room for the next two years as feared!

Saturday night we took sleeping bags and an air mattress and "camped-out" in our new, empty house. The kids had a ball running, running, running through all the empty rooms.

Sunday we went to the company picnic at the local amusement park. Not house related, but I thought I'd mention why we didn't get the moving vans loaded up right away. Previous engagement!

So now this week we've made a few deliveries to the place, but we couldn't get a truck until Sunday. We were hoping to get some painting done, but it just hasn't worked out yet. Our biggest concern is Keith's room. Just doesn't seem right to make the kid sleep in a room with floral wallpaper. Maybe we'll finish it up on Saturday. Otherwise, we're thinking of setting up his bed in the living room until we get it done!

THE WAIT IS OVER!!!!

After several very hectic days, hectic phone calls, no sleep, and even MORE hectic phone calls to the same people asking the same things, all our nuts are apparently all collected in the same basket and WE ARE CLEAR TO CLOSE TOMORROW!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!

Don't know the bat-time or bat-channel yet, but as of now realtors and lawyers are apparently calling each other to try to plan the closing orgy late tomorrow afternoon. Now whether or not all these lawyers can get their stuff together in time for that, I don't know. But they've all known that all parties involved were trying for tomorrow, so I'm hoping there will be no road blocks. If anything, I guess it'll happen early next week.

YAY!!!!

P.S. Anyone want a cat?

He's cute, cuddly, Garfield-like personality.

As long as you don't mind the fact that he uses your living room as a litter box....

;-)

House closing Part Two

Well, our mortgage broker's wife went into labor today (she was a week late, so I'm actually not sure if it's "labor" or "induced" or "c-section" or what), so since he's not around, it looks definite that we will NOT be closing on Friday. There has been finger pointing about how/why the closing is not going to happen, but we've been told that we've done everything WE needed to do, so I'm not too terribly worried about it. As long as we're out of that apartment by the end of the month, I really don't care.

*sigh*

House closing would be good here

Well, we were originally supposed to close on the house on Friday, but it doesn't look good. The realtor is insistent that everything is going according to plan, but the broker is telling us not until mid to late next week. Good thing we didn't schedule the U-Haul until the 22nd. John is all stressed out which is making ME stressed out. I keep reminding him that I've never heard of ANYONE who had a house closing go smoothly and rarely do they get to do it on the original date. It just ain't so. (Have fun, Jeff and Paula!)

So we've put off putting the utilities in our names until we definitely hear what's going on. I've slacked on packing (which isn't saying much, since I've only got about 10 boxes packed--and those are only some of our books). Thankfully, we don't really have a lot of stuff--just a lot of TOYS. I may start tossing some of those in boxes (or discretely in the Salvation Army drop-off!) in the next few days.

So here's hoping we're closed by sometime next week. Then we can get moved and get on with the next phase of our lives--home ownership!

...and Such

Friday night John and I threw caution to the wind and decided to try to take all three kids to the drive-in to see Cars and Nacho Libre. We've attempted the drive-in option before--hoping the kids would follow OTHER kids' examples and fall asleep in the back. No such luck. This time, with it being a kids' movie, and another "kid-esque" movie as a second-biller, we weren't too concerned about the older two staying awake. We just wanted the Third to be the good baby she USED to be before teething and fall asleep like a good girl. Again--no such luck. We were fine when we first got there. We set up our chairs outside, pulled out a blanket and munched on popcorn while waiting for the previews to start. The minute the previews started--it started to rain! OK, so now we're stuck in the mini-van. It doesn't take Izzy long to realize a) hey, I'm tired, b) hey, it's loud and stuffy in here, c) hey, my erupting tooth is killing me. The screaming ensued. For most of the movie we were dealing with her screaming or not being able to see the screen due to the on/off rain showers. At one point, not being able to handle being stuck in a stuffy mini-van with a screaming toddler, I took her outside. She calmed down and put her head down on my shoulder. Hey! Maybe she just needed fresh air! Great! 20 minutes after I climbed back in the van, she was screaming again. The movie thankfully finally ended, and we started up and headed home. We didn't even stay for the always-amusing credits at the end. Forget it! We'll rent it! And screw Nacho Libre! We'll rent that, too!

*sigh*

Other news: The house-buying/closing is moving along smoothly. We FINALLY got word back from the insurance company that gee, you're right, the roof really isn't that bad, and golly, we sure would like to insure you now! So....I'm rushing around getting all the paperwork out/received for that. Now that we've finally got insurance approval, we're done jumping through all the hoops and crossing all the roadblocks to our July 14th closing date.

It's been a learning experience. We've learned that when brokers/realtors/etc. are telling us something, they are probably meaning something else. The problem I have is that I just don't always know what question to ask to get the actual accurate answer I need. We really wish we had taken the time to take those buy-your-first-home classes that Fanny Mae and such places offer, but this was just a quick, last-second decision. Oh well. I guess we'll know a few things now if/when we have to do this in the future. ER, I hope so, anyway.

Beyond all this, we're trying to find a home for Tarquin, the cat. I can't take it anymore, and he has peed himself out of a spot in the new house. I have a co-worker checking with her aunt to see if we could make him into a barn cat--where he'll be very well taken care of. Other than that, it's the SPCA for him. I shudder at the thought of his being euthenized, but we're just really at our wit's end here. And I just don't feel right putting an ad in the paper and giving him to some stranger--for him to pee in their house. The new owner may not be as forgiving as the current one.... We'll probably keep Winston for now. Even though he's older and has an ultra-sensitive stomach, at least cat vomit is easier to clean up than cat pee.

And last....
For the fourth we spent the day with the family of a co-worker of John's. We just grilled (yes, vegetarian burgers are actually quite good grilled), drank some wine, and chatted all day. The kids spent the day making crafts (their eldest--also named "Izzi" is also quite creative) and playing on the new swing set. All were happy and getting along until Keith got curious with the scissors and cut up some of the crafty "creations". And then Izzi--with the unfortunate "home advantage"--hid a little too well for Mary during hide-and-seek. Mary's not the greatest loser and had to be reminded about the etiquette of losing well--AGAIN. OUR Izzy spent the day running/walking around exploring, getting cranky, and then finally giving up (after a shot of Tylenol) and taking a very late nap. Most enjoyable day.

Birds, Death, and such

Last Thursday morning, being behind-hand on the laundry as always, I rush downstairs to get my jeans out of the dryer to wear to work. On the way, I pass by the downstairs bathroom and hear "chirp, chirp, chirp." I KNEW it! A while back, I SWORE I heard a bird in the bathroom vent, but never hearing the noise again, I assumed maybe the bird got stuck--and upon never detecting the impending smell, I assumed the bird just gave it up and moved out to better accommodations. NOPE. There is now a CHORUS of chirps coming from the bathroom. Now, I'm not quite fully awake yet, and since this is the bathroom I hardly ever use (it's the designated "kids' bathroom"), I go to turn on the light--and hit the vent switch instead. YIKES! Well, after a bit of flapping around, I still hear the chorus, so I figure the birds are way up there, and all's good. Not being able to do anything about the poor birds at the moment, I grab my jeans, and go about my morning of getting ready and getting the kids up.

20 minutes later, Keith is rushing in the bathroom to do his business and says, "Mommy, I can't go in here, it smells!" I check it out, and now I've got pieces of nest and bird crap all over the floor. By the time John is up, we can actually see a little bird leg hanging out of the bathroom vent! Great! I demolished their nest! Great! It's time to go to work!

Upon arriving home from work, John gets out the screwdriver and removes the still squawking baby birds. He finds three--two in pretty good shape, one which is barely moving and obviously already knocking on heaven's door. Upon inspection outside, we see the tiny little vent hole where mama had built her nest, the rest of the nest on the ground, and another baby who didn't survive the great fall. (Now I'm wondering if the nest--having been built in such a precarious place in the first place, had collapsed during the night whereupon the three fell deeper into the vent, and the one fell outside which is why I could finally hear these obviously weeks-old birds which we couldn't hear before).

Well, we stick the babies in a box, and I'm trying to reach animal control (which is closed at this point). Now, in a book I had read as a youngster, a family finds a baby wren and are able to raise it. In the book, the mother had put the baby bird in the oven to warm up and had made a mixture of flour/milk on the stove which she fed to the baby with tweezers. I'm too freaked out to put the birds in the oven (sing a song of sixpence?), but I do decide to at least warm up a little milk and feed it to the remaining babies with a medicine dropper. The two alert birds are going crazy and obviously love it! I try to get the not-so-alert one to take some, but it barely opens its mouth. Just as I got one dropper-full in each little alert beak, John yells from upstairs, "It says here [on the internet, obviously] NOT to give them milk or ANY kind of liquid." Apparently the baby birds could suck it down so quickly that they could choke themselves. Oh. Well, so much for childhood books as resources.

John gives me the number of some local wildlife preservationist to call. I leave a message. The babies are still chirping away--for about the next 20 minutes. Then they all quiet down. And they are all cold. I guess following his internet advice, John puts them in a planter and hangs them outside in the hopes that their chirping (which they are no longer doing!) will call the mother. Nope. They've stopped squawking and now they are apparently orphans. We bring them back inside since it's going to be a chilly night, put a dish towel in with them, hang them up in the utility room where Tarquin can't get at them, and hope for the best. But warning the kids when we put them to bed, that "it doesn't look good."

Next morning I rush down to check on them, and just one is barely twitching. I hang them back outside on the shepherd's hook knowing that this is the end. I tell both kids as they get up that "the birds didn't make it." Poor Keith starts crying immediately. Mary took it a little better. Both kids did pretty well in the long run. Lots of questions. Lots of answers. And while they seem to be handing it well, I can't help but wonder if I could have helped the birds more. What if we'd just used our heads and put them outside in the first place? What if I hadn't fed them milk? What if that @#$% preservationist had ever called back? What if I hadn't flipped the wrong @#$% switch? Good grief! I now have the weight of the death of four little baby birds on my shoulders! And all I can think of is that poor mama bird grieving over the death of her little ones and wondering what that awful whirring noise was that scared her off and broke up her little nest. *sigh* Humans suck. Especially meddling ones....

Geekfest 2006: The best weekend ever!

Despite being a few hours "late", John and I (and our children) thoroughly enjoyed Geekfest 2006.

We started off our weekend fitting in one day care visit (decided not to attempt two--and it was a good thing, too) on Thursday morning. "Small World" passes inspection and I may send Keith there two or three days a week for preschool if nothing else.... Then John had to go to work "for a couple of minutes" (yeah, right). THEN we had to pick up Mary from school. THEN we still had to pack up the mini-van and go to the grocery store. Considering all that, I'm actually impressed that we were moving down the road at 1:15.

We got stuck in a rainstorm in Cleveland during rush hour for over an hour, so we didn't get to the resort until around 7:00. We shoved food down our throats, threw on our suits, and headed to the waterpark. Hey, after being stuck in the car for six hours, the kids deserved a little bit of fun before bed!

It was a great weekend, and we really liked the resort. Plenty of room, awesome kitchen. The kids had a ball. Mary flew down those slides without even a second thought. Keith was a little more tentative--but we did get him to go down some of the "medium" slides by Saturday. One bump on the head, and one total immersion later, and he declared his sliding days were over! Izzy had fun just standing in the water and splashing everyone. And we were ALL spoiled by the hot tubs.

By the last day, the kids were incredibly tired and cranky, and so were the parents. We were ready to go home to our own beds. We didn't get in until after 9:00 pm, and it was a bear trying to get up (and get everyone else up) Monday, but it was worth it.

Now it's Wednesday, and so far I haven't managed to unpack the cooler (it was mostly empty anyway), and two outfits in the kids' suitcase. Not bad, all things considered.

We are excited about the idea of doing this again next year. Maybe taking a group side trip to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame or something. Not too many side trips--I kind of liked the ease of just walking (albeit down very long corridors) back and forth to the waterpark and not having to pack up the kids in the car every day.

Let's start the plans for Geekfest 2007!

VACATION, ALL I EVER WANTED. VACATION, HAVE TO GET AWAY!

Woo hoo! Dave's blog says about 5 1/2 hours until vacation. Of course, ours is starting a little behind due to having to wait until Unit #1 gets out of school at 11:30. BUT we're still taking the whole day off, so I guess it's technically still good. And I'm getting antsy.

The laundry isn't done, I haven't packed, I still need to make another run to the grocery store, I'm still not 100% happy with the bathing suit I bought, and the list goes on.... It's only a 4 (well, 3 1/2 now) day weekend, and it's kicking my butt!

BUT since we're going to have a late start tomorrow anyway, I've made appointments to check out two day care centers near our new house. I'm not the day care type person. I prefer to send the kids to individuals who run day cares out of their homes. I feel the kids get more one-on-one attention that way. And leaving my current provider, whom we've had since Mary was 6 1/2 months old, is breaking my heart. She was certainly a second Mom to them (and a very good friend to me). If only I could take her and her family with me!! Anyway, all the at-home people I called are already full for the fall (cripes!), so we may be stuck with a center--which does have benefits of its own (don't have to worry about finding back-up for vacation time, open longer hours, etc). So tomorrow morning we'll be checking out places with names like "Tots U" and "Small World." Ugh. Just the names make me cringe.

Izzy is feeling much better, thank you. And except for another Frankenstein fit the other night (think she might be teething again) she's back to her old self.

Mary had her kindergarten "spring show" on Monday. I was stuck with my nose to the "payroll grind" at work, but John got to go, and he tooks lots of video. Quite adorable. Now if only my adorable one would stop waking me up at 3:00 am EVERY MORNING. Even bribery isn't working. Ugh. No wonder I'm not getting anything done around the house.

Sick, sick, sick (not for the faint of heart--or those who faint at the mention of vomit and other such excretions)

So last Wednesday while getting Izzy out of the carseat, she decided to do a Jackson Pollock right onto our parking lot. Thank heavens none of it flew into the van or on my person. Poor Izzy spent the next several hours creating impressionistic art on all kinds of media (her jammies, her sheets, my shirt, her favorite blanky)--and even when she had a lack of "paint", as it were (yes, that would be "dry-heaving"). Reminding myself that I just don't get to spend nearly enough time with my family, I "burned" a vacation day Thursday to stay home with the poor thing. Even on Friday, while the creative spurt had been all used up, she really wasn't quite herself. By Saturday, she had a slight fever and was obviously having issues going #2 (perhaps due to the lack of food and fluids for the previous two days). By Sunday, the "blockage" was bypassed--and apparently cleared the way for the much "smoother fuels" waiting in the tube. NOT pleasant. And she's still not quite herself even today. ugh.

Despite Izzy's issues, we did manage to have some fun this weekend. We took the kids to a farm where we got to meet three baby horses--and a couple of the parents, too. The kids were enthralled--even a slightly feverish Izzy managed to crack a smile and say "horse!" We were promised a ride on the mama horses if we come again (on a not-so-impossibly hot day).

I took Mary and Keith to the apartment swimming pool on Sunday (and wondered if after we move I could still get in with my non-dated pool passes. no, better not. curse me for being so gosh-darned honest!). This is the first year Mary was willing to get in and doggie-paddle around with no whining, clinging, or otherwise drowning-attempts on her mama. Not so with little Keith. After much cajoling, I got him to get in and showed him how he could actually touch bottom. But it was to no avail. After the "thrill" was gone, he spent a half hour whining and screaming and clinging before I finally gave it up and let him sit on the side of the pool. But how humiliating that then when Mary wanted to do laps with me, she beat me far too many times for me to be willing to publish here. Granted, she was doing shorter laps, but STILL.

*sigh* I'm getting old.

The best laid plans

So yesterday as I'm driving to work, I'm thinking about all the things we are doing/need to get done this month: last t-ball game, dentist appointment, pack for vacation, pack to move, get groceries for vacation, the last day of school for Mary.... Hey, wait a minute. (Picture synapse firing in brain here). Uh oh. Mary's last day of school is June 22--the same day we're supposed to be leaving for our vacation in Sandusky! Yikes! HOW did that happen?

Well, the good news is that she only has to go a half day--dismissal will probably be around 11:20 or so--so I guess we'll just have a later start on our trip than originally planned. Curse the East and their late-starting, late-ending school year!!! @#$%

UGH

We can't get out of this townhouse soon enough.

Last spring we had this young couple move next door. The very first weekend, they blared loud music all weekend. We talked to the couple, they apologized, and pretty much behaved for the next year (actually very nice people). Well....They broke up. The girl moved out, and the guy gets this new roommate a few months ago. Now we get loud, blaring music EVERY NIGHT. John's already been over there three times. "Oh, sorry! Anytime we get too loud, just let us know!" We've tried to be nice about it since they are always super nice to us when we see them. Well, the last couple weeks it has gotten worse and worse. John and I went to the manager's office (to sign our "intent to leave" paperwork), and mentioned to her about the noise and how we're tired of having to "remind" the neighbors to be courteous. "OK, I'll give them a call." Last night, at exactly 11:00, the music went UP. At 11:30, John went over and pounded on the door, and rang the doorbell several times. No answer. We figure either a) they're getting revenge for our "telling" on them, b) the stereo was up SO loud that they couldn't hear us, or c) they weren't home and kindly left the stereo blaring (with the windows open!) to share their music to the whole complex in their absence.

"Luckily," their stereo is up against John's and my bedroom wall, so WE get the brunt of the pounding, and the kids hardly hear a thing, so it's not really affecting their sleep. In fact, after John's failed attempt at the neighbors' door, I crawled in with Mary. BUT that's not the point! How can people be so rude! And on a work night!

John told me this morning that he went over a second time pounding on the door and getting no answer. He called the after-hours number for the complex, but he got no answer and had to leave a message (it's just maintenance--they don't give a crap about loud neighbors, only busted pipes, etc.). The neighbors didn't stop the music until 2:30 this morning.

Next time we're calling the cops.

OMG--we're getting soooo old!

HOME OWNERS

Yay! After a whole day of negotiating, we got the house!

We're soooo excited!

We found it(?)

We think we may have a WINNER!

John and I are putting a bid in TONIGHT!

I'm just a wee bit freaked out, here!

WISH US LUCK!

More house hunting

So last Saturday morning, John, me, and all three kids traipsed around the Brighton and Penfield areas looking for our dream home--biggish and yet within our price range (not an easy feat here in Rochester). The very last house that we looked at MIGHT be it. Four bd, two full bath, 2 car garage, large lr, den, and a huge, very well-maintained yard with lots of nice trees. Beautiful. We're contemplating putting in an offer--or taking a chance and looking around for another couple of weeks. Hmmm....

We got several compliments on our children's good behavior. Reminds me that what may be annoying and irksome to ME, is not-so-annoying to a third-party observer--especially one who has probably "seen it all" when it comes to the behavior of kids while spending a very long, boring afternoon looking at numerous houses and not being able to touch things! So kudos to the kids for being seemingly good around strangers that mommy and daddy are trying to impress. They've got their priorities straight!

So here is the first warning to all our wonderful family and friends. IF John and I actually pull this off and buy a house, there will probably be NO trips home this year. We'll be poor and begging you all to come see us. And maybe now we'll actually have room for you!

House hunting

John and I spent most of the weekend dragging the kids back and forth to the mortgage broker and open houses in our whirlwind, last second attempt to find, buy, and move into a house by mid-August. Of the houses we drove by, we are interested in them all but one (and we didn't even get to see that house--the road it was on was so narrow with idiot neighbors/drivers blocking the thoroughfare, we passed it by before we even noticed it and knew for a fact that that street was NOT for us). Sunday we managed to catch two open houses. We liked the second house better--but the location isn't the greatest. It's right next to a collision center--right next to a very busy road. Hmmm....we'll chalk it up as a "maybe".

John's pretty excited about the idea of finally owning our own home--looking up how to straighten the somewhat crooked garage of the one house and what is the life-span of a water heater, anyway? I'm keeping my excitement somewhat under the surface. I think the whole concept is still too surreal for me. John and me--buying a house? Inconceivable!

In the midst of the house hunting, Mary Anne also had her dance recital on Saturday. Mary is a very sensitive kid. You really never know how she's going to react to something until you see her actually react to it. All week she's been excited about this recital. Every time I'd mention it, she'd jump up and down and say, "Yay!" Not so, Saturday morning. I knew we were in trouble when she woke up and complained of being tired. Well, when I mentioned the recital, the pouting began, and "I don't want to go" became the theme for the day. She cried while getting ready and cried the whole 15 minute drive to the auditorium. She cried when I had to leave her--sitting on the floor of the dressing room in her tu-tu and tights, hair wrapped up in a bun. Thankfully, she seemed cheered up by her first dance. But someone must have looked at her wrong the second dance--the tap number to "Under the Sea." Right in the middle of it, the scowl came back. I took her out to Pizza Hut afterwards and said, "No dance next year, right?" She agreed. I guess she's going to be a sports kid--she said she'd rather do indoor soccer. Fine with me! I can certainly do without the outrageous recital/costume fees.

For you Katamari Damacy fans, you'll appreciate this. Sunday I hear Keith humming the theme under his breath (very addictive, that tune). I look up, and he's got a lego man he built rolling a whiffle ball on the coffee table towards a collection of unsuspecting Little People. Oh no! Too funny!

My first blog

Well, after years of keeping simple word documents as records of my life, I've finally made the great leap to blogging! What a concept!

Life is crazy for me, as always. My husband and I are running very quickly into the end of our lease in our townhouse and are desperately trying to find someplace else to live. Every year we go through this. We can never decide whether to move out of Rochester or stay and buy a house. This was supposed to be the year we make a firm decision. Well, the time has flown by, our landlord is knocking at the door wondering if we're going to renew, and we now have just over a month until the lease runs out. I actually called a mortgage broker out of desperation the other day. Maybe we can get lucky, get qualified for a loan, find a new home, and get moved into it within two months (and only have to extend our lease one month). From others' experiences, I know not to hold my breath.

Otherwise, the kids are keeping me busy. Poor Mary currently is on medication for an ear infection. And through this, she's having the busiest week of her life. Dance rehearsals (recital is Saturday) and t-ball games, and a visit from her Great-grandma. Through all this, it's almost impossible to get her to bed at a decent hour, and I feel bad for her. Now that GG has gone home and dance will be ending on Saturday, I'm hoping that her life will be a little less crazy and virus-free.

Izzy had one of her (what I call) "Frankenstein fits" the other night. Izzy is a very well-tempered baby--the most mild-mannered of all our three kids--but every once in a while, she goes into a screaming, stomping, rampaging fit from which she cannot be consoled. This one happend in the middle of the night, and I'm beginning to wonder if it was a night terror. Not something pleasant to behold. When you see your child screaming and crying you want to be able to sooth them. It's the most frustrating thing in the world when they won't let you and don't even seem to notice that you're there. I just put her on the floor and let her rampage around the house until she finally collapsed in my arms--sucking her two fingers. Poor baby.

Keith is the only happy one currently in the house. He's a great kid. Middle child with two sisters--he is so doomed.

Nothing else new to report except for my excitement about getting away to Cedar Point at the end of June with all our FTW Shadownet friends. John and I need a vacation this year, and this little weekend get-a-way is perfect timing....