Just Don't

If you're mid-way through your 25 minute commute home, and the recently-potty-trained two-year old bellows out that she needs to go potty and then the five-year old also chimes in that HE needs to go potty, JUST DON'T think of the condition of the toddler's car seat and stop at the first place you see, which ends up being a Krispy Kreme donuts. Just don't. Even if the "hot now" sign is not lit. Just don't. Even if you don't particularly care for donuts (and in fact are teased a bit at work about it). Just don't.

And if the three children that you so adore start acting like complete goofballs in the restroom, making you freak out that their screams (of joy--and even one of frustration) will be echoed throughout the dining room JUST DON'T yell back. Because now YOUR louder voice is echoing too, making you sound like the stressed-out parent of the week (which you truly are, but you just don't want to publicize it to the world!).

And then when all have pottied, washed and dried their hands JUST DON'T think that letting them watch the donuts go down the conveyor belt for "just a minute" will somehow make up for your loud, panic-stricken outburst in the restroom. JUST DON'T. 'Cause now all those ooey, gooey donuts are flipping, frying, and GLAZING right in front of your children's very eyes, and the begging shall commence! And when the nice girl behind the counter offers all three kids PLUS YOURSELF a free freakin' donut JUST DON'T take it! Even if you don't like donuts--even if you think they're just too sickly sweet and not worth the lack of anything resembling good nutrition for the two seconds of sweetness WHO ON EARTH COULD RESIST a freakin' "hot now" donut that just simply melts in your mouth? And then WHO CAN RESIST the begging of the children? WHO????

And then when you cave and buy a dozen delectable donuts, JUST DON'T decide to be economical and make all four of you share one bottled water (since you're all dying of thirst after eating your sample donut). The crying and screaming that ensue (some from yourself) aren't worth the money you saved.

JUST DON'T let your kids have that sugar rush. As your own patience after the whole incredibly harassing ordeal is now GONE--and you're own blood is rushing after the glazed insulin injection you just received. JUST DON'T listen to the crying and whining of the five-year old and the giggling and taunting of the seven-year old as she mercilessly picks on him and drives your nerves to the FREAKIN' MOON. Because the more you yell, while driving in rush hour with jangling nerves, the louder you get, and the less you pay attention to the road, and then the more you panic you'll have yet another freakin' wreck which makes you yell at the kids to KNOCK IT OFF even more and turns your sugar rush into the Calgon-take-me-away headache of the week which will last the rest of the freakin' night.

And just try to keep in mind that binging on a half dozen donuts will NOT make it all go away....

Soooo tired

Sunday was my company picnic at the local amusement park. It's always a good deal: amusement and water park and food for a small price! The kids had a ball. The adults were still lamenting that we couldn't go on the big coaster (Mary JUST hit the line--John didn't want to wait a half hour in line just to find out they decided she didn't quite stretch it). We were exhausted and slightly sunburnt, but it was a good day.

Monday Mary and I went to Girl Scout Camp where she earned three Try-Its for her Brownie sash. It was fun, but two days of walking around all day in the blazing sun was a bit much for the both of us. We were draggin' our butts last night.

My ego is getting slightly inflated here at work. Now that the list of "retirees" is posted, I'm getting a lot of phone calls from folks telling me how much they're going to miss me and how the company is losing a great employee. However I am staying humble in realizing that chances are no one's going to call to tell me that I was a terrible worker and they are THRILLED to see me go. ER, let's hope not, anyway.

John and I have a week's vacation next week--for the simple reason that our day care provider is on vacation, so we didn't have to find a back-up. We're thinking of spending one day at Sesame Place with the kids then heading back home to MAYBE finally put the finishing touches on Keith's room. One can dream, anyway.

Adjustment

Had to adjust my countdown clock a little. In my excitement to post the news, I forgot that while I'm officially an employee until September 30, technically my last day will actually be September 28--as the 30th is a Sunday.

Duh.

GREAT NEWS

The company offered an early buy-out trying to refrain from laying off. John and I debated all the last month and finally decided to go for it....

I WILL OFFICIALLY BE A STAY-AT-HOME-MOM AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2007.

I'm a little freaked out, here! But I'm so happy. It was a tough decision, and I know we'll be pinching pennies like crazy, but I'm thrilled to think of the time I'll get to spend with my kids and how I'll have more time to do ten million other things that go along with the maintenance of them (and the house). And maybe I won't be so stressed out, so maybe I won't wreck the car so much. :-)


Wish us luck!

Done!

It took me just under 11 and a half hours to read "Deathly Hallows." That's pretty good considering I had to feed and clothe kids--and even take one to the potty from time to time. They're just so darn needy, those kids! Well, it's almost 5:00 now, so I guess I should take them for a romp outside or something since I've been "absent" for most of the day.

All I can say is: Fantastic.

Maybe I'll read it again tomorrow....

Goofy Goober

Yesterday when Keith was getting dressed for the day, he suddenly started cracking up. I look up at him, and he shows me his pile of clothes on the floor. "Mommy! I was wearing two pairs of underwear!" So that meant that the day before he had put on his clean underwear OVER his day-old underwear--and wore it like that ALL DAY.

I'm starting to wonder if he's going to make it through kindergarten.

:-)

Three more days! I can't take it!!

Well, actually 2 days and 14 hours left until the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows PARTY! I pity my husband children as this weekend they will become widowed and orphaned as I spend the whole weekend reading, reading, reading. Oh good gracious me! Is Snape really evil? Will she kill off Harry? Who on earth WILL she kill off, 'cause I love these characters so, so much I won't be able to handle any of them biting it!

John and I did get to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last Wednesday (I took off work early to go see a movie--how lame!). It's just too difficult to put books 2-6 in movie format. As a huge book fan, I will never be completely pleased with one of these movies. I did like the fight scene at the end, and I also liked the D.A. sequences. It was just too slow in the other places. I was fine with most of the changes put in the movie EXCEPT ONE. It was kinda lame and not necessary, and they kinda leave you hangin' with a confused expression on your face as it isn't really RESOLVED, per se. I won't elaborate since I don't want to spoil others' movie-going experience.

**[SPOILER: I DO want to say that the Weasley escape scene was almost FLAT compared to the book. Seriously--they could have done more there!]**

And WHAT was I thinking inviting people over to the house for a cook-out Sunday afternoon? I guess I'll just have to stay up all night Saturday night reading, so I finish it before they get here. Then I better make sure I don't doze off while flippin' the burgers. That--would be BAD.

The Obligatory Cerpicio and Wife Visit Post

So last weekend we had houseguests. Anybody catch that?

It was great to see Jeff and Paula, of course. The best part--free energetic entertainment for the kids. As soon as Jeff and Paula were awake, our house would suddenly turn into a circus tent filled with outstanding feats of running, jumping, shouting, and throwing of stuffed animals EVERYWHERE! I was kinda envious. I remember when I used to have the energy to play with other people's kids. It was so much fun, I had three of my own. Now I'm so tired all the time I've turned into one of those "Mmmm Hmmmm" parents. Look Mommy! Look at this toy I've shown you 27 times already today! Mmmm Hmmm. Look Mommy! Bubbles and Buttercup saved Mario from the evil Baby Bowser! Mmmm Hmmmm. Look Mommy! I just created an artistic masterpiece I'm going to submit to the Louvre! Mmmm Hmmmm.

So John took Jeff and Paula around town on Friday while I was stuck at work. Then they picked up the kids early from day care and took them to the Strong Museum. II met them there for the last bit. I was planning on cooking out Friday night, but the kids vetoed me in favor of our traditional Friday night pizza and a movie....

Saturday we sweat our pants off at Niagara Falls, but it was beautiful, as always. And the kids enjoyed it, as always. And yes, Jeff and Paula got to witness first-hand the trials and tribulations of trying to get three kids into the car, out of the car, and to go to the bathroom AT THE SAME CONVENIENT TIME. And maybe even to go when they FIRST need to and not when they've held it so freakin' long they're in pain. Then Izzy fell on the sidewalk while we were watching the not-quite-so-whirly whirlpool. She's STILL telling us about falling and hurting her knees on the sidewalk!

I love how Izzy spent the weekend complimenting Jeff and Paula (I like your eyes! I like your hair!)--but I was also amused that Izzy apparently couldn't quite pick up their names. If we said, "Go see Jeff. Go see Paula" she knew what we meant, but anytime she talked about them she would say "HER" and "HIM."

The kids were bummed when Jeff and Paula left Sunday morning. All that attention taken away from them! Being left with boring Mommy and Daddy! Gasp!

Most enjoyable visit. Too bad we didn't have time (and I couldn't take time off work) to do more. We must do this more often!

Oh! My aching back!

I've warned my co-workers--I'm going to be a whiny-butt today. Because on our national holiday, John and I worked ALL DAY.

Yesterday morning he went to work for a few hours while I did a few things around the house. Not a lot, mind you (so I guess it's really unfair me to to say *I* worked "all day", but watching the kids counts, alright?), but I did get some of the menial housework done. Around lunch time I kicked it in full gear. When the younger two went down for their nap I faced the ultimate challenge: that @#$% blue paint. Yes, I did yet another coat of paint on the walls in Keith's room.

After John came home, brandishing the desperately-needed new mop head, I finished mopping all the floors and getting more of the menial housework done. John started mulching. Yeah--we've got an enormous pile of mulch blocking one side of our garage right now. It was raining on and off all day, but John still got some of it done.

John also decided to put the spare bed in the spare--previously "toy"--room. Now all the toys are in the middle of the den, but at least Jeff and Paula have a decent bed on which to sleep when they come into town. The theory is that when we finish Keith's room and disperse the kids accordingly, the kids will have room in their own bedrooms for a good chuck of the toys. So more pressure to finish that room by 6:00 TONIGHT before Jeff and Paula's arrival.

So last night after the kids went to bed, I faced the blue room again--and put another coat of blue on the ceiling. Let me just say that I'm too freakin' short--even with the long handle on the paint roller--to reach the ceiling properly. I've got spaghetti arms with absolutely NO upper body strength. As a result, this morning, I was greeted with a back, upper arm, and neck ache. Ugh.

BUT I checked the room this morning, and despite a few wobbly streaks here and there on the ceiling, I think the room looks MUCH BETTER. It appears 6 (or was that 7?) is the magic number when dealing with coats of super-dark, outer-space blue paint.

John has today off. Will he be able to get all the mulch distributed to our million flower beds (why did we buy a house with so much freakin' landscaping?) AND Keith's room cleaned out and mopped, and the kids' beds and toys distributed properly by the time Jeff and Paula pull up? High odds on this one, folks!

Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies--the long version

I'm a little late for the chocolate chip cookie challenge posted by others, but I still wanted to get this recipe out there because it's just so darn good. I guess when my mother initially moved to Indiana, she went to a party where someone brought these. They were so good, she begged for the recipe. And now that's the only recipe we use (er, so I thought).

Here are the steps I took to make these....

1. Call and wake mother up at 8:30 on a Sunday because can't find that blasted recipe. Talk to step-father for 45 minutes about miscellaneous while she tries to wake up. Finally get Mom--and get cut off. After 15 minutes, call her home line instead of cell phone. Sure enough, her phone lost it's charge. Ask for cookie recipe. Mom says, "just use the one on the back of the bag." Um--NO. YOUR recipe is the best, darn it, and is the only one I'll use. She finally agrees to email it. NO! I want to start it now! She begrudgingly reads it to me over the phone.

2. Get kids in kitchen to "help" make the cookies. Pull out huge mixer.

3. Start to cream the 1 cup of shortening (I always use butter-flavored). Hmmm....shortening is sticking to beater and not acting right. Add sugars and mix some more. Realize using wrong attachment on ultra-mega mixer. Reach for the other attachment and try again.

4. Add eggs and vanilla. About to start mixer--realize grabbed OTHER wrong attachment. Grab right one this time, and batter is now starting to go smoothly.

5. Kids have already lost interest and are running amok in house in chaos. What was the point of all the cleaning I did yesterday? Add soda mixture. Then flour.

6. Mom suggested add more chocolate chips to recipe (already changed in recipe below). She always uses one bag of chips for the half recipe. But I bought a mega-bag. Guess I'll add half of it. Hmmm...still doesn't seem enough. Add another quarter of the bag. Perfect!

(Take a few minutes to put Izzy on the potty and then run yet ANOTHER load of laundry. When go back upstairs, realize Izzy had grabbed glasses and contorted them into a shape not "quite" right for my face. *sigh*)

7. Re-write recipe more neatly. Realize as writing, forgot to add the salt! Throw it in and mix real quick--wow, that mega-huge mixer is GREAT for that!

8. Clean up kitchen, put dough in fridge, take shower, go to work 1/2 hour late to enter @#$% early payroll due to @#$% holiday (remind self that it IS double-time.)

9. Come home three hours later, clean more of the house due to impending visit, start charcoal AND oven at same time.

10. Proceed to bake cookies at the same time as cooking hamburgers and corn-on-the-cob on the grill.

11. Remember why although I LOVE to bake I hardly ever do it--and can only manage HALF a cookie recipe. Too many kids running around, too much housework to do, and I am the WORST multitasker ever (well, while cooking, anyway).

Gotta give myself SOME credit. The cookies AND the hamburgers turned out GREAT.

I'm already late posting this, so no pics. I have to go and paint yet ANOTHER coat of paint in that eternally blue-paint-sucking room of Keith's.

Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies--the short version

Chocolate Chip Cookies (1/2 recipe)
1 Cup shortening (I use butter-flavored)
1 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup brown sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 Cups flour
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream shortening, add sugars. Stir in beaten eggs and vanilla. Add soda to water; add to first mixture. Add flour, salt, chips.

Bake in 350* oven for 10-12 minutes.

Catsup

Yes, I'm back. I've been "demoted" back to my "real" job again. Bleh.

I just wanted to update you all on the goings-on of the Q Collective for the last month.

Um...let's see. The Isabelle Experiment. After about a week of it, both Leona and I gave up and put the kid back in pull-ups. She was actually doing OK, but it was just getting tiring cleaning up when she WASN'T doing OK. After about another week, you could actually *see* the thought processes CLICK--and she was going potty on her own. She's back in underwear! Izzy has had two or three accidents in the last couple of weeks, but I am confident enough in her progress to say, "YAY! SHE'S POTTY TRAINED!" I might even get brave enough to stop putting her in pull-ups at night--as she's been pretty consistent staying dry through the night, too. YAY!

Keith's room: still not done. I got two more coats of paint done (we're up to either 5 or 6 now--I've kinda lost count)--and it's still not quite right. We pulled up the tape and everything getting ready to clean up the room, but when the sun hits the room (as it does for a good chunk of the day) you can still see paint strokes and primer. John's even thinking of giving the ceiling another coat. We were hoping to have this room done and Keith moved in by this weekend, but it just didn't happen. Maybe we'll put in a few late nights of painting in the next few days. One thing we can say for sure: we will NEVER paint with such a dark color EVER again. This room should have been done ages and ages ago!

I've been getting lots of compliments on my new do--but in all actuality I don't really like it. Too much maintenance (yes--shorter hair is NOT always easier when there is more STYING you have to do), and I'm not 100% happy with the style of it being shorter in the back and longer in the front. But I'm not really complaining (THAT much) because I know that I'm just going to grow it out again the way I like it!

Saturday while Mary, Izzy and I were in the grocery store "I've been waiting for a girl like you" came on. I stopped Mary and said, "Hear this song? That's N--'s dad singing that song! See, I told you he was famous!" She thought that was pretty cool.

The last two weeks we've been trying to get the house ready for the impending arrival of Jeff and Paula. I keep wondering if I would be more helpful out back weeding with John as all the cleaning I do on the inside gets completely demolished 5 minutes after I let the kids in. It's exhausting. So, I put up my broom and mop last night. No more major cleaning until Wednesday night. Maybe I'll try to put in a few coats of paint in Keith's room instead....