Mary's Pumpkin
Keith and Izzy's Pumpkins on the stoop
Helping Dad with the leaves--with blue hair.
Can you find Coraline?
This is Halloween
(I love how the Clone Trooper is "striking a pose!"
First House
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Pics!
Izzy's Pumpkin--or what happens when you hand a kindergartener a sharpie and a pumpkin!
Mary's Pumpkin
Keith and Izzy's Pumpkins on the stoop
Helping Dad with the leaves--with blue hair.
Can you find Coraline?
This is Halloween
(I love how the Clone Trooper is "striking a pose!"
First House
Mary's Pumpkin
Keith and Izzy's Pumpkins on the stoop
Helping Dad with the leaves--with blue hair.
Can you find Coraline?
This is Halloween
(I love how the Clone Trooper is "striking a pose!"
First House
Monday, November 02, 2009
As per your request
Family:
What does Izzy want for her birthday?
Um.....
Hmmmm....
I don't know if it's because she's the third kid and we have soooo many toys already in the house--or if it's because she's just such a happy-go-lucky kid who plays with ANYTHING? and doesn't seem to have many preferences (except puppies, and frankly, we have ENOUGH stuffed animals in the house!)--but this kid is really tough to put together a wish list for!
OK. Here are a few things I know she would like:
Glo Doodle
Pixos
Leapster: Draw and Write (Keith's version doesn't work on her Leapster)
Leapster Pet Pals
(Just double check that the Leapster games work on the Leapster 2.)
Also Izzy has had an amazing growth spurt recently and is now in need of 5 slim jeans and 5 shirts.
I'll attempt to cobble together the wish lists for the other two soon!
Love to all!
What does Izzy want for her birthday?
Um.....
Hmmmm....
I don't know if it's because she's the third kid and we have soooo many toys already in the house--or if it's because she's just such a happy-go-lucky kid who plays with ANYTHING? and doesn't seem to have many preferences (except puppies, and frankly, we have ENOUGH stuffed animals in the house!)--but this kid is really tough to put together a wish list for!
OK. Here are a few things I know she would like:
Glo Doodle
Pixos
Leapster: Draw and Write (Keith's version doesn't work on her Leapster)
Leapster Pet Pals
(Just double check that the Leapster games work on the Leapster 2.)
Also Izzy has had an amazing growth spurt recently and is now in need of 5 slim jeans and 5 shirts.
I'll attempt to cobble together the wish lists for the other two soon!
Love to all!
No pics--yet
I um, apparently grabbed the wrong cord for our camera, so...um, no pics of our ghoulish Trick-or-Treaters yet.
It was a great night. Mary agonized for weeks about what to be for Halloween until I had the idea of her dressing up as Coraline. One yellow raincoat and a can of blue hair spray later--and we had a winner! Mary really enjoyed surprising her classmates on Friday with the blue hair (and I even "bobbed" her hair by pinning it underneath for her).
Izzy kept going back and forth between Bat Girl and a Butterfly (which is what MARY wanted her to be). Mom made the executive decision--Bat Girl just fits her personality soooo much better!
Keith originally wanted to be Wolverine. One glimpse of all the Clone Trooper costumes out there changed that decision QUICKLY. Go Star Wars!
We were supposed to go out with two families Saturday night. Well, our neighbors bailed on us to go with another family. Then our other friends decided to stay in due to the Flu from Hell which had hit their house last week. We Q's hit a few of our immediate neighbor's houses and then went ahead and trick-or-treated in our Sickly Friends' neighborhood (better neighborhood for trick-or-treating--and then we could ALSO pick up our GS cookies which had just been shipped in THAT DAY!).
The wind/rain started picking up just as we were heading out. The kids were upset, but it didn't stay bad but for a few minutes. Mary kept the hood up on her raincoat anyway to help protect the precious blue hair. If anyone was confused about her costume of just a simple yellow raincoat (with a little black cat stuffed in the pocket), they never said anything (our friends teased her by saying she looked like the Gorton's Fisherman--or the Morton salt girl).
Izzy was the most exuberant one. She was cracking us up. Every house she would just YELL "TRICK OR TREAT!" while bouncing up and down. And "THANK YOU." Even if her brother/sister forget, any patrons were well-assured that SHE was grateful for the candy!
We weren't out long when the kids started whining about the heaviness of their pumpkins. Woo hoo! Our work here is done!
We let the kids stay up late as we ate a late dinner (had a late lunch that day at our favorite Japanese restaurant--yum!). All slept well.
Saturday morning I got up as normal and then rushed to the meeting I had--showing up a whole hour early as I COMPLETELY FORGOT ALL ABOUT DAYLIGHT SAVINGS!!! D'oh! Ah well--we got more done! (This is the first time I've ever done that. Crap!) This family had been hit hard with the Flu from Hell the prior week, too. And the one little boy's temperature had gone back up (that's one of the big symptoms--roller coaster temperatures), so he was in bed for the whole time I was there.
So then Mary and I got ready to go to our GS meeting. Guess what? My co-leader (the one who bailed on us due to whole family getting this flu--whose neighborhood we trick-or-treated in?) still didn't feel well--so I got to run the meeting all by myself.
So...I guess it should be no surprise that Friday--just about an hour before we headed out the door to demand candy from the neighbors--Izzy developed a slight cough. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The good news is--it's still only a slight cough. She only coughs a handful of times in the day, and has a some-what "frogginess" to her voice. She is still playing and bouncing around just like our fun-loving, normal Izzy. The bad part--the cough is one of the first symptoms to this Plague from Hell.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I suspect time off from work in my future....
It was a great night. Mary agonized for weeks about what to be for Halloween until I had the idea of her dressing up as Coraline. One yellow raincoat and a can of blue hair spray later--and we had a winner! Mary really enjoyed surprising her classmates on Friday with the blue hair (and I even "bobbed" her hair by pinning it underneath for her).
Izzy kept going back and forth between Bat Girl and a Butterfly (which is what MARY wanted her to be). Mom made the executive decision--Bat Girl just fits her personality soooo much better!
Keith originally wanted to be Wolverine. One glimpse of all the Clone Trooper costumes out there changed that decision QUICKLY. Go Star Wars!
We were supposed to go out with two families Saturday night. Well, our neighbors bailed on us to go with another family. Then our other friends decided to stay in due to the Flu from Hell which had hit their house last week. We Q's hit a few of our immediate neighbor's houses and then went ahead and trick-or-treated in our Sickly Friends' neighborhood (better neighborhood for trick-or-treating--and then we could ALSO pick up our GS cookies which had just been shipped in THAT DAY!).
The wind/rain started picking up just as we were heading out. The kids were upset, but it didn't stay bad but for a few minutes. Mary kept the hood up on her raincoat anyway to help protect the precious blue hair. If anyone was confused about her costume of just a simple yellow raincoat (with a little black cat stuffed in the pocket), they never said anything (our friends teased her by saying she looked like the Gorton's Fisherman--or the Morton salt girl).
Izzy was the most exuberant one. She was cracking us up. Every house she would just YELL "TRICK OR TREAT!" while bouncing up and down. And "THANK YOU." Even if her brother/sister forget, any patrons were well-assured that SHE was grateful for the candy!
We weren't out long when the kids started whining about the heaviness of their pumpkins. Woo hoo! Our work here is done!
We let the kids stay up late as we ate a late dinner (had a late lunch that day at our favorite Japanese restaurant--yum!). All slept well.
Saturday morning I got up as normal and then rushed to the meeting I had--showing up a whole hour early as I COMPLETELY FORGOT ALL ABOUT DAYLIGHT SAVINGS!!! D'oh! Ah well--we got more done! (This is the first time I've ever done that. Crap!) This family had been hit hard with the Flu from Hell the prior week, too. And the one little boy's temperature had gone back up (that's one of the big symptoms--roller coaster temperatures), so he was in bed for the whole time I was there.
So then Mary and I got ready to go to our GS meeting. Guess what? My co-leader (the one who bailed on us due to whole family getting this flu--whose neighborhood we trick-or-treated in?) still didn't feel well--so I got to run the meeting all by myself.
So...I guess it should be no surprise that Friday--just about an hour before we headed out the door to demand candy from the neighbors--Izzy developed a slight cough. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The good news is--it's still only a slight cough. She only coughs a handful of times in the day, and has a some-what "frogginess" to her voice. She is still playing and bouncing around just like our fun-loving, normal Izzy. The bad part--the cough is one of the first symptoms to this Plague from Hell.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I suspect time off from work in my future....
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Growing Up
Mary is almost ten, and I find that while I get exasperated by her scowls and grumbles and sighs and laments (most usually expressed when I have the audacity to ask her to do her chores or her homework or practice her violin or brush her hair), I am also seeing this incredible young woman starting to emerge. She's so the oldest sibling--constantly bossing around her brother and sister to play the games she wants to play with HER rules and not much room for THEIR interpretation, but she can also be very sweet to them (um...when she's in the mood)--and she's almost motherly to Izzy sometimes.
Mary wants to come along to Izzy's Girl Scout meetings so that she can "help" (I have had to explain a little that "help" does not mean that she color pages with them--and then KEEP coloring and shutting the other girls and her mother's need for an assistant OUT when the meeting moves ON while she's still in her creative la-la land). But the point is, she's starting to take on the more adult roles--and not because her mother is forcing her to do it.
When I heaved out the pumpkins and started hollowing them out for a carve fest (determined to do it this year since last year the pumpkins got thrown on the front step and then completely forgotten about until John finally threw them away), she wanted to carve. My mother-persona said, "No." Then my Girl Scout leader-persona took over and said, "Why not?" So, I handed her the knife, and...wow--she did such a great job! And I realized once again that I still need to learn to let go of some "control" and let the kids learn in their own way.
I am trying. A few weeks back I decided to make an apple pie. I had Mary do all the measuring and mixing--and I didn't even hover over her shoulder.
Sunday night I called Mary upstairs to teach her how to make spaghetti (the simple "dinner-needs-to-be-ready-in-like-two-minutes" style of noodles and jar sauce). She grumbled a little at first (see: chores, homework, practice, hairbrush), but then she really started to enjoy it. I let her choose the veggie (salad). She even served the plates. And then she asked me at the dinner table, "Mom, can I help you cook every night?" YES. YES, YOU CAN! She was just so darn proud of herself for cooking a WHOLE meal!
And while I'm noticing all these wonderful things about Mary, I've noticed that Keith is trying to mature a little, too.
One weekend in an attempt to GET AWAY FROM CHATTERING IZZY while on the phone with my mother, I actually locked myself in KEITH's room (Well...John was asleep in OUR room!). And since I am the multi-task type of phone-talker (I've mentioned before that sometimes I will put a call through to my mother just because I know that then I have about an hour where I will get stuff DONE), I started picking up his room. Keith's room was just so cluttered! And while yes, perhaps HE should have been the one to clean it--WHATEVER, it got DONE, OK? Anyway, I even vacuumed after I got off the phone, and even Keith was amazed at the end product (and we found those two game cartridges that have been lost for EONS). And guess what? HE'S KEPT HIS ROOM NEAT SINCE THEN. I mean, it's not been perfect--sometimes a few pieces of clothing aren't in the laundry basket or there are a few scattered legos--but he has definitely made an EFFORT to keep the clutter under control. John and I have made it a point to tell him what a great job he's doing.
And Izzy. Well...while we still have those EVIL Izzy mornings every now and then, she is definitely having more GOOD Izzy mornings lately than EVIL. Weekends, of course, are the best, since then she gets to sleep in as late as she wants (and Mommy does NOT stir from her own bed until Izzy does--which means 8:00 and even sometimes 9:00 sleep-ins lately! Yay!). Last Sunday she got up and picked out her clothes and got dressed all by herself--then tip-toed in to show me. So was soooo excited and proud of herself! She also seems to do a better job of keeping her own stuff picked up in the room she and Mary shares than Mary does (yeah--we're still working on that with Mary...).
Last night I took ownership of my responsibility to be a role model--I cleaned the bedroom. It was a daunting task since my bedroom is the LAST room in the whole house (well, except for the basement, of course) that gets ANY attention. I put away clothes, took out trash, gathered up all the millions of empty shopping bags that I was for some strange reason accumulating under the bed and tossed them, finally finished putting away all the summer clothes, and even SWEPT--oh, dear Lord, the dust DINOSAURS!!! But the room is almost inviting now! And maybe, just maybe, I can keep up with my ever-growing/changing children and do a little growing up myself....
Mary wants to come along to Izzy's Girl Scout meetings so that she can "help" (I have had to explain a little that "help" does not mean that she color pages with them--and then KEEP coloring and shutting the other girls and her mother's need for an assistant OUT when the meeting moves ON while she's still in her creative la-la land). But the point is, she's starting to take on the more adult roles--and not because her mother is forcing her to do it.
When I heaved out the pumpkins and started hollowing them out for a carve fest (determined to do it this year since last year the pumpkins got thrown on the front step and then completely forgotten about until John finally threw them away), she wanted to carve. My mother-persona said, "No." Then my Girl Scout leader-persona took over and said, "Why not?" So, I handed her the knife, and...wow--she did such a great job! And I realized once again that I still need to learn to let go of some "control" and let the kids learn in their own way.
I am trying. A few weeks back I decided to make an apple pie. I had Mary do all the measuring and mixing--and I didn't even hover over her shoulder.
Sunday night I called Mary upstairs to teach her how to make spaghetti (the simple "dinner-needs-to-be-ready-in-like-two-minutes" style of noodles and jar sauce). She grumbled a little at first (see: chores, homework, practice, hairbrush), but then she really started to enjoy it. I let her choose the veggie (salad). She even served the plates. And then she asked me at the dinner table, "Mom, can I help you cook every night?" YES. YES, YOU CAN! She was just so darn proud of herself for cooking a WHOLE meal!
And while I'm noticing all these wonderful things about Mary, I've noticed that Keith is trying to mature a little, too.
One weekend in an attempt to GET AWAY FROM CHATTERING IZZY while on the phone with my mother, I actually locked myself in KEITH's room (Well...John was asleep in OUR room!). And since I am the multi-task type of phone-talker (I've mentioned before that sometimes I will put a call through to my mother just because I know that then I have about an hour where I will get stuff DONE), I started picking up his room. Keith's room was just so cluttered! And while yes, perhaps HE should have been the one to clean it--WHATEVER, it got DONE, OK? Anyway, I even vacuumed after I got off the phone, and even Keith was amazed at the end product (and we found those two game cartridges that have been lost for EONS). And guess what? HE'S KEPT HIS ROOM NEAT SINCE THEN. I mean, it's not been perfect--sometimes a few pieces of clothing aren't in the laundry basket or there are a few scattered legos--but he has definitely made an EFFORT to keep the clutter under control. John and I have made it a point to tell him what a great job he's doing.
And Izzy. Well...while we still have those EVIL Izzy mornings every now and then, she is definitely having more GOOD Izzy mornings lately than EVIL. Weekends, of course, are the best, since then she gets to sleep in as late as she wants (and Mommy does NOT stir from her own bed until Izzy does--which means 8:00 and even sometimes 9:00 sleep-ins lately! Yay!). Last Sunday she got up and picked out her clothes and got dressed all by herself--then tip-toed in to show me. So was soooo excited and proud of herself! She also seems to do a better job of keeping her own stuff picked up in the room she and Mary shares than Mary does (yeah--we're still working on that with Mary...).
Last night I took ownership of my responsibility to be a role model--I cleaned the bedroom. It was a daunting task since my bedroom is the LAST room in the whole house (well, except for the basement, of course) that gets ANY attention. I put away clothes, took out trash, gathered up all the millions of empty shopping bags that I was for some strange reason accumulating under the bed and tossed them, finally finished putting away all the summer clothes, and even SWEPT--oh, dear Lord, the dust DINOSAURS!!! But the room is almost inviting now! And maybe, just maybe, I can keep up with my ever-growing/changing children and do a little growing up myself....
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
What day is it?
The crazy kid schedule is just NOT getting any better. And although I know it WILL calm down soon-ish, it just seems like getting to that point is going to drive me out of my mind. I keep reminding myself that my kids just aren't NEARLY as involved as a lot of the other kids we know. But still....ugh.
Last Saturday, I went on a guided two hour hike with the GS troop (with my co-leader and ONE girl), and we saw a deer jump into then swim across the creek and then jump right onto the path behind us. That was sooooo cool! And wasn't Mary upset that she "bailed" on the hike on me because she thought it was too rainy and gloomy (Oh! It ended up being such a beautiful morning!).
After the hike, I took my tired body back out with the kids to sell MORE cookies and pizzas. ALMOST to the crappy-stuffed-animal goal. Ugh!
After we got home, I started cleaning the house and cleaning out all the summer clothes--and I basically didn't stop working until Sunday evening. Well...except that I did manage to knit ONE mitten for Izzy. Seriously, folks! *I* knitted a mitten! ME! And..it actually LOOKS like a mitten! The girls were muy impressed, and even Keith asked for a set of mittens when I get done making this set for Izzy.
Almost every day the woman who watches Izzy emails or FBs me the Lunch Conversation of the day. OMG--I wish I could be there to witness these conversations first hand!
Izzy: My brother likes Star Wars.
R: My brother likes Star Wars, too!
Izzy: That's cuz boys like violent stuff!
R: Moms are always so busy!
Izzy: But Dads just lay around the house!
Last Saturday, I went on a guided two hour hike with the GS troop (with my co-leader and ONE girl), and we saw a deer jump into then swim across the creek and then jump right onto the path behind us. That was sooooo cool! And wasn't Mary upset that she "bailed" on the hike on me because she thought it was too rainy and gloomy (Oh! It ended up being such a beautiful morning!).
After the hike, I took my tired body back out with the kids to sell MORE cookies and pizzas. ALMOST to the crappy-stuffed-animal goal. Ugh!
After we got home, I started cleaning the house and cleaning out all the summer clothes--and I basically didn't stop working until Sunday evening. Well...except that I did manage to knit ONE mitten for Izzy. Seriously, folks! *I* knitted a mitten! ME! And..it actually LOOKS like a mitten! The girls were muy impressed, and even Keith asked for a set of mittens when I get done making this set for Izzy.
Almost every day the woman who watches Izzy emails or FBs me the Lunch Conversation of the day. OMG--I wish I could be there to witness these conversations first hand!
Izzy: My brother likes Star Wars.
R: My brother likes Star Wars, too!
Izzy: That's cuz boys like violent stuff!
R: Moms are always so busy!
Izzy: But Dads just lay around the house!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Christmas Budget!
Oompa toys are giving away a $100 gift certificate! Beautifully made toys, folks! And, yes, we are on a budget, and I know lots of little ones I'd love to buy these beautiful toys for FREE!
Go! Enter! Now!
Go! Enter! Now!
Friday, October 09, 2009
Quiet
There is no school today. I got up at my normal time. I did my normal routine--EXCEPT for that whole waking of the children, fighting with Izzy, nagging them to get their dirty clothes IN the basket, nagging at them to clean up the spilled milk and spilled cereal, nagging at them to start packing their lunches, brushing Izzy's hair, nagging at Mary to PLEASE brush HER hair and pull the bangs back, realizing I should have been on the road FIVE MINUTES ago when I haven't even packed my lunch yet, and rushing to pour my coffee....
It was just sooooo quiet. I tip-toed around like a little mouse and had coffee and my hair ready in record time. I had time to eat breakfast--but I couldn't quite grasp the concept of actually eating it at HOME and not at my desk, so I brought it with me like normal. The girls did wake up (I tripped on a box of beads lying in the middle of Mary's bedroom floor when I went to put a pair of clean socks in the drawer for Izzy--since all the clean socks are currently in a huge basket in the middle of my own bedroom), but I shushed them as fast as I could and talked Izzy into going BACK to bed (I know!).
And then I realized I had nothing else I needed to do to get ready. Everything was in the car and ready to go, and I even knew where my purse was. And then I felt kinda lonely. I didn't want to disturb anyone's slumbers (or rouse them BACK out of bed) to say good-bye, so I just said it quickly and quietly to those awake. And...I got to work 15 minutes early. A feat that hasn't been accomplished since probably before I had children....
It was too quiet. A lovely morning, but no goofy Keith running around in his own little goofy way. No Motherly Mary nagging him to Pour his Cereal! and Pack his Lunch! while still giving me her sweet, gentle good morning (BEFORE the hair-brushing request and SCOWL, of course!), no Grumpy Izzy who almost magically turns into the Happy Izzy we all know and love the second she FINALLY gets out of bed and FINALLY deigns to put her clothes on and get down to the kitchen for breakfast.
Quiet. Lovely. But just not quite right....
It was just sooooo quiet. I tip-toed around like a little mouse and had coffee and my hair ready in record time. I had time to eat breakfast--but I couldn't quite grasp the concept of actually eating it at HOME and not at my desk, so I brought it with me like normal. The girls did wake up (I tripped on a box of beads lying in the middle of Mary's bedroom floor when I went to put a pair of clean socks in the drawer for Izzy--since all the clean socks are currently in a huge basket in the middle of my own bedroom), but I shushed them as fast as I could and talked Izzy into going BACK to bed (I know!).
And then I realized I had nothing else I needed to do to get ready. Everything was in the car and ready to go, and I even knew where my purse was. And then I felt kinda lonely. I didn't want to disturb anyone's slumbers (or rouse them BACK out of bed) to say good-bye, so I just said it quickly and quietly to those awake. And...I got to work 15 minutes early. A feat that hasn't been accomplished since probably before I had children....
It was too quiet. A lovely morning, but no goofy Keith running around in his own little goofy way. No Motherly Mary nagging him to Pour his Cereal! and Pack his Lunch! while still giving me her sweet, gentle good morning (BEFORE the hair-brushing request and SCOWL, of course!), no Grumpy Izzy who almost magically turns into the Happy Izzy we all know and love the second she FINALLY gets out of bed and FINALLY deigns to put her clothes on and get down to the kitchen for breakfast.
Quiet. Lovely. But just not quite right....
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Migraines, anyone?
Got the call from the nurse yesterday afternoon, "Mary's in here." I gotta give the nurse some credit. After the first rocky year at that school where she seemed to call us for every single whimper, she seemed to finally "get" Mary and that Mary can sometimes um, "over-play" her symptoms. So, yesterday the nurse waited until Mary had been sent there for the fourth time (by different teachers), and the nurse had actually observed Mary herself over recess before she finally called.
The nurse starts describing Mary's ailments. "Her eyes were bugging her. Her head hurt. She felt nauseous. She even dry-heaved a little." Whoa. Wait a minute....
*sigh*
After the first incident of an "apparent" migraine which happened months ago, and the feeble thought that maybe it was just a one-time occurrence, it appears that the Migraines are BACK. Crap.
It was almost the end of the school day, but John managed to get away and pick her up. By then she'd fallen asleep at the nurse's office. She slept for a little while longer until the other kids and I got home. Then she said she felt much better (except that her head still hurt just a bit), got up, did her homework, and played with her friends. She also said she felt just fine to go to Izzy's Girl Scout meeting (which she kinda didn't have much choice about as Keith's den leader called a last-minute Cub Scout meeting to which John had to take Keith). Anyway, we got through the meeting (we're up to about 11-12 girls in the kindergarten troop now!), and she was just fine.
She slept well last night. She was fine when she got up this morning. By mid-morning, she was back at the nurse's office. Same symptoms: blurry eyes, yada, yada, yada. Sooooo....I abandoned my post at work (which had JUST gotten "somewhat" exciting as I'd gotten a new time-killing, mind-numbing project today!), and we came home. Mary was so nauseous, she was afraid to eat in fear that she may throw it up. I gave her some Tylenol and tried to get her to go to sleep, but she begged to watch a movie instead to "distract her from her upset stomach." We watched Corpse Bride ($5 at Target!), and then it was time to go get the other kids.
Mary's only other complaint was that she felt a tightness in her chest and seemed to be having problems breathing. This only happened for a short while. When we were leaving to go to the school, she says, "It's gone!" (meaning the chest pain--she still had a bit of a headache).
I finally got a hold of the pediatric nurse. Tylenol or Motrin are definitely the way to go, and we're going to send a stock to the nurse at school for Mary to take when she feels the blurry eyes start coming on. Maybe if she takes the meds quick enough, she won't sink into that painful/nauseous hole and be able to get back to class.
And...I guess we'll finally get to start the headache diary. I'm wondering if the change in weather could have been one contributing factor. Definitely some barometric changes here the last couple of days--I know I've had sinus headaches for a few weeks straight now.
*sigh* Poor kid.
The nurse starts describing Mary's ailments. "Her eyes were bugging her. Her head hurt. She felt nauseous. She even dry-heaved a little." Whoa. Wait a minute....
*sigh*
After the first incident of an "apparent" migraine which happened months ago, and the feeble thought that maybe it was just a one-time occurrence, it appears that the Migraines are BACK. Crap.
It was almost the end of the school day, but John managed to get away and pick her up. By then she'd fallen asleep at the nurse's office. She slept for a little while longer until the other kids and I got home. Then she said she felt much better (except that her head still hurt just a bit), got up, did her homework, and played with her friends. She also said she felt just fine to go to Izzy's Girl Scout meeting (which she kinda didn't have much choice about as Keith's den leader called a last-minute Cub Scout meeting to which John had to take Keith). Anyway, we got through the meeting (we're up to about 11-12 girls in the kindergarten troop now!), and she was just fine.
She slept well last night. She was fine when she got up this morning. By mid-morning, she was back at the nurse's office. Same symptoms: blurry eyes, yada, yada, yada. Sooooo....I abandoned my post at work (which had JUST gotten "somewhat" exciting as I'd gotten a new time-killing, mind-numbing project today!), and we came home. Mary was so nauseous, she was afraid to eat in fear that she may throw it up. I gave her some Tylenol and tried to get her to go to sleep, but she begged to watch a movie instead to "distract her from her upset stomach." We watched Corpse Bride ($5 at Target!), and then it was time to go get the other kids.
Mary's only other complaint was that she felt a tightness in her chest and seemed to be having problems breathing. This only happened for a short while. When we were leaving to go to the school, she says, "It's gone!" (meaning the chest pain--she still had a bit of a headache).
I finally got a hold of the pediatric nurse. Tylenol or Motrin are definitely the way to go, and we're going to send a stock to the nurse at school for Mary to take when she feels the blurry eyes start coming on. Maybe if she takes the meds quick enough, she won't sink into that painful/nauseous hole and be able to get back to class.
And...I guess we'll finally get to start the headache diary. I'm wondering if the change in weather could have been one contributing factor. Definitely some barometric changes here the last couple of days--I know I've had sinus headaches for a few weeks straight now.
*sigh* Poor kid.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Soooo tired
The weekend was all about the kids. Friday night was the Cookie Kick-Off for Girl Scouts. Saturday we went out around the neighborhood and sold GS cookies and Cub Scout pizzas. Sunday morning the girls and I did the Breast Cancer Awareness Walk. Sunday afternoon Girl Scout meeting. I tried to get housework and laundry done in the middle of it all, but...the kids destroyed EVERYTHING I did the minute my back was turned.
My friend and I had the perfect plan for the Breast Cancer Walk--go REALLY early, walk, and GO HOME. Well, our other team-members apparently didn't read the memo--so we ended up waiting at the Walk for over an hour for them to show before we got to start. But since we were in line and waiting, we were basically at the head of the MASSIVE pack that all started at the "official" start-time of 10:00.
It was kinda chilly waiting there all that time (we dressed in t-shirts and light jackets thinking we would be walking RIGHT AWAY and therefore not really cold for very long), so Mary was upset about that.
Izzy, apparently tired from the long wait, started whining the minute we finally set off on our walk. She whined all the way to the half-way point, "I WANT TO DRIVE! I WANT TO DRIVE!" (Yes, I can laugh about it, NOW!) She finally cheered up only to start crying again towards the end because she had dropped the flower Mary picked for her (which was immediately TRAMPLED in the big, MASS of people), and the OTHER flower Mary presented her was apparently just NOT good enough. *sigh*
Other than that, it was a great walk, and since we did start it late and were at the start of the group, we got to pass the huge WAVE of people as we turned around and headed back. The kids were just AMAZED by all the people (well, except for the flower-lamenting Izzy).
My friend and I had the perfect plan for the Breast Cancer Walk--go REALLY early, walk, and GO HOME. Well, our other team-members apparently didn't read the memo--so we ended up waiting at the Walk for over an hour for them to show before we got to start. But since we were in line and waiting, we were basically at the head of the MASSIVE pack that all started at the "official" start-time of 10:00.
It was kinda chilly waiting there all that time (we dressed in t-shirts and light jackets thinking we would be walking RIGHT AWAY and therefore not really cold for very long), so Mary was upset about that.
Izzy, apparently tired from the long wait, started whining the minute we finally set off on our walk. She whined all the way to the half-way point, "I WANT TO DRIVE! I WANT TO DRIVE!" (Yes, I can laugh about it, NOW!) She finally cheered up only to start crying again towards the end because she had dropped the flower Mary picked for her (which was immediately TRAMPLED in the big, MASS of people), and the OTHER flower Mary presented her was apparently just NOT good enough. *sigh*
Other than that, it was a great walk, and since we did start it late and were at the start of the group, we got to pass the huge WAVE of people as we turned around and headed back. The kids were just AMAZED by all the people (well, except for the flower-lamenting Izzy).
Monday, September 28, 2009
It's GONE! ALL GONE!
I cut off my gorgeously beautiful hair Saturday. My 10-inch ponytail is drying out and waiting to be mailed off to Locks for Love.
*sigh* I MISS my hair!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Till I'm Blue in the Face
"Put your homework in your folder and then into your backpack, please."
"Flush the toilet, Keith."
"Did you wash your hands?"
"Izzy, wake up, honey. Time to get up."
"Please put your dishes in the sink."
"Mary, here is the form for the Family Fun Night with the five dollars. Please go put that in your folder in your backpack."
"Can you PLEASE clean up the cereal that you spilled?"
"PLEASE put your homework in your folder and into your backpack!"
"Izzy--you HAVE to get dressed!"
"Mary! Dinner time!"
"Keith! You didn't finish your homework?!"
"Where is your backpack?"
"S/He no longer works here, can I direct you to ___?"
"You LOST the Family Fun Form? AND the five dollars? Didn't you put it IN YOUR BACKPACK like I asked you?"
"Where are your shoes?"
"Izzy! GET! UP!"
"MARY! COME AND EAT!"
"Go brush your teeth and give Daddy hugs and kisses."
"PUT THIS IN YOUR FOLDER AND INTO YOUR BACKPACK!"
"Keith, you STILL need to do your homework!"
"Mary! Please put down your toys and come and brush your teeth!"
"Butt on the SEAT."
"Where's your folder? Did you leave it at school?"
"Mary, please brush your hair."
"S/He no longer works here, can I direct you to ___?"
"Izzy! Hush!"
"Your homework is STILL not in your backpack!"
"Who didn't flush?"
"You left your agenda book at school AGAIN?"
"Get your shoes on."
"Please put your dishes in the sink."
"Go brush your teeth!"
"YOU HAVE TO GET UP AND GET DRESSED NOW!"
"Did you put your homework in your folder and in your backpack?"
"Put your backpack away!"
"Well, it doesn't LOOK like it, so could you please brush your hair again?"
"How many times do I have to ask...?"
...
Ugh.
"Flush the toilet, Keith."
"Did you wash your hands?"
"Izzy, wake up, honey. Time to get up."
"Please put your dishes in the sink."
"Mary, here is the form for the Family Fun Night with the five dollars. Please go put that in your folder in your backpack."
"Can you PLEASE clean up the cereal that you spilled?"
"PLEASE put your homework in your folder and into your backpack!"
"Izzy--you HAVE to get dressed!"
"Mary! Dinner time!"
"Keith! You didn't finish your homework?!"
"Where is your backpack?"
"S/He no longer works here, can I direct you to ___?"
"You LOST the Family Fun Form? AND the five dollars? Didn't you put it IN YOUR BACKPACK like I asked you?"
"Where are your shoes?"
"Izzy! GET! UP!"
"MARY! COME AND EAT!"
"Go brush your teeth and give Daddy hugs and kisses."
"PUT THIS IN YOUR FOLDER AND INTO YOUR BACKPACK!"
"Keith, you STILL need to do your homework!"
"Mary! Please put down your toys and come and brush your teeth!"
"Butt on the SEAT."
"Where's your folder? Did you leave it at school?"
"Mary, please brush your hair."
"S/He no longer works here, can I direct you to ___?"
"Izzy! Hush!"
"Your homework is STILL not in your backpack!"
"Who didn't flush?"
"You left your agenda book at school AGAIN?"
"Get your shoes on."
"Please put your dishes in the sink."
"Go brush your teeth!"
"YOU HAVE TO GET UP AND GET DRESSED NOW!"
"Did you put your homework in your folder and in your backpack?"
"Put your backpack away!"
"Well, it doesn't LOOK like it, so could you please brush your hair again?"
"How many times do I have to ask...?"
...
Ugh.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Where do the days go?
I've had something Scout or school-ish going on every day/evening since Saturday. Tonight is PTA and even though for ONCE it's in a day/time I can ACTUALLY attend, I'm NOT going. I'd like ONE NIGHT with an clean slate, thankyouverymuch.
Last night was Curriculum night for kindergarten. (The school split it up into three nights--and guess who's children were spaced just right so that she had to go to ALL THREE FREAKIN' NIGHTS?) I stayed after for a second just to introduce myself to the teacher (John met her on the first day, but I haven't had a chance yet). Mrs. M., "Oh! I just LOVE Izzy! She's always so excited every day! Every days she asks, 'WHAT are we doing today?' or 'WHAT are we reading today?'" Per Mrs. M., Izzy is one of the students REALLY into reading.
Awesome. So maybe the third-child syndrome did NOT affect her as much as I feared! See--barely reading to her AT ALL from the ages of 2 to 4 is actually making her EAGER to learn it at school! Go, Tired-and-Lazy ME!
And...Penny Update. There has been a BM, but no penny visable. I'm thinking, if she had a BM at all, that must mean that everything is running smoothly, right???
Last night was Curriculum night for kindergarten. (The school split it up into three nights--and guess who's children were spaced just right so that she had to go to ALL THREE FREAKIN' NIGHTS?) I stayed after for a second just to introduce myself to the teacher (John met her on the first day, but I haven't had a chance yet). Mrs. M., "Oh! I just LOVE Izzy! She's always so excited every day! Every days she asks, 'WHAT are we doing today?' or 'WHAT are we reading today?'" Per Mrs. M., Izzy is one of the students REALLY into reading.
Awesome. So maybe the third-child syndrome did NOT affect her as much as I feared! See--barely reading to her AT ALL from the ages of 2 to 4 is actually making her EAGER to learn it at school! Go, Tired-and-Lazy ME!
And...Penny Update. There has been a BM, but no penny visable. I'm thinking, if she had a BM at all, that must mean that everything is running smoothly, right???
Monday, September 21, 2009
Not panicking
It was an insanely busy weekend with Girl Scout recruitment events and Girl Scout meeting planning and Mary's first Girl Scout meeting. And then trying to get the housework done and trying to get to the store and trying to get something decent on the table both nights. And the horrible, horrible sinus pressure I woke up to Saturday night which reminded me that perhaps I should get some new filters for the humidifiers so that maybe I don't feel as if my face will explode every time I clench my teeth.
By Sunday night I was a fatigued mess. It's been a while since I felt THAT tired.
And then Sunday night....
Anytime Izzy finds a penny or quarter or something, she wants to put it her piggy bank. I keep the bank on a shelf in her closet--she has to ask me for it every time. No big deal. But this weekend, she seemed to find quite a handful of pennies. Sunday I took the bank down for her, and she wanted to KEEP it off the shelf. Well...OK. Whatever.
Sunday evening she and Mary are cleaning their room (OK, Mary is rearranging the stuffed animals on their beds and Izzy is just wandering around the room and not much "cleaning" is really going on). Izzy finds another penny and excitedly shows it to me, and proudly tells me she's going to put it in her bank, and even takes the bank and walks around with it and the penny and then says, "I'm going to show Daddy!" Daddy INSISTS that he did, in fact, SEE her put the penny in her bank.
Meanwhile, I'm in bedroom putting clothes away (where, except for the random pile of clothes here and there, not much cleaning ever gets done, either). Suddenly, I hear Izzy SCREAMING in her bedroom. And it's a definite "my brother or SOMETHING freaked me out and I'm SCARED" scream. She comes running into my room all frantic yelling, "I SWALLOWED A PENNY! AUUUUUUUUGH!"
I take a look at my screaming, crying, and obviously BREATHING kid (Oh. Em. GEE!), take a cleansing breath and tell her, "Well, kid, we're just going to have to wait for it to come out the other end."
I did have the random thought of taking Izzy to the 24-hr care place, but she was just OBVIOUSLY fine, so I decided to spare the insurance company and myself the cost of the x-rays which would show Abe on his way to her intestines and the obvious wait-for-nature-to-take-its-course advice I would get from the docs. I had her drink a cup of water. Asked her to please stop trying to COUGH up Abe, as he wasn't coming out THAT way anymore, and briefly wondered if I should mention it to her teachers in case SHE said something to THEM first...? John: "naaaah." Okey dokey, then!
Where on EARTH did she find YET another penny? Where is this treasure trove she has uncovered? Where on EARTH did she get the idea to put that disgusting thing in her MOUTH?
God. I'm so glad it wasn't anything worse!
By Sunday night I was a fatigued mess. It's been a while since I felt THAT tired.
And then Sunday night....
Anytime Izzy finds a penny or quarter or something, she wants to put it her piggy bank. I keep the bank on a shelf in her closet--she has to ask me for it every time. No big deal. But this weekend, she seemed to find quite a handful of pennies. Sunday I took the bank down for her, and she wanted to KEEP it off the shelf. Well...OK. Whatever.
Sunday evening she and Mary are cleaning their room (OK, Mary is rearranging the stuffed animals on their beds and Izzy is just wandering around the room and not much "cleaning" is really going on). Izzy finds another penny and excitedly shows it to me, and proudly tells me she's going to put it in her bank, and even takes the bank and walks around with it and the penny and then says, "I'm going to show Daddy!" Daddy INSISTS that he did, in fact, SEE her put the penny in her bank.
Meanwhile, I'm in bedroom putting clothes away (where, except for the random pile of clothes here and there, not much cleaning ever gets done, either). Suddenly, I hear Izzy SCREAMING in her bedroom. And it's a definite "my brother or SOMETHING freaked me out and I'm SCARED" scream. She comes running into my room all frantic yelling, "I SWALLOWED A PENNY! AUUUUUUUUGH!"
I take a look at my screaming, crying, and obviously BREATHING kid (Oh. Em. GEE!), take a cleansing breath and tell her, "Well, kid, we're just going to have to wait for it to come out the other end."
I did have the random thought of taking Izzy to the 24-hr care place, but she was just OBVIOUSLY fine, so I decided to spare the insurance company and myself the cost of the x-rays which would show Abe on his way to her intestines and the obvious wait-for-nature-to-take-its-course advice I would get from the docs. I had her drink a cup of water. Asked her to please stop trying to COUGH up Abe, as he wasn't coming out THAT way anymore, and briefly wondered if I should mention it to her teachers in case SHE said something to THEM first...? John: "naaaah." Okey dokey, then!
Where on EARTH did she find YET another penny? Where is this treasure trove she has uncovered? Where on EARTH did she get the idea to put that disgusting thing in her MOUTH?
God. I'm so glad it wasn't anything worse!
Friday, September 18, 2009
What the...?
I have an earache. The second one in so many months.
Keith wore his brand-new jeans to school the other day. When I went to pick him up from school, I noticed that throughout the school day they SUDDENLY became about an INCH too short?
Every time I send mail to the company's plant in Mexico, it comes back "No Reclamada" (unclaimed). Even after I verified I had the correct address. Um...? I KNOW people work there! And the addressee is the PLANT MANAGER!
Intramurals started this week at school--and I have YET to get paperwork/permissions slips for Mary to join.
I went to the Store-I-Don't-Like because they have an ATM from my bank. I forgot to buy milk. Then I started to walk out of the store without getting the money for the sitter. (Yes, this falls more under the heading of "Dumb Blonde" than "What the...," but I felt like whining, OK?)
Let's end this on a POSITIVE note:
A picture my neighbor took of the kids getting ready to go on the bus the first day Izzy got to ride--on the second day of school.
Keith wore his brand-new jeans to school the other day. When I went to pick him up from school, I noticed that throughout the school day they SUDDENLY became about an INCH too short?
Every time I send mail to the company's plant in Mexico, it comes back "No Reclamada" (unclaimed). Even after I verified I had the correct address. Um...? I KNOW people work there! And the addressee is the PLANT MANAGER!
Intramurals started this week at school--and I have YET to get paperwork/permissions slips for Mary to join.
I went to the Store-I-Don't-Like because they have an ATM from my bank. I forgot to buy milk. Then I started to walk out of the store without getting the money for the sitter. (Yes, this falls more under the heading of "Dumb Blonde" than "What the...," but I felt like whining, OK?)
Let's end this on a POSITIVE note:
A picture my neighbor took of the kids getting ready to go on the bus the first day Izzy got to ride--on the second day of school.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Even more so....
I apparently left my bagels in the kitchen at work the other day instead of stashing them in my desk like I normally do. So, today, when I was STARVING and CRAVING a toasted bagel with peanut butter, there were NONE.
The meeting location I picked for our GS meetings is apparently not going to work as one of the mothers has a daughter with severe allergies, and the dampness of our meeting place could set her off. Granted, the daughter actually coming to these meetings does not have allergies as severe as her sister, but the mother is still worried.
*sigh* Guess I gotta go find another meeting place.
(Yes, poor Swistle and Devan are having even worse days than I am!)
The meeting location I picked for our GS meetings is apparently not going to work as one of the mothers has a daughter with severe allergies, and the dampness of our meeting place could set her off. Granted, the daughter actually coming to these meetings does not have allergies as severe as her sister, but the mother is still worried.
*sigh* Guess I gotta go find another meeting place.
(Yes, poor Swistle and Devan are having even worse days than I am!)
Lovely
This morning as I was reaching to get the creamer from the cabinet , my fingers fumbled, and the container fell onto the counter top, knocking over my cup and it's whole contents of freshly-brewed, freshly-HOT coffee all over the counter, the floor, me and even splattering Mary who was three feet away.
RIGHT as I was getting ready to walk out the door! @#$% (No burns, thank goodness. Just annoyance.)
I can't find the GS book I just bought. I'm hoping my co-leader accidentally snagged it when we met last night.
Oh! Come to find out the troop number we were given for our new Daisy troop is still an active troop number, so we'll be getting a different one. AFTER I've already bought and IRONED the troop numbers on my daughter's uniform!
John called a little while ago to find out what time the kids can be dropped off at school. They missed the bus this morning. "What happened? Were they goofing off?" "No...," he sighed, "It was me."
RIGHT as I was getting ready to walk out the door! @#$% (No burns, thank goodness. Just annoyance.)
I can't find the GS book I just bought. I'm hoping my co-leader accidentally snagged it when we met last night.
Oh! Come to find out the troop number we were given for our new Daisy troop is still an active troop number, so we'll be getting a different one. AFTER I've already bought and IRONED the troop numbers on my daughter's uniform!
John called a little while ago to find out what time the kids can be dropped off at school. They missed the bus this morning. "What happened? Were they goofing off?" "No...," he sighed, "It was me."
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Most Peculiar, Mama.
We are all still adjusting to our new school/work schedules--but I think it's working lovely.
Izzy has good days and bad days about getting up in the mornings. The first day of school, she was fine since she was so excited, but the second day was more of my begging/pleading/nagging/demanding and her just crawling back under the covers every time I walked away.
"It's your first day riding the bus!"
"I don't care" (while grinning).
"Aren't you excited to see Mrs. M. again? And Mrs. F. and R?"
Grin: "I don't care."
"What if I tickle you?"
Really grinning, "I don't care!"
Me, laughing, "I guess I'll have to spank you, then?"
REALLY grinning, "I DON'T CARE!"
*sigh* At least she wasn't CRYING!
Yesterday I forgot to set my alarm and woke up about 20 minutes before I needed to leave for work. Izzy didn't get any sort of gentle wake-up call. No, I just pulled the covers off of her and dragged her out of bed (slowly, though, OK?), and then set her down to do her hair. So far, that has been the most pleasant morning (um, with HER) yet. Apparently forcefully dragging her semi-conscious body is the KINDEST and MOST QUIET way to get her out of bed. Who knew?
Izzy has been a little more whiny lately, and I'm wondering if it's due to all these changes (school, new day care lady, etc.). I was told she had to be "talked to" yesterday by her daycare lady because she burst into tears while Mrs. F. at the museum when they were moving on to new exhibits. Mrs. F. was surprised--and realizes that Izzy needs more transition time. I was surprised as I've never really known her to be like that for others.... So, yeah, Izzy needs to STOP the drama! Oi!
Mary is loving having her BFF over to the house every day. I know the newness of this will wear off soon. As nice as this kid is, I also know that she gets bored VERY EASILY, and I will be hard-put to keep her entertained once the cold weather sets in, and we can't go outside every day. Luckily, homework takes up PART of the time she's with us, so the entertainment time isn't as much as it could be! Yay for fourth grade homework!
We're already having issues with take-home folders and agendas and instruments being left home or at school and....ugh. WHEN does this stuff EVER click? (No comments on how much stuff *I* forget on a daily basis!)
The extra-curricular madness is about to kick in. I'm just NOT ready. First GS meetings take place in a week, and I'm still fluttering around like a lost fruit fly (Which have TAKEN OVER our garage and are trying to take over the kitchen/bathroom, and killed off all my happy live-and-let-live thoughts as I spray EVERY little red-eyed offender with Windex and smash them with a towel!). Anyway, thank goodness my co-leader for Mary's troop is so freakin' AWESOME--otherwise I'd be even more zany!
Mary decided to join choir this year instead of orchestra--she's still going to take violin lessons, she just doesn't want to be in the orchestra. The teacher called John all in a panic, "She can't! She HAS to stay in orchestra!" After talking with him a few minutes, John got out of him that Mary can still take violin lessons and not orchestra, but the teacher just really likes her and really, really wants her to stay in orchestra (we think it's because she actually BEHAVES in class and apparently yells at the other wound-up kids who DON'T). John's going to talk to Mary again, but he's still going to leave it up to her. Even though the teacher said she could do both orchestra and choir, we're afraid that's just a few too many activities going on and a little too much time out of the classroom, so we're going to give it another try and see how she feels about this choir vs. orchestra mess!
Keith? Meh--he's the same happy-go-lucky kid. His biggest concern right now seems to be whether or not his Star Wars cartridge is working in his Didj (it IS, he just has to be more PATIENT with it) and whether or not he can take his Pokemon cards to school (yes, but....well, we're pretty sure he's getting jipped on his trades since he's so nice--and he doesn't even know how to play the game yet!).
Izzy has good days and bad days about getting up in the mornings. The first day of school, she was fine since she was so excited, but the second day was more of my begging/pleading/nagging/demanding and her just crawling back under the covers every time I walked away.
"It's your first day riding the bus!"
"I don't care" (while grinning).
"Aren't you excited to see Mrs. M. again? And Mrs. F. and R?"
Grin: "I don't care."
"What if I tickle you?"
Really grinning, "I don't care!"
Me, laughing, "I guess I'll have to spank you, then?"
REALLY grinning, "I DON'T CARE!"
*sigh* At least she wasn't CRYING!
Yesterday I forgot to set my alarm and woke up about 20 minutes before I needed to leave for work. Izzy didn't get any sort of gentle wake-up call. No, I just pulled the covers off of her and dragged her out of bed (slowly, though, OK?), and then set her down to do her hair. So far, that has been the most pleasant morning (um, with HER) yet. Apparently forcefully dragging her semi-conscious body is the KINDEST and MOST QUIET way to get her out of bed. Who knew?
Izzy has been a little more whiny lately, and I'm wondering if it's due to all these changes (school, new day care lady, etc.). I was told she had to be "talked to" yesterday by her daycare lady because she burst into tears while Mrs. F. at the museum when they were moving on to new exhibits. Mrs. F. was surprised--and realizes that Izzy needs more transition time. I was surprised as I've never really known her to be like that for others.... So, yeah, Izzy needs to STOP the drama! Oi!
Mary is loving having her BFF over to the house every day. I know the newness of this will wear off soon. As nice as this kid is, I also know that she gets bored VERY EASILY, and I will be hard-put to keep her entertained once the cold weather sets in, and we can't go outside every day. Luckily, homework takes up PART of the time she's with us, so the entertainment time isn't as much as it could be! Yay for fourth grade homework!
We're already having issues with take-home folders and agendas and instruments being left home or at school and....ugh. WHEN does this stuff EVER click? (No comments on how much stuff *I* forget on a daily basis!)
The extra-curricular madness is about to kick in. I'm just NOT ready. First GS meetings take place in a week, and I'm still fluttering around like a lost fruit fly (Which have TAKEN OVER our garage and are trying to take over the kitchen/bathroom, and killed off all my happy live-and-let-live thoughts as I spray EVERY little red-eyed offender with Windex and smash them with a towel!). Anyway, thank goodness my co-leader for Mary's troop is so freakin' AWESOME--otherwise I'd be even more zany!
Mary decided to join choir this year instead of orchestra--she's still going to take violin lessons, she just doesn't want to be in the orchestra. The teacher called John all in a panic, "She can't! She HAS to stay in orchestra!" After talking with him a few minutes, John got out of him that Mary can still take violin lessons and not orchestra, but the teacher just really likes her and really, really wants her to stay in orchestra (we think it's because she actually BEHAVES in class and apparently yells at the other wound-up kids who DON'T). John's going to talk to Mary again, but he's still going to leave it up to her. Even though the teacher said she could do both orchestra and choir, we're afraid that's just a few too many activities going on and a little too much time out of the classroom, so we're going to give it another try and see how she feels about this choir vs. orchestra mess!
Keith? Meh--he's the same happy-go-lucky kid. His biggest concern right now seems to be whether or not his Star Wars cartridge is working in his Didj (it IS, he just has to be more PATIENT with it) and whether or not he can take his Pokemon cards to school (yes, but....well, we're pretty sure he's getting jipped on his trades since he's so nice--and he doesn't even know how to play the game yet!).
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Cramming it all in
What a full week!
Dad got here last Sunday night and spent Monday and Tuesday spoiling the kids. He took them to the park, Micky D's, Adventure Landing, and all of us to the hibachi for his birthday (ha!) Izzy was most upset when he left Wednesday morning.
John and I decided to cram as much fun stuff into this last weekend of the summer as possible. Luckily we had great weather in which to cram it all in! Saturday after some light house-cleaning, I set up the tent and made a fire pit, and we had a cook-out. Mary is an old pro at roasting hotdogs/marshmallows and was eager to extend her knowledge to her little brother. Right as we were getting ready to go into the tent, Mary somehow got a bee stuck in her sandal and got stung. The poor thing was so traumatized she decided to sleep in the house. So, Keith and I settled in (Izzy was already GONE by this point, poor, tired thing). Around midnight Keith decided he was "too cold" and went back in the house. Izzy and I stayed through until 6:45 the next morning, with Izzy just waking up occasionally because she had snuggled outside her sleeping bag and got cold. She was pretty tickled that she was the only one who made it in the tent all night!
Sunday John found some cheap tickets to Darien Lake, and after a brief fight with the printer to get our tickets, we headed out. Keith got brave and got on the big, upside-down coaster (a first!), and Mary got on everything she was tall enough to ride. Izzy was pretty patient with her fate as the little one who still has some growing to do before she can get on the big rides. And mom did NOT puke (whew!). I did get a nasty bruise when that coaster tripped me up while I was getting out. Ouch!
Monday was spent sleeping in as late as possible and catching up on more housework. I ran to the store for much-needed lunch and after-school snack items. Mary and Keith packed their lunches, and we got all the backpacks ready for the big first day of school. (And why did the girls both have to catch a cold the day before school started, hmmmm?)
All was smooth getting Mary and Keith up and ready for school (despite Mary not sleeping well due to what I assume were pre-school jitters and her cold). Izzy was a bit groggy, but mainly got up with no problem. Mary and Keith took the bus in. John took Izzy in for her first day. She apparently was so excited about school that she was carrying her backpack around this morning--so that when it was needed as they were heading out the door, John couldn't find it! (He finally found it in her bedroom--stinker!)
It's my first day as a part-timer (but really, is 32 1/2 hours REALLY part-time?), and I'm excited about getting to go home early to pick up the kids (plus two) from school.
Here are some pics. What a great first day!
Dad got here last Sunday night and spent Monday and Tuesday spoiling the kids. He took them to the park, Micky D's, Adventure Landing, and all of us to the hibachi for his birthday (ha!) Izzy was most upset when he left Wednesday morning.
John and I decided to cram as much fun stuff into this last weekend of the summer as possible. Luckily we had great weather in which to cram it all in! Saturday after some light house-cleaning, I set up the tent and made a fire pit, and we had a cook-out. Mary is an old pro at roasting hotdogs/marshmallows and was eager to extend her knowledge to her little brother. Right as we were getting ready to go into the tent, Mary somehow got a bee stuck in her sandal and got stung. The poor thing was so traumatized she decided to sleep in the house. So, Keith and I settled in (Izzy was already GONE by this point, poor, tired thing). Around midnight Keith decided he was "too cold" and went back in the house. Izzy and I stayed through until 6:45 the next morning, with Izzy just waking up occasionally because she had snuggled outside her sleeping bag and got cold. She was pretty tickled that she was the only one who made it in the tent all night!
Sunday John found some cheap tickets to Darien Lake, and after a brief fight with the printer to get our tickets, we headed out. Keith got brave and got on the big, upside-down coaster (a first!), and Mary got on everything she was tall enough to ride. Izzy was pretty patient with her fate as the little one who still has some growing to do before she can get on the big rides. And mom did NOT puke (whew!). I did get a nasty bruise when that coaster tripped me up while I was getting out. Ouch!
Monday was spent sleeping in as late as possible and catching up on more housework. I ran to the store for much-needed lunch and after-school snack items. Mary and Keith packed their lunches, and we got all the backpacks ready for the big first day of school. (And why did the girls both have to catch a cold the day before school started, hmmmm?)
All was smooth getting Mary and Keith up and ready for school (despite Mary not sleeping well due to what I assume were pre-school jitters and her cold). Izzy was a bit groggy, but mainly got up with no problem. Mary and Keith took the bus in. John took Izzy in for her first day. She apparently was so excited about school that she was carrying her backpack around this morning--so that when it was needed as they were heading out the door, John couldn't find it! (He finally found it in her bedroom--stinker!)
It's my first day as a part-timer (but really, is 32 1/2 hours REALLY part-time?), and I'm excited about getting to go home early to pick up the kids (plus two) from school.
Here are some pics. What a great first day!
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Back to School Madness
Because I'm still feeling a bit overwhelmed about all this back to school crap, I just thought I'd take the time to post the list of supplies I have YET to buy for the kids for this year. This is all three lists combined into ONE (and keep in mind I took some things OFF the list that we had that could STILL be used from last year).
And I have the sinus headache from HELL.
Five more days, folks. Five more days! AUGH!
Three stores and about $120-$130 later, and I still could not find the stupid 1" x 2" post-it notes. WELL, they will just have to DEAL with the 1" x 1" I bought instead! (I also bought the girls some new barrettes and a new jacket for Mary).
Thank you for your concern, MR--but no amount of meds is even TOUCHING this headache yet. (Of course, I haven't tried Advil cold and sinus yet--that may be the next step.) My poor kids are paying the price--I was quite the angry crank this morning (Izzy's refusal to get up and get dressed and Mary's doping around the house and not starting to fix her oatmeal until 5 minutes before we normally leave did NOT help!) GRRRRRR.....
Pocket folders: 2 green, 2 blue, 2 red, 2 yellow, 2 purple4 composition books2 dry erase markers1711 glue sticks (15 JUST FOR IZZY)Good thing I bought extra. I read one of the lists wrong and actually needed 23!3 boxes of #2 pencils1 package wide-ruled paper2 boxes thin markers2 boxes crayonsred pen, blue pen- 2 packages 1" x 2" post-it notes
1 pair scissors (cuz I can't find Keith's from last year!)1 pencil box (seriously, Keith--where did you hide this stuff?)Found it!2 boxes of tissues1-3 in 3 ring binder with clear front1 subject, wide-ruled notebook1 clipboard1 box colored pencils3 large pink erasers1 package 7 notebook dividers with tabs1 box gallon size ziplock bags1 plastic pocket folder2 new backpacks (Mary's and Keith's are SHOT--we got Izzy's in the mail the other day, thank you JJ!)
And I have the sinus headache from HELL.
Five more days, folks. Five more days! AUGH!
Three stores and about $120-$130 later, and I still could not find the stupid 1" x 2" post-it notes. WELL, they will just have to DEAL with the 1" x 1" I bought instead! (I also bought the girls some new barrettes and a new jacket for Mary).
Thank you for your concern, MR--but no amount of meds is even TOUCHING this headache yet. (Of course, I haven't tried Advil cold and sinus yet--that may be the next step.) My poor kids are paying the price--I was quite the angry crank this morning (Izzy's refusal to get up and get dressed and Mary's doping around the house and not starting to fix her oatmeal until 5 minutes before we normally leave did NOT help!) GRRRRRR.....
Monday, August 31, 2009
Go Buy This Outfit
Or at least go admire my daughter's modeling skills (the goose egg on her forehead really makes the pictures, I think)!
In other news: My father is in town for a visit. He surprised me as I thought he wasn't coming until the END of the week. Ah well--at least now he's in town for his birthday! The kids are home with him now. I wonder what hijinks they are all up to? He didn't answer when I called at lunchtime.... Hmmmm....
In other news: My father is in town for a visit. He surprised me as I thought he wasn't coming until the END of the week. Ah well--at least now he's in town for his birthday! The kids are home with him now. I wonder what hijinks they are all up to? He didn't answer when I called at lunchtime.... Hmmmm....
Craziness
The childcare situation has been SOLVED. And...well, I'm very excited to tell you that I'm going to start working PART-TIME, now! And although I wish it could have been an announcement that I was just outright quitting my job to join the ranks of bon-bon eaters everywhere again, it's just not fiscally possible this year.
My company was nice and granted me this part-time wish so that I could go home and get the kids off the bus. In addition to my own darlings, I'm also taking on two sisters whose mother was ALSO pretty frustrated with the lack of affordable day care options in this town.
Izzy has been moved BACK to AM kindergarten and will be spending her afternoons with the nice Mom whom I happened to talk to last week and who happened to want a few extra bucks--and was willing.
It's kind of a crazy set-up. It will probably only be for a year--I'll have to go back to full-time by the summer (or hopefully find a better position in the company)--but I'm pretty happy about it.
So...funds will be a smidge tighter than last year, but I think the saving of my sanity will be well worth it!
The kids start school next Tuesday. I can hardly wait for my shorter hours! And to maybe get dinner ready at a reasonable hour! And to have a bit of breathing room before after-school activities. And....YAY!
...NOW I just gotta go get all those darn school supplies! NEXT PAYCHECK!
My company was nice and granted me this part-time wish so that I could go home and get the kids off the bus. In addition to my own darlings, I'm also taking on two sisters whose mother was ALSO pretty frustrated with the lack of affordable day care options in this town.
Izzy has been moved BACK to AM kindergarten and will be spending her afternoons with the nice Mom whom I happened to talk to last week and who happened to want a few extra bucks--and was willing.
It's kind of a crazy set-up. It will probably only be for a year--I'll have to go back to full-time by the summer (or hopefully find a better position in the company)--but I'm pretty happy about it.
So...funds will be a smidge tighter than last year, but I think the saving of my sanity will be well worth it!
The kids start school next Tuesday. I can hardly wait for my shorter hours! And to maybe get dinner ready at a reasonable hour! And to have a bit of breathing room before after-school activities. And....YAY!
...NOW I just gotta go get all those darn school supplies! NEXT PAYCHECK!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Dazed and Confused
The daycare decisions just keep getting more and more confusing!
After submitting to the fact that we will have to send Izzy to a daycare center this year--and then having to switch her from AM to PM kindergarten due to busing, Izzy has NOW been offered a spot with an acquaintance--but I'd have to switch her BACK to AM. (Still brewing over this decision....)
And then on top of that, John and I are attempting some work schedule finagling to take care of the morning/afternoon bus for the other two--and it's a freakin' nightmare.
It's. Just. NOT. Easy.
Only 12 more days until school starts, and I STILL don't have an answer!
ugh
After submitting to the fact that we will have to send Izzy to a daycare center this year--and then having to switch her from AM to PM kindergarten due to busing, Izzy has NOW been offered a spot with an acquaintance--but I'd have to switch her BACK to AM. (Still brewing over this decision....)
And then on top of that, John and I are attempting some work schedule finagling to take care of the morning/afternoon bus for the other two--and it's a freakin' nightmare.
It's. Just. NOT. Easy.
Only 12 more days until school starts, and I STILL don't have an answer!
ugh
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Do I HAVE to post?
I don't feel like blogging lately. No, I feel like reading everyone else's blogs, and I grow quite impatient when you all are off working or on vacation or playing in the sun or having a LIFE or whatever it is you're doing instead of posting. Post more! Tell me about that "life" thing so that my voyeuristic self can sponge off of it instead of working on my own.
So! Yes! On to the post....
My SIL Lynn and her friend Michelle (and Taser--the most, bestest dog EVER!) made a visit last weekend, and of course it was a great time. We took them around downtown ROC (Look! We have a waterfall in our deadly quiet downtown!), and to get the GOOD ice cream and enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the hibachi. Then Michelle spoiled me by cooking a yummy dinner for everyone (the leftovers of which has been my lunch for the last two days--yum!). And LOTS of playing with the cutest, bestest dog in the world. It was a short visit, but the kids and John and I were thrilled to see them even for the short time they could make it. Sis--you need to come visit more often!
Sunday night Mary and I had an "unofficial" GS camp-out in my co-leader's back yard. We roasted hot dogs, went around the neighborhood on a scavenger hunt, and then sat around the fire roasting marshmallows and singing campfire songs. All the girls tucked into their sleeping bags and quieted down quite easily. J and I were pleasantly surprised. In fact, when we went to peek on them and say goodnight some time later, Mary was already FAST asleep (too many late nights up with Aunt Lynnie and Michelle, I'm thinking). Despite the fact that it pretty much rained allll night, the girls and leaders slept pretty well. Huh. Can't wait to do some REAL tent-camping with them sometime next spring!
Of course, Monday morning, I had to get up at the crack of dawn to rush home and wash out the campfire smell and go to work--leaving J all alone to deal with breakfast and packing up. Dunno WHAT J was thinking scheduling this on a SUNDAY--I definitely had a few problems keeping my eyes open yesterday!
Today I had to drag all three kids and myself to the dentist for our check-ups. Of course, Keith already had a cavity on a tooth that we never got around to filling from last time--but now his cavity count is up to TWO. I'm gritting my (now clean) teeth about this--I still have a problem with filling baby teeth and am hoping to ignore this as long as possible. And they want to put sealants on his back teeth (now, I'm all about the sealants). Mary, Izzy, and I all passed with flying colors. Hygienist: Wow! Your gums are so clean! I'm so impressed! Me: Um.... Thanks...? They do want to give me crowns on two of my teeth which are like 99% fillings, but insurance has to approve first. (The dentist is afraid they'll crumble one of these days.) FINE. WHATEVER.
We THINK we may have finally figured out the day care dilemma. It's still not the GREATEST plan, and we may have to tweak it again before Friday, but I'm liking it for the most part. I'll keep you posted on what really comes to fruition, here. (ugh)
So! Yes! On to the post....
My SIL Lynn and her friend Michelle (and Taser--the most, bestest dog EVER!) made a visit last weekend, and of course it was a great time. We took them around downtown ROC (Look! We have a waterfall in our deadly quiet downtown!), and to get the GOOD ice cream and enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the hibachi. Then Michelle spoiled me by cooking a yummy dinner for everyone (the leftovers of which has been my lunch for the last two days--yum!). And LOTS of playing with the cutest, bestest dog in the world. It was a short visit, but the kids and John and I were thrilled to see them even for the short time they could make it. Sis--you need to come visit more often!
Sunday night Mary and I had an "unofficial" GS camp-out in my co-leader's back yard. We roasted hot dogs, went around the neighborhood on a scavenger hunt, and then sat around the fire roasting marshmallows and singing campfire songs. All the girls tucked into their sleeping bags and quieted down quite easily. J and I were pleasantly surprised. In fact, when we went to peek on them and say goodnight some time later, Mary was already FAST asleep (too many late nights up with Aunt Lynnie and Michelle, I'm thinking). Despite the fact that it pretty much rained allll night, the girls and leaders slept pretty well. Huh. Can't wait to do some REAL tent-camping with them sometime next spring!
Of course, Monday morning, I had to get up at the crack of dawn to rush home and wash out the campfire smell and go to work--leaving J all alone to deal with breakfast and packing up. Dunno WHAT J was thinking scheduling this on a SUNDAY--I definitely had a few problems keeping my eyes open yesterday!
Today I had to drag all three kids and myself to the dentist for our check-ups. Of course, Keith already had a cavity on a tooth that we never got around to filling from last time--but now his cavity count is up to TWO. I'm gritting my (now clean) teeth about this--I still have a problem with filling baby teeth and am hoping to ignore this as long as possible. And they want to put sealants on his back teeth (now, I'm all about the sealants). Mary, Izzy, and I all passed with flying colors. Hygienist: Wow! Your gums are so clean! I'm so impressed! Me: Um.... Thanks...? They do want to give me crowns on two of my teeth which are like 99% fillings, but insurance has to approve first. (The dentist is afraid they'll crumble one of these days.) FINE. WHATEVER.
We THINK we may have finally figured out the day care dilemma. It's still not the GREATEST plan, and we may have to tweak it again before Friday, but I'm liking it for the most part. I'll keep you posted on what really comes to fruition, here. (ugh)
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Weekends
Last weekend we went to the neighbors' house for a little cookout. Good food. Great company. And some very happy kiddie pool kids slurping down the watermelon! (Look at all those outties!)
THIS weekend we have visitors, and while I'm SOOOO excited that my SIL is FINALLY coming for a visit, I'm panicking about all the cleaning that I did NOT get done even though I've been parceling it all out for the last 2 weeks. Tonight I will be one FREAKED OUT Mommy. (And John has golf tonight--SO not fair!)
And THEN my father is supposed to come for HIS annual visit sometime the week after that. Can I keep what little cleaning I got done up to scratch before he gets here? Well, maybe *I* can, but I doubt my husband and kids can. URGH.
EDITED to add: Keith lost his second tooth not long after this photo was taken. The thing had been dangling there for ages.... We wondered why he got so quiet all of a sudden. The hot dog he bit into finally did the poor little tooth in! ...THEN--he wakes me up that night around midnight crying because he had woken up, and the tooth fairy hadn't visited yet. Well, um, she just hasn't gotten to our house yet, bud! Give her some time! 15 minutes later--"Mom! She STILL hasn't come!" Buddy, she's not coming until everyone's asleep! Now, go lay down! He finally settled down and made it through till about 6:30 AM, where he was ecstatic to find the 8 quarters--yes, ALL American--in an envelope under his pillow.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Another One
Dearest, darling Sleep,
Thank you for visiting for a short while last night. But the psycho-killer nightmare at four AM? Completely rude and unnecessary! And then giving Izzy an apparent nightmare just minutes before the alarm went off? WRONG. Let's try this again tonight, shall we? Get it RIGHT this time, mkay?
Your humble (somewhat rested, yet still bleary-eyed) servant,
Q
Thank you for visiting for a short while last night. But the psycho-killer nightmare at four AM? Completely rude and unnecessary! And then giving Izzy an apparent nightmare just minutes before the alarm went off? WRONG. Let's try this again tonight, shall we? Get it RIGHT this time, mkay?
Your humble (somewhat rested, yet still bleary-eyed) servant,
Q
Monday, August 17, 2009
Letter
Dear Sleep,
Please come back to me! I know I sometimes took advantage of you because I have been known to prefer the company of a good book from time to time, but staying out of my life for three nights straight is a bit much! Yes, I know my panicky thoughts about what the blazes I'm going to do about childcare and/or my job and LIFE right now are taking precedence in my mind, but I'm trying my best to shut them out! And don't try to blame the horrendously hot weather, Sleep! I know you can manage to visit in ANY weather.
Thanks,
Sleepless (next to the Snoring Husband)
Please come back to me! I know I sometimes took advantage of you because I have been known to prefer the company of a good book from time to time, but staying out of my life for three nights straight is a bit much! Yes, I know my panicky thoughts about what the blazes I'm going to do about childcare and/or my job and LIFE right now are taking precedence in my mind, but I'm trying my best to shut them out! And don't try to blame the horrendously hot weather, Sleep! I know you can manage to visit in ANY weather.
Thanks,
Sleepless (next to the Snoring Husband)
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Daycare Dilemmas
Nothing is appealing. Everything is too expensive or off the bus line or too inconvenient or a scheduling nightmare or....
I hate this.
I hate this.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
A few small, 90 second-increment runs for woman
I finally did as I've been promising for weeks. I joined my neighbor on her run last night. B is trying the Couch to 5K program. I figured I would join her to 1) support her and 2) get off my fat @$$ for once.
After doing the program for a few weeks, she went out of town for a while and...got distracted from it, so she sorta started over, and last night she was only on week 2. Hoping that skipping week 1 wouldn't be such a big deal, I joined in.
I don't think I've done any running since we had the treadmill, and I feebly attempted getting up at 5:00 in the morning to run on it before getting ready for work--right after my maternity leave from Keith. That would be, what? Aught 2??? (That only lasted a few weeks--and frankly, I'm impressed it lasted THAT long.) Yeah. It's been awhile.
I'm happy to announce that I made it. The first 90 second run immediately caused a stitch in my side, but the two minute walk calmed it down again. The next few 90 second runs were pretty easy.
When we finished, I could only think, "Is that all?" Of course, if we had RUN the whole time we were out, I would have been dead at the end of the block. I felt great (I imagine it was all the endorphins). (And we'll see how I feel by the end of today when the soreness peaks.) I'm happy that I did something good for my body for a change--and that I had a friend to do it with. As much as I like the ease of mall-walking (convenient!), it gets boring after a while when I don't have someone walking with me (and I haven't had a mall-walking buddy since....aught four?).
Don't know if I'll be able to keep it up. The time of day B runs is not always convenient for me. And I can already tell the days are starting to get shorter (NOOOOO!). I just CANNOT see myself pulling this off during the winter. No sidewalks? Snow? Ice? COLD?! Yeah--I don't see it. Ah well--maybe I'll actually get the Wii Fit out this winter. heh.
EDITED: To change horrible, horrible typos. Sorry. THAT was even more pathetic than normal!
After doing the program for a few weeks, she went out of town for a while and...got distracted from it, so she sorta started over, and last night she was only on week 2. Hoping that skipping week 1 wouldn't be such a big deal, I joined in.
I don't think I've done any running since we had the treadmill, and I feebly attempted getting up at 5:00 in the morning to run on it before getting ready for work--right after my maternity leave from Keith. That would be, what? Aught 2??? (That only lasted a few weeks--and frankly, I'm impressed it lasted THAT long.) Yeah. It's been awhile.
I'm happy to announce that I made it. The first 90 second run immediately caused a stitch in my side, but the two minute walk calmed it down again. The next few 90 second runs were pretty easy.
When we finished, I could only think, "Is that all?" Of course, if we had RUN the whole time we were out, I would have been dead at the end of the block. I felt great (I imagine it was all the endorphins). (And we'll see how I feel by the end of today when the soreness peaks.) I'm happy that I did something good for my body for a change--and that I had a friend to do it with. As much as I like the ease of mall-walking (convenient!), it gets boring after a while when I don't have someone walking with me (and I haven't had a mall-walking buddy since....aught four?).
Don't know if I'll be able to keep it up. The time of day B runs is not always convenient for me. And I can already tell the days are starting to get shorter (NOOOOO!). I just CANNOT see myself pulling this off during the winter. No sidewalks? Snow? Ice? COLD?! Yeah--I don't see it. Ah well--maybe I'll actually get the Wii Fit out this winter. heh.
EDITED: To change horrible, horrible typos. Sorry. THAT was even more pathetic than normal!
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Not Much Going On
...about which I can POST, anyway. Idiotic happenings at work. Acceptance of unfairness. Shoulders shrugged. Life moves on.
The good news is that Baseball and Softball are finally OVAH! We have our weekends BACK again! And now that we have them back--and are completely broke--we haven't a CLUE what to do with them. Oh yes! Housework! And Maintenance! How's that for some summer excitement, kids?!
Actually, Mary got to go to Girl Scout camp last week. She stayed the night on Thursday, and she was FINE (Me to John: TOLD YOU!). She really enjoyed herself. Then of course, she left my mess kit there. *sigh*
Keith got invited to a pool party from one of his classmates. He spent the ENTIRE time in the pool. He wasn't tempted one bit by the trampoline or the swings. Nope: pool, pool, pool. It's so nice to see him so comfortable in the water, and having so much fun!
The classroom assignments came out while we were out of town--along with a buzz of phone calls and email alerts. Everyone dying to know who's in whose class. I am feeling more "networked" now in this school system--not so much like the "new" family. Mary is happy her BFF is in her class (although we will miss her OTHER BFF). Keith is happy to get the same teacher Mary had for second grade--AND the fact that one of his buddies is in his class. Izzy is still trying to learn her teacher's name. Lot's of syllables there--we're hoping she gets it down before September!
I keep putting off the daycare decisions. At first it was because I wanted to know whether Izzy has morning or afternoon kindergarten (AM!). Now...as usual, the logistics and PRICES of it all overwhelms me. I will force myself to make firm decisions/arrangements this week. *sigh*
And...I leave you with a goofy Keith quote. Upon hearing some metal/thrash music on the radio, "Mom, is that Cookie Monster singing?" He THINKS he's funny. (He is!)
The good news is that Baseball and Softball are finally OVAH! We have our weekends BACK again! And now that we have them back--and are completely broke--we haven't a CLUE what to do with them. Oh yes! Housework! And Maintenance! How's that for some summer excitement, kids?!
Actually, Mary got to go to Girl Scout camp last week. She stayed the night on Thursday, and she was FINE (Me to John: TOLD YOU!). She really enjoyed herself. Then of course, she left my mess kit there. *sigh*
Keith got invited to a pool party from one of his classmates. He spent the ENTIRE time in the pool. He wasn't tempted one bit by the trampoline or the swings. Nope: pool, pool, pool. It's so nice to see him so comfortable in the water, and having so much fun!
The classroom assignments came out while we were out of town--along with a buzz of phone calls and email alerts. Everyone dying to know who's in whose class. I am feeling more "networked" now in this school system--not so much like the "new" family. Mary is happy her BFF is in her class (although we will miss her OTHER BFF). Keith is happy to get the same teacher Mary had for second grade--AND the fact that one of his buddies is in his class. Izzy is still trying to learn her teacher's name. Lot's of syllables there--we're hoping she gets it down before September!
I keep putting off the daycare decisions. At first it was because I wanted to know whether Izzy has morning or afternoon kindergarten (AM!). Now...as usual, the logistics and PRICES of it all overwhelms me. I will force myself to make firm decisions/arrangements this week. *sigh*
And...I leave you with a goofy Keith quote. Upon hearing some metal/thrash music on the radio, "Mom, is that Cookie Monster singing?" He THINKS he's funny. (He is!)
Monday, July 27, 2009
Random Thoughts While Mall-Walking
- I wish I had more money so that I could buy some of these cool clothes in the windows. And the little black dresses! So cute and chic! So pointless to buy as I have NO WHERE to wear one!
- That has got to be the most obnoxious, painful-looking, torpedo-shaped pregnancy belly I've ever seen! Oh! But she is so WORKING it!
- I should probably stop listening to Weird Al and the South Park soundtrack while walking. I'm sure my gaffaws and goofy-@$$ grins are causing a few stares.
- Oh GOD, I'm STARVING! Why didn't I eat before I got here?
- 50% off at TCP!
- *sigh* Never mind. Nothing tempting.
- I think there are FOUR T - Mobile stores/kiosks in this place! Seriously?
- Those poor kiosk workers. I think I've found a few people even more bored with their jobs than I am.
- Eyebrow threading? I'm too much of a wuss to do plucking/waxing--threading looks just as intimidating. ...Move along!
- Anyone know if TCP backpacks are any good? Or will they rip right in two just two weeks before the end of the school year like all the other cheap-o backpacks I buy?
- BACK TO SCHOOL! Oh! The list! Oh! The humanity!
- I wish I had more money so that I could actually AFFORD to buy all the school supplies. AND eat!
- If I get a Chai from DD, will that be counter-productive to my walk? And if so, by how much? I mean, does 30 minutes walking = ONE Chai? How much do I have to walk in order to have a Chai and still possibly slim down my butt?
- Clearance at Old Navy!
- JUST KEEP WALKING! JUST KEEP WALKING!
- (Crap--now that stupid Dory song is on my mind!)
- More Weird Al!
- Anyone know if that Sporting Goods Place does vanity sizing? I've been eying a cheap skort. And I DON'T want to take the time to try it on! (SUPPOSED to be WALKING here!) If the sizes there are comparable to New York, I'm GOLDEN! If not--crap!
- Bah! Shouldn't be spending money anyway. @#$% DEBT!
- (Must find new, non-retail-oriented place to walk.
- Wonder how the kid is doing at GS camp today?
- I looked horrible in those styles when they were out 20-25 years ago! I certainly can't buy them NOW!
- Stacey and Clinton would have a field day HERE!
- The parents who dress all skanky and then have the totally buttoned-up kids completely amuse me...!
- Is it an hour yet?
- I'm soooo tired. Stayed up too late FINALLY getting to watch HP6 (yes, I finally took off the banner, MR). Glad I finally got to see it, but UGH.
- I wonder if that part-time job I saw for a front desk position at a fitness club includes a membership?
- Passing DD again! MOVE ALONG!
- (I've noticed my will power gets more sluggish as I get older--and my metabolism gets slower. *sigh*)
- Wish they had showers here. Good thing I sit alone at work.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Grandma S
Grandma Isabelle was 97 and up to a few months ago still lived by herself in her little one bedroom apartment. Her body hurt, but she never saw doctors (didn't trust 'em!) and was always sharp as a tack.
Grandma's body finally tired out enough to convince her to go into a nursing home recently. We saw her on our trip three weeks ago. Her mind wasn't as sharp, but she remembered each of the kids' names.
Saturday night, her body finally gave out.
I'll be sure to tell the kids about how even at the end when she couldn't remember the time or day or hear anything without it being yelled directly into her ear, she still remembered her great-grandkids' names.
Grandma's body finally tired out enough to convince her to go into a nursing home recently. We saw her on our trip three weeks ago. Her mind wasn't as sharp, but she remembered each of the kids' names.
Saturday night, her body finally gave out.
I'll be sure to tell the kids about how even at the end when she couldn't remember the time or day or hear anything without it being yelled directly into her ear, she still remembered her great-grandkids' names.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Three oldies
Really sad when you realize you don't exactly HAVE three really good posts for the Blogdrought challenge. Ah well. Here's three of my favorite posts....
For the Birds
About three weeks into my brief stay-at-home gig
A post that reminds me of why I needed that brief stint so badly!
For the Birds
About three weeks into my brief stay-at-home gig
A post that reminds me of why I needed that brief stint so badly!
Can't get enough of that Shaun!
Go enter Mommy Daisy's new Shaun the Sheep Give-a-way! But please don't win--I must complete my collection! :-)
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Decisions, decisions
Continue employment at depressing location with hardly any work, job satisfaction, or decent pay, and um...flittering (vanishing, more like it!) benefits. (Quickly vanishing co-workers, too!)
OR
Go seek a new job in a BLEAK, GRIM, DEPRESSING job market with no real guarantee of finding a) anything that pays better or has better job satisfaction or b) ANYTHING AT ALL.
Hmmm.... What a GRAND choice!
OR
Go seek a new job in a BLEAK, GRIM, DEPRESSING job market with no real guarantee of finding a) anything that pays better or has better job satisfaction or b) ANYTHING AT ALL.
Hmmm.... What a GRAND choice!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
When you're right, you're right.
Today Izzy promptly woke up (with a SMILE!). She took a few minutes, then she got out of bed and then she got dressed without crying or screaming or throwing a fit or yelling at me to "Get out!" She ran down to the kitchen with a true Izzy smile on her face and in time to actually EAT breakfast. She got a puppy sticker and lots of hugs and kisses and praises. (And not just ANY sticker--a BEAGLE PUPPY sticker!) So nice to have my "real" Izzy back!
Of course, the Guinea Pig--who up to now has been staying primarily in her little igloo house, and even shimmying the house in the cage to reach her food and water--was actually OUT of her house this morning and didn't scurry immediately back in the second I walked in the girls' room to wake them. But I'm going to pretend that Izzy's good mood and good behavior this morning had nothing at all to do with that. Oh no--it was the firm hand yesterday. Right?
Of course, the Guinea Pig--who up to now has been staying primarily in her little igloo house, and even shimmying the house in the cage to reach her food and water--was actually OUT of her house this morning and didn't scurry immediately back in the second I walked in the girls' room to wake them. But I'm going to pretend that Izzy's good mood and good behavior this morning had nothing at all to do with that. Oh no--it was the firm hand yesterday. Right?
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Why can't I just go back to bed?
Mornings have become a terror again in the Q household. I blame vacation. A week of no bedtimes, late risings, and non-stop sleep arrangement-shifting has left Izzy a very grouchy, dissatisfied customer. Every day is a challenge to wake her up. Every day is an even BIGGER challenge to get her to actually GET UP and get dressed. Keith and Mary and I all run around getting our clothes on and breakfasts eaten and teeth brushed and lunches packed (er--that's for ME)--and Izzy will still be sitting there on her bed, completely ignoring the pile of clothes I've laid out for her. Sometimes she may have made enough progress to get her pajamas off so that then she's sitting on her bed NAKED while the rest of us are getting our shoes on.
Ugh.
Nights are no better as she fights to get pajamas on also. And then she wants to sleep in bed with me. And then she wants me to sleep with her. And then she turns the closet light off. And then she yells to have it turned back ON. And then we'll check on her at 11:00, and she's still playing with the Old School Little People I brought home from my toy collection out of my Dad's garage. Seriously, kid. GO. TO. SLEEP!
Double Ugh.
After trying to be nice and patient (last night I was so fed up that she went to bed in her clothes--seriously, does it really MATTER if she's in PJs?), this morning I dug my heels in. No more Mr. Nice Mommy. I sat down and started the ENDLESS NEEDLING. Seriously, there are just some moments that you realize that all the niceness and patience in the world is getting you nothing but a spoiled little kid who OMG, I KNOW SHE'S ONLY FOUR, BUT SHE IS GOING TO KINDERGARTEN IN THE FALL AND NEEDS TO GET WITH THE GET-YOUR-BUTT-OUT-OF-BED-AND-GET-MOVING PROGRAM, PRONTO! So...this morning I basically kept at her until she did what she was supposed to do.
Now, listen. I WAS nice. I'm all about waking my kids gently and asking them to get dressed kindly the first two or three attempts. But she didn't listen and didn't listen, and then the buck stopped THERE. And despite needing to pack my lunch and having to track down Mary's softball uniform for her scrimmage tonight (I'm still one sock short!), I stayed by the side of that bed and kept on her until she finally got her little butt OUT of bed and finally got those clothes on. At one point Mary says, "Why are you being so mean to her, Mom?" Oh, honey. You should know by now that this is NOT Mean Mommy (she's seen Mean Mommy way too many times to ask such a silly question!). That was DETERMINED MOMMY. Determined NOT to let the four-year old continue to rule our mornings (seriously, I was still being NICE here--nice, but FIRM).
And I remembered when I was pregnant with Keith. Mary was just turning two. I taught Mary how to dress herself, and I sat there and I watched her and I was FIRM with her that SHE needed to do this. Mommy is here to HELP--Mommy is not here to DO. (And
Mommy was overwhelmed with the thought of trying to dress TWO kids for daycare in the morning.) Poor Mary--first child who ha(d)s all the stern rules. Poor Izzy--the baby of the family who has apparently been babied too long.
The firm hand has succeeded with Izzy previously. As much as I hate doing it, I'm hoping it will work with this power struggle, also.
Sorry, little one. Vacation is OVER, and everyday life is BACK.
Ugh.
Nights are no better as she fights to get pajamas on also. And then she wants to sleep in bed with me. And then she wants me to sleep with her. And then she turns the closet light off. And then she yells to have it turned back ON. And then we'll check on her at 11:00, and she's still playing with the Old School Little People I brought home from my toy collection out of my Dad's garage. Seriously, kid. GO. TO. SLEEP!
Double Ugh.
After trying to be nice and patient (last night I was so fed up that she went to bed in her clothes--seriously, does it really MATTER if she's in PJs?), this morning I dug my heels in. No more Mr. Nice Mommy. I sat down and started the ENDLESS NEEDLING. Seriously, there are just some moments that you realize that all the niceness and patience in the world is getting you nothing but a spoiled little kid who OMG, I KNOW SHE'S ONLY FOUR, BUT SHE IS GOING TO KINDERGARTEN IN THE FALL AND NEEDS TO GET WITH THE GET-YOUR-BUTT-OUT-OF-BED-AND-GET-MOVING PROGRAM, PRONTO! So...this morning I basically kept at her until she did what she was supposed to do.
Now, listen. I WAS nice. I'm all about waking my kids gently and asking them to get dressed kindly the first two or three attempts. But she didn't listen and didn't listen, and then the buck stopped THERE. And despite needing to pack my lunch and having to track down Mary's softball uniform for her scrimmage tonight (I'm still one sock short!), I stayed by the side of that bed and kept on her until she finally got her little butt OUT of bed and finally got those clothes on. At one point Mary says, "Why are you being so mean to her, Mom?" Oh, honey. You should know by now that this is NOT Mean Mommy (she's seen Mean Mommy way too many times to ask such a silly question!). That was DETERMINED MOMMY. Determined NOT to let the four-year old continue to rule our mornings (seriously, I was still being NICE here--nice, but FIRM).
And I remembered when I was pregnant with Keith. Mary was just turning two. I taught Mary how to dress herself, and I sat there and I watched her and I was FIRM with her that SHE needed to do this. Mommy is here to HELP--Mommy is not here to DO. (And
Mommy was overwhelmed with the thought of trying to dress TWO kids for daycare in the morning.) Poor Mary--first child who ha(d)s all the stern rules. Poor Izzy--the baby of the family who has apparently been babied too long.
The firm hand has succeeded with Izzy previously. As much as I hate doing it, I'm hoping it will work with this power struggle, also.
Sorry, little one. Vacation is OVER, and everyday life is BACK.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in!
We signed Keith up for the extended season of baseball. Something fun for him to do for the next few weeks of summer--great! But now the well-meaning coach is setting up practices twice a week. Games on Saturday. Well...I guess that's not too bad....
Right after that, Mary's softball coach asked her to play in the girls' all-star softball tournament! Well...that's awesome! OK! But now...she's having to go to practice like 4 times a week until the tourney--which will be a full weekend of games.
Crap!
I guess it's back to sandwiches for dinner every night for the next two weeks....
Right after that, Mary's softball coach asked her to play in the girls' all-star softball tournament! Well...that's awesome! OK! But now...she's having to go to practice like 4 times a week until the tourney--which will be a full weekend of games.
Crap!
I guess it's back to sandwiches for dinner every night for the next two weeks....
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Pets
As promised, Mary got her Guinea Pig--the "orphaned" Hazel--last night. Hazel is a very chubby pig! And she's got a bit of eczema on her rump. And she's kinda up there in pig years. But she's sweet and adorable.... And Mary is beside herself to have her own pet in her OWN room. And is insisting that care of Brownie the bunny be completely made over to her brother--the actual "owner" of Brownie. (Doubt that will happen. Mary loves that bunny way too much. Maybe not enough to clean his cage, but I'm pretty sure she'll keep feeding him.)
Meanwhile, the daycare provider insisted her mother bring over her new puppy to show us. It's a miniature Schnauzer and...ADORABLE. And she was cheap (this pup was not certified due to her coloring and the fact that she was a runt). And I held her for a few minutes and DID NOT BREAK OUT. And maybe, just maybe, the breeder will have another pup available for us! (And even the certified puppies are only $300--a much better price than the outlandish $850 we were quoted from another local breeder).
Crap. I REALLY don't want the care of a puppy right now.... BUT SHE WAS SOOOOO CUTE!
Meanwhile, the daycare provider insisted her mother bring over her new puppy to show us. It's a miniature Schnauzer and...ADORABLE. And she was cheap (this pup was not certified due to her coloring and the fact that she was a runt). And I held her for a few minutes and DID NOT BREAK OUT. And maybe, just maybe, the breeder will have another pup available for us! (And even the certified puppies are only $300--a much better price than the outlandish $850 we were quoted from another local breeder).
Crap. I REALLY don't want the care of a puppy right now.... BUT SHE WAS SOOOOO CUTE!
Monday, July 06, 2009
The Trip
John was forced to take vacation last week by his employer. And since our daycare provider was also on vacation, it seemed a good week for ME to take time off, too.
(Wow. Did I NEED that week off!)
We decided to do yet another "cheap" vacation. Of course, ALL our vacations are just about as cheap as one can get, but economy dictates this one be even cheaper than normal. So, we decided on a trip to Cedar Point. And since we were kinda in the area--a trip to see family/friends in Indiana was tacked on. Two vacations smushed into one!
We drove off to Sandusky Monday night. We got to our hotel, discovered that it had an OUTDOOR pool (the nerve!), and since the weather was somewhat chilly and NOT conducive to outdoor swimming, we disappointed the kiddies by staying INSIDE the hotel and just ordering a pizza and watching TV. Cheap! And no one got hypothermia!
Tuesday morning was overcast and cool. Perfect! We got up and got breakfast then let loose our kids on Cedar Point. It only rained a couple of times--and at about five minutes in duration. No crowds. No hot, searing sun (We wore jeans and I wore a jacket ALL DAY). No dehydrated mama embarrassing her husband and kids by puking in line (although I did take the precaution of taking a Dramamine and steering clear of ALL spin-y rides). Seriously, it was great. We did, however end up with one trip to the First Aid station. While eating our Dotted ice cream, Izzy climbed up on the bench. I was just about to ask her to sit on her BUTT instead of the squatted, tipsy, on-the-balls-of-her-feet position she'd taken when the inevitable happened: she lost her balance and took a nose-dive off the bench onto the pavement below. She dumped her ice cream and scraped up her elbow big-time--and then started screaming like a banshee. (Was she more upset by all the blood or the loss of her ice cream...?) We calmly took her to First Aid as Mom refused to carry her purse around the park and did NOT have a band-aid on her. A cleaned-up, band-aided scrape and THREE lolly pops from the nurse later ("No FAIR! Why does SHE get a lolly pop and WE don't?" "Well, maybe you should have fallen and scraped YOUR elbow!"), we were on our way to our next ride.
All three kids did well at the park. Mary has become more and more adventurous and rode most of the rides she was tall enough to ride. She even got on the Corkscrew (the ride of TERROR! just a year ago). Keith enjoyed the Blue Streak and the Coal Mine ride but refused to ride anything he considered "bigger" than those two rides. Izzy was in her element in all the rides she was allowed on. And tried on numerous occasions to sneak into line with whichever parent was escorting the two bigger kids onto the bigger rides. Lots of mini temper tantrums when told, "Sorry, honey, you're not big enough!"
Instead of playing games, we just plunked down money for souvenirs for the kids. Keith got a flickering light saber. Mary got a water globe that had floating (and looked to me like DEAD) fish in it. Izzy got a cool glittery bouncy ball. Within ten minutes Mary's souvenir had bit the pavement--leaving behind an oily, blue gloop--and thus began another treasure hunt through the souvenir shop for another one like it. Yes, it was found. (Whew!)
All in all: a wonderful day!
Wednesday morning we promised the kids a sleep in. I let the kids and John sleep in and casually grabbed as many donuts and bagels I could carry out of the breakfast bar and then just as gradually showered and started packing up. The kids gradually woke up and grazed while watching PBS and getting ready. A brief glance at my cell phone (the hotel room's alarm clock was unplugged to make room for John's fan), caused a mini-heart attack. 10:50?! Augh! Ten minutes to check out!
...Well, we made it. Barely. Good thing most of our stuff was already packed. Oops. At least three of the five of us managed a shower (poor John!).
On the road again--to Michigan! We drove in to Kalamazoo and met John's sister Lynn and her friend Michelle for dinner. Then we went back to their place for a quick game of catch (sponsored by Mary's stuffed bunny "Snow Queen" and in which only ONE drink became a victim).
Thursday morning we had breakfast with our wonderful hostesses, saw Grandma in Three Rivers, and then headed off to Idaville to see my father. Dinner with Dad, Ruth and Kris and then some Rock Band. Then Dad gave us a mini-show of some of the fireworks he had purchased for the fourth. John and I oohed and aahed--the kids...well, they spent the evening chasing down the MILLIONS of fireflies in Dad's backyard and just weren't as interested in the show. Ah well! Then we had a really late game of catch--this time courtesy of Keith's stuffed fish Mr. Nibbles (a.k.a Blub-Blub).
We also acquired a family tent (yes!), a volunteer tomato plant from Dad's garden (to replace the seedlings I'd killed), and some of my childhood toys that Mary claims she WILL play with (We'll see) (The rest I'm thinking will be posted on E-bay--or put in the trash!). And I found my mess kit (YES!).
Friday we drove down to Fort Wayne and spent most of the day with John's sister Lori and then got a surprise visit from Lynn and Michelle. All of played the popular family game Soccey Ball...? (sitting in a circle volleying and pummeling each other with an over-sized--and thankfully soft--soccerball). Most fun. And exhausting!
Friday night the H's hosted a party, and most of the gang (and a few surprise visitors!) showed. We were snubbed by MR who decided his girlfriend's birthday should take precedence (the nerve!), but most everyone else we wanted to see were there. I think at one point I counted ten kids. It was a madhouse! And we finally got to meet Marcus's woman. She seemed normal to me...except for that dating Marcus thing! heh! We stayed up really, really late while the guys all reminisced about their old high school days together. So...tired.....
Saturday I dragged myself out of bed and dragged the kids up and started packing. I just got out of the shower when John woke up, realized the time, and EEK! We were going to be late meeting Lynn and Michelle for breakfast. AUGH! Yes, we were late (but hey, we did say 9:30-ISH), but the food was good (huge portions!) and the company better. And we met Michelle's son who could give goofy/chatty Izzy a run for her money!
We left breakfast to make the looooong drive home. Sooooo long. We got in around 7:30, ordered a pizza, and crashed in bed.
Sunday I let the kids sleep in as long as they wanted (Izzy didn't get up until 10:30!). We took it easy most of the morning. In the afternoon we went to see Ice Age 3 (meh), cleaned out the mini-van (ewww!), and John mowed the lawn. We ended the night with hot dogs and Avatar and managed to get the kids in bed by 9:00 (ugh).
It really was a great week. I wish we had had time to make a few more stops (completely bypassed visiting my hometown and completely cut out the trip to Indy--WHEN would we have fit it in?!). I wish we had had more time to visit a few more friends/family. Still: great vacation.
And now that we have a tent, maybe we'll make a few simple camping trips this summer. Starting out with a camp-out in our own back yard....
(Wow. Did I NEED that week off!)
We decided to do yet another "cheap" vacation. Of course, ALL our vacations are just about as cheap as one can get, but economy dictates this one be even cheaper than normal. So, we decided on a trip to Cedar Point. And since we were kinda in the area--a trip to see family/friends in Indiana was tacked on. Two vacations smushed into one!
We drove off to Sandusky Monday night. We got to our hotel, discovered that it had an OUTDOOR pool (the nerve!), and since the weather was somewhat chilly and NOT conducive to outdoor swimming, we disappointed the kiddies by staying INSIDE the hotel and just ordering a pizza and watching TV. Cheap! And no one got hypothermia!
Tuesday morning was overcast and cool. Perfect! We got up and got breakfast then let loose our kids on Cedar Point. It only rained a couple of times--and at about five minutes in duration. No crowds. No hot, searing sun (We wore jeans and I wore a jacket ALL DAY). No dehydrated mama embarrassing her husband and kids by puking in line (although I did take the precaution of taking a Dramamine and steering clear of ALL spin-y rides). Seriously, it was great. We did, however end up with one trip to the First Aid station. While eating our Dotted ice cream, Izzy climbed up on the bench. I was just about to ask her to sit on her BUTT instead of the squatted, tipsy, on-the-balls-of-her-feet position she'd taken when the inevitable happened: she lost her balance and took a nose-dive off the bench onto the pavement below. She dumped her ice cream and scraped up her elbow big-time--and then started screaming like a banshee. (Was she more upset by all the blood or the loss of her ice cream...?) We calmly took her to First Aid as Mom refused to carry her purse around the park and did NOT have a band-aid on her. A cleaned-up, band-aided scrape and THREE lolly pops from the nurse later ("No FAIR! Why does SHE get a lolly pop and WE don't?" "Well, maybe you should have fallen and scraped YOUR elbow!"), we were on our way to our next ride.
All three kids did well at the park. Mary has become more and more adventurous and rode most of the rides she was tall enough to ride. She even got on the Corkscrew (the ride of TERROR! just a year ago). Keith enjoyed the Blue Streak and the Coal Mine ride but refused to ride anything he considered "bigger" than those two rides. Izzy was in her element in all the rides she was allowed on. And tried on numerous occasions to sneak into line with whichever parent was escorting the two bigger kids onto the bigger rides. Lots of mini temper tantrums when told, "Sorry, honey, you're not big enough!"
Instead of playing games, we just plunked down money for souvenirs for the kids. Keith got a flickering light saber. Mary got a water globe that had floating (and looked to me like DEAD) fish in it. Izzy got a cool glittery bouncy ball. Within ten minutes Mary's souvenir had bit the pavement--leaving behind an oily, blue gloop--and thus began another treasure hunt through the souvenir shop for another one like it. Yes, it was found. (Whew!)
All in all: a wonderful day!
Wednesday morning we promised the kids a sleep in. I let the kids and John sleep in and casually grabbed as many donuts and bagels I could carry out of the breakfast bar and then just as gradually showered and started packing up. The kids gradually woke up and grazed while watching PBS and getting ready. A brief glance at my cell phone (the hotel room's alarm clock was unplugged to make room for John's fan), caused a mini-heart attack. 10:50?! Augh! Ten minutes to check out!
...Well, we made it. Barely. Good thing most of our stuff was already packed. Oops. At least three of the five of us managed a shower (poor John!).
On the road again--to Michigan! We drove in to Kalamazoo and met John's sister Lynn and her friend Michelle for dinner. Then we went back to their place for a quick game of catch (sponsored by Mary's stuffed bunny "Snow Queen" and in which only ONE drink became a victim).
Thursday morning we had breakfast with our wonderful hostesses, saw Grandma in Three Rivers, and then headed off to Idaville to see my father. Dinner with Dad, Ruth and Kris and then some Rock Band. Then Dad gave us a mini-show of some of the fireworks he had purchased for the fourth. John and I oohed and aahed--the kids...well, they spent the evening chasing down the MILLIONS of fireflies in Dad's backyard and just weren't as interested in the show. Ah well! Then we had a really late game of catch--this time courtesy of Keith's stuffed fish Mr. Nibbles (a.k.a Blub-Blub).
We also acquired a family tent (yes!), a volunteer tomato plant from Dad's garden (to replace the seedlings I'd killed), and some of my childhood toys that Mary claims she WILL play with (We'll see) (The rest I'm thinking will be posted on E-bay--or put in the trash!). And I found my mess kit (YES!).
Friday we drove down to Fort Wayne and spent most of the day with John's sister Lori and then got a surprise visit from Lynn and Michelle. All of played the popular family game Soccey Ball...? (sitting in a circle volleying and pummeling each other with an over-sized--and thankfully soft--soccerball). Most fun. And exhausting!
Friday night the H's hosted a party, and most of the gang (and a few surprise visitors!) showed. We were snubbed by MR who decided his girlfriend's birthday should take precedence (the nerve!), but most everyone else we wanted to see were there. I think at one point I counted ten kids. It was a madhouse! And we finally got to meet Marcus's woman. She seemed normal to me...except for that dating Marcus thing! heh! We stayed up really, really late while the guys all reminisced about their old high school days together. So...tired.....
Saturday I dragged myself out of bed and dragged the kids up and started packing. I just got out of the shower when John woke up, realized the time, and EEK! We were going to be late meeting Lynn and Michelle for breakfast. AUGH! Yes, we were late (but hey, we did say 9:30-ISH), but the food was good (huge portions!) and the company better. And we met Michelle's son who could give goofy/chatty Izzy a run for her money!
We left breakfast to make the looooong drive home. Sooooo long. We got in around 7:30, ordered a pizza, and crashed in bed.
Sunday I let the kids sleep in as long as they wanted (Izzy didn't get up until 10:30!). We took it easy most of the morning. In the afternoon we went to see Ice Age 3 (meh), cleaned out the mini-van (ewww!), and John mowed the lawn. We ended the night with hot dogs and Avatar and managed to get the kids in bed by 9:00 (ugh).
It really was a great week. I wish we had had time to make a few more stops (completely bypassed visiting my hometown and completely cut out the trip to Indy--WHEN would we have fit it in?!). I wish we had had more time to visit a few more friends/family. Still: great vacation.
And now that we have a tent, maybe we'll make a few simple camping trips this summer. Starting out with a camp-out in our own back yard....
Friday, June 26, 2009
Michael
I got a record player for Christmas when I was in second grade. (I kept trying to open the cardboard box to get to the "real" present inside. I was too used to my Mom using spare boxes around the house to wrap gifts and never for one moment believed that she actually bought me a record player!) Not too long after that, I got Michael Jackson's Thriller on vinyl.
My brother and I would put it on while cleaning the house, playing the title track over and over while trying our best Vincent Price impersonation. It certainly made dusting the tables and cleaning the bathroom go a little more enjoyable.
Michael was sooooo cute back then. He's one of the few musicians who made it in picture form on my bedroom wall (Until he was later shot with a bee-bee gun by my brother. Seriously, my brother was such a jerk.).
Even when I got older and my music tastes um, adapted, I still had a little bit of a thing for Michael. He was just so darn talented, and I completely respected that. And although I didn't buy any of his albums past Thriller, I still enjoyed watching the videos on MTV--you know, back when MTV actually played videos.
...I'm sad you're gone, Michael.
------------
Can I just interject one thing, here? John and I were watching some of the coverage on TV last night. When they actually FILMED the body being moved, we had to turn the TV off. Are you kidding me? You filmed the BODY being MOVED? That's just WRONG! And GROSS! Or are John and I the only two people on the planet who did NOT want to see that? *shudder*
And poor Farrah. She got upstaged on her last grand day!
My brother and I would put it on while cleaning the house, playing the title track over and over while trying our best Vincent Price impersonation. It certainly made dusting the tables and cleaning the bathroom go a little more enjoyable.
Michael was sooooo cute back then. He's one of the few musicians who made it in picture form on my bedroom wall (Until he was later shot with a bee-bee gun by my brother. Seriously, my brother was such a jerk.).
Even when I got older and my music tastes um, adapted, I still had a little bit of a thing for Michael. He was just so darn talented, and I completely respected that. And although I didn't buy any of his albums past Thriller, I still enjoyed watching the videos on MTV--you know, back when MTV actually played videos.
...I'm sad you're gone, Michael.
------------
Can I just interject one thing, here? John and I were watching some of the coverage on TV last night. When they actually FILMED the body being moved, we had to turn the TV off. Are you kidding me? You filmed the BODY being MOVED? That's just WRONG! And GROSS! Or are John and I the only two people on the planet who did NOT want to see that? *shudder*
And poor Farrah. She got upstaged on her last grand day!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Random
1. Izzy has started saying "humungo." As in, "That piece of pizza is HUMUNGO!" or "Clifford is a HUMUNGO dog!"
2. I started using that tanning lotion stuff. It's been three weeks. Yeah. Makes absolutely NO difference on my pasty, white legs.
3. I took Keith to get his haircut at a local barber instead of the usual SuperCheapPlace. I had gone there previously, but I wasn't too happy with the results--but I figured I'd give it another shot. I was fully entertained by the fact that there were eight people in the shop, and Keith and I were the only ones not speaking Italian. Do you KNOW how cute it is to see three little girls running around a barber shop while chatting in Italian? And this time: the cut was absolutely PERFECT.
4. Mary's haircut has grown out enough now that even John admits that it looks "pretty decent." She just needed softer-looking bangs than that blunt first-day cut we were staring at!
5. Being on Facebook has made me somewhat homesick for the hometown for which I never thought I'd be homesick.
6. Izzy just seems to have GROWN UP overnight. So tall now! It's hitting me more and more that she is starting school in just a few short months. HOW did she get so big so fast?
7. Keith gets to play an extended season of baseball. *sigh* Just when I was looking forward to the end! ;-)
8. I killed my tomato seedlings when I grabbed one of the kids' cups to water it. It ended up being apple juice! D'oh!
9. A "free to good home" plea in addition to a "persuasive" essay from Mary is probably going to lead to an addition to the family--a Guinea Pig named Hazel. It'll be Mary's "great job at school this year" gift. Do you think a pack of Pokemon cards for Keith will counter-balance that? LOL.
10. I should probably get back to work. If only I had something to DO!
2. I started using that tanning lotion stuff. It's been three weeks. Yeah. Makes absolutely NO difference on my pasty, white legs.
3. I took Keith to get his haircut at a local barber instead of the usual SuperCheapPlace. I had gone there previously, but I wasn't too happy with the results--but I figured I'd give it another shot. I was fully entertained by the fact that there were eight people in the shop, and Keith and I were the only ones not speaking Italian. Do you KNOW how cute it is to see three little girls running around a barber shop while chatting in Italian? And this time: the cut was absolutely PERFECT.
4. Mary's haircut has grown out enough now that even John admits that it looks "pretty decent." She just needed softer-looking bangs than that blunt first-day cut we were staring at!
5. Being on Facebook has made me somewhat homesick for the hometown for which I never thought I'd be homesick.
6. Izzy just seems to have GROWN UP overnight. So tall now! It's hitting me more and more that she is starting school in just a few short months. HOW did she get so big so fast?
7. Keith gets to play an extended season of baseball. *sigh* Just when I was looking forward to the end! ;-)
8. I killed my tomato seedlings when I grabbed one of the kids' cups to water it. It ended up being apple juice! D'oh!
9. A "free to good home" plea in addition to a "persuasive" essay from Mary is probably going to lead to an addition to the family--a Guinea Pig named Hazel. It'll be Mary's "great job at school this year" gift. Do you think a pack of Pokemon cards for Keith will counter-balance that? LOL.
10. I should probably get back to work. If only I had something to DO!
Last Day
It's the last day of school and coupled with the increasingly-horrible job situation I have found myself in, I am finding myself sighing and lamenting over the fact that I won't be home with the kids this summer.
Last summer was absolutely beautiful.
I am frustrated that I let "little things" like the rigors of early motherhood and lack of money keep me from getting my permanent teaching license. How silly of me! (That was said mostly tongue in cheek--as I do realize that there was not much I could have done to change the $ situation!)
Well, I am frustrated that despite the fact that I KNOW I could do any number of jobs (I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggonit...), I do not have the experience in anything but clerical work--leaving me feeling way over-educated and under-paid for the jobs I can manage to reel in.
But the flip side is....I did what I needed to do for my family. And despite professional (and monetary!) frustrations, I CANNOT be too harsh on myself or the lot I have in my life. I've got a great husband, three great kids, and I did get ONE year to be home with those kids. And when I needed to, I did the right thing and went back to work for them.
And I keep hoping that once they get a little older, and more of that @#$% student loan debt is paid off, then maybe, just maybe, I can go back to school and get that Master's, and focus a little more on ME.
Now is their time. My time will come.
Until then, I will keep putting on my happy face. I will keep looking for whatever opportunities to enhance my working life may come. And I will shuttle the kids to day care where I know that they will have a fun, relaxing summer.
And maybe it's time to start playing the lotto....
Last summer was absolutely beautiful.
I am frustrated that I let "little things" like the rigors of early motherhood and lack of money keep me from getting my permanent teaching license. How silly of me! (That was said mostly tongue in cheek--as I do realize that there was not much I could have done to change the $ situation!)
Well, I am frustrated that despite the fact that I KNOW I could do any number of jobs (I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggonit...), I do not have the experience in anything but clerical work--leaving me feeling way over-educated and under-paid for the jobs I can manage to reel in.
But the flip side is....I did what I needed to do for my family. And despite professional (and monetary!) frustrations, I CANNOT be too harsh on myself or the lot I have in my life. I've got a great husband, three great kids, and I did get ONE year to be home with those kids. And when I needed to, I did the right thing and went back to work for them.
And I keep hoping that once they get a little older, and more of that @#$% student loan debt is paid off, then maybe, just maybe, I can go back to school and get that Master's, and focus a little more on ME.
Now is their time. My time will come.
Until then, I will keep putting on my happy face. I will keep looking for whatever opportunities to enhance my working life may come. And I will shuttle the kids to day care where I know that they will have a fun, relaxing summer.
And maybe it's time to start playing the lotto....
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Father's Day Follies
1. Flaring tempers during helter-skelter preparations to get family pictures taken (first time in 3 years!).
2. Flaring tempers when "STOP KICKING ME" kept getting screamed in the back seats of the mini-van on trip back.
3. Desperate plea to kids to "GO AWAY, I'M TAKING A NAP," when they REFUSED to take a nap themselves.
4. Attempts to cook nice dinner for Father of The Year thwarted by "I'm not hungry" and "I just don't think I like meat" by 2/3 of the kids.
5. After dinner clean-up ruined by FLARING TEMPERS again when kids gave attitude about helping clean up the mess.
6. Dead cell phone won't give up my own Dad's phone number to call him and wish him a happy day. Rushed email to compensate (at least I sent a card!).
7. Cookie cake. And BIG apology to the Father of the Year for screwing up his holiday. (Kids in bed--feel much better now.)
Honey, despite the temper tantrums (by our kids AND myself) today, know that you are loved and adored, and we just couldn't be a family without you.
2. Flaring tempers when "STOP KICKING ME" kept getting screamed in the back seats of the mini-van on trip back.
3. Desperate plea to kids to "GO AWAY, I'M TAKING A NAP," when they REFUSED to take a nap themselves.
4. Attempts to cook nice dinner for Father of The Year thwarted by "I'm not hungry" and "I just don't think I like meat" by 2/3 of the kids.
5. After dinner clean-up ruined by FLARING TEMPERS again when kids gave attitude about helping clean up the mess.
6. Dead cell phone won't give up my own Dad's phone number to call him and wish him a happy day. Rushed email to compensate (at least I sent a card!).
7. Cookie cake. And BIG apology to the Father of the Year for screwing up his holiday. (Kids in bed--feel much better now.)
Honey, despite the temper tantrums (by our kids AND myself) today, know that you are loved and adored, and we just couldn't be a family without you.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Look! Look!
My wonderful middle school art teacher has her own Etsy shop! Go visit! Beautiful stuff there!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Ain't no cure for the summertime cold
Yes. I caught a summer cold. Yes, I was miserable most of the weekend. Yes, I had to drag kids all over the place and "pretend" to be all happy and playful at Adventure Landing when all I really wanted to do was curl up in the car and GO TO SLEEP.
Saturday morning we all got up early and took Keith to his game. Not too much excitement. He got one hit, but no real action as far as plays to the infield/outfield go.
We left early to take Keith to the AL birthday party for his BFF from our previous residence. My plan was to drop off Keith then take Izzy to the mall or grocery store or something to hang out until the party got out. I knew I wouldn't know a lot of people there. But as soon as we all walked in, the mom asked Izzy if she wanted to stay and play, too. Well, how can I tell a 4-year old no to that? So we all got into the shoot-em-up-with-foam-balls room and ran around after each other. Me--coughing and gasping the whole way. Izzy showed once again how different she is from her siblings and went right down the huge curly slide--her siblings weren't so brave with that at that age. She was too little to climb on some of the equipment, so I had to help (hence the coughing and gasping from my poor, virused, respiratory system). Keith and his friend played together THE WHOLE TIME. And sat next to eat other during pizza/cake/present time. And...I just wish we could get him together with this little boy more often, because it was so sweet to see.
We ended up being the last to leave the party (UGH). Mary had a softball game at 2:00 (and wasn't SHE bummed she didn't come with us to drop off Keith at that party! heh). I pulled into the parking lot, walked Keith and Izzy across to the field, didn't recognize any of the girls/moms playing, and THEN I remembered that it was an away game (read: cold messing with synapses in brain). As we started driving away, Keith says, "Mom, I'm tired. Can we just go home?" Why YES, WE CAN. Keith played Mario Kart while Izzy and I took a much-needed nap (not that my phlegmy self SLEPT, but at least I was IN BED and not on an uncomfortable bleacher in the somewhat chilly air trying to cheer my daughter when I was so miserable! Sorry, Mare!).
Mary also had a somewhat uneventful game (although she did get to play catcher twice). She and John came home. I dragged my butt up and got to the store to throw together dinner (hamburgers AGAIN?!), and we watched some Avatar.
Sunday was simple. Laundry. Read. Chores. Read. Laundry. Read. Dinner. Read. Laundry. Read. Landry.
Well, I did start perking up around 8:00, so I dragged out the Dance Dance Revolution and made that my new cop-out work-out plan. Works great!
Then I passed out in bed. And tried REALLY HARD to focus on all the student loan debt that is forcing me to make a presence at work. @#$%. Ah well. At least I still have a job!
Saturday morning we all got up early and took Keith to his game. Not too much excitement. He got one hit, but no real action as far as plays to the infield/outfield go.
We left early to take Keith to the AL birthday party for his BFF from our previous residence. My plan was to drop off Keith then take Izzy to the mall or grocery store or something to hang out until the party got out. I knew I wouldn't know a lot of people there. But as soon as we all walked in, the mom asked Izzy if she wanted to stay and play, too. Well, how can I tell a 4-year old no to that? So we all got into the shoot-em-up-with-foam-balls room and ran around after each other. Me--coughing and gasping the whole way. Izzy showed once again how different she is from her siblings and went right down the huge curly slide--her siblings weren't so brave with that at that age. She was too little to climb on some of the equipment, so I had to help (hence the coughing and gasping from my poor, virused, respiratory system). Keith and his friend played together THE WHOLE TIME. And sat next to eat other during pizza/cake/present time. And...I just wish we could get him together with this little boy more often, because it was so sweet to see.
We ended up being the last to leave the party (UGH). Mary had a softball game at 2:00 (and wasn't SHE bummed she didn't come with us to drop off Keith at that party! heh). I pulled into the parking lot, walked Keith and Izzy across to the field, didn't recognize any of the girls/moms playing, and THEN I remembered that it was an away game (read: cold messing with synapses in brain). As we started driving away, Keith says, "Mom, I'm tired. Can we just go home?" Why YES, WE CAN. Keith played Mario Kart while Izzy and I took a much-needed nap (not that my phlegmy self SLEPT, but at least I was IN BED and not on an uncomfortable bleacher in the somewhat chilly air trying to cheer my daughter when I was so miserable! Sorry, Mare!).
Mary also had a somewhat uneventful game (although she did get to play catcher twice). She and John came home. I dragged my butt up and got to the store to throw together dinner (hamburgers AGAIN?!), and we watched some Avatar.
Sunday was simple. Laundry. Read. Chores. Read. Laundry. Read. Dinner. Read. Laundry. Read. Landry.
Well, I did start perking up around 8:00, so I dragged out the Dance Dance Revolution and made that my new cop-out work-out plan. Works great!
Then I passed out in bed. And tried REALLY HARD to focus on all the student loan debt that is forcing me to make a presence at work. @#$%. Ah well. At least I still have a job!
Monday, June 08, 2009
The Highlights
Maybe having the hair out of her face helped, but Mary KICKED BUTT at her softball game. After begging every game, the coach finally let her pitch. Hello! Skinny little thing CAN PITCH! She actually struck out the very first batter. And made a few more great plays when the opposing team was hitting the balls right back to her. It was a short inning. She showed her stuff. And coach was all, "Mary! Why didn't you TELL me you could pitch like that?" Um....she TRIED, but you kept pushing her aside (Oh! Isn't that cute! Little Mary wants to pitch!).
Perhaps the coach's attitude will CHANGE now, and Mary will get the attention (and credit) she deserves.
That's my girl!
Perhaps the coach's attitude will CHANGE now, and Mary will get the attention (and credit) she deserves.
That's my girl!
Bad haircut
John and I sort of "had it" with Mary's hair always hanging in her face and her complete lack of interest in combing it or keeping it nice. She's been trying to grow it out, but it's just a straggly mess. So we talked her into getting some of it cut off.
Saturday morning I rushed her in to the SuperCheap place--it was just a few stores down from the CellPhoneStore where I wanted to take my suddenly dead phone to get it looked at. Well, the wait ended up being longer than they said (and the CellPhoneStore had moved out! The nerve!), so Mary and I passed the time perusing the haircut books trying to pick out something that she would like. The kid who two days prior was almost crying over the fact that I said she needed to get a "good trim" as her hair was so damaged, and I wanted her to have something easier to take care of, was now, "Oh, I don't care" about the style of her hair. And then moved to, "Oh...whatever."
So, when her time was finally up (and I was getting nervous by this time as she had a softball game in about 45 minutes--in another part of town--and she didn't even have her uniform on yet....), I gave her to the stylist, showed her the length Mary and I agreed on (just below her shoulders) and then said, "If she wants bangs, it's completely up to her, I don't care," and I walked away (to put up with wiggly Izzy and a set of brothers who were pummeling each other in the waiting area while grandma was getting her hair cut--fun!).
Well, Mary decided on bangs. ("It's kind of fun to try something different!" she said.) And Izzy and I sat there and watched the lady cut them. And I immediately thought, "WHY was I so trusting to let her pick her own hairstyle! I HATE dealing with bangs! And WHY is that lady cutting them so short? And...AUGH!"
Well, we got home, John rushed Mary off to her game (for which I was mistaken--it started a half hour EARLIER than I thought). I took Keith to his game. We all met up later (@#$% inconvenient not having a cell phone!), and John had to tell me, "I hate her hair. SOMETHING must be done about her hair."
Well...WHAT can be done now? The bangs are CUT, and there is no getting those straggly pieces of hair back. And I don't think anything can be done to fix how short they look. And I'm afraid of having someone cut more off the sides (That's part of the problem--a year ago, we had the sides cut to "frame" her face--and those chunks of hair just really make the bangs look stupid. But we want to grow them OUT now, so surely cutting them even shorter would be counterproductive?) and making it look worse. And, Mary actually LIKES her hair (and she got a lot of compliments on it at her game--probably everybody was just thrilled they could see her face). And...we'll just have to start pulling the sides back (it DOES look pretty decent like that)...and wait for everything to grow back.
I should have known better than to mess with it. I should have known better than to let her pick bangs or no bangs. I should have known to just stop at "Please clean up the scraggly ends."
Two years. It'll probably take at least two years.
*sigh*
Saturday morning I rushed her in to the SuperCheap place--it was just a few stores down from the CellPhoneStore where I wanted to take my suddenly dead phone to get it looked at. Well, the wait ended up being longer than they said (and the CellPhoneStore had moved out! The nerve!), so Mary and I passed the time perusing the haircut books trying to pick out something that she would like. The kid who two days prior was almost crying over the fact that I said she needed to get a "good trim" as her hair was so damaged, and I wanted her to have something easier to take care of, was now, "Oh, I don't care" about the style of her hair. And then moved to, "Oh...whatever."
So, when her time was finally up (and I was getting nervous by this time as she had a softball game in about 45 minutes--in another part of town--and she didn't even have her uniform on yet....), I gave her to the stylist, showed her the length Mary and I agreed on (just below her shoulders) and then said, "If she wants bangs, it's completely up to her, I don't care," and I walked away (to put up with wiggly Izzy and a set of brothers who were pummeling each other in the waiting area while grandma was getting her hair cut--fun!).
Well, Mary decided on bangs. ("It's kind of fun to try something different!" she said.) And Izzy and I sat there and watched the lady cut them. And I immediately thought, "WHY was I so trusting to let her pick her own hairstyle! I HATE dealing with bangs! And WHY is that lady cutting them so short? And...AUGH!"
Well, we got home, John rushed Mary off to her game (for which I was mistaken--it started a half hour EARLIER than I thought). I took Keith to his game. We all met up later (@#$% inconvenient not having a cell phone!), and John had to tell me, "I hate her hair. SOMETHING must be done about her hair."
Well...WHAT can be done now? The bangs are CUT, and there is no getting those straggly pieces of hair back. And I don't think anything can be done to fix how short they look. And I'm afraid of having someone cut more off the sides (That's part of the problem--a year ago, we had the sides cut to "frame" her face--and those chunks of hair just really make the bangs look stupid. But we want to grow them OUT now, so surely cutting them even shorter would be counterproductive?) and making it look worse. And, Mary actually LIKES her hair (and she got a lot of compliments on it at her game--probably everybody was just thrilled they could see her face). And...we'll just have to start pulling the sides back (it DOES look pretty decent like that)...and wait for everything to grow back.
I should have known better than to mess with it. I should have known better than to let her pick bangs or no bangs. I should have known to just stop at "Please clean up the scraggly ends."
Two years. It'll probably take at least two years.
*sigh*
Friday, June 05, 2009
It's a beautiful day!
I'm always somewhat nervous about what I post here as I know my employer can find this blog if they really wanted to (maybe they already HAVE! Dum Dum DUUUUUUMMMMM!!!!)...but I guess it's public knowledge now, so I can legitimately let slip to you all that my employer just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Yeeee Haaaaaw!
They were smart and did their lay-offs BEFOREHAND, so now they can say um, with confidence?, that they are not planning any more lay-offs at this time.
I've been holding on through this whole um, "crisis" in the hopes that once the dust cleared I can perhaps move up into a better position (er, if I survived the multitude of lay-offs--which I guess I did). Cuz where I'm at right now is most certainly NOT where I want to be even six months from now.
So, employer, if you're reading this, please take note that my current position, for which I'm GRATEFUL, NO DOUBT, is in no way challenging or busy enough for my fancy. I need something with more responsibility and at which I can utilize my AWESOME, HARD-WORKING TALENTS to their fullest potential.
Thank you. And I hope you zip through that Chapter 11 "thing" just as well as you did when you did it 10 years ago.
*super-winning SMILE*
Yeeee Haaaaaw!
They were smart and did their lay-offs BEFOREHAND, so now they can say um, with confidence?, that they are not planning any more lay-offs at this time.
I've been holding on through this whole um, "crisis" in the hopes that once the dust cleared I can perhaps move up into a better position (er, if I survived the multitude of lay-offs--which I guess I did). Cuz where I'm at right now is most certainly NOT where I want to be even six months from now.
So, employer, if you're reading this, please take note that my current position, for which I'm GRATEFUL, NO DOUBT, is in no way challenging or busy enough for my fancy. I need something with more responsibility and at which I can utilize my AWESOME, HARD-WORKING TALENTS to their fullest potential.
Thank you. And I hope you zip through that Chapter 11 "thing" just as well as you did when you did it 10 years ago.
*super-winning SMILE*
Monday, June 01, 2009
Weekend in a Flash
A movie, two baseball games, concession stand duties, one softball game, one over-night (thankfully at OTHER kid's house), and a camp-out in the den (to entertain two remaining kids).
By Sunday: over-tired Mom who JUST WANTED TO READ! But had WAY TOO MUCH LAUNDRY TO DO! Smarter Dad realizing we all just needed a trip to the park.
Ahhhh.... Refocus.
That was fun.
(BTW: "Up" is completely, totally AWESOME!!)
By Sunday: over-tired Mom who JUST WANTED TO READ! But had WAY TOO MUCH LAUNDRY TO DO! Smarter Dad realizing we all just needed a trip to the park.
Ahhhh.... Refocus.
That was fun.
(BTW: "Up" is completely, totally AWESOME!!)
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