First off, Mary had a lovely birthday party. We took some of her friends to a pottery-making place up the road a bit, and they all had fun stamping and glazing clay pieces. (It will be interesting to see how Izzy's turns out since she changed color mid-glaze and seemed to be coloring in a preschool fashion. Urgh.) We put this party together a week before her birthday, after a swim meet, so she was pretty busy that day and showed up for her own party with wet hair. Several girls we invited couldn't come due to the crazy-madness of the sports and holiday seasons, but we still had enough to get the party going. And her one oldest friend stayed the night.
Mary's Christmas Eve Eve birthday was lovely, too. She was totally thrilled to receive an ipod nano from Mom and Dad. Dad was having a ball downloading songs for her the night before. (He forced himself to only download approved songs instead of complete albums--that's just WRONG, but necessary.) Mary has pretty much only listened to the same seven songs over and over again, but she promises to start sampling the other tunes soon. Mary's other best friend stayed the night while Izzy got to go to stay with the friend's sister--not a bad deal, really!
Chirstmas Eve I completely wore my pregnant body out doing that cleaning, laundry, baking thing. But at least the presents were mostly wrapped, and the only reason I was up until 1:30 was so that I could take a relaxing bath to ease my fatigued body.
Christmas the kids were thrilled to find that Santa brought each of them a 3DS. So now we have two spare DS lites hanging out (one isn't in the greatest shape, the other *I* have claimed for my own). And now between her b-day and X-mas, Mary has three new Zelda games to play (*I* have almost solved Phantom Hourglass myself). And we have several more Wii games. And Keith was only disappointed that there weren't more Legos under the tree (dude, you have a birthday in two months!).
We went out the day after X-mas to buy even MORE games with the money that Grandpa and others sent. so now poor Izzy has more DS games than just the ONE that was under the tree. Sure do love those buy two used, get one used game free promos!
We've spent this last week doing absolutely NOTHING but play games. It gets to be a bit of a hassle when we do need to do a few essential things--like take Mary to swim practice or even go to the grocery store to stock up on our milk and cereal--but they have been WARNED that this is the only week that non-stop DS playing will be tolerated (that goes for Mom, too). It's been a lot of fun, tho.
I've managed to try to get the kids back on their food-prep and dishes schedules that sort of disappeared a few weeks ago. Why is it that the kid who most enjoys doing dishes is the worst at actually washing them? Poor John has been working all week to attempt to fix our apparent plumbing problem that is keeping the dishwasher from draining correctly (and so we've been doing dishes by hand for almost two months now), but he is starting to admit that he may need professional help. Ka-ching!
Each kid got a new cookbook for X-mas, so we're going through picking out recipes to try--and hopefully expand those kid-palettes a bit. Tonight Keith helped me make some fried rice, and it wasn't even his night to be the prep cook!
Speaking of cooking, Mary has used some of her Home and Careers skills to good use here and has now prepared eggs on toast for her family twice just within the last week. I really could get used to someone else cooking! When do they learn how to make lasagna?
Another post up at the baby-brewing blog where I discuss the typical aches and pains present during the third trimester.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Friday, December 09, 2011
Other news
I forgot to tell you all about Izzy’s birthday party. Oh boy.
John and I googled around until he finally discovered that the horse
barn down the road from us had a reasonable package—a better deal than the one
ceramics place that Mary was hoping to have HER party. Horses and ponies for 6- and 7-year
olds? We’re THERE.
We’d been to this horse farm previously. Mary had her very first pony ride there when
she was probably 3 or 4. I also took
Mary down there last spring for a horse ride on the trails. We had 12 girls who were supposed to come
counting the birthday girl and her sister (can’t have a horse party for Izzy
and NOT invite Mary), but only 9 showed.
John decided to keep Keith home to help him clean the garage. A barn full of little girls is probably not
the most fun for a 9-year old boy.
The party was a bit of a let-down for me for two simple
reasons: they were supposed to provide
the party goods—and they did, but there was no table cloth on the painted-on,
crafted-on, don’t-know-what-on table and there were NO napkins; they were
supposed to provide goody bags—they did NOT.
(My one friend reassured me that the party had HORSES so NO ONE CARED
that there were no goody bags, and NO, I did not look like a sucky hostess.) But the ponies! Oh, the ponies! The girls got to feed them and pet them and
brush and comb them, and then they got to ride them. Really, when there are pony rides, do the
kids really care about getting dollar store plastic toys and candy????? The girls all had a blast, with ONE
exception. One little girl and her
mother discovered about 20 minutes into the party that the girl was HIGHLY
allergic to something in that barn—be it the horses, the dust, or the straw, or
all of the above. The poor little thing
got hives and started wheezing, and well, NOW they know they should dope her up
with allergy meds if she gets close to a horse again. So, she had to leave before she even got to
ride a pony.
I’d do the party again.
But make sure to bring a table cloth.
And wet wipes (thankfully, two parents had some stashed in THEIR cars so
that the girls could eat their cake with moderately clean hands). And birthday candles (oops).
Izzy got some great gifts just
perfect for her. Lots of craft items AND
a Zoobles mommy and babies set. There
was a neat little Barbie Volkswagon with a Barbie included which is NOT quite
up Izzy’s ally—we’re going to donate it for the holidays. (But *I* want to play with it, it’s so cool.) And Mom and Dad let her pick out a new
bike. Maybe she’ll learn to ride without
the training wheels this summer?
I’m now officially done with work, and they’ve already asked
me to come back next year. I told them
it all depends on my day care options.
It’s nice to be wanted, tho.
I hope another little temp job pops up before #4 gets
here. I can’t imagine sitting around the
house for a whole trimester. Not only
will I miss that little bit of money I’m bringing in, I’ll probably go
batty. I am much more productive when I
get out of the house on a daily basis.
Check out my rant on the baby blog!
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Demons
Izzy has turned into a little monster lately. Actually, I guess she's always had that monster-like personality, but lately, it's been coming out more often. The crying! And screaming! And stomping! And defiance! And...she's not the only one. Keith has been testing my patience more and more lately. I would just chalk this up to another pregnancy symptom--maybe this growing of a new human being is making me a bit cranky--but John has confirmed my suspicions. The littlest Q's are acting out.
Probably I'm not handling it well. Probably I'm yelling way, way too much. Probably my bag of tricks is completely empty. Probably I assume that a 7- and 9-year old should be a bit more reasonable and well, ADULT than they are. Probably I need to get a clue and pay more attention to them, huh?
So I will. I will try to chalk in some more one-on-one time with all three of the kids. And John is going to try to do more one-on-one things also. It's just so hard. Mary swims four nights out of five. And John works late most nights. This has really put a damper on any kind of family time--let alone one-on-one time. Lately, Keith has had a pitching clinic on Wednesdays. So while Mary is swimming, John is with Keith for the pitching, and Izzy and I are alone. I haven't really taken advantage of this time in the first few weeks. I sat and read while Izzy played and played and played (although, really, she does need some alone playtime without her older siblings bossing her around so much, too). This Wednesday, John reminded me to DO SOMETHING with her. Oh yeah! So, I decided to take her out for a simple dinner.
(Amusing part. An acquaintance called just before we were getting ready to leave. When I told her that Izzy and I were going to do a one-on-one dinner, she says, "Hey! Where are you going? Maybe my daughter and I could come!" Um, REALLY?)
Anyway, we ended up just heading to the grocery store. Hey, she really wanted to go there! They have huge slices of pizza and an amazing salad bar! Izzy got her pizza; I got a turkey and pepper jack wrap. We shared a sweet tea. And then we bought her some grape tomatoes for her lunches. And we bought the frosting and cinnamon candies she needed for the gingerbread house decorating her class will do later this month. And there was no yelling or screaming or defiance.
I worry about how we're going to juggle this all when (still nameless) baby #4 gets here. My lovely three are all mostly independent now. They don't need me to help them get dressed (although I still pick out Izzy's clothes) or wipe their butts (thank heavens) or even to pack their lunches (although I need to keep an eye out to make sure that they are packing more than just crackers). But they do still need me to talk to them and read them a bedtime story every now and then and check their homework (Oh! The homework!). And they just need ME. And JOHN. And I know, I know that this will all work itself out eventually but I also know that getting there is going to be a struggle. And I'm not looking forward to battling through this while I'm nursing and sleep-deprived and will probably have screaming, yelling, defiant kids arguing with me over stupid things and the only response I can think of is to scream and yell back. Ugh.
Probably I'm not handling it well. Probably I'm yelling way, way too much. Probably my bag of tricks is completely empty. Probably I assume that a 7- and 9-year old should be a bit more reasonable and well, ADULT than they are. Probably I need to get a clue and pay more attention to them, huh?
So I will. I will try to chalk in some more one-on-one time with all three of the kids. And John is going to try to do more one-on-one things also. It's just so hard. Mary swims four nights out of five. And John works late most nights. This has really put a damper on any kind of family time--let alone one-on-one time. Lately, Keith has had a pitching clinic on Wednesdays. So while Mary is swimming, John is with Keith for the pitching, and Izzy and I are alone. I haven't really taken advantage of this time in the first few weeks. I sat and read while Izzy played and played and played (although, really, she does need some alone playtime without her older siblings bossing her around so much, too). This Wednesday, John reminded me to DO SOMETHING with her. Oh yeah! So, I decided to take her out for a simple dinner.
(Amusing part. An acquaintance called just before we were getting ready to leave. When I told her that Izzy and I were going to do a one-on-one dinner, she says, "Hey! Where are you going? Maybe my daughter and I could come!" Um, REALLY?)
Anyway, we ended up just heading to the grocery store. Hey, she really wanted to go there! They have huge slices of pizza and an amazing salad bar! Izzy got her pizza; I got a turkey and pepper jack wrap. We shared a sweet tea. And then we bought her some grape tomatoes for her lunches. And we bought the frosting and cinnamon candies she needed for the gingerbread house decorating her class will do later this month. And there was no yelling or screaming or defiance.
I worry about how we're going to juggle this all when (still nameless) baby #4 gets here. My lovely three are all mostly independent now. They don't need me to help them get dressed (although I still pick out Izzy's clothes) or wipe their butts (thank heavens) or even to pack their lunches (although I need to keep an eye out to make sure that they are packing more than just crackers). But they do still need me to talk to them and read them a bedtime story every now and then and check their homework (Oh! The homework!). And they just need ME. And JOHN. And I know, I know that this will all work itself out eventually but I also know that getting there is going to be a struggle. And I'm not looking forward to battling through this while I'm nursing and sleep-deprived and will probably have screaming, yelling, defiant kids arguing with me over stupid things and the only response I can think of is to scream and yell back. Ugh.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Too much
I have had about 50 posts in my head that I've wanted to type, but I'm finding it surprisingly difficult to find the time to sit down to type them out. And here I only work four hours a day! Right now I'm sneaking in time while Mary gets ready for school and before I have to wake the other two. It's never good for me to get on the computer while I'm supposed to be monitoring my own children. Lunches don't get packed, homework doesn't get put in the backpack (which was supposed to get done LAST NIGHT, but don't get me started), and buses get missed.
First of all, I ended up flying solo to Indiana for my grandmother's funeral--and it was a lovely service. I'm still sad at times, but I keep trying to focus on all the fun memories. John and I were cracking each other up the other night with a few of her escapades. Yep, she was just full of life--and love--and I just miss her terribly.
On to OTHER news. Mary's report card is about to come out, and since we can track the progress of her grades DAILY, we already know that it's going to be absolutely lovely, except for that huge black hole of a math grade. Mary just absolutely HATES math and refuses to study it or really have anything to do with it. And since we parents have been super busy carting around kids (and going to funerals) the last few weeks, we hadn't been checking the computer like we should, and Mary ended up totally skipping studying for her big grade period ending math test. D'oh! So, since this happened two weeks ago, and we've already discussed study habits and regularly checking the teacher's website, etc. with her, we don't feel the need to berate her when we get the actual grades on Friday. *sigh*
Keith is up to his old tricks again--last week he managed to go a full week without turning in one single piece of homework. It all got either left at home, not done, or crushed in the bottom of the backpack. It was a crazy week for me as I was still trying to get my head and my house together after my weekend away to Indiana (oh God, don't even ask about the state of the kitchen and laundry--which I STILL have not caught up on). So yeah, things slipped, but really, the boy is in FOURTH grade now. WHY is he still playing the same dumb tricks he's been playing since second grade? Literally blue in the face with this kid.
And then Izzy got her card turned all the way to blue last week for repeatedly not listening and because she was using markers to draw on her hands. As the teacher kept talking to me (instead of sending home a note, she simply pulled me out of Izzy's Suzuki lesson--gee, thanks), and explaining how all these kids got their cards turned, I, while agreeing that Izzy maybe went a little too far that day, kept wondering if maybe, just maybe the second grade teacher was simply having a bad day and didn't quite have the patience maybe she normally does. (My sixth grader was writing on her hands the other day--along with practically her whole GS troop--gee, wonder where Izzy gets it from?)
Also! I had a birthday on Tuesday! The first one I'm tempted to deny, since it's hard for me to admit that I'm pregnant and am now THIRTY-NINE. Sorry, I know LOTS of folks having their first babies at this age (and bless you, ALL of you!), but it just seems so OLD for ME--a sixth grade mom! The birthday was anti-climatic since I had to lead Izzy Girl Scout meeting that night, but one of my girls shares the same birthday, and her mom brought cupcakes. Fun! John and the kids got me Deathly Hallows 2, AND a gift card for my Kindle--which I will now go and kindly OVERSPEND. HEH.
OK. I do have so, so much more to tell you about (the nightmare of an Iroquois longhouse project of Keith's), but I have to get up the other two for their morning craziness and get Mary motivated to pack her lunch before her bus gets here.
First of all, I ended up flying solo to Indiana for my grandmother's funeral--and it was a lovely service. I'm still sad at times, but I keep trying to focus on all the fun memories. John and I were cracking each other up the other night with a few of her escapades. Yep, she was just full of life--and love--and I just miss her terribly.
On to OTHER news. Mary's report card is about to come out, and since we can track the progress of her grades DAILY, we already know that it's going to be absolutely lovely, except for that huge black hole of a math grade. Mary just absolutely HATES math and refuses to study it or really have anything to do with it. And since we parents have been super busy carting around kids (and going to funerals) the last few weeks, we hadn't been checking the computer like we should, and Mary ended up totally skipping studying for her big grade period ending math test. D'oh! So, since this happened two weeks ago, and we've already discussed study habits and regularly checking the teacher's website, etc. with her, we don't feel the need to berate her when we get the actual grades on Friday. *sigh*
Keith is up to his old tricks again--last week he managed to go a full week without turning in one single piece of homework. It all got either left at home, not done, or crushed in the bottom of the backpack. It was a crazy week for me as I was still trying to get my head and my house together after my weekend away to Indiana (oh God, don't even ask about the state of the kitchen and laundry--which I STILL have not caught up on). So yeah, things slipped, but really, the boy is in FOURTH grade now. WHY is he still playing the same dumb tricks he's been playing since second grade? Literally blue in the face with this kid.
And then Izzy got her card turned all the way to blue last week for repeatedly not listening and because she was using markers to draw on her hands. As the teacher kept talking to me (instead of sending home a note, she simply pulled me out of Izzy's Suzuki lesson--gee, thanks), and explaining how all these kids got their cards turned, I, while agreeing that Izzy maybe went a little too far that day, kept wondering if maybe, just maybe the second grade teacher was simply having a bad day and didn't quite have the patience maybe she normally does. (My sixth grader was writing on her hands the other day--along with practically her whole GS troop--gee, wonder where Izzy gets it from?)
Also! I had a birthday on Tuesday! The first one I'm tempted to deny, since it's hard for me to admit that I'm pregnant and am now THIRTY-NINE. Sorry, I know LOTS of folks having their first babies at this age (and bless you, ALL of you!), but it just seems so OLD for ME--a sixth grade mom! The birthday was anti-climatic since I had to lead Izzy Girl Scout meeting that night, but one of my girls shares the same birthday, and her mom brought cupcakes. Fun! John and the kids got me Deathly Hallows 2, AND a gift card for my Kindle--which I will now go and kindly OVERSPEND. HEH.
OK. I do have so, so much more to tell you about (the nightmare of an Iroquois longhouse project of Keith's), but I have to get up the other two for their morning craziness and get Mary motivated to pack her lunch before her bus gets here.
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
Good News. Bad News.
I'm still reeling from the chaos of last night's trick-or-treating and then.... Well, let me tell you about Halloween first. It was cold, but not tooooo cold. I was 20 weeks pregnant and just about worn out from all the walking. The kids were great and got tired just soon enough before I reached my MAXIMUM walking limit. We went with our friends in the super-busy-kid-filled neighborhood behind us. I happened to be wearing a pedometer and walked at least 5500 steps just trick-or-treating. It was great.
And here are some oldies I've been meaning to download. Here is a pic of me with some visiting friends of ours this summer--when I was about 8-9 weeks pregnant. Hard to tell with this pic, but there is a definite belly growing there!
And, wow. I took/deleted this photo a million times, and of course as I download it, I notice that it is STILL blurry. Ah well. Here I am at 17+ weeks.
And...the bad news. My granny lost her battle with cancer this morning. We knew it was coming, but even her doctor thought she would at least make it to Thanksgiving. She went peacefully in her sleep, and my father was there with her. She didn't really suffer much, so I'm pretty glad about that. As I said on FB, it's going to be a pretty dull world without her in it. :-(
Here is the post I wrote a while back about her quilts. She just didn't have the energy to make a quilt for this newest baby, but I didn't care because I already had such nice ones from her. In fact, I got another hand-me-down that she'd made not long after that post that is just as lovely as the one she made for me. She was a true artist, and I'm sorry she didn't get a chance to finish the last quilt she was making. But I know that her life gave her great joy and that she went with no regrets and that she was just the best Grandma ever. I don't need a new quilt to remind me of that. I love you Grandma, and I'm going to miss you like no one's business!
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| The Unknown Phantom ("I am NOT the Grim Reaper!"), Cleopatra, and the Dragon Ninja |
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| Joined by Hermione and a distracted Bunny |
And here are some oldies I've been meaning to download. Here is a pic of me with some visiting friends of ours this summer--when I was about 8-9 weeks pregnant. Hard to tell with this pic, but there is a definite belly growing there!
And, wow. I took/deleted this photo a million times, and of course as I download it, I notice that it is STILL blurry. Ah well. Here I am at 17+ weeks.
And...the bad news. My granny lost her battle with cancer this morning. We knew it was coming, but even her doctor thought she would at least make it to Thanksgiving. She went peacefully in her sleep, and my father was there with her. She didn't really suffer much, so I'm pretty glad about that. As I said on FB, it's going to be a pretty dull world without her in it. :-(
Here is the post I wrote a while back about her quilts. She just didn't have the energy to make a quilt for this newest baby, but I didn't care because I already had such nice ones from her. In fact, I got another hand-me-down that she'd made not long after that post that is just as lovely as the one she made for me. She was a true artist, and I'm sorry she didn't get a chance to finish the last quilt she was making. But I know that her life gave her great joy and that she went with no regrets and that she was just the best Grandma ever. I don't need a new quilt to remind me of that. I love you Grandma, and I'm going to miss you like no one's business!
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| My Granny on her 80th last May. With a cup of coffee, OF COURSE! |
Monday, October 24, 2011
Athletes...and the NEWS!
Mary has been moved up to the next level in her swim club. She has moved up two levels in two months! She had her first swim meet just over a week ago, and did most excellent with her breast stroke and crawl (well, except for a mysterious disqualification on her breast stroke that no one apparently noted the reasoning for). She did NOT do quite as well with her backstroke, but that was the last heat in which she participated, and she was tired, and she said she just felt like throwing up. So! Despite that, she IS doing excellent with her swimming. Now John and I are playing an interesting balance game with getting her to her two hour practices that are now taking place four nights a week. Who's idea WAS this?
Keith went to a pitching clinic last week and totally impressed his baseball dad. He was throwing hard AND accurate at the 60'6" mound. He was the only boy to manage to knock off the softball that was placed on a tee for a drill. Apparently idolizing Tim Lincecum is having some good effects.
I cleaned the house most of the day yesterday (trying to take breaks here and there to not get too worn out), and I managed to induce one mother of an allergy attack. I finally had to give in and get out the inhaler. Then I woke up in the middle of the night sweating from the jershey knit sheets I'd just put on the bed (hello! running my own oven now! jersey knit was DUMB!), and had to suck on the inhaler again to get the 10 million pound elephant off my chest. And I just CAN'T stop sniveling/sneezing. Ugh.
And...in other news...the answer to the question, "Is it a hamburger, or is it a hot dog?" is UP at the baby blog!
Keith went to a pitching clinic last week and totally impressed his baseball dad. He was throwing hard AND accurate at the 60'6" mound. He was the only boy to manage to knock off the softball that was placed on a tee for a drill. Apparently idolizing Tim Lincecum is having some good effects.
I cleaned the house most of the day yesterday (trying to take breaks here and there to not get too worn out), and I managed to induce one mother of an allergy attack. I finally had to give in and get out the inhaler. Then I woke up in the middle of the night sweating from the jershey knit sheets I'd just put on the bed (hello! running my own oven now! jersey knit was DUMB!), and had to suck on the inhaler again to get the 10 million pound elephant off my chest. And I just CAN'T stop sniveling/sneezing. Ugh.
And...in other news...the answer to the question, "Is it a hamburger, or is it a hot dog?" is UP at the baby blog!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Teeth and stuff
The kids and I had our six month dentist exam, and I'm happy to report that NONE of us had cavities this time! Yay! The hygenist was impressed with the kids' behavior and my own immensly clean gums. Um...thanks. I do try.
The dentist still wants to re-do a couple of my crowns, but we're going to wait until after the baby comes. But I have been warned--especially since I'm pregnant, one of those teeth may crumble. Wouldn't be the first time. I first met this dentist when a tooth broke when I was pregnant with Mary. Let's hope the crowns hold out.
I'm settling into the temp job. Really, they've been loading me down with enough work that I could probably work more than the four hours a day they've requested. I can't possibly get everything done. I'm happy. Last year it got to the point where I didn't have enough to to do. I hope the work load keeps up. I hate twiddling thumbs while I'm on the job.
And once again, I'm proving to myself that when I'm gainfully employed out of the home, I actually get more done IN the home. It's been a really busy week this week, and I am amazed I kept all the balls in the air as well as I have. And despite working part-time and all the appointments and meetings and swimming and music lessons, I actually got more housework done this week than normal PLUS I'm basically caught up on laundry (um...at least until 5:00 today, anyway). The kids and I are doing pretty well keeping the dishes mostly done on most evenings. I even have most of Izzy's Brownie meeting on next Tuesday planned. That's a RECORD for me! (Let's see how well I do in a couple of months when the no-sleep third trimester begins!)
Which reminds me...there are a few new posts up on the baby blog.
Later!
The dentist still wants to re-do a couple of my crowns, but we're going to wait until after the baby comes. But I have been warned--especially since I'm pregnant, one of those teeth may crumble. Wouldn't be the first time. I first met this dentist when a tooth broke when I was pregnant with Mary. Let's hope the crowns hold out.
I'm settling into the temp job. Really, they've been loading me down with enough work that I could probably work more than the four hours a day they've requested. I can't possibly get everything done. I'm happy. Last year it got to the point where I didn't have enough to to do. I hope the work load keeps up. I hate twiddling thumbs while I'm on the job.
And once again, I'm proving to myself that when I'm gainfully employed out of the home, I actually get more done IN the home. It's been a really busy week this week, and I am amazed I kept all the balls in the air as well as I have. And despite working part-time and all the appointments and meetings and swimming and music lessons, I actually got more housework done this week than normal PLUS I'm basically caught up on laundry (um...at least until 5:00 today, anyway). The kids and I are doing pretty well keeping the dishes mostly done on most evenings. I even have most of Izzy's Brownie meeting on next Tuesday planned. That's a RECORD for me! (Let's see how well I do in a couple of months when the no-sleep third trimester begins!)
Which reminds me...there are a few new posts up on the baby blog.
Later!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Names!
Possible baby names post up at the baby blog!
Oh...and I guess I should take a minute to mention that the Phantom Fever has now hit Mary--and apparently a good chunk of the whole school system. Mary is now on day three out of school. I guess it took her longer to get it out of her system. Now she's all fine and happy and playing on the Wii--and I sit here grateful that I'm not working this week and have to be all annoyed about taking unpaid time for her to do that. I wish I could afford to ALWAYS be a stay-at-home mom.
Oh...and I guess I should take a minute to mention that the Phantom Fever has now hit Mary--and apparently a good chunk of the whole school system. Mary is now on day three out of school. I guess it took her longer to get it out of her system. Now she's all fine and happy and playing on the Wii--and I sit here grateful that I'm not working this week and have to be all annoyed about taking unpaid time for her to do that. I wish I could afford to ALWAYS be a stay-at-home mom.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The Phantom Fever
Saturday was a super-busy day (the first of many crazy Saturdays about to come! yay!). John and I had to do that divide-and-conquer thing due to simultaneous events, but we got through it pretty smoothly.
The minute John brought Izzy and Keith home from their activities and Izzy saw me, the WHINING started. We figured she was tired from soccer and general Saturday malaise. But later that evening I got a funny suspicion and checked--sure enough, the poor child was burning up!
We got some meds in her and got her to bed. She was out like a light. Every time I checked her Saturday night, the fever was down. Sunday morning she woke up all bright and sunny and fever (and medicine) free. Huh. THAT was weird.
So, Monday I sent her to school. She came home fine and happy and did her homework with no complaints. (Actually, THAT should have been my first clue that not all was right was when she came home off the bus Friday afternoon throwing a full-blown temper tantrum and crying that she HATED STUPID HOMEWORK! Quite unexpected!) Monday evening Mary and I had a GS meeting. When we got home around 8:30, John says, "Fever's back." Um...really?
Yep, back and even higher than it was on Saturday night. Huh.
So, yesterday we spent the day hanging out and coloring (Izzy) and watching movies (Izzy--while I dozed on the coach) and sharing some tomato soup.
She seems better now (although I'm nervous that the Phantom Fever will come back right when my back is turned again), but I still have to keep her home today due to the 24-hour rule--which I GET, really, honestly I DO! But if schools are now also going to enforce the 24-hour rule along with day care centers, then I think we all need to STAND UP and force employers to give more time off WITHOUT GRIEF to those mothers/fathers forced to take extra days off so that germs aren't carried to school forcing OTHER employees to take extra days off. Just sayin'--employers REALLY need to take some chill pills.
Of course, I'm still unemployed, so even though I didn't have to put up with angering my boss, I'm broke and that only PARTLY makes up for it!
The minute John brought Izzy and Keith home from their activities and Izzy saw me, the WHINING started. We figured she was tired from soccer and general Saturday malaise. But later that evening I got a funny suspicion and checked--sure enough, the poor child was burning up!
We got some meds in her and got her to bed. She was out like a light. Every time I checked her Saturday night, the fever was down. Sunday morning she woke up all bright and sunny and fever (and medicine) free. Huh. THAT was weird.
So, Monday I sent her to school. She came home fine and happy and did her homework with no complaints. (Actually, THAT should have been my first clue that not all was right was when she came home off the bus Friday afternoon throwing a full-blown temper tantrum and crying that she HATED STUPID HOMEWORK! Quite unexpected!) Monday evening Mary and I had a GS meeting. When we got home around 8:30, John says, "Fever's back." Um...really?
Yep, back and even higher than it was on Saturday night. Huh.
So, yesterday we spent the day hanging out and coloring (Izzy) and watching movies (Izzy--while I dozed on the coach) and sharing some tomato soup.
She seems better now (although I'm nervous that the Phantom Fever will come back right when my back is turned again), but I still have to keep her home today due to the 24-hour rule--which I GET, really, honestly I DO! But if schools are now also going to enforce the 24-hour rule along with day care centers, then I think we all need to STAND UP and force employers to give more time off WITHOUT GRIEF to those mothers/fathers forced to take extra days off so that germs aren't carried to school forcing OTHER employees to take extra days off. Just sayin'--employers REALLY need to take some chill pills.
Of course, I'm still unemployed, so even though I didn't have to put up with angering my boss, I'm broke and that only PARTLY makes up for it!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Friday, September 09, 2011
Letting the Cat out of the Bag
So...I've kept a pretty big secret from most of you this summer. It was hard to do. And even when I did tell a few people I kept thinking of more people to tell...but I kept my fingers still and did NOT type those strange, shocking little words..... I guess I was testing my ability to actually KEEP the secret.
So, yeah, John and I got a HUGE surprise this summer, and...we're expecting our fourth child in March.
!
I know, right?!
Don't ask us how it happened, because despite having learned about and EXPERIENCED the birds and the bees a few times, we have NO CLUE.
So now that most of the panic has left our faces, and I'm 12 weeks and popped out so much that random strangers are noticing, I guess it's time to share the news. We're planning on finally telling the kids tomorrow (we decided to spare them until their first week of school was finished) and others that have been kept out of the loop. And then...I guess it's time to start getting ready for the baby. Several pieces of baby equipment are either too old or have simply left the building. 95% of the baby clothes were handed down. 99.9% of the maternity clothes were also handed down (!). (I guess we need to take care of THAT little fashion emergency first!) So while I troll some consignment and good will stores, I guess John better finish cleaning out the computer/junk room so that we actually have a place to PUT the new little bundle of joy.
Really, this whole thing is just soooooo surreal.
If anyone is interested, I did start a super-secret baby blog to record my first few weeks of panic and angst. I don't know if I'll continue to keep a separate baby journal there or just super-impose it onto this blog (I'm having problems editing/posting over there for some strange reason).
So! That's the news! Freaky, but Fun! Right? RIGHT?
So, yeah, John and I got a HUGE surprise this summer, and...we're expecting our fourth child in March.
!
I know, right?!
Don't ask us how it happened, because despite having learned about and EXPERIENCED the birds and the bees a few times, we have NO CLUE.
So now that most of the panic has left our faces, and I'm 12 weeks and popped out so much that random strangers are noticing, I guess it's time to share the news. We're planning on finally telling the kids tomorrow (we decided to spare them until their first week of school was finished) and others that have been kept out of the loop. And then...I guess it's time to start getting ready for the baby. Several pieces of baby equipment are either too old or have simply left the building. 95% of the baby clothes were handed down. 99.9% of the maternity clothes were also handed down (!). (I guess we need to take care of THAT little fashion emergency first!) So while I troll some consignment and good will stores, I guess John better finish cleaning out the computer/junk room so that we actually have a place to PUT the new little bundle of joy.
Really, this whole thing is just soooooo surreal.
If anyone is interested, I did start a super-secret baby blog to record my first few weeks of panic and angst. I don't know if I'll continue to keep a separate baby journal there or just super-impose it onto this blog (I'm having problems editing/posting over there for some strange reason).
So! That's the news! Freaky, but Fun! Right? RIGHT?
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
The Vacation That Almost Never Was and...First Day!
Hey! Let's put every nickel we earn this summer towards our now-annual trip to the beach. At the end of the summer. In Ocean City. The New Jersey one. The same week a blasted hurricane hits. AGAIN.
Ugh. I know. I shouldn't complain. It really did work out mostly well. The hurricane didn't hit that part of the shore too badly (no worse than the typical Noreasterner! we were told). But we did have a few hair-pulling days there of WHY do we wait until the last week of summer for vacation? WHY? And what are we going to do NOW?????
No, it all worked out pretty well at the end. We didn't get to leave the Saturday of Hurricane Scary. We bided our time and checked with the landlord, and we got to head out on Monday. And the rest of the week was...sublime. It was in the 80s and sunny and beautiful. Only on our last beach day, did it get a little too chilly for MY blood (I spent the day sitting directly in the sun as under the shade of the umbrella gave me goosebumps!).
We did the beach thing and we went to a park (also with a beach--hey!) and we went to the Cape May Zoo again (really nice place). And I ended up not cooking in even once. I dunno. We just never felt like eating the hotdogs/hamburgers I was going to make.
John got burnt to a crisp our second day there and spent the rest of the week huddled in that umbrella shade with a shirt on and NOT getting in the ocean (I am now affectionately calling him "Snake Skin Man." The PEELING is really something to see.). He also forgot to pack: shampoo, soap, shaving cream, his swimming suit. I know, right????
(OK, I admit. I forgot stuff, too. I forgot razors--on a beach vacation, seriously?? And then a small bag of toilettries got left behind. Oh well. Someone else will benefit from my NEW razors and shaving cream and lotion. *sigh*)
We left OC on Saturday and stopped at Hershey World on the way back. After the silly ride, and the cute 3-D movie, we bought some drool-worthy cupcakes (oh, my lands, the Almond Joy one!) and didn't make it home until almost 10:00.
And now I've spent the time since then in a state of denial. I do NOT have laundry or housework to do. I do NOT have a million emails pending in my inbox about GS stuff that has to be addressed. School is NOT going to start. Izzy and Keith do NOT quite suddenly need new jeans....
Well, at least I got the kids off to school yesterday no problem. Which was amusing in and of itself since the bus schedules arrived in the mail the week we were gone and had our mail stopped. And my vacation brain never once thought, "Hey, I should call the transportation office to get the pick up times since Mary now starts school a whole hour earlier than her siblings, and oh! now the elementary school has announced that they are starting 15 minutes earlier!!!" Ugh. Anyway, they did get onto the bus with mostly no problems. I took a good stab at a guess at Mary's pick up time. And Keith/Izzy...well, I was wrong, but it ended up being OK because I got the kids out there 15 minutes early, and the bus ended up being 15 minutes LATE. Yeah, we were out there waiting a LOOOOOONG time.
All three reported enjoying their days. Well, except for the part where Mary kept getting lost in her new building (where 90% of her classes are in the same hall), losing where her locker was located (even once finally asking an eighth grader in desperation only to be shown it was RIGHT NEXT TO HER), never once making it to a class on time, and even losing her schedule 20 minutes after they handed it to her. Ah...sixth grade! Gotta love it! (At least she was laughing when she was telling us about it!)
Ugh. I know. I shouldn't complain. It really did work out mostly well. The hurricane didn't hit that part of the shore too badly (no worse than the typical Noreasterner! we were told). But we did have a few hair-pulling days there of WHY do we wait until the last week of summer for vacation? WHY? And what are we going to do NOW?????
No, it all worked out pretty well at the end. We didn't get to leave the Saturday of Hurricane Scary. We bided our time and checked with the landlord, and we got to head out on Monday. And the rest of the week was...sublime. It was in the 80s and sunny and beautiful. Only on our last beach day, did it get a little too chilly for MY blood (I spent the day sitting directly in the sun as under the shade of the umbrella gave me goosebumps!).
We did the beach thing and we went to a park (also with a beach--hey!) and we went to the Cape May Zoo again (really nice place). And I ended up not cooking in even once. I dunno. We just never felt like eating the hotdogs/hamburgers I was going to make.
John got burnt to a crisp our second day there and spent the rest of the week huddled in that umbrella shade with a shirt on and NOT getting in the ocean (I am now affectionately calling him "Snake Skin Man." The PEELING is really something to see.). He also forgot to pack: shampoo, soap, shaving cream, his swimming suit. I know, right????
(OK, I admit. I forgot stuff, too. I forgot razors--on a beach vacation, seriously?? And then a small bag of toilettries got left behind. Oh well. Someone else will benefit from my NEW razors and shaving cream and lotion. *sigh*)
We left OC on Saturday and stopped at Hershey World on the way back. After the silly ride, and the cute 3-D movie, we bought some drool-worthy cupcakes (oh, my lands, the Almond Joy one!) and didn't make it home until almost 10:00.
And now I've spent the time since then in a state of denial. I do NOT have laundry or housework to do. I do NOT have a million emails pending in my inbox about GS stuff that has to be addressed. School is NOT going to start. Izzy and Keith do NOT quite suddenly need new jeans....
Well, at least I got the kids off to school yesterday no problem. Which was amusing in and of itself since the bus schedules arrived in the mail the week we were gone and had our mail stopped. And my vacation brain never once thought, "Hey, I should call the transportation office to get the pick up times since Mary now starts school a whole hour earlier than her siblings, and oh! now the elementary school has announced that they are starting 15 minutes earlier!!!" Ugh. Anyway, they did get onto the bus with mostly no problems. I took a good stab at a guess at Mary's pick up time. And Keith/Izzy...well, I was wrong, but it ended up being OK because I got the kids out there 15 minutes early, and the bus ended up being 15 minutes LATE. Yeah, we were out there waiting a LOOOOOONG time.
All three reported enjoying their days. Well, except for the part where Mary kept getting lost in her new building (where 90% of her classes are in the same hall), losing where her locker was located (even once finally asking an eighth grader in desperation only to be shown it was RIGHT NEXT TO HER), never once making it to a class on time, and even losing her schedule 20 minutes after they handed it to her. Ah...sixth grade! Gotta love it! (At least she was laughing when she was telling us about it!)
Monday, August 22, 2011
School stuff
After discovering that Mary's school supply list was actually ONLINE (and why didn't anyone at the school think to let us newbie sixth grade parents know that?), I consolidated the list, and we all headed out for the Big Spend last night.
$219 later, we're still in need of a specific size post-it notes, 3 yellow highlighters, and a box of colored pencils (mistakenly wrote down a box of crayons instead, so we have one too many of those!). I am trying to keep in mind it's a bit more pricy this year since all three kids needed new backpacks, and two of them needed new lunchboxes. Still....
Mary has her sixth grade orientation tomorrow. She's nervous but also excited. I keep telling her, "You know what? I'll bet you're gonna LOVE middle school!" Let's hope THAT doesn't bite me in the butt later!
In other news, I actually got out of the house--for a WHOLE night!--sans children! Our GS Service Team had its first meeting out at a team member's lake cottage. Ahhh...heaven. Swimming and kayaking and food and well, business, too, unfortunately.... It was great--looks as if it'll be an annual event!
Other GS planning needs to get underway, but I'm still in denial that summer is almost over. :-(
$219 later, we're still in need of a specific size post-it notes, 3 yellow highlighters, and a box of colored pencils (mistakenly wrote down a box of crayons instead, so we have one too many of those!). I am trying to keep in mind it's a bit more pricy this year since all three kids needed new backpacks, and two of them needed new lunchboxes. Still....
Mary has her sixth grade orientation tomorrow. She's nervous but also excited. I keep telling her, "You know what? I'll bet you're gonna LOVE middle school!" Let's hope THAT doesn't bite me in the butt later!
In other news, I actually got out of the house--for a WHOLE night!--sans children! Our GS Service Team had its first meeting out at a team member's lake cottage. Ahhh...heaven. Swimming and kayaking and food and well, business, too, unfortunately.... It was great--looks as if it'll be an annual event!
Other GS planning needs to get underway, but I'm still in denial that summer is almost over. :-(
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Back to basics
A couple of years ago, I instated this lovely chore chart system with the kids to try to get them to help with all the work around the house. It worked pretty well. And then...spring sports hit. And we never got it going back up again! And that was TWO YEARS ago.
Well, the kids have been doing SOME chores. Every weekend Mary and Keith have to clean their pet cages. Izzy, owning a pet which doesn't need a cage cleaned, has to make sure all the dirty clothes are out of her/Mary's room and the bathroom. All three kids have to pick up the den and their rooms. Frankly, I call it a successful weekend when the critter cages get cleaned. Everything else gets filed in the "we'll get it next weekend" file.
Then I saw that article in Family Fun about the Five Minute clean-up. Did you read that? Where this mom has everyone clean like the dickens for five minutes--and at least the clutter gets off the floor? Well, I started having the kids do that with the den. Only I'm meaner--I give them fifteen minutes to get it all picked up. I've used this system twice, and it's mostly helped with the "She's not helping!" arguments we get around here. And the "It's been an hour, WHAT ON EARTH HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?" yelling matches from ME.
But, really. The kids do need to be doing MORE than that. I want them to have fun and be kids, but I honestly can't keep up with everything (and the farther I get behind, the more I put it off and the FARTHER I get behind). Really, if Laura Ingalls Wilder and Anne of Green Gables and all those girls and boys way back then could bake bread from scratch and build a fencepost or whatever by 12, then SURELY my kids can do more and LEARN to do more. I'm a GS leader, for crying out loud, I know kids are pretty darn capable. Why am I stressing myself out and doing EVERYTHING when I've got a pretty solid workforce of three living right with me?
So! New(ish) chart! And new rules! I had a discussion with the kids how they get to start helping me in the kitchen on a more regular basis. Not only are they going to help with the dishes every night, they are also going to help cook. And since I hated all those "whose turn is it to do the dishes?" arguments I had with my own brother, I gave them a CHOICE: alternate days or alternate WEEKS. Oh, they ALL went for alternate weeks.
We drew straws, and this first week Izzy gets to be the helper. Izzy is usually fun to have helping you, but I have noticed that I get more temper tantrums and "But I don't WANT tos" lately than I used to. But this was all new, and she is totally into it. Izzy has helped me cook every day this week and has been just way beyond excited about doing the dishes. The DISHES. It's been lovely. And showing her how to do these things is helping motivate me to actually get them done. Cuz I have a tendency to be just too tired after sitting down to dinner to get back up again to finish all the dishes. But every day this week, I've gotten up to a (mostly) spotless kitchen (since, you know, midnight snacks do tend to happen).
Next week is Keith's week, and actually I think he's the most excited of the three. He does love helping me in the kitchen, and I've been kicking myself for not getting him in there to help me more often. (One of the million reasons why I finally kicked myself in the pants to get this going.)
Mary's week will be interesting since we're on vacation that week. And for some reason Miss Thing seems to think it's UNFAIR that she has to cook or do dishes during vacation. REALLY? YOU THINK? Well! Guess what, honey, we ALL do! (This is the same kid who was angry that I made them clean their critter cages and rooms on Mother's Day. "It's a HOLIDAY! Why do we have to work?" Why, indeed, Mary? Why, indeed?)
Hopefully this won't peter out as the crazy school schedule starts. ...Or the crazy spring sports start. I think keeping it weekly will help since I won't have to keep track of "Well, Mary has Scouts tonight, so Keith will do the dishes, which means that Mary will have to take his night, but then Izzy doesn't go for five days because of HER Scout night and that's not fair...." And I'll just have to keep looking for those 9-3 jobs so that dinner and dishes get done before the after school activities, anyway. IF there were any of those jobs out there! (Or any jobs of ANY kind--*sigh*.)
Well, the kids have been doing SOME chores. Every weekend Mary and Keith have to clean their pet cages. Izzy, owning a pet which doesn't need a cage cleaned, has to make sure all the dirty clothes are out of her/Mary's room and the bathroom. All three kids have to pick up the den and their rooms. Frankly, I call it a successful weekend when the critter cages get cleaned. Everything else gets filed in the "we'll get it next weekend" file.
Then I saw that article in Family Fun about the Five Minute clean-up. Did you read that? Where this mom has everyone clean like the dickens for five minutes--and at least the clutter gets off the floor? Well, I started having the kids do that with the den. Only I'm meaner--I give them fifteen minutes to get it all picked up. I've used this system twice, and it's mostly helped with the "She's not helping!" arguments we get around here. And the "It's been an hour, WHAT ON EARTH HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?" yelling matches from ME.
But, really. The kids do need to be doing MORE than that. I want them to have fun and be kids, but I honestly can't keep up with everything (and the farther I get behind, the more I put it off and the FARTHER I get behind). Really, if Laura Ingalls Wilder and Anne of Green Gables and all those girls and boys way back then could bake bread from scratch and build a fencepost or whatever by 12, then SURELY my kids can do more and LEARN to do more. I'm a GS leader, for crying out loud, I know kids are pretty darn capable. Why am I stressing myself out and doing EVERYTHING when I've got a pretty solid workforce of three living right with me?
So! New(ish) chart! And new rules! I had a discussion with the kids how they get to start helping me in the kitchen on a more regular basis. Not only are they going to help with the dishes every night, they are also going to help cook. And since I hated all those "whose turn is it to do the dishes?" arguments I had with my own brother, I gave them a CHOICE: alternate days or alternate WEEKS. Oh, they ALL went for alternate weeks.
We drew straws, and this first week Izzy gets to be the helper. Izzy is usually fun to have helping you, but I have noticed that I get more temper tantrums and "But I don't WANT tos" lately than I used to. But this was all new, and she is totally into it. Izzy has helped me cook every day this week and has been just way beyond excited about doing the dishes. The DISHES. It's been lovely. And showing her how to do these things is helping motivate me to actually get them done. Cuz I have a tendency to be just too tired after sitting down to dinner to get back up again to finish all the dishes. But every day this week, I've gotten up to a (mostly) spotless kitchen (since, you know, midnight snacks do tend to happen).
Next week is Keith's week, and actually I think he's the most excited of the three. He does love helping me in the kitchen, and I've been kicking myself for not getting him in there to help me more often. (One of the million reasons why I finally kicked myself in the pants to get this going.)
Mary's week will be interesting since we're on vacation that week. And for some reason Miss Thing seems to think it's UNFAIR that she has to cook or do dishes during vacation. REALLY? YOU THINK? Well! Guess what, honey, we ALL do! (This is the same kid who was angry that I made them clean their critter cages and rooms on Mother's Day. "It's a HOLIDAY! Why do we have to work?" Why, indeed, Mary? Why, indeed?)
Hopefully this won't peter out as the crazy school schedule starts. ...Or the crazy spring sports start. I think keeping it weekly will help since I won't have to keep track of "Well, Mary has Scouts tonight, so Keith will do the dishes, which means that Mary will have to take his night, but then Izzy doesn't go for five days because of HER Scout night and that's not fair...." And I'll just have to keep looking for those 9-3 jobs so that dinner and dishes get done before the after school activities, anyway. IF there were any of those jobs out there! (Or any jobs of ANY kind--*sigh*.)
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Sweet Summer
It's been a mostly hot and muggy summer, and it's draining all my energy away. But! Just three and a half more weeks until school starts, and we'll all be whining about WHY didn't we do X,Y,Z???--Forgetting about the heat and humidity and how we were all too hot/tired/migrained to get off the couch. Ah well.
We are now currently enjoying just a bit of rain (which is causing barometric pressure changes, resulting in Mary's migraine/vomiting spell the other day), and the grass is loving it, and John actually had to mow for the first time in about a month. Wow.
And...we are enjoying a visit from one of my childhood friends. She emailed me just to see what part of NY we lived in, as her husband was performing, and wouldn't ya know it? He's performing in OUR town! So, we've spent the last couple of days showing her around the town, taking her to our favorite (free!) places, and swimming in her hotel's swimming pool.
I have deduced that I have not seen my friend for at least 16 years, but we've carried on just as if we haven't missed a day. And her husband has just the perfect sort of dry humor that fits in well in the Q clan.
So, here's to FB for connecting friends who had unwillingly lost touch! And making it so that we could reconnect after 16 years' absence!
We are now currently enjoying just a bit of rain (which is causing barometric pressure changes, resulting in Mary's migraine/vomiting spell the other day), and the grass is loving it, and John actually had to mow for the first time in about a month. Wow.
And...we are enjoying a visit from one of my childhood friends. She emailed me just to see what part of NY we lived in, as her husband was performing, and wouldn't ya know it? He's performing in OUR town! So, we've spent the last couple of days showing her around the town, taking her to our favorite (free!) places, and swimming in her hotel's swimming pool.
I have deduced that I have not seen my friend for at least 16 years, but we've carried on just as if we haven't missed a day. And her husband has just the perfect sort of dry humor that fits in well in the Q clan.
So, here's to FB for connecting friends who had unwillingly lost touch! And making it so that we could reconnect after 16 years' absence!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Aw, man!
The boys had faced a tough team yesterday and ended up losing by two runs. Despite playing out in intense heat every other night, the boys (and I) are quite bummed. And then I had to listen to John deconstruct the whole game over and over again. But this is how he deals with things like that--he just has to talk it out of his system. He totally enjoyed coaching these teams this year, and he is really looking forward to coaching again next year.
(Right now Keith is showing off his newest Lego creations--which take up the whole of his bedroom floor and make it impossible to even walk in there. I gave him a bin large enough to store them all [and may even NOT make the creations fall apart], but he refuses to use it.)
I was bummed to discover this morning that I needed to clean the refrigerator--again. I just cleaned it two weeks ago when it had got to Condition: Too Scary To Open. But my sun tea jar has a spigot on it. And SOMEONE had pushed the milk jug right ONTO the spigot--and a whole gallon of tea was sloshed into the crisper drawers and had pooled into a Tea Lake at the bottom of the fridge. *sigh* And NOW I need to mop the kitchen floor as it's nearly impossible to clean out a whole gallon of sweet tea from the bottom of the fridge without leaving a mess on the floor. (At least the floor already needed to be done and wasn't just mopped two days ago.)
And so now I'm cleaning out the TOP of the refrigerator--which is full of "collectable" school papers/art projects from the kids from this last school year. This has now become a huge pile on my dining room table, which I have no desire to tackle now that I'm all worn out from cleaning out the refrigerator and am testy about being forced to mop my kitchen floor. ONE house-cleaning task a day is usually all my patience will take.
So, my patience is taking a bloggy break here and trying to catch up on the last several months' posts from all of YOU, and wow--a lot has happened that I've completely missed. Sorry about that. I don't even feel right commenting on anyone else's blogs since I've been absent for so long.
So! In other news, Izzy finally lost her first tooth a few weeks ago! But she was so scared about the whole process and didn't "work" the tooth and waited so long, it's more accurate for me to say that she was robbed of the tooth--by her horrible, mean mother. The adult tooth was more than half-way grown in, and it got to the point where John and I felt we couldn't just "let it go" any longer, so after much begging and pleading and cajoling, I finally had to manhandle the poor child and just yank the tooth out. I did it to Mary and swore I'd never do it again, but here I am! Doing it again! And then she and Keith finally got some sorely needed fillings done on Friday, and when I asked her to open her mouth to show me, doesn't she have ANOTHER adult tooth growing in right behind a baby tooth I had just checked ("just in case") and seemed hardly loose? (And why didn't the dentist say anything?) Poor Izzy. She's still tramatized by the last one, and now it's starting up all over again. I'll give her some time...but I have a feeling Mean Mama may have to make her presence known again.
Well, I guess I'd better get that kitchen floor mopped. And may as well do the bathroom floors while I'm at it. And of course laundry needs to be washed/folded/put away, and I'd better make sure the critter cages get cleaned. But first, maybe I should go make some phone calls that need to be made. Hmmm....
(Right now Keith is showing off his newest Lego creations--which take up the whole of his bedroom floor and make it impossible to even walk in there. I gave him a bin large enough to store them all [and may even NOT make the creations fall apart], but he refuses to use it.)
I was bummed to discover this morning that I needed to clean the refrigerator--again. I just cleaned it two weeks ago when it had got to Condition: Too Scary To Open. But my sun tea jar has a spigot on it. And SOMEONE had pushed the milk jug right ONTO the spigot--and a whole gallon of tea was sloshed into the crisper drawers and had pooled into a Tea Lake at the bottom of the fridge. *sigh* And NOW I need to mop the kitchen floor as it's nearly impossible to clean out a whole gallon of sweet tea from the bottom of the fridge without leaving a mess on the floor. (At least the floor already needed to be done and wasn't just mopped two days ago.)
And so now I'm cleaning out the TOP of the refrigerator--which is full of "collectable" school papers/art projects from the kids from this last school year. This has now become a huge pile on my dining room table, which I have no desire to tackle now that I'm all worn out from cleaning out the refrigerator and am testy about being forced to mop my kitchen floor. ONE house-cleaning task a day is usually all my patience will take.
So, my patience is taking a bloggy break here and trying to catch up on the last several months' posts from all of YOU, and wow--a lot has happened that I've completely missed. Sorry about that. I don't even feel right commenting on anyone else's blogs since I've been absent for so long.
So! In other news, Izzy finally lost her first tooth a few weeks ago! But she was so scared about the whole process and didn't "work" the tooth and waited so long, it's more accurate for me to say that she was robbed of the tooth--by her horrible, mean mother. The adult tooth was more than half-way grown in, and it got to the point where John and I felt we couldn't just "let it go" any longer, so after much begging and pleading and cajoling, I finally had to manhandle the poor child and just yank the tooth out. I did it to Mary and swore I'd never do it again, but here I am! Doing it again! And then she and Keith finally got some sorely needed fillings done on Friday, and when I asked her to open her mouth to show me, doesn't she have ANOTHER adult tooth growing in right behind a baby tooth I had just checked ("just in case") and seemed hardly loose? (And why didn't the dentist say anything?) Poor Izzy. She's still tramatized by the last one, and now it's starting up all over again. I'll give her some time...but I have a feeling Mean Mama may have to make her presence known again.
Well, I guess I'd better get that kitchen floor mopped. And may as well do the bathroom floors while I'm at it. And of course laundry needs to be washed/folded/put away, and I'd better make sure the critter cages get cleaned. But first, maybe I should go make some phone calls that need to be made. Hmmm....
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Steam
Keith and John's team had their first tournament game last night. With their record, they were tied and seeded for first place, so last night our team played the last place team. This team actually gave them a little trouble the first time they played them. But last night...our boys beat them 24-0. Ouch. Next game on Saturday....
The heat/mugginess is really doing me in this summer. I am not kicking the kids outside as often as I should because *I* am getting overcome by the heat. I was huffing and puffing just walking around in it the other day. I feel sorry for those boys playing baseball in this. Yich.
Bedtime has been non-existant this summer. With late-running games and practices (of the baseball and swimming kind) we are out almost every night and then come home with wired/hungry kids. Everyone is exhausted (and the heat isn't helping). Everyone needs naps (and refuses to take them).
Really, is it any surprise that the kids and I are spending most of our summer holed up with books and legos in the air conditioning?
The heat/mugginess is really doing me in this summer. I am not kicking the kids outside as often as I should because *I* am getting overcome by the heat. I was huffing and puffing just walking around in it the other day. I feel sorry for those boys playing baseball in this. Yich.
Bedtime has been non-existant this summer. With late-running games and practices (of the baseball and swimming kind) we are out almost every night and then come home with wired/hungry kids. Everyone is exhausted (and the heat isn't helping). Everyone needs naps (and refuses to take them).
Really, is it any surprise that the kids and I are spending most of our summer holed up with books and legos in the air conditioning?
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Disappearing Act
So, I had this temp job with some very nice people (just wish it had paid more), and was on the computer all day doing brain-numbing, eye-crossing things that made me reject any other computer usage. And THEN there is the fact that my baby laptop does not hold a charge for more than five minutes now, and the PC downstairs is just waaaaaaaaaay messed up and confused and doesn't even turn on properly. The only computer left in the house is John's laptop--and I'm strictly forbidden to use it (Shhhh! I'm being disobedient RIGHT NOW!)
Those are my excuses. Lame, I know.
Anyway, I'm back for the moment. And here is a quick list of stuff you've missed.
Those are my excuses. Lame, I know.
Anyway, I'm back for the moment. And here is a quick list of stuff you've missed.
- All three kids did super with their report cards. And now I have a second-grader, fourth-grader, and SIXTH-GRADER in my house. Hold me!
- About a month after we lost our beloved dog, Mary's matronly guinea pig Hazel left for the great pet heavens. She was such a great pet. We replaced her with another tiny baby guinea pig who has been christened Cinnamon (and whom we now suspect is a boy). Cinn-o-MAN is such a doll. He coos and coos and coos. Something that old codger Hazel never did. And now he's already all big and grown. *sigh*
- John coached Keith's baseball team this year. And an icky, nasty beginning of season it was with the torrential downpours we were receiving every day. Games got postponed and moved so much that the season went on after school ended--and the end of year tournament got totally skipped. They had a losing season (about a third of the team had never played baseball previously), but John thoroughly enjoyed coaching, and the kids still all had a good time.
- John must have impressed as he was voted to coach/manage the travel tournament team, and Keith also got voted to play. So baseball season is STILL not done. They have played five games, and they are now 4-0-1. The actual tournament starts Tuesday....
- Mary decided not to play softball this year, but we told her she had to do SOMETHING. We talked her into joining a swim club. She's been going for about three months now. She swims and gets coaching three times a week. There is NO whining about going to swim practice (Well, except now that they moved one of her nights to Fridays at 6:30. Really, swim club? REALLY?). And she is just happy as a lark. She is already improving greatly and will probably move up a level by the fall.
- Izzy has been wanting a pet, so we finally promised her one as a "good report card" reward. We coached her into something STURDY that would not need a lot of maintenance or more cage cleaning. So! We now have a pet turtle in the house! Skippy may not be cuddly, but he is cute--and very, very low maintenance.
- We took our annual trip back to Indiana over the week of the fourth, but due to the travel team practices/games John and Keith had to come back early. That left the girls and me hanging out with my father, step-mother, and grandmother (and great aunt!) for the rest of the week. I took the girls to all of my old favorite haunts, and we had a great time. The girls didn't want to come back!
Monday, April 04, 2011
Day 24--A travel story
Oh dear. I guess I used my good travel story four "days" ago.
Well, I guess I'll just direct you over to a vacation story from a while back. When Mary had what we later figured was one of her first migraines. And our first, very short, visit to Ocean City.....
Well, I guess I'll just direct you over to a vacation story from a while back. When Mary had what we later figured was one of her first migraines. And our first, very short, visit to Ocean City.....
Day 23--A video
I'm not even going to attempt to download a family video off the dinosaur computer downstairs. So, let me just try to find something else fun .for you
I know! Another Weird Al video! Cuz I just can't get enough Weird Al!
The kids always request this one. I don't play it often since it's soooooooo long that it's quite a committment. Still hilarious, though. So, if you've got 11 mminutes....
I know! Another Weird Al video! Cuz I just can't get enough Weird Al!
The kids always request this one. I don't play it often since it's soooooooo long that it's quite a committment. Still hilarious, though. So, if you've got 11 mminutes....
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