My Mammogram and Pap smear that is.
I was excited today to go get mine. I found out that there is a program where women at a certain income level (that would be me) can get free mammograms and paps. Woo-hoo! Since we don't have insurance, I was long overdue for these important exams and was thrilled to know there was a program to help me out.
The pap was quick and easy, and the doc was female which always helps. She then sent me to the famous "Mammo-Queen" as this lady is known in our town (she rides in a convertible in the annual 4th of July parade sporting a tiara and a sash with Mammo-Queen on it). She's very much a biker chick and is very laid back. She put me at ease immediately with her chatty personality even though her language was sprinkled liberally with curse words. She let me know that she didn't think it was right that I had to wait so long in the waiting room due to the amount of paperwork that has to be processed for this program, and punctuated her points with plenty of F-words. It was just a bit unusual from the normal doctor's visit.
After I got dressed the Mammo-Queen came back and told me that my breasts are lumpy, bumpy, fibrous and are "very busy breasts", so I am not to freak out if I get called back to redo my mammogram. I had to chuckle at the thought of my breasts being very busy. It kind of sounded like they had a life of their own that I was missing out on!
At any rate, thanks to a state program that involves way too much paperwork, and the famous cursing Mammo-Queen I'm good for another year. Hurrah!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Webkinz
I resisted as long as possible, but finally gave in and got my kids Webkinz about a month ago. Webkinz are a lot like Beanie Babies, but these little critters come with a tag that has a special code which gives you access to their site where you can play with your animal online. The kids earn Kinz Cash by playing arcade games, and buy their animals furniture for their rooms, or food (because you have to play with your animal and feed it to keep it healthy), or toys, or clothes. You get the picture.
I like the Webkinz because they are a great bargaining tool. If the girls spend so much time reading they can have so much time on Webkinz World. Or if chores need to be done, there's no Webkinz until the job is complete. It's a great motivator.
I also confess to being hooked on some of the games (Solitaire and Tile Towers specifically). After the girls go to bed I'll log on and play games with the Webkinz. I'm earning them Kinz Cash, so it's time well spent, right?
Well, Nat was thrilled because she got 4 new Webkinz for her birthday. She got one at her party on Thursday, then 3 more on her birthday day. She was so excited about them that she cut all the tags off at the same time, and then later when we went to go register her pets, we didn't know who's tag went with whom. Now you would think that the brilliant minds at Webkinz would've thought about this, but they didn't. There is no way of finding out which animal belongs with which code until you plug it into the computer.
And even better, the first thing you enter is the name that you want for your pet and the second thing is your secret code. After that the picture of your pet pops up with it's own little profile. Oh and the best part is, that once you name your pet there is no way to change it. It's etched in virtual stone.
Thankfully the pony she got had already been entered the previous day, but we were now faced with three animals with three codes and no way to know which one was which.
We took our best guess, and entered the first name: Snakey. Nat was sure that this tag went with her snake. After the secret code was entered...drum roll please...up popped the picture of her Siamese cat. Nat was not happy. This is where I was losing my patience and lectured her about being so hasty with the darned tag removal. Of course that really wasn't helpful at this point.
Well then we entered the second tag. We had a 50/50 chance of getting this one right. Ok, name: Pandy because it's a panda of course. Secret code entered ...up pops the picture...and it's her snake. Ooops!
At least the last one we knew would be the panda and since the name Pandy had already been assigned to the reptile, she chose Oreo instead.
Nat can be very picky and particular, so the situation was becoming quite stressful for her. Thinking quickly, I told her that just as she has to have a different name to log on to Webkinz and can't use her real name, her pets have their own special "user names" now too, and she could name her actual stuffed animal whatever she wanted. For some reason she was quite satisfied with this explanation and disaster was averted!
I think the tag removal lesson was well learned if nothing else, and I gave myself points for coming up with a solution that she actually embraced. Whew! That was a close one though!
I like the Webkinz because they are a great bargaining tool. If the girls spend so much time reading they can have so much time on Webkinz World. Or if chores need to be done, there's no Webkinz until the job is complete. It's a great motivator.
I also confess to being hooked on some of the games (Solitaire and Tile Towers specifically). After the girls go to bed I'll log on and play games with the Webkinz. I'm earning them Kinz Cash, so it's time well spent, right?
Well, Nat was thrilled because she got 4 new Webkinz for her birthday. She got one at her party on Thursday, then 3 more on her birthday day. She was so excited about them that she cut all the tags off at the same time, and then later when we went to go register her pets, we didn't know who's tag went with whom. Now you would think that the brilliant minds at Webkinz would've thought about this, but they didn't. There is no way of finding out which animal belongs with which code until you plug it into the computer.
And even better, the first thing you enter is the name that you want for your pet and the second thing is your secret code. After that the picture of your pet pops up with it's own little profile. Oh and the best part is, that once you name your pet there is no way to change it. It's etched in virtual stone.
Thankfully the pony she got had already been entered the previous day, but we were now faced with three animals with three codes and no way to know which one was which.
We took our best guess, and entered the first name: Snakey. Nat was sure that this tag went with her snake. After the secret code was entered...drum roll please...up popped the picture of her Siamese cat. Nat was not happy. This is where I was losing my patience and lectured her about being so hasty with the darned tag removal. Of course that really wasn't helpful at this point.
Well then we entered the second tag. We had a 50/50 chance of getting this one right. Ok, name: Pandy because it's a panda of course. Secret code entered ...up pops the picture...and it's her snake. Ooops!
At least the last one we knew would be the panda and since the name Pandy had already been assigned to the reptile, she chose Oreo instead.
Nat can be very picky and particular, so the situation was becoming quite stressful for her. Thinking quickly, I told her that just as she has to have a different name to log on to Webkinz and can't use her real name, her pets have their own special "user names" now too, and she could name her actual stuffed animal whatever she wanted. For some reason she was quite satisfied with this explanation and disaster was averted!
I think the tag removal lesson was well learned if nothing else, and I gave myself points for coming up with a solution that she actually embraced. Whew! That was a close one though!
Friday, June 20, 2008
My Baby is Six!
My number 4 child, Nat, turned 6 today. I don't even know where to begin with her. She's been quirky and unusual from the get-go.
I'm six today!
She was born on the side of the road in a motor home for Pete's sake. That's just a really long and kind of hilarious story in itself, but I think Jeff Foxworthy may have a new redneck joke, "If you were born on the side of the road in the motor home your family was living in at the time..."
She was born just 2 months after my mom died and little Nat brought back so much joy into my life, and really got me through some rough times. What a little blessing she was during those really hard days.
Being the fourth child, she got to learn a lot of stuff on her own rather than have me hover over her and protect her. I think that's been good for her (or at least that's how I'm justifying my lax parenting style). She could put a band-aid on her own owie before she was 2 years old. Of course then she'd use the rest of the band-aids in the package as body art. She learned early that you don't want to put them on your face however-ouch!
It would get a little annoying because she'd have band-aids everywhere and then they would be dangling by a thread, but heaven forbid that anyone try to take one off. She would absolutely freak. I would try to get the danglers while she was sleeping but somehow she would feel the slightest tug and wake up channeling the Tasmanian Devil.
Awww...cute sleeping girl. Note band-aid on leg that will soon become a "dangler".
I remember at preschool graduation as she stepped up to the stage to get her diploma I saw something drop and realized she'd lost her "dangler" that had been haunting us for the better part of a week right there in front of everyone. I had to smile. It was such a Nat thing.
Nat is what we call a good eater. She will eat almost anything, and she's not afraid to try something new. She loves zucchini, beans, raw peppers, meat of any kind (although it's all called chicken), and she eats raw cilantro by the handfuls. She doesn't like hot dogs, baked potatoes or pizza (go figure) but anything else is fair game.
She's quite a lot like her father, and likes to collect and save random stuff. It seems like even the most odd or mundane item develops sentimental value to her and then she can't part with it. She has so many ordinary rocks, little notes and drawings, pictures cut from magazines and the like it's overwhelming. I try to weed out what I can when she not around just to keep it under control.
She went through a blanket jammie phase that lasted a good year and a half. She would only wear blanket jammies that entire time (and who was I to argue, again because she was #4, I knew there would be bigger fish to fry later). She had a few secondhand blanket jammies that she would cycle through, but then it got to the point where she would only wear her Clifford jammies. Pretty soon ol' Clifford was getting pretty small and threadbare and I searched the internet and the thrift stores, but couldn't find a replacement anywhere. Luckily about that time it was time to start preschool and even stubborn Nat knew that you don't wear jammies to school. We went school shopping and found some nice outfits, of course we couldn't buy any pants because she somehow got the idea that if she wore pants then someone might think she's a boy. (I'm not sure where that came from, again I blame her father's genetics). Well, then she narrowed down her outfits and began to wear only her "Disney skirt and Disney shirt" on a daily basis. For almost the entire first year of preschool. She had quite the reputation at preschool from the get-go.
About this time she not only wouldn't wear pants, but if she did try a new outfit and someone were to say she looked "cute" that would be the end of the experiment and she would refuse to wear the offending clothing that caused her undue attention from then on. We would have to tell people, "Don't say she's cute, just try to ignore her." Quirky, quirky!
Our Nat isn't all quirky and stubborness though. She has a fantastic sense of humor, she's super smart and she loves animals of all kinds. (She once had a "pet" ant she named Caramel, although it was actually whatever ant she happened to see at the time. "Look! There's Caramel!"). She also can't say her R's yet and they sound like W's, so she still has a very cute little girl voice.
Nat with Gatsby and sporting the famous Clifford Jammies
We all love our little Nat. She is a joy and I look forward to seeing where her quirkiness leads her in the future.
I'm six today!
She was born on the side of the road in a motor home for Pete's sake. That's just a really long and kind of hilarious story in itself, but I think Jeff Foxworthy may have a new redneck joke, "If you were born on the side of the road in the motor home your family was living in at the time..."
She was born just 2 months after my mom died and little Nat brought back so much joy into my life, and really got me through some rough times. What a little blessing she was during those really hard days.
Being the fourth child, she got to learn a lot of stuff on her own rather than have me hover over her and protect her. I think that's been good for her (or at least that's how I'm justifying my lax parenting style). She could put a band-aid on her own owie before she was 2 years old. Of course then she'd use the rest of the band-aids in the package as body art. She learned early that you don't want to put them on your face however-ouch!
It would get a little annoying because she'd have band-aids everywhere and then they would be dangling by a thread, but heaven forbid that anyone try to take one off. She would absolutely freak. I would try to get the danglers while she was sleeping but somehow she would feel the slightest tug and wake up channeling the Tasmanian Devil.
Awww...cute sleeping girl. Note band-aid on leg that will soon become a "dangler".
I remember at preschool graduation as she stepped up to the stage to get her diploma I saw something drop and realized she'd lost her "dangler" that had been haunting us for the better part of a week right there in front of everyone. I had to smile. It was such a Nat thing.
Nat is what we call a good eater. She will eat almost anything, and she's not afraid to try something new. She loves zucchini, beans, raw peppers, meat of any kind (although it's all called chicken), and she eats raw cilantro by the handfuls. She doesn't like hot dogs, baked potatoes or pizza (go figure) but anything else is fair game.
She's quite a lot like her father, and likes to collect and save random stuff. It seems like even the most odd or mundane item develops sentimental value to her and then she can't part with it. She has so many ordinary rocks, little notes and drawings, pictures cut from magazines and the like it's overwhelming. I try to weed out what I can when she not around just to keep it under control.
She went through a blanket jammie phase that lasted a good year and a half. She would only wear blanket jammies that entire time (and who was I to argue, again because she was #4, I knew there would be bigger fish to fry later). She had a few secondhand blanket jammies that she would cycle through, but then it got to the point where she would only wear her Clifford jammies. Pretty soon ol' Clifford was getting pretty small and threadbare and I searched the internet and the thrift stores, but couldn't find a replacement anywhere. Luckily about that time it was time to start preschool and even stubborn Nat knew that you don't wear jammies to school. We went school shopping and found some nice outfits, of course we couldn't buy any pants because she somehow got the idea that if she wore pants then someone might think she's a boy. (I'm not sure where that came from, again I blame her father's genetics). Well, then she narrowed down her outfits and began to wear only her "Disney skirt and Disney shirt" on a daily basis. For almost the entire first year of preschool. She had quite the reputation at preschool from the get-go.
About this time she not only wouldn't wear pants, but if she did try a new outfit and someone were to say she looked "cute" that would be the end of the experiment and she would refuse to wear the offending clothing that caused her undue attention from then on. We would have to tell people, "Don't say she's cute, just try to ignore her." Quirky, quirky!
Our Nat isn't all quirky and stubborness though. She has a fantastic sense of humor, she's super smart and she loves animals of all kinds. (She once had a "pet" ant she named Caramel, although it was actually whatever ant she happened to see at the time. "Look! There's Caramel!"). She also can't say her R's yet and they sound like W's, so she still has a very cute little girl voice.
Nat with Gatsby and sporting the famous Clifford Jammies
We all love our little Nat. She is a joy and I look forward to seeing where her quirkiness leads her in the future.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Father's Day Dinner
Sis worked and then spent the evening with her dad, and Nat and Shel and I went to church then I helped them cook dinner and dessert for their dad.
First we made an apple pie.
Public Service Message: with pre-made pie crusts, it's so easy, and when someone makes you a pie it's so impressive. I highly recommend pie making for those that want an easy way to make a good impression.
Seriously, look at that thing. Who would not be humbled when presented with such a treat?
Then the girls made chicken and rice and spinach salad.
It was a hit. They had a good time and were so proud of their accomplishment.
At our house when there is a female in the kitchen doing more than boiling water for ramen or mac and cheese, it's a big deal. My husband does almost all the cooking. He really enjoys cooking, so who am I to get in the way of his enjoyment? I don't want to be known as a fun-sucker after all. Plus he can look at the all the random stuff in the cupboard and fridge and throw together something edible. I however, need not only a recipe but all the correct ingredients as well. Imaginative I'm not.
First we made an apple pie.
Public Service Message: with pre-made pie crusts, it's so easy, and when someone makes you a pie it's so impressive. I highly recommend pie making for those that want an easy way to make a good impression.
Seriously, look at that thing. Who would not be humbled when presented with such a treat?
Then the girls made chicken and rice and spinach salad.
It was a hit. They had a good time and were so proud of their accomplishment.
At our house when there is a female in the kitchen doing more than boiling water for ramen or mac and cheese, it's a big deal. My husband does almost all the cooking. He really enjoys cooking, so who am I to get in the way of his enjoyment? I don't want to be known as a fun-sucker after all. Plus he can look at the all the random stuff in the cupboard and fridge and throw together something edible. I however, need not only a recipe but all the correct ingredients as well. Imaginative I'm not.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
My Week Off-Day Five
Same format: got chores done, went to a local body of water. I was lax in my picture taking, sorry.
While we were at the pool a family I knew took a table near us, and the mom (whom I know because Nat and her son went to preschool together) set her sleeping baby in her little car seat in the shade and got into the pool with her visiting sister and her other children.
A short time later her little one woke up and let out a squawk so I went to check on her and was greeted by a happy little face that was ready to play, so I unbuckled her and brought her to my table. My friend saw me and I gestured to her that she was ok. A little while later my friend came out to check on the baby and make sure that the baby wasn't inconveniencing me (hah! I didn't mind getting my cute baby fix at all!) She then told me her sister (from San Francisco) freaked out a bit when she saw some strange lady playing with her little niece. She came over to my friend and said, "Do you KNOW that lady?" Yeah, it's one of those small town things.
Later Sis and I went shopping for Nat's birthday. Sis has worked on her high school video yearbook for the last 2 weeks so has missed out on most of our fun outings. Sis loves to play Slug Bug, even at her age, plus she likes to yell Banana! when she sees a yellow car, and it works the same way as Slug Bug, whoever spots it first gets to slug the other. The driver (me) is at a distinct disadvantage since I can't scan the horizon and every random parking lot for yellow cars and VWs.
Because of my sunburn on my shoulders I told Sis she could not punch me there any longer, that she would have to find a place below my shoulders and above my thighs to aim. Well then she would hit me in the boob and laugh her hiney off, especially because it would startle me and I would let out a scream. It was a fun trip, let me tell ya!
I also found out there is yet another car game, as if Slug Bug and Banana are not enough to keep one occupied (or defending oneself, as the case may be). Apparently when you see a yellow light you yell "Jorge!" and hit the ceiling of the car, and the last one to tap the roof has to take off an article of clothing. Hmmm. As if teenagers need another way to get into trouble in the car!
I had no idea that this was a game, so the first two times Sis did this I thought she had seen someone she knew named Jorge and had accidentally hit the roof trying to wave to him. Oh, silly me!
Today it's back to the old grind, I mean my NEW grind. I thoroughly enjoyed my week off. It was so peaceful around here without extra kids, and I feel my nerves returning to normal. Plus we had a blast. Yay.
While we were at the pool a family I knew took a table near us, and the mom (whom I know because Nat and her son went to preschool together) set her sleeping baby in her little car seat in the shade and got into the pool with her visiting sister and her other children.
A short time later her little one woke up and let out a squawk so I went to check on her and was greeted by a happy little face that was ready to play, so I unbuckled her and brought her to my table. My friend saw me and I gestured to her that she was ok. A little while later my friend came out to check on the baby and make sure that the baby wasn't inconveniencing me (hah! I didn't mind getting my cute baby fix at all!) She then told me her sister (from San Francisco) freaked out a bit when she saw some strange lady playing with her little niece. She came over to my friend and said, "Do you KNOW that lady?" Yeah, it's one of those small town things.
Later Sis and I went shopping for Nat's birthday. Sis has worked on her high school video yearbook for the last 2 weeks so has missed out on most of our fun outings. Sis loves to play Slug Bug, even at her age, plus she likes to yell Banana! when she sees a yellow car, and it works the same way as Slug Bug, whoever spots it first gets to slug the other. The driver (me) is at a distinct disadvantage since I can't scan the horizon and every random parking lot for yellow cars and VWs.
Because of my sunburn on my shoulders I told Sis she could not punch me there any longer, that she would have to find a place below my shoulders and above my thighs to aim. Well then she would hit me in the boob and laugh her hiney off, especially because it would startle me and I would let out a scream. It was a fun trip, let me tell ya!
I also found out there is yet another car game, as if Slug Bug and Banana are not enough to keep one occupied (or defending oneself, as the case may be). Apparently when you see a yellow light you yell "Jorge!" and hit the ceiling of the car, and the last one to tap the roof has to take off an article of clothing. Hmmm. As if teenagers need another way to get into trouble in the car!
I had no idea that this was a game, so the first two times Sis did this I thought she had seen someone she knew named Jorge and had accidentally hit the roof trying to wave to him. Oh, silly me!
Today it's back to the old grind, I mean my NEW grind. I thoroughly enjoyed my week off. It was so peaceful around here without extra kids, and I feel my nerves returning to normal. Plus we had a blast. Yay.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
My Week Off-Day Four
Day four. We didn't do anything productive. We skipped right to the fun outing instead.
We met our long time friends at a local lake. My friend's kids are 22, 20-the boys, 17, 15-the girls, 11, 8-girl and boy. We met when our oldest boys started t-ball together long, long ago. Then our oldest daughters became friends. Then she had #5 and I had #3 (Shelby) and then she had #6 when Shel was 5 months old so the three of them grew up together too like our older ones. Then along came Nat, the baby of the group and I don't know why my friend didn't have another to give Nat a playmate. What a slacker!
We had 3 years where we were neighbors which was a lot of fun. Since we moved down the hill a bit we don't get together like we used to, but this summer we're going to try to remedy that since I don't have a herd of daycare kids tying me down.
I picked up my little niece to give my big niece a break. Baby Zach is not fond of sleeping at night and his apnea monitor goes off a lot, so she has been really run down.
I've got a thing about taking pictures of little girls holding hands and walking away from me. I think it's the cutest thing ever. Here is Nat and her little cousin Emma.
Fun in the boat.
Grandpa Rocky stopped by with frozen treats for everyone.
Yum!
Shelby and Sarah fishing. They were inseparable.
File this under "At 43 you should know better". Yeah, I was just sitting in the shade so I "didn't need" sunscreen. Duh. and OUCH! Just be glad that I spared you a photo of my shoulders and cleavage!
And lastly Suey got dressed up in Shel's rash guard.
We met our long time friends at a local lake. My friend's kids are 22, 20-the boys, 17, 15-the girls, 11, 8-girl and boy. We met when our oldest boys started t-ball together long, long ago. Then our oldest daughters became friends. Then she had #5 and I had #3 (Shelby) and then she had #6 when Shel was 5 months old so the three of them grew up together too like our older ones. Then along came Nat, the baby of the group and I don't know why my friend didn't have another to give Nat a playmate. What a slacker!
We had 3 years where we were neighbors which was a lot of fun. Since we moved down the hill a bit we don't get together like we used to, but this summer we're going to try to remedy that since I don't have a herd of daycare kids tying me down.
I picked up my little niece to give my big niece a break. Baby Zach is not fond of sleeping at night and his apnea monitor goes off a lot, so she has been really run down.
I've got a thing about taking pictures of little girls holding hands and walking away from me. I think it's the cutest thing ever. Here is Nat and her little cousin Emma.
Fun in the boat.
Grandpa Rocky stopped by with frozen treats for everyone.
Yum!
Shelby and Sarah fishing. They were inseparable.
File this under "At 43 you should know better". Yeah, I was just sitting in the shade so I "didn't need" sunscreen. Duh. and OUCH! Just be glad that I spared you a photo of my shoulders and cleavage!
And lastly Suey got dressed up in Shel's rash guard.
What Does It Mean?
My week off has also been my week of disturbing dreams. Starting Sunday night, each night I've had a dream that startles me awake at 3am. It's really starting to tick me off.
Sunday's dream involved a crazy old guy chasing me and me trying to hide from him. At the end I also had the kids with me and was trying to hide them too. That was probably the worst one.
Monday involved a lion, Tuesday a ginormous wolf that was after me and Sis, and last night an angry mother bear guarding her cub. I climbed to the top of a dead tree and just when I thought I was dead meat, the bear spoke to me in proper English. I assured her I would no longer go anywhere near her cub.
So, what does it all mean? I wish I knew. Maybe it means I'm getting too much sleep. Now I just wonder what threatening critter awaits me tonight.
Sunday's dream involved a crazy old guy chasing me and me trying to hide from him. At the end I also had the kids with me and was trying to hide them too. That was probably the worst one.
Monday involved a lion, Tuesday a ginormous wolf that was after me and Sis, and last night an angry mother bear guarding her cub. I climbed to the top of a dead tree and just when I thought I was dead meat, the bear spoke to me in proper English. I assured her I would no longer go anywhere near her cub.
So, what does it all mean? I wish I knew. Maybe it means I'm getting too much sleep. Now I just wonder what threatening critter awaits me tonight.
My Week Off-Day Three
On day three we took the best of the girls' outgrown clothing to a consignment store that I frequent. I've had good luck dropping off clothing and toys and making a little money on them there. I let the girls each pick out a new outfit and I found 2 nice pair of jeans for me. Total bill $25. I love that store.
The girls show off their "new" outfits.
We then had to go get some of life's necessities like sunscreen, Motrin and toilet paper.
Then it was off to Kung Fu Panda. The fight scenes were a bit intense for Nat, but we all enjoyed it. I think Nat ate her weight in popcorn. Who knew she could hold that much?!
I've been enjoying my week so much that I even forgot it was my dance night. That's extremely unusual for me as that's a night I look forward to all week. It dawned on me as we walked in to see the movie. Oops!
As soon as the movie was over I took the girls home grabbed my dance bag and headed back down the hill. I was only a little late. The ladies I danced with at Rakkasah came this week and we had a wonderful time chatting and teaching them one of our dances. Hopefully they will begin dancing with us on a regular basis now.
The girls show off their "new" outfits.
We then had to go get some of life's necessities like sunscreen, Motrin and toilet paper.
Then it was off to Kung Fu Panda. The fight scenes were a bit intense for Nat, but we all enjoyed it. I think Nat ate her weight in popcorn. Who knew she could hold that much?!
I've been enjoying my week so much that I even forgot it was my dance night. That's extremely unusual for me as that's a night I look forward to all week. It dawned on me as we walked in to see the movie. Oops!
As soon as the movie was over I took the girls home grabbed my dance bag and headed back down the hill. I was only a little late. The ladies I danced with at Rakkasah came this week and we had a wonderful time chatting and teaching them one of our dances. Hopefully they will begin dancing with us on a regular basis now.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
My Week Off-Day Two
On day two of our 5 day extravaganza, we went through Nat and Shel's closet and dresser drawers. Not a task for the weak of heart!
Shelby is really good about getting rid of whatever she doesn't like anymore or that doesn't fit. Nat however is a whole different story. It seems every article of clothing has some sort of sentimental tie for her and it's so hard for her to get rid of anything. She is SO like her father. Sigh...
I can be pretty cunning though, so with a little distraction and a lot of hiding her outgrown treasures amongst Shel's we were able to make a considerable dent.
We followed up that chore by cleaning Baby's cage. I know, we're supposed to be having fun this week, but there are things that have to get done too, and we usually end up even making our chores fun somehow. The girls like to rearrange his cage and give him special treats after the dirty work is done (mostly by me, big surprise).
For our special outing we went to visit baby Zach and gave him the present the girls picked out for him a month ago and have been anxiously waiting to deliver to him.
They were all thrilled to get their chance to hold him especially our resident baby hog, Sis. I really didn't get my fill, but I guess it's ok if I share him a little! (I'm so generous, I know.)
My niece had to show us his tiny fanny when she did his diaper change. He really has no butt. It's pretty hilarious. Poor Zach though, he had all his girl cousins standing around giggling over his little hiney. I'm sure that constitutes some sort of baby abuse.
I love his little preemie outfit. The pants were just too darned cute.
After Shel and Nat were in bed, Sis and I stayed up and watched 27 Dresses. It was good chick flick fun! Oh man, that James Marsden is very easy on the eyes, that's all I'm saying.
Shelby is really good about getting rid of whatever she doesn't like anymore or that doesn't fit. Nat however is a whole different story. It seems every article of clothing has some sort of sentimental tie for her and it's so hard for her to get rid of anything. She is SO like her father. Sigh...
I can be pretty cunning though, so with a little distraction and a lot of hiding her outgrown treasures amongst Shel's we were able to make a considerable dent.
We followed up that chore by cleaning Baby's cage. I know, we're supposed to be having fun this week, but there are things that have to get done too, and we usually end up even making our chores fun somehow. The girls like to rearrange his cage and give him special treats after the dirty work is done (mostly by me, big surprise).
For our special outing we went to visit baby Zach and gave him the present the girls picked out for him a month ago and have been anxiously waiting to deliver to him.
They were all thrilled to get their chance to hold him especially our resident baby hog, Sis. I really didn't get my fill, but I guess it's ok if I share him a little! (I'm so generous, I know.)
My niece had to show us his tiny fanny when she did his diaper change. He really has no butt. It's pretty hilarious. Poor Zach though, he had all his girl cousins standing around giggling over his little hiney. I'm sure that constitutes some sort of baby abuse.
I love his little preemie outfit. The pants were just too darned cute.
After Shel and Nat were in bed, Sis and I stayed up and watched 27 Dresses. It was good chick flick fun! Oh man, that James Marsden is very easy on the eyes, that's all I'm saying.
Monday, June 9, 2008
My Week Off-Day One
So on the first day of my 5 days off, this is what we accomplished:
Shelby attended her first day of summer school, and LOVES her math teacher, plus one of her best friends from school is also attending, so she has a buddy.
When Shelby got home we went through all the shoes and the dress up clothes in the girls' closet and got rid of at least half of each.
I then tackled the Mt Everest of laundry, and the dirty dishes.
Then we went to the pool.
Since I'm not much of a water person, I took along a knitting project that I haven't touched in about a year. I knitted Nat a poncho last year then started on Shelby's and it ended up on the back burner. Well now come fall she will finally have her poncho too.
Then baby Zach stopped by on his way HOME! Yay! My niece had to drop off her surplus milk to be stored in our freezer. Let's just say she's been VERY productive. She said the doctor and nurses kept pulling more and more bags out of the freezer, and everyone was surprised at the amount she had stored. I'm sure the NICU is glad to have the freezer space back!
Little Zach came home on his 5 week birth day. His due date is still a month away--July 4th. He looked tiny in his little car seat, and the girls were thrilled to catch a glimpse of their new baby cousin finally!
After the girls had their bath, we had ice cream sundaes. Yeah, I could get used to this whole having days off thing...
Shelby attended her first day of summer school, and LOVES her math teacher, plus one of her best friends from school is also attending, so she has a buddy.
When Shelby got home we went through all the shoes and the dress up clothes in the girls' closet and got rid of at least half of each.
I then tackled the Mt Everest of laundry, and the dirty dishes.
Then we went to the pool.
Since I'm not much of a water person, I took along a knitting project that I haven't touched in about a year. I knitted Nat a poncho last year then started on Shelby's and it ended up on the back burner. Well now come fall she will finally have her poncho too.
Then baby Zach stopped by on his way HOME! Yay! My niece had to drop off her surplus milk to be stored in our freezer. Let's just say she's been VERY productive. She said the doctor and nurses kept pulling more and more bags out of the freezer, and everyone was surprised at the amount she had stored. I'm sure the NICU is glad to have the freezer space back!
Little Zach came home on his 5 week birth day. His due date is still a month away--July 4th. He looked tiny in his little car seat, and the girls were thrilled to catch a glimpse of their new baby cousin finally!
After the girls had their bath, we had ice cream sundaes. Yeah, I could get used to this whole having days off thing...
Jump For Joy
Well, Friday was my last day of in-home daycare after 3 years. My family was very happy. Even though the kids were good friends with all the kids that came to our house, they were really tired of sharing their toys and their mom, and also really tired of other kids messing up their room and breaking their toys. Mike was tired of having the yard trashed, sprinkler heads broken on a regular basis, coming home to a chaotic and noisy home, etc, etc. Sis, well she was tired of it from the start!
I bought a fancy cake from the grocery store because if you read the previous post you can understand that I really didn't have much time for cake baking in the past week. I hated paying that much money for a cake, but I wanted it to be extra special plus it's a tax write-off. By the way it was chocolate with raspberry filling. Need I say more?
I also bought 2 huge beach balls and the kids reminded me of one of the reasons why I'm quitting when it came time to blow the balls up. I had one foot pump and eight kids who wanted to use it, so we had to settle for 10 pumps per kid. One of the boys got fed up and started blowing up the other ball by mouth. It was going so slowly that I told the kids to up the pumps to 20 each. One of the girls forgot her place in line and did two pumps before she remembered, so then when it was her turn the other kids made SURE that she only got 18 pumps. At other times arguments broke out when someone did half a pump and wanted a do-over. Does a half pump or slip of the foot count as a pump? Let's get a jury to decide. Sheesh! Well, due to all the referreeing and politics involved, the boy who was blowing up the other ball on his own finished long before I did with 7 "helpers" and a foot pump!
We did all have a good time though. The kids ran through the sprinkler, argued over, uh, I mean, played with the balls, played with the parachute, and enjoyed the cake and ice cream.
When it came time for goodbyes I kept it low-key. I was actually getting a little sentimental about it all. So I told everyone I wasn't going to actually think about it until Monday, and pretend like it was a regular Friday goodbye.
It was in some respects, a difficult decision to make. I was affecting a lot of families and affecting the kids of those families, so the guilt factor was extremely high. However, I'm really enjoying my new job. I get to work with actual GROWN-UPS and we talk about grown-up things. It's fantastic. Plus when I'm done I clock out and go home. Yay!
So today, I'm thinking about it. And...I'm ok with it! There are some kids I will really miss, but we will see them, and they can come for play dates and such. And...my other job doesn't have me scheduled until next Saturday, which means I have a whole entire week OFF! WOOOO! I'm not really sure what to think. We are going to work on getting this house back in order and getting rid of all the excess stuff, and we're going to make time to do some fun outings too. I'm SO excited!
Friday, June 6, 2008
The Week That Was
In addition to the usual stuff, my week was as follows:
Monday-pool party with Shelby's class
Tuesday-field trip with Nat's class, and started teaching my Bellydance Fitness class at the local health club.
Wednesday-pick up 3 year old niece and run errands while the other kids are in school, attend dance rehearsal in the evening, take girls to the park afterwards.
Thursday-pick up 3 year old niece, head to school to help with field day with Shelby's class, have hot lunch with Nat. Later take the dog to a Rabies Clinic at the local Moose Lodge.
Friday-help with the kindergarten barbecue, run to the local gift shop to grab a gift for a party the girls are attending tomorrow, go back to school to pick up girls, watch all the teachers, aides and principal do an end of the year dance in front of the loaded school buses (it made me tear up, goodness how sentimental am I?), then I gathered up the girls to race to the store to pick up the cake I ordered for THE LAST DAY OF DAYCARE WOOOO! and made it home 5 minutes before the bus unloaded my charges onto my front lawn. (I will write about the last day of daycare festivities tomorrow.)
I'm feeling a bit tired...I wonder why...
Monday-pool party with Shelby's class
Tuesday-field trip with Nat's class, and started teaching my Bellydance Fitness class at the local health club.
Wednesday-pick up 3 year old niece and run errands while the other kids are in school, attend dance rehearsal in the evening, take girls to the park afterwards.
Thursday-pick up 3 year old niece, head to school to help with field day with Shelby's class, have hot lunch with Nat. Later take the dog to a Rabies Clinic at the local Moose Lodge.
Friday-help with the kindergarten barbecue, run to the local gift shop to grab a gift for a party the girls are attending tomorrow, go back to school to pick up girls, watch all the teachers, aides and principal do an end of the year dance in front of the loaded school buses (it made me tear up, goodness how sentimental am I?), then I gathered up the girls to race to the store to pick up the cake I ordered for THE LAST DAY OF DAYCARE WOOOO! and made it home 5 minutes before the bus unloaded my charges onto my front lawn. (I will write about the last day of daycare festivities tomorrow.)
I'm feeling a bit tired...I wonder why...
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Love It or Hate It
Shelby's girl scout troop went to Club Libby Lu last weekend as a special treat with their hard earned cookie money.
They got their hair and nails done, had some sparkly stickers and lip gloss applied and got a bright pink sequined tank top to go with either a super cool DJ headset, or a tiara. The gals that work there then led them in a dance.
Nails are painted, then sprinkled with glitter, because there's really no such thing as "too sparkly"
The girls had so much fun, and I thought it was super cute, however when I Googled Libby Lu to find out more, I found message boards where women where either venomously against the whole thing, or like me, found it to be harmless fun. No gray area here. BLACK or WHITE.
Hair do's are liberally (and I do mean LIBERALLY) sprayed with glitter hair spray, because again, there's never too much when it's sparkly. (Shelby's gone to a pool party and had several baths, and she still has glitter on her scalp!)
Some women said they would never allow their daughter to attend a party at Libby Lu because they think it is "trashy and inappropriate" and is sexualizing young girls by making them look like "prostitutes" and even "pedophile bait".
I think it's just dress up fun. The tank tops weren't skimpy, the hair do's were fun and age appropriate, and the make-up was minimal. I would've eaten this up when I was this age, and I personally don't find any harm in it. I was just really surprised to see that there was so much controversy about it. I highly doubt letting a girl go to Libby Lu is setting her up to pursue "the world's oldest profession". Seriously, get a grip people!
They got their hair and nails done, had some sparkly stickers and lip gloss applied and got a bright pink sequined tank top to go with either a super cool DJ headset, or a tiara. The gals that work there then led them in a dance.
Nails are painted, then sprinkled with glitter, because there's really no such thing as "too sparkly"
The girls had so much fun, and I thought it was super cute, however when I Googled Libby Lu to find out more, I found message boards where women where either venomously against the whole thing, or like me, found it to be harmless fun. No gray area here. BLACK or WHITE.
Hair do's are liberally (and I do mean LIBERALLY) sprayed with glitter hair spray, because again, there's never too much when it's sparkly. (Shelby's gone to a pool party and had several baths, and she still has glitter on her scalp!)
Some women said they would never allow their daughter to attend a party at Libby Lu because they think it is "trashy and inappropriate" and is sexualizing young girls by making them look like "prostitutes" and even "pedophile bait".
I think it's just dress up fun. The tank tops weren't skimpy, the hair do's were fun and age appropriate, and the make-up was minimal. I would've eaten this up when I was this age, and I personally don't find any harm in it. I was just really surprised to see that there was so much controversy about it. I highly doubt letting a girl go to Libby Lu is setting her up to pursue "the world's oldest profession". Seriously, get a grip people!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Summer School
I was pretty excited about the younger girls' progress in school lately. Shelby finally achieved her goal of 25 AR reading points in a trimester and earned her coveted Vat O' Red Vines that we had agreed on , and Nat read and tested on a 2nd grade level book! Woo hoo! I have awesome kids!
However, yesterday I received a letter from the school recommending that Shelby attend Remedial Summer School. I really felt like I've somehow failed her. I searched my memory for clues on how I neglected her studies, or didn't drill her enough on her multiplication facts. Have I not been reading enough to her? Maybe not challenging her enough somehow? What did I do?
Then I began to think maybe it's not me. I think as parents we get so involved in our kids lives and revel in their accomplishments as a kind of validation that we're good parents, that when they don't measure up to a certain standard, or fail at a task, we take that personally as well. Well, at least that's how I am.
There's a big step up in academics from 3rd grade to 4th, and I don't want Shelby to be at any disadvantage, so I broke the news to her that she will attend summer school for 3 weeks. I am now going to focus on HER not ME. Goodness, sometimes I'm ashamed of myself!
I did find it funny that in the letter they spelled summer school "sumemr school". Yeah, who REALLY needs the remedial education I wonder?
However, yesterday I received a letter from the school recommending that Shelby attend Remedial Summer School. I really felt like I've somehow failed her. I searched my memory for clues on how I neglected her studies, or didn't drill her enough on her multiplication facts. Have I not been reading enough to her? Maybe not challenging her enough somehow? What did I do?
Then I began to think maybe it's not me. I think as parents we get so involved in our kids lives and revel in their accomplishments as a kind of validation that we're good parents, that when they don't measure up to a certain standard, or fail at a task, we take that personally as well. Well, at least that's how I am.
There's a big step up in academics from 3rd grade to 4th, and I don't want Shelby to be at any disadvantage, so I broke the news to her that she will attend summer school for 3 weeks. I am now going to focus on HER not ME. Goodness, sometimes I'm ashamed of myself!
I did find it funny that in the letter they spelled summer school "sumemr school". Yeah, who REALLY needs the remedial education I wonder?
Friday, May 30, 2008
Cam's Scrapbook
I have several boxes in the garage with school keepsakes in them. For Cam, my first born, there is a full box of EVERYTHING he brought home from school, including worksheets and lunch menus, for at least the first 4 years of his school career. For the second born, Sis, there are a couple boxes of stuff. At that point I wasn't compelled to save every scrap of paper with her name on it, and settled for saving almost everything, so there will be a couple grades worth of stuff in one box. Now with the little ones, I'm afraid that I haven't saved enough, especially with Nat. I get so overwhelmed with the clutter already in my house, and the amount of stuff she produces, that unless it looks really special, I sneak it into the garbage when she's not looking. Bad, bad mom.
I recently was inspired to go through Cam's kindergarten box and actually put the treasures in a scrapbook, and trash the rest. After all we couldn't really enjoy it when it was stored in a box in the garage. It was fun to look through it all, and in the long run, even after weeding it out, I still put tons of stuff in his scrapbook. I know at some point his sisters will notice, "How come Cam has an entire album for his kindergarten stuff and I only have 2 pages worth?" I guess I'll have to convince them to be happy that they have anything at all!
Here are some of the highlights from Cam's kindergarten year. I especially liked his stories:
Here's a self portrait done on the first day of kindergarten, and some little paper guys he drew and cut out which I couldn't possibly part with:
a drawing of "a tree in a lightning storm" (left) and a story of Robbie Rabbit, "Robbie Rabbit went to the forest and he met a hunter. He carried the hunter home and he fired him on the stove."
His Christmas wish involved a vehicle, of course, and below that a drawing of our house at the time, which had a tin roof, so I thought his story about the rain was pretty neat, "The rain sounds like fingers tapping on a table. It goes fast. I pick apples in one day. These are my two apple trees."
The inside of my Mother's Day card complete with a drawing of me. Awwww...
The drawing below is captioned "Daddy putting another antenna on the roof." Because Daddy was into ham radio, it seemed he was always putting yet another antenna on the roof!
I didn't take a photo of this, but there is a drawing of some space guys and planets and it is captioned "If I were an astronaut I would visit the planet Mercury because it is close to the sun and I am cold here. I would tear up my house and build it on Mercury with air conditioning." Now that's a clever kid!
I recently was inspired to go through Cam's kindergarten box and actually put the treasures in a scrapbook, and trash the rest. After all we couldn't really enjoy it when it was stored in a box in the garage. It was fun to look through it all, and in the long run, even after weeding it out, I still put tons of stuff in his scrapbook. I know at some point his sisters will notice, "How come Cam has an entire album for his kindergarten stuff and I only have 2 pages worth?" I guess I'll have to convince them to be happy that they have anything at all!
Here are some of the highlights from Cam's kindergarten year. I especially liked his stories:
Here's a self portrait done on the first day of kindergarten, and some little paper guys he drew and cut out which I couldn't possibly part with:
a drawing of "a tree in a lightning storm" (left) and a story of Robbie Rabbit, "Robbie Rabbit went to the forest and he met a hunter. He carried the hunter home and he fired him on the stove."
His Christmas wish involved a vehicle, of course, and below that a drawing of our house at the time, which had a tin roof, so I thought his story about the rain was pretty neat, "The rain sounds like fingers tapping on a table. It goes fast. I pick apples in one day. These are my two apple trees."
The inside of my Mother's Day card complete with a drawing of me. Awwww...
The drawing below is captioned "Daddy putting another antenna on the roof." Because Daddy was into ham radio, it seemed he was always putting yet another antenna on the roof!
I didn't take a photo of this, but there is a drawing of some space guys and planets and it is captioned "If I were an astronaut I would visit the planet Mercury because it is close to the sun and I am cold here. I would tear up my house and build it on Mercury with air conditioning." Now that's a clever kid!
A Hospital Visit
Last night Sis and I headed to the hospital where her dad is recovering from surgery for throat cancer. It is such a helpless feeling to see someone fight cancer. I was glad that Sis and I could bring him some books and movies to keep him busy as he makes his recovery. I think Sis is taking this a lot harder than she puts on. My older kids lost both their grandmas to cancer and have seen their grandpa fight it and lose his bladder because of it. Sis has seen the effects of cancer from a young age, and is scared for her dad. It is such a horrible disease.
I really wish my kid's dad (I prefer to call him that rather than my "ex") wasn't having to deal with it at all. He was in good spirits despite not being able to talk (due to a tracheotomy) and was writing comments and questions to us like crazy. I had to tease him a bit about his deplorable penmanship, and his sense of humor was definitely still intact!
I told him the story of my dad's surgery in August (which we laugh about now, but was very trying at the time). Dad woke up in ICU "confused and combative", and because of that they had to put restraints on him. Well then he thought he had been kidnapped and was being held hostage, so that when my sister came to visit he was cursing out the nurses and yelling to my sister to call 911, and get his nephew to bring guns. At one point 3 nurses had to hold him down. As dad recovered we told him a bit of what he went through as he didn't remember anything. He'll say that he feels terrible that he'd cursed out the nurses, but he really likes hearing the part about how 3 nurses (one of them a male) had to hold him down and how they commented on how strong he was! He's pretty proud that at 78 he could give them a "run for their money"!
I know seeing Sis really cheered her dad up, and he's recovering faster than they predicted, so we're just praying that things keep getting better for him.
My little preemie nephew is at the same hospital, so we got a chance to visit him as well. He's now in the NICU "Step Down" nursery where they're not nearly so strict about visitors, so Sis was able to see him for the first time. He's doing so well that he may be able to come home on Sunday. Here's a photo of him saying "Hi"
Can you tell I'm crazy about him? In fact I may be known forever more as the "crazy auntie"
I really wish my kid's dad (I prefer to call him that rather than my "ex") wasn't having to deal with it at all. He was in good spirits despite not being able to talk (due to a tracheotomy) and was writing comments and questions to us like crazy. I had to tease him a bit about his deplorable penmanship, and his sense of humor was definitely still intact!
I told him the story of my dad's surgery in August (which we laugh about now, but was very trying at the time). Dad woke up in ICU "confused and combative", and because of that they had to put restraints on him. Well then he thought he had been kidnapped and was being held hostage, so that when my sister came to visit he was cursing out the nurses and yelling to my sister to call 911, and get his nephew to bring guns. At one point 3 nurses had to hold him down. As dad recovered we told him a bit of what he went through as he didn't remember anything. He'll say that he feels terrible that he'd cursed out the nurses, but he really likes hearing the part about how 3 nurses (one of them a male) had to hold him down and how they commented on how strong he was! He's pretty proud that at 78 he could give them a "run for their money"!
I know seeing Sis really cheered her dad up, and he's recovering faster than they predicted, so we're just praying that things keep getting better for him.
My little preemie nephew is at the same hospital, so we got a chance to visit him as well. He's now in the NICU "Step Down" nursery where they're not nearly so strict about visitors, so Sis was able to see him for the first time. He's doing so well that he may be able to come home on Sunday. Here's a photo of him saying "Hi"
Can you tell I'm crazy about him? In fact I may be known forever more as the "crazy auntie"
Monday, May 26, 2008
Weekend Wrap-up
I started my new job on Saturday, working at a local lodge at their snack bar. (I only have 2 weeks of daycare left. Woo-hoo!) The weather was wet and cold so there weren't the usual crowds this weekend, which suited me fine especially when it comes to being trained for a new position. I am learning to grill burgers and make French fries. Having lived 43 years and never worked for a fast food joint, this was all new to me. I was pleasantly surprised to know that it's not brain surgery.
I am really looking forward to going to work and leaving it there and coming home, instead of having my work come to me, trash my house, and leave me in chaos.
Cam worked at this same lodge for 3 years, and Sis also worked here for a summer, but because Cam worked here the longest I'm known as Cam's mom and get to be told what a nice kid he is. That's kind of nice. Also I think of him a lot knowing that I'm doing the same work he did at one time, and I know he will commiserate with me after I've been hovering over a hot grill on a crazy-busy weekend this summer (or maybe he'll laugh and say I should've known better!)
I was not able to attend church this weekend because of my new job, and it has really thrown me off. I really feel like something is missing. Mike was able to drop the girls off to attend, and their friend was baptized this Sunday, so I'm glad that they didn't miss out. I am requesting Sundays off, but I have no idea if there is any possibility of that happening.
We made a quick trip to Wal-Mart this weekend to get Nat a new fish after the untimely demise of Lucky. She got a cute spotted goldfish, but has thus far turned down all name suggestions. We came up with some good ones too: Phinneus, Flipper, Funfetti and Sprinkles. No go. She's being quite stubborn about it.
Shelby got a fish too. He was a very plump variety called a Pearlscale goldfish. They are extraordinarily round, so she named him Bubble. Both new little fish are doing well so far.
I'm happy that one of my favorite shows is back on: So You Think You Can Dance, or Shooba dooba dooba dance, as we now call it because I couldn't understand the words to the theme song when we first started watching it and thought that's what they were saying. That would have been cute if Nat had said it, but it was just embarrassing for me and is fodder for harassment from the kids now. However, it stuck so we always sing "Shooba dooba dooba dance" when it comes on now.
There were two guys on the show tonight that I couldn't get enough of. They did kind of the pop-and-lock style but to a whole new degree. It was just fascinating how they could move. I love all of it though, and never tire of watching beautiful dancers even though it makes me feel like I dance like Frankenstein in comparison.
Now, I must go get horizontal. I've not spent nearly enough time in that position and tomorrow starts a whole new week! Good Night.
I am really looking forward to going to work and leaving it there and coming home, instead of having my work come to me, trash my house, and leave me in chaos.
Cam worked at this same lodge for 3 years, and Sis also worked here for a summer, but because Cam worked here the longest I'm known as Cam's mom and get to be told what a nice kid he is. That's kind of nice. Also I think of him a lot knowing that I'm doing the same work he did at one time, and I know he will commiserate with me after I've been hovering over a hot grill on a crazy-busy weekend this summer (or maybe he'll laugh and say I should've known better!)
I was not able to attend church this weekend because of my new job, and it has really thrown me off. I really feel like something is missing. Mike was able to drop the girls off to attend, and their friend was baptized this Sunday, so I'm glad that they didn't miss out. I am requesting Sundays off, but I have no idea if there is any possibility of that happening.
We made a quick trip to Wal-Mart this weekend to get Nat a new fish after the untimely demise of Lucky. She got a cute spotted goldfish, but has thus far turned down all name suggestions. We came up with some good ones too: Phinneus, Flipper, Funfetti and Sprinkles. No go. She's being quite stubborn about it.
Shelby got a fish too. He was a very plump variety called a Pearlscale goldfish. They are extraordinarily round, so she named him Bubble. Both new little fish are doing well so far.
I'm happy that one of my favorite shows is back on: So You Think You Can Dance, or Shooba dooba dooba dance, as we now call it because I couldn't understand the words to the theme song when we first started watching it and thought that's what they were saying. That would have been cute if Nat had said it, but it was just embarrassing for me and is fodder for harassment from the kids now. However, it stuck so we always sing "Shooba dooba dooba dance" when it comes on now.
There were two guys on the show tonight that I couldn't get enough of. They did kind of the pop-and-lock style but to a whole new degree. It was just fascinating how they could move. I love all of it though, and never tire of watching beautiful dancers even though it makes me feel like I dance like Frankenstein in comparison.
Now, I must go get horizontal. I've not spent nearly enough time in that position and tomorrow starts a whole new week! Good Night.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Barn Doors and Bugs
The other day Shelby and I had a conversation with Nat about zippers. We were explaining that your pants zipper is called your fly, and that sometimes people will say, "your fly is down", or "your barn door is open" or "xyz" which stands for examine your zipper, to let you know if it's down.
Today the girls were goofing around and Shelby tells Nat, "By the way your barn door is open" and Nat says, "You mean my bug?" Shelby laughed and corrected her, "No, your FLY."
I had to laugh, and now I think Nat has coined a new saying for zippers around here! How does, "check your bug" sound?
Today the girls were goofing around and Shelby tells Nat, "By the way your barn door is open" and Nat says, "You mean my bug?" Shelby laughed and corrected her, "No, your FLY."
I had to laugh, and now I think Nat has coined a new saying for zippers around here! How does, "check your bug" sound?
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Baby Photos
I made it down to see my little nephew/grandson today. I didn't get to see him last week due to a series of unfortunate incidences, so I was really excited about seeing him and spending time with my niece.
When I got there, the NICU was closed because the doctors were doing their rounds, so I treated my niece to a nice lunch. She has been staying alone in a hotel room, and eating Cup of Noodles, and fruit to get by without spending any more money than they have to, poor thing. Her husband usually joins her on Fridays, but during the week she is 1 1/2 hours from home coping on her own.
She is so strong and positive about it though. I am really inspired by her. I can't imagine going through a c-section then being released without having a baby to take home. Instead of being home, recovering from major surgery and bonding with her baby, she's been shuttling back and forth to the hospital, pumping milk every 3 hours, and going home on the weekends to see her 3 year old girl. And that's not including the really difficult pregnancy and 10 weeks of bed rest that led up to Zach's premature birth. It's overwhelming for me to think about, and she's living it and taking it all in stride.
Again, I had to use my "grandma" credentials to visit Zach. I feel rather guilty about lying to the nurses, but I also think my niece not only likes the company, but enjoys showing off her baby and have someone make a fuss over him. That's how I'm trying to justify it anyway...
Today though after we signed in and washed up, a nurse came over to us and after updating my niece on the baby, asked who I was. I told her I was the grandma. She said, "You're kidding!" Oh, how that made my day! Finally someone had a bit of compassion to question my grandmotherliness. I told her that well, really I was the step-grandma, and she gave a little nod and said, "Oh..." like that explained everything.
I got to hold my little psuedo-grandbaby for the better part of an hour. I told him how many people were looking forward to seeing and holding him, and encouraged him to grow and get strong so he could come home soon. I then assaulted him with the flash on my camera, as any proud "grandma" would do.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The Fair and Fish Abuse
We spent most of the day on Sunday at the fair. After one of the rides collapsed and injured 23 people on Friday, the rides had just reopened Sunday afternoon. I had to weigh my options: I had pre-purchased ride tickets plus every ride had been gone through with a fine toothed comb by OSHA vs my own prejudices against the crazy looking carnies and the accident that sent 2 dozen people to the hospital. I probably qualify for the bad mom of the year award, but I let my kids ride the rides. And they were thrilled. And no one ended up in the hospital. And I still feel guilty. Go figure.
One of my daycare kids found us and presented us with a ziplock baggie with a little fish in it. He didn't have a tank at home, so he wanted us to take it. Nat was thrilled. Poor little fish wasn't looking so well, and with the outside temperature somewhere around 100 degrees, I put him in the cooler. The girls wanted to name him immediately but I told them they had to wait, and if he made it home alive they could call him Lucky.
On the way home, Nat wanted to hold the fish, and she then decided that his middle name would be Charms. He made it into the tank with our other goldfish and had a hearty meal. The girls were thrilled.
Well yesterday afternoon Lucky didn't look too good, and within half an hour he had died. Poor Nat, she was a lot more upset than I thought she'd be. She cried for a long time. She wanted to bury him in the backyard, so I found a small box, and she and Shelby gave him a proper burial.
It really bothers me to see any animal suffer so I think it's terrible that fairs still give children a small fish for a prize. If they survive the day being sloshed around in a bag it's a miracle, and then if they do make it into a tank they've been so mistreated they aren't likely to survive anyway. I think it's a lose-lose for the fish and the kids. Give them a cheap stuffed animal or a rubber frog for goodness sakes! It makes me crazy.
I think Lucky was lucky indeed though, because he was truly loved by a little girl.
One of my daycare kids found us and presented us with a ziplock baggie with a little fish in it. He didn't have a tank at home, so he wanted us to take it. Nat was thrilled. Poor little fish wasn't looking so well, and with the outside temperature somewhere around 100 degrees, I put him in the cooler. The girls wanted to name him immediately but I told them they had to wait, and if he made it home alive they could call him Lucky.
On the way home, Nat wanted to hold the fish, and she then decided that his middle name would be Charms. He made it into the tank with our other goldfish and had a hearty meal. The girls were thrilled.
Well yesterday afternoon Lucky didn't look too good, and within half an hour he had died. Poor Nat, she was a lot more upset than I thought she'd be. She cried for a long time. She wanted to bury him in the backyard, so I found a small box, and she and Shelby gave him a proper burial.
It really bothers me to see any animal suffer so I think it's terrible that fairs still give children a small fish for a prize. If they survive the day being sloshed around in a bag it's a miracle, and then if they do make it into a tank they've been so mistreated they aren't likely to survive anyway. I think it's a lose-lose for the fish and the kids. Give them a cheap stuffed animal or a rubber frog for goodness sakes! It makes me crazy.
I think Lucky was lucky indeed though, because he was truly loved by a little girl.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
A Teaching Moment That I Could Have Done Without
My husband is a barbecue caterer and because this is the weekend of the county fair, he is set up in the parking lot of a local bar selling ribs and tri-tip sandwiches. For some reason our fair draws a lot of bikers, and this bar in particular is a popular hang out for them. Mike usually sells out when he barbecues there.
Mike asked if we would like to come up and have lunch while he barbecued today. The girls always love to come visit dad while he's working. They feel privileged to be able to go 'behind the scenes', so to speak, and mess around near the barbecue equipment.
We were sitting away from the rest of the crowd, not only so we could visit with daddy, but so the girls didn't have to be exposed to the harsh language coming from the general population of bikers near the picnic tables. We were sitting next to the dunk tank however, and got to watch some good natured rivalry between some local guys as they tried to throw the soft balls at the target and dunk one guy in particular who was sitting on the seat egging them on.
Well that all changed when one of the biker women volunteered to become the dunkee and promptly took her shirt off. I told the girls, "Don't look", although they had already seen it all, and we made a hasty exit. Unfortunately the only way out was right through the center of the gathering crowd of men and the dunk tank itself.
I then got to spend the next 45 minutes fielding questions of why the woman had done that in front of all the men, and why the men were trying to take pictures, and did I think she got dunked, and did she put her top back on? This is not a lesson my girls needed to learn today, but I did my best to explain why some people have a lack of self respect, and a desire for the attention of men. Yikes.
So thanks a lot lady. You know if you want to pull a stunt like that after hours, that's your business, but to do it in broad daylight with two little girls sitting not 20 feet away was completely uncalled for. Sheesh. Shelby pretty much summed it up when she said, "That was really not appropriate."
And next year? Daddy can bring us home some left overs.
Mike asked if we would like to come up and have lunch while he barbecued today. The girls always love to come visit dad while he's working. They feel privileged to be able to go 'behind the scenes', so to speak, and mess around near the barbecue equipment.
We were sitting away from the rest of the crowd, not only so we could visit with daddy, but so the girls didn't have to be exposed to the harsh language coming from the general population of bikers near the picnic tables. We were sitting next to the dunk tank however, and got to watch some good natured rivalry between some local guys as they tried to throw the soft balls at the target and dunk one guy in particular who was sitting on the seat egging them on.
Well that all changed when one of the biker women volunteered to become the dunkee and promptly took her shirt off. I told the girls, "Don't look", although they had already seen it all, and we made a hasty exit. Unfortunately the only way out was right through the center of the gathering crowd of men and the dunk tank itself.
I then got to spend the next 45 minutes fielding questions of why the woman had done that in front of all the men, and why the men were trying to take pictures, and did I think she got dunked, and did she put her top back on? This is not a lesson my girls needed to learn today, but I did my best to explain why some people have a lack of self respect, and a desire for the attention of men. Yikes.
So thanks a lot lady. You know if you want to pull a stunt like that after hours, that's your business, but to do it in broad daylight with two little girls sitting not 20 feet away was completely uncalled for. Sheesh. Shelby pretty much summed it up when she said, "That was really not appropriate."
And next year? Daddy can bring us home some left overs.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Pageant Time
Last night was the first time I attended our county's Miss Podunk County pageant. I've lived here almost 20 years, and never been to the pageant that kicks off our county's fair festivities. Sis on the other hand, has attended almost every year since she was probably middle school age with her friends. She and I went together last night, and it was a lot of fun.
Two girls from my bellydance troupe were competing, so I made going to the pageant a priority this year and I'm glad I did.
First the theme was "Kill Bill" based on some weird movie I've never seen. The girls did a martial arts inspired opening dance, and let's just say it was interesting. What a strange theme for a pageant, but what do I know.
Next came the Health and Fitness category, again I didn't really get it. They came out one at a time in karate type outfits, took off their white jacket top to reveal a colorful tank top and sashayed around the stage posing. I like how they had to walk with their head turned over their shoulder as they exited the stage so they never at any time, lost eye contact with the audience. Now that takes coordination!
Then came the talent portion, and it was very entertaining. Some girls were truly blessed with talent. Others tried REALLY hard, and for that I say, "Good effort!" My two friends were the ones that had talent, and I swear I'm not even being biased. The winner of my own "You don't see that every day award" was the gal that did rifle drilling. It was a bit repetitive but I've got to hand it to her for flinging that heavy thing around.
Now during this, Sis is telling me she might like to enter the pageant next year. She was trying to come up with a talent. So we were brainstorming: Singing, not so much; dramatic monologue, maybe; musical instrument, no; dance, probably not... Then it came to me. Talking. She does it all the time, all day long. Ever since she was tiny, if she was awake, she was talking. I told her she could get up and just tell her random funny stories and people would think she was hilarious. I thought I was on to something, but she shot me down. I guess it's back to the drawing board...
Finally, the best part: evening gowns. We had our opinions of each one. Some were flattering and glamorous, some were too over the top, one we labeled "too middle school dance" and one was made out of duct tape. I kid you not. This girl designed and made her dress out of orange duct tape and it was fabulous. Sis is friends with her, and she had also made her junior prom dress out of duct tape along with her date's tuxedo. Amazing, no?
The cheesiest part was after they sauntered in their gown, the girls got to thank their sponsors, etc, etc, then had to say, "I believe..." with their own sentiment. They were all VERY cheesy, there was just no avoiding it, but the one that sticks out to me is, "I believe every life is a fairytale written by God."
Well, after all was said and done, a girl from the rival high school won the crown, but one of my girls won first runner up. I thoroughly enjoyed my first ever pageant and all it's cheesy over-the-top goodness. I'll definitely be back next year.
Two girls from my bellydance troupe were competing, so I made going to the pageant a priority this year and I'm glad I did.
First the theme was "Kill Bill" based on some weird movie I've never seen. The girls did a martial arts inspired opening dance, and let's just say it was interesting. What a strange theme for a pageant, but what do I know.
Next came the Health and Fitness category, again I didn't really get it. They came out one at a time in karate type outfits, took off their white jacket top to reveal a colorful tank top and sashayed around the stage posing. I like how they had to walk with their head turned over their shoulder as they exited the stage so they never at any time, lost eye contact with the audience. Now that takes coordination!
Then came the talent portion, and it was very entertaining. Some girls were truly blessed with talent. Others tried REALLY hard, and for that I say, "Good effort!" My two friends were the ones that had talent, and I swear I'm not even being biased. The winner of my own "You don't see that every day award" was the gal that did rifle drilling. It was a bit repetitive but I've got to hand it to her for flinging that heavy thing around.
Now during this, Sis is telling me she might like to enter the pageant next year. She was trying to come up with a talent. So we were brainstorming: Singing, not so much; dramatic monologue, maybe; musical instrument, no; dance, probably not... Then it came to me. Talking. She does it all the time, all day long. Ever since she was tiny, if she was awake, she was talking. I told her she could get up and just tell her random funny stories and people would think she was hilarious. I thought I was on to something, but she shot me down. I guess it's back to the drawing board...
Finally, the best part: evening gowns. We had our opinions of each one. Some were flattering and glamorous, some were too over the top, one we labeled "too middle school dance" and one was made out of duct tape. I kid you not. This girl designed and made her dress out of orange duct tape and it was fabulous. Sis is friends with her, and she had also made her junior prom dress out of duct tape along with her date's tuxedo. Amazing, no?
The cheesiest part was after they sauntered in their gown, the girls got to thank their sponsors, etc, etc, then had to say, "I believe..." with their own sentiment. They were all VERY cheesy, there was just no avoiding it, but the one that sticks out to me is, "I believe every life is a fairytale written by God."
Well, after all was said and done, a girl from the rival high school won the crown, but one of my girls won first runner up. I thoroughly enjoyed my first ever pageant and all it's cheesy over-the-top goodness. I'll definitely be back next year.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Mother's Day Show-N-Tell
My Mother's Day started on Friday morning with the annual kindergarten Mother's Day tea. All of the kindergarten moms gather in the classroom for a performance of our children. They sang Baby Beluga, You Are My Sunshine, and You Are Wonderful to us. We had to pass the tissue box around it was so sweet. We then had tea and cookies and received our school's traditional gift--a ceramic hand print and a watercolor lupine card. This is my 4th and last kindergarten tea so I was getting just a bit nostalgic...
On Sunday we took a picnic to a nearby lake and paddled around in the canoe.
My picnic choices were as follows: Wheat Thins and hummus, BBQ Baked Lays chips, honey roast peanuts, and fruit dip with strawberries and apples. The fruit dip is simple, just a block of cream cheese softened, mixed with a jar of marshmallow creme.
It truly is to die for, as was confirmed when I had to fish out a wayward insect who found his way into it and had succumbed to the dips deadly deliciousness.
We had a lovely paddle around the lake. We brought my faithful dog Suey. It was her maiden voyage, and she was not quite sure if she wanted to go or not. We bribed her with a little stale bread that we brought to feed the ducks and once we were out on the water she settled down nicely and enjoyed herself.
We found a couple ducks to feed, and a family of Canada geese with 5 fuzzy goslings. They were adorable. Suey found them quite fascinating, but luckily she stayed put in the boat.
Nat and Shelby, just to prove that they are their father's daughters, began eating the stale, freezer burned hot dog buns that we brought for the ducks. They weren't doing it to be funny, they were actually enjoying them. Ewww!
After we had come back to shore we ran into our old neighbors. We have been close friends since our oldest kids were babies. We joked that the only way we get together anymore is to just run into each other because our schedules are so hectic we are never able to plan a day together. It was nice to sit and catch up with their busy family.
I also had a nice chat with my son, and he sent one of the cutest cards I think I've ever seen along with some fun photos of he and his girlfriend.
Shelby made a nice watercolor card and painting at school as well as a classroom dessert cookbook. I got a chuckle from the sentiment written inside the card: Dear Mommy, Thank you for everything you do for me. Thank you for getting me Baby (her hamster). He is really sweet. Although he pees a lot I still love him. It is cute how you put him in your sweader he gets so hyper sometimes. Love your daughter. (I liked her spelling of sweater, and as an explanation, I like to put Baby in between my shirt and my hoody and let him crawl around).
We topped off this perfect day with Mike's homemade chile rellanos. Little Nat cracked us up by eating the fresh cilantro leaves like they were popcorn (again, no paternity test needed for that kid!) And we sat down to watch the season finale of Survivor. (I really didn't like Parvati, so I wasn't happy that she won, but when I found out her last name was Shallow, I thought that it was quite fitting!)
So everyone made a big fuss over me because I am the MOTHER, but to tell the truth, I would feel just as special and proud and happy even if they didn't. This mom-gig is great!
On Sunday we took a picnic to a nearby lake and paddled around in the canoe.
My picnic choices were as follows: Wheat Thins and hummus, BBQ Baked Lays chips, honey roast peanuts, and fruit dip with strawberries and apples. The fruit dip is simple, just a block of cream cheese softened, mixed with a jar of marshmallow creme.
It truly is to die for, as was confirmed when I had to fish out a wayward insect who found his way into it and had succumbed to the dips deadly deliciousness.
We had a lovely paddle around the lake. We brought my faithful dog Suey. It was her maiden voyage, and she was not quite sure if she wanted to go or not. We bribed her with a little stale bread that we brought to feed the ducks and once we were out on the water she settled down nicely and enjoyed herself.
We found a couple ducks to feed, and a family of Canada geese with 5 fuzzy goslings. They were adorable. Suey found them quite fascinating, but luckily she stayed put in the boat.
Nat and Shelby, just to prove that they are their father's daughters, began eating the stale, freezer burned hot dog buns that we brought for the ducks. They weren't doing it to be funny, they were actually enjoying them. Ewww!
After we had come back to shore we ran into our old neighbors. We have been close friends since our oldest kids were babies. We joked that the only way we get together anymore is to just run into each other because our schedules are so hectic we are never able to plan a day together. It was nice to sit and catch up with their busy family.
I also had a nice chat with my son, and he sent one of the cutest cards I think I've ever seen along with some fun photos of he and his girlfriend.
Shelby made a nice watercolor card and painting at school as well as a classroom dessert cookbook. I got a chuckle from the sentiment written inside the card: Dear Mommy, Thank you for everything you do for me. Thank you for getting me Baby (her hamster). He is really sweet. Although he pees a lot I still love him. It is cute how you put him in your sweader he gets so hyper sometimes. Love your daughter. (I liked her spelling of sweater, and as an explanation, I like to put Baby in between my shirt and my hoody and let him crawl around).
We topped off this perfect day with Mike's homemade chile rellanos. Little Nat cracked us up by eating the fresh cilantro leaves like they were popcorn (again, no paternity test needed for that kid!) And we sat down to watch the season finale of Survivor. (I really didn't like Parvati, so I wasn't happy that she won, but when I found out her last name was Shallow, I thought that it was quite fitting!)
So everyone made a big fuss over me because I am the MOTHER, but to tell the truth, I would feel just as special and proud and happy even if they didn't. This mom-gig is great!
Friday, May 9, 2008
The Waiting Was Killing Me
Some may recall that I took our county's correctional officer exam some 3 weeks and 1 day ago (but who's counting...). At the exam they said that those who passed would be contacted within 2 weeks by phone to schedule an oral interview, and those who didn't pass would receive a letter as such within 3 weeks.
Well my 2 weeks came and went with much checking and double checking of the answering machine and caller ID, and much anticipation when the phone rang, but the phone call never came. As I entered my 3rd week of waiting I began haunting the mailbox and waiting for the dreaded rejection letter. I began to beat myself up for failing a test I felt pretty confident about. I began reasoning with myself that if I failed the test then it must be a sign that I need to look in another direction, but I was having a difficult time with the concept of failure. When I put my mind to something I expect to do well, and I was not happy at all with the thought that I could've bombed this test.
Today, after my morning mail check, I decided to call the county HRC department and get the news of my failure confirmed so that I might go on with my life. Well, the nice lady told me that the rejection letters were sent out 10 days ago, so if I haven't received one, then I have surely passed the test! Yay! The self-flogging can cease now! She said due to key people's vacation times and the upcoming county fair, that they won't be calling to schedule interviews until sometime in July (let's hear it for our efficient county...). But, OK, I can deal with that. Whew!
Well my 2 weeks came and went with much checking and double checking of the answering machine and caller ID, and much anticipation when the phone rang, but the phone call never came. As I entered my 3rd week of waiting I began haunting the mailbox and waiting for the dreaded rejection letter. I began to beat myself up for failing a test I felt pretty confident about. I began reasoning with myself that if I failed the test then it must be a sign that I need to look in another direction, but I was having a difficult time with the concept of failure. When I put my mind to something I expect to do well, and I was not happy at all with the thought that I could've bombed this test.
Today, after my morning mail check, I decided to call the county HRC department and get the news of my failure confirmed so that I might go on with my life. Well, the nice lady told me that the rejection letters were sent out 10 days ago, so if I haven't received one, then I have surely passed the test! Yay! The self-flogging can cease now! She said due to key people's vacation times and the upcoming county fair, that they won't be calling to schedule interviews until sometime in July (let's hear it for our efficient county...). But, OK, I can deal with that. Whew!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
My New Little Nephew
Well, great-nephew really, but I call him just my nephew.
I'm really blessed to have a wonderful niece by marriage that I'm very close to. I was her labor coach/doula with her first baby 3 years ago, and this time that was the plan as well, but due to a very difficult pregnancy involving a subchorionic hematoma that caused bleeding for the first 20 weeks, and then preterm labor and bed rest for the next 11, the birth plans kind of flew out the window and our great nephew arrived some 8 weeks early on Cinco de Mayo via c-section and weighed in at a pretty hefty 4lb 5oz.
The NICU rules are that they only admit parents or grandparents, but my niece really wanted me to be able to see him, so I had to masquerade as a GRANDMOTHER. I was not that thrilled. Surely at 43, I could be old enough to be a granny, heck I have friends who became grandmas before they were even 40, but the thought that I may be looked at as a grandmother was not an appealing situation to me.
My niece's roommate had her grandmother turned away (the baby's great-grandma), so I was a bit worried about trying to deceive the perceptive nurses. My niece and I discussed the deception we would perpetrate ahead of time so that we'd have our story straight. I would be her husband's step-mom after his father had had one of those mid-life crises and went on to marry me, a MUCH younger woman. Yes, that's the ticket. We had it all planned.
I nervously followed her to the NICU where a nurse opened the door and I followed my niece in. We signed in, washed up and went to the baby's bed, and NOT ONE PERSON questioned my grandmotherliness! They didn't even need my niece to say, "Oh she's the grandmother." I was a bit miffed to say the least. What a blow to my ego!
Being tagged as a grandma had it's perks today though, because I got to see my new little nephew and he gripped my finger with his tiny hand. He's absolutely beautiful and doing well. Yeah, I could get used to this granny-thing if it means spending time with him!
I'm really blessed to have a wonderful niece by marriage that I'm very close to. I was her labor coach/doula with her first baby 3 years ago, and this time that was the plan as well, but due to a very difficult pregnancy involving a subchorionic hematoma that caused bleeding for the first 20 weeks, and then preterm labor and bed rest for the next 11, the birth plans kind of flew out the window and our great nephew arrived some 8 weeks early on Cinco de Mayo via c-section and weighed in at a pretty hefty 4lb 5oz.
The NICU rules are that they only admit parents or grandparents, but my niece really wanted me to be able to see him, so I had to masquerade as a GRANDMOTHER. I was not that thrilled. Surely at 43, I could be old enough to be a granny, heck I have friends who became grandmas before they were even 40, but the thought that I may be looked at as a grandmother was not an appealing situation to me.
My niece's roommate had her grandmother turned away (the baby's great-grandma), so I was a bit worried about trying to deceive the perceptive nurses. My niece and I discussed the deception we would perpetrate ahead of time so that we'd have our story straight. I would be her husband's step-mom after his father had had one of those mid-life crises and went on to marry me, a MUCH younger woman. Yes, that's the ticket. We had it all planned.
I nervously followed her to the NICU where a nurse opened the door and I followed my niece in. We signed in, washed up and went to the baby's bed, and NOT ONE PERSON questioned my grandmotherliness! They didn't even need my niece to say, "Oh she's the grandmother." I was a bit miffed to say the least. What a blow to my ego!
Being tagged as a grandma had it's perks today though, because I got to see my new little nephew and he gripped my finger with his tiny hand. He's absolutely beautiful and doing well. Yeah, I could get used to this granny-thing if it means spending time with him!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)