Take This Quiz - Updates Later

I took this quiz from Jacque. I don't know if I am that much of a risk-taker, but I do think it is important to love your job. Go ahead, take the quiz and see where you end up.

I'm a Talent!

You're a risk-taker, and you follow your passions. You're determined to take on the world and succeed on your own terms. Whether in the arts, science, engineering, business, or politics, you fearlessly express your own vision of the world. You're not afraid of a fight, and you're not afraid to bet your future on your own abilities. If you find a job boring or stifling, you're already preparing your resume. You believe in doing what you love, and you're not willing to settle for an ordinary life.

Talent: 59%
Lifer: 36%
Mandarin: 46%

Take the Talent, Lifer, or Mandarin quiz.


PS. I've been trying to upload pictures the last few days with no success. As soon as I can do that I'll give an update. Also, the Celebration of Carol's Life is today. At the visitation last night, I stood in line for over an hour. She was well-loved and will be sorely missed.

Sad News

Carol went home with Jesus last night. Please help me pray for her family and friends to be comforted in this difficult time.

Happy Birthday Joey!

My big boy is six years old today. I remember like it was yesterday going to the hospital to have him, and here he is almost grown up. Well, getting there anyways. And he is about to lose his first tooth. We're hoping it comes out today so he can remember it that way. We're not having a party, just family over for cake later, but he gets to choose where we eat for lunch and dinner and pick out a toy at Toys R Us. I'm sure that will be an adventure because he is into Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda right now and does not make quick decisions.
So here's to my little man. I hope the growing up slows down soon. I can't even blink or I'll miss it. First grade, handstands, swimming, dodgeball, friends, sleepovers all coming up.

The New Job

Oh man, sorry I haven't been around lately. It's the summer bug. I started my job this week and just getting into doing something new is always stressful. The job itself is pretty easy- I get to play games with a bunch of kids for 4 hours a day. We played dodgeball, capture the flag, foursquare, ships and sailors, kickball, and camoflage in the last two days. I haven't had any specific kids assigned to me yet, but there is one that I think I'll be working with starting tomorrow. He seems like he'll be fun, just a ball of energy.
The boys started swim lessons on Saturday. They both did great, although Joey is a little short for the big pool.
K.. I'm actually at a loss for what else to talk about. We are heading out to Concert in the Park in a bit, so I'll try to think of something to add later.

Like, Stuff

*The boys started gymnastics last night. Ben is in the Little Stars with 5 other girls, which I think is better because he has a better role model. He did really, really well. He listened to his teacher and when he did get distracted and start to wander, he came right back when she called him. Joey is in Boys Sport Readiness with 2 other boys. I am so glad I put him in this. He gets lots of one-on-one, he's already doing new things, he loves it and so far wants to do it forever, and hopefully he can make some friends in the process.
*This morning Ben got screened for preschool. He pretty much refused to do anything for a while, wouldn't separate from me, and even when he started participating he refused to do anything he wasn't sure he could do right. So based on that, he was admitted to Parker Center for the fall. Mostly I am very happy that he got in because I know he needs the extra help and I've faced the reality that I am not providing it. I'm just a little sad that my baby needs extra help and I can't solve it by myself for him. We haven't been able to get him in for the psych eval, so this makes me feel a little better that we are taking steps.
*Last night the whole staff at my school got together to discuss what we are going to do next year. We know now that Carol will not be back, so we can start to figure out who is going to take her place. Some of the ladies who have been there for 25 years or more feel very uncomfortable having someone new or young take over. This really is directed at me since I am the only director-qualified staff right now. The whole situation is just very difficult because no one wants to hurt anyone's feelings, but they also don't want anything to change. I actually don't have hurt feelings over being told that they don't want me to take over. I can step back and see their point, plus I really don't feel prepared for the position. One solution we are talking about is having 2 people be co-directors, but there are issues that go along with that too.
*On the subject of birthdays: I wasn't really going to talk about it on here because I don't want to be like "It's my birthday, please acknowledge!" But tomorrow I will be IN my thirties. Last year when I turned 30 it wasn't a big deal to me. I felt like I was in a good place in my life and doing the things I wanted to do when I was 30. But now I'm going to be IN my thirties. Thirty-one. That's old. And these past two weeks I've been in training for my summer job with mostly 16 to 18 year olds. They are babies. Seriously. Did I act like that? I don't think. Oh man, now I really sound old. But these kids were born when I was in high school. They were born in the 90's. Oh. My. God. I need to stop. No more thinking about it. Goodbye.

Quick

Gotta say real quick that I am lovin my blog list.

And I forgot to talk about Joey's report card: All S's except one P in learning center for listening. I think the librarian gave that to everyone. My smart wonderful boy.

Summer Changes

I just got reprimanded for not updating my blog in a while...sorry. Daddy got home Thursday night, and it has been an adjustment getting used to all of our new schedules. I have been training for my summer job along with stopping by my school job every couple of days to check mail and messages. Joey had his last day of school Friday which was bittersweet. He's getting so big and he really enjoyed Kindergarten. I hope he loves First grade just as much. Daddy started working nights today so we are really messed up on time right now. To me it feels like early afternoon right now even though it is almost 6. We're not really sure what we're going to do for dinner during this time because I don't really like cooking for just the three of us and I don't want him eating fast food every night. Wednesday the boys start their gymnastics classes and Saturday is their first swimm lesson of the season. I noticed the pool was open when i drove by today, so hopefully we'll be able to go soon for a swim (maybe when all these thunderstorms and tornados finally go away).
I just want to briefly talk about my training today. It was crisis prevention and intervention training, and I got some great tips for dealing with situations that I'm sure I will encounter this summer. But...I was a little distracted. The instructor told us from the beginning that she talks really fast and boy does she. She would tell us some thing, then finish with "Know what I mean?" except it came out "knowdmean?". Once I noticed this quirk I also noticed that she said it alot. Like every sentence. At one point I started counting before I decided that would be too obnoxious. But I really had a hard time focusing on what she was telling us because I was waiting for "knowdmean?"
On another topic...I did it again. those of you that have known me for a while know that I am "slow to warm up." I'm shy and I have a hard time starting conversations with people I don't know. Pretty much every job I've had, once I get to know people they tell me that they used to think I was a b**** because I didn't talk to them. Well, I'm not a b*** at least not intentionally but I apparently don't give good first impressions. I thought I was getting better, and I know I'm getting better about confrontations, but one of my coworkers at my school job sat me down today and had a very (brutally) honest conversation with me about how I came off to her in the beginning. She said she eventually figured out that I didn't mean it, but in the meantime she thought I didn't like her. I just wish people would talk to me sooner so I can assure them that my intentions are good, but I'm still working on my communication skills. I need to wear a sign: "beware- personality may appear meaner than true self." It sucks-I know that I have this flaw and I don't seem to be able to fix it. Baby steps. I'm still trying. Also, I am very tender. I know you are saying "Really?" in this really sarcastic voice right now. But really, I feel horrible that this person was offended for that long and I didn't know and I didn't fix it. I'm going to dwell on this for a while now.

So was that a good update? I'm still here, just trying to adjust to lots of changes.

And if you haven't seen Carol's updates: they seem to be getting ready to say good-bye to her. Her whole family is back in town and they have taken her off life support. She is being kept comfortable. It is very sad, but her family is so strong in their faith. They know that she is going to walk with Jesus and she will be waiting for them when they get there. Please still help me pray for strength for the family for these next days and weeks of grief.

Life Continues

In less than 24 hours Daddy wil be home! The last two weeks have gone pretty fast, and it was nice that I had my sister and my MIL to help me out, but I am so ready for Daddy to take back some of the routine. I cannot imagine how single Moms do it. I would very quickly lose my mind without my other half. The bed has also been pretty lonely, and the last few nights I've had a really hard time sleeping. Last night I actually got up at 3 in the morning to pay a bill I realized I had forgotten. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep better tomorrow night.

I got my heart rate monitor the other day and have been using it to work out. The one thing I've learned is that I'm burning way less calories than what I was calculating. That and that fact that I've been hungry all the time lately might account for why I haven't lost any weight in several weeks. I also learned that when I do my cardio, like Jillian or Tae bo, my heart rate goes way higher than my "target heart rate". I actually have to slow down from what I normally can do, but I need to figure out a way to do a longer workout. I think I'm going to try doing a video in the morning and elliptical in the evening to burn more calories. I am not a dieter and I refuse to cut back my intake any more. We'll see.

I get to go to Joey's school tomorrow for "Portfolio Day." He's going to show me what he's been doing all year, I guess. He's pretty excited about it because he said that he and his friends cleaned their room today and made a welcome sign. Then Friday is report card day and his last day. They have an hour on Monday, but it is not mandatory, there is no transportation, and I will be in training, so Friday will be Joey's last day of Kindergarten. Acckk. It's ok, I still have one more baby to go through it. I think it will be more traumatic in 3 years when Ben is done because then there will be no more. I've hemmed and hawed about another baby, but I'm back on the I'm done side. Anyway...I've been really good about giving teacher gifts all year, and of course I don't have anything ready for tomorrow. I'm thinking about making a card with my cricut, and running out for gift cards in the morning. I do appreciate, as a teacher, my gift cards. Yeah, that'll work.

We're still praying hard for Carol. Not too much news today, good or bad.

Ok, now it's 11:30, but here are the cards I made. Pretty cute, I think.

We Need A Miracle

We are not getting good news about Carol. It seems the Doctors think she is going to stay in the almost vegetative state until the other brain tumors kill her. We've been so hopeful despite all the negatives, but the latest update sounds so devastating. I am having a hard time understanding why God is taking such a warm, joyful, faithful servant as Carol. We need her here. Her family needs her here. She has so much left to do. So now we are praying for a miracle. A big one. God, please hear us. Your will be done, but please, please bring her back.

Kids...

Funny stories I have to share before I forget:
Ben just grabbed my measuring tape off the desk (I use it frequently. It has to be out at all times. That half inch I'm going to lose next week is the difference between life and death.) He said " I found your mejister."
"What?"
"The thing to see how high you are."
"But what is it called?"
"A mejister. It mejurs you."
"Oh. A mejister. I understand now."

The other day Ben saw a car that he said looked like his Grandpa's. Joey said Grandpa has a Jeep (he does), and I pointed out that this particular car was a Saturn. One of them asked me why we don't have a car like that. I told them I don't want a Saturn, I want a Mazda. Joey said "yeah, but Daddy wants you to have a Tortoise." Well, yes, Daddy has been pushing a Taurus.

Ok, one more not so funny:
I was just giving myself a pat on the back this afternoon for how well we've done with Daddy gone for two weeks (he gets back Thursday). Then everyone decided to go on a rampage. I spilled the milk gallon all over the floor, Joey waited for me to get it all cleaned and the floor mopped then dumped his plant and dirt from school all over the floor. Ben has been absolutely wild today. He's made Joey cry several times, and he ripped my tablecloth. I must admit that none of that sounds that bad, but I no longer get to praise myself for my patience. There was some "slight" voice raising and a "short" time-out for all of us. Tomorrow is another day.

We're Goin to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo

Yesterday we picked up Ti-ti (she lives right by the Brookfield Zoo) and headed to the zoo for the day. When we went to buy tickets, there was a sign for memberships. For about the price of two visits you could buy a years membership and get free parking, free admission, free tickets to the children's zoo and play zoo, a free guest pass every visit, and discounts on everything else. I decided to go for it, and I know it is going to be so worth it. We won't have to worry about bringing a bunch of extra money every time we go, and we can do just the things we want to without worrying about getting our money's worth.

They had this awesome new area called Stingray Bay. We got to hang out around the edge of a pool and touch stingrays as they swam past. Ben loved it from the beginning, and Joey just had to be convinced that they wouldn't sting him. We stayed for about an hour, and the boys were soaking wet by the time we left, but it was really cool.

This guy was a show-off. He kept popping his head out of the water and then he would slowly swim towards us until we could reach him, then move down to the next visitors.
Here's the coolest part of the day for the grown-ups: We got to watch baby pigs being born! The boys didn't care, but we found it fascinating.

And my personal favorite is always the gorillas. I love to watch their "human" qualities. Another treat for us: we were there when they were being fed. It was funny watching the little ones try to battle it out for a piece of food. And a couple of times a bigger one tried to take the little one's food, but they ran faster. The zookeeper tried to throw a piece right to the biggest gorilla, but he missed and it hit his arm. The look of indignation was just hilarious. For several minutes after that, he would rub his arm and look over to the zookeeper.So if anyone ever wants to go to the zoo, I have guest passes:)

Yay!!

It's here!! My Cricut arrived in the mail today and I have been checking it out. I can see already that I am going to have to spend more money to really enjoy it, but there are a few things I can do right now.

Ben really just liked the packing peanuts that came in the box. I let him play while I opened my new toy.

Unfortunately they are very static-y and it was a big mess to clean up. They were in his clothes, his ears, all over the kitchen. Then he decided to start breaking them into teeny tiny static pieces.
Oy. At least he had fun:)

And here is me playing my pink guitar. (Or trying anyway). Don't ya love it?

Now I'm waiting for some purchases to arrive from Creating Keepakes and from Dick's Sporting Goods (I had a gift card - I got a heart rate monitor and some new crocs.)

Last night and Tuesday night I had some training for my new summer job. I really cannot wait to get started. I am going to be working with inclusion services for the Park District, so basically I get to play with kids outside all day. My kind of job. At training, though, I realized that most people who need a summer Park District job are either just out of high school or still in it. I felt a little old. All of the coordinators are about 20, maybe. And they're guys. And they're goofy. Should be interesting.

OMG

I am a bad, bad girl. I was just playing on ebay and I bought the Cricut Expression!!! (Picture me with my hands over my mouth.) I really didn't intend to spend that much, but it was such a deal! And I was getting really pi$$ed when people outbid me at the last second. So I showed them. Yeah..... Okay. I think I might be done shopping for the next 2 weeks. Or months. Or maybe years. Is it tax time yet? Anybody need anything that they'd like to pay me for?
My pages are going to be real cute now, and I plan to use it at work, too. Oohh, maybe work will pay for it. Hee, hee.
Wow, that was about the most spontaneous thing I've ever done. I think I might be high. Can I send it back? Oh man, I've lost my mind. I can't spend that kind of money.
Wait a minute. Yes I can. It will be worth it. I'll get lots of use out of it. And I'm saving money in so many other ways (like not going to England with my husband).
Well now that I've talked myself into and out of that seven times, I think I'm good. I can't wait til it gets here, though. Woo hoo. I am woman, hear me roar. And then cower. And then roar again. No, I really don't have a split personality. Really.

I Jinxed Myself

So I stayed up pretty late last night which was an invitation for my kid to get sick. Ben woke up twice gasping and grunting with a pretty bad asthma attack. Both times I gave him his inhaler (thank goodness we don't have to do a 15 minute neb treatment anymore), and he was able to calm down enough to get some sleep. I could tell, though, that we would be needing the Dr in the morning. I called his regular Dr hoping we could get in, but no, they said head to immediate care. Fortunately Grandma was still at our house from my late night last night and was able to watch Joey while I took Ben (never, never, never take both boys to the Dr's office). The wait wasn't too bad and Ben was actually fairly subdued for the first while. Once we got into a room he started getting rambunctious, but the Dr came in pretty quick. Asthma attacks are serious enough to get us quick help. He listened and said that one lung was pretty rattly, then checked his ears and asked the $1,000,000 question: "Does he get ear infections often?" Why yes, pretty much every time we do this routine that seems to be a problem. So Ben is now on antibiotics and steroids for the next five days and we had quite a boring day at home today. Although I did organize all my pictures and created one scrap page with my new goodies.
Tomorrow we hope to get out to see Jim Gill. My sister is running a half-marathon in Madison, but I don't think we'll make it up there.

I'm Sleepy but...

It's real late, but I want to let everyone know that Carol now has a caringbridge website. I added the link on the left. The Drs now seem more hopeful that she will wake up. They are keeping her in a "twilight" sleep for the next few days to allow more healing, though.

Also, hubby had his first day in London. He is downloading pictures to snapfish each day. If you'd like to look, click here. Today he ended his email by saying Cheers. Obnoxious. That's ok, I had quite a shopping spree in Chicago tonight, and I have plans for even more shopping in the next few days.

Updates

Carol had a better day yesterday. The numbers that need to come down are coming down, she is responding to pain, and she fluttered her eyes like she was trying to wake up. The family is able to go in the room with her now and talk to her and touch her. (Did I tell you that they had to look at her through a window for 3 days?) Graduation and programs went well. It was crazy how many people came to graduation. We have a pretty big sanctuary and it was overflowing (and HOT). It was a lot of fun, though, especially since I was not responsible.

Today hubby takes off for his trip to England. He's really nervous about his flight over the ocean. I'm starting to feel like I'm really going to miss him. We haven't been apart for this long in the 14 years we've been together. (Yesterday was our 14 year anniversary. Do you think we did anything? Nope, too much going on.) His Uncle has been here the last few days visiting before they leave. Uncle has not really ever been around kids too much, so he is really overwhelmed with the energy level in our house. I just sit back and watch as he tries to corral Ben. Of course the boys love him and so they climb all over him. Today they wanted him to make their breakfast even though I was standing right there.

Tomorrow Grandma is watching the boys so I can go into Chicago with the girls for dinner and shopping. I can't wait. I plan to spend some money while daddy is gone and here is my perfect opportunity.

Ok It's awfully quiet upstairs. I better go tend to the yahoos.

Keep those prayers coming!

Carol has not woken up from her surgery yet. The Doctors do not seem hopeful, but the family maintains their faith. We did a lot of praying in groups today, so God should have heard us. A coworker and I went up to visit the family at the hospital tonight. They are staying in good spirits and being so strong. So just please keep praying. Right now, we are taking it one step at a time: pray for her to wake up. We just need her to wake up and be with us again. Once that happens, we will pray about the next step.

New Pics

I haven't downloaded pictures in a while, so here are some from the last few weeks.


Joey finally learned to pump his legs on the swing, so now he goes out there every day after school to show us his skills. He can stay out there for hours if I let him. (And sometimes I do)

Ben decided he wanted to ride his bike and this is his "outfit." He is such a nut:) He's got his winter hat under his helmet, then a backpack just in case he needs something while he's out there, and of course crocs are the best biking shoes.
We went fishing a few weeks ago and I thought I could get some great pictures of the boys in the grass by the river. Um...no. The sun was too bright, Ben was too busy, there was too much to do to just sit there and pose. So this is the best I could do. Bleh. Maybe next time.

My boss: Last year she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had treatment over the summer and when school started in the fall she was cancer free. Well, Wednesday she got real sick. Dizzy, light-headed, just knew something wasn't right. She went to the Dr and they said inner ear infection. Thurday she was worse, and Friday they had to call an ambulance. By Friday afternoon, we found out that she had 7 brain tumors and that only 2 of them were operable. She had surgery last night on the 2 tumors and they were found to be cancerous. Right now we're waiting to hear what treatment is going to be, and we are trying to maintain hope. Our Pastor announced the news this morning in church, then a song was played for her and we all prayed together. Everyone loves her soooo much and we are so devastated by this news. Even the Pastor was crying when he was talking to us. So please lift Carol and her family up in your prayers often. That is all we can do right now.

Please Pray!

My boss is ill, very ill, and it does not look very good. Please help me pray for her and her family as they go through this difficult time.

Hi There

Sorry I haven't been back since Mother's Day. The rest of the day went fine. Ben only puked the one time and was fine the rest of the day. Kinda wierd but... We ended up going bowling in the afternoon, and then my Mom and sister came over for a bit.
I've been working, working, working on getting the end of the year stuff done for school. I have to do 3 different programs, plus now I offered to do the one for the 4's. I had to print out diplomas for everyone. Pull together their portfolios. Practice the program. Report cards. Clean the room. ...Ok it doesn't sound as bad as it is. I only have the kids for 2 hours twice a week. Makes it real hard to do assessments for 15 kids in that time period.
But the good news is I am done in one week and one day. Then it is off to my cushy summer job, playing outside with kids and no other responsibilities. I cannot wait. The boys are signed up for swimming and gymnastics over the summer. They are very excited about that. We are planning a zoo trip while Daddy is in England, and I also want to take the kids to the Young at Heart Festival. Other than that we won't be doing too much because Joey still has school every afternoon.
One last news note: today I got a comment from a blog "celebrity" Cardiogirl visited and left a comment about puke on Mother's Day. So cool. Sometimes it's scary to realize that there are people I don't know actually reading what I write. Then I look at what I write and wonder why. I'm pretty boring. But thanks for reading and thinking I'm not too boring.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all my friends who are also wonderful mothers. Also to my Mom even though she doesn't read this.

Just need to say that my Mother's Day isn't starting out the best- Ben is throwing up and Daddy can't even be in the room with it or he says he'll throw up too. So I never really had in mind to be cleaning up my kid's puke on Mother's Day, but that's really what being a Mom is all about, right? Doing stuff for your kids when you'd rather be doing just about anything else.

I'll update if the day gets better. I did get nice cards from the boys and from hubby.

The Next Step

I've been struggling with what to write about Ben's Dr appointment yesterday. I feel like we're getting into territory that I might not want to share. But since I started, I'll finish for now. Dr asked me lots of questions about what my concerns are and seemed most concerned about potential violence since he hits and kicks and throws things without concern for consequences. She recommended the Glenwood Testing Center and sent in a referral for me. She said that they will do a thorough evaluation and will not jump straight to ADD or ADHD. Just from what I told her (and the way he was acting in the room with her) she said oppositional defiant disorder, which is what I thought from the books I got at the library. She said that it sounds like we could use some help with behavior modification, and was very careful to make sure that I didn't feel blamed. I still feel guilty, but I'm telling myself that I just need someone who is an expert to teach me how to help Ben control some of his behavior. I even made the comment that I thought I was a good Mom before he came along and she firmly told me that I am a good Mom. She's seen me enough with the kids that she felt comfortable saying that. Then I got a wonderful card in the mail today saying I am a good Mom. (Thanks!) Maybe I can be a good Mom just by having everyone believe in me. I do think that if I wasn't a "good mom," I wouldn't be going through all this trouble to get us help. It does seem like it would be easier to just keep going as we have been. All of our imperfections are going to be under a microscope to figure out what is best and that makes me pretty uncomfortable.
So right now I could really use some good thoughts (prayers if you're the type) to get us to a happier place as a family. Thanks for your support.

Asthma Walk

I have another chance for you to sponsor me. This weekend is the Asthma Walk. With my little ones suffering from asthma, I figured this would be a good cause. And the boys loved the last walk, so they are looking forward to another. I appreciate any donation. My goal is a little smaller this time, since I only have a few days to collect. Thanks.

Oh, the link is to the left (under MY Links) to donate.

Dr Adventures

Well, Ben's appointment has been rescheduled for Thursday- the Dr was out sick today, but we still had lots of Dr excitement today. Joey started saying his tummy hurt while he was eating lunch. He finished eating and went to lay down for a few minutes but had to get ready for school. He was hunched over and moaning waiting for the school bus so I suggested that he probably shouldn't go to school like that. He cried. He didn't want to miss any school. He said he would feel better. Against my better judgement I sent him to school. I came in and called his teacher right away, though, to let her know what was going on. I had planned on going to work for a while but decided to wait an hour and make sure Joey was ok. Sure enough, 20 minutes later the nurse is calling, saying Joey needs to come home. I picked him up and brought him home. Told him to just try laying down for a while and if he's not better soon we would go to the Dr. He tried going potty, but when he couldn't even pull his pants up I decided that we weren't going to take any chances. This child is never sick. If he can't pull his pants up, something is wrong. So I dropped Ben off at Grandma's (very smart, trust me), and we headed to Immediate Care. There were seriously 20 people already waiting in front of us. Oh boy. So we waited patiently to get triaged, Joey moaning the whole time. We watched several people walk in and then right back out to wait again. When it was our turn we got to go straight to a room, because they were concerned about appendicitis. Phew, I'm not being paranoid. Except as soon as the Dr came in, Joey started feeling better. He was goofing off and laughing as he was examined. (Even during the rectal exam. He said "oh, he poked my poop!") They still decided to do many tests: x-ray, blood test, pee test, and even strep test. Nothing showed up so far, and he seems fine now. He just thought we should have a little adventure today, apparently. And, just like every other time something happens, Daddy is in New Jersey.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

Saturday was our all-day genealogy meeting, so not much to report from that. It was the last one until fall, though which is kind of a relief.
Sunday was the March for Babies. It was a perfect day for a walk on the bike path, and Camille's family was able to come and walk as well. Let me tell you, walking 4 miles while lugging a wagon full of rowdy boys is not easy! When we got to the one mile marker I thought there must be some mistake. Surely we had walked at least 3 miles by then. The hardest part was that last mile. My feet hurt, my hips hurt, the boys were getting restless, we somehow got stuck between a big group of teenagers.... but we finished and I was so happy to have done something 1. To help babies in general, and 2. To honor baby Camille.
They fed us hot dogs for lunch and then we headed home so Daddy could do yard work. I tried to get Ben to lay down for a nap while Joey and Daddy were outside, but the only person sleeping was me. At 5 I started making dinner and had Joey come in to wash up. At that point I realized that he had been out in the sun for about 8 hours. By now you know that I am not that diligent Mamma who puts sunscreen on her child every time he goes out. So he is a bit sunburned. But he looks pretty cute with his little red cheeks. (Is it ok to say that?) Part of the reason he stayed out for so long is the new swingset. We got a swing and a set of rings at Menards this week, and he finally learned to pump his legs to make the swing go. He could swing for hours all by himself. And Ben, who I've always thought of as my athletic one, seems to have quite a bit less endurance than his brother. I've been worrying that his little lungs have some damage from all that wheezing he did the first 3 years of his life.
So today I think we;ll head to the park since it is a nice day again, then after Joey goes to school Ben and I will head to the Dr. I have lots of questions and concerns, and hopefully she can address some of them. I have gone back to thinking that the problem is mostly with his parents and needing consistency, but I also don't think it will hurt to get him checked out.
Hubby is headed to New Jersey for work for two days, and I was supposed to have Bunco tomorrow night so it looks like I'll be home alone instead:( Tomorrow and Wednesday we have field trips to the library, Thursday and Friday we get ready for Mother's Day, and then I have only one more week until our end of the year program. I've discovered that the end of the year is very stressful. There is so much to do in such a short period of time. And as soon as we're done with school, Daddy leaves for England for two weeks. I hope everyone is still alive when he gets back!
So I don't really celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but I thought I'd throw it out there just in case.
Happy Monday anyway.

Snippets

Baby Camille has gone to heaven. She stopped fighting at about 3:00 this morning. We are praying for the family during this difficult time.

I am feeling a bit better. Ben has an appt with his regular Dr on Monday to get her opinion and then we'll probably contact the psych. to at least get him evaluated. I also checked out several books from the library about positive discipline and defiant children. I'm hoping to get some good tips from them. So far Ben matches many of the different criteria for defiant children, but does not seem to be ADD or ADHD. He is also really young for any actual diagnosis, but if we make some changes now I'm hoping not to have a "diagnosis."

Tonight is Joey's Fine Arts Fest at school. I love going to see all the great things he does when I'm not around. He's been talking about it all week. They are also hatching chicks in his classroom. He has been talking about that every day and showing me how big they are getting in their eggs.

Guitar is going good. I can tune it myself now (with the digital tuner) and pluck songs really slow. I have learned several chords and every day I am faster at switching. I'm still excited to learn and accomplish this.

That was all the snippets I could come up with from the last couple of days. Hopefully the weather clears up again soon, cause I sure was enjoying that sun.

:(:(:(:(

We just got back from the allergist. Everyone was fine, except that I got a referral to a Psychologist for Ben. He was acting out, wouldn't let her look at him, screamed, hit me, tore the paper off the bed, just really angry. She asked me if he was like that alot. Yes, I said, somethimes it's really hard to get through the day. She asked if it was a discipline problem. I said I used to be a good Mom before I had him. She said (repeatedly) that I need to get him evaluated and helped so he can be a productive member of society when he grows up. My heart is down in my stomach right now. What am I going to do? What if a psychologist doesn't help? What if this just keeps getting worse as he gets older? What is wrong with me? I hate myself when I yell at him, but we are beyond the point of gentle reminders. I feel like I've done everything wrong and it's my fault he acts this way.
So yeah, I'm real sad right now and I have people coming over in a few minutes for a playdate. What do I do when he misbehaves during that?

100th Post

Yesterday was a surprisingly good day after the start we had. I woke up crabby and found out my boys had Pizza Ranch without me Saturday night. Then it was supposed to rain/snow all day and I did not want to be stuck inside the house. Well...it started out sunny, and at noon it was still sunny, so we headed downtown to the Heritage Run. Ti-ti was running the 10k and we registered the boys for the 1/2 mile fun run. It stayed sunny if a little cool. The boys got plenty of running around time, Ti-ti did good in her race, and they loved their race. Joey came in at 5:51 and Ben did 7:24. Ben got a little pooped at the end, but he stuck with it.

Then....we came home and the boys helped Daddy in the yard while I got to shopping by myself. And did I go shopping! It was recommended to me that Kohl's was having great clearance, plus I love that store so I started there. Well, the clearance pants were picked over and there was not one pair my size, but I picked up a couple shirts and then checked out the regular sale. Wow. Some of the stuff was 65% off. So I started grabbing shirts, capris, shorts, .... Went to the fitting room which is not usually very much fun, but it was great! Everything fit- size 14 pants and large shirts, my tummy wasn't hanging out and I actually felt kinda pretty. (Gasp) The only thing I put back was the bermuda shorts. Still not happening. Wish they would go away. THen I went over to shoes since I've been wearing the same tennies for like 2 years. Found a good pair of Nikes for $40 and decided that I had quite a pile and better be done. Yep, $200 on the Kohl's charge. I don't know if that's ever happened. And I didn't get a single thing for anyone else.

So that was my fun day. I see that it is snowing this morning, grrr. We have allergist appointments in a bit and then a playdate. Gotta keep busy so they don't drive me up a wall.

Weekend Plans

This is the last week to sponsor me for the March for Babies. A big thanks to Jacque, Sarah and Heather for sponsoring me, along with my coworkers and some parents at school. I am almost to my second goal and the team is at over $4000. I would love to see us raise $5000. Baby Camille is doing great! She is at home eating, sleeping and pooping like all babies should. We don't know how long her family will have with her, but they are enjoying every minute right now. They celebrate her "birthday" every day at the same time.

Tonight I drive into the 'burbs for a jewelry party at my sis's house. "Why," you say, "when you don't like jewelry or driving?" Because that is what you do for your sister to avoid large guilt trips. I'm sure the weather will be just fine for the drive, and if there is a tornado I know not to try to hide under an overpass after watching Dateline last week. And I'm sure I'll come away with one piece of jewelry that I'll wear for a few weeks before losing it.

If anyone is around early tomorrow, there is a free showing of Horton Hears a Who at Showplace 14 at 9:30. It is sponsored by the church that meets there. Concessions will be open, too. Yum, popcorn for breakfast:)

Tomorrow night is scrap night!!!! I do love getting together with the girls and getting not much done, but laughing lots and sharing stories live rather than over the internet. Can't wait. Poor Daddy gets to put the kids to bed 2 nights in a row. I wonder if he realizes that? Probably not.

Oh, almost forgot. Daddy got a nice pro musician to come over last night to help me tune my guitar. He tuned it in about 3 seconds AND told me that it was not a piece of junk, that it would work just fine for what I'm going to use it for. So now that it is in tune It actually sounds like music when I practice my chords. And I was able to play a very slooooow version of Kumbaya last night. He tells me that it just takes practice to get faster, so we'll see how it's going in a few weeks.

K- off to get my naked kid to put some clothes back on. Hasta Manana. (I don't know how to make that thing over the n. Just imagine it's there.)

Miscellany

Some stories to share:

Saturday night my dear, dear husband came home and said "I bought something for you, against my better judgement." First of all, what is that supposed to mean? Second of all, what did you buy? Because I have a fairly typical male husband who doesn't buy things for other people very often, and when he does he doesn't always get it quite right.
So it turns out he bought me a treadmill, something I never mentioned, asked for, wanted. Oh boy. How to tell him I appreciate the thought while also making it clear that his "judgement" is right and it would just collect dust, leading him to not buy me gifts in the future. "Honey," I said, "I really don't like treadmills. I have been saying for a while that I would like an elliptical machine, not treadmill."
"Well, what's the difference?"
"Um...a lot"
"But I got a really good deal, and it has all these gadgets on it."
"Great. If you want to start working out, go for it."
So he returned the treadmill the next day and happened to know someone who had an elliptical in their basement they wanted to get rid of. I now have a (fairly old, squeaky- but no complaints) elliptical machine. I've been doing that 25 minutes a day on top of my videos, but still no more weight loss to report.

The other day, Joey woke up first and we had to get ready for the dentist so he and I were in his room (that he shares with Ben) going through his old clothes to find shorts. After a few minutes Ben stirred. Joey said "Good morning Benny." Ben said "Bose of you, get out of here so I can get some sleep!!!!!" Apparently he had a long night.

My sister and I went to Blue Man Group Sunday night. It was good, but I didn't get into it as much as I thought I would. Some parts I laughed real hard, and I thought it was really cool how they played music on pvc pipe, but it just didn't have that oomph I expected. My sister reports that the show in Chicago (not the tour) is much better.

Both boys had excellent reports at the dentist. No cavities, although Joey gagged on the toothpaste and she couldn't finish cleaning his teeth. Ben was a wiggle worm. That kid cannot sit still when someone is paying attention to him, just like a puppy.

Speaking of puppies, I finished Marley And Me. It was a good book, but you really have to be a dog lover to get it. A dog lover I am not. Sorry. One of my flaws.

Good Morning!

I just want to say that I have a total of 210 cardio minutes this week and about 3000 calories burned. Do you think I could start losing some more weight?!?!? Nooooo. Still stuck, but not giving up. My tummy is getting slightly less poochy, and I have some muscles in my arms that weren't there before. If only the scale would cooperate. I'd really like to reach my goal by the end of summer and the odds go down every week that I don't lose weight.
Oh well... still plugging away at the guitar this morning. I decided that I am horrible at tuning it and need to get some help there, but I have a couple of chords memorized and the tips of my fingers are very bruised. That's supposed to get better eventually. The kids ask me about every 2.2 seconds if they can play with it. I just keep telling them that after I learn I will teach them. It would be so awesome if my little boys could play guitar.
Baby Camille is still with us. It didn't look good last night, but she pulled through. I think Mommy and Daddy are getting tired from being up 24 hours a day, but they are rejoicing in this time with their daughter.
Oh..so I'm reading this book called Marley And Me. It's about a dog and everyone told me how great it is, but I'm not getting it. Maybe it has something to do with me not really liking dogs, but I don't think I would have lasted a week with that thing. Sorry to all you dog lovers. I am going to keep reading and maybe I'll change my mind. I'll let you know.
K, gotta go wash the sweat off and let the kids get their Mickey D's fix.

The Things My Brain Thinks

I just realized I haven't updated since Monday. So, Camille is doing well. Her family knows that they won't have much time for her so they celebrate every day as a birthday. She is eating and pooping, but she does turn purple every once in a while.
I got my pink guitar today. I fiddled with it and I think I got it pretty well tuned, but my fingers got sore really quick. I'll have to practice a few minutes at a time until they get tougher. When DH found out I was doing this, he said he has always wanted to learn guitar as well, so we are going to try to learn together. He also knows a professional musician who gives lessons (and owes him a favor), so I'm looking forward to that.
I don't know if we'll make it out tonight since hubby has to work til 7, but I'll post sales if we do. Last weeks were crummy so hopefully there will be something good this week.
We actually have no big plans for the weekend, except for Blue Man Group Sunday night, so my big plan is to lay around and try not to spend money- we've been not very successful in that area lately. I have Marley and Me to read and a guitar to play with.
Did anyone feel the earthquake this morning? I was actually disappointed to hear that I missed all the excitement. I just heard about it on the news on the way to work. Probably if I had felt it there would have been some freaking out going on so it's just as well, but....earthquakes are pretty rare around these parts.
I think most people have heard by now, but if you are in the Loves Park/Machesney Park area there is a man driving around in a white pickup truck talking to children and apparently grabbing them if he gets the chance. Watch your babies!

So how was that for random thoughts? I wonder if anyone else can follow where my brain was going? I just typed as I thought, so there you have it.

Some Pics of the Warm Weather

The kids have been lovin' them some warm weather and baseball. The first pics are from last week and the others are from this afternoon.

Apparently the new swingset is only good for hanging on. When I told the boys it was time to go in, Ben said "I just want to go hang around for a foo minutes first."
Ben finally got his haircut today, too. The girl spiked his bangs up a little bit and he is mighty cute, if I do say so myself.
Then he had to cover his handsomeness up with a hat. I guess his ears were getting cold, because he went in for a minute and came out with all the hats in the house. He decided on this one and wore it till we went in.

I forgot to say that Baby Camille is still doing well. She'll actually be going home with Mommy in the next couple of days.

And I have to share this one more Ben story. We went to the local art museum yesterday because they are having the children's art show and some of our friends were there working. When we went to walk around the museum Ben decided it might be a good idea to run from Mommy and climb on a sculpture. Actually that was not such a good idea. The museum lady actually ran across the room to get him before I even realized what was going on. Needless to say, we left after that. Note to self for future: Ben does not belong in an art museum.

Pray

We are in need of as many prayers as possible right now. Baby Camille (see my links) decided not to wait for her scheduled c-section and Kari's water broke this morning. C-section is now at 8:30. I am so nervous for them, I cannot even imagine how they feel. Please pray for a miracle, and for God to give them strength.

Thank-you

Update: Camille is here and breathing. Her family will have some time with her. Hallelujah.

More Change

Guess what I just did? No? Well I'll tell you. I just ordered this. And some books to teach myself to play. I am so excited and can't wait to get started. This is going to come in handy at school, and I will be cool, and I will feel talented if I can actually do it. I'll be happy to put on a show for you anytime.
Why, you wonder? Well, I was at an excellent 2-day Early Childhood Conference this weekend. One of my instructors (Scripture songs for Children) inspired me. She said she taught herself to play at the age of 33 and if she can do it anyone can. She also shared with us that she has Turret's Syndrome and was terrified to get up in front of people, but felt that God was calling her to do just that. SO now she plays guitar and sings in front of hundreds of people and loves it. I guess I saw a little of myself in that story (not the Turret's, just being uncomfortable in front of people and trying new things), so I told myself, "self, playing guitar would be totally awesome. Why don't you give it a try?" And self said, "yep, let's check ebay and amazon and see what kind of investment is needed." Well, turns out less than $100 can get you going. So I'm getting going. I'll let you know how it goes. ;)

Cars and stuff

We've been doing lots of car "browsing" the last week or so and are down to 3 options (I think):
1. A new Mazda5, but only if and when we can get 0% financing. This is my favorite choice now. LOVE the Mazda5. Zoom Zoom.
2 A used Mazda5, but only if we find one with the right options.
3 An Expedition for me and a small sedan for hubby. This involves selling both of our cars but isn't a bad option.
4 (I lied) The Nissan Versa. This used to be my first choice, but then I fell in LOVE with the 5.

Really, it will probably be several months before we decide anything. That's how it works at our house.

Also, our new tv comes today. We'll be able to watch it for a few minutes before both of us go out of town for the weekend, but I'm sure we'll enjoy seeing movies without black lines going through everyone's face.

Yesterday ended up being a beautiful day in between several yucky rainy days. The boys and I played baseball in the back yard for an hour and when Daddy got home we put the swingset together. It was nice having all that time together as a family, but the boys still fought the rest of the evening after we came inside. When will it stop? I know, never.

Stay dry today. Looks like flooding is likely in our neck of the woods. Have a good weekend.

Goals

Today I went to the Library and picked up an old biggest loser workout video to try out. Came home and did it- kinda boring:( The good news is that I've been sticking to working out- at least 4 times a week and sometimes more. The bad news is that I was actually gaining weight for a while there and am just today back down to having lost 10 pounds. I hope to see better results in the next few weeks. I'm setting a goal of another 10 pounds in the next 10 weeks....by June 17th. I can do it. I am the little engine that could.



My clumsy, beat-up Ben fell down the stairs at school today. I was in the other room and heard a thunk and then crying. I ran out and he was face down, sprawled out on the bottom couple steps. I thought for sure that there was going to be more damage to his poor face, but apparently all he hit was his knees. He recovered quickly and was actually a very good boy at school today. I love when that happens- a lot less stress for me.



Also at the library, Steven King's new book Duma Key was on hold for me. I can't wait to curl up on the couch with it. Not too many chores are going to get done in the next few days, darn it. But that is O K.



Well, ran out of stuff. Guess I'll go read for a few before elder son gets home and chaos begins.

Blog Fodder

I actually have a few "blogworthy" things I've been saving up.

The first is my apparently grown-up son Joey. We knew when we had kids that the birds and bees talk would have to happen eventually, but I am so not prepared for it now. Too bad for me. He has been learning about butterflies and life cycle at school, which I am pretty comfortable with since I have taught that myself. He came home and told Daddy that the callerpitter starts out as an egg, then goes to a chrysalis, and turns into a butterfly. Then he asked us "What does that butterfly do after that?" "Dunno, what?"
"The girl butterfly and the boy butterfly get really close and they make a new egg and callerpitter."
Oh boy. Please let this be the end of the conversation. Please don't ask for more details. ...
So, for now, that was the end of it. But when I brought it up to Daddy so we could prepare for the future, he was in complete denial. He says that what Joey knows is the extent of what he should know and we don't need to tell him anything else right now. So what do you think? How much and when do you tell your kids about s.e.x.? I always try to be honest and tell Joey as much as I know when he asks questions (and he asks a lot that I don't know), but should I really tell him where he came from or will that scar him for life. Daddy is very concerned that I am already scarring him by letting him see me in states of undress.

Moving on...Saturday was our genealogy society meeting. We had Tim Honquest (funeral director) talk about his business. It was morbid and at times gross, but fascinating. He told us stuff that we always wanted to ask but were afraid to. Like cremation. Did you know that the "ashes" you get are not really ashes? After the body burns at 1800 degrees for 2 hours, all that is left is the bones. He pushes the bones into a grinder and that is what you get to take home with you. He also told us that the hardest part of his job is not when children die, it is when a husband or wife loses their spouse of 50+ years and has nothing else. That was surprising to me and also very sweet. I hope 50 years from now that there are still those couples around.
One of the horror stories he shared was that just recently here in town someone cremated the wrong body. Can you imagine losing your loved one and then having them cremated before you even get the chance to say good-bye?

Third topic: Yesterday was yet another beautiful day. We were given a swingset from some family and are finally setting it up, despite Daddy's whining and moaning that his yard is going to be all messed up. Uh-huh. 'Cause dog poop doesn't mess it up. And heaven forbid we should mess up the lawn so that the kids have something to occupy them outside once in a while. So I overrode his objections and we will have a swingset.

Ok I think that's all I've saved up. A big thank-you for your donations to the March for Babies. Our team has met it's goal and I think we are going to set a new one, and I am getting close to my personal goal. Until next time...

Adventures

This first picure is just a really good shot I got while the kids were out playing a couple weeks ago. (Before the haircut in the next pic.) We finally got Joey's hair buzzed. I had forgotten how handsome he is with his hair short. (And how scraggly it was long.)
It was such a beautiful day outside yesterday that we had to go ride bikes and run around. It was great, but at one point Ben decided to put his hands in his jacket pockets and run down the sidewalk. I yelled "Don't run with your hands in your pock.." Too late. He biffed face first onto the concrete and this is what he has to show for it. The pictures don't even do justice to the scrapage all over his face. And you know Ben, he cried for about two seconds and wanted to go right back out and play.

Today we have a birthday party for our friends Aiden and Anna. It starts in an hour and we haven't gotten gifts yet and everyone is still in jammies. I guess I shoul get off of this contraption and get something done. Oh wait. This must have been the original weekend for the time change. The computer is an hour ahead all of a sudden. I was kinda wondering where the time went. Well, I still have stuff to do, so... Have a good weekend and enjoy that sun.

Best Friends

I've been thinking a lot lately about best friends. I don't have one and haven't for a long time, but it's really been on my mind just lately. I hear other people talk about their bff that they've known since forever, or the one they just met and clicked with and have been inseparable ever since. I don't have that forever friend simply because of the way we moved around as I was growing up, but I also haven't met that person who I could call my best friend right away. I have friends, but there is not one person I could call up and vent to, or go hang out with on a whim, or laugh with about nothing, or share my secrets with. Does everyone else have that but me? Is there something about me that doesn't let people get close? (If you know the answer, I don't necessarily want to know the truth- truth hurts.) I have noticed that sometimes I meet people who I really enjoy talking to and would like to know better, but then as soon as I get to know them more it's like I stop trying. And it is an effort to be a friend! It is much easier to sit at home with the kids than make that phone call to do something with someone else. Since I went from working with 40-something girls to 9, I've felt even less friend-y. My assistants right now are both twice my age. They don't exactly have the same life issues I do. I guess I need to be able to talk about stuff on a regular basis and I haven't been lately. Except here on my blog. And my blog doesn't talk back.

So ...1/2 hour later and I'm reading over this really depressing post. I'm not going to delete it, but I do realize that life is not that bad. If the best friend department is the only one where I'm not fulfilled in my life, I'm doing pretty good really. I'll just keep trying to be a good friend and eventually it will work out.

This weekend I hope to be doing some car shopping. Wish me luck for finding what I want and not fighting with my husband in the process.

March For Babies

Please note my March for Babies Badge on the left. I am walking 5 miles on May 4th to raise money for the March of Dimes in honor of my friend Kari and her baby Camille. Any donation you can make would be greatly appreciated. This is going to a great cause- helping us have healthy babies. Thanks for your support.

Back Into The Routine

Joey is back to school today and Ben and I go back tomorrow, thank goodness. I am very ready to get back to work and a regular schedule. I have decided that there is no way I can stay home full-time. I need to have something to keep me on track, not to mention at least a small break from my kids once in while. On top of being home last week, my husband went on a fishing trip so it really was just me and the kids for several days straight. Of course he got home yesterday and when he didn't just jump in to help with the kids and give me a break I got aggravated and then we got into a big (BIG) fight out in the garage so the kids didn't hear. I think maybe the whole neighborhood might have heard, though.
So today has been much better. Joey went to school and Ben and I went to give blood. No passing out involved and yummy cookies. I also worked on a Mother's Day album I'm doing with my Live Laugh Love group, and all the laundry is done (though not yet put away). Well, kinda. I have the last load in the "new" dryer my husband brought home yesterday and it is taking forever to dry. That was why I wanted a new dryer but apparently we didn't solve the problem.
And I rode the stationary bike for 35 minutes. I'm not exactly bored with Tae bo, but I've really been struggling to see results lately. I'm hoping that riding the bike in addition to Tae bo will help.
I'm seriously thinking about buying a Cricut soon. I just can't decide if I need the Expression or if the smaller one will do the trick for me. Those cartridges are mighty spendy, too. We'll see.

Lookie What I Can Do

So my sister came into town this week (we see her about twice a year) and we decided to get pictures taken of all of us. We went to a new studio called Portrait Innovations at Cherryvale Mall. For the eight of us we had three girls helping get everone together. They did a good job and they were super patient, but in every picture everyone is looking in a different direction due to the flying stuffed animals. Then when we were looking over the pictures to decide which ones to get, the kids got cra-zy. At one point Ben shoved his little cousin Sam off of a table and head first onto the concrete floor. So we made our choices and hurried out. We let them run off some steam in the play area in the mall and then took Mom out to lunch at Red Robin. Yum.

The exciting news, though, is what I learned to do with the pictures on Photoshop Elements:

The bright ones are cute and all, but doesn't this look much classier? It is soo cool.
This is the first picture I tried it out on. My handsome man.

(BTW I learned this from The Pioneer Woman. She is awesome and she debuted her new website today.)

Try this to brighten up your day. Just click on the blank screen.

Guilty

I am a horrible Easter Bunny! I am also a horrible friend who ruins other kids Easter Bunny beliefs! One more time- I feel horrible about this.
So I was thinking I did really good this year- I bought them toys and books and games to put in their baskets, we decorated eggs, and we went to egg hunts. Saturday night I hid the plastic eggs from the egg hunts and put out their baskets of goodies. Sunday morning I got up and also hid the real eggs. Joey apparently had seen the goodies in a Walmart bag sitting on the computer desk the day before (ok, so I'm not good at hiding things, either). So he was very enthusiastic for the hunt and his gifts, but a little while later he asked THE QUESTION. "Why were my toys already here if the Easter Bunny brought them this morning?" Um..because the Easter Bunny needed my help. "So you got my presents?" No..I just helped the Easter Bunny pick them out because he was busy. "But he still came and hid the eggs, right?" Right. And he still gave you your Easter Baskets. "But you got them." Oh boy.
And them later, Grandma tells the boys the Easter Bunny came to her house, too and left them Easter Baskets. Grr. I really don't like when she does that. I am the only Easter Bunny. Plus that raised more questions. So the Easter Bunny had time to go to Grandmas, but he couldn't get our baskets? I think he decided that Grandma bought his Easter Basket, but that the Bunny still was the one who hid his eggs. I think I am safe for this year, but I better get my game on for next year or it's going to be over.

Oh, and the friend's kids thing. I have a big mouth and started talking about being the Easter Bunny/Santa in front of them. Please, if I ever do that again just kick me. Hard. Or stuff something in my mouth. Or pull out a gun. I'm real sorry.

Bad News, Good News

Well, Daddy did not get the job he has been hoping for and the boys have been praying for every night. We're telling ourselves it was not meant to be and something better is going to come along. For now, though, he has to go on nights for one month out of every three.

The good news is our tv is being replaced with an upgraded model so no more lines on the screen, the accident and insurance mess is behind us, it is almost spring (maybe), we are having lots of fun gettting ready for Easter, we had a nice day off today (all of us), and my sisters and I are getting together this week to get our pictures taken. I just got our school pictures back as well and the pictures of me turned out sooo good. I really don't like having my picture taken and usually pick apart every aspect of it, but I can't find anything wrong with me in these. I don't even have any pimples. Ben's pictures were great, too. Joey on the other hand- apparently Grandma dressed him on picture day and he is wearing black pants and a navy blue shirt. Other than that they look good...

Tomorrow night the Easter Bunny comes. This is as organized as I've been for Easter. The kids dyed and decorated eggs today, we're going to an indoor egg hunt tomorrow (due to the 5 inches of snow we got today), then after scrap night tomorrow night I'll hide the eggs and their non-candy baskets. They got books, super-heroes, a paint your own truck and a family night game. When we were doing the eggs, Joey wanted his to be bright: bright as the sun for yellow, bright as a pumpkin for orange. He also wondered if the "oak" would come out if we dropped them. They don't really eat a lot of eggs, what can I say?

I've been noticing that Ben is really learning about the way the world works. He asks questions about things I haven't even noticed. Tonight when Daddy was chewing at dinner he asked "what's that hard noise in your mouth?" It was crunchy fish. When we watch cartoons he points out that animals don't really talk. He reads books to himself and makes up stories to go with pictures. And he loves to pretend he is a daddy, without kids. You should hear the cute voices he makes when he is pretending to be someone else.

Happy St Patrick's Day

My Open House yesterday was... not cause for suicide? Ok that was a little harsh. In four hours I had 2 people stop by (at the same time). For the other 3 I got to read. The people that did stop by made purchases (one very large) and I did get one outside order, so it really wasn't that bad. Just disappointing for how much time and effort I invested in it. Oh well, I'll just keep plugging away and soon I will be successful. Maybe after the economy stabilizes. Ha ha. Don't care to get into that right now.

The only other thing going on today is that I have been nauseous since about bedtime last night. I have been so lucky this winter that none of us has been sick at all with all the nasty germs all around us, but now I feel kinda crappy. Not enough to throw up, just enough for me to be uncomfortable. All night. And all day. Yech.

It's St Patrick's Day today and I really thought we would start a family tradition around this holiday, but the best we are doing is all wearing green. With Easter in less than a week we are not even talking about it at school. Nope, just trying to explain to 45 3-year olds that Jesus died on the cross and then came back just for us. The whole death part of it is very difficult to explain. Some of the kids are very sad that baby Jesus died and that people were mean to him. By the end of the week I hope to make them understand the happy part of Easter. At this point their parents are probably wondering exactly what we've been talking about. One little girl went home and said Jesus traded wine for money. ??? Lost in translation, there.

Ben is in rare form today. He has made Joey cry several times, threw his lunch away when I wasn't looking so he could eat treats, snuck candy, got ahold of one of my ink pads and inked his face, played 52000 card pickup (except he didn't pick them up), and it is not even 2 o'clock. I am going to take him to Walgreens now and hope he goes to sleep so I can have a little break.

Luck of the Irish to ya.

Sale Alert!!!

I got the Michael's sale paper for next week and I think some of you might like this:
50% off one item Mar 16th only
50% off one item mar 21st only
30% entire purchase Mar 22nd only
Scrapbbok sale all week: Cricut expression 349.99
Xyron 40% off
(Hobby Lobby didn't have anything good.)

Seems like a pretty good sale. I told hubby I wanted the Cricut and he laughed at me! Guess I'll just have to be creative to acquire that lovely item.

Tomorrow I'm going to take the boys to the Lil Kickers open house down the street and hopefully get them into soccer, my sister is coming for a bit, we have an Easter Party at Kidspot, and then maybe the play at Harlem. I would love to see our shining star Stephanie, but I'm not sure who will go with me. Joey usually loves that stuff but he is telling me he doesn't like musicals now. Well.
At dinner tonight Joey decided to write sentences. He wrote "I can rede boi myslf" "I can see you" "Joey neds to tyi his shoos" "You are roog"(wrong) "Dadey is so krabey" "Ben neds to get jrest by his self" (dressed) Come on. Can he be any cuter? It actually makes my heart hurt to see him growing up so fast, but then I listen to him scream at his brother and I move on.
When we were taking Grandma home today, Ben started asking about fishing. "Mommy, we used to have a green boat that Joey and Ben went fishing by themselves, but we had to give it back, but I want it again cause I want to go fishing with Joey by ourselves." I have no idea what he was talking about. I told him I think he was dreaming about that because he and Joey do not go fishing by themselves and they will not for many more years. We had to go back and forth several times before I finally agreed to ask Daddy about it. (Daddy didn't have a clue either. Definitely a dream.)

Gratitude for today: the beautiful warm weather and sunshine, sandals, my genius sons, my hilarious sons, a job I love, books and the library.

Shopping!!!

I did end up going to Kohl's. I got some new shirts, new pants (size 14), new shoes, and a yummy candle. I got some great deals and yes it did make me feel better. (Mostly because the clothes fit so well.) Then we hopped over to Target to get some toiletries. They didn't have my toothbrush, frustrating, so I have to try a new one. Somehow I ended up spending $30 and I don't even really remember what I got. I will give you scrappin girls a scoop- EVERYTHING in the scrap aisle is on clearance. It's already a bit picked over, but I got some paints and saw some other fun stuff. Maybe this means they are going to get some new stuff soon.
Then we came home and I worked out. Rockin Buns yesterday and Rockin Abs today. I am gonna be rockin. I am noticing my stomach getting flatter, but I'm worried that the loose skin won't ever go away. It is not a pretty sight right now. Of course, I'm well aware that the stretch marks are never going away. So a bikini is not really in my future no matter what happens to the loose skin.
The weather is sooo beautiful today (50 degrees and sunny). I was tempted to wear a tank top and sandals. I think the sandals are not going to wait too much longer and that will cheer me up, too. Oh and the capris. But I wonder how many of them will fit? Kohl's had some cute shorts out and on sale but I decided to hold out on those for now. Maybe I can buy 12's by June or so. That would be so awesome as Joey likes to say.

Blehhh

I need some cheering up today. I think it's PMS, but I'm going through the "I can't do anything right and everyone hates me" phase. For some reason I get really paranoid when I'm like this and I start thinking that just because I haven't heard from someone they are angry with me, or if, say, my hostess cancels on me it sends me into a tailspin of "what's wrong with me?" On Sunday, when no one comes to my Open House, I'll really need to convince myself that it is not my fault. I'm already preparing for that, so hopefully I'll get through it.
Tomorrow is also picture day at school and I could not have any more pimples on my face. Even though I'm past 30, I still break out like a teenager at times.
Ok, so I just realized that writing about this stuff doesn't make it go away and isn't really making me feel better. I think I'll go shopping with my 30% off coupon from Kohl's instead. I'll talk about something more cheerful later, like how Joey read "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut" all by himself last night to Daddy. Daddy came down just in awe of his little smart man.

More Once Upon A Family Harrassment

I am having a Once Upon A Family open house this Sunday from 1 to 5 in my house. Please come check out the new products and enter to win prizes. I know some of my readers are my best customers and just need a few more things:) Thanks. Click here and email me if you are interested.

Great Big Fun

We had a great time on our one day "vacation" to the Dells. The kids both loved the water and the slides. We went on the family slide a few times and the lazy river. The last time we went to Magic Waters (a year and a half ago) Ben cried when water got in his face. Now he just laughs. I wish I had a water-proof camera. We didn't get any pictures of the water fun. Friday night after water play we got dressed and went to the arcade. They also had a play land like Sapora only way cooler that the boys loved. AND they had a rock climbing wall. Something I've always wanted to do. Well, dh did it first- apparently he thinks he's the man now that he's lost some wait- then he nagged me until I worked up the nerve to try it. I didn't have the right shoes so I had to borrow some, but they didn't have my size so I had to wear too big shoes to rock-climb. Not a good idea. I got about halfway up and couldn't get good footing because my shoes kept slipping off and one of the footholds was loose. Then I couldn't find a close enough handhold to grab. I held on for a few minutes because I did not want to give up, but I finally had to let go. :( I'm still proud of myself for trying and I'll definitely do that again.
Anyway- we got up Saturday and went to Denny's for breakfast (not my first choice but that's another story), then we came back and checked out before going for one more swim. After we got dressed we went to the arcade and playworld again. I let the boys go into the playworld by themselves and they were fine, except fot at one point I hadn't seen Ben for a while so I climbed up to look for him. When I got to the top, dh pointed him out on the first level, surrounded by four girls he was playing with. A hint of what's to come I imagine. Then we tried to win tickets. I put a coin in one and won 500 tickets! So the boys got to pick out some nice prizes. Daddy helped Joey pick out a whoopi cushion and all Ben wanted was candy, but eventually they got some fun toys and we were on our way. We tried to stop and get a vintage photo taken, but at this point it was afternoon, the boys were hungry and tired, the place was crowded and Joey threw a fit. We got lunch and headed home. The boys slept the whole way home. I'm happy because we all had fun the whole time (only the one minor tantrum) and we weren't gone long enough to feel like I need to recuperate.
Today I did laundry all day and went to the grocery store at 9 pm. I never go that late, and I was a little nervous in the parking lot. Plus there is a whole different type of customer at Walmart at that time of night. Mostly single men buying junk. And apparently that is when they stock because the aisles were crowded with pallets. But it sure was nice shopping by myself for once. Nobody asking me for everything they see, nobody squashing the bread before I can get it home, no tantrums in the store.
So that was my weekend. Hope everyone else had a good one. I hope I can post good news about dh's job soon. He thinks he'll hear early this week.

Guess What We're Doing Today?

My husband came to bed last night (late as usual) and woke me up to tell me that we are going to the Wilderness tonight! I should be packing, but I guess I'll come home on my lunch and do that. How exciting. The kids are going to love it. And Thank goodness hubby finally came through with something cause he was really getting on the LIST. Hmm I wonder if my swimsuit is going to fit? Guess I better go get something done. I'll update when we get back.

Announcement

I just want to announce that I just got home from Walmart where I purchased a couple pairs of clearance jeans in the next size down and they fit! I am a size 14! Not that everyone knew my size before, but it has been a looong time since I've worn a 14. A year ago I was in an 18.

Ok that's all I have to say about that. Hope everyone is having a good day!

Just Call Me Madame President

That's right. I was acting president yesterday at our genealogy society meeting. I had to lead the board meeting and stand up in front of everyone to conduct the regular meeting. I did great. I was a little nervous right before, but once I got up there it was fine. A little fun even. And my husband said I was hot. I don't think I'd go that far, but I am really proud of myself.

The boys have been fairly horrid this weekend. Ben is determined to push every button and Joey has his whiny voice on at all times. We tried to go to Sunday School this morning but Joey threw a fit when we got there so we had to leave. Then he threw a fit that we were leaving. That was fun. Daddy had even tried to come along for once.

I got my car fixed this afternoon by my mechanic husband. We got a check from the insurance company for $1300 and it only cost him $40 to fix it, so hopefully we'll be selling that soon and getting me a new car. I really like this. We'll see, though. We've never had a new, new car. And if it comes down to it I'd rather have the summer off than work for my new car. So maybe just a newer car.

Oh.. the Dr appointment... She suggested at first adding a medication to what I already take, but when I made a face she decided to try switching meds. So I'm transitioning right now and feeling a bit crabby and overwhelmed, but hopefully in the next week or two I'll be back to being a regular person. I've been missing myself. Hope to see her soon. Maybe she'll notice that my body is changing and improving and will be proud of me. I've lost 3 inches off my hips and waist and my pants are getting really baggy. I actually don't like this stage because my baggy pants make me look bigger, but I don't want to buy the next size down because I am quite sure I will be losing at least 2 more sizes. But hopefully it will start going faster now and I can buy new small pants soon.

Off to read bedtime stories and say prayers. (Please pray for Daddy. He has a job interview tomorrow to hopefully get out of the nasty job he is in right now.) After the kids go to bed I have a bunch of reading I want to do. Until next time...Good night.