Guess What I've Been Up To

Painting! Yep, after 8 years of living in a house with all white walls I decided that it was time for a change. So that's what I've been doing the last couple of days when I haven't been working or otherwise occupied. Two walls in the living room are this green and the other two will be a beige along with the hallway. I can't decide if I should leave the trim and doors white or make them beige as well. Opinions requested. After the living room I have the stairwell and my bedroom on the list. The boys would like their room painted too, but it would involve lots of things coming off the walls so we'll see about that one. I don't have energy for the rest of my update, but I want to at least say that I went ice skating yesterday for work and it was fun but excruciating. I have blisters all around my legs because I was wearing ankle socks and the skates rubbed my skin off. Then today I had to work at a swim lesson despite the stinging chlorine on my raw skin. Owie.
The rest of the week is more work, then next week I'll be spending my days at school moving everything from my old room downstairs to my new room upstairs. We've been getting lots of calls the last few days, so hopefully enrollment will pick up now.

Green Acres

So the boys have been watching a lot of Green Acres. Don't ask me why. Ask their Daddy. They like it for some reason and have memorized the theme song. Actually, I kind of like it too. Eva Gabor is pretty hilarious. Now, I don't have speakers on this computer so you'll have to let me know if this is actually working, but is that not the cutest thing ever?

BTW: I won't be uploading too many videos to blogger. This is taking for-ever.

Job News

I've been "promoted" to co-director at my preschool. I put promoted in quotes because I don't really feel like it is a true promotion- when the boss dies and only one other person has qualifications according to DCFS they don't really have a choice. My other half has also only been with the school for a year and isn't technically director qualified, but she is going to school to get her certs so she can help. So, since I didn't really "earn" my title, I'm not really excited like I should be. I'm worried that everyone will be looking for a reason for the other co-director to take over next year because they don't think I'm good enough. She seems to really want it too, and is more willing to fight for it. I am very unwilling to fight for a position of power. That totally goes against my being. I want people to want me because they think I would do a good job, not because they have no other choice.
Also, this year out enrollment is way down. We think it has a lot to do with the economy. When people are looking for something to cut back, preschool seems to be disposable. Especially 3 year old preschool. The good news is that we don't have to hire a new teacher to replace Carol. The bad news is the budget isn't so good right now. We do still have a month to enroll those last minute stragglers, so we're trying to spread the word as much as possible around town.
So wish me luck with my job this year with the parents, students, and my co-workers. I plan to prove to everyone that I can do this and do it well.

Recap

Allow me to recap the last few days. Friday I met the girls at work to write Thank-yous for a couple hours, then headed out to Poplar Grove to scrapbook with a new friend. I had decided to change my albums to 3-ring binders and intended to work on that, but when I opened my new albums I realized that they didn't come with page protectors. Oh well, I just checked out Dede's projects. She has the most awesome scrap room and she is an Uppercase Living consultant so she has lots of words in her house. I had to go home after just a few hours because the boys were coming home from vacation. I stopped for some page protectors on the way home and worked on organizing while I waited. The boys were late, of course. Didn't get home until about 8. We went out for dinner and visited with them for a while then off to bed. Saturday morning was swim lessons. Both are doing simply amazing. Joey is finally putting his head in the water and jumping in the pool by himself. Later I got to watch this little cutie for a couple hours. I don't have little girls at my house very often so had to get the camera out. Saturday night we went to the Riverhawks game (our local baseball team). The stadium is really nice and there are no bad seats, but the boys really didn't get into watching the game. They mostly played around in the seats and annoyed the people araound them. There was a cute little grasshopper to keep us occupied for a few minutes.We did see a few people we knew, and ended up sitting with an old student and coworker toward the end of the game. Sunday we did a whole lot of not much. Went to lunch at Tom and Jerrys, stopped at Menards for paint samples because I've decided to add some color to some of the rooms in my house, watched some episodes of our new favorite Deadwood, read a new book Twilight by Stephanie Meyers. Today I mowed the lawn then we went to the pool to cool off for a bit before Joey had gymnastics. He is also doing great things there.
So that's my fascinating life the past few days. Nothing too exciting, just life as it should be: steady, normal, boring, fun.

Mommy Guilt

Is it just the natural order of things to constantly worry about being "fair" and "equal" with your children when you have more than one? Part of it may be that I had (have) huge issues with how fairly I was treated by my parents. That is a story for another day, but it has left me feeling guilty about how I treat my boys. I know that I am much more physically affectionate with Ben: he sits on my lap, I still carry him sometimes, we exchange lots of kisses... Joey won't sit still when he's on my lap, is obviously too big to carry, and we do kisses but not as frequently. But Joey I think gets more positive verbal affection than Ben. Joe is my laid-back, smart, relatively calm, funny guy. Ben is my high-strung, sometimes angry, really cute funny guy. Sometimes I feel like all I do is complain about Ben's problems and praise Joey when that is not really how life is. Joey can tend to be whiny. Ben cracks me up with how he pronounces things still. They are just so different and have such different needs that I don't think I'll ever be able to treat them "equally." Is that ok? Are they going to grow up and hate each other? Or me? Do they even notice or care?

My Addictions

I have many addictions, and although none of them are dangerous to my health (at least in the traditional sense), they do take up a chunk of my time.


There are the big ones, like scrapbooking and reading. If I don't have a book in hand and another waiting for me I feel lost. And I am constantly shopping for new scrapbook goodies, tools or ideas.


Then there's cereal. I loove cereal. I can eat it for at least two meals a day. And I love getting new cereals. When something new comes out, I am right on top of checking it out. Lately I have been eating Fiber One's Caramel Crunch, Special K Fruit and Berries, Toasted Oatmeal Squares (they have a new Maple and Brown Sugar flavor), and sometimes Kashi Blueberry Morning. Yummy. Now I need to go have a bowl of cereal.


Exercise. This one is wierd, I know, but when I get going I HAVE to exercise everyday or I think about it constantly until I can.


Yummy smells. I can't stand stink. I have a very sensitive nose (ask my husband) and yucky smells drive me bonkers. So I use candles, air fresheners, and fabric refreshers. I love Yankee candles and hate cheap off-brand candles. I like the new Febreeze air fresheners that have two different alternating scents because you can always smell them. I also like to spray my sheets with a scent before bed.


Quiet. Some people like white noise like a fan in the background. Not me. I love complete silence. The dehumidifier in the basement drives me crazy. The clock ticking in the living room when I'm trying to read sometimes puts me right over the edge. And don't get me started on the exhaust fan in the bathroom.


Chocolate. Duh. 'Nuf said.


Learning. This goes along with reading, but I love the thrill of figuring out something new, whether it be a new way to edit pictures, finding a new ancestor, a new child development theory, or just a new big word. I love it. If I felt like I had the time, I think I would go back to school just for fun.


Blogs and blogging. Do I really need to say how awesome it is to keep up with people I love (whether I know them or not) and express myself through writing on a regular basis? Some people think it is impersonal and perhaps egotistical to think people want to read about the boring details of your life, but I like reading the boring details of other peoples lives. And I still have personal connections, this is just another outlet.


Do you have weird addictions? Tell me about them.

Cleanliness

My house is quite possibly the cleanest it has been since we moved in. Today I finally got to the nasty bathroom and got down on my hands and knees to scrub the floor around the toilet. Do you know what it is like to have 3 boys using a toilet? Nasty. Double nasty. And triple nasty. And none of them knows how to clean up after themselves. I also cleaned out the medicine cabinets, the drawers under the sink and the linen closet. On my to-do list yet is mop the kitchen floor and clean out some more closets. Probably won't get those done before the kids get home, but I'm on a roll now so I feel good about the prospects.
Tomorrow I'm meeting my school co-workers to write thank-yous from Carol's memorials. Apparently we have over 250 to write. After that I'm going scrapbooking for a few hours and then the boys will be home. I am missing them a little bit, especially after I talk to them on the phone. They sound so big on the phone. This break was nice, but I'm ready to go back to being a Mom again.

I'm Having Some Time to Myself

Sometimes it is hard to get motivated to blog, but I think I've got it now....
The boys left with Grandma and Grandpa on Sunday afternoon and the biggest thing I've been doing is CLEANING. I'm doing one room a day and really cleaning things that haven't seen the light of day for an embarrassing amount of time. I worked on the kitchen tonight, scrubbed out the sink and behind it, under the toaster oven, everything is off the counter, it looks really good. Sunday was the living room. I bought new slipcovers for the chairs and pretty much just straightened and vacuumed. And washed the windows. Eww. Tomorrow is the bathroom. I hate the bathroom. Can someone come do the bathroom for me? The thing about the bathroom is that even if I scrub it from top to bottom it will be dirty again in just a few days. At least the living room and kitchen are relatively low-maintenance for a while.
Anyway, I also worked yesterday and today. It was traumatic- I had to break up 2 fights. I have never seen such violence from such young children. I think I have the rest of the week off, and Daddy might take a night off so we can do something while the kids are gone. He wants to do stinkin research and I'm really not into that right now. What else do grown-ups without kids do on a day off? We've gotten to where we just have no clue. Plus not a lot of $ to spend right now. But we did go to the 10:45PM movie Sunday night. Hancock. It was ok, but the best thing was just the adventure of going to a movie that late. And I met some girls at Tumbleweeds last night for dinner, enjoying myself without watching the clock for when I should go home.
So I'll let you know what we decide, and hopefully it won't be just to sit around at home all day, although my house is looking pretty spiffy right now...

My New Header

I was playing with scrapblog, which I found from Nitty Gritty's blog, and I made this title for my blog. I actually was trying to do it for a while last night and it kept fighting with me so I had to start over this afternoon. I like it. I'm going to play on there some more when I have some more free time. Check it out.

Rainbow

Caught this tonight between the thunderstorms. I got one pic, but when I started to focus for another it was already gone. The boys were excited but they tell me they've seen one before.

The One With Lots of Links

I worked out last night! With this summer schedule (or lack thereof) I had been having a real hard time finding the right motivation. Before last night it had been almost 2 weeks since my last workout. Bad. Once you stop it's that much harder to get started again. So last night I had an hour before dinner. I plugged in my new Gym In A Box DVD (don't really like it, back to Jillian today), and did a 45 minute cardio routine. It felt so good. Why did I stop?

Also this week all I'm working is swim lessons. I smell so much like a chlorine tablet, even after showering. But the job is cush. Except today when my student didn't take his adderol before class. He was a bit on the wild side.

Friday it's zoo or bust! I bought the membership to Brookfield and I am going to get some use out of it. We have to get back to stingray bay, we didn't see the dolphin show the first time, and I'd like to see the monkeys again. (Hopefully we'll be joined by some friends, too.)

Today we went to see Circus Boy at Sinnissippi Park. The weather was beautiful, but the act wasn't worth writing home about.

Next week the boys are going camping with Grandma all week. Looking forward to the break. I hope I use my time wisely. Self, I say, please try to do something worthwhile with your time next week.

We got the school calendar in the mail the other day. The boys start school on August 20th! It's already coming up fast. Joey will go from 8:15 to 2:40 every day and Ben will go from 11:50 to 2:40 every day. Ben might also go to my school MWF mornings from 9-11. It sounds like a lot, but I think it will be good for him. The problem will be figuring out lunch in between.

I just finished reading Clean and Simple Scrapbooking The Sequel by Cathy Zielske. Yes, I started with the second one, but it happened to be at the library last time. Now I requested a whole bunch of books from the library (free is good) to get some new ideas. I really like Cathy's style and Stacy Julian (I have The Big Picture already). Anything that said Simple Scrapbooks on it, I requested. Now I'll probably overwhelm myself with ideas and projects that I can't get done. I already know that I need to take more pictures of the everyday stuff. And I'm doing more pages about myself, which involves not always being the one behind the camera. I did my page about learning the guitar the other night. Turned out real cute:)

How Many of You Are There?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 1 or fewer people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

A Week of Firsts

I've already written about Joey's first ambulance ride and my first new car in & years, but here are some more firsts we've had the last few days:




First time getting pulled over Yep, 15 years of driving and this was a first. The story: We were exploring the new car, kids sitting in the "trunk", wiping down the leather when Daddy had this brilliant idea of "Why don't we take it out and put some gas in it?" We hadn't registered the car yet because we got the title the night before and this was the holiday, but since we were just going to the gas station we figured no biggie. Daddy even thought we might not need car seats. Fortunately I ix-nayed that idea. Since I hadn't even driven my new car yet, I took the drivers seat and we headed out. Once we got on the road we decided not to go to the closest gas station but to go up 251 to the cheaper gas. First major intersection Joey says "there's the police." I thought nothing of it because they were several cars back. But when we turned onto 173, there she was behind me. She followed me onto 251, then went around for a minute, then pulled back in behind me and there went the lights. She just asked what happened to our registration and after we explained and she checked th VIN she sent us on our way. Thats the story of my first time being pulled over.







First time we got good seats and watched the fireworks uninturrupted It has really become quite a comedy in our house that we are never prepared with a place to watch the fireworks. The last few years we have driven towards downtown and parked on the side of the road then watched them from the car. Last year was the worst. We found a place at Sinnissippi and waited and waited, decided we couldn't see them and started for home only to realize that they hadn't started yet and we missed the whole thing. Well this year I decided not to worry so much. What will be will be. At about 8:30 we headed out and decided to try a cemetery I had heard about across from the park. We got there and parked at the top of a hill. The boys did sparklers for a few minutes, then we pulled out the chairs for the show. It was perfect. There was no one around (perhaps scared of a cemetery after dark) and we had a great view. Joey loved it, Ben ran around. Whatever.



First time at the driving range since having kids I've been begging for this for awhile. I really like hitting balls, but it involves a babysitter to avoid catastrophe (just use your imagination). So when grandma was over yesterday we decided to head out. I actually did pretty well, hitting consistently between 50 and 100 yards. Today though, I am sore. And I have multiple blisters on my hand. But it was fun and I can't wait to go again.



First time eating at Old Chicago For some reason we had never been there before. It was pretty good. The boys liked it.



First time working a 40 hour week in a year Sorry to all the full-time workin mommas, but I've been part time for a year now and really like it. My summer job is kinda crazy though and I ended up working 9 and 10 hour days all week. Next week sounds better- just 2 hours 3 days and 1 full day.



First time attending the Contemporary Service at Church I don't know what it was, but I was very emotional at church and just really appreciated the music we sang. It was beautiful singing with the very small group that was in attendance today.

Happy 4th of July!

There's A New Car In My Garage

I just need to say up front that it is not the car of my dreams (any of them), but it is newer and it is in much better condition than my old car. It is the same car as my old car, though, which also did not thrill me. But we got a good deal, it has a cd changer, leather seats, a third row, no flaws, etc, etc. So...introducing my new gold Mercury Sable Wagon. Woo-hoo.
Ok, the pictures aren't so good. I'll take better ones outside in the daytime later.

And here is what remains of Joey's "adventure". I am still trying to get all the dried blood out of his hair, but the cut only seems to bother him if I touch it or he tries to lay down.

He's Just Fine

Well Sarah really says it all on her blog, but Joey had quite an adventure last night. He had his first ride in an ambulance (mine too) after falling off the bleachers and cracking his head at Jacob's baseball game. I will admit that I completely panicked when I saw the amount of blood coming out of his head and all over his hands. The thing I remember now is that he wasn't even crying that hard. His head didn't hurt so much as the blood freaked him out. He said later that he thought the bench had water on it and he got wet, but when he felt it he saw blood on his hands. And you know I had just gotten done telling them not to play on the top of the bleachers because I was nervous that they would fall and get hurt. Well, he didn't fall off the top, he reassured me several times. He was siting with his knees up to his chest and lost his balance. He only hit his head on the next bleacher (we think). Imagine if it had been the concrete 4 feet down. So that "possible" baseball game turned into quite a crazy night. At least we saw Jacob make a few plays. And thank God Joey wasn't hurt too badly. After we got home and took a bath last night, I decided we should take one more minute and pray our thanks that this incident turned out as well as it did. Makes me extra thankful for their good health every other day of the year.

Phew

I've been playing with my pictures on Photoshop Elements again. I really like how these turned out.

Saturday we had swim lessons, and I worked at the same time. Daddy came to watch and both boys did a great job. As soon as we were done we headed into Chicago for Daddy's brother's High School Graduation party. It was good to see his brothers and sister, but jeez do they have some ornery grandmas. There was lots of avoiding and complaining and I was ready to leave within an hour of arriving. The boys were obliviously playing on the trampoline the whole time we were there. We finally left at about 7, and got home close to 9:15. I realized at Belvidere that I had forgotten my camera. Grrr. So one of those ornery, I mean kind, Grandmas had to bring it to me Sunday. Phew. At least someone else had to drive out here. So when we got home I headed right back out to scrap night. I can count on one hand the number of times I have started my evening after nine o'clock. Used to be I was in bed by then. I'm glad I went even though I didn't bring anything to work on because there were all kinds of birthday presents waiting for me. Thanks girls for all the goodies. I had to take my gift cards yesterday and spend them. I just got some little stuff and some card stock. Also stopped at Kohl's because I was down to one bra that I liked. I hate bra shopping. After my shopping I came home and decided to organize all my scrap stuff. I stole a case with compartments from Daddy's fishing supplies and put all my small embellishments in one place. Then I played a bit with my cricut. I haven't finished a page, but I have lots of ideas swirling around for it. I also played on ebay for a bit (any longer and I'd be broke). I got a new cartridge and some vinyl so I can make stickers for the walls, probably mostly at school for now.

Today I had to work all the way on the other side of town at 7:45 so I had to leave at 7:15. I knew it would be hard to get up this morning because I'm used to sleeping in the last few weeks, so I tried to go to bed at a reasonable hour. And laid there for 2 hours. Then Ben woke up with an asthma attack at 3. Then I was awake at 5. And 6. Part of it was me being nervous because I was starting at a new place. I better get used to it because I am floating all summer. So I got there at 7:45 and got off at 5:15. Long day for a girl who has been working part-time (sorry Jacque). But I really loved working with my participant. He is such a sweetheart, just very delayed speech. Tomorrow and Wednesday I go back there all day. Tonight we're about to head to the library, then (possibly) to watch a baseball game. Tomorrow Daddy is test-driving a car for me. Not the car of my dreams, but managable. I'll give more details if we get it. I'm tired of getting my hopes up and then nothing, so I'm trying not to think about it too much. Look for a new post soon about Daddy and his ummm, craziness.

I'm Bored

The boys went with Grandma to Iowa for today and tomorrow and I hate to say it but I'm bored out of my mind. I worked this morning at school and this afternoon at the Park District, read for a while and watched a Grey's rerun and now I have nothing to do. I want to work out but I'm not feeling it. I should get groceries while I'm by myself, but see previous sentence. So here I am typing blather on my blog. I still can't get pictures to upload, ggrrr. Oh, wait, look at that. I got one. Now let me try some more...
Here's Ben showing off at gymnastics. The skills seem to come naturally, we just have to work on listening and staying on track.

And swim lessons. Same problems. We do call him tadpole when he gets in the big pool, though 'cause that kid can move.Here's Joey at his big boy lessons. He's really tiny and can't reach the bottom, but he is doing really well at trying everything.

Can't get much cuter than that. I remember how cute it was when he first got his teeth, and now it's cute that he is losing them. Mostly he's pretty cute all the time ;)

And here are both my cuties and their cousin Ana climbing in trees at the Father's Day family picnic.

Saturday is Daddy's brother Jeff's graduation party in Chicago, then I'm hoping we get back in time for some scrappin at Sarahs. Sunday I'm thinkin Magic Waters, and we're going to try for a zoo trip this week. Joey really likes the Music in the Park that is every Tuesday and Thursday, so we are going to try to get to those again, and I want to check out Imagination Station on Wednesday.

My Friend Carol

I want to share some things about Carol today. I had been struggling with the why's of the whole situation, but some events in the last couple of days have shown me that the why isn't as important as the Who and Where. Let me explain. Today, rather than attend a funeral, we had a Celebration of Life. It was quite a celebration. We all tried to wear Carol's favorite color of teal or turquoise, there really wasn't alot of crying, and there was a deep message from everyone that Carol lived her life the way we all should try to live up to. Her Faith came first, her family a close second, then all children, but everyone else she met were right up there as well. We had an opportunity to share memories of Carol during the service and the recurring theme was that Carol had helped so many people in tough times just with her lovingness, her faith, and her attention. She greeted everyone with delight, she never had a negative word to say about anyone, she never had a down day, really she was just wonderful. And we are not saying these things because she died. This is how she lived her life, and if I can take just one step towards living my life the way she did I will be a much better person. Her Mother got up to share with us that Carol has been this way from the very beginning, and that after hearing what everyone had to say, she believes that it is ok that God took Carol because she has lived a life more full than most of the rest of us. I agree. She did so much work for Jesus here on earth, I hope she is up there just singing her heart out.
My personal story about how Carol affected my life starts on almost my first day of work. I had been struggling with the transition from my other job and really felt apart from everyone. I was sad and close to crying. When I shared this with Carol (as we were walking down the stairs), she stopped, took my hands and said a prayer for me. I had never had that experience of someone just dropping everything to pray for little old me. I started loving her that day. Then throughout the year when I would walk in her room in the morning, she just lit up. She always seemed so happy to see me and I felt so special and loved. She even made comments that she missed me when we had a long weekend. My heart was full around Carol, and I think everyone who knew her agrees. What I would like to take from the loss of my friend is a commitment to be kinder, friendlier, and more open with the people around me. If just a little bit of her lives on in those of us who are left, it will be worth it.
What I also came to understand is that faith is so very important. Because of their faith, Carol's family is sad but not broken. They know that she is in heaven celebrating with the ones who went before her and that they will see her soon enough. They are able to go with their lives, having babies, getting married, being a teenager, knowing that she is watching over them.
I also want to share a passage from the novel I happened to be reading during all this. I don't think it was a coincidence and this really helped me. It is from The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs:
"I believe that sometimes medical issues just happen-they're not cosmic tests; they're not retribution for all the naughty things you've done over a lifetime," he said. "It's not some moral righting of the universe. It's just something going wonky with the wiring."
"Okay, and..."
"And I think God cries when we're in pain; he cries with us and he supports us. But I also believe he stands back and lets us sort things out. Lets the doctors do their work. Lets your body heal itself."
"And if it doesn't?"
"Then he welcomes you with open arms. God isn't really about the body, you know-he's about the soul."
"So if I pray hard enough I'll get better?"
"No, no, that's not what I mean at all. Praying isn't a form of divine insurance. It's just a way of communicating, just a way of opening your heart."

So I believe that Carol was welcomed to heaven with open arms, and that she lived with a perpetually open heart. (I really enjoyed that book, by the way, you should read it.) I will miss her, but I hope to come away from this experience a better, stronger person.

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.