trying to rise above

Ever had a situation where you have to do the right thing, but it really hurts? Letting the kids have a say in the decision making process - without trying to influence them.

Keeping my game face on.

The outcome is what I expected, but it still means a loss of some time that was important to me. Trying to put that aside because I know that overall - the way they are spending the time away is important too.

Probably more important. So I need to suck it up and deal with it. Go me.

Sleet!

I cannot even believe this. It was 78 degrees here on Friday. Today - we had sleet. Cutoff shorts on Friday, back to sweatpants today. Is this the weather version of PMS or what?



Those little white streaks are sleet. I think it looks more like hail, but the weatherman said it was sleet.



I don't care if it's sleet or hail - I just want it to GO AWAY. I planted flowers over the weekend. I have to cover them up tonight because there is a FROST advisory. It's frickin' APRIL 28! It's not supposed to FROST this late in April!

Kids are back home after a weekend with their father. Conner brought home a container of frogs. Because the swarms of tadpoles we have aren't enough. She didn't bring her phone or medicine home, but she remembered frogs. She already suffers from the family curse of forgetfulness!

Setting up child support payments through the state because I thought it would be better than dealing with the personal handoff - which was awkward and unpleasant. I'm sure things will get better, because I'm an optimist. I wish I was independently wealthy and could afford to put all the payments into savings, but I can't. It stinks when a chunk of your monthly income is missing and according to the state - the payment has been processed. Why hasn't it made it to me yet? No one knows. Maybe I need to call in Scooby Doo and the gang to figure it out. Or maybe my expectations of efficiency are just too high.

What's YOUR tree?

Got an email with this and thought it was fun -

What's Your Tree?

I'm an Elm Tree. Amazingly, the descriptions fit for the kids and for Jim. I don't know about the description for myself. I'm probably one of the best canidates for "What NOT to Wear" but they got the part about a sense of humor right.

Kid politics and drama are the rule today. Trying to stay uninvolved and let them work it out. Just giving general advice like - you are the only person who should choose your friends. If the other kids have problems with each other - then it's up to them to work it out and you need to stay out of it.

And it's my job as a mom to stay out of it and let them learn how to resolve things on their own. I think I better write that on my mirror and keep repeating it to myself.

I shall not interfere. I shall not interfere. I shall not interfere... well, maybe just a little.

birthdays, baseball and jewelry

Today is my brother-in-law's birthday. We called his cell phone this morning and sang the birthday song. I wish I had a blackmail picture to post. I'll have to hit my sister up for that another time. Anyway - Happy Birthday Coach Alewine!

The kids are off out the door. Bike riding with other kids in the 'hood. Five minutes after they were off the bus someone was knocking on the door. I'm glad they have friends and can stay busy and active. Especially because neighbor Amy is having a Silpada party tonight. Jewelry, jewelry, and more jewelry!

Only downside - Jim has baseball games at the same time as the jewelry party. Sorry honey - but sterling silver, alcohol, and girl-time is going to take first priority tonight. I'll promise not to spend too much money, if you promise not to slide into base again. Deal?

Oh - I found this totally awesome website today! I like to read, but I go through books so quickly that it's hard to justify spending the money. It seems like the library never has the books I want, when I want them, so this website is just too awesome for me! Plus - swapping books is equivilant to recycling right???

http://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php

Don't get me wrong - I love the library! The library rocks! I'm just impatient when a new book comes out that I want to read. And I'm not organized enough to put a reserve request on the book as soon as it's available.

How did all these kids end up in the house? So far, I can hear the Playstation, a computer, and the Wii. We have too many electronic things in this house. (but I secretly long for an XBox 360 and the Halo games.)

on the lighter side

Too many serious things going on in life.

Had a friend email this to me and I needed something to distract me, so of course I must share!



For more - check their site at http://improveverywhere.com/

Very fun and very cool.

monday monday

Busy, but relaxing weekend. I had a houseful of kids on Saturday, but they played so good that it was easy. My family stopped by for BBQ chicken Saturday evening and it was yummy. Jim is awesome when it comes to grilling anything! Then after the family left, I called the neighbors to see if they wanted to hang out. We lit a fire in the firepit, sat around and drank too much, talked too much, and had a blast!

Sunday was recovery day and everyone slept late. We had grilled steaks at the neighbor's Sunday evening and got to meet a few more local families. Conner made more friends with the other kids 'up the hill' and spent most of Sunday afternoon and evening playing there. They have a swingset and playhouse so our yard can't compete. Jim is still trying to get grass to grow in some places in our yard, so he's thrilled that the kids are going elsewhere to play for awhile. Have you ever heard of a grass patch? I think it looks like a vacuum cleaner threw up....



I've got flower fever and want to purchase every shrub, tree, and pretty plant that I see. I have to dig my planter pots out of the storage shed and do some math to see what it's going to take to fill them up. Although I guess I should figure out where I'm going to put them first. I already let one tomato plant die - I didn't pay enough attention to the forecast and we got frost one night. Poor little plant.

Oh - remember the frog eggs? They have hatched and are now swimming in a bowl of water by the shed. I thought for sure they would die, but they are happily swimming around. Conner made me promise a trip to a nearby stream or lake to set them free.



And if anyone has suggestions on how to landscape this gateway between us and the neighbors (high traffic area on a hillside) - let me know:





All I can think of is using landscaping bricks to make steps - but then how do I incorporate the existing stuff that is by the tree? I also thought of using large flat rocks and setting them into the hillside for steps, maybe with some groundcover growing around them. If you have ideas - please, please, please let me know. We've slipped and slid enough already this spring and I need to do something soon!

HA - made you sing it!

While we are not a family of gifted vocalists, we still love to sing. I think our random musical outbursts can startle some people, but we've turned it into the MADE YOU SING IT game. It's kinda like the tv show where the person has to finish singing the lyrics to popular songs - except we don't sound that good. (by the way, this is another curse that started with my mom!)

Goes like this - any family member that gets the urge will start to hum or sing a song. Then they stop and...

wait for it...

wait for it...

...within a few seconds, someone else will have to finish the lyrics. I swear it's a cumpulsive thing with us. I don't care if it's a nursery rhyme or something by Papa Roach - we can't help ourselves. Apparently, it's also a condition that is infectious. Jim and Alicia have also fallen victim to our dreaded disease. Secretly, I think they start singing just so they can make fun of our lack of vocal skills as we MUST finish the song!

So let's see how good you are.... can you resist the urge to finish the following lyrics???

1. I got friends in low places, where the whiskey drowns...

2. R-E-S-P-E-C-T...

3. b-b-b-b-b-bad... bad to the....

4. got mud on your face, big disgrace, kickin your can all over the place, singing we will, we will...

5. little ditty, 'bout jack and diane, two american kids growin up in....

6. heard it from a friend who... heard it from a friend who... heard it from another...

7. they come runnin' just as fast as they can coz every girl's crazy....

8. i know what i am and i'm glad i'm a man and so is Lola...

9. you gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away...

10. song, song of the south, sweet potato pie and shut my...

Ok - so #8 is a little more obscure but it's one of those songs that makes me laugh when I hear it. How many did you *sing* as you read it?? Gotcha - and MADE YOU SING IT!

stop GROWING!

They grow up too fast.



Yeah, he needs a haircut (or at least I think so, he disagrees!) Every once in a while, I think I catch a glimpse of what he is going to be like when he's grown. All I can say is - he'll be an awesome catch for a lucky lady. Smart, sensitive, funny, thoughtful and kind. (Although he does have me for a mom so hopefully I won't make him too crazy between now and then!)



Blue eyes, smiles, sunshine and a total tomboy. I hope no one ever breaks her spirit or flair for living. She's the girl that will ride her bike through puddles and mud, while wearing dress up clothes and toting a 'purse' with a pet frog or lizard in it. Her paw-pa did promise to catch a little snake for her sometime. She hasn't forgotten. Guess it's a good thing that snakes don't scare me.

Counting my blessings today and feeling lucky!

get a CLUE!

Remember Professor Plum and Miz Scarlet? I played CLUE tonight with the kids. Way back when - that used to be my favorite game. Well, CLUE and LIFE were my favorite games. If only real life were as easy as the game of LIFE. Real life is messy and complicated and full of major bumps in the road. I'm heading for another one of those bumps tomorrow. Got to practice some deep breathing and positive thinking before bed. Time to turn it over to God and have faith.

I spent about half an hour this evening walking the trail while Conner rode her bike. That was after we spent time kicking the soccer ball in the back yard. I have a couple of great pictures, but I'm too lazy to upload them tonight. Caleb was alternating between playing inside and playing outside. I think he was having PlayStation withdrawals, but then he won both games of CLUE and I think it made things better.

Conner was Ms. Peacock and she was GUILTY in the second game. I've been running around with a horrible Miz Scarlet accent and teasing her. She thinks I'm nuts.

what to do...

Woohoo - the kids are doing better. I don't know if the Flonase is working or if the immune systems are kicking in, but whatever the case, I'm glad. I lost lots of hours of sleep last week, jumping out of bed every time I heard a cough. Yes, I know it was silly but I learned how to worry from my mother. She's an expert.

After not sleeping during the week, I worked a conference and got to lose some more sleep. By Sunday night, I was completely slap happy and I'm sure the staff at Tan-Tar-A were closely watching to make sure I didn't follow through with my comment about doing donuts on the scooter that was in the lobby. It was 12:30 or 1:00 (that's a.m., not p.m.) and the lobby was empty so I didn't think anyone would mind. Then we got the giggles (me and my sis) and I think it was another half hour before I could try to fall asleep.

She sleeps in a very bizarre way. It made me giggle for quite awhile which made her giggle which made me giggle which made her giggle... well, you get the idea. I thought I was weird for sticking a leg out from under the covers but she has me beat by miles and miles.

So anyway, I got home last night and cuddled with my kids, read stories and cuddled more. Today, I planned on catching up on the buckets of email that gathered in my mailbox over the weekend. I slogged through them diligently this morning until lunch time. Then Charter apparently decided that I needed some time off. I figured it was just the outstanding operating system that Microsoft developed and rebooted my computer (for the third time). I still didn't have internet so I checked the cable and phone.... ahhhhhh... nothing at all. So I went to run an errand.

Came home 20 minutes later - no change. Called Charter - "We are aware of the outage and we are working on it." Great. What the heck do you do when there is no cable, no internet, and no phone? Jim had already cleaned house and laundry was done. So I grabbed a book and sat in the sunshine and RELAXED. (and checked the phone every five minutes to see if service was back on.) It came back on around 2:30 or 3:00 so I got back to work.

I have to admit, the unexpected break was probably a good thing. The sunshine time felt great and recharged my batteries - both physically and mentally. But I'm still going to bed early tonight. Just because I can.

allergies or something else

Kids are home again today. Coughing and sniffling. I called the pediatrician and he ordered some Flonase for them. We started that last night. Caleb can actually blow his nose now (although he doesn't like it.) He is still coughing until he gags up mucus, but it seems like it's not as bad now. Conner is coughing too, but I think it's because the drainage tickles her throat. I'm hoping that they will sound a lot better after a few more days on this stuff.

I'm suffering from a severe lack of sleep. Every time I hear one of them coughing, I'm jumping up to check on them. Last night wasn't quite as bad - I got some great sleep between midnight and 4 a.m. We're off to the Lake this weekend, got a conference to work. Jim is keeping the kids and promised to keep them fairly settled down. He will bring them home Sunday so they can go to school on Monday - assuming they are all better. I'll be coming back Monday afternoon and I'll be trying VERY hard not to speed on the way home.

I need a trip to the library. I'm having book withdrawals. I want to read The Last Lecture. And the one by Tolle that was on Oprah's list. So many books, so little time. Thankfully Caleb suffers from the same love of books that I do. It is a really awesome thing to share a book with your kids. We are reading Steal Away Home right now and it has sparked conversations about slavery, the Missouri/Kansas border wars, the Civil War, the Underground Railroad, and all sorts of other topics. We learn things together, and my kids make me feel SMART!!! I want to find some audio books that we can listen to while we are on the road. Yeah - I need a trip to the library.

Hop to it

Conner has been leaving bits of carrots and celery out for the rabbit that we see hopping around in our back yard. Today, he brought a friend along to enjoy the bounty. They had a great time hopping around and playing. At least I hope they were just playing. Then again, Conner would be thrilled if we ended up with a yard full of little baby bunnies.



We are also keeping a close eye on her frog eggs. I know they are growing, but I just don't know when to expect them to really hatch. I'm starting to have visions of tadpoles flopping all over the counter by the frog pond habitat. Not a pretty sight.



Caleb was full of funnies last night. We went to dinner with mom and dad at Red Robin. Caleb loves their shakes, but I told him we would make one at home instead. He was really patient until after he showered, then I asked Jim if he would please make a shake for Caleb. He said yes, and Caleb immediately bounced into the living room with a "You heard the lady, hop to it!" Conner followed up by asking Paw-pa to make her some ice cream with caramel sauce. "NOW!" They get their patience and willingness to wait from my mom.

time flies

Time flies when life gets busy. Caleb's been sick with a cough and Conner had a birthday and we worked our butts off over the weekend.

Caleb went to the doctor Friday and got some antibiotics and cough syrup. He's been coughing until he gags and turns bright red. The cough syrup makes him loopy. He cracks me up.

Conner enjoyed her birthday at her dad's this weekend. I missed her, but I did call and sing to her.

Part of the family came up (the girls) and we went prom dress shopping. Erin picked one of the dresses that I picked out. I felt special.

After shopping for prom, I went home to do some landscaping. Jim and I worked our behinds off. First we had to dig up the yard....



I think it was about a ton and a half of dirt and grass. After digging it up and loading it in the truck - we had to go unload it so that we could get gravel on Sunday. We actually agreed on the gravel without any hand-wringing or discussions, had it loaded into the truck by a super-professional bobcat driver. He managed to dump the gravel in without losing a rock or touching the truck in any way. I was totally impressed!

So we get the gravel, and some plants, and go home - where we get to UNLOAD a ton and a half of gravel. Load, unload, load, unload.... my arms and back were not happy with me. We still aren't completely finished. Jim wants to get a tree and I want some additional plants, but it sure looks better than it did.



I splurged and bought a cherry tomato plant and some creeping phlox for the backyard. Now if we can just figure out a way to landscape around the soggy areas in the backyard and put some 'natural' steps in by the gate to Amy's yard. It's already turned into a slip-n-mudslide.

Best news of the day - Conner's tadpoles still haven't hatched. She wanted to take them to school, but I was afraid the glass jar would break. I'm such a mean mom.

Politics, religion and gas prices

I'm all antsy for the end of the week. I want to see if we can go an entire week without going to the gas station. Last week, after the Last of the Red Hot Rodeo, I worked up a spreadsheet to get an average dollar amount spent on gas. Jim has a truck and I had an SUV. Neither are fuel efficient. We spent, on average, $559 a month on fuel. Makes me want to vomit.

I was reading an article at CNN.com yesterday that was talking about Congress laying into oil executives about profits. What a joke. Congress says "Shame on you" while holding out the other hand for campaign contributions. I could go into a really long rant while jumping up and down on my soapbox, but I won't. To a point - sending economic stimulus checks won't fix the economy and opening more areas of the U.S. to oil-drilling won't prevent higher gas prices.

And just because I needed something to laugh about:



And the classic Beer Song:

Localized flooding may occur

We've been hit with some heavy rains recently and I had to snap some shots of the local parks. Some poor kid was at one of the parks and the water started to rise. He couldn't get the car to start and called his dad for advice. Dad said to leave the car and they would get it today. The Ranger at the park told him it wasn't a good idea, that the water would keep coming up, but they decided not to follow his advice. Ummm, guys? Next time you might want to listen.



And in case you were curious, this is NOT supposed to be a water slide.



On a happier note, Caleb is really excited about the next book report that he has due. He is full of ideas and actually started working on the project already. He was writing the 'script' for his video book report last night. *sigh* Another creative genius...



Conner is still enjoying her birthday presents. She got a cool fanny pack and water bottle from her (and my) Godfather. The fanny pack included binoculars, bandaids, other important stuff, and a KNIFE. Don't mess with the Conner!



Caleb and Conner have both been wanting to learn how to 'cook' lately, which means spending time in the kitchen. The kitchen is not where I belong. I'm dangerous in the kitchen. My mom was the queen of fried bologna and baked hot dogs and I got my culinary skills from her. Let me tell you - I can make a killer frozen pizza! Other than that - ummmm... hot dogs, anyone? (We made brownies last night, from a box, but they are yummy! I didn't even burn them! GO ME!)