Getting ready for some fun

Today we're getting together and having a BLOCK PARTY!

A couple ladies in the neighborhood and I wanted to get together. When the subdivision was still being built, the builder had a couple of block parties. We wanted to keep the tradition alive and get one going.

A couple weeks ago, the Bear and I distributed fliers announcing the event. The Bear helped me put them into the mailboxes.

Neighborhood Block Party

When: Saturday, May 31
Time: 5pm - 7pm

Please bring your main dish, beverages, & blankets/chairs.

Please also bring a dish to share.

Last names A - L: side dish/salad M - Z: dessert

Last night, the ladies and I met up in the cul-de-sac. Our kids all just happened to converge into the cul-de-sac (like normal) and we ironed out some details.

Neighbor#1: Music, hula hoops, and lemonade
Neighbor#2: Jump castle (one of her friends does this for a business), water balloons, portable grill
Me: Water bottles, balloons

We're already got some people that are contributing tables. We're each bringing paper towels and whatever paper plates and plastic utensils we've got in our pantries.

So hopefully a bunch of neighbors show up. Neighbors that we don't know, but will get to know. The kids should have a blast. I can't believe we're going to have a jumping castle! Woohoo! Good time for all!

They're on their way [updated]

The kids are on their way home right now. My SIL is driving the two down. They should arrive around lunchtime. ARGH!

I've got a couple loads of laundry to do. I've got to run to the grocery store and get some things. I've got to clean two bathrooms (the master and the half). I did want to color my hair (THAT isn't going to happen).

Where did the time go? Ah...yes...the relaxing with the Hubs....

In about 3 hours? I'm sure the house will again be its normal lovely mess.

I really did miss the kids....

*************************

I headed out to do errands around 10am.

While I was out, I called the Hubs.

Me: Has your sister called you?
Hubs: No. She hasn't.
Me: So what time is she coming with the kids?
Hubs: Lunchtime.
Me: That doesn't give me a time reference at all. You should call her to find out where she's at so I have an idea when she'll be here. I mean....I'm out doing errands.
Hubs: Okay. I'll call her.

So he hangs up. And calls back 5 minutes later.

Hubs: She didn't pick up. I left her a message.

I go about and do my errands. Drop off paperwork at one place. Pick some items up from another. Then I stop by the carwash to get my vehicle detailed. There was dust all over the place. Crumbs. Actually halves of crackers. LOTS of stuff to vacuum up. I had a nice time at the carwash. I chatted with a few of the other people there...just shooting the breeze. Pleasant. Nice.

I get into my car and start driving towards home. I was going to stop by the grocery store and pick up some food for tomorrow's block party.

[ring-ring]

Me: Hello?
SIL: Grace?
Me: Oh hi.
SIL: We're here. Are you home?
Me: No. I'm not. I'm out doing errands.
SIL: Oh...well...we're here.
Me: Okay.

Ya'll, it was only 11:15am. Is that lunchtime to you?

LIKE I WOULDN'T OPEN THE DOOR TO GREET MY CHILDREN IF I WAS HOME?

Needless to say, I didn't stop by the grocery store like I wanted to. I pulled into the driveway about 10 minutes later. They were camped out next to the front door.

I was cordial. I was friendly. We spoke pleasantly to each other.

Some might say WHY didn't I just wait for them at home. Like I'm going to sit there [excuse the expression] on my ass with a finger up my nose waiting? No. NO. NO!

THIS is the reason why I call my family when I leave our house AND when I'm about an hour out from their house. This gives them an idea of when I started my trip. Then the second call let's them know if I'm either earlier or later than the guess-timated time. THIS way they can continue to go on with their day.

But that's my family. That's what we do. I guess I shouldn't expect my ILs to do the same. This is what drives me BATTY about his side. Absolutely looney-tunes! [shaking head]

Do YOU call your family to let them know the status of where you're at when traveling?

This is the left and this is the right

Dear Man in the Red Truck:

Yes. We're all driving towards the freeway. We're all trying to get on with our day and get things done.

Here I am in the right-hand lane. There you are in the left-hand lane.

You do know that a half block from the freeway, the right lane (MY lane) branches out into two lanes. Two lanes that make a right-hand turn onto the freeway.

I'm sure you know that the left lane (YOUR lane) branches out into three lanes. Two lanes that go straight and one lane that turns left going northbound onto the freeway.

Why oh why must you decide to change into my lane? JUST as my lane branches out into two turn lanes? I'm sitting there singing my heart out with my kids and your truck cuts me off.

But what takes the cake? Is that you start flipping me off.

YES! You decide for some reason that I'm retaliating at you and you flip me off. Not once, but THREE times!

[scratching head]

I guess that my kids would say my singing might be a way of retaliating. But man, what were YOU thinking as you flipped me off? I mean, you couldn't even hear my off-key and loud singing. If anyone should have done any flipping off, it would be me. You're the one who cut me off.

What I do have to say to you is....GET A LIFE! There would be no flipping off if you'd just drive in the right lane. Seriously. It's not that hard.

Regards,

Grace

Getting things together

You might think it's strange but I've started getting things organized. Organized in boxes. In boxes for moving.

Anal much?

Yes. That would be me. Me. Me. ME!

I decided to keep my initial scope small. Hopefully, small AND manageable. Photos and art work.

I've been editing the kids artwork as well. THAT is a hard one. I love their creations. But alas it gets to be SO much. I'm keeping the "best" items. But it's hard to decide sometimes. I had things stacked in a bunch of places. Above the refrigerator. That gap between the cabinets at the top there? Yes. There. Then there's the the spot up the guest bedroom. Then there's the box I had when we moved here. It was fun looking through the stacks. Such adorable pieces of artwork.

Since we've moved into this house I haven't been consistently placing photos into one location. I take digitals now so I rarely have packets of photos like when the Princess was first born. Then there are the yearly class photos. Even the Bear took yearly preschool photos. Then the photos with Santa. I had to gather all those things up and put them in chronological order. I think I found things in at least 4 different places. I some items in a box. I had some items in my nightstand drawer. I had some at my desk. And then up in the guest bedroom. Yeah. Scattered all over the place!

I did end up with tears looking at the photos though. The Princess was SO little. She didn't have much hair until she was 2. But her smile? Oh...her smile. What a lovely smile. The smile along with her nose crinkle. Totally made EVERYONE melt when they would see her. My little peanut....she's now such a big girl. [sigh]

But I'm glad I was able to look through the photos in silence. Relish in them without having to avoid sticky fingers. I love my kids but I don't enjoy the destruction they can do.

I'm sure you're thinking that those little faces COULDN'T cause me heartburn. Uh...they can. Under those big eyes and cute smiles hide a dark side. The dark side that each person in this world possesses. They can try my patience. They can cause exhaustion. But they're mine. They're my children. My kidlings that the Hubs and I made with our love. The two that I love with all my heart.

Hmmm...interesting find this morning...

In the past I’ve mentioned how my ILs contact my husband directly when things come up. I’ve mentioned how they don’t communicate with me directly. Remember when I emailed them about the kids visit and they called the Hubs with updates. They didn’t email everyone back to make sure we all had the information. They were relying on the Hubs to provide me with all the details. Uh….no.

LOOK what I found in my IN-box just now.

Good morning.

Just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed Princess and Bear this past weekend. But believe it of not it was too cold for them to really enjoy the pool.

Before they start school and in between the Y for Princess and swim lessons for Bear, I’d like to give you two different dates for one more weekend. Friday, July 25 or Friday, August 8. I would leave work early to get them and you could come get them on Sunday.

Please check your schedules about which date works best for you. I’m not even sure when they start school in August.

Thanks.

I think that the Hubs actually told my MIL to write this. I don’t think my MIL would send this out on her own. I know her too well. The Hubs knows how much this “he said, she said” method of communication irritates the heck out of me. I have a HUGE inkling that the Hubs is what caused the email to go out.

But I am not responding to this email. I’m going to let the Hubs respond to it. Hopefully we’ll actually be MOVED before the weekends listed. But that is going to need to be something the Hubs informs them about. Not me. I tell my family stuff. He tells his family stuff. It’s just the way it is.

Things to look forward to

I'm already dreaming about things I'll be able to have easy access to when we eventually move.

• Easy access to Hawaiian food (L&L Hawaiian BBQ anyone?)
• Easy access to just baked HOT pandesol (a Filipino roll that is slightly sweet)
• Being close to my Mom's cooking -- yummy!
• Having close access to the beach -- 30 minutes max
• Having close access to the mountains -- may an hour drive?
• Having close access to the desert (like I'm going to want to do THAT after living in Arizona for 12 years...ha!)
• The ability to have the kids spend time with their cousins -- priceless!! -- 30 minutes drive time versus 7 hours
• The ability to have my folks help with my kidlings -- priceless!
• The ability to have lunch with my sisters...just because....
• Being able to spend special days (birthdays/anniversaries/etc) with my family
• Having picnics and gatherings actually DOING stuff (rather than sitting on our behinds watchig tv)

It's going to be stressful to get out there. But MAN there is so much to look forward to. The cost of living is going to jump dramatically but that's why we BOTH have to work. The benefits of moving are priceless. PRICELESS. I'm already fantasizing about our life out there. [sigh]

Guess who knows?!?

I broke down yesterday and let my Mom in on the news. Or should I say...the PLANS.

Me: So when are you going to retire Mom?
Mom: Well....[hesitating]...I can't stay with your Dad 24 hours a day...
Me: Okay. Okay. Here's something to think about. What if you could stay with us for part of the day?
Mom: What do you mean?
Me: The Hubs and I are both sending out resumes for opportunities out there.
Mom: You are? [excitedly]
Me: Yes. We're sending resumes out right now. And since both of us will have to work full-time to be able to live out there, then we were wondering if you could help us out with the kids.
Mom: Oh yeah!
Me: We're planning to move out by September. BEFORE the start of the school year.
Mom: That soon?
Me: We want to be out there before school starts. Since both kids will be in school in the fall, then you could come to our house for part of the day. You'd need to get them from school...
Mom: That sounds like a good plan.
Me: Well, we were hoping that you'd be able to help out. But I wanted to be sure to talk to you about it.
Mom: Good. I'm glad you did. Just let me know when you'll be here.
Me: I will.
Mom: I'm going to tell you Dad.

Anyway...my Mom is excited. I think she's glad that 3 of her 4 girls will be near her. Plus she will love that two more of her grandkids will be close. That she'll be able to watch them grow up. AND she won't be stuck with my Dad all day. Every day. She'll be able to hang out at our place and get away from him. Good plan? We hope it'll happen within the next few months....

Summer, Summer, Summertime...

It might be an old song but it's a catchy one that always gets me going.

We dropped the kids off by 11am this morning. They happily waved bye to us. They were happy to spend 'special time' with their grandparents. I'm happy that they're happy to stay with family.

The Hubs and I had a leisurely lunch together. We meandered the mall for a few hours. We rarely go to the mall. And when we do? We go in and out like we're on a mission. Today we weren't on a mission. I was able to get a great pair of dress shoes. Dressy for me as I normally just wear flip-flops and Keds. I also got three button-down shirts. Work shirts and work shoes. Yes. I'm getting ready for it. Luckily, I had gift cards so I didn't spend ONE DIME on the clothes. Woohoo! That's the BEST shopping ever.

We drove home after that. I was getting drowsy on the drive home. I'm sure the Hubs was feeling weary as well. When we got home? We both crashed. I was out for 2 hours. The Hubs was out for 3.5. Yes. THREE AND A HALF HOURS. And the Hubs won't have any issues falling asleep tonight either. He's just that way. He loves to sleep.

When the kids get back, summer will roll out big out. The Princess will begin her YMCA camp stuff. The Bear will head out to morning swim classes. Our new neighborhood library opens in 2 weeks. It's only 1 mile from our house! It's going to be great to have a HUGE library so close to home. And our local movie theater announced that it's got "KID" movies showing at 10am each weekday. Did I mention that the 10am shows are...[clearing throat]...free? YES! They are showing FREE movies. Halleluia! Thankfully it's every weekday and not just one day per week. This way there's a chance that the place won't be jam-packed.

I'm going to spend some time figuring out "other" things for the kids to do. Hopefully I'll find other little events that'll keep them from being bored. Ah...summer...

Guess what?

I am going to have 6 days of child-free days.

Say what?

Yes. The kids are being shipped off from today until Friday. FRIDAY!

Their bags are packed. They're getting changed out of their jammies right now. They'll spend today through Tuesday at my FIL and MILs house. Then they'll spend the rest of the week with my SIL.

The Hubs and I get to sleep in. Get to make simple meals for two. We get to go out to dinner at an adult restaurant. We are going to an adult movie. Get your mind out of the GUTTER! I am talking about an R-rated movie -- not X! Needless to say, we'll have some of that X action whenever we want this week. [he-he-he...]

What I'm most excited about? Being able to clean the house and have it stay clean for more than 2 hours. HA! Can you believe it?

It's going to be nice. A little vacation from the kids. I know they'll be having a blast. So will we.

Okay...I've been outed

I couldn't help it. I told my sisters that the Hubs and I are actively looking for jobs in town. They were both surprised but are happy about the possibility of us moving out there. When they heard the fast-track plans, they were ecstatic. Fast-track? Yes. Our fast-track plan to move out there before September. ARHHH!!

What's funny is that both my sisters are looking for places for us to move into. My older sister lives up in the north part of the city. My younger sister lives about 40 minutes south and closer to mid-town. If we live close to my older sister, then we can have my kids go to the same school as her kids. If we live close to my younger sister, then she and her hubby and my folks could help out with the kids. My parents live about 15 minutes from my younger sister. When we move, both the Hubs and I will have to work full-time to be able to rent/buy a house. We'll definitely need some help with the kids before/after school.

My sisters have promised that won't talk to my Mom about this. I'm planning on letting her in on the plan sometime this weekend. This way she can decide if she wants to actually retire or not. She's over 65 and she's still working. Yes. She's STILL working. Workaholic? Yeah. She is. I also think she doesn't want to stay home with my Dad all day long. He can be a bit irritating. Okay. He can be VERY irritating and demanding. If we and the kids were out there, then she'd be able to get out to our house and spend time with the kids. It'll give her someplace to get out to every weekday.

But nothing is set in stone. We haven't received any job offers. But now I feel better that my sisters know. It felt good to get them in on the plan. Sisters...mine are the BEST!

A little down as well

Oh people! I've been feeling horrible for the past few days. I haven't been vomiting, but my stomach has been queasy! No. I'm not pregnant. I know that for sure. I must have 'caught' whatever the Bear had. With all that was coming out of that kid, I'm not surprised I did.

I've been so tired. Actually, I'm still tired. I haven't been sleeping well all week. Just last night I heard the Bear CRY out around midnight. That woke me up like a bullet. Took me ages to fall back asleep.

It felt like I'd just fallen asleep when I felt like someone was shaking me. And I wasn't dreaming. The Princess had a bloody nose and needed assistance. I glanced at the clock once I got my eyeglasses on. 2am. TWO in the morning! I escorted her out of our bedroom, closed the door, and went into the hall bathroom. I held her nose in a half dazed state. It wasn't a bad bloody nose though so it didn't take long to clot. I gave her a hug and she happily trotted back upstairs to bed. I'm sure she fell asleep easily. But me? I was warm and couldn't sleep. I ended up getting back up and staying up until about 4am.

It seemed like a blink of an eye when the Hubs' alarm went off. Oh....I wasn't looking for the morning routine. NO! But it turned out good. The kids woke up after the Hubs was ready for the day. He was able to get the kids their breakfast (one oatmeal and one bagel). So while they ate, I took a cool rinse. Ah....that helped me wake up for sure.

It's now 10am. I've done an hour of work. Not too many issues to deal with. It's cold outside -- 65 degrees! Yes. That's summer for many of you. But since it was cool, I took advantage of it and got the kids outside. I didn't want to get them out too late because there's a chance it'll still get hot. It's been up in the 90s-100s the last few days! While the kids played, I pulled weeds, watered & dead-headed our potted flowering plants. I also chatted it up with a couple neighbors. I'm now waiting for a technician to show up to change out our RO water filters.

It's been a busy morning. What are YOU up to?

We're both looking now

The Hubs and I talked over the weekend and we've decided that I should also look for a full-time job in San Diego.

He's got some good prospects going for a new job but we both want to move out there as soon as possible. We want the ball going for both of us so we can make this happen. Whichever one of us finds a new job first then that person will move out there. This person will start the new job, then also find a rental place for us in the school district we want the kids in.

The person who stays here at home will get the house ready for sale. Get it all clean. Super clean. Then we'll get it on the market.

It's a big decision. A big move for us. But we're both anxious to get to where we want to be. So that's why I ended up sending out my resume out to at least 10 places yesterday. Hopefully I'll continue to find potential jobs that I'm qualified for and end up with a good position.

We're hopeful. We'll see what happens.

Still down...but not out

The Bear dealt with the tummy bug quite well yesterday.

He only vomited twice. First thing in the morning. The rest of the day nothing else happened. His tummy didn't feel optimal so he wasn't hungry. But I knew he felt bad. Why? Because around 11:30am the Hubs had a talk with him on the couch.

Hubs: Buddy. How's your tummy?
Bear: Good.
Hubs: How about you go me-mes with Mommy?
Bear: Okay.

Uh...and that was it. No resistance. Nothing. Just an okay. I looked over at the Hubs with a shocked face and got up. The Bear hopped off the couch and went into our bedroom. No complaining. He hopped onto the bed and lay down on the extra pillow. I put his Transformer blanket on him and lay down next to him. He just closed his eyes and played with my hair for only 5 minutes.

Since the Bear had a nap, then we kept the kids up late. When the Bear naps, he has a difficult time sleeping at the regular bedtime. Good plan eh?

Little did the Hubs and I realize that the plan wouldn't quite work out. This morning I heard a shuffling in the kitchen. At 5:30am. Yes. FIVE THIRTY IN THE FREAKING A.M. I walked out and found the Bear. He had a granola bar and was about to unwrap it.

Bear: Mom. I'm REALLY hungry.
Me: Okay buddy. You didn't eat much yesterday so I'm not surprised.

He went over and ate it. I was on the couch trying to see if anything was on. Not 5 minutes later I see him walking over to the half bath and motioning at me.

Bear: Come ON Mom.
Me: Then go into the bathroom buddy. No need to tell me or wait for me.

He proceeds to get sick. Poor little man. He finally got a little something into his tummy and it doesn't sit well. Afterwards, he lay on one side of the couch and I lay on the other. He actually fell asleep. For about 20 minutes. Then he woke up with a cheerful smile. He seemed okay so he went upstairs with a bucket.

About 15 minutes later he came down. He'd had a little more regurge. Into the bucket. Which he left upstairs. So I retrieved it. And had him lay back down on the couch. He was relaxed for a couple minutes before he ran for the bathroom again. It was a full blast this time. Oy! Then he lay on the couch and fell asleep for another little bit.

I heard him wake up. He looked fine once more. Cheerful and wanting a hug. We then heard shuffling from upstairs. The Princess was now up. 8am already? Geesh! I started Enchanted so they both could relax. I got them situated. Then I got on my laptop in the office.

[clink-clink-clink] Someone must be getting a drink.

[cough-cough]

I set off to running. That wasn't a good sound. The Bear was 2 steps from the refrigerator. Getting sick AGAIN! He'd just had a bunch of water (nothing in moderation for this kid of mine) and his tummy couldn't take it. He blew like a gasket. Oh my son! Thankfully he was on the tile. That's all I can say.

Of course, I had to get him and the floor cleaned up. I had to recruit the Prin to get her brother's outfit. I had to take off my jammies as it also had stuff on it. So there I was in our kitchen/family room in my bra and undies wiping down the floor. Yes it was quite a sight. I even had the yellow rubber gloves as I wiped the area with a sponge -- a mix of bleach and water I'd placed in my cleaning bucket.

Now I've got the Bear's thermos with cold water next to him and his little bucket. I've told him to sip water. The Hubs (who is finally awake) has made some toast with a smidgen of butter on it for the Bear. They're all eating in the breakfast nook together. It all sounds good for now. But I know how quickly this can change. Let's hope it all stays good for the rest of the day. It probably will...if my son takes things in moderation. [crossing fingers]

Getting set for summer

Y'all know that I've got the kidlings summer schedule pretty much set. It's not a rigid schedule. It's just activities/classes through the summer to keep them from getting too bored about being home. We have "off" times where we can get together with friends, go to the movies, or just hang out playing.

What I did do yesterday was start getting them ready for summer. I went and purchased a BUNCH of summer clothes. Actually, I should clarify that and say I purchased their summer jammies! Yes. Their summer jams. The Prin and the Bear both have been wearing fleece jammies all winter. The Bear normally wears a footless one-piece zip-up and the Prin normally wears a long-sleeve gown. I bought the Bear short-sleeve shorts jammies and the Prin shortsleeve gowns that should last the entire summer.

I also ended up buying the Bear more shorts and t-shirts. He seriously sweats a bunch so he needs more than his sister. Also, she likes to wear either shorts and a t-shirt or a dress -- depends on where and what she's going to do for the day. I still need to pick up some dresses for the Prin too. Today, I picked up her long velour leggings from the seamstress -- she cut them off and made them into bike shorts. The leggings are SO soft that I'm glad she's going to be able to continue to wear them. I wish I had leggings like them! Of course, I already have their swim stuff since they've been in lessons since....February [YES. FEBRUARY!]

It's supposed to get up to the 100's sometime this coming week. ONE HUNDRED! This morning driving the Prin to school it was already 73. Nice. It's been nice.

Sometimes you just have to GO!

In haze of sleepiness, this morning around 7am I heard....

[pitter-patter]

[stomp-stomp-stomp]

[shuffle-shuffle]

Bear: I VAW-[garble-garble]

I am still basically 3/4 asleep but I knew there was a problem. I was about to move when I heard the Hubs respond.

Hubs: What's you say buddy?
Bear: I VAW-[garble-garble]
Hubs: What's that?
Me: He VOMITED!

The Hubs then bolts out of bed (he hadn't moved a muscle yet) and grabs the Bear who is at our bedroom doorway. He closes the door behind him.

[cough-cough]

Hubs: Buddy. You need to do that in the toilet.

So after hearing this, there's NO WAY I can go back to sleep. I drag my sleep self out of bed and throw on some shorts. I figured the Hubs would have a bit of cleaning to do. I walked upstairs to see what mess (if any) needed to get cleaned up. Thankfully, there was just a little bit on the stairs and just a little on the tile floor downstairs. No biggie.

But people? What didn't my husband understand what the Bear had said. What other word in the English language starting with the letter V would our son be saying to us on a Saturday morning? A word followed by his running down the stairs? On a Saturday morning when he knows not to wake anyone up? It was an emergency. The only word that would be said with a V would be VOMIT! The word doesn't need to be said clearly does it? I mean, the kid had his hand over his mouth trying to not do it again. Oy! My husband!

Please go forth and teach this to your spouses. Please.

Another FIRST for my little guy...

This morning, the Bear had another first.

At 10am we were at.....the movie theater!

We were at our local theater's first showing of "The Chronicles of Narnia -- Prince Caspian".

Around 9:30am we headed out.

Me: Bear? Let's go buddy!
Bear: Why? Now?
Me: Yes. We've got a couple things we need to do.

I parked the car. He kind of looked confused. Our local theater is a HUGE stand-alone structure. You can't tell what it is from the outside. Especially for those who can't read. So we got out of the car and walked up to the ticket area and got in line.

Bear: We're in line?
Me: Yes. We're in line.
Bear: Why?
Me: Because....we're going to watch Narnia. The NEW one!
Bear: We ARE?
Me: Yup. We are. It's going to be your first movie at the theater. Are you excited?
Bear: Yes. Narnia....yeah!

I seriously enjoyed it. I think it was a little long for the Bear, who generally is able to prance around the room here at home when he's watching anything. It was also a bit loud at the onset. I did forewarn him that it would be loud. Took about 20 minutes for him to uncover his ears. Yes. He had his ears covered for quite a while.

But he had fun. I had to take him myself for his first movie. I did that for the Prin. I had to do the same for my little guy.

New Kids...[e-hmm]...New "Men" on the Block

It's only 7am here where I live. I JUST found out that the guys from New Kids are going to be performing on the Today Show. On their outdoor stage.

Did any of you already catch it? I've got to set my VCR (hopefully successfully) to catch the moment. I'm busy trying to get the Prin ready for school, which is always a struggle.

But I didn't know if I was the only one who was not aware of the FIRST LIVE PERFORMANCE of the group since their break-up.

wa-ah-oh-ah-oh....wa-ah-oh-ah-oh....Hanging tough....

For the good of us all

Dear Lady with the rusted out white sedan:

I know you need to get to your destination. But please. Watch where you're going.

It's one thing to make a WIDE right turn. Basically taking up half the other lane, which has oncoming traffic (aka me). I could see you struggling to make that turn ever so slowly like you didn't have any automatic steering on that tub you call a vehicle. Seeing you, I easily avoided you.

To actually make the turn without swerving into my lane you might have removed the cigarette crooked in between your clawlike fingers of your left hand. Yes. Using the full force of that left hand WOULD have helped you navigate your vehicle more effectively. No doubt.

I had no choice in my next move. I had to stop at the intersection where you turned. I had a STOP sign. So you making that left-hand turn into the aisle right behind me was NOT the best choice. Like I said before. I know you had to get to your destination.

As I checked ahead of me to see if it was clear, I happened to glance at my rearview mirror. You'd made your left-hand turn behind me. And there you were. Stuck. With your right wheel against the curb of the planter. It was not a successful or complete turn into the aisle. You were stuck blocking both lanes of traffic. Because you HAD to make it to your destination.

The last thing I saw in my rear-view mirror was you obviously GUNNING your engine because your vehicle lurched up and over the curb. You actually got going. Hooray! So I can only assume you made it to your destination. With your cigarette securely clutched in your left hand. Yes. You made it Wal-Mart safe and sound.

Hope I never see you on the road again.

Grace

She saves it all for me

Today was the Princess' LONG day at school. She stayed for the "afterschool" program. It's only one more hour at school. Not a big deal. But she enjoys it. She's able to kid around with her friends and do other stuff.

I went to the room to get her. I peeked in and she immediately glanced at the door. Her eyes lighted up. She gave a quick wave to her teacher and she danced out of the room. I got the biggest hug ever. We walked over to her classroom so she could grab her backpack.

Me: How was your day honey?
Prin: Good.
Me: Anything interesting?
Prin: Naw. Just the normal routine.

She went into her classroom, grabbed her backpack, and threw it on.

Prin: So, do you have snacks in the car?
Me: No. I don't.

Her demeanor immediately changed. A dark cloud descended upon her. Like lickety-split.

Prin:What? NO snacks?
Me: You still need a snack? We're eating dinner in an hour.
Prin:But I'm SO hungry!
Me: Didn't you pack an adequate afternoon snack?

[silence]

Me: I told you this morning that you were hot lunch and that you needed to pack your snacks. It's not my fault you didn't pack enough. You know how hungry you get.

For the entire ride home she sat with her arms crossed.

Geez louise! She was all sweetness and light one minute and a frowny mess the next. Oh....I can't WAIT until she's a teenager!

Episodes online

I actually set my VCR to tape the interview with Heather on Nightline tonight but I missed it. I missed it! I taped based upon what it said online. Unfortunately, I forgot that what it says online is an hour AFTER the time I need to tape.

But I looked online and found a webcast for it! Yes. That's what I did at 1:45am. No I haven't been up until now. I went to sleep and ended up waking up for no good reason. But the webcast was a good one. MUCH better than the stunted live interview from The Today Show.

What I found interesting watching Heather on the computer in her office. On the computer in her kitchen. On the laptop in her kitchen. How many computers to the Armstrongs have? I know its a real situation in many homes. It was just funny to see it. But I do love all those HUGE flatscreen monitors.

It was nice to finally see an interview longer than 60 seconds. An interview that used various elements of what was taped. No cutting the segments into 5 second snippets.

Anyway, I sometimes mess up on taping shows. My example above is proof of my blunders. We don't have a DVD recorder. We don't have a digital recorder via our cable provider. I rely on my trusty VCR. But it's only trusty when I set it correctly. HA! There is the rub, eh?

So I will watch episodes that I've missed online. Yes. I use my laptop to watch things I've missed. I adore Some channel sites have great quality. Some even have HD! Lost is one of the shows that you can wee in high-def. But even ABC's regular video stream is of a good high quality. Life on NBC and Battlestar Galactica on Sci-Fi also have great quality. But what's funny is that Eureka, which is also on Sci-Fi, doesn't have the same quality. Such inconsistency from one site.

But I'm seriously so glad that there are a bunch of shows available to watch online. So when it's slow when I'm working then I can open up a website and start an episode I haven't seen. I just started doing but it's SUCH a nice option.

Now do you watch shows online? Any favorites that might be out of the ordinary?

Hoping to find a new opportunity

The Princess is practically finished with second grade. Next Tuesday is her last day in the classroom. On Wednesday, the school will attend their annual pool party at one of the local park pools. Parents have a choice of letting their kids attend or not.

And now that the the Prin school year is coming to a close, the Hubs is actively looking for a new job. In the city where my parents live. Yes. Seriously. He's willing to move. Over 300 miles away.

He's been sending his resume out for just a couple weeks now. There's one place that's called him but he hasn't spoken to them directly yet. We're hopeful that he'll find something in the next couple of months.

I mean now is the ideal time for him to find a new job. There won't be any school until August for the kids. So we'll be pretty free to move. I mean, my two part-time jobs are from home. LOVE THE INTERNET! So I'm not tied to any location. Just as long as I've got a reliable high-speed internet connection then I can get my work done.

So the first obstacle is the job search. We want the Hubs to have a job BEFORE we move. Anyone know a company looking for a Financial Analyst? Anyone? Anyone?

I may keep both of my part-time jobs but then again I may be "forced" to find a job outside the house. My current part-time jobs pay me part-time pay. A lot less monthly income than what I received from my full-time work-from-home job. It all really depends on what the Hubs finds. But I've been a senior accountant, a general accountant, a technical recruiter, and a project manager for acctg software installs -- lots of Excel, Word, Oracle AP & GL experience as well. I've digressed into too many details...sorry.

The next stepping stone would be us selling this house. Our beautiful house. We've lived here over 3 years and we love the place. We love our neighborhood. We love our neighbors. I'll miss this house if and when we ever move. I think someone will fall in love with house once we put it on the market. And yet I'm still nervous at the potential of putting the house on the market in this day and age. In the current state of the housing market. It just makes me nervous. Wouldn't YOU be nervous to put your house on the market now? Argh!

But it would be so cool if the Hubs was offered a job in the next couple of weeks. We'd put our house on the market [nervous laugh] and we'd try to live with my folks for free for a little bit. Then we'd rent a small place. After about a year we'll look into buying a place. We don't want to be forced to buy something right off the bat. I hate being pressured about that. I want to look in a leisurely manner. As leisurely as we can. I adore looking at houses. I enjoy trying to picture how a place will work for us. Try to imagine how we'd change things. Yes. I find that fun.

But that's the big plan right now. Do you have any big summer plans?

Mother's Day today?

Today was Mother's Day. A quiet day in our house. I got to sleep in today. And I slept in yesterday as well. Woohoo!

The kids and the Hubs gave me my gift after breakfast. A breakfast that the Hubs put together. The Prin helped the Bear decorate a card for me. It's so cute how he draws people. He drew a picture of the two of us -- just my Bear and me. Too cute. The Prin put together a more elaborate hand-made card. She loves doing art stuff. I treasure the cards they make me!

But we actually celebrated the event last night. We went out to dinner. There was NO way I was going out for breakfast today. It's always SO busy on Mother's Day. I wasn't going to get up early and mess with crowds. No way. No how. That would get me all riled up. We went out to the Macaroni Grill near the mall. We've only gone there a couple times in the 4 years we've lived here, so it was a nice change.

The kids loved the fact that they could color on the table -- since it's covered with big white art paper. I also had a bunch of colored paper and stickers and twist-up crayons in my bag. The Prin and I played hang-man while we waited for our table. The Bear put stickers on his own paper. Of course, the Bear also chatted with the senior citizen couple that was sitting next to us in the waiting area. Actually, the Hubs and the Bear got up off the bench so this couple could sit down. So the Bear felt it was okay to chat with the couple. He was talking about his stickers before he put them on the paper on my lap. It was nice to see the Bear speak kindly to these folks. I'm glad he was able to put a smile on their faces.

Anyway, we had a nice dinner. The kids had typical restaurant food -- mac&cheese and pizza. The Hubs and I were able to order stuff we don't normally get -- chicken & eggplant parmagiana. YUM! I actually had the house chardonnay. And I ended up getting tipsy. Yup! Me. They leave the huge bottle of wine at the table on the honor system. So I was in control of how much wine I drank. I did indulge. No wonder I slept in today. [he-he-he] It was a good time for all.



But I did observe something strange. Well, strange to me. There were couples in the waiting area of the restaurant in formal attire. Some local high school was having PROM last night. And they were eating dinner at Macaroni Grill. Huh? I know that if I was going to prom that I would KILL my date if he brought me to a chain restaurant. KILL! You know how much work and anguish it takes to select a prom dress? And getting ready? Talk about stress. Geez! But there were at least 8 couples at the restaurant. I just had to shake my head. It was kind of like when we lived in San Diego and we saw limos drive up to the Home Town Buffet. A buffet place! In a formal dress? Uh...not the best scenario. There are nice restaurants in the city. Acacia. Ventana Room. Bistro Zin. Soleil. Actual RESTAURANTS.

Where did you eat for your prom? A local chain? A fancy-shmancy restaurant?

Revised landscaping

The Bear and I went and purchased more flowers for our front yard. Lantana.

The Hubs and I don't particularly enjoy the look of lantana....but the bunnies that live in our neighborhood definitely do not like to eat it.

Special Features: The green fruits can be poisonous and the sharp prickles and hairy leaves produce allergic reactions in many people. Lantana has also been known to cause substantial changes in soil chemistry and structure, effecting native plant growth.

That was a little blurb I found online about lantana. The bunnies probably don't eat the lantana that's all over the public areas in our neighborhood because of the allergic reaction that's possible. Ahhh....

The bunnies certainly DID enjoy eating our daisy-ish flower plants. This morning? The bunnies were SO pissed that they tore the plants out of the ground. The plants were eaten all the way down to the nub. SERIOUSLY! No leaves or flowers left. Just some stumps jutting out through the soil cluster. Down to the nub....

Like I said the Bear and I headed out to the local home improvement store and got some lantana. They only had the only yellow OR the yellow/orange mix flowering lantana. No purple! DANG IT! But we purchased 3 six-inch pots that had 2 plants each. So I ended up separating the plants out and got put them into 6 separate locations. Locations that previously had our daisies. Ho-hum.

I wonder what the Hubs will say when he gets home this afternoon. I wonder if he'll even notice? I'm sure he'll notice over the weekend as we tend to play out front with the kids. But I wonder if he'll see the change as he drives in? We'll see!

We've been attacked once more

My flowers...my flowers!

Those darn bunny rabbits have been ravaging my daisies again. I don't know what strain of daisy we've got but it seems to be a favorite of the bunnies in our neighborhood. We recently noticed that the buds were being bitten off. They were separated right under the flower bud. Each morning we'd see buds all on the rocks around each plant.

Thankfully I do have some plants in a couple pots. THESE daisies are safe. I've been watering them daily and putting the plants up on a ledge before the sun sets each day. So those bunnies CANNOT reach these particular daisies.

I think the Hubs and I are going to have to relent and buy some lantana. The bunnies don't eat the lantana. And the lantana are hardy, desert plants so they should flourish with no problem. I mean, the public areas in our neighborhood have lantana flowering abundantly.

I'm pretty crushed about the realization that we won't be able to grow the daisies in the yard. Only in the elevated potted planters. [sigh] It's very disappointing.

No wonder she left tv

I just finished watching the little blurp on The Today Show on Mommy bloggers.

I loved seeing the interview that they taped at a few weeks ago with Jill , Kristen & Mir. I so enjoyed the way that Janet spoke to the ladies. Respectful. Engaging. Fun. It was a good interview. It was nice to watch.

However, I must say that I HATED the live interview with Heather. I had no issues with Heather, who was very much herself. Thoughtful. Open. Well-spoken. Of course, I was waiting for Heather to bring on a zinger or two. But she restrained herself and was a great guest.

My issue is with Kathie Lee. [bleah] She really came across as judgmental and annoying. Her awkward behavior made the interview end on a strange note. Seriously. How can the Today Show keep her on? One day. One week. That is fine with me. But HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN? It feels like FOREVER! Seriously y'all. She really grates me. And I'm sure I'm not the only one whose nerves she gets on.

It made me feel young

We ventured out as a family to go grocery shopping on Sunday morning.

The Hubs was pushing the cart with the kids hanging on the sides about 100 feet ahead of me. I had lagged behind to check out some label information. We were at the back part of the store walking along the length of the back towards the cold section.

It was a slow Sunday morning, so I just grabbed whatever comfy clothes were handy and put on some tinted moisturizer and lipgloss. Off we went!

As I walked casually along to catch up with the Hubs and kids I passed by a couple of boys. Must of been teenagers. Probably seniors in high school by the size of them.

First boy: Did you see that girl?
Second boy: Yeah. Why?
First boy: She was wearing that ASU shirt. Can you believe it? Here!
Second boy: She was?

I was out of earshot so I couldn't hear the rest of the conversation. But y'all? They were talking about me. ME! The one kid called me a girl. A GIRL! HA! If he only knew how old I was. WAY over the legal drinking age. But I seriously found that with that one sentence, I was young once more. Not a Mom. Not a wife. A girl...

Surgery Aftermath

It's all over.

Thankfully, the Bear was at the daycare today. It's 4:15pm and the Bear went to swim lessons with the Hubs. The Hubs actually was able to watch the Bear at lessons...WAHOO! The kid is a character naturally. At swim lessons? His gregarious personality comes out even more. He's animated but listens intently to his instructor. I'm glad the Hubs picked the Bear up from the daycare and brought him to lessons. SO GLAD!

As of now, the Princess is awake. She's still shaking off the anesthesia. On the drive home, I had to hold the Prin's head up. She was SO groggy. I am so glad that the Hubs was able to take the day off and drive. There was NO way I'd be able to get the Prin home alone. She threw up about a mile from our house. Just once. And when we got home? We put the Prin down on the couch. She slept for about 2 hours. She's gotten sick at least 4 times since she woke up. That's fine. Everytime she does get sick she feels fantastic. Then she gets another wave of nausea. But that's the way it goes. To get all the sleepy stuff out of her system and the stuff she accidentally swallowed during the procedure.

She's now watching Animal Planet and she's content. NOT EVEN INTERESTED in any food. Which is good because she was still vomiting until just about 20 minutes ago. But she's fine. Just not so pleasant to be around when she's feeling nauseous.

Help me vomit Mommy! Rub my back!

Yes. That's me. The one who holds her hair and rubs her back. But at least it's all over now.

Another sign of disrespect

I'm all riled up again about my MIL.

Sometimes I let things go immediately because I assume in my mind that it's some kind of natural slip-up. You know? But other times I can tell its an intentional snub.

About a month ago, I sent out emails to my MIL, FIL, and SIL to organize the week that the kids would be spending up with them. I made sure to get it organized in advance and in writing so that there would be no confusion. If I let the Hubs organize it, then I wouldn't know what day or time the kids would be leaving or coming back. He's like that with plans.

Hubs: Babe. I've got it all here. [points to his head]

That's fine and dandy, but how am I supposed to know about the plans and get things organized?

On Saturday, I ran into one of my neighbors "P" that I hadn't seen in ages. "P" and I talked for a bit. I mentioned how another neighbor and I had talked recently about the possibility of a neighborhood block party. So "P" and I broke out our cell calendars and figured out a date. We decided on an end of school / beginning of summer would be the best time since it wouldn't be too hot.

My task was to create fliers to distribute through the neighborhood. When I got home I took out my dayplanner and then realized the date we'd decided upon was the Sunday of Memorial weekend. A neighborhood block party on that Sunday? Not the best since a lot of people travel that weekend. So I sent her an email and she thought the next Saturday would be a good day. That would be May 31.

Fine right?

No. Not for us. The kids would be up with my ILs still. The plan was that my SIL would pick the kids up Tues, May 27, (Tues) and have them until Fri, May 30. She'd drive them to my IL who'd have them until Sun, Jun 1.

I decided to email my MIL, SIL, and FIL on Sunday afternoon to let them know of this new development -- the block party. That I wanted to modify the visit plans. That we would drive up and drop the kids on Sat, May 24, so they'd be able to have the kids for Memorial Weekend. Then my SIL would take them from Tue - Fri and drive them back home.

I had to get the discussion out there. On Sunday morning, my MIL was on the Hubs phone talking with the kids. I told the Hubs to mention the date changes to his mother but he waved me off. [grrr...] So I emailed them on Sunday afternoon.

It's now Tuesday morning. And I haven't received any emails from my MIL, FIL or SIL.

Apparently, my MIL called the Hubs yesterday at work and told him the new dates would be fine.

Huh?

What?

Now why did she call the Hubs to verbally tell him this? Why didn't she REPLY ALL to the email to ensure that we all got the message? That would have been a streamlined way to get the message out. Instead she calls the Hubs. Who would then have to tell me.

Irk anyone else? You know she gets under my skin. It's amazingly irritating when she does things like this. If someone emails you, don't you email a response back to them???

[bleah] Okay. I'll try to shake off my irritation now.

The Day-Before Anticipation

In another hour and a half we'll be waking up the Princess so that she can eat another snack. You see, tomorrow is her surgery. The appointment is at 11:45am. Yeah. And she'll be going under anesthesia and she is NOT ALLOWED TO EAT anything before her appointment. Yes. They do realize she is SEVEN years old. But it's the rules with anesthesia. I'm sure she won't be a happy camper by the time her appointment rolls around. That is why we're going to wake her to have a bowl of cereal or something to help ease the hunger pains that'll come tomorrow. I can only load her up on clear fluids in the morning. No dairy. Zip. Nada. So it'll be interesting to say the least. Hopefully she'll just sleep the rest of the day away tomorrow. I don't want any drama.

Oh yeah....the Bear is being dropped off at his old preschool for the day. We aren't allowed to bring him to the appointment because BOTH adults are supposed to monitor the anesthetized child. The Hubs will drive and I'll be holding the Princess' head (along with a ziploc bag just in case).

So that'll be my day tomorrow. What's your day look like?

Minor surgery this week

The Princess is going to have some minor surgery this week. On her mouth.

Remember that she has an extra front baby tooth? An extra top baby tooth at the VERY front of her mouth. On the right side of her mouth, her baby tooth is gone and the adult tooth has now fully come down. On the left? That original baby tooth is still there. It's loose but taking WAY too long to come out. The dentist wants to pull that one out and then get the extra one out as well. This way that 2nd front adult tooth can come down.

So the Princess will go in for the tooth extraction on Tuesday. And she'll be having her first experience with anesthesia. Yes. They are going to put her OUT. I mean, they're going to have to pull out the one tooth and then [gulp] dig for that 2nd tooth. What sucks is that she won't be able to eat Tuesday morning. She'll only be allowed to have clear fluids. No milk or dairy products. No citrus (acidity). Ugh...

Both the Hubs and myself will be at the dentist for this. He'll drive and I'll monitor the Princess on the drive home. I know that when my sister went under when she was little, she was NOT in good shape when she woke up (read that as vomit). So, the Hubs and I are going to experience this lovely event together. Oh joy! Thankfully, the Hubs is able to take the day off to help.

She'll be groggy the rest of Tuesday. That she probably won't want to eat anything. I'll have to buy some fruit pops and vanilla ice cream and soup to get her through the day. They say by Wednesday she'll be good to go. I'm not so sure about that but I'm hopeful that she'll be able to go to school.

What sucks about the extraction is that it is on a Tuesday -- SWIM lessons! I'm planning on having the Hubs drive the Bear to the lessons. The Princess will be in NO shape to go, but the Bear shouldn't have to miss it because of her.
This way the Hubs can actually see how much the Bear enjoys the lessons AND how well the Bear does. So I'll use the Hubs day off to the max.

Now have any of your kids had surgery to remove a tooth? How'd they do with the anesthesia? Any other warnings or recommendations?

Teacher Appreciation Day?

I found out that next Tuesday, May 6, is Teacher Appreciation Day. Huh? Anyone know of this? I will (for sure) be sending the Princess' teacher with a gift of some sort. But what? WHAT?

How did I find out about this special day? From a flier that was in a bag of food from Chipotle. A place that I thoroughly adore because of the fresh food and the speediness of the made-to-order service. My current favorite? A chicken bowl with extra rice, tomato salsa, pinto beans, lettuce, sour cream, and a guacamole. It's a LOT of food. I know it is. But it's SO YUMMY. We had it last night. And I noticed the flier.

So here in Arizona, if a teacher goes into any Chipotle on May 6th they'll receive a free burrito, taco, or salad. YUM! Now is this special only in Arizona? Is it happening in California? If so, let me know. This way we can get the word out to all you WONDERFUL teachers about where you can get a yummy free meal this coming Tuesday.

Back in the groove of things

The kids are back into their swim lessons two times a week. There was a weeklong break last week.

Tuesday was the first day of the new session. The kiddos are in the same class this time around. They've got a new instructor. I wasn't sure about how the two of them would do back in the same class again. But they did fine. Their new instructor had a positive evaluation about both of them after class.

R: So both of them have been in the Goldfish class before, right?
Me: No. Actually, they were just in the Pollywog session last time. The Bear had J. The Princess had J2 & S.
R: Oh really? Pollywogs?
Me: Yes. The Princess had a ton of individual work with J2 and S.
R: I could really tell. She swam with big arms like she's done it for a while. And the Bear looked like he'd done it as well.
Me: Yes. J worked with the Bear the last two classes on introducing that skill.
R: Well I think both of them are going to do great.

So it all looks good. We were able to get a 3:30-4pm class this time around. This time I won't be rushing home with the end-of-day traffic like I've had to do the last two sessions. I'd always be stressing out on that drive home because it could take from 15 - 30 minutes to get home. And I still had to throw dinner together. Thoroughly frustrating when I was tired. Driving home at 4pm is definitely a MUCH easier commute. Whew!

And guess what I did today? Had my 6-month dental cleaning. And I brought the Bear with me. He sat in the front and played with his Leapster. And the people in the office? They totally forgot he was up there because he was so quiet.

Hygienist: He's so QUIET! I have GOT to find something for him.
Me: No. You don't need to give him anything.
Hygienist: Oh yes I do. Compared to some kids we see? Yes. I'm finding him something.

It was too funny. She gave him a toothbrush and he was SO ecstatic! It was a Heffalump tooth brush. Too cute. I guess I have to remember that there are kids who are way more loud and disagreeable than mine. It's about my prospective and all. I have to check myself before I react. Yup. Check myself...

Ahh! It's 2:30pm! I've got to get the kids swim stuff in the bag and head out in a few minutes to pick up the Princess. Like I said...we're back into the groove of things...