Grace Goes Thru Life

Life is keeping me busy

2011-12-07T21:51:00.000-08:00

I'm tired.

It seems that I've been tired since Thanksgiving weekend!

[sigh]

It's been super busy at work....again!

And with the holidays upon us, we've got things scheduled during our "free" time.

Tonight was my daughter's 6th grade holiday band/orchestra concert.

Tomorrow I've got to take my car in to get something fixed.

Friday, the kids and I are meeting up with my Mom and attending our church's choirs' Christmas concert. Singing and bells. Then we're having a late dinner. It's gonna be great!

Saturday I'm taking the kids to Seaworld. When we went during the summer, I got the 2 for 1 deal. Two days for just one price. The place is going to be decorated so we won't go out there until lunchtime. This way we'll get to see the lights.

Sunday will be at home. I am definitely going to need a nap. I'd say in the two to three hour range.

Have the holidays ramped up for you? Are you already swamped with running here and there?

Giving Thanks - Day 25 of 30

2011-11-25T22:01:00.000-08:00

Day 25:
I am thankful that my workplace automatically gives us the day after Thanksgiving off.

I know people whose workplaces consider the day after Thanksgiving a regular workday. Anyone who works at a hospital. Anyone who works at a newspaper. A regular workday! So to have a 4-day weekend, they have to burn a vacation day. I am so happy my current considers it an automatic holiday. Actually all my past employers have considered it a holiday.

Giving Thanks - Day 24 of 30

2011-11-24T16:57:00.000-08:00

Day 24:
I am thankful to be spending the holiday with family.

Being able to have both the kids and the Hubs with me today is something I am grateful for. Back in September, I thought I'd be sending the kids out to the Hubs for the holiday. But we're all together. And I am so thankful for it.

Giving Thanks - Day 23 of 30

2011-11-23T01:22:00.000-08:00

Day 23:
I am thankful that I've got the day off today.

Yes. I've got the day off. Travel day! It'll be an easy 6 hours in the car. Why? Because I won't be driving. The Hubs will be. Woohoo!

Giving Thanks - Day 22 of 30

2011-11-22T05:53:00.000-08:00

Day 22:
I am thankful that my husband is coming into town tonight.

It's been about 6 weeks since we last saw him. The kids are excited that he'll be coming out already. That they'll be able to spend almost 5 days with him. I'm thankful that he and I are at such a place that we'll be spending the holiday together.

Giving Thanks - Day 21 of 30

2011-11-21T20:46:00.000-08:00

Day 21:
I am thankful that the issue with my car was less serious than I anticipated.

The check engine light came on as a result of an O-ring becoming unseated. An O-ring that they changed out the last time my check engine light went off. So NO CHARGE for that.

What's funny is that I called my service coordinator around 11am to see if they'd found out what was wrong. He told me that the tech had been working on my car since I dropped it off at 7:30am and the service manager hadn't heard anything yet. Yeah. Go figure. Because there was NOTHING really wrong with it. It was something that THEY had supposedly fixed a few months before.But thankfully there was no charge for them to fix things up. Yeah!

Giving Thanks - Day 20 of 30

2011-11-20T21:53:00.000-08:00

Day 20:
I am thankful that I have a car that gets me where I need to go.

I do have a complaint though. My car had no problems with it for the first five years. While I was still making monthly payments. I finally paid it off in February. Now that the darn thing is paid off? I've had maintenance issues with it since. Check engine light. Computer chip that senses amount in the gas tank. Brake pad installation. The check engine light went off on Friday as I drove home. ARGH! I have definitely enjoyed having my car but all these issues have been exasperating!

Giving Thanks - Day 19 of 30

2011-11-19T19:50:00.000-08:00

Day 19:
I am thankful to have a little surplus cash to get myself an indulgence or two every month.

I walked over to our local shopping area this morning and got some monthly girlie maintenance done. Afterwards, I was able to grab a hot breakfast sandwich and a large decaf caramel latte. It was a nice 45 minutes just for me.

Giving Thanks - Day 18 of 30

2011-11-18T21:34:00.000-08:00

Day 18:
I am thankful that I am able to still be strong enough to pick up my kids to give them HUGE hugs.

My kids are getting so big. But I am still able to pick my daughter up a couple inches off the ground when I hug her. I'm actually still able to carry my son and hug him as he wraps his arms and legs around me. It's a great feeling, especially when I've had a long and trying day.

Giving Thanks - Day 17 of 30

2011-11-17T20:47:00.000-08:00

Day 17:
I am thankful that I'm close with my family.

Most families have skeletons. Rifts between siblings. Separations created by small and large reasons. I am happy to say that I don't have any in my life with my family. When I was younger? Yes. But now? No. It brings joy to me. It brings a lightness to my heart.

Giving Thanks - Day 16 of 30

2011-11-16T20:46:00.000-08:00

Day 16:
I am thankful that my kids are growing like weeds.

My kids are getting SO tall! My daughter falls just below my nose and my son is about mid-chest now. I'm only 5'2 1/2". I hope they grow as tall as PD, who is 5'10 1/2". The way they're growing they'll most likely fall closer to PD's height than my own. Yeah!

Giving Thanks - Day 15 of 30

2011-11-15T21:11:00.000-08:00

Day 15:
I am thankful that I have a job.

This morning I received an invite for a noon meeting upstairs. I didn't think anything of it. I thought it was going to be a team lunch. It wasn't.

At noon they announced that there would be a RIF. A reduction in workforce. That's right folks. They were letting people go. Today.

Thankfully, the folks in MY meeting were all the "safe" people.

The folks who were being asked to leave were in a different room.

It was a very somber afternoon in the office.

Giving Thanks - Day 14 of 30

2011-11-14T20:31:00.000-08:00

Day 14:
I am thankful that my kids' teachers are so invested in my kids' success.

I had a parent-teacher conference last Tuesday with 2 of my daughter's teachers. It was at 7:30am. That's right. SEVEN THIRTY in the morning. It was VERY informative. Let's just say we're building on the foundation that's been put in place. Her teachers are very supportive of her and have set an action plan in place to gauge her improvement. I'm on the homefront trying to push her along.

I have a parent-teacher tomorrow with my son's teacher. It'll be at 7:45am. Yes. SEVEN FORTY-FIVE in the morning. I'm sure it'll be chock full of information as well.

I just am so thankful that the teachers in this school district are so actively motivated to see the kids excel. It's exciting to watch the kids get into a groove. It can be a pain to get the kids going. But it's totally awesome!

Giving Thanks - Day 13 of 30

2011-11-13T18:48:00.000-08:00

Day 13:
I am thankful that my kids are developing their own relationship with the Lord.

Today as I sat on the couch drinking my coffee, my daughter came up to me.

Prin: Mom, can we go to church today?

My son and my daughter have both asked me on a Sunday morning if we are going to church. They like going to church. Amazing. Most kids dread it. But mine WANT to go. That gives me comfort. When my husband or I are no longer here, they'll have each other and their faith in God.

Giving Thanks - Day 12 of 30

2011-11-12T21:55:00.000-08:00

Day 12:
I am thankful that my son had a blast with his football buddies at their team party today.

The head coach said something about each boy as he gave them a trophy. We saw a "highlight" reel and my little guy was in there making a great save. It was a good time all around despite of the rain.

Giving Thanks - Day 11 of 30

2011-11-11T21:39:00.000-08:00

Day 11:
I am thankful that my Mom & Dad are available to watch my kids when I'm in a bind.

The kids (and about half the city) had today off while I was one of the unlucky group that still had to go to work. So the kids spent the day with my folks. They had a leisurely breakfast, they baked, they went out to lunch, and went shopping. Yes. They had a full day while I schlepped about at the office.

Giving Thanks - Day 10 of 30

2011-11-10T04:47:00.000-08:00

Day 10:
I am thankful that this week has been slower than normal.

I've been able to finish up a project that's already taken about 8 hours. Hopefully our tech person can fit all the documents on a CD so I don't have to email the documentation out. That would take another 3-4 hours of my day.

Giving Thanks - Day 9 of 30

2011-11-09T07:54:00.000-08:00

Day 9:
I am thankful that the lady I work for is pretty flexible with my schedule.

When my kids started school and I found out my son's football schedule, I knew that I needed to change things up at work. There would be NO WAY that I could fit in all my work hours. I requested that I get temporary access to a laptop so I could fill in my hours from home.

I approached the lady I work for on Monday to let her know that football would be done this coming Saturday. I wanted to find out if she wanted me to email all the pertinent parties to get the laptop switched out back to a desktop.

Boss: I like that you've got the laptop. It gives you flexibility. I mean, you have KIDS!

She said that she would email her boss, the lady I report to, and the IT person that she would like for me to continue using the laptop. We'll see what everyone says!

Giving Thanks - Day 8 of 30

2011-11-08T10:30:00.000-08:00

Day 8:
I am thankful that I was able to buy new set of tires for my car 2 weeks ago.

We've had 2 solid days of rain this week. Dropped the temps 20 degrees from one day to the next. Since it was a cold storm? The temp inside my house has dropped from a comfy 79* to a chilly 73*. Another storm like this and I'll need to turn on my heater. Brrr...

Giving Thanks - Day 7 of 30

2011-11-07T20:57:00.000-08:00

Day 7:
I am thankful that I was able to save some money at the grocery store today.

I had to stock up on a bunch of groceries for the kids' lunches. Chips. Granola bars. Mixed nuts. Yogurt. Cheese wedges. It all adds up. Quickly. I was pleasantly surprised that my $160 worth of food ended up with me only forking over $120. That's 1/4 off the original total. It may not be as fabulous as those extreme couponers, but it was quite a feat for me. Woohoo!

Giving Thanks - Day 6 of 30

2011-11-06T16:31:00.000-08:00

Day 6:
I am thankful that the fire department was on the ball and was able to stop a brush fire that was less than a mile away from my daughter's and my son's schools this week.

Yes. A brush fire. In November! Those darn Santa Ana winds were blowing hard the other morning. The school not only sent out voicemail blasts to us parents but a couple emails as well. Good communication was key in easing our anxiety.

Giving Thanks - Day 5 of 30

2011-11-05T06:28:00.000-07:00

Day 5:
I am thankful that I'm able to have a good job that allows me to work full-time and still have time with my kids.

Almost at the end

2011-11-04T21:56:00.000-07:00

My son is almost at the end of his first season of football.

Junior Mighty Mite division was the right place for my son. I think starting this year was a good decision. I don't think he would have enjoyed just playing flag. While it was an adjustment for him, he did get used to getting hit. He was tired after practices, but it was a good and happy kind of tired.

His team has been in the championship round these last few weeks. Tomorrow will be his very last game of the season.

We'll be taking a break from sports for the winter. A much needed break for this Mom.

Here are some photos from my guy's game last week.

Giving Thanks - Day 4 of 30

2011-11-04T06:22:00.000-07:00

Day 4:
I am thankful that my health has settled into a nice groove.

One tablet in the morning. Vitamins at lunch. Three tablets before I go to sleep. This totally works for me --- yeah!

Giving Thanks - Day 3 of 30

2011-11-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

Day 3:
I am thankful that my husband and I have decided to try to work things out in our marriage.

Giving Thanks - Day 2 of 30

2011-11-02T04:36:00.000-07:00

Day 2:
I am thankful that my daughter is enjoying middle school.

She attended a small charter school from kindergarten through 4th grade. The school had fewer than 150 students from K to 8th. So when we moved to California and she started 5th grade at a school with about 500 kids, it was a big move. Now she's at a middle school with about 1000 other kids. AHHH!!! And I'm super happy she's having a good experience.

Giving Thanks - Day 1 of 30

2011-11-01T22:36:00.000-07:00

I'm jumping on the bandwagon here and participating in 30 Days of Giving Thanks.

Day 1:
I am thankful that my son has stayed healthy throughout football season, which will be ending this Saturday.

Making Mommy Laugh

2011-10-19T05:40:00.000-07:00

With the economy in the toilet, some desperate folks decided to ... steal all the copper wiring from the community park where the Bear has football practice.

No biggie you say? It's a huge deal now that the sun is setting earlier and earlier. It's been two weeks of shorter practices.

The lights were ALL fixed over the weekend.

The coaches were ecstatic to say the least since we're in the playoff rounds.

My daughter? Here's her reaction...

Prinny: Mom! It's too bright out here!

A first for me

2011-10-04T19:57:00.000-07:00

As a kid you come across new things all the time.

You have tons of "firsts" when you're young.

As you get older, it becomes more and more rare to do something you haven't done before.

Today?

I did something I'd never done before.

....

....

....

I had a Brazilian.

Yes!

Even though my life is in turmoil, I went in and had a Brazilian wax.

I'd been contemplating it since the summer. Hemming and hawing but never made it in.

But then I read Amanda's post and just scheduled an appointment.

....

....

Did it hurt? No. Not really. There was one split second of pain but the rest was mainly just uncomfortable.

What caused that moment of pain? It was a strip at the very front that's as far south as you can get before you hit your womanly parts.

Do I have a patch? No. I am totally bare.

How do I feel now? It is so strangely smooth. I'm pretty amazed how smooth it is.

Would you do it again? I'm actually paid up front for 12 more visits!

....

I may have turmoil going on in my life right now but I did something new. Something just for me.

Football continues

2011-10-01T22:19:00.000-07:00

My life is still in shambles but at least there's football to keep me (and the kids) busy.

Moving through it

2011-09-27T21:55:00.000-07:00

It's been almost 2 weeks since my husband told me he wanted a divorce.

Tomorrow is my birthday.

What a way to celebrate my birthday.

We have decided to try to talk things out before doing anything else.

Talk.

Talk.

Talk.

I am still disheveled.

My mind is still full of questions.

I'm taking things one day at a time.

One minute at a time really.

The reason for my absence

2011-09-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

I've been online but just not writing.

I've been reading how everyone else is doing.

Absorbing as much happiness that I can from the web.

My mood has been down.

While I try to remain lighthearted and fun with the kids, my own personal mood has been less than stellar.

As you know, the kids are I are here in Southern California and my husband is still in Arizona with our house and with his new job.

This week my entire world turned over.

On Thursday night after I put the kids to bed, I finally sat down and turned on my computer.

I found a new email from my husband and I immediately opened it.

As I read the second sentence, my breath caught in my throat and it felt like my heart was being squeezed.

What I read was that my husband wants a divorce.

He didn't call me.

He emailed that I would be getting a package from him sometime next week and that it would be divorce papers.

Just out of the blue.

That's what he emailed to me.

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

Let me jump back a second.

I had a brief conversation with him on August 21st that should have clued me in to the writing on the wall.

Me: I had a bad nightmare last night.
Hubs: What was it about?
Me: I dreamed that I was running to you, then threw my arms around you, and then we kissed.

I have to tell you that I felt SO happy in my dream. I could feel the giddiness of my heart to finally have his arms around me. Then it happened.

Me: We broke from our kiss and then you looked at me and said "I want a divorce".

My heart was racing and not in a good way. I mean this dream woke me up from a dead sleep. Those words from his mouth woke me abruptly.

Me: I don't have to think about that, do I?
Hubs: [pause] Well, you're there and I'm here.
Me: What does that mean?
Hubs: I mean, you're there and I'm here. And I have no idea when or if I'll ever get out there.
Me: So you're still planning on coming out here for Labor Day, right?
Hubs: I may just be out there for Prin's birthday.
Me: Oh...

I was too stunned to ask anything else. I was just so surprised by his response. There were no words of comfort. No words to make me feel better.

I ache inside. The life that I thought I had and was going to have with him is now gone. After no discussion at all with me about what we could do to fix the situation, it's gone. I've been crying every now and then since Thursday night. When I feel overwhelmed at the thought of what's to come. I tear up. As I was getting the clothes out of the dryer this afternoon, I broke down for about a minute.

But I must go on. I can't just give up. I've got my two kiddos to think of. The two lights in my life. I'll never give up because of them. But my heart is still broken.

Playing hard

2011-08-28T22:04:00.000-07:00

My son had his first football game yesterday.

The game started at noon and it was over 90* degrees.

I was super hot up in the stands, which had NO shade whatsoever.

I felt so bad that the boys would have to be in full pads out on the field running around.

What I found very crazy is that about half the boys had no sunscreen on. NOTHING. NADA. ZILCH!

How'd I find that out? Because I went to spray the back of my son's neck, which I'd forgotten to get earlier. All the boys happened to be sitting in a specific order for weigh-ins. I looked at the boy next to my son and thought I'd just ask "Do you have any sunscreen on? Would your parents be okay if I sprayed some on you if you have any?" He said he didn't have any on and said his parents would be okay with me spraying some on his arms. I then went down the line. Like I said...about 50% of them had no sunscreen on. Some of these little guys were pale, pale, PALE and they didn't have any protection. Unbelievable!

But my son had a good time, even with the extreme heat. Now I know what to expect when we have home games now. I'll be better prepared next week.

First week of school

2011-08-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

My kids started school this week.

No. They didn't start on Monday.They started on Wednesday. Yes. WEDNESDAY! Isn't that crazy?

So that was yesterday. And today?

I had to leave work early as I received a call from the elementary school that my son was sporting a 101* temp. ARGH!!!

I just love my daughter's reaction when I picked her up from the middle school this afternoon.

It's only the second day and there goes his perfect attendance!

Just under the wire

2011-08-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

Deadlines loom before us all the time. It's how we handle the pressure that either makes or breaks us.

Tonight, there was a deadline that I forgot about until I was cleaning up after dinner tonight.

Since the Bear has football practice every weekday evening from 5:30 - 7:30, we get home late and eat dinner late.

By the time I finished cleaning up, showering, and finally got onto the computer it was 9:37pm. The deadline? 12pm Central -- that means 10pm Pacific.

Holy guacamole Batman!

Less than 20 minutes to get an order in?

Could I do it?

I knew I wanted a couple shirts and a couple pair of shoes. I'd seen a coat that I wanted to get the Hubs for his birthday too.

Did I make it in and finish the order before the deadline?

AAAAAHHH! ~~~ imagine Macaulay Culkin in the first Home Alone screaming

Y'all?

I made it.

Me? I was pretty amazed that I squeaked in before the deadline. When I received my confirmation number it was 9:58pm. Two minutes to spare!

Woohoo!

A bump and a bang and a little more hustle

2011-08-13T23:30:00.000-07:00

This week was the first week the boys got into full gear and started tackling.

It was a new experience for at least half the boys, including my Bear.

Last week was a wake-up call for sure with all the running around. Then it got some getting used to wearing the darn helmet & mouthguard for the entire practice. TWO hours with his head in a vice. Well, it felt tight for the first couple days but after that he was fine. I guess the helmet started molding to his head so it felt more comfortable. The only time the boys were allowed to take their helmets off was only if their water bottle didn't have a straw. That's right! The coaches were pretty strict about keeping their the helmets on. I guess so that they'd get used to the weight of the things on their heads.

Of course, the Bear was super excited to get onto this next step and get all his gear on. I mean he was anxious all last weekend. Wouldn't you know that I had to go to the last equipment pick-up last Sunday so that I could get a tutorial on how to put all the pads in the proper place. Of course, I had a couple pads in WRONG.

This week the coaches continued to have the boys do push-ups, sit-ups, up-downs, and a bunch of different agility exercises.

Then all the boys got training on how to tackle. Here's the Bear getting some one-on-one instruction on how to properly engage another player. The Bear was so hesitant when he was first doing this. I was surprised to watch how much restraint he was using during the exercise.

The Bear started having fun by mid-week as the coaches had them running plays. Defense got to put on redcaps over their helmets. Here's my guy getting some one-on-one training on what he needed to look for and where he needed to move. I think he's a safety here.

Even though he started the week a little hesitant with the tackling, he ended the week really well. The team did their first round of "King of the Circle" and the Bear did fabulously. He ended up placing 7th out of 28 boys. He really impressed the coaches and got their attention with his performance.

Scope in and scope out

2011-08-09T22:28:00.000-07:00

Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned that I was getting checked out and that my doc wanted to get a look inside?

Well, Monday was the day. My check-in time was at 12:30pm while the procedure was scheduled for 1:30pm.

I actually got in earlier than I'd originally been scheduled. I was supposed to check-in at 2:30pm for a 3:30pm scope. I'm SO glad I was able to get in earlier. Why? Because I had to FAST before the test. Even though my appointment was supposed to be at 3:30pm, I wasn't going to be allowed to eat at all the day of the procedure. Not only was I fasting, but I couldn't drink ANYTHING six hours before the procedure. No tea. No water. No nothing. ARGH!

I ended up taking a half day on Monday, so I kept myself busy working that morning. My sister picked me up and drove me to the appointment. Why'd she take me? Because they were going to put me under and I wouldn't be able to drive for 24 hours after the procedure. Twilight sedation they called it.

The check-in nurse was great. She was chatty and kind. She got me prepped in no time flat. My sister was surprised when she was called to the back so quickly. I was already in a gown with my hospital issued socks lying down on a gurney under a warm blanket with an IV drip going. Since I got prepped so quickly, my sister and I were able to talk for a long time. It was great catching up with her. I hadn't seen her in a couple weeks. The last time I saw her we each had our kids so we couldn't really TALK -- just the cursory catch-up. You know what I mean?

One of the ambulatory nurses came back and rolled me into the procedure room. She got a fresh warm blanket and put it on me. Another ambulatory nurse had me roll onto my left side and placed a mouth guard on me. The first nurse put a wedge behind me and then gave me the sedation meds. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the recovery area. Yup! I don't recall ANYTHING about the procedure. Woohoo!

After I woke up, they called my sister back into recovery and we started chatting again. Go figure! The nurse came back and saw how I was doing, then gave me the go ahead to get changed back into my clothes. Once I was back in my clothes, I thought I was good to go. I got up and started walking out of my curtained area. My sister stared at me and said "Is she supposed to be walking out?" The nurses and my sister started laughing because I looked at them all behind me like they were crazy. One of the nurses rushed over with a wheel chair and helped me in and then pushed me to my sister's car which was parked just outside the recovery exit.

People? I felt fine. I didn't feel impaired at all. I could have walked out on my own. But I guess it's a liability thing and they were required to wheel me out. I just couldn't help but laugh at the fact that I was ready to go and there I went. Ha-ha-ha!

Anyway, the doc said that my throat and esophagus looked fine. There was a bit of redness at the bottom portion of my stomach. A couple polyps were in my stomach, which is pretty normal, but she took a tissue sample for biopsy. She also noted that the glands below my stomach were a little enlarged but she wasn't surprised by that based upon the meds that I'm on. The biopsy testing should be back in 7-10 days and my doc would give me a call once those results are in. I'm also going to have a follow-up with my doc in about 3 months just to check how I'm doing.

But that's another "check" under my belt. No major issues from the initial endoscopy. Woohoo! Hopefully the biopsy will come back totally clear as well.

Getting hit and bumped

2011-08-07T22:08:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow the team will start practices with full gear on. Yes, they'll have all their pads on.

AHHH!!!!

We actually had to go over to the final equipment pick-up this afternoon so that someone could show me how to fit the darn pads into the pants and undergear. I had to get my boy a new hard cup as well. We've got to protect his pieces and parts so he can give me some grandkids (many moons from now).

I'm not sure if they'll do any tackling tomorrow or not. But we'll see.

But this first week has been busy. I'm sure this next week will be even more interesting. The Bear is going to be even MORE tired than this last week I'm sure. [sigh]

Here's my favorite photo of the week:

It's officially football season!

2011-08-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

Today my son started his first season in football.

Tackle football.

Yes, we skipped flag football all together. Last year when I had planned to get him started, we moved and then it was too late to get him signed up. [sigh]

So after much anticipation, he started practice today.

It's conditioning week. The coaches are just putting the boys through drills and checking out their skills. Loads of running, bear crawls, up-and-downs, side-to-sides, push-ups...the regular PT that goes along football. They're not wearing their shoulder pads or lower body pads this week. That'll happen NEXT week when they start tackling each other.

After practice, my son was all sweaty. But grinning from ear to ear. He didn't do anything half-assed. He put in his all for each of the coaches.

Me: So how did you like it Bud?
Bear: It was fun Mom!

Yeah...I wonder how long it'll feel like fun. I'll have to see what he says next Tuesday morning after his first practice with full gear and tackling.

July in Photos

2011-07-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

July has really been one of us on the go more than we normally are. I didn't write so much but we did a lot.

Here I am driving out to Phoenix. Just verifying the exit I needed to take. We take a "short cut" and I needed to make sure I was taking the right turn-off.

The kiddos relaxing in my IL's pool.

Climbing the big net up at Seaworld.

Playing a round of mini-golf at a local game park.

Spin-spin-spin!

Couldn't get them away from this darn thing.

Football gear pick-ups! Look at all the shouldpads stacked up nice and neat.

The kids got new helmets this season -- still wrapped in plastic.

Tomorrow will be our last big outing for the month. We'll be heading down to the beach to spend the most of the day with family. This is one of the biggest positives of us moving down here. More time with the family doing fun stuff outside.

What's your summer been like so far?

Taking that positive turn

2011-07-23T01:06:00.000-07:00

Next Friday will be my husband's last day at his job.

...

...

He starts his new job August 1st.

Yes!

He ended up getting that job I mentioned a while ago.

He decided not to take any time between them. No break at all. He's a workhorse, no?

I haven't spoken to him in a week, so I'm not sure how the transition is going for his team. I wonder how management is feeling about him leaving. I wonder if they regret not offering him a promotion like they eluded to about 9 months ago.

Hopefully August 1st will be a good day for my husband. A new beginning for our family.

Keeping my options open

2011-07-18T23:05:00.000-07:00

While my job provides a steady income for the kids and I to stay here, I am continually on the lookout for opportunities.

Last night I went looking on a couple job boards and found a really interesting post. It was for an executive personal assistant position reporting to a CEO. What I found most appealing was the fact that it's a partial work-from-home position. I have no idea where in the city the CEO is located. Somewhere in town. The ad doesn't mention anything! ARGH!

Since having that week off with the kids, I realize that I really miss being working from home. I didn't have to get dressed up every day. Heels. Nylons/tights. Skirts/dresses. Makeup. [sigh] Even the driving to and from the office takes a toll.

Nonetheless, no matter where it's located I threw my hat into the ring. I email'd my resume out late last night. Yes, I did! We'll see if I hear anything back.

Check-check and another check

2011-07-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

It's that time again.

Time to get my annual check-ups for my high blood pressure and my heartburn.

I was able to see my internist in June for my high blood pressure. Thankfully my meds for that issue are working a-okay. At the doc's office I was at 120/80. Oftentimes when I measure with my cuff at home, I'm lower than that ~ 115/75.

During our discussion about what's been going on in my life in the last year, I mentioned to him that I was having some new issues with my heartburn. I was having issues again at night. What they call "break through". That's what they call it when you're already on meds and you're still having negative symptoms.

My internist said that I should continue with my current regiment and then take a supplemental half-dose of Zantac before bed and then schedule an appointment with my gastroenterologist. Of course, I had to wait a month before seeing her. Ay-yay-yay!

Well, I finally saw my gastroenterologist on Tuesday afternoon. She and I had a great discussion. She had me modify the times when I was taking my morning and evening pills. And after talking for a bit, she realized that my "break through" was perplexing her. I don't drink. I don't smoke. I am not overweight. So...she and I both decided that it would be a good idea to schedule an endoscopy.

Upper endoscopy is a procedure that enables the examiner (usually a gastroenterologist) to examine the esophagus (swallowing tube), stomach, and duodenum (first portion of small bowel) using a thin, flexible tube through which the lining of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum can be viewed using a TV monitor.

She wants to take a look inside to see if there's anything else that might be causing my symptoms. She said that heartburn symptoms could be caused by something other than classic stomach heartburn. And an endoscopy will help her rule out any other esophageal issues.

I'll be getting my endoscopy around mid-afternoon. Unfortunately, I can't eat anything at least six hours prior to the procedure. ARGH! So it's going to be big time fun for me. Oh yeah!

Getting back into the groove

2011-07-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

Y'all today was a mighty long day for me.

It was my official first day back to work after my vacation.

The last day I was at work was July 1st, so it's been a good nine days of not working.

Today was a big yucky day.

Lots to crapola to deal with.

Tomorrow I'll be reviewing the work that my counterparts did for me. I've already found errors. It's like I didn't leave them INSTRUCTIONS on what they needed to enter. [sigh]

But so goes my life. I care about putting out quality work and other people don't.

I can only relish in the moments that I had with the kids while I was out.

Their giggles as they rode carnival rides.

Their smiles as they watched the shows.

I cherish our time together.

It makes me realize that I miss working from home.

I miss being able to spend so much more time WITH them.

Another day outside

2011-07-09T23:19:00.000-07:00

Saturdays are normally reserved for cleaning and laundry.

Today? Didn't clean. Didn't do laundry.

We went to the beach early this morning and met up with my sister and my BIL's side of the family.

Totally fun day for all.

The kids played in the sand. It was a bit breezy this morning so my daughter kept her sweatshirt on over her bathing suit.

My son had a blast laying on my BIL's SUP.

There was a big beach event happening this weekend. The fire department had a couple helos fly in for the occasion.

Then there are the kayakers that workout every weekend on the bay.

Vacation is a time for...

2011-07-07T00:09:00.000-07:00

...for what?

Some people fill their vacations with running about to and fro.

Other people fill their vacations with naps and rest.

I am more than halfway through my own vacation and it's been quite a mix.

I have been doing a bit of zooming from place to place, but I have been investing some down town for both the kids and myself.

A few days in Phoenix -- I drove.

Met up with my landlord & a repair guy who fixed the washer, which was leaking into the drum.

Had a swim playdate for the kids here at our complex with a couple of their school friends.

Spent about 12 hours at Seaworld.

Tomorrow will be our first day of really fully relaxing. We're not going anywhere. We don't need to meet up with anyone. Ah....

The plan is to sleep in as LONG as possible as we did quite a bit of walking at the park today. Have a leisurely breakfast. Hit the pool (just me and the kids). Bum around the rest of the afternoon. Take a nap. And possibly go to the grocery store.

Hopefully my son will sleep in as he is a major early bird. I'm crossing my fingers that he'll stay in bed to at least 7:30am. Please. Please. PLEASE! I know my girl will not voluntarily open her eyes before 8am. I'm guessing she'll roll out of bed around 9am when she gets hungry.

As for me? I'm hoping to sleep until at least 7am. Right now it's just after midnight, so I'd better hit the sack. I'm pretty exhausted from our full day of sun along with the continual walking/standing. Thank goodness my back doesn't hurt after being up so long today. My bedroom is calling to me....and I must listen. With my luck? My son will be ready for the day at 6am!

Timing is everything

2011-07-05T00:15:00.000-07:00

I drove 6 hours after working a half-day on Friday to get to my in-laws house.

The Hubs planned on meeting us at his parents' house.

I called the Hubs when we were 3 hours from his parents' house.

Estimated arrival time?

Between 7:30pm-8pm.

The kids and I got there about 7:35pm.

What timing, right?

As I grabbed a couple things from the trunk, I sent the kids up to the front door.

When I got to the door, the kids were still standing outside.

I asked the Bear to ring again and then knock.

He did.

Let me just tell you it was about 110* outside.

I'm tired.

The kids are tired.

No one is answering the door.

I dug into my purse and grabbed my cell.

I had the Princess call my MIL.

Turns out that she and my FIL were not at home.

That's right folks.

NO ONE WAS HOME.

Thankfully we were able to get in via the garage after they gave us the code.

We got inside, grabbed some water, and sprawled on the couches.

Not 10 minutes later, the doorbell rang.

The Hubs made it.

I opened the door.

He came in and realized that his parents were no where to be seen.

The kids told him that his folks weren't home. The Princess said that she thought they were at a party. Say what?

Anyway, about 20 minutes later they showed up.

Now let me just say that this same kind of situation happened when we drove and were staying at my parents' house.

The Hubs was so ticked off that no one was home.

But now that the same situation happened with his family? He didn't seem to mind. Funny how things work when the shoe is on the other foot. I guess his side can do no wrong in his eyes. Kind of like the way his entire family thinks. [sigh]

Kids are so strange

2011-06-30T06:58:00.000-07:00

Why is it on school days it takes a bunch of cajoling and back rubbing and kissing before my kids roll out of bed?

Why is it on days when I would let them sleep in that they're eyeballs are wide open BEFORE the time I'd planned on waking them?

Take this morning:

My son has a DR appointment at 9:30am.
The summer program the kids are in has a scheduled field trip where they all leave the facility at 9:30am.
Needless to say, my kids aren't going to their summer program today.
Since my son has a DR appointment, I wasn't going into work until after he's seen.
To get to work in time so that I can leave at a reasonable hour, the kids and I head out the door by 6:30am.
I wake them at 6am so they can get ready.

Today? Oh, the luxury of waking up later in the middle of the week! I woke at 5:55am rather than 5am. Woohoo!

But folks? My son was already getting out of bed as I was stretching in bed. Yes. He was already awake before 6am! ARGH!

Then my normally sleep-loving daughter just pranced her way towards me at 6:50am as I'm sitting on the computer. This girl normally rolls out of bed at 8am on the weekends. But SIX FIFTY on her own?

My crazy kids. Can't they just sleep in?

A positive turn

2011-06-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

My husband told me this morning that he received a verbal offer today.

Yeah!

The company is now doing a background check on him.

The Hubs decided that he will put in his notice once he clears the background check.

He doesn't want to submit his resignation until he completes the check "just in case" there's some unknown glitch.

The Hubs is just being cautious.

That's just the way he is.

I am really happy for him.

He sounded happy when he told me.

I'm hoping that this will be a turn for the positive for us. For our family. That good things will start happening.

Not to say that horrible things have been happening. But we've had a bunch of large bumps in the road this past year. It's been difficult for both the Hubs and myself.

But with all the hairpin turns that have way-laid our plans and diverted our energy? I am ever so grateful for what's most important. The kids have been growing like weeds and been so healthy (except for a few minor illnesses). We have a roof over our heads and enough food to fill our bellies. The kids have lots of new friends and love their school. We've been enjoying being around my folks, my sisters, my nephews and nieces, and the rest of the extended family. I mean, family gatherings are loads of fun for each of us.

We're surrounded by love. And that warms my heart.

A day for 3

2011-06-25T23:41:00.000-07:00

Today was a lovely day.

A day where the kids and I spent the entire day together.

I was able to sleep in until 8am.

The kids made themselves breakfast.

I cleaned & did laundry.

The kids straightened their rooms then folder their laundry and put it away.

The Bear and I went to the store to grab some lunch. I walked. He scootered.

The kids watched movies, read, and played on the computer.

I was able to take a 45 minute nap.

We ventured out to Barnes & Noble to get a screen film and cover.

We ended up spending about an hour inside the bookstore. Me downloading books and the kids browsing and reading some books.

We then dropped by Rubio's for some fish tacos!

We ate outside & enjoyed the setting sun.

Lovely day for the three of us.

Just what I needed.

Obstacles a plenty

2011-06-24T23:35:00.000-07:00

It's been a rough week for me here.

Probably one of the worst weeks since I moved out here.

Everything seems to be going wrong.

So many days where things aren't going well.

Not just at work.

Just doing everyday tasks has been...difficult.

I'm feeling overwhelmed.

It's been mentally and physically exhausting.

I cried on Tuesday night.

I cried on Wednesday night.

I cried last night.

[sigh]

But it's now Friday night -- the weekend!

I can finally get a break.

All I need to do is hang with the kids while I finish up chores.

I'll have time to re-group.

Take some time to just be.

Making Mommy Laugh

2011-06-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

As I'm sitting here surfing the web, my kids are having a "butt war" behind me.

What this game consists of, I don't know.

But they are getting along and laughing up a storm, so all is well.

Isn't that all that matters?

How to spend a sunny afternoon

2011-06-18T22:11:00.000-07:00

The kids and I headed out to a local lake today to attend a birthday party.

It's been cloudy every morning this week. The sun has broken through every day but it's stayed pretty cool.

Today? Today? It was beautiful from the get go. B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!!!

A sunny afternoon at the lake was JUST what we needed.

You always see new things at the zoo

2011-06-17T22:14:00.000-07:00

Since I'm doing the single parent thing, the kids are in a summer program now that the school term is over and they've just completed their first week.

While they had fun all week, my daughter is the one who gave the most memorable moment of the week.

Mom, we walked all over the place. We got to go into the petting zoo. There were a LOT of goats. And there was this one that was facing away from me. All of a sudden, its bottom hole opened up like a flower. And then all these little pellets plopped out onto the ground. It was so weird looking. Then its bottom hole was empty.

She was cracking up like crazy after she said this. She just makes herself laugh and that totally kills me. Because I start laughing like this when I say something that tickles my funny bone.

So the next time you're at the zoo. Don't look at a goat's bottom because you might see it open up like a flower. HA-HA-HA!

Getting enough?

2011-06-16T21:37:00.000-07:00

As parents, we all now how precious sleep can be.

Now that I'm basically running the show, I'm the all-around go-to person. I have to cook, clean, buy supplies, and do anything else that needs to be done. It's quite physically and mentally taxing. No break for the weary! So I love to grab naps on the weekends. Oh...it's lovely.

My kids? They love their sleep. Well, when they're finally asleep. Both do NOT take naps during the day. Even when we're on vacation and they stay up late and we're out and about all day. At night after they get into bed, they are typically out. O-U-T.

On school nights, the kids are in bed between 8:30pm-9pm. I wake them up between 6am-6:30am. That's about 9 1/2 to 10 hours of horizontal time. I end up having to invest a few minutes to wake them up with sweet nudges, kisses, and a soft voice. They are so cuddly and warm when I wake them, I sometimes am so tempted to just curl up beside them and fall asleep. But alas, we've got places to go!

Last night the kids went to bed like they normally do. I usually spend the rest of the night watching tv shows/movies online while I'm surfing the web. Around 10pm, I sense another presence in the room. I turn around and there's my Bear! Totally surprised me.

Me: Hey Buddy. [in whispered voice]
Bear: Hey Mom.
Me: What're you doing up?
Bear: Oh...I think I've had enough sleep.
Me: You have?
Bear: Yeah...what do you want me to do?
Me: What?
Bear: Do you want me to change or...
Me: Buddy? It's still night time. It's only 10 pm.
Bear: 10 pm?
Me: Yes. You've only been in bed about an hour.
Bear: Oh...
Me: Do you think you can get back to sleep?
Bear: I don't know...
Me: You want to sleep in Mom's bed?
Bear: Yes, I do.

So I ended up with a sleeping partner. He was out like a light once he was in my bed.

I just am so amused that he thought it was already morning. After only 1 hour of sleep! Crazy kid. He cracks me up.

Turn key and nothing...

2011-06-14T23:29:00.000-07:00

This afternoon my car greeted me with a dead battery.

While most would see this with grumblings of the inconvenience this snafu put into my life, I am not seeing it that way.

You see, my car got the kids to their day camp on time. It was an early arrival day because they were going on a field trip to the city zoo today.

My car got me into work on time.

My car got me back to pick up the kids.

My car got us home so that we could quickly eat dinner.

My car got us to a local park where we attended a meeting with the Bear's new football coach and the rest of the team staff.

My car got us home and into a nice spot behind a fire hydrant so no one could park in front of me.

This is when the snafu happened.

I got out of the car and took a better look at how much space I had in front of me before I felt that I was too close to the hydrant. I figured I had another foot or two that I could move up. I handed the Princess the housekeys and the kids walked into towards the townhouse. Me? I got in the car to move it forward. I turned the key and....NADA.

Nothing happened! The battery was as dead as a smashed bug under your foot. I couldn't even press my clicker to lock the doors!

I was able to call my BIL who was available to switch out the battery. The kids and I walked over to their townhouse (which is about a block away) and my BIL and I got the dead battery out of my car. We headed to CostCo and discovered that they didn't carry my specific battery. Where to go next? Where to go? We drove over another 8 miles over to the Kragen (now O'Reilly) and found my battery. The guy behind the counter looked up my info and found that I indeed could get a discount on a new battery if the old one was not "chargeable". So we waited and waited for the machine to tell us that my old battery was indeed DEAD. We waited about 30 minutes. It was almost 9pm before I was able to buy a new battery.

I was ecstatic when the guy found that ~~I had~~ the Hubs had indeed purchased my old battery from Kragen. And it had a guarantee for like seven years. The Hubs got the battery in Aug 2009, so it lasted just under 2 years. So I only ended up paying $31 for a $95 battery. Woohoo!

My BIL got the new battery installed via flashlight power and my car now works! I am happy, happy, happy!!!

So while some might consider a dead battery a huge hassle, I am looking at today as a blessing. I was able to do all the things I needed to do and get to each place safely. I think that's all that matters. Don't you think?

My son thinks he's a speed racer

2011-06-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

My son attended a birthday party at an indoor driving facility.

While the kids got into rides that had less horsepower than the adult versions, they still got into some snags.

One boy ended up hitting a barrier on the first lap in the first race for the first group of boys. This boy continued to race after one of the organizers moved him off the wall.

Another boy ended up hitting a barrier on the first lap in the second race for the second group of boys. This little guy chose to go into the pit stop because he was too shaken.

My son kept on hitting the same wall because he couldn't wrap around a tight turn. He hit that wall about 60% of the time. Ay-yay-yay! He did end up hitting the same barrier as the other two boys and continued to race after being moved off the wall.

But all the boys had a good time so that's all that counts. Just another day at the track!

"Another picture Mom?"

Kind of better and then not really

2011-06-11T23:22:00.000-07:00

Remember how I had a doctor visit a couple weeks ago?

After 10 days of cutting caffeinated coffee from my diet, I wasn't back to normal. [sigh] I'm pretty bummed that it didn't fix me.

When I was at my doctor, he mentioned that I might want to try to take another 150mg pill before bed. Another 150? I just didn't want to take another full dose pill. So...for the last 4 days I've been taking a 75mg pill about 30 minutes before I get into bed. And it's definitely been helping. Not totally mind you but definitely allowing me to actually sleep most of the night. I was waking up coughing every hour or two before, so getting some solid sleep has been a blessing.

This past Tuesday, I finally went in for the blood workup that the doc asked me to go in for. It was a fasting blood draw. Oh how I detest those kind. Don't like them at all! But thankfully I did have the day off so that I could attend my daughter's commencement, so I was able to fit in the blood draw. I went in there and was out within 10 minutes. Can I hear a woo-hoo?

My doc left me a voicemail on Thursday and I got to touch base with him on Friday. Most of baselines are a-okay. But there was one item that was out of whack. Like big time. My vitamin D levels were horrendous. Where a normal level would be 30 -- my level was at 16.5. That's right folks. I was under by almost half what I should be. Therefore, back to the drug store I went. I have to take a megadose of vitamin D (40,000 units) once a week for the next 8 weeks. Yup, it's a prescription level dose for sure.Then I'll need to take a regular 2000 unit vitamin D pill every day. The reason behind the weekly megadose? So that I'll be able to accumulate the backlog and get back to a normal level.

40,000 units - (2000 units * 7 days) = 26,000 extra units per week

26,000 units * 8 weeks = 208,000 extra units

Since I had such deficit in my vitamin D? I'm going to have to up my calcium intake. Because if I'm low in vitamin D then I'm pretty sure my calcium levels have been compromised as well. I've never been a milk drinker. Milk has never sat well in my stomach. But I can eat yogurt and cheese without much trouble. Maybe because it's processed? I normally get the kids a few containers of yogurt at the grocery store. This time I grabbed a large Greek yogurt for myself. I also picked up a half gallon of soy milk. I'm planning on drinking a cup before I head out to work every day.

As I'll be taking a vitamin D pill every day soon enough, I'm going to start taking a multi-vitamin every day. Yes. At my age, I should have already been taking a multi-vitamin every day but I just haven't. No real reason. No real excuse. I just haven't been doing it. And now? I'm going to have to...if I want to stay healthy.

Sadly enough, I ended up buying one of those 7-day pill boxes so that I can keep my daily pill intake organized. I used to make fun of my Dad with his box but now here I am. Do I feel old now or what?

Let the games begin!

2011-06-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

Today was my kids last day of the school year.

Another year gone and done.

[sigh]

Tomorrow will be the first day of summer.

What's funny to me is that the schools in Arizona got out about a month ago.

Yes, it's true!

The kids had a good last day. My daughter's class had "improv" day along with loads of time to sign yearbooks. My son's class played games and even had ice cream sundaes.

Here the kiddos are on the first day of school.

Here is how they looked today on the last day of school.

They'll be attending a summer program starting next week. I looked at the weekly schedule today and they are going to have FUN! They'll be going on a weekly field trip. They'll get to go to the movies and the pool every week. Then they'll have loads of computer time. Outside playtime. Indoor quiet playtime. There's even reading time every day. I want to go with them! But it'll be nice that they'll be busy all summer. They won't be stuck with only each other for amusement.

Are your kids out of school already? What are they going to do for the summer?

The ceremony was great

2011-06-08T22:33:00.000-07:00

I was so impressed and touched by the 5th grade commencement.

The 5th graders did the walk to honor through the main hall of the school before the ceremony. All the younger kids lined the hallways and clapped as the 5th graders walked down the main hall. Loads of whooping and hollering. It was so fun to see how the little kids really enjoyed cheering for the older kids.

It was so interesting (as I expected) to watch the girls walk into the auditorium. Most were wearing dresses in black/white. I found that SO interesting. And what's great is that there were no repeats of the same dress. Such variety of dresses too. My daughter had a flapper style dress. There were girls with petticoats underneath. Only one young lady was wearing pants. ONE out of 30 girls. I thought that was pretty amazing since most of these girls wear jeans/pants/shorts every day. Skirts/skorts/dresses aren't their normal garb.

They acknowledged achievements. The kids did a few speeches. Then the kids got to walk across the stage and get their "diploma" so that each one got the limelight. It was great. They put together a DVD with photos that captured their year. That was fun to watch and also hard to watch as well. There was a part they showed a baby picture of each student followed by a current photo of the student in a cap. Oh...it really caught me off-guard at how that touched me. Tears formed in my eyes unexpectedly and I caught myself. I stopped the tears from flowing but I couldn't help my lip from twitching at the emotion I was feeling. It was so hard to control. But when the DVD ended, I looked to my right and that Mom was wiping visible tears from her face. It was nice to see that I wasn't the only one who was brought to tears.

Once the ceremony was over, we walked outside and were handed a piece of cake. What was great was that the rest of the happened to be coming out for recess. I went to the fence to look out onto the playground searching for the Bear but couldn't find him. But as I walked back to my table, he was right there with my Mom and my BIL. He ran up to me and did a Spiderman style jump at me. I caught him mid-air and gave him a huge hug. Then I realized that we were not at home, but at the school's lunch area surrounded by his peers. I looked at him to see if he was embarrassed and he didn't have one inkling of hesitation at all. Just joy. And I LOVE that. He isn't embarrassed to show his love. I'm amazed I've got a son that's so open like that because my daughter (who is so much like myself at her age) is so restrained. My son had my cake, he played with my littlest niece for a bit, his friends ended up hanging out with us for a bit, and then it was time for him to go back to class.

All the kids in my daughter's class were meeting up for lunch. We put all the kids at some center tables, while all the parents/families stayed at the smaller tables surrounding. It was so much fun watching all the kids interact -- talking excitedly together -- move from table to table -- all smiles and laughter.

Oh gosh...I was so happy to watch them. To watch my girl in the midst of it all. She's growing up. And this is just the first of many more milestones before I totally let her go into the world on her own. I'm so proud of her. I'm so lucky that she's my daughter. I feel so blessed to have the privilege to be her mother. I love the little girl she once was.

I love the young lady that she is.

And I know I will love the woman she will be.

End of an era for one

2011-06-06T21:17:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow my daughter will be participating in 5th grade Commencement.

Yes!

My daughter will be finishing up 5th grade this week.

[sniffle-sniffle]

It'll be the end of one chapter in my daughter's life.

One more milestone that Mommy needs to get through.

My daughter is SO excited. She's going to be wearing a new dress with little heels. She's going to look so beautiful. [cringing again inside]

Thankfully the ceremony is being held mid-morning. This way we can attend and then head out of school. The class is actually meeting up for lunch after. It's just going to be time for me and my girl. My son is going to stay at school all day so he can relish in some fun time with his friends. Because once summer comes around he'll be missing them like crazy.

But I'm really glad to be able to spend time alone with my girl in the middle of the week.

Girl Time! Girl Time!

I'm going to relish in this special time with my girl because before I know it, she'll think she's too cool to spend time with me.

Anyone else having to deal with one of their kids' milestones?

Surprises even come in the early morning

2011-06-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

Today marked the annual Rock and Roll Marathon held in my fabulous home town.

As always, it was a beautiful day.

The sun was up early ~ about 5:45am.

And as the runners got situated this morning?

This hit the scene at 6am!

Fun, no?

Partners in crime

2011-06-04T23:20:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday!

And what's the routine for Saturdays?

Vacuuming. Laundry. Sweeping. Cleaning bathrooms.

Then there's the inevitable...trying to relax.

Unexpectedly my Mom gave me a buzz after lunch.

Mom: Hi honey, it's Mom.
Me: Hey Mom. What's going on?
Mom: Nothing. I was wondering what you were doing. I wanted to take Princess out to buy a promotion dress.
Me: Oh yeah?
Mom: Is she busy?
Me: She's working on an art project right now but she can finish it up tomorrow. When do you want to go?
Mom: I can be over in about 30 minutes.
Me: Oh okay.

And so my daughter went shopping with her Grandma for about 4 hours. Yes. They went to the mall (only 15 minutes away) didn't get back for over FOUR hours. Yes. My daughter is a shopper. A trait that her Mama (me) doesn't have. I so dislike going to the mall. Too much stuff. Too many people. Too confusing.

I am so not looking forward to my daughter's teenage years. I can imagine the amount of time she'll want to spend at the mall. How much money I'll have to invest. Ay-yay-yay!

But my daughter had a blast with my Mom. Of course, my Mom was super tired by the time she dropped my girl off. The two were super happy though about their time together. And we even got a little fashion show once they got here.

Nothing like seeing a happy Mom and a happy child, eh?

Running = Fun Times

2011-06-03T23:25:00.000-07:00

While some folks dread the thought of running, most kids relish in any kind of horseplay.

My kids are no exception. When we're at the park, they run around all over the place. Even if there aren't any other kids at the park, my kids are happy as clams just playing with each other. They have their own kind of communication together on what they want to do. It's fun to watch. They just need each other.

But today? They didn't play at the park together. The entire school got to play games outside. That's right. It was FIELD DAY today.

Oh my goodness, they both couldn't talk fast enough to tell me the games that they played. Egg (actually a ball) on a spoon. 3-legged race. Obstacle course. Tug of war.

Here are a couple comments from my kids:
"We ate Otter Pops! They were huge. About twice as big as a normal one!"
"Mom, today definitely wasn't the day to forget to put on deodorant."

They were totally cracking me up something fierce.

Listening to them just made me appreciate how fun being a kid can be. How much such simple things in life like playing outside can just make a day better. Not doing anything special really. Being with friends. And just running around.

Here's a bit of "Wow" that pleasantly surprised me. My son received an award from the Running Club for logging more than 55 miles this school year. Can you believe it? More than fifty-five miles! The kids who were in the club would run laps at recess on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They'd earn "sticks" for every lap (which was the same length as what you'd see at a typical track).

At the start of the year my son would get about 4 sticks each time he ran. After a while he gained more endurance and was able to earn 5 sticks. And by the end here, he was earning between 6 to 7 sticks each running day.

But I have to tell you that there was one exceptional second grader who earned just over 100 miles for the year. Can you believe it? Given the opportunity, it's amazing what these kids can achieve. We just have to give them the time and the chance to do it.

Both kids went to bed late. In our house, the kids are in bed by about 8:30pm. But like every Friday/Saturday, they crawled into bed between 9:30-9:45pm. So with all the activity of today and staying up late, I'm hoping they'll sleep in a bit tomorrow morning. [crossing fingers]

Now does your kids' have Field Day at their school? What kind of games did they get to play?

Time enough for me

2011-05-28T23:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we happened to have a half day at work. Yes! HALF DAY!

Can I hear a woo-hoo? WOO-HOO!

Rather than relax and relish in the few couple of afternoon hours before I had to get the kids. I did a few things that I usually don't have time to do. I got a trim AND I went into see my doctor.

I've been trying to grow out my hair for a while now. I haven't had a haircut since December. I've just been making due as my hair has been growing out. I did cut my bangs myself a couple months ago. A little crooked? No matter. I just brushed them to the side. Ay-yay-yay! But my hair has been a bit out of control as of late. I was getting that flipping out business. So I convinced the stylist to take as little off as possible. And you know what? This particular stylist actually listened to me. She just trimmed it up. Took off the funky ends. Cleaned up my bangs. Hopefully now my hair will grow out nicely from here on out. [crossing fingers]

No. It wasn't my yearly well-woman visit. It was a check on what's been going on with my digestive tract. Oh yeah. My darn acid-reflux has been rearing its ugly self back into my life the past week and a half. I haven't been able to sleep well at all. It's been pretty sad. Coughing on and off all night.

I showed up at 1:10pm and I found out his 1pm never showed up. My doc was able to spend a bunch of time with me. I did gain about 5 pounds since last year. Ugh! But at least my blood pressure is a-okay. The doc did confirm that the back of my throat is quite red. I did mention that I haven't eaten anything odd or unusual in the past couple of weeks. But that my stress level has been quite high. Then he asked if I'd been drinking anything different. Soda. Tea. Coffee. And then a little lightbulb went on in my head. I have up'd my morning caffeine intake. I had been drinking two cups of decaf coffee. But a couple weeks ago I started to mix in one cup of regular (aka caffeinated) to one cup of decaf. And once I mentioned that, my doc said that I had to stop that. ARGH!

This morning? I only drank a half cup of decaf with my breakfast. And now at 10:49pm? My reflux isn't as bad. By now I would be coughing up a storm from the irritation to the back of my throat from the acid. I'd also be trying to drink loads of water to try to push the acid back down. Even sleeping on my wedge wasn't helping much. I'd still have "break through" even sleeping with my body at an upward angle. So I'm quite relieved that my symptoms aren't so pronounced as they've been in the last 10 days.

I hope....I hope that the fix for my reflux is as easy as cutting caffeinated coffee from my daily intake. I hope. I hope.

Music once again in my life

2011-05-25T21:22:00.000-07:00

The kids and I didn't stay home last night.

Where did we go, pray tell?

We went to see this....

It was the Princess' final band concert.

At the kids' school, only the 5th graders are able to take band. I think it's kind of strange as I started taking lessons at school in the 2nd grade. But I guess it's all about national school budget cuts and all that jazz.

It was fun to watch the kids' play. In actuality, it kind of hurt my ears at moments. Seriously. There was one particular trumpet player who most likely only practiced every Wednesday at school when the band convened together. The kid was pretty horrible and LOUD! It would be one thing if he played quietly, but he was so loud and offkey for about 90% of the time. Ay-yay-yay! Thankfully, there were a few songs where each group of instruments played by themselves so you could hear JUST THEM. The flutes? I have to say...played the BEST.

The kids were asked to dress nicely. Boys in slacks and collared shirts. Girls in slacks or skirts with a nice shirt or a dress. No jeans. No shorts. And it was so great to see the kids come in looking especially nice.

While I enjoyed watching the kids, I came home with one revelation.

Teach your daughters how to sit in a skirt.

These girls are used to wearing shorts and jeans. These girls were DEFINITELY not used to wearing skirts. Oh my! Their legs were sprawled this way and that. Can you say undies on display? Yes. It was bad. So please...PLEASE...show your daughters how to sit in skirts. Enough said. Right?

Sometimes all it takes is a song

2011-05-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

After having a rough few weeks, I made it a point to get us to church this morning.

The Bear enjoys going to church. He's told me more than once that enjoys "learning about God" when we're at church. He just loves going to Sunday School.

The Princess? She enjoys hearing the music and singing.

Today was the best day for the Princess. Because today rather than having the normal sermon, it was all about the music.

The men's quartet started it off.
The kids' group sang a little song.
The youth choir sang.
The main choir sang 6 beautiful songs.
The service ended with the bell ringers.

It was fabulous. My Mom, the Princess, and I enjoyed it immensely.

I have to say that the music filled me up.

My bucket is now overflowing.

Hiding it once again

2011-05-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

I only had one thing that I needed to get done today.

ONE.

What was it?

Dye my hair!

I'm one of those who does an at-home treatment. I've pretty much done my own color most of my adult life. With dark brown/black hair it's pretty easy to get things done. No need to blend various shades. I did go through a period where I went to a salon for color for a year or so. That's when I had streaks. Yeah...but no more. Now I've got simple taste. I'm just sticking to one color. Or I'm trying to. But my aging body sprouts those darn white roots in no time flat. ARGH!

I sprouted my first white hair when I was 16. It was on my right temple. No biggie. Just one hair. But as I got into college, I had a handful of hairs that would come back. Now? When the roots come out, I look like I've got a halo around my face. A halo might sound nice, but not a halo of white hair.

After I cleaned up dinner tonight, I made an appointment with Miss Clairol. I've bought Nice-n-Easy since I was in college, but I actually bought Natural Instincts at the store yesterday. I ventured out and tried something new. I actually did like the fact that I only had to leave the color in for 10 minutes versus 45 AND my hair does feel very soft. I just may be a convert. But I'll wait to see how the color holds.

So you gals who color. Do you color at a salon or do it yourself at home? What brand do you use?

There are a couple girls at work who have dyed their hair since they were teenagers. They actually had a debate at lunch one day about who started having gray hair first. The conversation spiraled. They tried to one-up each other on who had it worse. The one gal finally said, "I even have white hairs DOWN THERE! Why do you think I get a Brazilian? So I won't have to see any snow in my girlie area." Oh goodness! That had us all busting in our chairs.

But so goes life as we all age. White hairs here. White hairs there. We each deal with these darn hairs in our own way.

Inspiration finds us

2011-05-18T22:03:00.000-07:00

As you probably can tell, I've been pretty down as of late.

It's not just one thing. It's everything. Being overloaded at work. Trying to keep the kids busy. Worrying about my sisters who aren't getting along. Being a "single" parent.

I can't believe it's already been over a year since I moved out here. And the kids have just hit their one year mark for being here as well.

While the Hubs has come out here to visit us a few times, it's not the same. I'm still have to do everything to get through the day-to-day. Some of you are probably scoffing at me. I mean, I've only got the two kids. How hard can it be? For me? It's hard. All the things that need to be done to run a home and create a warm family life. All those little things. My shoulders feel the weight of it all. My head sometimes gets fuzzy about all the stuff that needs to get done. For some it's easy to get things organized and done. I'm fine with getting my regular workload organized and settled. Bing-bang-boom. But my life? I just get be-fuddled by it all. [sigh]

The other day after work, I felt so lost. As I walked to my car, I felt like the weight of the world was on me. I had that feeling like I was drowning with no help in sight. I felt that gasping effort in my lungs just to breath. But I trudged on. I got in my car and started on home with an empty feeling in my heart.

As I sat waiting at the highway on-ramp, I looked up as I normally would when I'm troubled. I usually look up to watch the clouds with their ever-changing shapes moving effortless before me. But my eyes did not move to the clouds high above me. My eyes instead saw a most beautiful sight. Two birds flying in synch. Swooping up, diving down, and twisting between each other. I don't know if it was a Mama-bird showing her baby to fly aggressively. I don't know if it was a boy bird courting a girl bird. But no matter. For those 10 minutes, I watched this beautiful dance in the sky. And I knew it was God trying to give me a little boost. Showing me how wonderful and free life can be. It warmed my heart. It soothed my soul. It filled that empty space in my heart, just like my kids can do.

I'll try hard to continue to find inspiration and joy in my day as I continue to work through the difficulties in my life. How about you? Can you give me some inspiration?

Time with the kids calms me

2011-05-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

While my kids are two people who can really drive me crazy at times, they are also a couple people who can calm my spirit.

This weekend was a key example of the power they have over me.

I had a difficult week at work and just spending quality quiet time with the kids was what I really needed.

What's funny is that my daughter was actually not home for a portion of this weekend.

Do you think that's why this weekend was so good?

After I dropped the Princess off at school Friday morning, I didn't see her again until 10am Saturday. Why? Because my daughter's class went on an overnight trip. It was a historical lesson. The kids left school around 2pm and headed over downtown to spend the night on an old sailing ship. Kind of like what you see on Master and Commander.They were served "rat soup" for dinner. They cleaned the deck with saltwater and brooms. They even were woken up in the middle of the night to stand watch. And I have to tell you that it was cold this past week. I was so glad that the Princess packed her mittens, knit cap, ski jacket with fuzzy lining, and a sweatshirt. She told me that she and the other girls slipped into their sleeping bags with their jackets, hats, and mittens on. Brrr....

What's crazy is that today, the Princess attended a swim party for one of her school buddies. Oh yeah. Around 3:30pm all the girls converged at the local Boys & Girls Club to swim. Brrr.... When I picked up the Princess at 6pm, about half the girls were still in the pool. Yes! IN. THE. POOL. AT. SIX. O'CLOCK. The Princess wa so ready to leave though because she was cold down to her bones. She had a slight blue tint around her lips! She was THAT cold!

Needless to say, the Bear and I were able to spent quiet time together. We just hung out. No errands. No chores. We just hung out. And it was so nice.

It was just what I needed. What do YOU need when you've had a rotten week?

Those moments when I just want to walk out

2011-05-14T00:20:00.000-07:00

There are certain places where you are pretty much conditioned to behave.

You know what I'm talking about. Sitting in a church pew during a service. Visiting someone in a hospital. Working in an office.

And that's me. Working in an office. Being forced to play nice.

When things go wrong at work, I keep things to myself. When people get calls from unhappy outside callers, I try to be a filter. I console the caller. I take as much information as possible. Then I email my co-worker the message. This way the caller can vent. This way my co-worker doesn't have to speak with an unhappy caller. This way my co-worker can research the situation and have an answer before speaking with the caller. Typically, this works. But not today!

Around 8:45am, I got a call from a Lady who was a little perturbed. She asked we'd received some information she'd sent over on Tuesday. I looked into the account and confirmed that we indeed had received the documents. She then asked if the person who maintains the account, Kim, had received the documentation. I confirmed that the documents had been forwarded to Kim on Tuesday. The Lady said she was a little disappointed because she'd left Kim a couple voicemails to call to discuss the documents. I then let the Lady know that I'd leave Kim a note that she wanted a call back from Kim to discuss the paperwork. Once I got off the phone, I sent Kim an email.

Kim emailed me back within a couple minutes. Who was the caller? How did I get the call? I let her know that who the lady was. I told her that the Lady called me directly. Then I went on with my day.

Lo and behold, around 2:30pm I got a call. It was the Lady again and she wasn't happy because she hadn't gotten a call back yet. Yes. Almost six hours later it hadn't received a call back. So what to do? What to do? I sent an email to Kim's supervisor to let her know that Kim hadn't responded. The supervisor then sent out an email to Kim to make a return call. Kim then emails me and asks if I'd received another call from the Lady. I confirmed that the Lady called 10 minutes prior. Kim then ~~stalked~~ walked over to my desk, which is about 3 rows over from hers.

The Lady called again?
Yes. She said that she wanted to talk about some documents she sent over on Tuesday.

Then she ~~stalked~~ walked off.

And guess what? She ended up emailing me again to say (and I'm paraphrasing) that if someone calls for her to forward the person onto her directly. Okay fine. I will. When someone calls for Kim (especially when they're in a bad mood), I'll just transfer them onto her. I won't buffer her whatsoever anymore. You crap on me like that at work? I am no longer willing to help you in any way. NO. WAY. NO. HOW.

Dang it all. It's when people act like this that make me so mad. When people take their crappy behavior out on me. I try with all my might to maintain myself at work. When I'm in a bad mood, I try to just contain myself. Keep my yuckiness to myself. Keep things under wraps. But that's just the way I am. I don't want to spread my bad vibe to those around me. And when people spread THEIR yuckiness to me? I can get pretty ticked off. And today? I was so ticked off that I felt like crying. I equate how I feel like a volcano. I typically let my anger - my magma - simmer underneath the surface. But once too much pressure -- anger -- builds up, a slight blow escapes. And a blow for me? In the past, I've thrown a highlighter onto one of my cube walls. But today? Those angry hot tears came as I typed away on my computer. Oh how I detest crying!

What a way to end my week...

I'm just so happy it's the weekend. I've got time to spend with my kiddos. Time to be a couch potato and cuddle. But I do plan on taking a run sometime. [sigh] The weekend....I love it.

Long time no see

2011-05-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

Life has caught up with me.

The busy-ness of it all.

Running her and there.

More work than time available.

But I must tell you that on Saturday I did something for me.

It was a cloudy morning, so I decided to take a jog.

Remember when I used to run?

Well, I've never gotten back into the groove since moving here.

My darn acid-reflux had gotten so bad that I just couldn't run.

I couldn't. Too much acid.

And since then?

I've just been working. Working hard to bring home the bacon.

So I went out Saturday morning for an easy ~~jog~~ jog-walk.

I had a general idea about the distance. I ended up getting back home in 30 minutes.When I got back, I looked it up on Google Maps and it ended up being 2.6 miles.

Is that good? 2.6 miles in 30 minutes?

I have to tell you that it felt good. That way your lungs feel afterwards. The slight strain of something being worked.

I definitely stretched once I got home. I'm not as limber as I was before. That's something I have to invest some time in. Getting my flexibility back. I used to be pretty flexible and it was just so sad to see how much stiffer my body is.

I wasn't too sore on Sunday, which is a good sign for me. On Monday I felt just fine.

So tonight after I put dinner down for the kids? I ventured back out. A shorter distance this time -- only 1.9 miles. I figured it would be better so that I could get used to it again.

I must tell you though....I pretty much jogged the entire way. Yes. I did stop a couple times when I had to wait for the lights to change so I could cross safely. But I ~~ran~~ jogged the entire way! I am super happy!

Hopefully I'll MAKE time to do this a few days a week. I know a lot of you are able to go out and do it. But I just find it hard to fit in while I'm doing the single parent thing. How do you single parents do it? Any advice would be great.

Hosting a family event

2011-04-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

Oh hey!

I'm hosting my family for Easter lunch tomorrow.

ARGH!!!!!

It's not so bad really. I'm doing my best not to over-analyze things, like I normally do.

I did spent today cleaning from top to bottom. I also did the laundry.

Thankfully, my Mom got the kids around 2:45pm this afternoon to take them to our church's Easter Egg Hunt. It's actually 6:57pm and my Mom just called to let me know that they were coming home.

Yes. They've been gone for over FOUR hours! I was able to finish up the laundry and go to the grocery store for some additional items.

So what am I serving tomorrow? I'm fixing some crock-pot ham, stuffed mushrooms, homemade baked mac-n-cheese, quinoa, and some steamed veggies. My Mom is probably going to bring some stuff even though I didn't ask her to. My sister is bringing some pasta and dessert. She's a baker. I have no idea what she's going to make, but whatever it is it's going to be yummy.

The kids' are so happy that they're going to see their older cousins. They just love hanging out with them. And I enjoy watching them all get along now. Yes. There were some issues between my son and my youngest nephew when they were little. My nephew was jealous or something about my son and wasn't very nice to him. There was some knocking down and unkind words. The two get along famously now that they're 8 and 11 AND about the same height.

Anyway, I'll be awake bright and early tomorrow to get the food cooked. I'm thinking 5am would be the best start time. The ham has got to cook for at least 6 hours, so that'll have it finished by the time we get back from church. I'll prep the mac-n-cheese so that I can just throw it into the oven when we get back. I'll get the mushroom stuffing all prepped as well so that I can get those into the oven when we get back as well. And then I'm going to make the quinoa and the veggies fresh. I think it'll be a nice time for us all.

What I don't enjoy about the whole thing is that I'm the only one getting stuff together. Normally for parties, the Hubs would be helping me clean and doing the food shopping. This time? It's just me. So I'm missing him a lot. A. LOT. But thankfully my family will be around me. Even though my heart is aching, I won't be alone. And that means a great deal to me.

Acting like kids & being silly

2011-04-17T22:15:00.000-07:00

While my children can be at each other's throats at times. They can totally play together in the most silly ways.

They have a shorthand communication where they know how to move a "game" along.

I was working on the computer while I was watching a movie while they played. Then when I turned around. THIS was the first image I saw.

What the HECK is on my girl's head?

It's a pair of "earmuffs" that my son created during art class that my daughter re-purposed into a "facemask". You can see the lightsaber she's flung over her shoulder. What you don't fully see is the messenger bag she's got over her shoulder with all her supplies. That's a plastic snake wrapped around her waist like a belt. Then she's got her foot in a bucket to simulate a pegleg. That's right folks. A pegleg. Like a pirate. Don't you love her serious face below?

While my daughter went all out in her creation, my son went the more traditional route.

While my daughter does a serious face? My son always makes a comical one. Can they be any more opposite?

But the two of them played for about 3 hours before they had to take a break from each other.

It's just funny listening to them "act" out their scenarios. For a while there I had the movie on mute while I just listened to them chitter-chatter with each other.

I love it when they get along. It makes me so thankful that they are my kids. THAT and the relief that I didn't have to referee. Right?

Costs a pretty penny to stay hydrated

2011-04-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

I live in an area that has horrible tap water. HORRIBLE.

As a kid, we drank water from the tap. And I hated it. I didn't like the taste at all.

Now as an adult, I realize why growing up I didn't enjoy drinking water.

Because the quality of the water from the tap was horrible.

Like it is now.

When the Hubs and I bought our first house in the desert, we invested in an RO system.

I must tell you that the water tasted wonderful.

But I thought water didn't have a taste, you ask?

You'd taste the difference if you'd been drinking tap water your whole life.

When the kids and I moved here, I didn't want to have to buy bottled water every week - it's so darn HEAVY!

My solution? One of those water filter systems.

Fine and dandy.

But we drink a lot of water when we're home and this little container just couldn't keep up.

So I started to research other water systems.

I mean, the kids and I mainly drink water. We don't do a lot of juice. We don't do soda. Yeah, we're pretty boring.

I realized that one system I'd read about was far better than any other I could find at a regular store (versus getting something online).

And after a week of contemplation? I bought it.

Yes, I did!

Not only does it filter out more contaminants, it's got a much larger reservoir.

In this scenario, bigger is better.

What's even more interesting is that this particular unit came with a water testing mechanism.

I tested water from the tap and it registered 464.

I tested water from my original unit and it registered 333.

I then tested the new unit and it registered 0. ZERO!

Needless to say, I am mighty impressed with the results.

And even though the filters cost 1 1/2 times of the original unit, I think the end result it worth it.

Less junk in my kids' system, you know?

Everything I do is for them...

Long day ahead

2011-04-11T05:42:00.000-07:00

It's 5:34am right now.

Many of you wake up around this time every weekday to get ready for work and get your dis ready for school.

The big problem?

I woke up at 4am and could not go back to sleep.

FOUR O'CLOCK!!!

My eyes are going to be tired today.

I can already feel it.

I typically drink decaf but today I'm going to need some caffeine.

Oh yeah!

Big time.

And now?

It's time for me to make some sandwiches for the kids and throw some stuff together for myself as well.

Then it'll soon be time for me to rouse my sleeping children.

The kids were on Spring Break this past week, so I'm sure they'll be kind of horrible this morning. You parents KNOW what I'm about.

But we'll get back into the groove.

No worries.

But I'm definitely going to need some strong coffee today.

A bit of quiet for my restless spirit

2011-04-10T22:13:00.000-07:00

No news about my husband and finding a new job.

So my mind?

It's been endlessly shifting between being upset and then being okay.

I try my hardest to be okay and fine when I'm with the kids.

Then I'm alone in bed at night and there are times when I let my mind go into despair mode.

When I do get into that kind of mood, I do allow myself to bit upset for a little while.

But then I try to read some inspirational verses from my Bible and finish with prayer.

I mean, that's all I can really do.

It's up to the Hubs to keep looking and get a job.

I can't do that for him.

My job is to keep the kids occupied and happy AND to keep the home fires burning here.

[sigh]

But I did sign up the Bear for football this Fall.

The Princess is all signed up for middle school.

AND I started working out a little bit this weekend.

Yes, I did!

Some sit-ups and pushups.

The Bear kept me company today when I ventured out on a 3-mile walk that had a nice hill in it.

It felt so good to be outside on such a beautiful day!

I've definitely got to continue to do this for myself, you know?

I may just make an "appointment" for myself to take a walk/job about 2 days a week before I pick up the kids from school, which means not staying late at work.

It'll be a little snippet of quiet in my week that I definitely need.

What happens when no one says anything?

2011-04-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

My son is a person who doesn't complain about much.

He's pretty easy-going about most things.

He just goes with the flow.

Oh! Except when we doing errands. And then it's all about the dragging feet and sighing behind me.

Are we done yet?

We were walking to a store and I noticed that he was walking strange.

Me: Why are you walking funny, buddy?
Bear: I am?
Princess: It's because his shoes are broken.
Me: Your shoes are broken?
Bear: Yeah. The bottom is a little broken.

I had him lift his shoe and I immediately chose to head on over to the shoe store that day.

Y'all? His shoes were a mess. It wasn't just he one shoe. BOTH shoes were "broken". Look how abused the shoes are.

The bottoms were just a mess. Can you see the HOLES?

No wonder my son was walking funny. And no wonder that he was trying to avoid puddles (which would make his socks wet).

I felt like such a bad mother. I should have been checking his shoes. But I figured he would tell me if there were any issues.

I should have figured that his participation in running club would put some quick wear-n-tear on his shoes. He runs every Tuesday and Thursday at recess. I mean, he's already accumulated 50 miles for the school year. You'd think the lightbulb would click on in my brain, eh? Sucky Mom Award!

Thankfully, we were able to find two pairs of shoes for him at the first store we stopped at. That's an amazing achievement since he's got duck feet like me. Yes. WIDE feet! And the new shoes are one full size larger than what he was wearing. Ay-yay-yay!

Here are both pairs in all their clean glory. Because these things are going to get some immediate abuse.

My days typically look like this...

2011-03-26T23:21:00.000-07:00

For me, weekdays follow a basic scenario.

Some might consider it boring.

Some people like to have a routine.

There are days where I get totally frustrated. There are days where time flies. Of course, there are those days that drag like nobody's business.

6:20 am: Friday started with this. The Bear's homework is due every Friday morning, so I had to compile all the paperwork. He's been so happy with his work lately. He's been getting 4's (on a scale from 1 to 4) because he's been doing extra sheets from a workbook we've got here at home.

7:15 am: The kids and I normally head out of the house. My son, of course, is all packed with his jacket on. My daughter? She needs to be prodded and cajoled and convinced that we've leaving. LEAVING! Note that she doesn't have her socks or a jacket on. She's just finishing brushing her hair here. Ay-yay-yay!

7:49am: My drive to work can take from 25 to 40 minutes depending on traffic. Actually, it depends on how many accidents there are on the freeway, where 95% of my commute occurs.

7:53am: As I drove up to my last turn into the parking lot, it inevitably started to sprinkle.

8 am: I still made it to my desk on time though! Woohoo!

8:23 am: I ended up getting a breakfast muffin to go along with my morning coffee (decaf) and water. It was a yummy treat.

11:28 am: I head out to lunch around 11:30. I usually sit at my desk the entire morning crunching stuff into the computer/database. So an early lunch is just what I need to stretch out and laugh a bit. Yes. Laughter is just what I need after such a quiet (albeit busy) morning. You like my little sign?

4:42 pm: And the afternoon flew by. I'm supposed to leave at 4, but I've been staying until after 5. Here's all my stuff that I needed to bring home. My purse. My 2 lunchboxes. My water container, which I fully love since it keeps my cold water from sweating on my desk and papers. My leftover strawberries and Greek yogurt. And there's my darn empty pill case for my daily meds.

5:08 pm: Finally, I took off for home. Yeah!

5:18 pm: Here is the glorious sight as I started my drive home. The clouds had parted and sun shined brightly. BEAUTIFUL!

I was so happy to see that the wait to get onto the freeway wasn't so bad. I was only about 15 cars back when I got in line. What was even better was that there was no accidents. I ended up getting home in 20 minutes. I was able to go to the grocery store before I picked up the kids.

6:22 pm: The kids and I sat down for dinner.

6:23 pm: Here's what I mainly ate. Romaine/spinach salad with mozzarella cheese, dried cranberries, and croutons with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Yum!

11 pm: I finally went to bed. After the kids went to bed, I got on Netflix and watched more of The Office. Folks? I'd never watched the show. EVER. My sister and I were recently talking and she watches it. She knows my own co-workers drive me batty many days of the week and said that I would thoroughly enjoy it. It's dry humor, but I am enjoying it.

My weekdays are just like this. EVERY. DAY.

That's why I enjoy relaxing on the weekends with the kids. Here's what we did today!

That's right. We hit a local track meet. Saw some running. Saw some of the shot put.

It was a beautiful. Check out the sky!

But it was a little cool out when the wind blew across the field. Here's the Princess laying out with a blanket on.

She's such a clown. She was acting like the sun was "burning" her eyes because it was so bright out. Ha!

My nephew's been throwing the javelin for a couple years but this is his first year throwing the disc. He's doing great. Today he got a PR of 127.03! Yeah!

Are your weekdays as scheduled as mine? Do you relish the thought of weekends where you can fit in a nap or just cuddle on the couch with your loved ones?

Is yoWhat did you do today?

Scenes that make me stop

2011-03-17T23:03:00.000-07:00

We all have been there in a movie theater (or at home) when a movie scene just GETS you.

It hits you right in the gut.

Touches that part of your heart.

A scene that takes your breath away.

That minute or two that makes you ache.

It's in that moment where the tears automatically flow from your eyes with no notice.

Those burning hot tears that you never want others to see.

I remember when I first watched Legends of the Fall and that scene where Tristan (Brad Pitt) tried to run and catch Samuel (Henry Thomas) but didn't make it time. He could only watch as Samuel was gunned down right in front of him and then he cut out his brother's heart so that he could bring it to his father. I still choke up when I see that scene.

I don't think there's any over 30 didn't shed a tear when they watched the first 10 minutes of Up. Watching the progression of the man's life from boy to young man to married man to widower. To see his dreams, his life, and then his loneliness.

That bit in The Green Mile where Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) touches Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) and sees how the little girls truly died. Oh that scene! The expression on Tom Hanks face! The anguish in Coffey's voice when he said, "He kill them with their love. With their love for each other. That's how it is, every day, all over the world."

The beginning scenes of Saving Private Ryan were groundbreaking when it came out. The shaky camera added to the chaotic nature of the scene. It added to the grittiness and feel of confusion in combat. I tend to hold my breath each time I see it. But that isn't the only scene that makes me cry in this movie. I tend to be quite an emotional mess if I watch the entire thing through.

The most recent couple of minutes that get to me are those first few minutes of Star Trek. You know, the one directed by J.J. Abrams? Watching George Kirk stay behind to steer the darn ship when it's navigation system goes kaput. He stays behind so that everyone else can escape. He remains on the bridge while his wife flies off in an escape pod while giving birth to their child. The way it's pieced together along with the music? Ugh! Gets to me every time.

What are some movies that you love that make you cry or make your heart ache every time you watch it?

An extra day at home

2011-03-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

It's Monday around 1:47pm and I'm home.

Typically I'd be typing away at my computer at work with stacks of papers strategically placed around me.

Today I'm home.

I woke up at 5am and I knew from the get-go that I didn't feel well.

Dry throat.

Dry nasal passages.

Then some intermittent nasal drip.

Fuzzy feeling in my head

I thought possibly drinking a bunch of water would ease the dizziness I also felt.

But that definitely didn't help, although I was hydrated sufficiently after coughing off and on all night.

At 6am, I left voicemails for my boss and my boss' boss (who I also help out daily).

Woke my kids at 7am and got them to school by 8:15 am.

Then I back home, changed back into some comfy jammies, ate some breakfast, and crashed out on the couch.

I didn't wake up until almost 11am.

Now I'm watching/listening to the first season of The Tudors (via Netflix) while I'm on the couch resting.

I may take another nap in a little bit.

It's just so nice to be able to rest and try to recover from whatever this bug is.

I hope all of you are feeling well.

My heart is filled with sorrow

2011-03-08T21:18:00.000-08:00

A guy that I've known since I was 13 and his wife were expecting triplet boys.

They were looking for a bigger house fit the new brood.

They were looking into getting bigger SUV that would easily fit 3 carseats.

Due to some complications in her pregnancy, the babies were born early Monday morning.

At 22 weeks gestation, all three babies were too small to survive and died in their parents' loving arms after only a few hours.

All three boys are now in heaven.

My heart breaks to learn this news.

These were to be their first children.

To be more than halfway through a pregnancy and to lose all the babies.

I recall loosing my first baby at 12 weeks and how that loss stabbed the core of my soul.

I ache at the thought of their pain at losing all three wee ones.

My thoughts and prayers will be with them tonight and for many nights to come.

One to laugh with and one to cry on

2011-03-07T22:17:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness, but my moods do swing.

Last night I was chuckling along with the antics of Adam Sandler and his buddies. Some that have been in many a movie with him.

Tonight I'm watching a historical account of England in The Pillars of the Earth.

I'm about 25 minutes into the first episode and I've already been a bloody snotty mess.

Read more »

A movie I wouldn't pay to see at the theater

2011-03-06T22:06:00.000-08:00

Time is flying by!

Unbelievably it's March.

MARCH!

Soon enough it'll be summer.

And with summer come a new crop of movies.

There are a couple that I'm already anticipating.

Read more »

Sprouting like weeds

2011-03-05T23:42:00.000-08:00

After I made some lunch today, my daughter came scampering into the kitchen.

She came up behind me and wrapped her arms around me.

Who could ignore a hug from their daughter?

Not me, of course.

I turned around and gave her a real hug.

Our arms wrapped around each other.

But as I cuddled in the kitchen with my girl, I noticed something.

Read more »

Scatterbrained & absent-minded

2011-03-04T23:49:00.000-08:00

I remember when I was pregnant and I would forget things.

I do recall moments after I had the Bear and I was trying to also keep up with the Princess when I felt like I was in a daze.

Mommy brain?

Yes.

I had it.

I'm sure you can relate.

Read more »

Broadening their palate a little at a time

2011-03-03T17:38:00.000-08:00

Like most kids here in the United States, my two kiddos can be selective about what they put in their mouths.

Even though they have an opinion about what they like and don't like, that doesn't stop me from trying to steer them towards healthier choices.

While I do allow them to eat fast food from McDonald's, Jack in the Box, and Wendy's, I do keep those meals few and far between. They get that "treat" about once every two weeks at the most. It was in November 2010 that they finally ate a Sausage McMuffin with Egg. Yes. Their first taste of the Mickey D's breakfast menu. And (of course!) they loved it. All that salty goodness. But since then? Nothing.

I continue to serve them vegetables, even though I know there is a bit that ends up in the trash. But I hope that one day they'll voluntarily pop those veggies into their mouths. One day. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But one day.

I am pretty optimistic about their palates expanding. I mean, what they choose to eat does change. Slowly. But surely!

On Sunday we went to Olive Garden after church. I ordered a bowl of Zuppa Toscana and some salad. The Bear had his usual cheese pizza, while the Princess opted for a bowl of Zuppa Toscana soup and Lasagna Fritta (an appetizer). I asked my son if he wanted some of my salad and he gave an energetic nod.

"Make sure I get some red onions Mom!"

This comment made our server stop and ask if the Bear did indeed say he wanted red onions. She said that she hadn't come across any kids request red onions in the restaurant before. I let her know that he and his sister both enjoy the taste of red onions.

"In salad!"
"In sandwiches!"
"And in burgers!"

Yes. They chimed in about where they like to have those yummy red onions. Of course, the love of red onions didn't trigger until we moved here.

But it doesn't stop at just red onions.

When my husband visited over the summer, we all ate at Mimi's Cafe. I ordered some salad along with some french onion soup. Both kids asked for a taste. And wouldn't you know it? Both of them really liked the soup.

A couple months ago, the kids and I went to Panera with LilSis, Shorty, and my little niece. The kids ordered grill cheese sandwiches off the kids' menu, while I ordered a turkey artichoke sandwich and a bowl of french onion soup. The kids (of course) asked for some of my soup, which I happily shared with them. Then they asked for a bite of my sandwich. People? They loved the taste of that as well.

On our next visit to Panera, the kids let me know they wanted the turkey artichoke sandwich and some french onion soup. Just a few weeks ago, the gal who took our order kind of was taken aback when I placed our order for two sandwiches and a bowl of soup. She kind of looked at the kids and then back to me.

"Oh...they like the sandwiches and the soup."
"They do?"
"Yes. They tasted mine before and really like it."
"Wow. They like the adult food already. That's great."

I just kind of giggle when people are surprised by what the kids eat. I mean it's up to me to expose them to new foods, right? While they do enjoy a good burger and french fries, I still try to give them new stuff every now and again. I'm not the greatest cook, so whenever we go out I do try to give them bites of anything new I order. I think these little steps are a definite way for the kids to expand their palate.

That's my key. Little steps.

Now what do your kids like that surprise people?

March is upon us and daylight savings draws near

2011-03-02T18:20:00.000-08:00

I am amazed that it's already March.

What I was surprised to see is that Daylight Savings is in just a couple of weeks.

This will be the FIRST time my kids will have to deal with this bi-yearly transition.

In Arizona, we didn't deal with this time change business.

This was such a blessing when the kids were little because we didn't have to adjust their naps or sleep times.

Read more »

Snippet of happiness and awe

2011-03-01T20:44:00.000-08:00

As I went to pick up the kids, I noted a hot air balloon high up in the sky.

I then saw another that was much lower on the horizon.

Here where I live, there are hot air balloons that float southward along the coastline each night so it wasn't an unusual sight.

What was different was how low the 2nd balloon was.

After I signed the kids out from the after-school care program, we looked westward.

The hot air balloon was even lower.

It appeared to be getting set to land.

REALLY.CLOSE.BY.

As the kids piled into the car, my daughter made a suggestion.

We should see where it lands Mom!

And since it was so close?

I drove down a couple blocks.

And we saw it float downwards to a field below us.

There were two guys on the ground near a truck who ran towards the basket as it touched down.

They grabbed opposite sides of the basket and tried to stabilize it.

It skidded at least 15 feet on the ground before finally coming to a complete stop.

We saw touchdown.

It was a great sight.

One that the kids and I shared together.

A moment where our hearts soared as one at the amazing sight.

Just a bit of happiness that broke the sadness nestled in my soul.

Sadness surrounds my heart

2011-02-28T22:25:00.000-08:00

My husband has not heard anything.

The company he visited with the last time he was out here?

The company that was supposed to make a decision by the end of last week?

They haven't called him.

And I am sad.

Read more »

Warming of the heart

2011-02-27T19:11:00.000-08:00

Nothing warms my heart more than listening to my kids when they get along.

The TV is off.

Both DS consoles are off.

All is quiet.

Except?

Read more »

Network needs to be firm & faster in decisions

2011-02-24T19:17:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it's taken THIS long for CBS to cancel Two and a Half Men.

Charlie Sheen is off his rocker.

He's been a womanizer his entire life.

He's had issues with alcohol and drugs his entire life.

I have no idea why people have supported him through all his antics.

I liked him in Platoon. Young Guns. Major League. Wall Street. Even Red Dawn!

Read more »

My newest thing that I love

2011-02-23T21:57:00.000-08:00

I remember when I found a skin care line that actually worked for my oily sensitive skin.

I remember when I found a foundation that didn't make my face break-out.

On Monday, I found something that I'm going to continue doing.

As a teen, I started tweezing my eyebrows.

Oh my eyebrows!

I inherited my Dad's bushy thick eyebrows.

What a mess!

Read more »

The ABC's of me

2011-02-22T18:40:00.000-08:00

Did this because I don't have time to get anything written myself.

(A) Age: 40+

(B) Bed Size: King

(C) Chore You Hate: Putting away laundry

(D) Dogs: None right now. I had two dogs when I was in elementary school.

(E) Essential Start Your Day Item: Contact lenses

Read more »

A fun weekend for all

2011-02-20T22:22:00.000-08:00

Sunday night and the kids are in bed.

The Hubs is home safe and sound.

The last four days have been really great.

And we're all pretty tired.

We picked up the Hubs at the airport on Wednesday night.

I have to say that it was a horrible drive in to pick him up.

Read more »

More of the same but still hoping for positive news

2011-02-13T20:54:00.000-08:00

I've been out of sorts the past few weeks.

You already know that work has been kicking my butt.

Since December.

I'm still in the midst of attempting to catch up to a point where I won't feel like I'm drowning.

I've been at this state for about 8 weeks.

EIGHT. WEEKS.

Read more »

The artistic side of a 5th grader

2011-02-01T22:07:00.000-08:00

My daughter's class had a party today.

Typical, eh?

The class actually had an assignment before the party.

An assignment?

Yes.

An assignment.

Read more »

The end of January already?

2011-01-31T22:58:00.000-08:00

I seriously can't believe it's the last day of January.

The month has flown by.

How am I spending the end of the month?

I'm actually watching a movie that I never figured I would ever watch.

EVER.

Read more »

Counting on those you love

2011-01-19T21:33:00.000-08:00

In my mind, I can count on my family.

But I found out recently that there is one person who I can't count on.

I hate to say it, but my youngest sister is kind of unreliable.

My youngest sister is my kids' emergency call list.

My youngest sister lives about a block away from me.

This means she's the person I'd call if something happens with the kids.

A couple weeks ago, the Princess got a fever at school.

I called my sister.

Read more »

Getting in and out in a jiffy

2011-01-11T08:56:00.000-08:00

I dropped of the kids a little later than normal this morning.

I actually have to be here at home for a couple hours to be available for a fire alarm test. ARGH!

I drove up to the school.

There was a black extended cab truck that pulled into the school driveway ahead of me.

The driver parked along the curb.

I parked along the curb a little in front of that truck.

The kids and I got out and I signed them into the before school care classroom.

I walked out back to the car.

The black truck?

The driver was standing on the curb looking into the truck.

Come on bud. Dad's got to go.

There was a boy in the cab who hadn't even gotten out of the truck yet.

Seriously.

The kid was holding his Dad up.

And I'd already walked to the classroom, signed my kids in, and ready to drive on out.

Ay-yay-yay!

Kids totally have their own schedules, don't they?