From KVUE: A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect for Central Texas through Wednesday afternoon. Sleet and freezing rain have been falling this morning across much of our area. With temperatures already below freezing, much of this is sticking to roads. Trucks continue to sand bridges and overpasses as wet, freezing weather holds the area in its grasp.
Unfortunately, when you work from home, ice days don't give you a day off. Bummer. That is, UNLESS you can finagle a way to put off today what you're sure can be done tomorrow.
On the agenda for today:
1. Bake cookies with the kids.
2. Eat cookies with the kids.
3. Make hot cocoa with the kids.
4. Drink hot cocoa with the kids.
5. Slide down the icy street a few times and hope to stay in one piece with the kids.
6. Read my book by the fire, alone.
What I really should be doing today:
1. Writing four easements that are due by Thursday.
2. Mopping and vacuuming the trapped-indoors-due-to-bad-weather furry floors the dogs have created the past few days.
3. Cleaning up the trapped-indoors-due-to-bad-weather mess the kids have created the past few days.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Monday, January 15, 2007
White stuff
Couldn't sleep this morning, I suppose it had something to do with the change in weather. Ok, I guess I don't just "suppose"...I'll confess, I'm a child at heart, the thought that snow might blow through while I lay sleeping weighed heavily on my mind. That along with pitter patter of sleet on the deck out back. I tried so hard to go back to sleep, but my mind continued to throw visions of snow covered trees my way. Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer, I had to go see. I peeled the warm covers back and stepped in to the bitter air as I tiptoe-ran to the window to see what mother nature had in store. Yes, there is white stuff! Snow, I don't know, and I guess it doesn't matter. White stuff is all I hoped to see and white stuff there was a-plenty. I ran back to bed, after murmering something to sleeping Mark, in hopes that maybe I could share this with someone. :) I guess I woke him, and if it wasn't for my chattiness, I'm sure he would have dozed off immediately, but nevertheless, I am a native Austinite, and by golly if it's white out there, this girls-a-chattin. Sweet Mark, never misses a beat, he did what he had to do, listened to me yammer about whatever there is to yammer about in the wee hours of a white morning and eventually I fell back asleep.
Today was a lazy white day. It turns out the white stuff was, in fact sleet, not snow, but it'll do. We still have a 40% chance all day today and tomorrow, so there's a little hope left. School is cancelled for tomorrow, and Ashley's plan for Kelly to get iced in at our house panned out just like she hoped. Gotta love the bad weather days. It wasn't that long ago that I remember planning my own little "get iced in" scheme with Dana and Skye. Brings back some great memories.
Today was a lazy white day. It turns out the white stuff was, in fact sleet, not snow, but it'll do. We still have a 40% chance all day today and tomorrow, so there's a little hope left. School is cancelled for tomorrow, and Ashley's plan for Kelly to get iced in at our house panned out just like she hoped. Gotta love the bad weather days. It wasn't that long ago that I remember planning my own little "get iced in" scheme with Dana and Skye. Brings back some great memories.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Dear Fox: Please don't cancel this show!
My new Favorite TV show: Til Death
Mark and I finally sat down to watch for the first time last night and we laughed our butts off. Or at least we should have. It took a while before we allowed ourselves to laugh out loud. Secrets were revealed, so some laughter had to be contained in order to protect the innocent. This is an amazingly witty and frighteningly truthful depiction of the comparison between newlyweds and not so newlyweds. Ladies and Gents, the truth is out. PLEASE WATCH, this show CANNOT GET CANCELLED!!
From Fox.com:
Why do they say all that stuff at weddings about “sickness and health, richer or poorer, ‘til death do you part?” They say it because at some point, you’ll both get sick, you very well might be poor, and you’ll never sleep with anyone else ever again … because you’re going to be with each other until you die.
Doesn’t marriage sound fun?
‘TIL DEATH is a comedy about long-married couple EDDIE (Brad Garrett) and JOY STARK (Joely Fisher), who are closing in on day 9,000 of their marriage and have the battle scars to prove it. Their new next-door neighbors are young newlyweds STEPH (Kat Foster) and JEFF WOODCOCK (Eddie Kaye Thomas) – idealistic, passionate, adorable and married for a matter of days. It’s a show about new marriage versus old marriage, about keeping the romance alive – or at least staying together so you have someone to drive you to the hospital for your operations.
Eddie is a cynical realist who considers himself an expert on most topics. A high school history teacher, he’s learned well the lessons of history and applies the basic principles to his marriage: all fights are about power, land and resources. A veteran of the marriage wars, Eddie freely gives his advice to the younger, idealistic Jeff, who’s the new vice principal at Eddie’s school. Of course, Eddie’s little secret all along is that he loves Joy more than anything. And however brash and sardonic Joy herself appears, she loves Eddie right back.
From Sony Pictures Television, ‘TIL DEATH was written by real-life husband and wife Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa (“The King of Queens,” “What Women Want,” “13 Going On 30”), who also serve as executive producers. They look forward to being together ‘TIL DEATH.
Mark and I finally sat down to watch for the first time last night and we laughed our butts off. Or at least we should have. It took a while before we allowed ourselves to laugh out loud. Secrets were revealed, so some laughter had to be contained in order to protect the innocent. This is an amazingly witty and frighteningly truthful depiction of the comparison between newlyweds and not so newlyweds. Ladies and Gents, the truth is out. PLEASE WATCH, this show CANNOT GET CANCELLED!!
From Fox.com:
Why do they say all that stuff at weddings about “sickness and health, richer or poorer, ‘til death do you part?” They say it because at some point, you’ll both get sick, you very well might be poor, and you’ll never sleep with anyone else ever again … because you’re going to be with each other until you die.
Doesn’t marriage sound fun?
‘TIL DEATH is a comedy about long-married couple EDDIE (Brad Garrett) and JOY STARK (Joely Fisher), who are closing in on day 9,000 of their marriage and have the battle scars to prove it. Their new next-door neighbors are young newlyweds STEPH (Kat Foster) and JEFF WOODCOCK (Eddie Kaye Thomas) – idealistic, passionate, adorable and married for a matter of days. It’s a show about new marriage versus old marriage, about keeping the romance alive – or at least staying together so you have someone to drive you to the hospital for your operations.
Eddie is a cynical realist who considers himself an expert on most topics. A high school history teacher, he’s learned well the lessons of history and applies the basic principles to his marriage: all fights are about power, land and resources. A veteran of the marriage wars, Eddie freely gives his advice to the younger, idealistic Jeff, who’s the new vice principal at Eddie’s school. Of course, Eddie’s little secret all along is that he loves Joy more than anything. And however brash and sardonic Joy herself appears, she loves Eddie right back.
From Sony Pictures Television, ‘TIL DEATH was written by real-life husband and wife Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa (“The King of Queens,” “What Women Want,” “13 Going On 30”), who also serve as executive producers. They look forward to being together ‘TIL DEATH.
Report Cards
After Ashley's first basketball game yesterday we took her for a celebratory lunch at the location of her choice. Her choice? Luby's. Straight A's once again. Not a simple feat, even for a 5th grader. This was a tough 8 weeks for her, she had 10 absences, more than she's ever had in an entire school year, possibly 2 years combined. Yet she was responsible enough to ask for her makeup work and get it done. She's turning in to such a responsible, intelligent kid.
We're still trying to find her real parents. ;)
We're still trying to find her real parents. ;)
Friday, January 12, 2007
Bittersweet Goodbyes
Today Joe came to take sweet Ally back. I already miss sweet Ally Baby Girl so much, it's just not the same without her.
Basketball
Ash had her first practice lastnight. She did so well. A little nervous at first, but that's to be expected. By the end of the night she had relaxed and was having a good time. She's one of only three 5th graders on the team, all of the other girls are in the 6th grade, very experienced and all knew one another, so her antimidation was only natural. She really is such a good sport, she goes out there and just keeps on truckin despite being inexperienced and knowing no one. I was so proud of her! Her first game is Saturday, and she's so excited that she wore her uniform to school today.
She has informed me that after basketball season she really, really wants to play football. Yes, football. She's been asking to play football for over a year now, and I think I'm gonna have to give in before too long.
She has informed me that after basketball season she really, really wants to play football. Yes, football. She's been asking to play football for over a year now, and I think I'm gonna have to give in before too long.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Ashley's new line on the wall
Less than six months ago the line was two inches lower.
My baby girl is now 5'1".
My baby girl is now 5'1".
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Ode to bacon grease
Oh how I love thee!
You give us a delightful flavor the morning of your birth, a flavor that if captured continues to be savored for meals to come. I once considered you bad and unhealthy and fattening and artery clogging and despicable, but your flavor has cast a spell on me. I will cook with you, seek out recipes for you and feed you to your biggest fan of us all, my bacon savoring husband, whom your spell was cast upon many moons ago. I won't fret about how unsightly you are when you are resting in the bottom of the old sauce jar, I will scoop you and close my eyes until you awake, and then I cook with you, and eat you. I will do more crunches, more walking and eat an extra helping of veggies just to have you. You are the almighty and shall have a shelf of your own in the Urben kitchen.
You give us a delightful flavor the morning of your birth, a flavor that if captured continues to be savored for meals to come. I once considered you bad and unhealthy and fattening and artery clogging and despicable, but your flavor has cast a spell on me. I will cook with you, seek out recipes for you and feed you to your biggest fan of us all, my bacon savoring husband, whom your spell was cast upon many moons ago. I won't fret about how unsightly you are when you are resting in the bottom of the old sauce jar, I will scoop you and close my eyes until you awake, and then I cook with you, and eat you. I will do more crunches, more walking and eat an extra helping of veggies just to have you. You are the almighty and shall have a shelf of your own in the Urben kitchen.
Just a Mom
I have read this numerous times over the years, and each time I read it I smile, I spose that makes it blog worthy....
A woman, renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office
was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation.
She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.
"What I mean is," explained the recorder,
"do you have a job or are you just a......?"
"Of course I have a job," snapped the woman.
"I'm a Mom."
"We don't list 'Mom' as an occupation, 'housewife' covers it,"
said the recorder emphatically.
I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the
same situation, this time at our own Town Hall.
The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised,
efficient and possessed of a high sounding title like,
"Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar."
"What is your occupation?" she probed.
What made me say it?
I do not know.
The words simply popped out.
"I'm a Research Associate in the field of
Child Development and Human Relations."
The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and
looked up as though she had not heard right.
I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most signific a nt words.
Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written,
in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest,
"just what you do in your field?"
Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice,
I heard myself reply,
"I have a continuing program of research,
[what mother doesn't)
in the laboratory and in the field,
(normally I would have said indoors and out).
I'm working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family)
and already have four credits (all daughters).
Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the hu manities,
(any mother care to disagree?)
and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it).
But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and
the rewards are
more of a satisfaction rather than just money."
There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she
completed the form, stood up and personally ushered me to the door.
As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career,
I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13, 7, and 3.
Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model,
(a 6 month old baby) in the child development program,
testing out a new vocal pattern.
I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy!
And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished
and indispensable to mankind than
"just another Mom." Motherhood!
What a glorious career!
Especially when there's a title on the door.
Does this make grandmothers
"Senior Research associates in the field of
Child Development and Human Relations"
and great grandmothers
"Executive Senior Research Associates"?
I think so!!!
I also think it makes Aunts
"Associate Research Assistants".
A woman, renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office
was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation.
She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.
"What I mean is," explained the recorder,
"do you have a job or are you just a......?"
"Of course I have a job," snapped the woman.
"I'm a Mom."
"We don't list 'Mom' as an occupation, 'housewife' covers it,"
said the recorder emphatically.
I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the
same situation, this time at our own Town Hall.
The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised,
efficient and possessed of a high sounding title like,
"Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar."
"What is your occupation?" she probed.
What made me say it?
I do not know.
The words simply popped out.
"I'm a Research Associate in the field of
Child Development and Human Relations."
The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and
looked up as though she had not heard right.
I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most signific a nt words.
Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written,
in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest,
"just what you do in your field?"
Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice,
I heard myself reply,
"I have a continuing program of research,
[what mother doesn't)
in the laboratory and in the field,
(normally I would have said indoors and out).
I'm working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family)
and already have four credits (all daughters).
Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the hu manities,
(any mother care to disagree?)
and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it).
But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and
the rewards are
more of a satisfaction rather than just money."
There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she
completed the form, stood up and personally ushered me to the door.
As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career,
I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13, 7, and 3.
Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model,
(a 6 month old baby) in the child development program,
testing out a new vocal pattern.
I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy!
And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished
and indispensable to mankind than
"just another Mom." Motherhood!
What a glorious career!
Especially when there's a title on the door.
Does this make grandmothers
"Senior Research associates in the field of
Child Development and Human Relations"
and great grandmothers
"Executive Senior Research Associates"?
I think so!!!
I also think it makes Aunts
"Associate Research Assistants".
Catch of the day # 1,453,201
I had to make a trip to the office yesterday for a meeting. So yeah, I had to stop in at one of my favorite Goodwill's that happens to be right across the street from the office.
My catch of the day:
Pocket V.Smile (with 1 game)
Portable educational game system for on the go, or can be hooked up to the TV.
Jamie's price: $9.99
Target's price: $69.99
Practice and Learn 6th Grade
6th grade workbook that includes Grammar, Reading and Lit., Spelling, Scicence, Social Studies, and Math
Jamie's price: $.99
Teachers Paradise: $18.99
And one other thing...I found a box of solid wood flooring that just happens to be exactly the flooring in the background of the above picture, same brand and color. We intended to buy a box of this to have on hand incase we needed to make repairs in the future, but we found out Home Depot no longer carries it. Soooo, I walk in to my favorite store and wowzas, there it is, an entire box.
Wood Flooring
Jamie's price: $12.99
Price tag on the box: $55.00
At Goodwill they have a date code at the top of each price tag, I thought it was interesting that I probably bought one of the newest items on the shelf and one of the oldest items as well. The V.Smile was priced yesterday (the day of my purchase) and the wood flooring was priced 6 years ago! HA! It was waiting for me! I cannot walk through the doors of a goodwill and come out without a story, it never fails.
My catch of the day:
Pocket V.Smile (with 1 game)
Portable educational game system for on the go, or can be hooked up to the TV.
Jamie's price: $9.99
Target's price: $69.99
Practice and Learn 6th Grade
6th grade workbook that includes Grammar, Reading and Lit., Spelling, Scicence, Social Studies, and Math
Jamie's price: $.99
Teachers Paradise: $18.99
And one other thing...I found a box of solid wood flooring that just happens to be exactly the flooring in the background of the above picture, same brand and color. We intended to buy a box of this to have on hand incase we needed to make repairs in the future, but we found out Home Depot no longer carries it. Soooo, I walk in to my favorite store and wowzas, there it is, an entire box.
Wood Flooring
Jamie's price: $12.99
Price tag on the box: $55.00
At Goodwill they have a date code at the top of each price tag, I thought it was interesting that I probably bought one of the newest items on the shelf and one of the oldest items as well. The V.Smile was priced yesterday (the day of my purchase) and the wood flooring was priced 6 years ago! HA! It was waiting for me! I cannot walk through the doors of a goodwill and come out without a story, it never fails.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Normalcy
The holidays are officially over. This is not such a bad thing. I'm always so anxious for the holidays to get here so I can decorate, bake, spend more time with the fam, celebrate with traditions, etc., but by the time it's all over, and things begin to get back to normal, normalcy is quite a welcome change. Gone are the days of staying up til midnight and waking up at 10. (although Alex is still adjusting, he slept until 10 yesterday morning)
Yesterday, I was up before 7, and quite honestly, I was glad to have my morning back. On a typical weekday morning I wake up around 7ish, see Ash off to school at 7:30 and then I'm all alone until the boy wakes up. This is when I get a big chunck of work out of the way. I typically get in about an hour and a half of work before Alex gets up. My reward is my nice warm cup of joe, which happens to be keeping me company as I type this entry. If I miss this morning routine, like I have for the last two weeks, my schedule gets totally thrown off. So if a dog barks, whines, wags it's tail to hard, or does anything more than lie quietly still on the floor while I'm engrossed in this routine, I'm like a mother of a newborn shushing any possibilty of a waking boy.
Good bye Ho, ho, ho, hello hi, ho, hi, ho. (Gosh I make me laugh)
So here I am once again, wrapped cozily in my routines with a pile of work in front of me waiting to be done.
On the agenda for today:
1. My hair appt.! Yay! I'm way overdue for a cut and highlights.
2. Ashley's dentist appt.
3. Meeting dad to drop the boy off for a few days.
4. A short meeting up at work.
Yesterday, I was up before 7, and quite honestly, I was glad to have my morning back. On a typical weekday morning I wake up around 7ish, see Ash off to school at 7:30 and then I'm all alone until the boy wakes up. This is when I get a big chunck of work out of the way. I typically get in about an hour and a half of work before Alex gets up. My reward is my nice warm cup of joe, which happens to be keeping me company as I type this entry. If I miss this morning routine, like I have for the last two weeks, my schedule gets totally thrown off. So if a dog barks, whines, wags it's tail to hard, or does anything more than lie quietly still on the floor while I'm engrossed in this routine, I'm like a mother of a newborn shushing any possibilty of a waking boy.
Good bye Ho, ho, ho, hello hi, ho, hi, ho. (Gosh I make me laugh)
So here I am once again, wrapped cozily in my routines with a pile of work in front of me waiting to be done.
On the agenda for today:
1. My hair appt.! Yay! I'm way overdue for a cut and highlights.
2. Ashley's dentist appt.
3. Meeting dad to drop the boy off for a few days.
4. A short meeting up at work.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Random thoughts with Alex
At lunch yesterday with Belinda and Ciara, Alex interjects with a random thought...
"Momma, wouldn't it be sooo cool if Granny Franny moved to Georgetown!?"
I had to post that one for you Fran. Just too sweet to forget. :)
"Momma, wouldn't it be sooo cool if Granny Franny moved to Georgetown!?"
I had to post that one for you Fran. Just too sweet to forget. :)
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Cameron Park Zoo
My ever so thoughtful husband checked the weather early this week and decided to take the day off today and take us to the Zoo in Waco. WHAT A PERFECT DAY. He could not have picked a better day in JANUARY(!). The temperature was in the 70's, there wasn't a cloud to be seen, and the kids were in the BEST moods. It was a perfect day in every way. The kids had no idea where we were going until we pulled in to the parking lot and I made Alex read the sign. As soon as he read the word "ZOO", his adrenaline started in, and didn't quit until we packed it up to leave hours later. They were both so, so excited, they are such animal finatics, they could probably go to the zoo everyday and still be just as excited one day, as they were the next. For starters, let me just say, this zoo, was incredible...I can't tell you how many times Mark and I ooo-ed and ahhh-ed about how well this place was laid out. Every detail was taken in to account. The animals had amazing habitats, yet, the visitors could be right up front. On top of all this, the park was sooo quiet. I guess everyone is still recovering from the holidays, and probably assuming that January is not a good month to even attempt a trip to the zoo. (Kinda like me!) This made for a very laid back momma and daddy.
So...the animals...our first close up encounter was with the bear. The bears had an amazing set up, lots of space out in the open, grass, trees, hills etc. and then a enclosed cavelike area with a pool. We walked down a small hill where we found a clear wall that revealed the interior of the cave, including an underwater view. The bear just happend to be in the most playful of moods as we walked up. He was swimming back and forth from the window to land, he would come right up to us and his nose would smash on the glass in a playful way, he'd look right at us as if he were a playful dog, and then he'd swim back to land, stand up shake of and get back in the water and cruise back to us again. He did this over and over. The kids got to be face to face with this swimming bear. It was an amazing experience.
Our next encounter was with the tiger. Once again, the kids were face to face with the tiger. He walked in front of the glass back and forth the entire time we were there. We were the only family there, so we had full view and the kids could sit right up next to the glass and watch. It was absolutely incredible!
Then we headed to the lion enclosure. What a gorgeous habitat. Plenty of hills and rocks, a very natural environment. When we first walked up the lion was all the way at the other side, in full view, but very far away. Within minutes he had walked over and was eye to eye with us in front of the glass. And after pacing in front of us for a minute or so, he actually started ROARING some 6 inches in front of our faces. Full on roars, just like you'd imagine a lion would roar. It was incredible. At some point during all the roaring I looked over at my 30 something husband and saw a little boys face, a completely frozen expression...jaw completey dropped open, eyes bugged out, with the most childlike look of amazement on his face. I so wish I could have taken a picture of that face. It was priceless.
Our entire visit was just amazing. All of the animals were in the best mood, we had full view of every one. The giraffes were RIGHT in front of us, the monkeys, the Galapogos Turtles, the lemurs, the Alligators, Mir Cats, etc. The list goes on. It was just an amazing day for us. I can't even begin to tell you how many "Thank You's" we got from the moment we walked in the zoo. Even the trip home was filled with sweet appreciation.
So...the animals...our first close up encounter was with the bear. The bears had an amazing set up, lots of space out in the open, grass, trees, hills etc. and then a enclosed cavelike area with a pool. We walked down a small hill where we found a clear wall that revealed the interior of the cave, including an underwater view. The bear just happend to be in the most playful of moods as we walked up. He was swimming back and forth from the window to land, he would come right up to us and his nose would smash on the glass in a playful way, he'd look right at us as if he were a playful dog, and then he'd swim back to land, stand up shake of and get back in the water and cruise back to us again. He did this over and over. The kids got to be face to face with this swimming bear. It was an amazing experience.
Our next encounter was with the tiger. Once again, the kids were face to face with the tiger. He walked in front of the glass back and forth the entire time we were there. We were the only family there, so we had full view and the kids could sit right up next to the glass and watch. It was absolutely incredible!
Then we headed to the lion enclosure. What a gorgeous habitat. Plenty of hills and rocks, a very natural environment. When we first walked up the lion was all the way at the other side, in full view, but very far away. Within minutes he had walked over and was eye to eye with us in front of the glass. And after pacing in front of us for a minute or so, he actually started ROARING some 6 inches in front of our faces. Full on roars, just like you'd imagine a lion would roar. It was incredible. At some point during all the roaring I looked over at my 30 something husband and saw a little boys face, a completely frozen expression...jaw completey dropped open, eyes bugged out, with the most childlike look of amazement on his face. I so wish I could have taken a picture of that face. It was priceless.
Our entire visit was just amazing. All of the animals were in the best mood, we had full view of every one. The giraffes were RIGHT in front of us, the monkeys, the Galapogos Turtles, the lemurs, the Alligators, Mir Cats, etc. The list goes on. It was just an amazing day for us. I can't even begin to tell you how many "Thank You's" we got from the moment we walked in the zoo. Even the trip home was filled with sweet appreciation.
Friday, January 05, 2007
The Cleaning Fairy Came!
Let me preface this by saying that this was Ashley's idea. We are not slave drivers and do not break child labor laws. (only on weekends)
Now this is OCD at it's finest. If you could have seen this room before Ashley got ahold of it...it was awful, the messiest Alex's room has ever been in all 5 of his years. Every surface dusted not once, but TWICE, floor vacuumed not once, but TWICE, and all toys and clothes neatly organized. She did a lot of practical rearranging too...but wait, look at that closet again, this is the scary part (no not the overflowing laundry basket that I couldn't manage to crop)...all of the shirts are arranged by color. Long sleeves on the left, short on the right, perfectly color coordinated. Should we start therapy now, or wait until puberty?
Now this is OCD at it's finest. If you could have seen this room before Ashley got ahold of it...it was awful, the messiest Alex's room has ever been in all 5 of his years. Every surface dusted not once, but TWICE, floor vacuumed not once, but TWICE, and all toys and clothes neatly organized. She did a lot of practical rearranging too...but wait, look at that closet again, this is the scary part (no not the overflowing laundry basket that I couldn't manage to crop)...all of the shirts are arranged by color. Long sleeves on the left, short on the right, perfectly color coordinated. Should we start therapy now, or wait until puberty?
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Just fed my addiction
Goodwill. Seriously, this place is like a drug to me, if I'm within a 5 mile radius of one (and I DO know every location), I absolutely without a doubt, even if we're cutting in to nap time, dinnertime, rush hour time, have to stop in. Unfortunately, for my kids a "stop" in is never less than an hour. I have to make sure and check my regular spots (this is a MUST)...furniture, housewares, toys, and on days when I have MORE than an hour, the books. The books get me every time. This place is a mecca for books. I will never, ever buy another full price book from that horribly overpriced store that I will not mention ever again. People, GO TO GOODWILL!!! I can buy my kids any book they want guilt free. There is something very powerful about allowing your children to have any book they want and watching them devour the enitre book section in search of the perfect books. 9 times out of 10, they end up picking something educational.
My last trip to Goodwill, I found an entire Hooked on Phonics Set, Brand New, up to date, everything still sealed in plastic, PLUS the additional companion set for ahem $8.99. The same set sells for $200.
My catch of the day:
Crainium, Baloon Lagoon game
Excellent educational game for kids 5 and up, New, all pieces accounted for and in perfect condition.
Paid: $5.99
Amazon: $16.99 (on sale)
Endangered wildlife book, hardback
Paid: $9.99 (this is pricey for Goodwill, but awesome book that Ash picked out)
FireFly Books: $35.00
My Math Manipulatives
Major score! Several wipe off workboards that can be used with a BUNCH of really good manipulatives. Includes manipulatives for fractions of a circle, inches, shapes, beans, numberlines, a clock (including digital manipulatives) and much more.
As an added bonus, it turned me on to Harcourt products, which have excellent educational supplies.
Paid: $1.99
Harcourt: $10.99
Ahhhh, my addiction has been fed. Now really, can ya blame me?
My last trip to Goodwill, I found an entire Hooked on Phonics Set, Brand New, up to date, everything still sealed in plastic, PLUS the additional companion set for ahem $8.99. The same set sells for $200.
My catch of the day:
Crainium, Baloon Lagoon game
Excellent educational game for kids 5 and up, New, all pieces accounted for and in perfect condition.
Paid: $5.99
Amazon: $16.99 (on sale)
Endangered wildlife book, hardback
Paid: $9.99 (this is pricey for Goodwill, but awesome book that Ash picked out)
FireFly Books: $35.00
My Math Manipulatives
Major score! Several wipe off workboards that can be used with a BUNCH of really good manipulatives. Includes manipulatives for fractions of a circle, inches, shapes, beans, numberlines, a clock (including digital manipulatives) and much more.
As an added bonus, it turned me on to Harcourt products, which have excellent educational supplies.
Paid: $1.99
Harcourt: $10.99
Ahhhh, my addiction has been fed. Now really, can ya blame me?
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Happy Two Double-Oh Seven!
It's been so long since I updated, I figure today would be a great day for a fresh start.
Things I neglected to Blog about over the past 3 (holy COW THREE!!??) months...(this is my attempt at blogger time travel)
1. Alex's 5th Birthday at Texas Jumping Beans.
2. Halloween
3. Ashley's Braces
4. Ashley in the choir- Well, Mark and I have sadly discovered that Ashley is in no way, shape or form our child. First off, the girl can sing, a talent that Mark and I certainly don't possess. Secondly, she tried out for and was chosen for a solo in the school choir. Who is this kid??
5. A fabulous first Thanksgiving with family at our home.
6. My new working from home opportunity - My old boss called me up and asked if I'd be interested in a part time contract position working from home. I'm working 3-4 hours a day now and so, so thankful for this wonderful opportunity. I'm hoping this opens up a new option for me once Alex goes to Kindergarten next year. I have already decided I WILL be home when my kiddos get home from school, and it looks like this could possibly be just what I need to work my way in to.
7. Christmas
8. New Years
The past year has brought so many wonderful new opportunities...not too many struggles to handle, but like I always say, just enough to make us appreciate what we have in this beautiful life. David added a new precious member to our family. Sweet Keller has no idea how lucky he is to be born in to such an amazing family and to have two AWESOME parents. His life will be an amazing adventure with those two!
All in all, life is going oh so well for our little family. Not a day goes by that Mark and I don't stop and smile at how incredibly fortunate we are. We have so many wonderful people in our lives and we continue to grow and learn from each of them. Sometimes I feel as if I'm watching someone else's life unfold, because it's so hard to believe that I could possibly have this much joy.
In 2006 we were fortunate enough to become close friends with many new people. Although we've moved away from Leander, we have become closer to the Ford's than we ever were when they were just a few blocks away. Brian and Paula have to be two of the most selfless people I've ever met. They continue to amaze me with their love and generousity towards our entire family. I hope we can find a way to touch their lives like they have ours.
Two double-oh seven has a lot to live up to. I can't imagine how we could top double-oh six! Onward!
Things I neglected to Blog about over the past 3 (holy COW THREE!!??) months...(this is my attempt at blogger time travel)
1. Alex's 5th Birthday at Texas Jumping Beans.
2. Halloween
3. Ashley's Braces
4. Ashley in the choir- Well, Mark and I have sadly discovered that Ashley is in no way, shape or form our child. First off, the girl can sing, a talent that Mark and I certainly don't possess. Secondly, she tried out for and was chosen for a solo in the school choir. Who is this kid??
5. A fabulous first Thanksgiving with family at our home.
6. My new working from home opportunity - My old boss called me up and asked if I'd be interested in a part time contract position working from home. I'm working 3-4 hours a day now and so, so thankful for this wonderful opportunity. I'm hoping this opens up a new option for me once Alex goes to Kindergarten next year. I have already decided I WILL be home when my kiddos get home from school, and it looks like this could possibly be just what I need to work my way in to.
7. Christmas
8. New Years
The past year has brought so many wonderful new opportunities...not too many struggles to handle, but like I always say, just enough to make us appreciate what we have in this beautiful life. David added a new precious member to our family. Sweet Keller has no idea how lucky he is to be born in to such an amazing family and to have two AWESOME parents. His life will be an amazing adventure with those two!
All in all, life is going oh so well for our little family. Not a day goes by that Mark and I don't stop and smile at how incredibly fortunate we are. We have so many wonderful people in our lives and we continue to grow and learn from each of them. Sometimes I feel as if I'm watching someone else's life unfold, because it's so hard to believe that I could possibly have this much joy.
In 2006 we were fortunate enough to become close friends with many new people. Although we've moved away from Leander, we have become closer to the Ford's than we ever were when they were just a few blocks away. Brian and Paula have to be two of the most selfless people I've ever met. They continue to amaze me with their love and generousity towards our entire family. I hope we can find a way to touch their lives like they have ours.
Two double-oh seven has a lot to live up to. I can't imagine how we could top double-oh six! Onward!
Monday, December 18, 2006
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Rewind-Backup-Overdue-Oopsie
I typed this up 2 months ago, saved it and neglected to complete the entry. Here it is anywho.
(Ok, my pics are not uploading, I'm tired, going to bed, will deal with this in the morning)
Rewind-School of Alex stuff
It’s been too long, I know, I am bad, I am not worthy of keeping a Blog. Tis life, and this life is mine. Better late than never, right? If I ever get a tattoo, that is what it will read. Since my last entry we have been super busy. Mark (I mean WE) got a new truck. A super sweet truck. Black F150 Lariat Supercrew 4 door. Very clean, leather interior super horrible gas mileage. Who could ask for more. Lets see...I've dug up a gazillion bush roots and planted new bushies, some of which are transplanted nandinas from mom's yard that Ashley planted as a bitty girl. Aw, so sweet. I planted two Chinese Pistache trees, and transplanted one mountain laurel from our old house...shhh, that's our secret. There is so much more to do outside. It will all come together. We're also in the process of painting the kitchen. We have three different colors up right now, but I think we've narrowed it down, and will hopefully get started this weekend. Tonight Mark and I went to the tile place and ordered our tile!!!!!!!!!!! Our kitchen floors will look like dook no longer! I can't wait to mop my floors and watch them come clean! Imagine that! The master bath will follow soon behind. Oh, oh, oh, other news, I can't believe I'm saving this for last, oh wait, I'm going to save that for another entry. Hehe! I'm just mean. (edited Jan. 1st to add...Braces, she got braces!)
Ok, so rewind a bit to the adventures of staying home with Alex. Our playgroup is very active, we do lots of fun stuff, but most of all we’re socializing our kiddos along with ourselves. We have at least two get togethers a week. (Throw in Gymnasics on Wednesdays and Storytime on Thursdays and now it's quite obvious why I have ZERO time to Blog) Anywho, here are some pics I took at the Austin Science and Nature Center in the Dino Pit. Our little scientist had the opportunity to dig up dino bones while playing in the sand. What fun!
Ok, phew, I'm caught up for now...
(Ok, my pics are not uploading, I'm tired, going to bed, will deal with this in the morning)
Rewind-School of Alex stuff
It’s been too long, I know, I am bad, I am not worthy of keeping a Blog. Tis life, and this life is mine. Better late than never, right? If I ever get a tattoo, that is what it will read. Since my last entry we have been super busy. Mark (I mean WE) got a new truck. A super sweet truck. Black F150 Lariat Supercrew 4 door. Very clean, leather interior super horrible gas mileage. Who could ask for more. Lets see...I've dug up a gazillion bush roots and planted new bushies, some of which are transplanted nandinas from mom's yard that Ashley planted as a bitty girl. Aw, so sweet. I planted two Chinese Pistache trees, and transplanted one mountain laurel from our old house...shhh, that's our secret. There is so much more to do outside. It will all come together. We're also in the process of painting the kitchen. We have three different colors up right now, but I think we've narrowed it down, and will hopefully get started this weekend. Tonight Mark and I went to the tile place and ordered our tile!!!!!!!!!!! Our kitchen floors will look like dook no longer! I can't wait to mop my floors and watch them come clean! Imagine that! The master bath will follow soon behind. Oh, oh, oh, other news, I can't believe I'm saving this for last, oh wait, I'm going to save that for another entry. Hehe! I'm just mean. (edited Jan. 1st to add...Braces, she got braces!)
Ok, so rewind a bit to the adventures of staying home with Alex. Our playgroup is very active, we do lots of fun stuff, but most of all we’re socializing our kiddos along with ourselves. We have at least two get togethers a week. (Throw in Gymnasics on Wednesdays and Storytime on Thursdays and now it's quite obvious why I have ZERO time to Blog) Anywho, here are some pics I took at the Austin Science and Nature Center in the Dino Pit. Our little scientist had the opportunity to dig up dino bones while playing in the sand. What fun!
Ok, phew, I'm caught up for now...
Monday, September 25, 2006
Alex and momma
Alex has been home with me full time for a few weeks now. He was attending preschool everyday from 8-12, but I began to realize how unnecessary it was and decided to pull him out. On more than one occassion I was told that Alex was very advanced and was getting bored quickly. His teacher told me he should be in Kindergarten. I agreed. Sooo, I decided that I could give him much more than the school could. We can learn at his pace, and I can be here to stimulate his learning desires much more than a preschool teacher can. So far that has been the best choice I could have made. We do learning time everyday for short periods of time, and spend most days learning through play. My friend Mollie started a playgroup where we get together with other kids and have planned playdates where the kids can play and learn together. We do themes and try to come up with ideas for crafts and learning opportunities pertaining to the theme of the week. Last week we went to the Austin Science and Nature Center, the week before that it was the Austin Childrens Museum and each week, we have new places to go. Lots of home playdates with planned craft activities too. Today we're going to my friend Jen's house and we'll learn about bats and do bat crafts together. Alex and I are getting so much out of our time together. This is such a wonderful opportunity and I am so thankful that Mark works so hard for us.
Improvements
The house is coming together more and more all the time, some days not as fast as we'd like, but it's a work in progress and we're learning to accept that. Mark made a lot of headway on powerwashing the deck, it's looking so nice. I hope to finish the deck today and then begin working on the outside. It looks awful. I have GOT to remember to take before and after pictures!!! Yesterday mark leveled the floor in the kids bathroom in preparation for laying the flooring and then we can finally have a -*GASP*- toilet in the BATHROOM! Haha! I'm so anxious to check that bathroom off of our list.
I started working on the trim, baseboards and window sills yesterday. I scrubbed em down and started staining. This is my first time to stain wood and I have to say, it's my new favorite home improvement project yet. It's so rewarding! I'm all about the instant gratification, and with this house we don't get too much of that.
I found a nasty water ring on the window sill in the kitchen and found a very easy way to get rid of it. I took a thick rag, layed it over the ring and held the hot iron on it for at least a minute and VOILA! I really didn't think this would work, but I read it on the internet and figured it couldn't hurt to try. I'm just so wowed that it's actually gone. Once again, a perfect opportunity for before and after photos, but I can't ever seem to remember!
Other house stuff....we finally got the driveway cleared out, and cleaned off, it's beautiful underneath the brush and leaves. lol The grass is finally starting to fill in and perk up. It's looking so nice! I sure missed St. Augustine, that Bermuda grass is such a pain and never looked as good as good ol St. Augustine.
I finished pulling up the bushes in front of the house. I still don't know if they were just at the end of their lifetime, or if they were diseased, but they're gone! Now we need to dig up the roots and pick out some new bushes. It's almost time to start planting. The weather is cooling off little by little as fall creeps in.
I still haven't figured out how to get rid of the mothball smell in the theater, but from what I've read I might have to repaint and pull up the carpet. I also read that if the smell is still present then the air is still toxic. Joy. We'll get it figured out in due time.
I started working on the trim, baseboards and window sills yesterday. I scrubbed em down and started staining. This is my first time to stain wood and I have to say, it's my new favorite home improvement project yet. It's so rewarding! I'm all about the instant gratification, and with this house we don't get too much of that.
I found a nasty water ring on the window sill in the kitchen and found a very easy way to get rid of it. I took a thick rag, layed it over the ring and held the hot iron on it for at least a minute and VOILA! I really didn't think this would work, but I read it on the internet and figured it couldn't hurt to try. I'm just so wowed that it's actually gone. Once again, a perfect opportunity for before and after photos, but I can't ever seem to remember!
Other house stuff....we finally got the driveway cleared out, and cleaned off, it's beautiful underneath the brush and leaves. lol The grass is finally starting to fill in and perk up. It's looking so nice! I sure missed St. Augustine, that Bermuda grass is such a pain and never looked as good as good ol St. Augustine.
I finished pulling up the bushes in front of the house. I still don't know if they were just at the end of their lifetime, or if they were diseased, but they're gone! Now we need to dig up the roots and pick out some new bushes. It's almost time to start planting. The weather is cooling off little by little as fall creeps in.
I still haven't figured out how to get rid of the mothball smell in the theater, but from what I've read I might have to repaint and pull up the carpet. I also read that if the smell is still present then the air is still toxic. Joy. We'll get it figured out in due time.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Ashley's Birthday part TWO
Holy guacamole I’m going to barf. Night before last I typed up a super long entry about Ash’s birthday bash, with tons of pictures ta boot. Guess where it is now, dunno you say, it’s in nasty ol cyber heaven. Just as I was finishing up adding the last few photos (which by the way, takes an ETERNITY) my most prized possession, my laptop, went kaput. Just beeped at me and went black. Buh bye, no warning at all. Soooo, now I need to see if I can do a little deja vouis (or however that’s spelled) and rewrite history…yet again.
Friday after school I walked Ash and 6 of her brand spankin new Geortownian friends home from school. I met them in the back of the school and I have to say, as they walked towards me, with each step, I felt older and older…these girls are NOT little girls. They’re the kind with bras and shaved legs. What the heck happened??? Do they serve up hormones in Georgetown or WHAT!? Despite their size, they were very sweet, mostly innocent girls that I am soooo glad that Ashley has befriended. I’m especially excited about them because most of their parents are overprotective and told me this was their first sleepover. Holy crapolie! Now we’re talking! I actually got the third degree from one mom. I think she actually had a list of questions in front of her when she called. Good… Crazy, but good. Do we have guns, do we have siblings, how old are they, do we have dogs, what kind etc. Great questions, logical questions, but a first for me. Anywho, back to after school. So I walked them to our house they explored our house, walked around in our garden tub, jumped on my bed a bit and then went to the basement to sing a little Karaoke. At some point we did a craft…I took a picture of each of them with Ashley and they glued it to a foam frame like backing and decorated it with all kinds of cutesy little stuff. It was definitely a hit. At some point Nana and Grams showed up. It was soooo nice to have them here! After we all ate pizza, we did cake and presents. The karaoke machine was handy when it came time to sing Happy Birthday. Pretty sure the neighbors heard that one. Presents were awesome, of course. Lots of littlest pets. That’s Ashley’s latest craze, they’re pretty cute I must admit. The girls played “telephone” and did some more silly girl stuff until it was dark. Then we broke out the glow sticks and these silly little mouthpiece glow thingees. We went out in the front yard, and those girls had so much fun! They wore themselves out pretty good. By the time they were done with that, they were in desperate need of another sugar rush, so we did do-it-yourself sundaes. Complete with nuts, cherries, chocolate sauce, caramel, and whipped cream. That went over well.
By then I didn’t have much left in me, so I grabbed the boy (who was 100% a part of all the festivities up until bedtime…sweet sissy!), told the girls to go to bed and Mark, Alex and I crawled in to bed. By this time it’s about 12:30. We didn’t last 15 minutes and we were out.
The next morning sweet daddy cooked eggs, bacon and sausage for breakfast tacos and Nana made pancakes. 11:00 rolled around pretty quick and before we new it the house was empty. Messy, but empty. All in all, the party could not have gone better. Ashley has really made some great friends in the short time that she’s been here. Several have already offered for her to come spend the night. She’s overwhelmed with the number of people who are anxious to have her over. This is good. Her birthday was good. Our girl is now 10 years old and starting a whole new chapter of her life. I’m anxious to see the next 10 years unfold.
Pictures will come as soon as I get my laptop problems figured out...errrr, as soon as Mark does. :)
Friday after school I walked Ash and 6 of her brand spankin new Geortownian friends home from school. I met them in the back of the school and I have to say, as they walked towards me, with each step, I felt older and older…these girls are NOT little girls. They’re the kind with bras and shaved legs. What the heck happened??? Do they serve up hormones in Georgetown or WHAT!? Despite their size, they were very sweet, mostly innocent girls that I am soooo glad that Ashley has befriended. I’m especially excited about them because most of their parents are overprotective and told me this was their first sleepover. Holy crapolie! Now we’re talking! I actually got the third degree from one mom. I think she actually had a list of questions in front of her when she called. Good… Crazy, but good. Do we have guns, do we have siblings, how old are they, do we have dogs, what kind etc. Great questions, logical questions, but a first for me. Anywho, back to after school. So I walked them to our house they explored our house, walked around in our garden tub, jumped on my bed a bit and then went to the basement to sing a little Karaoke. At some point we did a craft…I took a picture of each of them with Ashley and they glued it to a foam frame like backing and decorated it with all kinds of cutesy little stuff. It was definitely a hit. At some point Nana and Grams showed up. It was soooo nice to have them here! After we all ate pizza, we did cake and presents. The karaoke machine was handy when it came time to sing Happy Birthday. Pretty sure the neighbors heard that one. Presents were awesome, of course. Lots of littlest pets. That’s Ashley’s latest craze, they’re pretty cute I must admit. The girls played “telephone” and did some more silly girl stuff until it was dark. Then we broke out the glow sticks and these silly little mouthpiece glow thingees. We went out in the front yard, and those girls had so much fun! They wore themselves out pretty good. By the time they were done with that, they were in desperate need of another sugar rush, so we did do-it-yourself sundaes. Complete with nuts, cherries, chocolate sauce, caramel, and whipped cream. That went over well.
By then I didn’t have much left in me, so I grabbed the boy (who was 100% a part of all the festivities up until bedtime…sweet sissy!), told the girls to go to bed and Mark, Alex and I crawled in to bed. By this time it’s about 12:30. We didn’t last 15 minutes and we were out.
The next morning sweet daddy cooked eggs, bacon and sausage for breakfast tacos and Nana made pancakes. 11:00 rolled around pretty quick and before we new it the house was empty. Messy, but empty. All in all, the party could not have gone better. Ashley has really made some great friends in the short time that she’s been here. Several have already offered for her to come spend the night. She’s overwhelmed with the number of people who are anxious to have her over. This is good. Her birthday was good. Our girl is now 10 years old and starting a whole new chapter of her life. I’m anxious to see the next 10 years unfold.
Pictures will come as soon as I get my laptop problems figured out...errrr, as soon as Mark does. :)
Monday, September 11, 2006
5 years later
Five years later, life has gone on, but it will never, ever be quite the same. So many lives lost, so many dreams shattered, so many freedoms lost.
Today my heart goes out to all those affected by the tragedy of the September 11th, 2001 attacks. I know their pain is fresh today, and their wounds have been opened once again. I hope that the media is gentle today, and those who are hurting, can do so in peace.
Today my heart goes out to all those affected by the tragedy of the September 11th, 2001 attacks. I know their pain is fresh today, and their wounds have been opened once again. I hope that the media is gentle today, and those who are hurting, can do so in peace.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Monday, September 04, 2006
Trip to the ER
Saturday night Ash was bit by something shortly before bed time, I shrugged it off, put some caladryl on it and sent her to bed. Sunday, she limped around on it and complained that it was really bothering her quite a bit. It looked like a spider bite to us, with a little puss pocket on top, but nothing horrible, so we told her to stop thinking about and move her leg as much as she could. By evening time, she was lethargic, and came down with a fever. She complained of muscle cramps and a headache. I jumped online and found information that pointed towards a poisonus spider bite. We ended up taking her to the ER here in Seguin where they took blood, and did a culture of the puss pocket. We're still not 100% sure what bit her, but whatever it was the blood test showed a bacterial infection of some sort. We're still waiting on the results, which will take 3-4 days, but they did end up giving her a shot of antibiotic and a prescrption that will cover all of our bases in case she has a staph infection. This morning she is a new person, she feels 100% better. We'll make her an appointment tomorrow and have her doc. call in for the test results asap to find out what we need to do next, but for now, we're just so glad the shot has made such a huge difference.
Sargent Rock
In the midst of the moving chaos, the Urben's have lost their mind. We have adopted another sweet doggie. We've had him for a week now and are just absolutely so in love with him. He's a 9-12 month old chihuahua mix, a dog I would have NEVER imagined myself having. His personality is just so sweet. He will sit in your lap whenever you want, and for as long as you want, but then he'll get up and play when you want too. He has slept with us the past few nights at dads house and has just been the sweetest little cuddle bud! He loves to stay snuggled up next to you to keep warm. He gets along so well with Big Dud and Sadie Sue. Dud tolerates him, but is getting more and more tolerant everyday. Sadie really likes the little guy and will play with him whenever he wants. Sarge has really proven to be a perfect match for our family. We took a ride on the boat yesterday and he didn't flinch! He just relaxed in my lap, and took in all the new scents. Not the skittish little chihuahua one would expect.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Happy Ash, House stuff and a break
Ashley is feeling much better. I think she was just having a few off days. She has come home from school happy and excited to talk about what she did all day and all the friends that she's made. We made birthday invitations on Thursday evening and I was just thrilled to hear her beg me to allow her to invite more friends. I let her invite 8 from her new school and she has 3 from her old school that HAVE to be there. 8 wasn't enough, she wanted more! That made me feel so much better about how she's adjusting. Yesterday, a girl from school called her and invited Ash to come swim at her house, they had just got a new slide for their pool. We were actually on the road to Nana and Big Daddy's, so we had to pass this time. I'm sure there will be plenty more opportunities.
We're getting more and more settled in to our new home everyday, but that doesn't go without ups and downs. The wall paper in the kids bathroom is down, I've textured the wall with a sort of venitian plaster look, and Thursday I primed it. Now all that's left is paint and a wipe of tinted glaze. Oh well, I guess I shouldn't forget the toilet and flooring. lol We're getting there!
Yesterday, I decided to tackle the master shower. The tile looked awful, the caulking and some of the grout needed to be redone so I thought it would be a good idea to get started on it before our trip to Seguin to allow for drying time. Boy did I bite off more than I could chew. I was able to scrape most of the caulking off and then started in on the yucky grout. The dremel worked pretty well, but the more grout I got off, the more trouble I revealed. There is mold and standing water underneath the tile. I ended up getting after it with a hammer. Fun stuff! I knocked out the lower three tiles all the way around and revealed rotting wood, gooey mold and standing water. What a MESS. When I get it all cleaned up, we'll have to call out some professionals, there is no way I can do all this on my own. Our bathroom is a disater area right now. Actually all 4 of the bathrooms are disaster areas. Ugh. I keep reminding myself how fortunate we are to have this place and it makes it all seem so worth while. I really need to keep it all in perspective.
We're spending the weekend at the lake for a MUCH needed break from all the work. When we get home Monday we'll start back in. We'll remove the range top and counter to prepare for the new silestone counter and rangetop that will be installed Tuesday. If we have time (and energy), we'll go ahead and take out the oven/micro. wall unit and install the new one. So many things to do, but for now, I will kick back and enjoy the down time with the fam.
We're getting more and more settled in to our new home everyday, but that doesn't go without ups and downs. The wall paper in the kids bathroom is down, I've textured the wall with a sort of venitian plaster look, and Thursday I primed it. Now all that's left is paint and a wipe of tinted glaze. Oh well, I guess I shouldn't forget the toilet and flooring. lol We're getting there!
Yesterday, I decided to tackle the master shower. The tile looked awful, the caulking and some of the grout needed to be redone so I thought it would be a good idea to get started on it before our trip to Seguin to allow for drying time. Boy did I bite off more than I could chew. I was able to scrape most of the caulking off and then started in on the yucky grout. The dremel worked pretty well, but the more grout I got off, the more trouble I revealed. There is mold and standing water underneath the tile. I ended up getting after it with a hammer. Fun stuff! I knocked out the lower three tiles all the way around and revealed rotting wood, gooey mold and standing water. What a MESS. When I get it all cleaned up, we'll have to call out some professionals, there is no way I can do all this on my own. Our bathroom is a disater area right now. Actually all 4 of the bathrooms are disaster areas. Ugh. I keep reminding myself how fortunate we are to have this place and it makes it all seem so worth while. I really need to keep it all in perspective.
We're spending the weekend at the lake for a MUCH needed break from all the work. When we get home Monday we'll start back in. We'll remove the range top and counter to prepare for the new silestone counter and rangetop that will be installed Tuesday. If we have time (and energy), we'll go ahead and take out the oven/micro. wall unit and install the new one. So many things to do, but for now, I will kick back and enjoy the down time with the fam.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
We're finally moved in!!
So much has happened since my last update! We're all moved in to the new house, and trying to get settled. Today I finished cleaning up the old house, thank GOODNESS! I'm so glad to be done with that, now I can focus on our new home and getting it organized. We have so much to do! The cooktop and counter are going in next Tuesday, and hopefully within the next few weeks we'll get the kitchen floors in, the oven/micro unit in, and the stairs for the deck built. Those are the items at the top of our to do list...and that list is growing everyday!
Alex started school last Monday, he's adjusting fine. He has 6 kids in his class 2 boys and 4 girls. :( Today when I picked him up his teacher told me that he is very advanced and way ahead of the other kids. She says he finishes his work VERY quickly and gets bored easily. She says he should be in Kindergarten. While I'm so proud to hear this, I'm also a little concerned. The whole reason for him being at preschool half days is to be stimulated. It sounds like I might be able to do a better job of stimulating him. I have plenty of learning materials, and social opportunities for him...so why is he at school? I think I've answered my own questions. I think either he needs to be at home, or I need to see about bumping him to private Kinder at the same school (if they will even allow that). Poor guy, so many changes in such a short period of time, I hope I don't screw him up too bad.
Ashley started her 3rd week of school this week and is doing very well. Her GT records were finally transfered over from her old school, which means now they will need to put her in the GT class. Unfortunately, that means she'll have to have another big change. She'll have to leave her new friens in her current class and start all over in a brand new class with a new teacher. I just feel so bad for her. Part of me wants to just forget about the GT class and let her stay put, but on the other hand I know that she will adjust and that this is for the best. She seems a little down lately, which is understandable, but I'm worried about her. She has always been such a people pleaser that I'm afraid she's dealing with too much on her own. She doesn't talk about it, probably because she doesn't want Mark and I to feel bad for the choices we've made for her regarding school. That's my girl, always thinking of everyone but herself. Tomorrow I'm going to speak with the school counselor and see if she can talk to Ash. Maybe it will be easier for her to talk to another adult about what she's feeling, an adult that's a neutral party. I'm going try to get her to talk to me some this afternoon. I just hate that I don't know what my own daughter is feeling.
Alex started school last Monday, he's adjusting fine. He has 6 kids in his class 2 boys and 4 girls. :( Today when I picked him up his teacher told me that he is very advanced and way ahead of the other kids. She says he finishes his work VERY quickly and gets bored easily. She says he should be in Kindergarten. While I'm so proud to hear this, I'm also a little concerned. The whole reason for him being at preschool half days is to be stimulated. It sounds like I might be able to do a better job of stimulating him. I have plenty of learning materials, and social opportunities for him...so why is he at school? I think I've answered my own questions. I think either he needs to be at home, or I need to see about bumping him to private Kinder at the same school (if they will even allow that). Poor guy, so many changes in such a short period of time, I hope I don't screw him up too bad.
Ashley started her 3rd week of school this week and is doing very well. Her GT records were finally transfered over from her old school, which means now they will need to put her in the GT class. Unfortunately, that means she'll have to have another big change. She'll have to leave her new friens in her current class and start all over in a brand new class with a new teacher. I just feel so bad for her. Part of me wants to just forget about the GT class and let her stay put, but on the other hand I know that she will adjust and that this is for the best. She seems a little down lately, which is understandable, but I'm worried about her. She has always been such a people pleaser that I'm afraid she's dealing with too much on her own. She doesn't talk about it, probably because she doesn't want Mark and I to feel bad for the choices we've made for her regarding school. That's my girl, always thinking of everyone but herself. Tomorrow I'm going to speak with the school counselor and see if she can talk to Ash. Maybe it will be easier for her to talk to another adult about what she's feeling, an adult that's a neutral party. I'm going try to get her to talk to me some this afternoon. I just hate that I don't know what my own daughter is feeling.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Tomorrow I will be mom to a 5th Grader
Yep, my baby girl is about to start her last year of elementary school. Wow! It's bittersweet really. The past 5 years have been a dream. My baby girl will be one of the kids I looked at in Kindergarten, thinking it would be ages before my baby was THAT big. Well, here we are, it happened in the blink of an eye.
This is a big year for Miss Ash. Not only is she starting her last year of elementary, she's starting a new school and leaving all of her friends behind. She's so brave! I think I'm more touchy about it than she is. She's a tad nervous, but more excited at what lies ahead for her. She's just such an easy child, always has been. She hasn't complained a bit because she knows this move is positive and that's what she chooses to focus on. I am so proud of her! I know she will do well.
This is a big year for Miss Ash. Not only is she starting her last year of elementary, she's starting a new school and leaving all of her friends behind. She's so brave! I think I'm more touchy about it than she is. She's a tad nervous, but more excited at what lies ahead for her. She's just such an easy child, always has been. She hasn't complained a bit because she knows this move is positive and that's what she chooses to focus on. I am so proud of her! I know she will do well.
Trip to Alabama!
The trip to Alabama was waaay too short, but oh so much fun! We were nervous about making the trip without Ashley in the back to help entertain Alex, but somehow we manged to have a fairly laid back trip. We hit a "boulder", as Mark would say, around Waco and ended up having flat. It wasn't all that bad though, daddy was our superhero and we made it to Alabama safe and sound. By the time we got there Frank, Nicola and Wilbur had already arrived and we were greeted by the whole crew. Grannie Frannie, Papa Jack, Mamaw, Both uncle Franks, Nicola and our sweet Sissy!! It was soooo good to see miss Ash after a whole week of being away from her. Alex would NOT stop hugging and kissing her, he hung off her leg like a little monkey. It was precious!
This was our first time to see the property in the summertime, it was so different! Gorgeous! The trees were lush and shaded so much more of the property than I realized they would. The trails seemed so far away from civilization with all the cover. It reminded me a little of the trails we hiked at Devils Den in Arkansas. We got to see all the new ducklings and a flock of traveling geese. Dudley and Sadie had so much fun tormenting the geese and wading in the pond, it almost seemed a little cruel to bring them back to our small yard. The kids had so much fun hanging out with everyone. Ashley is still telling Papa Jack stories, which we have found so intriguing that we all agree he should write a book...or two.
The last day we were there we talked with Mamaw quite a bit about her childhood and then some about her raising kids in a small town. I just loved talking to her and hearing about how things were back in her time and how it was to have so many siblings growing up with a family store. I loved listening to her talk. I wish we could have talked more, her stories were more interesting than many books I've read. We'll have to make a point to continue those conversations another time. :)
Fran's cooking was OUTSTANDING as always and I managed to make it home with two new recipes! We had such a relaxing time just hanging out enjoy the presence of family.
This was our first time to see the property in the summertime, it was so different! Gorgeous! The trees were lush and shaded so much more of the property than I realized they would. The trails seemed so far away from civilization with all the cover. It reminded me a little of the trails we hiked at Devils Den in Arkansas. We got to see all the new ducklings and a flock of traveling geese. Dudley and Sadie had so much fun tormenting the geese and wading in the pond, it almost seemed a little cruel to bring them back to our small yard. The kids had so much fun hanging out with everyone. Ashley is still telling Papa Jack stories, which we have found so intriguing that we all agree he should write a book...or two.
The last day we were there we talked with Mamaw quite a bit about her childhood and then some about her raising kids in a small town. I just loved talking to her and hearing about how things were back in her time and how it was to have so many siblings growing up with a family store. I loved listening to her talk. I wish we could have talked more, her stories were more interesting than many books I've read. We'll have to make a point to continue those conversations another time. :)
Fran's cooking was OUTSTANDING as always and I managed to make it home with two new recipes! We had such a relaxing time just hanging out enjoy the presence of family.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
The last supper
The load ress traveled. Yeah, so it's really NOT as funny now.
Anyway, so our last dinner was at a place that my hair stylist recommended this afternoon, Aisan Mint. It was delightful! Mark had the seafood platter with clams, crab cakes, and spring rolls. I had the Pad Thai. It was INCREDIBLE! I have to tell Jeremy thanks for the recommendation, it was scrumptious. We ordered our first bottle of saki as well. That was....umm...interesting, to put it kindly. Actually, that was probably the worst $20 we've ever spent. lol We had an absolutely wonderful evening together though. What a trip!! :)
Anyway, so our last dinner was at a place that my hair stylist recommended this afternoon, Aisan Mint. It was delightful! Mark had the seafood platter with clams, crab cakes, and spring rolls. I had the Pad Thai. It was INCREDIBLE! I have to tell Jeremy thanks for the recommendation, it was scrumptious. We ordered our first bottle of saki as well. That was....umm...interesting, to put it kindly. Actually, that was probably the worst $20 we've ever spent. lol We had an absolutely wonderful evening together though. What a trip!! :)
Married WITHOUT children
Ahhhh, what an AWESOME week it has been! Ash flew out to Alabama to spend the week with Grannie Frannie and Papa Jack, and Alex is hanging out with Nana and Big Daddy. These grandparents are SAINTS and they have no idea what this break has done for Mark and I. We have had the most amazing time together!
We have a $55 a day allowance to spend on meals and we have been spoiled little rich kids, that's for sure. My pants are a little tight, but ooohhhh so worth it. :) Mark and I have laughed and laughed and just had such a wonderful time together. It was just the break we've been needing.
We have a $55 a day allowance to spend on meals and we have been spoiled little rich kids, that's for sure. My pants are a little tight, but ooohhhh so worth it. :) Mark and I have laughed and laughed and just had such a wonderful time together. It was just the break we've been needing.
Amtrak
I decided that I really didn't feel like driving to Dallas again, so opted to take Amtrak instead. What a trip! And a TRIP it was! I was able to sip wine, nap and take in all the sights along the way. It was such an enlightening experience, and I know that I'll do it again. I met some very interesting people on my little adventure. From a single mom who dumped her 2 year old in my lap to "watch" for a while after only having exchanged smiles to the over achieving retired professor from Cali and we can't forget the hippie with a buzz who kept me company for the last few hours. It was really an awesome experience to say the least. I ended up making friends with the two year old, we read my magazine together and played with my hair clip which proved to be just what this sweet boy needed. I heard his mom telling him to "shut up" on multiple occasions, which just broke my heart. It turns out all the boy needed was an ounce of attention. Of course, that's me judging the situation, but that was my observation.
The retired professor was very educated and pretty much left me in the dust with most of his conversation, but it was definitely a positive experience. lol The hippie with a buzz was quite an experience. He originally came to hit on me, but when he learned that I was happily married, we just had friendly conversation. He's a singer/welder and much to my surprise and delight he belted out a tune for me (and the rest of the passengers for the next...ohhhh 3 cars). He was a riot! I really enjoyed talking to him. He tried on multiple occasions to hit on me, but I made it very clear that I wasn't budging. He told me of his wild life and how he had a 13 year old daughter that he rarely saw. He was a 46 year old man living on the edge, traveling from city to city doing welding jobs and partying his life away. He was surprised that I would talk to him, but honestly, he was quite entertaining even if he was half lit. He talked about how lonley he was and how he just couldn't give up the hippie lifestyle, it was obvious that he longed for someone who cared about him. There were times in the conversation when he spoke in past tense about what his live "could have been". I gently reminded him that his life was still on the table and that he didn't have to commit to the way his life had been. In the grand scheme of things, he has plenty of time to have all that he desires in life. It was sad, it reminded me so much of the many conversations I've had with my brother, in fact he reminded me so much of Jason, and that's probably why it was so easy for me to tolerate him. He was very kind and had many kind words to say about that.
As we came in to Dallas and our conversation ended he told me about some of his exciting travels and how he had done SOOOO much that most people had never dreamed of doing...he had stories of playing guitar on the Eifel Tower and playing music for change in the subways of Paris, and how exciting and adventurous his life really was. And then he lowered his sunglasses and told me that of all the travels and adventures, he still envied me, because I had love. It was touching, it really made me think about how wonderful my life is, and how lucky I am to have love, and a husband who works so hard for his family. I really feel like the luckiest person in the world. I have just enough troubles to make me appreciate what I have, but never too many to handle.
Before I got off the train, the writter sitting behind me handed me a note. Apparently, he had been listening to our entire conversation. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I am flattered. Here is what he wrote:
Finally, the chance glance, I was awaiting.
Though my identitiy is conceiled by an aloof space.
I'll believe, because of need,
that even space small and glance fast, our eyes were mating.
Now I just heard her voice, a beautiful tone, with the perfect touch of sweet Southern Drawl.
My quick fleeting scenario, fills me warmly, but I know has to end soon.
She commands such cruel beauty in sincerity, look and speech.
I don't have to take all the blame, do I?
These midafternoon dreams just seem to happen in July or June.
Oh, just another thing to add to the wonderful torture.
She is fairly close to perfect, 'cause she loves her husband and her daughter.
What is saving grace to what would be disaterous fantasy is that she is real and right, and makes all her airspace feel good.
Which thank the lord, saves this author test of his vanity.
Jamie, this was written for you because you deserve it, and has done me well,
Just to hear you speak. It also revives my hope there still could be one out there for me.
Thank you, Jim
The retired professor was very educated and pretty much left me in the dust with most of his conversation, but it was definitely a positive experience. lol The hippie with a buzz was quite an experience. He originally came to hit on me, but when he learned that I was happily married, we just had friendly conversation. He's a singer/welder and much to my surprise and delight he belted out a tune for me (and the rest of the passengers for the next...ohhhh 3 cars). He was a riot! I really enjoyed talking to him. He tried on multiple occasions to hit on me, but I made it very clear that I wasn't budging. He told me of his wild life and how he had a 13 year old daughter that he rarely saw. He was a 46 year old man living on the edge, traveling from city to city doing welding jobs and partying his life away. He was surprised that I would talk to him, but honestly, he was quite entertaining even if he was half lit. He talked about how lonley he was and how he just couldn't give up the hippie lifestyle, it was obvious that he longed for someone who cared about him. There were times in the conversation when he spoke in past tense about what his live "could have been". I gently reminded him that his life was still on the table and that he didn't have to commit to the way his life had been. In the grand scheme of things, he has plenty of time to have all that he desires in life. It was sad, it reminded me so much of the many conversations I've had with my brother, in fact he reminded me so much of Jason, and that's probably why it was so easy for me to tolerate him. He was very kind and had many kind words to say about that.
As we came in to Dallas and our conversation ended he told me about some of his exciting travels and how he had done SOOOO much that most people had never dreamed of doing...he had stories of playing guitar on the Eifel Tower and playing music for change in the subways of Paris, and how exciting and adventurous his life really was. And then he lowered his sunglasses and told me that of all the travels and adventures, he still envied me, because I had love. It was touching, it really made me think about how wonderful my life is, and how lucky I am to have love, and a husband who works so hard for his family. I really feel like the luckiest person in the world. I have just enough troubles to make me appreciate what I have, but never too many to handle.
Before I got off the train, the writter sitting behind me handed me a note. Apparently, he had been listening to our entire conversation. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I am flattered. Here is what he wrote:
Finally, the chance glance, I was awaiting.
Though my identitiy is conceiled by an aloof space.
I'll believe, because of need,
that even space small and glance fast, our eyes were mating.
Now I just heard her voice, a beautiful tone, with the perfect touch of sweet Southern Drawl.
My quick fleeting scenario, fills me warmly, but I know has to end soon.
She commands such cruel beauty in sincerity, look and speech.
I don't have to take all the blame, do I?
These midafternoon dreams just seem to happen in July or June.
Oh, just another thing to add to the wonderful torture.
She is fairly close to perfect, 'cause she loves her husband and her daughter.
What is saving grace to what would be disaterous fantasy is that she is real and right, and makes all her airspace feel good.
Which thank the lord, saves this author test of his vanity.
Jamie, this was written for you because you deserve it, and has done me well,
Just to hear you speak. It also revives my hope there still could be one out there for me.
Thank you, Jim
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Live Simple
This is my new goal. To live Simple. I'm learning.
I want to take the amazing opportunity of being at home with my family and do something meaningful with it. I love taking care of the home, cooking meals and making everyone in my family feel less stressed, but I want to do more. I want to teach my children, my husband and myself how to live simply. I don't know exactly where I'm going with this, but I know it's important. I want them to be less dependant upon "stuff", and more in tune with themselves and the world around them. I want to teach them where the water we drink comes from, how the food gets to our table, and how we can do our part to use less of everything without sacrificing anything. I want them to be aware that although getting a good education, and finding a good job are important things that they will need to do, they need to remember to enjoy their lives and not get wrapped up making and spending money. Life is too short and it's so easy to get caught up in going through the motions of making and spending that we forget what it's all about. I'm not even exactly sure HOW I will go about teaching them, since I'm learning too, but I know I can do it.
While I don't plan on limiting TV time at home, I hope that by posting this on the fridge and talking about it often, the kids will choose some of the items listed on their own. Mark will laugh, but that's ok. :)
There are many alternatives to television.
Read a book. Go to the cinema. Watch a play or musical. Write a letter. Go for a walk. Pick up litter. Call a friend. Sing. Pursue your hobby. Bowl. Write a poem. Clean your drawers. Take a class. Floss. Plan a trip. Exercise. State your dream. Volunteer. Dance.
Ride a bicyle. Paint a picture. Teach someone to read. Learn Spanish. Look out the window. Go to the library. Visit a neighbor. Do your dishes. Fix a broken item. Learn improvisational comedy.
Visit an art museum. Volunteer at your local humane society and spend time with animals. Go ice skating. Compose a song. Eat a good breakfast. Test the smoke detector. Sort your old photographs. Take your unwanted newspapers and magazines to someone who would like them or to recycling. Fish.
Satisfy your craving for "reality programming" by going out in the "real world." Trace your geneology. Rearrange the furniture. Help someone build a house. Jump on the bed. Get your cholesterol checked. Visit a new restaurant. Volunteer to clean up a city park. Do the laundry. Bake a pie.
Laugh at commuters. Save whales. Brush your teeth. Remember what your mother told you. Write a poem.
Take up a new hobby. Walk along the seashore, lakeshore, desert, mountains, or parking lot. Test your strength. Ride the bus. Talk to your cat. Save big money at Menard's. Plant a garden. Talk with someone. Hoe the garden. Take a bath.
Balance your checkbook. Coin a term. Found a literary movement. Chop wood. Change your mind. Mow the grass. Do the macarena. Write a manifesto.
Choose your long distance carrier. Tie your shoes. Comb your hair. Clean the windows. Take a five. Go for broke. Inventory. Make an appointment for dental care. Take your pills. Attend a festival. Dance the night away. Wake up and smell the coffee.
Play ping-pong. Take photos. Chase rainbows. Chase Manhattan. Chase Chevy Chase. Paint the town.
Settle old bets. Change a diaper that needs changing. Change a bill if you need some coins. Keep an appointment.
Finish that book you've been reading. Toil in obscurity. Learn a new language. Lower your cholesterol somehow. Escape to Wisconsin. Find a pin and pick it up.
Herd cats. Jump like a bunny. Collate papers. Sharpen the pencils.
Try walking up the stairs. Tell someone that I love you. Don't spread rumors. Tell someone that you love them.
Lose weight naturally.
Go to a planetarium. Teach a class.
Take a shower. Take another look around.
Behold the power of cheese.
Minister to the sick. Visit the aged. Treasure the moments. Appreciate the veterans.
Pursue art for Art's sake. Tune a guitar. Walk a dog. Mend a fence.
Clean your plate. Renounce your secret admiration of Kenny G. Fall in love.
Learn line dancing. Eat all you wish. Shake hands with your neighbor. Clean your room. If you need a penny, take a penny. Cross that bridge when you come to it.
Don't covet your neighbor's wife. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Go downtown, where all the lights are bright. Use the Web site or call the 800 number for more information. Shoot the moon. Shoot the rapids.
Memorize a sonnet. Can vegetables. Stoke the furnace. Pay the piper. Sort the mail. Find buried treasure. Shower before entering the pool. Listen to a symphony. Sort your CDs. Remember that all funds are subject to loss. Call me sometime. Rinse. Repeat.
Finish your salad. Don't litter.
I want to take the amazing opportunity of being at home with my family and do something meaningful with it. I love taking care of the home, cooking meals and making everyone in my family feel less stressed, but I want to do more. I want to teach my children, my husband and myself how to live simply. I don't know exactly where I'm going with this, but I know it's important. I want them to be less dependant upon "stuff", and more in tune with themselves and the world around them. I want to teach them where the water we drink comes from, how the food gets to our table, and how we can do our part to use less of everything without sacrificing anything. I want them to be aware that although getting a good education, and finding a good job are important things that they will need to do, they need to remember to enjoy their lives and not get wrapped up making and spending money. Life is too short and it's so easy to get caught up in going through the motions of making and spending that we forget what it's all about. I'm not even exactly sure HOW I will go about teaching them, since I'm learning too, but I know I can do it.
While I don't plan on limiting TV time at home, I hope that by posting this on the fridge and talking about it often, the kids will choose some of the items listed on their own. Mark will laugh, but that's ok. :)
There are many alternatives to television.
Read a book. Go to the cinema. Watch a play or musical. Write a letter. Go for a walk. Pick up litter. Call a friend. Sing. Pursue your hobby. Bowl. Write a poem. Clean your drawers. Take a class. Floss. Plan a trip. Exercise. State your dream. Volunteer. Dance.
Ride a bicyle. Paint a picture. Teach someone to read. Learn Spanish. Look out the window. Go to the library. Visit a neighbor. Do your dishes. Fix a broken item. Learn improvisational comedy.
Visit an art museum. Volunteer at your local humane society and spend time with animals. Go ice skating. Compose a song. Eat a good breakfast. Test the smoke detector. Sort your old photographs. Take your unwanted newspapers and magazines to someone who would like them or to recycling. Fish.
Satisfy your craving for "reality programming" by going out in the "real world." Trace your geneology. Rearrange the furniture. Help someone build a house. Jump on the bed. Get your cholesterol checked. Visit a new restaurant. Volunteer to clean up a city park. Do the laundry. Bake a pie.
Laugh at commuters. Save whales. Brush your teeth. Remember what your mother told you. Write a poem.
Take up a new hobby. Walk along the seashore, lakeshore, desert, mountains, or parking lot. Test your strength. Ride the bus. Talk to your cat. Save big money at Menard's. Plant a garden. Talk with someone. Hoe the garden. Take a bath.
Balance your checkbook. Coin a term. Found a literary movement. Chop wood. Change your mind. Mow the grass. Do the macarena. Write a manifesto.
Choose your long distance carrier. Tie your shoes. Comb your hair. Clean the windows. Take a five. Go for broke. Inventory. Make an appointment for dental care. Take your pills. Attend a festival. Dance the night away. Wake up and smell the coffee.
Play ping-pong. Take photos. Chase rainbows. Chase Manhattan. Chase Chevy Chase. Paint the town.
Settle old bets. Change a diaper that needs changing. Change a bill if you need some coins. Keep an appointment.
Finish that book you've been reading. Toil in obscurity. Learn a new language. Lower your cholesterol somehow. Escape to Wisconsin. Find a pin and pick it up.
Herd cats. Jump like a bunny. Collate papers. Sharpen the pencils.
Try walking up the stairs. Tell someone that I love you. Don't spread rumors. Tell someone that you love them.
Lose weight naturally.
Go to a planetarium. Teach a class.
Take a shower. Take another look around.
Behold the power of cheese.
Minister to the sick. Visit the aged. Treasure the moments. Appreciate the veterans.
Pursue art for Art's sake. Tune a guitar. Walk a dog. Mend a fence.
Clean your plate. Renounce your secret admiration of Kenny G. Fall in love.
Learn line dancing. Eat all you wish. Shake hands with your neighbor. Clean your room. If you need a penny, take a penny. Cross that bridge when you come to it.
Don't covet your neighbor's wife. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Go downtown, where all the lights are bright. Use the Web site or call the 800 number for more information. Shoot the moon. Shoot the rapids.
Memorize a sonnet. Can vegetables. Stoke the furnace. Pay the piper. Sort the mail. Find buried treasure. Shower before entering the pool. Listen to a symphony. Sort your CDs. Remember that all funds are subject to loss. Call me sometime. Rinse. Repeat.
Finish your salad. Don't litter.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Trip to visit Daddy
We got to visit daddy this past week, and it was sooooo good to see him. I forgot how sweet he smells and how amazing his hugs can be. He had to work most of the time we were there, but we did get to spend some good time together. We went to visit Uncle David, Aunt Cara and baby Keller. The first night, David, Cara, Mark and I went out for dinner and drinks and had SUCH a great time together. We got back to the hotel about 12:30, and crashed. The kids woke up the next morning at 11:45. That has got to be an all time record. It was heavenly. We spent our last day hanging out by David and Cara's pool, and enjoying our time with Baby Keller. Mark showed up later for BBQ and once again we had a really nice time. Our visit was short, but soooo nice.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Where oh where has my baby gone
Ok the past week has been a blur, busy, fun but a blur. Mark is out of town and will be for up to 3 weeks and we miss him oh so much. We made a trip to Nana and Big Daddy's to see David, Cara and baby Keller. Wow, Keller has changed so much. I am SO in love with this precious boy! Is is absolutely irresistable! I took so many pictures while we were thaere. I so wish they were closer so that I could be more a part of his life, but I will make do with what I have and do what I can. He is soooo sweet.
My love is in Dallas, and I miss him so much. It's so strange without him. I feel like a big ol piece of me is just not here. I talk to him multiple times a day and that certainly helps, but it sure doesn't replace his presence. Everything is just "off" without him. I'm up in the air on when I'll be able to go visit. Monday I'll be going in to work for a little bit and maybe Tuesday as well. I have a get together with some friends on Wednesday and really don't want to miss it, but I might have to. I know that I need to be back in town by Saturday so that Ash can make her flight to Alabama and that sure doesn't leave much time to go see my hubby. We'll see. By the time Tuesday rolls around I may not be able to stand being without him and there will be no question.
Kids are ready for bed, I better get off the puter for now.
My love is in Dallas, and I miss him so much. It's so strange without him. I feel like a big ol piece of me is just not here. I talk to him multiple times a day and that certainly helps, but it sure doesn't replace his presence. Everything is just "off" without him. I'm up in the air on when I'll be able to go visit. Monday I'll be going in to work for a little bit and maybe Tuesday as well. I have a get together with some friends on Wednesday and really don't want to miss it, but I might have to. I know that I need to be back in town by Saturday so that Ash can make her flight to Alabama and that sure doesn't leave much time to go see my hubby. We'll see. By the time Tuesday rolls around I may not be able to stand being without him and there will be no question.
Kids are ready for bed, I better get off the puter for now.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
I'm HOME!!!
It's official! I started my new job! I have 3 bosses, Ashley, Alex and Mark. They are very demanding, but the pay is EXCELLENT. ;) I'll update with details of my new job when I get the chance.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
ONE MORE WEEK!
It's hard to believe I'm on the home stretch! Just one more week and I will OFFICIALLY be a Stay at Home Mom once again!!!!!!! I'm so anxious! They are sure making me work for it though, this has been one of the most stressful times I've had at this job. We're having to do a project in Microstation, which is HORRIBLY difficult to learn. I have really come so far in learning all that I have, but this program really does require training. It's the least user friendly CAD program I have EVER experienced. It SUCKS! I'm pulling my hair out trying to get my work done. Sadly enough, I know the program more than anyone in the office, so when I leave, I feel for these people, they're not going to be happy. Oh well. I will be at home enjoying my summer with my two favorite little people and that's all that I can think about right now.
Today Mark and I are going to the new house to work, while Paula and Brian have the kids. They just called and asked if the kids could spend the night. Hmmm, let me think.....YES!! Brian and Paula are two of the kindest people I have ever met. I'm just blown away at how lucky we all are to have them in our lives. They would give the shirt off their back to a complete stranger if they new it could make a difference. We're both off to get haircuts and then to the house to work. Can't wait until it's finally OURS!
Today Mark and I are going to the new house to work, while Paula and Brian have the kids. They just called and asked if the kids could spend the night. Hmmm, let me think.....YES!! Brian and Paula are two of the kindest people I have ever met. I'm just blown away at how lucky we all are to have them in our lives. They would give the shirt off their back to a complete stranger if they new it could make a difference. We're both off to get haircuts and then to the house to work. Can't wait until it's finally OURS!
Sunday, July 02, 2006
4 going on 16
Yesterday Alex spent more time in front of the mirror than he has in his entire 4 years of life. He has a sudden fascination with fixing his hair. He refuses to use a normal full size brush, instead he uses daddy's tiny beard trimming comb. He combs and combs and combs until it's juuuust right (whatever that is). Yesterday he got a little TOOO in to his hair and decided to TRIM a spot. Here he is sporting his new "Do" 100% by Alex:
Friday, June 23, 2006
Summer Happenings
I am having SUCH a hard time updating lately. I will do my best to make up for the past few months in this post.
It's already the END OF JUNE! How did this happen??
Miss Ash got out of school on May 28th, and within two days we were on our first vacation of the summer. We met Nana and Big Daddy in Tulsa where we spent one night at a local casino. The next morning we made the two hour trek to Arakansas where we spent the next 4 days in the gorgeous Ozark mountains at Devils Den State Park. It was one of the best vacations we've had together. We spent a lot of time just being 'together'. We fished and hiked, rented a paddle boat and a few canoes, played catch, and spent some time inside the cabin just hanging out playing games. Alex learned to cast a full size fishing pole, and is a PRO at it now. (I actually think he can cast farther than me) They caught several fish between the two of them, and on the last day we were there, they both caught a huge snapping turtle. It was at least 2 feet long with a huge fat tail and long creepy claws. The look on their faces when their poles bent in half was priceless! Alex caught him first, and within minutes Ash caught him, and then a few minutes later he was BACK on Ashley's line again. This was clearly not a very bright turtle. It sure did make for some good stories though. Alex's first day back at school, he elaborately told his turtle story while all of his little friends listened with wide eyes. It was adorable!
Our trip was rejuvenating to say the least. We've decided that Devils Den will be a regular spot for us. I'd really love to make it a family reunion spot for both of our families, especially since it's so close to Grannie Frannie and Papa Jack.
The following week Ashley, Savannah and Kell went to spend the week with Nana and Big Daddy at the lake. During the day, they attended a nature camp and in the evenings they were able to spend time with Nana and Big Daddy. They had so much fun that week, I don't think they were ready to come home when they did.
The next week Ash attended Dr. John's Sports Center Camp, and of course Savannah and Kell were signed up too. They did all sorts of fun activities and are anxious to go back in a few weeks.
Mark and I have spent a lot of time getting our house in shape to sell. We've decluttered a LOT and have even taken quite a few loads over to the new house. We spent last Saturday trimming the trees at the new house. HOLY SCHMOLLY that was a lot of work, we spent about 6 hours trimming and we're not even half done. I guess that's the price you pay for having such beautiful trees!
We put our house on the market this past Saturday and had a showing on Wed., Thursday, and one more today. I have such mixed feelings right now. I am so thrilled to be able to move in to such a wonderful house so close to mom and to be able to stay home again, but this house is home, and I just can't imagine not living here. The kids have so many friends on our little street, I will miss sitting on the front porch watching them play together. I took some video of them all piled up in Alex's Gator riding down the street squirting their water guns at the invisible bad guys. It was so precious. I just hope we can capture those memories forever.
Despite what we are leaving, we are moving to something wonderful. The choice we have made is a good one, and I know that. That Gator will now drive down the street to moms, and I will be able to sit on the porch and watch more now than ever because I will be where I should be, at home. I'm so anxious to get back home. I really feel that I belong there. Two parents working full time jobs, with children of any age, is just too much stress on a family. We deserve more, our kids deserve more. And I am overjoyed that I have the opportunity to do exactly what I want.
This weekend we're going to visit Nana and Big Daddy FINALLY!! With all that we have going on this summer this may be the only opportunity that we have to spend some time with them. We JUST bought the brand new Jet Ski, and poor Mark has been chomping at the bit to get out on it. I doubt I'll see much of him this weekend. lol
Last night the kids and I went with Brian, Paula, Kell, and Savannah to a Round Rock Express game. Mark had already planned a poker game at the house so he wasn't able to come. The weather was great, we had a nice breeze and it wasn't too hot. The kids really had a good time. It was really all about the food and friends. They had hot dogs, peanuts, cracker jacks, cotton candy and soda. I don't think they even watched a full minute of the game! Hehe! That's ok though, it was all about having fun. Paula is so sweet, she had all the kids over to spend the night last night, including Alex. His FIRST sleepover. It amazes me how well the girls and Alex get along, despite the 5 year age gap. Those girls just love him to pieces.
That was the past month in a nutshell. I will try to post picutres in my down time this weekend at Dads.
It's already the END OF JUNE! How did this happen??
Miss Ash got out of school on May 28th, and within two days we were on our first vacation of the summer. We met Nana and Big Daddy in Tulsa where we spent one night at a local casino. The next morning we made the two hour trek to Arakansas where we spent the next 4 days in the gorgeous Ozark mountains at Devils Den State Park. It was one of the best vacations we've had together. We spent a lot of time just being 'together'. We fished and hiked, rented a paddle boat and a few canoes, played catch, and spent some time inside the cabin just hanging out playing games. Alex learned to cast a full size fishing pole, and is a PRO at it now. (I actually think he can cast farther than me) They caught several fish between the two of them, and on the last day we were there, they both caught a huge snapping turtle. It was at least 2 feet long with a huge fat tail and long creepy claws. The look on their faces when their poles bent in half was priceless! Alex caught him first, and within minutes Ash caught him, and then a few minutes later he was BACK on Ashley's line again. This was clearly not a very bright turtle. It sure did make for some good stories though. Alex's first day back at school, he elaborately told his turtle story while all of his little friends listened with wide eyes. It was adorable!
Our trip was rejuvenating to say the least. We've decided that Devils Den will be a regular spot for us. I'd really love to make it a family reunion spot for both of our families, especially since it's so close to Grannie Frannie and Papa Jack.
The following week Ashley, Savannah and Kell went to spend the week with Nana and Big Daddy at the lake. During the day, they attended a nature camp and in the evenings they were able to spend time with Nana and Big Daddy. They had so much fun that week, I don't think they were ready to come home when they did.
The next week Ash attended Dr. John's Sports Center Camp, and of course Savannah and Kell were signed up too. They did all sorts of fun activities and are anxious to go back in a few weeks.
Mark and I have spent a lot of time getting our house in shape to sell. We've decluttered a LOT and have even taken quite a few loads over to the new house. We spent last Saturday trimming the trees at the new house. HOLY SCHMOLLY that was a lot of work, we spent about 6 hours trimming and we're not even half done. I guess that's the price you pay for having such beautiful trees!
We put our house on the market this past Saturday and had a showing on Wed., Thursday, and one more today. I have such mixed feelings right now. I am so thrilled to be able to move in to such a wonderful house so close to mom and to be able to stay home again, but this house is home, and I just can't imagine not living here. The kids have so many friends on our little street, I will miss sitting on the front porch watching them play together. I took some video of them all piled up in Alex's Gator riding down the street squirting their water guns at the invisible bad guys. It was so precious. I just hope we can capture those memories forever.
Despite what we are leaving, we are moving to something wonderful. The choice we have made is a good one, and I know that. That Gator will now drive down the street to moms, and I will be able to sit on the porch and watch more now than ever because I will be where I should be, at home. I'm so anxious to get back home. I really feel that I belong there. Two parents working full time jobs, with children of any age, is just too much stress on a family. We deserve more, our kids deserve more. And I am overjoyed that I have the opportunity to do exactly what I want.
This weekend we're going to visit Nana and Big Daddy FINALLY!! With all that we have going on this summer this may be the only opportunity that we have to spend some time with them. We JUST bought the brand new Jet Ski, and poor Mark has been chomping at the bit to get out on it. I doubt I'll see much of him this weekend. lol
Last night the kids and I went with Brian, Paula, Kell, and Savannah to a Round Rock Express game. Mark had already planned a poker game at the house so he wasn't able to come. The weather was great, we had a nice breeze and it wasn't too hot. The kids really had a good time. It was really all about the food and friends. They had hot dogs, peanuts, cracker jacks, cotton candy and soda. I don't think they even watched a full minute of the game! Hehe! That's ok though, it was all about having fun. Paula is so sweet, she had all the kids over to spend the night last night, including Alex. His FIRST sleepover. It amazes me how well the girls and Alex get along, despite the 5 year age gap. Those girls just love him to pieces.
That was the past month in a nutshell. I will try to post picutres in my down time this weekend at Dads.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
I'm an AUNT!!!
My precious, sweet, adorable nephew was born on Saturday!
Keller Rocket Rogers
6-11-06
7 lbs 15 oz
21 3/4"
Here are some pictures of our newest buddy:
Keller Rocket Rogers
6-11-06
7 lbs 15 oz
21 3/4"
Here are some pictures of our newest buddy:
Saturday, June 10, 2006
HE'S COMING, HE'S COMING!!!!
I'm so excited! I just got a call from Ruthie. David called, and Cara thinks her water broke. They are on their way to the hospital now. As soon as we find out that she's for sure in labor, we're heading to Dallas!! I can't wait to meet my first nephew!!
Friday, March 17, 2006
Never growin up!
Alex stayed home from school with me yesterday and today. Yesterday he had a sore throat, and a low fever, and today he was probably ok to go to school, but we went ahead and stayed home anyway. We really have had such a wonderful time together. I sure miss being with him all day, and I think somewhere inside him, he does too. On our way home from the bank today Alex tells me (once again) how he never wants to grow up. He wants to always be a kid. He doesn't want to be tall, and he never wants to move away from our house. Then he says
"Momma, someone needs to take a picture of you."
Momma: Really? Why is that?
Alex: "So when I grow up and I'm not with you I can look at you when I think of you and when I miss you."
"Momma, someone needs to take a picture of you."
Momma: Really? Why is that?
Alex: "So when I grow up and I'm not with you I can look at you when I think of you and when I miss you."
Monday, March 13, 2006
Silly lil Alex qoutes
We were visiting dad last weekend when Buddy decided to show Alex who was dominant in the little guy world. I never actually saw the incident, but Alex told me alllll I needed to hear... In a little Alex laughing voice "MOMMA, MOMMA, aww, Buddy was hugging my leg like a little child."
At dinner the other night Alex was horrible. Bouncing all over the place, not eating, same old Alex as usual, but worse. Daddy had been pushed over the edge (as was I) "ALEX, SIT STILL AND EAT, NOOOOWWWW I'M TIRED OF IT!" Alex put on his pouty face and says in a weepy voice, "but I can't help it Daddy, my body is just wild."
Same dinner..."Momma, what's a manager?" (From watching Spongebob) I gave my best definition and Ash responds with "Alex, you know daddy is a manager?" Alex: "!Oh Cool....does that mean momma is a girl-ager?"
At dinner the other night Alex was horrible. Bouncing all over the place, not eating, same old Alex as usual, but worse. Daddy had been pushed over the edge (as was I) "ALEX, SIT STILL AND EAT, NOOOOWWWW I'M TIRED OF IT!" Alex put on his pouty face and says in a weepy voice, "but I can't help it Daddy, my body is just wild."
Same dinner..."Momma, what's a manager?" (From watching Spongebob) I gave my best definition and Ash responds with "Alex, you know daddy is a manager?" Alex: "!Oh Cool....does that mean momma is a girl-ager?"
Spring is in the air!
Wow what a gorgeous weekend it was! Now I'm starting to remember why I'm so much happier during the sunny months. I forgot what it was like to enjoy the outdoors. Mark and I did yard work all day Saturday, he planted 4 O'leander bushes outside the kitchen window in the side yard. It will be so much nicer to sit at the kitchen table and see more than the neighbors red brick. It will also give us a little more privacy, from their two windows that face our house. He also planted a Mountain Laurel. Yippeee! I finally got a Mountain Laurel (or two)! I've been wanting to plant one since before we ever moved in. Those suckers are expensive! 5 gal. for $25! It will be worth it though. I just LOVE the blooms that come in the spring. I'm hoping we'll get to see a few within the next couple of weeks, but I'm not counting on it this year. Steve is in town for the week, and David and Cara were in town for the weekend. It's so nice to have family over. The kids just LOVE when their uncles come to visit. Looks like David and Cara MAY have come up with a name for my new nephew who will be here in just 3 short months. They might have taken Blaze off the list (no comment- until after this baby is named!) and replaced it with Keller Rocket. David is a nut. I get the feeling that once this baby starts to live up to his name, they're going to wish they named him something more like Keller Devine, or Kellar Sleepswell. That's ok, no matter what they name him, he WILL take after David and keep them on their toes indefinitely, much to Dad and Ruthie's delight. :)
On the Urben kidfront...Ashley is on Spring Break all week, (nice coincidence that uncle Steve is in town) and will be going camping with Ciara on Thursday. No big plans other than that. I'm hoping to get a day off, maybe Wednesday, to spend with her. I'll probably take Alex to school late and just hang out with my girl.
On the Urben kidfront...Ashley is on Spring Break all week, (nice coincidence that uncle Steve is in town) and will be going camping with Ciara on Thursday. No big plans other than that. I'm hoping to get a day off, maybe Wednesday, to spend with her. I'll probably take Alex to school late and just hang out with my girl.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Cluck Cluck
In 21 days we will have peeps! I can't believe how excited I am about this, maybe it's just that motherly instinct kicking in, whatever it is, I'm loosing my mind. Ashley is on her way home from Lockhart with chicken eggs that we will be incubating for the next 21 days. Ashley's good friend Kelly just finished her first batch of eggs, but unfortunately none hatched. I've been doing a lot of research and have learned so much about this stuff. It's really quite fascinating. We started out with a big plastic storage container, but the more I read, the more I realized that it might not be insulated enough to maintain a proper temperature so we decided to get a foam ice chest instead. Mark cut a hole in the side and we stuck a 25 watt bulb in. This worked great, but the temperature kept climbing and the only way to drop the temp. was to vent the top, but venting the top allowed the humidity to escape. After toying with several different ideas...most of which were a bit on the pricey side, Mark came up with the idea of wiring a dimmer to the bulb. He bought the $3.00 dimmer, wired it up and VOILA! It works like a charm. It's exactly what we needed to get the temperature just right. I hope this works!!! When the peeps hatch, we'll probably keep them for a few days and then take them back to the farm. Oh how I wish we lived in the country and could have a chicken coop! How fun! I will post incubator pics. when Ash gets home with the camera. :)
Happy Day for Alex
Alex's teacher sent a note home the other day. It reads:
Mark & Jamie,
Just wanted to let you know how proud I was of Alex today. Over the weekend I purchased new games and activities for our class and Alex was the only one to give me a hug and say THANK YOU for bringing us all the new stuff. You have a great kid!
Happy Day :)
Jane
We stopped at Walgreens on the way home and Alex got to pick out a special treat for making Ms. Jane's "heart feel warm". :)
Mark & Jamie,
Just wanted to let you know how proud I was of Alex today. Over the weekend I purchased new games and activities for our class and Alex was the only one to give me a hug and say THANK YOU for bringing us all the new stuff. You have a great kid!
Happy Day :)
Jane
We stopped at Walgreens on the way home and Alex got to pick out a special treat for making Ms. Jane's "heart feel warm". :)
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Cruel joke?
Alex is recovering from the flu, he's back to his normal self only with a little cabin fever. He's been cooped up since Thursday and needs to run around sooooo bad. Unfortunately, the rest of us have come down with it. What a JOKE. We all just want to lay in bed and rest, and Alex is bouncing off the walls. Poor guy. He's ready to get back to normal and we'd like to have that lazy boy back for just a little bit longer. If we could we'd ship him off for a few days so we can sleep, but unfortunately, he still has a low grade fever, which means he's still contagious. We really need to get some Tamiflu in us since it only works if you start it within the first 48 hours, but it's Sunday and the only place we can go is either the Urgent Care Center, or the ER. Urgent Care would be $50 each, plus the prescription, which was $40 for Alex. That would put us out $270 for the three of us! We just can't do that right now. I will probably call in a script for Ash first thing in the morning and hope we get her started on the meds soon enough to catch it. I wonder if getting the flu shot would have prevented this. Who knows. Next year we're definitely getting them.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Sick lil buddy
I took Alex to the Dr. yesterday after realizing that he had every symptom of the flu. Sure enough, his test was positive. Thankfully we caught it in time to start Tamiflu. He threw up the first batch yesterday, but today he was able to keep it in his system. He's feeling much, much better right now, but still doesn't have much energy. He's eating a grilled cheese sandwich and asking for more, so that's a good sign. I'm starting to feel pretty yucky, but crossing my fingers that it's just the high molds.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Update on us
Gosh, where does the time go!? If I could find a way to bottle time and sell it I would be a gazillion-aire. Lets see, what's happened in the last month...Grandaddy got out of the hospital and is doing ok. He's still not able to walk on his own yet, and he's still having to use his feeding tube, but his spirits are much better now that he's back at home. Mom has her work cut out for her, I wish there was more I could do to help.
I put in my 2 weeks notice at my job last Monday, sent out some resumes and then after a 3 hour "meeting" with the boss man and his wife, decided to stick it out and see if things could change. So far so good, it's amazing what a little communication can do. So much has changed. I just can't imagine getting a job clear across town, having to be there at 8 am, and not getting off until 5. Putting me out the door no later than 7 am and home no earlier than 5:45. That is not appealing. Not to mention the fact that I can go home for lunch, pick up Ash from school and take her home everyday, and attend school functions when I can. That is so hard to give up, I figure it's worth trying to work things out. And if it doesn't work out, I can move on. Ironically enough, after I decided to stay, I received 4 phone calls for interviews.
Ashley participated in her 2nd spelling bee she finished 8th out of 67 kids. Big Daddy and pops both came, Ashley was very surprised to see them. She was determined to win, so there was some disappointment, but nothing more than a little healthy competitiveness.
Alex is trucking along just fine at preschool. He still loves getting up and going everyday. He is surrounded by caregivers who truly love to care for children, and that has made a major impact on his attitude about school. Valentines Day is coming up and we're making out his very first Valentine Cards. I bought him cards yesterday and when I brought them home to show him he had no idea what they were. It never even occurred to me that I needed to teach him about Valentines Day! lol
I am home with him today, he woke up in the night throwing up and had a pretty high fever. He's not sick to his stomach today, but still feeling pretty lousy. He's pretty achy. I'm crossing my fingers that this isn't the flu.
Mark has been such a dream through all of my work troubles. He is just amazing. Our relationship continues to grow everyday, as we get closer and closer. He is the best friend I've ever had and he teaches me so much without even realizing it. I still feel like the luckiest person in the world to have found this amazing love.
I put in my 2 weeks notice at my job last Monday, sent out some resumes and then after a 3 hour "meeting" with the boss man and his wife, decided to stick it out and see if things could change. So far so good, it's amazing what a little communication can do. So much has changed. I just can't imagine getting a job clear across town, having to be there at 8 am, and not getting off until 5. Putting me out the door no later than 7 am and home no earlier than 5:45. That is not appealing. Not to mention the fact that I can go home for lunch, pick up Ash from school and take her home everyday, and attend school functions when I can. That is so hard to give up, I figure it's worth trying to work things out. And if it doesn't work out, I can move on. Ironically enough, after I decided to stay, I received 4 phone calls for interviews.
Ashley participated in her 2nd spelling bee she finished 8th out of 67 kids. Big Daddy and pops both came, Ashley was very surprised to see them. She was determined to win, so there was some disappointment, but nothing more than a little healthy competitiveness.
Alex is trucking along just fine at preschool. He still loves getting up and going everyday. He is surrounded by caregivers who truly love to care for children, and that has made a major impact on his attitude about school. Valentines Day is coming up and we're making out his very first Valentine Cards. I bought him cards yesterday and when I brought them home to show him he had no idea what they were. It never even occurred to me that I needed to teach him about Valentines Day! lol
I am home with him today, he woke up in the night throwing up and had a pretty high fever. He's not sick to his stomach today, but still feeling pretty lousy. He's pretty achy. I'm crossing my fingers that this isn't the flu.
Mark has been such a dream through all of my work troubles. He is just amazing. Our relationship continues to grow everyday, as we get closer and closer. He is the best friend I've ever had and he teaches me so much without even realizing it. I still feel like the luckiest person in the world to have found this amazing love.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Blog, what's that?
Yeah, so life is a little crazy with the two of us working, finding time to Blog is next to impossible.
Granddaddy just got out of the hospital, he's doing fine right now, but suffered a broken hip and had to undergo surgery last week. The surgery weakened him and caused his Parkinsons to worsen, which is hopefully temporary. The parkinsons is affecting his abilty to swallow right now, and he is unable to swallow anything without aspirating, so they put a feeding tube in to his stomach. He's doing well with it. We are all hopeful that he will gain his strength back and be able get back to normal.
Granddaddy just got out of the hospital, he's doing fine right now, but suffered a broken hip and had to undergo surgery last week. The surgery weakened him and caused his Parkinsons to worsen, which is hopefully temporary. The parkinsons is affecting his abilty to swallow right now, and he is unable to swallow anything without aspirating, so they put a feeding tube in to his stomach. He's doing well with it. We are all hopeful that he will gain his strength back and be able get back to normal.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Children's Garden
Alex finally started at his new school yesterday, and he did super! The director noticed that he was reluctant to let me leave him on the playground so she came over and asked him to be her helper with breakfast in the kitchen. He was more than willing to go be her helper and even cracked a smile as he said by to me. :) I called later and they let me know that he was doing fine and had eaten a good lunch. When I picked him up he told me that he really likes his new school and that he had a lot of fun. I was pleasantly surprised to find a note from his teacher in his cubby. It was very thoughtful of her to tell me about his day and really put my mind at ease. :) Today was pretty good too, although there were some tears as I left. I called at 10:30 and they said he was doing fine and stopped crying shortly after I left. The two times I have called up there, they know exactly who I am and can instantly tell me all about who he was playing with, how his day is going, etc. That makes me feel so confident that he's getting the care he deserves.
I got a phone call from them today at about 12:30, I was worried when I saw their number on my caller ID, ususally a phone call means that he's either sick, or upset, it was his teacher calling to tell me that he was still doing good, had eaten a good lunch and was sleeping soundly. :) Ahhhh, I feel like I can finally RELAX a little, he's in good hands.
I got a phone call from them today at about 12:30, I was worried when I saw their number on my caller ID, ususally a phone call means that he's either sick, or upset, it was his teacher calling to tell me that he was still doing good, had eaten a good lunch and was sleeping soundly. :) Ahhhh, I feel like I can finally RELAX a little, he's in good hands.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Report Cards
Miss Ashley has done it yet again. Her report card came home with straight A's today! We are so proud of our girl! Way to go Ashley!
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Happy Retirement Big Daddy!!!
This was all Ashley's idea.
We love you and wish you all the best dad...now go fishin already!
We love you and wish you all the best dad...now go fishin already!
Monday, January 02, 2006
Reverse Psychology?
Our everyday eat-your-dinner battle has reached a new level. We've tried just about anything and everything to get Alex to eat his dinner, to the point of giving him a standing ovation for each bite taken, that didn't work and neither did bribery, which is our last resort catch all. Tonight we took it to a new level. I was talking to Mark about positive reinforcement and how that's the thing to do these days. We chuckled about how grateful we'd be to get the opportunity to give him positive reinforcement, but that he actually had to do something positive first. lol I decided that I would dupe him in to some reverse psychology by praising him for taking a bite even when he didn't. So I praise him, he gives me a funny look, but remarkably, he responds and takes a bit. Wooohoooo! We're on to something here. So I can't just take my winnings and leave the table, I have to have more, so in a weak moment when he's on his knees playing in his chair I continue the lying mommy's version of positve reinforcement and tell him how proud I am at how good he's being by staying on his bottom and eating so well. He responds by saying "but momma I was doing this..." and he stands up on his knees to demonstrate his poor behavior. By the end of his demonstration Mark and I are holding our guts laughing out loud. Turns out we're the ones that got duped. The lying mommy's version of positive reinforcement is a crock. I guess that's why I've never actually been given this advice and why it's not published in any child rearing books. One thing the lying mommy's version of positive reinforcement did do was provide a pleasant dinner. When that didn't work, I decided to use it on Mark instead. "Mark, thank you so much for cleaning up after dinner" didn't work too well either. ;)
2006
Happy New Year! It's hard to belive it's already 2006, it's a bittersweet year, chock full of changes and new beginnings, and we're only a few days in to it. The year that my baby girl will turn 10 and enter the era of double didgets and everything else that goes along with it. My baby boy will turn 5. He will have to use an entire hand to tell his age, and coordinating his little fingers in to small numbers will be a thing of the past. This year my dad will enter the retirement years and my brother will have his first baby and enter the world of parenthood. 2006 is going to be a very big year in our family. A year to be thankful for, a year to open our doors to and welcome with a smile. Clearly, we will all have big resolutions for the new year. As for me, I'm going to enjoy my family more than ever this year, and appreciate the little things a little more. Keep in touch with family a little better, maybe send out Birthday cards for once in my life, and try to do the little things that I know mean so much. I'm going to smile more, think more and play more. Most of all, I'm going to work on being a supportive wife, listening mom, caring daughter and supportive friend.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Christmas
It's almost New Years and I'm just now finding the time to write about Christmas! Ok, I'll admit, I've had the time, but instead of doing the things I *SHOULD* be doing, I've been playing with all the awesome Christmas kids that we...errr...the kids got. Har har. I'll have to mention those later though. Lets start with Christmas Eve Eve... aka the day before Christmas Eve. We continued our tradition of taking the kids to the Big Chrismas tree at Zilker. Last year we discovered the secret to missing the ridiculous miles of traffic was to get there BEFORE dark. That was the best discovery ever. This year we topped it by packing an ice chest of drinks and picking up pizza on the way, now THAT was genius! (Marks idea of course) We got there just before dark and JUST before they started charging $7.00 for parking. SWEET! We ate our pizza, and funnel cake (gotta have funnel cake) it got dark and the lights turned on just for us. :) It was a perfect evening. Everyone was in the best of spirits, and we really couldn't have planned it any better.
On Christmas Eve Nana and Jason came to spend the night, like every year. We had to miss David this year though. He's a newlywed with a baby on the way now, so I'm afraid the Christmas mornings with David are probably over. :( Who knows, maybe I'm wrong. Back to Christmas Eve...Nana brought all the fixins for a special dinner, turkey, dressing, homemade cranberry sauce (my favorite), sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy, fresh green beans, her famous Ruthie rolls, and good ol White Zin. She even brought Christmas linens for the table. Yes, we had cloth napkins, a rare occasion that MUST be noted. What a treat! I remembered to pull out my Christmas china this year, woohooo, so we had a fancy dinner on fancy china this year. :) After dinner we were all too stuffed for pie, of which there was plenty, but we did manage to make room for egg nog (with the nog, as Nana would say), and the kids had the non-nog. We sat around the table and asked each other questions from Nana and Big Daddy's It's A Wonderful Life board game, that was fun, but I think some of us need to study a little more next time, if we plan on beating Nana. I think she's probably watched that movie 50 times! We put the kids to bed shortly after putting the reindeer food in the yard and leaving grahm crackers and soy milk (Ashley says Santa may be lactose intolerant like Grams and uncle Jason). The kids were so excited and anxious to get to sleep so that morning would come quickly. After all the wine and nog we were anxious to get all of our wrapping over with so we could catch some z's.
Christmas morning was picture perfect. The kids were up just before 7 and patiently waited at the top of the stairs while momma and daddy slowly made their way to the coffee pot, and set the scene with Christmas music and lights. Dad picked up Eddie Faye on his way and they joined us around 8ish. The kids were so excited about everything they opened, while we were rewarded with sweet smiles and plenty of generous thank yous. Most of the morning was spent either jumping on the mini-tramp, or hopping around on Ashley's new X-box dance mat. Mark was busy trying to find food he could slice with his new mandalin and I was occupied putting together my new Kitchen Aix mixer and trying to figure out what I could mix up. By noon, Frank and Nicola showed up and dad and Ruthie were beat and ready to go. Frank and Nicola spent a lot of time playing with the kids, which the kids just devoured. By the time they left we were all ready for a good long nap.
Mom and Andy came over just after 5. We were able to have round 2 of the spectacular dinner from the night before, thanks to Nana. This time we made room for pie though. :) We had a really nice time with Grams and Pops, and the kids were more than happy to show off all of the wonderful new gifts that Santa brought. By 10:30 Grams and Pops were gone and we were making our way to bed. It was a beautiful Christmas Day, and I wouldn't change a thing about it, except to have all of the ones we love together.
On Christmas Eve Nana and Jason came to spend the night, like every year. We had to miss David this year though. He's a newlywed with a baby on the way now, so I'm afraid the Christmas mornings with David are probably over. :( Who knows, maybe I'm wrong. Back to Christmas Eve...Nana brought all the fixins for a special dinner, turkey, dressing, homemade cranberry sauce (my favorite), sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy, fresh green beans, her famous Ruthie rolls, and good ol White Zin. She even brought Christmas linens for the table. Yes, we had cloth napkins, a rare occasion that MUST be noted. What a treat! I remembered to pull out my Christmas china this year, woohooo, so we had a fancy dinner on fancy china this year. :) After dinner we were all too stuffed for pie, of which there was plenty, but we did manage to make room for egg nog (with the nog, as Nana would say), and the kids had the non-nog. We sat around the table and asked each other questions from Nana and Big Daddy's It's A Wonderful Life board game, that was fun, but I think some of us need to study a little more next time, if we plan on beating Nana. I think she's probably watched that movie 50 times! We put the kids to bed shortly after putting the reindeer food in the yard and leaving grahm crackers and soy milk (Ashley says Santa may be lactose intolerant like Grams and uncle Jason). The kids were so excited and anxious to get to sleep so that morning would come quickly. After all the wine and nog we were anxious to get all of our wrapping over with so we could catch some z's.
Christmas morning was picture perfect. The kids were up just before 7 and patiently waited at the top of the stairs while momma and daddy slowly made their way to the coffee pot, and set the scene with Christmas music and lights. Dad picked up Eddie Faye on his way and they joined us around 8ish. The kids were so excited about everything they opened, while we were rewarded with sweet smiles and plenty of generous thank yous. Most of the morning was spent either jumping on the mini-tramp, or hopping around on Ashley's new X-box dance mat. Mark was busy trying to find food he could slice with his new mandalin and I was occupied putting together my new Kitchen Aix mixer and trying to figure out what I could mix up. By noon, Frank and Nicola showed up and dad and Ruthie were beat and ready to go. Frank and Nicola spent a lot of time playing with the kids, which the kids just devoured. By the time they left we were all ready for a good long nap.
Mom and Andy came over just after 5. We were able to have round 2 of the spectacular dinner from the night before, thanks to Nana. This time we made room for pie though. :) We had a really nice time with Grams and Pops, and the kids were more than happy to show off all of the wonderful new gifts that Santa brought. By 10:30 Grams and Pops were gone and we were making our way to bed. It was a beautiful Christmas Day, and I wouldn't change a thing about it, except to have all of the ones we love together.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)