"I'm STILL six"

After singing Happy Birthday to himself everyday for a week and anticipating this special day. Alex is SIX! This weekend we had Alex's 6th Birthday Party (which I'll get to shortly) and according to him, he turned six on the day of his party because "why else would we put a big 6 on the wall??" After debating and explaining, I finally decided to just leave it alone and let him be 6 a little early because even though I know he gets it, I refused to argue with this FIVE year old. Fast forward to this morning. Daddy and I wake him up singing Happy Birthday, we finish singing and I sit down on the bed in the dark and give him a big hug and ask him "how old are you?" I'm thinking how exciting it is to finally be able to say you're a whole year older right? That's how it always is, they get so excited to hear themselves say it, what better way to start the day. This headstrong little booger replies "I'm STILL six".

On Saturday we did a Halloween costume party complete with pumpkins, games, ghoulish treats and witches brew. It was a big success and probably one of the most laid back, fun parties we've had to date. I guess I'm finally learning how to ENJOY the party as opposed to running around like a mad woman trying to make everything perfect.

As soon as most everyone had arrived, we all got to work on our witches brew. The kids had a BLAST helping with our concoction. They especially enjoyed adding the hand (a frozen rubber glove makeshift mold) and dry ice.


After snacking on witches brew, fingers, spiders, and apple bites Mark told the story of Hal O Ween.After each gooey part of the story, the kiddos would go reach inside the box and feel the gooey parts of what was left of Hal. Ashley did an awesome job of preparing each body part and making sure no one looked inside the box. This turned out to be one of the most exciting activities of the day. The kids got a really big kick out of touching the gooey body parts and trying to guess what each really was.






After that we moved on to pumpkin decorating. Everyone decorated a baby pumpkin to take home with them with stickers, glitter glue and whatever else we had in our craft box. The kids all did a super job and managed to keep their costumes mostly clean. Hmmm....no wonder the costumes were so clean...lets take a closer look at Mr. Matthew. Hey buddy, you're off juuust a tad.



And then there was the haystack scavenger hunt, and cake cutting. Most of the kids stuck around for quite a while playing in the backyard since it was an absolutely gorgeous day.

A great outlook on life...

This is so touching to me. This reminds me of all our sweet angel pets and how special they are. Just today I was thinking about how short our pets lives are. My brothers best friend and cat Omar passed away a few weeks ago, and last week we got news that our"other" dog Allie has lymphoma. Fortunately, after further testing, lymphoma may not be the correct diagnosis afterall, but we're still unsure.

Thanks for sending this to me Tiesa, it couldn't have come at a better time.

A great outlook on Life…
A Dog's Purpose (from a 6-year-old)

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound, named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, a nd their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the Family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform The euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would Be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt As though Shane might learn something from the experience
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's Family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.
The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any Difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are Shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, Piped up, "I know why."
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.
He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good Life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" The Six-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so They don't have to stay as long."

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
~When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
~Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
~Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
~Take naps.
~Stretch before rising.
~Run, romp, and play daily.
~Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
~Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
~On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
~On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
~When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
~Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
~Be loyal.
~Never pretend to be something you're not.
~If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
~When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!
Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly

Every evening just as the sky is beginning to darken, and dusk has settled in, just up the road from home, a massivie congregation of birds make their way to Georgetown. Hundreds of birds start their evening off with a little conversation near the post office, and eventually, make their way to the corner Jack in the Box, some 200 yards West. They settle in for the evening on power lines, trees, and even the stoplight crossing the main road. On those evenings when we happen to cross paths, one thing is always for certain. The windows MUST come down. Whatever your mood, to hear their sweet conversations inevitabley give the corners of your frown a slight lift. This is one of the few times that a red light is welcome. After I dropped Ashley off at Cotillion Saturday night, I noticed more than just the sound, but the beautiful sunset in the distance and had to rush home and arm myself with the Nikon.

Bathroom Remodel Day 1,573,984

WE

FINALLY

HAVE

A

SHOWER!!!


And shower fixtures, and rugs, and towels, and a half hearted attempt at decor that will only be around for the weekend. Monday, it all comes out for more construction, but for now, we will enjoy!

Don't forget to click to enlarge!

Living La Vida Loca

La vida es muy loca! Pero, la vida es muy bien, tambien!

I have so much to update!

First of all, I haven't updated about my trip with a group of my girlfriends to Canton. We took off on a Saturday morning at 7 am and had a weekend full of relaxation and shopping. It was an all around awesome trip. There were 6 of us, and we were all such a perfect mix of friends, we had an incredible time together. We're already chomping at the bit to get back. What's Canton? Well, Canton is this teensy tinsy town of about 5,400 that holds "Trade Days" or as it was formerly known "First Monday", on the weekend before the first Monday of each month. I like to refer to it as a flea market on steroids. It's the oldest flea market in the United States and I'd have to say it's probably one of, if not THE, biggest as well. You could shop for 3 days straight and still not see it all. Here's an interesting little tidbit I pulled from Wikipedia: "In the past, due to the success of First Monday, the city of Canton had no property tax, however, as of 2006, that is no longer the case." WOW!

Right in the heart of all the shopping is a what we Texans call a "mountain". Its literal definition is probably more like: large hill, but here in central Texas, it's a mountain. The Mountain is a well known hot spot in Canton, with the cutest little shops and Bed and Breakfasts ever. When you're on the mountain, you're back in the early 1900's and occasionally you'll hear gun shots, or see a reinactment of what it was like back then. We stayed in a little Bed and Rest right in the heart of it all, called Flat Creek Mountain Bed and Rest. This place was A-Dorable!!! After we got done shopping, we all sat out on our covered deck that looked down the mountain, and right on to a little stage where they had live music and dancing at night. (And a mens wet T-shirt contest that was in full view, but I'll skip that and leave it to the imagination) The trip was a blast, and I'm so, so anxious to go back. Nana, you would LOVE this! Next time we go, I'm kidnapping you and bringing you with!

As for miss Ashley, she's doing great in school and staying busy with more homework than you can imagine, which means *I* now how more homework than you can imagine. We sit together each afternoon and do math homework together. We sit at the table with a book between us and we both do the homework together. Ashley really enjoys this one on one time, and I am REALLY enjoying that she's not up until 11 struggling to stay focussed. She actually looks forward to doing her math homework now!

Last weekend, Ashley went to her first overnight camp with her good friend Ciara. They were at Camp Penielall weekend, where they swam, rode horses, learned some archery, and they even got to ride a zip line! When Belinda and I went to pick them up on Sunday, neither were ready to go home. After hearing all about it from Ash, Mark and I decided that we're going to go do the family camp in the spring.

Mr. Alex is trucking right along in Kindergaten, loving every minute of it. His teachers adore him *almost* as much as I do, and have done an incredible job of keeping him interested, and stimulated. He's the teachers "helper", and has done a super job helping the other kids in the class to read. He has a love for reading that I truly believe has come from the encouragment from his teacher. Before Kindergarten, reading was not at the top of his priority list (understandably so), and just last week he came home from school telling me how much he loves to read. I'm so proud of him! Alex is not participating in anything exracirricular right now, which is just as well considering all the changes he's gone through with starting school. I think we'll probably just wait until spring and sign him up for baseball again. He still talks about baseball alot, and tells me he's going to be a baseball player when he grows up.

Mark is continuing to work his rear off at work. As if working 50 hours a week wasn't enough, he is also running some sort of community involvment group at work. Right now he's working on the Susan G. Komen race. Although I'm not sure what exactly his group is doing just yet. (Sorry Mark, we'll have to talk later) He's still doing Meals on Wheels once a month, which is also part of his community involvement at work. On top of all that he's joined the Dad's Club up at Alex's school. This group of dads is such an amazing group. They used their big guns to help unload and distribute the cookie dough from the fundraiser, they held a family game night where familes could come play all sorts of PE type games like kickball and basketball. And each Friday the dads open car doors for all of the kiddos being dropped off, and after they're done with that they collect all of the recylable paper from each classroom and take it to the recycle dumpster on campus. Mark is really enjoying being involved up at the school, and of course watching him open car doors with his "dads club" badge makes my heart go pitter patter.

Mark and I just finished our 2nd season of coed softball, and have just signed up for another season which starts in about 2 weeks. Most of the people on our team have kiddos, and they all look forward to Friday nights up at the field. Most nights we have to DRAG them home.

As for me, I'm doing great. I volunteer at the kids schools on a daily basis, and serve on the executive board for both PTA's. I run the student store at Ashley's school on Monday's, which is a lot of fun. Ashley has been right there with me EVERY Monday, helping me. We really enjoy that special time together. I am so, so fortunate to have a husband that works so hard for us, and a job that allows me to make my family my priority.

The job is going well. I work with an awesome group, whom I learn from everyday. I go in around 10, and get off around 2:30. Perfect hours, perfect job, who could ask for more!

Oh, and one more little thing. I'd like you to say hello to my little friend the Palm Trio 700wx. As soon as I get use to this thing, I have ZERO excuses for being forgetful. Scary thought.

The bathroom is coming along nicely. We're SO close to being done. Yesterday, the plumber installed our shower head, and we got to take our FIRST SHOWER!!!!!! All that's left to be done is texture, paint, a few light fixtures, a few plumbing fixtures, a toilet, and some small touchups.

The wood floors came in, but unfortunately, they were not the ones we ordered, so we're back to playing the waiting game again. We've been told that they will have them here Monday and will be able to begin. I'll believe it when I see it. Meanwhile, we're living in a construction zone and have been for waaaay too long. We're more than ready to be done with this.

Canton

Here's the ONLY picture I have from Canton this weekend. I cannot believe I left my camera at home!!! There were so many things to take pictures of that I was just ill thinking about all of these missed shots. We're going to make this a regular trip though, so I will definitely get a redo.

Yin and Yang

I've said it probably a hundred times, but this morning I received yet another confirmation that these children are about as different as two people could possibly be. Our fashionista Ashley spends each morning primping in front of the mirror, making sure that the outfit she picked out the night before is the right one for the day...and it usually isn't, and neither is the next two or three that she tries on. She makes sure each hair is in it's proper place, necklace and earings match properly. Belt and other sparkly accessory must reflect light in the proper direction in order to acceutuate each article of clothing. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Aaaand then there's Alex.

I made the mistake of pushing the snooze button one too many times this morning. As a result, I had no time to spare and Alex did not wake up to a coordinated outfit laying on his dresser ready to go. Instead, I left the task up to him....with slight hesitation I asked him to pick out his own clothes. From the bathroom I can hear each article of clothing in his drawer being either unfolded, pushed aside, or strewn across the floor, in attempt to find whatever it is that this boy is searching for. A few short minutes later he yells that he's ready. Great! No fuss, no hassle. Ha, I wish. He walks in to the bathroom where I'm fixing my hair, dressed in a long sleeved shirt from last year, possibly the year before, which is fine, except for the fact that it's so short that his little belly is peeking through the bottom, and the sleeves are an unintentional 3/4 length. And for shoes, he has on the famous brown leather slip ons that have created more than their fair share of arguments due to the fact that they can NOT be paired with shorts because of how absolutely ridiculous they look. They are a semi-dress shoe and just don't work with shorts. Of course, they also aren't working with the 3 inches too short wind pants he's chosen today either. Had he not been on his way to school, I probably would have let him get away with his choices, afterall, he did look pretty cute in a "that's my precious little boy" sort of way. However, I decided to forego the phone call from the school counselor telling me how to obtain assistance from the local clothes closet charity and asked him to change. He put up a small fight, and showed me how he could "do this all day"... as he pulled his sleves down over his palms and held them with his fingers in effort to make the sleeves appear long enough. No, no, no honey that just won't work, you have to write and play and use your hands, right? So reluctantly, he ran off to change clothes while I continued fixing my hair with a little cloud of guilt looming over my head. He's 5. I love his innocence and how he doesn't care what he looks like. He's just the way I wish the rest of the world could be, carefree.
So anyway, he comes back, this time a tad better. He walks in straight faced, wearing jeans, another long sleeve shirt (that actually fits), the good ol brown slip ons AND five (yes 5) hats stacked on top of his head. I just didn't have the heart to object and sent my little boy off to Kindergarten looking like a clown dressed for winter. It was an interesting walk down the looong hallway full of moms and dads walking their perfectly primped children to class. It was hard for me to keep a straight face, and I'm sure it was even harder for them. So today our little Alex is sitting in his Kindergarten class 1 foot taller, in more ways than one.

I can't wait to see each chapter of this guys life unfold...there's just no predicting what's going to be on the next page.

Bathroom Remodel Day 5 and beyond

We're moving along slllooowwwly, but we're getting super close to being DONE!

Here's Day 5....most of the tile is in place, we're anxious to see what it will look like once the grout and trim pieces are in place:








And here we are after days 6 and 7.... a wee bit more tile and grout later and now we're talkin':

And after day 8 (Friday Sept. 28th), Mark and I are getting more and more impressed with our design! It's actually starting to look like a bathroom! We're getting so close





Since the last pictures were taken, the only change is the arch above the opening to the water closet is back. Now we'll contiue to wait for the plumber and electrician to show up, and after that all that's left is patching, taping, floating and texturing the walls, and getting the glass enclosure installed around the shower. That's IT! We are now in to week 6 of the remodel.

As for the wood floors...nothing has changed. They were supposed to start demo this morning, but it's not much of a surprise that I came home to an empty house with no changes. PLEASE LET ME KEEP MY PATIENCE with these people!!!!!!

I'm hoping to find some more time to update with all of the recent happenings at the Urben house as soon as possible. Right now, I'm off to the dentist AGAIN, but this time for some relief. I'm pretty sure I have dry socket from the molar I had pulled last Thursday. I'll be feelin' good in no time, I'm sure!

Bathroom Remodel: Day 4

Friday, Jeff framed up the tub and shower, and added a couple corner seats in the shower as well. We originally planned on "bench" spanning the entire side of one wall, but Jeff got creative and thought up the corner seats to allow us more clearance in the middle. That proved to be an EXCELLENT idea, and now we haven't really lost any shower space by adding the corner seats.

In the last picture you can see where he came out from the wall about a foot to give us some extra room in the shower, which will also give us an area for shelves on the adjacent wall. We might end up using the space for free standing furniture in lieu of built in's. We have a lot of decisions to make!

We've purchased all of the electrical and plumbing fixtures, so all that's left is finding the perfect vanity mirrors.

Bathroom Remodel: Days 2 and 3 along with an update

Two weeks since deomlition, and yes, we're only on day 4 of actual work. So far the water closet has been framed in and the plumber has been here twice and done no actual work. Right now Jeffrey is framing in our tub surround and shower.

As for all the new work that we're having done on the hole in the wall and replacement of our wood floors, we're still where we were 2 weeks ago. The adjustor came out last week and we're waiting to hear what the numbers are so we can start picking out flooring.

Even though I intended on having more free time now that the kids are in school, just the opposite seems to have happened. With being on the PTA Board at both schools, volunteering, and my new workout schedule, I'm completely overcommitted (who me??) and up to my eyeballs in To-Do lists. AND, I haven't even started my job yet! I'm not sure how I'm going to handle everything once I'm working, but hopefully, things will calm down and I'll have more time for whatever else it is I'm forgetting to do. (housework maybe, keeping up with my family and friends???)

The kids are doing great in school, they've already completed their first two weeks and seem to be adjusting to their new schedules well. I talk to Alex's teacher everyday, and have already begun to hear the stories about Alex's silly antics. Fortunately, his teacher and I are very like-minded and she just adores him, and appreciates his sense of humor. Yay! She quickly discovered his ability to read and has him "teaching" two other boys to read. He is so, so proud.

Ashley is working super hard on her daily homework assignments, and I've been so proud of her determination to be neat and organized. Ever since she was a toddler, she's always been extremely particular about making sure things are all in the right place and neatly organized, and it's proven to be a very helpful trait! Everyday, Alex and I walk to meet her afterschool and walk home together. Alex asks about her day, she asks about his, and they are just so sweet to one another again! Summer had it's moments, so I'm so, so thankful that they are back to their old selves again. Distance DOES make the heart grow fonder, that's for sure!

Day 2

DAY 3

Savannah's Birthday at Bull Creek Dog Park

Savannah's Party at Bull Creek

Leak update

After finding water in the wall below the master bath Mark immediately called the contractor (after turning off the water to the house, of course). Within 10 minutes, a superindendant was on site, and within 15 minutes of his arrival, a plumber was here. They were able to locate the leak fairly quickly and cap it to prevent any additional damage. Here's the bad news:





The good news is that our contractor has liability insurance and will cover all the cost of the repairs which he estimates to be around $10,000...most of which will cover replacing the wood floors. It looks like a very small spot, but since mom installed them 2ish years ago, they have discontinued this style of parquet...sooo, they're now going to have to replace the entire hall, dining room, living room and Ashley's room, which is a VERY large amount of wood flooring. We're pretty bummed about having to rip up the floors that mom worked so hard on, but we're also trying to look on the bright side. Our old water line was weak, and according to the plumber, could have broke on its own anytime now. I can't imagine having to foot this bill right now! We are so, so fortunate!

First Day of School

The kiddos had an excellent first day of school and both came home happy, hungry and exhausted!

The morning started off great, Alex wound up in Sissy's bed at some point during the night, so instead of Ash waking up at 6:30 and Alex at 7:00, they were both up at 6:30. As soon as Alex was coherent enough to realize that it was morning, his body went in to silly convulsing spaz mode while yelping, "TODAY'S KINDERGARTEN!!" Ash was a little less spastic, but excited none the less. Alex ended up picking out a new first day outfit than the previously planned one. Definitely not something I'd pick for first day material, but I was a good momma and reluctantly bit my tongue. I continued to bite my tongue when he decided he would fix his hair as well...which ended up being some sort of faux mohawk with pointy bangs. By the time we got to school it had made up it's own mind and turned in to more of a sculpted bed head "do".

We finally made our way to school, parked, and then Daddy, Sissy and I all took mr. over-excited Alex down the hall to his classroom. We were all so excited, but no one moreso than Alex. This guy has been waiting for this moment for so long, counting down the days, asking questions, talking about his own NURSE at the school, and the playground and the busses, and lunch, and all the wonderful stuff that he's seen Sissy have all these years. It was finally his turn. And on that walk to his classroom, Alex and my emotions seemed take opposite courses, his began to peak, and mine began to flatline. Suddenly, all the teachermomkid voices around me sloooowed down and somehow morphed in to hollow warped unidentifiable noises. Alex's classroom is close to the end of a loooong hallway, and all I could think of was "this is it, we're almost there". I snapped out of it and I was ok, Alex was ok, we were all ok...that is, until my sweet, tiny little guy took his ginormous backpack off and struggled to lift his this ridiculously overstuffed thing(that happens to be TWICE his 5 year old size) up to the hook designated, "Alex". Then...it all hit me at once. In a few short minutes, we'll turn around, and walk out of the school withOUT our Alex. Ahhh! So, basically, the eyes got a little too full and I had to do some lamaze breathing outside his class before I could go in so my sweetie didn't have to see me sad. While I was in the hall forcing oxygen in to my lungs, I was later told that his teacher gave him a great big welcoming hug and was so excited to see him. I missed a photo op for TEARS!!!! I'm just so thankful that he has a touchy feely teacher, because that was one of my biggest issues...who's going to hug him if he's sad, or what if he gets hurt. Well, my mind is now at ease, because I know his teacher will give stand in momma hugs when I'm not around. After my sob fest in the hall, I was able to gain a smidge of composure and walk in, give him a hug and leave. It was a blur. BUT it's OVER!!!


Taking Ash to school was the complete opposite. I'm pretty sure it was MUCH easier on us than her. I really think it's a huge shock walking in to a school where every kid is quite obviously older than you, and they don't think twice about staring you down as you walk in. Talk about uncomfortable! After we found her locker (yes, she allowed us to come with her) and she was able to focus on something other than her surroundings, she was able to chill a little. I continued to ask her if she wanted us to leave, because I was so worried that our presence was doing more harm than good, but she assured me that she wanted me to stay and even walk her to her first class. On the way to her class we spotted a friend and at that point, she gave us permission to leave. And that was that. We were successful at getting our two big kids off to school for their first day. Finally, I feel like I can relax a little. The build up to this day has been huge, so the relief is feeling just as huge.




Update:

We're now on day 3 of school and each day has been easier, although I do have to say, today marked the first day that both kiddos were less than thrilled to have to wake up. In fact, as we walked Alex through the front door of his school he whispered to me, "man, I sure wish I was still in bed."

Here we go.

Sleep well sweeties

Twas the night before school days, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The backpacks were hung by the exit with care,
In hopes that school morning soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of school friends danced in their heads.
And me with my tissues, and daddy with his remote,
Had just settled down, for a short summers sleep...

Ok, so I don't have the time to actually finish this, afterall, the alarm will be sounding at 6:15 am and I do need my rest. However, I did want to post something on this quiet night. This is Alex's last night to lay in bed wondering what Kindergarten is all about. And Ashley's last night to wonder the same about middle school. It's so bittersweet. Both of my babies are growing up so fast, much faster than I had ever anticipated. But there's no stopping time, that's for certain. Ashley has her outfit picked out, and all the accessories to boot. Alex picked out his non matching outfit, which I promplty corrected. Their lunches are packed, I've explained to Alex how to open his thermos and how to open his milk carton, and how he can just raise his hand and ask if he needs help. He has my phone number memorized just in case. ***Sigh**** And now all he needs is one last momma bear hug and he'll be good to go for the ENTIRE day. I'm hoping tomorrow is ok for him. I know he'll be fine, but there's a small part of me that worries that he'll be lonesome and a little frightened in this brand new place. This is the same little guy who still asks to be held and cuddled and sleeps with his "cozy" every night. But, he IS a big boy now, right? And everything WILL be ok. It will, it really, really will. And if it doesn't feel ok, maybe his "cozy" and I will keep each other company while he's gone.

Ok, I'm going to bed now, where I can get lost in my book so I don't have to choke back anymore momma bear tears.

Oh please, please don't let me cry, please let me be strong.

Bathroom: Demolition, Day 1

One day late, but finally, the bathroom remodel has begun! Before we let the workers attack, we had to get some fun in first. What could be more entertaining than watching a couple of kids draw on the walls and carpet...watching them hammer walls out, that's what!






And finally, it's all GONE!!! We have a looong way to go, but we're on our way!





We interupt this post *literally* for a bit of a problem. As I'm uploading pictures Mark informs me that we have a BIG problem. Looks like something happened during the demolition and water has been leaking in to the wall below the shower for the past 24 hours. The wall is dripping, paint is sagging, parquet floors are buckling...and there's still the basement that we can't even see because it's filled to the brim with my brothers stuff. Big problems. Huge problems.

I will update as this progresses.

The mind of a 5 year old

A few days ago, Alex and I were laying on the bed while he read "Whacky Jack" to me. This is a Phonics book about a little racoon that has a new baseball bat and glove and he's so excited to play baseball, but when he starts to play, he gets upset because he's never played before and of course, is not a good player. Daddy racoon asures him that with practice he will get better, and of course by the end of the book, he's no longer getting hit in the face with the ball, blah, blah, blah, you get the gist. So throughout the book there's colorful pictures of Father and Son Racoon walking around on two feet, fully clothed. Shortly after beginning the book Alex takes his time scanning the page before going on as he typically does. It's not uncommon for him to spend twice as much time looking at he pictures and talking about them than he does actually reading the book, and most of the time he has a keen obeservation to share.
Anyway, so Alex stops reading, stares at the page for a short period of time and says: "Oh momma, this book is sooooooo fiction."

I reply "Really? Now what gave you that clue?" (As I chuckle inside about the obvious answer. I mean we ARE reading a book about fully clothed racoons playing baseball)

Much to my surprise, my little 5 year old replies:
"Well momma, racoons are nocturnal and they wouldn't be playing baseball in the DAYTIME! They'd be sleeping, DUH!"

Alternative Methods to Lowering Cholesterol

Just the other day I was chatting with my neighbor friend, Peg, when she brought up her dilema about the possibility of going on meds to control her hereditary high cholesterol. We discussed a few options and then I told her I'd talk to Ruthie about what she's done to control hers. I was pleasantly surprised by the detailed email that followed my inquiry and decided that this information should be shared. Below is her gererous response in chronological order:
Thank you Nana!!!


I am always reading and adding to my efforts. I have made a list in chronological order of my efforts and results. Hope it helps.

I have always had medium High cholesterol. My Father and all of my
brothers were or are on cholesterol medication.

06/2006 -I started with my Cholesterol at 273- HDL- 40.- LDL- 207. When I got these results- I decided to get really serious.

Intake 35 to 50 grams of fiber a day I take at least 3000 mg a day of omega 3 (the standard recommendation is 1000 mg)- This supplement helped alot. It was just not quite enough.
Eat practically no butter- mayo
Eat olive oil generously
Eat avocado and garlic

11/2006 - Cholesterol - 239 - HDL- 42 - LDL - 196

People with cholesterol problems often have problems with insulin resistance. I have read that if you control
your glucose levels that the cholesterol will come under control. I try to watch my sugar intake and take a sugar glucose supplement as well as cinnamon. Also limit carb and sugar..

I also take 500 mg niacin supplement.. My Canyon Ranch doctor recommended building up to 2000 mg. You take the niacin at night because it opens up your blood vessels and can cause a flushed itching face, chest etc. I decided to stay with
500 mgs because I can still tell that the dosage I take still affects me.
Exercise is recommended and I can say I do it more then I used to but I don't do it enough.
I also bought a glucose and cholesterol monitor and I used it monthly.

All of the above helped but I was still fighting the numbers until I broke down and took Red Yeast Rice. I take 1200 mg a day. 600 in the morning and 600 in the evening. Red yeast is a natural statin. This means that you should have your blood work checked every 3 months. I keep thinking that if I get better at diet control and exercise, I'll be able to back off the Red Yeast Rice. Maybe go to 1 a day and then slowly eliminate it. I'm convinced that the Red Yeast Rice is a better solution then the medication the doctors would recommend. My doctor was absolutely sure that the Red Yeast Rice would not work but after I had been on it about 2 months.

01/2007 Cholesterol - 172 - HDL- 51 LDL - 103. YEAH! His response was to keep doing what I was doing.

T minus 4 days

Tonight was Ashley's 6th grade orientation as well as my PTA Board Meeting. Mark took the kiddos to Ashley's thing so I could make my thing. Turns out that the rumors we've been hearing about the possibility of her school starting one to two weeks late due to renovations is false. They promised they would be finished by Monday. Yay! Aside from that, they say the orientation was pretty much old news, but she did get her schedule...for a brief period of time. Unfortunately, they scheduled her for two PE classes this semsester, and they had to turn her schedule back in for a change. Sooo, Monday morning she'll be able to see what classes she has.

As for my meeting, it went very well. This is my first year with a position on the Board, and I have to say, I'm pretty excited about it. I'll the the Kindergarten Represenative, which means I'll be in charge of getting Kinder room moms for each class and ensuring that they understand what that entails. I will also be in charge of the PTA Bulletin Board. Being up at the school as much as possible is my goal, and I think I've pretty much ensured that my goal will be met. As it turns out, Alex is in the same class as the PTA Presidents son, which is SUPER news, considering she requested her sons teacher.

Just before leaving for the meeting I checked the mail and found the sweetest little postcard addressed to the one and only, Alexander Urben. This was not just ANY postcard, it was a very, very special postcard from his very first teacher. When I told him he had a postcard from his teacher, his little 5 year old face LIT up as if I'd just told him we'd won tickets to Disney World. After calming him down I was finally able to sit him down so he could read his very own piece of mail. Of course, he read it in it's intirety without hesitation, and is now even more eager to start Kindergarten than ever. Tomorrow is meet the teacher night which should hopefully hold him over until Monday.

My little pumpkin is going to big boy school and my little princess is going to big girl school. I'm going to need some serious therapy on Monday morning...friend therapy will do...but Mimosas will do even better!

Finally, Alabama Photo Album

Alabama Trip

New toilet!

Another update on the bathroom remodel that I forgot to mention. A new potty! It does seem a little silly to be excited about a new toilet, but once again, I'm not sure if it's the thrill of a deal or the actual toilet itself. So here she is, the Toto Carrollton. Mark is excited about the flushing action (25 golf balls...not sure why that's necessary, but you know boys and their toys..??), I'm loving the skirted sides and soft closing seat, but even more so, the price tag. List price: $582.00, display markdown at Apex: $230.00. Savings: $352.00.

Savings to date: $1,392

Jacuzzi anyone?

Well, today Mark and I made our first big purchase for the bathroom remodel and I am beyond excited. I still haven't decided if I'm more excited about the sweet whirlpool tub, or the amazing deal we scored. Anyway, Mark and I decided on a corner tub, and had a budget of $1000.00. We wanted jets, and room for two. We had one picked out at Lowes for $999.99, but today I found an excellent deal for a brand new Jacuzzi tub on Craigslist. After doing some research on it, we discovered what an amazing deal we had stumbled upon. This is a Jacuzzi Cappella tub retails at a whopping $2,189 starting price. (Although I did find it on bizrate for $1,600). So here's the tub we picked up today:



Oh, did I mention the price??? This puppy was on Craigslist for a whopping $700, and Mark ended up talking him down to $650. And it's NEW!