My Science Experiment

I am here to confess that I am a Diet Coke lover. I only have one a day….well, maybe two….but that’s it. I swear.

But I’ve come to find out that Diet Coke doesn’t love me.

A few years ago, I found I was disoriented, dizzy, “out to lunch”, and had lots of headaches. I finally realized it was the aspartame (Nutra Sweet) in the Diet Coke that was causing this. When I switched to regular (full strength!), all these symptoms went away. It was wild.

After a while though, I missed my old friend so switched back. I thought I’d be clever this time and outfox my Diet Coke. I started drinking Diet Coke with Splenda. It was a new product and rated to be much safer than aspartame.

Perhaps nine months have gone by since I made the switch. Maybe a year…I am not sure.

Ah, a year of bliss. I was in heaven.

But then strange things began to happen.

I noticed that my vision was blurry. It was only in one eye at a time and never the same one. Odd. I thought it was my contacts but when I took them out and wore glasses, nothing changed.

Hmmm.

I noticed other things too: breakouts on my face, headaches, foggy brain, and fatigue.

Hmmm.

I chalked it up to stress. After all, my life can be stressful.

I happened to mention to my principal about my weird eye thing….had to wear my glasses to school that day. First time in ten years. She immediately called in the school nurse who took my blood pressure.

Guess what? My blood pressure was elevated.

Another hmmmm.

The nurse said, “Well, it’s not like you’re stressed or anything, right?”

(insert tongue in cheek)

I know I’m stressed, don’t sleep extremely well at times, have not been exercising, and probably don’t eat the best (especially when life is really busy), but I had not expected this. Before running to the doctor, I thought I’d make a few life-style changes to see if that helped.

Well, two days ago, I got the brilliant idea to google Splenda.

Guess what I found? In some cases, people are super sensitive to this additive.

Guess what else? They display the same symptoms I have…including increased blood pressure. Toss in the headaches treated with ibuprofen, there is another blood pressure increase.

So, I kissed my old friend goodbye and will never return.

Forty-eight hours after being Splenda free, I had no vision issues at school today. None.

Kinda makes me wonder.

What about you?

Sweet, sweet bedtime......

I have a confession to make.

My kids are really weird.

Oh wait….I think I’ve admitted that before.

But who else has kids who would rather freeze at night to escape making their beds the next day?

Yep. Mine.

The little girls have decided that no matter the weather, they are sleeping ON TOP of their comforters with only a light fleece blanket to keep them warm. Thus you avoid having to make your bed the next day.

Huh. Who'd ever think of that?

I always thought bedtime was for being warm, cozy, and snuggled in your comforter.

Unless you live at my house and are flat out lazy.

Guess they were serious because last night when I went to check on them before going to bed, I found this……



Gee, someone is pretty bossy, don’t you think?

Cell Phones for Kids

Ah, the age of technology. Laptops, ipods, cell phones, blackberries, iphones…..anything we need is available at the touch of a finger. Amazing.

Not to be left out of this technological craze, the girls recently made laptops out of old Styrofoam containers so they could get on Facebook and check email. Yikes.

What made me think cell phones would be any different?

They know the lingo. Just text him, mom.

They ham it up for the video or pictures. Not on my phone though. Mine doesn’t do that.

They play with the old phones which have been discarded or broken due to death by texting.

Oh, and a side note for my friends: if a battery is still in a phone, it is still able to call 911. Learned that lesson. Yep.

We are now the proud owners of new cell phones designed just for kids.



As we did errands this weekend, and separated the girls, each yelled to the other…...”take your phone. I’ll text you!”

Funny thing is….when we got home from our separate shopping trips, they talked about texting and calling each other.

Cool thing about these phones is they don’t make noise. Only the user makes noise. And, you call someone by pushing the first letter in their name. Talk about speed dialing!

Downside is….we don’t know if we’re being called. Abby was very indignant when I did not answer my phone recently. Well, gee, I didn’t know it was ringing.

Hmmm…..wonder what technology will bring by the time the little ones are teenagers?

It Takes a Village

A certain six year old who lives in our house has been struggling with the rules at school. Talkative child that she is can’t seem to keep her mouth closed at the appropriate times.

Go figure. I am utterly shocked.

(those of you who know this child in question know I am being very sarcastic!)

Unfortunately, as the days passed, she began to dislike school. We’ve had many tears and meltdowns lately as we tried to work through this issue.

We put our heads together to come up with a plan…..thus enter the village.

Not just this village…



A true village with teacher, parents, siblings, grandparents, and friends.

Little sister tried to reassure by saying she had to move her clip at school to red. She has never moved her clip but wanted her sister to feel better. So sweet!

Big brother told her he used to “pull sticks” in school when he was little. But he never did….well, he might in high school if this system was used!

Big sister called her several mornings on the way to school to chat and wish her a good day.

Teacher and mom worked hard at finding a solution to help this certain child. Lots of ideas tossed around……some implemented.

Lots of virtual hugs from friends around the country…..

And today? Today brought us a package from Grandma. Look!








Aren’t they adorable?? Special reminders for school days.

Last week during school were good days. But after school? We didn’t even make it to the car before she completely melted down. Guess holding it together all day long was all she could handle. Sigh.

But this week? So far, knock on wood, we’ve had good days and good afternoons.

Perhaps in the back of her mind, she is remembering the ultimate prize……..a night at college with Katie.



It does indeed take a village to raise a child.

I am ever so thankful for our village.

The Job of Daughters.....

Whoever knew that the job of a daughter would be so extensive? Beyond the “let’s make dad crazy by dating this guy” or “what can I do to annoy my parents” or “how far can I drive the car and just leave a little bit of gas” kind of mentality, there’s so much more expected.

Daughters are caught in a tough position. Wanting to be independent yet trying to hold onto the family ties as long as possible. Wanting to pull away yet sucked in at the same time.

When I was a teenage/college kid, I would meet my dad at the door to tell him mom had a new haircut, so comment on it. You’d think he’d notice on his own. But, nope. He’s a guy. They notice nothing. Other tidbits would be offered as the proper situations arose. Dads owe their daughters so much……

Birthdays are no different. My recent one came and went with little notice. One half hearted, “let’s tell mommy happy birthday.” That was it.

Yippee.

No cake, no card, no flowers, no nothing. We don’t do gifts so that was fine. But, a little fanfare would be nice. Even just a smidgeon.

After a sad day, I emailed the eldest kid away at school and vented a bit. She vowed to come home this weekend and do a birthday celebration again…..but I hate to ask that of her.

She evidently also called her daddy and told him mom was bummed out. Not sure what else happened during that call.

All I know is, he arrived home from church tonight with a dozen roses in his hand.

Another case of daughter looking out for mom.

All I know is, I love my big girl and miss her when she’s gone. Yes, she drives me crazy and yes, she is partly the reason why my hair is gray.

But I can’t imagine life without her.

How I Spent My Snow Day

Admit it. The title just called to you, right? It made you desperate to know what on earth I did on my snow day to be blog-worthy.

Ha! Sucked you in.

The snow cry arose a few days ago. The threat of possible snow sent our town into a tizzy. Stores were wiped clean of milk, eggs, and bread. After all, you may be snowbound for days. You just never know.

Here's something I’ve never understood… why is it people rush out and buy those particular things? Are they planning on making a huge batch of French toast while stuck in their houses?

Anyhow, we left school/work yesterday armed with our handy dandy phone list that would enable us to call our colleagues with the announcement school was closed. (to clarify: I am a teacher and had a list of people to call in the event of weather).

We waited and waited…

Finally! Flurries, yay!

Ten minutes later, it was done. Boo.

Flurries and sleet did resume later in the evening but….I got tired of waiting for the wonderful phone call and went to bed. While the rest of my friends were still up watching the BCS Championship and burning up the keyboard on Facebook, I was snoozing in my bed.

Evidently, I was snoozing hard. The phone rang at 11:52pm.

Or that’s what my voice mail told me anyhow.

Katie said she came in and told me the phone was ringing too but I have no recollection of that conversation.

Note to the world: anything we discuss between 11pm and 2am will not be retained in my memory.

I woke up around 5:20, turned off the alarm, and waited for the phone to ring. Instead I heard a shrill beep…..

Hmm. As I sat there trying to figure out the noise, Alex walked in and wanted to know why the security system was beeping. He said it started as soon as he opened his door.

Hey wait. Mom, did you put an alarm on my door?

Nope, but good idea!

Turned off the alarm before the siren started going, noticed I had a message, listened to it, told Alex school was canceled, and called my teammates.

Whoo hoo! No school!

Finally dozed back to sleep at 7am just in time for the girls to arrive at my bedside.

Mom, why are you still in bed? Why don’t we have school? You made us pick out our clothes last night. Why did we do that if there’s no school?

And that began my snow day.

After breakfast, the girls begged to go outside. Why, I don’t know. It was twenty degrees and there was only a dusting of snow, but off they went.

Weren’t they cute?




Yep, it lasted for perhaps fifteen minutes. The rest of the day was been spent in the house, with me, in a confined space, after only being back in school two days after an almost three week Christmas break.

Are you getting the picture?

Right at lunch time, I left Alex with the girls and headed out to buy groceries. My parents are headed to town tomorrow and would probably appreciate something to eat other than Cheerios.

So I was out shopping in the freezing cold but……I was getting out of making them lunch. Smart, huh?

A huge shopping trip later, I arrived home demanding the assistance of the kids to help unload the car. Alex showed up in a t-shirt and bare feet. In twenty degree weather. I've never seen the boy unload the car so quickly.



Shopping done. Check. Cleaning? No thank you. I’ll pass.

While avoiding the need to clean the house, I got an attack of domesticity and made yet another batch of Chex mix.



Oh, and let this picture be proof of my domestic ability. I just seldom use it….by choice.

With a fajita dinner planned, temperature outside dropping, still procrastinating about cleaning, what else is there to do?

Oh, I know. Take this



plus this



to finish up my day!

Surely my parents won’t mind if the bathrooms aren’t clean, right?

The Christmas Blur……

Yep, we were off school for two and a half weeks and I only updated twice. Yay me.

Life intervened. Things like sleeping late took precedent.

Oh wait. There was no sleeping late at my house unless you were over the age of 14.

Hmm. Let me clarify. There was no sleeping late unless you were over age 14 and less than 42. Which, if you do the math, leaves me out. Lovely.

But, things like staying in jammies all morning, reading books while snuggled on the couch, playing with toys to our hearts content, and eating dinner later than usual were more important than updating the blog.

side note: I still haven’t even done our Christmas letter. I am shooting for Valentine’s Day/Chinese New Year this year.

Let me take a moment to clarify that I took part in all the above activities except playing with toys. I drew the line at that event.

Christmas came, we saw, we conquered.

Hmm. Thinking back to Christmas Eve.

We went to Mass….and all the kids mostly behaved. Ahem.



My laptop decided get sick for 36 hours and about killed me.



Resorted to the crackberry to survive…gasp.



Stayed up late to build a “bleeping” Barbie house on Christmas Eve. Ugh. It was midnight until all was built and played with by those older than 6.





Christmas brought new kitchen appliances for a girl, a new guitar for a boy, new Barbies and Littlest Pet Shop pieces for short people, and………….marshmallow guns for all!





The New Year was upon us rather quickly. Oh, by the way, we chose to celebrate on Irish time so we could do it at 8pm. Hey, no excuses here. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Yep.

Dave and Katie departed for Pennsylvania shortly after the year began to visit his parents. So, while the cat was away, the mice played. We had Mickey D’s for breakfast, junk food for lunch, pizza for dinner, and stayed in our jammies all day.

Well, only once. But it was fun!

Now we’re back into the school groove again, complete with frigid temperatures and snow in the forecast.

Need I remind you that we live in Georgia?

“Nuf said.

Fair? What's that?

Think back to your childhood…..even if it was a long time ago. Are you there yet? Keep going back….okay, you can stop now.

If you had siblings, you can relate to my story.

When we were growing up, everything had to be perfectly fair. If someone had a cherry in their fruit cocktail, all three of us needed to have one. If someone had ice cream for dessert, all three bowls better have looked pretty equal. If someone had a cookie, the others better be allowed to also.

You get the picture. I’m sure your own kids do the same thing.

My house is no different. But today’s issue took the top prize.

The girls just had lunch. One had pizza, the other a turkey sandwich. In my quest to not clean, I gave them paper plates. The one with pizza got two plates because we know how greasy pizza can be once reheated.

We were happily eating lunch when the turkey sandwich kid noticed the pizza kid had two plates yet she only had one.

“Mommy, how come she has two plates and I only have one?”

I showed her the greasy top plate so she could understand better. Yes, I had to justify my actions. Geesh.

Turkey sandwich girl listened to my tale, paused and said,

“Well, tomorrow I am going to have pizza too.”

All that just to get two plates just like her sister? You’ve got to be kidding.

I think I’ll just give her one plate and see what she says.....

Teenage Boys.....

If you have one, you already know. But if you don’t, let me fill you in with my experience. If you have a little boy, get ready.

Teenage boys eat. He will get in the car and eat anything mom has left from lunch, eat a snack once home, and eat dinner an hour later. How?

Teenage boys don’t ever come ask questions. They text from room to room or instant message on skype. Or, they send their little sisters to ask for them.

Teenage boys don’t like to clean up. They prefer to dump their clothes in the entry way to the bedroom and step over them. Why?

Teenage boys think climbing up the side of the house is fun. Mom does not like this game.

Teenage boys wear shorts when it’s freezing outside and jeans when it’s hot. Yep.

Teenage boys have a higher average in Spanish than in English. And English is the only language spoken at home. Kinda makes you wonder…..

Teenage boys create new and exciting games. Take dodgeblock for example. This is dodgeball on steroids. Think throwing blocks instead of balls. Get the picture?

Teenage boys do projects that involve being hit by a car. Don’t worry, there was adult supervision.

Teenage boys are fun to embarrass in front of their girlfriends.

Don’t you wish you had one?

Get your own. You can’t have mine.

My Life in Instant Replay

Here are a few tidbits for your amusement…..

We were preparing for Mass on Sunday when Dave said, “Maybe we’ll sing a Latin song.

Anna Grace said, “An Aladdin song?”
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I was doing laundry (rare, I know) when I looked down and saw a suitcase in the laundry basket. Why? Was it in need of cleaning?
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The little girls went with daddy to take Katie back to college. On the way home, they saw a blimp flying over the Georgia Dome. Why, I don’t know since the dome is, well, a dome. Anyhow. When asking Abby what they saw, she paused and said, “A bleep.”
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When I was heading out to the store, Alex said he needed shampoo. “Oh, and mom? Get the kind with conditioner in it. The girl behind me in fourth block said my hair isn’t soft enough”. Huh. How does she know this? “She plays with my hair when I’m sleeping”.
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Anna Grace got on the daycare bus headed for the after school program. The owner of the center said she overheard the following while driving….
“Hey Logan, my dad ate alligator. He said it tastes like chicken.”
Why? Was this the foremost thing in her mind???
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Alex announced on the way home that he had a group Spanish project to do involving needing to create a video/dialogue for calling for first aid---all in Spanish. His group’s idea? To video tape Alex being hit by a car. Yep.
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Coming home from school, we passed a hotel that is a mile or so from our house. Abby said, “Can we go to the hotel, mom?” Uh no. “But we never get to!” Well, we live here. “But we can still go! The hotel has beds and furniture just like our house.”
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I was passing Anna Grace’s classroom and noticed the cute display on the door. The children had put brown footprints and black handprints to make reindeer. I commented to her teacher that it was adorable. Addressing Anna Grace, her teacher said, “Did mommy clean your foot really well last night?” AG said, “Nope, we didn’t even take a shower or a bath!”
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Anna Grace came out of their room for a drink of water. Next thing I heard was, "Copycat is coming too, mom".......Abby was on her way.
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Oh, and a mommy funny. I got to school and realized I had a huge hole in my sock. So I did the logical thing and stapled my sock shut. Doesn't that make sense to you???

More to come, I’m sure.

Wedding or Football?

So, tonight is the Georgia vs Georgia Tech game. Big game here in the ATL. And what are we watching? Our wedding video. Yep.

I forgot I had promised the short crowd that we’d watch it today. At 7:30, that is what they requested.

Are you serious? Not Frosty or something? Geesh.

We had running commentary the whole time……

What shoes were you wearing? (white)
Did they click? (yes)
Who is that guy talking to you? (Father Joe)
Were you hungry? (yes)
Oh, I see Grandma and Grandpa!
Hi Daddy! (yelling to the tv screen)
There’s Aunt Karen!
I remember being there. (nope, you don’t)
Did you eat lots of cake? (nope, one small bite)
What kind of dancing is that? (waltz)
Who won your flowers? (Aunt Lori)
Why is daddy putting his hand up your dress? (to get the garter)
Why is that guy putting that garter on the girl? (tradition)
Did he see Aunt Lori’s underwear? (garter time: no, he didn’t).
What does JUL 8, 1989 mean? (the date we got married)

But, oh the memories.

The big 80’s hair.
The 80’s clothing.
Old friends. Trying to remember names!
The waltz. My uncle Larry taught us all years ago and dad reinforced….but it didn’t click with me!
Mingling with people but never eating….so yes, I was hungry!
Having one of my best friends catch the garter….and my brother’s girlfriend (now wife) catching the bouquet.
Dancing and music.
College and high school friends.

And then….
Mommy, how old were you when you were marrying?
I was 22.
Wow. You are 42 now.
That is old.

Thanks kid.

But the best thing from the video??

Seeing the family who was with us then but who now are gone.

Thanksgiving in re-run....

Thanksgiving means...

Extra silly kids.....




Teens....what more can I say?





Things that make you scratch your head...




A full house....




The turkey....



And memories of our day with friends….

Priceless.

Thanksgiving Eve is Here!

Tis’ the day before Thanksgiving,
and all through the land,
we’re dreaming of food
that makes tummies expand.

But no food will be had
with the house still a mess.
Summon some help please
in this time of distress.

Alas, the ole’ cleaning fairy
did not arrive.
It’s up to the kids…..
Oh, will they survive?

Take out the garbage,
sweep up the dust,
finish the laundry, and
yes, that’s a must!

Find linens and candles,
glasses and plates,
all prep for turkey day
with our good mates.

Pantry is stocked
full of good things galore.
What does tomorrow bring?
What is in store?

Daddy leaves early
for his big run.
Since when are half-marathons
considered to be fun?

When he arrives home
tired, safe and sound,
cooking will commence
and good smells will abound.

He’ll get the big bird,
add stuffing and baste.
Toss into the oven
with no time to waste!

Add green beans and corn,
mash up some spuds,
bake rolls, open cranberries,
and put on clean duds.

A house full of friends
is expected at three
to share food and drinks,
and Mr. Turkey.

That’s what our tomorrow
surely will bring.
Our wishes to you for
a blessed Thanksgiving!

The Wrong Airplane

When Daddy left in early October for his long trip to Asia, I made the girls a calendar to count down the days. They’ve been faithfully counting the days until November 21.....the day daddy would fly home.

But you know we have to mess with them somehow, right?

Daddy decided to cut his trip short by a week!

After much deliberation, we decided not to tell the little girls about his change in plans. Surprises are much more fun, aren’t they?

Alex and I talked in code throughout the week about “the package” coming early. We had a few mishaps where someone forgot and used the real info, but thankfully, little ears were clueless.

On Friday morning, “the package” arrived via air.

Following a shower and quick nap, daddy left to pick the girls up at school.

From what I hear, he caused quite a sensation in the after school room. Both girls stunned into silence followed by screaming, “Daddy!!!” all while flying into his arms. I’m sure it was a sight to behold.

Evidently the conversation on the way home was about daddy coming home before the calendar said November 21.

But daddy, it’s not the 21st yet.

Daddy’s answer:

I got on a plane to go to Thailand. Guess it was the wrong plane because it took me home. Do you think someone is still waiting for me at the airport in Thailand?

You know what?

They believed him.

This morning at soccer, they passed along the story of how daddy took the wrong plane in China and came home instead.

Oh my.

The Laundry Tales

Five weeks ago, daddy left us for a long business trip. That meant mommy was the only one in charge of everything.

Uh, hello? Is this a good thing?

You ask the kids…..they’d probably say yes. Kid friendly meals, watching TV in jammies during dinner, showers every other night…..you get the picture.

You ask me and I’d disagree.

So while I've been taking up the slack being the only adult at home, some things slid.

Like laundry.

The clothes are clean…..with laundry detergent, I promise. But nothing has been folded or put away for, uh, five weeks.

My mother would be so proud.

Oh wait, no she wouldn't.

Each day has been spent going on a treasure hunt in the depths of the baskets to find clean clothes to wear.

I got a bit weary of the challenge…….so caved in tonight and folded it all.

Also didn’t want daddy coming home to this…..




Didn’t think he’d find the hide and seek game quite so amusing.

As suggested by some of my wonderful co-workers, I enlisted the help of the six and under crowd.

For some reason, folding clothes can be fun when you are young. If only they knew.




Despite the assistance from over-eager helpers, it’s all folded



and put away.

Guess what’s in my baskets now?

Minutes in My Life

Do your thoughts go a mile a minute all the time like mine? Here is a snippit into the craziness that is my mind.....

Why is it that Abby doesn’t like getting her face wet at the pool but very happily sticks her whole head under the shower?

Why are there no parents on “Max and Ruby”?

How come my kids don’t seem to know how to walk indoors..…only run?

How do the toys seem to multiply overnight?

Why do I spend my day thinking in Facebook status?

Why am I so tired?

What is the purpose of “Yo Gabba Gabba”?

Why is spaghetti so slippery?

How come all my kids are smart yet have no common sense?

Why do my kids feel the need to update me on their bathroom happenings?

Who invented Caller ID? I want to kiss him.

What possessed Abby to put her tights on OVER her jeans?

What made Alex wear shorts and a t-shirt to school the other day when it was 35 degrees outside?

When will my sanity return?

All this in just a short time period.

So, when Dave asks me what I'm thinking about.....the easy answer is...........nothing.

When I attempt to explain my thoughts and thought pattern, I just get "the look".

Yep, I'm crazy.

Or, maybe I'm just a busy mom.

That's it, right??

Do You Remember When.....

we had record albums and not CD’s?

going out to eat was a big event….even if it was just McDonalds?

you would walk or ride your bike to school/work?

you were expected to have a job to earn your own spending money?

we had to use pay phones and not cell phones?

no one had computers?

getting a VCR was a huge deal?

we had Atari and Pong?

most teens you knew had a job?

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Here we are years later when all of the above have changed.

We all have CD’s and DVD’s.

Most families eat out at least once per week if not more.

Most kids drive or are driven to school.

Pay phones? What’s that?

Families own more than two computers.

We have at least two VCR/DVD players as well as a DVR.

At least one game system is owned…..ours is a PS2 so rather old for the times!

Most teens don’t have jobs. (But not for the lack of trying.)

------------------------------------------------------------------

Have we failed our children? Have we given them more than we should? Have we “spoiled” them into thinking they only deserve the best?

I worry about the future of our children. Will they strive to be more? Or will they expect it to be handed to them like everything else?

I am sure our parents said the same thing but as I was just told by someone younger than I….

Times are different now.

But are they?

Or have we made it that way? Have we given into the pressures that life hands us?

What do you think?

A Dark and Rainy Night...

The time has come,
the time is near
to retell a story
of a day full of cheer.

Halloween arrived
after much anticipation.
Who knew we’d have such
yucky precipitation?

But let’s start from the beginning
which really must be
from Friday night when
carving we did see.

Three pumpkins were created
with the help of the teens.
Pumpkin guts and knives
did create such a scene.





What awesome pumpkins
the kids did create
by working together,
oh my, isn’t it great?




Begging day did
finally arrive
Much to the delight of those
near the age of five.

After the arrival of friends
and pizza for dinner,
Costumes were donned
to make the day a winner.



The boy decided to join
in the game.
With the help of the girlfriend,
a rock star, he became.



Old mom was just mom,
but friends dressed up too.
Check out the pilot and flapper
who joined our fair zoo.



Toss in their son
with a scary, green face
We were ready to go and
knock place to place.

Armed with candy buckets
and adult drinks in our hands,
out the door we headed
as one great big band.

When what should our bodies
feel from the sky?
Rain! How can that be?
Oh me, me, oh my my.

Girls complained from the get-go,
I am cold, I am wet.
I want to go home!
Mom cries, No, not yet!

We managed to make it
through two of our streets
before we decided to
head home for treats.

Loot is unloaded,
trading begins.
What will you give me,
another kid grins!



Another Halloween has now
passed us by,
But memories will linger
until the next time.

Slackin' Away The Days

I came to the conclusion today that we’ve turned into a bunch of slackers with daddy out of town.

What? You don’t believe me? Well then, let me give you some examples.

No one folds the laundry. We just dig through baskets of clean clothes to find what we need. It’s a challenge and so much fun.

Anything possible gets loaded in the dishwasher so we cut down on washing by hand. After all, who wants to do that?

To make things even simpler, we use paper plates when we can.

Do you believe me yet? No?

Wait, there’s more.

At least twice a week, we eat dinner in our jammies. I’ve even had mine on as early as 5pm. Shh….

Our background music during dinner is often The Wonder Pets. Yup. Alex just loves those nights.

Dinners tend to be quick, easy, and kid-friendly. Who has time for all the whining about the food?

Toys are scattered about the kitchen and living room. The playroom is a disaster.

Got the picture?

Now, just so you know I’m not a total slacker, I do need to point out that we are wearing clean clothes (although they might be wrinkled), everyone has showered, floors are swept, and no one has been late for school.

Every so often, the urge hits me to clean something up.

I know, I know.
(Can’t you just see my eyes rolling??)

Everyone knows stepping over toys is so invigorating. If you make a poor step, you never know what may happen. Keeps your adrenaline going, doesn’t it?

But alas, tonight was one of those nights. I’d had enough.

Put the girls into action cleaning up their mess.

Or so I thought.

Who brought this book in here?

Not me!

Who got out this game?

Not me!

Who drew on this paper?

Not me!

Do you get the picture? Do you see why slacking can be a good thing? I can avoid all this drama in my life.

If I ever get my hands on this “Not Me” character, we’re going to have some words. And it won’t be pretty.

After all, “Not Me” has lived in this house now for over 18 years. He/She should know better by now.

Life as we know it.....

Forgive me readers for I have sinned. It’s been three weeks since my last update.

What can I say? Life is leaving me in the dust.

Well, that and I’m old. Time seems to fly.

Especially when your clock decides to change the time every thirty seconds.

That one really blew me away. I couldn’t figure out why it was so dark outside when the clock read 9:15am.

But I digress…..

Daddy left us two weeks ago for a six week business trip to Asia. Yep, you read that right. Six weeks. But it’s nothing like our military who are deployed for months….

Speaking of which, my brother just returned two days ago from a six month deployment as the commander of the USS Arleigh Burke. We’re hoping my brother in law will return from Iraq in the next two months, so all will be right with our world.

Oh, oh, oh, and my sister took her boys to Europe for a month to tour and meet up with their dad (who is stationed in Iraq) and just returned home as well.

For those of us stuck stateside, life continued along its usual enthralling path. With a few diversions, of course.

Diversion 1: Abby

Abby had the great experience of Turning Five. Oh my. She talked about it for days, weeks, even months. The magic day finally arrived. The smile on her face said it all…





We celebrated at home with all six of us……although two of the six were via Skype. But we did our best! Our sweet baby had a wonderful day.

Diversion 2: Anna Grace

Anna Grace always leads us to questions…..Where did you get that? Why didn’t you eat lunch? Did you pull any sticks today? Did you lose any points? What do you mean you are making money? Who did you call? What did you do to your sister? You said what??

Yep, every day is always interesting.

But the look on her face is always so angelic.



Don’t let it fool you.

Diversion 3: Alex

Alex is our “be all you can be for the minimum amount of work” kind of kid. Don’t get me wrong. He has good grades but….he’s the kind of kid who will calculate the lowest grade he needs to get on something and still get an A in the class. He’s going to push me over the edge one day.

But he is giving his all to soccer….even if some of the other kids are not. He had a game the other day in 49 degree weather with a strong, steady wind. The girls and I were in attendance.

To answer your question, no it was not fun. Although the pictures may say otherwise.




When I downloaded the pictures and compared them to last season, it hit me that he has really grown up. Such changes….




Diversion 4: Katie

Katie has been struggling to find her place in this world. The best laid plans tend to go awry at times. We’ve hit that point. She is pursuing a change in schools for the spring semester. Living in the Big City isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. So, a change is in store. We are hoping for spring semester but are realistic that it may not happen due to housing shortages.

We’ve seen both she and Catlan several times since August. But when they arrive in the driveway, who do the girls go running to see? Katie? Nope. Catlan.



Toss in the flu, two broken cell phones, Celsius to Farehheit conversion (ugh…math), a huge texting bill (if we didn’t have unlimited texting…whew!), Nick Jr. and all that it entails, no sleep, lunch twice with friends and no kids (!!!), issues at school, Smurfs, college tours, first grade boyfriends, and so much more.

And life continues……

Let’s just hope I survive.