Tuesday, February 28, 2006

One Full Week

Okay...so I haven't really seen Mike in a week. The past two nights, he's been staying in Reston because of late nights and early mornings. Poor Mike, he only took one change of clothes with him when he left on Sunday...I'm sure he had to re-wear something today. Had I known earlier yesterday (and I had a feeling) I could have taken him a change of clothes. Oh well. I'm just really tired. I had to take Jacob to school this morning because I couldn't get my butt out of bed before 8. He never minds when I take him. I guess that was the good part.

I made the realization last night that I'm addicted to reality TV. Here were my show choices last night...Wife Swap, Apprentice and the Bachelor (flipping between the two). I don't know how I got hooked on the Bachelor. At least the right girl (the kindergarten teacher - hmmm, I wonder why I was rooting for her!) got the man. I then watched Grey's Anatomy for the rest of the night. Looking forward to receiving the dvd Dad made for me Sunday night. Best line from Sunday's episode:

Christina (to George), "If you want crappy things to stop happening to you, stop accepting crap and demand something more."

So true.

Okay, I'm off to my Relay for Life meeting. At least there will be adults (mostly my playgroup friends) there.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Back After A Few Days Off

Well, not really "off." Just been really busy. Mike's been gone since Tuesday. He came home Friday night but had to go in on Saturday (and didn't get in until midnight) and will be going to work again after dropping Jacob off at Sunday School. This will make day 7 in a row for him to work (12+ hour days) and tomorrow is Monday. I don't know how he does it.

Since Mike's been gone, it's been me! I wrote Daniel's dentist appt down wrong and thought it was next month, but it was Thursday (that's twice I've done that). Thursday morning was going to be crazy anyway, but I didn't need the unplugged alarm clock thrown in there. I woke up at 8:10. Got the boys up and fed. Ran screaming to the bathroom and took the world's shortest shower. Woke up Hannah (I felt really badly about that...she was so cute sleeping there) and threw everyone in the car. Dropped Jacob off at school and immediately headed towards Reston for Daniel's appointment. Amazingly, we were almost 1/2 hour early! How'd that happen? We drove around a little bit and I decided to just go in. 15 minutes later, we were out and ready to go home (Daniel didn't even need novicaine, the cavity was so small). We decided to stop at Starbucks for coffee and hot chocolates (and, it turns out, a cupcake for the kids - nice after a dentist appt). I knew the ride home would be bad, when, as I tried to get on the Greenway, I almost hit a car while merging. Thank goodness I actually turned my head to see him. Daniel and Hannah were being so mean to each other that I had to pull over in Purcellville and seperate them. Then it was just screaming the rest of the way home "I want to sit next to Hannah!"

Back at home, Hannah decided that she wasn't going to take a nap. By 5 o'clock, I wanted to run, screaming, from the house.

I wasn't prepared when my neighbor came knocking at my door yesterday morning at 9:30 am. She just got back from a trip to Isreal (Israel?) and she had a little gift for us. She bought us a beautiful little menorah from Jerusalem. I'm going to have to find a nice spot to display it. Right now, it's sitting on the table in my front entryway. How nice of her to think of us! I almost had a heart attack when Hannah let the dog out while she was over. Oriana walked right past her and went to sleep on the couch. Didn't even care that anyone was over. Maybe she's mellowing in her old age.

I took the kids up to the school for the PTO Family Fun Festival and Spaghetti Dinner. It was really very sad. We were there for about an hour and were pretty much the only ones there. A little boy from Jacob's class and his dad were there...I met this kid and his dad at his birthday party last month. Nice enough family (I think it's just the dad and kid) but they wouldn't stop following us. It was wierd.

The Fun Festival was two clowns: one doing balloon animals and one doing face painting (really really bad face painting - Jacob asked for a bat and she said that she didn't know how to make a bat). They looked really angry, too. The whole thing was pretty lame.

I'm pretty sad this morning. I lost a diamond chip out of the ring my mom gave me years ago. I think I've worn this ring every day for the last 15 years. I hardly even notice it anymore so I don't know when/how I lost the diamond. I wonder how much it's going to cost to replace. I guess I should put the ring up until I can get it looked at.

Okay. I think I'm all caught up now. I feel better now that I've blogged.

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Blog blog blog

Day 2 of Mike being out of town. The kids are beginning to wear me down. Dropped Daniel off at school this morning and came home only to find that the kids' dentist called and that I had written down Daniel's dentist appointment wrong. I had written it down for March when it's in February. Specifically, tomorrow. So, instead of being able to take the kids to do a craft at MOMS Club, I have to drive to the dentist. Not exactly what I was planning on doing tomorrow.

I skipped Weight Watchers again today. At least we're in a free registration period and it doesn't count against me. Michelle and Erin asked me yesterday if I had lost more weight because I looked so good. Talk about an ego boost. Not losing but not gaining either. I guess that's a good thing.

My secret sister surprised me this morning. I found a gift in my garage - next to my van door, of all places. She's a brave and sneaky one...the garage door had only been open for about 10 minutes...long enough for me to warm up the car since it was snowing and cold this morning. Who knew it was going to snow? That's probably why the gift was in the garage. I have a feeling who it is...someone with a history of putting gifts in garages (maybe Wendy?).

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Phew!

I just finished cleaning up from what is possibly the world's most boring Birthday Social. I'd had some crafts and coloring sheets for the kids all ready to go...only Daniel and Hannah showed any interest. Hannah spent the majority of the party begging for cupcakes and eating vegetable dip (with no veggies). Daniel ate so many carrots that I think he may actually turn into one. I am completely convinced that these things really aren't for the kids but are for the moms to hang around a coffee pot and gab. Except for the two moms who had really little ones, we let the kids play by themselves (the occasional, "Hey Erin, is Sean okay with the scissors?" "Oh, he's fine" was heard). BTW, thanks, Erin, for giving Hannah that second cupcake! I'm looking forward to getting your kids all hopped up on sugar this Thursday! LOL!

Monday, February 20, 2006

Blah Blah Blah

Woke up this morning feeling gross. I think I have a sinus infection. :( It could just be a cold. Pretty sure I have a tumor growing in my nose (I know it's not a tumor). At least I hope it's not a tumor.

Jacob and Daniel are both out of school today for President's Day. I keep having this feeling that they're supposed to be in school so I keep checking the calendar. Yep...no school today.

I'm hoping that box 1 of my Pampered Chef order comes today. I got boxes 2-4 on Friday. Of course, box 1 has everything I need to distribute the goods. Figures. I hope it comes today because a couple of the girls who ordered are coming over tomorrow for Birthday Club (what was I thinking when I agreed to host this?!?). It would make things so much easier if I could give them their stuff tomorrow.

Looking forward to seeing two of my playgroup friends (it's my playgroup just as much as it is Hannah's!) tomorrow...been desperate to dish about last night's Grey's Anatomy (what Monday post would be complete without a reference to GA?). The only thing that seperates me from a 16 year old girl right now is the lack of Patrick Dempsey posters in the bedroom. I don't think Mike would go for that! We were laughing last night about how the obsession with GA reminds us of a Seinfeld episode. The one where Jerry doesn't want to admit to his girlfriend that he watches Melrose Place and she gives him a lie detector test..."that Michael, he's so smug!" Last night's episode did give a pretty good line from Christina, "did he just call him a crack whore?" I guess you had to see it. Poor Sue, I think I forced her to watch the episode last night (it comes on in the hour following us since she's in mountain time) and I was desperately trying to watch vicariously through her. It doesn't work well when a)she doesn't know who the characters are and b)you're im'ing on the computer.

Gotta drive to the dump today since we filled our garbage cans to the max over the weekend. At least we don't have to pay $1.25 for every additional bag like we did in Iowa. I do miss the curbside recycling. That was nice.

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Praise for Two Furnaces

I had never heard of having multiple air conditioners or furnaces before moving here. It is rather nice because you can more easily adjust the temperatures on the two levels of the house...forcing them to work less since one unit isn't working the whole house. Here is another perk...our upstairs furnace went out a couple of days ago. We're not exactly sure when because the heat from downstairs has been traveling up and the last week has been pretty warm. So warm that I've turned the heat off during the day. It's been cooler upstairs than downstairs but not enough to think that there was something wrong. The master bedroom seems to be the only one that is actually cold...we threw another comforter on the bed and that helps. Not wanting to pay extra fees for someone to come out on a weekend, we simply kick the heat downstairs a little higher at night. If worse came to worse, we would blow up the air mattresses and let the kids have a "campout" in the family room but it doesn't look like we are going to have to do that. I wonder if they'll charge extra to come out tomorrow since it's President's Day.

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Daniel's Birthday Party

The birthday boy and his sundae!


Daniel's birthday party was this morning at the ice cream shop. It was well attended! Some neighbors, a couple of kids from preschool and some kids from our old playgroup were there. It was so nice to just show up and have everything taken care of for us! Best of all, the kids really enjoyed themselves! They really liked making their own sundaes. We already booked a date there for Hannah's party next month!

Friday, February 17, 2006

Happy Birthday!

Boy, I think half of the world was born today! My neighbor's kid has a birthday today as does my Niece and Brother-in-Law.

Happy Birthday Jeff and Mary Rose! We love you!

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Can You Believe This?



All the snow is gone now...I found this little flower coming up in my garden today.

The Birthday Boy


Here is a picture of my birthday boy! I know I'm in trouble with the drum...would have thought that I may have to make the harmonica disappear!?!


The Spongebob Squarepants cake I was up late decorating last night. Sometimes, I impress myself!

In Case Anyone Cares

I finally found a copy of Grey's Anatomy Season One this morning. Now, if I can kick the kids off of the TV for a bit, I can watch some of it!

Happy Birthday to Daniel

My little man turns 5 today. Hard to believe. He was a giggly worm last night as he was tucked in bed, with thoughts of cake and presents certainly dancing through his head. He woke up this morning, much as he usually does: stumbling, bumping into walls and rubbing his eyes on his way to the bathroom. I gave him a hug and said, "happy birthday!" He began giggling and quietly saying to himself, "it's my birthday." Over and over again. Jacob woke up in a foul mood...presumably because it was not his birthday. According to Jacob, he does not get the following things on his birthday: cake, presents, a party, any sort of special attention. Here's the worst part: he doesn't get to pick what we have for dinner that night. Apparently, we've been neglecting the poor soul and are horrible people. How annoying.

I made a Spongebob Squarepants cake for Daniel's birthday and can't seem to get the red color out from under my fingernails. It turned out really cute. Hannah appears to be the only one who appreciates it!

Upon returning from my MOMS Club meeting, I checked the machine and found a new message. Daniel was so excited to hear that it was Geoffrey from Toys R Us calling to wish him a Happy Birthday. I think we've listened to it twenty times now. I can't wait for Jacob's reaction to the message ("I don't get messages from Toys R Us!).

Happy Birthday, Daniel!

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Procrastinator!

I think the first time I ever heard this word, it was being used by Mr. Baker in my sophomore English class. He was referring to me and my journal homework. I think he was trying to make me feel like a loser in front of my class and influence me into getting my act together. Since I was in a class full of procrastinators, I had plenty of company and felt no humiliation or shame (the lot of us routinely turned in homework late...forcing him to either change the due dates or fail us all). Unfortunately, the word fits me perfectly. (Note: Mr. Baker was not a bad guy. In fact, my senior year, several of us went to U of I for a newspaper conference during the school day. None of us really wanted to sit through these boring classes, so we skipped them. We spent the day at Garcia's Pizza and hanging out under a tree outside of the Student Center. Unfortunately, we were caught. Mr. Baker could have turned us in and we would have had detentions as well as a huge unexcused absence with no ability to do make up work for the day. He didn't. He made us write a huge paper, a la The Breakfast Club, about why abusing priviledges is wrong. I don't even know if Mom and Dad know about this. I NEVER skipped school! It was David's fault!!!!!!!)

Tomorrow is my MOMS Club meeting. As the secretary, it is my responsibility to put together the monthly newsletter. I knew it was coming...when do you think I finished it? 10:30 this morning. I still have to print out labels and prep the newsletters for distribution at tomorrow's meeting. I'm quite sure I'll be doing that at either 11 tonight or 8 tomorrow morning. Only 3 more newsletters to go before my term is up. Don't get me wrong, I love doing it...it's just the act of sitting down to do it. There are just so many other things I would rather be doing. Oh well.

Moving on...

I went to Wal Mart this morning (wouldn't you know that when I tried to print the newsletter this morning, I was out of paper and ink!?!) and decided to try to find Daniel a birthday gift and wound up in the electronics section. Specifically standing in front of the New Releases...looking at an empty hole where Grey's Anatomy Season One had been. A nice guy comes over and asks me if I need help. I asked him if they had anymore Grey's Anatomy. He said that they sold out yesterday. He figures that the last two episodes (and he wrongly thought that those were the very first episodes) to air caused a lot of stir and interest in the show. I'm thrilled that there's a following (I have a habit of falling in love with shows that quickly get cancelled...Boomtown...Medical Investigation) but I've seen every episode...I had to explain the show from the beginning to this guy at WalMart...I should get first dibs on the DVD!!!!! Granted, I should have gone in yesterday, but come on!!! So unfair!!

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Ramblings

I finally stepped on the scale today. I don't think I've gone anywhere near it in a week. I haven't been following Weight Watchers at all in the last two weeks and am very upset with myself. Luckily, I've only gained 2 pounds. At this rate, I'm never going to hit my goal. In all actuality, I could announce myself at goal right now and be done with it (the weight loss portion) but I'm still not happy with the way that I look and really want to lose at least 7 more pounds. I just hate being in-between sizes. Now, if I can just get my butt into WW tomorrow for official weigh in!

Has anyone noticed the lack of beauty and artistry in the figure skating lately? Watching the pairs free skate last night was almost torture. I'm thinking that it has something to do with the new scoring system. What a rip off. The men's short program is tonight...I'm hoping they're better. Of course, American Idol is on tonight, too. May have to flip back and forth. LOL!

I'm really torn...Dad bought me the book Teacher Man by Frank McCourt when we were in IL in November. Frank McCourt is one of my favorite writers...his book,
Angela's Ashes was incredible. 'Tis, the follow-up, was okay (as Maureen would say, "'Tis not as good as the first"), but not as good. I can't get past page 5 in his new one. What's funny to me is that I consider him a favorite even though I only really enjoyed one of his books. I'm sure if he keeps writing, I'll keep buying, but I wish that he would find something to write about that's as gripping as Angela's Ashes.

One final note...HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!!

Monday, February 13, 2006

Sore Loser

That's me...Mike and I played backgammon for the first time in years tonight. You'd think that I would know after all these years that Mike is very aggressive when he plays board games
(flashback to a trip to Minnesota years ago: we're playing Monopoly while camping. It's about 9pm. Mike is forcing me to mortgage my properties so I start yelling, "This is why I hate playing with you...you build too fast and try to run me out of the game!" From the next campsite we hear, "Would you two shut up! We're trying to sleep over here!")
Okay, so I know this and yet I still play and hope he won't do it. When he sends two of my pieces to the middle, I begin to pout. And pout. And pout some more. Not even looking at the numbers on the dice to see if I can go. I ended up winning that game...we each took one. I hate losing since it makes me feel like I'm incompetent...I couldn't even win a stupid board game.

I guess this makes a little more sense (and other ramblings)

Turns out that I didn't have to pick Daniel up at 12:30. I had to pick him up at 1:15 instead. Poor Jacob was so thrown by the delay. Every 10 minutes, he would ask me when we were going to the bus stop. I do have to say that it was such a relaxing morning. What a difference a couple of hours makes. Unfortunately, Hannah missed playgroup again this week because of all of the delays but we will be able to return next week.

On a completely different note, Grey's Anatomy ROCKED last night. I was crying for most of the episode...I know Mike thinks I'm a total goober because of it. The only reason I started watching it in the first place was because it was on after Desperate Housewives and I was too lazy to turn the channel. It's quickly become my Sunday night show of choice since DH became so lame this seacon. Season 1 of Grey's Anatomy on DVD comes out tomorrow...may have to pick that one up!

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Strange

Color me surprised. I was anticipating that Jacob's school wouldn't have school tomorrow. I was talking on the phone with my Mom when my cell phone buzzed. The message said that our school district is on a two hour delay tomorrow. Okay...I can do that. If there's a two hour delay, that means Daniel doesn't have school. They follow Jacob's school district and there's no point to preschool when there's more than a one hour delay. At least that's what the Parent Handbook says. The boys listen to the radio while they are falling asleep. I had gone upstairs to fetch a hamper when I heard them start to read delays and closings for tomorrow. They again confirmed that Jacob's on a two hour delay. They then start reading the preschool closings. I hear some of my friends kids' schools are closed and wait for Daniel's to be announced. When they get to it, they announce a two hour delay! WHAT?!? Are you kidding me? That means that I drop Daniel off at school at 11:15 and pick him up at 12:30. The only thing that I can think of as a reasoning is that they were scheduled to have their Valentine's Day party tomorrow and didn't want to put it off until Wednesday. That's going to throw a wrench in my whole day. I could keep him home but I would hate for him to miss his party. The whole thing just seems wierd to me.

8.9 Inches

According to the radio, We were hit with 8.9 inches of snow. Luckily, it's the easily removable snow. The kids and I went out last night and played for over and hour. We made a decent snowman, too. Perfect snow for it...the snow was peeling off the grass as we were rolling the snowballs through it. When we woke up this morning, you couldn't even tell we had been playing out there. The kids were so excited about the snow that I let them go out again this morning in their pj's. Yes, they were bundled in boots and snowpants, hats and gloves. Daniel got bored pretty quickly and came back in. Poor Hannah couldn't walk through the snow since it came up to her knees (even higher in some places in our yard). She'd stand up, try to take a step, and fall. It took her 15 minutes to walk 7 feet across the yard. At that point, she decided that she'd just sit in the snow and watch Jacob make a baby for the snowman. I'll have pictures up on Snapfish later today. Let me know if you want to see them.

Right now, we're enjoying our hot chocolates (coffee for me) and are planning to make it an at-home day today (WINC says that you have to have snow tires/chains on to drive in the city today and as we have neither, we're staying put - who wants to deal with all of the idiots on the road anyway?). It's unlikely that Jacob or Daniel has school tomorrow. Jacob's angry because he has art on Monday. It's always something!

Saturday, February 11, 2006

It Certainly Is Snowing

It's been snowing for a while now...it's definately coming down at a faster clip now. Things that were scheduled for the weekend are being cancelled right and left...we're in a holding pattern for Sunday School tomorrow, which makes Jacob very upset. As of right now, the snow is only piling up on the grass...it's almost completely covered in my front and back yards. The street and driveway are still clear...don't know how much longer that's going to last. Jacob asked me what kind of snow this is because he desperately wants to make a snowman. Looks like the boots and snowpants I bought last September will finally come in handy!

Friday, February 10, 2006

Are We Really Going To Get That Much?

According to the news, the storm that's heading for us is going to bring us 9-12 inches of snow. He says that it's going to be the worst snowstorm in 3 years. A little nervous because I can't get the snowblower started but I've got all day to work on it since they say it's not going to start in earnest until evening. Looks like I may have all of the kids most of next week!

Had my workshop tonight...it was fun because in addition to my regulars, two new ladies came bringing the total to 5. I'd had 7 signed up but 2 had to cancel (one for sick kids and the other because she forgot and said she'd sub for bunko - lol! Somehow, it's my fault!). The kids were good considering Mike wasn't here to help. I popped some popcorn for them and popped in Wallace and Grommit. They were very happy. I already have 5 on my list for next month!

The girls and I were talking about how to fit everyone in my dining room for Passover. We are planning on having 10 adults (including us) and 11 children, if everyone can make it. My poor dining room table can fit 8, but I'd like everyone to have a little more room. I think it was Debora who said that they were planning on buying a long folding table that they could bring and Barbra can bring some folding chairs if needed. Now that I think about it, I don't think that we would really need a long folding table. I think that a card table would do. I realize that it's not for a couple of months yet but if I don't start planning it now, it'll sneak up on me and I'll be in trouble.

Not Really All That Interesting

Just a "Hooray!" moment for me...I copied pictures onto my first CD using my computer. I then flipped the disk over and used the Light Scribe and burned a photo and title onto the CD. Very cool. It's amazing what you can do with a computer these days. I just wish I had more pictures to play with!

Snowstorm Alert!

People here are so wierd. We have a Winter Storm Watch effective until Midnight Saturday night. Depending on the track of the storm, we could get anywhere between 3-7 inches. That's some good snow. Time to make sure we have gas for the snowblower, and it might be a good idea to get a new shovel since the handle is broken on our old one. Since I'm having a workshop tonight, I had to go to the store to get refreshments and thought that the best place would be Wal Mart. You'd think I'd learn that any time someone says "snow," it causes mass panic and confusion. Remember, I live in an area where 1 inch of snow (A)causes schools to close for 2 days and probably a late arrival on the third day, (B)is actually referred to as "a massive snow storm," (C)sends people out to stock up on gallons of milk and dozens of eggs. All for 1 inch. I'm not kidding.

The level of panic at Wal Mart was less than normal (I would expect that by tonight, they will be close to out of milk, eggs and meat) but still crazy. They had most of their lanes open (unusual for a Friday morning) and each had at least 3 in line with overflowing carts. The cashiers were already looking tired. Luckily, they still had a decent supply of shovels, although they were going fast.

I hope we do get some snow...the kids haven't really been able to play in any this season.

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Another try for photos




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A photo Jacob drew

I finally got my Pampered Chef show closed. Only took 2 weeks. Okay, so it'll be two weeks on Saturday, but close enough. The consultant has been so funny...she showed up at my door this morning with a new scraper and paring knife for me. Now I have 3 PC paring knives (although I guess you can never have enough good ones). It's sad when you are given all of this credit for free product and have a hard time spending it.

Hannah and Jacob are coming down with colds...Hannah's had hers for a while but Jacob's started last night. I hope it's nothing more than a cold...need to go get some more of the vaporizer pads for the kids' rooms. What I hate about Hannah getting sick is that it always ends up in her chest and the wheezing starts up. I gave her albuterol and will just keep giving it to her until her cough is gone. Luckily, we have a refill left.

Jacob was my little helper this morning. We were so organized (I actually had all of the kids' clothes put out and ready to go for them), everyone got up on time and ate quickly. Jacob was faced with 15 minutes to kill. Normally, we have things timed down to the minute. Anyway, I had mentioned that I wanted to put a load of towels in the washer (I even washed coats last night!). Jacob asks if he can do it. I said sure! The boy actually started a load of towels for me. The kids need more responsibilities. I'm going to have to make up a chore chart again.

Off to get dog and cat food...poor Guillermo was so upset with me because he ran out last night and we didn't have anything in the house I could give him. He's getting really angry with me.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Feeling Better

I'm feeling pretty happy with myself right now. Even though I didn't get the things done this morning according to the schedule I had set, they have gotten done. Last load of laundry is tumbling in the dryer, clothes are folded/hung in closets and dressers and the house is as clean as it's gonna get. I could actually have people over right now and not be embarrassed! After I cleaned this afternoon, the kids decided that they were going to watch Wallace and Grommit. They brought down pillows and blankets and made little beds for themselves on the floor. The beauty was that the only cleanup was moving the bedding back to their rooms. I do still have dinner dishes in the sink but those will have to wait until the morning.

I Think She's Giving It Up

I've been denying it for weeks now. I think I have to accept the fact that Hannah may be giving up her nap. I put her down this afternoon and she played in bed for about an hour before Daniel couldn't take it anymore and went in to play with her. She's only been napping about 3 out of 7 days on any given week. I think she still needs it, though. She's crabby as can be and is driving me crazy. I guess I can still put her down and can hope she naps but if she doesn't, she can have quiet time. I suppose that's what I'm going to have to do. Just more proof that she's getting older.

It's All Me

It's been a while since the last time he left but Mike left for Kansas this morning. Gone for a couple of days. Of course, I had all of these grand ideas of what I was going to do while he's away...starting with today.

Today, I was going to get up early, shower and get Jacob on the bus. Then I was going to take Daniel to school (but not before starting the dishwasher), drop off a gift for my Secret Sister, and come home to clean up the house and start some laundry. After that, I was going to go take my punishment at Weight Watchers and then head to Martin's to pick up lunch for me and Hannah and dinner for tonight. And then, it would be off to pick up Daniel and we would come home, eat and spend a relaxing afternoon in a fairly clean house. But, that was not to be.

I did wake up earlier than normal...a whole 10 minutes earlier...got everyone up and fed and got Jacob to the bus stop. I did come home and start the dishwasher and get Daniel off to school. No problem. Most of my plan was working well. I even left my Secret Sister her gift without being detected. Here's where the plan goes off.

I figured that since I had some time, I would come home and grab some orders and make deliveries. I pull in the driveway and come in the house only to find that Oriana has torn into the garbage and spread it out all over the kitchen and into the family room. After a big scolding, I grabbed the orders, a cup of coffee for me and a YooHoo box for Hannah and headed back out the door.

I drive out to Berryville only to find out that I've picked up the wrong bag. UUUhhh. Okay. No delivery today. No biggie, I figure, since she still owes me part of a Mary Kay order from over a month ago. By this time, it's 10:15 and I'm still in Berryville. There's no way I'm going to make it to the other side of Winchester by 10:30 for Weight Watchers. Big deal...I probably gained weight anyway. What was next on my list? I don't really want to go to Martin's...let's go to Costco. Hannah's all excited.

I picked up a little purple (hey, Sue...it's her favorite purples!!!!!!!!! LOL!) sundress that I had been looking at a couple days ago. She insists on holding it even though she's been eating chocolate chip cookie that the greeter gave her. After completely wiping her hands I agree to let her hold it. She delights in holding it up to me for the rest of the time telling me that it would look beautiful on me and that it fits me. Too cute.

I did get the stuff from Costco put away and Hannah fed lunch. I even picked up all of the garbage that was on the floor. I never did call the doctor to reschedule our physicals...need to do that today since the appointments are tomorrow.

So now, here I sit...in front of the computer while all around me looks like a war zone. Daniel even asked me this afternoon if we'd had a playdate because the house was such a mess. Maybe, just maybe, a load of laundry will get done today! At least Daniel hung up his coat when he came in although he left his shoes and socks in the middle of the kitchen!

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Off to the Dentist

Jacob got a day off of school today since we had to drive to Reston for the dentist. It was handy that we had to leave at the same time we would normally be heading to the bus stop...in fact, the bus had just pulled up as we were pulling out of the driveway. When I called Jacob in this morning, I don't know who answered the phone at the school but she seemed a little out of it.

Me: "My name is Barbara and my son, Jacob, is in Mrs. N's class. He will not be in school today, but will be returning tomorrow.

School: "Okay, you said Jacob right?"
Me: "Yes."
School: "And what class did you say?"
Me: "Mrs. N."
School: "We don't have a Mrs. N here."
Me: "Yes you do. My son's in her class."
School: "Are you sure?"
Me: "Try S." (his teacher got married last year)
School: "Oh! I forgot she got married"

So anyway, we get in the car and drive. I often forget how beautiful a state I live in. My favorite part is when you get your first glimpse of the mountain (although I hate driving up the mountain!) and cross over the Shenandoah River. Unfortunately, once you hit Leesburg, it's just like everywhere else.

Jacob was full of questions about pirates...not exactly sure why but it dominated the first 20 minutes of conversation in the car.

We get to the dentist and the kids are fighting over who gets to go back first (a horrible problem to have, right?) I told them that the dentist gets to choose who goes back first...it's not up to them. They call Jacob first and then Daniel and Hannah at the same time. Daniel's so worried about the "magic toothbrush" that he doesn't even realize that he's done. Hannah was so proud of her shiny teeth, she kept opening her mouth to show me.

Then, we see Dr. Davis. He tells me that Jacob's 6 year molars should be coming in soon but everything else looks good. Tells Jacob to expect some pressure in the back of his mouth soon. Jacob tells him that he's already feeling some. Daniel hops up...looking good to but has a little mark on his front tooth. If I want it fixed, he'll do it but it's not really necessary. I say that yes, I want it fixed. He said that Jacob and Daniel have unusual (but not abnormal) mouths where they are very gummy. He said that it's purely cosmetic but if they want to have the excess gum removed, they can when they're adults (been there...done that...it sucks). Hannah hops up (the dentist is shocked that she's 2 because she sits so nicely and follows directions)...she has a different mouth than the boys...her teeth will fall out sooner than the boys teeth will (mostly because she's a girl). Not that there's anything wrong with that. No problems with her gums. Although he did say that her lower jaw is set a little further back than it should be. Not a problem now, but will probably have to be fixed later. Otherwise, everything looks good.

So, then we head to Chick-Fil-A for lunch. Since it's early, we beat the lunch crowd and the kids get to enjoy the playland for almost 1/2 hour! We called Mike at work to see if he was free for a few minutes with no luck so we headed home.

I love the fact that Daniel has a birthday party coming up...it's a great bargaining tool. "You touch your sister again and I'm cancelling your party!" I know it's an empty threat, but it cracks me up (and gets him to stop...at least for the moment).

So, now we're home...waiting for Mike to give word about his car. I think I'll make some coffee and think about doing some laundry.

Monday, February 06, 2006

Blogging for the Heck of It

Okay...there's so much I think to write about when I am driving in my car or when I'm at the grocery store or even when I'm in bed trying to go to sleep. No fair. So, for blogging's sake, here are some things I could talk about:

I could complain about the stupid taxi driver who was driving so close behind me this morning that I couldn't even see his headlights! The temptation to hit my brake was so severe but I ignored it since I had Daniel and Hannah in the car. Here's the crazy thing...when I slowed down, he would go further behind me (like a normal distance)...when I would speed up, he was right up by butt! I thought that it usually went the other way.

I could talk about friends who are trying so hard to get me to join the gym that they've resorted to giving me "one week free" coupons. It sucks even harder when you have neighbors, who are friends with your friends, who run out at you at the bus stop to yell at you about joining the gym. Wasn't there a Friends episode "I wanna quit the gym!" and I haven't even joined.

I could also talk about the really nice guy at the Daily Grind (our Starbucks) drive through this morning who reminded me that tomorrow is Double Stamp Tuesday at both drive through locations.

I guess I could talk about how Mike's cell phone is driving me nuts! It keeps buzzing for no reason! And only when it's quiet and I'm not expecting it.

I can also talk about how cute Hannah is now that she knows her colors (I had no idea she knew any colors other than pink and purple).

But I won't...I'll just mark an end to another typically busy day and look forward to driving in to Reston during rush hour tomorrow to take the kids to the dentist. Maybe I'll find an Asian grocery store out there and can get some lumpia wrappers! Mmmmmmmmmm lumpia.

Sunday, February 05, 2006

I'm sooooo addicted!

I hate to admit this but I'm a huge Grey's Anatomy junkie. (I feel like a teenager watching Melrose Place or Beverly Hills 90210.) They've been building up to this week's episode (the code black) and I thought that the Super Bowl would never end. Did they really have to make the post game show so long? Plus, I had to deal with Mike who has an itchy remote finger. LOL. Every time he turned the channel I would yell at him (I'm sorry, honey).

Finally, it's time for it to come on. Love the lady in shock screaming her head off. Love that Alex screams back at her to get her to stop. I've always hated that slimy anesthesiologist so I wasn't surprised when he shirked his duties. Here's what I hate (and yet love so much) about this show...there's so freaking much going on that they can't finish it in one episode and

I HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER WEEK TO FIND OUT IF MERIDETH BLOWS UP! I know she won't but will Bailey's baby survive? Will her husband? Will the Chief of Surgery have a heart attack and die? Will McDreamy come to Merideth's rescue?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know...I know...snap out of it, Barb...you're 30 years old and obsessed with a TV show. I had to post because I'm not going to be at playgroup tomorrow and we're all Grey's Anatomy junkies.

Why Is It...

Okay...here's my question of the day...why is it that Daniel only decides that he needs to talk to me when I'm on the computer? I'm not saying he just talks to me...it's the full on, showing me toys 2 inches from my nose, "outside voice," repeating conversations we may have already had. It drives my bonkers! I think he is getting ready for another vocabulary explosion, though. His brain is clearly working faster than his mouth and he's stuttering and repeating a lot. (He'll say things like, "it's just that, it's just that, it's just that, it's just that, it's just that." Then he'll pause and tell me what he wants to say.) He hasn't done it this bad since he really started talking at about 3. I have to remind him to slow down and think about what he's going to say and that seems to help. If it's anything like last time, we've got about another month of this before it starts to get better.

Hannah's "Favite" Word

Hannah has a new favorite word: favorite (or as she says, favite). It started last week with the blanket that Sue gave her when she was born. That was her "favite pupuls" (favorite purples...the blanket has been officially named Purples). I thought it was adorable. "Where'd my favite pupuls go?" "I wan my favite pupuls." The word favorite has now gone on to describe nail polish. I painted her nails yesterday and she was so excited. I guess some of it came off in the tub last night and she was so upset this morning. "Where'd my favite nay podisch go?(nail polish)" I explained to her that it sometimes peels off and she started to cry. As I'm re-painting her nails, she informed me over and over, while giggling, that this was her "favite nay podisch." Can't wait to see what else becomes a favorite.

Saturday, February 04, 2006

Hannah's Leaving on a Jet Plane

I'm convinced that Hannah may be the most imaginative of my children. When I got up this morning (Mike usually gets the kids on Saturdays and lets me sleep in, the kids had taken 3 boxes (boxes are the best toys) and made play areas out of them in the front hallway. Hannah greeted me at the bottom of the stairs and said,
H: "Wanna come?"
B: "Where are we going?"
H: "Airplane...bbbbrrrrrbbbrrrrr" (plane noises as she's holding a pretend wheel and swaying back and forth)
B: "I think I'll stay here."
H: "Otay. Bbbbbbbbrrrrrr"

It was too cute. I don't know that the boys were quite that creative when they were her age. They certainly are now but I don't think they thought like that. She's also creative with her babies. In her mind, they are completely real. She has little conversations with them. I love it!

Note to Myself

It just came to me that I could have Hannah's party at The Polka Dot Pot. Look into it (before March!).

Friday, February 03, 2006

Two Completely Unrelated Thoughts

*Do you have a song that whenever you hear it, you break down and cry? For me, that song is 100 Years by Five For Fighting (it's also the background song for a credit card commercial). You know the song..."I'm 15 for a moment. Caught in between 10 and 20 and I'm just dreaming..." I'm usually okay until he becomes 33 and totally lose it when he becomes 45. Mike had never paid attention to the song until we were leaving my parents house on the way to Mike's sister's for Thanksgiving. We're driving along when that song comes on the radio. I'm crying and driving. Mike's never been able to understand what the singer was saying so he never got the message of it. He became incredibly curious about the song because, in his opinion, if a song can grip you in 2 minutes and 30 seconds, it must be good. I tried to explain it to him as best I could but wasn't doing a good job of it. We spent a good portion of the rest of the trip (all 700 miles) trying to catch that song again. When we did, Mike asked me to sing it. I only got to where he's 33 and then I lost it (poor Mike, he finally had to look up the words to the song). What an amazing song. It really makes you realize just how short life is and how you spend so much time either trying to be older or younger. (Of course, this is just a small part of the song. There's more to it than that.) Amazing. Why am I bringing this up now? I heard it on the way to get coffee this evening. I always have to sit in the car for a minute to compose myself. 2+ months later, the song still gets me.

*In an effort to make myself sound smarter than I really am, I pulled out a couple of my old college English books. I have always relied on my St. Martin's Handbook and my Warriner's English Grammar and Composition books. It's so sad. I've always considered myself to be a better editor than writer. Unfortunately, I've never been good at editing my own work.

You'd think that I wouldn't be so insecure about my writing...I took graduate level creative writing courses (and got A's, I might add) as an undergrad. I survived an insane grammar class in college where we had to diagram the Preamble to the Constitution as a portion of our final (I got an A in that class, too). Maybe it's the idea that these are my thoughts and I'm not writing to please a teacher.

Finally Friday

when I started writing this, I didn't realize I was giving such a play-by-play...how lame is this?

The morning started really smoothly...got Jacob up for school...fed him breakfast...got dressed and headed out the door for the bus stop. We were a little early this morning so we had a nice conversation about how you could tell the tulips (can you believe my tulips are coming up?) and crocus apart. We met up with Luke and his mom in the driveway and walked to the stop. The rest of the gang arrives soon after...all in football shirts. Jacob looks at me and says "oh, Mom, it's football jersey day at school." Thanks for telling me. Ironically, I had pulled out Daniel's Bears shirt for him to wear today...Jacob would have worn that one if I had pulled the right size out of the dryer. He'll have to deal with the shirt he has on.

Today was the first day in a while that Daniel didn't give me a hard time about going to preschool. It helps a lot that, in honor of the letter P, they had a pizza party. In fact, he had his shoes and coat on without being asked. It was Hannah and her "I do it myself" attitude that almost made us late.

After dropping off Daniel, Hannah and I headed to a MOMS Club Board meeting. Hannah was excited about seeing her friends ("Where'd my friends go?" was the question in the car) Hannah and the two other little girls (one of which could be Hannah's twin) played so nicely. It was so adorable to hear them sitting at the table coloring and talking.

We then headed to Martin's (our grocery store). I pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car. At my feet was a cell phone. I looked around to see if anyone was searching for a phone. Seeing no one, I decided to be a good samaritan and take it inside to the service desk (because if I didn't, I'm quite sure you'd see my face on 20/20 or something like that as one of the cold and callous people who don't care LOL). The guy at the desk really didn't care about the phone...didn't even look at me, now that I think about it. Hannah's gotten very good at using the scanner. At our store, you can scan your 'bonus card,' grab some bags and are assigned a scanner. As you shop, you scan and bag. When you're done, you simply pay and walk out. Where was this when I had babies? Anyway, Hannah loves to do the scanning. It's a pain but it keeps her busy.

After picking up Daniel, we came home to feed Hannah some lunch. I had just sat down with my salad when I saw my neighbor walking through my backyard. I scared the crap out of her by meeting her on the deck. Didn't realize I threw the door open so forcefully. She was donating lettuce to the bunny (yes, he's still alive). It's a little slimy but I'm sure Bumper won't care.

Now it's about 2pm. Hannah won't nap and I have a ton of deliveries to make. I'm exhausted already. I wish all of my kids still napped. I miss the days of being able to lay down myself. Stay-at-Home Mom? What's that?

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Whatever

Okay...I'm tired of the weight thing. Yes, I've lost 25 pounds. Yes, I feel really good. Yes, I'm excited that I'm wearing clothes that I haven't been able to since before Jacob was born. But I'm tired. I want a taco. I want to shove my face into a cheesecake. I'm tired of the messages in my spam folder...

"Sprinkle this on your food and you will magically lose 20 pounds!"
"Drop 2 dress sizes in 4 weeks! No dieting or excercise necessary!"
"Hit your goal weight through hypnosis!"

I'm tired of looking at my friend who became lifetime (which means she hit her goal 10 weeks ago and maintained for 6 weeks after) at Weight Watchers 4 weeks ago and only had 10 less pounds to lose than me when I still have 10 to go (you know I'm just venting, Barbra! You know I'm proud of you). I lose 4 pounds one week, gain 2 the next. Down 3 the next week, up .2 the next. I want 2 weeks in a row of weight loss!

Wah wah wah. Poor me, right?

My favorite conversation from tonight:

Mike: "You know Southern (IL) lost to the..."
Barb: "DAMN IT!" (fist pounds the table)
Daniel: "Mom said damn it!"
Jacob: "That's a bad word."
Mike: "?"
Barb: "You always do that to me...totally overreact when I tell you something innocent"
Mike: "I usually say 'SON OF A BITCH!'"
Hannah: "Dan it. Dan it. Dan it. hee hee. I say dan it."
Mike: "Do I really do that to you?"
Barb: "Yes...I can't believe I actually thought to do it to you."
(notice the kids had no reaction when Mike swore)

See, I told you!

What did I say about me making multiple posts?!?

Finally got Daniel's birthday party scheduled today. Should be fun.

Daniel and Hannah are in the process of playing "Cheetah Man" which I guess involves drawing on yourself with a silver crayon. Silver crayon that doesn't come off in the tub. As long as they don't draw on their faces or walls, I'm good. I'm going to have to take pictures of this.

Excellent! UPS just pulled into my driveway which means I have an order shipment in. Nothing fun for me, though. Just stuff for others. :( I can't wait until they get that direct ship thing going!

Turning into a beautiful day...mid 50's outside and every 20 minutes or so, the sun pops out.

Just a Thursday

Okay...just like with diaries I had when I was a kid, I will probably post mulitple messages for the first couple of days and then drift to the point where I don't post at all. Oh well.

Jacob had to wear his "I survived 100 days" shirt to school today. It's a short sleeved shirt and I told him that he should wear a long sleeved shirt under it to keep him warmer. His response: "what if no one else is wearing a shirt under theirs?" It's already started. The desire to be like everyone else. Two minutes later, he decided that it would be okay to wear a shirt under since he could take it off if he needed to.

Why is it always grey on the days that I need to go out and run errands? It was beautiful on Monday and Wednesday...days I had to go out to take Daniel to preschool. Tuesday and today, it's ugly outside and I have no desire to leave the house. I hate that. Although I'm thinking that it was a good thing that I didn't leave on Tuesday considering there was a bank robbery and car chase (two seperate incidents) in Winchester.

I really have to get on the ball today...not much time left before Daniel's birthday and I still haven't gotten his party together. Hoping to have something at Scoops...the ice cream place down the street. Debating whether or not to invite preschool kids. I guess Mike promised a little girl in Daniel's class that she would be invited to the party. Thanks, hon!

My First Post

Okay...so this is my first post in my new blog. A friend says that she's completely addicted to this...I don't know if I'll get addicted. My sister Sue says that she's been wanting to create one but hasn't gotten around to it. Now here I am starting one when I said that I wouldn't. The problem with these things is that there's no good way to begin. I suppose I just jump in with both feet but I'm tired and need sleep.