May 31, 2008

This morning Jamie had a birthday party to go to, and since Vic had to work, I dropped the boys off at Grammy & Grampy's house to play. Jamie had a good time at the party. It was at one of those indoor play centers, kind of like Chuck E Cheese but with better pizza. There were 26 kids there with the party, and Jamie had lots of fun playing with them all.

The boys had fun too. They went up to the park and played some tennis and basketball. Then, they came back for Caleb's nap and Carson played Monopoly with Grammy. The game wasn't yet over when I arrived to pick up the kids, but Carson was declared the winner.

This afternoon, we turned on the sprinkler system for the kids to play in. After the sprinklers finished running, they still wanted to play more, so i got out the new sprinkler ring I got from Walmart last week. I was wondering how well it was going to work, since it was only six dollars and some change, but it worked great and they had a blast.

Tonight after dinner Carson wanted to play Monopoly again, so Vic and I started a game with him. We will finish tomorrow. So far, I am ahead. :)

"Look what I picked for you, Mommy!"

May 30, 2008

Jamie is now officially on Summer break! She did such a good job at her preschool's presentation this morning. She took full advantage of her time on the stage, singing and doing all the arm motions to the songs. She seems to love being on stage. She even curtsied after each song. I think she did 4-5 curtsies after the first song, lol. After the presentation, we viewed an art show that was set up in the hallway with all the preschoolers' art work, and then the kids enjoyed cookies and punch in the fellowship hall.

We had an uneventful day after that, until dinner time. The kids and I sat down for dinner (Vic was still at work), and Carson looked out the window and said, "hey mom, look, a raccoon is getting into my lunch bag out there." I looked, and sure enough, Carson had left his lunch bag outside and a raccoon and her baby were digging around for his leftovers. I was surprised that A) Carson's lunch bag was laying by a bush in the backyard, and B) Raccoons were eating his leftovers. It was pretty entertaining, but after a couple of minutes it dawned on me that they might destroy the bag and I am too cheap to buy a new bag for two more weeks of school. So, I went out and shooed them off. I don't think Carson will leave his lunch bag outside again. He was fairly concerned about "raccoon germs" being on the bag. I washed it, and I think it is fine.

I am going to go fold towels and think about LOST some more. How awesome was that show last night? It is going to be a long wait until January.

May 29, 2008

This morning I dropped Caleb off at Grammy & Grampy's house and went to work out at the Y with Vic. We used some of the weight machines and then went for a walk on the walking trail. It was a great morning for a walk, overcast and and a little bit cool.

I then ran some errands and rushed back home to shower and change in time to go help out in Carson's class. I hung up some art work in the hallway and then read to the class for a long time. I read for about 50 minutes and read about 70 pages to finish a Judy Moody book they had been reading.

After that, I went to the grocery store before going back to the school for parent pick up and then over to Grammy & Grampy's house to pick up Caleb and Jamie. So, it was a pretty busy day today.

Today was Jamie's last day of regular preschool for the year. Tomorrow they are having an art show and a graduation for the 4-year-old class. Jamie's class will be singing at the graduation, so I'm going to that tomorrow. Hopefully, Caleb will sit relatively still and not try to run all over the church. Usually he likes singing. We'll see.

Right now I am off to watch the season finale of LOST! :)

May 28, 2008

Jamie and Caleb both had a good time this morning at the Preschool park day. The park we went to has a water play area with some sprinklers and a playground area. Jamie stayed in the water area almost the whole time and only went over to the playground right before we left. Caleb was all over the place the whole time. After the kids played for a while, we put our towels out on the grass and had a picnic in a nice shady spot. Jamie's teachers had made memory books for each of the kids. She brought over Jamie's while we were eating and flipped through the pages with us. It is such a cute book! I thought it was really sweet of them to do that.

I think Carson had a rough day today. He went over to Grammy & Grampy's after school to spend the night. When I called to tell him goodnight, he told me that he had fallen at school on concrete and scraped both of his knees and had to go to the nurse's office. Then, just as he was telling me this, he fell again! Poor kid. Then, he scratched himself on the chair he was sitting on. I hope his day is smoother tomorrow!

Jamie had her first rehearsal tonight for the recital. I can't wait to see her on stage!

Caleb was asleep by 6:00 tonight. He was so worn out from the park this morning but never did take a nap this afternoon, except for in the car on the way home from the park. I had better go to bed early tonight because he will probably be up before the sun tomorrow!

May 27, 2008

It was back to the routine for the kids today after the long weekend. Not for much longer, though, as the school year is quickly drawing to a close. Carson is excited because he doesn't have any homework this week or next week except to study for the big year-end spelling test, which will be at the end of next week. He was pretty upset with me when I actually made him study for it by writing some of the words tonight.

There was no sign of the snake today, so maybe he had enough of us yesterday and has moved on. Jamie was a little disappointed that he didn't show up, since she has decided that the snake is her new pet. I told her that was one pet that had to stay outside for sure. I looked around the yard before letting Caleb out every time he went out today. Unlike Carson, who came and told me about the snake, Caleb would pick it up and bring it to me if he could.

Now I am off to get some rest. Caleb, Jamie and I will be going to a park day with Jamie's preschool tomorrow morning. I will need some rest to keep up with both of them on the playground in the morning!

May 26, 2008 Memorial Day

We enjoyed our Memorial Day cookout today. Vic grilled some of the fish he caught on his fishing trip in Florida. He cooked Wahoo and tuna, and it was so yummy! He wrapped the Wahoo in bacon and grilled it on skewers with pieces of fresh pineapple. I'm not usually a big fan of fish, but this was fantastic!

Carson had fun playing with his buddy, Austin, whose family came over for the cookout. They are both video game fanatics and junk food fanatics, so they get along great! Caleb and Jamie also had a good time playing. Jamie went through a few wardrobe changes and entertained us with a little bit of song and dance. Grammy & Grampy brought over a game where you throw little wind-sock-type things and try to get them to land in rings. Caleb decided they made good catching mitts. You can see him wearing them in the photos.

Before the party started, I was in the laundry room when Carson came running in, "mom, mom come outside. You've got to see this!" Figuring it was a worm or some sort of bug, I finished up what I was doing and then went out. It was a Black Racer snake, about 3 feet long, just lying in our yard a couple of feet from the patio. It didn't look scared, either. In fact, I told the kids to back up because it was raising up its head and looked agitated. Vic came out and ran it off into the bushes. It then climbed up into the bushes and stared at us. We had to keep Caleb away because the fearless one was determined to catch the snake. He even had a net that he found in the garage. Here is a website with some info on the snake: **warning: snake picture in this link** I don't mind it being outside, but now I am kind of creeped out thinking it might get into the house. :shudder:

I love this picture of Grammy looking over to see if the snake is sneaking up on her. It was in the bush in the background of the picture:

May 25, 2008

Carson was completely fine today, except for a slight cough. I hope he doesn't get any worse. We made it to church this morning, albeit 20 minutes late. I had planned to stay home with Carson, but we decided at the last minute that he was doing fine and that we would all go.

This afternoon, Vic was planning to take Carson fishing, but he heard a report that it was too windy out on the water, so they canceled their trip. Then, he was going to take Jamie to the beach(Carson didn't want to go), but he heard from a friend who had just made the drive that traffic was terrible, so they canceled the beach trip. Finally, Vic ended up taking Jamie and Caleb to the Y pool. Carson decided to stay with me. They all had a good time, and Jamie tells me she made a new friend.

After they got home, Vic and all the kids worked on cleaning up the porch and outside to get ready for our Memorial Day cookout tomorrow. I worked on the inside, and I had plenty to do. In fact, I still have lots to do. I have gotten behind since I have been sick. I'm glad everyone is coming over, though. It will be fun, and it's a good kick in the rear for me to make me catch up with everything.

The kids were so exhausted tonight. The little ones are already in the bed, and Carson will be soon. I am looking forward to a nice quiet night!

May 24, 2008

Carson woke up with a fever this morning. I think he has the same thing Caleb and I have had. He pretty much spent the day resting on the couch. So, the kids and I all hung out at home today.

Carson started feeling a little better as the day went on, so we were able to get out tonight to eat Mexican with Grammy & Grampy. Jamie thinks this place is the best restaurant ever because they have cheese quesadillas and a gumball machine. The kids all got gumballs, and Caleb ate his. He sure did enjoy it.

Caleb has been doing great sleeping in his big bed. He has slept in it for two nights in a row, and he has even slept all night both nights! He has also taken two naps in it now. I guess it won't be long before we will be retiring the crib!

Mischief

May 23, 2008

I think the kids all had fun days today. I know Carson must have because today actually was "fun day" at his school. They had lots of different activities for the kids. Carson said he did the Frisbee toss, bean bag toss(which he tells me was more like a bean bag fight), and jump roping. He said he thought about doing the sack race, but decided it was too dangerous. "Kids kept falling down when they were jumping in those sacks." I guess he didn't consider a bean bag fight too dangerous.

Jamie's preschool had Water and Wheels day today. They had different stations set up outside for the kids. The classes rotated through all the station, changing stations when the director rang her bell. They had a water play station, a bubbles and sidewalk chalk station, a bike-riding station, and a station with lots of random stuff like bats and balls, jump ropes, an inflatable jumping thing, and one of those colorful parachutes. I think Jamie enjoyed the bike riding area most, maybe the water. Caleb couldn't wait to get to the station where all the balls and bats were. They both had a great time, and when we got home Caleb was ready for a nap. He went right to sleep in his big bed again and took a nice long nap.

This afternoon was rainy on and off, and when Carson asked if he could play with his Monopoly game, I thought it might be a good way to keep him quietly occupied. Then Jamie and Caleb joined in. I had forgotten how much play money those games have! Caleb threw the 20s all over the floor. The rest of the money Carson and Jamie put back in the box, but it took me a very long time to organize all that play money and to pick up all those 20s off the floor. That game is not coming out again unless an adult is playing with them. Tonight, Carson did play with Vic, and Carson won. He beat me in Casino yahtzee yesterday, too.

In addition to the Monopoly money incident, Caleb also managed to dump everything off the bottom shelf of the pantry, sling a bag of pretzels all over the kitchen, and throw a load of laundry I had just finished folding all over the floor. I'm so glad he's feeling better now.

May 22, 2008

Caleb felt much better today. He and Jamie went over to play at Grammy & Grampy's house this afternoon, and I went to Publix to get that antibiotic filled because I am still coughing like a maniac. So, I took one of the pills, and now I am coughing and sick to my stomach. Yuck.

I was going to help out in Carson's class today, but his teacher emailed me to say that she didn't need me to help today. It's probably for the best because of the aforementioned maniacal coughing.

Caleb fell asleep in Jamie's carpool line again today, and so didn't take a nap this afternoon. He was so tired tonight that he fell right to sleep in his big boy bed after we read a book together. I am not sure whether I will leave him there or not, since we don't have bed rails for him yet. He's not much of a roller when he sleeps, so it may be okay. It seems like such a big bed for such a little guy.

I have put pictures from Carson's beach field trip into our web album. Thanks to Grammy for the pictures!

May 21, 2008

Today was kind of a blah day. Caleb is still not feeling well, so he was very clingy and whiny all day. He fell asleep in the car on the way home from picking up Jamie and then couldn't go back to sleep when we got home. So, it has been pretty much non-stop whining all day. I hope he starts to feel better tomorrow.

Carson went on a field trip to the beach today. Since I am still coughing quite a lot, Grammy went with him instead of me. They had a great time. I will put the pictures she sent me up on our web album soon. They spent a couple of hours playing on the beach and then went to a nearby park for a picnic.

Caleb is finally asleep for the night, so I am going to go downstairs and enjoy some peace!

May 20, 2008

Caleb and I both ended up going to see our doctors today. I took Caleb this morning. He has the usual sinus infection with pink eye. So now he has an antibiotic, drops for his eyes, and a big bottle of decongestant/antihistamine. The decongestant is the same one we got samples of last time I took him in and it worked great for him. I am glad that he gave us a big bottle of it, plus 2 refills. The poor little guy gets stuffy a lot, so it will be good to have on hand.

Later in the afternoon, I saw my doctor and she gave me an decongestant/antihistamine too. Mine is a boring pill, though, not a yummy grape-flavored liquid like Caleb's. She wrote me a prescription for an antibiotic but wants me to wait a couple of days before I have it filled to see if the other medicine clears up the cough first. So, it's on hold at Publix.

Grammy was so sweet to watch the kids for me today while I went to the doctor and then while I waited a very long time at Publix for our prescriptions. They picked up Carson and then played on the school playground until they got tired of the heat and headed back to Grammy & Grampy's house to play.

Now I have one more to tuck in for the night and then I need to catch up around the house. I was home very little today, so I have lots of laundry and picking up to do. I noticed today that the DVR is almost full, so I guess I had better catch up on some TV while I fold the laundry, too.

May 19, 2008

Well, I spent the day hacking, coughing, and being disgusting again today. I am tired of this cough. I will have to go to the doctor soon if it doesn't get better fast. Caleb is a little worse than I am even. I will take him to the doctor tomorrow if he isn't much improved by morning.

Vic had to go into work early this morning, so I took the kids to school. Then Caleb and I made a stop by Publix, where the poor sick boy only ate half of his cookie. That has never happened before.

He fell asleep about an hour before time to pick up Jamie from lunch bunch, but luckily Grammy was able to pick her up for me so that he could sleep. He ended up sleeping until time to pick up Carson.

Tonight I made the spicy soup again, hoping it would open up my sinuses. It didn't. I guess I should have added the habaneros.

Vic had to work late tonight to try and catch up on all the stuff he missed being out of town. He came home with some beautiful yellow roses for me. He probably wanted to take them back when he saw I was serving the spicy soup yet again. ;) There were no complaints from him about the soup, though, and the flowers were such a nice surprise!

May 18, 2008

We had a pretty lazy day today. I still have a nasty cough and congestion, and poor Caleb has it too, so we didn't go to church today. The kids spent the day watching movies, playing games and playing outside in the sprinklers.

The highlight of our day was that Vic came home today after being in Islamorada, Florida since Wednesday. He had a great time fishing with his buddies and he even went parasailing, which he loved. We are all happy to have him back home!

He brought back some coconuts, and the kids had a good time busting them open in the driveway. A boy who lives down the street was walking by our house when this was going on. I said hello and noticed he was watching with a disturbed look on his face. He asked, "What are those?" I told him they were coconuts, and he said, "oh, good. I thought they were turtles." LOL I am glad he asked what they were. I don't need a reputation as the neighborhood turtle smasher.

May 17, 2008

I took the kids to McDonalds for breakfast this morning, and they played in the play area for a long time. Caleb especially was having a great time crawling all around in those tubes. I was a little concerned about how I was going to get him out. Luckily, he slid down the slide and came running when I told him it was time to go.

After that we went over to Grammy & Grampy's house to wish Grammy a happy birthday and drop off her present and some cards the kids made for her. We stayed over there for a little while before heading home so Caleb could take a nap.

Carson went out to play in the sandbox while Caleb was napping, and we discovered that some animal, I'm guessing a cat, is using our sandbox for a litter box. Yuck Yuck Yuck Yuck Yuck. I had to scoop out all the poop I could find into a plastic bag to dispose of it. Now we have to keep the kids out of the sandbox until Vic can buy or make a lid for it and we can replace all of the sand. What a pain.

Later, we all went to the library and they each checked out a couple of books so that we would have some new stuff to read at book time tonight.

Caleb seems to be catching whatever I have. His nose was running today and he felt a little warm after his nap. I think we have all been sick more this year than in the last three years combined. It is getting old. I gave him some decongestant before bed tonight. I hope he feels better in the morning.

May 16, 2008

Carson had an early release day today, so we picked him up at 12:30. In addition to having an early release day, his school also had gum day today. I'm sure the teachers just love gum day. So, when I picked him up he was chewing a big piece of bubble gum and he kept taking it out of his mouth, stretching it across his mouth and blowing bubbles. That's pretty disgusting, so I started explaining to him as I was driving how to blow a bubble without taking it out of his mouth. Somehow, the gum kept flying out of his mouth. I was getting kind of frustrated with him until I remembered that he was missing his two front teeth. Now wonder the gum kept flying out of his mouth, poor guy.

We went straight from Carson's school to pick up Grammy to take her out to Sonic to celebrate her birthday, which is tomorrow. That was fun, except that Caleb was tired and when he gets tired he doesn't hold still.

After that, we dropped Grammy of at her house and spent a quiet afternoon at home. We had rain showers on and off this afternoon, but that didn't stop the boys from playing in the sandbox for quite a while. Jamie went outside briefly but quickly decided that she wasn't into being out in the rain and decided to watch a Barbie movie and play some Webkinz instead. Caleb fell asleep on the way home from dropping off Grammy and then was wide awake and ready to play by the time we got home. So, he was up all afternoon, but at least he went to bed with no trouble tonight.

We got Jamie's first school uniforms in the mail today. Gymboree had some of their uniform clothes on sale recently, so I bought a couple of jumpers, four shirts, and a jacket for her. I still can't believe she will be a big pre-k girl next year.

May 15, 2008

This morning I dropped Jamie off at school and then dropped Caleb off at Grammy & Grampy's house. Then I went out and got myself some Dayquil. That is very good stuff. It got me through the day. I was even able to get some laundry done. I did have to cancel my visit to Carson's classroom, though. I felt really bad about that since Carson looks forward to me coming in on Thursdays.

Jamie went over to Grammy & Grampy's after preschool and they all enjoyed playing while I enjoyed a peaceful day. After school, the kids played in the sandbox for a very long time. Carson made a sea turtle out of the sand.

Now they are all sleeping, and I am going to go take another dose of my friend Dayquil and watch LOST!

May 14, 2008

Jamie and Grammy had a great time on the dolphin tour this morning. Jamie said her favorite dolphin was the one who waved to her with his tail. She also said another dolphin did some tricks for them.

I had fun at my MOPS meeting, too. Caleb did great in the child care at MOPS. He didn't seem to care that I was leaving at all. I'm hoping that's a good sign that he'll do well at preschool next year. When I went to pick him up, he had one of these push toys and was using it as a golf club to hit a ball around the room. The child care workers were very impressed with his skills, lol. He was very serious about it, too. He almost took out another boy who tried to grab it from him while I was getting his bag.

This afternoon Grammy picked up Carson from school and he has had a good day playing over there. Caleb and Jamie played with the kids from across the street outside this afternoon. It was a very peaceful day.

I am not feeling well tonight. I am very achy and have a little bit of a fever, I think. I am going to try to go to bed early and hope I feel better in the morning. I really don't want to cancel my day to help in Carson's class.

May 13, 2008

This morning I turned on Dora for Caleb and went to take a shower. When I came back down stairs, this is how I found him:

He had gotten himself a box of Cheez Its from the pantry and made himself a nice seat in the coffee table basket. He's a resourceful little thing.

After we picked Jamie up from preschool, we went on a little adventure to the post office to mail a package. That's always fun with two kids. Then, we did some grocery shopping before heading home for lunch.

After we picked up Carson from school, the kids played outside, mostly in the sand box, all afternoon. They played peacefully, too. It was very nice. The sand was damp from all the rain on Sunday, which made it perfect for building a sand castle.

Tomorrow is my last MOPS meeting for the year. This year has gone by fast! I can't believe Jamie will be out of school in just a couple of weeks and Carson will be out in one month.

Tomorrow Jamie is looking forward to going on a dolphin cruise with her preschool class. Grammy will be going with her, and I think she is looking forward to it, too!

May 12, 2008

This morning, I went by the preschool and signed Caleb up for the two year old preschool class. While we were there, the director gave him a sticker which he thanked her for and then immediately tried to eat. I had to wrestle him down to the ground and get it out of his mouth. I'm glad his future teacher didn't see that. I think he'll enjoy getting to go play with other kids. It will be MWF 9-12. It will be strange having three mornings a week with no kids around!

Jamie stayed for lunch bunch today and had a good time. This week is an ocean-life themed week, and today she brought home a cute seahorse she made. It is much better than that freaky clown mask from last week. I trashed that thing first chance I got - yikes!

Carson had a good day at school too and came home wanting to watch more Star Wars. I was mean, though, and made him play outside. He did get to eat some popcorn and watch Spongebob later in the afternoon.

May 11, 2008 Happy Mother's Day!

I had such a nice Mother's Day today. We started out the morning with some strong storms in the area, so that put an end to our plan to take a picnic to the park after church. So, Vic went out after church and picked up Quiznos for us to eat at home instead. It worked out fine since Caleb was ready for a nap by that time anyway. The strong storms had passed by then and we just had a nice steady rain. We spent a quiet afternoon hanging out at home together. We played a lot of Webkinz, and Jamie and I also had a tea party. Carson watched some more Star Wars. The kids each gave me a card they had made for me, even Caleb. They were all so sweet. :) Tonight we had takeout Japanese food, so I didn't even cook all day!

Now it is time to get all the little sweeties in the bed and enjoy some quiet time!

The Invisible Woman

Just wanted to share this story by Nicole Johnson in honor of mothers and anyone else who has felt invisible:

Perspective: The Invisible Woman ~By Nicole Johnson

It started to happen gradually. One day I was walking my son Jake to school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street when the crossing guard said to him, "Who is that with you, young fella?" "Nobody,"he shrugged. Nobody? The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only 5, but as we crossed the street I thought, "Oh my goodness, nobody?"

I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to my family - like "Turn the TV down, please" - and nothing would happen.Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little louder, "Would someone turn the TV down?" Nothing.

Just the other night my husband and I were out at a party. We'd been there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I whispered, "I'm ready to go when you are." He just kept right on talking. That's when I started to put all the pieces together. I don't think he can see me. I don't think anyone can see me. I'm invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?"Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this?Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please.

"I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going she's going she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there,looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean.

My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.

"In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

* No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.

* These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.

* They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

* The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees."I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.

"At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there.

"As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

May 10, 2008

This morning I took Jamie to a birthday party at a big indoor play center that is full of inflatable jumping play areas. She had a great time and wore herself out running all over that place.

After that, we did a little shopping and then returned home so that Carson and Vic could go crabbing. They caught six or seven blue crabs. Carson had a great time. He loves catching the crabs; he also enjoys dunking the big net into the river and seeing what he can scoop out.

This was our weekend to do cleaning at the church, so I went and did that tonight while Vic made some yummy crab cakes at home.

Two of the three kids are asleep now. Carson is up late watching one of the Star Wars movies with Vic. Carson can't get enough of those movies. Today was a dreary day weather wise, so he watched quite a bit of Star Wars today.

I am going to go finish all the laundry I can now, so I don't have to think about it on Mother's Day!

May 9, 2008

I got to go to "Muffins with Mommy" this morning at Jamie's school. It was so cute. We ate muffins and the kids sang a couple of songs for us. Jamie gave me a kitchen towel she had decorated for me with her hand print and some cute sea creature sponge prints. she also gave me a card that said, "I love my mommy because she plays tea party with me." So sweet.

Carson came home from school with a heart-shaped cake that he had decorated for me for Mother's Day. He already brought home a pretty flower in a pot for me yesterday. So, we are celebrating Mother's Day already!

I purchased tickets for Jamie's recital online this morning and got pretty good seats. I clicked on the link right at the moment the tickets when on sale, and four seats came up on the front row, center. Unfortunately, the box office website didn't get along with Firefox during checkout. So, I had to go back using IE. I still got front row seats, but over on the side. Still pretty good!

The kids are all still awake right now, but the little guys are in their beds. They were pretty wired tonight. Maybe it was the Mother's Day cake.

Carson is up because he used some of his birthday money to buy a new Webkinz and he registered it tonight, so I gave him some extra time to play with "Black and Yellow", his new tiger Webkinz.

May 8 , 2008

I did something this morning I haven't done in a long time. I went to the Y and worked out. Well, I really on used the weight machines, but it's a start. :)

This afternoon, I went to Carson's classroom as this is my regularly-scheduled day to help. When I arrived, there was a substitute there, and she had no idea I was coming and no work for me to do. I decided to stay anyway since I was already there and since I had no idea who this person was who was in charge of my child. I figured I had better scope her out. So, I just spent the next hour and a half wandering around making sure the kids were looking at the right pages and doing what they were supposed to be doing.

Caleb spent the morning playing with Grammy & Grampy, and Jamie spent the afternoon there after preschool. They had lots of fun, as always.

Tonight we went to a picnic at our neighborhood park for Carson's Cub Scout den's end of year celebration. The kids had a great time on the playground. Caleb, of course, scared the heck out of me climbing everything. He has no fear. He needs to have a little fear.

Now, they are all asleep and I am ready for LOST!

May 7, 2008

Jamie is now officially registered for pre-k. I took Caleb with me and all the documentation they required. I figured I could just hand them the documents(birth certificate, shot record, ss card, Ear Eye and Dental certificate) and they would make copies of them and we'd be on our way. I figured this since I already filled out a bunch of paper work when I put her in the lottery. Nope. I was handed a a packet to fill out that was at least 10 pages long. Good grief. Thank goodness there was a fish tank in the office to entertain Caleb and another toddler whose mom brought rice cake chips. So I made it through the paperwork and got my documents back and then we were on our way.

Talking to some of the other parents throughout the day, I have found out that three of Jamie's friends will be in the other pre-k class, so I'm kind of sad about that. At least they'll be right across the hall and will probably get to play on the playground together. I hope she will know someone in her class.

Caleb fell asleep in the car this morning as we were running errands and that was all the nap he had today, so it was a pretty long day for me keeping up with him. I really can't turn my back on him for a second. Yesterday he clipped off a piece of his hair with the scissors while I went upstairs to brush my teeth. Today, he followed me into the bathroom and when I noticed that he didn't follow me out, I found that he had climbed up on the counter and was holding Vic's razor. He's very "busy".

Today, Jamie and Caleb were playing "Woofie", and Jamie asked me if I knew why she called him Woofie. I guessed that it was because he likes to bark. She said, "no, he likes to fark. He farks a lot." After I stopped giggling, I wondered to myself what the name Woofie had to do with farting. Then I realized she meant bark, so I said, "That's called barking. Can you say bark?" She said bark. Then she said, "yeah, he farks a lot." I hope she doesn't bring this up in public.

May 6, 2008

The kids played outside most of the day today. Jamie and Caleb played with bubbles and sidewalk chalk for a while after Jamie got home from preschool. After lunch, they played some more and then Caleb slept for two hours again!

Tonight we ordered pizza, which always makes the kids happy. Plus, it's good to see Carson actually eat more than two bites for dinner. This is Vic's poker night, so it's just me and the kids. After I put Caleb and Jamie to bed, Carson and I played Wii. We played Tether Ball, Dodge Ball, and some other game, I think it's called kick or something like that. I've never seen the sport in real life, but it is fun. Of course, he chose all the rules for the games, and of course he won. I did beat him in one round of Tether Ball and in one round of Dodge Ball. I'm proud of myself for that. I have no idea how he does all those moves with the Wii guys. He is way more coordinated than I am.

Tomorrow morning I will be registering Jamie for pre-K. I know she'll have fun there, but I'm kind of sad that she'll be gone all day. I will be glad to make it official tomorrow. Then I will need to talk to the director at her current preschool and let her know we are giving up her spot for next year. I am considering enrolling Caleb there for next year three mornings a week. I think he would like it, and I'm afraid he'll get bored being with me all day because he loves playing with Jamie and she won't be around. I am hoping we can transfer the deposit we paid for Jamie's slot next year to Caleb if we do decide to sign him up.

I'm off to take advantage of my quiet time now. All the kids are sleeping and Vic is not home yet. I'm going to go watch last night's Gossip Girl and fold laundry.

May 5, 2008

This morning before school I was in the office with Jamie. The sun was coming through the window and illuminating some dust particles in the air. Jamie pointed to them and said, "oooh mommy, look at that!" I told her those were dust particles, and she said, "no, mommy, those are sunshine fuzzies!" That's the most pleasant description I have ever heard for dust.

Later in the morning Caleb and I went to Publix, where he claimed for himself his usual cookie and balloon. We also got a balloon for Jamie, but it popped in the parking lot. We went straight from Publix to Jamie's carpool line, so there was a little drama when Jamie saw his balloon, but not too much. The theme of Jamie's preschool class this week is the circus. Today, she brought home a clown mask that she made. It freaked me out a little.

After lunch, Jamie and Caleb played together. They like to pretend that Caleb is Jamie's dog, "Woofie". He loves to crawl around and pant and bark. They are really cute together. Jamie calls him Woofie almost all the time now and often corrects me when I call him Caleb.

Caleb took a nice two-hour nap today, after climbing out of his crib at least 10 times. I guess he wore himself out. It was nice to have that much quiet time. Well, Jamie was awake so it wasn't totally quiet, but she played Webkinz and played outside some so it was fairly quiet.

After Carson came home, all the kids played outside until dinner time. It was another very nice day today. The temperatures are warming up, though. Summer is on its way!

May 4, 2008

Yesterday I managed to get a sunburn on my shoulders and the top of my back at the pool because I foolishly skipped the sunscreen, thinking we would only be there a short while so it wasn't necessary. Now, on top of that I have a pretty bad sinus infection. Yuck.

I skipped church this morning because I was feeling bad. Vic went and I stayed home and folded laundry. I swear I spend more time doing that than anything else, and it is still never done. We spent the afternoon hanging out around the house and then we took the kids over to Grammy & Grampy's house and we went out with Christy and Patrick and a couple of other people to celebrate Patrick's birthday. I had the best steak I have ever had. It was a filet mignon topped with shrimp scampi. Yummy!

After ice cream and cake at Christy and Patrick's house, we picked the kids up and brought them home for bed. They were all tired and ready for some rest.

I am ready for some rest, too!

May 3, 2008

We joined the Y again today. We had canceled our membership for a while because we weren't using it, but now that the kids are a little older, we think we will use it more. So, now I have no excuse for not exercising! We went by and signed up and took the kids swimming for a little while. They all had a great time.

Then we went home so that Caleb could nap before we went to the silent auction at Carson's school. The kids had a lot of fun at the auction, too. They had some games for the kids and a moon bounce, plus pizza, hot dogs and ice cream. Really good ice cream. The kids also played on the playground for quite a while. You would think that they'd be sleeping away by now, but they are all still awake. Maybe they're a little too tired, who knows.

We are in the process of peeling off the wallpaper from our master bathroom because we are going to put up pebble tiles behind the bathtub and paint the walls. We are doing this because the wallpaper behind the tub was peeling up, since the kids use our tub for bath time and have a hard time keeping the water in the tub. What a mess this is! I'm sure it will be nice when it's done, but what a mess! Anyway, Carson and Vic were working on this project and Carson was spraying Dif on the Wallpaper before peeling it off. I picked up the bottle to make sure it was safe for him to use, and I saw in red letters that it was "Safe", & "non-toxic". Great!

Later, after they were done for the night, I read the whole label. Check out this label:




Safe and non-toxic; oh, except don't get it on your skin. Oh yeah, and it also contains a chemical that is known to the State of California to cause cancer, but other than that it's safe and non-toxic. Wth? I hope crayons and paste are a little more non-toxic than this stuff. Brought to you by the makers of Happy Fun Ball.

May 2, 2008

I visited two different doctors offices today, and none of my kids are sick. Hopefully, they will stay that way now that I have had them around all those germs. This morning, I took Caleb to the Southside office to have his ears re-checked. His ears are all clear and the doctor gave him a some samples of an antihistamine to help him breathe better at night.

When I got home, I called the office closer to our house to see if they had the shots in that Jamie needs. She needed to get the shots so that I could get her shot record and be ready to register her for pre-k next week. They had the shots available and told me I could bring her in this afternoon. So, I picked her up from lunch bunch, dropped Caleb off at Grammy & Grampy's house and we went and got the three shots she needed. She was not happy about it at all, but she was reasonably brave. I'm glad to have it over with. Afterwards, we had just enough time before picking up Carson to run in Publix for her to pick out a treat for us to have for dessert tonight, since she got her shots without making a scene. She chose some yummy chocolate chip cookies from the bakery.

After that, we picked up Carson, picked up Caleb and headed home. The kids from across the street came over and played until dinner time.

Caleb had a hard time falling asleep again tonight. I know now that it's not his ears. I wonder if he is getting his two-year molars. He has been chewing his fingers a lot lately. Poor little guy.

May 1, 2008

I spent most of the day at Carson's school today. This morning I was a proctor in a 2nd grade class for the CRCT. This testing is serious business! They even confiscated my cell phone when I checked in. The teachers had to cover all of their bulletin boards and anything that was on the walls. The kids weren't even allowed to pick up their own pencils if they dropped them, which is where my presence came in handy. The classroom I was in only had 14 kids. Three of them were taken to another room for testing. I have no idea why. So, that just left 11 kids. I basically stood around for about 2.5 hours waiting for pencils or scratch paper to fall on the floor so I could swoop in and pick up the wayward item. I also had to make sure they were on the right page and that they weren't trying to get ahead. It was pretty easy with so few kids in the class. Next year I will wear more comfortable and quieter shoes. I wore peep-toe pumps today and now my feet are angry with me.

After the testing was done, I ran out for a quick lunch and then back to help in Carson's classroom. I read to them for a while and then pulled out and sorted some worksheets for the teacher. By the time I finished there, I had just a little while to stop by the house before picking up Carson.

I asked Carson if he was glad that the testing was over, and he said that he liked the testing and is disappointed that it's only once a year. I always enjoyed standardized testing, too. I guess he gets that weird trait from me.

Caleb had a super fun day over at Grammy & Grampy's house. He was ready for bed tonight! Jamie went to preschool and then she got to go have fun with Grammy & Grampy too.

Now they're all asleep and I am ready for LOST! :)