The kids have been out of school for a week now. Between the three days I took them out for traveling and the two days they've now been home sick -- it's been a really long week. For the most part, they've been well behaved. And hey, when you're sick -- it's not like you can help being a little crabby.
Today, however, they are on the mend. After a 2nd dose of antibiotics the energy started to kick back in. So did the restless feeling. And I'm telling you I was very glad when bedtime came around and I could get them settled down and enjoy a few moments of peace and quiet.
Tomorrow -- cleaning is on the agenda. Bedrooms will be cleaned. Carpets will be cleaned. Bathrooms will be scrubbed. The downstairs will be gone through and arranged. Laundry will be finished. I had no idea it would be so hard to keep up with all the traveling we've been doing. But, catch up we will tomorrow!
In fact, the Christmas tree will finally come down too. I took all the ornaments off this afternoon and threw them into the plastic bins. After this long, I just don't care if they are wrapped all nice and pretty.
Showing posts with label random thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random thoughts. Show all posts
20 March 2009
03 March 2009
The Mighty 300
The Mighty 300. Kind of sounds like a stock car race, doesn't it?
Yes, this is the 300th post. The 300th time I've published something on Bug and Bee for all the world to see. The 300th time I've captured something from our day to day life in words.
There are days when I'll go through and read things I wrote almost 2 years ago when I started this. Things I don't even remember ever happening because they are quite insignificant. And quite boring honestly. And there are posts that I read now and I just roll with laughter over that particular moment. A moment I probably wouldn't even remember after so long if it weren't for the fact that I sat down and took a moment to write about it.
That's what this blog is for me. It's those little moments.
Some day when I've gotten sick of blogging {Not that I think that will happen because there's always too much floating around in my head.} I plan to print out all the entries for the kids. A book of sorts about the things they did during this blogs life. Stupid things about what we did at the library and how proud I was that they could stir boiling water with noodles in it. My only regret is that this blog doesn't span a longer time frame. I haven't even captured 2 years of their lives yet. I have missed out on recording so many wonderful/mundane/strange/funny memories because I didn't know about blogs until much later.
In the space between where the baby books end and this blog starts there are blank spots and lost moments. And I suppose they'll forgive me for that.
Yes, this is the 300th post. The 300th time I've published something on Bug and Bee for all the world to see. The 300th time I've captured something from our day to day life in words.
There are days when I'll go through and read things I wrote almost 2 years ago when I started this. Things I don't even remember ever happening because they are quite insignificant. And quite boring honestly. And there are posts that I read now and I just roll with laughter over that particular moment. A moment I probably wouldn't even remember after so long if it weren't for the fact that I sat down and took a moment to write about it.
That's what this blog is for me. It's those little moments.
Some day when I've gotten sick of blogging {Not that I think that will happen because there's always too much floating around in my head.} I plan to print out all the entries for the kids. A book of sorts about the things they did during this blogs life. Stupid things about what we did at the library and how proud I was that they could stir boiling water with noodles in it. My only regret is that this blog doesn't span a longer time frame. I haven't even captured 2 years of their lives yet. I have missed out on recording so many wonderful/mundane/strange/funny memories because I didn't know about blogs until much later.
In the space between where the baby books end and this blog starts there are blank spots and lost moments. And I suppose they'll forgive me for that.
02 March 2009
Great Things About Hotel Stays
- New beds to jump on.
- Big screen televisions.
- Glass elevators.
- Elevator buttons.
- Complimentary breakfast cooked fresh when ordered.
- Complimentary breakfast choices for picky little girls.
- Lots of extra fluffy pillows.
- Big cozy comforters.
- Mini fridges and microwaves.
- Well behaved little hooligans. ;)
19 February 2009
All Very Random
- I got a haircut again today. The back had grown out to an annoying length. I've given up on ever, ever, ever allowing it to grow out because once the back gets to that length, I hate it. So, I got the back cut shorter and had her blend it into the sides. I suppose I can at least grow those out. Maybe to my chin or something. Short hair it is. Which, I guess isn't so bad. At least I can style it.
- Max, the wonder pup, got poop all over the carpet upstairs. So, instead of staying at home and out of the cold, I had to run out for more carpet shampoo. By the time I got home he'd left me another new pee stain too. That's the second time in a week I've had to shampoo the carpets up there. I'm getting sick of it.
- Lorelei got to play at the mall play land while we were out. I figured we might as well do something fun for her if she was going to be dragged along on boring mom errands. She had a good time as usual.
- Ten minutes of tanning was glorious this morning. I seriously almost fell asleep in the bed. It was so refreshing. I'm glad I only did five minutes on Tuesday because I came very close to getting a bit of burn this morning. I'm not noticing the same good results that I did when I first started going -- but I still think it's helping so I'll continue.
- Caleb lost his reading book. I have no idea how. He brought it back to school on Friday morning last week and yesterday when he went back to school it was gone. I'm sure someone borrowed it out of his desk. But, I did send a little note to his teacher that we need something to replace it until his is located. Obviously, he can't go without it and be unable to read his assignments and then be expected to test on them.
- I'm very ready to get my next tattoo and I know exactly what I want and where. Now to get the money and time to actually go have it done. Hopefully since I plan on it being relatively small this time around it won't cost me too much. I just hate waiting to get it now that I know what I want.
- Lorelei has been very whiny today. In fact, I yelled at her when we got home this afternoon {which I shouldn't have} because instead of going into the downstairs bathroom and getting herself a tissue she came and demanded I do it while I was taking my shoes off. I am not the servant! Both kids have been really bad with their demands lately and I'm hoping we can get past it shortly. I dislike being told that I don't do anything for them. They should see what would happen if I did do nothing as claimed.
- It's very cold here. Like 12 degrees cold. I can not wait for spring to finally arrive. Those warm days not too long ago were a real tease. I need some nice weather so we can get out of this house.
- I promised Caleb Wii play time when he got home from school today. I really hope he's in a good mood so that it is a fun time and not a Caleb and Lorelei fighting time.
- Is this week over yet? Apparently not.
11 January 2009
Lazy Weekend
The kids and I have spent a lazy weekend bumming around the house.
We got snow Friday night and most of the day Saturday, so I wasn't keen on venturing out. Today I can definitely tell we've been in the house a tad too long. I'm regretting not bundling us all up and heading over to the mall playland like I had intended, or to the Burger King playland for dinner. But large piles of laundry beckoned to me. As did the idea of actually having some clean clothes to wear.
Now the laundry is finally done and it's already 7 at night. Too late for us to venture out. Caleb is working on the teeny bit of homework he has and then I'll be sticking him in the shower.
Lorelei took her shower earlier today after getting a wad of gum stuck in her hair. In case you were wondering -- styling mousse -- is absolutely wonderful for getting gum out of hair. Rub in, comb out. In about 3 minutes she was positively gum free. I was just happy I didn't have to butcher her hair or resort to a peanut butter mess.
Speaking of Lorelei -- boy is her mouth getting sassy! The constant shriek of, "Mommy" and the tiring "do this for me NOW" thing --it's just not working for me.
And yesterday, upon seeing that Max had chewed up one of her Barbie magnets she said the following, "Did the dog chew this up?" And I replied affirmative. To which she replied, "Damn dog!". Mommy needs some soap.
George will finally be home sometime tomorrow from his conference in Vegas. I'm looking forward to having another couple of hands around the house. The last few days have been very tiring for me. The kids will be glad to have him home as well.
Oh, and in a few weeks we'll be registering Lorelei to start cheerleading again. She's very excited!
We got snow Friday night and most of the day Saturday, so I wasn't keen on venturing out. Today I can definitely tell we've been in the house a tad too long. I'm regretting not bundling us all up and heading over to the mall playland like I had intended, or to the Burger King playland for dinner. But large piles of laundry beckoned to me. As did the idea of actually having some clean clothes to wear.
Now the laundry is finally done and it's already 7 at night. Too late for us to venture out. Caleb is working on the teeny bit of homework he has and then I'll be sticking him in the shower.
Lorelei took her shower earlier today after getting a wad of gum stuck in her hair. In case you were wondering -- styling mousse -- is absolutely wonderful for getting gum out of hair. Rub in, comb out. In about 3 minutes she was positively gum free. I was just happy I didn't have to butcher her hair or resort to a peanut butter mess.
Speaking of Lorelei -- boy is her mouth getting sassy! The constant shriek of, "Mommy" and the tiring "do this for me NOW" thing --it's just not working for me.
And yesterday, upon seeing that Max had chewed up one of her Barbie magnets she said the following, "Did the dog chew this up?" And I replied affirmative. To which she replied, "Damn dog!". Mommy needs some soap.
George will finally be home sometime tomorrow from his conference in Vegas. I'm looking forward to having another couple of hands around the house. The last few days have been very tiring for me. The kids will be glad to have him home as well.
Oh, and in a few weeks we'll be registering Lorelei to start cheerleading again. She's very excited!
29 November 2008
Privacy
Privacy is the new thing at our house.
Despite the fact that Caleb will run around the house in his underpants, he now wants to be alone when he gets dressed or undressed. Lorelei has also decided that she doesn't want to change in front of people. We get a lot of whine if she thinks someone will catch a glimpse of her private areas while she's changing her underpants.
I suppose we'll take what we can get.
So, after we went swimming the other night at the hotel, Caleb went into the bathroom to change while I helped Lorelei change before he came back out. In the bathroom we could distinctly hear Caleb singing some type of song about "being sexy" or "looking sexy". The only thing I know is that he was definitely saying the word sexy!
Where does a 7 year old learn sexy?
Does he actually know what he means?
I'll admit to being too busy trying to hide the fact that I was dying from internal laughter to even discuss it with him. I think George was doing the same. What kind of talk do we have for this one?
And if that's not enough for you -- Lorelei is never having children. She's told me this about 100 times now that she's found out where they come out from and that it hurts. My poor girl is traumatized!
Despite the fact that Caleb will run around the house in his underpants, he now wants to be alone when he gets dressed or undressed. Lorelei has also decided that she doesn't want to change in front of people. We get a lot of whine if she thinks someone will catch a glimpse of her private areas while she's changing her underpants.
I suppose we'll take what we can get.
So, after we went swimming the other night at the hotel, Caleb went into the bathroom to change while I helped Lorelei change before he came back out. In the bathroom we could distinctly hear Caleb singing some type of song about "being sexy" or "looking sexy". The only thing I know is that he was definitely saying the word sexy!
Where does a 7 year old learn sexy?
Does he actually know what he means?
I'll admit to being too busy trying to hide the fact that I was dying from internal laughter to even discuss it with him. I think George was doing the same. What kind of talk do we have for this one?
And if that's not enough for you -- Lorelei is never having children. She's told me this about 100 times now that she's found out where they come out from and that it hurts. My poor girl is traumatized!
26 November 2008
We've Created Wii Monsters!
I didn't quite realize how much Caleb and Lorelei dig the Wii.
We have xBox 360, okay we have a couple of them, but regardless we have it and games for it. The kids have enjoyed playing that and I figured it was a good enough stand-in for Wii, even though the Wii was my personal preference after playing the one my mom bought.
So, George got me the Wii for my birthday and the kids were "OMGTHISISTHECOOLESTTHINGEVERWHENDOIGETTOPLAY" excited.
Anyway, yesterday afternoon Lorelei and I played some tennis and then last night Caleb got to test out his boxing skills before the whole family played a round of bowling. (Which they let me win!) And this morning, before George or I had crawled out of bed, Caleb was downstairs - after being told no - trying to play Wii by himself.
I told them they couldn't play until after lunch today and they have been begging since 10AM for me to make lunch so that I would stop being so mean and just turn the darn thing on already!
Apparently, the Wii was much sought after by these too. And I think we'll probably get our money's worth. I also think that my decision to get them each a Wii game for Christmas will probably earn me thundrous applause and possibly an Emmy.
We have xBox 360, okay we have a couple of them, but regardless we have it and games for it. The kids have enjoyed playing that and I figured it was a good enough stand-in for Wii, even though the Wii was my personal preference after playing the one my mom bought.
So, George got me the Wii for my birthday and the kids were "OMGTHISISTHECOOLESTTHINGEVERWHENDOIGETTOPLAY" excited.
Anyway, yesterday afternoon Lorelei and I played some tennis and then last night Caleb got to test out his boxing skills before the whole family played a round of bowling. (Which they let me win!) And this morning, before George or I had crawled out of bed, Caleb was downstairs - after being told no - trying to play Wii by himself.
I told them they couldn't play until after lunch today and they have been begging since 10AM for me to make lunch so that I would stop being so mean and just turn the darn thing on already!
Apparently, the Wii was much sought after by these too. And I think we'll probably get our money's worth. I also think that my decision to get them each a Wii game for Christmas will probably earn me thundrous applause and possibly an Emmy.
24 November 2008
Monday, Monday
It's the last Monday of November! We had a busy weekend, hence the short little list posts.
On Saturday we hung out at home until it was time to go and see George's sister perform as the lead in her high school production of Grease.
The play was really well done and by the time it was over Lorelei was pretty much asleep on my shoulder. <3
Sunday we hung out at home and finished our Christmas tree. It looks really nice now that all the ornaments are hung carefully in just the right place. We each got one new ornament this year and someday when the kids have homes of their own we'll give them "their" ornaments to decorate their own trees. Lorelei got a pretty ballerina with a feathery tu-tu and Caleb got a little "man" made of baseballs. And, for the first time ever, we've put lights out in the yard to decorate for the holidays! This will be only our second Christmas in the house since we bought it five years ago.
Today was a regular old school day. We did wake up however to a light snow which put me in a panic because neither of the kids had boots. No boots, no recess. So, I dropped the kids off at school and then George and I went over to Target and picked them up the size we assumed would fit based on the shoes they currently wear. Apparently, that was a good guess and they are both pleased with their new boots. The snow melted though, so they were entirely unnecessary -- this time.
While we were at Target, we saw this:
It's a Crock Pot Buffet Cooker. If we had anywhere to store one, I probably would have picked it up. The crock's themselves are only 2.5 quarts, but there are THREE of them. It's a crock potters dream!
I've got my crock pot going tonight with some faux BBQ Chicken. Here's the recipe if anyone is interested:
Ingredients:
1 20oz bottle of Diet Coke
2 cups of ketchup
2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast
Directions:
Mix together the Diet Coke and ketchup. Pour over chicken. Heat on high for 5 hours. Shred chicken before serving. You can put this with mashed potatoes and a vegetable, or put on buns for something less formal. Totally delish!
On Saturday we hung out at home until it was time to go and see George's sister perform as the lead in her high school production of Grease.
The play was really well done and by the time it was over Lorelei was pretty much asleep on my shoulder. <3
Sunday we hung out at home and finished our Christmas tree. It looks really nice now that all the ornaments are hung carefully in just the right place. We each got one new ornament this year and someday when the kids have homes of their own we'll give them "their" ornaments to decorate their own trees. Lorelei got a pretty ballerina with a feathery tu-tu and Caleb got a little "man" made of baseballs. And, for the first time ever, we've put lights out in the yard to decorate for the holidays! This will be only our second Christmas in the house since we bought it five years ago.
Today was a regular old school day. We did wake up however to a light snow which put me in a panic because neither of the kids had boots. No boots, no recess. So, I dropped the kids off at school and then George and I went over to Target and picked them up the size we assumed would fit based on the shoes they currently wear. Apparently, that was a good guess and they are both pleased with their new boots. The snow melted though, so they were entirely unnecessary -- this time.
While we were at Target, we saw this:
It's a Crock Pot Buffet Cooker. If we had anywhere to store one, I probably would have picked it up. The crock's themselves are only 2.5 quarts, but there are THREE of them. It's a crock potters dream!
I've got my crock pot going tonight with some faux BBQ Chicken. Here's the recipe if anyone is interested:
Ingredients:
1 20oz bottle of Diet Coke
2 cups of ketchup
2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast
Directions:
Mix together the Diet Coke and ketchup. Pour over chicken. Heat on high for 5 hours. Shred chicken before serving. You can put this with mashed potatoes and a vegetable, or put on buns for something less formal. Totally delish!
23 November 2008
11 of Lorelei's Favorite Things
1. Ponies
2. Fairies
3. Pink Flowers
4. The color pink.
5. Rainbows
6. Santa Claus (yeah, get that in there before the big man in the red suit is due to arrive!)
7. Slides & Swings at the park.
8. The shapes of the clouds.
9. "I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry
10. Thomas & the Magic Railroad
11. Our Fish
Straight from the mouth of a five year old....
2. Fairies
3. Pink Flowers
4. The color pink.
5. Rainbows
6. Santa Claus (yeah, get that in there before the big man in the red suit is due to arrive!)
7. Slides & Swings at the park.
8. The shapes of the clouds.
9. "I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry
10. Thomas & the Magic Railroad
11. Our Fish
Straight from the mouth of a five year old....
21 November 2008
Mommy Went to Twilight
I just got home from seeing Twilight in theaters. The kids stayed home with daddy. They got to have a pizza and movie night here at home.
I was missed though. At bedtime Caleb was sad that I wasn't here to give him hugs and kisses. They were both relieved to hear I'd be back before they woke up in the morning and went off to sleep without any issues.
George picked up Wall-E and Kung Fu Panda and the kids are absolutely addicted to them both. They saw them in theaters originally and have enjoyed them just as much here at home.
I was missed though. At bedtime Caleb was sad that I wasn't here to give him hugs and kisses. They were both relieved to hear I'd be back before they woke up in the morning and went off to sleep without any issues.
George picked up Wall-E and Kung Fu Panda and the kids are absolutely addicted to them both. They saw them in theaters originally and have enjoyed them just as much here at home.
15 November 2008
Friends For A Visit
This afternoon we had family friends over for a visit. They have 5 beautiful children, two close in age to ours. In fact, her 2nd oldest and Caleb were born about 5 days apart from each other. Since they live a little over an hour away we don't get to visit all the time, but we can see each other about once a month when our schedules match up.
The kids had a blast playing, chasing each other around and being loud and obnoxious. The grown-ups enjoyed some conversation, itty baby time (their youngest is about 2 months old) and we all ended up spending some time cooking in the kitchen together.
It was a great, relaxing way to spend our Saturday. Looking forward to being able to do it again sometime before Christmas if time permits!
The kids had a blast playing, chasing each other around and being loud and obnoxious. The grown-ups enjoyed some conversation, itty baby time (their youngest is about 2 months old) and we all ended up spending some time cooking in the kitchen together.
It was a great, relaxing way to spend our Saturday. Looking forward to being able to do it again sometime before Christmas if time permits!
13 November 2008
Nothing Exciting to Report
It was just another Thursday here.
George and I both got up and got the kids ready for school. I walked them this morning while he stayed back to take a shower. We went grocery shopping shortly after I got home. He humored me by hanging out at Hobby Lobby while I looked for some craft supplies I need.
We both ran to pick up Lorelei at 11:30. The kindergartners went to see Seussical this morning and she seemed to have enjoyed it. She didn't tell us anything about it though which makes me wonder how much attention she really paid to it. George picked up Caleb after school because I just wasn't feeling up to it. I haven't heard any complaints so I'll assume it was a thumb's up kind of day.
George went to a Bull's game tonight. His dad got free tickets and I mean, who can pass up free tickets to a pro sporting event? That would have been crazy. He was nice enough to ask if I minded...but of course, I did not. The kids and I ordered from Pizza Hut since they were upset about not being able to take the train into the city with daddy to go to a Bull's game.
I've got to work on some homework with Caleb before bed and then I don't know what I'll do with my evening. I have yet to figure out the sewing machine given the generic instructions so I'm holding off until I can talk to my grandma.
Maybe I'll scrapbook?
George and I both got up and got the kids ready for school. I walked them this morning while he stayed back to take a shower. We went grocery shopping shortly after I got home. He humored me by hanging out at Hobby Lobby while I looked for some craft supplies I need.
We both ran to pick up Lorelei at 11:30. The kindergartners went to see Seussical this morning and she seemed to have enjoyed it. She didn't tell us anything about it though which makes me wonder how much attention she really paid to it. George picked up Caleb after school because I just wasn't feeling up to it. I haven't heard any complaints so I'll assume it was a thumb's up kind of day.
George went to a Bull's game tonight. His dad got free tickets and I mean, who can pass up free tickets to a pro sporting event? That would have been crazy. He was nice enough to ask if I minded...but of course, I did not. The kids and I ordered from Pizza Hut since they were upset about not being able to take the train into the city with daddy to go to a Bull's game.
I've got to work on some homework with Caleb before bed and then I don't know what I'll do with my evening. I have yet to figure out the sewing machine given the generic instructions so I'm holding off until I can talk to my grandma.
Maybe I'll scrapbook?
08 November 2008
I Miss My Babies!
Top: Lorelei at age 1. Photo taken at Walmart (obviously).Bottom: Caleb at 18 months. Photo taken at Walmart (again, it's obvious).
I look at these and I can still see the kids they are today, but oh my, Caleb has hair! We started giving him buzz cuts shortly after this set of pictures was taken and he hasn't had a different style since. And Lorelei...I still can't believe she was ever that chubby. She's the skinniest little thing now. But those eyes, those brown eyes...they are still exactly the same.
05 November 2008
Wordy Wednesday - Hair Support
As you can see...yesterday my hair was shoulder length and this morning it is most certainly not!
My friend Beth, whom I met online and have talked to just once on the phone, is currently battling cancer. Yesterday, she shaved her head as the hair loss began due to her chemotherapy treatments. And, so I offered to shave my head too.
Obviously, I didn't quite get to shaved. I was talked out of it by George and the stylist thought I should do something short, but cute since I have the "face for it". So, this is what we ended up with. I was not able to donate the hair I removed. It's unfortunate, but it was just not healthy enough.
I knew I was doing the right thing when the stylist informed me that she lost both her sister and her mother to different forms of cancer. She thought it was pretty cool that I'd get rid of all my hair for a friend.
I am proud to have short hair in honor of my friend. I am glad that she is sharing the ups and downs of her cancer so that we can support her. And I'm hoping that now we'll finally get together and get some pictures together of our gorgeous heads.
It's hair. It grows back. It was completely worth it!
03 November 2008
Monoday...Already?
Yep. Calendar confirmed it. It's definitely Monday.
I woke up late this morning with a pounding headache. The kids' were already down in the living room. Caled having figured out how to work the television and it's computer so that they could watch a movie. Seriously folks, I haven't even figured that out yet. Ah, to be 7 and a genius!
I realized that the fish and frogs didn't get any food before we left on Saturday morning. I felt awful! They were all ready to pounce when they felt the lid open over the tank yesterday after we got home. I gave them some extra. Then George fed them after that too. They were still hungry when I finally went to bed!
No school today and tomorrow for conferences. It's kind of nice to have the four day weekend and not have to get right back in the grind after being on the go all weekend long. Not to mention the weather is gorgeous. If I could get Caleb convinced we'd already be at the park playing and enjoying! November 3rd and 73 degrees; how often is that likely to happen? I'm hoping I'll convince them soon so I can take out George's fancy camera and get some cute shots of them. i have a feeling this could very well be the absolute last nice day we get until about the end of April!
None of my pictures from the weekend really turned out, so I've got nothing for you. I think George may have taken a few, but when I downloaded mine off my phone they were blurry, out of focus and just crap. I was disappointed, but I wasn't in full sunlight and it is just a camera phone.
Speaking of George, he completely spoiled me yesterday!
Caleb's conference is tonight at 6:45 and Lorelei's is bright and early tomorrow morning at 8.
I woke up late this morning with a pounding headache. The kids' were already down in the living room. Caled having figured out how to work the television and it's computer so that they could watch a movie. Seriously folks, I haven't even figured that out yet. Ah, to be 7 and a genius!
I realized that the fish and frogs didn't get any food before we left on Saturday morning. I felt awful! They were all ready to pounce when they felt the lid open over the tank yesterday after we got home. I gave them some extra. Then George fed them after that too. They were still hungry when I finally went to bed!
No school today and tomorrow for conferences. It's kind of nice to have the four day weekend and not have to get right back in the grind after being on the go all weekend long. Not to mention the weather is gorgeous. If I could get Caleb convinced we'd already be at the park playing and enjoying! November 3rd and 73 degrees; how often is that likely to happen? I'm hoping I'll convince them soon so I can take out George's fancy camera and get some cute shots of them. i have a feeling this could very well be the absolute last nice day we get until about the end of April!
None of my pictures from the weekend really turned out, so I've got nothing for you. I think George may have taken a few, but when I downloaded mine off my phone they were blurry, out of focus and just crap. I was disappointed, but I wasn't in full sunlight and it is just a camera phone.
Speaking of George, he completely spoiled me yesterday!
Caleb's conference is tonight at 6:45 and Lorelei's is bright and early tomorrow morning at 8.
01 November 2008
Things Mom Found This Week
I don't think I'll really do this every week or anything, but I found some interesting links this week that I thought were worth sharing.
Tumbleweed Tiny House Company -- You think your house/apartment/condo/townhouse is small? Check out these! Seriously though, this Enesti floorplan makes me think for the smallest second that perhaps I could live in something even smaller. And a house that small is not only greener, but think of how big it would make your yard look! I'd really need someone to get me more organized to be able to do it.
A Year of Crockpotting -- So, I've caught this blogger at the end of her journey to use the crockpot 365 days in a row, but given that I love cooking in my crockpot (because it makes me look like a good cook) I think it's definitely going to be one of my well-worn bookmarks. Recommend it highly!
Little Brown Pen's Etsy Shop -- The calendars I linked to are just simply adorable. I'm sure with time and some Adobe knowledge they could be make at home, but for $5, I like them because they are totally reusable. There isn't a lot of room for writing, but I bet you could use them for some really cute scrap & stamp projects!
NaBloPoMo -- I think I'm going to give it a go. Blogging once a day, every day for the month of November. No double posts, no skipping days. Just good old once a day additions to the blog. And this gets to be my first post! Woo-hoo!
Obviously I'll be back tomorrow still kicking off the NaBloPoMo challenge, and I'll let you know how our weekend with my family went! Should be lots of fun and a good excuse to post adorable pics of Caleb and Lorelei. Too bad we have to spend so much time on the road to get there -- total bummer. Have a great weekend everybody!
Tumbleweed Tiny House Company -- You think your house/apartment/condo/townhouse is small? Check out these! Seriously though, this Enesti floorplan makes me think for the smallest second that perhaps I could live in something even smaller. And a house that small is not only greener, but think of how big it would make your yard look! I'd really need someone to get me more organized to be able to do it.
A Year of Crockpotting -- So, I've caught this blogger at the end of her journey to use the crockpot 365 days in a row, but given that I love cooking in my crockpot (because it makes me look like a good cook) I think it's definitely going to be one of my well-worn bookmarks. Recommend it highly!
Little Brown Pen's Etsy Shop -- The calendars I linked to are just simply adorable. I'm sure with time and some Adobe knowledge they could be make at home, but for $5, I like them because they are totally reusable. There isn't a lot of room for writing, but I bet you could use them for some really cute scrap & stamp projects!
NaBloPoMo -- I think I'm going to give it a go. Blogging once a day, every day for the month of November. No double posts, no skipping days. Just good old once a day additions to the blog. And this gets to be my first post! Woo-hoo!
Obviously I'll be back tomorrow still kicking off the NaBloPoMo challenge, and I'll let you know how our weekend with my family went! Should be lots of fun and a good excuse to post adorable pics of Caleb and Lorelei. Too bad we have to spend so much time on the road to get there -- total bummer. Have a great weekend everybody!
23 October 2008
Notes for a Thursday
-- It was picture day today! After scrambling to find the order form, realizing I only had one and getting an envelope ready for the other...I was wishing it wasn't picture day. I didn't dress the kids up even a little bit. I'm only ordering a class picture just like I did from M--------------- (which I'm still wondering if they'll send them to me or not??). I'm much more interested in getting some more candid shots, or even some real professional shots of them. I do want that memory for them though, so class pictures it was. George had to take the kids to school because by the time I had everything ready for the kids to leave, I was still in my pajamas. I was not dropping them off in pajamas!
-- We got a U-Haul's worth of junk out of the garage this afternoon. We probably have another U-Haul's worth still in the garage, but we're getting there. A ton of the leftovers are the mounds of garbage that have piled up in the last three weeks. Between George and I we haven't even managed to get the garbage out once since I moved down here. Talk about planning! The funny side of it all was that some woman drove by and asked us if we were having a garage sale? I was confused since other than the bikes we had out in front of the garage everything else was literally bags of garbage and empty cardboard boxes. I wonder what type of garage sales she frequents???
-- We realized that our furnace wasn't working today. I was suspicious a few days ago, but George not so much. He finally got what I was talking about when he got out of bed this morning and it was absolutely frigid in the house. Still in the high 60's, but with no hot air, that's like having AC on when it's 40 degrees outside! We're thankful for an energy efficient house. The heat from the past few sunny days has kept us in the 70's even without heat.
-- The new blinds for the house came via FedEx this afternoon. George is working on putting them up as I type this. We got them from JustBlinds. We got the honeycomb style and they are able to open from both the top and bottom of the window. Super nice in the summer when you want the late sun, but not the curious stares from the neighbors! I'm hoping Duke doesn't break any of them trying to look out and bark at everyone that goes by!
-- Our Affy Tapple order came in today from the school. The kids each called one of the Halloween sprinkled ones for dessert tonight. George and I get the plain ones. Go figure! They've been quiet for about the last ten minutes, so I'm assuming they taste pretty darn good.
-- This weekend we'll just be working more on the house. We're going to try and finish cleaning up the garage, install any blinds that don't get up tonight, and work on getting through the boxes we didn't send to storage because they were useful now.
--We're also going to take a break from all this work over the weekend and get some pumpkins to carve with Caleb and Lorelei. They've been begging for pumpkins for about three weeks now and I've held out so they weren't rotted mush by the time Halloween actually rolled around.
-- We got a U-Haul's worth of junk out of the garage this afternoon. We probably have another U-Haul's worth still in the garage, but we're getting there. A ton of the leftovers are the mounds of garbage that have piled up in the last three weeks. Between George and I we haven't even managed to get the garbage out once since I moved down here. Talk about planning! The funny side of it all was that some woman drove by and asked us if we were having a garage sale? I was confused since other than the bikes we had out in front of the garage everything else was literally bags of garbage and empty cardboard boxes. I wonder what type of garage sales she frequents???
-- We realized that our furnace wasn't working today. I was suspicious a few days ago, but George not so much. He finally got what I was talking about when he got out of bed this morning and it was absolutely frigid in the house. Still in the high 60's, but with no hot air, that's like having AC on when it's 40 degrees outside! We're thankful for an energy efficient house. The heat from the past few sunny days has kept us in the 70's even without heat.
-- The new blinds for the house came via FedEx this afternoon. George is working on putting them up as I type this. We got them from JustBlinds. We got the honeycomb style and they are able to open from both the top and bottom of the window. Super nice in the summer when you want the late sun, but not the curious stares from the neighbors! I'm hoping Duke doesn't break any of them trying to look out and bark at everyone that goes by!
-- Our Affy Tapple order came in today from the school. The kids each called one of the Halloween sprinkled ones for dessert tonight. George and I get the plain ones. Go figure! They've been quiet for about the last ten minutes, so I'm assuming they taste pretty darn good.
-- This weekend we'll just be working more on the house. We're going to try and finish cleaning up the garage, install any blinds that don't get up tonight, and work on getting through the boxes we didn't send to storage because they were useful now.
--We're also going to take a break from all this work over the weekend and get some pumpkins to carve with Caleb and Lorelei. They've been begging for pumpkins for about three weeks now and I've held out so they weren't rotted mush by the time Halloween actually rolled around.
13 October 2008
Busy Weekend
We have been on the go all weekend long, and it continues today since the kids are out of school for Columbus Day.
Saturday, we trekked up to M--------------- to pick up the fish, tank and misc. items that were left behind at the apartment. Grammy drove down to meet us and we all got to go out to lunch together; which was really nice. Of course, we didn't get everything because there were things I didn't realize the kids brought in with them and other things I didn't realize I was supposed to be taking with me to care for the fish. So, George has offered to make a trip up there next weekend when Chris will be there to get the pitiful little last load.
Sunday, we drove about an hour to visit friends of ours. Since my original move four years ago I've only had the opportunity to see them one other time and it was amazing to just hop in the car and go visit for a few hours. On the way there we ran out of gas on the expressway; quite embarrassing in a Toyota Prius. Thankfully, we were about 3 minutes off our exit so our friends brought us a gallon of gas and we were able to get to a gas station without needing to go through the hassle of dealing with Roadside Assistance.
The kids had an absolute blast playing together! We hardly heard from Caleb and Lorelei the entire afternoon because they were so fascinated by all the new toys! After lunch and just some relaxing we headed over to a really nice wooden playground and let the kids loose. Of course, there was a hitch here too because Caleb's shoes got left at home. I thought they were still in the car from the night before, but he had actually carried them in the house. I suppose having three pairs of tennis shoes won't kill anyone.
We got home about 7PM last night and picked up some drive-thru. Caleb really, really wanted one of the new Matchbox car Happy Meals. And I have to admit, the light-up car is pretty cool.
George is back at work today, so the kids and I are fending for ourselves. I have a million pounds of laundry scattered about that needs to be folded and put away. The kitchen is an absolute mess (that darn counter is a magnet for junk) and we need to run out and pick up some food for the fish and maybe something that I can throw in the crock pot for dinner.
Saturday, we trekked up to M--------------- to pick up the fish, tank and misc. items that were left behind at the apartment. Grammy drove down to meet us and we all got to go out to lunch together; which was really nice. Of course, we didn't get everything because there were things I didn't realize the kids brought in with them and other things I didn't realize I was supposed to be taking with me to care for the fish. So, George has offered to make a trip up there next weekend when Chris will be there to get the pitiful little last load.
Sunday, we drove about an hour to visit friends of ours. Since my original move four years ago I've only had the opportunity to see them one other time and it was amazing to just hop in the car and go visit for a few hours. On the way there we ran out of gas on the expressway; quite embarrassing in a Toyota Prius. Thankfully, we were about 3 minutes off our exit so our friends brought us a gallon of gas and we were able to get to a gas station without needing to go through the hassle of dealing with Roadside Assistance.
The kids had an absolute blast playing together! We hardly heard from Caleb and Lorelei the entire afternoon because they were so fascinated by all the new toys! After lunch and just some relaxing we headed over to a really nice wooden playground and let the kids loose. Of course, there was a hitch here too because Caleb's shoes got left at home. I thought they were still in the car from the night before, but he had actually carried them in the house. I suppose having three pairs of tennis shoes won't kill anyone.
We got home about 7PM last night and picked up some drive-thru. Caleb really, really wanted one of the new Matchbox car Happy Meals. And I have to admit, the light-up car is pretty cool.
George is back at work today, so the kids and I are fending for ourselves. I have a million pounds of laundry scattered about that needs to be folded and put away. The kitchen is an absolute mess (that darn counter is a magnet for junk) and we need to run out and pick up some food for the fish and maybe something that I can throw in the crock pot for dinner.
10 October 2008
Friday Recap
1. In addition to the electricity going out and all the fun that entailed, Duke got out of the house and "ran away" this afternoon. Caleb was in absolute tears when I came back empty handed. Kids put their shoes on and we went after him. Thankfully a neighbor had caught him running through his yard after his dog started freaking out in their backyard.
2. A child was hit in the school parking lot this week at the kids' school. I don't know what happened, but it makes me nervous about eventually letting Caleb walk home alone after school. They've increased the number of staff out in the parking lot (principal, volunteers and teachers), but I don't know how much good it's going to do. The whole set up was just an accident waiting to happen if you want my opinion!
3. Both kids really like their new teachers. This makes me pretty happy. Caleb appears to have made a few friends. Lorelei has too. I do notice a lot of differences in how things are done here vs. M-----------. I'm not sure which ones are better/worse than the others. I do think I prefer Caleb's teacher from M----------- to the new one. She really had her stuff together and he was flourishing in her class. I actually like Lorelei's teacher here more. She's more bubbly and kindergarten-ish.
4. I haven't gotten much unpacking done, but the house is at least live able for now. I don't even know where everything is going to go, but next on my list is to organize the kitchen. I can't find anything at the moment and it's driving me crazy! In fact, I attempted to actually cook a meal tonight and could not find a can opener. That pretty much put us at the drive-thru for Burger King.
2. A child was hit in the school parking lot this week at the kids' school. I don't know what happened, but it makes me nervous about eventually letting Caleb walk home alone after school. They've increased the number of staff out in the parking lot (principal, volunteers and teachers), but I don't know how much good it's going to do. The whole set up was just an accident waiting to happen if you want my opinion!
3. Both kids really like their new teachers. This makes me pretty happy. Caleb appears to have made a few friends. Lorelei has too. I do notice a lot of differences in how things are done here vs. M-----------. I'm not sure which ones are better/worse than the others. I do think I prefer Caleb's teacher from M----------- to the new one. She really had her stuff together and he was flourishing in her class. I actually like Lorelei's teacher here more. She's more bubbly and kindergarten-ish.
4. I haven't gotten much unpacking done, but the house is at least live able for now. I don't even know where everything is going to go, but next on my list is to organize the kitchen. I can't find anything at the moment and it's driving me crazy! In fact, I attempted to actually cook a meal tonight and could not find a can opener. That pretty much put us at the drive-thru for Burger King.
09 October 2008
24+ Hours Without Electricity
I woke up late yesterday morning to get the kids' ready for school. By some miracle we still made it out the door at 8:15. I got home from dropping them off and decided to run straight to Target to get the things I needed once I had the upstairs bathroom cleaned out (new rugs, towels, etc). I was at Target for roughly an hour because I had such a hard time picking out exactly what I wanted and what I thought would match the bathroom. I got home and tried to open the garage door from my parking spot on the street...it didn't work. Not thinking anything of it, I just left the bags in the car for later and headed around the house to the front door.
I walked into the house and didn't immediately recognize anything strange. I should have because the computer and the entertainment center both have a hum, but I wasn't listening real sharp. I walked into the kitchen and noticed for the first time that something wasn't right...the stove clock was out. Upon looking into the living room, I finally realize that the computer is completely off and nothing is running in the entire house.
I called George. He took a shower and called the electric company. Yeah, he paid it...on the wrong account number. And so, since the electric company doesn't really care if you have two young children and a fridge full of rotting food...we went without electricity from 9AM Wednesday morning until almost 2PM today. Lovely.
We did manage to make it pretty well without. I picked up four oil lamps from our local Meijer to shed some light on the situation. Instead of cartoons after school we went to the park. Instead of cooking dinner, we went out. Instead of showers, the kids' took a bath together in the flicker of the oil lamps glow. Instead of staying up way to late to watch HGTV, mom went to bed at 9:30 after her Kindle battery died.
I will say that I'm certainly appreciating the light switches a little more today than I did on Tuesday. I really, really, really don't know how people did it before the flick of a switch could make everything so much easier!
I walked into the house and didn't immediately recognize anything strange. I should have because the computer and the entertainment center both have a hum, but I wasn't listening real sharp. I walked into the kitchen and noticed for the first time that something wasn't right...the stove clock was out. Upon looking into the living room, I finally realize that the computer is completely off and nothing is running in the entire house.
I called George. He took a shower and called the electric company. Yeah, he paid it...on the wrong account number. And so, since the electric company doesn't really care if you have two young children and a fridge full of rotting food...we went without electricity from 9AM Wednesday morning until almost 2PM today. Lovely.
We did manage to make it pretty well without. I picked up four oil lamps from our local Meijer to shed some light on the situation. Instead of cartoons after school we went to the park. Instead of cooking dinner, we went out. Instead of showers, the kids' took a bath together in the flicker of the oil lamps glow. Instead of staying up way to late to watch HGTV, mom went to bed at 9:30 after her Kindle battery died.
I will say that I'm certainly appreciating the light switches a little more today than I did on Tuesday. I really, really, really don't know how people did it before the flick of a switch could make everything so much easier!