Ugh!

Cake + frosting + humidity because you have only an evap cooler = A Big Mess!

Happy Birthday!!!

It's FE's 8th birthday today! What a kiddo he is. Charming, funny, entertaining, brilliant, witty, quirky, and just so unique. I'm so proud and happy to be his mom!

ARGH!!!

So our air conditioning went out last night. We have an evap cooler which works really well when it's not too humid outside, so it worked fine for last night. Mark called the company at 7 AM to get someone out here. What happens is you call the company and the company calls a vendor to come fix whatever problem. The vendor is supposed to call within 4 hours. So I wait and wait and wait. I finally, at 1:30, decide I've waited long enough and call the company back. The woman who answers the phone says they have no record of us calling this morning. They haven't sent the call out. WHAT???? So I ask why? Because our contract expired on July 18th. Well, I sent them a check that had been cashed. I go to my bank website and see that the check went through on August 1st. Well, she doesn't knowwhat the deal is. She sends me to "processing" where the lady tells me that because my payment came in 10 days after the expiration date, that they put a hold on it. So, the contract actually started again TODAY!!! She transfers me back to service where a different guy answers the phone. He (are you ready for this) tells me that they sent the call out this morning to such and such a company. He doesn't know why they haven't called yet. At this point I tell him to hang on for a minute while I go BANG MY HEAD AGAINST A WALL!!! He calls them, they say they have no appointments for 2 WEEKS!!! So, he's called another company to come and they can schedule us for Friday, which is not unexpected in the summer in Arizona. It might be easier to just call someone else and get this fixed, but no matter what is wrong with it, and the unit is over 10 years old so who knows, it only costs me $5o. So I'll wait for Friday and hope the humidity stays low for the next couple of days!

Cub Scout Hell

Have you ever been in a situation with a group of people where you just think, this is so surreal it must be a nightmare because these people cannot exist in real life?
Our Cub Scout pack is the most bizarre snippet of society I've ever encountered. What follows are real and accurate descriptions, not at all exaggerated for comic effect.

The Cub Master- 50 something who feels the need to dye his hair an "interesting" shade of blond. He obviously does it at home himself as you can see by the orange undertones running through his hair. He does not actually have a child involved in scouting. He makes up all the cheesy songs they sing at every pack meeting. He also devised the adult Pinewood derby competition and builds his own car to enter every year.

The Secretary of the Pack- 40ish woman, loud and obnoxious. Scouting is her life as is evidenced by the vast amount of time she spends calling my house for freaking details that could wait until I saw her again. A glimpse of her true personality? She pulled her kids from the school my children go to because her son was suspended for calling a teacher a "butthead". Her quote? "I could see him getting a warning or something, but a suspension? That school is too strict!"

Our Den leaders- Husband and wife, late 20's. He works as an electrician. She's a secretary. His claim to fame? How many times he's passed out in hot attics and how many concussions he's had from falling out of attics. He's a few napkins short of a picnic. His wife? Big-haired, gum popping, constant sun glass wearing, completely oblivious to her two bratty kids wreaking havoc everywhere they go. They are in charge.

The rest of our den? With the exception of one other mom from our school, they are people who love to camp (like not just for cub scout events! ewww!!!), hunt, play with guns, drink lots of beer daily, watch car races, and make lewd jokes. They are raising boys who are exactly the same. Needless to say, we a definitely fish out of water in this environment.

Ridiculous!

So, apparently due to privacy laws, it has become "illegal" to hang up a student's good work in class. Why? Well you can't have a name and grade on the same paper for one, but the other part? We don't want to make the other children feel bad! This makes me want to scream!! We still give place ribbons for children who do well in sports! We post lists of who makes a team or whatever. Why on earth should the 100% that my child gets on a test NOT be hung up in a classroom if that's what the teacher wants to do??? SB's teacher is hanging up the work of students who want their work hung up and FE's teacher is ignoring the whole thing but I just cannot believe it's even come to this.

1993

1993
Originally uploaded by mlm4.

13 years ago today, I married the love of my life, my best friend, my hero! I could not have made a better decision. Every single year is better than the one before and I fall more in love every day. He is the most amazing husband and father ever! Happy, Happy Anniversary to my Prince Charming!

4 years...

Four years ago today I lost one of the most important people in my life, my grandma.
My grandma was 40 years old when I was born to my mom, who was a 21 year old single mom. Finances dictated that my mother go back to work when I was 2 weeks old, so I was essentially raised by my grandma. Add in some poor life choices and a brother who followed me by only 13 months and it is easy to say that my grandma, for all intents and purposes, was my primary caregiver for much of my young life.We were amazingly close. She was so wonderful. An good hearted Christian person. Everyone who ever met her adored her, loved her, cherished her. She never met a stranger. She was a great cook, seamstress, friend and companion. She coddled and loved her great grandchildren with a passion and was especially delighted with my children.

She fell and hit her head and had a stroke on August 26th, 2002. She was perfectly healthy before that, at the ripe old age of 73. When I saw her in the hospital that day, even though she couldn't open her eyes, she knew who I was and that I was there. When I was leaving she told me to "Make sure I told the kids that she'd been air-evaced and got to ride in a helicopter. They'd love that!"
She took a turn for the worse overnight and had a second stroke. We (Mark and the Princess and I) spent the day at the hospital the next day. The Princess was still breast feeding and needed to be with me and there were plenty of family members there to help care for her. We sat with grandma and I sang to her, her favorite song "In the Garden" and I sang to her a song she'd never heard, but seemed fitting, "I Can Only Imagine". She died with her children and grandchildren surrounding her and telling her how much we loved her over and over. It was the single most difficult day of my life to date but a beautiful ending to a life well lived.
In the waiting room after she died we were all sort of lost, not quite knowing what to do, but watching the Princess pull herself up everywhere and take a step or two. She was 11 1/2 months old and getting ready to walk, but not quite there yet. At one point shortly after grandma died, she stood herself up and walked alone for the first time, right toward the doors to the area of the hospital where grandma had been. She walked from then on.

Mark took the Princess and went to pick the other kids up from the various spots where they were situated. He put the Princess in her backwards facing car seat and the two of them drove off. As they drove out of the parking lot, the Princess started talking and laughing like someone was playing with her. Mark, who was very close to my grandma as well, said he then heard my grandma's voice tell him to "love and take care of his family". I know she was in the car with them, playing with the Princess, just like I know she helped the Princess walk and I know that every day in a million ways she's watching out for me and my family.
I love her and miss her every single day, but I know that she is in the place she wants to be and that we'll see her again in that place and it will be a very happy reunion.

The Princess is Worried

This morning before he left Mark put on his suit jacket. In the pocket was a name tag on a lanyard from his last conference. It had his name and Vice President of Operations printed on it. He put it on me and I started joking about being the Vice President. The Princess asked when she could be the Vice President of her kids and I said "Well, as soon as you have them!". And she, in all seriousness, said "But Mommy, I can't be the Vice President AND a mermaid!".

In Case You were wondering...

SB's class did a rain dance first thing this morning. It seems to have worked.

Braces

SB got her top braces today. It's really amazing. She's already a really cute girl, but the braces made her look even cuter! I don't think I've ever seen a kid look cuter with their braces on, but she's done it. She's feeling great, no pain so far and went with me to pick up FE from school so she could show them off. Light blue and black bands to match her shoes. What a girl!

Entitlement

Seems to me an awful lot of people have a great sense of entitlement these days. An example: This morning at thePrincess' preschool while the rest of us lowly minions were parking in actual parking spots and turning off our cars and perhaps even getting smaller children out of the car to walk in to the preschool, Mr. IhaveabigtruckandcanparkwhereverIwant pulls up to the sidewalk, thereby blocking the ramp that some moms use for strollers, leaving his truck running and walking his kid in. There was no one else in the truck. Why does this guy think he doesn't need to park? It's the same thing going through the pick-up line at some schools(not my kids because our system works very well and there's no way to sneak in line). When I go to pick up a daycare kid in the afternoon and sit and wait my turn in line there are tons of people going around the line, pulling up next to the line, having their kids cross a lane or two of traffic because they can't wait that extra minute for the line to move. Why is whatever they are doing more important than what anyone else in line has to do? I don't get it...

Baby, It's HOT outside! (and all about SB!)

I can't believe how freakin' hot it is this morning! At 8:30, on my way home from taking the kids to school, my car thermometer said 96 degrees. No wonder we felt like we were melting waiting for the bell to ring this morning. It needs to cool off a little bit!

Four reasons why I love SB's teacher even more:
1) After three days of school she had already noticed and commented to both SB and myself about what a great writer SB is and how much she loves to write. Three days!!
2) she took time during class to explain to the class that anyone who was blaming Mark for anything happening at school was just stupid. That he is the President of the Board, but only one member and that everything the Board does they think about for a long time. She made SB feel very comfortable and happy!
3) On Thursday evening, SB wasn't feeling well. When I said she might have to stay home on Friday? She BURST into tears and was crying because she loves school so much. She couldn't bear to miss a day! This hasn't happened since 2nd grade!
4) Science. SB has never been interested in science. Until now. Because her homeroom teacher teaches it and is funny and wonderful. Science is suddenly her favorite subject!

SB gets her top braces on Wednesday. I'm glad our orthodontist is a bit more conservative. SB's two friends? They go to a different orthodontist. They both got their braces in 3rd grade. They are both going to have to get them again! What a waste!

World Trade Center

Mark and I went to see this last night. I was really terrified to see it. I was feeling a lot of anxiety about it, but had been looking at the previews for so long that I just decided to bite the bullet. Within the first 10 minutes I was on the edge of my seat debating walking out of the movie. The stress was getting to be too much for me. I have a different emotional tie to that day then maybe some people who were just watching the news coverage.

See, I was planning to have a baby that day. I was up waiting for the hospital to call and say they had a bed for me when the whole thing happened. My family was home, Mark from work, the kids from school, my mom was over because we were going to the hospital. Once the hospital was not on lockdown anymore, we actually did go. I was in labor that day. While thousands of people were dying and being devastated by tragedy, while there was evidence of so much ugliness in the world, I was concentrating on bringing new life, the most beautiful gift, into the world. The Princess was not born until the following day, which I'm grateful for, but every thought and emotion about 9/11 is tied up for me in the emotion of having a baby as well.

Having said all of that, seeing this movie was important to me. And I'm very glad I didn't walk out because it was a beautifully done movie and a tribute to all the goodness and kindness that came out of people on that day and the days that followed. Our country was united in a way it hadn't been in a long time and there is certain beauty in that. It made me proud again of the heroes who, every day, without fail and without thinking, put their lives on the line for us, in particular those first responders who fought and lost their lives trying to save others from this destruction.

Weight

I haven't posted about my weight in a while, but never fear! Between being sick and Mark out of town and school starting I've not been eating the best or felt like exercising, but I have maintained my weight loss. I'll be back on the food track Monday morning and exercising over the weekend. Mark is getting ready to hike the Grand Canyon in October and wants to hike both days over the weekend. One day he'll go with his dad but the other day we'll go together. So no worries, I'm headed down the right path again!

First Day of preschool!

First Day of preschool!
Originally uploaded by mlm4.

Today my baby started preschool! It's really hard to believe that she's old enough for this. It feels like just yesterday that she was born. She had a great time after I peeled her off my leg and was able to leave. She made a friend. When I asked her what the friend's name was, she said "I don't remember, but she had PINK pants!!!" Ah...the important things in life...

A Day and a half...

That's how long we made it without someone getting sick at school! I got a call from the nurse yesterday about 11:45 that she had FE in her office with a temp of 101.4 and a tummy ache. We went and picked him up, brought him home and he slept most of the day and all night and is back at school, temperature free, this morning. I didn't feel too badly after the nurse told me she had sent two kids home the first day of school. At least we made it to the second day!

SB's teacher is a sweetie. She's really loud and boisterous and lots of fun. I already knew the following about her but was waiting for her to tell her class before I talked to SB about it. Her second grade daughter has cancer. I don't know much about it, such as where or what stage or anything. I do know she's been at her school this year, but that she went into kidney failure last year. I do know that when she was 5 the doctors said she wouldn't make it until she was 7 and she's surpassed that goal, but that she's still a sick little girl. I do know that her mom is an amazingly courageous woman and that my daughter will learn a lot this year, and not just academics.

The princess starts school tomorrow. We visited her classroom yesterday and met the teachers. She's going to have a great year.

And I did get the teenager to work and SB to dance on time yesterday! Yea me!

The first Day...

The three oldest kiddos are off to school. The teenager drove off with a friend to start his Junior! year of high school... I don't think I'm actually old enough to have a kid his age!
SB was excited to see her friends and her teacher was an instant hit because on Friday she asked to borrow SB's balloon flipflops to wear today. Sb had them packed in her backpack and when we saw the teacher this morning she told us she had worn slip on shoes so she could take them off easily to put SB's shoes on. That should be fun!
FE is going in to a class with one of my all time favorite teachers and people. I adore this woman. She's not only an amazing teacher, but a good friend and we are blessed to be in her classroom. She's the MOST requested teacher at our school, bar none. It should be a great year.
Tonight we have preschool parent orientation at the Princess' preschool. SB also starts dance and has her last gymnastics class. Nothing like jumping right in!

Fun weekend!

We've had a lovely weekend this last one before school starts. Friday we went to school and saw the teachers and friends and got everything situated for Monday. The atmosphere on campus is amazingly positive considering all the stuff that has happened this summer. Our new Principal seems up to the task and quite lovely.
That evening we took the Teenager on his date with us. We went to dinner at Famous Dave's and then to see Talladega Nights. Some very funny moments in the movie, but it was a little crude for me. I have to say though that Will Ferrell is really just incredibly funny. I've liked him since Saturday Night Live. He just plays stupid reallllly well!
Saturday was spent getting the house cleaned, errands run, laundry done, Teenager to work and SB to a cheer party and then watching a family movie. Sunday we washed cars and took the kids to a movie, had a family dinner, took the Teenager to work, went to church, had a yummy dessert, read books and got everyone to bed early for the first day back at school today. It really was a lovely family weekend. And today starts the craziness of the school year. I have yet to figure out how to work tomorrow with a kid who needs to be at work and a kid who needs to be at dance both shortly after school gets out and miles apart! Wish me luck!

Back to School!

We're back to school on Monday. Tomorrow is Meet the Teacher day and the weekend is booked with fun stuff to end our summer. I'm sad. I hate it when the kids go back to school. I honestly don't get the moms who get really excited about it. I love having my kids at home!

And thus it begins...

The calendar is filling up as it always does in the fall. With four kids and myriad other responsibilities our free time is very limited. I was looking to see which of three weekends SB could dance in Snow Queen should she get cast (she has the last two years, so I'm guessing she will again) and there was one weekend without an event already scheduled. Of course that weekend is my goddaughter's 2nd birthday. But the other two weekends involve the Princess' school Christmas program and Mark having something else he needs to do. Argh! We're talking December people!This does not bode well for the remainder of the school year!

Finally

I have been desperately sick for several days. I have an outer and inner ear infection that about killed me. No, really. The side of my face is swollen, there was sloshing in my head and the pain was excruciating. On top of that, Mark was gone. I finally slept last night for the first time since Friday. My ear is still swollen shut, but the pain seems to have subsided a bit. I'm glad because I don't think my stomach can take any more pain killers. Can you say 3000 MG of Advil in one day and 2500 of Aleve the following day? If I die of liver or kidney failure this week you'll know why!

I'm hoping I stay feeling better all day as Mark was able to get 4 free tickets to this tonight and the girls and my mom and I are planning to go. Well the girls aren't planning. They don't know anything about it, but seeing as I have two of the most girly-girls around, I guarantee they'll be excited! And I need to get back to work! Missing three days of work does nothing for my bank account which needs to be healthy this time of year with school starting and two kiddos' birthdays, some other birthdays, and an anniversary coming up!

All done

I am done shopping for the kids for school, with the exception of the teenager since we don't find out what he needs until the first day. We picked up the last bits and pieces yesterday along with getting haircuts for the youngest three. And the Princess's backpack came via FedEx yesterday. Of course she had to have a princess one. We bought one at Target, but then I saw one at the Disney store online for the exact same price, but cuter and embroidered with her name! I'm not one to have kid's names on their clothes or anything since I'm a bit paranoid, but a backpack has to have her name on it anyway and she'll never be without me when she has it on so I'm okay with that. All that's left to do this week is get supplies labeled and ready to take to school. We have Meet the Teacher day on Friday. Although we know the teachers already, it's still a fun time for the kids to visit the classroom before school starts.

I left my scrapbooking stuff out on the table after Friday night's crop and I've actually done a bunch of pages! Someday, when I don't have a baby here during the day, I'll find a place to leave it out so I can get more done.

We're going to visit the teenager at work today and having lunch there with my mom. I'm predicting a big tip for him today!

Mark comes back on Tuesday and I cannot wait. I need some sleep! I just can't sleep when he's gone. I jump at every little noise.

Something is wrong with my ear! The inside of my ear, the part that leads to your eardrum is almost completely swollen shut. I feel like I'm under water. And the pain! Yesterday it was really all I could do to chew or talk, two of my favorite things. I'll be calling the Dr. Tomorrow if it isn't any better.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Irritated!

I weigh myself every day, which I know I shouldn't do as body weight fluctuates quite a bit over the course of the week no matter what you are doing. But this week? When I've been amazingly good at sticking to my plan? I'm weighing the same as Monday! Since I've only been eating 1200 calories a day for most of the days this week I'm certain it is a reaction to lack of food, but 1) I haven't really been very hungry and 2) as always on the WW plan I have a bank of calories I'm allowed to use at any point during the week if I like so I was holding on to them for the weekend. My body seems to react better when I have a high calorie day followed by a low calorie day and I haven't had any high calorie days this week. So if you see me munching on brownies tonight you'll know why!

Fair Warning

To those of you coming to my house tonight? If I happen to fall asleep directly on my scrapbooking stuff please forgive me and watch over the children. After getting to bed very late, I was up at 5:30 to take Mark to the airport. I'm in desperate need of a nap and it's only 9:22!

The DMV

I took the teenager to get his learners permit today. We got in line at 7:40 since the building opens at 8. We were approximately 30 people back in line. We stand in one line to be told to go to another line for an eye exam, then back to the first line to get a number, then wait...And wait...And wait...Then we get called to a desk so they can check ID and and we can pay, then we get sent to another line, and wait...And wait...And wait.... He gets called to take the test. At this point I started to get REALLY nervous because no less than 10 kids finished the test while he was taking it and ONE of them passed. ONE! He comes out with a big grin on his face though, so that was a relief! Then we wait... And wait.... And wait some more until they call him to take his picture. After that we wait again for them to actually print the permit. We were there for over 2 hours, and we got there early. I feel for the people who came in later. I really do. So now I have a permitted, jobbed (my new word!), teenager who is, as we speak, registering for his junior year in high school! Where does the time go???

Tears

Some of you know what a hard time I am having with The Princess going off to preschool very soon. Today in the mail we got the invitation to the beginning of school ice cream social. It had her teacher's name and the room she'll be in. I lost it. It was one thing to have the vagueness of her going to preschool, but the idea that she has a teacher! with a name! is really sending me right over the edge.