Just What I Was Thinking

As I was in the post office today with the girls, the line was not moving much. Does it ever? Well we were one more person to go and sweet little A blurts out: "This is boring". I look down at her and ask her, "what did you say". She repeats herself clearly. A few other people in line reply with "it sure is" and "that is what I was thinking" I am so glad that A didn't say anything worse. She still loves to use "so stupid!" and "not fair!" Oh how nice it would be sometimes to be able to say what we want when we want. Perhaps I should have used this moment as a teachable moment. Nah - I'm sure there will be another one soon that I can use.

Big Lesson

Today was a big day for B. She has begun to see that money is hard to earn, yet very easy to spend. She has had her eyes on these Soda Pop dolls ever since she played with a friend that had a ton of them. We talked about how much they would cost and how much money she has saved. Her decision was to go buy one. She has talked about them non stop for 2 days. Her whole face lights up when she begins to describe these dolls to anyone. After a trip to target where she did not find the one she wanted, we hit toys r us. Looking down every doll aisle, I finally found 4 dolls. Non were the one she wanted, but lucky for me this is the one she liked. So it saved me a trip to walmart. This small doll that comes in a plastic soda bottle(or beer bottle as B calls it) cost $10.00! B is soooo very happy with her new purchase that she didn't even mind handing over all of her hard earned money. I'm sure she will be happy to do a chore for me now :)

TIMBER!!

Here are the photos Tom took of some of the many trees that blew over due to the storm. This huge tree, as you can see, looks like it was pulled right out of the ground and was put down on it's side. There is actually another tree right behind this one. Yup, 2 huge trees in a row down. They blocked the road for a while and 3 days later most of the trees are still there. It is truly amazing and shocking that wind has this much power.

In the bottom photo you can get a good view of the grass that came up with the roots of the tree when it fell over. Thank God we took down a few of our older trees last summer or there could have been some serious damage.

Storm Report

So it is a few days after our storms and we finally have our power back. We are still one of the lucky ones. There are tons of lines down and until the trees are off, no power. It has been a tough number of days with out our beloved electricity. It still is amazing how much we depend on it.

No refrigerator, no lights, no laundry, no dishwasher, no microwave, no computer, and worst of all...no television!

I did rather well without the tv, the girls and Tom, not so well. We actually went to spend the night in a hotel so Tom could have air conditioning and his sports. Plus, eating by candle light was growing thin. I am glad to be home and turning on the computer has been rather relaxing for me. I still need to go through the cooler and throw away pretty much everything in it. Good thing I have been on a no grocery store kick or I would have a lot more food to throw away.

I have some amazing photos of a few trees that were literately ripped from the ground to post, but couldn't upload them yet. Will try again later.

Thank God we are and were safe, and hope to not have to go through that again.

Simple But True

I received this poem from a friend today and I thought it would be just right for my blog. Remember the main reason I am doing a blog is for my friends that I seem to have lost touch with. Perhaps I will take note of this and ring some of your bells :)

Around the corner I have a friend, in this great city that has no end, Yet the days go by and weeks rush on, And before I know it, a year is gone. And I never see my old friends face, For life is a swift and terrible race, She knows I like her just as well, As in the days when I rang her bell. And she rang mine but we were younger then, And now we are busy, tired women. Tired of playing a foolish game, Tired of trying to make a name. "Tomorrow" I say! "I will call on Jill Just to show that I'm thinking of her." But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes, And distance between us grows and grows. Around the corner, yet miles away, "Here's a telegram sir," "Jill died today." And that's what we get and deserve in the end. Around the corner, a vanished friend.

What A Deal!

We went to get B's new school uniform yesterday. I decided that for Kindergarten I was not going to pay 45 dollars for just 1 jumper if I could help it. The uniform store total would be about $200 dollars for all the things she needed. So we hit the uniform resale at the school. What a smart move on my part! I got everything in the photos for a grand total of $48.00!!!

That includes 2 jumpers (one is brand new still with tag), 5 blouses, 1 sweatshirt, and 1 cardigan sweater. I was so pleased. Now all I need to find are navy blue tights that don't cost an arm and a leg.

A few people have been surprised that I would put B in a used uniform for her first years. I would rather have it be used so when she get paint on it, or cuts it accidentally I don't care as much. Plus, knowing that I saved $150 I am super excited.

B put on the uniform last night for Daddy to see. She looks so cute and old. I wanted to post that picture too, but I will keep you in suspense till her first day of school. She now seems to be getting really excited about this new school too. I am glad about that.

Busy Weekend

Friday night we had Tom's niece and ex-sister-in-law over for dinner. They are in town for nephew's first Northwestern Football game. He was on the team last year, but he was a red shirt then. So this was a big day. Tom even took the girls to see the game Saturday.

Saturday I went with some of my family to drop my sister off at college. This was bitter sweet. I am so happy that she is going away for I know she will love it, but at the same time I and the girls sure will miss her. I don't mean just for babysitting either. She has been such a big part of the girl's life these past 2 years. It will be great to see how their relationship changes now. I know B is so looking forward to lots of mail from Aunt Vic.

I too am a tad bit jealous for I think I might like to go away to college again. I mean have everything in my room, a big bathroom I never have to clean, food prepared for me 3 times a day, no kids, no husband... Sounds good doesn't it? but then I think about the things I'd have to give up... yeah I still want to go back :)

Since it has been raining non stop all day, I have been at the end of my rope. The girls have been going nuts for most of the day. It was so bad this morning that I took them out in the rain for a puddle walk. Even daddy came with us. It was kinda fun except for all the darn mosquitoes. But the girls had a blast going in all the puddles they could find and getting totally wet. They did have rain boots and rain coats on, but still very wet.

This afternoon, B and I went to the movies while the other two members of the family took naps. It was fun. I have never gone with just her. We saw Ratatouille. It was cute. Not the best kids movie, but it worked.

Still feeling lazy, we had a Grandma inspired "nibble night" for dinner. This means we just eat nibble type foods for dinner. B loves this. I like it too, for there is no real cooking or cleaning involved.

Lucky for me the day is about over.

Hair Raising Fun

I love how A's hair stands on end every time she goes down the slide.

We had a play date with our 2 year old gang yesterday. It is still so strange to see all 4 of our 2 year olds together. I never seem to notice how big A is until she is around the others. They always look much older, but not mine. it is great to see that all of our kids seem to do and behave in the same way. Even their favorite phrases seem to be the same.

B had a good time with her best buddy too.

New TV Show

I sat down after a long day at the zoo, dinner prep and clean-up, baths, and bed time, to watch a taped episode of Tori and Dean. I was just getting started when all of a sudden Tom came upstairs and grabbed the remote. I was a tad startled, but I went with it. He actually changed the channel to TLC for a new show called LA Ink. This is a spin off of the hit Miami ink. Now let me say that neither of us watched Miami Ink, so I was a tad confused as to why he would want to watch LA Ink. Well, after a few minutes I found out the reason...

Tom's old girlfriend, Hanna, is on the show. In fact she is one of the tattoo artists featured. I have to say of all his old flames I know most about this one. She has a daughter who Tom did not father, but liked a lot. They used to live together in Evanston. And he says she is super sweet and rather smart. So let me say we ended up watching the show for 2 hours. That would be 2 episodes! How many wives would do that? Oh that is right I have the man, for I'm sure she would be jealous :)

On the other side...She is really talented and very good at what she does. It is not a show I will remember to watch weekly, but I'm sure Tom will.

Our New Puppy

This is a picture of B holding her baby with her little puppy named Winifred (the one in the pink hat). She dressed up Winifred many times and even found matching outfits for herself and her baby. For some reason Winifred is standing on her hind legs in this picture instead of all four.

This sure beats any real puppy:)

Why Do We Care?

I had a strange moment yesterday. It really made me stop and think why as women/girls we care so much about what others think. I mean we care about how we look, how our kids look, what our house looks like, how smart we are, and the list goes on and on. WHY?

My moment was this... I was getting my swimsuit on to take the girls to the public pool. Bridget told me to put on my pretty red one. I was of course putting on my "make you look 10lbs lighter" black one. I told her that I didn't want to wear the red one today. She said,"Please wear it." I replied with," I want to wear this one." I hate to say anything about fat to her for I don't want her ever thinking she is fat. I guess I am too late. I said," I think the red one makes me look a little bit fat in my tummy." She said "I know what you mean, I too have fat days." This almost broke my heart for we all know she doesn't have an ounce of fat on her.

So I ask again, why do we as women care about what others think?

I like who I am and what I have. I know I am smart, funny, rather kind, have a husband who loves me, and my beautiful kids are well behaved(most of the time). So why do I still feel like it is not enough? I am getting better about not caring so much when people come over and the house is messy. I have lost weight and still look in to the mirror and think it is not enough. Heck I am 34 years old and don't want to think about weight gain for the rest of my days. Thank God I can't stand to throw up, or the bowl of ice cream I just ate after my pizza would be in the toilet :)

Am I the only one out there like this? I am pretty sure I am not. What am I doing to my 2 daughters? Am I programing them to think these thoughts too? I sure hope not.

Great Idea

This is a portable chalk mat!

Roll it up, take it with you to restaurants so your little one can busy herself as you enjoy your food!(11 x 17) and does not come with chalk. Costs about $25.00

I found this online toady and thought other moms might like it. I did not buy one, but am thinking about it. You can find it at www.samandbellie.com.

My only reason perhaps for not getting it that I HATE the feeling of chalk on my hands. As a teacher I tried, and succeeded, to only use chalk if absolutely necessary. I am all about an overhead projector or a dry erase board.

From A 2 Year Old

A has really taken to keen phrases. Here are a couple of her favorites. Keep in mind she usually uses them correctly.

"No Way!"
"Not Fair"
"Abby Do!"

Conversation with A yesterday after her play date friends left...
Me: Ok A what would you like to do?
A: Watch TV
ME: What? How about we play?
A: No I watch TV
ME: I don't want to watch TV.
A: Abby does.

Yeah, she got to watch JOJO's Circus.

Retro Cleaning

I began the day today letting the girls know that today was cleaning day. To my surprise they did not moan or cry. In fact, when it was go time they both helped. B often asked me for her next chore. It was nice. They did take a few breaks, but that was fine with me.

As I went to the bathroom to finally scrub the sink and tub I realized I had no more scrubbing powder. I use Bon-Ami which is like Comet, but without the bleach which gives me a headache. Anyway... I had to go way back to my roots and use the baking soda that I had in the cabinet.

Let me just say that I will no longer buy any scrubbing product. I will now purchase a box for 50 cents and use it for cleaning. I think it did a better job on the sinks and tub than the actual cleaning stuff. Plus it did not cause any caustic oders for me to inhale. I also like the fact that it will not hurt the girls if there is some left in the tub when they bathe. I do try to rise well, but you know sometimes there is a little left and I don't always get to shower before they take a bath.

Since I was on a retro cleaning kick I decided to also use the white vinegar to wash the hard wood floors. I'm not sure if it the vinegar or the simple fact that I washed the floors, but they do look pretty good.

All in all it was a rather good cleaning day. In fact I still have to finish the last load of towels. I sure don't like cleaning, but I love a clean house.

Friends

I do not have many friends. I say this with the qualification of friend being someone I go out and do things with. In most cases this would be without my kids along. Based on this qualification I have a handfull of people that I like to do things with. Some of these friends are located far away, and some are close.

Some of my favorite friends are those who I talk to once in a great while, but it seems like we just talked the other day. You know this type. No matter how long it has been since your last visit or chat nothing is out of place.

I had a baby shower to attend this weekend of this type of friend. We have been friends since our college days. Through the past years we have fallen out of touch. I didn't even know she was expecting her first baby till now and she is due in October! No matter. Seeing her this weekend was so great. She looked great and the only sad part was knowing that I have missed all of this. But isn't that was true friends are all about? I did not have hurt feeling because she hadn't told me this great news. In fact I felt just the opposite-sad. How could I be such a good friend and not kept in better touch?! I guess it doesn't matter and I'm not so sure things will change. As we get busier and more into our own lives we tend to move others out. It is good knowing however that no matter how "moved out" they are, I can move them right back in.

So to all my true friends, "thanks for sticking with me!"

Can't Wait

I find myself saying this more and more these days. I'm sure I said it often growing up, but looking back over the motherhood years I probably say it 10 times a day. You know what I mean. When pregnant "I can't wait till the baby is born." Then, "I can't wait till she sleeps through the night" "I can't wait till you crawl, I can't wait till you walk, talk, eat solids, ... then I can't wait till you like your new baby sister, play with your sister... Now it is I can't wait till you two stop fighting while you are playing, stop asking me for things, listen to what I say, do what I say... Oh, when will all the waiting end!!!!!?????

I guess I need to find a way to wait for the end of the waiting. Any suggestions?