10...9...8...7...6...5...

Happy Almost New Year!!!

I have to say, as I reflect back on 2010, it was a little "intense" and crazy. A household move to a different state can do that, I suppose.

2011 will be just as interesting, I imagine. And I'm not saying that because I will have three of my kids in soccer, instead of one. ;-) I'm saying it because I have a feeling it will be an interesting year.

Here's to a better, more interesting 2011!

RAMBLINGS is Moving!!!

AS OF JANUARY 1st 2011, this blog url will no longer exist. You will be able to find my blog at
http://suburbansoccermom.blogspot.com. (Since Postum no longer exists, I figured it was a wise choice!) If you have a link to my blog, you might want to change it effective Jan. 1. (But not until then!)

See you on the other side! Happy Almost NEW YEAR!!!

Lara

Merry Merry!

Merry Christmas, everyone! This morning we woke up early, beat the crowds for breakfast at The Original Pancake House, and saw a morning showing of Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Now we are resting up before the big night! I hope everyone has a safe and happy Holiday! Merry Christmas!

Lara

In Defense of The Gift Card.

 

"And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care"...(notice how "Dad and Mom's" stockings are way bigger?? SCORE!)

So. Gift Cards. My MIL hates 'em. She says when you give a giftcard, it screams: "I don't have time for you/you didn't mean enough to me to search for a meaningful gift."

BAH, I say. Giftcards are personal. Want to know why? Because no one has the same taste. I walk into a handbag store, and I'm walking out with Coach. My Aunt Gertrude walks into a handbag store (this is hypothetical) and she walks out with the latest black vinyl organizer with free calculator and wallet with 72 compartments for credit cards. (Not that that is a BAD thing, but it's just not "me.")

We are all different. So, in my opinion, the giving of a gift card tells me: "I care about you enough to want you to have exactly what you want--so--go forth and buy it for yourself!"

There's something "giddy" about shopping with a giftcard. You know you have X amount of dollars to spend, so you can either spend it all, or save some for later, or put it towards that big item you wanted (and now with the giftcard it will be half off), etc. etc.

For those of you who aren't into giving gift cards, I am not knocking you. You probably select the perfect gift every time, for those you know and love. I am merely suggesting that not everyone is like you. Not everyone has the inborn talent of "perfect gift selection."*coughcough* like ME, *coughcough*

Ergo, gift cards rock, in my opinion. I give them, and I love to receive them. But sometimes, sometimes, I try to give personal gifts. But only when I see something and it screams: "the person you're thinking of would really dig this!" Otherwise I am pretty much deer in headlights/clueless/needing to be taken out back and shot, when it comes to gift-giving. And yes, I would be lying if I didn't say giftcards took the "stress" out of gift shopping.

Am I completely insane?

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

Here are two of my trees. I actually have one more in the office to the right, but couldn't fit it in the frame. Can you tell I like Christmas?? I'm actually being tame this year.

Registered two kids for Spring Soccer. My 13-year old daughter, who played soccer for six years and gave it up two years ago, wants to play again. So, I've signed her up. I suspect she's reeeaaaallly rusty, but isn't it kind of like riding a bike? A little conditioning and a few skills classes to brush up, and she will be ready. I'm not sure why we have the sudden change of heart, but as long as she wants to stay active, I'm fine with it.

I am sad--it looked like we were getting some snow on Christmas day here, but now it is just rain. It's been in the 50's here, so no snow for us. And NO, I'm not complaining, but I do like to see a "little" white for Christmas. Then it can all melt the next day and never come back...heh heh...

Thing Four is completely potty trained. It only took a day. He's been going regularly ever since. I am actually surprised at how easy it was, once he was ready. My other kids were scared of the toilet/scared they'd fall in/scared of their own poop/you name it, but Thing Four is AWESOME.

Me yesterday: "(Thing Four), you are AWESOME!"

Thing Four: "I know, mom. I wanted to be a big boy so you wouldn't have to change my poopy diapers anymore."

Hello, Little Lord Fauntleroy, much? He just needs to call me "dearest."

I have a head cold, and I can't sleep. Luckily I'm more at the end of it. Head colds make me whiny and boring. Well...more than usual!

Keep warm, everyone, only THREE days until Christmas!!!

HEY, I just realized I forewent my favorite Christmas tree countdown widget! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? What's wrong with me???? Maybe I can find it real quick! Oooh, yes, I did!

A Thing of Beauty...

Can you guess which side my 3-year old (who looooooooves gum drops!) decorated?

Bet you'll never.

I discovered some new things yesterday. I discovered Postum (it's actually Pero but old habits die hard) tastes absolutely REVOLTING with gingerbread-flavored coffee creamer. I'll stick to plain, thanks.

I discovered that when it's 55 degrees out, it rains a lot.

I discovered my kids can't go even one hour without wanting on the computer. (So I took it away, bwahahahahahahaaaa!)

I discovered shopping at this point is futile.

I discovered Starbucks' Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate. Am massively in love.

I discovered that I tied the festive wreath on my car so darn well, I can't wash it now:
I also discovered that now the presents are all bought, the cards are sent out and all I have to do is wait for Christmas to happen, I love everybody and everything.

Happy Tuesday!!!

Cue The HALLELUJAH CHORUS!!!!

I never thought it would happen. I had HOPES, but not really. I was going to have a five-year old in diapers. I was trying to figure out how we could "hide" it when he went to Kindergarten. Maybe I could sneak in and change him during "naptime..."

Now I worry no more. Thing Four (who is three, and has plenty of time before he's five) is officially Potty Trained!!!

It happened yesterday. Yes, in ONE day. I knew when it happened, it would happen FAST.

We were getting ready for church, and Thing Four was getting into the shower, and I asked him if he wanted to sit on the potty. To my great surprise (in the past this question has been met with a resounding NO!) he shrugged his shoulders and said "Sure, Mom."

So, I put him on the toilet. And he peed! I think he was so surprised by my reaction (squealing/crying/jumping up and down/telling him he was the awesomest EVER) he very quickly warmed up to the idea of going in the toilet. After his shower, he eschewed the diaper and asked me if he could wear "big boy underwear." I happen to have a package of pullups on hand, so we got one on and he kept it dry all day. I guess it helped I told him he had to "prove" he was a big boy by wearing the Big Boy Underwear.

And in the late afternoon, he told me he needed to do "poopies." Skeptical (and not even thinking lightning would strike twice in this case) I put him on the toilet, and guess what he did!!! Number Two!!! WOOOO!!!

Most of you are probably wondering why this is such a huge deal. So I have a toddler who finally goes on the toilet, Whoopdie Ding Dong. Well, you don't understand. A) This is my last child and B) He's been capable of going on the potty for about nine months, so you can IMAGINE my frustration! I mean, this kid is smart. He's one of those "old soul" kids. He's very logical about things, and I find that I can actually reason with him, whereas with his siblings it was My Way or the Highway. (And I'm not talking about me.)

Granted, now that we "go on the potty," I am stopping about every hour to put him on it. But that's ok. Eventually he will figure out the "urge to go" himself. This morning, he got up, and I put him on the toilet, and he went. Of course, I told him I'd buy him some Legos if he went on the potty, so THAT helps. ;-)

I am so excited. I need to celebrate. This is the BEST!!!!!

Some Holiday "Cheer."

I was asked if I would be interested in testing Cheer BrightCLEAN recently, since I am assuming I sound like such a "connoisseur" of laundry know-how. (I say that tongue in cheek-- since I have a family of six it is a given I have a pile of laundry the size of Mount Vesuvius at all times in my laundry room, and since I have BOYS, I have been FORCED to become said laundry know-how connoisseur. Because you know boys. Boys =STAINS.)

I will admit, I am unabashedly in love/lust/major twitterpation with Tide. Have been for, oh, say about 15 years. But I am also willing to try new things.

SO--I took the plunge. I was super excited when my complimentary bottle of Cheer BrightCLEAN (2X Ultra HE because I have front-load washers) arrived on my doorstep!

For those of you who don't know, I am super anal about my laundry. I have different piles I make. I have "White" whites, "Sorta" Whites (which includes socks and white shirts with logos on them, etc.) Greens, Lights, Darks, Reds, Pinks, yadda yadda yadda. You get the picture. Ever since that unfortunate day in 1997 when I washed my brand new red towels with blue towels (yes, I was newly married and very much NOT a connoisseur of laundry know-how) and everything came out PURPLE, I have been vigilant in separating the colors.

I tried Cheer BrightCLEAN on my whites, first. And they came out white. Like, very white. And they smelled good. Did I mention the smell of Cheer smells pretty dang good? Like a fresh sunlit meadow you could dance through...but I digress.

I HATE to admit this, but I have been throwing a dash of laundry whitener (which will remain nameless) in with my Tide lately, to make a "whitening cocktail" of sorts, so my whites will get "super" white.

With Cheer BrightCLEAN, I didn't have to add the second ingredient. And they came out just as white.

I tried Greens next. And Reds. And Pinks. Maybe it was psychological at this point, but I honestly feel like the colors were brighter and more "vivid," when they came out of the dryer. And I know I mentioned the fresh clean scent but for some reason it is very appealing to me. Even my oldest son, who wouldn't notice if a cicada bug landed on top of his head and started singing the Beatles' Greatest Hits, mentioned how "good his shirt smelled." And that, folks, is something.

I am beginning to think, that after 15 long years with Tide, we may have to try a "trial separation." Because I'm totally cheating with Cheer. The grass is definitely greener. The CLOTHES are definitely "greener." (And yes, my surprise at finding a detergent as good as/better than Tide has made me resort to lame puns.)

Go and and try a bottle yourself. You won't be disappointed. This Laundry Connoisseur certainly wasn't!

Water For Elephants Trailer is HERE!!

I am so excited to see this movie! Congrats to Sara Gruen--how great it must be to see the story in your head realized on the Big Screen! WOO HOO! You Go Girl!!!

Busy. With a Capital "B."

And that's really all I have to blog about. 4th-Grade Class Christmas Party Craziness!

Just cross your fingers I don't get fed up with the kids and start shooting them with projectile decorative icing...

Need a Little Christmas? Right This Very Minute???

Noooooo! I'm not ready yet! It's coming too fast!!! EEEEEK!!!!

Well, it's 10am and I've already been to five places so far this morning. WOO!

First off, happy thoughts/get well vibes being sent to Karen (of The Wet Donkey) and her family, since her hubby is recuperating from illness. Hope all is well soon!!!

This week is going to be crazy. I have a classroom party tomorrow and I am making 30 gingerbread houses out of graham crackers. I already have half of them made, and am making the other half right after I'm done with this post.

Had Thing Three's birthday party on Friday, it was a little crazy, and of course I SHOULD expect that a big group of ten-year old boys WILL get into a burping contest while eating pizza and soda and cake--but we had laser tag and arcade games and rides so at least they had fun. After the party we ran to dinner and then a friend and I saw Morning Glory at the theater--hilarious! I was surprised at how dang funny it was! Maybe a little formulaic, but I was laughing my pants off!

Saturday Hubby and I had a meeting across town, and then we got the boys' hair cut and hung out until Thing One's basketball game. We didn't try to see Dawn Treader, we're saving it for next week when the lines won't be as long and we'll be officially on Christmas vacation. :-)

This week is going to be...interesting. I have cards and gifts to get out, presents to buy and it's officially going to be "too late" in a week for a lot of stuff I want to do.

Holiday Craziness. Gotta love it!

Technology Scares Me. Like, "I Might Need A Diaper" Scared...

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE technology. I am no longer resistant to about 80% of it. Ten years ago, I had dialup internet, a PrimeCo cell phone, and I signed up for this cool new thing called Ebay. Which I promptly went crazy on.

Cut to today. I blog, I Twitter (however I don't FACEBOOK and I don't think I ever will) I have a Mac, iPad, iPhone, and a Blueray player. I even stream the internet (LOVE Netflix) through my living room TV. I mean, I LOVE technology. It's so...convenient.

But sometimes they go too far. Case in point, now they are claiming that soon computer hard drives will be obsolete because everyone will be storing their personal files and info in online servers, rather than hard drives on their computers. In fact, it's already begun. I'm sure you've seen commercials for "GoToMyPc" or "The Cloud," programs that let you access your personal computer and all files online. Apple and IBM are working tirelessly on new computers that someday won't have hard drives, because those few minutes of "whirring and starting up" are SO DANGED INCONVENIENT in this world of "Convenience" Technology" and the "Me Me Me Now Now Now It's Not Fast Enough" consumer.

TERRIFYING. I mean, really? Maybe it's because I'm a writer, and I like to protect my ideas, but why do I think this is a TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO-GOOD, VERY BAD idea??

Think about it. Here's the following hypothetical situation: Say you sign up for one of those programs and it doesn't matter where you go because you can access all of your personal files/photos/whathaveyou online because they're all stored in the Fort Knox of Online Storage Services. It's convenient. It's comfortable. It's great to have instant access to everything you need no matter what device you are using. You've been "Cloud-ified." Life is Good.

Then time passes, and you awake one morning to headlines screaming about how hackers have finally figured out how to HACK the online servers storing all your personal information. Your personal photos (even the ones you don't want people to see) are now out on the internet. You find that embarrassing video of you drunk at your sister's wedding on You Tube. Your files have been sold to the highest bidder--including the password-protected (and easily cracked) Word document that has ALL the passwords to all your online accounts recorded in it, so you won't forget them. Your virtual "hard drive" is now Public Knowledge, for all to see. Oh, and just to be "funny," the hackers have sold then ERASED all your files. And if you are a writer, like me, all your stories are lost. Years and years of work. Because why the heck would you make hard copies? You have everything stored in the Fort Knox of Online Servers! Well, NOW you don't...

I guess "Oh, Crap" wouldn't quite cover it.

Are you afraid, yet? Because it will happen, folks. I mean, it's not like I'm about to put on a sandwich board that reads "AVOID THE CLOUD" and walk around uptown Charlotte or anything, but I feel pretty strongly about this. Technology is a good thing, but sometimes convenience is dangerous. I think the CLOUD is dangerous. I will never, ever, ever sign up for it. Twenty years from now I'll be one of those luddite-types who buys old computers online that aren't manufactured any more because they have a hard drive that can store information privately. Hackers can do anything, people. They are getting smarter and smarter. In our rush to have super fast, super-convenient, super NOW, we are forgetting how vulnerable we are making ourselves.

Am I totally crazy? I probably sound like one of those "paranoid people," but actually, think I might have a point.

Think about it.

Spooky Empty Pale Green Pants.

Downloaded all the Dr. Seuss book apps I could find for my iPad yesterday. Thing Four LOVES Dr. Seuss, and these books are so great because they are interactive, and have a "read to me" feature, which is great for my three year old! I was pleased to discover that his favorite. story. ever. was available for download. It's called "What Was I Afraid Of?" and it is a story about a character's run-in with spooky green empty pants. Sheer Brilliance.

We saw the lights at McAddenville last night and they were pretty. They weren't super "fantastic" as far as lights go, but I think it's more about making memories with your kids, and maybe starting a tradition or two. The people we went with always hang out their moon roof and sing Christmas carols. My boys opted to "silently" hang out of our moon roof as we drove through. ;-) But then we stopped for hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts afterwards and oh my gosh they were good!

AnyhowIamgoingtoweigh10,000poundsinJanuary, things have calmed down...a little. I still have a few gifts to buy/send, but I'm almost there. Christmas is coming at us way too fast!

And now I must go and do some laundry. I am so excited I think I need to run outside and to an impromptu cartwheel in the frosty grass.

Yes, that would be sarcasm.

I WANT I WANT I WANT...

Courtesy of Tartx

OMGosh I want this bracelet from Tartx sooooooo bad! Isn't it beautiful?? It is Henry VIII and each of his six wives in chronological order. Click on the picture to learn more, if you love it like I do. It is made with real sterling silver and the quality looks amazing-- it is lovely.
If you are an obsessive Tudor Fan like me, this is just the most gorgeous thing, ever! I know, you all probably think I'm crazy because I like Henry VIII history. But I still WANT IT!!!!!!!

BREAKING NEWS!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BROTHER, CHRIS!!!!! And no, I'm not going to make any jokes about you being ancient, because since I happen to be five years older than you, I really don't have a leg to stand on...

Hope it's a good one, bro!!!

Now, about that news, well, um, it's actually kinda cold, right now in North Carolina! As in, twenty degrees! That is a big deal for here. I was laughing this morning as I took my daughter to school at 6:45 (she has an all-day field trip two hours away). A house one subdivision over had run it's sprinklers-- Ice everywhere. The lawn was covered, the entire sidewalk was a skating rink, and the street as well.

Dumb a**es!!!

I wonder if they'll turn their sprinklers off, going forward? **snort**

Yesterday was just...blech. Too much running around. Today will be the same. I guess I'll be able to relax in January. Maybe.

Hope everyone has a good day. Stay warm!

Ahhhhh...Monday.....

Maybe it's just because I'm a stay-home-mom, but I have to say, weekends are CRAZY around here, and my Mondays are actually as welcome as most working-out-of-the-home people's Fridays. That probably doesn't make much sense.

ANYWAY, the party on Friday went well! I am happy to report I had zero wardrobe malfunctions, I didn't break the itty bitty spiky heels off my pumps, I didn't drop/spill/projectile missile any food on my clothes, and things were pretty...normal.

Saturday was a lot of running around, and Thing One had her first basketball game. They lost, but put up a good fight. (Although we were shaking our heads when Thing One got fouled and instead of having her go to the line to shoot, they put another girl at the line, who had the same identical blonde ponytail.) Thing One didn't speak up, which surprised us, and the girl missed both shots, which made me mad, because Thing One would have made those free throws.

Oh well.

Sunday was a little less crazy, but I was ready for today. And I am not sure WHY, because I had to take the kids to school, take Thing Three to the Dr., then take him to school, go to the dry cleaners, go to Southpark (last day for extra associate discount at Belk) call 8 stores because they were sold out of every single pair of Uggs in size 10 (I finally found a pair in Knoxville, TN and had them shipped here), go to the grocery store, go to the playground and freeze my butt off while Thing Four ran around pretending he was Iron Man, and now I'm finally home. But I still have to pick up kids from school, run to South Carolina to pick up my Christmas cards from our photographer (don't worry, I'm being melodramatic, SC is only ten miles from my house) and cook dinner and do a load of laundry and take Thing One to Basketball practice and plan a lesson for Family Night.

So, I guess the title of my post is moot.

Ahhhh...Tuesday...

RELAX.

Yeah, it's a little crazy out there. Traffic (especially around Malls) is awful, stores are selling out of goodies fast, you have to think of gifts for all the people in your life, not to mention all the parties you have to attend (some "political," some not), and the Holiday cards that need to be sent out and the presents that need to be bought and the cookies/assorted goodies that need to be baked etc. etc. etc. etc. because it's officially the HOLIDAYS.

So, my suggestion? Relax. Try not to let it get to you. Take one day at a time, and realize you are one person. But for heaven's sake, don't procrastinate. Then you really will run yourself ragged, and be unable to enjoy the spirit of the holidays. A little bit each day, and you should be fine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was advice given to me yesterday. I think since the advice giver was under the influence of painkillers, I should totally disregard what she was saying, but you know, it DID resonate with me a little. Just an eensy little bit.

Because during the holidays I'm usually running around like ohmygoshIamgoingtohangmyselfifIdon'tgetthesecards/presentsoutintimeandcookiesbakedandpresentswrappedandjustkillmenowIamgoingtohaveanervousbreakdown.

Anyone else feel like this?

Maybe I should take some pain killers. ;-)

OPEN NOTE TO DECEMBER: WILL YOU SLOW DOWN, ALREADY????

It's already December 2nd--the kids opened the door on our big wood advent calendar this morning and found treats inside, and I panicked. It's December 2nd! I need to relish each and every day, because this month only comes once a year!

The trees are all lit, the lights are up, there's frost on the ground this morning (my parents have twelve inches of snow--har har) and it feels like Christmas. And despite all the scary stuff going on in the world, I am tuning it out and determined to be festive. For a while, anyway.

Maybe I am like a kid in Disneyworld--Christmas just helps me suspend my jaded cynical ways for a little while--and enjoy the atmosphere. Is that a crime? ;-)

Thing One's first basketball game is Saturday night--and I mean night--at 8pm. That kind of stinks, hopefully her Saturday games will be during the day from here on out.

My kids are begging me to take them to buy ECLIPSE at Midnight--I mean, really? All they're going to do is go straight to bed afterwards. It's not like they are going to stay up and watch it. I have a better plan: go to sleep, sleep in, and leisurely stroll into Target the next morning at 11-ish and choose from the GINORMOUS display of ECLIPSE dvds.

I like my plan MUCH better.

I Shopped!

I got the outfit for the party! Thank you for all your suggestions! I ended up with a gorgeous deep red frilly CK top and black shrug, dark jeans and CK pumps. And red crystal jewelry that goes perfectly!

I am set. WHEW, can I just say? My friend and I hit Belk and Nordstrom and found everything in an hour and a half, and finished up at Cheesecake Factory because we were both starving. (Next time you're there, try the hot crab and artichoke dip--TDF!!!)

Lots to do today--Thing Three turns ten on Sunday! He's growing up so fast. I can't believe it. I only have one kid left in the single digits for age! :-( But I have to get invitations out for his party--he wants laser tag this year. I still don't get the appeal but then again, I'm not a ten-year old boy.
We are planning the classroom Christmas party as well, and I'm in charge of a station making "gingerbread houses" and I'm using graham crackers. It will be a lot of prep, but fun.

Thing One says to me last night: "Oh, by the way, Mom, I need modeling clay, in Brown and White. Do you have any? I need it for class tomorrow, or I'll get an F on my project."

I do happen to have modeling clay in red, green, blue and yellow, but not the colors she needs. I was so mad (those of you regular readers know why) at her lack of consideration I told her "too bad, I guess you'll just be getting an F on that project."

She freaked. Crying, whining, the whole thing. And of course, since I don't have a heart entirely of stone, I ran to super Walmart this morning after I got Thing Three on the bus and found the clay she needed. But I let her believe, up until the last minute, that she was getting an "F." No more honor roll for her! Is it mean that I enjoyed watching her freak out a little?
Needless to say she was extremely grateful and humble, she apologized and promised to give me at least 24 hours notice, and told me she "owed" me. Don't worry, I will be collecting on that "owe" very soon!

**grumble**

Holiday Party = STRESS.

So, this Friday, Hubby is taking some of his top employees to a fancy restaurant, and they are bringing their significant others, which means *I* get to go to the party as well. This is the first time I'm meeting most of them. First impressions, and all. I'm getting my nails done that morning. I have an apppointment at the Aveda salon to get my hair and makeup done right before.

So, my stress? CLOTHES. I need an outfit. And frankly, I don't want to look dumb. Here's the problem: I don't know what people wear to parties anymore. Usually, in years past, there's been an easy look. Velvet, or satin, or something simple. These days, people accessorize to the hilt, and I'm at a loss. Do I wear boots or open-toe dressy shoes? Dress pants or dressy jeans? Layers or one great top? AUGHHH!!!!!

One of my friends is taking me shopping at Southpark tonight, and I am supposed to find a head-to-toe outfit, in TWO hours.

I am beyond stressed. This makes it ZERO fun. Usually I like shopping, but the pressure is too great.

Maybe I should have Thing Four cough in my face and I'll be too sick to go. Would that be a lame move?

*sigh*

WHEW.

Okay. Two holidays down, one more to go, this year. And we survived Thanksgiving!

It was actually a really good vacation, this time around. The food and company were superb, and I did NOT wake up the day after to go to stores. Because I value my sleep, and any deal I get on any item is countered by the insanely long line I have to stand in just to purchase said item. SO. NOT. WORTH. IT.
Besides, I worked retail for years. They mark up their items so high you just "think" you're getting a good deal, even when it goes 99% off.

ANYWAY, it's back to Business As Usual, which for me, includes Laundry (I didn't DO any last week! The horror!) housecleaning, running to Home Depot for outdoor lights because frankly we are the only house on the block who won't have any soon and we are sheep, and planning birthday and Christmas parties and rotating the Winter clothes out, and putting away the Summer clothes.

Just to name a few.

I think I need to give up on the agent search until the New year, because frankly, how many agents are going to read/take on clients after NaNo and during December, when the publishing houses basically shut down? Let's say...NONE.

Oh well. That's what I get for moving, and completely disrupting my life. ;-)

Get those groans out, people, back to the grind we go!!!

Thankful.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving day, everything was darn near perfect. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

And BYU better beat those Utes, or there will be HECK to pay!!!

The Elusive Search...

You know how sometimes you really really look forward to the Holidays, because it's that time of year you indulge in something that only happens ONCE a year? Well, I certainly feel that way.

There's nothing like a freshly trimmed Christmas tree. Or listening to Bing Crosby sing Christmas songs. Or Southern Comfort non-alcoholic egg nog. (Which is the BEST egg-nog, hands down.) Then there's Stollen. That yummy marzipan-center bread with everything good in it. I usually get those from World Market, where they have STACKS of them. But only during the Holidays. And then there's the Christmas Lights. And the gingerbread candles. And the list goes on.

But my favorite "food" thing about the Holidays, is the one thing I crave year-round: Aplets and Cotlets:
There's just something about them. You can find them here, on the Liberty Orchards Website. They're sweet and fruity Apple and Apricot walnut-y goodness. And I can never find them. Maybe that's why I like them so much. I had two places in Wisconsin I could rely on them to be around the holidays: Target and Walgreens. I know, weird, but that's where they usually were.

Then I moved to North Carolina.

Apparently, North Carolina doesn't believe in Aplets and Cotlets. Because I have searched every Target in a 20-mile radius, every Walgreens, and I have come up with nothing. I guess North Carolina is big on Christmas CHOCOLATE, but nary an Aplet or Cotlet to be seen anywhere.

I finally gave up and ordered some online this morning. Because I have to have me some. And yes, I'm completely mental.

Mental for Aplets and Cotlets!

(You can stop rolling your eyes now)

Here We Go! Buckle Up!!!

We are officially on the "Sick Coaster" as of Saturday. Thing One has escaped unscathed, but Things Two through Four all have coughing, wheezing and fevers. I think it's viral. But nevertheless, we are going to the doctor this morning. I got them in, and I want to get them on antibiotics. In case it ISN'T viral...

Hubby and I are ok so far, but who knows. I am happy to report that this is the FIRST time Thing Three (who was in the pediatric ICU for eight days last year with H1N1 and Pneumonia) has had any chest colds or problems since APRIL.

That's why I'm hoping this is just a chest cold that will go away with a little "help." I have his elephant vaporizer in his room (we call him "Trunky") and it has helped immensely. I ended up sleeping with Thing Four last night, because his bark-y cough was making him cry, but as soon as I crawled into bed with him he went to sleep--peacefully.

Hubby stayed with the kids this morning because I'm Thing Three's classroom parent and I had to take a cake into his class for his teacher's birthday. The kids were going ape**** over the cake, and they all sang "Happy Birthday" so loud I think they heard it the next county over. After they were all sugarfied, they went outside to run off their cake. I went back home to check on my sickies.

Hubby and I saw Harry Potter on Friday, and OMGosh it was amazing. The cinematography was superb, and the acting was spotless. The ending was a bit abrupt for me, but I only think it was because I was so emotionally involved in the movie, and I got "lost" in their world so easily. Jo Rowling is a genius. David Yates is a genius. It all makes for a great two and a half hours! GO. SEE. IT.

Have a good Monday everyone. I can't believe it's going to be THANKSGIVING soon!!!

This Could Get Interesting...

So, yesterday, I survived the first Class Party. Great. I go home, and suddenly, my left eye feels "weird.". So I look in the mirror, and it is sort of red. Yuck. I take out my contacts, put my antihistamine drops in, and hold a cold, wet washcloth to my eye for 15 minutes. Guess what?

Nothing. It didn't get better.

I'd taken my Claritin D 24-hour pills that morning--what was going on? By the time Hubby came home from the airport, my eye was REALLY red. And this morning, BOTH my eyes are now red, and I have sinus pressure. It's not painful, but it's there.

But I have faithfully been taking my allergy medicine!

I guess it's time to see an allergist. I think I might be allergic to a bunch of things. And I suspect one of them might be down. We have a down comforter and pillows, and it seems when I get close to them I get the red eyes. Which, frankly, doesn't make sense because we've had a down comforter for about seven years. I know, huh?
I am taking the comforter to the dry cleaners this weekend and using different pillows, so we won't have any down on our bed for a few days. I am going to see if things clear up. In the meantime, I look like I either A) am a ravenous vampire or B) have a raging case of pinkeye or C) haven't slept in 40 days and 40 nights. Outstanding.

I can't wear my contacts, so it's glasses today. I think I scared Thing Four because when he woke up he looked at me and recoiled, and said "Mom, your eyes are scary!"

*sigh*

Why me?

This Year is FLYING. Am I The Only One Who Feels This Way?

A little late blogging today, I just survived my first class party! (I'm a co-room mom and we've been preparing for weeks.) Now I can sink into a puddle of goo at my desk and have some herbal tea. And put my feet up.

NOT.

Hubby comes home tonight and I get to run around doing all the things I was too lazy to do while he was gone. Like...cleaning the house, heh heh. I would like to at least give the impression of a clean house. ;-)

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week! We have been invited for Thanksgiving dinner at a friend's house, so this Sunday I am doing "our" Thanksgiving dinner. I didn't buy a whole turkey, just a breast, and we're going to have mashed potatoes and stuffing and fruit salad and all the stuff we like to eat every year, since it will be "different" stuff at someone else's house this year. Because I HAVE to make the stuffing I make every year. It is so to die for. MMMMMMMmmmmmmm.

Wow, I made chocolate no-bake cookies last night, and they're almost gone. Looks like my boys have had a crack at them.

The sun is out and it's a beautiful day! I love Fall!

Okay, this stream of consciousness has to end. Happy Thursday everyone!

For the Harry Potter Fans

This was brought to my attention by my kids. It totally cracked me up. Enjoy!

Insert Fabulously Witty Blog Post Title, Here.

I was a big ol' waste of space yesterday. I ran around minimally, cleaned minimally, and pretty much hung close to the house with the kiddo. He's had a low-grade fever for a couple of days and a runny nose, and now, I feel like I might be coming down with it. FUN.

Couldn't sleep last night, (Hubby is out of town) so I caught up on five episodes of FRINGE, finishing at around 1:30 am. I am tired, but I never sleep well when Hubby travels, so I figured I'd get caught up on the show. I don't think I like the whole "Olivia switching places" story arc, but hey, they have to shake things up. And I hate that she is romantically involved with Peter, because A) they have zero chemistry and B) it's better to "keep the tension alive," say, like they have successfully done in BONES. Which is another great show. Anyway, I figure I have four more shows tonight, and I'll be caught up. Hubby isn't into FRINGE, I think it's a little "Fringe" for him. Ha Ha. It can get pretty gross. But not any more gross than BONES or CSI. Hubby thinks it's too "weird" for him. Oh well. I was a ROSWELL fan, years ago--I guess I am used to weird. Then again, I think I was only a ROSWELL fan because I thought Jason Behr was hot. ROSWELL was pretty weird. ;-)

I need to be more proactive today. Maybe the damp weather just makes me feel apathetic and morose. Gotta get out of the rut!

I'm Such a Sucker

I guess I was wrong. Basketball games start on December 4th, but practices started last night. Heh heh. So, no more breaks for me. And it doesn't help the practices are 20 minutes away. Oh well. The Weddington rec plays games on Sundays, and Waxhaw rec doesn't. So, it wasn't worth it to miss more than half the games. I will say, though, now that I've started driving my kids to and from school, I'm filling up my tank 2 1/2 times a week. UGH. But it's worth it. I don't want them on that nasty middle school bus.

So why am I a sucker? I definitely am one...for British Royalty, that is. Today it was announced that "Waity Katy" finally got engaged to Prince William. Can we all say...finally?
I remember as an 11-year old (did I just date myself?) getting up at 2 am in the morning to watch Lady Diana Spencer wed Prince Charles, and I was so completely into it. You know I'll be tuning in (or at least recording) this wedding, which will probably be The Wedding of the Century. Can't help it. It's the hopeless Anglophile in me. ;-)

Today is busy. Laundry, errands, I have to bake two pumpkin pies for my daughter's church program tonight, and cut up fruit for Thing Three's class party. I loathe pumpkin pie, because of an unfortunate stomach-flu episode when I was a kid. I always make it for my family during the holidays, because THEY love it, but I can't even take one bite. Which is odd, because I love all other things pumpkin--bread, cookies, doughnuts, cupcakes, etc. I just can't handle the pie. ICK.

The leaves are really starting to turn, now. It is so beautiful outside! Still warm, and still gorgeous. North Carolina is awesome!

Yes, I Have a Sense of Direction...NOT.

Not like I like to admit any of my shortcomings, but I have literally zero sense of direction. I was always highly jealous of my friend, Aimee, growing up. She was the one who drove me around when we were in high school, and she always seemed to know where she was going. I was always...lost.

I hope I'm not the only one who hates it when people give me directions and say "go to X street and turn West." I have to have "right or left" please. Basically, if Mapquest had never been invented, I would probably be in Canada somewhere with a carload of kids begging for someone to give me directions.

I finally bought CoPilot Live, an app for my phone. Let me say it hasn't been the best. But what can you expect for $49? It crashes eight times out of ten, it freezes on me, and one funny (as in strange funny not FUNNY funny) thing about it--it never seems to work when Hubby is in the car. EVER.

So, he finally bought me a Garmin GPS unit on Saturday. I have to say, it doesn't freeze. I don't freak out when people call through or text me anymore because it "makes the app crash." Those days are past. And now, I still may be totally clueless about what direction I'm going (unless I look at my car dashboard) but at least I will know how to GET where I'm going.

Why am I so resistant to technology? I resisted making the switch from dialup to high speed. I was resistant to switching from PC to Mac. I resisted getting an iPad. And now, the Garmin. I guess I have that "I'm doing fine and it isn't broken so why fix it" attitude, which Hubby thinks needs to GO.

He may be right. Yes folks, I actually admitted it.

It's FRIDAY!!!

Not that I usually get excited about the weekends, but I like it when we do "family stuff." Tonight we're having people over for Quesadilla Night, so I had to run to Harris Teeter and get some fresh produce. I have to say, Thing Four and I love going there. He gets a free balloon, a free cookie (they have them at the entrance and I laugh when I see adults snagging a few for themselves most of the time) and they have a Starbucks--which means hot chocolate on a cold morning! (Well, hot for me, lukewarm for the three-year old!)

I am feeling pretty good. The weekend will be busy but fun. We have a soccer tournament all day Saturday. We saw "Megamind" last night because we knew we wouldn't be able to squeeze it in this weekend, and it was adorable. Seriously. Hubby and I bought tickets to Harry Potter for next Friday for "date night," I can't wait! I'm just sad it's all coming to an end. Well, Part One of the end, anyway. Hubby is re-reading Deathly Hallows, I need to skim it a little. I read it in two days way back when it came out and frankly, all I remember is a lot of camping. And an annoying book published about Dumbledore by Rita Skeeter or something like that. SAD.

This is a little crossover from the writing blog, but I got my comments back from my readers and got the edits finished up, and this morning I sent queries out to two agents! I feel great! It's good to be in the Query-go-round again. Granted, as soon as the rejections start piling up I'm sure I'll feel not-so-great, but hey, it's expected. For now, I can at least hope!

In not-so-great news, SOMEONE taught my darling innocent three year old that if he sticks up his middle finger at people, it is "cute."

**Lara puts head in hands**

I would personally like to murder whoever did it, and both my older boys are claiming it wasn't them. I know he wouldn't have seen it on TV, and whenever I flip my Hubby the Bird I try to do it inconspicuously (I am KIDDING!) so I have no idea where he learned it. But you know as soon as he gets into the nursery at church, it will happen. He'll flip off one of the snack ladies or something. Even though I've threatened to swat his pants off if he does it again.

I hope everyone has a good weekend! I will certainly...try.

Another Murphy's Law Day...

You have those every once in a while, right? Here is my day yesterday, in Murphy's Law Speak:

The one night you actually get to bed early, your child will have a nightmare at 3am and wake you up. Oh, and you won't be able to get back to sleep.

I figure with four kids, I will actually get my first restful night's sleep in 2027.

If you butter the toast, it will fall butter side down.

This is an "old" law, but how many of you have managed to drop THREE slices of toast butter-side-down simultaneously? **Lara raises her hand**

If you pass an infuriatingly annoying slow car, suddenly the lane you are in will become even slower, and the slow car will totally pass you.

**grumble**

When you go to the Big Target (which is more of a drive) counting on them to have a certain item in stock, they will be sold out of it. AND the smaller (and more conveniently located) Target will turn out to actually have it in stock.

Mattress pads in size Queen, anyone?

When you RSVP your son to the birthday party, the doctor will suddenly clear him to play soccer in the tournament THAT SAME DAY.

Who woulda thunk? I mean, really?

When you're really on a roll on your manuscript, suddenly your child(ren) will start whining, need "Mommy," take all the markers out and write on the furniture, and want you to read them 9305836 books.

I truly can't win.

When you're looking forward to being a "bad mom" and making a skimpy/processed food dinner, your children will suddenly want to have friends over for dinner. And they'll be allergic to processed food.

I am not kidding. This really was my day!

So far, today is quiet and uneventful. But you know there's a Murphy's Law about that...

Grounded From...EYELINER!!!

Today I get the World's Worst Mom award. I drove the kids to school (I refuse to let my oldest two ride that cesspool of a Middle School bus a moment longer) and after that Thing Four and I zinged to Walmart to look for a particular lamp shade and other odds and ends. Didn't find what we wanted, so we zinged over to Target. No luck. Zinged to another Target. Found exactly what we wanted (and of course I found stuff I DIDN'T need and went over budget) and Thing Four was being so good I bought him a Ring Pop, because he rarely has them and he really really really REALLY wanted one.

We get into the car, and he's happily sucking on his ring pop, and I notice he is asking to stop at every McDonald's we drive by, every Chick-Fil-A, etc. etc. Finally he says, "Mom, my tummy is grumbling. I need to feed it."

I stop and realize, I have forgotten to feed him breakfast.

A ring pop. That's what I'd basically fed him for breakfast. A freaking RING POP. This beats the one time I forgot to feed him a few months back and all I had the in the car was a can of Pringles.

Yeah, I suck. I immediately raced home and made him oatmeal with raisins, and toast. Poor lil' guy. I am awful. AWFUL!!!

In lighter news, I have found a great way to get to Thing One--who is thirteen. If she acts snotty, all I need to do is threaten to ground her from Eyeliner. Yes, you read that right. Yesterday, she was being all snotty and nasty and Hubby said "no eye makeup today." She checked herself pretty quickly. Then she realized, after I had to "confiscate" her mascara and eyeliner, that he was serious, and trust me, she started freaking out.

Guess who didn't wear eyeliner or mascara to school yesterday? **Snort** Needless to say, she was madder than a hornet, and I was certainly persona non grata for actually going along with Hubby's edict, but wow, it sure worked wonders on her attitude. Today she got the eye makeup back. She was sweet as an angel all morning.

I think we're on to something. Or we're just plain mean.

;-)

What the HECK Do I Do Now???

I don't know what to do with myself...soccer is over (well, a broken foot ended the season a tad early) and Thing One's basketball and Thing Two's swimming don't start up until December. Which means I have THREE WHOLE WEEKS of no sports! No practices, no games, no living in my car...it's crazy. I literally don't know how to be. Because I'm a soccer mom. I run around. That's what I do.

Just not for the next three weeks.

This will be a new experience. Since I'll have evenings free, maybe I can actually cook instead of heat things up, like Taquitos and Hot Pockets. Maybe I can get those projects done I started 9582645 years ago and didn't finish. Maybe I could finish a novel. Wow. It will be weird, actually having 5-8pm free!

Maybe I should join a book club or something. ;-)

All kidding aside, it will be a welcome change. And then, when Winter sports start up, I'll be back in my element, living in my car and heating up processed food on Practice Nights.

Yeah, you can stop looking at me like that.

Okay, This is SCARY.

I've come to a major realization, lately. I should have seen this coming. I really should have. First, watch this video, and then read my comments below:

Here's the realization. As we sat down for a family movie this weekend, and I looked up and realized that DURING THE MOVIE Hubby was playing Montezuma on his phone, Thing One was texting on her phone, Thing Three was checking email, and Thing Two was playing some game on his phone, that we have officially become this commercial!

I am banning phones during family time. From This. Point. Forward.

"But Mom, I Need REAL Uggs!!!"

Okay, I may have gotten a "little" carried away with yesterday's post. Maybe I will start decorations for Christmas in two weeks.

Anyway, now that it's cold, we are getting winter shoes for the kids. Thing One let me know, that under no conditions, was she to have "fake" Ugg boots. I was like, "excuse me? Do you know how much Uggs are?"

Apparently not. I went on to explain that I could buy 6.8 pairs of fake Ugg boots for the price of ONE real pair.

"But Mom, everyone has real Uggs! They call the fake ones "Fuggs!"

Hubby and I had a real laugh over that one. "Fuggs." Ha ha.

She was not so amused. I told her when she got a real job and could earn her own clothes, she could blow her money on "non" Fuggs, if she so desired. She didn't much care for that, but when she saw that I got her black Fuggs with buttons, chocolate brown tall Fuggs and light brown fake-sherpa Fuggs and Gray Fuggs, she was okay with it. I mean, now she has Fuggs for every outfit, whereas she would have been limited to one pair of the real thing.

I really think she would almost not care about variety. One pair of real Uggs would be okay with her. Sad.

A small part of me just wanted to cave and buy her the real Uggs (I can't talk, I have to have real Coach handbags) but I haven't bought a Coach bag in two years, I'm proud to say, and with this economy the way it is, I need to help my kids realize that money doesn't grow on trees. Even if Hubby thinks *I* think so. ;-)

Viva Fuggs!!!

Merry Christmas!!! YEAH!!!!!

No, I'm not another person complaining about how all the stores are officially decked out in Holiday/Christmas and it's waaayyyyyyy too early for that yadda yadda yadda. Because the stores and the retail mentality have finally WON.

Bring on Christmas! Bring on the trees and the lights and the really cool little gift displays that only arrive once a year! Bring on the Stollen and Aplets and Cotlets and Candy Canes and Advent calendars and cloying cinnamon-scented pinecones that are EVERYWHERE!!!

My neighbors are getting their yard Christmas-ed out in lights already. I was like "whoa guys, simmer down," but now I have a hankering for getting my own trees up and playing Christmas music. There's nothing like listening to Bing Crosby singing "I'm dreaming of a White Christmas" or Johnny Mathis singing "Winter Wonderland," whilst curled up looking at a beautiful tree and sipping peppermint hot cocoa. *sigh*

This time of year rocks. I figure I'll give myself one more week of pumpkins and fall foilage, and then, LET THE DECORATING BEGIN.

WOO!!!

Welcome to Middle School Projects. **Grumble**

Can I just turn back time? Can I just say "Okay, I'm FINE with my kids being in grade school forever? Yeah, I know I can't, but I'm a whiner. I like to lament the fact my kids are growing up too fast.

Thing One, who is in Seventh grade, literally has a project a week, minimum. It's pretty gross. But I will say, all that posterboard and art stuff and paper and craft crud I have built up over the years comes in handy:

"Hey mom, do you have a tube sock?"

"Um, not since the 80's, dear."

"Okay, do you have a styrofoam ball the size of a baseball?"

"Yep."

"Do you have a wooden dowel?"

"Yep."

"How about yarn?"

"You know I do."

"Okay, how about sticky-back foam?"

"Yep. In every color."

So, it's nice to not have to run to Michael's every time she has a project. Although I did have to run to Target yesterday to buy a long white tube sock. Unfortunately, the only long white tube socks they had that didn't have stripes or grey toes came in an $8.00 pack of TEN PAIRS and now I have nine and a half pairs of frugly tube socks I have ZERO idea what to do with. So, NOTE TO TEACHERS: When you ask parents/kids to provide a long white tube sock--you are asking the impossible. NO ONE wears those anymore. Well, some people do, but not anyone in my house.

Nice.

But here's the kicker. And parents, please tell me you've heard this before:

"Hey Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you help me with this project?"

"What do you have to do?"

"I need to make a poster-size replica of the earth, and cut out different colored paper rings for the atmospheric layers and color and detail it.

"Sure, when is it due?"

"Oh, tomorrow."

"WHAT????!!!!!"

**Lara screams and bangs head agains wall**

THIS is what kills me. When they know about these projects for weeks and don't start working on them until the day before they're due.

Thing One has made a nasty habit of doing this, recently. So, last night, I was Mean Mom. She had two projects due today, but didn't tell me/start working on them until 3pm yesterday. And suddenly she needed me to run around and buy stuff for her and help her color/draw/paint, etc..

So, I refused. Granted, I caved at one point and helped make her Egyptian-boy sock puppet (because he looked really sad), but I drew the line at coloring in the six backgrounds and helping her with her timeline poster. I made her wake up early this morning and finish them. She asked why I wasn't helping her and I TURNED INTO MY MOTHER for a few seconds and said: "Sorry honey, but lack of preparation on your part doesn't constitute an emergency on my part."

Yes, I said the words. I've officially said to my daughter what I HATED having said to me, as a teen. (Mom, stop that smirking.)

Man, she was NASTY after that. I was "unhelpful" and "mean." And I agreed with her. "Yes I am unhelpful and mean. I am also teaching you a lesson."

Luckily, she got it. She promised to stop the procrastination and asked me if I could get some supplies for her next project, due next week. So today I need to buy glitter gel pens (she's used up my other ones) and a pack of construction paper. Which is fine. But she'd better start on it this weekend.

I am SO not looking forward to High School projects.

STOP THE PRESSES!!!! I SLEPT IN!!!! BREAKING NEWS!!!!!

Blogging late today. Hubby was out at 4am this morning to head to the airport, and of COURSE I woke up too, and once he was gone, I went back to bed! BWA HA HA HA HAAAA!!!!

Imagine my surprise--my kids were actually quiet this morning. School is out today, and it was 9:30 before I woke back up. Can I just say I feel awesome? I made pancakes for the kiddos and later they're off to assorted friends' houses, and taking Thing Four to the park.

Remember to get out and VOTE today! Doesn't matter who you're for, just exercise the gift of being able to vote that you have--it's important. I am wearing my "I voted" sticker with pride today.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Slime and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails...

*Sigh* Anyone who has boys can relate to this post.

Don't get me wrong, I love my boys. But man, do they have to be so...messy? I mean, they're like little bulldozers sometimes. Thing Three is the worst. He comes home from school on any given day with marker all over his hands, grass stains and mud all over his clothes, sneakers full of rocks and wood chips, and sometimes, sometimes, he still has a ring around his mouth from lunch. I know, **GASP!**

One reason why I don't give him chocolate pudding in his lunch any more, and if I do, I give him a NAPKIN.

Thing Two is different. He doesn't get as messy (the benefits of having a germ-phobic kid) but he puts everything in his shorts/pants pockets. And I mean EVERYTHING. Over the years I've had rocks in my dryer, crayons, chapstick, marbles, legos, bouncy balls, toys, candy wrappers, and my favorite--DS GAMES. Lucky for me they've made those things pretty indestructible. I've had three occasions where DS games have been washed and dried and still worked fine. But please don't try this at home for kicks and giggles, because I really think it's by sheer dumb luck they weren't melted or broken. AND YES I CHECK HIS POCKETS NOW BUT DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY FERSHLUGGING POCKETS SHORTS HAVE ON THEM THESE DAYS???????

And my toddler--oy, don't get me started on him. I change his shirt twice a day. I think his record is FOUR shirt changes in twelve hours. Can they isolate the gene that makes kids want to jump into every mud puddle they see? And while they're at it, can they isolate the gene that turns kids deaf to my screams around the age of five???

I guess I'm ranting a little. Well, I have BOYS.

Thank heaven my one girl has finally outgrown being a Tomboy. For the most part. :-)

ps--I'm on day six of "no soda." Here's to not falling off the wagon!!

Give Me Strength To Quit...

Every personal trainer I have ever had, every doctor, every health-conscious friend, has told me "cut out soda, it's bad for you." Problem is, I'm in lust/love/hopeless twitterpation with the stuff. Coke Zero. Cherry Coke Zero. Diet Coke with Lime. Diet Mountain Dew. Diet Sundrop. Pepsi Max. Pepsi One. Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper. There's nothing better than a tall frosty glass of fizzy goodness on ice--a few times a day.

Imagine my chagrin when I realized that if I want to "get healthier," I need to cut out three things (according to my mom, who has lost 190 pounds and has a new lease on life). Those three things are:

1) Soda

2) Sugar

3) All carbs except whole grain

For someone whose diet consists mainly of soda, sugar, and bad carbs, this will be a challenge. I've started small. I cut out soda on Wednesday. It was awful. Headaches, a general feeling of wanting to cry, etc. Yesterday was easier, but instead of "getting a drink" at Target like I usually do, I got a bottle of water. Wasn't the same, but oh well. New Good Friend didn't even last two days. She was doing this with me, but she folded and had a diet coke yesterday. So, I'm going it alone. I figure I'll try an experiment. Of the three, I love carbs the most, so this week, it's soda. Next week, I'm cutting out soda plus sugar. The week after that, I will cut out carbs. I will be soda, sugar and carb free, for three months. I know, I'm picking the WORST time of year to start a diet like this, but moving really stressed me out, and when I stress out, I eat.

It doesn't help that I have neighbors who get up as early as 4:30 to work out. They are all highly motivated, fit people. I am...not.

Gotta start somewhere, right? But the soda thing has been hard. I now know what a person trying to quit smoking feels like. I want to knock down the woman next to me in the parking lot, fight her for her fountain drink, and suck it down. I wouldn't even care if it was mostly ice-coke. I'd still love it.

Give me strength.

Run Run As Fast As You Can...

...you can't catch me, I'm the elusive "Time for Yourself" Man!

Remember how that infuriating gingerbread man would taunt his would-be ingestors? Yeah, he was annoying. I'm glad he got "ate up." Well, imagine him as a big ol' clock with legs instead. That's how I feel. A.K.A. I am starting to feel the "Holiday Crunch." It starts mid-October, and doesn't end until January 2nd. Today just happens to be a little crazy.

I finally found the Luigi costume. Yes, like an idiot, I ran around to six places the day before yesterday, before my friend casually suggested "Have you tried Party City?" I called. They had it. I went and got it. Done.

Man, it sure looks dorky, but now my boys can be "Mario and Luigi" and they look dorky together, so it's ok. Thing Four wanted to be Spiderman. I can't give him points for originality, but I sure can forgive him for the lack of it since he's THREE. ;-)

Thing One still doesn't know what she wants to be. She wanted to be a vampire, a la Caroline from Vampire Diaries but then she realized vampires are...kinda gross. She's adrift in a sea of indecision.

I'm sure she'll figure it out. And now, I have to go chase after that little clock with legs. He's got a head start!

Adieu, Soccer.

Well, the soccer season is over. It ended a little early, since Thing Three broke his foot, but he's on the mend and we will start up again in the Spring.

I actually enjoyed soccer games this time around. I wasn't in WISCONSIN, freezing my toes/butt/face off, and I actually was able to focus on the game itself, and not worry that my son wasn't wearing enough layers/would get frostbite on his nose.

Okay, I'm being silly, but I am just still not used to warmer weather! Take trick-or-treating for instance. In WISCONSIN, all the kids on Halloween look like they are dressed up as Arctic Explorers. Because their fairy/pirate/whatever costume is HIDDEN underneath a big ol' down coat. Because usually by Oct. 31st, it's FREEZING.

Well, this Saturday in North Carolina, when we have our church ward "Trunk Or Treat" it will be a balmy 70 degrees out. I mean, does it get much better than that??? Nope. Not really. :-D

Yesterday was spent running around. Because I, like a complete moron, didn't buy a certain costume when it was in stores. And now, you can't find it anywhere. I've been to four Targets and a Super Walmart, and no luck. That's what I get for procrastination. Thing Three might end up a Soccer Zombie or a Dirty Pirate, because a Luigi costume in size Medium simply doesn't exist anywhere on this side of the U.S..

Sorry, Thing Three.

Happy Birthday Thing One!!!

Here she is, in a much younger photo. Today she's thirteen--a teenager, and yeah, I sorta feel old now. I mean, I have a teenager. But like I said in yesterday's post--it's not like it will be much different than it has been the last couple of years. Although she did ask if I would let her drive the car on our driveway the other day, and I SHUT THAT DOWN very quickly. I mean, she is thirteen. Two more years before we will even HAVE that conversation!

Time sure flies!

And I'm really sad because the number one thing on her birthday "wish" list? A pair of black Converse high-top shoes. Seriously. She says everyone has them. I told her to go get her brother's and wear them, because they have the same size feet. (Darn you, Kristen Stewart! How is it that YOU ended up a role model???? UGH!)

I have lots to do today. I'm making a birthday cake (rainbow chip, yeah, we sure are "original" around here) and wrapping a couple of presents (only a couple because she got an iPhone last week for her birthday) and mostly the presents are things like a flatiron, hair stuff, etc. because I'm sick of her using mine! And I need to hunt down a Krispy Kreme and get doughnuts for tonight because her church group is going to a corn maze. So, if I go into a Harris Teeter and buy the Krispy Kreme there (as opposed to driving 15 miles away) do you think anyone will care BESIDES MY HUBBY???

I hope everyone has a good day!

No Tricks this Year...Please! Just TREATS. :-)

We're all sick. Every stinkin' one of us. Granted, we only have head colds, and THANK HEAVEN we're all sick at once, but it still isn't fun. But you know how when someone in the house is sick, you want to "quarantine" them or wipe everything down and avoid getting germs at all costs? Well, when everyone is sick, it's just business as usual. And once everyone gets better, we'll change the bedsheets, wipe everything down and get new toothbrushes. Done.
I'm just watching Thing Three, and praying it doesn't go into his chest. He hasn't had pneumonia since April. Six whole glorious months. That's the longest stretch ever! Before then, he was getting it every six weeks. (knockonwoodknockonwoodknockonwood).

My neighbors are awesome. Since they found out we're Mormon and our kids won't trick or treat on Sunday, they are rallying to get our cul-de-sac and a few others to trick or treat on Saturday night. I mean, that is SO cool. Apparently a lot of them don't want their kids trick-or-treating on Sunday either. I feel bad, because my kids were really looking forward to trick-or-treating this year--because last year, Thing Three was in the hospital (he'd just been admitted the day before and we'd almost lost him) and I was in NO frame of mind to take my kids out. Not to mention I hadn't slept in 36 hours. So, on the way home from the hospital (Hubby was staying the night there) I bought a bunch of candy, we put half of it out on the front porch with a sign that said "help yourself" and we took the rest downstairs to the movie theater room and hung out and watched Monster House and ate candy. And that was just fine with the kids.

But this year they wanted to go out. Now it looks like they will! :-)

The weekend was busy, but good. I just can't believe Thing One turns THIRTEEN tomorrow! I will officially have a teenager!

Then again, she's been acting like a teen for about two years now, so it's not like some magical transformation is going to take place, and she will suddenly be moody and snotty and materialistic and secretive. We've already "been there done that."

;-)

OH YES...I WENT THERE.

I probably shouldn't have, but I have. The following video made me literally pee my pants laughing. Just don't watch it on a full stomach!

A Day of...Fun??

Today is going to be very...busy. One of Hubby's childhood friends is driving down with her kids, I'm pulling my kids out of school early so we can all go to Discovery uptown, and then we're going to meet for pizza, and THEN we get go to the church for a friday night practice of the primary program (shoot me now) and then at 8:30 I am going for a GNO. I will be dead, but it will at least be with people I like.

Saturday will find me sleeping IN. Since Thing Three's foot is broken, we have no soccer games to go to. Unless he wants to go sit on the sidelines and "support" the team, because it is their last regular season game. I may just let him do that. Why not?

He doesn't have to have a cast, thank heaven, but he gets to wear one of those velcro "boots" for a couple of weeks.

My three-year old is obsessed with the movie "How to Train Your Dragon." I will admit, it's one of those movies you could watch over and over because it's so clever and fun, (and I LOVE the Scottish accents!) but that's ALL he wants to do. I have to pry him away from it. And then he wants to watch it on the iPad. Or in the car. Basically, everywhere we go. Funny. I remember I was like that with Pete's Dragon as a kid. I wanted to watch that movie all the time. And The Moon Spinners. There's a movie I could watch over and over again even today. ;-)

Okay I'm rambling. Gotta get the car washed and figure out where I'm supposed to park once we get there! I just hope I don't get lost. (Don't LAUGH, Brenda!!!)

:-)

Stomach Flu, Fevers and Broken Feet, Oh MY...

If you have a minute, hop on over to the writing blog--I've got some news!

Isn't it funny how life works? You're cruising along, minding your own business, and then WHAM! The cosmos hits you with all sorts of challenges. Well, that's why we're here, right? To live life--even through the challenges?

My challenges over the past few days have been in the form of fevers, barfing kids, Eczema (just in one teeny spot under Thing Four's right eye, what is up with that?) and yes...a foot with a fracture.

We took Thing Three to the pediatrician yesterday, and I've decided I may be dumping this one. They are great doctors, but they have to send you across town for X-rays. Because all they do in their office is "see" kids. They don't have a lab or imaging lab, or anything. I guess we were spoiled because my last pediatrician was in a facility that had EVERYTHING. All the tests, labs, etc. were all done "in house."

I've found a family practice that is highly recommended, so we might just have to switch to that. Especially with the history of my kids, we always need some sort of x-ray or lab every time we visit.

So, today we get to go to the Orthopedic doctor and see how bad it is. I have the x-ray films on a disc (because the imaging lab and the ortho doctor are different networks and don't communicate) and I'm hoping it's not bad. And yes, I feel bad because he was being all melodramatic about his foot and I was basically annoyed with him, and now, I realize he had GOOD REASON to be. I'm an awful mom.

So, I ghosted my neighbors last night. We have a pretty friendly cul-de-sac, with the exception of Those Neighbors. They keep to themselves, no one talks to them, and they don't talk to anyone. I mean, they keep their house and yard up impeccably, and I've seen them come and go, but they make ZERO effort to socialize with the rest of us. So, naturally, they hadn't been ghosted yet last night. In fact, EVERY door but theirs, had an "I've Been Ghosted" sign. I couldn't help but wonder--since I know nothing about these people, are they afraid of Halloween? Are they some religious spin off that will be offended by a bag on their doorstep that has a jack-o-lantern on it?

I decided to risk it--Thing Two and I left the bag on their doorstep and rang the bell twice, and ran. (Well, HE ran, I sort of hid) Nothing. I could see them watching TV inside, they definitely heard the bell. We went to one cul-de-sac over and left another bag, and came back, and the bag was still on their doorstep. This time, *I* ran over and rang the doorbell, twice. And hid. I even heard the doorbell.

They looked up, but didn't come to the door! And this morning, wouldn't you know it, the bag is STILL on their front porch! Weird. I mean, if someone rings my doorbell, I ANSWER it. Unless I'm in some state of undress, or it's that Creepy Kid from down the block.

Oh well. I had good intentions.

Here's hoping we get good news today about the foot..I know Thing Three is probably done playing soccer this season, but hopefully he'll be able to do the tournament in November...

Random Stuff

Wow--we got "ghosted" last night but in a fancy way--we were left a bag with candy, glow necklaces and a full-sized Yankee candle in Madagascar Spice. Wow. That certainly ups the bar on ghosting! (For those of you who don't know what it is--"Ghosting" is when you leave a bag of goodies on someone's porch and run, and they have to do the same thing for two people in the neighborhood within 24 hours, but if you've been "ghosted" you put a picture of a ghost on your front door, so you won't get treats twice.) It's a very cute idea. That way everyone gets a treat.

Yesterday was interesting. **Caution--if you've just eaten, read no further!**

We had to do a big maintenance on my Sequoia, so two and a half hours and $220 later, poor Thing Four (who is three) had been soooo good in the waiting room, I treated him to fries at McD's. Then we went to Target to get stuff for Halloween cupcakes, and by the time I was ready to check out he had his head down on the cart with his cheek resting on his hand. I assumed he was super tired--it was past his normal nap time.

Took him home, got him into bed, and a couple hours later I checked on him, and he was still asleep. He was so peaceful instead of getting him up I left his door open, but then a few minutes later he started crying, which is something he rarely does. I ran upstairs to comfort him, and he was burning up. I took his temp--102.3, and so I got him some Motrin. Then he wanted water. Then he wanted to sit up in bed and play with his Leapster. I gave him the leapster, and started tidying up his bookcase when I heard him make a weird noise, between a gulp and a cough, and suddenly

BLEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH.

He barfed all over the bed. Yeah. Fries. Everywhere. And before I could process what had happened, he was barfing a second time. I ran and got a towel, and got him into the bathroom, but not before he did it a third time.

I called the nurse to make sure I could give him Motrin again, and she said to go ahead. He hasn't been sick again, but he still has the high fever. I had to get up every few hours to check on him in the night.

Here's the best part--Thing Three was on the trampoline at a friend's house yesterday, and a boy fell on his foot, and he can't walk. His toes are all bruised where they join the foot and he's in agony. So I get to drag my fevery three year old and him to the dr. this morning to make sure he hasn't broken something. THAT should be fun. But at least he only has one more soccer game this season. Better to get injured at the END of a season than at the beginning, right?

Thing One didn't make the Basketball team. Out of all those 7th and 8th graders, he picked twelve girls. Only Twelve. Frankly, I'm not surprised she didn't make it. A lot of girls tried out, and I'm sure a bunch of the 8th graders had already been on the team last year. Personally, I think combining both grades is odd--they should have a 7th grade team and an 8th grade team--but what can I do?

We've signed her up for rec basketball--it's pricey here but it's worth it. She is disappointed, I can tell, but in typical 13-year old fashion, she says she "doesn't care" that she didn't make it. Which I know is not true, but it's her defense mechanism and I am fine with that. She did her best, and worked hard. At least she gave it her best shot.

The maple trees in my front yard are turning red. Gorgeous!!! It's chilly and rainy today. Guess I'm breaking out the long sleeves!

Well Darn It.

Thing One is sad. She says the coach put her with all these "portly" girls who can't play basketball (during tryouts last night), and put all the really "good" players together and he's given them nicknames and he never even looks at her. And she got stuck with a bunch of gabby girls who wanted to gab instead of shoot hoops, and the asst. coach got them all in trouble for talking, and of COURSE Thing One wasn't talking, but since she was with them, it was "guilt by association."

My heart is breaking for her, not only because she clearly isn't going to make the team, but because the coach is so blatantly playing favorites. And Thing One is actually good at basketball! She played on her 5th and 6th grade teams and she started every time! I know, you're probably thinking since I'm her mother I'm "blinded" by love --but I'm not hard wired that way. I'm not a mom who is deluded about her kids. I see their flaws, I love them anyway, BUT-- I also recognize when they have natural talent. And she DOES. And the fact that she's getting overshadowed and lost in the mix just kills me.

What can a parent do? I will sign her up for Rec basketball but her heart won't be in it. We're already starting to pump her up, to help her feel good about herself because we see the writing on the wall. It's heart-wrenching, to see your child want something and not get it.

I know, I'm being pessimistic but it seems pretty clear. The last night of tryouts is tonight. I told her to work hard, and try and stand out. What else can I say? She's trying her best, and if she doesn't get it, at least she knows she tried the best she could, and put all her effort into it.

Still sucks, though.

Busy day. Joy of joys.

I'd Rather Shoot My Face Off Than Watch A Dozen Nine-year Olds.

Thing Four has "rediscovered" Toy Story lately. This morning he was running after his brother and he tripped, did a somersault, and ended up on his rear end. I saw the whole thing, and went running to assess the damage.

ME: "Are you okay, sweetie?? Did you fall down?"

THING FOUR: "No, mom, I was falling-- with style!"

Of all my kids, so far, he is the most like a sponge. He absorbs everything he hears and sees. It's kind of scary, actually, the amount of information he can recall. You know that "Owls of G'ahoole" or whatever movie? In the previews they have this owl with a british accent say "I want to be a GAH-Dian." (Guardian) Well, Thing Four was running around yesterday telling me he wanted to see the "Owl movie with the GAH dians." I had to laugh and tell him the correct way to pronounce "Guardian," but it made me realize even more I have to be extra careful what I say around him. Especially his older brothers, who, let's just say don't exactly use words or phrases I would want my three year old saying. We'll leave it at that.

Had a very long, very busy weekend. We are doing our Primary program rehearsals, for the big Annual Primary Program Presentation this Sunday at church. This is the first time in years I have actually been a teacher who has to sit with the kids in the stands as they perform. (Usually I am the one out in front, leading them in singing.) I have to say, I completely understand why the teachers of the years past acted the way they acted. They all have the same look: dazed and weary. Let's just say after two hours of rehearsal and trying to coordinate/keep track of a dozen nine year olds I was wishing I had some duct tape and a tranquilizer dart gun. Maybe even a straight jacket or two. I was NOT having fun. They were all a mess. Talking when they weren't supposed to be, missing the cue to stand up and sing, hitting each other, annoying each other, annoying ME, making paper airplanes/assorted weapons out of their sheet music, etc. etc. etc. And one of them thought it would be HILARIOUS to sing "SWALLOW the Prophet--he is the Prey" instead of "Follow the Prophet, he knows the way" and he had all the little five years olds around us gleefully giggling and singing it, while I wanted to put my head in my hands and cry. At one point I texted Hubby and told him I wanted to shoot my face off.

Oh well. Maybe I'm too old for patience. ;-)

Thing One's first day of Basketball tryouts went well, I am pleased to say! At least, that's what she said. She has another grilling tryout tonight. Tomorrow is the last. STRESS!

Lots to do today, I'd better get on it.