Friday, August 31, 2007

It's Friday!!!

Wait--why am I excited about that? Probably because Hubby got home last night. :-)

And, frankly, I'm done being overwhelmed. Now that I've gotten a solid week of soccer practices in, I have a SYSTEM down, folks. Yes, it can happen for me! Lara has a SYSTEM! I am no longer bemoaning my fate as a Soccer Mom three times over, I am IN CONTROL now and I can do it! Granted, I sure do a dang lot of driving around (gas bill, gas bill *sob*) but other than that, I am over complaining about it.

Thing One is scaring me. She is ME, but with blonde hair. She is such a writer. She is making up all these creature names for her story and she's actually quite good at it. She'll make up a name, and together we'll Google it to see if it's already in existence, and so far, only one of her names has gotten hits. She's very excited, and tapping away on the computer in the next room. *Sigh* My little writer clone!

My office has a huge walk-in closet (I suspect the office was originally meant to be an extra bedroom) and until yesterday, you couldn't "walk" into it. It's the last closet in my entire house that I still have unopened moving boxes in, so I went in and dejunked and opened everything up yesterday. Now I've got it semi-organized, and I could beat myself over the head because I have enough offfice supplies (that I didn't know I had) to start my own store and I've been buying them at Office Max the whole time, thinking I needed them. Well, I'm set for a good while.

Although I need to head to Target to see if composition notebooks are down to 25 cents yet...

Hope everyone has a fantastice holiday weekend! School starts on Tuesday! Hurrah!!!! (Okay, really I'll be sad and miss all my kids while they're at school all day (HURRAH!) and I'll probably pine for them and miss them and all and be sad...(HURRAH!) but school is good for them etc. etc. etc.

HURRAH!!!

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Apparently...NOT.

I thought we were done with rain. I thought those days were behind us. Mother Nature clearly gave us a resounding NO yesterday.

It's just the TIMING of the no,that got to me.

The kids and I had to go the the open house/icecream social for their school, where they meet their teachers/find their desks and lockers/put all their supplies away, etc. The social was from 3:30 to 5:30. We needed to go early, because Thing Two's soccer practice was at 5:30.

At 3pm, it started raining. And I don't mean light rain. I mean WHOOSH rain. The kind where you run to your car and you get in and you're soaked and your glasses are beaded and you are ruining the leather seats. THAT kind of rain.

We waited until 3:30, and it still hadn't let up. So I said "to heck with it" and we all got in the car, each kid with their big mongo bag of school supplies. We were all dressed to the nines, and I had even DONE MY HAIR. You want to make a good first impression on the teachers, right?

When we got to the school, there wasn't even one parking spot. NOT ONE. People were parking in the road, on the grassy fields, etc. I was tempted to park in the loading zone, but it would have blocked lots of cars in, and I wouldn't have been very popular.

Now, keep in mind, Hubby is still in Vegas, so I had all four children, (one of them a baby and the stroller) and all their school supplies. And it was still WHOOSHING rain.

We found a place about fifteen miles away from the school (yes, I exaggerate but it FELT that far away) and we got out. I had two big umbrellas, and the kids were screaming about getting wet and I couldn't get the stroller to unfold and they were complaining about how heavy their bags of school supplies were (can't fault them there, they were HUGE bags) and after some very tense moments we finally started sloshing our way towards the school, shortly after which Thing One dropped her bag and all her school stuff spilled out into a puddle. All her spiral notebooks and folders, ruined. I started laughing uncontrollably. All that needed to happen was a lightning strike, and our day would have been complete.
Then Things Three and Two started fighting over who was going to hold the umbrella and I was worried about the baby getting soaking wet, and when we finally got to the school we were all disheveled and soaked and I was SO OVER IT.

My hair had turned to straw, we looked like drowned rats (so much for good first impressions) and I was juggling about five things and all these moms were coming to talk to us/coo over the baby/talk to the kids and and HOUR AND A HALF later we had finally gotten to all the classrooms and done the obligatory stuff. I had to scoot the kids out of there with their icecream half-eaten because of Thing Two's soccer practice. So we ran to the car (thankfully the rain had let up a little) and then we ran home and got into clothes and ran to the soccer fields. I left the baby home with Thing one because he was dead asleep from being kissed and fondled for two hours straight.

The fields were a mess. I won't even mention the lovely MOSQUITOES.

I hate rain now. Anybody want it?

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Soccer Soccer Soccer Soccer Soccer Soccer Soccer Soccer Soccer Soccer Soccer Soccer Soccer Soccer Soccer Soccer....

I've never had this before. Usually I just have one of two of my Things in Soccer. This time around, I have all three of them. Granted, they are having a blast, and I'm happy for them, but I'm already getting a little worn out. I'm sure there are other moms out there who have husbands who are unavailable to help (either traveling or they work later than practice) and I wonder if they are going through the same thing.

Tomorrow's practice should be interesting. Thing Two's soccer practice begins at 5:30, so I'll drop him off at the school field and then drive Thing One to her practice at the other fields at 5:45, then Thing Three's practice begins at another field at 6pm. I'll watch him for a little while, then run back to the school fields to gather up Thing Two (he's done at 6:30) and then back to the other fields to pick up both Things One and Three at 7pm. Then we'll go home and have a late dinner. WHEW! This is every Tuesday and Thursday. But Wednesday Thing Two has a practice at the fields. He's the odd one out.

THEN we have all three in games every Saturday. THREE SOCCER GAMES EVERY SATURDAY. I've gotten the schedules and so far we don't have any crossover, just different locations--which will be tricky. I told Hubby we'd just have to split up and divide and conquer.

Poor little Thing Four. He's only going to have to go everywhere with us. But I've already talked to some of the moms on Thing One's team, and we're starting a carpool. Thank heaven she has four of her best girlfriends from school on her team. So we all know each other and know where we live. That should make things easier.

Now I just need to coordinate SNACKS.....

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

I DIDN'T DO IT!!!

This has become my kids' VERY FAVORITE phrase as of late. When I see that a mess has been made, or some other infraction, and I ask "who did this???" the typical response:

"I didn't do it!"

I am sad to report that my kids are all LIARS. They don't want to get into trouble, because when I'm mad, let's just say I'm not very nice. So in a way I understand. But at the same time, it is very infuriating. It's the first thing out of their mouths, even if it's not true.

Example #1: Thing Three asks me if he can eat his fruit rollup in the basement. I tell him yes as long as he throws his wrapper away. Ten minutes later, I go down to the basement, and see a fruit rollup wrapper sitting on the desk next to the kids computer. I yell for Thing Three to come and throw it away.

"I didn't do it!"

I mean, seriously, do they think I was born yesterday? The funny part is, I always know EXACTLY who "did it." They all have their M.O.'s.
Thing Two never can manage to flush a toilet. Thing Three always leaves the TV on. Thing One can't turn her night light off to save her life. And she always leaves books and paper and pens all over the house. I will give her credit, though. At least she owns up to it.

But my boys--well, I think they would stand at the very gaping jaws of Hades and claim they "didn't do it" until they were blue in their faces. It's very annoying. And sometimes, sometimes, I can't tell who did it. They are that good at denial. So I just threaten to punish both of them, which usually works.

UGH.

It's probably just a phase, and one I'll be glad to see the back of.

I did manage to get a lot of plot outline done after the kids went to bed. This story I'm working on is very fun. I was lamenting yesterday to a writing buddy that the fun part is the outline, the hard part is the execution, or writing. I'm an impatient writer. I want to be able to churn out a novel in about a week. But then it would be crap, and I know it. Writing is a slow process for me, because I want to try and get it right the first time. It's hard to capture the movie in my head as precisely as I see it, I want to be able to do it justice. And that takes TIME.

Slowly and surely is better than not at all, I say!

Sunday, August 26, 2007

FREEDOM!!!!

Status: Feeling pretty darn good. Except if I hear "Mommmmm, what's for dinner??? one more time....

Yesterday was really great. Well, not at first. At 10 am I was in my nightgown and slippers, dragging parts of me behind myself, and Hubby suggested that I "get out"...by myself.
I looked at him. "But the kids are sick and whiny and the baby is due to wake up and eat and you had talked about wanting to do work today, etc. etc. "

He looked at me. "It's really OK. You need a break. Why don't you get away for a few hours and then I'll get done what I need to afterwards?"

I don't think I've ever jumped in the shower faster in my life. I got dressed (I wore a new snazzy outfit so I felt actually human) and I was OUTTA THERE. Hubby was my hero. He was happy as a clam, watching his Tennis Channel anyway.
We did have a tense moment when Thing Three got all excited because he thought he was coming with me and I finally told him he could after he burst into tears but Hubby told him he needed to run up to the game closet and pick out a game. "Get out of here while you can," he whispered to me out of the corner of his mouth." I RAN out of there.

At first, I didn't know what to do with myself. But then I figured it out. A few hours later, I had gone shopping at Boston Store (Clinique was in Gift there, woo hoo!) and then directly to my Mother Ship, Barnes & Noble, where I spent my B&N giftcard from Christmas last year that I hadn't gotten the chance to spend yet. Of course I bought research books, but I've been wanting them for a while.

Today Hubby had the sick kids while I went to church, too. Then he left right afterwards for the airport.

So, I'm here in my office, feeling great, and I'm blogging, and I've got Thing Four in his bouncy next to the computer desk, looking up at me. He's extremely happy.
But that's because he just pooped his pants.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming! And I guess it's time to fix dinner...

Friday, August 24, 2007

Friday. Eh.

Status: Drained. Exhausted. Dull.
Oh, and Karen got it right! The Amazon quote was from "Honey I Shrunk The Kids!"

Read any blog today, and you've got your basic working-away-from-home person screaming at the top of their blog lungs "TGIF!!! TGIF!!!"

It's different for a stay-home mom. Our jobs seem to NEVER end. Friday means nothing to us. It's anticlimactic, at best. Because we are HOME all the time. HOME is our office. HOME is our prison, our playground, etc. etc.

I'm feeling particularly pensive about this subject because for the last five days straight I've been stuck at home, with sick kids and pouring rain outside. Cabin fever? Yes. The Crazies? Slightly. All the soccer practices got cancelled because of rain. We couldn't get fresh air, because if we opened windows the rain would get in--and I HATE a humid damp house. And I couldn't get out of the house, because I have two kids with a highly contagious virus and SPOTS. So except for Dr visits (which were a nightmare with all four kids) we didn't get out much this week.

So, Friday means nothing to me. Except maybe I should clean up a little because now HUBBY will be home as well as everyone else and it will be one more person to deal with, and the clutter from the week is getting to me.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am grateful I don't have to work outside the home. I am grateful I can stay home with my kids. I know how hard working moms have it, because I did work long hours away from home with my first two kids.

But there IS such a thing as "too much" of a good thing, sometimes. And I am completely unapologetic about that.

I told Hubby last night I needed a break. I have been cooped up in the house with whiny bored sick kids the entire week, and I need to get away. Just for a couple of hours by myself, to breathe and recollect my sanity. I know he's sympathetic to my plight, but he, himself spends long hours at work and since he's leaving for Vegas this weekend he'll be working and my "down time" won't happen.

So I'm getting a SITTER, dang it. If the kids are feeling better. On Monday. I'm getting a sitter and I'm going to get some things done and be by myself for a few hours.

I just hope the spots are gone---or it will be another long week!

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Rain, Rain and More Rain...

I'm starting to feel VERY lucky that my house is on the top of a hill. I think we've had 1/2 a day of sun in the last five days. Otherwise, rain and more rain. Our lawn is "starting to look like the Amazon." (10 points if you can tell me what movie THAT line is from!) Hint: it's one of my kids' favorite movies, and it's WAY old...

Thing Four woke up at 4am (hooray!) instead of 2 and 5, so I slept strangely. I guess I'm so used to waking up, now I can't sleep. And suddenly I had to get certain points about a character down onto paper before I forgot them, so after feeding Thing Four I went to the office and started typing. I'm doing something I've never really done before, I'm writing a story that has a BOY sharing the spotlight with a girl. Usually I just write about girls, for girls. So this time around, it's different. Although I might be a little outdated. I would be a GREAT storywriter if this was 1986!! :-)

So today we are going back to the Dr. about The Spots (which are getting worse) and I get to take a car full of kids in the stinkin' rain, and run assorted errands. Hubby leaves for Vegas on Sunday, and won't be back until Thursday. Typical. Guess I'd better get his suits to the dry cleaners too.

I just want to curl up with a good book and look at the rain outside the windows, not bleeping RUN AROUND in it...

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

It's a Hurricane!!

Seriously, OMGosh it just started! The trees are all bent in half from the wind and we are getting pummeled with rain!

Needless to say, Soccer practice is cancelled tonight.

Needless to say, my kids wouldn't have gone anyway, because they have SPOTS.

:-P

SPOTS...

Status: Frustrated. DANG Frustrated. My kids have spots! Out, out damn spots!!!

Okay, so two weeks ago Thing Three develops a rash. A pretty severe one that covers his entire body and face, and it looks angry and red, like hives. We go to the Dr., and he is baffled. Thing Three's ears and throat look fine, but the rash came on so quickly, the Dr. was confused. So he gives us a bunch of lotion and sends us home. Two days later, the rash is WAY worse. So I had HUBBY take Thing Three in, and see a different doctor, and she says "that rash is viral" and they test him for strep, and it comes back POSITIVE. So we quarrantine him for a day until the antibiotics kick in, and in a week, he's better.

Cut to last night, just as all three Things were eating an early dinner before soccer practice, and Thing Two noticed a rash on his arm. Then after an inspection by me, I find that it's his whole body. Just like Thing Three. So I run Thing One to soccer practice, and lug the three boys to the Dr., and they test Thing Two for Strep.

It came back NEGATIVE. But the rash is identical-- its onset the same. The nurse says to go home and wait. If the rash gets worse (HELLO! IT WILL!!!) to call again. But we must have tested too early.

Well, Thing ONE now has the rash too. So I've called the Dr's office and heck be damned I'm not going to be told to "wait." We need treatment NOW!!! Of course they took my name and number and said they'd call me back. Still waiting...

I hate spots.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

White VS Wheat Bread...and the Winner Is...

Status: It's STILL raining! Hubby actually made the "Ark" joke last night. Soccer fields are closed, and it looks like we won't be having practices tonight. DARN. I'm all choked up about that one...especially since I would have had to break away early anyway to run the kids to Cubs/Activity Days at the church that is THIRTY MILES AWAY...

*Ahem*

Okay, Hubby and I got ambitious and made six loaves of homemade bread on Sunday--Three honey wheat and three white. (Can I say, I love my Bosch mixer??) Anyway, the kids and I have been eating the bread for toast, sandwiches, etc. and I am surprised at myself. I actually prefer the wheat bread over the white bread. Weird for me. Seriously.

I grew up an exclusively white-bread girl. My parents always bought white, and the few experiences I had with wheat bread were...less than stellar.
My mother, bless her, would make homemade wheat bread and (sorry mom) her loaves were so dense they probably weighed about 20 pounds each and yes, she made us EAT THEM. So I quickly grew to loathe wheat bread. YUCK.

So, when Hubby and I were first married, I bought white bread. He came from a wheat bread family. So we had "His and Hers" bread. Then we had kids, and I realized wheat bread was healthier. And I knew that if I raised them on wheat, they wouldn't care that they weren't having white.

So, yes, we are a wheat bread family--and I am liking the taste over white! White bread to me seems so...plain. That's the only word to describe it. Wheat bread is nutty, flavorful...healthy, everything white bread isn't.

I am surprised at myself! I guess I have finally grown up in the Bread department...?