I'm not sure that's the right title for this post. (For anyone that attended today's service at GBIC, I feel like I'm channeling Pastor John right now. But I don't have a better title, so, so be it.)
Anyway. Last fall I started attending Women's Bible Study as West Shore EFree Church. It's a huge program and I know a lot of women that attend it, and I made several new friends. I started going with my friend, and really, REALLY enjoyed the study we chose. In the spring, I invited another friend of mine to come with me, and in addition to her another friend from church joined us. Now there were four of us in this class. And, again, I really, REALLY enjoyed the study.
Independently, the friend I had not intentionally invited, and I were both feeling like we needed to have a Women's Bible Study at our own church. Walking past the rolling cart of group Bible Study materials, I saw a video series by the same woman I had just taken two classes of, and really, REALLY enjoyed. Bingo! I checked it out, we made plans, we talked to the pastor at church and rolled with it.
In October, we (I) officially started leading this Women's Bible Study. Can I just say - leading ANY Bible Study was never on my radar of things to do. Never on any bucket list of mine. But I have so, SO enjoyed it. And my friend, well, she's had a lot of life changes, and I feel as though I have somewhat bulldozed through another project "we" were spearheading, and run with it by myself. Not sure how she feels about that. But I guess if it were a problem, she would have approached me? Something to digest another day.
So, how does all this relate to my little children? Well, I'll tell you. I have been studying and reading and enjoying learning more about my Lord. I have been intentional about talking about what I'm learning. I (we, parents) have made it an (almost) nightly routine to read bedtime devotions and pray before bed. The kids and I pray in the car on the way to school each morning (almost every morning). It's been a slightly different atmosphere than in the past. I feel it; some people who know me have noticed it. I'm cool with that.
Tonight - tonight was harvest night. Tonight, daddy left for St. Louis for the week. The kids and I drove him to the airport - just to have a few extra minutes with him. (Who needs tv?!) And as we were driving along, our dear daughter said from the backseat, "Daddy, can I pray for you before you go on your trip?" And her sweet, sweet, honest, from the heart of a child's prayer brought tears to our eyes. It was so amazing. So, so amazing.
I can take no credit. I probably model "good Christian behavior" about 6% of the time I spend with her. But I am hopeful. Hopeful that she will continue to love her Jesus and be bold about her faith. She has been saying for the past few months how excited she is to move up to the youth group at our church. Our church, for anyone that isn't familiar, has gone through a bit of a rough patch with youth ministers. What was once a thriving, vibrant nugget of our church has been ravaged. It's barely a whisper of the awesomeness it used to be. There was a time period where we didn't even invite friends to events at our church. We just weren't in the right place. I am hopeful we are on the right track. And the mere fact that my daughter is excited to join that group - that gives me hope. And I'm excited for her to join that group too, because then I can join as well.
Kids are where it's at, people. Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV) "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." What kids see and do as young people, they will continue to do as they grow up. Lemme be honest here - I see the other 94% of my behavior modeled by my daughter too. And it's not pretty. And it's something I need to work on.
That's my story for today.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Friday, November 08, 2013
Back into the Blogging World
So I'm thinking about getting back into the blogging world. I don't know exactly what that entales (entails?) just yet. But it's been a lingering thought for a short while now and I am learning through Bible Study that "random" thoughts are not so random, and thoughts that keep coming back should probably be listened to. SOOO. After much searching, I found my old blog and even successfully logged in (clearly, as I am posting - duh).
So, as I let the thought of publishing my random thoughts to the world wide web, I am pondering, 1) What could I possibly have to say that would be able to benefit someone else? 2) Should I start a brand new blog? 3) Should this blog be about me, what I'm learning as I go through life, more about the kids (as it previously had been), or what?
I attempted a new blog about a year ago - the intention was the chronicle (not sure that's the word I really want to use, but I digress) my Pinterest attempts. Now, there are lots of blogs out there (Pinstrosity, for one) that feature people's failed attempts at creating items they find on Pinterest. I don't want to recreate the wheel. I'm also not good at documenting myself. That blog has sat dormant for, like I said, about a year, with a whopping 2 posts. Lame. I know.
I do chronicle a lot of life via Facebook. But I don't think I can print that. I'm thinking it might be nice to be able to print out blog posts some day and let the kids read about our escapades. Cuz I'm clearly on the ball with the scrapbooking (has it been mentioned that the 8 year old boy still does not have a baby book? Yeah). While I have successfully organized all the kids papers and pictures and artsy creations since PreSchool into folders and file organizers....I have yet to get out the tape runner and actually apply it to anything.
I have lots of projects pinned on Pinterest and a beautiful craft room waiting for me to come make something. And yet, the siren call of the couch is so alluring....
I haven't been sleeping well - and I think I use that as a crutch for days when I accomplish next to nothing (I do get dressed - so that's something).
I see I have been all over the board with just this post. Perhaps a little organization is in order, eh? I will see what I can work up over the weekend. Until then, if you have any brilliant ideas......
~C
So, as I let the thought of publishing my random thoughts to the world wide web, I am pondering, 1) What could I possibly have to say that would be able to benefit someone else? 2) Should I start a brand new blog? 3) Should this blog be about me, what I'm learning as I go through life, more about the kids (as it previously had been), or what?
I attempted a new blog about a year ago - the intention was the chronicle (not sure that's the word I really want to use, but I digress) my Pinterest attempts. Now, there are lots of blogs out there (Pinstrosity, for one) that feature people's failed attempts at creating items they find on Pinterest. I don't want to recreate the wheel. I'm also not good at documenting myself. That blog has sat dormant for, like I said, about a year, with a whopping 2 posts. Lame. I know.
I do chronicle a lot of life via Facebook. But I don't think I can print that. I'm thinking it might be nice to be able to print out blog posts some day and let the kids read about our escapades. Cuz I'm clearly on the ball with the scrapbooking (has it been mentioned that the 8 year old boy still does not have a baby book? Yeah). While I have successfully organized all the kids papers and pictures and artsy creations since PreSchool into folders and file organizers....I have yet to get out the tape runner and actually apply it to anything.
I have lots of projects pinned on Pinterest and a beautiful craft room waiting for me to come make something. And yet, the siren call of the couch is so alluring....
I haven't been sleeping well - and I think I use that as a crutch for days when I accomplish next to nothing (I do get dressed - so that's something).
I see I have been all over the board with just this post. Perhaps a little organization is in order, eh? I will see what I can work up over the weekend. Until then, if you have any brilliant ideas......
~C
Saturday, June 27, 2009
More at the beach
So, where did I leave off? Wednesday....
Wednesday, my parents were due to arrive. We didn't have formal plans, but since it was my dad's birthday, we did plan to have a nice dinner with them. We spent a good bit of time at the beach late morning, and when we walked back to the camper, the sand and walkway were SO hot we all practically burned the bottoms of our feet. Abby, in particular was miserable. Wimpering and everything! Put some aloe on her feet and she was better within the hour. My parents arrived around 3pm and we enjoyed catching up. Spaghetti dinner with garlic bread, laundry and smores finished our evening.
Thursday was the big sightseeing day. And boy, did it dawn warm! You know it's gonna be a hot day, when you leave the shower house with dripping wet hair and it's dry by the time you reach your campsite - three rows away! But we all piled into our cars and headed out the see Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. AWESOME. And HOT! Before arriving, I knew that I would not be climbing, nor would my dad. The kids both wanted to climb, but we were a little hesitant to encourage that. Abby swore up and down that she would do it all by herself. Josh (fortunately) didn't meet the height requirements for climbing. Naturally, he was VERY upset about it. My dad and I tried to keep him otherwise occupied and distracted. He and I even walked up the steps into the bottom of it - but that didn't fool him. We toodled through the museum and the gift shop and got the kids passports stamped. He was a real trooper! After the climbers returned, we headed farther south for Ocracoke Lighthouse. It takes a 40 minute ferry ride to get there. But they didn't factor in the 2 hour wait (in the blinding sun) to get ON the ferry. Oye! We got some ice cream and called it lunch. When we finally arrived, we saw the lighthouse (you can't go up or even touch this one), took our pictures and went to find a place to eat. We called that meal dinner :-) and then waited another hour to board the ferry back to Hatteras Island. Josh fell asleep waiting for the ferry; and woke up after we boarded. Abby fell asleep about 5 miles from the campground and never fully woke up. Put the kids straight to bed and started making margaritas!
It was a rough night for sleep - very warm and muggy, not much of a breeze. Friday dawned warm again. At 10am, the girls went up to a beading activity organized by the campground summershiners. It was pretty lame, so only Abby made "jewelry". Then we dressed for the pool and enjoyed the cool water for close to 2 hours. After a light lunch, we piled into the cars again and headed north to Bodie Island and then Roanoke Island. We saw Bodie Lighthouse (and a brief rain shower) and then went to Manteo to see the "new" Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse (which is actually a recreation of an old lighthouse that stood out in the marshes many, many moons ago). We walked around downtown Manteo, shopped at the museum stores, and searched for fossils, all to the constant rumble of thunder and impending rain. When the first drops started to fall, we got back in the car and headed back to the campground. Where it was raining fiercely! So much for our steak dinner!!! We tried to build a surround to our tent, but it didn't work. We thought about waiting it out, but were too hungry. So, we loaded back into the cars and headed to Avon for dinner. We dined at Bubba's Too BBQ. It was good; but no steak dinner. The kids were in bed by 9pm and the grownups were enjoying Mango margaritas by 9:15.
It was another rough night with not much sleep in our camper. The previous night Abby was talking in her sleep (about climbing the lighthouse, no less!) and Josh was very restless. Last night Abby was up and complaining about a sore throat and not being able to sleep - for at least 2+ hours. She eventually fell asleep soundly in my half of the bed. So, I moved to her end of the camper and slept with Josh for a while. Didn't sleep well! No one did, it turns out. Between the heat and the neighboring noise, we were all a little grumpy this morning. But the steaks and fried potatoes we had for breakfast perked us all up a good bit!!
My parents hit the road for home. We are hanging out at the campground. We will probably do the pool for a while; hopefully the beach, too - maybe in the evening, when it's not too warm. T-shirt tye-dying is at 3:30 this afternoon - a can't miss activity!! Then it's burgers and dogs, baked beans and salad for dinner. We pull out tomorrow morning and head back to the Williamsburg KOA. We'll be home and sleeping in our own beds on Monday.
It's been a great vacation, and we will certainly enjoy our last few days of it; but we are all ready to go home. We have a few days at home to do chores and what not, then we head up to the Silver Lake cottage for the 4th of July. Then it's back to "real life". Trying not to think about that!!
Wednesday, my parents were due to arrive. We didn't have formal plans, but since it was my dad's birthday, we did plan to have a nice dinner with them. We spent a good bit of time at the beach late morning, and when we walked back to the camper, the sand and walkway were SO hot we all practically burned the bottoms of our feet. Abby, in particular was miserable. Wimpering and everything! Put some aloe on her feet and she was better within the hour. My parents arrived around 3pm and we enjoyed catching up. Spaghetti dinner with garlic bread, laundry and smores finished our evening.
Thursday was the big sightseeing day. And boy, did it dawn warm! You know it's gonna be a hot day, when you leave the shower house with dripping wet hair and it's dry by the time you reach your campsite - three rows away! But we all piled into our cars and headed out the see Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. AWESOME. And HOT! Before arriving, I knew that I would not be climbing, nor would my dad. The kids both wanted to climb, but we were a little hesitant to encourage that. Abby swore up and down that she would do it all by herself. Josh (fortunately) didn't meet the height requirements for climbing. Naturally, he was VERY upset about it. My dad and I tried to keep him otherwise occupied and distracted. He and I even walked up the steps into the bottom of it - but that didn't fool him. We toodled through the museum and the gift shop and got the kids passports stamped. He was a real trooper! After the climbers returned, we headed farther south for Ocracoke Lighthouse. It takes a 40 minute ferry ride to get there. But they didn't factor in the 2 hour wait (in the blinding sun) to get ON the ferry. Oye! We got some ice cream and called it lunch. When we finally arrived, we saw the lighthouse (you can't go up or even touch this one), took our pictures and went to find a place to eat. We called that meal dinner :-) and then waited another hour to board the ferry back to Hatteras Island. Josh fell asleep waiting for the ferry; and woke up after we boarded. Abby fell asleep about 5 miles from the campground and never fully woke up. Put the kids straight to bed and started making margaritas!
It was a rough night for sleep - very warm and muggy, not much of a breeze. Friday dawned warm again. At 10am, the girls went up to a beading activity organized by the campground summershiners. It was pretty lame, so only Abby made "jewelry". Then we dressed for the pool and enjoyed the cool water for close to 2 hours. After a light lunch, we piled into the cars again and headed north to Bodie Island and then Roanoke Island. We saw Bodie Lighthouse (and a brief rain shower) and then went to Manteo to see the "new" Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse (which is actually a recreation of an old lighthouse that stood out in the marshes many, many moons ago). We walked around downtown Manteo, shopped at the museum stores, and searched for fossils, all to the constant rumble of thunder and impending rain. When the first drops started to fall, we got back in the car and headed back to the campground. Where it was raining fiercely! So much for our steak dinner!!! We tried to build a surround to our tent, but it didn't work. We thought about waiting it out, but were too hungry. So, we loaded back into the cars and headed to Avon for dinner. We dined at Bubba's Too BBQ. It was good; but no steak dinner. The kids were in bed by 9pm and the grownups were enjoying Mango margaritas by 9:15.
It was another rough night with not much sleep in our camper. The previous night Abby was talking in her sleep (about climbing the lighthouse, no less!) and Josh was very restless. Last night Abby was up and complaining about a sore throat and not being able to sleep - for at least 2+ hours. She eventually fell asleep soundly in my half of the bed. So, I moved to her end of the camper and slept with Josh for a while. Didn't sleep well! No one did, it turns out. Between the heat and the neighboring noise, we were all a little grumpy this morning. But the steaks and fried potatoes we had for breakfast perked us all up a good bit!!
My parents hit the road for home. We are hanging out at the campground. We will probably do the pool for a while; hopefully the beach, too - maybe in the evening, when it's not too warm. T-shirt tye-dying is at 3:30 this afternoon - a can't miss activity!! Then it's burgers and dogs, baked beans and salad for dinner. We pull out tomorrow morning and head back to the Williamsburg KOA. We'll be home and sleeping in our own beds on Monday.
It's been a great vacation, and we will certainly enjoy our last few days of it; but we are all ready to go home. We have a few days at home to do chores and what not, then we head up to the Silver Lake cottage for the 4th of July. Then it's back to "real life". Trying not to think about that!!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Being at the Beach
Father's Day began our family vacation - a trip in the camper to Cape Hatteras, the Outer Banks. We pulled out of Dillsburg at 8:37am and headed south. By lunchtime we had stopped three times to pee and were finally pulling in to visit with some friends in Richmond. We spent about 4 hours of quality time with them and their three boys and their parents. It was almost like a family reunion! By 4:30 we were on our way to Williamsburg and our KOA for the night.
Other than a few minor mishaps at Williamsburg, like mom not reading the map right and totally missing the campsite and losing Abby for a while, it was a great night. The kids had a hard time settling down and going to sleep. By 10pm, when the grownups were ready for bed, they were still awake, so we all settled down together for some much needed rest.
By 8:37 Monday morning we were on the road for Hatteras. The original plan was for us to eat breakfast in the car - donuts. But DH saw a sign for Cracker Barrel, and we made a brief detour :-) Once on the road again, we only had to stop twice for potty breaks. We pulled into the Cape Hatteras KOA by mid-afternoon and the kids started clamoring for bikes and the beach and the pool and dinner and ..... Crazy!!
We took some time to get the camper set up and settled in. Then we walked over the dunes to the beach and spent a good hour or two there. We headed back for showers and dinner and a game and then put the kids to bed around 9pm. They were asleep within minutes! We didn't stay up too much later than them. It had been a VERY busy day.
Tuesday, we started with the KOA pancake breakfast - which was FABULOUS in Maine (fresh made to order pancakes with fresh Maine blueberries...), but was less than stellar here in OBX. The pancakes were frozen - "cooked" in the microwave; the sausage was also frozen and "cooked" in the oven; the coffee (I was told) was like drinking mud; and the orange juice was mostly frozen. What an experience!
The kids chose to hang out at the pool on Tuesday, so after much piddling around at the campsite, riding bikes (Abby's learning how to ride a 2-wheeler) and lunch, we headed up to the pool. We spent more than an hour there - with the kids riding down the slides multiple times each - we headed back for showers and dinner. We decided to dine out, and at 6:30 were heading out. The kids, very VERY tired, fell asleep on the 30 minute ride back to "civilization", and we had a very nice dinner at The Dunes restaurant. We were back to the camper by 10pm and put the kids to bed.
Wednesday will be another fun outdoor day. Plans are as yet undecided; but Grandma and Grandpa will be joining us before dinner. Thursday we will finally head out to see some lighthouses.
I love vacation!
Other than a few minor mishaps at Williamsburg, like mom not reading the map right and totally missing the campsite and losing Abby for a while, it was a great night. The kids had a hard time settling down and going to sleep. By 10pm, when the grownups were ready for bed, they were still awake, so we all settled down together for some much needed rest.
By 8:37 Monday morning we were on the road for Hatteras. The original plan was for us to eat breakfast in the car - donuts. But DH saw a sign for Cracker Barrel, and we made a brief detour :-) Once on the road again, we only had to stop twice for potty breaks. We pulled into the Cape Hatteras KOA by mid-afternoon and the kids started clamoring for bikes and the beach and the pool and dinner and ..... Crazy!!
We took some time to get the camper set up and settled in. Then we walked over the dunes to the beach and spent a good hour or two there. We headed back for showers and dinner and a game and then put the kids to bed around 9pm. They were asleep within minutes! We didn't stay up too much later than them. It had been a VERY busy day.
Tuesday, we started with the KOA pancake breakfast - which was FABULOUS in Maine (fresh made to order pancakes with fresh Maine blueberries...), but was less than stellar here in OBX. The pancakes were frozen - "cooked" in the microwave; the sausage was also frozen and "cooked" in the oven; the coffee (I was told) was like drinking mud; and the orange juice was mostly frozen. What an experience!
The kids chose to hang out at the pool on Tuesday, so after much piddling around at the campsite, riding bikes (Abby's learning how to ride a 2-wheeler) and lunch, we headed up to the pool. We spent more than an hour there - with the kids riding down the slides multiple times each - we headed back for showers and dinner. We decided to dine out, and at 6:30 were heading out. The kids, very VERY tired, fell asleep on the 30 minute ride back to "civilization", and we had a very nice dinner at The Dunes restaurant. We were back to the camper by 10pm and put the kids to bed.
Wednesday will be another fun outdoor day. Plans are as yet undecided; but Grandma and Grandpa will be joining us before dinner. Thursday we will finally head out to see some lighthouses.
I love vacation!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Oh, What a Day
Okay, so I feel the need to just kind of vent and complain a bit. Be warned....
Today was my son's class Luau at pre-school. I knew going into it that it would be an exhausting day. 28 3/4 year olds running around?! Yeah, I was going to go a little mad. I'm not really sure how it happened, but I was "in charge" of crafts (which I delegated to another mom - thanks, Jody!), face painting, toe nail painting and tatoos (the toes and tats I also delegated - thanks Kari and Margo!), AND ordering the pizza. WTF?! Anyway, between the delegations and the constant clock watching (so I ordered the pizza on time), all went well. But I was tired by the end of the party (12:30).
Dragged my young son home and put him in bed for a nap, then crawled into mine as well. I think I read 1, maybe 2, pages of my book before I fell asleep. I was awakened 10 minutes later by the phone. "Hello, this is the nurse at BBS, your daughter fell off the monkey bars and is here with me. Her forearm by the wrist is swollen and she's very much favoring it." OMG! Are you kidding me?! I told the nurse that I had just put my son down for a nap after a long morning and that if she's wasn't in terrible pain, I would just wait until the end of school to pick her up. The nurse said okay, but didn't sound too thrilled about that.
Called my DH and told him what went down at school. He, too, was surprised that I was leaving her at school. And he, wisely, said, "if they thought it was important enough to call you about it, you probably ought to go pick her up" *sign*, when he's right, he's right. Damn, I hate it when he's right!
Turned out that DS wasn't sleeping anyway, so we hauled off the get DD from school. She was curled up in the nurses office, looking almost asleep and VERY pathetic. She just wanted to go home. SO SAD!! Before we left the school, I called our doctor and got an appointment for 3:40. So, we went home to relax a bit before that.
The doctor palpatated her arm and was pretty sure it was fractured and sent us to the local facility that does x-rays (the doctor's office doesn't). We arrived there at 4:30. By 5:00 it was confirmed that her arm had a "buckle" fracture and the doctor's office recommended that we make an appointment with OIP (an orthopedict). Don't you know, they close at 5pm. Arg. So, I will call them tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, it's a little after 5pm and I have not done anything about dinner. I have been up since 6am, with much energy outputted and not much nap time to recharge. My allergies have been flaring up the past two days and most of the time I cannot breath, what with my nose either being stuffed or so full of snot! My eyes are tired and my body aches.
My dear friend, who is having a birthday party for her son tomorrow, who has already rescheduled it once because we couldn't attend, called about something regarding the party tomorrow and I told her what was going on. I think we'll still make it.
DH called and asked what was for dinner (in a joking way, cause he knew how the day had progressed) and we quickly agreed upon dinner at the local diner. :-) Great minds think alike.
After dinner, we all got into our jammies and had a pajama party. And now the children are in bed. I plan to take some Nyquil soon and be in my bed shortly as well.
So, that's the skinny on my "Oye, what a day" day. Sorry to be all "my life is so much worse than yours", but I just needed to get it all out there.
Today was my son's class Luau at pre-school. I knew going into it that it would be an exhausting day. 28 3/4 year olds running around?! Yeah, I was going to go a little mad. I'm not really sure how it happened, but I was "in charge" of crafts (which I delegated to another mom - thanks, Jody!), face painting, toe nail painting and tatoos (the toes and tats I also delegated - thanks Kari and Margo!), AND ordering the pizza. WTF?! Anyway, between the delegations and the constant clock watching (so I ordered the pizza on time), all went well. But I was tired by the end of the party (12:30).
Dragged my young son home and put him in bed for a nap, then crawled into mine as well. I think I read 1, maybe 2, pages of my book before I fell asleep. I was awakened 10 minutes later by the phone. "Hello, this is the nurse at BBS, your daughter fell off the monkey bars and is here with me. Her forearm by the wrist is swollen and she's very much favoring it." OMG! Are you kidding me?! I told the nurse that I had just put my son down for a nap after a long morning and that if she's wasn't in terrible pain, I would just wait until the end of school to pick her up. The nurse said okay, but didn't sound too thrilled about that.
Called my DH and told him what went down at school. He, too, was surprised that I was leaving her at school. And he, wisely, said, "if they thought it was important enough to call you about it, you probably ought to go pick her up" *sign*, when he's right, he's right. Damn, I hate it when he's right!
Turned out that DS wasn't sleeping anyway, so we hauled off the get DD from school. She was curled up in the nurses office, looking almost asleep and VERY pathetic. She just wanted to go home. SO SAD!! Before we left the school, I called our doctor and got an appointment for 3:40. So, we went home to relax a bit before that.
The doctor palpatated her arm and was pretty sure it was fractured and sent us to the local facility that does x-rays (the doctor's office doesn't). We arrived there at 4:30. By 5:00 it was confirmed that her arm had a "buckle" fracture and the doctor's office recommended that we make an appointment with OIP (an orthopedict). Don't you know, they close at 5pm. Arg. So, I will call them tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, it's a little after 5pm and I have not done anything about dinner. I have been up since 6am, with much energy outputted and not much nap time to recharge. My allergies have been flaring up the past two days and most of the time I cannot breath, what with my nose either being stuffed or so full of snot! My eyes are tired and my body aches.
My dear friend, who is having a birthday party for her son tomorrow, who has already rescheduled it once because we couldn't attend, called about something regarding the party tomorrow and I told her what was going on. I think we'll still make it.
DH called and asked what was for dinner (in a joking way, cause he knew how the day had progressed) and we quickly agreed upon dinner at the local diner. :-) Great minds think alike.
After dinner, we all got into our jammies and had a pajama party. And now the children are in bed. I plan to take some Nyquil soon and be in my bed shortly as well.
So, that's the skinny on my "Oye, what a day" day. Sorry to be all "my life is so much worse than yours", but I just needed to get it all out there.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Mother's Day 2009
This was, by far, the most fun Mother's Day weekend I've ever had.
On Friday, I went to Abby's school for Mother's Day Tea. The kids sang songs and there were placemats with their handprints and pictures and chocolate roses. There was a buffet of lunch meat, cheese, chips and cookies. It was a really nice time. I got to hang out with my girl and meet some moms of other kids in her class.
After tea, Abby and I changed into comfy clothes and went to our hair cut appointments. The last time I cut my hair was November of 2007 - right before my sister-in-laws wedding. I am not one for scheduling regular hair cuts, so I just kind of let it go. Then a friend mentioned to me that she was going to grow her hair out for donation to Lock of Love. I thought, heck, I could do that too. So, yesterday, I had about 8/9 inches of hair cut off and now I have a real cute bob. Abby also decided to let her hair grow, because she wanted to not cut it, just like Mommy. She got about 5 inches cut off and has a real cute short hair do for summer. Yay! No more hair brushing battles!!!
After hair cuts we came home for a quick rest and some last minute camper packing. (The boys had been home all morning packing and shopping and getting us ready to go) We headed off to the campground around 4pm. Got to our site, got settled and hooked up. And then it was time for me and Abby to head home and change (again!)
We got dressed in nice clothes and went to our church's All Daughter's Banquet. It was a salad supper, so we had a lot of variety. And since it was for all the women, the boys from our small group met Mike and Josh at the campground for some hotdogs and smores. Everyone had a good time.
Abby and I came back to the campground around 8pm and the kids got ready for bed. Mike and I stayed up sitting under the EZup tent chatting. It was so nice; relaxing; bonding. We weren't wearing watches or carrying our cells phones, so I have no idea what time we went to bed....it was dark :-)
We had rain overnight, but we stayed nice and dry. Abby was up at 6am (OMG!) and by 6:30 I was awake enough to head home and walk the dog (hey - it's cheaper than boarding her and bringing her along was not an option). We ran home together and took care of the dog and picked up a few things at the store on our way back. By the time we got back to the campground, the list of forgotten things was too long to make breakfast, so we went out to the local Java Junction and had yummy breakfast sandwiches (me and Mike) and blueberry muffins (Abby and Josh). Good times!
We spent most of the day riding our bikes, playing on the beach, or playing games at the camp site. Mike and Abby headed home to walk the dog after lunch and Josh and I rested in the camper. Dinner was (yummy!) steaks and mashed potatoes. Then smores. Then bed for the kids. We didn't stay up that late last night - the wind was blowing pretty hard and it was getting cooler. The fire was warm, but it was dying quickly.
Slept much better last night - sleeping in the cool air is good :-) Kids slept in till about 6:45 this morning. I went home alone to walk the dog this morning. Picked up a few more things for breakfast and we had Saturday morning's breakfast on Sunday. Yeah, it all worked out! Went for another bike ride, played some more at the beach, cleaned up the campsite and finally packed up and went home.
It was so nice to be "unplugged" for the weekend. It felt a lot longer than 2 days. It was quiet and restful and re-energizing. I have a positive outlook on things now (yay!)
We did go out for dinner tonight - to The Olive Garden (where the wait for a table was 90 minutes, but we were able to seat ourselves in the "bar" area within minutes of walking in). The kids are tucked in and I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight.
I appreciate the work that goes into Motherhood. It's not always easy and it's not always fun; but it IS always rewarding. Thanks to MY mom for raising me right and helping me with my kids!
Well, I think I've rambled on enough now. It was a good time and I am already trying to figure out when we can go again (before our OBX trip).
On Friday, I went to Abby's school for Mother's Day Tea. The kids sang songs and there were placemats with their handprints and pictures and chocolate roses. There was a buffet of lunch meat, cheese, chips and cookies. It was a really nice time. I got to hang out with my girl and meet some moms of other kids in her class.
After tea, Abby and I changed into comfy clothes and went to our hair cut appointments. The last time I cut my hair was November of 2007 - right before my sister-in-laws wedding. I am not one for scheduling regular hair cuts, so I just kind of let it go. Then a friend mentioned to me that she was going to grow her hair out for donation to Lock of Love. I thought, heck, I could do that too. So, yesterday, I had about 8/9 inches of hair cut off and now I have a real cute bob. Abby also decided to let her hair grow, because she wanted to not cut it, just like Mommy. She got about 5 inches cut off and has a real cute short hair do for summer. Yay! No more hair brushing battles!!!
After hair cuts we came home for a quick rest and some last minute camper packing. (The boys had been home all morning packing and shopping and getting us ready to go) We headed off to the campground around 4pm. Got to our site, got settled and hooked up. And then it was time for me and Abby to head home and change (again!)
We got dressed in nice clothes and went to our church's All Daughter's Banquet. It was a salad supper, so we had a lot of variety. And since it was for all the women, the boys from our small group met Mike and Josh at the campground for some hotdogs and smores. Everyone had a good time.
Abby and I came back to the campground around 8pm and the kids got ready for bed. Mike and I stayed up sitting under the EZup tent chatting. It was so nice; relaxing; bonding. We weren't wearing watches or carrying our cells phones, so I have no idea what time we went to bed....it was dark :-)
We had rain overnight, but we stayed nice and dry. Abby was up at 6am (OMG!) and by 6:30 I was awake enough to head home and walk the dog (hey - it's cheaper than boarding her and bringing her along was not an option). We ran home together and took care of the dog and picked up a few things at the store on our way back. By the time we got back to the campground, the list of forgotten things was too long to make breakfast, so we went out to the local Java Junction and had yummy breakfast sandwiches (me and Mike) and blueberry muffins (Abby and Josh). Good times!
We spent most of the day riding our bikes, playing on the beach, or playing games at the camp site. Mike and Abby headed home to walk the dog after lunch and Josh and I rested in the camper. Dinner was (yummy!) steaks and mashed potatoes. Then smores. Then bed for the kids. We didn't stay up that late last night - the wind was blowing pretty hard and it was getting cooler. The fire was warm, but it was dying quickly.
Slept much better last night - sleeping in the cool air is good :-) Kids slept in till about 6:45 this morning. I went home alone to walk the dog this morning. Picked up a few more things for breakfast and we had Saturday morning's breakfast on Sunday. Yeah, it all worked out! Went for another bike ride, played some more at the beach, cleaned up the campsite and finally packed up and went home.
It was so nice to be "unplugged" for the weekend. It felt a lot longer than 2 days. It was quiet and restful and re-energizing. I have a positive outlook on things now (yay!)
We did go out for dinner tonight - to The Olive Garden (where the wait for a table was 90 minutes, but we were able to seat ourselves in the "bar" area within minutes of walking in). The kids are tucked in and I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight.
I appreciate the work that goes into Motherhood. It's not always easy and it's not always fun; but it IS always rewarding. Thanks to MY mom for raising me right and helping me with my kids!
Well, I think I've rambled on enough now. It was a good time and I am already trying to figure out when we can go again (before our OBX trip).
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Chrissy-ology
Let others know a little more about yourself, re-post this as your name followed by "ology".
***********FOODOLOGY***************
What is your salad dressing of choice?
Gazebo Room Balsamic
What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
Olive Garden
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of it?
Hmm - toughy! Twizzlers? :-) How 'bout an apple?
What are your pizza toppings of choice?
Just cheese, please
What do you like to put on your toast?
Butter, butter, butter
***********TECHNOLOGY***************
How many televisions do you have in your house?
Three
What color cell phone do you have?
Black
Do you have an Ipod?
Nay. I do have an off-brand MP3 player, though :-)
***************BIOLOGY******************
Are you right-handed or left-handed?
Right
Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
A lump from my tonsils (but not my tonsils)
and TWO CHILDREN!
What is the last heavy item you lifted?
Was is Abby or Josh? I can't remember!
Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
No, thank you!
************BLAH-OLOGY**************
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
Not really. I'd probably just obsess over it anyway.
If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
If you had asked me this 25 years ago, I would have said "Kimberly Irene". But I have long since outgrown that desire! I'm good with what I've got.
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
NO WAY JOSE!
************DUMBOLOGY******************
How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
A couple. But I don't wear them too often - they hurt my toes.
Last person you talked to?
Abby
Last person you hugged?
Abby
**************FAVORITOLOGY****************
Season?
Spring - I love everything blooming and turning green again....from the safety of indoors, cause if I were outside to enjoy it, I would be sneezing!
Holiday?
Any that I can host - I love to cook!
Day of the week?
Sunday - it's restful.
Month?
June - still cool enough to be outside a lot without sweating too much.
***********CURRENTOLOGY*****************
Missing someone?
Always
Mood?
Cranky - I have a headache.
What are you listening to?
Toot & Puddle
***************RANDOMOLOGY*****************
First place you went this morning?
BBS - to drop Abby at school.
What's the last movie you saw?
HaHaHa-like I have time to watch a movie! I honestly can't remember.
Do you smile often?
Not really. I have to make an effort to remember to smile more!
************OTHER-OLOGY*****************
1)Do you always answer your phone?
No - I love caller ID!
2) Its four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it?
I dunno - but I wouldn't get it till later anyway, cause I don't take my phone to bed.
3) If you could change your eye color what would it be?
Hmm, maybe a cool green.
4) What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic?
Never been to Sonic
5) Do you own a digital camera?
Ayup
6) Have you ever had a pet fish?
Yes - a few from the fair and last summer the kids and I got a Beta fish.
7) Favorite Christmas song(s)
Anything by TSO
8) What's on your wish list for your birthday?
Mani/Pedi/Massage
9) Can you do push ups?
Yup
10) Can you do a chin up?
Maybe one
11) Does the future make you more nervous or excited?
Probably nervous, because it affects my children more than me.
12) Do you have any saved texts?
No - I keep running out of room!
14) Do you have an accent?
Only when I try ;-)
15) What is the last song to make you cry?
Cowgirls Don't Cry
16) Plans tonight?
Dinner with the family, catching up on tv, maybe doing some beading (depends on the headache thing).
17) Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?
All too often
18) Name 3 things you bought yesterday.
Breakfast (bagels), a Coke, dinner (at church)
19) Have you ever been given roses?
Yes
20) Current worry?
Always worrying about how my children will turn out; hoping I do a good job with them.
21) Current hate right now?
Besides myself? :-) People who complain but do nothing about it.
22) Met someone who changed your life?
Yes. I married him.
24) What song represents you?
ABBA - Dancing Queen :-)
25) Name three people who might complete this.
Bah - I don't know.
26) Would you go back in time if you were given the chance?
Probably - depends on if I got to choose the time.
27) Have you ever dated someone longer than a year?
Ah, yeah!
28) Do you have any tattoos/piercings?
Pierced ears.
29) Will you be in a relationship 4 months from now?
Ah, yeah!
30) Does anyone love you?
Ah, yeah!
31) Would you be a pirate?
Maybe for a day. But only because it would be fun to talk like one!
32) What songs do you sing in the shower?
Whatever pops into my head.
33) Ever had someone sing to you?
Yeah
34) When did you last cry?
I dunno; been a while.
35) Have you held hands with anyone today?
Abby
38) Who was the last person you took a picture of?
My kids
39) What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school?
Elementary School?!?! Are you kidding me, that was decades ago! Whatever it was, it was probably on a record!
41) Are most of the friends in your life new or old?
Most are old; but I make casual friends easily, so there are lots of new friends too.
42) Do you like pulpy orange juice?
NO!
43) What is something your friends make fun of you for?
Ha! - being the crazy lady wearing a striped shirt (bell choir)
***********FOODOLOGY***************
What is your salad dressing of choice?
Gazebo Room Balsamic
What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
Olive Garden
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of it?
Hmm - toughy! Twizzlers? :-) How 'bout an apple?
What are your pizza toppings of choice?
Just cheese, please
What do you like to put on your toast?
Butter, butter, butter
***********TECHNOLOGY***************
How many televisions do you have in your house?
Three
What color cell phone do you have?
Black
Do you have an Ipod?
Nay. I do have an off-brand MP3 player, though :-)
***************BIOLOGY******************
Are you right-handed or left-handed?
Right
Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
A lump from my tonsils (but not my tonsils)
and TWO CHILDREN!
What is the last heavy item you lifted?
Was is Abby or Josh? I can't remember!
Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
No, thank you!
************BLAH-OLOGY**************
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
Not really. I'd probably just obsess over it anyway.
If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
If you had asked me this 25 years ago, I would have said "Kimberly Irene". But I have long since outgrown that desire! I'm good with what I've got.
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
NO WAY JOSE!
************DUMBOLOGY******************
How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
A couple. But I don't wear them too often - they hurt my toes.
Last person you talked to?
Abby
Last person you hugged?
Abby
**************FAVORITOLOGY****************
Season?
Spring - I love everything blooming and turning green again....from the safety of indoors, cause if I were outside to enjoy it, I would be sneezing!
Holiday?
Any that I can host - I love to cook!
Day of the week?
Sunday - it's restful.
Month?
June - still cool enough to be outside a lot without sweating too much.
***********CURRENTOLOGY*****************
Missing someone?
Always
Mood?
Cranky - I have a headache.
What are you listening to?
Toot & Puddle
***************RANDOMOLOGY*****************
First place you went this morning?
BBS - to drop Abby at school.
What's the last movie you saw?
HaHaHa-like I have time to watch a movie! I honestly can't remember.
Do you smile often?
Not really. I have to make an effort to remember to smile more!
************OTHER-OLOGY*****************
1)Do you always answer your phone?
No - I love caller ID!
2) Its four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it?
I dunno - but I wouldn't get it till later anyway, cause I don't take my phone to bed.
3) If you could change your eye color what would it be?
Hmm, maybe a cool green.
4) What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic?
Never been to Sonic
5) Do you own a digital camera?
Ayup
6) Have you ever had a pet fish?
Yes - a few from the fair and last summer the kids and I got a Beta fish.
7) Favorite Christmas song(s)
Anything by TSO
8) What's on your wish list for your birthday?
Mani/Pedi/Massage
9) Can you do push ups?
Yup
10) Can you do a chin up?
Maybe one
11) Does the future make you more nervous or excited?
Probably nervous, because it affects my children more than me.
12) Do you have any saved texts?
No - I keep running out of room!
14) Do you have an accent?
Only when I try ;-)
15) What is the last song to make you cry?
Cowgirls Don't Cry
16) Plans tonight?
Dinner with the family, catching up on tv, maybe doing some beading (depends on the headache thing).
17) Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?
All too often
18) Name 3 things you bought yesterday.
Breakfast (bagels), a Coke, dinner (at church)
19) Have you ever been given roses?
Yes
20) Current worry?
Always worrying about how my children will turn out; hoping I do a good job with them.
21) Current hate right now?
Besides myself? :-) People who complain but do nothing about it.
22) Met someone who changed your life?
Yes. I married him.
24) What song represents you?
ABBA - Dancing Queen :-)
25) Name three people who might complete this.
Bah - I don't know.
26) Would you go back in time if you were given the chance?
Probably - depends on if I got to choose the time.
27) Have you ever dated someone longer than a year?
Ah, yeah!
28) Do you have any tattoos/piercings?
Pierced ears.
29) Will you be in a relationship 4 months from now?
Ah, yeah!
30) Does anyone love you?
Ah, yeah!
31) Would you be a pirate?
Maybe for a day. But only because it would be fun to talk like one!
32) What songs do you sing in the shower?
Whatever pops into my head.
33) Ever had someone sing to you?
Yeah
34) When did you last cry?
I dunno; been a while.
35) Have you held hands with anyone today?
Abby
38) Who was the last person you took a picture of?
My kids
39) What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school?
Elementary School?!?! Are you kidding me, that was decades ago! Whatever it was, it was probably on a record!
41) Are most of the friends in your life new or old?
Most are old; but I make casual friends easily, so there are lots of new friends too.
42) Do you like pulpy orange juice?
NO!
43) What is something your friends make fun of you for?
Ha! - being the crazy lady wearing a striped shirt (bell choir)
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Saturday Morning
This morning, the kids and I planted seeds for our summer garden. Yesterday after school, we went to Home Depot to purchase the seeks. The kids have chosen some interesting things. And I think we will have to expand the garden this summer!!
We planted seeds for: corn, beans, peas, carrots, pumpkins, yellow squash, and zucchini; petunias and sunflowers; and herbs: parsley, cilantro, rosemary and basil. If everything comes up and actually grows - wow - we will have an abundance of veggies!! Fingers crossed!!
Now we just have to wait and water. The seeds are in the window above the kitchen sink - one of the few places that gets decent sun in the house. (The other place is the sliding doors in the "dining room", but there is no where to put anything like this there.)
We planted seeds for: corn, beans, peas, carrots, pumpkins, yellow squash, and zucchini; petunias and sunflowers; and herbs: parsley, cilantro, rosemary and basil. If everything comes up and actually grows - wow - we will have an abundance of veggies!! Fingers crossed!!
Now we just have to wait and water. The seeds are in the window above the kitchen sink - one of the few places that gets decent sun in the house. (The other place is the sliding doors in the "dining room", but there is no where to put anything like this there.)
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Learning
DD has a passion to learn. I love it and hate it at the same time. I love it, because, well, that's just cool. I hate it because I am a horrible teacher! I have no patience for it. There is a REASON I'm not a teacher by trade, ya know?!
Anyway. I just purchased new shoes for DD - with laces. She decided tonight that she wanted to learn how to tie them herself. So, we had lesson number one tonight. I don't know they whole bunny running around the hole story. I'm just teaching her how to do it by showing her - repeatedly.
YEARS ago, when DH and I were dating, we agreed that I would teach our children how to tie their shoes and he would teach them how to drive. Hopefully the kids will be able to tie their shoes before they are 16!!
Anyway. I just purchased new shoes for DD - with laces. She decided tonight that she wanted to learn how to tie them herself. So, we had lesson number one tonight. I don't know they whole bunny running around the hole story. I'm just teaching her how to do it by showing her - repeatedly.
YEARS ago, when DH and I were dating, we agreed that I would teach our children how to tie their shoes and he would teach them how to drive. Hopefully the kids will be able to tie their shoes before they are 16!!
3 minutes
A while ago, I read in an article that Jennifer Aniston takes a three minute shower - and brushes her teeth at the same time. I think of this random blurb almost every time I take my own shower (which is much longer than three minutes and I do NOT brush my teeth there). Often I think - how does she do it? This morning, my thought was - clearly, she doesn't have kids. Because anyone with kids savors those brief moments you get while you're in the shower and you a) can't be bothered by the kids or b) can't hear the kids and therefore can't be bothered by them :-) Sometimes I take a longer shower than needed just to get that break.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Laughing out loud
DD is learning about the Pilgrims and Indians and Mayflower and all that good stuff at school. In fact, her homework for tomorrow is to think about what three items she would pack in a paper bag if she were going to be on the Mayflower (she's come up with a knife, clothes, and a barrel of water; but now she's rethinking the knife thing and wants to take food).
But I digress. When I picked her up this afternoon, one of the first things she said was, "Did you know they had a POOP deck on the Mayflower?! Because they did have bathrooms!!!" So, being the loving and supportive mother that I am (HA!) I said, "What did they use the poop deck for?" (cause I wondered if she really knew or if she really thought it was the bathroom) and she replied, "For pooping. And they peed in the water!" If I hadn't been driving on the "fast road", I would have peed my pants laughing out loud. Tee Hee!
But I digress. When I picked her up this afternoon, one of the first things she said was, "Did you know they had a POOP deck on the Mayflower?! Because they did have bathrooms!!!" So, being the loving and supportive mother that I am (HA!) I said, "What did they use the poop deck for?" (cause I wondered if she really knew or if she really thought it was the bathroom) and she replied, "For pooping. And they peed in the water!" If I hadn't been driving on the "fast road", I would have peed my pants laughing out loud. Tee Hee!
My morning so far
Here's a quick rundown of how my morning has progressed today:
5:30am - wake up to hubby's alarm
5:45 - go back to sleep
6:15 - peek at clock
6:30- peek at clock
7:08 - wake up (OMG!)
7:10- get breakfast for DD
7:15 - get breakfast for DS
7:20 - start the "you need to finish your breakfast" speech
7:26 - get DD dressed
7:28 - DS declares he's going to school today - run upstairs, put on jeans and shoes, grab his school clothes, tell DD to brush her teeth.
7:41 - finally depart for school
8:03 - drop off DD, confirm DS still wants to go to school
8:15 - arrive at DS's school, confirm he really wants to go
8:20 - go into school to get DS dressed (and outta that poopy diaper!)
8:30 - sit and watch DS play with baby toys until school is ready to start
8:49 - DS decides he doesn't want to go to school today (OYE!) which is okay, because I didn't think he should be going anyway, but seriously, couldn't he have decided this before now?!
8:50 - depart DS's school for Michael's, The Restaurant Store and/or Linen's and Things
9:20 - finish shopping, head home
9:45 - retire to couch for some Nick Jr with DS
5:30am - wake up to hubby's alarm
5:45 - go back to sleep
6:15 - peek at clock
6:30- peek at clock
7:08 - wake up (OMG!)
7:10- get breakfast for DD
7:15 - get breakfast for DS
7:20 - start the "you need to finish your breakfast" speech
7:26 - get DD dressed
7:28 - DS declares he's going to school today - run upstairs, put on jeans and shoes, grab his school clothes, tell DD to brush her teeth.
7:41 - finally depart for school
8:03 - drop off DD, confirm DS still wants to go to school
8:15 - arrive at DS's school, confirm he really wants to go
8:20 - go into school to get DS dressed (and outta that poopy diaper!)
8:30 - sit and watch DS play with baby toys until school is ready to start
8:49 - DS decides he doesn't want to go to school today (OYE!) which is okay, because I didn't think he should be going anyway, but seriously, couldn't he have decided this before now?!
8:50 - depart DS's school for Michael's, The Restaurant Store and/or Linen's and Things
9:20 - finish shopping, head home
9:45 - retire to couch for some Nick Jr with DS
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The "Bus" Trip
So, way back in August, when I was returning from the Bee (annual Longaberger Consultant convention in Columbus, OH), I had this brilliant idea to organize a bus trip out to the Longaberger Homestead. I figured I knew enough people that would be interested and might really enjoy the trip - if nothing else, it would be a weekend away for them. SO, I made plans and I booked rooms and I made reservations and I sent out invitations and I talked about it to as many people as could stand to listen to me.....and no one signed up to come. Well, now, that's not true - my MIL and her mother signed up, but I knew they were coming from the get-go, since my MIL was with me in the van helping me make the plans!!
So, along comes the weekend of "The Bus Trip" and there's no one local planning to go with me, and my husband has this brilliant idea of me taking my DD with me. I think - wow, that really IS a great idea. But I have my reservations, cause see, in the last three weeks, I've spent almost 2 whole ones alone with the kids and I'm just a WEE bit tired of them ;-) But, I think to myself - "you can do this" and "she'd really enjoy it". So, I plan to take her.
Friday afternoon rolls around and it's time to take off. DH returns home from Arkansas at 1pm and I depart to pick up DD at 2pm. It's been nice seeing you, babe! We are on the road to Ohio by 3:15. It's a long drive. With no brother and dad to amuse her - it's all up to me to keep her entertained - and concentrate on driving - in the dark! Oye. I'm having second thoughts! We finally arrive at the hotel around 8:15pm. I prompty take two Tylenol PMs and get ready for bed. DD refuses to be left alone (not completely alone - Mimi was also going to bed at the time), so we ALL get into bed at 9:15 pm. OMG! It's a LONG night. DD slept wonderfully; the rest of us took turns getting up every hour. Ugh. DD is awake and ready to start the day at 6:30am.
We have breakfast in the torn up lobby of the hotel ("Please pardon our mess as we work to beautify our lobby and breakfast area for you" my A$$). Anyway. We are on the road to Frazeysburg by 9:00am. We spent all morning at the Homestead....shopping!! :-) About 30 minutes into the morning I am again having regrets about bringing DD - we are already on our second potty break (OMG!). But the day improves and we all have a really nice time. I even splurged and paid for DD to make her own basket (it's so cool!). Yes, we all made baskets while we were there. We're all such basket junkies!!
We headed to downtown Dresden around 2:30 and by 4:00pm we were done. It was rainy and cold and we were all pretty tired. So, we headed back to Zanesville and a yummy dinner at The Olive Garden. Then back to the hotel where we watched tv and got ready for bed. This time DD went to bed and stayed there with Mimi while MIL and I went to the lobby to read. Well - tried to anyway. There was some sort of meeting going on there, so we ended up reading in the pool area. But we got hot pretty quick, so we were back upstairs by 9pm. DD was out cold and Mimi was still awake, so we turned on one light and read awhile longer there. Got a better night's sleep last night.
DD let us all sleep in until 7am today (!) and we all took our time getting ready. We were finally on the road for home around 9:30. But the weather was bad (snow, rain, mist) and traffic was worse (I hate trucks!) and it took us more than the usual 5 hours to get home. We pulled into the garage around 3pm. Daddy was very happy to see us!
All in all, it was a great trip. DH is on the road now to Buffalo for tomorrow's game. He'll be home Tuesday afternoon and we will all be under one roof together for the first time in over a week! That'll take some getting used to! ;-)
Other pictures of interest:
DD wanted to get her picture taken with every basket she saw!
DD made her own basket!
So, along comes the weekend of "The Bus Trip" and there's no one local planning to go with me, and my husband has this brilliant idea of me taking my DD with me. I think - wow, that really IS a great idea. But I have my reservations, cause see, in the last three weeks, I've spent almost 2 whole ones alone with the kids and I'm just a WEE bit tired of them ;-) But, I think to myself - "you can do this" and "she'd really enjoy it". So, I plan to take her.
Friday afternoon rolls around and it's time to take off. DH returns home from Arkansas at 1pm and I depart to pick up DD at 2pm. It's been nice seeing you, babe! We are on the road to Ohio by 3:15. It's a long drive. With no brother and dad to amuse her - it's all up to me to keep her entertained - and concentrate on driving - in the dark! Oye. I'm having second thoughts! We finally arrive at the hotel around 8:15pm. I prompty take two Tylenol PMs and get ready for bed. DD refuses to be left alone (not completely alone - Mimi was also going to bed at the time), so we ALL get into bed at 9:15 pm. OMG! It's a LONG night. DD slept wonderfully; the rest of us took turns getting up every hour. Ugh. DD is awake and ready to start the day at 6:30am.
We have breakfast in the torn up lobby of the hotel ("Please pardon our mess as we work to beautify our lobby and breakfast area for you" my A$$). Anyway. We are on the road to Frazeysburg by 9:00am. We spent all morning at the Homestead....shopping!! :-) About 30 minutes into the morning I am again having regrets about bringing DD - we are already on our second potty break (OMG!). But the day improves and we all have a really nice time. I even splurged and paid for DD to make her own basket (it's so cool!). Yes, we all made baskets while we were there. We're all such basket junkies!!
We headed to downtown Dresden around 2:30 and by 4:00pm we were done. It was rainy and cold and we were all pretty tired. So, we headed back to Zanesville and a yummy dinner at The Olive Garden. Then back to the hotel where we watched tv and got ready for bed. This time DD went to bed and stayed there with Mimi while MIL and I went to the lobby to read. Well - tried to anyway. There was some sort of meeting going on there, so we ended up reading in the pool area. But we got hot pretty quick, so we were back upstairs by 9pm. DD was out cold and Mimi was still awake, so we turned on one light and read awhile longer there. Got a better night's sleep last night.
DD let us all sleep in until 7am today (!) and we all took our time getting ready. We were finally on the road for home around 9:30. But the weather was bad (snow, rain, mist) and traffic was worse (I hate trucks!) and it took us more than the usual 5 hours to get home. We pulled into the garage around 3pm. Daddy was very happy to see us!
All in all, it was a great trip. DH is on the road now to Buffalo for tomorrow's game. He'll be home Tuesday afternoon and we will all be under one roof together for the first time in over a week! That'll take some getting used to! ;-)
Other pictures of interest:
DD wanted to get her picture taken with every basket she saw!
DD made her own basket!
Friday, November 07, 2008
Where'd she go?!
For anyone wondering where I've gone and why I've not been posting here....
I've discovered and quickly become addicted to Facebook. I log on there multiple times a day and update my "status" frequently and, frankly, never really think about blogging anymore. I don't have that much time :-) That's not to say I will never blog here again; but ya just never know!!
So, if you are avid follower of this blog (LOL) - please look me up on Facebook.
I've discovered and quickly become addicted to Facebook. I log on there multiple times a day and update my "status" frequently and, frankly, never really think about blogging anymore. I don't have that much time :-) That's not to say I will never blog here again; but ya just never know!!
So, if you are avid follower of this blog (LOL) - please look me up on Facebook.
Friday, October 17, 2008
The latest
So, we're vack from the orthopedist. He didn't seem overly concerned with the boy's injury. He's pretty sure it's a broken clavical (collar bone) and he should heal on his own in another 2/3 days. But just in case it's something else, Dr. had us schedule an appointment for 10 days out.
Seems ironic that DS sustained the same injury falling out of bed that he got when he was born. I just hope this doesn't mean he will have frequent clavical injuries!!
Thanks for the thoughts and prayers these past few days.
Seems ironic that DS sustained the same injury falling out of bed that he got when he was born. I just hope this doesn't mean he will have frequent clavical injuries!!
Thanks for the thoughts and prayers these past few days.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
An Update
Not much news to report, but thought you might like a quick update on the boy. He's been wearing his sling for two days. He still says his arm hurts - though WHERE keeps fluctuating. We even did a quick "test" last night while he was sleeping - moving his arm while he wasn't aware - and he flinched and squinched up his face. So, we know he's not faking it or milking it. He moved his arm much more today than yesterday (which was spent mostly in front of the television or in bed), but never really unclenched his fist. He tried to do a few things with it, but quit and said his arm hurt. So, tomorrow we will call OIP and try to get him looked at.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
The Sling
Who knew a boy could get hurt falling 18 inches out of the lower bunk?! Oye!!
We spent the long weekend up in Silver Lake, NY closing up the summer cottage. Saturday was a fun day - apple picking, pumpkin selecting, applesauce making, pumpkin carving....good times! Sunday was a fairly relaxing day as well. DH had to head home in the evening, as he had to work on Monday. The kids, Nana, Ginny and I loaded up the van and Mimi's car with stuff to take in "home" and started the trek around 6:15pm. Oye. It was a late night. We didn't get back to the cottage until about 9:30. Around 10:30, I heard DS fall out of bed and went up to help him find his pacifier and get settled back into bed. I went to bed around 12:30 and woke up to DS falling again at 1:30. This time he was crying and I had to sit with him for a while before he would settle down and go back to sleep. He was up again at 3 something crying. The dog needed dealing with around 6am. The kids were up by 7am. In short - there was not much sleep gained Sunday night/Monday morning!
At breakfast, DS refused to use his right arm and spent most of the day favoring it. When he did use it, unthinking, he cried out. And when I picked him up to put him into his car seat, he really screamed. SO, we finally headed home after another long morning of working around the cottage and called DH to meet us at the ER in Camp Hill. What a birthday surprise!
We arrived around 7pm. Did I mention the DS HATES doctors?! He was not very happy about the whole situation. He fussed quite a bit. The doctor couldn't feel anything out of place, so ordered some Tylenol with Codine and some Motrin, then an x-ray to verify things. By 8:30, I needed to take DD (and the dog) home. DH stayed with DS in the ER. They finally made it home a little after 10pm. DS in a sling. The x-rays showed nothing broken. But the doctor said to sling his arm for 2-3 days. If DS doesn't start using his arm again within that time frame, we are to take him to the orthopedist, as it could stunt his development if something is pinched, jammed, or anything other than broken. YAY!
So, today DD was tired and cranky, but had to go to school anyway. I had to wake DS to take her. That was not much fun. Can't pick him up - remember?! We made it to school with 5 minutes to spare, but DS threw up his breakfast bar in the car as we made the turn into the parking lot. YAY! So, dropped of DD, parked and cleaned up DS, then came home. Got him changed and dressed, clothes and sheets into the laundry. Now we're just hanging out watching some tv and in general having a "relaxing" day. I've finally gotten some caffine into my system and feel like I can keep my eyelids open for moments at a time!
Long story short - who knew a kid could get hurt falling 18 inches?!?!! Crazy, huh?
We spent the long weekend up in Silver Lake, NY closing up the summer cottage. Saturday was a fun day - apple picking, pumpkin selecting, applesauce making, pumpkin carving....good times! Sunday was a fairly relaxing day as well. DH had to head home in the evening, as he had to work on Monday. The kids, Nana, Ginny and I loaded up the van and Mimi's car with stuff to take in "home" and started the trek around 6:15pm. Oye. It was a late night. We didn't get back to the cottage until about 9:30. Around 10:30, I heard DS fall out of bed and went up to help him find his pacifier and get settled back into bed. I went to bed around 12:30 and woke up to DS falling again at 1:30. This time he was crying and I had to sit with him for a while before he would settle down and go back to sleep. He was up again at 3 something crying. The dog needed dealing with around 6am. The kids were up by 7am. In short - there was not much sleep gained Sunday night/Monday morning!
At breakfast, DS refused to use his right arm and spent most of the day favoring it. When he did use it, unthinking, he cried out. And when I picked him up to put him into his car seat, he really screamed. SO, we finally headed home after another long morning of working around the cottage and called DH to meet us at the ER in Camp Hill. What a birthday surprise!
We arrived around 7pm. Did I mention the DS HATES doctors?! He was not very happy about the whole situation. He fussed quite a bit. The doctor couldn't feel anything out of place, so ordered some Tylenol with Codine and some Motrin, then an x-ray to verify things. By 8:30, I needed to take DD (and the dog) home. DH stayed with DS in the ER. They finally made it home a little after 10pm. DS in a sling. The x-rays showed nothing broken. But the doctor said to sling his arm for 2-3 days. If DS doesn't start using his arm again within that time frame, we are to take him to the orthopedist, as it could stunt his development if something is pinched, jammed, or anything other than broken. YAY!
So, today DD was tired and cranky, but had to go to school anyway. I had to wake DS to take her. That was not much fun. Can't pick him up - remember?! We made it to school with 5 minutes to spare, but DS threw up his breakfast bar in the car as we made the turn into the parking lot. YAY! So, dropped of DD, parked and cleaned up DS, then came home. Got him changed and dressed, clothes and sheets into the laundry. Now we're just hanging out watching some tv and in general having a "relaxing" day. I've finally gotten some caffine into my system and feel like I can keep my eyelids open for moments at a time!
Long story short - who knew a kid could get hurt falling 18 inches?!?!! Crazy, huh?
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Ah, Fall
Tonight we had a loverly fall evening. After church we had a huge hot home cooked meal - pork roast from the crock pot with brussel sprouts (for the adults), corn (for the kids) and potatoes. Yum! And very filling. So, after directing 5 of the expected 11 Junior Ringers tonight, I came home for a fun fall evening. We built a fire in the fire "pit" and then cooked hot dogs on the top.
The kids thought this was a wonderful treat! I was excited to not actually dirty any cooking vessels (note the hot dogs were cooked on some tin foil on the roof).
After "dinner" we toasted some marshmallows and had one s'more each. Then it was inside to clean the kids and put them to bed. Tomorrow's a school day!
The kids thought this was a wonderful treat! I was excited to not actually dirty any cooking vessels (note the hot dogs were cooked on some tin foil on the roof).
After "dinner" we toasted some marshmallows and had one s'more each. Then it was inside to clean the kids and put them to bed. Tomorrow's a school day!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Movie
Ok, I don't even want to try to remember the last movie I saw in the theatre (sad!). I just saw this preview on another blog and I SO want to go see it. Besides the fact that I love Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn - I laughed OUT LOUD just watching the preview. HAHAHAHA. Are there any theaters out there that show movies between 9 and 11 am Monday, Tuesday or Thursday? :-)
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