Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Hayden

one of the pictures that i found as i was browsing through my phone. we are on our way to a NYE party tonight. Happy New Year!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

two in a row.....

and I am on a roll~

Today all the Christmas decorations went bye-bye. Hongo dragged the tree out to the porch and cleaned up all the mess the tree had left behind.
We relaxed today, which was nice. Everyone was playing with their new toys, and we watched football together.
We also bought one more gift. It is for Hongo and I to share. Its a new bat *lol*
Ah....how romantic!

I can't wait for the new season of softball to start. I think I am ready. I got a new Under Armour Cold shirt and some pants to go under my running pants. New batting gloves, and I'll have some new socks and cleats in a few weeks. I'm all set.

I know I haven't mentioned it, but I am knitting the LegoQueen a sweater. I am almost done with the body of it. I have to make it long enough for her. She hates when the sweater shows her stomach when she raises her arms, so this one is pretty long. She is excited about the sweater, but I never have a whole lot of time to knit so it has been moving slowly.

This week I am going to try to slow down a bit since once Jan 5th comes around, I will be super busy again.

Stay warm! I'm freezing!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Christmas...

I know...it was two days ago. But the world just stopped spinning long enough for me to sit and relax. Hongo is putting up his new plasma Tv that I bought him for Christmas, and I am enjoying my new Zune that he bought me. We always buy our gifts for each other when we are together, so yesterday was our little Christmas.
I think Hongo actually made out better than I did this year - he got the Tv and a new HD receiver and a new DVD player. His whole life is in High Definition, lol.
I got the zune (debated a long time whether I wanted the Ipod, but the zune won out) and I will be getting a new DS as soon as one is back in stock in the color that I want.
The kids had a great Christmas, they all got DS's and LegoQueen received her long awaited Ipod. Grandma and Papa got them everything on their lists and more. DQ got a new bike, The Hairy One got a WALL-E robot (which is kind of annoying since he always plays with it right where I am stepping.
Oh and our big gift to the kids was Rock Band. Drums, Guitar and Microphone. Hongo and LQ were rocking out on Christmas Day.
Life is good, and I am so happy for the 4 day weekend to enjoy it with my family.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

snow day!

Wow, its been over a month...anyway....its snowing!

We have been out twice today and the snow just keeps coming! We sat and relaxed together and the kids did their lessons (just cuz its snowing doesn't mean we stop our plans!) Then I let them out to go play.
Its been a nice quiet day at home. Very welcomed since for the past few weeks its been go..go...GO! We were out all day Monday and Tuesday visiting with friends and running errands. I've been in Apple Valley so much I should just live there....
Actually that might not be too far fetched. I was looking at houses again in AV and thinking about how much it would take to get us there. We probably wouldnt have to sell this current house to do it. I do love my house and my neighborhood, my neighbors, etc but I see us living in a bigger home with more rooms. I would really love something with more land too.
Just dreaming on a snowy day, while I sip hot cocoa and watch the kids play through the window. Its too cold out for me. I was out in the front with them this morning and I thought I was going to die. I finally convinced them to go inside and eat lunch, lol!
Even though we have been visiting a lot, it has still been nice to sit back and chat with friends. My neighbor came by this morning and we chatted for about an hour until her baby woke up (he's the one I watch during the week sometimes)
:)

Monday, November 3, 2008

dramaqueen + hip hop = funny

i hope one day she will find someone who is either as dorky as she is...or at least can embrace her dorkiness...

Friday, October 31, 2008

Mice again...

It always happens at the WRONG time~

A few nights ago I noticed droppings near the back door of the garage when I was bringing the dogs in. I bought traps and last night before we left for softball I set all four out with some peanut butter on them.
When we came back 2 hours later, TWO mice were in the trap. I almost threw up, I was sooooo grossed out! Hongo said he would get them today and I told him NO! I had people coming over today!! So he disposed of the mice last night. He apparently moved one of the traps to the same spot and when I went out to the car to get my wallet, there was ANOTHER one in the trap. I texted him and told him his dad would need to come and take care of it for me because I am so sick thinking of it being out there. He said he would come home at around noon if I could hang on that long.
We have another trap on the other side of the car behind some hay bales I have stored, and I haven't checked that trap yet. I don't want to! I hear something squeaking in the garage!!!
Hongo said it looked like we have babies, because all of the mice are really small. So it looks like I have to go get more traps if I fill them all up.
Yuck yuck YUCK!!!!! I just want them gone! And why did they have to come NOW???
I know the hay bales in the garage werent the greatest idea, but if I had put them out back, the dog would have though they were for her and ripped them to shreds.

On another more positive note - HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Busy week!

Its already Wednesday - I can't believe it!

My keyboard is sticking and it is pissing me off too....

Anyway, this week has been busy. Monday I woke up and found Hongo still in bed. He decided to stay home with me. That turned out great, because I wasn't feeling so hot. So when the baby came, he and I napped on the couch while Hongo took care of our kids.
I seemed to have dodged whatever it was, but Hongo seems to have it now. As usual, my kids have dodged it as well. The Hairy One is suffering from allergies, though. I can't figure out what triggered it but his eyes are itchy and his nose is runny.
Yesterday we met with my friend at Starbucks. I didn't have the baby, so we spent the day at our leisure. Afterwards we went shopping and took our time. It was so nice!
Today I got to catch up on cleaning and reading my blog list and email. I took the quiz and here are the results:

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Katharine!



You are a Katharine -- "I am happy and open to new things"


Katharines are energetic, lively, and optimistic. They want to contribute to the world.

How to Get Along with Me

  • * Give me companionship, affection, and freedom.

  • * Engage with me in stimulating conversation and laughter.

  • * Appreciate my grand visions and listen to my stories.

  • * Don't try to change my style. Accept me the way I am.

  • * Be responsible for youself. I dislike clingy or needy people.

  • * Don't tell me what to do.



What I Like About Being a Katharine

  • * being optimistic and not letting life's troubles get me down

  • * being spontaneous and free-spirited

  • * being outspoken and outrageous. It's part of the fun.

  • * being generous and trying to make the world a better place

  • * having the guts to take risks and to try exciting adventures

  • * having such varied interests and abilities



What's Hard About Being a Katharine

  • * not having enough time to do all the things I want

  • * not completing things I start

  • * not being able to profit from the benefits that come from specializing; not making a commitment to a career

  • * having a tendency to be ungrounded; getting lost in plans or fantasies

  • * feeling confined when I'm in a one-to-one relationship



Katharines as Children Often

  • * are action oriented and adventuresome

  • * drum up excitement

  • * prefer being with other children to being alone

  • * finesse their way around adults

  • * dream of the freedom they'll have when they grow up



Katharines as Parents

  • * are often enthusiastic and generous

  • * want their children to be exposed to many adventures in life

  • * may be too busy with their own activities to be attentive

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy



Its pretty spot on, for the most part. Creepy....

Tomorrow is our Halloween party for our homeschooling group. I love when we do parties. My kids always have so much fun. I have to think of something to bring. I am not sure yet.
Then Friday is busy. My in laws are supposed to come early and carve pumpkins with the kids, and we are having guests through out the day. Then trick or treating and then I will take LegoQueen to her Halloween party. She is so excited about going. I won't be able to stay, but I am sure she will be safe and have a great time.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

My first day....

Today is my first day babysitting the neighbor's baby. They had asked me if I would when the baby was only about 2 weeks old, and I wasn't really enthusiastic about it. I even went out and found them a really great daycare to check out.
Well, my neighbor came by on Monday to talk about it, and I agreed to it because it is on a drop-in basis. Mom is a substitute teacher, so she wouldn't need full time care. Plus they work over lapping schedules, so the baby never stays here past 3:30 ( a HUGE plus for Hongo!)
I get Friday's off, and if I ever have a day that I can't watch him, then they will find someone else for that day. Except I think i have him this friday, but that won't be a big deal since there is a field trip going on that day.
I can take him to the park if I like, and if I want to run errands, he can come too.
He fits in very nicely - today I propped him on the couch and he watched me fold laundry. We talked to each other - I told him that my kids never take all their laundry and put it away, and he grunted in agreement. The boy feels my pain!
He doesn't really cry, either.
Right now he is sleeping next to me while I type and get other work done. He doesn't seem to mind the noise of the kids while they are doing their lessons, which is good.
We shall see how the day goes, though. Only 5 more hours until someone comes to get him!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Sometimes I get mad....

I have a friend that I met online. I've known her for about a year, and we get along pretty well.
The only problem is her husband. At first he seemed really nice, and he came and played softball on my husband's team for a couple of times.
Over the past 3 months or so, I have found his behavior intolerable. He treats my friend like crap.
She plays on my Friday night team, and out of 6 games, she has missed 3. One of them he came to the game and made her upset and cry. On that night he started having all these dumb ideas that she didn't do well when he was there, and that she was trying to get away from him, etc.
He's such a jealous and insecure jerk that I can't even be near him because i would totally rip him a new one. My husband hates him.
My friend emailed me last night and she is officially done with the Friday night team. She can't play anymore. I emailed her back asking if she wanted to talk, and she said yes, but not today. We are supposed to talk tomorrow. So somehow I will have to find time to call her...the kids have their first horse riding lessons tomorrow in the morning, and she didn't tell me how long they would last.
I know its his fault. It kills him that his wife is doing something fun without him. I know he doesn't like her hanging out with me because I am a bad influence. My husband doesn't order me around like a slave. I cook, clean and take care of things for him because I want to. He treats me with respect and sees me as a partner, not his bitch.
Her husband wants a slave, someone to coddle his giant ego and she has provided that for 12 years. She can't have any friends because it takes time away from serving him.

We don't talk about her marriage...unless she wants to confide in me. She knows that I will not tell her about what I feel is wrong, because that is not right. I will always lend an ear and a shoulder, though. My friend needs confidence in herself and her abilities. She has had the courage in the past to do what was best, I just hope she finds it again.

It just makes me so mad to see her hurt like this...

Friday, October 17, 2008

Meltdowns....

You know, I had thought about changing dramaQueen's nickname. She had seemed to have mellowed out, and no one I talked to could understand why I called her DQ. Such a nice happy child.

Well, that nice happy child is in her room wailing, screaming, crying and just having a total meltdown.
Why?
Because her brother's penguin is allowed on the boat to play games and hers isn't.

OMG...you have to be kidding me....

But its no joke. She is in there, still screaming for the past 5 minutes. I can only hope that she goes hoarse.
In the meantime, I have attempted to ask my son why he can get in, and she can't. But I don't think he really knows so that is no help...but now he is just rambling on and on about the possible causes....

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The Internet Ordeal.....

a few days ago I was online in the morning. Shut everything down, went to go exercise. Come back at lunch, nothing works. I tried everything, and finally broke down and called verizon.
After an hour on my cell phone (because no one can charge the damn cordless phones) they tell me my router is bad and get me hooked up on one computer. Hongo's computer.

Okay...the last two days have been HE!!. I don't know how people with only one computer do it. There are 5 people here who all want to use the computer at the same time. I always make the kids take turns, but me??? I have to take a turn? Say what???

I was emailing back and forth with someone, and I kept cutting into my kids' Club Penguin/Runescape time. "Let me use it really quick, sweetie."
I even broke down and started using my phone to check my mail. Yes, this would be the week when all the important stuff starts coming in.

So today I said "THAT'S ENOUGH! I can't live like this anymore~" The final straw was that Hongo's computer was the only one with access, yet MY computer is the one with all the information that needs to be uploaded. and the connection wouldn't work.

and since Hongo was working late, chaffeuring someone to Le Chateau West Valley where you get a free night's stay with meal included, I decided to call Verizon and get this straightened out.

An hour and half, two technicians, and a gallon of water later, my computers are all back up and running. That means that the kids only have to share when Hongo is at home. Because I am not a very good sharer. Must be the only child in me.... ;)

I'm cold....

I'm just dropping in during lunch to announce that I am cold. That's it. The weather changed too drastically for me, and even though I have sweaters and jeans....I'm cold.
I am almost done knitting my sweater - half a sleeve and the neck to be done.
I am also almost finished with a hat. I made it for my son, but he said he didn't want anymore hats, so I may just let DramaQueen have it. That girl can never have too many hats.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

for the over 30 crowd.....

I JUUUUUUST barely made it into this one!

When I was a
kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how
hard things were when
they were growing up, what with walking 25 miles to school every morning ...
Uphill BOTH ways.



Yadda, yadda, yadda


And I remember promising myself that when I grew up,
there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids
about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it! But now that... I'm over
the ripe old age of 30, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of
today.
You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you
live in a damn Utopia!


And I hate to say it but you kids today you don't know
how good you've got it!



I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have the Internet .

If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library & look
it up ourselves, in the card catalog!!



There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a
letter, with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way
across the street & put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week
to get there!



There were no MP3's or Napsters! If you wanted to steal music, you had
to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself! Or you had to
wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ usually talk over the
beginning and @#*% it all up!



We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were
on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it!
We didn't have fancy Caller ID Boxes either.
When the phone rang,
you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss,
your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!!
You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!



We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution
3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! Games like 'Space Invaders'
and ‘asteroids'.
Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your
imagination!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just
one screen forever!



And you could never win.
The game just kept getting harder and harder and
faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!



When you went to the movie theater there no such thing as stadium seating!
All the seats were the same height! If a tall guy or some old broad
with a hat sat in front of you and you couldn't see, you were just screwed!



Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 15 channels
and there was no on screen menu and no remote control! You had to use a
little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on.
You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the channel & there was no cartoon network either! You could only seecartoons on Saturday Morning.
Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait
ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-bastards!



And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up we had to
use the stove or go build a frigging fire... imagine that! If we wanted
popcorn, we had to use that stupid Jiffy Pop thing & shake it over the
stove forever like an idiot.



That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy.

You're spoiled.
You guys wouldn't have lasted 5 minutes back in 1980!




Regards,

The over 30 Crowd

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Rain? what Rain?

That was the big news of the week. rain this weekend.

Well I didn't see any rain...did you? No, I didn't think so.
Today we did go out and I wore jeans and a long sleeved shirt (because that is just the kind of girl I am) and I am happy to say that I didn't freeze and maybe once or twice I felt a little warm and over dressed.

We took the kids out shopping for pants and boy was that an ordeal. I have the tween who wears a size 12, 14, and 16 all in one. I swear every store that we went to, the pants would NOT fit right. We finally ended up finding two pairs that fit in a size 16.

Then I have the middle child with long stick legs. She will be a very slender, make you sick because she is so skinny kind of girl. She ended up with a 7 slim.

The Hairy One was by far the worst...the people who design little boys jeans must think no one cares what a boy wears from the age of 4-7. Because I saw some really ugly jeans today.

So we bought 6 pairs of jeans today. Hooray for mom! Next paycheck we will go out and look for some tops. Oh joy. Did you know most of the tops we saw today cost more than the jeans???

We also returned some library books and bought some yarn. I have three more sweaters in queue after I finish the one for myself. LQ is next and today I picked up some light gray wool yarn for a sweater for her, and then there will most likely be pink yarn in the future for DQ. The Hairy One has not decided on a color yet, but that is okay since I havent even found a pattern for him. I think by the time I finish I will be so sick of sweaters that I will be embracing the opportunity to knit socks.

Tomorrow I do not have softball, so I will most likely be working in the yard and doing home improvement projects to get ready for the winter. We have new neighbors next door and you know how I am - very competitive when it comes to whose grass is the greenest and who has the fewest weeds.....lol.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Monday, September 29, 2008

Sometimes its better to keep those things to yourself....

because you never know who is going to hear you, and you may not really want to suffer the consequences....

LegoQueen is learning that lesson right now.

This morning I was cleaning, and getting ready for some visitors later this morning. The Hairy One was hungry and asked for a sandwich. I asked LQ to make him something and as I was walking away I heard her say "Why doesn't Mommy do anything?"

Hmmm... I could have yelled and screamed about how I do a lot more around here than she thinks, but instead I decided to let her find out herself.

So I made her a list and it includes everything that needs to be done in the house today. She is actually quite lucky that it isn't longer, because her dad did a bunch of cleaning and fixing this weekend.
So we are trading places. I get to sit on my butt and hang out on the computer and do fun stuff, and she gets to work. She gets to mop, scrub toilets, vacuum, pick up toys and trash that everyone leaves behind. She has already experienced the triumph of saying "There - I am done." only to be crushed by "Oh wait - you forgot this"....or "Now you can do THIS."

Its all very disappointing and frustrating for her. If only it were one of those weekends that the house ends up trashed and I spend all Monday trying to put it back together....

And just when she thinks that there is really no more left, I will kindly remind her that she hasn't done her schoolwork for the day. So guess what she will spend the evening doing?
Because to be honest, even after cleaning the house and taking care of kids, I still have other work to do. And I have to give up pleasurable activities to get it finished.

But not today....today I am housework free and my two other kids are doing their jobs of leaving crap laying around where LQ just cleaned - just like they do for me... :)

I certainly hope she does the laundry quickly- I am waiting for a pair of pants....

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Growing up....

LQ is going to a Halloween party this year.
When we were at my in laws' house this weekend, my MIL was talking about how nice it would be that Halloween fell on a Friday this year and my FIL wouldn't miss it like he did last year. The kids could go trick or treating and the kids could take turns passing out the candy. I had to break the news to her that LQ would be leaving to go to her party.
My MIL waited until FIL and LQ were in the same room, and asked LQ what her plans for Halloween were. LQ blushed and told them she was going to a party this year.
My poor FIL was crushed. I think MIL should have given him some warning. He wasn't able to recover the look of shock and disappointment on his face before LQ saw it.

So this morning we were in the car on the way to the party store, and LQ was very silent. I had just finished telling the little ones that we were going to look at costumes, and that they should start thinking about what they wanted to be, and LQ turned and said "Mommy, I'm not going to go to the party." I asked her why (I was totally shocked - its all she's been talking about) and she said it was because Papa was so upset when she told him.
I told her that she could do both - she could go trick or treating with Papa and then leave to go to her party later in the evening.
She said "Really?!?!" and her face brightened.

She's so stuck right now between wanting to be a little girl and wanting to be all grown up. She's not a Daddy's girl, but more like Papa's girl. She has a relationship with her grandfather that I wish I had with mine. She is very lucky.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Thursday, September 4, 2008

The new glasses!


She was really worried about how her friends would react, but so far its been favorable. In fact, a couple of the boys asked if they could put the glasses on really quick! She let them, but one of my friends told her it probably wasn't a good idea to keep doing it since the glasses are made to fit her face.
This morning she didn't want to wear them because she thought they didn't go with her outfit.
Ahhhh...girls....
So today we had orthodontic appointments for both girls. DQ needs to have more teeth fall out before they will attempt to fix her ever so slight cross-bite. HOngo thinks that as long as her teeth are straight, she'll be fine.
Poor LQ got a double whammy of bad luck. Not only did she just get all-day glasses, but she'll be getting braces within the next year. She still has 6 more baby teeth that need to come out and then they will put them on. On the flip side, with as long as it has taken for them to fall out, she'll be wearing contacts by the time she gets the braces, lol.
After our fanatastic visit to the dentist (they also happened to take care of LQ's cleaning so we wouldn't have to come back later!) we headed to the park. It was a small group today, but the kids had fun nevertheless.
Tomorrow I am meeting a friend to go walking with, picking up a new set of #7 needles for myself, taking LQ to Lego Club, and then the little ones are going to a B-day party for one of their friends. DQ's future husband, I am told.
Then after that we are going to have a practice game with another team. I will have to see how I am feeling, though- yesterday during practice I swung and felt a sharp pain behind my knee. It hurts to walk and running is totally out. Everytime my foot hits the ground the knee hurts.
Anyway, LQ likes the glasses and just keeps her fingers crossed that no one makes fun of her.

oh come on - you know you love the dentist!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

A quick note....

LQ got glasses today. She's been wearing reading glasses for some time, but today they changed her prescription to full-time glasses.
My wallet is lighter, but she got some cute glasses that "fit her style" Whatever that is.
Tomorrow we are going to the water park to play with some friends, so some of the kids will get a sneak peek at the glasses before Thursday.

I thought for sure we would be in and out of there, but we were there for 2 hours! It took forever!
Then we had to come back an hour later to pick up the glasses.

We just got back from the softball managers' meeting. I was sitting at the park waiting for Hongo to get out, and there was a lady who found it necessary to stand over me and watch me knit. She was fascinated. I got a tangle in my yarn and she immediately rushed to fix it for me. Such a nice lady, but a little creepy. I felt like every stitch had to be perfect because I had an audience.

We came home and the neighbors caught us as we were going inside. So I just got back in and now I am headed to clean up from today and go to bed. I am so tired.

Tomorrow is my grocery day and then the water park. Then we are going to the batting cages Then I have to pack the car for Thursday park day.

I will take some pictures of the glasses tomorrow. I tried to today, but between the thuggy skaters and breathing down my neck while I knit woman, I didn't have a chance to take it out and use it. Which is sad, because I really love my new camera. As much as one could love a camera, I guess lol!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Been a while....

since we have had someone gawk and point at us when we were in the store.

oh my! They aren't in SCHOOL?!?!? What are they doing here?!?!

As if my kids have the plague and we decided the best way to inflict it on people was to visit the office supply store.
Sheesh.

I was talking to LegoQueen when we walked in, and I saw this woman out of the corner of my eye. She nudged the woman in front of her roughly and then I heard her say "What are they doing out of school!?" Very LOUDLY. Then she started asking the people in line if there were any school districts out for the summer.

Well, if our little family at Staples was enough, imagine the heart attack she could of and would have had if she had visited the grocery store.

Every time we see other kids at the store or parks during "school" times, LegoQueen always wonders aloud if they are home schooled. I always tell her its not safe to assume anything, but it is always a possibility. She is facinated with the thought that all these poor children could be missing out on Park Day!

Other than the tactless outburst of the woman at Staples, our day went pretty well. The Hairy One is excited to spend his birthday money, so we will have to make a trip to the toy store very soon.

Oh and the kids had so many wonderful tales to tell when they came home. Things such as - my son hid some things of my MIL's, the hushing that LQ got when she tried to announce to my BIL that she finally got her period, my BIL has braces and he has a tattoo of a monster on his back. Exciting. When I finally kill him, they will have a way to identify his body.....

Sunday, August 17, 2008

I Will Survive (the first year of homeschooling)

I Will Survive (the first year of homeschooling)

Originally written and produced by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris
Originally performed by Gloria Gaynor
Mercilessly altered with apologies by Natalie Criss

First I was afraid
I was petrified.
Kept thinking I could never teach
’Cause I’m not certified.
But we spent so many nights
Reteaching homework that was wrong.
I grew strong,
so now I teach my kids at home!
We study math
and outer space.
I just kept on despite the fear
with a big smile across my face.
I bought a set of Base Ten blocks.
I bought books with answer keys.
My parents think we’re nuts,
but they don’t even bother me

Come on, let’s go walk out the door.
We’re on the road now,
'cause we’re not home much anymore
My friends would frown and say we’d be unsocialized.
I heard one grumble
that I’d give up by July.
Oh no, not I!
I will survive!
As long as I know how to read
I know we’ll be alright.
I've got all my life to learn.
I've got energy to burn.
and I'll survive.
I will survive.

It took all the strength I had
not to fall apart.
Decided to attend
a play date at the local park,
and I met oh so many moms
who offered eagerly to help.
They used to cry.
Now they hold their heads up high,
and so do we!
My kids are cool!
They’re not those chained up little people
stuck inside at school.
So if you feel like dropping by
don't you expect us to be free
I'm spending my time learning
with my loving family!

Saturday, August 16, 2008

indiana jones!

Happy birthday Buddy!

Friday, August 15, 2008

vader is back!

Could I get used to this?

My kids are going to be gone for 3 days again...

Yesterday my Mother in law sent me an email asking if she could come get the kids on Monday and bring them back Tuesday night. I told her that I SUPPOSE I could relinquish my son to her on his birthday. So it was settled, I called Hongo to see if he could get the day off, but he couldn't.

Today I got a phone call from them again....apparently my FATHER IN LAW was cooking up an idea. They would come get the kids on Sunday morning, and return them Tuesday night. They would go to the museum on Sun and LegoLand on Mon for the Hairy One's birthday.

I know the kids are going to have a great time.

But why not go a little further? They will be here tomorrow anyway, why drive home and come back early the next day? Just take em home with you!

I'm do glad the kids are getting to spend so much time with their grandparents. And they get to go fun places too!

I do miss them when they are gone, but we talk on the phone every night before bed and they tell me how much fun they are having. I never got to do that as a kid :( 3 of my grandparents were gone before I was born, and my grandpa was a drunk and my parents wouldn't trust him to feed a goldfish while we were on vacation ,let along take care of me.

Oh and I love my new phone. I have almost found ringers for all of my fav contacts. I have one for my MIL it says in a whispered voice:

Its your mother in law...do you hear me? DON'T answer the phone. If you can hear me, DON'T answer the phone! Its your mother=in-law! Do you remember what she did to you the last time you answered? Don't pick up the phone! Its your mother in law!

Such a riot.

and the only complaint that I have is that the max volume is not high enough.

Hongo's new phone arrives Monday. He is getting one too, except his is free. Sheesh.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Unexpected gift to myself!

I got a new phone today!

I've been putting it off and putting it off....I hated my Razr...but everything else was really expensive.
About 2 weeks ago, Hongo came home and said his co-worker got an enV2 for $100. I thought about it. Then last week I got a coupon in the mail to get the enV2 for $50.
Hongo told me I should go to the store and check it out, so I did.

Now I am the proud owner of an enV2! I was thinking about the Blackberry Pearl, but it really does more than what I need it to.

I got a new headset too...the robots have taken over....my hair hides it though,so I don't feel as self concious.

We got a lot done today...we *GASP* skipped park this week. The kids weren't too upset. We've been going non-stop all week and the kids were kind of tired. Tomorrow they are sleeping in and hanging out.

So sadly, I have to start over with my ringtones and my pictures :( and I wish Hongo would call me so I can chat on my new phone, lol!

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Needed a haircut....

and so today I got one. It was nice to sit and have someone brush my hair without sticking the comb in my eye.

No pictures yet - I stuck it back up in my usual ponytail (which is a bit difficult, I think I let her cut too much, lol) Maybe I will have LQ take a picture later.

Hongo's shin is healing...he kept ice on it and had it elevated, so the swelling has gone WAY down.

My memory has been going quickly these days...I came on here to write something specific, and now I have forgotten.

One thing that I cannot forget is that my son is going to be 6 in 8 days! Last night I asked him if I could still call him my baby, and he said yes.
He has changed so much over the past year. Still silent in public, but he is expanding his circle of people he will talk to.

Oh, now I remember...I was going to say that I am going to be so sleep deprived because I'm going to try to stay up and watch Olympic softball! it starts at 9pm on Wed, and I am so excited. I just wish that they didn't have to play in China (yuck)

What else am I excited about? Adult softball starts in a month! Four weeks from today the season starts. A friend and I were going to see if we could get an all women's team together for Wednesday night, but we couldn't. Then I tossed around the idea of finding a team for just me to join. That was a no go too, because I am not quite adventurous to join a team where I know NO ONE. Even when I started last year,
I knew 3 people because I was coaching their daughters.

Anyway...Hongo keeps telling me that if I take on ONE more job or activity or volunteer position, we are getting divorced. He is too funny!

Friday, August 8, 2008

Payback i guess...

Today we were playing softball at the park and i lined one right back at hongo. He didnt make it out of the way in time. Ouch!

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Very Excited!

Well, today is a rest day. I am napping on and off today while Hongo plays his new chess game and the kids savor the opportunity to watch TV.
I am excited because tomorrow my friend Caryn is coming for a visit. I am so sad that she left for Las Vegas, but all I know is that we are going to catch up on EVERYHING tomorrow! She'll be here before the kids wake up, but I think I will get DQ up early so that Caryn's daughter can play in DQ's room.

I was looking at my phone pictures - they are all pretty blurry. Not to worry though - my friend's hubby brought his new camera to the EXPO and I made him follow me around and take my picture with different people. He's going to give me a CD, so I will upload some photos later this week.

Time to go update my to-do list for the week!

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Barbara and i

Friday, August 1, 2008

Homeschooling EXPO

I just got home from the 1st day of the EXPO and all I can say is that I had sooo much fun!! I wanted to take pictures with my phone and blog them, but I totally forgot.

I saw lots of people I already know there, and made a lot of new friends. The thing about conventions like this - you already know that the people attending have at least one thing in common with you, so its easy to strike up a conversation.
My pick-up line of the day was "So....what sessions are you going to today?" LOL!

I am forever amazed at the personalities of the kids that were there. I only had ONE kid who would not talk to me and seemed nervous. The rest of them were happy to converse with me about just about everything. One kid told me a joke that he had made up, and another one asked if I was going to sign up for the Guitar Hero competition. Ha HA!
All the moms (and dads) that we talked to today were really nice, and I think Hongo was glad to see that other "normal" people homeschool, lol. He even took a walk around to check out the chess room.
One of my good friends came late and it was a little late for sessions, so we sat down and chatted about just about everything. We saw each other yesterday , but never got to really talk about anything serious.

Oh and I thought I would add that I saw Mary B today - she is doing great, and hopes to be back at park soon. Just a note for those who were wondering about her.

On another note, today is Hongo's birthday. We went to dinner and now we are home trying to figure out what we want to do. We don't have kids this weekend again, but we have to get up early again tomorrow to go back for Day 2 of the EXPO. I volunteered to be the 3rd floor bouncer and keep the riff raff out.

I talked to my mother in law earlier, and DramaQueen got bit by something orange out there in the forest. I told her to keep me posted, and if we needed to meet her at urgent care or something then let me know. But she said they put antiseptic on it and it is doing fine. DQ must have tasty blood because she is always getting bit by something :( But all the kids are doing great, which is good.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

3 kids of workers...

in my house.

First there is LegoQueen. She is the worker that hates her job, never gets paid enough, yet dreams of doing the same job somewhere else. As if someone else's dishes come out of the dishwasher more quickly and easily, or someone else's dog's poop smells nicer.
She will never be content and will continually job hop.

Second is DramQueen. She doesn't want to work - she just wants you to give her money because she is cute. She is going to marry a rich guy some day.

Then third is the Hairy One. He will do any job, no matter how lowly, boring, disgusting, fun, etc. He'll do anything and he'll work his butt off doing it. When you ask him how much he's gettin' paid he tells you that he'll take whatever you will give him.
He's a little hustler though. Because when it comes to being paid he always tries to squeeze out a few extra cents. You offer 2 dimes, he counters with "How about 4 nickels and 2 pennies?" 3 dimes? "How about a quarter and 1 nickel and 5 pennies?"
He will either be a thief, a day worker, or some really rich guy who marries someone like DramaQueen.....

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Loving the beach!

Hongo called it a chipmunk- its a raccon.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Busy Friday....

Yesterday was busy. We had friends come over in the afternoon. We let the little ones swim in the pool, and we were sitting out on the porch chatting. The only thing- the flies were really bothering me. I am going to have to talk to my neighbor about the mess in their backyard. Its gross, and it attracts those flies.
Anyway we had agood time. And wouldn't you know it, my friend left and THEN I discovered I had reached a part in my knitting pattern that i didn't understand. Oh well, hopefully I'll see her on Monday and we can get it worked out.
After they left, I went on an ant hunt. The kids said they saw ants upstairs. I can't figure out where they are coming from, because I never find a bunch at once. I think there were 2 in the bathroom, and we saw 3 in the loft, but in different spots. I had Hongo spray around the outside of the house too.
We got ready and left to go to our playoff game for softball. The game went fine, we lost but had a lot of fun. Afterwards I took off my cleats and sat in the bleachers talking to the wives of some of the players. Hongo was pitching to all the kids (everyone brought their little ones last night!) and the ladies were all telling me how awesome and patient Hongo is with kids, and how come we don't have more than 3?
I don't know - Hongo isn't really a "kid person" But for some reason kids just flock to him and want to play with him.
Well, the night went on and Hongo started pitching to the guys. He was helping one of his friends learn to bat properly and maximize his power. Well, all I heard was a "WHACK" and then a bunch of people scream "OOOOOOOH" and I turned around and Hongo was hunched over. I ran out onto the field (no shoes!) and put my arms around him. I thought it was his face, but it turned out to be his right forearm. It was already purple.
Everyone was so worried. We got ice and put it on his arm. People started putting stuff away. But Hongo still wanted to play. So he jumped up and said he was fine, and went back out to pitch again!
That man - he's so crazy!
Well, its Saturday now, and i had better go pick up my room. Its pretty messy - I just got my computer fixed and I had to set it up and there are files all over and CDs that need to be put away. The chaos in the room doesn't let me sleep well, so I really need to keep it clean.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Me and my kiddos


The kids and I had to come up with a quick picture that was supposed to be handed in about oh..... 3 weeks ago. So we went out on the porch and got this one. My kids are so silly - they were making faces and DQ was being overly loving. LQ was not thrilled - she goes back and forth about liking her picture. Today's problem was that I had pulled her hair back and she would have preferred it down for pictures.
I don't know why the picture looks so grainy online - it looked pretty good when I pulled it off the camera :( We look orange, and I promise we are really not related to Ooompa Loompas....

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

106 degrees right now....

I bought a cheap little frog thermometer for the backyard.

He is melting. Seriously - I went out there and he is soft to the touch. His last message..."106 degrees." I say 106 because the marker was a tad above the 105 mark.
We will miss you frog. Join DramaQueen's frogs wherever they may be, for you all suffered the same fate....
I forgot to mention, DramaQueen had been collecting live frogs from the park the past couple of weeks. She and Daddy caught some grasshoppers and took the frogs outside to feed them and then forgot about them. The next afternoon, we had crispy frogs on the patio. Poor things.

Today's heat is different than yesterdays. Yesterday the sky was a bright and clear deep blue You could feel the sun's rays. Today the sky is more grayish, with high clouds and the heat is stifling.
The kids are dying to go swimming, but I just can't go out there right now.

Today is also a lazy day - we have sat around and vegged all day. I did make it out to the grocery store for a few things, and it was already 100 degrees according to my car.

I do love the heat, but just not lately. Maybe in my old age I can't tolerate it likeI used to.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

A little relief....


It was so hot today...it was noon and 103 degrees outside. I let the kids go out and swim for a while, but that got cute short by the unexpected rain. When my mother in law emailed this morning and said it was raining, I thought "LUCKY!" Little did I know it was headed this way.
LegoQueen quickly retreated to the comfort of her room, but the two kids and I sat under our new patio roof and listened to the rain hit the roof....they were being so cute ,I had to snap a quick picture.

I'm old, just not that old....

Today we were riding home from the library, and my ever talkative 12 year old says to me...
"Mommy, when you were my age, did they have websites like Runescape for you to play on?"
I told her no, that when I was her age, there was no Internet available.
Her next question...
"Was there television?"

YES - TV HAD BEEN INVENTED...and it was even in color....

My father in law has been messing with her - telling her all kinds of exaggerated stories about when he was a kid....

Monday, July 7, 2008

Feeling better....

I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
This weekend was exhausting....but we finally got a pool up, the backyard is clean, we have a new BBQ, and our patio has a roof complete with misters and ceiling fans.

I woke up this morning to ants in my bathroom, the kids bathroom, and the loft. So I've spent the morning pulling everything out and wiping down the trails. Ants, whatever you do...PLEASE don't go in my kitchen. I'll be sure to drop you some food out on the sidewalk, I promise. Just don't go in my kitchen....seriously.

So now that the pool is up, I throw my kids out there all day so that I can get stuff done. I can watch them while I sit and knit for a little bit, or I can take the laptop out and type a journal entry as they play. Oh, and a little tip from me - buy stock in suncreen. We are going through that stuff like crazy.

This week is supposed to be less busy (that is providing that the ants stay away, or it will get ugly here) so I hope to catch up on everything soon. I didn't take any pictures this weekend, so I am hoping to get some this week of the kids swimming.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

I promise I wasn't PMSing last week...

Because that is this week.

Let me tell you- having two females in the same house cycling at the same time is just wrong....
I'm ready to strangle her (no not really....well maybe just one hand...) because she is taking her emotions out on everyone. I heard her screaming at her little brother this morning because he couldn't find his socks. Then she has the nerve to tell me "I was TRYING to help him find socks...." No you weren't - you were yelling at him for doing something that five year old boys (and some grown men) ALWAYS do.
And speaking of grown men, if the one that is laying on my bed being useless right now doesn't get up, he's going to hear it from me. He insisted that I get a dumpster ordered RIGHT AWAY so that the clean up from the yard can be thrown in it and hauled away.
The dumpster sits empty in the garage right now as I type.

I'm tired. I'm cranky. My kids won't behave with each other for two seconds so I can have a break.
Guess I will go clean up from dinner since no one else around here is going to.
I thought when softball was over, i was going to have more time to do stuff. I see that I am spending a lot of time doing stuff that I don't want to do....

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

People are crazy (yet funny at the same time)

Some people never cease to amaze me. Usually I am not one to gossip, but I couldn't let this one go.

This morning I received an email from a woman I barely know. I don't even like her because she thrives on drama and talking about other people behind their back. A very unhealthy woman when it comes to relationships.
Anyway this email was sent out to hundreds of people. She probably opened up her address book and clicked "Send to All"
The message in the email explained that she had signed her 5 year-old daughter up for cheer at a very expensive studio in town. The last I had heard it was about $1500 a year to cheer. It went on to say that while she knew it was expensive, she couldn't afford it, so she was thinking that if everyone that received this message would pitch in 5.00 then her daughter could afford the uniform and the studio fees. She ALSO said that this was something her daughter really, really wanted to do.

Okay...are you f*cking kidding me? You want me to subsidize your child's extra curricular activities when I have 3 of my own kids who have their own activities? I understand she really wants to do it, but have you ever thought about that one word....the one that starts with an "N" and ends with an "O"? If you can't afford it, then don't say yes! And DEFINITELY don't go around asking strangers for 5.00 so that she can do it.
There are people who have to decide between food and gas because they can't have both, and you have the nerve to sit there and ask people to take pity on you because you can't say no.
I had the same issue with Little League this year. The board mismanaged funds, raised sign up fees, and then had the nerve to tell all the teams that they need to raise $400 each to help get the league back in the black. More specifically, they told us EACH player had the duty to get $35 into the league by x date, and went so far as to suggest that we go door to door and ask neighbors to pitch in. UM....NO. We will sell candy bars, raffle tickets, car wash, etc. but we WILL NOT go ask for someone else to pay for our kids' activities. Maybe the board should get smart and stop saying league fees are $135 and then let people only pay $25??? TOO many people took advantage of that, in my opinion. I argued with the fundraising guy via email about that issue.

Okay, that is my rant. You want your kid to do stuff - you pay for it, or get your family to help you if they want to.

Is it too much to ask

that I be able to find some sandals for my 12 year old daughter? She has some cute summer dresses that she would like to wear, but finding shoes that work is becoming close to impossible.
She's 12, and a size 7.5 foot. She wanted a pair of sandals like the ones we found for her little sister, but they don't make them in her size. I don't want her in heels, and I am NOT paying 18 dollars for a pair of flip flops!!! Besides, I want something nicer than flip flops - something that straps to her foot!
Ugh, I was hoping to get her something today, because I really won't have time tomorrow. Not that she was going to wear a dress tomorrow, but I was thinking maybe Friday or Saturday she might want to.
Crazy that I can't find decent shoes for my kid...

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

It's Tuesday!

I have to keep track of the days, they are all running together...

Progress is being made on the backyard. I installed a sprinkler line for the planter, and 90 percent of the weeds are gone. Most of the stuff is bagged up and ready to be taken to the dump.
I have 3 trees that are waiting to be planted, and that is it.

Something bit me on my thigh and my ankle, and my scalp. The ankle one I have left alone, but the thigh one and the scalp one have been scratched all day. I can't help it, and now they are oozing. *sigh*

Today we went to the park in the morning to practice softball. My friend brought her daughter, and we all had fun.
Then we went to a birthday party at Chuck E Cheeses for a family friend. We stayed about 4 hours and had to drag the kids out of there. Then that family wanted to go bowling right after!!!! I told them that I had to get home and make dinner, and they wanted to go out to eat. I promised them we would go out on Friday night again after the game.
Ugh, I am so sick of going out. We went out all weekend because we were so busy with the backyard. I made dinner on Sunday and everyone groaned and complained because it was meat and a veggie. no rice, beans, side dishes, etc. I guess I am such a bad mom because I didn't make a side dish.....

Tomorrow my daughter's friend is coming to visit for a few hours while his sister has a dance rehearsal. Lucky kid - I am going to toss all of them in the backyard to play. No more weeds to navigate! And since I am such a nice mom, I am making pizza for them. I told his mother not to feed him pizza today because I was serving it tomorrow - but guess what, we had pizza today at Chuck E Cheeses, lol. It's okay - my kids would live on pizza if I would allow it.

I wonder what we should have for a side.....

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Busy weekend!

Its Saturday night, and the house is finally quiet. Well, if you don't count the swamp cooler and the air conditioner running, then its quiet!

Yesterday we had our weekly meeting at my friend B's house. The kids went swimming and us moms sat by the pool and talked. I was working on a new project - a knitted vest. I know it sounds funky, but you'll see - its super cute.
So after the swimming, we went home and repacked the car to go to LQ's end of season party for her team. It was okay. I don't know if its just me, but I think its weird the coach's wife is never around. I've seen her like 3 times, and at the party only his younger daughters were present. Maybe she had to work, but even the weekend games she didn't come.
The party wen't well. We left early because Hongo and I had a softball game. We were winning, and all of a sudden one of the players from the other team started arguing a call about a catch. Then he started cussing, so the umpire threw him out of the game. The rules state that you must leave the park entirely. You cannot sit in the bleachers, you cannot sit in the parking lot. You must go away.
Well, the game had resumed, and the umpire saw him in the parking lot. So he called the other team as a forfeit, and they lost. They were totally bummed, and a lot of them apologized.
Since we were the last game, we stuck around and had batting practice. Then we all went out to In N Out and had a very late dinner. We were sooooo entertaining. I couldn't stop laughing, and at one point SODA shot out of my nose because I was taking a drink and one of the guys did something that I found hilarious.
We didn't get home until after midnight.
We slept in today, but I spent the morning getting LQ ready for her friend's birthday party. As it turned out, we had house repairs to do today, and we didn't want LQ to miss the party. So my friend K said she would take her to the party.
I admit, I was nervous. I don't think I have let her go so far or long with a non-family member. I knew she would be safe, but I also know how my daughter can be sometimes. She says what she is thinking and has no tact whatsoever. She also has no problems discussing anything and everything (except female stuff) with anyone who has ears. I can only imagine the conversation during the drive. Maybe she tried to convince everyone in the car that the famous "The Thinker" statue was actually just a cartoon. She is so controversial....
She is a good girl though - I was told that she did not cause any problems except for lunch (she didn't eat, and that really wasn't a problem for anyone except for me) and she was careful to ask permission before doing things.
She was gone for about 9 hours.
While she was gone we went out and had lunch, and then we went to the home improvement store to buy more paint, some wood to fix the patio cover, shade trees, and some veggie plants. I am slowly accumulating veggie plants for a garden. I know I am quite late on this but softball DID just end, after all. If I had tried to do it during the season, they would have all died by now.
So a lot of things got done today - tomorrow we are getting up early to do the stuff for the backyard before it becomes TOO hot. I think we won't get far - its been pretty hot the past few days.

LegoQueen's team party


Coach decided to say a few words about LQ before he would give her the trophy.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Stung by a bee

I just want to say this....

You know you have really good friends when you get stung by a bee, and they are sympathetic looking when they look at your non-pedicured foot and don't cringe.
Yes, my feet were looking pretty rough today. I haven't been doing my foot pampering because of time and energy constraints. Today's sandal wearing frolic was spontaneous, and I figured no one would be looking at my feet anyway.
WRONG!
But thank you, my friends, and I am sorry that you had to see my size 9 feet in such terrible shape. Once I can feel my toes again, I shall soak my feet and make them soft. I will also be sure to stick them in your faces just so that you see them in their pretty glory, lol.

So anyway, I have a bee sting on my big toe. Nasty stupid bee. I smooshed him into the grass. That is what he gets.

This morning I took the kids out to the park, BEFORE we went to Park. LegoQueen and I played soccer, while the two little ones rode their scooters. Then we went to Park, where the aforementioned bee stinging occurred. Tonight we are going to see Hongo's men's team play their final game. Should be a good time.

I would post a picture, but I am afraid my ugly foot would break the camera, so you will have to trust me when I say it is better off this way....

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

100 degree weather....

and last night I baked bread.
Am I a glutton for punishment or what???

Its worth it though....mmmmm pumpkin bread!

Our weekend was very busy - Saturday we went to visit the in law's, and we BBQ'd and visited with them. Then on Sunday, Hongo cleaned out the garage and I pulled weeds in the backyard. Then later that evening we went over to a friends house for a BBQ. That was fun, but we came home exhausted.

Tomorrow I am taking the day off. I don't know what I am going to do yet, but it sure doesn't involve cleaning, or weeding, or any other chores! Its supposed to be scorching hot again, so it will have to be indoors, lol!

We found out yesterday that it is going to take 7-10 working days to repair the damage to Hongo's car. We were stressing that we were going to be a one car family for 2 weeks. He was worried about the gas, I was worried about being stuck inside for 2 weeks, lol!
But the insurance company is footing the bill for a rental for him, so that works out.
I am off to my friend's house today - I had better go get ready!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Its not June yet.....

so plenty of time for me to cram ina few more journal entries.

Life has been going at full throttle - we took this weekend to enjoy our lives with our friends, we rested, and we also reflected on the important and meaning of Memorial Day.

I was a little sad yesterday as I washed my windows - they were so clear that my eyes fell on a lonely yellow rose bush that was competing for sunlight with the rest of the bushes.
Bryan's rosebush.
No one really knows that is the name I gave it - it was to honor the life of a soldier that I had never met, yet his family touched mine in so many ways. His parents live across the street...his brother plays softball with us.
Bryan Brewster lost his life in Afghanistan in May 2006. I remember the day that the Army people came to their house. It was a Sunday morning, LQ and I were out for a walk. We saw the cars and all the family. I thought they were going to have a big barbeque. Later that day, Bryan's mom told me the news.
I didn't know what to do, or what to say. So a few days later I cooked and wrapped up two large casserole dishes. One was lasagna, the other I don't remember. I walked it over, and the only thing I really remember was Scott saying "oh my God....FOOD!!!"
The next few days were spent in their home, hearing about Bryan, or out on our sidewalk as Louis, the dad cried on my shoulder.

Time passes...and when my dad died, our positions were reversed. I struggled while dealing with my family, and the Brewster family always was there for me to give me encouragement.

This morning I learned that Louis's father passed away last Monday. He was 81, and even though he had lived a long life, it still leaves a lot of grief. Louis and I talked about his dad. For him, it is two big losses in two years.
Louis described it as totally different than when his son died. Not worse or better...just different.
He told me that I inspired him to keep going, like how I did when Dad died. How funny it feels to hear that - I'm young enough to be his daughter (well, almost) yet I inspire him.
We talked and joked for a little while. I wished him luck tomorrow at the funeral. I told him that once the funeral was over, he would actually fall asleep at night. I said something else, and then he had to mention that I can't hit a softball if my life depended on it...so that was my cue that the seriousness was over.

Mr. Louis Brewster Sr. - rest in peace. You did a good job.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

I almost forgot....

With the depressing stuff from yesterday, I failed to mention that LegoQueen actually did very well at catcher. We are so proud of her! She did start to get tired and was missing balls near the end, but I think it is one of those stamina things that you have to build up to.
She did everything that the coach asked her to - and Hongo stood behind the fence at home plate to help her out.

LegoQueen and I talked today. We talked about thing we can change, and things we cannot. We cannot change how other people treat her, however we can change how we react. I thought up until now she had been doing a great job of ignoring them and just moving past and doing her own thing, but I think she just snapped yesterday. Which shows that they are still getting to her. She decided today that she was going to make a concerted effort to just stick with the people she trusts and walk away from the others.
We talked about quitting, and she said she didn't want to have to give up something that she liked doing because of a few bad people.
We talked about asking that she be redrafted next season, but she only wants to go to a specific team, so she will be just as miserable if she ends up on the other team. Plus she really likes her coach, so she would like to stick with him.

Sometimes I wish....

that I could just wrap my daughter up and protect her from everything....

Last was one of the worst nights in softball ever. When we first got there, I started throwing the ball with LegoQueen to warm her up. The other two girls that were there went over to the field to gossip or do whatever it is that brats do.

When the coach got there, we talked a little bit and he asked me if I thought LQ was up to being the catcher. He said that Hongo throws really hard at her, so he know that LQ could catch the balls, but she is also one of those people where if you tap her its like you tried to beat her. I told him to have her put the gear on, and *I* would pitch to her.
So I help her with the gear, and she was excited about trying that spot out. Well, our normal catcher didn't like it too much and started crying about LQ trying to take her spot. First of all, its not "her spot" and second - the coach wanted better defense in the outfield.
As I was throwing to LQ, she said to me -"I don't think Mollie is happy right now." and I told her that Mollie would have to learn to deal.
LQ didn't stretch with the girls because I was pitching to her, and I noticed that when they came over to start their jog, a few were glaring at her. Nothing new, and LQ never notices that kind of thing, so I let it go.
I was pitching harder and faster, and you could hear the ball whizzing down to LQ. I was waiting for her to complain, but she said she was fine. When the pitcher walked up, I told her that I wanted her to start pitching to LQ to give her an idea of how this pitcher's ball moves.
Well, pitcher couldn't throw a strike and LQ wasn't focused on catching anything that wasn't within her range. Pitcher's dad was yelling at her to stop fooling around and throw strikes. Then another girl shows up in catcher's gear and I told LQ to come with me and let the other girl catch.
I report back to the coach, LQ is a go if he wants her to catch. She will be fine. He hands me the lineup card, and I started filling out the scorebook. I call Hongo and tell him our daughter is going to be catcher and to hurry down to the field. We are excited.
I went to the car to get my camera, and LQ catches my arm and tells me "Mommy, Jackie said that because I am catching, we are going to lose the game."
*sigh*
They said that on Saturday when LQ was pitching too.
So I told her that she knows that isn't true, and that she should go out there and just try her best and not worry about what Jackie says.
I saw Hongo out by the cars and told him "Give your daughter a little pep talk." and gave him a brief summary of what was going on.
By the time I got back, LQ is still talking to Hongo, but with tears in her eyes. All the other girls (except one) were sitting in the grass away from the dugout.
So the coach walked over to LQ and starts to tell her what to do about getting the gear on, and he asked her "What is the matter with you?" and he is totally puzzled. LQ looks at Hongo and starts crying and so Hongo tells the coach what just happened.
When LQ went to go sit in the dugout, all the girls got up and left and some made rude comments about her catching.

I thought the coach was going to burst a blood vessel. He was so pissed off. He yelled at all the girls to get in the dugout and to get their stuff, we were going home. I put the score book away. Parents were wondering what was going on. I was sitting down putting my camera bag away and I heard the coaches daughter tell him "But dad, Julie said she saw a butterfly, and so she told us all to come see the butterfly, so that is why we all got up at the same time."
I caught a deep breath and waited for the coaches reaction. And he told her flatly and calmly, "You know that is not true." and I could hear his voice shaking because his daughter had the nerve to try and lie right to his face and he was trying to keep from going off on her.
So he stood and lectured for a good 10 minutes and gave the girls a good tongue lashing. Hongo was all for going home. Parents were so embarrassed of their girls, and a few apologized to me.
The girls ended up playing, and it meant a few of them had to tell my daughter things like "Good Job" or "Nice Catching" It was so fake.
Hongo was pissed. He was coaching first and he said he didn't say anything to to girls if they reached, with exception to 3 girls. One of them (the co-ringleader) tried to talk to him and he said he just remained silent.
LQ caught well, until her glove busted. Then they had to bring someone else in to catch. After the game I passed out snacks and the coach is holding practice today.
After all the girls left, I went and thanked the coach for sticking up for my daughter. I really appreciated it, Hongo appreciated it.
The pitcher (co-ringleader) came up and interrupted (WHY he lets them constantly do this I don't know, I was always brought up to be respectful and wait my turn to speak) so I was determined to get one last word in.
I told the coach, "Thank you again for what you did, this is an ongoing problem (and I looked STRAIGHT at her) and I am positive it WILL be solved so that all the girls can enjoy the rest of the season.
From the look on her face, I think I got my message across.

I had a hard time sleeping last night. The boldness of these girls appalls me. I am torn between letting her play the season out, or calling it quits right now. I think about next season. Do I ask for her to be redrafted? She really likes her coach right now, and then I run the risk of her being drafted to a worse team. Will she even play next year?
I'm getting a little ahead of myself, I know. We should be taking this one day at a time.
*sigh*

Monday, May 12, 2008

No more craziness for now....

Unless you count the bug that has bitten my children and turned into wild animals that don't listen, can't stand each other yet cannot bear to be apart....

*sigh*

We had a nice Mothers' Day - didn't get to go kayaking like I wanted, but everything worked out fine. My in laws came over and we went to lunch, then they took the kids shopping. DramaQueen chose a lot of dresses, and today she got all dolled up and was running around yelling "I'm rich!!!!"
The child had $15 burning a hole in her pocket, so today I let her buy some cute headbands with it. She saw $3 on the tag, and proudly handed the cashier 3 dollar bills. We haven't talked about sales tax, lol! The cashier bagged her stuff and gave her a receipt. I asked the cashier if she was short, and she said "22 cents" and shrugged her shoulders. So I dug in my purse and found a quarter. Cute kids can get away with not paying sales tax? I sure wish I was cute - maybe I would get free groceries. Or free gas.

Anyway - today was one of those "time-out days" A day where either I am going to tear out my hair and give myself a heart attack, or I lock the kids in their rooms and lay on my bed. I chose the latter, and when Hongo got home, I took a nap. I had an appointment canceled today, which ended up being good - I wasn't in the mood to be meeting with people.

Right now I am listening to Hongo drone on about baseball gloves. I feel like my friend Beatriz - she asks her husband a question and he goes on and on, and then she wishes that she hadn't asked.
However, in this case - Hongo is trying to convince me of the benefits of letting him buy another glove. He currently has an outfielder's glove, 2 infielders gloves, I just paid for another one this morning from Ebay, and he also won a glove for the LegoQueen that I paid for as well.

I don't think he needs a new glove. Actually, I KNOW he doesn't. He is going to have to come up with some pretty good sweet talking for this glove.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Update on the crazy lady....

What a freak occurence - she was at the park last night when we were there. I saw her, she has her arm in a sling. Gee, I wonder why?
What's even more freaky - the son of the guy she was trying to hit was also there - the girls were playing against each other. He stood behind her at the snack bar and glared at her, lol.

On a slightly sad note, my DramaQueen got sick last night at the game. She spent the night with a high fever and it finally broke today about noon. She is pretty much back to her old self - she is attacking her brother like usual. We are playing it by ear for tomorrow - I will see if she is totally back to normal.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Unsportsmanlike conduct.....

Well, its Tuesday. I can't believe how quickly time has flown by this past week.

We've had a couple of run-ins with players who do not conduct themselves in an appropriate manner, so I thought I would talk about it for a little bit. I don't think I have told any of my friends - I've been more concerned with my dear friend coming down with Bell's Palsy, and getting things together for a craft tomorrow for Mothers' Day.
Anyway, It started last week with LegoQueen's softball game. They were playing the first place team and beat them. The coach of the other team was very upset and was stomping around like a child. He kept calling time out to talk to the umpire about various minor things that he felt our team was doing wrong. After the game, he left in a hurry and one of his players said that he was very angry with the girls. Then yesterday we heard that his daughter was talking smack at school about tonight's game (and not in a funny, friendly way either). Its just very frustrating with the competitiveness. Is that even a word? I don't know- I've been so tired lately it doesn't matter anymore.
Then on to Sunday. Hongo and I played our double header. We lost the first one, and won the second. After the second game, we were asked to fill in at the next game. We are friends with that team, so we tend to cover for each other alot. My neighbor across the street is on that team too.
So there we are, having fun - messing around. We were winning, and the other team wasnt liking it very much. Then it started to go downhill. I didn't notice it until late in the game, but the whole team had been cussing at us the entire game. One lady was really pissed off because she couldn't make it on base (she grounded out to me twice and once to the pitcher) On her final at bat, she walked and started cussing out the pitcher as she ran to first. That was my first idea that something wasn;t right. No wait, about 5 seconds prior to that, she LICKED the ball and threw it at the pitcher. THAT was when I knew something was wrong.
Well, as soon as the game was over, she waited until her teamamtes had left the field and she heaved a ball at our side into a crowd of people. I was sitting on the bleachers, tending to my knee that I had injured. I got up and went over to meet her on the other side. We were going to "have a discussion". But my dear husband held me back, and instead directed me to my very upset 7 year old who the ball had almost hit.
Thankfully she did not hit anyone. Because she sucks, and can't throw her way out of a paper bag. However the person she was aiming for is a man who is like family to us. He and Hongo play softball together, and I have coached his daughter for two years (she is on the team we play tonight that was mentioned earlier). So I was emotionally riled up for that reason as well. If Hongo had not been there, he would have had to come get me from jail.
Yesterday I went to talk to the director of adult sports for our city. I successfully got her suspended for about 2 games. But one of the ladies who witnessed it (she is also my friend Christina) was not so satisfied, and has sent a complaint to the head director because of this:

League Reminders

If you missed the meeting...

Bad language can and will be used against you. Do not be surprised by this.

Any violent act by a player will, of course get him/her removed form the league for the remainder of the season - or more, AND the manager will be ejected from the current and the next game as well. The message? Don't have players on your roster who cannot be controlled. (For soccer managers, it goes for you as well.)


This of course, was a violent act. So therefore this woman should be removed from the league from the rest of the season. So we will see what happens.

Other than that, things are swell. I am making dinner and then we will take LQ to her game.

Oh, and LQ was feeling down because she thought her close friend didn't want to be friends anymore. But he just called and they are talking on the phone, lol.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

The firehouse....

Today we went to the firehouse. DramaQueen had a good time - The Hairy One...not so much. He was scared most of the tour because there was a dude following them from room to room. He said the man was scary-looking. There were times when he tried to be brave, but the final straw was when he went in the fire engine. He thought they were going to drive away with him. And the dude was the one helping the kids out of the engine after they got their picture taken. Poor Hairy had tears starting in his eyes.
But the kids got little hats, pencils, and a badge. The Hairy One wanted to wear his to his game.
Speaking of the game, I had a grand total of 7 kids show up. So did the other team. It was windy and the dirt was kicking up. My kids were miserable. But I kept them entertained by jumping and screaming and giving high fives. Needless to say, I am tired.
Tomorrow we are going to a local park so that I can walk the track with some moms. I promised LQ that afterwards I would take her to the field to practice some more. We tried to do some today, but the Hairy One got hit in the mouth with a ball thrown by DramaQueen and so I had to rush and get him ice. Then we saw a girl wandering around looking lost - turns out she was 2 hours early for her game, and mom had just dropped her off. So I let her use my phone so she could call Mom to get her to come back. By that time, my team started arriving.

I should probably crawl into bed now - I have earned it.

Once a week....

I am going to make it my goal to post something. So here goes:

We have been busy as usual - lots of softball to play and places to take the kids. Last night LegoQueen had a game. It was bad. They should have won, but the girls just couldn't do it. The other team had luck on their side. LQ hit a hard one right at the shortstop and she closed her eyes and stuck out her glove and caught it. The coach was very frustrated - he took the girls aside after the game and talked to them. Some of the parents were mad. It was 9:30 at night and they wanted to get their kids home to bed.
I asked LQ what he said, and she said "Something about if the older girls weren't going to play well and hit - they were going to be benched." LOL I guess he lost her attention after about 5 minutes.
He told all the girls to come to the field today to practice, but my Pee-Wee team has a game, so LQ won't be there.

So now LQ has decided that she really wants to improve, and is willing to work hard. So yesterday I took her out and we worked on her fielding for about an hour. Today she wants to go back out, but we are going to the fire station for a field trip and then the library. Then the little ones have that game I was talking about.

Now that DramaQueen has turned 7, she brings a whole lot more to the table. She is constantly picking on her siblings and then she whines when they do it back to her. For a while, they were all ignoring each other by saying "Who said that?" whenever one of them would speak. Then the ousted one cries and says "THEY AREN'T LISTENING TO ME!!!!"
My kids have also decided that its okay to walk off whenever they want. Last Saturday I was trying to keep score and DQ walked off to the other field to see if one of her friends was playing. Last night she and her brother were told not to go to the park, and when I got up to throw trash they snuck off. Oh boy, was I MAD! And then of course I got mad at myself because I have become too engrossed in the game and I trust that they are sitting next me, when they are really sneaking off to go play. I need to keep a closer eye on them.

The weather is getting warmer, so we are just trying to keep cool and enjoy it. Today is supposed to be cooler than yesterday, so I will take it! Let me ease into the fiery temperatures!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Happy Birthday Bean!

She is all dressed up 4 the occasion!

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Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Tired of whining...

I had to send DramaQueen to her room. Before I ended up spanking her. All day she has whined. LegoQueen looks at her funny - she whines. The Hairy One picks up something that she was using - she whines. I was trying to talk to my neighbor this morning and the Hairy One interrupted me 4 times in 10 minutes to ask if he could sit in the car. I told him he was welcome to sit in his room in time out for being so rude.
I just got back from the grocery store. It was awful. My son would not sit in the cart properly. He wanted to ride on LegoQueen's back. I put the grocery ad next to him and while I was picking out meat, he pulled it all apart and there were papers everywhere. meanwhile dramaQueen is dancing in the aisle and LegoQueen is grabbing her and trying to make her stop. Thus, more whining. "Let me GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
I decided to cut my losses and went straight to the checkout. I look in my purse and there is no ATM card. I can't find it anywhere. I know I put it back when we left the bank today. The kids were asking for candy since its sitting right there. I was getting frustrated.
I had to tell the cashier not to ring up the dog food - I only had enough cash to pay for the meat. It was so embarrassing. She said I could go get my ATM card and come back. I was so flustered I handed her all of my cash and went to the car. We looked everywhere for the card. I had to go back and have her re-do the sale and give me my change. Again - so embarrassing.
I walked back to the car...and LegoQueen is holding my card. It was in my wallet, but it had slipped behind my drivers license. "Mommy, is this the one you were looking for?"
*sigh* The dogs don't need the food badly enough for me to show my face back in the grocery store tonight.

I told the kids we were supposed to go to their friend's house tomorrow. But with the way they are acting, they had better straighten up or we won't go. It's supposed to be a lot of fun too.

Oh, and no one had better ask me to be available anytime this week. I have got to learn to say no to things that are not benefiting me or my children. I have no openings. Tomorrow we are booked - friends in the morning and softball in the evening. Thursday we are booked - park in the morning, softball in the evening. Friday I am booked with my friends in the morning and then I am booked with Hongo for the evening. Don't even think about the weekend Try me next week.!!!

Monday, March 31, 2008

Another busy week....


This week has just begun, and I am looking for ways to buy some more time!

Hongo will be home early today , and so that means I lose 4 hours to be productive because he needs to be entertained. *sigh* I love him being with me, just not during my "workday"
So this morning we have tried to be focused - I keep getting distracted because the to-do list just keeps getting longer. Right now I am on the computer off-loading all of my camera cards so that I have room for the games this week. The picture I have up today is of LegoQueen from last Thursday. My computer is working slower than molasses today as far as uploading pictures to the internet.
LegoQueen has practice tonight, so I will probably make dinner before we go and everyone can eat at the same time. Hongo has a meeting tonight for our softball teams - he is running a mens and a coed this season.
On a positive note- baseball season has started, so we will be able to catch some games while I fold laundry or vacuum.
Only 1 1/2 hours until Hongo arrives....maybe I will make him take me to the bank and grocery store.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

T-Ball is very serious....


Going through my pictures from today's game, I came across this one. The Hairy One looks so tough! He was waiting for his turn at bat, and I caught him just as he was looking at me. Oh, and the scratch under his eye is not from playing ball - he was playing with sticks and his friend scratched him on the face.

Friday, March 28, 2008

Feeling better...

Yesterday ended up being really nice. I had a nice time at Park chatting with my friends and watching the kids play. On the way back home we were talking in the car, and LQ told me that some new kid asked her for her number. In front of all of her friends. She was so embarrassed! We had a good laugh about it on the way home.

The softball game was nice. They finally won, and LQ got her first hit. Before the game, I helped the girls warm up and the attitudes were put on ice. The bossy girls were trying to make everything look good during stretching and were yelling at everyone else. I finally spoke up and said "Hey - the more time you spend yelling and worrying about how good you look, you cut into the time for batting practice. So you all need to relax and just stretch!"
Silence...and some glares. But they did exactly as they were told.

The meanest girl struck out. You could see the head deflate ever so slightly. But it expanded when she hit a home run at the next at bat. *sigh*

I took some pictures, but I still haven't offloaded the ones from Opening Day two weeks ago, so don't expect to see any soon, lol.

Then we went to Hongo's game. The guys lost. But we all had a good time. I forgot my score book, so I spent the evening chatting with the other wives. Due to Spring Break, all the kids were out late and playing at the playground. We found frogs in the grass and the girls were squealing. One touched me and i squealed too, lol.

Today we are getting ready to leave the house. We are going to see one of the families from Park, and then we are heading over for Lego Club with our friends. Tomorrow all the kids have games, and then we have playoffs for adult softball on Sunday!