Rising from the ashes once again

I'm starting to see light at the end of the tunnel from being sick again. Easter was great, Monday was OK, then Tuesday it went downhill. Usually when I'm sick, I'm the worst in the morning and I feel better as the day goes on. This time it was reverse. As time ticked by I slowly turned into an invalid. Then came Wednesday when Mike had to come home and I slept for over 18 hours straight. To top it off the kids weren't sick. Thank god for TV because who knows what they would've been into with me passing out when their under my watch. That's one of my biggest complaints of being a SAHM, no sick days ever. I can't even drop dead because of the worry of who will watch the kids. Anyway, I'm awake and healing.
How did I get sick you ask.... well you didn't but I'm posing the question anyway. Every time I'm exposed to certain children, someone in my family is sick days later. Maybe I'm allergic to them or something. It's weird and I'm not making it up.... every time we spend any amount of time with these kids we're takin' down. Anyway, we've been locked up in the house for a couple of days now and my kids have cabin fever. Spring better come soon.

Happy Easter

I actually prepared Easter eggs this year. I figure egg salad sandwich... throw them in a salad they'll get used. I haven't had a hard boiled egg in a long time. Maybe if the kids see me eat one they'll want them too. The rest of the pictures are from the kids Easter egg hunt it wasn't so much as a hunt as a feeding frenzy. I think the kids had all the eggs cleared out in 5 minutes. This was are 3rd year going and the kids loved it. What's not to love? Free candy and lots of it. We had a great day today as well. I hope to have some time to better recap the weekend.

Good Friday

My mom was going to come visit Friday yesterday but due to a very sick dog (he's been at the vet ALL week) didn't come in case it wasn't good news when they called. Sooo, since Mike had the day off too we went to Meijer Gardens to see the butterflies. Around 11am or so it started snowing and we probably got around a foot of snow here. IT SUCKS! It was wild to be in this really warm atrium with butterflies, flowers, waterfalls and tropical plants and see the snow falling on the other side of the glass. We love going to see the butterflies every year and always take a ton of pictures. What do I do with the pictures of all the butterflies and flowers I take, um... nothing but nevertheless it still happens.

We usually take the time to walk around and look at the art both inside and outside too as they have a really nice outside area but it was too freakin' cold. I mean I barely survived the biting cold walk/run from the car and back. It took us well over an hour to get home as there were cars off the road everywhere and the average speed on the highway was 30 mph. There was a lot of crazy drivers... the ones that get so freaked out driving during a snow storm that they are more likely in reality to cause the accident then stay out of one by hitting their brakes to try to slow down and drive 30 mph in the passing lane. Mike says everytime, "I bet you it's a woman." I gave up being offended because every time we drove by and I looked.... it was.

Happy Easter!

Week of theater

So as I was browsing the local paper last Thursday and saw a not so local high school was putting on Cinderella and another more local school was putting on Beauty and the Beast. I've been meaning to take the kids to live performances but have missed the ones that I thought they'd do well at. So Thursday night I let Mia choose what she wants to see and she picks Cinderella since she saw Beauty and the Beast at WDW. Mason wanted to come too and since Mike was sick in bed I took both kids to get some culture. Let's just say there won't be any American Idols coming out of that school. In the opening act everyone pretty much had a role to say or sing and it was G** awful! (See how I tried not to take the Lord's name in vain there:) Just attended the reconcilatory mass last night so I can be better than sinning the day after I was absolved. Yay me!) Anyway, the kids really seemed to enjoy it. After talking to some people Friday day and hearing the Beauty and the Beast show was supposed to be good.... I packed up the family and dragged them to that show Friday night. It was the last performance so it was then or never. Mike was less than thrilled to be going since it was the first nice day all winter and I was dragging him to an indoor event but he eventually got over it. I think. When we arrived the show was sold out but they sold us tickets and let us sit in the balcony. We couldn't really see that well from a couple of rows back so the kids went up to the railing and sat on the floor. It was really very good... just a little long. The show started at 7pm and it was about 10pm when we left. Below is a picture of the kids pressing their little faces between the railings to see.

So we pretty much had a filled weekend. Thursday-Cinderella, Friday- Beauty and the Beast, Saturday- Christie/Mia had a tea party to attend and Mason/Mike went to an Outdoor Expo in Grand Rapids and saw the St. Patricks day parade. Then we arrived home around the same time and the kids were invited to a bowling birthday party (last minute) so we went to that too. Sunday- of course there's mass and then after lunch we went out to our friend's farm. They will be watching the beast for us when we go to Florida so we brought him out to get him acquainted with the farm. They have 2 horses, a goat, a chicken (that's all that's left) and some cats. I'm just tired. Yesterday was a blur in the morning, the running errands while the kids were at school, then home to finish St Pat's dinner (corn beef and cabbage) and then dragging the kids back out so we could go to mass. Today was no rest either. Mike got me up in the morning to run and then it was out the door to take the kids to their last swim class this season. Running late from that it was lunch at McD's and then off to preschool. Then I got to grocery shop which always takes me FOREVER and by the time I got home fed me, put away the groceries, it was off to pick up the kids again. I have to say McD's put me on the spot today. Usually, if I have to do McD's.... I buy an EV meal like the 10 piece chicken nuggets or 2 cheeseburger meal. I get the coke for me and then go home divide up the meal between the kids and give them milk. Yes, it's all because I'm a cheap bast*** (you can fill in the rest without me actually swearing). This time I go through the drive thru with my plan set in my head, look at the order menu and see Happy Meals are Disney Pirates & Princess. Plus there's a chance in each Happy Meal that you may win a "Dream Vacation". Well we are going to Disney pretty soon so why not. I hand the kids their respective meals as we pull away from the window.
Mason- You got us toys? (In total disbelief)
Mia- You got me a juice box?...Wow, I got a wand!
Mason- I, I, I, (stuttering because he's so excited) got a skeleton guy with swords.

Mom was loved today so Mom is happy.

Hangin' in the hood

Mason likes his "fire" hat so much he has taken to wearing it all the time. He's like a little gangsta' just kickin back with his pants hanging low. (That would be because the kid doesn't eat and is barely on the charts anymore for his age)

He is like his Dad in the fact that he likes cereal for any meal. He is a breakfast guy while me and Mia could really pass on breakfast. (unless it's bacon, who doesn't love bacon). Mia on the other had is all noodles all the time. We went to a Tea party Saturday morning and while there was cinnamon rolls, monkey bread, cookies, quiche, etc.... what does my little girl want? You got it 2 helpings of pasta salad. She's like me in the sense that I'll pass on something really sweet and stick with the appetizers. However she's not like me since she can handle 4 helpings of spaghetti and still be rail thin.

Anyway, picture of me and Mia Saturday morning.

Not one of the Chosen

Who would have thought enrolling in Kindergarten would be stressful. There are two schools that I'd like to enroll Mia in and we did attend both open houses. The first is done be lottery for new students. So about 40 spots for Kindergarten and you subtract spots for siblings of students already enrolled then have a lottery for the rest. Last year they had about 100 applicants and 25 spots. The other school would be "school of choice" for us and shouldn't be a problem getting in but there were a lot of kids at the open house and I won't know until May if she is actually enrolled there or not. Our neighbors child was "accepted" into the first school and there was a definite attitude about her being "Chosen". Needless to say we didn't tell them (or most people for that matter) that we were considering that school and applied since I didn't want to hear that my child isn't special enough to be "Chosen". While at my Moms meeting this morning one of the other moms mentioned that the lottery had already taken place as her friend's son had been accepted. So I come home and called the school. Mia is 29 on the waiting list. They told me the letters would me mailed out soon. So while I had joked this morning that she'd be getting a rejection letter for her application to Kindergarten..... she really is. That is nuts! Now if she doesn't get into the other school I'll be really panicked but powerless to do anything about it. So goes most of my life.
Also, this morning it was good to see that I didn't poison a new member's children. I dropped off a Blueberry bread to her earlier this week to say "Welcome to the neighborhood" and I thought as I looked at the ingredients on my counter it was milk-free. I remembered she had said her kid's had a milk allergy so I dropped it off and made a point of telling her it was milk-free. As I lay in bed later that night I kept thinking, "how can that bread not have milk?". As I thought about it more it definitely does have milk. It calls for sour milk so I had the milk set aside to sour when I was glancing at the ingredients on my counter. So what I was really saying was, "Welcome to the neighborhood and let me try and kill your children". I was unbelievably relieved to see them all healthy this morning. When I tried to call and warn her there was no answer and I just had visions of them all at the hospital. So that's one stress that I can let go.

Being a "Lurky Loo"

OK, Feeling semi- normal but haven't felt like posting. I do get on the web and lurk ALL THE TIME at other sites. I check out Jenn and her life pretty much every day. Do I know her? No! but somehow since I relate to her (and see a lot of myself there what with the sarcasm and Japanese parentage) postings I feel like she's a BFF. If she ever knew that she'd probably get a restraining order from the scary stalker chick.

I look a lot on the internet and belong to some forums but I hardly ever post. It's not that I'm afraid to put myself out there it's sheer laziness. What take the time to write a comment when I can be two clicks on another site already. What else do I waste my time on.....Webkinz. Mia only has one that she got at Christmas and I waited a few months before I entered the code on the site because I knew we'd have to "take care of it". What I didn't anticipate was how freakin' addicting it is to play the games.
Week One:
Mike- Are you playing Mia's Webkinz?
Me- I'm just playing to make her some money so we can get some stuff for her room.

Week Two:
Me- (to Mike) Hey, what's that game.... how do you play....can I have a turn.

Week Three:
Mia- Hey, are you playing my Webkinz? Oh Good, I want to play with my puppy.
Me- There you go honey.

Week Four:
Mia- Mom! When can I have a turn to play.
Me- It's my turn after your Dad.

Every night when I need to check e-mail and get some of my work (projects) done I tell myself, "just one quick game and then I'll log off". All of a sudden it's 10pm and I've got nothing done.

Head will explode

Okay day 8 of Antibiotics and I have a headache I can't kick. I've taken everything.... no dice. So I've just popped one of my sleeping pills hoping that I just pass out at this point. Only 2 more days of antibiotics left and the doc said that ALL my symptoms better be gone because of the length this sickness has dragged on. Should I be worried that I'm on day 8 of a 10 day prescription and my symptoms are far from gone.

Also, add to that that my loving dear husband has bought me the bean which we have been doing every night. It would be nicer had the hidden implication not been "I'm sick of seeing your fat ass.". At least he is doing it with me. We started doing push-ups and sit-ups (just like we were back in the military) every night before the bean showed up so I'm already sore. Now I could almost cry when I need to cough. Wonderful! Progress though since I can now once again sit up in bed in the morning. Now if I ever kick the head crap that's taking over my life, I'll make it back down to the treadmill for some cardio. I mean really it's in my basement in front of a TV, Totally do-able if I just didn't feel like crap 90% of the time. Feeling this way makes for some good parenting too. Just in case you were wondering. I need a weekend of feeling good by myself to just totally get caught up on everything I have going on. Don't think that will happen anytime soon though! I really need to find some good babysitters in my neighborhood.

Enough about that though since I can start to feel my drugs working their magic. Better go lie down. Sweet dreams!

Reading Olivia

I'm a sucker for children's books and have been buying them since before I even had kids. Whenever I flew somewhere in the military I always tried to come home with a children's book. (most of the time I wasn't able to get my hands on one). I really didn't buy your typical souvieniers though: children's books, music CD's, cookbooks, etc. Anyway, I love the Olivia books by Ian Falconer. I've borrowed them again from the libray (we go every week) and Mason has taken to "Olivia and the Missing Toy". I know I will be buying that one now. He not only wants it read over and over to him but he wants to read it to us as well.



If you don't have these books, I highly recommend them.