Pumpkin Patch

My mom and I took the girls to a local pumpkin patch, and then did Halloween mani/pedis. What else is there to say?

Saying goodbye

My grandfather (Grandpa Duke) passed away yesterday. Although he was elderly, and had been ill for a long time, it was still difficult for me to say goodbye. We had known for a few days that the end was near. I actually expected to get the call some time on Tuesday, but I never did. On Wednesday morning, we were all running late, and then Bryn decided she didn't want to go to daycare (which is very unlike her - she's never done that). Knowing I was going to be late anyway, I decided to let her stay home with me for a few minutes. Ben and G had only been gone for a few minutes, when I got the call that my grandfather had passed. I made through the call strong, but once I hung up the phone, the tears came. I was still holding Bryn, and she was amazingly empathetic. She just held me, sighed, and let me cry. It was such a tender moment, and I felt like my grandpa was there too, watching me.

After I was through crying, she cheered up, and asked to go to daycare. I think she knew I would need her that morning.

My grandfather had suffered from Parkinson's disease, and recently had broken his hip and femur. I do think he was ready to go. Monday he called all 7 of his children to tell them he loved them. He knew it was time to go.



My grandpa was born in the early 1920s in a small agricultural building on his family's farm. He ended up being a very successful man, and he's always been such an example to me of hard work. He loved gardening, and has instilled in me a love of making things grow. He was a talented woodworker, and I'm blessed to have many of the things he made. He had recently (on September 25) celebrated his 64th wedding anniversary, and the relationship he shared with my grandmother is a great example. He left such a legacy, and I'll miss him. I do believe that he's now in a place where he can walk again, and is free from pain. And although I do think he was ready, it is still difficult to say goodbye.

My belated birthday

October 12, 1492 is supposedly the day that Christopher Columbus discovered America. Kirk Cameron was born on October 12. The Pledge of Allegiance was first uttered in school on October 12. It is also the day that I was born (in 1970 something). My birthday this year was fantastic. I awoke to a fresh coat of snow (the first in the valley this year). I love the first snow, and the heavy frost meant that I could breathe through my nose for the fist time since April (no more seasonal allergies - whoo hoo). My girls put on their hats and coats, and looked so cute. I was pampered and spoiled all freakin' day. It was heaven. Check it out:

My hometown

Tiburon posted today about her hometown, and it made me feel nostalgic for where I grew up. I've actually been thinking a lot about my formative years, since I just hung out this weekend with my BFF from growing up. So, out of nostalgia, this post is dedicated to my hometown:

I was born a poor white girl in Kentucky - (just kidding) - I actually was born in Gary Indiana in the same hospital as Michael Jackson. I was the only white baby though, so I suppose the poor and white part is true ;). But, I actually don't remember much about where I was born, and my family moved around a lot when I was young. I moved to Northern Kentucky when I was 10, and I consider that to be where I grew up. Northern Kentucky is really just a suburb of Cincinnati, but it does have some of its own unique features. It was such a great place to live, and I have some wonderful memories. Here's the top 5 things I remember.

1. Cincinnati Reds - I loved going to Cincinnati Reds games. We would park across the river in Newport, and walk across a bridge right to the stadium - the old stadium (Riverfront) before they had this nice new one. The cheap seats were only $3.50, so we would go numerous times throughout the summer. Good times! The Reds were actually good back then, and even won the world series one year (they swept the A's in 1990, and I can still name every single starter from that team). Although they totally suck now, I still follow them, and hope one day they'll be good again.

2. Kings Island - Kinds Island is the best amusement park ever! Seriously - I'm not biased. They have the best coasters - The Beast (once the longest wooden roller coaster ever), The King Cobra (where you stand up) and many others. Also, the Smurf Cones - blue soft-serve ice cream. I've been to lots of other amusement parks, and nothing else has been as much fun.

3. Natural Bridge State Park - The beauty of Kentucky is difficult to beat, so it wasn't easy for me to come up with my favorite place there. Land Between the Lakes is stunning, as is Cumberland Falls - but my favorite is Natural Bridge State Park. It is a large limestone (?) arch (see, they aren't just in Utah) surrounded by lush folliage.

4. Skyline Chili - many of my friends will be suprised to know this about me (seeing that this is not typically my type of food) but Cincinnati Chili is the food of the gods. It is a chili with an unusual combination of spices (including cinnamon and cocoa) with kidney beans served over spaghetti noodles - and piled high with cheese. YUM! I know it sounds disgusting, but it is so freakin' amazing. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it. I've tried to replicate it myself - which I've done fairly well, but nothing compares to fresh Skyline straight from the source.

5. My amazing friends - which I don't have a picture for. I was so lucky to have some of the best friends, both at school and at my church youth group. There aren't a lot of LDS kids in that part of the country, and we really had to stick together. I remember how much fun it was playing mud football in the McBride's yard on snowdays (because the snow never lasted) and playing spin the bottle just so I could kiss some boys. We also took some of the most fun youth trips to Nauvoo, New York, and DC. Some of my best memories come straight from those trips (like the time Sister Hardy's luggage opened up on the top of the van, and her underware flew out over the freeway. Or the time she got us lost in ChinaTown, and some scummy guy tried to sell me "14 carrat gold") - Good times.

I could go on and on, but I'd only bore my readers. I did have a great childhood though. NK is the best EVER! Although my parents moved to the Ohio side while I was in High School, I still consider Kentucky my hometown.

**What is up with the spacing??**

Reason 487 of why I'm a dork

Whenever I’m asked to recall my most embarrassing moment, I have a difficult time thinking of what to say. Not because I lack in embarrassing moments – I have them all the time. In fact, they all seem to blur together, and I cannot recall which was the most embarrassing. I had a classic moment yesterday that left me red-faced and wishing the floor would swallow me whole. It wasn’t a moment of complete mortification, but it is blog worthy. It all started (as many embarrassing moments do) when, on a Monday morning, I was surprised by a visit from my Auntie Flo . . .

I took an early lunch to run to the store. I only had one item to purchase (tampons), and thought I’d be right in and out. I was surprised though to see that what I had intended to buy was marked down to $1.18 from the typical price of over $8.00 a box. Being a person who cannot pass up a bargain, I decided to pick up several boxes so I could stock-up incase of another such emergency. I grabbed as many boxes as I could carry, and went to the check-out line. There were only 2 cashiers working, and both lines were quite long. I waited patiently in the shorter line, and when it was my turn I laid the boxes down. The cashier rung up box after box of what was supposed to be hugely discounted feminine hygiene products, only to have them ring up at $4.97 each – still a savings, but not nearly as cheap as I’d anticipated.

“Something must be wrong,” I said to the cashier. “They boxes were marked at only $1.18.”

She looked at me, and I could tell she was thinking “Yah right lady. Can you see the line forming behind you?” Instead, she called for a price check.

At this moment, I wanted to just pay for my purchase and get the heck out of there. I didn’t care if I paid $30 something for a year’s supply. The long line behind me was starting to look like an angry mob, frustrated at me for making them wait longer. I smiled politely at them, and tried to look somewhere else, but I could feel their eyes burning me. The poor cashier had no response to her price check, so she left the line to go find out for herself.

Standing there waiting for her, I was tempted to just leave my purchase there and to run out of the store. I could still make it to Wally World and not be late back from lunch. The cashier in the line next to ours kept glancing up at the long line, wondering what-in-the-heck the problem was, and then looking back at me, surely wondering what I wanted.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour (in reality it was at least 2 or 3 minutes) the cashier came back to the line. She told me that there had been a mistake on the price labeled on the shelf (probably by some 16 year old boy) but she would honor the price anyway. She manually changed the price on the register, and then had to wait for a manager to come and override it.

I finally made it out of there with my bag-full-o-goodies.

UGH.

Why can’t this happen to me when I’m buying peas?

More kid funnies

Sometimes I wonder what I did for entertainment before I had kids. Their little minds come up with the funniest stuff. Take for example, the following conversation I overheard the other day between G and her older, school-aged friend as they were coloring Hello Kitty pictures:

Friend: I met a real cheerleader at school today
G: Wow. Why did they come to your school?
Friend: They were teaching us about the D.A.R.E program
G: What is D.A.R.E?
Friend: Its where they teach us to just say "NO" to drunk

There was also the story Bryn told our friends who came over to hang out on the same night:

Bryn: Mommy told me I'm not allowed to ride my bike in the road anymore. A car could hit me and I'd be a pancake. A yummy pancake. Can I have a cheeseburger?

1:13 to meltdown

Timeline of last night's events:

 

6:05 pm – walk in the door from daycare with the girls and G’s friend who wants to see our new dog

6:06 pm – realize the new dog has somehow escaped the brand-spankin’-new fence

6:07 pm – begin frantically searching for said new dog, as girls frolic in the sprinklers that are mysteriously running

6:11 pm – realize I can hear the dog’s tags jingle, but still don’t see her

6:13 pm – see the dog’s nose peaking under the fence from inside the next-door neighbor’s fenced yard

6:14 pm – neighbor isn’t home, but open the gate and get dog back anyway

6:17 pm – feed the dog and work on feeding myself

6:21 pm – see a pile of what appears to be cat vomit on the living room carpet

6:23 pm – begin scrubbing the carpet, and realize that it is not vomit, but POOP that resembles chocolate pudding.  From the position on the carpet, I know that it must have been directly deposited from the bum of some animal in my house in that exact location, but I’m unable to pinpoint the source

6:27 pm – sit down to eat dinner, but realize that I’m still smelling poop

6:31 pm – neighbor rings the doorbell to see if I got the dog from his yard.  He put her there because he found her running through the neighborhood

6:37 pm - still smelling poop, but can't locate the source

6:38 pm – G fall off the counter while trying to steal gum – she’s hurt

6:42 pm – finally discover the source of the poop I’m still smelling – Bryn had a massive poo-splosion

6:46 pm – get Bryn cleaned up, and decide to leave her diaper off until bath time

6:51 pm – girls fighting over crayons.  I ground them from the crayons

6:56 pm – Bryn pees off of the barstool, and sprays urine all over the kitchen

7:05 pm – finally get the kitchen clean, and spray air freshener all through the house

7:11 pm – get the girls in the bath

7:13 pm – girls bickering is becoming too much for mommy to handle

7:15 pm – mommy freaks out, scaring Bryn and making G laugh.

7:18 pm – get things under control after G asks if mommy still loves her little stinkers.

 

Stranger danger

I decided the other day, that the girls needed a lesson in what to do if they were ever approached by a stranger. They were sitting at the bar coloring while I made lunch, and I decided to quiz them on what to do. Since she was older, G was up first. Our conversation went like this:

Mommy: So G, what do you say if a stranger comes up and offers you candy?
G: I say no! Then I run away and tell a grown-up that I trust.

Clearly, she's had this lesson before.

Next up was Bryn. Our conversation went like this:

Mommy: So Bryn, what do you say if a stranger comes up and offers you candy?
Bryn: I say yummy candy! Thanks! (with a giant grin on her face. I think she was expecting real candy)

Obviously, we need to work on her.

I'm not a dog person, part II

Despite my continued assertions that "I'm not a dog person," I am now the proud owner of Doxie. Don't get me wrong - I like dogs. I like all things cute and furry. I just like other people's dogs. They're a lot of work - and needier than my kids (which is saying a lot!) Besides, I'm allergic.

But when our friends who foster rescue dogs brough Doxie over to visit, we loved her. So - we adopted her and she's ours. I think she's a border collie/australian shepherd mix. She's smart and energetic, but well-behaved for the most part. She's also incredibly difficult to photograph because she moves all the time. Ben's finishing the fence as I type, so that we have a way to keep her in the yard while we're at work.

The kids love her too.


Here, the black-and-white dog meets the black-and-white cat. Just in case you're wondering, they're not friends.

Things that must go

There is a local radio station that has a popular morning show. Although I don't regularly listen to them (because I think they try to hard to prove they're liberal and not mormon and it drives me insane) they do have some funny segments. One of my favorite segments is titled things that must go. It is basically a list of pet peeves that either the DJs or listeners have compiled. But, it is pretty funny.

So, in honor of them, here's my thing that must go: politically motivated emails. I'm not talking about funny ones, because I like a good laugh. Things like a turkey trying to take a bit out of President Bush's "'lil friend" = funny. That is ok to send.

A comparison of the 2 canidates' methods of catching a football = funny. Obviously I didn't make my decision of who to vote for over his athletic prowess (or lack thereof).
*I specifically used examples from the last presidential election so as not to seem like a hypocrite.

What I'm talking about are the emails intended to direclty influence how I'm going to vote in the upcoming election. I made the mistake of telling a coworker how I intended to vote (I should have taken the advice given to me years ago about working in the public sector: when asked who I intended to vote for, I should always respond by saying "the winner"). Now, said coworker is "hell-bent on bringing me back from the darkside" (his exact words) to which I responded, "you're implying that I was ever not on the darkside." I think he took those as "fighting words" and has sent me every ounce of political diatribe, every stupid picture, every red-neck account that he can get his grubby little finger to hit send on.

Frankly, I'm sick of it.

Does he seriously think that by sending me a picture of a certain canidate without his hand over his heart that I'm going to suddently change my vote? And does he think that by sending me a bunch of crap about how someone's name may or may not sound Muslim that a light-bulb is going to suddenly go off for me? Seriously people, give me a bit of credit.

In the immortal words of John Mayer:

Is there anyone who ever recalls changing their mind from the pain on a sign? Is there anyone who ever recalls breaking rank from something someone yelled real loud one time?

John gets it. Is it really that difficult?

Your kids are watching: a cautionary tale

As a parent, there are countless times where I've felt my kids are igorning me. I tell them to clean their rooms - yet the rooms remain cluttered. I tell them to eat their broccoli - yet it remains, cold and untouched on their plates. In fact, it seems they ignore me more often then they listen.

Or so I thought.

As it turns out, they are listening to every single word I say. They are watching everything I do. And they are lying in wait - just hoping for the perfect moment to use those things against me. So are your kids.

Tonight, as I was cleaning up the dinner dishes, the girls and G's friend were sitting at the counter coloring. Bryn was sitting on the counter in front of them chatting away. In the middle of her 2-year-old run-on sentence, she picked a big ole nasty booger, and then she ATE it.

We were all obviously grossed out, so I took the opportunity to teach Bryn that it isn't polite to pick our boogers and eat them. It is very unsanitary (and I went on a lengthy explanation why). Besides, I told her, she doesn't see mommy eating boogers, daddy eating boogers, or her sister eating boogers.

Then, G's sweet friend piped up (who we shall call "jill" - to protect the daughter of what I was soon to find out is a booger eater). She told me how her daddy pick his nose and eats it - or sometimes he just rolls it into a ball and flicks it out the window, but only when he's driving.

Yikes!

Makes me scared to think what my kids are tellilng other people about me.

Confessions of a sugar addict

So, I stepped on the scale yesterday. I'd been avoiding it for weeks. Ever since the end of the last Biggest Loser contest, I've been "lax" about my eating - and by lax I mean that I've justified consuming copious amounts of sugar every single day. I still eat generally healthy because I do prefer healthy foods overall (other than my diet coke addiction), but sugar is my nemesis. On Friday, the girls and I made yummy chocolate chunk cashew butter cookies. They were decadent, and I ate almost the entire batch myself in three days. I'm not proud of it - but its done. I can only move forward . . .

But it did lead me to step on the scale, thinking that maybe knowledge of how much I've actually gained in the past few weeks would snap me back into reality. I was shocked to see that I've gained back 5 pounds. 5 pounds, that I'd fought to lose over the previous months. It definitely shocked me into reality, and I realized that something has to be done.

Something has happened to me. I've lost all discipline and self-control, and somehow I need to get it back. Because of my sore foot, I've gone from averaging 25 miles per week of running to averaging about 6 miles per week all last month. But I've also stopped caring about what I eat. It isn't a good combination.

My foot is feeling a bit better, and I've signed up for a 5k on Saturday to test it. Assuming it is feeling good, I'm going to register for the Las Vegas 1/2 marathon in December (Kari - are you still running that??) I'm also thinking that I should stop thinking of doing a triathlon, and actually sign up for one. The cross training would do wonders for helping my foot to heal.

I also need to get my diet back on track. I'm realistic enough to know that if I try to change everything all at once, I'm going to fail miserably. So, I'm going to try to change one thing at a time. I don't know if anyone remembers reading my blog a couple of years ago when I was doing the 21 day goals? Basically, it relies on the assumption that if you can do something consistently for 21 days, it will become a habit. Instead of going back to my normally restrictive way of eating, I'm going to change one bad habit at a time. Once I go 21 straight days of change, I'll add something else.

Today is day 1 of no sugar! And I'm not gonna lie: its been HELL. I'm craving something sweet. I'm on my 3rd diet coke, and its doing nothing to squelch the craving. I've got a headache. I can't see straight. I think I'm getting the shakes . . . (ok - I may be getting a bit dramatic, but not much) I know from past experience that the first week will be the hardest, but if I can make it until the weekend, I'll be ok (until my birthday next month - that will be a difficult one).

But, I'm posting it here for all of cyberspace to see to keep my honest. If any of you happen to see me around, don't hesitate to ask me how I'm doing. And if you catch me with a cookie-in-hand, tell me to put it down before anyone gets hurt.

And even though I'm not doing biggest loser this time around, I'm still going to do weekly Friday weigh-ins to keep me honest.

PS - I had so much fun hearing from some of my blurkers. I was suprised to see how many came from TLOL - it was such a great community "back in the day." I was also suprised to have some local blurkers (one even in the same city where I work.) Perhaps we should plan a blogger dinner where we could meet up or something . . . just a thought.

Blurker amnesty day

This post has been totally ripped-off from Tib:

I hereby proclaim that September 22nd, 2008 shall be Blurker Amnesty Day. You are probably saying to yourself - "Self, what is Blurker Amnesty Day?" Well this is the day that all blurkers can (and hopefully will) comment and make their presence known without penalty. You may even be saying to yourself - "Self, what is a blurker?" To answer you again, oh inquisitive one - a blurker is a blog lurker. Someone who reads a blog but never posts any comments. So my unobtrusive friend - I am calling you out. In exchange for your comment, you have my solemn promise that I will not stalk you or request a comment from you in the future. Amnesty. In case you are saying to yourself - "Self, how do I comment on a blog?" Well, I can answer that as well. Simply click on the area that says X # of people had something to say. You will see a comment box pop up. If you are signed into blogger then you can type your comment and click submit. If you don't have a google account then type your comment and make sure to include your name and perhaps your location (so I know who you are) and select anonymous. Then click submit. It is just that easy! I am not upset that I have blurkers - it doesn't creep me out in the least. I am curious who you are - I crave the human interaction - I can only squeeze so much engaging chatter out of the little ones. Trust me I squeeze them all too much. I am just interested in who is out there. Reading. And not commenting. And to my fellow bloggers, feel free to declare amnesty for your blurkers on this special day as well. Of course you can borrow the logo. Consider it a gift. And I would love to hear if you brought some blurkers out of hiding!

Bryn mosiac

I loved making the me mosiac, I thought I'd do one for Bryn:

Today my post is all about Bryn. As you can tell from the following pictures, she is a goof - one may even call her a ham - and both words fit her. She is amazingly bright, funny, spontaneous, strong willed, and loving all at the same time. She has an incredible ability to live her life to the fullest. She's friendly and kind.

When I took her to Maryland in the spring, she was amazing with my grandfather. That girl's got the gift of empathy and love. She wasn't scared one bit to hug him, kiss him, show him her treasures, and even try to sit on his lap (which she couldn't do, since he was recovering from a broken hip and femur).

She loves princesses, babies, and all things girl. Her very favorite is to dress up as Cinderella - she even insists that her name is not Bryn, but rather CINDERELLA.

She wants to do everything her big sister is doing. She's G's shadow.

Bryn is also coordinated and physical. She's a fast runner, and always on the go.

As you may imagine, with all her other qualities, she doesn't sleep very well. But she does love to eat (I'm sure she burns every calorie and more).

She is also very bright. She knows the alphabet, and can even recognize many letters. She can count to 20, and actually understands what counting means.

She loves music and dancing. Many times I have found her singing and dancing when she doesn't think I'm watching. But here - now you can watch too:




Bryn is like a ray of sunshine and I am proud to be her mommy.

Ode to the office

I totally ripped this off from Mindi, but it was so funny that I had to share. I've loved South Park for years, but only recently (as in last season) have I jumped on the Office bandwagon. I'm not a big TV watcher anyway, but most i am most especially not a fan of sit-coms. But last year when we got our DVR, my hubby would record every episode of the Office. Finally, I relented and watched one. I've been a fan ever since. I never expected that one show could be so funny - but it really, truly is. Laugh out loud funny.

So, you know that my DVR is already set for next Thursday's premier.

I think working in an office setting helps me relate to the really awkward situations that Michael Scott puts his employees in. One of my very favorite Office episodes, was the one where they had "diversity training". It reminded me of a similarly uncomfortable episode of my own.

As most of my readers know by now, I work for the local government of a small town - and with small towns typically comes a "small-town" attitude. Over 90% of the town's population is white and Mormon - there isn't much diversity here. The entire workforce of the City at that time was white, except for one African-American police officer (who shall be called Officer Jones, to protect the "diversified"). It was very fitting when our diversity training was done by a man who had grown up here his entire life. During the part of his lecture where he was telling us not to judge people who were "different" then we were, he decided to use a personal example. He told us of how when he first met Officer Jones, he never would have guessed the man was religious by looking at him. But, as it turned out, Officer Jones was not only a religious man, he had even been a church missionary!

The room was silent, and you could cut the irony with a dull knife. No one knew how to respond to the unintentionally racially biased story. It was a classic Micheal Scott-ish moment.

My husband too, has had more than one "Office" experience at his former place of employment (former as of yesterday - wooo hooo). One day last month I was talking to him on the phone while he was at work, and in the background I hear a bell ring, and then a loud cheer accompanied by clapping.

"What was that?" I asked him. "Are you at a ball game or something?"

"No," he sheepishly answered. "Its the new motivational idea at work. Every time someone closes a deal, they have to run to the center of the room, ring a bell, and then we all cheer."

I laughed for days. Can't you just see Andy and Dwight running to ring a bell, while Jim and Pam sarcastically cheer and clap?

Apparently, business has been slow at Ben's former place of employment, and they were struggling to get morale up. The economy had slowed their work by so much, that they were trying to find anything to keep employees busy. It is a pretty "old school" company, where the men are still required to wear shirts and ties. One day last month, work was so slow, that employees were asked to do basic janitorial work. Guys were scrubbing the toilets in their ties. Some of them were asked to clean the pond in the middle of the atrium of the building. Guys were sucking pond scum, with hip-waders over their business suits.

I think we could write a whole episode just based upon his experiences.

So, I dropped out . . .

. . . of the marathon that I was planning on running on Saturday.  I am beyond bummed.  Up until last month, I was running great and hoping to beat my last marathon time by a full hour (which isn't saying much, since my last time was painfully slow).  But even as I sit here, my foot is hurting, so I know I made the right decision.  My ultimate goal is to be a life-long runner, so in the whole "grand scheme of things" this was the right decision.  It still doesn't stop me from feeling like a failure.

 

Should I change the name of my blog now too?

 

Anyway - I did want to say a big, collective THANKS to all the great comments that I got yesterday in response to my daycare questions.  I actually have a resolution already:  we're staying at Miss O's.  When my hubby went yesterday to pick up the girls, he talked with Miss O for a long time.  He was very honest with her, that our current budget simply will not allow for that much of an increase.  She told him that she would rather have our kids there because she loves them and they're so easy to take care of - she said she'd rather have our kids at a lower rate, then new kids at a higher rate that may be more difficult.  So for now we will stay at the same rates.  I'm actually still on the waiting list at the commercial daycare anyway - I've been on the list for months and yesterday when I called to check my status, the owner thought she may have room for me.  But she didn't.  I did have her leave me on the list, and I suppose when she does call that she has room, I can think about moving the girls (which I still may do, because of the issue of school pick-up/drop-off).  They really do love Miss O's (and her daughter) and were very sad at the thought of leaving.

 

The issue of preschool is still unresolved, but I'm less worried about G.  She did have preschool last year, and I don't know that she needs it again.  She's very bright, and already ahead of the minimum requirements for kindergarden.  Besides (in my opinion) the biggest value of preschool for kids is to get them socialized and ready for the group setting of kindergarden.  My girls are way more social than they need to be already, and I don't worry one bit that they will have troubles in the group setting of kindergarden.  I also work with them almost every day on both reading and math skills.  Maybe I can send Bryn next year when G is in kindergarden.

 

Ah - as if this wasn't the most jumbled blog post ever - my office flooded this week.  We came into work yesterday to find that the ceiling had collapsed into our offices, and there was quite a bit of standing water on the floor.  Coincidentially, this is the third such flood in my office in 3 years.  Yes, the buidling is old and in need of serious disrepair, but several of my coworkers think that the ghost of Don is reaking havoc.  Seriously though - what are the odds of 3 floods in 3 years, all from difference causes.  It is a bit strange.

 

The smell in here is awful, and it is horrible for my allergies.  I am so tempted to take the rest of the day off, dope myself with Benedryl, and sleep the afternoon away.  Doesn't that sound better than sneezing every 90 seconds and trying to resist the urge to scratch my face!

Karma sucks

I remember one day in 5th grade sitting in class and minding my own business, when I heard knocking on the window. I looked over to my left, and there was my MOM! She was shouting and waving hysterically, as she desperately tried to get my attention. Our class room was in a ½ basement, so there she was for my whole class to see. I was mortified, and I turned my head, pretending not to notice.

The kid sitting next to me leaned over and said “Christie, there’s a lady in the window trying to get your attention. She looks like you. Is that your sister?” (my mom always has looked younger than her age)

I was totally and completely mortified, and ignored her long enough that she finally went away. Although people thought she was my sister, I still didn’t want to claim that crazy lady as one of my own.

That was the first time I remember being embarrassed of my mom. I was 10 years old.

I guess karma has come back to bite me, because G is already embarrassed of me! She is 4.

The other day, I took the afternoon off of work to help my sister and brother-in-law install wood flooring into their new house. I was dressed in a tee-shirt, old jeans, and a ball cap. I was dirty, sweaty, and not very attractive. On my way home, I stopped at the daycare to pick up the girls.

G took one look at me, put her hands on her hips, and exclaimed “Mom! You didn’t going outside looking like that did you?”

She wouldn’t even hug me! And when we walked outside to the car, she had to check first to make sure no one else was there who would see us together.

What would you do?

I need some help please, and I'm pleading with my readers to give me some advice.  I'm having a dilemma, and I don't know what to do - I'm having another daycare issue.  For those of you who have been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I've got just about the worst luck with childcare.  Ever.  Here's a quick recap:

 

Miss A's daycare - G started out at an in-home daycare.  Miss A was wonderful, and G loved her.  Unfortunately, after just a few months she had to quit doing daycare because of some family problems.

 

Miss J's daycare - Luckily, I license all the daycares in town, and I had recently licensed Miss J.  I was able to get G enrolled to start the very next week, but after only about 2 months of G being there, I got a call one day at about 10am that Miss J was closing her daycare, and that I needed to come pick up G.  I had actually been looking one for a new place anyway, because something bad happened there one day, and I didn't feel comfortable with G being there anymore. 

 

My neighbor T - After Miss J closed, I had a difficult time finding daycare.  We were living in the small town where I also work, and there just weren't many childcare options.  After one awful place, I broke down in tears right at the same time my neighbor T came over (I think to borrow a dinner ingredient).  I think she felt sorry for me, so she offered to take G until I could find somewhere else.  She had 4 other kids, and one special-needs daughter, and G wasnt' happy there.  Apparently she would cry for hours and T would lock her in a back bedroom because she didnt' know what else to do (G never cried for anyone else - in fact, there were days that she didnt' cry at all.  This was extremely difficult)

 

Miss S - Miss S opened a new, small commercial daycare, and I moved G there.  It was a great place, and G was very happy.  But, Miss S had to close after about a year, because of some stupid clause in the state code that said she couldnt' run a commercial daycare from a house in a residential zone, unless she lived there - and she didnt' live there.

 

KIDS - Luckily, around this time, another commercial daycare opened in town.  I moved G over the same week Bryn was born.  Both girls were there for 2 years.  At first, it was a great place, but it gradually went downhill.  Finally one day, another teacher (who was quitting) told me to call the State and check on the center.  I called, and was appalled to hear the many violations the center had.  I pulled my girls out that very day.

 

Miss O - again, as luck would have it, my (newly divorced) neighbor had just opened a daycare, and had 2 more spots at her in-home daycare.  My girls have been going there since April, and they love it.  Miss O is great with them, and my girls are very happy there.  She provides a religious environment, and my girls have made great friends with them.

 

The problem is:  we just found out this morning, that she is raising rates.  A lot.  Her rates are going up by $5 a day per child, which may not seem like much, but it adds up to about $180 a month.  I've called around, and she is more expensive than most places now - even before her rates go up.  I love her, and my kids love her, but that is a lot of money to us.  Our budget is stretched pretty thin as it is, and $180 more is going to be difficult for us to even pay.

 

I do love Miss O, and my kids love her too, but there are a few cons with her daycare:

 

#1 - the kids watch a lot of TV there

 

#2 - she doesn't have a preschool program (the other commercial centers my kids have gone to offer preschool)

 

#3 - she doesn't have a lot of structure (again, the other centers have been much more structured as far as nap time, meal time, etc)

 

#4 - when G starts school next year, I will have to find a way for her to get to school

 

I found a center that is only 2 miles from my house.  It is clean, bright, and safe.  They have an excellent preschool program and is very structured (according to on-line reviews).  It is also just down the street from the elementary that G will go to, and they transport.  The best part is that it is $13 a day cheaper than the in-home place where my kids now attend - that would save approximately $230 a month!  I know my kids would be sad to have to move to a new place - but they do make friends easily, and I don't think the transition would be too traumatic.

 

And all this is further complicated by the fact that Miss O and I have become friends.  She's also my neighbor and a member of my church congregation, so I can't burn bridges.

 

So - I'm stuck.  Should I keep my kids where they are happy, although it is more expensive?  Or should I move them to a more structured, yet cheaper place?  Please, please, help me make this decision.

Me mosiac

I first saw this on Chelsea's blog, although Tib, Ruhiyyih and Arianne have played along as well.

Here's the rules:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.
d. copy the mosaic image (right click, save image as) to your computer.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name? Christie
2. What is your favorite food? Café rio salad
3. What high school did you go to? Dixie Heights/Fairfield
4. What is your favorite color? green
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Brad Pitt
6. Favorite drink? Diet Dr Pepper
7. Dream vacation? Alaska in the autumn
8. Favorite dessert? Apple pie
9. What you want to be when you grow up? happy
10. What do you love most in life? family
11. One Word to describe you? planner
12. Your flickr name? chutch

Much to be thankful for today

I'm actually playing along with Tib today, as I have much to be thankful for.

1. My hubby got a new job. Actually, he got his old job back, but its still a great thing. Last year, he quit a good job for the promise of a better job. Unfortunately, the better job closed its doors a short 3 months after he was hired. Its been a difficult year since then, but his old boss hired him back - with great benefits and an even better salary!

2. Rain! The weather has been fantastic this week: highs in the 70s, lows in the 50s, and rain! I can't stop smiling. And my yard looks fantastic.

3. America. I couldn't let the anniversary of 9/11 pass without recognition. I so vividly remember that day, 7 years ago. I had only been home from my honeymoon for 3 weeks - we took a cruise, and sat next to a couple from New York City. He was a fireman, and she a police officer. I still think of them, and wonder how they fared that day - I don't remember their names. But I am so grateful for those who have sacrificed to make this such a great country. When I think about all the poverty and suffering in the world, I am humbled to think how blessed I am to be lived where I do.

4. My feet. That may seem like a silly thing to be grateful for, but I am. I've been having some pain in my left foot that has limited my running in the past month (and left me wondering still if I'll run the marathon next week). But I'm grateful that I can run, even if just a little bit.

5. Slobbery kisses from my kids - needs no explanation

High school meme

I've seen this on several blogs (most recently Heather and Lindsay) and thought I'd play along. Oh how fun to reminesce about high school.

1. Did you date someone from your High School?
I dated lots of “someones” from my high school. No one very serious though. It is difficult to take mullets seriously.

2. What kind of car did you drive?
I had a green Chevy Corsica. I thought it was the best car ever – boy was I wrong! I actually wrecked it one stormy night, right in the front of Boomer Esiason’s house and being that there were no cell phones in that day, I had to knock on his door for help. He was having a Christmas party, and I got invited in. There were lots of famous people there. It was kind of cool and he was totally nice.

3. What was the most embarrassing moment of High School for you?
The day I left my headlights on, so the battery was dead after school. My dad, thinking he was going to teach me a lesson, decided to help me change the battery (because it wouldn’t jump-start). Problem was, the parking lot after school was where the marching band practiced. And we had a really big marching band, and they had to move around my car to practice – while my dad was trying to teach me how to change the battery. Sure, it was just the band, but I was still mortified.

4. Were you a party animal?
I don’t know if I would go so far as to say party animal, but I did like to have fun.

5. Were you considered a flirt?
Yes – relentless. I was totally boy crazy, and seriously lived my life for “guys.” I kept a log of who I had made-out with, and there were over 60 names on that list.

6. Were you in Band, Orchestra, or Choir?
You actually had to be in one or the other – I chose choir

7. Were you a nerd?
I sure hope not

8. Were you on any Varsity teams?
Nope – I’ve never been good at team sports

9. Did you ever get suspended/expelled?
No, but I did get Saturday School once for skipping school with my boyfriend. I know some people skipped school all the time, but it was a big deal where I went to school. We actually had a security guard and a locked parking lot – and leaving school grounds during school was pretty serious.

10. Can you still sing the fight song?
I don’t even know if we had a fight song

11. Who were your favorite teachers?
I loved my chemistry teacher, whose name I cannot remember right now. She was blonde, and fun, and really made chemistry interesting. I know one time we all got to be parts of a molecule – I got to be a loose and available electron, and thought that was the best.

12. Where did you sit during lunch?
I ate in the “big” cafeteria at a round table with some of my friends

13. What was your school's full name?
I actually went to 2 different high schools – Dixie Heights in Kentucky for my freshman and sophomore years, and Fairfield High School in Ohio for the rest.

14. School mascot?
Dixie Colonials and Fairfield Indians

15. Did you go to Homecoming? With whom?
Yes – I actually went junior year with Scott Mitter. I was taller than he was with my big shoes on, and very self conscious the entire night. Senior year I went with Jason Tucker. He was such a cutie (and very tall). I also went one year with a friend from another school.

16. If you could go back and do it again, would you?
I loved high school, but college was so much better. Can I go back and do that again please?

17. What do you remember most about graduation?
I actually didn’t go to graduation. I graduated early, and I went to college early. I do regret sometimes that I missed out on some of that stuff, and if I could I would go back and do that again – just for the memories. But then again, college was like 1,000 times more fun so maybe I made the right decision.

18. Where did you go Senior Skip Day?
What is senior skip day?

19. Were you in any clubs?
Yes – I was in French Club and the environmental club

20. Have you gained some weight since then?
Yep – about 40 pounds actually. I was too skinny thing back then though (but I’m too fat now)

21. Who was your Prom Date?
I didn’t go to prom – junior year my boyfriend was in rehab (same guy I skipped school with back in #9). I did get asked by another guy to go just as friends, but I turned him down because I didn’t think it was fair to Shawn (with him being in lock-up and all). Senior year, I had already graduated, but I was dating an older guy (Dan) who was in college, and felt it was beneath him to go back to high school for a dance. I really think I missed out on prom, and if I could go back I would make sure I went.

22. 10 year Reunion? Are you planning on going?
Ummm – it was 5 years ago, and I didn’t go

23. Looking back, what advice would you give yourself?
I think I would tell myself to worry less about image, and more about the things that really matter (hard work, honesty, etc)

The many colors of G

I know . . . first post in over a week, and again I have over 100 unread posts taunting me on reader. And somehow I still can't get into the blogging "groove" (not sure what that even means). Life has to slow down soon, right? My sister and brother-in-law who have been living in my basement since April are moving out this weekend, so that will definitely make life more simple. And the marathon I've been training for is next weekend (YIKES!!) and I'm still not sure if I'm even going to run it. I've got something wrong with my foot, and I've not run much in the past month. I worry I'm injured and under trained, and don't know if running a race is the wisest thing. But of course I'm a chronic overachiever, and hate the thought of quitting anything. So, I'm still undecided.

I thought though, that maybe I should do a post dedicated to my sweet Gracelin. I haven't talked much about my kids lately. But they're growing and changing quickly, and I need to document things before I forget.

If there was one word to describe G, it would be DIVA.

She is so grown up, and already into fashion and boys - its difficult to believe she's only 4 years old. The other day I took her clothes shopping, and she told me that she wanted to buy something that made her look like a teenager. She loves make-up, cute hair, and her clothes have to always be (in her words) fashionable. And the girl knows how to accessorize. Some people (like me for example) are always the fashion victim - but she can dress well and pull it off. Yes - she is a diva extraordinaire.

She's also a Daddy's girl - especially lately. She just loves Daddy the best. The other night, I was trying to explain to her that Mommy loves her too, no matter what. Her response to me was "I don't know why Heavenly Father made me this way, but I just love Daddy more." Its all good though - I know she loves me too, and I'm glad she has a good relationship with her Dad.

While she's definitely a "girly" girl, she is also very sweet and kind. She's such a well-behaved child. Rarely do I even have to get after her - she knows what is right and she does it.

She is an excellent sister, and loves Bryn so much. They play so well together, and G is so very patient with her strong-willed little sissy.

She's also my friend. I can talk with her about things, and she really understands and cares. I also have a life-long shopping buddy, and for that I'm very happy :)
G is also very smart. She loves to add and subtract, and will sit in her car seat doing her own math problems. I love it when she'll proudly exclaim that "5 plus 2 is 7." She can write her name, and actually can write all her letters now - most are actually legible too! She also draws and colors exceptionally well, and is so proud of herself for being able to stay inside the lines.

Somehow, she's also very athletic and coordinated (this did NOT come from her mommy).

I love her so much, and I'm lucky to be her mom.

Un-labory labor day

I agree with some of my fellow bloggers who wonder what the heck Labor Day is for. I've never actually understood the holiday myself, but I'm not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. Its a day off, and I'm going to enjoy it. This year, we headed to my in-law's cabin. Its only about an hour away at the Brighton Ski resort, so it is the perfect get-away for a long weekend.

On the way there, the odometer met another milestone: perfect 7s. Gotta be lucky!


It was actually really cold up there, and since their cabin is quite "rustic", the only heat comes from one wood-burning stove. Although we kept it cranked up, it was still chilly enough that we needed long shirts and pants - quite the change from the 100s that it had been just the week before.
It rained throughout the night, and we woke up to a skiff of snow on the peaks.
We did see a few moments of sun, and managed some short excursions into the woods.
See that patch of sun!
The second wave of the storm hit mid-morning, and actually started to accumulate. Although we were at 9000 feet, its still a bit early for September 1st. (I'm not complaining one bit - summer is my least favorite season)
See how lovely the slope and lift look with a skiff of the season's first snow. Makes me so excited.

We were seriously freezing though, and seeing that our plans of a hike (and me for a quick trail run to the top of the peak) we thwarted due to incliment weather, we decided to pack it in early. The thermostat on the car read 33 degrees. It was almost freezing, but not quite. What were we complaining about?
The storm had really settled in by the time we headed down the mountain.
By the time we made it home though, the storm had passed. We should have stuck it out.

Here's the view of the skiff of snow on just the tops of the peaks. Wanna be jealous? This is the view from my front porch! I'm so lucky!