That's Hot

There is nothing more attractive to me than my handyman husband. I grew up in a family that wasn't very "fix it" friendly. I know that they probably could but my father or mother usually paid someone to fix broken things or bought new ones. So, when the washer broke down....that was my first thought. Tim got right on it though and found out what part needed to be replaced, how much it was, and how to do it. The next morning, he went out fishing(boo) and then went and picked up the needed part to fix my machine(yay!). He came home and fixed it.....it only took about an hour or less and I had a working machine. The pile of humongous stinky clothing has been liberated and I will not have to heft it all to a mat. My knight in shining coveralls!!!

Murphy's Law

All the clothes in the house are pretty much dirty....it is time once again to have to great washing of the clothes day begin. I have been putting it off since the holiday was upon me because I didn't want the huge pile of clothes that inevitably ends up on my couch for a week tp appear. So today, I undertake the daunting task. One load goes through and into the dryer.....I start a new load and then leave to go run a few errands with the kids. I get back and look to start a new load. I start to grab the washed clothing to put them in the dryer and they are still WAY wet. So, I try to put them through the spin cycle once more. It's not spinning......try it again. IT'S NOT SPINNING!!! Argh! My washer went KAPUT! Tim looked at it, which entails him laying it on it's side, dumping any reserve water out onto my floor in a mini version of the great flood. And then proceeds to tell me that the belt is burnt out and needs to be replaced. He says he can do it and it will only cost us 4.95 for the part and 4.00 to ship it to us. How fast it will get here and how long it will take for him to get said part onto the washer and into working order is a whole 'nother story. So, in the meantime, I have to schlep all my laundry to a laundry mat with the no extra money that I have since the holiday broke us. BUT on the bright side, at least I don't have to buy a whole new washer......At least not for the moment......I'll let you know.

Christmas Morning Loot

Christmas

It was a nice, quiet and semi-sweaty Christmas. Unlike our friends and most of our family, we were in 70 degree weather for Christmas and the next day it was 78.....we slept with the A/C on.....crazy I know. Laurel was worried that Santa wouldn't show up cause it wasn't snowing in TX. Anyhow, Christmas eve, we went to a friend's house, Diana Reichert, and had a nice turkey dinner. She had invited a few families. It was a lot of fun to interact with so many kids even if they weren't related to me. We even got to act out the nativity story and then Diana, who is sweet beyond words, gave everyone some type of nativity present. Laurel got a felt board, Connor and Gavin got their own ornaments and Tim and I got a pretty one from Willow Tree(which just happens to be a favorite thing of mine). The only down fall is that my camera went on the blitz and wouldn't take any pictures(just a few video clips) so I will have to wait until Diana gives me copies of the ones I took with her camera. It was a fun night and filled in the little aching space that I had from wanting to be with my family and in the midst of all that beloved chaos. We came home and Tim was nice enough to let the kids open 2 presents each. One was the prerequisite pair of new pj's and the other was whatever they wanted to pick. Laurel opened a gift from a neighbor-it was a teddy bear, Gavin opened one from Tim and I-it was a McFarlane Dragon, and Connor opened a gift from Colleen-it was an action figure from Ironman.



The next morning, we were awoken at about 7am by our kids and we stumbled down to our living room to happily rip into all of the fun things that Santa had left for us. Santa leaves each child their very own sack full of toys in our family. Connor's big gift this year was a remote controlled Walle. He also got a cool tin robot from Grandmama that he adored. Gavin really lucked out and was gifted with a Nintendo DS lite and 2 games. And he hit Bakugan pay dirt....he ended up with about 16 altogether. Laurel got her favorite(for now) Barbie, Diamond Castle Princess, who sings songs when you press her hand....she seems to know them all already and sings them loudly every time. She also got her very own Disney Princess Laptop(the fake kind with games loaded on it) She takes her "puter" everywhere. It is very cute. They all got lots of knick knacks in their stockings too. We will have little pieces galore for the next couple of months. I then snuck back upstairs and slept for another couple of hours because for Christmas I got a cold. Fun for everyone....Ha.





That night we had our neighbors come over and share a Christmas dinner. The Ditzlers are a fun family with 3 boys ages 10,6, and 4. We had a nice time talking and just hanging out.
The next morning, I slept in and refused to get out of my pj's. In fact, I napped and ate junk food most of the day and then rotted my brain out watching fun TV movies. The kids ran in and out of the house, playing with all the neighborhood kids and showing off all their new toys and seeing what all the other kids got. The holiday season was a good one. And it could have only been better if we could have spent it with family.

Night Lights

Last night we went to Nature in Lights(or something like that). It is a huge light display that they have set up at Belton lake here near post. You pay $5 and then drive through all the lights. It was fun to see and the kids got a big kick out of it. What did Tim think? He said he was glad that gas was cheap seeing how it took us almost 2 hours to do it due to traffic. I had fun taking pictures and trying my hand at being artistic. None of pictures that I took were in focus....which was on purpose. Anyhow, here are a few of my favorites.....

Traditions

I often tease Tim that he grew up doing Christmas the wrong way and so I am now forced to do it wrong too. It has been hard for me to let go of the traditions of my childhood and it was made even harder since Tim doesn't seem to have any firm Metcalf ones to bring to the table. So it wasn't until a couple of years ago that I started to try to blend new ones for our little family.....and it is still evolving. So tonight, it got me thinking....where did my Hubler traditions come from. My father came over from Switzerland when he was of college age so the Christmas things I did mostly came from his culture. I looked up Swiss Christmas and here are a few things I found out(there were more but these are what stood out to me):
On Dec. 5, at dusk, they celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas. In some villages,a procession of "lifeltrager' wearing gigantic illuminated lanterns in the shape of a Bishop's mitre on their heads walk the streets. The children will put out their shoes and the next morning they are filled with treats.
On the 6th of Dec., as further part of the Feast, Samichlaus, who is accompanied by a character called Schmutzli, go from house to house. They bring out a book telling if the children have been good or bad and consult it. The naughty children are threatened by Schmutzli (or "dirty guy") who tells them that he'll throw them in a sack and bring them to the Black Forest where he will drown them. The children will sing or recite a poem to make up for being bad and then they will have a chance to reach into the sack that Samichlaus carries and get oranges, chocolates and nuts.

It is also tradition to make grittibanz on this day. That is a sweet bread that they decorate with currants and almonds and shape to look like little men. It is said to represent Santa.


The week before Christmas, children dress up and visit homes with small gifts. Bell ringing has become a tradition, and each village competes with the next when calling people to midnight mass. They try to see who can ring the bells the loudest. After the service, families gather to share huge homemade doughnuts called Ringli and hot chocolate.
Traditionally, the tree isn't put up or decorated until Dec. 24th. They put candles on the tree and light them. Christmas carols are sung. If the family is religious, the read the the nativity story from the Bible. And then they open gifts from one another. The tree is left up until Jan. 2 to ensure good luck in the new year.
As a kid, we did the 12 days of Christmas a few times for families. That was a rush as a kid. Leaving a present on some one's doorstep and then running away....way an exciting experience. Then trying to keep it secret when we saw that person later. Ha. Good times. We also would go to a place called Candy cane Lane in PG. That is a neighborhood where everyone decorates their lawns and houses to the hilt. It was always a highlight for me. There is just something about seeing the glow of lights that decorate a house. So growing up, I did the whole Christmas eve thing. We all got together that night and had a fun dinner of finger foods that we loved but never really got to eat during the year......this may have been my mom's way of getting out of making a big Christmas dinner(LOL). We would then gather around my mother's piano and sing carols. Then we would read the Christmas story and if there were enough small children around we would act it out....even going so far as to dress up for it.

The came the best part.....we got to open all our family gifts to one another. After all that chaos was done, my mom would make us arrange all our gifts into a consolidated pile that would then be marked as our spot. We weren't allowed to take anything new to our rooms that night. "Santa" wanted to be able to see everything that we had been given. That night he would come and leave us more gifts and a stocking so in the morning we would awaken at the crack of dawn, we would find more gifts to tear into. It was great!
So with my kids, I have tried to blend a few of my childhood traditions in where I can. We hunt out the best lighted and decorated neighborhoods, we sing Christmas carols and read the nativity story. We also read another special book a few nights before called One Wintry Night. It is a gorgeous illustrated book with a spiritual message. Tim won't bend when it comes to the opening of gifts on Christmas eve so I have tried to make sure that there is a marked difference between their family gifts and Santa gifts. Santa leaves each person their very own sack full of presents. But after reading up on my Swiss heritage, I am sure to incorporate Ringli and Grittibanz next year. Plus, Tim will be in Iraq next year so we will get to do Christmas the "right" way anyhow. LOL. Merry Christmas to you all. Much love, Hugs and Kisses!!

Look! I am a Christmas tree

Carols and "The Season"

The kids are ready for Christmas and I still need about another extra week. And since school let out today for our winter break, you can forget about getting about 1/2 the stuff you need to get done in a timely manner. Oh well....it will just have to be good enough as is. Speaking of the last day of school, we gave the kids teacher's their presents today. I had fun making wreaths for them and wanted to share with you all how they turned out. They went over big. It is nice to have your ideas appreciated.



We have done some of the fun stuff already, though. We did some baking the other night. The kids helped to lick the spoons and bowls, but there is still a few more items that I want to make before it really feels like Christmas to me. We went to see this crazy house in town that is decorated with lights to the hilt. They were way impressed and we found out that a couple of days later there was going to be an open house there too. They decorate like crazy inside too and were going to have Santa come and talk to the kids. Of course we had to go back and see the mystery of what the inside would look like. So the night of the open house, the kids kept bugging me and asking: "is it time yet?". Finally, I pulled it together and ushered them to the car. We got to the house and with baited breath entered the home. And realized that we needed to hold our breath. It was decorated to the hilt, but it stunk so bad of cat urine that we were out of there in record time! We are going to go see the special lights display that they do here at the recreational lake a couple of light from now. Hopefully they are not all "lighted" out by then. It is one of my favorite things about Christmas....seeing the displays that people create on their homes with lights and props.
The other fun thing is that every time the door is knocked on, Laurel runs to it hoping that there will be a package. In the chance that there is one and there are presents in it, she insists that it is NOW Christmas and we should open everything right away. Her tactic hasn't worked yet, but not from lack of trying. Because of her extreme excitement, I haven't put any gifts under our tree.....I am just too afraid that she will rip into them prematurely.
So to wrap this blog up, I thought that I would add a "carol" that I re-wrote that words to. You would sing this song to the tune of "Stars were Gleaming" from the Primary songbook:

Eyes were streaming, children screaming,
And their voice was high and shrill,
Mother's story, long and gory,
Retail nightmares, lists to fill,
Hand is stinging, Ears are ringing,
Curses flinging, Baby clinging,
Heavens, is it Christmas still?

Okay so it isn't all as bad as that, but sometimes it is easy to forget the "reason for the season" with all the "I want"'s and stress that we impose on ourselves this time of year. Hope that the song above it just a parody and not a true to life experience to any and all that read my blog. Much love to you all!

Happy Birthday to Tim

Happy Birthday to my Hubby! He turned 42 on the 17th. It was a bad day at work so he was happy to come home to a meal ready to eat, cards to open, big hugs from me and the children, and his favorite cake, German Chocolate. Connor asked how old he was now and when I told him, he exclaimed in horror" Dad is an OLD man now!" I laughed and told him that it wasn't that old. But Tim contends that being in the Army has made him feel old some days so it was no biggie to hear Connor say that.

Laurel's Birthday

I just wanted to put a little blurb about Laurel's birthday. She had a fun one with 3 of her friends and a little neighbor boy who hijacked his way in. I didn't have to heart to kick him out. He kept asking where the pinata was and I told him we weren't having one. For someone who wasn't invited until the last minute he was quite the critic. He even asked for a gift bag at the end and I had to explain that I only had 3 girly bags.....I almost expected him to ask for one. Anyhow, my friend, Diana made the cake and Laurel LOVED it. She asked for a Barbie princess cake with a dress with pink and white flowers with butterflies. What do you think? Laurel is already planning on her next birthday theme and has invited some people WAY in advance. I have to keep telling parents that there is no party for at least another year. Ha. My baby is now 5!!!

Unintentional Hiatus

Christmas 2005

My sister in law wrote me an email the other day and asked if I was still doing my blog. And that is when I realized that I hadn't gotten on here for too long. So this may get long winded. If it does, I am sorry and I hope that it isn't boring for you to read.
So what's been happening since I least wrote.....Laurel cut her hair again! I so tired of that and told her that if she does it again I am going to shave her head. I would rather have her looking like a chemo patient than to have a semi mullet thing happening. I am able to hid it for the most part, but I am STILL annoyed with it and it has been at least 2 weeks ago that it happened.
My sister came to visit right before Thanksgiving. It was so fun to have her come!! We did a lot of shopping and eating out to lunch. She also came just in time for Twilight to come to theaters. We went to the midnight showing the night before it officially came out. I am glad that I went that night. You could feel all the excitement and anticipation from all the teens and rabid Twilight fans radiating out from all sides. I loved the series so I was excited to see the movie. Alas, as it is always so, the book was way better than the movie. I did have a fun time watching it and it was an okay movie, but the script was weak and so was some of the directing. I hope since they have a better budget for the next movie that they will make more of an effort and make a movie worth making. I felt that this one was basically only for the fans of the book. I wonder if people who haven't read the book would like it (or understand it all) as much. One of my friends who saw it said that she was so excited to finally see Edward in the sun and when she finally did, he just looked sweaty. Ha. I thought that was funny.
My big news(or maybe not so big since I alluded to it in a post a few back) is that I am now officially a Homeschooling parent. I prayed really hard about it and that was the answer that I got. It makes sense for me right now to do this. In the long run, I really feel like it will benefit Connor to be home with me and get some good, intense, one on one teaching. I don't plan to do it for more than a year or two, as of now. During this winter break, I will be refining and organizing what I will be doing with him. I am in a bit of shock since I never thought that I would have the patience to do this, to even want to attempt this.I is amazing how things can change when the circumstances arrange themselves just so. I could have gone to the mattresses with the school, but in the end, I didn't want to put my energy toward that. I am burnt out on fighting. I am going to leave that to another parent.......I may even have to be that parent later on. But I felt my energy was better spent on getting him more up to speed now so there will be NO question that resource classes are where he should be later. The school says that he is functioning at an academic level of 3rd grade......if that is the case, it has been that way for about 3 years now. I have got to wonder why he hasn't progressed more. So, I am removing some of his daily anxieties and stresses and teaching him here. We are getting into a homeschooling group with whom we will meet with once a week. He will also be taking piano lessons, working out daily with me, and at least once a week doing something active like swimming class or rock climbing. It will also give me a chance to teach him practical uses of what he is learning and to see where he excels so that I can steer him that way in his future schooling.
So Christmas is coming up.....It has managed to sneak up on me faster that I was ready for it. There is so much that I need to still do. I am annoyed at Connor and Laurel because they keep changing what they "really want from Santa"....I started telling them that it was too late to change their minds. Connor told me it wasn't because he has just talked to the Santa at the mall the other day. So should I pop his bubble or let him continue to believe?? Laurel was cute and worried the other day that Santa might not come because"it doesn't snow in TX so he won't know where to go..." I told her that he always knew where to go no matter what the weather was like. In the meantime, TX can't make up it mind....it is 32 degrees and the cold just bites through your clothes, but 2 days again it was 77 degree and on Friday it will be again. At least we are getting the FULL use of our shorts here. Screwy TX! So, I need to get my Christmas baking done, get out all my family packages, send out Christmas cards, grocery shop for Christmas dinner, finish getting the last little items for stockings and gifts.....crud, I can't write anymore! I need to get with it. Hopefully I won't go so long in between writing anymore.....

Another genius moment

Today as I walked out the door with Connor and Laurel to take them to school, I noticed that Tim's cell phone was in my car. As I looked at it, I thought, I know he is gonna miss that. He uses it a lot during work. As I was dropping Connor off at school, Tim's cell started to ring.
Me: Hello?
Tim: who is this?
me: your wife, Alice
Tim: hey, I think I left my cell phone at home.
me: you think?
Tim: can you bring it to me......
Anyhow, I couldn't stop laughing. It was a definite"here's your sign" moment.

The movies were right....well this time

Okay, so I learned that not everything that we see on TV is exaggerated. My boys are really into Bakugan and have been trying to do extra chores around the house to "earn" one. It is routine for them to unload the dishwasher, but to do something extra, Connor asked to load it. I was more than happy with that and they should be doing it anyhow.....anyway.....Connor loaded up the dishwasher and then looked for the detergent to put into it. Not seeing it, he got creative and squeezed liquid dish soap into the detergent holder. He then made sure all the right buttons were pushed and then started the cycle. I had no clue of any of this until about 20 minutes into the cycle, I went into the kitchen for a snack. ARGH!!!!!!!! There were bubbles everywhere!!!!! My dishwasher looked like it had rabies or maybe even mad cow disease. Bubbles were oozing out everywhere and they were diligently trying to take over most of my kitchen. Ha. I stopped the cycle, drained it, wiped out the remaining liquid and then started it again with no detergent. Disaster was averted. I had a good laugh after freaking out about it. Wish that I had taken a picture though. BTW, the pix above is not from this incident, but another fun time we had.

Thanks

I just wanted to write a quick note to say thanks for all the support from friends and family. It helps. I was just so down and angry when I wrote that last post. I know that I haven't gotten a chance to call some of you back and I will....I have just been so busy. A quick update.....the aide that said that the kids in the FASP program couldn't go to High School until they were 15 was wrong. Why someone in that position doesn't know what she is talking about is beyond me. You would think they would be better informed because she really freaked me out. She had also told me that they had NO Sp.Ed programs at the high school and that was wrong too(although I already knew that). Some of you asked if what they were doing is legal. Yes, it is. This is why: Resource classes work at a lower grade level(about 5th grade) and sometimes work slower, but Connor has regressed and is working at an even lower grade level(about 3rd grade) than a Resource class is set up to do. They have been modifying the work to meet Connor's needs, but to "show" me he doesn't belong there, they will take away those "further" modifications. Their intent is to point out that he needs to be in a more restrictive enviroment. I don't agree....I just think he needs an extra push and guidence and they don't have the "time or staff and no money in their budget to find someone" to do so. I am still deciding what to do, but I feel much calmer now and am looking at ALL my options. Right now, I am looking into the option of home schooling. It would be a BIG undertaking, but I can do just as good a job, if not better, than this system that I am stuck with. I know some of you won't approve of that,but I am not looking into it lightly. Anyhow, there's the latest. Thanks again for the support, advice and prayers.

Why Me?

Okay, first you need to know that I hate the question that I used as my title. It is nothing but unproductive. But I am having a moment where I am asking myself, "why me?". The mantle of my responsibilties to my children is weighing heavy on my shoulders at the moment. I am so drained and need to find my inspiration to move through it and I am sure in another day or so I will be over this pity party. So, what am I talking about, you may ask.....I am going through it with the school that Connor goes to, Audie Murphy Middle School. I feel like I do this same song and dance every couple of years. Last year, I went through it so I came here with the confidence that I had my ducks in a row and everything would be smooth sailing....at least until he got into High School. He is in a Resource program. That is when a child who has learning issues goes to a series of classes that learn things at a lower lever than his mainstream peers. It can mean that the work is at a lower grade level or learned at a slower pace. The school he is in is telling me that he is struggling so badly that he can't be productive in this learning enviroment. I find it interesting that he was able to do it in MO, but not here in TX. It could be a product of a few things though......moving and the change that brings, he is no longer on his meds, he's being lazy....I don't know. But in the meantime, he isn't doing so hot here. They want me to put him in a FASP or SKILLS program....they are the same thing just 2 different ways to say it. That is a contained classroom in which you do all of your work at whatever grade level that you are able to learn at and maybe you get to leave for elective classes if you are able and up for it.It is the most restrictive learning enviroment in the public school system. I went to the class at the school they want him to move to and observed it to see what it was all about. What I found was a class of children that were much more severely handicapped then my child and if they weren't, then they were being WAY underestimated. I don't want to sound snotty in any way, but it isn't where my child should be. He does have his issues, but he is capable of more that what was going on in that classroom. This is what I walked into:
On one side of the class was a table with 4 students sitting at it. They were the group who were the most impaired. Even though it was reading time, they were being taught life skills....it happened to be a lesson about a place setting. An aide was giving them a plate, fork, knife, spoon and cup and asking the kids to touch the item she would name. In another corner was a group of kids that were having the teacher read them the story of Little Bear, a children's book with pictures. And asking them basic questions like who is in the story and things like that. Then there was a group of 2 students reading a piece of paper with a story paragraph at about a 2nd grade level to an aide. When they were all done with the reading hour, the students got to do a round of singing "head, shoulders, knees, and toes". Through the whole thing there was one more student that sat at a table in her wheelchair with her sippie cup doing nothing, but looking off into space. It was a sad commentary to see this girl and all I could think of was what a sad waster of time...she wasn't learning diddly and she needed way more than this setting could ever give her.
As I left, I just felt insulted that this is where they wanted to put Connor. I will concede that he may be struggling, but I really felt like this isn't the answer. It felt too much like giving up. He would never meet his potential or be pushed to progress in this enviroment. If anything, I think he would regress and be distracted by all the movement and noises that the children around him would make. So I went to the school meeting that I had hoping that there was another choice....a way to find a happy medium. In the meeting, I was basically told in so many words that his current school was not an option and that if I insisted that they leave him there, that they would take away all of his modifications that help him learn and "let the proof be in the pudding....he will either sink or swim and we think he will sink". Then they would have the right, according to them, to force my hand and put him where ever they want....meaning this FASP program. They also tell me that I have one more option....I can go look at the same program at one more school....because "every classroom has a different personality and you may like the one in that class better". So I go to look at another school, same program. The next school had 2 classes. One room had the severly impaired children in it and the other seemed a little more Connor's speed. It was close to being what I was looking for if I have to do this. Some of the children would leave to go to Resource classes and electives. Then, I talked to the aide in there and she informs me that any child that is put into this program isn't allowed to go to High School until they are 15....no exceptions. WHAT??!! If that is true then Connor would end up doing the 8th grade at least one more time, probably 2 since his birthdate is June 26, 1995. So, I am back to the mind frame of this choice really sucks....what am I going to do? I went home and cried due to my frustration and anger at the whole situation. I am doing a lot of questioning, soul searching, and praying. I began to wonder, "why me?" Why was I chosen to have this child when I can't seem to find the path that will make him successful. It is one of those times that I wish that I had money. Sadly, if I had that, then a lot of this would be moot. I could afford to do so much more for him. But we live on a military salary.....So, no crying over spilt milk. Today I am really drained from the whole ordeal. I know that I need to talk to some more people and that,with some faith, I will be guided to the right choice and situation for Connor.......but I am so tired of it being such a battle all the time.
Okay.....enough of my complaining and venting. I know that in the long run,I am blessed. So I will end it with that.

Halloween Funny

I had a good time walking around with Laurel last night trick or treating. It was just her and I. At one house, they has really decorated and the whole family was out front waiting to give out candy. As we got closer, she saw that there was a witch(mom) and a vampire(dad) standing there.
"Look, mom! There's a witch and her husband, Spatula!"
It took me a minute to realize she was talking about Dracula. Ha. What an unscary name for a vampire.
She also asked me if I was dressed up. I was wearing my superman t-shirt last night. I told her that I was super mom. She looked at me and said:
"yeah, right! You must be dreaming."
I know that she wasn't putting my mothering skills down.....just telling me that I couldn't fly or be as fast as a speeding bullet. It still came out funny though.

Trunk or Treat

We went to a trunk or treat tonight and the kids posed in the back yard for me before leaving. I don't know if I will get another chance at doing the picture thing tomorrow so here they are......the Metcalf Kids for Halloween 2008:

Tid Bits

I feel like I am on a merry go round that keeps picking up speed. I have been so busy but when I come here to blog and share it all, I have a hard time remembering what has been going on. Ha.
I have been starting to go to the gym regularly. Tim has been doing some type of pre-training for Iraq so he has been going in late every morning. So he and I have been going to the gym together. I told him before going that he had to be nice to me. He enjoys making his soldiers work so hard at PT that they puke. He loves watching Biggest Loser because he likes how mean and tough Jillian is. He has been very nice to me…..no Jillian like behavior. He told me he just can’t be that way with me since I am his wife. Very sweet.
The kids are all jazzed up for Halloween. Connor plans of being the Punisher…..he wants me to go out and buy him more guns though. Gavin got a hoodie and gloves that are a skeleton costume. After talking to his friend, he doesn’t think it is cool enough and wants another costume or some type of wicked weapon to wield (say that 10 times fast). And Laurel was going to be a purple bat, but when we went to the store and saw all of the sparkly princess dresses, she was hooked. She is going to be Snow White. She insisted that she needed red lipstick for the costume so after some thought I gave in. I mean, what fun is Halloween if you can’t use a little makeup as a little girl. We are going to be going to a Trunk or Treat for my friends ward tonight so hopefully I will has pictures to post of them soon. Connor is bummed out cause I won’t let him go out to trick or treat this year. Am I being too mean? But he can do the trunk or treat so I am sure he will get over it.
I swear that Laurel lives in a musical. It makes me laugh cause Tim hates it when I make him watch them…..he says that it isn’t realistic that people will break into song for no reason. Now his own daughter is doing it all the time. What a hoot. She sings even where there isn’t anyone around for an audience. And they are necessarily songs that are known. She makes them up as she goes a long….sings about her day or what she is doing or what she wants to do….whatever strikes her current mood. I wish that I had a way to capture some of it on tape.
I had an IEP meeting about a week ago for Connor. He is struggling pretty bad at his new school. I think it is due to it being a different environment and trying to readapt to a new place….there is always a time of adjustment. I also think that they aren’t giving him all the services that he may need. And I took him off his meds before we moved here. The school wants to move him to another school entirely and put him into a program that would keep him in the same classroom except when he has to go to his 2 elective classes. I am not happy about that choice. Part of me, thinks that it is a good idea. Who wants their child to struggle? I find myself second guessing sometimes about how I may have an unrealistic expectation for what Connor should be able to do, but then I talk to him and realize that I am not too far off of what he can do. My big fear is that I put him in this program and then he is forever stuck and won’t be allowed to progress out of it ever again. I want him to reach higher, not remain in a comfort zone. I have come to the conclusion that part of his struggles are also from his laziness (for lack of a better word). He has been able to get away with people carrying him through for so long that he expects it now. He knows that if he says he can’t enough some adult at school will step in and “save” him. I feel like my time is running out…..he only has 5 more years of school (although I know that technically, he can stay in longer. I am hoping that he doesn’t need to.). Anyhow, I decided to put him back on his meds and ask for an aide in the classes that he struggles in the most. I want them to really exhaust their efforts before I put him into this other program. It would just feel too much like taking 2 steps back and then freezing in place. I know that they are going to be difficult when I go back with this plan….they already act like it is all said and done and he will be going to the program that they want because they don’t want to put forth the effort. I try hard not to be frustrated and to believe that Heavenly Father has a plan for Connor and me to make this work. But there are times…..in the darkest parts of the night……that I feel like a failure.
Gavin is still Bakugan crazy. He mopes a lot because he wishes that he made money to buy them all the time. If there are any good suggestions on how to do that out there, I am all ears. After hearing him grumble about how I NEVER buy him anything, I sat him down and gave him and economics lesson. I showed him how much we make and where all it goes. It was an eye opener for him, I think. He didn’t realize how much it costs to “live life”. Unfortunately, it didn’t stop the grumbling. He has become a wheeler dealer though. He took the Bakugan that he already owns and has sold them for some major profit to be able to buy more. I am impressed that he can find kids with the disposable income to do it and then gets them to do it. I was never that resourceful as a kid.
Lastly, my niece, Elisa, is getting married in February. She asked me if I would be her photographer. I was blown away. I was so flattered and honored that she would entrust that task to me. I am shaking a little in my boots about the prospect. It isn’t something that you can “do over” if it somehow gets messed up. But I think that I am up for the challenge. It made my mom cry to hear about it. My dad has been the one who has taken so many wedding pictures for family. But he has gotten to the point in his Alzheimer’s that he isn’t capable or interested in doing what used to be a passion of his. So, in essence, I am carrying on that torch. I hope I can fill his foot steps adequately.
Well, I need to be getting back to housework. So not into doing that lately, but it is the never ending task……

Field trip and Bakugan

I love Autumn time. I love to see the leaves change color. The colors that appear at this time of year are some of my favorites. I miss being able to see it all happen. In Texas, all we really get to see is the grass turn yellow. But this week Laurel's preschool class got invited to go to a pumpkin patch. I was so excited. It has always been one of my favorite activities to go do with my kids. Going to a farm, picking out a pumpkin, maybe doing a hayride or walking through a corn maze.....those are the makings of some fun memories and some great pictures. So when Friday rolled around I was primed to go. We headed off to the pumpkin patch and after driving for about 15 minutes we were at "the place". It was a lawn in front of a church building right off of a very busy street. They had bought a boat load of pumpkins from an Indian tribe trying to make ends meet(that part I think is really cool). The pumpkins were spread around the huge grass lawn on wood pallets and there were stations set up around the perimeter. The preschool classes broke into groups and they got to go on a "hayride".....it was a hayride for the most part except that it just went in circle around a shrubby field(not much to look at). Then we went to the next station where they stood in a circle and sang Halloween songs. After that there was the "color a picture of a pumpkin" station, then the face painting station(everyone got painted on their hands)and then they went to a station where they got to paint a tiny pumpkin.

The last place they went to was the "read a Halloween book" station and then they were rushed back to the buses. The kids had a fun time, but I was sad. I know that I shouldn't care cause Laurel never knew the difference, but I was really sad that there was no picking out a "special pumpkin" or even getting close the the big pumpkins at all. The closest she got was the teeny thing she painted. I had been putting off buying any from the stores cause I thought this would be the place to get hers.....oh well. Like I said, she liked it so I will not complain anymore. I do miss real pumpkin patches though.....
Not much else going on in the Metcalf home except the constant chatter that I hear from Gavin about Bakugan. For those of you who don't have kids old enough to know what this is.....thank your lucky stars. LOL. It is basically another form of Pokemon, in a very loose sense. You buy these balls that open into things that battle each other and there are cards involved.
Going to Walmart turns into a production....they run right to that place in the toys. Sadly since they are so popular here, there are hardly ever any of those toys on the shelves. Gavin once asked me to visit ALL the Walmarts in the area(only 3 of them around here.....thank goodness). He finally found a KB toys that has quite a few of them. Now I am just hounded by him to to chores around the house to make money to buy them. I guess it could be worse. He could have some habit that cost him a ton of money to support. I will be thankful for that for just a bit longer.

It's been a good and busy week. I am still sniffling and sneezing my way through it and I am tired of being snotty, but it's been pretty productive....mostly.
We had parent teacher conferences on Thursday. I wasn't told anything I didn't already anticipate. Connor is doing well in his resource classes, but pretty much failing his regular ones except for Science(cause he likes the labs and that saves his grade.) He has been getting frustrated with his locker, but has otherwise been doing well. I am STILL waiting for my IEP meeting to come about or as they called them here ARD meetings. Just have to be different, don't you TX? Anyhow....Gavin is doing awesome in his class and is getting a straight A.....his teacher went so far as to say that he is the most intelligent in her class. Wow. I never thought I would hear that about one of my kids. So pat on the back to Gavin and on my own back too since the genes must have come from somewhere. Ha. Laurel is doing great too in Pre-K. She LOVES her teacher and her teacher loves her back. I can tell it is a good fit. Laurel frequently comes home with "star of the day" pinned to her chest. I used to question whether it was a favorites thing or not, but after talking to the teacher, I found that it is just Laurel working really hard to please her teacher and in the end gets that reward. Basically you get a star for certain good behaviors and Laurel is competitive enough that she wants that star so she works to make sure she has the most stars on the board at the end of the day. What a hoot.
Tim went TDY to Fort Irwin this weekend so it has been pretty quiet. I look at it as a practice run to get us ready for him going to Iraq in January. The kids were really good and helped me to clean up around here and we even found the time to completely reorganize and "spring clean" in all of their rooms. I weeded out old and broken toys. Never got to my own room though. Ha.
Laurel got a chance to go to Chuckie Cheese on Saturday. My kids love that place. I call it a mother's migraine inducer, I'm gonna beat you if you don't get to the car cause I want to leave now not in 2 more minutes, money waster, I can't stand the stupid ticket prizes....place. That' a mouthful, I know. They all have a good time and I guess in the end, that is what matters. I got a funny sketch picture out of it so it wasn't all bad on my end. I am just glad that I only have to endure that every other year or so. Ha.

I love how Laurel looks drugged or sleepy, Connor looks like he is being choked by Gavin, and Gavin's glasses are crooked. All in all, a good representation of a day at Chuckie Cheese!

Skewed view

Okay, it is a sad commentary when perceptions have become this skewed. Driving past the gas station on the way to drop Connor at school, I thought "wow, gas is cheap right now". It has come down to $3.02 here in TX. I say this is sad because a couple of years ago, we would have been outraged about gas being over $2.00. Strange.

Doped Up

So, I haven't posted for a bit. Partly because not much news worthy was going on and party due to illness. Laurel came down with a cold. But she refused to stay at home and get better. She even woke me early Saturday morning just as the sun was thinking of rising to wail in my ear that she missed school. After explaining to her that there was no school on Sat., she proceeded to cry and tell me that she wanted to go anyway. She cried again on Sunday. I hope she keeps her enthusiasm for school intact.....check back in around 4Th grade and ask me if she has. In the meantime, I caught her cold too. I hate being sick and colds are the worse. They linger forever and seem to sap you of your strength. And of course being mom, you really aren't allowed to give in to being sick all the way. I don't do cold meds very well, either. So I have been a little loopy lately. In the meantime, my housework has piled high. My love seat has laundry overflowing like an avalanche ready to roll. At least I had the energy to wash it all. Now I just had to excite everyone into having a laundry party and get it all folded and put away.

Other than that, the kids are getting excited about dressing up for Halloween. Connor wants to be the Punisher. I am thanking my lucky stars cause it will be an easy and cheap costume. He already has the T-shirt so all he will need to do now is wear some black pants. Gavin was thinking of being a viking or knight, something with a cool sword to smite his brother with, but is now undecided. And Laurel was dead set on being a purple bat. I don't know where she came up with that, but that is all she talked about after dressing up for Halloween last year. So I was all ready to figure out how to sew a cute purple bat costume. Then we went to Walmart and walked past all the costumes and she saw all the sparkly princess dresses. She is now going to be Snow White. She couldn't resist all the sparkle and girliness of it all. Ha. She will make a very cute Snow White too. I was Snow White as a little girl so she is just taking after mommy.

Can We Cuddle?

Laurel wasn't feeling very well the other day and was getting kind of sad and grumpy. For those of you with kids, I am sure you can relate. Because she was feeling grumpy, she was being impatient and I was being short with her. All of a sudden, she asks me," Can't we just sit down and cuddle for a minute?" Of course I did it. I love when my kids give me a chance to have a quiet moment to just sit and hug on them. Those times are coming less and less and most times I have to force them into it with bribes. But I have noticed that even with Connor and Gavin,when they are having a bad day or coping an attitude with me, if I just stop and ask them to hug me, they tend to perk up and act better instantly. It also helps me to figure out what is really wrong sometimes. It's hard to remember that in the heat of the moment, but it does work. As I held onto Laurel and laid my cheek against her hair, I realized that there are still days that I wish that I was little enough to curl up into my own mother's lap and just cuddle with her.....to pretend that all the "bad stuff" would disappear. So, I will enjoy my moments of cuddling my kids for as long as they will let me.

Everyday Life

So since I didn't post a picture of my boys yesterday, they asked me to put one of them in today. Here they are......Connor is making dinner for himself. If he looks funny, it is because he is trying to cover his nose with his shirt. He said that his food really stank before it was cooked and didn't like the smell. And this is Gavin watering his sister, I mean the lawn for me. Not much else to speak of. I am still trying to figure out what to do for my anniversary afternoon and cleaning my house. It, my house, seems to be made of Teflon, as none of my cleaning seems to stick.

How Quick They Learn

Okay, so maybe it is a girl thing, but how is it that girls instinctively strike a pose like this when the camera is on them?

A/C, DVR, questions, oh my!

I woke up to a puddle on my floor near the door that houses our A/C unit downstairs. Bummer. A/C is just kind of important here in TX. The good news is that I don't have to pay for whatever is wrong. The bad news is that I am stuck here all day until the maintenance guy shows up. The funny thing was to watch everyone step a foot in it except me and yell, "Eww!". Our cable box also gave up to ghost this morning. That isn't such a horrible thing cause I am not so addicted to TV like others in my home, but I am sad to see the DVR disappear. I love that invention:the ability to tape a show without a VCR and then watch it, being able to zip by commercials. Watching TV goes by so much faster for me now. I hope that we are able to transfer what we have already recorded. The kids will be sad otherwise. Oh well. No biggie. Tim is turning it in and getting a new one today. Anyhow, I got this email from Diana R. today and thought that I would do it here on the blog instead of the regular questions. Thanks Diana! It was fun to stretch my brain that way. The rule is to answer each question with only 1 word. Can I tell you how hard that was? I like to explain things. Ha. Or I talk too much. Here goes:


1. Where is your cell phone? counter
2. Your significant other? Tim
3. Your hair? straight
4. Your mother? example
5. Your father? confused
6. Your favorite thing? bargain
7. Your dream last night? blank
8. Your favorite drink? water
9. Your dream/goal? college
10. The room you're in? Kitchen
11. Your fear? debt
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? gone
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? thin
15. Muffins? moist
16. One of your wish list items? vacation
17. Where you grew up? Monterey
18. The last thing you did? breakfast
19. What are you wearing? jeans
20. Your TV? off
21. Your pet? Children
22. Your computer? used
23. Your life? stressed
24. Your mood? grumpy
25. Missing someone? YES!!
26. Your car? old
27. Something you're not wearing? makeup
28. Favorite Store? Borders
29. Your summer? hot
30. Your favorite color? red
31. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
32. Last time you cried? clueless
33. FOUR PLACES I GO OVER AND OVER: bed, bathroom, school, church
34. FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS? chocolate, artichoke, crab, fondue

16 Years and Counting....

So my anniversary is coming up....I can't believe that we have made it to 16 years. Somedays it seems so much longer. Another 3 years and I will have been married the same length of time as I was single. Weird. I had almost forgotten about it, actually. I have read other friends blogs, about the sweet romantic things that their husbands have done and planned for them to do. It would be so cool if I could have a year where my husband would take the lead and plan something that would blow my socks off. Alas, it is not to be. I married the wrong man for that. I will be thankful for my crumbs, I suppose. Our anniversary is on Sept. 25th. When I was reminded that it was coming up, I made mention of it to Tim. He then proceeds to tell me that he has planned to take a 4 day weekend around the 25th. Ahhh, how sweet, I think....he wants to spend all that time with me. Reality enters: the 4 day weekend will be devoted to a fishing weekend that he has planned. While online, he found a site that was running a bass tournament for military guys and all of it is free: the entry fee, a hotel room, and all food. So, he has already written and gotten a spot(without talking it over with me). "So instead of celebrating our anniversary on it's day could we do it on Monday?", he asks. Whatever. Sure. He wants me to come up with something for us to do on Monday....we have until the kids come home a little before 3pm all to ourselves. I have no clue what I will come up with or even what is feasible for us to do financially or time wise on that day. Not really excited about it yet.....maybe I will have a burst of creativity and come up with something cool and then start looking forward to it. We'll see how it goes.

Ouch!

We had a good weekend for the most part. Tim woke before the sun came up on Sat. and told me he was fishing and would be back around noon. He says that he asked for permission and I call this cheating because there is no way my brain functions before around 8 am. I barely even remember the beforehand conversation taking place. Ha. Anyhow, Laurel was way happy cause she got to go to a birthday party. In the meantime, the boys and I cleaned house. They were really great and didn't even complain. Maybe my training of them is starting to pay off or maybe all the stars in the sky were aligned. Who knows....I am just happy that I got help with no grumblings. Later when Tim and Laurel got home, we all went out, bought Gavin a new bed, got Connor and Gavin haircuts, went to a book store, and then out to eat. All in all a pretty good day.
picture of Gavin's haircut
Laurel made a funny. While talking on the phone to my mom, she was trying to pull all her hair together and then twist is around. "hey mom, can you put a muffin in my hair?" I didn't understand for a second that she was asking me to put a bun in her hair. It is funny how sometimes we can mess up words like that.
In other news, Connor was messing around with some kids outside and got pushed off a scooter and ate pavement. We are lucky that all he got was some road rash on his face. I hate those scooters and a pair of wheelie shoes were involved too....I hate those even more. He is worried what people will say at school. I told him to tell people the truth and no one would say anything more. Hope I am right.
Connor's road rash....nasty bruising to ensue

They're cut, I bleed

As a mom, there are times that you want to wrap your kids up and shield them from everything. I know it isn't possible and that at certain ages, life can be cruel. We all make it through, but it is still painful when I hear that one of my kids is having a hard time. Usually, it is Connor that I worry about, but Gavin is making it to an age that kids are beginning to try to be more popular and can be really mean. He has been getting teased a lot due to the fact that he wears glasses. I know I am his mom but I thought he looks really handsome in his glasses. Anyhow, he misses MO and his friends who never teased him. So, 2 days ago, he came home really upset cause the boy right next door that he had started to hang out with had turned on him and was calling him a nerd because he got good grades and wore glasses and he was even nerdier because he had befriended someone who wore glassed too. Then he was called gay cause he didn't have a girlfriend and hadn't kissed anyone. Come on! He is 10 for heaven's sake. Does it really start this early??? Anyhow, I talked to the boy and his mom. He denied it all(why would Gavin make it all up....whatever). The mom still yelled at him and got mad so the kid apologized to Gavin and all was right again. Aren't boys great that way.....if it were girls....I shudder to think of the ugliness that could ensue. Then later that night, his dad came home and he got another round of punishment. I was scared that that may have the opposite affect of making things right. I worried all night and all the next school day, but things are still good between them. I hope it continues. In the meantime, I am ready to go get him contacts before middle school starts next year cause I know it will only get worse. I just wonder if he is too young for them. It is something I need to think on, I suppose. Oh well. I had to laugh though when the father next door was saying that the reason why kids bully each other was because they don't like themselves and were jealous. I don't know if I believe that even as an adult. I just think that some kids haven't been raised right and are down right mean or sometimes kids can get caught up in peer pressure and mob mentality(kinda like Lord Of the Flies) or something stupid like that, but do we really still believe that old adage of jealousy and low self esteem?
On the funnier side of life, I was making some herbal tea for Gavin cause his throat was hurting and we had no medicine for it in the house. I drink my tea like the English do with sugar and cream in it. This is the conversation the took place:
me: do you want cream in it too?
Gavin: what does it look like?
me:(take creamer from fridge and show it to him)
Gavin: Yeah
I finished making it and handed it to him. He takes a sip and says: Cream with sugar....just like I like my women.
HA! I about fell over with laughter at such a random comment. At least he still knows how to make light of things and laugh even when the going gets tough. I wonder where he got that from(sarcasm)?

5 Second Gripe

If one more teacher sends me a note home asking me for yet more school supplies, I might have to hurt someone! Why do they put a list out if they are only going to request more from us. And personally, some of it is insane.....almost every teacher of Connor's Middle school has requested that I send in a box of Kleenex. That may seem like nothing but think on this for a moment. That's 7 classes and then multiply the amount of students that run through each of those classes....that is a sea of tissue. So, I am ignoring it and if needed will send in his own personal tissues if he ever has the sniffles. One class asked for 7 spiral notebooks...for one class. I wouldn't have any problem with this other than the fact that most years, when they bring their stuff home at the end of the year, a lot of it is BARELY used. Waste of money and landfill. I remember going to school with a binder with a divider for each class. If I was really prepared I had enough paper and pencils, but that is all I got and I made it through the years just fine. Ha. Sometimes we complicate things so much nowadays. Up to this point I have spent about $200 on school supplies(that is between 3 kids mind you)....a little excessive and not in the budget either.
Okay, I am done complaining. On to the things that have made me chuckle. I got another offer for renting my home yesterday. Why laugh you ask? The couple asking to rent my home had 11 dogs!! Yes, I realize that our backyard is perfect for that amount, but come on. Even 11 dogs that are the best and most well behaved dogs would do such major damage that it isn't even funny. The realty lady that called prefaced the whole conversation by saying" I realize that we already have an offer that you are willing to take, but by law I am required to tell you of all offers...""there is a couple who would like to rent your house and they have.....11 dogs." WHAT?! Anyhow, I laughed and then turned her down. I am sure she saw that coming. I feel bad for that couple. How they will ever find a place is beyond me, but I don't feel bad enough to be that person. Ha.
Laurel came home the other day and told me she learned a new dance. She then proceeded to close her eyes, stick out her tongue, stick her rear out as far as she could, touch her knees together, feet wide apart, with her elbows tucked into her sides at a 90 degree angle. Can you picture this? She tells me it is the BootyTa. Ooookaaay....what are they teaching her? LOL. I will have to take a picture of it and put it up here sometime. Actually it is some activity recording that tells you what to do.....like put your elbows by your side....and it works up to you doing all of that together and looking funny. It could be a good lesson in following directions that is just goofy to boot.

Almost ready for that Sigh of Relief

So I got a phone call today from our realty company telling me that I had 2 interested parties willing to rent our house. BUT....one had 2 dogs and the other had 2 dogs and 2 cats(we had specified that we would allow one pet). They were both willing to pay the non refundable pet deposit so I told her to go ahead with the couple with the least amount of pets. But they don't make it to town until the beginning of Oct. So we are still doing the waiting game of seeing if they will really move in or not. Although, I see a faint light at the end of the tunnel, I am not doing the victory dance yet. In the meantime, I will be crossing fingers, picking 4 leaf clovers, rubbing buddha statues and praying my heart out.
I got a good reminder today in an email from a friend and thought that I would pass it along:
"The Lord has promised us that as we 'search diligently, pray always, and be believing, . . . all things [will] work together for [our] good' (D&C 90:24). That doesn't mean that everything will be perfect or that we will not have any trials, but it does mean that everything will be okay if we just 'hang in there.' Ours is the opportunity to 'be . . . an example of the believers' (1 Tim. 4:12), and the Savior has promised that 'all things are possible to him that believeth' (Mark 9:23). So believe in yourselves. Believe that you are never alone. Believe that you will always be guided."
Elaine S Dalton, "Believe!" Ensign, May 2004, 110
They are inspiring words and I needed to hear them again.
With that being said, I forgot to do my questions the other day. So I will do it now:

What is your favorite book?
That is a hard one cause it can change and does often, but I think that I would have to say The Little Princess. It is the first words only book that my mom read to me and it began my love affair with reading. I showed me that reading words could conjure a whole new world in my head.

Would you rather be a Beauty or a Geek?
Okay......hmmmmmm.....if I was a great beauty, people would jump to do my bidding and somehow beautiful people end up with more benefits, but geeks usually end up making more money and are more successful that way....so I guess I would be a geek. I could always use the massive amounts of money that I made from my genius geekery and get plastic surgery to be more attractive if it bothered me enough. Ha.

Favorite perfume?
I like the scent of Beautiful by Estee Lauder, but I also like the cheaper version of perfume with body sprays by Bath and Body...currently I am liking Japanese Cherry Blossom.

Favorite cologne?
I love Cool Water by Davidoff, but I am a cheap date cause I also like the smell of some of the Axe sprays....a man who smells good is way hot. And a guy who wears Polo or Drakkar just makes me feel like I went back in time to High school. Ha.

Favorite Cartoon?
That's hard cause I still enjoy watching some of them.....Looney Tunes will always be a hit with me especially certain Bugs Bunny ones. I liked the Animaniacs...it had witty humor. I also like the Fairly Oddparents sometimes. Oh and one of the times that I have laughed the hardest is during one episode from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. I am posting it below....it is just a short clip. I know I have a strange sense of humor. I don't know if I can say they are favorites but as long as a cartoon has a witty, but not rude sense of humor, I can enjoy it.

Catch up!

It is so easy not to post but I didn't want to get too behind so I will now try to remember all the non consequential things that have happened since last writing....I guess the biggest thing to happen was that I got Laurel's ears pierced. I know to some people that is no biggie, but for me it was a huge decision, well, sort of. As a girl, my mom always told me that I couldn't get mine pierced until I was 18 and it was a really big deal when she gave in and let me when I was around 13. Laurel had a fun time picking out what earrings she wanted...they had to be the most flashy of course. They were flower earrings that were made of pink crystals for the petals and a green one for the center of the flower. They pierced both her ears at the same time and Laurel was surprised that it hurt. I didn't warn her. Bad Mommy! She scrunched up her face and made that whining noise that kids do to start crying and then realized that they weren't hurting anymore and abandoned the cry tactic. She then got excited and picked out some butterfly earrings to wear when she can finally change them.
We had Tim's Chaplain that he works for over for dinner the other night. I turned into Super Homemaker and made a great meal if I do say so myself. Lasagna, homemade french bread, corn, and salad with homemade brownies for dessert. I know this isn't something fantastical, but for me it is big. I don't cook big meals often and so this was all out for me. Laurel made the comment that she was hungry like a wild hungry monkey person. Ha. It sounded funny and random.
The kids are still doing well with school for the most part. Connor still reports that he likes this school, although his history teacher is short with him. I guess it is time to make sure that doesn't go further. Gavin tells me everyday how much he hates it here and how lame the school is. He is my teen with Angst with a capital A and he isn't even a teen yet. Yikes. He can be such an Eeyore sometimes lately. Laurel is loving school. I kept wondering why she wasn't completely worn out by the end of school and found out that she actually naps during nap time. Good for her, bad for me. Ha. Below are pictures of Laurel on her first day of school(finally) and I feel bad that the ones of Connor and Gavin were so blurry that they are not worth looking at. I will load up some pictures of them soon.
Other than that, I just want to say to Taylor and Melina: Congrats!!!!! I wish that I could have come home to see you two married. I am so happy for you and wish you a wonderful and long married life, full of love and laughter.

NOT a morning person

So school is in full swing and everyone is settled. I am feeling like I went back in time to my seminary days. I have been having to get up at 5:30am to get Gavin up and moving. His bus comes at 6:30. I then muddle through getting Laurel and Connor up right after he leaves and the day is off and running. I miss sleeping in. I got too comfortable with my sluggy ways. At least I have been being good and going to bed at a decent hour. Gone is my insomnia problem. Ha. Now if I can only find a good alternative to coffee so I can inject some "umph" into my mornings. Nothing like watching a blurried eyed mommy stumble around while trying to remember everything that needs to go with each child when her brain hasn't really turned on yet. Speaking of inject.....I am wandering off topic....in Tim's new Division there is a Commander that has decided that they all needed a new catch phrase to "pump of the guys" and show spirit. When I heard it I had to laugh. It is "Inject the Venom!" what it is supposed to mean or signify, I haven't figured yet, but it is funny to hear men yelling out:"INJECT THE VENOM!"

Time Waster

Okay, okay, I know that I should be more productive.....especially when I have no kids around. But I got caught messin' on the computer. I just wanted to share a site I think is so cool! It is www.etsy.com. I know some of you may have already found it. I have a friend who actually sells her stuff on it. Angie, you truly amaze me with your sewing abilities... Anyhow, it is a site that people can sell their homemade crafts/art/goods on. Any kind of homemade item you can think of is on it. I have spent hours, accumulative, just looking at all the cool stuff. Just thought I would share.......

Thoughts and Questions

So school has begun. I usually am celebrating at this point and in some ways I am. Yesterday was actually the first day of school. Laurel went to preschool ALL day. She had a great time and couldn't wait to go back this morning. Gavin was up first and earliest. He gets up at 5:30am and catches a bus at 6:30. Good training for when they start seminary. Ha. I can't believe that I have to begin getting up that early. Yikes. Naps are going to be my best friend this year. Ha. Connor has his first day of school today. He stayed home yesterday since the schools around here messed me up big time. Back to that in a minute. So this is the first day that I sans child. Wow. I don't know quite what to do with myself. I have a ton of housework that needs to be done and I could go to the gym and start getting healthy, but I think today, I am going to veg most of the morning. I am nervous for Connor and Laurel was sad that I wasn't the one to walk her this morning to school so they are both on my mind. Gavin also came home yesterday from his first day and reported that he "hates everything about this school and wants to go back to MO". Poor kid.....he can be so negative. According to him, the bus ride was too noisy and rowdy, the first teacher he was with he doesn't like, he didn't find a kid that he likes yet and even his favorite class, PE, was really lame. I told him to give it time it would get better. Going back to Connor....I went through the whole registering process only to find out a day 2 days before school started that his school was A) one of the worst schools in the district, B) would be a horrible place for him to be cause it is too rough and C) they couldn't even accommodate his IEP there. So, I had to scramble to get a transfer to the other middle school on post and get it all done before school began. Of course that didn't happen so he stayed home for the first day of school while we did yet more running around so that he could go today. The system really failed me this time in the information department. Good thing I took Clara classes and got right into it from the beginning so at least Connor didn't have to suffer through going to the sucky school. I am crossing my fingers that his day (and the rest of the year) goes smoothly. He looked like he was gonna cry when I left.....he was so scared and nervous of the unknown. It put butterflies in my stomache. But I smiled and told him he would have a great day and not to worry....people would help him if he needed it. I will put up pictures later of their first day.
As for the questions...I forgot to do them the other day so here they go:

Favorite thing about the opposite sex:
Ok...physically speaking, I love a man that is fit. I am not talking monster buff where his neck disappears into his shoulders, but a lean guy with muscle definition. So after establishing that, I love a man's muscled back. Don't know why, I just think it is hot. I love the way they can make me feel safe and secure and taken care of. But I also like they way a guy handles conflict with another guy....they yell or beat the snot out of each other and then it is over basically. There is no grudge holding or slaying each other with gossip and talk like women tend to do.

3 jobs you would like to try other than what you currently do:
1. a cartoon character voice
2. personal shopper for a rich person
3. professional photographer for pregnant women and children

What's your favorite accent?
I LOVE to Irish people speak. I could listen to an Irish man read the telephone book all day.

Best advice ever given to you:
I really can't think of the BEST advice, but the funniest was at my bridal shower. Some older lady told me that if I was going to fight with my husband, I should do it naked. That has stayed with me for 16 years. Ha. I have never done it but it does pull up a funny mental image.

Favorite Cereal:
As a kid, we weren't allowed sugared cereal very often since it was just too expensive. I craved the forbidden cereal. But now, I have gone back to liking boring old Cheerios. Go figure.