Sunday, August 31, 2008

Dirty Tissues and Dead Possums


This weekend has been interesting already. Ian is excited that he gets so many days off from school and is celebrating by watching movies at bedtime (this is forbidden on school nights) and by asking for popsicles every 5 minutes. Since popsicles are better than asking for fruit snacks and cookies, etc, it's usually a yes. But today we had church so there's only a total of 3 for today. And of course Erin wants one and I have to have one. The only thing upsetting about this is the fact that Freezie Pops are "seasonal" and there won't be any more when these are gone. :(
Another annoying thing is seasonal as well. Bubbles. Erin got a battery operated Elmo Bubble machine for her birthday and it only works with Gazillion bubbles.


This is an expensive brand, but it is different from the average formula. We know this because when we ran out of the small bottle that came with the machine (which lasted for a surprisingly long time) we tried the normal kind of bubbles, the kind that comes in the huge plastic bottle for $3. Elmo started foaming at the mouth and the bubble wand began drooling like a mouthful of novocaine. Nope, that won't work.
Thus began the Great Search for Bubbles. Everywhere we've gone we hear the same: "Bubbles are a seasonal item; if they're not on clearance, we're out." Clearance? Whine! The only thing left on clearance was a Gazillion bubbles Bubble Grill. I've never seen a grill that bubbles. Uh....must be why they're still on clearance.
We looked online. They're out of stock and the big bottle is $15 at Target anyway. We'll wait until Walmart stocks it again and buy it for $7.83 and have it shipped site-to-store for free. Sheesh! So poor Elmo sits in the corner of the room, gathering dust and watching everyone have fun without him [cue violins]. And all because some childless hotshot in Bentonville (AR, the headquarters for Walmart) decided that bubble season ends July 31 (????!!!!).
The kids' colds are slowly getting better, though Ian has decided that he is big enough to blow his own nose. Of course he has to use 15 tissues when he sneezes and then leaves them in his room on the floor because it's way to gross to hold them long enough to get to a trash can. So Ian's room is rather white. I'm very glad I got him the cheap tissues, rather than buying the Vicks ones (those are nice, by the way, but I don't usually sit there and breathe in the tissue before I use it; I usually can't smell anything, thus the need for tissues, but it's a nice concept).
Erin just wipes her nose on the nearest sleeve and grins. She just lets you think that she wanted to cuddle. Sheesh. It's always helpful to check your sleeve before you leave the house, because you might need to change your shirt...
My HC had to work late (or very early?) last night and ended up sleeping very late today. I wandered outside to check on the dogs and noticed a new lawn ornament: a dead possum. My HC was summarily dispatched to dispose of the offending article. He picked it up by the tail and flung it over the back fence. Buddy looked on smugly, the conquering hero of unwanted yard guests.





Berry looked aggravated that he had to sit there and watch Buddy terminate and get all the credit for the little booger.


My HC's schedule is changing tomorrow and we'll be on straight 3-11s. Yay! No more getting home in the wee smas! Scratch that. No more being Scheduled to get home in the wee smas! That's better.



So tomorrow is Labor Day and Jeff Foxworthy said that it's the unofficial End of Summer. I guess it is because there was nothing on TV last night except for football. Sigh. I guess summer really is over. You can't even buy bubbles.
But it's hard to think off all that when it's still hot enough to swim in the pool. And the mosquitoes are still out in clouds. Big nasty ones too. I was listening to Jeff Foxworthy on the radio (hey, he's funny!) and Larry the Cable guy came on. They were talking about the mosquitos too. Larry the CG said he saw a mosquito so big it had a tick on it. Eeeek. I believe it; the mosquitos are so big here they thump against the sliding glass doors. Then again, Larry the CG also said he was looking for tube socks and a rubber band for his grandma's homemade bikini contest at the bowling alley. Let that one simmer for a while.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Words







After all those videos, the kids are tired of posing (Ian just runs away; he likes camera shots better than the tedium of video posing. He doesn't quite get that he's supposed to move or pretend that he doesn't see the camera, etc.). Erin just rolls her eyes as best she can and sighs until the minute is up and Mommy puts the camera away. She really doesn't like the flash of the camera shots (which is why her eyes are closed or almost closed for all her pictures), since there are three blasts of flash for every picture unless we're outside.

It is still hot here in our nook of Oklahoma, but not as hot as it was. That's great, but it still gets hot in the house, so I am still refraining from using the oven as much as possible. :( My menfolk are having a hard time with this. Cookie, cake and pie withdrawals and all that. Relief is on the way though, boys! When we were walking to school this morning (my HC was sleepwalking, I think). I noticed something all over the road and in the yards. I also noticed it when I was mowing the grass....LEAVES! Leaves on the ground in AUGUST! Am I the only one who is shocked by this? It seems like last year it was still upper 90s at this time. It was hot way into September and even October last year. This year, we may just have another 40 degree Halloween, something I wish could be forecasted well in advance for intelligent costume decisions. The whole costume thing is a little deflated when you have to unzip your parka to show it off.

Tonight is going to be fun because we are going to Fayetteville with a group of friends (and their kids) to have a 'Date' night. Golden Corral, here we come! This is a special treat for us, since going out to eat is a big deal. I told Ian this morning when we were getting ready for school that after school we were going to get ready to see Tra (pronounced 'Tray') and Morgan and go to the Big Town to eat supper. "We going to a west-uh-want?" Ian asked. "Yup," I told him. "Wow! A Weeeal West-Uh-Want?" he asked again, with dazzled eyes and a hopeful expression. "Yes," I told him, feeling incredibly guilty for a trip to a restaurant to be on the same level as any other kid's trip to Disney World. It's still not quite as bad as the first time we visited my mom's house in Florida and Ian couldn't tear himself away from the window because he could see cars driving by. It was a highway, so there were lots of cars and I was informed about every single one of them. can someone just tattoo "Rube" on my forehead? No, they won't have to, they can just say "Restaurant" in front of Ian. 0000000000000000000000 Erin felt like typing.
The great thing about going to Fayetteville is visiting Target! Woo hoo! Target has things you can't get around here. The big thing is the toy department, at least to my restaurant deprived son. The shoe department for us girls, and the kids' clothes. Love it! But the main reason we are going tonight (I had to present a case to my HC because he knows how depleting it is to our bank account to visit Target (but I am not responsible for the movies and houseplants that he can't do without!)): we need: 1) lava lamp bulbs. Both of the kids have a lava lamp as their nightlight and only Target has these special lightbulbs. It is a travesty for night lights to go out in our house. 2) Gazillion bubbles to go in our Elmo bubble maker. I have recently discovered that bubbles are a seasonal item that is no longer in season at Walmart. Save me Target! We neeeeeed the distraction of Elmo bubbles and only the Gazillion bubbles will do! The other brand of bubbles just make it foam up and Elmo has rabies. And I'm sure I'll think of another thing or two or 4 to get while we are there...like a beanbag? Walmart is out of those too and my baby girl needs a chair to sit in in the living room. Ian's was indispensible when he was her age and we are having a hard time finding one for her. We also need to go the Pet store to get a rat or 2 for our snake. That is something else we can only find in Fayetteville. And our poor Hiss is hungry!

So we are going to go put away some rolls and steak at Golden Corral. Oooooh yeah!

Ian is doing better in school this week, which is probably a result of his cold/croup, but we will take our blessings where we can get them. The good part of this for him is that he gets rewarded for his good behavior by 30 minute of video games when he gets home. So he gets his choice of Cars, Nemo, Ratatouille or Burnout. Cars and Burnout usually win. We get to pick him up in an hour. I wonder if my HC will be awake by then...

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Swinging Outside



Happy Birthday Papaw!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Getting into Stuff







I heard a noise yesterday, then a thump. Then I heard the sound of a cabinet being closed rather forcefully. I hollered for Ian and asked if the bathroom door was shut. He holler back, kind of distracted "no" and then said with a longsuffering sigh. "It's babygirl." I sprinted to the bathroom and this is what I saw....
She had gotten under the cabinets and into the cotton balls. She tried to share and then tasted one, but didn't like it (see?). After that it was bathtime and everyone moved on.
I saw some blueberries today for an affordable price (for once!) and got some. Yay! The kids love them and could eat an entire field of them. Sorry the video is so dark again, but I will try to figure out how to lighten it! Almost every light in the house was on, so I really don't know what's going on. Maybe I should find the manual? Okay, okay. I will, Grampa, I will. Anyway, she wasn't very fond of being videotaped while eating (who is??), but boy did she suck those blueberries down!


Sunday, August 24, 2008

Just Walking...See?

This is our Sunday after-church mode. Right before I spent an hour sitting here at the computer trying to figure this out. And right before the baby decided to have a bap-fest with the mouse and the keyboard and did something. I'm not sure what, but I think I've managed to undo most of it. I think. I hope. For everyone who has heard about our new biped, you can see her in action. There have been several other attempts to catch this elusive mammal in her natural environment, but she is wary of cameras and will revert to crawling when suspicious of recording devices. :D Doesn't she sort of walk like a velociraptor from Jurassic Park? Without the gross toenails.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Is it Friday Yet?


Ian was a little more excited about going to school this morning. I guess yesterday was rough on him because it was raining and they couldn't go play on the playground. Evidently the whole class had a hard time with it. He had to change his color a couple of times yesterday, but his teachers assure me that every day is better. They have the equivalent of a stoplight for their behavior, I think. If they're naughty, they change the color to yellow. If they're still naughty they get red and if they're naughty after that, they get a note home. (*"Bad kids have to go to the office," I was informed by a whispering Ian) If they are good all day or redeem themselves from the yellow, they get a sticker on their behavior chart. When the chart is full, they get a little surprise from the treasure chest. I think it will be a while until then. My little guy just has SO much energy.

Erin is teething, along with her cold/allergies. So there's slobber everywhere. She has learned to give kisses (mouth wide open, goober city) and Ian has learned to flee whenever she gets the urge to kiss him. Evidently, the thought of cold slobber oozing from her face to his makes him gag. Who knew he had such a sensitive stomach? (How did he get it?)

We are also in the process of refurbishing Ian's bike. It was a hand-me-down, to see if he would actually ride it. Chris spray painted it black yesterday and now we are looking for a new back tire, a new seat and a bell for the handlebars. I guess if they don't have cars to spruce up, bikes work just as well?

I just want him to have a helmet. Don't get all gaspy on me, no one here wears a helmet, so we will be breaking ground. No one puts their kids in carseats either, but that has never been an option for us. My HC is quite the advocate and writes a lot of car seat tickets.

Today is picture day for school. It took Ian a lot of deliberation to pick out his outfit. They told us to wear bright colors. He ended up wearing a red, white and black little basketball outfit that he got for his birthday last year. We are definitely getting plenty of wear out of these nice clothes! It's great.

Ian is also excited that Daddy doesn't have to work today or tomorrow and then it will be Saturday. He's glad about that. :D And so is Daddy.

Right now my HC is at a mandatory class for the police department, learning about some kind of online report writing that no one is interested in. Overtime is overtime, though.

Erin is up from her nap and shouting her displeasure at being made to wait. Is it just me or has August gone by SO fast??

Monday, August 18, 2008

News from School

It was Ian's first Monday of school. He hemmed and hawed about school being too long and how much he'd miss us, but he really likes riding his little bike to school. He hugged and kissed both of us and sat on his little spot on the rug. Then he zeroed in on the screen and we ceased to exist. After school, Erin and I picked him up (my HC is on a 3-11 shift during weekdays! ugh!) and we got a huge hug. Then he sped off towards home with us following in his dust. Thank the Lord for STOP signs or we might not have caught up.
He got some down time at home and played and snacked and took his shoes off. But the really sweet time didn't come until after bedtime, when Erin was ensconced in her crib and Ian was lying in bed and didn't want me to leave the room.
So I sat on the floor next to the bed and we talked. The neatest thing about the kids getting older is the way they get older. They get more expressive and opinionated and have more interesting likes and dislikes and finally one day they can tell you WHY. And I love how Ian and Erin both have their own unique sense of humor. Erin laughs her head off when you get her making loud kissy noises. Or if you make funny faces or put something on your head, like a cup or a book or anything, really. Ian was harder to amuse at that age and ended up mostly giving you a "what planet are you from?" look.
Late Saturday night, Ian had an incident and I went into his room to help him change his pjs and his sheets. He immediately curled up on the floor and dozed until I was finished. I put his bed back together (not the most convenient time to have a bed tent....sigh) and tucked him back in. I was tip toeing out of his room and tripped (naturally) over a toy. I had a 1960 [or whatever] Cadillac permanently imprinted on the bottom of one foot, thank you very much, and I was trying to get out of his room and into the living room where I could make a little more noise and examine the damage done to my foot. I staggered out into the hallway and heard some noisy giggles. I crept back into his room and Ian's eyes were still closed. "Ian," I asked. "What are you laughing about?" More giggling. Some impressive eyerolling on my part. "That was funny," he said clearly. "What was funny?" "Mommy stepped on a toy." Then he turned over and went straight to sleep.
I wasn't laughing until then. His reaction was funny to me, though I have to admit, I prefer the painless amusement of girls. It seems like boys laugh the hardest when someone gets hurt, slips, falls off of something or chases them making weird noises.
Oh well. I guess that's what Daddies are for. To pretend to (or really) get hurt, slip, fall off of something and chase them making weird noises and not get their feelings hurt when the little guy rolls around on the floor and laughs until his little face turns blue.

Back to tonight. I was sitting on the floor beside the bed and he was in a mood to talk. We talked about school and how many days until Friday. Today was the 3rd day of Pre-K and already we have all of the weekends on his calendar marked with smiley faces.
Then I started asking questions and he started giving answers. This is what I found out:
  • He had chocolate milk for breakfast. And carrots and broccoli (uh....).
  • He had chocolate milk for lunch and applesauce.
  • He had crackers for snack time.
  • He played with play-doh and made something (not sure what it was he said he made, but appropriate oohing and nodding ensued).
  • They had a craft today and traced their hand. A Hershey kiss was glued to the top of the paper and eaten as soon as we got home.
  • One kid cried because he wanted to go home.
  • A girl cried because her band-aid came off.
  • PE was great, but Ian got time out because he was running around in circles when he was supposed to be sitting still.
  • Mrs. Williams gets mad when no one listens (snigger snigger).
  • Mrs. England is nice and he likes her a lot. She gets to hold his hand (his words).
  • Ian played on the race track on the playground (and from the amount of mulch in his tennis shoes, he had a great time).
  • They read a story today about a spoon and a bowl and they played and it was funny but no one laughed but Ian (he is SO my kid). (Obviously, the other kids were not paying attention properly.)
  • Nap time is long.
  • Ian has friends and they are boys and girls. I asked him what their names were and he garbled off some unintelligible stuff. I assume he doesn't quite know their names yet.
  • I asked him if they sang any songs and he said yes. He then proceeded to chirp out a tune. I think it's a new song for him because he sounds like I do when I try to sing along to 80s music. "Take On Me....take me oooooh....I'll be whooooo, shweee oh WHEEEEEEE" is just an example of how I may sound. I trust Ian will learn the words and more of the tune soon so I can figure it out. Otherwise I can predict a frustrating time for him next time we sing songs and he wants me to sing that one....eeek.
  • He did admit that they knew the Wheels on the Bus, but they don't sing the Whale Song. I am appeased.
  • We also made up a new kind of kiss. There is a normal smacky kiss, a nose kiss (he has NO clue what an eskimo kiss is and I have been told that it is not PC to call it that [get a grip!], butterfly kisses (my HC is much better at it than I am, since his eyelashes (and Ian's....and Erin's) are at least 4 inches long) and a new one. Take note. Elephant kisses. This is where we rub our ears together and flap them around some. It was Ian's idea and I thought it was brilliant. Elephants could do it if they really wanted to. But that is now a favorite and never fails to bring a smile out.

Then it was time to go to sleep and I was dismissed. After a last drink, a tuck-in, a kiss to Bunny, tucking in Elmo, simulating Elmo snoring, helping Elmo get tucked in under the blanket for a blanket snuggle and one last kiss. Then I tip toed out. And I didn't even step on any toys. And Monday is over.

Wii Wii Wii, All the Way Home

No, that's not the name of the article, but I sure did have a fun time thinking of different ways to phrase it. hahaha. In the Wii Small hours?? hahahaha. Ok. I must be tired.
But here is the accompanying article, soon to be printed in the Westville Weekly Times:

"Wii Play, Do You?"

The John F. Henderson Library is once again showing its penchant for technology with the arrival of its newest addition, a Nintendo Wii (pronounced ‘wee’). For those of you who are intimidated by these new-fangled inventions, just think of it as a really safe way to do sports. Westville teens have already had a chance to break it in during their Wii Bowling Tournament. All you do is watch the tv, hold the controller (there are two buttons) and pretend like you’re really bowling. You don’t have to worry about dropping the ball and you don’t have to wear the swell shoes they make you wear at the bowling alley.
If bowling is not quite your cup of tea, there are plenty of other choices. The library has an entire sports collection including boxing, tennis, baseball and golf. Other games available are billiards, fishing, shooting range, tanks, table tennis and hockey. Where else can you simulate serious contact sports without sweating or a trip to the emergency room? The library will be offering these games as a service in the upcoming weeks, including the much coveted Wii Fit. Who knew you could exercise to a video game?
Everyone is invited to a special introduction to the Wii at the next Friends of the John F. Henderson Public Library meeting on Monday, August 25 at 5:00pm at the library, complete with snacks and endless opportunities for laughter.
If you’re too self conscious to play, at least come and watch everyone else do it. Or you can come try it while the kids are in school. It always helps when there’s not a ten year old playing after you who makes your highest score look like minimum wage. Bring your friends, your parents, even your grandparents. Come and see what all the excitement is about! Wii play, do YOU?

Reading Bug a Success

"Reading Bug A Success"
to appear in a future printing of the Westville Weekly Times

Did you “Catch the Reading Bug?” The numbers are in and 980 people attended the action packed programs at the John F. Henderson Library this summer. 369 of those were children who enthusiastically registered for the summer program and ‘Caught’ the Reading Bug. Every child who registered got a special bag filled with stickers, bookmarks, pencils, body art and a reading log to fill up. The first hundred children to register received a bug catcher, although we’re not sure how many were brave enough to catch bugs with it.
With entertainers from all over Oklahoma and Missouri, the diligence and hard work of our library and Friends of the Library certainly paid off. Every person who walked through the double doors of the library learned something new about the world around them...and about bugs. There were magic tricks, countless stories, real bugs to hold and examine, and mealworms to eat. Don’t worry; they tasted just like peanuts…sort of. There were puppets and ventriloquists, a book fair and a party, Critters to pet and a Big Magic Book. Vouchers for Tater Tots and ice cream from Sonic were handed out to eager participants. Children who were ambitious enough to read 55 books, completing their reading log, had their name entered for the end-of-program drawing for all sorts of prizes, including two brand new bicycles.
And that was just the children’s program.
Things really got cranked up during Teen Week in July. All of the teens received a backpack and bookmarks. There were movies and a pizza party and the debut of the library’s newest technology as the teens faced off in the library’s first Nintendo Wii Bowling Tournament. The winners of the bowling tournament received numerous prizes including autographed books by author Meg Cabot (“Princess Diaries”, anyone?).
The deadline for reading logs was the end of July. Children and parents waited in the library for the drawing. The last 2 minutes were so quiet, every tick of the clock echoed around the room. Little slips of paper were drawn and loud exclamations rang out as Sue Ann read the names. Morgan Alverson’s face beamed with shock and delight as her name was drawn for one of the grand prize bicycles. “Morgan, that’s you!” her mother, Jessica, exclaimed. All Morgan could do was smile. Lauren Cole’s name was chosen for the other grand prize bicycle. The girls got to choose their own bicycle from Wal-Mart in Stilwell. Other special prizes for readers whose names were in the bug catcher (some names were in there several times!) were t-shirts, bags, puzzles, bug lanterns and signed books.
How did this wonderful program come to be? The 2008 Summer Reading program would not be possible without the financial support of state and local sponsors. We would like to heartily thank the Institute for Museum and Library Services, the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, Sonic Corp., Eastern Oklahoma District Library, Adair County United Way, Friends of the John F. Henderson Public Library, Westville Sonic Drive-In and Stilwell Wal-Mart. We would also like to give a big round of applause and thanks to Adair County 4-H for volunteers (loved the face painting!), the Westville Town Council, the library patrons for all their support and the parents for bringing their children to the programs. If you and your children enjoyed catching the reading bug, let some of these fine people know. And if you’re sad you missed it, make sure you try those barbequed meal worms next time you’re at the Science Museum of Oklahoma. Tell them the John F. Henderson Library sent you.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

First Day of School--part 2



The end of the day, and my little munchkin was still smiling.






It seems the best part of the day was playing and having chocolate milk for breakfast and for lunch. Though he did say something about 'tatoes at lunchtime.

The first thing he did when we got home was to take off those hot shoes and socks. He also told us he wanted to go back tomorrow, so that's a relief. :D



My HC talked to the teacher, who said he was good, except at nap time he didn't want to be quiet and had to lie down next to the teacher's desk. whoops. We also got a copy of the classroom rules and such and it looks like Ian will have a challenge ahead of him. I will use quiet walking feet. If I don't make it, I won't break it. I will use a quiet inside voice. Those are just a few that may be a challenge for him to conquer.
Big sigh of relief! We made it through the first day!

First Day of School!



It has come. [cue sound effects] The first day of school and we were so excited! Chris teased me about taking so many pictures on the way to school that you could use it as a flip book, but I only took, uh....20? And so what if the school is two or three blocks away?



As you can see, it went very well. Ian is so excited and boy are we praying for the teachers. Only saw a couple of kids in his class sniffling and only one huge drawn out scene with a sobbing [albeit toothless] mother (?) and a very upset sobbing-more child who was removed from his mother by a teacher and herded inside the classroom.



As you can see, Ian was directed to his place on the rug and was at once mesmerized by the pull down screen with the program on. School announcements? He said he'd miss me, gave me a half hug and that was it. Mommy ceased to exist. He's going to have so much fun! I could tell it was weird for him to leave the house without breakfast. That will take some getting used to. He was too excited to pee before we left too (eeeek).



The walk home was strange too. What are we forgetting? Oh yeah, the noisy one. I did not cry. Chris kept saying things to make me laugh and Erin just looked confused (Chris says 'peaceful'). She will now enjoy free reign of the toys until 2:45. So thanks for all the prayers. I'm doing fine. And I'm sure Ian is too. Can't wait to hear about his day later. And I can't wait to hear what he has to say about the school food! Hahahaha.









Erin was not upset at all by the prospect of playing alone.









Walking to school on Lake Street. That building is the bus barn.












Don't we look perky at 7:55am??










Ian is enjoying his status as a walker and not a stroller-rider.











Ian decides to run ahead to get the lay of the land.











He gets a little too far ahead and is called back.











Erin is still wondering at all the commotion. See the stroller loaded down with school stuff?






Now we are going into the doors of the school.


After all that running, Ian needs a drink out of the water fountain. It has steps just for little guys like him, but he needs help pushing the button.







We found Ian's classroom. Lining the hallway are all the cubbies. We find his name andput all his stuff in.







This is after I said goodbye. He is sitting next to the monkey with his name on it. Everyone is getting a name tag. I heard the teacher say that they get a fun sticker if they can keep their name tag on until the end of the day. I wonder how long Ian's will last?? :D

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Young Darth Vader Had A Farm

Please, if anyone has ever seen Star Wars (is there anyone left who hasn't?? That's a question for another post) and you like kids (is there anyone who doesn't? Really? That's also a question for another post), please go here:
http://cohenhouse.blogspot.com/

Scroll down until you get to "Young Darth Vader Had A Farm" and listen to the next Alan Silvestri/John Williams/Tim Rice team sing an oldie that is Light Years away.
Guaranteed to put a smile on your face and want to watch Star Wars. All at the same time. :D
And it makes you think: what a great dad! How cool is that?! Then you can hire the dad to do the music for your wedding, etc if you live in Florida.
Okay, now I have to spiel....you can mosey on over to Charis Entertainment (see the lineup on the side there <-----).
I don't care what you do, just listen to this song. ;)

My Own...My Precious




haha. Did you get that? Uh...that's a Smeagol quote. Gollum to most. Okay, then. I guess I'm not in a Tolkien crowd. That's okay. Papaw will get it. He usually does.

So today was Ian's last Walmart trip for quite a while. It was also one of his last days to sleep in, go out to eat, etc. Because, ladies and gentleman, we are different. This is not always a good thing. But I definitely have more respect for law enforcement, firefighters, doctors, pilots, stormchasers and anyone else who lives according to their radio/pager, etc. I am at the whim of the pager as well, since I stay home and take care of everyone. Our scheduled 'weekends' are now Thursday and Friday. Unless my HC gets to be chief, which he doesn't want, he will probably never get Saturday and Sundays off. This presents a challenge to everyone else that has a normal job that goes from 8-5, M-F. It also presents a challenge when the kids start school.

Because now I have to spin two different plates at the same time. On one hand, we are quiet while my HC is sleeping because he went 4 or 5 hours late on his 3-11 or 6-2am shift. We do our own thing on the weekends because except for church and bank and post office closings, they are like every other day to us.

Now, my life also has to revolve around school drop-offs and pickups and days off. Poor Ian won't get to see Daddy on Daddy's days off, though Daddy will probably have fun picking him up from school. And on Ian's weekends, Daddy will be sleeping or working or getting ready to do one of the previous.

You get it.

Either way, we will adjust to walking to school at 7 something (!!!) in the morning. This means I have to be presentable and able to walk and obey pedestrian traffic signs! And have Ian ready for school and Erin too! Argh! Wait, what time will I have to get up? I guess it's time to figure all that out. Sheesh.

Anyway, Daddy has the first day of school off, so we will all be walking Ian to school with the baby in the stroller.

Then I can just come home and....sit. I know I'll have no trouble getting used to it and I'll have special time with Erin, but still....it's a moment.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

I'm That Kind of Rain






Today there was rain. Lots and lots of rain. I even got to take a nap to that rain, which was oh, so sweet. And then it kept raining. It is Still raining, which is wonderful because today was Cruze Night. That's a contradiction, but that's what they call it and it starts at around 2pm with a car show. Then there's Cruze time (yes, that's how they spell it) and then there's a Burnout competition, where people from all over come and pay to see how much tread they can leave on one of our town's nicest roads. This competition goes on for hours. Until dark, because no one seems to get tired of trying. People bring lawn chairs and sit on the side of the road to watch. There are Trophies. Yes, I said trophies. For the winners. Someone gets out there with a roller measurer and measures the tread marks. The car that leaves the longest gets the biggest trophy. It costs $5 a turn and the town makes hundreds of dollars. There are also concessions that come to take advantage of the spectators. But today it rained. :)

I don't like Burnout because these noisy engined cars and trucks have to use our street to go back to the Start line. They speed and peel out at our stop sign. It is hard to hear anything inside of the house over this racket.

The crowning part of today, however is fireworks. They have been setting off blanks all day for some reason. I think they just wanted to wake up every napping baby in town. I'm sure there is a purpose somewhere, somehow. Maybe. They keep telling us they will start at dark, rain or not, but it is 9:15 and just a drizzle. Ian keeps asking me every 5 seconds when they will start. I am trying to be patient, but....it's hard when you don't know the answer. Thank you Lord for a PBS channel that does kids' shows around the clock. Who knew that Bob the Builder came on at 9pm??

They've started!

Well, that was nice. It lasted for 25 minutes. Ian really enjoyed it. He really knows his colors now. Erin did not wake up, for which I am grateful. Last night's debacle with the fuse box did not send her into dream land, so she is really tired tonight. Whew!

Buddy was made hysterical by the booming of the fireworks and escaped the fence. My HC just brought him back, fussing at me because I had been on the phone with his parents and didn't take his call. What can I say? It just takes some people a long time to say goodbye.

Everything is back to normal and the kids are in bed. Finally. Quiet. At last.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Fuse Box Olympics


We are having problems here on the homefront. Now that the heat wave is over (thank you Lord!) and our heat rashes are getting better, something else has Come Up. Yesterday I smelled a weird burnt kind of a smell and assumed it was our borrowed portable AC that we had in our bedroom. I have to say, it is a luxury to be cold enough to use the covers at night. I think it's the first time I have used the comforter since May or June. Erin didn't like it, since she was cold and needed to be under the comforter too, but after her feet were thawed out on Daddy's warm back (it was his tummy, but he squealed and turned over...hehehe), she felt better.

Back to the funny smell. We turned off the air conditioner to let it cool off a bit. Today the smell was back and we warily went about our business. This evening, after bathtime, the portable AC quit. I called Chris in to look at it. Uh oh. The living room had quit too. And the kitchen. And the bedrooms, bathroom, etc. Uhhhhhhh.

Chris grabbed a flashlight and we gingerly approached the fusebox. Our house was supposedly built in 1960. It was also wired electrically by someone who was alive before electricity was invented. Nothing in the house is grounded. All the outlets only have two prongs. When the extra room was built onto the house, another more modern fusebox was added to the outside of the house. The add-on, with washer and dryer are on this box, as well as the electric oven and dishwasher, added by us. Oh, and the broken AC, which is working better now that it's 20 degrees cooler outside.

But the refrigerator and room fans were not working. Aaah! So he opened the fuse box and thought that a fuse was blown. After some hunting, my HC got a hold of the owner of the town hardware store and he made a special trip to open his store and provide us with this fuse (a product that Walmart does not carry, nor does anyone else in this country. Except maybe one of those leftover bunkers from WWII. They may still have some of these ancient breakers in there. )So he met Mr. B at the hardware store and brought back two choices. I held the flashlight while he took out the little scary looking black boxy looking thing (notice that I was not the one fiddling with it; I was proud of my light holding abilities). The baby woke up and started screaming. Uh oh. The fuse was messed up, yes, but remember that smell? Something had melted in there. Oh, so that's where the smell came from. Yup. Well, it was going to take more than a fuse. My HC called Mr. B back and they went back to the hardware store, black flat box thingy in hand.

So the burnt cylinder was replaced and the fuses. That's when we discovered that the black box thingy was messed up too and wouldn't go back in its spot. Nobody, even Mr B, carries those black box thingies any more. But he thought he knew of someone who might still have some. He'd call him tomorrow. But if he didn't have any, we'd have to put in a new breaker box. I abandoned my light holding talents for my 'quiet the baby' talents. She was soothed back to sleep and my HC tried and tried and tried to get this broken box back into the slot. Then I had my light bulb (ding!) and reminded him of the things that didn't go off of the broken breaker. We found an extension cord for our refrigerator and ran it to a working outlet (thank you Lord!!!). Ian was happy to go to sleep with his little lantern and a candle, though how he fell asleep with the bright lantern an inch from his eyeballs is beyond me.

Meanwhile, my HC kept trying new ways to get this black box thing to work. He tried Play-Doh, but that smoked and burnt (more bad smells and more crying baby). While I was taking a dark shower (the hot water heater was on the bad breaker....), HC figured it out. Elmer's glue! He also took the guts out of the spare black thingy that was just sitting there but wasn't being used and transferred it to the broken one. I won't confuse everyone by trying to explain it (since I was savoring my Last Hot Shower), but he did it and it worked and now I'm online. We have to keep looking out for any weird smells or smoking, but hopefully that will hold us over until we can either find a replacement or (please Lord) come up with the money to get a new breaker box.

But I think my HC gets a gold medal for his electrical brilliance. An electrician he is not, but he usually gets the job done.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Hace Mucho Calor



It is SO hot. (or more correctly translated: It is very hot.) It was 102 today and I don't care where you are from or how hot it is where you live: it was HOT today. See the heat waves??



Yesterday, I blogged about how our AC has misplaced its purpose in life. Last night, Ian woke me up because he was scared and he heard a noise. I put him back in bed and crawled in next to him until he went back to sleep (an easy thing because he has a Great fan in his room that points straight into his bed tent and just waffles around in there because of the bed tent material. Wonderful.


So he fell asleep and then I heard a noise. I got up to investigate and there, where our AC had been at bedtime, was a big gaping hole. I could see outside. I could hear outside. And it sounded like gigantic truck engines. I went to the kitchen door to see who had the misfortune to steal our ineffective AC (good riddance!) and it was Brian's wrecker parked on the street that was making the big engine noise. There was also a cop car in our driveway. Maybe Brian (the mayor and owner of B&G's Wrecker and Recovery [B is for Brian and G is for Girric, his 5 year old son]) decided to steal our AC. But why? He has central at his house. And it works.


Then I see that my HC's unit is home as well. And then I hear voices laughing and talking and notice that the garden hose is in the front yard and not where it usually is outside Berry's dog kennel. Upon further investigation (in other words, I looked out of every window in the house), I could not locate the source of the noise. So I got a drink and checked on the kids and then there was a louder laughing and carrying on sound. I looked through the AC hole and inadvertantly scared 4 men with my eyeballs peeping out (I was on my tiptoes). I found out that they had decided to clean out the AC (you're supposed to do it every year??) and all the gunk that accumulates. They thought that it had never been done. There must have been a lot of nasty in there. Then they decided to replace it back into the hole to see if it worked any better.


I didn't care if it did or not, as long as they turned it back on. They did and it wasn't. I went to bed.


This morning, I got up and went into the kitchen. The counters were a mess. Everything was rearranged and out of place, but the kitchen felt very very good. Then I noticed the window unit that someone had stuffed in the window. Turns out we do have a window in the house that is big enough for that window unit. Thank You Lord! So the kitchen, rather than the living room, has been the heart of our home today. The little window unit has been kicking the pants off of the gigantic wall unit in the living room. It really should be embarrassed, letting a little midget like that show it up. But it's not.


I don't even know what the heat index was today, just that my HC told me to keep the kids inside, since there was one 911 call of an 11 year old needing EMS due to being outside too long and getting heat stroke or heat exhaustion or something. So we stayed inside and ate popsicles and didn't turn any lights on and didn't wear much either.


It got a little too yucky, so we decided to go to Harp's, our local grocery store. For bananas. Well, we're out and Harp's has a great AC and freezer section.


Uncle Steven decided to get us some steaks for dinner, too, so it was a great idea. He even volunteered to grill them for us. He made baked potatoes and didn't char them (I should have taken a picture of my poor mummified, dusty potatoes).


It was great.


Now we are waiting for the bedrooms to cool off enough so I can put the kids in bed. So far it's 8:30 and it's a no go. So Ian is playing his earned 30 minutes of video games and Erin is playing, not yet in the tired/cranky stage. Which is a nice change, because she's been lodged in hot/cranky for a few days now. I am just ready to stretch out and dry.


But when it comes down to it, I'm not missing the microwave all that much. I had to give up the microwave plug-in to plug in the window AC in the kitchen. Good riddance to that too. I'll haul the microwave to the bathroom if I have to use it that bad.


Don't worry, I'm not that desperate yet.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Hot Poop


Well it's hot. Hot hot hot hot hothothothothot. I signed up for weather advisories from our closest tv station (it's the only one that actually focuses on our area; Tulsa weather doesn't do us much good here). I've been getting 3 to 5 emails a day warning me of a heat advisory. It gives specific times that the advisory is in effect. I also got one severe thunderstorm warning, which didn't make any sense because when it listed the times, it said Clear after it. So I guess the storm won't hit us after all. Too bad, because we could use a breath of relief. On top of that Augustine blessing (for those of you that don't get that, it's August. So there.), our air condition is feeling its age. I'm guessing it's at least 30 years old, or pretty close to it. It is running up the bill without running down the temperature. Which means heat rash for everyone. Ian has his own ceiling fan as well as his own floor fan to blow on his bed. The baby has her own fan to blow on the crib and we have a piddly little ceiling fan that you can hardly feel, because it is too small for the size of the room. There's also a big oscillating fan in the hallway opening that's supposed to blow the cool air from the living room into the hallway. Well, it was working a month ago, but our poor AC has some kind of dementia because it has forgotten what it's supposed to do.

So we are praying for a new air conditioner. Someone told us about this great AC someone else is selling for a fraction of the price. But....it's for central heat/air. So the price plus the freon service plus the duct work plus everything would be over $1,000. Great, I know, for the price, but not exactly something that's realistic for us right now. Unless we could put our AC on Antiques Roadshow; prepare to be amazed.

So everyone is overheated and cranky. I fried some eggs this morning at breakfast time, but opted not to cook anything hot for supper. My poor HC was wilted when he came home for his dinner break. That Kevlar vest is not made for 100+ heat. And tomorrow is when the Real heat advisory starts.

So the kids have been running around in their underwear for most of the day, not allowed to go outside because of the heat, and I've been trying to keep up with messes and sooth little raw tempers. Too bad my own needs a couple hours of subarctic to help it.

And I found out today that I need to take Uncle Steven back to the airport on Tuesday because his plane leaves at 8:10am. My HC is working an overnight, so he won't be able to come with us. With check-in time and driving time together, I have to get myself and the chillens up at around 4am. Believe me, we are coming straight home for everyone to have a recovery nap. But it's going to be at least 4 hours in the car AC, so that's not so bad. And gas is down about 20 cents from when we picked Uncle Steven up at the airport, so the blessings are stacking up some.

Now to the other part of the title. No, I wasn't being crass. The kids were in the tub yesterday, playing. Erin likes to stand up and walk along the sides of the tub. She likes to throw everything out and yell until I fetch. She also likes to dump cup-fuls of water out of the tub and then yell when I take the cup away. And she likes to laugh at Ian, who will do almost anything, even knock himself out, to make her laugh. I had turned to tidy the sink and grab a fresh towel when all of a sudden Ian came shooting out of the tub yelling. I don't even think any water got on the floor. I don't even think he touched the floor. One second he was playing in the tub and the next second he had teleported to the other side of the bathroom under the towel shelf. "Ewwwww! Eww! Eww! Ewwwww!"

"What?" I asked, baffled. "What's wrong?"

"Ewwwww!" He turned horrified and disgusted brown eyes to mine.

"Baby girl POO-POO in the tub!!!!"

Sure enough, when I went to investigate, there were several articles in the tub that had not been there before. One of them was being chased by a tiny hand. Ugh!

I checked to see if she was done and swooped her out of the tub. Ian couldn't stay away. He gingerly crept forward and craned his neck to see, now that he was a safe distance away. It really didn't help matters when he spied a recycled grape. "What's that grape doing in there?" he asked. Uh oh. "Uh...that's a poo poo grape," I tried to explain.
---Today at snack time, he had some grapes (brave soul), but told Erin "you no eat grapes, Erin. Baby girl no like grapes today, Mommy." I guess he figured she'd had enough. So she got peaches. Back to our story (A good title: She Poopeth in Still Waters. har har har).---
I pulled the plug and put all the toys back in the tub basket for later bleaching. I stood Erin on the outside of the tub to watch. After some grunts and pleading, I got all the offending articles down the drain and rinsed out really good. I took out the mat and stood the kids back in the tub for a quick stand-up bath. Ian had to inspect the tub really well before he would get in and kept warily glancing at the baby's bottom like it was Mt. St. Helen's.

Soon after I had everyone clean and the tub full of bleachy water and the bath toys all in it, happily disinfecting.

Tonight, Ian remembered to tell Erin before we got in the tub. "Baby girl, NO GO Poo Poo in the Tub. Okay?"

She just grinned.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Cheese and Salsa




Tuesday we had the kids' pictures taken. We were late for our appointment and it was given to someone else who walked in, so we had to wait until they called us. I was aggravated about that; I hate being late, but sometimes it just cannot be helped. Especially when you live 20 minutes from anywhere.



When we got down to business, it was...educational. Erin wasn't so sure about all the fuss and cooing and coaxing to smile. She thought the photographer (can you call them photographers when all they do is punch a button??) was weird. I think she was in a bad mood that day (the photog, not Erin, she was just sleepy, I think). Either way, it was a good thing her assistant was there to play with the kids while she stomped and sighed and took crooked pictures. Hopefully the photo printer person will fix it.



It's a good thing we have photogenic kids. Erin was quickly fussy and wanted to get off of that podium. Every time we let go she tried to crawl off. She didn't like the positions she was forced to hold and didn't like not being held. Ian, on the other hand, is a ham. And no, I don't know where he gets that from. He thought it was funny if he made faces and stuck his tongue out at the last minute. There were a lot of retakes for him.



And then there were the packages. The cheapest package is $80. Or you can get the CD for $99 and print off as many pictures as you want. Sorry, give me a couple of backgrounds and I can do just as well with my own camera. But we were happy with what we got; now we have to wait until the cows come home to pick them up (they will being coming August 13 unless they come early. ?!).



Other news of the week: someone is interested in buying our house and is currently trying to get a loan. We don't want to get our hopes up, but the people in question keep calling us and asking us questions that make sense. We are happy to help, if it sells our house.



I did a lot of canning today. Well, it felt like a lot of canning. Only 6 jars of salsa this time, but I dejuiced and seeded tomatoes for hours today. My fingers are still a little pruny. My HC says that this skill is useful just in case I ever get sprayed by a skunk. Naturally, this made me feel oh so much better.



Ian had a friend over to play today. His friend, G, brought over a couple of toy trucks to play with. After an hour, he asked that they be put on top of the refrigerator to keep them safe (he is 5). Ian told him to leave them here when it was time to go home. G did not feel that it was necessary for him to do so and took them with him. I think Ian missed the toys more than he missed his friend, who has the tendency to choose watching tv over playing.



We are counting down to the "Meet Your Teacher" day at school. It is the same day that Uncle Steven will be going back to Florida. I'm sure he will be glad to sleep on anything other than the couch, especially if there's an air conditioning that works in the house.



We are in a heat advisory for the next several days. It has been topping 100 and is nasty outside. We are staying as close to our not-so-cold air conditioner as possible. I keep telling Ian that if he would sit still, he wouldn't be so hot. He does not agree.



Erin is getting that other top tooth in, finally. It is taking forever to break through and she is fretful. With the arrival of August, we are finished with her First Year calendar. I had so much fun writing everything down as she learned to do things, as well as big days for our family. I guess I'm going to have to figure something else out. :D
(Don't you just love the Tigger hat? We got it from Disney when Ian was 3 months old; they both look so cute in it.)


I don't feel as interesting today as I normally do. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen today with those tomatoes. I really hope the salsa turns out to be yummy. I'm not sure how I'll feel if it's nasty or no one wants to eat it. Oh well, we can always use it for Christmas gifts. Is it tacky to ask for the jars back?? Probably, but man, those jars are expensive!!



Now that it's August, I'm finally figuring out how to do things around the heat. Baking and cooking are best done in the morning, when the house is still cool. Unless you are canning, then there's no good time, it just makes everything hot. I am glad that our garden is not going to waste though. But now I am out of canning jars! Now, of course, is the time for someone to give us 10 lb of okra. I have everything but jars and hot peppers. Our local grocery store is not carrying them until the salmonella ? scare is over. I guess. I think. Because what other reason do they have not to carry them. We live in OK! There are ALWAYS peppers. Until now.



Another thing. My birthday is a week from Saturday. I feel like I need to make a list or something. My friend Rachel is a compulsive list-maker. Neat, right? No, the neat thing is that she actually DOES the things on her list. Crazy. I love to make lists too, but I end up doing other things and then putting them on the list so I can mark them off. Does anyone else do that?

Anyway, when you start not making sense it's time to go to bed. The best kind of people take their own advice. The End.