Poison Ivy and Snakes

What a busy weekend we had. I feel like I say that every weekend anymore, but it's the truth.

As much as I love my sleep, I actually don't mind getting up early.  I am not a morning person, but I do enjoy savoring a cup of coffee (or three) and having everything I need to do done by early afternoon so I can enjoy the rest of the day with my husband and kids.

As satisfying as that feeling is to get things done early, I hate having to wake early and rush out the door.  Not being able to savor those cups of coffee tends to make me grumpy.  A grumpy me is never a fun me.

The chaos of last weekend began Friday afternoon with school pick-up.

Little Dude was complaining of being itchy the night before.  He has dry skin and has had issue with eczema in the past so I thought nothing of it.  I would just lotion him up and he's be good to go.

Not the case.

Little Dude bounced out of school Friday afternoon, happy it was finally the weekend, and that's when I saw it.  Scratches, blisters, and a flaming red neck.  Right then I knew it was more than eczema.  It was poison ivy.  Perhaps letting them run around on the hillside by the husband's work was not a good idea.  Thank goodness I had some anti-itch cream in the medicine cabinet because I didn't have time to run to the store.  I had to get the husband from work and take my boys to the zoo for a Scout sleepover

After we returned home from our drive to the zoo, GG and I prepared for our girl's night in.  I was setting up the DVD player for a few games of Harry Potter Scene-It when I realized Little Dude wasn't the only one who was running around on that hillside.  The proof was beginning to show on GG's legs, hands, and arms.  Thankfully she could make do without the anti-itch cream (I sent it off with my boys).  She was either not effected as bad as Little Dude or she had more control when it came to not scratching.

Until Sunday.

Sunday was our end of the year Girl Scout picnic.  It was hot as hell and she was running around almost the entire 8 hours we were there.  A hot and sweaty girl made for an itchy girl.  I again left the cream with the boys because Little Dude didn't seem to understand he shouldn't scratch if he wanted to get better.  A hot, sweaty, tired and itchy child is NOT a fun child!

But just because we were all hot, sweaty, tired, and some were itchy, didn't mean there was no fun to be had.  GG had a blast at the picnic - good food, crafts, and friends.  And Little Dude had a blast on his zoo trip.  He was able to go behind the scenes with a few exhibits and touch animals ordinary patrons might not have a chance to touch.

Holding an armadillo

You'll just have to trust me that GG had a great time at our picnic.  I wasn't able to capture any pictures during the event because I was too busy trying to control the chaos.  All the girls in attendance seemed to have a good time, but events like this make me realize that we do, in fact, have well behaved children.


Until next time...

Sickeningly sweet

I have a 6 year old who thinks he's the king of the world that listens to no one and a 10 year old who is embracing every bit of pre-tweendom there is. I know. You're jealous.

But just because my kids have bratty tendencies doesn't mean they're like that all the time. In fact, they can be sickeningly sweet. Take this past weekend for example.

Friday night GG was invited to sleepover a friend's house. With one child out of the house I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to work on the 100th day of school project with the other. Little Dude, with the help of GG, decided to make a football field for this project. Football fields have 100 yards so this was a perfect idea.

I squirted some green paint on a plate so Little Dude could start to paint his field. When he was done he asked if he cold paint the rest of the plate. Instead of wasting the paint, I told him to have at it. Before it had time to dry, he asked if I could add some glitter to the paint. When all was said and done, he had a green glittered plate with a picture of a girl taped to the side. On the back of the picture was a note to his sister - I love you.

How sweet, right?! But he was not the only one who was sweet over the weekend.

GG had some gift card to a book store burning a hole in her pocket. I told her we could go to the book store and have a mother-daughter afternoon. While we were at the store, GG got lost in the maze of shelves. Being an avid reader, she just couldn't make up her mind. And then she saw it. An illuminating Harry Potter wand! Sadly, the only actual Harry Potter wand we could find was broken. She was about to settle on a Hermione wand when the look in her eyes changed. I tried to explain she could get whatever she wanted with her gift cards. GG told me if she bought the wand and one of the nooks she wanted, she wouldn't have enough money left over to buy me a treat and coffee.

Naturally that explanation broke my heart. I told her to put the wand back and grab her original choice of books. If treating me was that important to her, the husband and I would go online and buy her an actual Harry Potter wand. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree. She proudly paid for her books and we walked towards the coffee shop. I must say, that was the best tasting Oreo cheesecake I have ever had.

Have your kids done anything sweet lately?

Until next time...

Sweet

Over the weekend, GG celebrated her 10th birthday. I still don't think it's hit me that my child is a decade old. How the hell did that happen?! I had considered dedicating a blog post to this milestone birthday of hers, but time got away from me. Between birthdays and holidays, this time of year is nothing short of hectic and out of control.

But I don't really think GG will hold it against me that I didn't write some sweet post for her. Her cupcakes alone made up for the lack of sweetness on this blog.

Cute, right?!


Along with not writing a post for her, I also fell short on supplying a kick ass party. In my defense, I blame all the other parents in the area who also had their children around the same time as mine.

I told GG I would take her and a few friends for a few rounds of bowling and some pizza. Little did I know the bowling alley we planned to go was having 10-15 parties on the exact same day. A lane for the 5 of us would not be a guarantee. I have to give one of the employees some credit because she did try and secure us a lane, but it was a no go.

Again, I really don't think GG will hold it against me due to her awesome presents. Harry Potter Legos, board games, video games, a ton of clothes for her American Girl dolls, and this rockin' lamp...

Orbeez mood lamp
It's pretty awesome!

But the best present of all is one I don't think has taken off, other than to sleep, since Saturday night.

My fashionista!

Happy 10th birthday, GG!!!

Until next time...

Why I Became a Mom

I honestly don't know.

Some days I think I have it all together. Other days... far from it!


As a thank you for attending PTA meetings and helping out where I could last year, I was given a desk calendar from the officers. Thank you ladies! I know at least one of you reads!

This calendar is set to the school year so I had to wait until August to use it. I came up with a brilliant idea to keep everyone straight. Each person would be assigned a color. GG is purple, Little Dude is red, the husband and I are blue. I can now easily see who has scouts when, what days GG needs to take her flute to school, and where I need to be on certain days.

However, this plan is not fool proof.

The shower is a great place for me to think, assuming little people don't barge in on me because of a pee emergency. Sunday night I was in the shower. As I was washing Garnier suds out of my hair, I starting thinking about what I needed to do in the upcoming week. My mind wandered to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese earlier in the day that I opted out of taking Little Dude to. I really didn't feel like dealing with that place. Also, Sundays are our days at my in-laws house. Opting for the in-laws tells you how much I dislike Chuck E. Cheese!

I started feeling pretty good about not having to deal with that giant rodent when it hit me. Little Dude was supposed to go to a birthday party on Saturday as well. I told the mom we would probably be there, but I forgot to write in on my calendar with the red pen. Oops!

"Probably" makes it ok that I forgot to take my boy, right?



Someone please remind me of this post if I ever start to think about another child. I can't even keep the ones I have straight!


Until next time...

A camera can't always capture magic moments

In my nine years of being a mom, I have had the joy of experiencing countless magic moments.




hosted by Shell


The first words from my child's mouth. The first steps of their tiny feet. The first time my youngest tried to say his sister's name. Coincidentally, my boy is why I call my daughter "GG" on this blog.

As my children got older, I realized that the magic moments continue.


The fist time my daughter learned to ride her skateboard





The street fair where my son experienced a moment in time with a fire fighter.





The moment my children realized they had limitations






I often try to capture these moments on "film", but sometimes things happen that a camera can't quite capture.


This past weekend I was hosting a Tupperware party at my mom's house. The husband was out of town which meant I had to take the kids with me to the party. We packed up some of their favorite toys before we left home and I hoped for the best. We had a busy day and I knew their ability to get a long would only last so long.

The party went well, however it was much longer than any of us planned for. Our consultant was a talker. Four hours after the party had started, my friends began to make their way home while my mom and I cleaned up. While we were helping the consultant pack her stuff away, she mentioned how well behaved my kids were. My children did bicker, I won't lie. It is impossible for siblings to get along all of the time. The three of us all being moms, we knew some disagreements were to be expected. But in general, my kids played well all night and kept their noses out of the party. The four hour long party!!

Many days I have my doubts about how well I manage this thing called parenthood. Hearing someone I have only met twice compliment my children like that boosted my confidence in myself. It also made me very proud of my children.







Until next time...

Whirlwind

Yesterday was Little Dude's family birthday party. I would love to share some pictures of the awesome gifts he got, but I was too busy being anal about wrapping paper being all over the floor enjoying the moment.

He did get some pretty awesome, and much needed things. There were Legos, bug catcher equipment, airplanes, and tons of clothes. Little Dude didn't care much for the clothes, but I was over the moon about them. That means one less kid I have to buy school clothes for!

The best part of this party, at least in my opinion, were the cupcakes. With the exception of 2 or 3 birthdays for GG, I have always made their cakes. I think it's more personal and the kids love helping me decide what to make. Having them decide their cake can be good or bad depending on their choice.

Between my mom and my sister-from-another-mister, I found a few cute ideas. When I presented them to Little Dude, he went with the corn on the cob cupcakes.





I think the trick candles put them over the top. I don't think the Dude really thought I would buy him the trick candles he kept asking me for.




I really wish I could have some down time after this party. Parties (and family) are always exhausting! Instead of taking a day to rest, I need to get ready for vacation. The panic of what to pack and me pre-departure to-do list is going to kill me. It probably wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't such a procrastinator! That and we haven't taken a vacation in 7 years. I'm freaking over the possibility of forgetting something little yet trivial, such as a toothbrush or Tylenol.

I know I'll get it together on time to leave. Just because I'm panicking doesn't meant you have to. I am taking my computer, but I probably won't get a chance to blog, Facebook, or tweet. I promise to come back next week with a proper vacation post as well as a post on how I made those cupcakes.



Until next time...

Phone Fail

Since the middle of last school year, GG has been asking for a cell phone.

"Everyone has one" (didn't work for my mom and it won't work on me!)

I found it hard to believe that every third grader had a cell phone. Every time I turned around it seemed like another third grade parent was complaining about their own child constantly asking for a phone. The husband and I, along with most of those other parents, didn't even bat an eye before saying no.

Did you notice I said "most' of those parents? Apparently some parents have caved. I respect their decision, but that doesn't mean that it will change my mind about buying my 9 year old her own phone. But what it might end up doing is sending me after one parent in particular. The parent who didn't explain any rules about calling her friends.


My children go to by 9. That is early compared to some kids who have the luxury of sleeping in. Just because it's summer vacation doesn't mean we get a break from taking the husband to work every morning. My kids need their sleep or else it gets ugly the next day.

Wednesday night I had put the kids to bed. I came downstairs to blog, Facebook, and work on my never-ending sweater. At 9:30 my phone rang. I don't talk to very many people because I prefer to text and those few people I do talk to have their own ring tones. This ring tone was the one for other people. Ever since I was a child, if someone called after 9 9n the evening, it wasn't a good thing. Naturally I started to freak out. I looked at the caller ID and quickly realized that it was a friend of GG's. Since she was in bed I let it go to voice mail, which her friend failed to leave.

Thursday morning, just after 8, we were walking Little Dude up to the school for his summer camp. My phone rings again. It is GG's friend again. It wasn't a good time to talk since so again, I let it go to voice mail. Which she failed to leave again.

Fast forward two hours - 10 am. My phone rings again. I'm sure you can guess who it was. Again. This time I handed my phone to GG. Her friend was calling to see if GG could join her and her family at a local amusement park over the weekend. I told her no because the day they were going is the day we have dinner plans with my in-laws. I felt bad GG couldn't go, but family comes first.

Twenty minutes later my phone rings yet again. I was outside and didn't even hear it ring. This time she left a message. The first part was a reminder about what to bring to this girl's sleepover tonight. In the rest of the message, this girl explained that they already had an extra ticket. If I changed my mind about allowing GG to go, please call her back. Apparently she thought I was saying no for shits and giggles?


By this point I was highly annoyed. She called after dark, first thing in the morning, and again until someone answered. Mid-afternoon, when I thought I had everything planned out as to what I would say to her dad when I saw him, my phone rings. Again, it's GG's friend. She was trying once again to get me to change my mind. I had GG explain to her that we had family obligations. She still continued to persist.

I was at a loss for words. Not only had she called me more times than I think she should have, she also gave me the pleasure of dealing with a miserable child the rest of the afternoon.

I really hate talking to parents about their child for something negative. I hated it when I worked in day care and I hate it now. Unfortunately, it looks like that is what I have to do.


Until next time...

Red mohawks and a walk

If you read yesterday's post, than you already know that the 4th of July is a busy holiday for us.

On the 4th itself, things really get busy. Especially this year.

Of course we all don our red, white, and blue. Little Dude wanted his hair sprayed red and blue again this year. Thankfully GG opted out of it. Last year, the red stained her hair for 2 months!









Along with the spray colors, Little Dude also wanted a mohawk. Surprising it held up most of the day! Please don't ask why he looks stoned in this picture. He has the same look in almost all pictures I take!

This year was especially busy because we were walking in the parade with the Girl Scouts. Little Dude was supposed to try and walk with the anti-bully group for the schools, but he somehow managed to stay with us girls.

While I walked with our troop and our lovely float built around a stroller

Little Dude took a ride in the van. The whole entire route!

After we successfully walked (and rode through) the parade, we made the trek back home for lunch. I had to make a quick trip to my mom's before heading to a picnic at a friend's house. I think this is a picnic we might have to go to every year. Both of my kids had friends there, as did I. As well as good food and good drinks! Everyone needs a little whipped cream vodka for the holidays!

As the sun began to set behind the storm clouds, a friend and I, with our 5 collective kids in tow, began our walk uphill to the high school stadium for the firework display. We found a good spot where everyone could see and my friend's stroller was easily accessible. As soon as a drum and bugle corps began to play, the sky opened up. For the second night in a row, we were caught in the rain. Thankfully my friend's husband, who volunteers for the 4th of July committee, was there. He found us a nice dry spot in the press box to wait out the storm.

The rain finally stopped and it only delayed the start of the fireworks by 10 minutes. We found a new spot to sit and waited for the show to start. It was well worth the wait!

Yes, this is a firework!
Pretty awesome, right?!

Wordful Wednesday by

and


Until next time...

The battle has begun

What a crazy weekend, as the 4th usually is! We could all use an extra day just to catch up on sleep. I know it won't happen, but at least it's a sign that the weekend was a fun one.

Saturday was just a bunch of running around, but Sunday is when the real fun started. After visiting my in-laws, I took the kids to the local Street Fair.

Our street fair isn't anything huge, but it's fun. Each of my kids got a free airbrush tattoo as well as a turn in the bounce house. I "treated' them to free hot dogs and free cotton candy. Free is good. After visiting the vendors I took them to the police station to find a spot on the curb to watch the Battle of the Barrel.

Every year someone asks what this Battle is exactly. Local fire departments gather and have a battle. A barrel is strung up in the middle of the street. Using their hoses, the teams of firemen (and women) they try to push the barrel to the other side of the wire.

Kids gather on the sides of the street to watch knowing full well they will get soaked to the core. Many of my friends we passed along the way asked if I was taking the kids to the pool because they were each carrying a towel. No pool, we're just pros at this battle thing. We come prepared!

Well, almost fully prepared. I failed to check the weather before we left because I was under the assumption it was going to be a gorgeous night. We all know what happens when one assumes, right? In the end, I was just as wet as the kids - them from the hoses, me from Mother Nature.

Rain was a running theme throughout the holiday. Thankfully it held off for the parade the following morning. The rain held out long enough to almost ruin the fireworks.

I'll share more about that tomorrow. Right now, I think I need a nap.


I hope you had a good holiday!

Until next time...

Glad I don't have a tail

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. When someone asks what your child ate, the best answer to give to sound like mom of the year is "I don't know". You look even better when the person who asked the question is a paramedic. Let me back up and explain the whole story...

Over the weekend, my little town had their 3rd annual Community Day. It's nothing to rave about because quite frankly, there's not much there. And that's a shame. Even though I'm not a fan of one of the ladies in charge, I really need to find the organization on Facebook or something and suggest how to get the word out more for next year. We really need that new park and stadium.

Just because there's not a lot to do at Community Day, we still managed to have some fun. The first hour that we were there, the husband and I let the kids play on the inflatables and play a few games. After that, the boys went home. It was time for me to volunteer at the Girl Scout booth. On the way over, GG stopped to get a sno-cone.

Instead of having GG be bored out her mind with me at the booth, I let her run around with her friends. They ran all over the field for the next 90 minutes or so. I ran into GG on my way to get a bite to eat and she asked for a bottle of water. She had a headache. I should have paid more attention to this little detail, but I failed. GG drank some water and went back to find her friends.

Another 30 minutes pass when my girl returns to the booth. She now says her stomach hurts and she is really hot. I turn to look at her and all of the color has drained out of her face. I was about to gather our stuff to take her home when I thought to feel her head for a fever. After all, she was sick earlier in the week. Perhaps it had been lying dormant for a few days.

When I touched her face, she feels clammy and cold as ice. My friend put her hand on GG's leg, which was also cold and clammy. I look back at her face and this is when I realize that her lips are blue. My heart dropped. Thank goodness the EMS tent was nearby because off we ran.

The paramedics turned on the misting fan behind her to cool her off. I was not a fan of this. It was warm that day, but nowhere near as hot as it had been earlier in the week. The checked her blood pressure, as well as her pulse ox (the level of oxygen in your blood - I know this from our asthma induced hospital trips years ago).

Everything checks out fine, which is when one of them turn to me and ask "What has she had to eat today?" That is when I utterly failed as a mom. Other than the sno-cone, I honestly had no clue what she ate for breakfast. The husband feeds the kids on the weekends so I can sleep in. I also had no clue what color sno-cone she ate (drank?). Turns out it was blue. I'm thinking (hoping) I didn't notice the sno-cone blue left on her lips until she lost all her color. Another fail? Probably.

The diagnosis? Get the girl something to eat, like a hot dog or hamburger.

If I had a tail, it surely would have been between my legs. I should have paid more attention to what was going into her body.



Until next time...

Ice water and battle wounds

I can safely say that the kids are back in school and I am recovered from our 4-day weekend, save my sunburn. Our weekend started off pretty rough. Friday was rainy and chilly. That meant I was stuck in the house with two whiny kids. If that was a preview of summer vacation, I wanted nothing to do with it!

Luckily the weekend took a turn for the better. The sun was shining bright and the air was hot. After Friday, I took every opportunity to ship those kids of mine outside. Being a boy, Little Dude spent most of that outside time in the dirt. No matter how many times I tried to wipe him off, the dirt kept coming back!

Our water bill probably will probably be just as ugly!

GG took the more girly approach and chalked up any piece of cement she could find.

I think I like the girly feet better!

I think she opted for chalk over her usual kicking the soccer ball because goal practice is now banned. Yes, I want them to practice and love the sport, but I don't appreciate the huge crack that is now in my deck box!


Sunday was yet another day for my to ship those buggers outside. At someone else's house! I loaded the kids up to head to a picnic at a friend's house. Her children are friends of mine, and there were other little people who came and went throughout the afternoon.

All afternoon, the kids ran circles around the house. Literally! After a few hours, the adults became concerned. The temperature was teetering around 90 and all of their little faces were the shade of Elmo. A hospital trip was not on anyone's agenda, so we needed to cool those kids down and quick.

My friend, the party hostess, noticed that one of the plastic barrels holding some of the drinks was now more full of water than cans and bottles. Why not give it to the kids, right? Except it wasn't for them to drink.

And we may or may not have failed to tell the kids exactly where the water came from. Let's just say Little Dude was quite shocked when he dumped a full cup over his head. I hear ice water is a little chilly!

Now that our weekend is over, I think we can all look back and agree that it was a good one. The proof is on the kids, whose legs are covered with bruises, scrapes, and mosquito bites.

How was your holiday weekend?


Until next time...

He's got rhythm

Someday my little boy is going to make one woman very happy.

Over the weekend, the four of us attended the wedding of a very good friend of me and the husband. If it wasn't for her, the husband and I wouldn't be where we are today.

The ceremony was in a tiny, but beautiful old church. The ceremony was short and sweet, which was really good for those of us with kids! The reception? I think many of us will remember it for years to come.

When we arrived at the hall, cookies and appetizers were set up for guests to eat while they waited for the bridal party to arrive. Genius idea if you ask me.

Once the kids were fed and fueled, they were ready to hit the dance floor. When I say "they", I really mean Little Dude. It took GG a while to warm up to dancing. We've recently learned that she has a bit of stage fright.

When all was said and done, Little Dude danced for 3 hours straight. The only thing that could have made it better was if the belly dancer danced with him during her performance. It wasn't for lack of trying, but she did dance with him later in the night.

A boy who dances would make any girl happy, but as parents, we might be in for a bumpy ride!



Until next time....

Even Superman wasn't perfect

With the exception of the first 4 years of GG's life, I feel blessed to have 2 relatively healthy children. GG had asthma that began when she was 18 months old. It took many trips to the pediatrician and the hospital, but we finally got it under control. Each year thus far has been better and better in regards to her asthma.

With Little Dude, I can count on one hand the number of times he has been sick over the past 5 years. Runny noses don't count because when you're in day care, it's almost a requirement to have snot pouring out of your nose. Although he was no where near as bad as the other kids!

Little Dude was in day care until he was 3. The next two years he was at home with me. Sure, we went to the library and the park, but he wasn't exposed to other kids as he was in day care. I expected him to enter Kindergarten and start bringing home every disease under the sun. Surely his immune system suffered in those 2 years home with me.

I was wrong.

Every week was a different story with his classmates. One week they were all throwing up. The next they all had strep throat. Through it all, Little Dude avoided everything. He had Superman immunity!

I sympathized with friends who had 3 kids that would pass germs back and forth for weeks at a time. I would also make sure to tell them that my kids didn't do that. They had Superman immunity. Yes, even GG developed this special immunity.

I felt so special. My kids weren't missing school. My kids weren't up all night sick as a dog. My kids were able to eat and keep their food in their stomachs where it belonged. My kids were Superman awesome!

But do you know what happens when you brag about this anyone and everyone? It comes back to bite you in the ass. Hard!

Last month, Little Dude had an ear infection of epic proportions. I've never seen a kid so miserable from an achy ear. And GG had a lot of ear infections! The past 2 weeks, Little Dude's nose is just disgusting. I had no idea a child's nose could produce so much junk! I've worked in day care and I've seen some nasty stuff. Then he picks it, it bleeds, and it's just nasty. Now he has a cough, which I am starting to wonder if it needs looked at. Or listened to. But by a professional because I am no where near one.

I am not a professional because I am the mom who swore up and down that her daughter had strep throat. At the pediatrician's office yesterday, I made sure they did a strep test because that is what she had. To make a long painful morning story short, we walked out of the office with 3 prescriptions. Two are breathing medications and one is a steroid. These won't help with strep throat, but they will help a child who has pneumonia and asthma.

Even Superman isn't perfect.



ps. the side effects of the albuterol and the steroids make GG a total pain in the ass. And mean. Please send reinforcements. I accept rum and/or chocolate. Hell, at this point I would even take beer or wine, which I don't usually drink. And it's only day 1 of the meds. Help! Please!



Bragging about your kids not getting sick and then trying to diagnose them when they are, resulting in sending the pediatrician into panic mode leads to a not so Proud Mommy Moment.

If you have a moment to share, click the button, read and link up!





Until next time...

I will survive

I survived a Girl Scout overnight trip! I want to know why the adults don't get a patch for that? It's quite an accomplishment to make it out alive!

I have to give much love to those who host this event. Everything was very organized and very fun. Yes, even I had fun. Until the sleeping part.

The night started out with group events. The 314 of us were split into 3 groups and we rotated between 3 stations. Our group, the orange group, started off with the campfire. That really worked out because I was starving! The girls and adults roasted wienies and made s'mores. The best part of that event? Hearing someone yell "Watch where you put your wienie!".

Our next station was inside the dome and went off relatively well. Until the end. We made tie-dye shirts, which turned out great. We also made letters to the troops. Before it was time to move on, the girls in my troop were goofing around. GG was tackled by one of her friends and it was ugly. She landed on her shoulder funny and I was afraid she dislocated it. She moved it a few times, but I could still tell it hurt her. She refused to let me take her to someone to have it looked at and instead she opted out of participating in our next station, mini golf. She showed her friends the proper way to hold the club and would retrieve their balls when they hit them too far. Even though she was hurt, she still had fun. The funny thing is, her shoulder miraculously healed when I told her she couldn't ice skate if she was hurt.

Before heading to the main building where the ice rink was, we had to stop back at the dome and change into warmer clothes. GG had to use the bathroom so I decided to take her and we would meet our troop in the other building. Of course there was a line at the bathroom. This kind of thing tends to happen when you only have one toilet available. The other one was just nasty! Yes, one bathroom for 314 people. There were 4 porta-potties, but personally, I have to be really desperate to even go near those!

Finally it was almost our turn. We just had to wait for the woman in front of us to finish. I don't know what the hell she was doing, but perhaps a porta-potty would have been a better option for her. I did hear paper ripping and I can only assume she was lining the seat before she sat. Then there was a bunch of shuffling and jingling. Possibly a belt? We stood there for 5 minutes and I'm still not sure she did anything! Perhaps I should have printed out Momma Kiss' rules on proper bathroom etiquette and shared them? Or perhaps she knew these rules and was trying to make us leave so she could get some privacy (see previous comment on her using the porta-potties because you're not going to get privacy when there's a frickin line!).

GG and I ended up walking out and decided to find the bathrooms in the other building. We peed, she got skated up, and headed out on the ice with her friends. The girls and some other adults who were not me skated for about an hour before we headed back to the dome, where we would be sleeping.

We set up our sleeping in prime real estate on the lovely hard as a rock green astroturf. We wanted a good view of the movie, which would start promptly at 11:15. That's past my bedtime, but I really wanted to see Tangled. I can tell you it was a really good movie. Up until the point where Rapunzel escapes from her tower. That's when I crashed. I woke up a few times through the night because I couldn't feel the side of my body I was sleeping on. If you've ever slept on astroturf, than you understand. If you haven't, it's probably more comfortable sleeping on a brick road.

And just when I finally fell into a deep sleep.... BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. Some bitches set their alarms for 6 o'clock in the bloody morning! Who does that?! The lights were coming on at 7. If that didn't wake you up, then the girls who were woken up by the lights surely would have gotten you up. Thank goodness coffee was provided.

I think everyone had a good time. I know I did, but I really have to wonder. Last week, I read a post by Erin about things that SAHMs should be paid for . If I were to add "Surviving a Girl Scout sleepover" to that list, how rich would I be?



Until next time....

Send some luck please

Before send out my plea for help, I do want to take a moment to point out that Girl Scouts is a great organization.

For the girls. Adults? Not so much!

GG has been in scouts for a few years now and she looks forward to each and every meeting. I have been a leader for almost 2 years now and I dread each and every meeting. The meetings with the girls as well as the leader meetings.

Tonight I get the pleasure of experiencing my very first sleepover as a leader.

Enter plea for help.....NOW!!!


Assuming we don't get lost, we should arrive a little after 6pm. From the time we arrive to 11pm, the schedule is packed. There will be ice skating, tie-dye shirt making, hot dog roasting and s'more making. I am looking forward to the activities. The other girls who will be there? I'm scared. The place where we are going can hold up to 600 people for these overnight trips. That's a lot of girls all between the ages of 5 and 9.


Enter plea number 2..... NOW!!!


At the end of the night, oh, say, around 11:15 a movie will be shown on the ceiling of the arena. I don't know who thought it was a good idea to show a movie this late a night, but whatever. The best part is, we all get to sleep on astroturf to watch the movie.


Enter plea number 3.... NOW!!!


Assuming we all make it through the night, we can all wake up bright eyes and bushy tailed at 7am for breakfast. I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this, but I am anything but a morning person. People who know me refuse to talk to me until I've had at least one cup of coffee. The people I am spending the night do not know this. It could get ugly!

You might think this sounds like a fantabulous time, and it sort of does. You might also think that GG and I can return home Saturday morning (they kick us out of there at 8) and sleep all day. This one you are wrong. Both of my kids have soccer games so we will be at the field from 10:30 to 12:30.


Enter plea number 4.... NOW!!!!


If I make it through the night, I fear I won't survive the morning. Please wish me luck and keep me in your thoughts during what could be a tough time.



Until next time (hopefully)....

I need a fix

Wednesday nights can be miserable nights for me. Thankfully it's only once a month that I really have to put up with it.

I'm a Girl Scout Leader. Once a month on a Wednesday, the leaders have a meeting. We discuss what each troop is doing and any events that are coming up. All we do is talk and sometimes I take notes. You wouldn't think listening to someone talk for close to 2 hours would be tiring. But it is.

After every meeting I come home, plop my butt on the couch, and watch crappy TV. My brain just cannot function.

But that has since changed.

The other leader of our troop has been bringing her baby to the meetings. Leader meetings have turned into baby time for me. He's a big boy, but oh, so cute. When her arms just can't hold him anymore, I gladly take over. If she needs to do something, I will gladly take a hold of him while she works. Sometimes I wonder if I just have that look in my eye that screams "I need a baby fix!!!'


I absolutely love babies, but the husband and I have decided that 2 is enough. Hell, sometimes Little Dude by himself is more than enough! But anyway, the husband has very justified reasons for stopping at 2 and quite frankly, we couldn't swing it right now even if we wanted another baby. Financially and spatially. Although he probably wouldn't have to twist my arm too much if he did change his mind.

For now, it's probably best that I get my baby fix through other people's children. Plus, I can give those kids back when they start to cry. That's probably the best part!


Until next time....

Whirl wind

These past few days have been a whirl wind! Tuesday it snowed and it made all the driving I do quite difficult. That snow also meant that Wednesday and Thursday the schools had a 10am start. Those 10 am starts are nice because we're not so rushed in the morning, but once the kids are in school I turn into the Tasmanian Devil. Those delays mean I have 2 less hours to get stuff done. Add to that the fact that I love to procrastinate and it's just a disaster.

Yesterday was especially crazy because it was my feature day over on SITS. Yay me! I'm quite proud of myself because I think I responded to everyone's lovely comments.

I would like to give a huge thank you to anyone who read my post about wishing for a fast forward button. Losing someone we care about is incredibly hard. The kind words that were left on that post mean a lot to me. Thank you!


If a commenter is a no-reply, there's not much I can do about responding. But if I can get to your blog to return the visit, I definitely will. Just give me some time.

For now I need to figure out what the heck I'm wearing tonight. The husband and I are going to his company work party. It's nothing fancy. Apparently programmers aren't big on the dressing up thing. But I still like to look nice.


This weekend the midgets will finally get the chance to play in the snow. There's enough of it out there that they should be occupied for quite some time (yay!). Keep an eye out next week for some pictures of my snow monsters!


Until next time....

I'm having a party

Today is my big day and I couldn't be more excited!

Yep, that's right!

I'm being featured by the SITS girls!

How awesome is that?

If you're visiting from SITS, welcome. I'm so happy to have you here!

If you are hoping for some kind of introduction of who I am and what I blog about, I have to disappoint you. I am not very good with the "About me" stuff. I will say that I am a mom, a wife, and a woman. I am also a sports fan. Football playoffs are here - consider yourself warned! I mostly blog about my midgets, GG and Little Dude - the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I'd love for you to stay a while and have a look around. Everything you need is located in my sidebar over there --->


If you've been here for some time, I greatly appreciate it. No one can understand the true sense of the blog community until you are involved in it.


Old and new, thank you stopping by!


Until next time....

Merry Christmas to all

We all have our own ways of celebrating the holidays. Some are religious and focus on that side of Christmas, while others focus on spending time with family. Some are all about the gifts, but I hope the majority of that group is all under the ripe old age of 10.

Some go all out for Christmas, while other don't. Or can't.

We all have our own way of celebrating and no matter how you do it, I hope you enjoy every minute of it.

Merry Christmas to all

And to all a good night

Until next time....