A B C D E F G H I J Kindergarten

Today was the big day . . . . . . the kindergarten meet and greet. We found out who Wonder Boy's teacher would be and who his classmates were. He was super excited to learn his good buddy would be in the same class as him. I was excited too because this little guy is such a sweet, mellow, fun kid. And I love that the two of them can have a good time but not get all wild crazy.

Their teacher is young, not married and has no children. Which I think happens to be the best teachers. Not that ones with kids of their own and lots of teaching experience is a bad thing. Just that these fresh, young, excited, energetic teachers make for really great experiences for the kids. So I was happy to see we got Miss K for the year. Our neighbor works at the school which also gives me a calming, peaceful outlook about Wonder Boy tripping off to full day kindergarten. Knowing that someone there, other than myself or this teacher, knows WB and will look out for him. The little next door neighbor girl will also be in his class (at the same table no less) including a couple other friends from t-ball and kids of ladies from my mom's group so I was happy about that too. It's going to be a great year for him!!


The school is old but the class was very large and bright. EP's daughter is sitting right next to Wonder Boy. I think Emily and I both screeched in delight when we realized it . . . . . well I know I did. However, Wonder Boy was a little disappointed he sits at a table full of girls with girl germs. I told him sitting with the girls is the best part about school; gives him a chance to work on his skills. But it's probably something he won't appreciate until he is a little older.

pukefest 2007

It left just as it came . . . . . all the sudden! Pukefest 2007 was a mysterious event that reeked havoc for 24 hours and then vanished without even a so long but with major evidence it was here. Miss O started to complain her tummy was hurting right after lunch on Tuesday. I sent her up to the bathroom and I was quickly summoned to find her mac and cheese neatly thrown up in her pants lying on the floor. It was a down hill spiral from there. She threw up all over the house continuously missing the bucket again and again. She felt terrible. I put her on the couch in quarantine, tipping over the coffee table and moving the ottoman around so that the baby couldn't get near her but it didn't mean much to that little virus for it struck Baby Love right around 7pm that evening. Both girls were vomiting and lethargic. Luckily they both slept through the night and Baby Love seemed to make a quick turn around eating toast the next morning. However, Miss O gave us one last protruding puke across the living room floor and then announced "I hungry now!"



Today bellies have seemed to return back to their natural working order and luckily Wonder Boy has not been stricken. (I worry he'll start throwing up the morning of his first day of school.) The aftermath is a scary site with the faint smell of vomit through out the house and old towels strewn about the living room covering ominous spots. I told J we need to steam clean the carpet and he said "I think we need a professional for this one!" He is probably right.



Baby Love and the Divine Miss O sleeping it off yesterday afternoon.




In quarantine.













Feeling better.



Such sweetness!

girls

Baby Love rocking her new shirt. She is climbing onto everything these days. She is super close to walking but is still hesitant. I keep thinking 17 months she'll walk. Okay at 18 months she'll walk for sure. My dead line keeps getting pushed out and it looks like we are still heading to physical therapy in September after all.













The Divine Miss O is not feeling so divine today. She caught a little flu bug and has been throwing up all afternoon. It's not a pretty site seeing mac and cheese the second time around I tell ya. Ewwwwww!! It's takes all my might not to up chuck myself when the kids get sick.











No matter how bad she feels, this little diva can turn on the charm in true divine style at any time.



She's sacked out on the couch now - poor baby!!

smellin' school spirit

We had our teacher's tea this morning at school where the parents and kids come to meet their new teachers and get a feel for the school, etc. We spent a good portion yesterday morning putting up bulletin boards, decorating and rearranging furniture getting ready. I was really nervous about meeting the parents and giving my little speech. I had a hard time falling asleep last night because of it. But to my surprise, it was really lovely and I was happy. The parents seem great. One of the moms reminded me of myself when I first put Wonder Boy into preschool. Full of questions and worries about how this whole school thing was going to work out. The kids were so sweet. That two year old stage (right before they turn into stinky three years olds) is the best age. They are full of curiosity! You can see their brains going a million miles a minute soaking up every little thing they can. It's fabulous! I'll have four young two year olds and Baby Love who will be 18 months at the start of school. I'm very excited.

*******

Yesterday afternoon, I spent some time in the garage going through boxes. I've decided to take my old college text books down to Half Price Books and see if they'll take them. J took a box to the goodwill and I already have another one ready to go. I felt good letting go of some of the clutter. I also enjoyed going through some of my prized possessions and reminiscing about why they are so prized.

J also went through some of his stuff. A lot was tossed (funny the things we hold onto as kids). He had a shoe box of cards that I went through and I found a dollar he had gotten as tip as a paper boy. Which is pretty funny because I bet him I would find some forgotten cash within the envelopes. We also found an adorable little wood antique penny bank. I love it!! It's basically a red box with a little frog on top wearing a crown. It would be perfect for a baby boy nursery. We'll have to find the perfect spot in Wonder Boy's room for it.

The garage is in complete disarray but there's less stuff at least. I think the only way we are really going to be able to get it really organized is if we take everything out and only put back the things we are keeping in an organized fashion. As it is right now, we just move boxes around from one spot to the other.

******

Wonder Boy had his six year wellness appointment this morning. He got a shot and his blood pressure was a little high, but that could be because he was nervous about getting shots. He had a good check up and is all set for kindergarten now.

The kids have been fighting relentlessly lately and it's driving me bonkers!! I was feeling sad about summer coming to an end, but now I'll be dancing in the street when they go back to school. They need a break from all the time they have been spending together. Only one more week . . .

baby love's 1st steps

Push play and enjoy!

i love me some craftin'

I had so much fun making this shirt using a cheap and super easy tutorial on screen printing. Look, look!! Now that I know this works, the possibilities are endless. I love it!!









I bought a cheap, small embroidery hoop. After making a quick little template on my computer. I printed it out and traced it onto the curtain sheer I placed into the hoop.



















I used Mod Podge to paint the negative space and waited for it to dry.













Then I placed the screen onto the shirt and stippled the fabric paint on.











After gently pulling the screen off the shirt, I was left with a cute shirt for Baby Love. After I heat set the paint, I will take a picture of her wearing it and post it. I can't wait!!

blueprint for life

At the book store the other night, I picked up a couple magazines I had never read before. The first being Blueprint. "Design your life" it said. And, I thought "oh I need a design for my life, yes!!" After getting home, I realized it was a Martha Stewart publication. No wonder the soft hues of Tiffany blue and cursive lettering called out to me from the display rack. I'm instantly attracted to all things Martha. I wondered if she is going for a less "in your face Martha" and a more "this is a just a cool magazine" that I happen to be making even more money from approach after her run ins with the law. Anyhoo, it's a fun little read. They also have a blog called bluelines - check it out.

The other magazine I grabbed was domino which many of you have all ready discovered. It's another fun one. I love the stickers they include so you can tab all the things you want to try, buy, use, or renovate in your home. I pulled out the "how to" organize your bathroom medicine cabinet and stuck to it my own cabinet for inspiration. That's my next little goal to clean it out, throw away all the old products I don't use and streamline my morning routine with a little more organization.

And of course, they have some fun blogging to check out too at Daily Dose.

Other fun: I found this tutorial on screen-printing or silk screen as we used to call it in high school. It's a really fun way to make cool designs for shirts or whatever. I have been making shirts for school field days and 100s days celebrations as well as for my kids' birthday parties for favors for a while now. But I always just used t-shirt transfers. Then the other day I remembered learning how to screen print in my high school art class. So by the power of "google" I looked it up. I'm going to try to make a little shirt for Baby Love to see how it works. Stay tuned!

Something else that looks fun is gocco ("go co"). I wonder how much these little machines are? I'll have to check it out.

Happy Friday!!

etsy

People! Listen up!! If you haven't discovered Etsy yet, get out from under your rock and check it out. It's FABULOUS!! It's an online website (sort of like ebay) where people can sell their handmade crafts, clothes, art, etc and where people like me can buy cool stuff.

I found an artist at tambatoys and I fell in love with her "Olive Wears" collection. I want to buy a set of three (Olive wears Red, Olive wears Purple, and Olive wears Lime Green) for Miss O because they are cute and they remind me of her.

I also found a very cool digital artist! I ordered Wash Behind Your Ears for the kids' bathroom. I love the retro style! So fun!

*******

I had a great time last night hanging out with my dear friend at University Village. We had a lovely dinner, lots of conversation and little bit of shopping. My only regret, we didn't get more time to check out all the cool shops. The last time I was there was like three years ago, so last night only wet my appetite for more! We'll have to go back some Saturday and spend a good chunk of time browsing all the fun shopping we don't get to do with kids. We hung out for most of the evening after dinner in the book store because it stayed open late. I loved it! Perusing the art books and how tos, shifting through the kids section (I love children's literature), grabbing coffee, checking out all the lovely stationary, etc. All the while chatting along the way. It couldn't have been more perfect. I found Tintin for Wonder Boy. He's had his nose in it since I gave it to him this afternoon. Gotta love that!!

*******

While Wonder Boy was at his Tae Kwon Do 1/2 day camp this morning, Miss O, Baby Love and I waltz on down to the Dance Boutique for laces for her tap shoes. OH.MY.GAWD!!! It was dance accessory heaven. Tutus galore. Pink everything. The smell of leather toe shoes wafted up your nose the minute you stepped into the building. Miss O turned on her princess frufru mode and she was on auto pilot big time. Saying things like "Ohhhhhhhh, dis is sooooo cwute!!" "We hava buyit mama!!" and "Right now mama!!" She picked out the most flowery, lacey, pink leotard she could find and was pretty much demanding it just short of a temper tantrum. I was able to deflate the possible break down trying on some soft shoes which luckily were all too big, so we passed. I managed to get her out of the store completely forgetting about the pink overload dance wear. However, I'm super excited for her to start her little class this fall. They will do ballet and tap and I will be able to live vicariously through her. It's gonna be cute! (Look for pictures soon)

********

In my need to be more creative, I'm starting a new kick . . . . . . painting. Yes, I know . . . . . where do I get off. But art is all in the eye of the beholder right. So I grabbed a cheap canvas up and some green paint and voila!! I painted a pear for our bedroom wall a few months ago.










I've decided to paint little pieces of art for the children in our lives for Christmas presents this year. I bought a little paint set at Michael's this morning with my 50% off coupon. I've been sketching a little bit for ideas. I hope it works out. Keep your fingers crossed.

what a wonderful world

This is way cool. Check it out! Thanks mom!

health

Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.

Buddha

weigh in: week #28

Okay I haven't posted my weigh in for a while, officially that is, mostly just because I sorta forgot and things have been busy. The weigh in posts are supposed to be on Fridays. As I've mention before I have set a huge goal for myself to lose 60 pounds by my 10 year wedding anniversary next year. (August 14th 2008) I'm not going to set up myself up for failure however. I realize that if I tell myself I need to lose this huge amount of 60 pounds, then it will be too daunting and I will eventually give up. So I'm breaking it down into 5 pound increments. For every 5 pounds, I'll give myself little reward party (that doesn't involve food) and I hope that will help motivate me. I've also set myself up with a work out buddy (yay JS) so I can get myself down to the gym three times a week. I can't forget Hot Yoga. I do want to do that again for sure - it's great!

So here goes (as of last night's weigh in):

pounds lost: .2 (not much, but I'll take it)
total loss: 16.8
diet: Weight Watchers
exercise: cleaning/organizing house (including moving furniture)

I need to drink more water. I fell off the water wagon recently. So that's my goal this week to drink more water (like lots more!) I have a work date on Saturday and I've made it a goal to get down to the gym Wednesday and Friday mornings before J goes to work. That's my plan anyway.

On other exciting news. I went to the Gap outlet a couple weeks ago. I saw these really cute long/knee length shorts for really cheap and I wanted them. Bad! I went through all the piles looking for the biggest size (18) but couldn't find one because it's the Gap so I figured as much. But there was one blue pair in size 16. I thought I would give it shot and try them on. Guess what? They fit!!!!! I think I did a hopping up and down dance of joy right then and there. And of course I had to buy them. Woohoo!!

100 things

Alright, I've seen many other bloggers do this and I always thought it was fun. Then Ms. E.P. over at 32 Enthropy Lane did hers and I was inspired to do my own because I quietly stalk her blog. No just kidding; I don't really do that. Okay, maybe I do a little.

100 things
*Some you might already know and some are little known facts.

1.I’m married with three kids
2.I was born in Olympia WA
3.I’m an only child
4.I love M&Ms!
5.Decorating children’s rooms is fun – I love it!
6.I love planning kids’ birthday parties
7.I love having a clean, organized house
8.I hate doing mundane house chores over and over again
9.I watch trashy TV and am addicted to reality shows
10.I was homecoming princess my freshman year of college (I was shocked too)

11.I have a quiet sense of humor
12.And I love British humor
13.I’m a teacher
14.Mr. Alongi (5th grade teacher) was my inspiration for my career goal
15.I’m joining the working world again this fall after six years – Yay preschool!
16.I love planning anything with a theme
17.I don’t talk to my biological father
18.I struggle with my weight and my shyness
19.My left ring-finger-nail is crooked (my aunt slammed it in a car door when I was four years old)
20.My home was a camper trailer for a year when I was 10 years old

21.I have one half sister and three step sisters
22.I’m a dog person
23.I’m not a morning person
24.I’m a Virgo
25.I had a pet rabbit named "Genius" when I was 8 years old
26.I had a childhood crush on Michael J Fox
27.I was a wrestling cheerleader in high school (go ahead, you can laugh)
28.And a basketball cheerleader in college because it qualified as a PE credit
29.My college is Catholic and my last teaching job was at a private Catholic school
30.I’m not religious (I know, it’s ironic isn’t it)

31.I wish I was smarter
32.I hate child predators with the very core of my sole
33.My favorite all time movie is Princess Bride
34.I love Harry Potter
35.I secretly wish I could make money from writing a children’s book or something crafty or own my own small business
36.I love good food and I crave carbs on a daily basis
37.I used to love shopping for myself, now I love shopping for my kids
38.I love to nap
39.I hate my hair
40.I enjoy Starbucks, pedicures, and facials

41.I walked five 5ks the spring/summer of 2007 and raised $650 dollars for the Arthritis Foundation
42.I lived on a working dairy farm for four years first with my parents in the big farm house and then with J in a smaller house down the driveway – I loved it
43.When playing house as a child, my husband’s name was always Jason
44.I’ve never like wearing a bathing suit . . . . . ever
45.My eyes twitch when I’m really tired (so weird)
46.I won a blue ribbon in my first walk/trot horse show when I was seven or eight however it was only me and another little boy
47.I don’t like ladybugs
48.My first visit to Disneyland was at age 32
49.I wish my home looked like the pages of Pottery Barn
50.I don’t like watching the news

51.I’m a slow reader but a quick study
52.I suffered a fractured pelvis, broken tailbone and concussion after fainting and falling off a horse in 1996
53.I have green eyes
54.I admire people with a sense of self
55.I loath arrogance
56.I want to be a world traveler, especially Ireland and Australia
57.I love my Irish roots but am not close to the family I inherited them from (go figure)
58.I have a fondness for Elephants
59.I have a small birthmark on the backside of my right kneecap
60.Slowness bothers me

61.My major pet peeves are usually about drivers and stupid people
62.I hate doing the dishes
63.I don’t like having neighbors
64.I don’t wear make up
65.Sometimes I wish I was a hippie – they’re cool!
66.I love antiques and old cool stuff
67.Garage sales are fun, but outdated g-sale signs annoy me
68.I’m not afraid of a well place curse word, in fact I love the shock value
69.I wish my family was closer
70.I’m a clutter-bug and I tend to hoard stuff – I hate this quality about myself

71.I grow attachments to material objects, hence #70
72.I love my mom
73.I hated jr high (puberty and acne, need I say more)
74.I like being alone
75.But I hate shopping alone
76.I love quaint/charming houses
77.And, I love going into other people’s houses, discovering their floor plans and how they decorate their spaces
78.I grind my teeth
79.I have a hard time falling asleep – always have
80.I love to scrapbook

81.I wish I could play an instrument or sing or dance really well
82.I wish I was good at gardening
83.I was born with red hair and I like my name
84.My hair line is crooked
85.I like shamrocks
86.I wish I had an accent
87.I admire people whose career is something they love
88.I adore my friends – more than they’ll ever know
89.I think of myself as a private person, but I wear my heart on my sleeve
90.I hardly ever cry

91.I’m a fighter (in a survivalist way, not a beat ‘em up way)
92.Complainers bother me
93.I traveled by myself for the first time when I was 32, on a plane no less
94.I can’t imagine life without my children
95.I can’t wait to retire, grow old and travel the world with my husband
96.It is my goal to be the best mom, mother-in-law and grandmother
97.I worry too much
98.I want to own a beach cottage someday (I love lighthouses)
99.I hardly ever eat breakfast
100.I’m proud of who I am now (I struggled with it for a long time)

Bonus
101.I'm not a city girl
102.I don't like lettuce on my sandwiches or burgers
103.I let my children eat french fries and ice cream
104.I think PB&J sandwiches are best with white bread
105.I really don't like trimming my kids' toenails - it sorta grosses me out
106.I wear the same (lightest) clothes to Weight Watchers every week
107.Jealously is not a trait I admire
108.Dr. Seuss rocks!
109.My house is always messy
110.My kids have too many toys but I wouldn't have it any other way (you're only a kid once)

chaos

Chaos is inherent in all compounded things.
Strive on with diligence.

Buddha

while she's sleeping

Laundry, laundry, laundry. I feel like my days are filled up with clothes whether it be washing them, drying them, folding them or leaving them unfolded in the baskets for days, separating them into piles of darks and lights, stepping over them, picking them up, putting them away, hanging them up, weeding out the outgrown or outdated . . . . . . yes, clothes. With three kids there seems to be an overabundance of clothes. And, yet it seems like I'm always needing to buy more because, well, kids grow. I save everything of Miss O's because they all get handed down to Baby Love. And I save some of Wonder Boy's because Miss O can wear his old jeans and such to her preschool. I struggle with giving clothes away to charities because I work so hard and spent so much money on all those clothes. I want to get my act together and see if I can sell some of the nicer kid clothes or possibly do consignment but that's a lot of work.

******

Anyway, enough about that . . . . . Baby Love is napping. She is really settling into a routine unfortunately I realized today, she going to have to rearrange her sleeping habits some in the next few weeks. She likes to stay up later and sleep in way late (a girl after my own heart) and she naps pretty early in the day. With her going to preschool this fall with me, she's going to have to be an early riser and wait for naps until the afternoon. I'm going to work on her sleep schedule before school starts. She needs to nap a little less and go to bed a little earlier. Hopefully, that will help her wake up earlier and we can adjust her routine a bit.


*******

Frieda is home again. She spent a week at Camp Grandma since we took a trip to Leavenworth and we weren't able to pick her up until Saturday evening. She's been sleeping pretty much since she got home. Running around with four dogs really wears the old girl out. It was weird not having her around this past week. She doesn't require much, but she's always around. As she was sniffing around for dinner crumbs last night, I told J it feels like our family is whole again.


*******

The weather has been rainy, wet and breezy. We are wearing our comfy clothes and sweats and chillin' around the house. We got a good start on our house overload cleaning/organizing frenzy. Still lots to do though. I have a need for my life and home to be in order before school starts otherwise I fear I will forget everything and always feel like I'm running two steps behind where I should be.

The kids have been doing crafts and watching too much tv. Wonder Boy put together a little wooden race car and is in between painting it. Miss O has been working on painting a horse ornament. I have been doing more laundry while she's sleeping.

Sunday blog love

I was floating around bloggerville usa this morning and stumbled upon some blogs I instantly feel in love with. From their fun, smart names to their inspirational content - it was love at first site!! Check 'em out and enjoy!

The Hip Homemaker

two straight lines

Found, Now Home

dig this chick

banana baby

Just when you think things are safe, they find yet another way to keep you on your toes. The girl won't walk, but she is a friggin' genius. Just take witness of those skills. Her PT commented we'll find baby love on the refrigerator before she walks. I have a sneaky feeling she's right. Push play and enjoy!

willkommen

We spent the last few days in Leavenworth WA, a little Bavarian town just about two hours north of us. It really is like stepping into another world full of fun and old world charm. We played putt putt golf, did lots of walking, enjoyed the sites around Lake Wenatche, shopped, ate, toured the nutcracker museum, stopped at the gingerbread factory, drove out to the fruit stand, walked the petting zoo, enjoyed ice cream, went to bed late, played in the pool and had lots of fun.

We spent our anniversary dinner at a cute little/rustic restaurant in the heart of Leavenworth. It was like stepping out of Russia and into Spain were our waitress was Australian and the mango/orange mojitos where to die for. Yum, yum!!

The weather was perfect!! We shopped as much as we could with three kids at all the cute little one-of-kind shops. Each of the kids got a wooden puzzle made in Leavenworth. Wonder Boy has a fondness for nutcrackers, so the Nutcracker Museum was a must. We walked through the musty isles of 5,000 crackers saw the oldest nutcracker and took pictures with Karl, the six foot working cracker. Miss O enjoyed her stop at the gingerbread factory complete with a gingerbread girl and chocolate milk. Very cute!! Baby love loved the music, walking (with help) and she thought the pool was lots of fun. She's developed a new love of all things "dog" and would point out and bark (woof woof) at everyone she saw.

We did a little site seeing on the banks of Lake Wenatche. The kids love to climb around the rocks and throw pebbles into the water. The walking trails were cool in a spooky kind of way.

It was a lovely little break away from the norm and mundane. . . . . . now it's back to cleaning and organizing the house. I have basically two weeks to get this house in order before we all go back to school and work. . . . . .

The Star Wars collection was WB's favorite nutcrackers. They were pretty amazing!

nine years

Marriage

Marriage does not solve all problems
But it softens the edges,
It does not help you get a good job
But it comforts when you come home bone tired,
It does not pay the bills
But it makes you sit and talk and plan a life together,
Marriage whispers
And calms
And reassures that you are not alone,
Marriage makes you laugh
When you are goofy and having fun with your closest friend,
There are times you would like to go on a sabbatical
But your commitment is strong and true and not to be violated,
It is never taking someone for granted
But thanking your partner for small thoughtful gestures.
It is noticing who really sits across the table from you
And understanding and loving.
E and J,
Remember the person you marry
The one you choose above all others.
Marriage does not solve all problems
But the edges are softer
And that is enough.

Love Laurie Barnoski


I came across this poem my beloved high school English teacher gave me as a wedding present. J and I will have been married for nine years on the 14th. We dated for five years before tying the knot. It's crazy to think about. Fourteen years, three kids, several jobs, two houses, cancer, lots of laughs and lots of tears, many cars and tons of clothes later, we're still here. We decided on a whim to get out of town this week. We are loading up the kids and heading out for a sanity saving, mini-vacation tomorrow. We are hitting up Leavenworth for a last summer hooraw. I'm excited!

I've been in a crazy organizing mode lately, trying to declutter and reorg my house. I have been skipping playdates and forgoing picnics to get my house and life in order. I feel like I have the month of August to accomplish my goal before school and work starts this fall.

The boys took the dog down to my parents' house this morning and to meet up with J's uncle, whose last visit was nine years ago) so I have been alone in the house with a napping baby and a sleeping four year old. Bliss! I went through my closet and pulled a pile of clothes out about as big as I am tall. I feel like I've accomplished something - a daunting task that has been looming over me. I decided to hang this poem from Mrs. Barnoski in my newly cleaned closet so I can see it everyday and remember why I married the person I share my life with.

I have been washing/drying/folding clothes like a mad housewife today. I love the delicious smell of the dryer drying clothes. I open windows and even go as far as turn the fan on in wonder boy's bedroom so the whole house fills up with the good smell goodness. Yum!

Last night we dropped Miss O and Wonder Boy off at Miss O's preschool for a mom and dad's night out. The kids play, get dirty, eat dinner and play some more while the parents get four hours off. We took the baby and went out to dinner. Baby love thrives with this special alone time and the kids have a blast with Teacher Suzie. After dinner we had two and half hours before we had to pick up the kids so we hit up the outlet mall. We ended up doing boring stuff like buying new school shoes for the big kids, but it was fun to do it together. The kids crashed almost as soon as we got home - it was great!!

Off to pack . . . . . happy weekend!

my life in a nutshell

Thank you mom-o-matic for the laugh! So funny!

congratulations are in order

Congratulations Dinklocker family!

She is so very sweet. I can't wait to meet her. Take good care! Hugs to you all.

and the sky is gray

The weather has turned and summer feels like it's slipping away making room for all things fall: crisp weather, bright colors, falling leaves, sweaters, and back to school. Suddenly the month of August has become super busy for us. Birthday parties, wedding anniversary, planning meetings and back to school activities have filled up our calendar.

I went to weight watchers last night and was surprised I was down another pound for a 16.6 pound weight loss so far. Ya-freakin'-hoo!!! As I was driving away, I started thinking about J and my anniversary coming up in a few days and I set a goal for myself. I want to lose 60 pounds by our 10th anniversary, next year. I've bumbled along these past six months and managed to lose 16 pounds. If I get serious and really focus on my health with regular work outs, I might be able to reach a 60 pound weight loss.

I couldn't stay for the ww meeting because I was meeting my future co-workers at a teacher supply store to buy supplies for school next year. I had never been in this store so I had no idea I was walking into heaven when I entered those doors. It was teacher heaven!!! All the bright colors, smell of tempera paint, posters, books, manipulates galore had me salivating over all the school goodness. I wanted to buy, buy, buy!!!! I can't wait to go back.

Wonder Boy is mellowing into his six-ness as the party dust settles. He has been scootering around the house on his new razor scooter from his grandparents and playing his favorite scooby doo game on his new Nitendo DS. He received his yellow belt in Arnis this week and is very proud. I've been worring about his blog. He loves it and it's fun for the friends and family to see his personality in full glory, but I worry about all the sickos!! I recently read this post and it's given me the heeby gibbies. I'm debating deleting WB's blog or at the very least making it private so only authorized users can view it. If I were a smarter person I think I would get myself into congress and pass laws all over the country for the death penalty for people who commit crimes against children. With all the DNA and mountains of facts, it is so hard to convict innocent people these days. Why are we not making our world safer for our children? I don't understand it.

I've been on a de-clutter/house overload rampage recently. I moved furniture around and have been trying to organize and clean our living spaces. I've been feeling suffocated by the amount of stuff and the lack of space we have. I've come to the realization that keeping stuff just to keep it isn't doing anyone any good. We aren't moving anytime soon so we need to make our house a home that's livable.

J and I have been looking at a mini vacation this weekend. Things/life have been stressful and it would be nice to get away. We just have to make arrangements with camp grandma . . . wink, wink!!

I have been watching Big Love religiously and I love that Big Brother 8 is on three times a week. Oh and if you haven't discovered the new 80s heart throb phenomenon The Two Coreys, you are missing out. My mom makes fun of my junk tv diet, then she tunes into her favorite America's Got Talent. Although I must admit, Terry Fator is pretty amazing.

Good luck Dinklocker family!! I can't wait to hear your baby news today. I hope all goes well!! I'll be thinking about you.

the wonder of six

Wonder Boy celebrated his sixth birthday last weekend. We had a great time at the Burke Museum in Seattle WA. It was nice to do something different and educational. The party was small but it didn't lack any of that crazy boy energy. I felt sorry for the few little girls we did have but Miss O quickly befriended them and they were off holding hands and giggling like girls do.


The kids started out with fossil rubbings, party hat making and puzzle solving. I was surprised how mellow and "into" they all seemed to be.








We played a quick game of "T-Rex, T-Rex What time is it?" It was short lived and the sugar high from the volcanic cupcakes was kicking in.









There was lots of snacking on "leg bone" sandwiches, "dino eggs" (grapes), "brachiosaurus blend" (snack mix), "lava juice" and "volcanic cupcakes".

Here's WB in an engaging conversation with his bud, CE, about body parts and their functions over lunch. Lovely!


Wonder Boy enjoyed opening presents with his friends and then we all headed out to explore the museum.










































Here's HP checking out bug guts under the microscope & AJ checking out the dino bones with her mom.


































All the kids got to take home a one of a kind dino t-shirt that WB designed.


We had a roaring good time!!

rock & roll baby

I told you I am addicted!!! Yup - that's right, another movie. Check out Baby Love shaking her groove thang! Push play and enjoy.

Happy Friday!! Have a great weekend.

horsin' around

Yesterday we retreated back to camp grandma for some R&R. We hit up the brand new Wal-Mart (yeah I know, living the high life aren't I) and my mom helped me shop for party supplies. I quickly realized this is not an uncommon activity for stay-at-moms needing to get things done. I witnessed several mothers with two or more kids pushing a shopping cart with a grandmotherly looking person following close behind with a second shopping cart gathering food and supplies for her brood.

The kids played around and got dirty. Miss O rode two year old Jake for "his" first time. She loved it and he did pretty good. We ate dinner out and splurged on dilly bars from Dairy Queen. It was a good break for all of us.

My new addiction is Windows Movie Maker. I find delight in taking short movies of the kids and turning them into "masterpieces". Check out my latest . . . . .enjoy! Push Play.

hatching eggs

When I was little, Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss was one my favorite stories and could very well be the reason I have a fondness for elephants to this day. Who knew that Horton's words would ring through my ears this very afternoon.

******

Wonderboy's behavior has been very challenging lately. I've been struggling with his total lack of impulse control and becoming very stressed out because of it. I love the little bugger to death. I mean c'mon, who couldn't love that ginger-hair, sweet face, gregarious, fun loving guy; he's hard to resist! But he is very strong willed and has a way of pushing you to the breaking point on a daily basis. I guess the every day stresses of being a stay-at-home mom coupled with his stubbornness plus a temperamental four year old and a clingy, teething 17 month old added with outside worries and annoyances has made me feel out of control and depressed.

After a completely stressful physical therapy appointment for baby love yesterday morning I lost it. I must explain: Baby Love was particularly cranky and clingy and didn't really want to be doing what Ms. Beth wanted her to do. I struggled with keeping Baby Love in the therapy room and the older kids in the waiting room. Ms. Beth tried to do the therapy in the waiting room however, it was difficult with Miss O wanting to take the toys away from the baby to "organize" them and Wonder Boy's constant questions and "you know whats". I tried to prepare and do the good mom things by bringing things to keep the older kids occupied with electronic games and snacks, however my attempts kept failing. The small waiting room quickly filled up with other patients and became hectic to say the least. Wonder Boy lost all self control and found the light switch to be a source of entertainment not to mention locking the door on people, pushing every single button and running out into the hall for drinks of water. I came to realization that this situation was not working for anybody and I needed to get out of there as quick as I could. Frustrated and angry, I gathered my three hatchlings and headed for the door with one in my arms, one holding my hand and one following behind. I loaded the girls up into the car, made my way around the back side and that's when I saw it. Wonder Boy had turned on a water faucet near the parking lot on our way out and left the water to run. That was my breaking point! I gritted my teeth, pointed to the gushing water and told him to go turn it off. FAST!! Knowing he had crossed the line, he followed the order. It was when we got into the car that I lost it. I tried talking to him with all the by book phrases like "your behavior was inappropriate" and "you made it very hard for Ms. Beth and Mommy to help Baby Love". However my stress took over and my lecture turned into a high pitched half cry/half scream. Yelling I couldn't take it anymore and I couldn't live with him behaving like this anymore. Being a fairly patient person, I had had it!!

We drove home in silence.

******

Baby Love went down for a nap as soon as we got home. Feeling like a failure of a mom, I pulled myself together and headed outside to play to shake off the events of the morning. Wonder Boy loves playing with the older neighbor boy and Miss O and I practiced her bike riding skills. By chance (or maybe it was fate) one of my neighbor ladies came out and started chatting with me. She has four boys; two grown men, one starting college and one in high school. I knew she was a pediatric nurse that now works at a high school, but she told me used to teach parenting classes. I cracked. My stresses and difficulties raising this precocious boy spilled out of me. I found comfort in her approach of not making me feel like she had all the answers or that she was good at her job as mom either or hadn't made mistakes herself. We talked about some tricks and tips. She told me to detach my feelings from the situation and look at my job as a CEO of a company not as a mother all filled up with love and squishy feelings. Make a plan she told me. How am I going to get this child from a little boy to a man who is well rounded with a good life and great qualities. She kept repeating "say what you mean and mean what you say". Be consistent. No more threats.

******

Armed with a shower and new confidence, I felt better about today. I planned to mean what I say, and say what I mean. I found my inner Horton repeating to myself:

"I meant what I said, and I said what I meant:
An elephant's faithful one hundred percent."

So when I told Wonderboy if he wanted to go to the upcoming pizza party this evening with friends, he needed to behave and stay in his seat for our last errand stop. It was like writing on the wall. He didn't, therefor I had to "step up!"

The moral of Horton Hatches the Egg is "be responsible, even when it's difficult." I have to demonstrate responsibility and dedication in keeping my promise to my children even when it's hard. Horton's benefit to "sticking it out" through torment by other jungle animals, harsh weather conditions and even being caged and put on display by the circus was a baby Horton hatching from the egg.

******

I've arranged for J to come home to hang out with Wonderboy and Baby Love while Miss O and I go to the pizza party without them. Tough? Yes!! Harsh? Maybe. Did I set him to fail? Possibly. Guilt feelings? Totally!! It's eating me up inside. It is making me feel like crap especially when he keeps asking me "for one more chance". I'm sticking to my word. I'm meaning what I say. Hopefully I will reap the benefits of a loving, well behaved, fun to be around boy by being responsible even when it is hard as hell and sucks big time.

******

And if 15 years from now you are reading this, Wonderboy, thinking about the time your mother didn't let you go to that pizza party, you'll realize I did it for you. Because I love you more than anything in the world. Because I just wanted you to grow up and become a kind, loving, and responsible person. Because I wanted you to find your inner Horton! Because some day . . . . . . . . you'll have your own eggs to hatch.

wonderboy turns six

Here's a little video I made this morning in honor of Wonder Boy's upcoming sixth birthday. The music is a little funky because I used a sample track off my computer. It wasn't until I saved the video that I realized there was a really funny/weird bit to the song. Where do the people who make these computers get this stuff. You'll hear. Enjoy!

Push play!