Halloween. The candy, the costumes, the sugar highs, the meltdowns. Who doesn't love it, right?
Three weeks ago, I took the boys out shopping for Halloween costumes. Every year I have only one stipulation and that is that they have to be "themed." I know it is terrible, but I was an only child and lonely and they are my kids and that is my form of torture. So one year they were firefighters, one year was Batman and Robin, one year was Scooby Doo and Shaggy and last year was Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker. My only other stipulation this year was that they couldn't be Star Wars people again. Well, after an hour at the costume store and many arguments, we left with Captain Rex and Commander Cody costumes. Both Star Wars Clone people...whatever, I didn't have the energy.
So tonight, at 5:15pm, as we are getting ready to get dressed, Colton tells me that he doesn't want to be his Clone Trooper guy and that he wants to be a football player and just wear his uniform from last nights game. Well, that would have been a fine idea three weeks ago, but after the fits thrown at the party place to be these stupid Star Wars guys, there was no way I was going to let him out of it.
We finally got dressed and headed out. Of course, since James is on his hunting trip, my mom came over to help me out with the kids and I must say, she loved every single minute of the boys being difficult. She almost starts to glow when they give me grief. I think it makes her feel like she is getting even with me for the amount of grief I put her through.
It was a beautiful night and I must say, Dawson is at my favorite age for trick-or-treating. Except, I am not sure he entirely gets the concept. There were a number of people this year who left their doors open since the weather was so nice. My dear child, walked right on into those houses and loudly said, "Trick or Treat!" It didn't matter how many times I told him to only go up to the door, he kept going right in. Then I saw somebody post on Facebook tonight how strange it is that for 364 days a year we tell our kids not to talk to strangers and then on Halloween, we encourage it. Things that make you go "hmmm."
We made it home with enough candy to feed a small village and the kids are now passed out in bed. I guess it's time for me to go pick out and hide my favorites. :) Happy Halloween!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
What a Crazy October!
This has been a doozy of a month. Actually, most of it has been a blur. But the parts I remember are going to be recapped in whatever words I can muster to type.
The month started fairly uneventful considering we were just coming off Pix-O surgery. James was incredibly busy with work and was in charge of the Engineer's test since his toe was still broken and he was still on a 40 hour week in the office. So there we are, going along, minding our own business when Colton wakes up the morning after the pumpkin patch with a fever. Not just your run of the mill fever, but a crazy, high, came out of nowhere fever. I tried to medicate him throughout the day and at one point he actually told me, "it was the worst he ever felt in his entire life!" Since it was a Sunday (my kids never do anything during normal business hours) I decided to take him in to Urgent Care. That was when I heard the words I was dreading, "positive for Influenza A, most likely H1N1." Great, we had the swine flu! I got his medication, brought him home and we basically locked him in his room for the next three days. Everyone in the house was wearing a mask and looking utterly ridiculous. Well, it seemed to have worked for James and Dawson, but since I was the oh-so lucky one who had been elected to go to Urgent Care and play with all the germs, wouldn't you know it, by Tuesday night I had the fever. Not a fever, but THE fever. The one that led my doctor to say the same nasty words on Wednesday to me.
At this point, my calendar is looking a little crazy. There is not really time for one of us, let alone me, to be going down with the flu. But, it was here, so we screamed and yelled and made the best of it. There were actually a couple of days that I wondered if my marriage would survive the flu. James was so incredibly sweet and accommodating, but I felt like he was more interested in disinfecting the house than actually packing our kids healthy lunches or not shrinking my clothes when he tried to do the laundry. Eventually, Colton and I got to feeling well and knock-on-wood, James and Dawson are still doing ok.
In the middle of the flu fun, James had scheduled to be at the boys school for fire safety month. First, he put on the Kindergarten Fire Safety Day and had the truck come out so the kids could squirt the hose. Then he brought out the Safety Education House Smoke Trailer and for two days he ran class after class through it, showing them what it would be like if their house caught on fire. After 34 classes and 1,100 kids, I am pretty sure he won't be volunteering for anything at the school any time soon.
Me on the other hand, that is all I do. I am in so deep and seem to have the absolute inability to say NO to anything. I have the copy room, the kids classes, the PTSO treasurer, the fundraiser, blah, blah, blah. It is out of control. Seriously out of control. At some point I am going to have to address this. The question becomes how and when.
On to happier news from the month. My sweet, sweet Colton scored his first ever touchdown last week during his football game. He has been playing for seven seasons, so it was so exciting to see him do it. The best part was that afterward, he ran across the field and literally jumped into my arms and hugged me so tight. In eight years, that was by far the best hug I have ever had! Both of the boys had great parent-teacher conferences and report cards which always make things nice. Finally, we closed on some land in Prescott Valley. I am not really sure what we are doing with it, but the options are there and that is a nice feeling. However, the bank account is now drained and that scares the crap out of me, but we seriously put it in God's hands and it fell into our lap so now we are just going with it.
I can complain all day long. And for some reason, it always seems easier to remember the bad things from the day, but life really is SO good. I have such an incredible man that puts up with me daily, two children who love me even when I have spent an entire day yelling at them, and a God who forgives me for it all. I really wouldn't change a thing, but do hope next month is slightly less eventful. :)
The month started fairly uneventful considering we were just coming off Pix-O surgery. James was incredibly busy with work and was in charge of the Engineer's test since his toe was still broken and he was still on a 40 hour week in the office. So there we are, going along, minding our own business when Colton wakes up the morning after the pumpkin patch with a fever. Not just your run of the mill fever, but a crazy, high, came out of nowhere fever. I tried to medicate him throughout the day and at one point he actually told me, "it was the worst he ever felt in his entire life!" Since it was a Sunday (my kids never do anything during normal business hours) I decided to take him in to Urgent Care. That was when I heard the words I was dreading, "positive for Influenza A, most likely H1N1." Great, we had the swine flu! I got his medication, brought him home and we basically locked him in his room for the next three days. Everyone in the house was wearing a mask and looking utterly ridiculous. Well, it seemed to have worked for James and Dawson, but since I was the oh-so lucky one who had been elected to go to Urgent Care and play with all the germs, wouldn't you know it, by Tuesday night I had the fever. Not a fever, but THE fever. The one that led my doctor to say the same nasty words on Wednesday to me.
At this point, my calendar is looking a little crazy. There is not really time for one of us, let alone me, to be going down with the flu. But, it was here, so we screamed and yelled and made the best of it. There were actually a couple of days that I wondered if my marriage would survive the flu. James was so incredibly sweet and accommodating, but I felt like he was more interested in disinfecting the house than actually packing our kids healthy lunches or not shrinking my clothes when he tried to do the laundry. Eventually, Colton and I got to feeling well and knock-on-wood, James and Dawson are still doing ok.
In the middle of the flu fun, James had scheduled to be at the boys school for fire safety month. First, he put on the Kindergarten Fire Safety Day and had the truck come out so the kids could squirt the hose. Then he brought out the Safety Education House Smoke Trailer and for two days he ran class after class through it, showing them what it would be like if their house caught on fire. After 34 classes and 1,100 kids, I am pretty sure he won't be volunteering for anything at the school any time soon.
Me on the other hand, that is all I do. I am in so deep and seem to have the absolute inability to say NO to anything. I have the copy room, the kids classes, the PTSO treasurer, the fundraiser, blah, blah, blah. It is out of control. Seriously out of control. At some point I am going to have to address this. The question becomes how and when.
On to happier news from the month. My sweet, sweet Colton scored his first ever touchdown last week during his football game. He has been playing for seven seasons, so it was so exciting to see him do it. The best part was that afterward, he ran across the field and literally jumped into my arms and hugged me so tight. In eight years, that was by far the best hug I have ever had! Both of the boys had great parent-teacher conferences and report cards which always make things nice. Finally, we closed on some land in Prescott Valley. I am not really sure what we are doing with it, but the options are there and that is a nice feeling. However, the bank account is now drained and that scares the crap out of me, but we seriously put it in God's hands and it fell into our lap so now we are just going with it.
I can complain all day long. And for some reason, it always seems easier to remember the bad things from the day, but life really is SO good. I have such an incredible man that puts up with me daily, two children who love me even when I have spent an entire day yelling at them, and a God who forgives me for it all. I really wouldn't change a thing, but do hope next month is slightly less eventful. :)
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Attack of the Pix-O's
I was so excited for my week to begin on Sunday. Colton had been really sick last week and came home from school almost every day. On Thursday the doctor decided to take some x-rays and we found out he had pneumonia. He had to take this absolutely disgusting medicine, but by Sunday the cough and tummy ache had gone away. We were so happy he was feeling better that we went to Prescott to hang out with friends for the day. When we got home, I was so happy. I had the boys back packs ready and my week was looking good. James and I left the boys with Brian and went to small group. From there on, my excitement about the week ahead dwindled.
When we walked in the door after small group, Brian frantically said, "We have a BIG problem." Problem number one is that Brian doesn't get frazzled or worry about much. It is great when he watches the kids because he never stresses out. So, I knew this couldn't be good.
Apparently, when Dawson was playing with his Pix-O's, he decided to do a magic trick and hide them in his ears. He was going to pull them out and surprise everyone. Of course, he was the one surprised when they didn't come out. However, instead of telling Brian about it then, he decided to wait because he didn't want to get in trouble. Well since Pix-O's are little plastic beads that are covered with a dry glue that gets activated when it gets wet, this story isn't going to get any better. So Brian, not knowing about the Pix-O's, gave Dawson a bath, fully submerging his ears under water. At that point, I guess it burned a little (probably the glue) and Dawson decided to tell Brian.
When we got home, we tried everything, but could barely even see them since he put them in so far. I took him to Phoenix Children's urgent care and they tried to work their magic there. All we got was a crying kiddo and bleeding ears. This was not looking good.
Today, we took him to our ENT. He also pulled out all the stops, used everything possible in the office and worked on Dawson's ears for about 30 minutes. After getting no where, they decided to schedule surgery for tomorrow at 7am.
So, there you go. Pix-O's may be a fun invention for the kids, but not necessarily the safest one. I am praying tomorrow goes well and quick and that my dear Dawson learns from this little "magic trick."
When we walked in the door after small group, Brian frantically said, "We have a BIG problem." Problem number one is that Brian doesn't get frazzled or worry about much. It is great when he watches the kids because he never stresses out. So, I knew this couldn't be good.
Apparently, when Dawson was playing with his Pix-O's, he decided to do a magic trick and hide them in his ears. He was going to pull them out and surprise everyone. Of course, he was the one surprised when they didn't come out. However, instead of telling Brian about it then, he decided to wait because he didn't want to get in trouble. Well since Pix-O's are little plastic beads that are covered with a dry glue that gets activated when it gets wet, this story isn't going to get any better. So Brian, not knowing about the Pix-O's, gave Dawson a bath, fully submerging his ears under water. At that point, I guess it burned a little (probably the glue) and Dawson decided to tell Brian.
When we got home, we tried everything, but could barely even see them since he put them in so far. I took him to Phoenix Children's urgent care and they tried to work their magic there. All we got was a crying kiddo and bleeding ears. This was not looking good.
Today, we took him to our ENT. He also pulled out all the stops, used everything possible in the office and worked on Dawson's ears for about 30 minutes. After getting no where, they decided to schedule surgery for tomorrow at 7am.
So, there you go. Pix-O's may be a fun invention for the kids, but not necessarily the safest one. I am praying tomorrow goes well and quick and that my dear Dawson learns from this little "magic trick."
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Eye Check
This week has been crazy...this month has been crazy. And although I am vowing to go back and write down funny stories, I didn't want to let this one slip.
My Tuesdays and Wednesdays are crazy days. Today, I was at the boys school for 7 hours, came home for 20 minutes, went to a PTSO meeting and then went straight to a Teen Moms meeting. Needless to say, there is not a lot of time to touch up make-up or hair or change into the proper attire for each meeting. So tonight, to save time and energy, which I am extremely low on, I just put my black shirt for my Teen Moms meeting over my red and white striped shirt that I had been wearing all day.
Okay, now to the funny part. Last week, Colton had the health fair at school and although they said his eyes are fine, I am noticing things to where I think he needs to have them checked. I mentioned it to him and that was that. Tonight when I got home from my meeting, he was in the hallway walking to his room in the dark. About five minutes later, he came out to give me a hug goodnight. He leaned over and whispered to me that he needed to talk to me in bed. So, I went in his room and this was the conversation:
Me: "What's up?"
Colton: "I really think I need to have my eyes checked." (sounding very concerned)
Me: "Okay, honey. What made you decide that?"
Colton: "Well, when I first saw you in the hall tonight, your shirt looked black and then when I came back in it looked red with white stripes. That's not good."
Of course, I told him what had happened and then we giggled about it for the next five minutes. I am actually smiling about it again as I type. I am so thankful that amid all the stresses in my day that my sweet, sweet boys can always bring a smile to my face.
My Tuesdays and Wednesdays are crazy days. Today, I was at the boys school for 7 hours, came home for 20 minutes, went to a PTSO meeting and then went straight to a Teen Moms meeting. Needless to say, there is not a lot of time to touch up make-up or hair or change into the proper attire for each meeting. So tonight, to save time and energy, which I am extremely low on, I just put my black shirt for my Teen Moms meeting over my red and white striped shirt that I had been wearing all day.
Okay, now to the funny part. Last week, Colton had the health fair at school and although they said his eyes are fine, I am noticing things to where I think he needs to have them checked. I mentioned it to him and that was that. Tonight when I got home from my meeting, he was in the hallway walking to his room in the dark. About five minutes later, he came out to give me a hug goodnight. He leaned over and whispered to me that he needed to talk to me in bed. So, I went in his room and this was the conversation:
Me: "What's up?"
Colton: "I really think I need to have my eyes checked." (sounding very concerned)
Me: "Okay, honey. What made you decide that?"
Colton: "Well, when I first saw you in the hall tonight, your shirt looked black and then when I came back in it looked red with white stripes. That's not good."
Of course, I told him what had happened and then we giggled about it for the next five minutes. I am actually smiling about it again as I type. I am so thankful that amid all the stresses in my day that my sweet, sweet boys can always bring a smile to my face.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
The Truth Hurts
When we went to church today, Colton had to do a worksheet with the acrostic PRAY. The P was for Praise, things to be thankful for. He was thankful that Jesus was loving, forgiving and kind. The A was for Ask, things to ask Jesus for help on. He asked for help on his grades, being nice and playing fair. The Y was for a Yes or No question. The letter that hit me the hardest was the R. It was for Repent, what was he sorry for. When I read his response, I teared up. It said, "I am sorry for always making my mom mad."
I cannot begin to say how much this broke my heart. The past few weeks have been rough around here. We are trying to adjust to a new schedule and I tend to yell every morning to try and get the boys out of the house on time. I haven't been feeling 100%, basically since school started. I can sleep 12 hours a day and still feel tired. My throat hurt for a week, my stomach is not right today. But even with all of those excuses, and that is all they are, is this what he thinks about in his alone time with God?
This has hit me right between the eyes. Not that it is excusable with Dawson because he is younger, but Colton is at an age where these are going to be his lifetime memories. What kind of legacy am I leaving? If I got cancer or was in a car accident tomorrow, would he remember the mom who snuggled up to watch movies, took him on fun vacations, helped out at his school to be around him, and went to all of his sporting events to cheer him on? Or, would he remember the mom who yelled when she was overwhelmed, who said, "in a minute" so I could finish an email, or laid on the couch because I had a headache?
My time with him is running out and I want to be the kind of mom that he remembers with more good than bad. I have always heard that it takes 10 positive things to undo a negative and it is proving to be true. I just pray I can get myself to a point where I am not stressed. If that means taking things off my plate, then I will have to get over the fact that I feel like I am letting people down. The person I need to be concerned with not letting down is my son, my family for that matter and God. Say a prayer for me.
I cannot begin to say how much this broke my heart. The past few weeks have been rough around here. We are trying to adjust to a new schedule and I tend to yell every morning to try and get the boys out of the house on time. I haven't been feeling 100%, basically since school started. I can sleep 12 hours a day and still feel tired. My throat hurt for a week, my stomach is not right today. But even with all of those excuses, and that is all they are, is this what he thinks about in his alone time with God?
This has hit me right between the eyes. Not that it is excusable with Dawson because he is younger, but Colton is at an age where these are going to be his lifetime memories. What kind of legacy am I leaving? If I got cancer or was in a car accident tomorrow, would he remember the mom who snuggled up to watch movies, took him on fun vacations, helped out at his school to be around him, and went to all of his sporting events to cheer him on? Or, would he remember the mom who yelled when she was overwhelmed, who said, "in a minute" so I could finish an email, or laid on the couch because I had a headache?
My time with him is running out and I want to be the kind of mom that he remembers with more good than bad. I have always heard that it takes 10 positive things to undo a negative and it is proving to be true. I just pray I can get myself to a point where I am not stressed. If that means taking things off my plate, then I will have to get over the fact that I feel like I am letting people down. The person I need to be concerned with not letting down is my son, my family for that matter and God. Say a prayer for me.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Five Bucks
Right, wrong or indifferent, when I was a kid my mom used to pay me to get good grades. Every quarter when I brought my report card home, I would earn money for my grades. Since Colton is in third grade this year and they are starting letter grades, I thought I would run the idea by him and see what he thought. I told him that if he wanted, we would start giving him $5 for every A, $3 for every B, and $1 for every C. However, if there are any D's, then he gets nothing. I told him that is not a punishment, but if he does not understand something to the point of getting a D, that it is his responsibility to address it before report card time.
So, five days in to school, he brings home his folder with graded papers. Well, somewhere between when we discussed the plan and when he brought home his first grade, he must have forgotten the "report card" part. He walks in the door, hands me a paper with an A and goes, "Yeah, I'll take my five bucks now."
Lovely.
So, five days in to school, he brings home his folder with graded papers. Well, somewhere between when we discussed the plan and when he brought home his first grade, he must have forgotten the "report card" part. He walks in the door, hands me a paper with an A and goes, "Yeah, I'll take my five bucks now."
Lovely.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
A Little Whining
This is the first week of school. My babies are in kindergarten and third grade. It is so hard to get back into a routine and there is a little whining going on in the house lately. But, it's not from the kids, it's from me. I am tired!!!
While I complain, I still realize how fortunate I am, but nonetheless, I am going to complain.
I am tired of packing. This summer has been crazy. I have been packing 20+ days a month and some of those days are two jobs. It is hot and people are cranky and I am just plain not in the mood. I know it won't be busy forever and I know the money is a blessing, but if this keeps up much longer, I am going to loose it.
I am bummed about my hubby's 40 hour schedule. Today James started back to work...in the office. He will be there for another four weeks until his foot is completely healed. We have really become use to his 24/48 schedule and even though I complain about it from time to time, like when he works Sundays, overall it really fits our family better. I do realize though how fortunate we are that he has a job where this is an option. If this had happened when he was a mechanic, we would have six unpaid weeks and be in a real pickle. I just want things back to normal.
The kids school is also torking me off. I signed up to volunteer to work in the copy room on Tuesday's. ALL DAY, for seven hours for free. And yet, yesterday, on my first day, I got a run down on the rules: don't talk to teachers unless they talk to you, don't steal things you copy, don't ..., don't ..., seriously am I in third grade? Do you not understand that I am doing you a favor here?!?! Then, my other gripe is that my kindergartner is being let out at 2:50 while my third grader is not released until 3:08. That is a problem. Dawson is not going to sit unattended for 18 minutes without getting into trouble and being that it was 109 degrees today with about 50% humidity, I think both him and I are going to melt if we have to sit out there and wait again tomorrow. With that said, yes I am lucky that I don't have to work every day and can volunteer and that I am available to pick up my kids.
Whew! I am sure I could come up with more to complain about, but I am too tired. Not quite as tired as I was when I got home with the kids form school, laid down on the couch and drooled in my sleep for 30 minutes, but still tired. Now, I need to shake it off, be thankful and positive about tomorrow. Here it goes!
While I complain, I still realize how fortunate I am, but nonetheless, I am going to complain.
I am tired of packing. This summer has been crazy. I have been packing 20+ days a month and some of those days are two jobs. It is hot and people are cranky and I am just plain not in the mood. I know it won't be busy forever and I know the money is a blessing, but if this keeps up much longer, I am going to loose it.
I am bummed about my hubby's 40 hour schedule. Today James started back to work...in the office. He will be there for another four weeks until his foot is completely healed. We have really become use to his 24/48 schedule and even though I complain about it from time to time, like when he works Sundays, overall it really fits our family better. I do realize though how fortunate we are that he has a job where this is an option. If this had happened when he was a mechanic, we would have six unpaid weeks and be in a real pickle. I just want things back to normal.
The kids school is also torking me off. I signed up to volunteer to work in the copy room on Tuesday's. ALL DAY, for seven hours for free. And yet, yesterday, on my first day, I got a run down on the rules: don't talk to teachers unless they talk to you, don't steal things you copy, don't ..., don't ..., seriously am I in third grade? Do you not understand that I am doing you a favor here?!?! Then, my other gripe is that my kindergartner is being let out at 2:50 while my third grader is not released until 3:08. That is a problem. Dawson is not going to sit unattended for 18 minutes without getting into trouble and being that it was 109 degrees today with about 50% humidity, I think both him and I are going to melt if we have to sit out there and wait again tomorrow. With that said, yes I am lucky that I don't have to work every day and can volunteer and that I am available to pick up my kids.
Whew! I am sure I could come up with more to complain about, but I am too tired. Not quite as tired as I was when I got home with the kids form school, laid down on the couch and drooled in my sleep for 30 minutes, but still tired. Now, I need to shake it off, be thankful and positive about tomorrow. Here it goes!
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