Meet the Teacher Day

Today was Meet the Teacher Day for Lily's preschool. It was very exciting to be back at preschool. We got to see some friends from last year and meet her new teacher. I think the new teacher will be fabulous. I'm excited that Lily has her. There are only 10 kids in Lily's class right now which is great. I guess there are openings but with the school cut off changing for Wake County for this Kindergarten class perhaps that has kept the numbers down? Who cares.. really it's good for Lily to have a smaller class...10 kids..2 teachers. Perfect.

We also got a new tote bag so I'm sure there will be more tote bag drama to report tomorrow. Apparently I wasn't the only one who thought the school tote bags from last year were crap so this year the school just got the ones from Michaels (yep..same one I bought on Tuesday) and were selling those for $3 (yep..cheaper than what I paid on Tuesday) so we got that one. Then we headed to JoAnn's to get some more supplies to decorate said tote bag. Seriously this has turned out to be the most expensive tote bag ever. My friend Belinda (Hi Belinda!) said she's help me sew on the iron-ons this time which I think will be very helpful.

So the "Countdown to Preschool" is at 5 days - yeah. Which means I'll have approximately 3 days or 9 hours to enjoy with just Julia before "The Talker" aka Emma tracks out for 3 weeks. That might just be a very long 3 weeks....

The Most Expensive Tote Bag...

So Lily needs a new tote bag for preschool. The preschool sold them last year for $2 but they were crappy and thin so I thought this year I'd spring for the extra $1.50 and just get her a more durable canvas one at Michael's that we could decorate this week and have all ready for her first day next Tuesday. So armed with my 40% off coupon we head to Michael's this morning to pick out the tote bag and some iron on appliques for it. Of course my strong willed 4 year old had to pick out the royal blue tote bag - instead of the plain canvas or cute denim one..but at $3.49 who really cares...So then she picks out letters to spell her name (this is after I vetoed the paint because we tried that last year and it wasn't as cute as I envisioned and was actually sort of messy). Thankfully her name is short. Then she goes to pick out other iron-ons. We go through about 100 before she settles on a mulitpack that includes a "born to shop" purse, a cell phone, high heels, a "girls rule" heart, a lipstick and the word "sassy." No butterflies or flowers for my 4 year old..(we're in big trouble..I know). Then we pick up some beads so we can go to my friend Belinda's to use her Bedazzler to add some bling to the bag. We head to the register and $15.51 later we're out of there.

She's so excited to do her new tote bag so we get home and turn the iron on and start to work. I get the Lily on and am feeling pretty confident in my abilities to do iron on transfers. Then I go to work on the purse. I decide to just open the bag up and stick the iron in there to do the back..why waste time turning the bag inside out. Except I didn't realize the handle was under the iron. And guess what happened..you domestic people probably know..yep..the handle melted. Crap. And broke and left blue junk all over my iron. Great. Tote bag is now in the trash can.

So now it's back to Michaels for another $3.49 canvas tote bag and more freaking iron on junk. This tote bag is costing me more money and time than the infamous Hannah Montana backpack.

A New Level of OCD

Confession: I used to be a messy person. Any number of the roommates I lived with will attest to that(right Dawn..). I never liked cleaning and really I just didn't care. In fact my bff once told me I was a terrible housekeeper and that's a direct quote. That was before I got married and owned my own house. I didn't cook much either by the way. How things change. Once I got married I got a little more domestic...I'd clean and actually vacuum the house on my days off. And I started to cook a little. Paul did much of our cooking in the beginning and oh how I miss those days. Anyway I think when we bought our first house and it was really white I started getting a little OCD about the cleaning. And gradually as the years go by I'm getting more OCD about cleaning and housekeeping in general. Like we can't leave the house with unmade beds, toys on the floor or dirty dishes in the sink. I know..my kids will be in therapy.

I think my OCD reached a new level yesterday though. You see I have this kitchen table that's wood. And there are spaces between the wood panels where crumbs get caught. We've had the table a little over a year and it's driven me crazy the whole time that I can't get the table perfectly clean. So not long after we got the table I figured we'd just use a tablecloth and so I keep it covered most of the time. Well last week I was talking with my friend Loretta who wondered if the vacuum cleaner would work to clean the crumbs...she said it sort of jokingly. So yesterday while preparing to have people over I decided to give this a try. And, guess what..it worked like magic. Ah, I love my Dyson..I put the brush attachment on the end of the hose and went to work on my table and the results were heavenly. Clean..not a crumb to be seen. It looks new again. I sure if anyone could have seen me vacuuming my kitchen table they would have thought I was nuts. But I don't care..it worked and now I love my table again.

No Sharing

With Paul still on vacation I took advantage of him being home and went to have lunch with Emma today. Well, I went to sit with Emma while she had lunch since 1. it's too early for me to eat at 10:50, 2. school lunch is not that appetizing and 3. I'm too lazy to pack my own lunch. In any event I didn't tell Emma I was coming so she was surprised and excited to see me (love that...I know that won't last forever so I'm trying to savor those moments). She introduced me to a bunch of her friends and it was a lot of fun. (But boy does the cafeteria get crazy when 5 kindergarten classes get in there) In the process I learned a valuable lesson...

Emma had a bag of baby carrots in her lunchbox. Her friend Courtney asked what they were and I said carrots and then I asked would you like one. She said yes so I gave her one. Which was apparently the wrong thing to do. Emma looked at me like I had 6 heads and said what are you doing? I said I was sharing and she promptly grabbed the bag of carrots and said we don't share food. Then, the little boy on the other side of me proceeded to tell me that I couldn't do that..sharing is not allowed. You would have thought I'd robbed a bank. But, who knew. I guess it makes sense..you know food allergies at all that. But I didn't know. But, now I do. Thank goodness.

Bad Genes

Our poor kids -Paul and I both have terrible vision. Paul started wearing glasses sometime in elementary school and I got them in high school. Paul's vision was pretty bad but he was able to have LASIK about 6 years ago and he sees great now. My vision continues to go downhill and I'll never be a candidate for corrective surgery. My eyes have so many issues I shouldn't even wear contacts. So we figured at least some of our children would have eye issues...I was just really hoping that it would be later in their life. But a couple weeks ago Lily failed her eye test at her 4 year check up. So, the pediatrician told us to take her to the eye doctor to get her checked.


So we went today to the eye doctor. She did great...I was so proud of her - she let them take pictures of her eyes and they even got the puff of air into one of her eyes (she couldn't do the other eye). Turns out she did better at the eye doctor than at the pediatrician..which was good. She doesn't have to have glasses, yet. But we'll have to monitor her vision closely and probably within the next year or two she'll have to get glasses. Bless her heart. Thankfully she thinks glasses are cool and she had a blast trying them on at the eye doctor. Hopefully she'll still feel that way when she actually does have to wear glasses. Sometimes heredity stinks.

Scrappin' Monday

Paul's on vacation this week so today I took a little vacation myself today and went over to my old friend Barb's house to scrapbook. Barb and I reconnected on Facebook (she was a college friend) and it was heaven to go over to her house. She's a fun, single gal who is currently on a break from employment. Therefore she has no children at her house, no whining, no plastic toys, no little people saying they are hungry or bored every 5 seconds, no dirty diapers to change and most of all silence. Ah...heaven. She even made me lunch..and you know how much better it is to eat anything that you, yourself don't have to prepare. I got a ton of scrapbooking done..I'm done through Easter of 2007 and I have another scrap night tomorrow night in my neighborhood. I may very well get through 2007 before the baby comes..but we'll see.

In other news Howie the Hedgehog went back to school today. Emma said she got to share all about Howie this morning. She told the class all about how Howie moved around. She was very excited. I'm sure we'll see Howie again sometime this fall.

Lily started soccer over the weekend which was a riot. Twelve 4 year olds trying to learn soccer is something else. She was very proud though and excited to play. The coach is on vacation this week and with the Labor Day holiday coming up she only has 2 more practices before her first game. Not sure how that will work out but it should at least be entertaining!

Pet Sitting

So we're pet sitting this weekend. It seems Emma's class has a class pet..Howie the Hedgehog. Here's Howie with Emma...

And we're SO very lucky that we got Howie on a Friday so we have him for 3 nights - not just 1 night. Howie came with his own backpack and toothbrush. And apparently if we'd like to dress him we can do that too. And Emma is SO very excited to have Howie with us this weekend. SO very excited. Thankfully there is no long journal to do of Howie's adventures just a short page that she has to fill out. There is also a parent journal which is kind of cool.

We first learned about Howie at Parent's Night so I knew he would be coming home with us at some point. Emma's teacher also told us they move Howie around during the day when the kids are not in the classroom so all the kids think Howie is "magic" and moves. So we get in the van yesterday and first thing Emma tells me about Howie is that he moves. She said the last person who had Howie found him on the sofa with the remote control. Emma was just amazed by this. So last night before I went to bed we moved Howie to a chair in their room and gave him a book. Well wouldn't you know at 2:15am Emma runs in my room..."Mommy, mommy Howie moved! He's in a chair!" Seriously...2:15am..thanks kid. Paul moved Howie again early this morning and again first thing she woke up she ran to my room all excited that Howie moved again. Shhh..don't tell her it was me and Paul.

Update: School Friends and Play Dates

Paul gets home from work last night and I relay the whole school friend/play date situation and he laughs at me..seriously. He thinks I'm overly dramatic and that it's fine. Whatever..I thought about it all night.

So, I called the mom this morning and left a message that Emma was really excited to come play and that I thought it would be a good idea if we met before Friday. I'm sure she thinks I'm totally nuts but she called me back and her first offer was for me to just come to her house on Friday too. I told her I had the younger kids so that wouldn't be a good idea so we arranged to meet for ice cream tomorrow afternoon. She said she totally understands how I feel.

And, I feel much better. I won't get to see their house but at least I will have met the mom and know what she looks like. I'm sure it would have been fine otherwise but I am glad it worked out that we could get together beforehand. Emma will be excited too that she'll get to see Kristina in the afternoon.

School Friends & Play Dates

Emma's been talking about her classmates since the first day of school. She has amazing recall and can remember names after meeting people once so by the 3rd day of school she had all her classmates names down (not easy considering several of them have some non American names). Anyway, two girls she's been talking about since the first day are Kristina and Bailey. Well, we had a Dairy Queen date with Bailey and I got to meet her and her mom (very sweet..both of them). Kristina, however, I have not met..other than a brief glance the day I was the lunch lady. So Emma came home yesterday determined to have a play date with Kristina. Apparently Kristina's mom came to have lunch with them yesterday and was coming back today so she told Emma to bring her phone number so we could set something up. So I sent a note and the mom called me this evening to ask if Emma could come over and play on Friday. Emma could go home with them Fri. after school and stay for dinner. She'd then bring Emma home or I could go get her. I know Emma really wants to go and would be really excited so I said yes.

Then I hung up and started to freak out a little bit. I've NEVER let Emma go to anyone's house that I don't know or that I've never been to. This is a new friend, one I don't know anything about other than she does live in a nice neighborhood next to school and that she has an older sister. So I'm freaking out..do I let her go and if I change my mind how do we get out of it? Is it OK just to let go..but she's only 5! It's only been recently that she's been to anyone's house without me! I want Emma to be independent, to make friends and be social but at the same time I want to know the kids too. Help!

Random Monday Thoughts

Another Monday and another batch of random thoughts:

1. I'm am really enjoying the Olympics. The swimming has been great - the men's 4x100 Free Relay was incredible and that poor Katie Hoff..I wanted her to win so bad. I think however that Paul is already getting tired of my Olympic viewing as he just called and wants to get a movie for tonight...

2. When all the fruit left in your house is raisins and applesauce it's time to go to the grocery store..which I did this morning..with 2 kids..and it wasn't that bad.

3. I love that so many of my friends have blogs..I stalk many of them..it's such a fun way to keep up with people. And my friends are funny!

4. Facebook is still fun...

5. Speaking of the Olympics there are some really random sports..like sychronized diving. How does one get involved with that. Or Trampoline..really..trampoline...

6. I wonder how much it would take my OB to induce me early?

7. Only 3 weeks until preschool starts! Yeah! My Lily misses her big sister during the day and she's getting so bored with me...

8. I wonder if my husband will want to go out for dinner tonight...it sure would be nice..

9. I miss Bella and Edward..I'd grown so attached to them when reading the Twilight Saga. I really need a new book to get into..Suggestions anyone?

8/8/08

The Olympics start today! Well, I guess technically it was yesterday since China is so far ahead of us in time but whatever...I'm still excited! In honor of the Olympics and it being 8/8/08 today I'm blogging about 8 things I love about the Olympics...

1. The theme music - I love that Olympic anthem they play on NBC before they start talking about the Olympics - just hearing that makes me excited about the games
2. Gymnastics - my favorite thing to watch..and my kids are excited to see it this year. And because my girls take gymnastics now and we get to see all kinds of gymnasts at their gym it is truly awing what those girls in the Olympics can do..amazing..just amazing.
3. The Cinderella stories - you know those athletes who endured such extreme hardships yet they managed to get to the Olympics..they warm my heart
4. Swimming - I heart Michael Phelps...I hope he does well
5. Diving - I can't imagine climbing to the top of that gigantic platform and doing what those people do..without splashing...
6. Hearing the Star Spangled Banner when someone from the US gets a gold medal...it just makes you have so much pride in our country and in that person
7. The Opening Ceremonies - they are just exciting and get better every time since each country has to out do the last one.
8. The Athletes - I have so much respect for every single one of the people competing in the games. The dedication and drive they have to be able to be the best at their sport is just amazing. Go Team USA!!!

My love/hate relationship with....

Home Parties...you know what I mean...the ones that us suburban moms have for other suburban moms and their home-based businesses. I really love these parties in fact I've been known to throw one or two or five in the past few years. And, I was one of those suburban moms who owned a home based business so I LOVED those ladies who threw parties. However...I have a love/hate relationship with them. While I love the parties..the food..the products..the catalogs..the fun times with friends I hate the guilt that comes with feeling like I have to buy something. I know..I should get over it..the point of the party is to get together with friends and to see the product. No one wants anyone to feel like they have to buy something but it's almost an unspoken rule...if you go..you will buy, right? Paul doesn't get this at all. He says if there's nothing you want or need don't buy it. Right. That works...He doesn't get how they suck you in..how they show you these fantastic products that you just. have. to. have. right. now. And even though you want to be strong you always spend more than you intend. The products are just so fabulous...

Baby Names

We are having such a hard time with a baby name. You'd think it would be easy since we haven't gotten to use a boy name yet...but we are really struggling. We had a name we liked but then Lily gave us another suggestion and I was all set to go with that. After all, Emma named Julia so I thought it would appropriate that Lily name this one. Paul, however, didn't really agree and he wasn't really feeling it. So we tabled to the name discussion. For like 5 months. Well, now that we are in the 8 week countdown I thought perhaps it was time to start the name discussion again. So, I pulled out the baby name book tonight and surfed some websites looking for inspiration. Lily and Emma are no help all of sudden. Other than the one name Lily gave us months ago, that she probably doesn't remember, they would be happy to name the baby Troy, Jackson or Oliver. Not that those aren't great but I really don't want to name this little one after someone from High School Musical or Hannah Montana. Anyway once we do figure it out we're going to keep it secret or at last try to. We're open to suggestions, btw...if you have any!

And, no, we are not naming the baby Harry...

Temper Tantrums

So my neighbor called this morning and asked if we could watch her 4 year old daugther while she went to the doctor. Of course I said yes..excited that Lily would have a special play date for the afternoon. However..it went wrong..terribly wrong! It's not unusual for Lily and Vanya to squabble over something pink but it's usually resolved quickly. However, today, Lily is the demon spawn and apparently can not play nice. She has been crying or screaming for an hour now. Seriously. I have no idea what is wrong with her. She has never acted like this for this length of time. I hope see can get her act together or it's going to be a very, very long afternoon. I feel so sorry for our friends little girl who has been hanging out with me or playing by herself.

Random Monday Thoughts

It's Monday and it's hot. It's suppossed to be really hot for the next few days. I'm getting sick and tired of the heat (and honestly I think it was hotter last summer)...I guess from the pregnancy..now I know why people dread being pregnant in throughout the summer. The pool isn't even refreshing these days since the water is so warm..of course still better than just being outside not in the water. So, on this hot Monday I have a bunch of random thoughts:

1. My laptop is sick..it's giving me strange error messages and freezing up. This makes me angry and frustrated. I think it's going to have to take a visit to the Geek Squad. This makes me realize how badly I need to back up my photos. If my hard drive crashes I will so upset to loose so many pictures.

2. Is it bad to wish for a rainy day - you know one of those gray, rain all day days that make you want to be lazy and watch movies all day? We often get afternoon storms but rarely (during the summer) rainy days. I actually miss that about New England.

3. I'm really excited about the Olympics - only a few days away. I'm excited to watch them and I'm excited because my dad gets to go see them. I love the Olympics - especially the summer games. Hope my dad better bring us back some cool stuff from Beijing

4. My 2 older kids woke up before 6am. Seriously..what is going on with them? I take them to the pool, I try to keep them active and I swear they are sleeping less and less. What is with that? How do I make them sleep more? I know late this afternoon they will be a hot mess.

5. I'm in mouring today since I finished "Breaking Dawn" which concludes the Twilight Saga. I will miss reading about Bella and Edward. Now I can just look forward to the movie and hopefully find another teen book series to get excited about.

Midnight Adventure

So the final installment of the "Twilight" Saga came out today..it's called "Breaking Dawn" and to say that I'm excited is an understatement (see previous posts last weekend). My friend Belinda (Hi Belinda!), who is slightly more obsessed that me, and I decided to go out at midnight to purchase the book. So the plan was for Belinda to pick me up at 11pm and we were going to go to Walmart since we figured they'd have the best price on the book. At about 10:10 she im's me and says she's bored why don't we go ahead and leave...we could cruise by Barnes and Noble and see what they had going on. I was bored too and sleepy so I was all for it.

So we head over the B&N to check out the festivities and let me tell you they were in full swing! Full of younger adults & teens eagerly awaiting the books release. Lots in costume (which was strange to me because in the books the vampires are into fashion and look like normal people), face painting (again..didn't get that) and lots of Team Edward t-shirts (one girl had a shirt that said "Edward Cullens is my kind of herion). Seriously. At 11pm we gave up on B&N and headed to Walmart.

The parking lot at Walmart was freaking packed. At 11pm. Full of families, kids (?!?) and all sorts of random people. The check out lines were ridiculous. I had no idea, you know since I try not to go to Walmart. Once we get there we try to find someone to ask if they were indeed planning to put the book out at midnight because if not we had to go back to the madness at B&N (after all we WERE going home with this book). So after 15 minutes of asking and walking we were told that yes, shortly after midnight the book would be available in the book section in the front of the store. Great..we head off or some shopping. Around 11:50 we head up to books and there is a small crowd gathering. Maybe 8 or so people, including us. We wait. And wait. And it's midnight and no book and no sight of anyone bringing the book up. Finally at 12:10 they make an announcement over the loudspeaker that "Breaking Dawn" is available for sale in the Electronics Dept. What? They specifically told us books. So we start walking to electronics...a few girls running..to get back there. Then we get back there and no one can find the book. But, my trusty sidekick Belinda was on it. It was in a shopping cart behind the counter. So the crowd gathers at the counter while an employee is purchasing something. I swear the cashier was moving in super slow motion. That's what I hate about Walmart the employees simply don't care. So after a few more minutes of waiting and Belinda ensuring she was first in line we finally got our books.

So I can't wait to jump in today so see how the story of Bella and Edward concludes. Should be a very exciting day for me!