8.30.2010

Monday. Again.

A list to start the week:

1. How come Mondays come so quickly yet Friday's so slowly?

2. How come I always find the slowest possible checklane at Walmart? Always. Yesterday I got behind a lady who actually wrote a check. Seriously checks ought to be banned unless you are writing one because your purse got stolen (as what happened to me several years ago which was, the last time I wrote a check at a store). And if you are writing a check you should have to go to a designated check writing lane. It can be full of old ladies (no offense but honestly aren't they the ones writing checks?). They can talk about how technology is ruining our lives while they wait in line to write their checks.

3. And speaking of checks why oh why do people wait until all their groceries are bagged and put in the cart to even start writing a check? I mean isn't that Check Writing Etiquette 101? If you are going to write a check then at least get it all prepared so that all you have to do is fill in the amount. While the check is clearing you can write the total in your register. That is all about that. I think.

4. I made Pioneer's Woman's Version of the Lofthouse Cookie today (click here for the deliciousness). I am beginning to suspect that the lack of willpower I have for baking is causing me not to lose weight. Hmmm....

5. PRESCHOOL STARTS NEXT WEEK!!!!!!!! Honestly it feels like eons since we've been there. I think Julia might explode with excitement about it too. She can't stand that her sisters have been going to school for a month already.

6. Fall activities are starting which means the schedule is getting busy. I can't decide if that's good or bad.

7. August..I am not sorry you are on your way out. You have been hot, long, humid and did I mention hot. I am ready for our friend September to come and bring with her my vacation, cooler temperatures, preschool starting and fun fall activities.

8. My baby will be 2 in a few weeks. 2!! I can not believe it. Though I'm a tiny bit sad not have another baby in the house I'm way more excited about an end to diapers and sippy cups.

Hope your Monday is a good one!

8.24.2010

New Math

Have you ever seen that episode of "The Cosby Show" (yes I realize I am totally dating myself) where Cliff is all upset about "new math"? And he can't understand what was wrong with "old math"? So turns out now that I'm a parent and have a kid learning "new math" I can totally relate. I have several questions/comments about this situation:

1. Who invented new math?
2. More importantly WHY did they change the way we add. I mean honestly does it really matter if we add ones or tens first as long as we get the right answer. One of the best things about math is that is there is one right answer - who cares how you get to it.
3. Why is there no parent class on understanding new math?
4. Why is math already hard for me - my kid is only in 2nd grade?? I'm not that dumb that I can't get the answer I just don't always understand how they phrase the questions.
5. Apparently my husband has no trouble following new math.
6. My 7 year old asked me tonight "did you miss the math portion of college and just leave early since you don't get it." Sigh. She already thinks I'm not as smart as dad. Great. (By the way I was totally like that as a kid too and turns out my mom is pretty smart so there. Maybe when she's "20something" she'll figure out that I'm not that dumb. Only 15 more years)
7. And to that point - I'm sorry Mom that I thought you were too dumb to help me with math - I get it now. Really.
8. I may not get new math but I can totally rock some trivia so bring that on.

8.23.2010

Scrapcation

For the first time in over 4 years I went away this past weekend by myself. Well not technically all alone but without my kids. Or husband. It was nice.

Once a month I scrapbook with 3 other friends. We've been going for almost a year and decided that we all needed a weekend to scrapbook. We were originally going to go out of town but in the end decided to stay local and just stay at one of the gals homes in Raleigh. We scrapbooked at Archivers (a local scrapbook store) all day Friday and Saturday and stayed the nights at Viv's. It was wonderful to sleep in both days and not be woken up by little face staring at me! I stayed up late and slept in both days. We had so much fun just talking and laughing with each other. I got a ton of scrapping done - finished my 2009 family album - too. Mostly it was just nice to be away from reality for a couple of days. I really needed the break - mentally that is.

Paul and the kids had a great time. He's such a great dad. The cleanliness of the house and children when I returned home far exceeded my expectations! A win for everyone!

8.15.2010

Skate Diva

Today I got to take Emma roller skating for the first time. Let me just say it was so. much. fun! I hadn't been skating in years but skating is really like riding a bike. You don't really forget how to do it! And, as it turns out..skating rinks haven't really changed much in the last 20++ years. Still even have the circular carpet covered benches where you put your skates on.

I used to be quite a skater back in my day. That's right. Every Saturday we'd head over the "The Rink" (Raleigh folks - 'member that place?) with my gal pals. I had some fancy white skates pimped out with blue wheels, blue sparkly laces and a blue pom pom on the end. Of which I saved my allowance to buy at the Skate Shop conveniently located inside the Rink.

The DJ booth is still located "upstairs" above the skate floor and apparently you can still request songs. Though today's songs include a lot of Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus not Michael Jackson or Duran Duran (such a shame). There was the Hokey Pokey but no speed skating. And no couples skate?? Maybe they reserve that for Friday and Saturday nights?

Being at the skating rink brought back a ton of fun memories and the actual skating was tons of fun. Thankfully I did not bust my booty but I came pretty close! Thought I didn't try to backwards skate or the "crossover" going around corners. Falling is a lot scarier at my age! Emma did great considering she's never been on skates. She's already asked to go back, buy her own skates and have her next birthday party there. I'd call that a success!

8.12.2010

FW: Random Thoughts

Disclaimer: I'm totally blog-lifting these thoughts. They are not my own (though some could be). A friend sent me this link and it made me laugh. A lot. So I wanted to share. I hope you get a good chuckle too (Link to the post is at the bottom). Again...these are sadly not my thoughts.


•I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option.
•Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.
•I don’t understand the purpose of the line, “I don’t need to drink to have fun.” Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they’ve invented the lighter?
•That’s enough, Nickelback.
•I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.
•The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase “Regards” again.
•Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn’t work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ’s. We just figured it out. Today’s kids are soft.
•There is a great need for sarcasm font.
•Sometimes, I’ll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first saw it.
•The other night I hit a new low at an open bar. I had already hopped on highway blackout when, inevitably I had to find a bathroom. Eventually I decided it was probably on the other side of the bar so I tried to walk over there, but ran into a guy coming the other way. We played that, Both go left, Both go right game to no avail, so I finally put out my hand to guide myself past and that’s is when I realized, yup, that’s a mirror I just tried to walk through. And the guy on the other side is me. Even cats can recognize their own image.
•How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
•I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
•The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.
•A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.
•More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.
•Was learning cursive really necessary?
•Lol has gone from meaning, “laugh out loud” to “I have nothing else to say”.
•I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
•Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.
•My brother’s Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, “Cuz we beat you, and you hate us.” Classy, bro.
•Whenever someone says “I’m not book smart, but I’m street smart”, all I hear is “I’m not real smart, but I’m imaginary smart”.
•How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear what they said?
•I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a d*ck from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!
•Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using ‘as in’ examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss’s last name to an attorney and said “Yes that’s G as in…(10 second lapse)..ummm….Goonies”
•What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?
•While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it…thanks Mario Kart.
•MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
•Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died…
•I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.
•I would like to officially coin the phrase ‘catching the swine flu’ to be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an overweight woman. Example: “Dave caught the swine flu last night.”
•I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.
•Bad decisions make good stories.
•Whenever I’m Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don’t mind if I do!
•Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?
•If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.
•Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I’m from, this shouldn’t be a problem….
•You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you’ve made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.
•Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don’t want to have to restart my collection.
•There’s no worse feeling than that millisecond you’re sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
•I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
•I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There’s so much pressure. ‘I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It’s only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?’
•I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
•When I meet a new girl, I’m terrified of mentioning something she hasn’t already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.
•I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it’s on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.
•Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles…
•Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
•It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.
•I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
•I think that if, years down the road when I’m trying to have a kid, I find out that I’m sterile, most of my disappointment will stem from the fact that I was not aware of my condition in college.
•Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn’t know what do to with it.
•I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
•I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.


http://kbrownlee.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/fwd-random-thoughts-of-the-day/

8.10.2010

Tuesday Tidbits

I realized I hadn't blogged in a week so I thought I should say something. Clearly nothing too interesting has been going on in our lives or I would have been blogging. I supposed that's actually good.

1. School is going well for the big girls. My 2nd grader told me on Friday: "Um Mom, can you please get me to school earlier next week. I need to to spend more time at school." I'd like to think this a reflection of my awesome parenting skills where she has been taught to crave learning however, it's more likely that she wants time with her friends.

2. The little kids and I are having fun with a quieter house. I'd say it was quiet without Loudmouth Lily around (not being meant - just factual - she's a loud talker) but Jacob is loud too. And now that he's trying to talk he tends to repeat words over and over and louder and louder. For example: "Iwant juice, Juice, JUice, JUIce, JUICe, JUICEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE." Fun.

3. Is anyone ready for fall like me? I'm so done with pool. I'm done with it being 100 degrees for days on end. Done. I'm ready to play outside for longer than 2 minutes without breaking a sweat. It's been one HOT summer.

4. I actually took my kids to the park this morning - I feel bad that the little kids just basically get drug around to the gym or errands. Everyone once in a while I try to fun things for them. They had a good time and spent about 15 minutes chasing a butterfly. The giggles, laughs and shrieks they made chasing this poor butterfly were the cutest sounds I've heard in eons. Good times my friends, good times.

8.02.2010

First Day of School!

The older girls started school today. Lily starts 1st grade and Emma 2nd grade. It's hard to believe another school year is upon us. They were mostly excited though Lily remarked as we pulled into the parking lot "not sure I'm ready for this." I think she's gotten a little too comfortable being out of school! It was a little sad walking Emma down to the 2nd grade hallway - it's at the end of our school building - it seems the past 2 years we've watched the "big" kids walk to that hallway and now she's one of them. It just goes so fast. Here are a few pictures from this morning. I asked the kids if I could take some pictures at school and Emma & Lily shouted "no" at the same time. Emma went on to say "no flash photography at school."





8.01.2010

Twas the Night Before School Starts

Tomorrow is the first day of school. Seems like there were days this summer this day couldn't arrive fast enough yet it also feels like wow..already? I think I mostly can't believe I have a 2nd grader and a 1st grader. How'd that happen?

In honor of school starting I thought I'd post something I wrote two (gasp!) years ago when Emma started Kindergarten.

Twas the night before Kindergarten and all through the house
EVERY creature is stirring, except for my spouse
The Hannah Montana backpack is packed by the door
Hopefully getting ready tomorrow won't be a chore
The lunch box is packed and waiting in the fridge
With hopes Emma will at least eat a smidge
The snack bag was packed with tender loving care
In hopes that low energy it will repair
The clothes were hand picked and laid out tonight
Crossing my fingers tomorrow they will still be alright
Emma is excited not nervous at all
Mommy on the other hand is trying not to bawl
It seems just yesterday my baby was born
Those early days you really do mourn
Now she's five and independent as can be
And though I'm happy for her it's still a little sad for me
Tomorrow I'll be smiling and happy as we bid her adieu
But tonight I'm feeling just a little bit blue