I Have Started Scanning and Saving!

Attention: Janet, Linda, Carol and Essie. There are some photos I have chosen to withold from public view. I am sure you can think of which ones. We will talk about compensation later! Ha!

Our Family 2007

Applesauce, applesauce

I sat observing Mallorie at play....
I hear her quietly reciting "Applesauce, applesauce on a wish."
The tune she was singing it to? Bubblegum, bubble gum in a dish. Made me giggle anyway.

Mallorie received a reindeer, very similiar to this. She ran out one set of batteries and is well on her way through another. Pray for me please! lol

Brief Update

It seems like ages since I have posted anything. You would really think because it has been so long that I would have some sort of news. Yeah well, I don't.

I have been sick for what seems like weeks now but I do feel a little better today. Mallorie has been very sweet, taking care of Mommy. The other day she came to see me while I was lying in bed. "You still sick, Mom?" she asked "You can have my purple vitamins. I don't like them. They make you lots better. I go get them for you?" Yesterday she told me. "Just go back to the doctor, Mom. I sure you be better just a few days. Kay?"

The girls have her outside right now. The temperature is only 21 degrees and the ground is covered in a sheet of ice. They took her out yesterday for about 20 min. and it really helped to "blow off the stink".

Our Day of Thanks

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was filled with terrific food, great company and a good movie. What more could you ask?

Chillin' out watching a movie

"What is on that tree?"

Happy Thanksgiving to You All!

The Pumpkin

By J. G. Whittier

Ah! On Thanksgiving Day, when from East and from West,
From North and from South come the pilgrim and guest,
When the gray-haired New Englander sees round his board
The old broken links of affection restored,
When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,
And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before,
What moistens the lip, and what brightens the eye?
What calls back the past, like the rich pumpkin pie?

O, fruit loved of boyhood! the old days recalling;
When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling!
When wild, ugly faces were carved in its skin,
Glaring out through the dark with a candle within!
When we laughed round the corn heap, with hearts all in tune,
Our chair a broad pumpkin, our lantern the moon,
Telling tales of the fairy who traveled like steam
In a pumpkin-shell coach, with two rats for her team!

Then, thanks for thy present! - none sweeter or better
E'er smoked from an oven or circled a platter!
Fairer hands never wrought at a pastry more fine,
Brighter eyes never watched o'er its baking than thine!
And the prayer, which my mouth is too full to express,
Swells my heart that thy shadow may never be less,
That the days of thy lot may be lengthened below,
And the fame of thy worth like a pumpkin-vine grow,
And thy life be as sweet, and its last sunset sky
Gold-tinted and fair as thine own pumpkin-pie!

Ready, Set........Go

This is what I have been telling myself for the past three hours. But yet I still manage to stay seated at my computer. Just one more. I have weeks worth of blog reading to catch up on.

It is amazing the emotional roller coaster one can ride while in front of a piece of electronic equipment. I have laughed at emails and cried over blogs..... Tim's wedding. To add to the drama I have a cold and am doped up on cold medicine. I have not drank coffee in three weeks, right now I am working on my third cup. My rationale? I can use the calories, I'm sick. That was also my thinking last night in the drive-thru to Panda Express. I know, I know. Don't break my bubble. It will break on its' own soon enough.

In other news. Mallorie is officially three! For the most part we had a week long celebration. I did not bake a cake, but did bake cupcakes for her party at school. We celebrated with a store bought cheesecake at home. Mallorie did get a Barbie cupcake with candles to blow out. She licked off the frosting and went for the cheesecake.


My brain is mush and Mallorie is throwing a record breaking fit. Okay.....Go!

The Picture Says It All

Riding in big brother's truck. Man! Are we a big shot?

What should I blog about...........hmmmmm

I must say I am at a loss for a topic to blog about so I think I will throw out a few random thoughts.

Things that make me say, hmmmmmmm.

Should I be concerned if I don't recognize the food items that I clean out of my fridge? A few of them looked and smelled pretty good. I just don't remember offering them to my family.

Mallorie likes to eat dinner with socks on her hands. Should I intervene or just be happy that she is eating?

Is it considered unethical to adjust my scale so it will not weigh me at a higher number then I feel comfortable with?

Is Mallorie seeking attention or is she preparing for a career as a dart thrower when she throws a pencil at the back of my head while I am doing dishes?

Do I need a new hairstyle if Mallorie tosses a pencil at the back of my head and the pencil sticks?

Okay so my brain just collapsed. I am having a hard time remembering the kid's names let alone recall the head scratching moments of the last few days. Here are a few that have been sent to me recently.

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things and drink whatever comes out"?

Who was the first person to think that the white thing that came out of a chickens butt looked edible?

If Jimmy cracks corn and nobody cares, why is there a song about him?

If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in the boat?

If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?

If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that Acme stuff, why didn't he just buy dinner?

Finally!

Well, I finally finished my certification to be a preschool teacher! All required courses and observations have been completed. About time huh? At 36 (almost 37) I am finally certified to be something besides insane! lol I won't have my own class right away, though I will be on my own for two weeks in November. Hopefully I will take over something after the first of the year simply because I wanted to take some time off while the kids were on their winter break. I have been working with four and five years olds for the past couple of months and really love it. This is surprising because I really didn't care for my own children very much when they were 5! Ha, just kidding! Though I think that age was the most challenging for me. That is up until the hormones kicked in. But honestly how can you have a bad start to the day when you have 25 four year olds running to give you a hug when you get to work in the morning?

I will briefly update you on the kids.

Morgan- about the same. Studying hard and working hard. She has been ill quite a bit lately. It is hard the first year working with little ones. She is handling it well and has only missed one day of school so far. That is pretty good considering she has been sick for three weeks straight this time around. She is enjoying her paychecks.

McKinsey- Her birthday passed rather quietly. We are planning a trip to Worlds of Fun later this month in honor of her 13th year. We originally had a boy/girl party(YIKES) planned but this has been pushed back to New Years Eve.(YIKES again)

Devin- has been working and hunting and riding his motorcycle. What more can I say without taking up the whole page? He is 16 going on 17(isn't that a song?). That should pretty well say it all for those of you who recall that tulmutuous period in your life.

Mallorie - she is really looking forward to her third birthday coming up in a few weeks. I am super excited as well. She finally gets the whole concept this year. I am sure Christmas is going to be lots of fun. We will really be able to play it up!

The Goose

I wish I had a clearer shot of this picture. Mallorie was having quite the conversation with this goose. You should have seen her face when the big guy stuck his head through the fence. She made a bee line for me, her feet never touched the ground! I actually think he had his eye on the chicken nugget laying on the ground beside her. She did go back and continue her conversation. Much to my surprise. Unfortunately, I and the lady on the bench next to me were laughing too hard for me to get any other pics. I really was concerned I was going to pee my pants.

I am including a few more pictures from our trip. The weather was perfect and we ended up staying at the park for over 5 hours.

Cracker Barrel Incident

Now that Mallorie is older I thought it would be fun to go to a restaurant. Just the two of us. Of course we chose Cracker Barrel! As far as the girls and I are concerned it is in the top five for the best dining establishments on earth.

Mallorie chose to order chicken and dumplings(her regular). My thinking was "She is a big girl now, lets see how she does without having it cut up for her". She actually did very well for the first five minutes. But as I was busy concentrating on my meal I could see her little hand start to wave back and forth, making larger motions with every wave. As I focused more, I realized there was still a fork in her hand with a VERY large dumpling attached. The dumpling was too big for her to put in her mouth so she was trying to get it off. The slow motion scene began to unravel as I tried to get the correct words out of my mouth. "Mallorie wait, let me help you." Just as they began to spill from my mouth the dumpling took off like it had wings. Not like wings of a dove either, but like the wings of a hairy woodpecker(yes, a real bird) bent on doing some damage. Both Mal and I followed it across the room with our eyes. As did a handful of fellow observant diners. The dumpling landed smack dab in the middle of a table two rows over. There was an elderly couple seated there. I sat staring at them with a frozen grin on my face. Unbelievably they had not seen the blob fall out of the sky. I was scott free right? Yeah! Crap, I could feel several sets of eyes on me. Obviously these other diners were waiting for me to point out what had just happened to the otherwise oblivious couple. So of course I did and they were very sweet about the whole thing. Thankfully it did not land in their food. Or worse, in the poor woman's hair. Poor Boo! I wish I had a camera on her the whole time. Her eyes were the size of saucers and she didn't say a word. The couple tried to talk to her later while we were in the store. She just stood staring up at them.

Day at the Zoo

Today we visited the zoo. Mallorie has been looking forward to this day for weeks. Because........Spongebob Squarepants would be there. Of course as predicted when it was actually time to meet Spongbob, the brakes went on and he was no longer a priority. So on to the tigers and orangutans we went.

This is a look of relief (Phew! I don't have to speak to Spongebob!) and anticipation(the orangutans are just around the corner). The frosting residue is from the Krispy Kreme donuts we were treated to while waiting in line to see "you know who"!My three girls, so sweet.

Riding the carousel with Momo.

Do we have to go through the tunnel?

The train isn't so bad.

"Oh Mam!" (Mal's term) Do we really have to go?

Not Very Newsy

I was shocked to see it has been well over a week since I last posted. So obviously we are as boring as ever. The kids have been extremely busy with school. Mallorie is doing well and finally adjusting to the school routine. She has not cried for several days during drop off. Of course this comes only a few weeks before she will begin transitioning to a new room and a whole new set of teachers. Gives me a headache just thinking about it.

I do have a cute little story to share. I attended a staff meeting the other night. Of course Devin and Morgan went as they are staff as well. Actually the entire crew minus Ernie was there. We have a lot of new teachers this year so we went around the room introducing ourselves. When it was Devin's turn he stood and shared a bit of his information(quite shyly of course). The kindergarten teachers gave a standing applause, "We love you Devin! You can never leave us again!" I have never seen my son turn so many shades of red. It was rather cute. I have to say he gets tons of attention as at his job.

Well, Mallorie is beginning to holler. I promised a trip to the park and I am still in my pj's. I better get to moving!

Buddy Walk

Today was the 12th Annual Down Syndrome Buddy Walk. We had a terrific time. Lots of good food, laughs and wonderful people. I am simply posting a few pics and heading for bed. Today I was made painfully aware of how out of shape I truly am.

This little guy has been my girls' biggest fan for quite some time now.

Just follow the sign! Easy right?

Still feeling Perky

We did it, but poor Boo Boo has had enough!

They even gave me a medal. Well, so they gave everybody a medal.

Our inspiration. Isn't she beautiful?

We could learn alot from crayons:
some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors but they all have to learn to live in the same box.

I have to say there were a lot of beautiful crayons in my box today.

A Poem

MY DEAR CHILD.
You are the poem
I dreamed of writing
the masterpiece
I longed to paint.
You are the shining star
I reached for In my
ever hopeful quest
for life fulfilled..
You are my child.
Now with all things
I am blessed.

~Author Unknown~

Pretty Toe Nails

I finally had a day off today. It seems like it had been forever. I was busy all morning cleaning, organizing closets, etc. Obviously a little too busy. I left Mallorie watching Little Einsteins while I was doing some laundry. I came across her in Morgan's room. She was sitting on the bed painting her nails with her sister's black nail polish. "Mommy! My toes are beautiful!" Can you believe she did not get one drop on the bed or the carpet.

Introducing

Meet "Baby Fishy". Mallorie has a weekly chore chart. At the end of the week if she gets all her stickers she gets a reward. This week her reward was a fish. He is a purple Beta and Mallorie picked him out all on her own. We will see, our family has not had a great deal of luck in the past with fish. If I can keep her from taking him out of the bowl to love on, I think that really ups his odds of surviving the night.

It Feels Like Fall!

As I stepped out to get the morning paper the air had a wonderful crisp fallish feeling to it. Absolutely delicious. I am so excited for pumpkin patches, trips to the cider mill, gorgeous walks it the park, fall picnics and of course HALLOWEEN!

Because I worked 53 hours this week I am simply going to touch on a few of this weeks highlights, and yes I am aware that I use the term highlight very loosely. lol

-First, I worked 53 hours! Ah! For me that is a lot and I am exhausted but it is also a lot for Mallorie but she seemed to handle it okay for the most part.

-Mallorie has been accident free for weeks. Then yesterday she had four in one day. I am thinking it was all the hours spent in school. Not sure, but she was really tired and cranky Friday morning.

-Devin was attempting to suspend himself between two walls in the hallway by placing his back against one wall and his feet against the other. Now do the math..................Yes, I have a huge gaping hole in the wall where his feet were! I am thinking it is time for a lesson in sheetrock repair. He feels it was Morgan's fault because she was doing it and said "You can't do this! You're too big!" Hmmmmmm.

-Mallorie has caught the birthday bug. Not sure why, maybe because of our excited conversations about Rhonda's kids and their birthday's. She has not been to a birthday party lately. Now, every morning instead of asking "We go circus today, Mom?" she asks "It my birfday, Mom?" Cheese and Crackers! We still have over 50 days to go, hopefully she will move on to something else soon.

-Today is the day I am going to begin eating right! I am not on a diet per say but I am so tired of feeling like S***! So I will be using you all as part of my plan. I will not relay all of the boring information just the slip ups. I am hoping that will help me stay on course.

-I am off to bake some more goodies for the Hospice House. Today is employee appreciation day and they having games and a cake walk so they are asking for extra goodies. I need to get a moving. I am taking some chocolate cherry fudge bars. (I will let you know if I stay out of them.) Who knew you could get such a warm cozy feeling just from delivering cookies once a week. The families at the Hospice House really seem to enjoy having something yummy to nibble on. The House always keeps fresh soup and Panera bread on hand but the treats are just a little something extra that might add a bright moment(no matter how brief) in what is an extremely difficult time. The nurses really like it as well and it is kind of fun to have everyone start gathering around when you head into the building. The news travels quickly that a goodie lady has arrived. lol

-I think we may be off to the zoo after that. The weather is so beautiful. I am determined not to be trapped inside cleaning house! Not today.

Everyone have a wonderful weekend!

Circus Day, Wonderful Day

Yesterday we took in the Ringling Bros Circus. Mallorie had been anticipating this day for weeks. Every morning I got the same question. "Today we go Circus, Mom?" You can imagine her excitement when I was finally able to proclaim, "Yes Mallorie, today we go to the Circus." Unfortunately I must have built it up too much. For the most part the girl was completely unimpressed. I really thought this was the year she would finally get into all the fun and excitement. This was the year she would love the lights, be captured by the music and be entranced by the acts. Nope. Her favorite part? The $10.00 cotton candy. Once that was gone she felt pretty certain it was time to go home. I managed to convince her we needed to stay so Mommy could enjoy the rest of the show. She settled in somewhat, entertaining herself with watching the lady behind us eat multiple bags of popcorn and seeing how close she could swing her foot to the woman's head in front of her without actually hitting it. She finally fell asleep during the last 15 minutes of the performance, waking up in the car. She immediately went into a tizzy of tears. "I need to go back to the circus. I's not done yet." There's always next year little girl, there's always next year.

In other news my summer long search for a train table has ended. I found exactly what I wanted, trains included for $20.00 on Craigslist. $20.00! Now that is unheard of. I was so excited, I am still talking about my amazing deal! Mallorie loves it and keeps saying, "It is just like Evan's, Mommy." I proudly pipe up "Yes it is, and for a fraction of the price which makes it sooo much better! Ha!"

For those of you who know me well, I am sure you recall my love for Vietnamese food. I have been looking for a good Vietnamese restaurant since moving to Kansas City and yesterday I found it. We were starving after leaving the circus. ( I refuse to pay $6.00 for a hot dog. The $10.oo cotton candy was an exception. I only had to buy one and after all it came with a free paper hat!) We were frantically searching for a McDonald's and because of construction I could not make any of the turns we needed to. Imagine my delight when I realized I was turning around in the parking lot of the elusive Vietnam cafe. I swear to you the place was glowing. I am certain it was divine intervention guiding me. God was speaking to my subconscious. "Eat the food you love at a much cheaper price!" So we did, it was delicious and I was happy!

After the late Vietnamese lunch and a trip to the grocery store Ernie and I decided we better make an appearance at a birthday party we were invited to. It was very nice. Good food and a terrific live band, but we were both yawning about an hour in. After all, it was after 9PM for crying out loud. We said out goodbyes and enjoyed a pleasant conversation on the ride home. Being married with four kids, those are few and far between. We strolled up to the house. Devin was working in the garage. Just when the day couldn't get any better, I heard him say, "Mark(the grand champion professional BBQer who lives across the street) brought over about 20 pounds of ribs and brisket. I could barely get it in the fridge." Life is good! The Circus, one heck of a deal, Vietnamese food and BBQ all in one day! Life is good.

My Mother's Birthday

You are no longer here Mom
I miss you more then you can know
Time creeps so slowly
Because I miss you so

No on can replace my mother
Nobody can take the sadness away
It breaks my heart again and again
So many things left to say

It is another year since you have gone
Not talking with you on the phone
Praying every night to dream of you
Hoping I won't feel so alone

I know you are somewhere lovely
A place of peace and love
Where no one suffers
With God and the Angels above

So please remember I love you
I speak to God everyday
Knowing he hears me
Passing on the words I never got to say



In loving memory of my dear Mother, Marsha Michel, on her birthday. September 5, 1947

Extremely Lazy Sunday

We are having a very lazy weekend. You would think considering it is a holiday weekend and all that we might have some sort of a plan. Nah. Everything that is suggested is shot down simply because it is too hot. Although we did take in the flea market yesterday morning. I purchased absolutely nothing but it is always fun to find a shady spot and people watch. Yesterday afternoon we went to Bass Pro Shop to watch the water dog jumping competition. Mallorie enjoyed herself so much she has been asking all day to go back. I think we will check it out once it begins to cool off.

Hairspray

Occasionally we like to take in a movie on Sunday morning. The tickets are only $5.00 before noon. Today I decided to throw caution to the wind and take Mallorie to see something other then an animated movie. We went to see Hairspray. I figured if her behavior was horrible at least the tickets were cheap and we could leave. I was not prepared for her reaction. She LOVED it! We finally had to move to the back row because she was dancing and singing the entire time. Her antics were drawing lots of snickers and the people behind us were paying more attention to her then the movie. After we moved she had the entire aisle to herself and made good use of it. I was a bit embarrassed when she was doing a Rockette high kick during a very energetic scene and her flip flop went flying two rows up. At least there were not very many people in the theater and nobody was hurt. After that I confiscated her shoes and she enjoyed the movie without incident. I do have to agree with Mallorie. The movie is terrific. I tend to be very selective about the movies I view in the theater but this one in definately a must see on the big screen.

Just a Quick Note

Hello everybody! I thought I would drop a quick line to let you all know we are all still alive and well. It has been my first week back to work at the center/preschool. I am exhausted. Mallorie has done well and is really excited about seeing her friends again. It looks like we will have another member of the family working there. Morgan is starting on Monday. I like having my kids working close. That way I can keep my eye on them. lol That is it for now. I am off to cook dinner, maybe mow the grass(I have half expected to have a note on the door from the homeowners assn. "Mow your yard for crying out loud!") then straight to bed.

Pics From Ernie's Trip to Sturgis

Can you find Ernie's bike? lol

At the campground.

The guy that owned the campground was quite a character. But, he only charged them $10.00 a night. Awesome deal!

Ernie, Tom(Ernie's Brother) and one of Tom's friends. They are at Tom's place in Montana

This is Ernie's bike after the trip out of Tom's place. He was not too pleased and I can not repeat the commentary he gave me on the phone. I told him they should have taken the trailer. But I guess they did not want to load up all their stuff. Keep in mind this bike was built completely from scratch. No kit. Ernie did the whole thing.

Low Rider

This is John. He works with Ernie at UPS. They made the trip together. He's the one on the left.

The man himself. lol

Home away from home. Looks comfy doesn't it? Yeah, me neither.

View from Tom's deck. The house is in the middle of nowhere and completely self contained. Solar powered and the whole bit, very green.

Ernie sold his bike while he was there and is now on a mission to build another one. He has to get started now. He has eleven months and two weeks to have it ready for next year!

Another Day of Shopping

This weekend is the first we have had free for almost a month and I have been promising the girls we would go shopping. Mallorie was sooo excited! She woke up about 5:30, came in rubbing her eyes. "Mom, I waked up now. I's ready go to the mall. Want me to wake up girls?" We spent most of the day at the local outdoor mall. It was so hot! Fortunately there is a great fountain that shoots water from the sides towards the middle and the kids are able to sit on the low wall and play with the water as it jets out. Mallorie was soaked from head to toe. Several passersby stopped to watch her having such a great time. It was hilarious. Of course I forgot the camera.
Today we are headed out for another day of shopping. The clutter in the house will just have to wait. I hope everybody has a great day!

School is Back in Session

The girls had their first day back at school today. I think it went well for both of them. Morgan had some problems with her locker and McKinsey had trouble with her ID but other then that things went smoothly. Now my concerns have turned to tomorrow morning. I have to be to work at 7Am. Devin will be giving the girls a ride to and from school. When I let my mind wander there are just too many things that could go wrong. The milder scenario is that Devin will simply slow down when depositing the girls at their destinations. "Hurry up, get out! NOW!" I can just hear it, or "You have 5 seconds to be in the car. 1, 5 too bad, see ya!" Good times, good times. Sigh....

Mallorie is doing better with the potty training. We have 4 days until she goes back to school to get it just right. I am afraid her teachers are going to be a bit disappointed in me, but you never know she may pull it all together when required to do so. Although this little episode really doesn't support that theory.............She came walking up the stairs a little bit ago.
"Oh no! Zoe pooped in my pants again!" throwing her hands down for emphasis. (Now, the dog gets blamed for many things but this was a first.)
"I told her to poop outside, but she didn't listen." shaking her head

"Mallorie, who pooped in your pants?"

"Otay I did (with very sad eyes) but I tan't open the door to go outside. (shrugging her shoulders.)

Oh boy, maybe I better give her teachers a phone call, just so they are prepared. lol

A Few Quick Bits of Info

Good morning all. I am just going to leave a few pieces of information today. I tried to post yesterday. I really thought it was a bit entertaining....then it was gone, just gone. Oh well.

1. Devin is home. He had a summer full of fun and hard work. His trip back from western kansas was long, flat tire, etc. I think he is happy to be here. He did pause briefly to greet me on his way to the garage to salivate over his new motorcycle.

2. Mallorie is very happy he is home. He left for about ten minutes on an errand. The crocodile tears were swelling in her eyes. It took a little bit to convince her he was coming back.

3. Ernie should be home late tonight from his trip to Sturgis. Hopefully he took lots of pictures.

4. The girls start school Wednesday. It will be Morgan's first day at the high school (sophmore). McKinsey will be starting junior high as a 7th grader. I know Morgan is feeling the stress. I sure wish I could make it easier on her. She really wanted to attend a different high school where most of her friends are going but I just did not see how we could make it work right now. It is at least a twenty minute drive and she was not real open to riding the bus so....... I know she will do great. It just makes a momma worry.

5. Devin goes back to school on Thursday. He is a junior!

6. Mallorie is going back to preschool. I have to say it is not any easier for me, no matter what age they are.

more later........my brain just died. I know better then attempt this prior to morning coffee.

My Husband will be so Proud

The girls and I have had a very productive weekend thus far. We have made huge headway on organizing the basement and at the moment we are preparing to paint. But the really insane part is that we all got up at 5:30 AM, loaded up the truck and went to the flea market. Ernie will be so proud! I made $100.oo, not bad for a couple hours in the sun.

I took the girls to Coldstone last night to reward them for all their hard work. I found bliss in a cup. I tried the "Cake and Shake" for the first time. It was like drinking vanilla cake batter. Now, I understand that to some of you that may be gross, but for me that is the best part of a cake. Mallorie was hooked as well, so now I know what to get her and the plus side.... it's not nearly as messy as the blue, cotton candy flavor.

I better get back to work. If I sit much longer I won't want to get back up!

He's Gone and I am Overhauling the House

Ernie left for Sturgis about 11:00 last night. I wanted to get pictures but our street was so dark they did not turn out. He called a few minutes ago and they were almost there. No, I was not invited nor did I want to go. They will be camping in somebody's back yard for a week and from what I understand there is no mall! I am certain he will have a great time. But what am I really excited about?...... I am using this time to clean out the basement/storage room. I am seperating everything into three piles: Sell, Goodwill and Trash. I am sure you are asking why I have to wait for my husband to take a major vacation away from his family in order to get this done. Ernie simply is a packrat and I know (because of experience) he will have tons of "Hey I might use that someday" comments. Thus I am doing this while he is gone avoiding all of that. I told the girls if they help me I will put a ping pong table down there because I plan on having lots of extra space. I have already posted a lot of things on Craigslist. McKinsey and I had a great time last night checking out the site for things that people are wanting to buy. There was loads of interest in many of the things Ernie has in the garage. Hmmmm. No. I do consider myself a fairly smart girl but can't you just imagine the look on his face if he came home to an empty garage and a new living room set. "Priceless!"

Thank you everybody for showing concern while I was sick. I have not been that sick for awhile. I am not sure if it was psychosomatic or not, but while we were riding a water ride at the amusement park I got a ton of putrid, nasty water in my mouth because I was laughing so hard. At that moment I remember thinking "I am probably going to be sick later". So I figure I have three choices.....1) I made myself sick by thinking about it. 2) I had a bug and was going to get sick anyway. 3) It came from the gross water at the park. Oh well, moral of the story....... Keep your mouth shut. Funny but that advice works in many situations doesn't it? lol

Well, my coffee cup is empty and Mallorie is hanging on my neck telling me knock knock jokes. Her favorite? Knock, knock!........Who's there?..........Boo!............Boo Who?..........Don't cry, it's just a joke! So off to work! Everybody have a great day!!!

Down With the Flu

I have the stomach flu! Yuck! I have been sick since Saturday. I think I feel better today, still a little weak and pukey. Everyone has seemed to manage okay on their own. Although Mals keeps coming to me saying, "Wate up, it is time to wate up now Mommy!" I am torn between getting up to spend some quality time with my little one and laying in a prone position because the room spins everytime I move. Hopefully today will be better. The sofa is calling to me, better go. I will post again when I am healthy.

Tons 'o Fun

We have had company for a few days. Some friends were visiting from Western Kansas, so we took in several of the local sights. The kids all had a great time. I did too. We had lots of laughing, catching up, eating and roller coaster riding. Not necessarily in that order. For the most part Mals had lots of fun with only one complaint. While at Worlds of Fun we decided to take in a musical show, which was an extremely loud and somewhat pitchy performance. It was obvious the long, hot day was taking its' toll on the performers. After leaving the theater I bent down and asked Mals if she liked the music. "Huh?" I repeated the question. "What? I tink my ears is boken." lol.

The big girls went on ride after ride. (It was actually a first time roller coaster experience for a couple of our guests.) The lines were relatively short. They went from one end of the park to the other, over and over. I, on the other had was relatively content to sit on a bench eating my kettle corn and people watching. Even though I am exhausted I know if I had tried to keep up with the girls all day I would be dead, literally. There is nothing like pushing a stroller up and down hills all night to remind a person how extremely out of shape they are! lol










So our friends have left and now it is time to get back to real life. Cleaning, paying bills and ("ugh") watching what I eat.

Daddoo Come Home Please!

Several times today when the phone rang Malsy would pipe up "It's Daddoo (aka Big Brother) tell him to come home right now. I miss him". Sooo, Devin if you are reading this........somebody very special misses you a great deal. When Devin was gone for three months last summer I was afraid Mallorie would need to get to know him again. (She was only a year and 1/2.) But no, she had absolutely no problem. We met him in Topeka and she flew right into his arms. So this summer I feel confident the scene will be repeated. Her big brother and big sisters adore her and I have to say feeling is mutual.

Long Weekend

Hello everybody. I don't have much to share, not that I ever do anyway. I have been under the weather since Friday afternoon. I have spent a great deal of time on the couch this weekend. I bought groceries Friday because I could feel it coming on. I have barely been out the door since. Poor Mals wore the same PJ's all day Saturday and Sunday(I did too). I have yardwork that needs done and I have company coming Wednesday and the house has seen better days. I am afraid to look in Devin's room. When he left for the summer I simply closed the door. I have been trying to stir up the courage to venture inside ever since. Once I go in, I may not come out.

In other news, Malsy has made it her job to congratulate Kinz when she goes to the bathroom. McKinsey said she waits outside the door for her the with big eyes, "Did you go potty? High Five! Let's get you a sticker! Do you want to move a ticket?" She has not done it to the rest of us. I think she is confident in our potty skills. I'm sure she feels McKinsey just needs a little encouragement and she will get it right. lol

Short and (I Wish, More) Sweet(s).

I did not eat the cupcake. I went to bed. Don't be too impressed. I have been eating a lot of this.
It seems like the girls and I eat a lot of eggs for dinner anyway, so I thought I would try to shake things up a little bit. Though Mals is sticking with her fav, good 'ole scrambled eggs and you guessed it...... ranch dressing. Ugh!

We spent the morning at the pool today. It was great. The forecast called for rain and there was enough of a cloud cover to keep the neighbors away. So we had it all to ourselves. McKinsey found a frog in the drain. We decided we had to rescue the poor guy so I grabbed a small net and proceeded to save a life. I lifted the cover off the hole and scooped (I use this term loosely. For the most part I shoved the net until I hit something solid then did an upward motion similar to throwing a granny ball.) right in McKinsey's direction. Of course there was a lot of running and squealing. The girls managed to make some noise too. lol Mals decided she had enough. She walked to her chair, toweled off and sat in the wagon until it was time to go. I guess she wasn't going to take any chances on finding another frog in the pool.

I better get. I am told Mallorie has been dipping her granola bar in...........ranch dressing. She is now throwing a small tantrum because Kinz told her "That is just gross!".

My insides are crying "Calgon, chocolate cupcakes. Calgon, chocolate cupcakes." Although Krispy Kreme does have a whole wheat donut now. Hmmmmm. I am sure it must be better for you. Shhhh, please don't unravel the little lies I tell myself. Sometimes they are all I have.

You Might Want to Look Away

I probably should not be posting anything at this time. I have severe PMS and am practically incapable of stringing a sentence together. I feel extremely anxious and keep finding myself searching out yummy treats like this decadent cupcake. I keep telling myself if I give in I will undo in 5 minutes what I have worked very hard to do in the last ten days. Which is getting harder to justify. I have exercised everyday, drank tons of water and really tried to watch what I have eaten and NOTHING. I realize my system is in shock. " What the heck? Are you trying to starve yourself? I can hear it speaking to me right now! So I am sure it (my system) is trying to hang onto every pound it possibly can. Will I give in? I don't know. It is quite the inner battle and my double chin is beginning to grow on me, which is leaning me in the "yes" direction. So we shall see. Maybe I will just eat a boiled egg white and go to bed.

BTW, Mallorie just heard the egg timer and yelled. "Ohp, time to go potty gen!" She just went ten minutes ago. But now that I have been setting the timer every hour as a reminder, she has become trained to go every time she hears that sound. lol

Devin started his new job yesterday but was really disappointed when the guy decided to give him $2.00 less per hour then initially promised. I think it was kind of a dirty trick and know that Devin is worth far more then that. I am not sure if he is going to stick it out, I admire the fact that he went back for a second day, but at the same time think he might want to move on.

I am job hunting as well and honestly trying to do that while PMSing is not the best of experiences. But, on the plus side. I have not burst into tears, sobbing "I'm the worst mother in the world!" So maybe the whole watching what I eat thing is showing positive results after all. But man, what I wouldn't pay to be able to eat that chocolate cupcake with no consequences right now!

Picture of Success

She did it! Yeah! Mals managed to stay dry for well over 24 hours. She is well on her way to her a second day with a well deserved reward. She has chosen the to go to the play park if all goes well. So my faith is restored. I am becoming more positive that she will not be wearing a pullup underneath her gown at her high school graduation.

In other news, we drove to Topeka today to pick up a street bike(motorcycle) for Devin. I am not sure who is more excited, father or son. Devin has not seen it and probably will not for awhile. He is still as Grandpa's. He has a new job at a motorcycle shop in Garden City, so I do not know when he plans on coming home. I think the only person he misses right now is Mal. That will probably be the biggest draw to come back to KC.

Ernie brought 5 HUGE zucchini home the other night. I thought I would make zucchini bread to take to the hospice house. I wanted to try out my recipe first because it has been ages since I have used it. I was VERY disappointed and think I will end up scrapping it all. Aaah, the project took me like two hours and now I feel like it was a major waste of time. I hate that, and to think with that two hours I could have been taking a nap. Looks like the hospice house will be getting good old Toll House Cookies instead.

Time to go. Supper to cook and laundry to do and of course we have a playground to go to!

Potty Chart

Mallorie has helped to create her own potty chart which has gone into effect today. She is very proud and so far she has managed to stay dry. I do realize the day is only half over. But, the criteria is not dry drawers all day. The objective is to sit on the potty as much as possible. She gets to move a ticket after each attempt. At the end of the day when all tickets have been moved she gets a reward. Today her reward choice is ICE CREAM. I'm thinking.... if this is successfull I may have to put in a special request for Starbucks tomorrow. She has been thrilled with her accomplishment and high fiving all over the place. Let's hope the motivation will continue to build. I don't think this will take long. She was basically potty trained until the big changes took place. Please note the green boots as mentioned in a previous post. To be continued........

Popcorn

Mallorie and I began our usual Saturday morning routine. We are always the only ones up until at least 9:00. (Unless I insist otherwise.) I was in the laundry room starting a load while Mallorie was in the family room watching Jo Jo's Circus. (This was always a sure bet to buy myself 5 minutes to do something. You know the luxuries like going to the bathroom, scrubbing the toilet or getting my clothes on, alone. Not anymore!) I must have taken longer then I thought. Here comes Mallorie walking in with a fresh and perfectly popped bag of popcorn.

"I tan't eat it yet. Too hot! Open it, pleeeeez."

"Mallorie, where did you get that? Who popped that for you?"

"I tan do it. I pushed the buttons."

So as you can imagine the horrible images that begin to flash through my mind. On the moderate end of these thoughts is the mental picture of her sitting in front of the microwave with her forehead plastered to the door watching the popcorn go round and round. Can you say brain damage, radiation poisoning. "Aaaaaah! Calm down, don't hypervenilate." I say to myself. At least her tiny fingers show no signs of burns and she did bring the bag to me unopened. At the moment she is blissfully eating her popcorn. Once again this is the child that is NOT potty trained. BTW, this morning, as usual I asked her if she wanted to sit on her potty and read books. Her response.... "No tanks, I don't have time right now." No time? Is her schedule that pressing? I think NOT. I quess I am learning you can lead a kid to the potty but you can't make 'em pee. The other lesson learned today? Mallorie will be my laundry assistant from now on!

Day at the Park

Disclaimer: This post starts out sweet but gets rather bitter by the end. If you wear lipstick to the park I do not reccoment reading any further.

We spent what should have been a blissful three hours at the playground today. The temp was a moderate 82 degrees with a slight breeze. I sat back simply enjoying the day. Then...... I fell into the mommy trap. Or rather the mommy trap fell into me. I scouted the playgound. Always checking for another mom who appears relatively normal and looks as though they could be relied upon to deliver some decent conversation. When we arrived this afternoon there were none to be found. I took a seat under a tree and prepared to soak it all in(I might add there are MANY shade trees at this play park.) Just as I became comfortable the "Lipstick Mommies" arrived. You know the ones that always look perfect. Hair done and of course lipstick with liner even. I wear lipstick, all the time as a matter of fact. I just don't wear it to the playground, on nature walks or to ball games. Boy did I feel sloppy in my t-shirt, shorts and ball cap! Silly me. Of course as they began walking my way I just had to make eye contact. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid! The small talk began pleasantly enough. "How old is yours?" 2 1/2 " Wow, what percentile is she in? She's so small. Does she eat?" this was said with raised eyebrows and head cocked to the side even. I really did not think it merited a response. If you want to know the truth I could not think of a sarcastic comeback. Boy do I have some good ones now! Ha! The talk soon turned to gossip and I quickly glazed over and withdrew into myself for a mini nap. I'm pretty sure after going so many nights without sleep I have learned to compensate. Somewhat like a dolphin by letting half my brain sleep at time. This was a golden opportunity. After they left I was able to reflect for a bit. You know what? Who cares if I don't jog 5 miles a day. So what if my only idea of exercise is doing 20 minutes of yoga with my two year old three times a week? BTW, she is always impressed with my "Pose of the Dancer". Who cares if my hair has not seen a blow dryer or curling iron in two weeks? Who cares if my suburban has 6 months of cookie crumbs under the car seat? (That last one was not brought on by the Lipstick Moms, it just makes me feel better.) At least I know I can go home and proudly say I have not said one bad thing or gossiped about anybody in a very long time. Well, until now. D--n those Lipstick Moms!

"Ode" To Craigslist

Look at this awesome slide I picked up off of craigslist.org for ten bucks. E and D were always shopping on Craiglist and finding motorcycle parts etc. Until about 6 weeks ago I had no idea the jewels it contains. I am incredibly addicted now and there seems to be no end to the great finds. It is better then any garage sale. Once you click your major city all you have to do is enter the item you are looking for. The matches are pulled up with the corresponding suburb. Love it! Ernie listed a mower for sale. He had ten emails in the first two hours and it was gone by that afternoon.

Another Long(short?) Night

Unfortunately I have had another sleepless night. I am operating on fumes at the moment. I am simply trying to stay awake so I can keep Mals up as long as possible. Last night she was up from 2 until 4. She did have a tummy ache. Once the little belly was rubbed and all tooting was over she was able to relaxe and fall back to sleep. At 6 AM I awoke to my arm being pulled like a rubber band. "Mommy, it is time to wake up now! Get up! Get Up! No sleeping all day!" I groaned loudly as she opened my eyelids. I leapt out of bed as she stuck her finger in my mouth and pulled on my cheek. That did the trick! I managed to stay awake all day, although I think I may have dozed off briefly while checking my email this afternoon. lol I woke up mid sentence and was not really sure how I got to that point!

Anyway, Wednesdays are a highlight around our house. My girls and I love the show Ghosthunters. We are normally not at all drawn to this genre, but I find Grant and Jason oddly irresistable in a creepy brotherly sort of way. Prior to this I wouldn't even let my kids watch Casper. I am intrigued by their investigations. So on Wednesday evenings there is no talk of an after dinner walk or sipping iced tea on the back deck. We are all about watching our show, then the conversation is something like... "What do you think?" I don't know. What do you think?" "I don't know." Deep thinkers, aren't we?

Since for the moment I am not allowed to talk about the teens, I will not mention the dozen red roses and teddy bear that Mo Mo received via FTD this afternoon. Pssst...... All of you with her email address be sure to sharply quiz her about it.

At the moment Mals is sitting on my lap with her feet on the desk singing "Yellow Submarine" at full volume. Maybe I should rethink that after dinner walk. Anything to get this girl into a relaxed state and ready for a FULL nights sleep.

What Time is Bedtime?

I am completely exhausted this evening. We did not do anything today. We lounged by the pool and in the afternoon I managed to drag my rear end around the block for a walk. But, oh yes! Now I remember! Malsy woke up at 3:30 AM ready to face the day. To me, that truly is before the butt crack of dawn. As she faced the day with a smile and a skip, I warmed up coffee from yesterday in a feeble attempt to become human. Didn't help.

She has been waking up in the night quite often. Fourth of July, pre-dawn she came to me shaking like a leaf, claiming there was a worm in her bed. Being the wonderful mother that I am, I burst into laughter. "Did the worm talk to you?" response, "Yes him talked to me. Him said I scare you" So any of you planning on staying for the night anytime soon. Beware. We have an infestation of talking worms.

In other news the potty training has come to a complete halt. We have had several major changes at home lately and Mals has totally regressed. I will ask her to go potty. "No tanks. I is a baby now. Get me a diaper. K?" Yeah, I know exactly what you are thinking. I am the mother of three children who were completely trained before their second birthdays. But, as noted in the prior post, I was much more rigid then. Anyway, I have decided to completely back off. We do stroll down the big girl undies aisle at Target at every visit. "Look at those pretty undies! Don't you wish you went potty on the toilet all the time so you could have undies like that?" response- "No tanks. We can buy Blues Clues Diapers. K?" She changes them herself for crying out loud. lol Oh well, for now I will let it ride.

Disclaimer: For the record, I do NOT favor Mallorie any more then my other children. I realize she has been the topic of all my posts thus far. Unfortunately the content regarding my teens is being closely monitored and scrutinized. Therefore leaving me sparse information to share with the general public. As their general interest in my blog wears off, I plan to share all areas of their lives that I deem blogging material.

Froggie Rain Boots

These are Malsy's favorite shoes. This pair of boots has traveled many more places then we have had rainy days. She sleeps in them and I have to say they do go very well with Dora night gowns. This simple pair of boots help Mallorie to display her personality for the world to see. Often she snubs the brightly colored Stride Rite sneakers in lieu of her lovable boots. I have to say they symbolize something for me as well. When Mal's brother and sisters were little, I NEVER would have let them wear these boots unless it was raining and they coordinated very well with the perfectly matching outfit they were wearing at the time. Now, I simply grin with pride at the independent soul that is marching down the sidewalk in her green frog boots, mini skirt, and tangled hair that has not seen a pony tail holder in ages. I know the older kiddos are well balanced and theoretically did not suffer because they did not have green frog boots. (I do remember Devin wearing shorts and cowboy boots to the grocery store once.) I still wish I had let them be freer in spirit. Hmmmm, I wonder exactly what sizes these boots come in......