The Lego tour was to promote the new Lego board games that have come out. They had some GIANT SCALE models that people could (and we did) play with. We tried the Ramses Pyramid and the Race 3000. Also, there was a drawing where, if you guessed the number of blocks in the minotaur sculpture (we didn't. As fas as I know, anyways), you could win a prize pack with tickets to Legoland. We didn't play the Minotaurus game, though Bruise wanted to. And the kids each got a page of Lego stickers.
Then we went to OMSI, since we have a membership. (Did I mention that we have an OMSI membership? We totally do! I love OMSI.) Our membership info still hasn't arrived, so we got a temporary pass. Which is pretty cool. Now I can take the kids to the Science Factory or to the A.C. Gilbert House. For free. And free is my favorite price.
After OMSI (which was SO QUIET around 3:30 Friday afternoon. We usually go Saturday mornings and it's MUCH busier then!), we headed over to the Lego store. We'd never been before. It's cool. Michael and the kids really enjoyed it. I looked at all the keychains and wondered why they didn't take advantage of the opportunity to sell, say, Lego-themed clothing or something. ... Yeah, I'm more of a Playmobil-type girl myself. (Seriously, compare the Lego Advent calenders for this year with the Playmobil one? You'll see what I mean. ... The Playmobil one has BADGERS!!!!! I don't have any badgers in my other sets. And, dude, when Christmas comes around, I usually put all my woodland-type creatures [boars, deer, foxes, bunnies] around the creche. Because ANIMALS ARE SMART AND THEY WOULD RECOGNIZE THE SON OF GOD, DANG IT! You know they would.)
But, yeah, ... so that was a long day. And then the phone KEPT RINGING as we were putting the kids to bed. *sigh* And that was how we learned that we had a BBQ to go to Saturday afternoon. And that we were trading weeks for cleaning the church. Which was fine. The 11th was already plenty busy for us ... so ...
That brings us to Saturday. We woke up, got dressed, cleaned the church. Michael and Bruise vacuumed (and Bruise DID help) while Bucket and I washed the windows in all the entranceways (which should read: Bucket SAID she'd help, but I did about 95% of the work myself since she "was too tired." And I ALSO spent so much time squatting to clean the bottom halves of the doors and full-length windows, that my thighs BURNED Sunday and Monday).
Then we went grocery shopping. And bought juice and soda (people drank the juice. Nobody touched the soda) for the BBQ at C&A's place. And we went home, I gussied myself up, in case pictures were taken. I mean, I'm cute and all ... but if I'm going to be in pictures with a pretty and thin, gave-birth-to-four-babies-type sister-in-law and an eight-weeks-along-pregnant sister-in-law, I don't want to look too unfortunate.
Yes, I AM sick in the head. I should know better than to compare myself to others. Still. I had VERY cute hair and make-up. And even though most of the things I wanted to wear were in the washer, I looked quite nice.
So, OF COURSE, no pictures were taken.
(Murphy's Law, I tell you! It exists! If I had gone in my grubbies without a hint of make-up, I'd have been prominently featured in at least ten pictures uploaded to Facebook. I'm just saying.)
Sunday, we had to get up early for our latest niece's blessing at their ward. We, of course, were the first to get there. Since Michael and I are, naturally, terminally early. Even though I really was longing for another, oh, ten hours of sleep, I looked cute. (Cute enough that after H's blessing, when we got back to our ward -- the kiddos stayed up to attend Primary and play with their cousins and hang with their grandparents -- a couple of especially cute and darling YW told me that with my hair, I looked 15. ... It's nice to be told that you look about half your age. Let's hope that I keep this up. This way, when I'm 70, if I wear my hair just so, I might pass as 35. :P)
(Have I mentioned how much I love my YW? And not just because they shamelessly flatter me. Though that does help. ^_^)
Michael and I had to figure out what to do with a few hours without kids ... So, we made some plans.
- We ate a salad -- Added Asian dressing, mandarin oranges, and chow mein noodles. Yum!
- We watched half of Season 3 of Arrested Development.
Yup, we're major partiers! Woooooo!!!
Then his folks came by with the kids, bearing pizza and flat root beer (It wasn't their fault it was flat. They had stopped by A&W and the new girl was SO excited that "they showed me how to pour it without any foam!" that she didn't realize, poor thing, that no foam = no carbonation = flat soda. It wasn't terrible ... it was just like DRINKING, instead of sucking on, a root beer barrel candy.
Then the kids stuck in Ep. 3 of Star Wars (Revenge of the Sith -- aka "The Backstroke of the West" if you love Engrish. There is profanity in there, since the dubbing translations are so bad.) and Mom C, Michael and I fell asleep. (I was OUT for almost all of the movie. Yup. As I've grown up, I've graduated from READING during social events to SLEEPING during them. Winner! :P)
Then his folks came by with the kids, bearing pizza and flat root beer (It wasn't their fault it was flat. They had stopped by A&W and the new girl was SO excited that "they showed me how to pour it without any foam!" that she didn't realize, poor thing, that no foam = no carbonation = flat soda. It wasn't terrible ... it was just like DRINKING, instead of sucking on, a root beer barrel candy.
Then the kids stuck in Ep. 3 of Star Wars (Revenge of the Sith -- aka "The Backstroke of the West" if you love Engrish. There is profanity in there, since the dubbing translations are so bad.) and Mom C, Michael and I fell asleep. (I was OUT for almost all of the movie. Yup. As I've grown up, I've graduated from READING during social events to SLEEPING during them. Winner! :P)
After we got the kids dressed and ready for bed, we curled up with the last episodes of Arrested Development and then went to bed. And watched some Daria and ate ice cream.
Monday ... that's right. We cleaned house. The kids' room, our room, the front rooms. Laundry was folded and PUT AWAY. Closets were cleaned. It took HOURS. But it looks much nicer. I now have most of the dishes done. I still need to clean the kitchen ... but the floors are vacuumed.
Yesterday started out well. The kids had been asking for oatmeal, so I made some. (Not like it's hard. I mean, if you can make Ramen Noodles, you can make oatmeal.) Of course, I had to explain that, NO, we're not making INSTANT OATMEAL, we're making REAL OATMEAL. ... And they liked it enough to eat all of it ... and Bruise even finished off my bowl of it, too.
Then we got ready and went to storytime (after I played some Mystery Case Files: Ravenhurst ... Yay for free games! If you're a Borders Rewards member [the free membership!], you are eligible for free games. They put out two titles every so often. This is the second MCF title. And now, instead of the Mah Jongg game they had, it's a golf-themed Solitaire ... which isn't too bad. And I don't even care for golf. What can I say? I love free things!) and stayed for a little for the kids to play with puzzles. Then we went back to the car. In the rain. (The kids had jackets in the car. I forgot to put Michael's and my just-in-case jackets back out there. Oops.) And we stopped by a used bookstore downtown ... so I could maybe pick up the other two Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books. And their hours had changed. 12-4, MWF for now. Stupid economy. Since it wasn't even 11:30. *sigh*
So I went home and Jenny and I agreed to cancel our plans to go running (we're helping each other get in shape. Her goal is to run in a local 5 K ... and to train up to a half-marathon at Disney. My goal? Get off my not-quite-in-shape duff so I don't get diabetes. And maybe I'll get stronger lungs and all. ... But I am resigned to the fact that, unless I have to be accountable to a running/walking buddy, I'm not getting anything done at present.) ... I'm hoping that Thursday will be amenable to our plans. (Again, I'm telling you. Murphy's Law. I hate that law.)
So, the kids DID NOT take their nap. So, when they came out (AGAIN), I told them, "Fine, you go and play. I'm going to my room and watching a show. Don't come in. Don't talk to me." (It was a documentary about modern burlesque theater. Yes, I have an interest in it. Not so much anymore. Probably a good thing, no? I like more of the classic burleque -- the costumes and the glamour ...Just not the same anymore. Oh well. Not like it's a hobby that I should go into. And now I really don't care to. So that's all well.)
And the documentary was so long that Michael, even coming home late, got home before I started dinner. So he warmed up leftovers.
And then, when we were putting the kids to bed, we read a scripture story and prayed. Then we sent the kids off to go potty. And I asked Bruise (who returned first) to turn on the nightlight and the storytime light (a lamp). Bucket DID NOT LIKE THAT and she turned off the lamp and then turned it back on again.
So I declared that when the lamp gets turned off, that storytime is over --- since she felt that it was more important that SHE be the one to mess with the lamp rather than enjoying a story and getting to turn it off at the end of the chapter.
So I declared that when the lamp gets turned off, that storytime is over --- since she felt that it was more important that SHE be the one to mess with the lamp rather than enjoying a story and getting to turn it off at the end of the chapter.
Which spiraled into her breaking down into a screaming fit ... which necessitated a trip to a cold shower and new, dry pajamas ... and moaning for "story-story" ... to which I posed the question "Did throwing a fit and crying get you what you wanted? Was it really effective?" and I also told her "Tough BEANS. You're not getting story-story tonight."
(Um, can I get a medal and perhaps a substantial cash prize for not using a different term NOT involving beans? I really deserve it.)
(Um, can I get a medal and perhaps a substantial cash prize for not using a different term NOT involving beans? I really deserve it.)
Then I put them to bed, telling Bucket that I still loved her, "Perhaps not as much as I SHOULD. But I do love you." and then I did a load of dishes and tried not to cry. Because I felt like ... ... BEANS, per se. (Iykwim. Aityd.)
So, yeah. I've been rather successful in the repressing the negative body-talk. Now it's just my period working at robbing me of sleep and making me feel totally incompetent as a parent. Joy.
Stupid period. Stupid hormones.
I remember waking up yesterday from some dream where I had obviously tanned too much (something I don't do at all) and I had huge, black freckles on my arms. Like leopard spots. Weird.
Okay. I should run a brush through my hair and throw on some daytime clothing. It's almost time for storytime.
But, yeah. I hate days when I do the right thing (teach my daughter that throwing a fit and demanding HER way isn't going to help her in the real world and ... more often than not, will result in some very negative consequences) ... but I feel completely like crap.
FUN! ( /sarcasm )
Excuse me while I go soak my head or something. I only have about 30 minutes before storytime. *sigh*
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