Sunday, June 16, 2013

Ten days later ...

What all has gone on since I last blogged?
(A lot)
And I'm SURE that you've been WAITING WITH BATED BREATH since my last post.
Yeah ... I'm so sure.

Regardless, here's the catch-up ...

  • So, Michael had his birthday. That was where we left off.
    The grilling went well ... Since Michael was in charge of most of it. ;)
    I did grill some fresh pineapple ... which Bucket promptly, in TRYING to be helpful by bringing it in the house for us, dumped on the carpet. ... It was still good, once you picked off the carpet fuzz and cat hair. *rolls eyes*
  • The kids had Crazy Hair Day at school ... Bruise's was all spiked and multi-colored (I still have some red, blue, and green colored hairspray. I LOVE Sally Beauty Supply for that. And it smells WAY better than the generic Target spray that comes out at Halloween. Just sayin'. ... I should see if Sally's carries the glitter hairspray. Hmmm.)
  • Michael fell prey to a nasty stomach flu. Bubbles and I came home Friday, after he'd gotten home from work. We were going to all go run some errands ... but he was SACKED OUT on our bed. So, I put Bubbles down for a nap after a while and puttered around the house, waiting for him to wake up ... which he did, shortly before the kids got home ... and we went to his folks' house for a birthday dinner.
  • I woke up with Michael's stomach flu on Saturday ... He was starting to feel a bit better, so he let me sleep while he took the kids out to get presents for their cousins' birthday party. And, since he was NOT feeling great when he got back, we called up his folks ... and they saved the day by taking all three kids up to their cousins' party.
    It allowed THEM to have fun ... and it allowed us to sleep and, um, be near the bathrooms. (Yeah, it was NOT pretty.)
  • We were feeling much better by the time the kids got home. I had eventually shambled down the hall to join Michael on the couch. We watched some episodes of Portlandia and ate popsicles ... and everything stayed down. Phew.
  • Which allowed us to make it to church. And choir.
  • The kids' school had an awards assembly. Bruise got recognized for writing (he has worked to improve. He's worked REALLY HARD). Bucket was recognized for Reading (well, she IS reading around a third-grade level) and for being a great student (academically and behaviorally). They were both (along with MOST of their grade) recognized for not having behavioral issues.
    I took the camcorder ... and, well, I messed it up. But I did get some still-shots, so it COULD be worse. But I was really irritated at myself.
    Their principal gave a VERY good speech about how, even though we always want our children to succeed, it's GOOD for them to struggle and even fail once in a while.
    I really thought that Michael would like it, since he's REALLY irritated when there are awards to, well, recognize mediocrity. It's okay not to be the BESTEST at things. And, well, people have to face it ... not everyone CAN be the bestest. In fact, the odds are REALLY stacked AGAINST it. And even though we're all unique and special, we have to face it that the world does NOT revolve around us. (We do work to giving our kids a healthy self-esteem ... but not to let them be at all insufferable.)
  • I was still helping to ferry my friend's daughters home from school. Tuesday was ... a little exciting. The gal who was going to do the afternoon pick-up couldn't, due to a family thing. So I got Bruise and Bucket from school a little early and JETTED down to pick up one of the girls. We made it, just five minutes late. Phew!
  • My mom was up Wednesday, so she was here when Bruise and Bucket got home from school (it was a half-day ... and I had picked up my friend's girl). Then we went out to lunch ... and, after Michael got home, we went to dinner (a local restaurant has a kids-eat-free Tues-Thurs promotion).
  • Thursday ... we slept in a bit, cleaned up the house, played a little ... Mom and I got the kids signed up for a sports academy (1 hour/3x per week for three weeks) and swim lessons. And it POURED on the first day of Summer Break. 
  • In the evening, we got the kids ready for bed and I headed out for dessert with some friends of mine. Yup, a girls' night out. Creme Brulee and chatting. It was REALLY nice. Especially since a couple of the friends are headed out of town for a while.
  • Friday, Michael and I went to give blood ... and I was turned away. For the first time EVER, I have low iron in my blood! WHAT?? So I tried not to cry. And I bought some iron supplements.
    (I ALSO tried Fentiman's Rose Lemonade. YUM!!! If you like Rose Pastilles, you'll LOVE this!)
  • Yesterday, we went to the mall's kids' club -- there was a little concert. Very fun. Then we bought the kids some shoes. Bruise got a pair of sandals (Perry the Platypus?!??), a pair of slip-ons, and another pair of sneakers (since they have sports camp). Bucket got a pair of pink, sparkly wanna-be-Toms slip-ons, a pair of metallic sandals (for church), a pair of brown Mary Janes (also for church), and a pair of sneakers. They should be set for the summer!
    Bubbles' pair of shoes (Moccons, in the next size up) that I ordered came in. So she got new shoes, too. Lucky girl.
  • We also went to Jenny and Joseph's Solar Party (learning about solar panels). I don't think we're ready for them ... YET. Don't get me wrong, we'd LOVE to invest in them ... but it's a 20-year contract. And we KNOW that we're not going to keep our current house for 20 years. (We need to get at least a three-bedroom sometime. Preferably something a little bigger ... It'd be AWESOME to have a guest room. And a detached office, so Michael'd have the option for working from home ... without us bugging him all the time. ;P)
    (And a LIBRARY/office. And a backyard that we could fit a play structure in. And a garden! And a koi pond! And room for a pool! And, and, and!!!)
    But it was a fun time to get to chat with people ... and the kids had fun playing with other kids.
    And, of course, the food was awesome. (Caramel Tres Leches cake?? I HAD to try that. FOR SCIENCE, y'all!)
  • For Father's Day, we let Michael sleep in. And I made breakfast (pancakes and a POUND OF BACON. Jim Gaffigan would be SO PROUD). We gave him his presents (a DVD and some books: Darth Vader and Son, Vader's Little Princess, and the latest Dan Brown novel) ... and I sent off e-cards to his dad, my dad, my stepdad, and my grampy.
    Then we got ready and went to church (took the neighbor girl) ... and came home, folded tons of laundry, called the dads (I got two answering machines ... I can handle that. And I chatted with my stepdad), and ate lunch.
Besides that, it's been lots of dishes, laundry, trying not to yell at the kids too much, Bubbles getting into the cat food ... and sticking it in Freyja-cat's water dish.
Michael ripped out the other old Juniper bush in our front yard. He asked me where the snake will live now.
I say that it'll move under the rhododendrons. Which, naturally, are next to be taken out. Of course.
Michael has plans for a raised-bed garden. Since it'll get TONS of sunlight. I can handle that.

This week should be fun: Dad and L are coming up tomorrow. The kids ALL have a dental appointment. Sports camp (T-ball) starts ... they'll miss the first day. Whoops. Bubbles has her 15-month check-up. I don't THINK that she is getting any shots ... But, well, it's been six years, so she probably IS getting shots. And Bruise and Bucket will be there to help distract her. Good times.

Then, this weekend, we're going to have a work party to cut down a tree in the back yard (it's getting BIG. And it's taking up a LOT of room. And the leaves are REALLY STICKY so the ants LOVE it. ... And, well, I'm trying NOT to feel TOTALLY guilty about KILLING A TREE.
(But the wood is going to good use! We're giving it to a gal at church so she'll be WARM this winter!)
And, once the yard work is done, we'll have a BBQ to celebrate. So I'll need to go shopping.
Then we'll have choir on Sunday ... and that is the plan for the week.

Besides cleaning, cooking, having the kids memorize Articles of Faith, reading through The Book of Mormon with the kids this summer, working on writing and keeping in the habit of school stuff, researching medical insurance, researching a good not-too-big-or-too-spendy elliptical (because, it'd be NICE to have one. And I'd get through a LOT more movies/TVshows on Netflix that way) ... and updating the Facebook page for the ward (congregation) playgroup ... which, well, I'm in charge of.
I really don't know why. I suck at setting up Playdates. 
But Michael tells me that they have me do it because I'm aware of stuff going on. ... Okay, if you say so.

And ... I really want to get some naps. Naps would be good (or is that the low iron speaking?!?!??).

Funny things said lately:

Bucket and I were talking about cleaning and dirt.
Bucket: Well, when I have my own house, it won't have dirt or germs in it.
Me: Honey, EVERYONE'S house has some dirt and germs.
Bucket: THAT'S IT. I don't want a house. I'm just going to LIVE IN THE STREET!!

.... I really have no idea where she got that dramatic streak.
No clue at all ... *Whistles and walks away. Nothing to see here, officer.*

Michael already started reading "Inferno" (one of the books we got him).
Michael: Dan Brown REALLY has an ego.
Me: I'm Dan Brown and I'M A GENIUS. Read my books and see how smart I am. Because I am SMARTER THAN YOU.
Michael: Because I AM ROBERT LANGDON. ... Seriously, Langdon is Brown, but with more hair!

Bruise's pronunciation still makes us laugh ... He's using GREAT WORDS (that I, at the moment, cannot recall. BAD MOM) ... but, well, he's just great.

Bubbles likes to up the cute to get out of any trouble. And, when we call her on it, she'll flop onto the carpet and cry. Poor thing.

My best bon mot this week was probably this (Michael'll correct me if I was MORE brilliant, I'm sure.):
At Jenny's solar party, the rep was talking about how we get the majority of our electricity in this country.

Him: It's all dams, coal, and oil!
Me (sotto voice to Michael): Damn coal and oil.

Yeah ... I'm a rebel, I am.

But really ... I could totally go for another Rose Lemonade (or a dozen. Maybe ten ... dozens, that is).

1 comment:

Jennifer said...

Ummm... YES! I have been waiting with BATED breath. I am surprised I didn't pass out! You really should think of my health when you don't blog often enough ;)