My poor, poor neglected blog ...

I apologize that I haven't been writing a whole lot lately. Mostly I don't think about doing it ... or I somehow run out of time ...

Yes, I do have books sitting on my nightstand and shelf (and in the car), waiting to be read. That's a usual. My house could be cleaner ... but here I am, making time for YOU, my dear little blog.

Sooooooo ... last blog was *gasp!* TEN DAYS AGO?!? Yep, I shall account for (what I can recall) my doings. ... Let's see ....

Michael's getting us into some better financial shape. One credit card is all paid off. So that's REALLY good. We've almost got the kids' hospital bill from when they were born all paid off. BIG PLUS. If we're very good (and we're trying to be), in a couple months, we'll just have the car load, his school loan, and the mortgage as our debt.

(Anyone else find it a little strange that mort = "death" ... and it's in the word for house loan? ... Maybe it's just me. *shrugs*)

But, yes. So that's one BIG thing. I try not to freak out about money. I hate not having money. I have not having ENOUGH money to pay all the bills (i.e., stay caught up on all the bills) and have enough left over that I can think, "Okay, self, let's put some of this away into SAVINGS ... and, well, let's go buy something fun. And get a pedicure or something decadent!"

We're not quite there yet. But, oh, I'd love to be. I'd love to be FUN again. To enjoy shopping not just for "what can I afford to buy that won't make me feel like a giant, blubber-butt WHALE ... if I can FIND anything like that?" To be able to find a cute purse that will work for me ... not just something that'll get me by until we have enough money again to afford something that makes me happy (And I'm NOT talking about holding out for something by Louis Vuitton or Burberry -- I had to look up the proper spelling for both of those! :S ... Though they do make some very pretty-pretty handbags.) (Also: HOLY FLIP! I think the Burberry bags are gorgeous, don't get me wrong, but MY WORD!! Some of them are more expensive than our monthly house payment! Even the ones on sale! AAAAACK!!!!!)

But enough about that ... what else is up in my life?

We took the kids out for a weekend of culture. There was a Youth Theater production of Cinderella over at one library ... and they kids did well (though, I think they did enjoy the production of "Willy Wonka" better the week before. The next day was a special ballet production at the local library. A local ballet studio did a lite version of "Coppelia." Bruise actually clapped for it. Bucket LOVED sitting on the floor for a first-row view.

Later on Saturday, when Michael was heading out (taking the van) for a meeting, Bruise called out to him as he left, "Don't crash the car!!"
(WHAT??? It was really funny, though. )

I started playing a came on Michael's iPhone -- Zombie Farm. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, it's seriously fun. It's (mostly) free. It looks like there's no way around paying money (99 cents) for one game item to let you use the blue zombies. :( Oh well. I don't get to play it a whole bunch, since Michael has the iPhone with him all day at work.

Tuesday, he took the day off of work so we could celebrate our anniversary. Mom came up to watch the kids for us ... and we took off for the day. We went to the temple, then we headed down to watch a movie. We saw Alice in Wonderland in 3-D, which is always fun. We also bought candy (for the movie) at the Dollar Tree (since we're SUCH big spenders! ^_^) and browsed at Borders (I did buy the latest copy of Mental_Floss with some of my birthday money. The first thing I've REALLY wanted to buy with my little stash. I'm so protective of it!)

Oh ... Saturday, after we had gone to the library, we went to Target to return a gift Michael had bought me (The thought was nice ... and he's right, I can be hard to shop for). So, in exchange for a yoga mat and bag (I have a yoga mat ... which I don't use all that often. THOUGH I SHOULD. And I've never needed to carry it anywhere. But he did pick out cute ones!), we got new tension curtain rods for the living room -- to replace the terribly twisted ones that have seen MUCH better days (just regular cheapo curtain rods. And when the kids have played with the sheer curtains, they've gotten in SUCH bad shape).
Soooooooo .... Michael took the kids to the park, since my PMS-FREAKOUT was starting, and I set to work putting up the rods (instead of reading or taking a bubble bath or anything). ... And, of course (I say "of course," when I really should say "it figures," but bear with me!), as I get the first tension rod set up so it'll be long enough to stay up in the window, I manage to cut the back of my hand. And start bleeding.

Now, do I really freak out? Do I call Michael's cell and beg him to come home and patch me up?

No. Why would I do that? I skitter off to the bathroom, grab some tissue to blot the blood and start applying direct pressure until I can use up the last of one roll of medical tape to awkwardly wrap my hand so I can finish putting up those bleeping curtain rods. Because DAMMIT I'm ready for my living room to look NICE.

And, by the time that Michael and the kids got back, I had the rods up (he did have to tweak the length on one. But that's fine) and had my hand properly bandaged. (It's healing well. No infection or anything. Aren't you proud?) I think I had also finished a graphic novel or something.

I got a 94% on my quiz in my HAM radio class last night. My test is in two weeks ... can you believe it? I think that I'll do fine. I should be fine. Just have to study a little more and I'll be ready.

FUNNY STORY: Monday, since the kids had worked hard to take a nap, I rewarded them with a trip to the library to play (in the children's area. Since it was rainy). Bruise was tapping on the window as I got in the car. And I asked him not to do that.

"Wook, Mom! Sweepeeo tapped on my window!!!"
"WHAT? Who?!?"
"Da shiny wobot!"
"OHHHHHH! C-3PO!! OHHHH! *laughs*"
(Bucket) "Mom, why are you laffin'?"
"*between snickers* Because I thought that [Bruise] said that SLEEPY PEOPLE were tapping on his window!"
"No, sleepy people wouldn't tap on your window. They'd TAKE A NAP on your window! But only in a movie or a story!"

(To make more sense, we had discussed with the kids earlier that some things that happen in movies or stories would NEVER happen in real life. So you don't have to worry about, say, an alligator suddenly appearing in your car and EATING YOUR HEAD. Just so that's cleared up. )

But, yeah, life with my kids is not a boring thing.

Like when Bucket comes running, screaming ... "What's wrong? What happened?" "The wall hit me!!!" "Huh? Like it just JUMPED out and hit you? What?" "No! Come with me! I'll show you!" ... and she proceeds to explain that she was standing on a soccer ball, looking out the window. And she went to reach about two feet over and the soccer ball shoots out from underneath her and she, apparently, banged her head on the window sill.

Yes, we DID discuss that we don't stand on balls. They're not very secure.

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One more story that I've forgotten to share. And, um, if you have a weak stomach, you probably shouldn't read it. Just to warn you.

Saint Patrick's Day, I made the kids egg-in-a-hole for breakfast. And I scrambled the eggs with green food coloring before I cooked them in the bread. They were GREEN. Like, EMERALD GREEN.

Bruise and Bucket snarfed them down. AFTER they had eaten lots of dried apricots. LOTS of dried apricots. Then they had a peanut butter cookie each.

We (Mom, the kiddos and I) go to storytime. And then, about 3/4 through, Bruise, in my lap, has a burp-that's-more-than-a-burp ... if you know what I mean. So I clap my hand over his mouth, pick him up so he's straddling my other arm, and rush him out of a closed room in the swinging door of the ladies' room where he (are you ready for this? Really?) BARFS ALL OVER THE FLOOR.

Thank goodness it's a tiled floor. Instead of the carpet that we were on in the storytime room.

So, I try to get him to go throw up anything left in the toilet. But the boy's so efficient that he's emptied his stomach in one go. So I try to keep him out of the HUGE puddle o' puke ... and I'm working at cleaning it all up with paper towels and water. And not slipping and falling on my butt in the middle of it in the meantime.

So, we change our plans from taking the kids into the next town while I go volunteer to having the kids and my mom stay at the house (and get McDonald's to go instead of eating at McDonald's) ... which is a double-good thing since the boy ended up having, um, "Revenge of the dried apricots" in his pants. If you know what I mean. .... And I think you do. ... Or you could easily figure it out.

But my mom's much better about cleaning up THAT than cleaning up vomit (she's got a wicked-weak gag reflex) ... so we called ourselves even over that. Oy.

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Okay, THAT story's over. And since I mentioned it (when it happened) on Facebook, my librarian-ladies at my library knew all about it (three of them have friended me) ... and, bless their hearts, but they think it's rather hilarious. And, it is ... in a gross way.

The joys of motherhood. ^_^

Okay. About 30 minutes until my Visiting Teachers come over. My house is ..... um ..... decent.

And, after they're here, I think I might try and take a nap. Or read. Because I'm beat. Between cleaning a bit, baking brioche (did I mention that? I should have!), going to the temple, going out with my husband, shopping with my mom, hanging up curtain rods (and injuring myself in the process), my HAM radio class, playing games on the computer, reading, staying up too late ... well, I'm pretty beat. Thank goodness our weekend has arrived!

Of course, I want to spend part of tomorrow working on our yard. Rain or shine. Which is going to be GREAT with my hay fever. *rolls eyes* But those blackberry vines that keep encroaching in our little yard? They're SO going down.