Meme Thursday....

A Meme because I have the time....

A - Age: 36
B - Bed size: king
C - Chore you hate: cleaning toilets. hate. it.
D - Dog's names: Carly
E - Essential start your day item: coffee
F - Favorite color: red
G - Gold or Silver: silver or white gold
H - Height: 5' 2 1/2" (and I take that 1/2 very seriously)
I - Instruments you play: piano and
J - Job title: Administration & Mommy
K - Kid(s): John 5 1/2 and Josie Kate 19 months
L - Living arrangements: single family home, hubby, 2 kids, 1 dog, and a partridge in a pear tree
M - Mom's name: Betty
N - Nicknames: Queeda
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: none thank Heavens!
P - Pet Peeve: chewing with your mouth open, nasty toilets, and many more...
Q - Quote from a movie: "You are a pig from Hell, and you will be destroyed." Steel Magnolias
R - Right or left handed: Lefty
S - Siblings: 1-Kevin who is 39
T - Time you wake up: lately it's been right before 6AM! Josie Kate is getting up WAYYY too early!
U- First word that comes to your mind for "U": Unanimous
V - Vegetable you dislike: peas
W - Ways you run late: forget to get something and have to get back out of car several times!
X - X-rays you've had: many--one was after my C-Section with Josie Kate--they thought they left something in my stomach (lovely) so they had to x-ray it to make sure it wasn't there.
Y - Yummy food you make: chicken pot pie, desserts
Z - Zoo favorite: giraffe

School's Out, School's Out, Teacher Let the Monkeys OUT!

Big Brother went to his very last day of Pre-Kindergarten today. He was THRILLED to be out of school. (I thought this attitude didn't happen for at least a couple more years?)

And I picked up Miss Bug from thebabysitter and right when we were turning in to our neighborhood she puked all over the place. ...

...and again in the tub....
....and again after she was all clean.

What else will the Summer of 2009 promise to bring?

It Only Took 5 Years....

to get my kids' bedrooms painted. It is a joyous occasion! My dad, "Paps", who is the MAN I might add, came down in his cape (read: paint brush) and has painted both kids rooms. I got to go to Lowes and peruse the color swatches from Eddie Bauer, Laura Ashley, Ralph Lauren and our beloved Martha Stewart. It was heavenly.

I picked "Ocean' for Big Brother's room--it is a combo of blues, greys and greens. Truly gorgeous. Not sure how it will go with the red I have, but we'll see. I picked the color 'Honey Pot' for Miss Bug. Precious! Can't wait to decorate my girl's room! She hasn't had her room decorated hardly at all due to the fact that we were going to move, but since we aren't, let the shopping begin --looking for bargains at Pottery Barn Kids!!! (And Ebay, of course!) I actually do find deals there believe it or not. Found rugs, on different occasions, for each child's room on mega sale--I think they were each $29.99. You can't even get that at Target. I should've bought extras and sold them on Ebay, but I didn't. I'll remember next time!

I also switched the kids' bedrooms. Miss Bug had the bigger room and a queen bed in the room, so I switched and gave Big Brother the bigger room and the queen bed. This means new bedspread for Big Brother. For some reason I'm realizing how incredibly selective (read: picky) I am. But at least when I buy something, I keep it for a long time. That's why sometimes I can rationalize the higher price point....at least that is what I keep telling myself.

Tomorrow is shopping in the big city--ie Jacksonville (I know-it's not Atlanta or Denver, but I digress).

I'll let you know if I find any deals..........and you do the same! Maybe I'll find some cool deals out there because of the Memorial Day holiday!

Will post pics as I get the rooms done. So excited! Any ideas that have worked for you?

Ebay

Needing some advice from my blogger friends. I'm just not having the luck on Ebay as I usually do. I'm wondering if it is ME or the Economy!?!

I have some smocked dresses-really nice/expensive ones, Gymboree clothing, Lily Pulitzer dress, etc. and I'm afraid to put them on because lately I've been paying seller fees and NOT selling! Quite frustrating.

Here's one of my frustrations--they separate the 6-9 and the 9-12 when you know most clothing is runs 6-12 months. So do you usually do it 6-9 or 9-12 or do you do both and pay additional fees? I know I usually do it closer to how it runs..whether it runs smaller or larger, but it is still really frustrating!

So, do you have any advice? I almost am thinking about putting them out here on blogger world and if you are interested you can pay me through Paypal. Do I have any lookers? Buyers? Is this legal?

Help me out!
Thanks!

Taking the FOR SALE sign down...

I can't even believe I'm typing this. Talk about d-r-a-m-a! Don't really know how to make this long story a short one, but I try.

We have had our house on the market for almost 2 years. I was pregnant when we put the sign in the yard. Our daughter is 19 months. We finally got an offer. It wasn't asking price, but a very good offer at that. (Nobody gets their asking price in this economy!) My husband had his company fax the relocation policy one final time--at noon. At 12:07 he was dialing his boss' number because the policy had changed. And apparently it had just changed. The previous policy said they'd pay up to 7% commission. It also said it would pay for storage and a place to rent for up to 30 days if necessary. This was going to be necessary because the buyers wanted to move in June 17th. Loans are taking an average of 45 days, so we knew we'd need a rental place.

So here it is, 2pm and he'd not heard from his boss. Finally his boss called back and said due to the economy, they'd changed their policy. Well, was somebody going to tell us perhaps? Like maybe before we signed our house away at 5PM? It has been crazy.

We had to counter back at full asking price and a later closing date. The people didn't bite back. My husband said we may as well have put on the counter offer paperwork, "How badly do ya want this house?" And in this economy, they could've picked another house in our neighborhood at a comparable price that was empty and could've moved right in. Granted, of course the house wouldn't be as nice as ours, but at least it would be available when they needed it.

So after almost 2 years of turmoil, showing this #%*&@#& house with less than 30 minutes notice sometimes, etc, it is over.

I don't really know how I feel. Relieved to a certain extent. I hate change. But looking at those other houses, those bigger houses so that my husband could have an office and my children could have a playroom, makes me a little sad.

Now I guess we are going to look in to adding on to our house. I can see the sawdust already....

The Mouse

I went to Chuck E. Cheese's for Mother's Day.

Don't judge.

I enjoyed it. (Once the Goody Powder kicked in).

Hope you had a great mother's day!

Update

It is getting harder and harder to blog. Not enough time! Am missing it and keeping up with you guys! Will try to do better!

So, Miss Bug's rash left by the weekend and we were all good--I thought. Tuesday Big Brother complains he doesn't feel well--no fever, no headache, no cough, no sore throat, no itchy eyes, no ear irritations. He's fine, right? Wednesday he stays home b/c he doesn't feel well. Thursday he goes to school because he has Prek Cap & Gown pictures (yes, really). His teacher texts me saying he is 'an emotional wreck', which by the way, I don't recommend you use those exact words (though we are more than acquaintances). I pick him up when school is out. He didn't eat his lunch. He has a MONDO canker sore on his tongue.

I'm at a loss for what could be wrong. I take him to doctor. He has Hand/Foot/Mouth Disease. My husband says, "WTH is that? Do we need to take him to a vet?" Doc shows me the inside of his mouth (which Big Brother wouldn't dare let me see earlier) it is FILLED with canker sores--all on the insides of his cheeks. YIPES! Now you KNOW that's gotta STINK! My poor little man!

Now we're wondering if Miss Bug had the same thing and that it just showed up in a different way? She had NO sores in her mouth.........and Big Brother ONLY has them in his mouth. He has been wayyyyyyyyyy out of commission. Doesn't eat hardly anything. Tried to give him chewable Tylenol and he had to spit them out b/c it burned so bad.

The up side is that when I asked him if he wanted to try to go to the pool he answered with a heartily, 'YES!', so I figure he's not that bad...

And for those of you who are judging--it's not contagious after the fever is gone, so we weren't spreading all our germs around.

PS. No special shots or anything fun for a cure--just Maalox and Benadryl mixture to swoosh around in the mouth. Maalox coats the sores and makes them less sore.

Roseola, Hand/Foot/Mouth, Viral, WHAT??

So I get my daughter out of the bathtub on Thursday evening and see that she has a rash on her feet primarily--barely raised, red spots. I see that she has it on her back and back of neck. I see that it goes down after she cools off from the bath.

She goes to bed easily and sleeps all night long.

We wake up--she still has it, not as irritated (probably didn't like the heat from the tub) and appetite is the same. No fever, etc. Ask around, people are guessing Hand/Foot/Mouth or Fifths...

Take her to the babysitter. I explain she has had no fever, no loss of appetite, and doesn't seem to be irritated. Babysitter is fine, thinks it's viral. Then babysitter calls me at 2pm saying she woke up with a fever. I go to get her within 45 minutes and fever is gone--she gave her meds. So, I wait 5 hours before giving her anything else..fever never rises. I never see any sign of it. Babysitter didn't take temp. so I'm not sure if she truly had one, but babysitter is really on the ball, so she probably did. I'm just sayin'.

Sleeps all night long last night, regular appetite today, etc. though she is a bit cranky. ( or just on my nerves-ha) I put her down for her nap and get on the Internet--of which I KNEW I shouldn't do. Now I'm wondering WHAT IN THE WORLD SHE HAS---Fifths, Hand/Foot/Mouth, Roseola, Viral etc.......NONE of the pictures exactly represent what she has. The rash isn't angry, gross or seem to bother her.

Any advice?

Miss Bug 18 Months Old

Here are a few laughs for you--It is very hard to get a picture of this little girl because she DOESN'T STOP MOVING! This one is with his brother's goggles on of which he was not too happy about, but man isn't it funny?!

This is my girl saying HI to all you peeps out there in blogger world (note: she has in her other hand a gardening glove that belongs, once again, to her brother-a pattern I'm beginning to notice):This is my determined little one--so glad I caught this one on camera! :)The reason there is a spot on her outfit is because she has learned to spit and let it run out of her mouth--hence our lovely spit stain. But she's still a cutie pie!So here are the stats from the 18 month wellness appointment:

weight 7th percentile

height 27th percentile

head circumference 45th percentile

Outcome: She's doing fine--before she was not even on the charts in weight, which concerned me a little because she is so small, but the Dr. said that I am small and so she could just be petite like me........but I wasn't that small as a baby! She eats almost as much as her 5 year old brother, so I can't blame it on that. She's not a big drinker though. The head circumference is good b/c that shows that the brain is growing and it leads the rest of the body in telling it what to do so that is good. And as you can see from the pictures, it's not like she has a mondo head! I'll add one more of her body so you can see her legs, etc.

Anybody else out there have small babies?

She also got 3 shots and man, she was angry with that nurse! But she's fine now--and has already pulled off her pink camouflage band-aids!

Walmart Parking Lot

Have you ever seen someone walking around, cruising if you will, the Wal-Mart parking lot? You wonder if they have lost something, are wanting to break into a car or are a homeless person?

Well, for the past 2 times I have gone to Wal-Mart that was me--but I wasn't lost--my car was...couldn't find it to save my life.

Guess I should pay better attention to where I park? I guess if I wasn't running around like a chicken with my head cut off half of the time I might remember better......and if you are guilty as well, now you know you are not alone.

Happy Easter...

...from our family to yours.

Too bad the only picture that was any good had Big Brother's eyes shut! Can you tell I've taken away somebody's pacifier and she is wanting it back? :)

On book number 3 of the Twilight series--Eclipse. I can't get enough. It's causing me to neglect the blog among other things.......like laundry, husband, children, etc.

Several of you have commented about the fact that you are considering reading it--just go for it! They are great and such easy reads. I promise you'll love it!

Twilight

Have you read it? It's awesome. I read this one in about 2 days. Couldn't stop--neglected the kids and everything else (lots of Spongebob and sugar cereal).

What did you think? Are the rest just as good?

Bribe updates

Second night did better. Got up once with legs hurting (growing pains?). Gave Tylenol. He woke up at 5:30 saying his hip hurt. Daddy rubbed it a little and then sent him on. Since then--the past 2 nights--he has slept all night long. Hallelujah! The only problem is that Miss Bug woke up that first night, but then last night we ALL slept all night long.

Thank goodness. I was starting to think I had a serious problem on my hands. I get a little uptight about the sleep thing and I know that doesn't help. I think my son needed not only a sleep adjustment but an attitude adjustment. Mommy and Daddy had to start putting the 'hammer down' if you know what I mean. He's a great kid, don't get me wrong, sweet as he can be, but he's still a kid who is going to test boundaries.

Of course now that we are getting the sleep back to normal, we are going to the Grandparents for Spring Break. That will require another attitude adjustment.

And don't judge--but he's gotten 3 Hot Wheels car. When they run out, they run out. (I think I bought 6.) Then it's probably bedtime sticker chart time. How about Hot Wheels stickers for the bedtime chart? A nice compromise, don't you think?

We are probably going to the new Monsters Versus Aliens movie today. I'll let you know if it's good. I personally think most movies are worth it b/c you get the popcorn, Diet Coke and some peace from your day....love that.

The Bribe: Part 2

Didn't work.

No Hot Wheels.

Was up 4 FREAKING TIMES! I'm so tired that I am cranky and can't hardly stand to be in my own skin. I'm that grumpy. Tylenol PM is calling my name. I was up on and off from 1:30am-5:00am. I wanted to put up 2 baby gates at his door--one on top of the other--so that he couldn't get out.

I woke up just pissed off. I know that doesn't sound very ladylike, but I'm not feeling very ladylike at the moment.

Today I upped the Anny (or however you spell it). I told him he'd get a Hot Wheels car and I'd take him to the freaking CIRCUS that is in town. I even got on the Internet to show him pictures of what we'd see.

His top 5 list of things he wants to see are: man shooting out of a 'canyon' (cannon), motorcycle riding on a rope, trapeze artists flipping, juggling and getting to be with our friends--Ms. Rachael, Kendall and Jordan. I told him that the elephants would be there, too, and he replied with, "Mommy, they aren't cool."

OK.

I said, "There will be camels, too." I was again informed that those aren't cool either.

OK.

I can't believe my 5 year old son is already telling ME what's cool. I know what's cool, damn it! I'm only 36. I've still got LOTS of cool left in me!

So the saga continues. You'll be updated tomorrow, and hopefully not too early because we'll all be SLEEPING!

The Bribe

Yep.

Don't judge me.

It's come to this.

If Big Brother (who is freaking 5 years old) sleeps in his bed 'all night wong' then he will be the new proud owner of a Hot Wheels car.

Yep, I said it. And I'm going to follow through.

It's worth the buck to get a good night's rest (and Daddy is about to shoot me b/c I have let him in bed with us too much!).

I actually went to the Dollar Store in my pj's (Daddy called me white trash as I left the house). I had on fleece pants, VAIL tshirt and flip flops. I didn't think it looked like pj's necessarily, but hell, I didn't care. They didn't have 'feet' in them for crying out loud! Just think of it as the Lounge Pants that Clemsongirl always talks about...yet mine are striped. Love and Labs probably knows exactly what clothes I'm talking about too--I've had them so long.

Enough about my attire and back to the issue at hand. Big Brother wants to sleep in our bed because as he states with his darling blue eyes all a-flutter, "I can't stop finking (thinking) about you and Daddy and I want to snuggle and I want to be wif you."

And look at this face--he is so precious, sweet, snugly and yummy! How am I supposed to say no?

So he's not scared. No nightmares (at least not in the last couple of days).

I'm trying positive reinforcement first. He also got a new nightlight.

If that doesn't work, then I'm beating him.....JUST KIDDING!

PS I bought 6 --figure if I give him one each morning that by Day 6 I can move on to something more simple--like candy! (Wean him slowly...)

PSS I didn't look out of place at all at The Dollar Store.....trust me. It's South Georgia and I had all my front teeth. (No offense.)

Just A Teeeenny Bit Obsessed

So I know I can tell you guys this because we are all friends here, right? I have a little confession to make. I'm addicted (such a strong word) to little girl's clothing. It is just over-the-top cute! My little girl is just now getting to the stage where you can really 'dress' her--she walks, has enough hair for a bow, and can express some personality. And when I shop, I just love all the girl stuff!

Let me explain. I have a son who is 5 years old. I got to do the cutesy stuff a few times. I literally can count the number of times he wore a Jon-Jon or a longall. My husband thinks they are cheesy, so I didn't buy them much. I did get his pictures taken when he was one in a Strasburg Jon Jon and then I bought him a Kelly green corduroy longall with Santa Clauses smocked across it for the Christmas he was 2. He looked precious! Anyway, shopping for a boy is fairly simple. I'm pretty much a prep at heart, so my eyes typically wander to the Polo shirts and khaki shorts. I bought him some cute shorts from the Gap--khaki with little dolphins embroidered on them and a navy pair with turtles on them. He is not convinced they are 'cool' shorts, so I softly nudge his father to tell him that they are indeed cool. (On a side note--he did pick out the khaki ones to wear today --but he put them on with his Wall-E tshirt! It was killing me! And I did casually hand him the knit polo to put on instead telling him that he can wear the Wall-E shirt for soccer practice.)

So, now when I go shopping for a girl, it's like a whole new world has opened for me! It's out of control! There's at least 3 times as much for girls! I don't consider myself a girly girl, but some of this stuff is so so so adorable! And it can be anything as casual and inexpensive as stuff from the Carter's Outlet down the street, to the high-end boutiques.

Recently I've been on an Ebay kick. I've been really inspecting all of the smocked bishop dresses. They are just precious. I search Anavini, Orient Expressed, Vive La Fete, Silly Goose, Amanda Remembered, Florence Eiseman, Mulberry Street and those Puddle Jumper shoes, Squeaky shoes and L'Amour/Angel shoes......the stuff is so cute! I can usually get one of those outfits on Ebay for between $20-$30 and in many of the boutiques they are starting at $50. Some of the prices are out of control in those boutiques. So, I just make a mental note of the name of the clothing and check it out on Ebay!

My challenge right now is shoes. I'm needing some everyday shoes. I've got some Angel shoes that are navy that she wears a lot, but I need some that are possibly white(?) that she can wear anytime. She has a teeny little narrow foot, so we are having a hard time with shoes. I don't live in an area with a ton of shopping, so I have to search and search. We don't have any department stores that have children's shoes. I think I need a Stride Rite or a department store that carries toddler shoes. Her feet are still so small--she just turned 17 months and wears a 3 possibly a 4. In the L'Amour shoes she wears a 2! And I'm picky--I don't want all these sparkles and stuff--I need versatility!

And she just now has enough hair for a bow! And you know you need a variety of colors to match these cute outfits!

I hope that I'm not sounding shallow and dorky. I'm not excessively materialistic, but I like the challenge of finding the stuff for a deal, too, or mixing the expensive with the Target/Wal-Mart, etc...

I guess since I didn't play with dolls growing up I'm making up for it now?

Church Shoes

Our church is very casual. We can wear whatever. I usually take the opportunity to dress up a little (read: wear something other than jeans). We have quite a diverse congregation so you can pretty much go either way and blend in, unless you wear a suit and tie. Then you might get a smile or two your way. We're all harmless--do whatever floats your boat.

This past Sunday I told Big Brother he should wear his brown shoes to church. We bought them for him to wear to my sister-in-law's wedding last month and he's not really worn them since then. I'd like for him to get some wear out of them before they are too small. They aren't real dressy at all--lace up and brown--the typical trendy little boy shoes. They are darling and he looks adorable in them!

His reply, "Who's wedding are we going to?"

(I wanted to reply, "Nope son, we aren't. And when I was growing up I had to wear a dress and tights every Sunday!!!" --and your Grandpa had to walk uphill both ways to school ...with no shoes, blah blah blah)

Soccer: Take One

My son had his first soccer game last week. He had only had one practice so it made for a humorous experience for all. Of course I am his mother, but I have to say that he looked adorable! I know the point isn't to look cute, but I'm a girl. I see those things. He had matching clothes and accessories (read: shin guards) and his blond hair was shining in the sun. It was precious! It was kind of surreal seeing him out there--my baby all grown up enough to play competitive sports!

I really like the way the do soccer for little ones--no goalie, no score keeping, cheering only, etc....that's good to start out with, though I did catch myself wanting to coach from the sidelines. Picture this--I'd yell "Way to go Big Brother! Kick the ball!" and he would stop in the middle of the field, look at me and give me the 'thumbs up' along with a big grin! All the other boys are running around him, concentrating, etc! It was hilarious!

Meanwhile my 16 month old keeps trying to go on the field to try to get the ball. Daddy was gone to a bike race, so luckily I had wrangled in my parents to stay for a few days longer so I could have the help. I needed it too! I wasn't prepared...forgot the stroller, no lawn chairs, no bug spray. It was brutal.

Anybody else doing soccer?

Sing Happy Birthday...

If you have discovered her yet, go over to my best friend's blog, Love & Labs, and wish Susan a HAPPY 36th Birthday (March 6th)! She could use some help blowing out her candles this year....Old Lady!

Much love to you, Sally!

The Castle........

I mean Cinderella's Castle....... (in the Poltergiest movie voice) we're hhhhhhhheeeeeeeerrrreee!

We are in The Magic Kingdom. Actually we are checking out today--have to go to our Character Breakfast this morning and then we're headed home.

Things I learned:

It's been more crowded than we expected.

It's been colder than we expected.

It's been windier than we expected.

Big Brother liked the roller coasters!

Big Brother liked the water ride!

Big Brother didn't like Pirates of the Carribean.

Magic Kingdom can be done in 2 days for-sure (at least for our family).

Some of the rides are the EXACT same as when I came as a child.

There are not coffee makers in the 'value' hotels on property.

Beers cost $6.50.

Margaritas cost $8.50.

It's still the best place on Earth.

I'm still a kid at heart.

Happy Valentine's Day!

She never stops...this is as good as it gets when photographing Miss Bug! (and yes, I drive a Loser Cruiser...)
And then we have Mr. Hambone......so sweet and funny!

I got a grin when she was putting dirt in her mouth.

And this is the only one I could get of them together.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY from OUR family to YOURS! I thought maybe posting some pics would make up for my neglectful blogging. We have still had illness go on in our house. Maybe we need to fumigate to get out all the bacteria?!!! More vomit, Daddy with some serious Bronchitis and the Plaid Girl with no sleep! We are FINALLY coming out of it. And I'm finally getting some shut-eye, which is good because I was beginning to think that I was going crazy, plummeting to some serious depression and ready to be shipped off to Tahiti. ( I could still use the Tahiti part though...)

Hope all of you are well. Anybody doing anything fun tonight? We might watch a little Ratatouille with the offspring and eat a few Goldfish. Let me know what you have planned.

---Oh and I'll be sneaking in my Reese's Peanut Butter Cups that my cupid hubby gave me!

Puke-a-pa-loosa

While some of you were enjoying watching the Superbowl last night, I was in the shower removing the chunks of puke from my hair. I was laying in bed with my son for a few minutes when he rolled over and threw up on me while I was half asleep.

And he threw up a second time....

And then a third time...

and then the next morning when my husband went in to get Miss Bug out of her bed for the morning, she had puked too...in her sleep.

We are pretty sure it was the boxed yogurt-covered raisins by Sunmaid. And they weren't old...

And now we're trying to get raisins and blueberry (they snacked quite liberally on those that afternoon) stains out of their linens. Thank Heaven for Oxyclean...spray and powder.

So, I'll be back soon. I'm up to my eyeballs in laundry! But everyone is okay now and they are going to the babysitter and school tomorrow!!!!

D.R.A.M.A. at the PreK level!

I don't even know where to begin! Small town drama is getting very old and I wish our house would sell so that I could just whisk myself away from it all.

Long story short...my son's school (church preschool) has got some drama going on with it right now. It is not a big school, just some mother's morning out programs, 2 year old classes, 3 year old classes and then a prekindergarten. I'd say they have about 80 kids there total--including full and part time. It is only a 9am-1pm program. Quite quaint, you'd think. The administration--director, assistant director and 'helper' (I guess you would call her) all stand outside each morning and afternoon to greet and wave goodbye to parents. We've now coined them with the term "Walmart Greeters" because apparently that is all they do.

I've begun seeing how great the teachers are, how hard they work and then see how little the administration does. For example, they'll have 7 2 year olds in a classroom with one adult and nobody helps them in the bathroom--which is down the hall, I might add. Shouldn't this poor woman have help when taking all these kids to the bathroom?

Well, just recently another parent and I arranged a field trip to Publix--the local wonderful grocery store--and when the teachers told the director the plans, she told them we couldn't do it because she didn't feel like dealing with another field trip. The thing is, THEY don't deal with the field trips--WE do it all along with the teachers--WE drive, WE make arrangements, etc. So, the other parent went in and talked to the director and she was very positive saying that she'd look at her calendar and see if that is something they could work out. I'm thinking, "Just look at your calendar right now--is there anything on it? Ok, let's send out the permission slips then." It's about power with them.

Here's the other biggie--I worked there. I worked there 2 years ago and I KNOW how they work. They weren't too bad with me, but bad enough for me not to go back. The other thing is I can't say much b/c I worked there and know too much. I know that they tout that they have Chapel once a week and Music once a week and they don't. I know that they tout having field trips almost monthly in their advertising...and they don't. I know that the teachers need help and they don't help them. I know that instead of subbing for a teacher who is out, they take the helper from the other classroom to fill in so that they don't have to.

It is also important to note that the only reason I sent my son there this year was because the school I was going to send him to had to shut down their prek class b/c they didn't have enough kids. I had him enrolled somewhere else and then last minute had to put him here.

I really like his teachers though. And that is what I have to remember is most important and is who he deals with on a daily basis. I have to remember that they are the ones influencing his life.

Here's the next thing....in his class of 13 there are 2 teachers. They've been there since day 1. Well, one of the teachers--the teacher assistant--got called into the director's office and told that since there are only 13 kids in the class and not a higher number like last year that they are probably going to have to cut her down to 3 days a week because they can't pay their bills for the summer if they keep paying her. Well, it's practically FEBRUARY people. Wouldn't you have thought about this back in SEPTEMBER when there was STILL only 13 kids in there? This poor girl is so stressed about money and how she is going to pay her bills if they put her down to 3 days a week. And the big thing is that they aren't telling us parents. Well, this parent knows and is going to keep an eye out and see if they really do take her down to 3 days a week. And what really gets me is that the director and the asst. director pay themselves all summer long, too, when they aren't even there. So, maybe they should cut down what they get paid all summer long in order to keep their teachers there for the kids? The assistant director just now came on as working 5 days a week--she did only work 3 until this year. And now she's on 5 days a week this year! Shouldn't they have thought about that at the beginning of the year?

It is making me crazy. And it is so small town drama-ish. It's like middle school. I want to go in there and scream at the top of my lungs that I'm sick of them getting away with this! They are blaming the 'preschool board' saying that they don't know how they can justify this to the 'board'. The board doesn't know ANYTHING that's going on...it was like that when I was there!

I actually called a couple of other schools to see if I could get Big Brother in there, but they are full. Plus, I have to remember his teachers that he deals with everyday are great. It's the administration I can't stand.

Hopefully Daddy can start taking him to school and picking him up again now that he's back in town b/c I hate it!

Thank you for letting me vent. I was told I need to just 'kill them with kindness', but that would be killing me!!!!

Mmmmmmmmmmmm

I made brownies for Big Brother's class tomorrow. I made fudge-y ones and then put white frosting on top and red sprinkles. That's about as complicated as I get.......with any cooking! They are going to turn the air down really low and make it really cold and put wax paper on the floor and pretend to be ice skating. I'm wondering how that will turn out.

All they really need to do is open the door for a while. It is c-c-cold for South Georgia!

Big Brother said he needs a scarf. He is 5. He doesn't have one. He said we could make one out of paper. I'm hoping that he will forget this in the morning. I will be in no mood to make a scarf out of paper. I will be hauling booty to get them both out the door so I can go to work!

But my Poinsettias are still alive. I swear, I kill the stuff I want to stay alive and the stuff I would rather die off is still thriving!

Is it appropriate/etiquettely correct to still have Poinsettias in your urns out front? Think about that one and let me know.......

Big Brother Speaks....

So I was in my son's bedroom this morning playing with him before anyone else was awake yet. We were 'playing' Bakugan, or his version of it, and I was trying to 'play' it correctly.

Then Big Brother finally just looked at me and sighed and said, "Let me handle this, Mom."

And I took another sip of precious, warm, comforting coffee and let him......

Blog Award Time

Thank You Two Little Lambs!

Your Blog is FABULOUS !
Thanks so much to Two Little Lambs. Sorry it has taken me so long to get this out!

This fabulous award comes with a few rules:
Put the logo on your blog or post. Nominate at least 10 blogs which you think are fabulous.
Be sure to link to your nominees within your post. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

I don't think I can do 10 blogs, right now, so I'm going to do 5 and if you want, you can nominate yourself! I haven't been up-t0-date enough to do 10!

When I get a chance to read blogs, these are the ones I read, just call me Old Faithful b/c I seem to stick with the same ones, like old trusted friends!:

Love & Labs

The Pink Clutch

Grosgrain Garage

Mix Mingle Glow

AFro


For this award I must list 5 addictions:
1. sugar--in any shape, form, or fashion; right now I could use some frosting, preferably on a cupcake
2. ebay-love searching for deals on baby girl clothing!
3. Jodi Picoult books-she is amazing! Hasn't published anything recently, but I can't put her books down once I start them
4. that cup of coffee first thing in the morning, especially when my sweet husband surprises me and makes it for me
5. Grey's Anatomy

Oh the Beloved Outlaws, I mean Inlaws

Well, we thought we weren't going to have to see or deal with the Inlaws for several months, but like I think I told you, Hubby's older sister is getting re-married (third time is a charm?) and this time she's having a wedding. The first time she eloped, don't know what happened the second time, and now we have her marrying bachelor #3. When Hubby and I got married she was estranged from the family, so I didn't meet her for about 5 or 6 years? I think she was estranged for over 10. Or possibly 15? I can't recall. After giving birth to two children I think your brain just turns to mush...at least mine has.

I do like Husband's sister. She is really nice. I just kind of keep my distance b/c she is random (obviously) and Husband isn't really friendly to her either. We send the typical cards and such, and remember her children's birthdays and graduation. It's actually a pretty easy relationship.

Except now she's having a wedding and we have to come. Not that we have to go. We just want to support her. Shouldn't make everyone suffer just because the inlaws are problematic. So, we are going. We are staying with Husband's brother and sister-in-law. Should be fun. And short. I hope. My MIL is the freaking wedding planner for crying out loud! Husband's sister is a reformed Baptist--reformed meaning she was Catholic. Now she is all about being a Baptist. Not that there's anything wrong with being a Baptist--I grew up as one--but it is just a far cry from being Catholic. That will make things a little more interesting. (chuckle, chuckle)

At least I get to buy a new outfit and buy the kids something new. Hopefully some of the aunts and uncles will be there to dilute everything. That will help. I will let you know as the situation continues.....me and my lovely MIL drama. Still haven't talked to them. MIL did email and ask for some pictures. I wanted to respond with ,"Yeah when hell freezes over." But I didn't. Now that I'm working at my church, I'm trying to be more Christlike. So I could respond with, "When heck freezes over.' HA HA HA. She'll get some when I get around to it.

Husband has travels in the town where his parents live and he is going to see his brother and sister-in-law. They asked the inlaws if they would watch their kids so they could go out to dinner w/my husband and they told them no. They've never told them no before. She thinks it is because they told them that they were going to see my husband. Interesting, don't you think?

Like I said, this wedding should be interesting. I did borrow the book Boundaries, that has been recommended to me. I'm going to try to have it read soon so I can prepare myself of how to deal with them all! Now all I have to do is get it from the floor of my car and actually open it!

I do have an award I need to post about too! So much busier with a job, but it is good for my brain! I am missing all my friends in bloggy world! Don't give up on me and thanks for following! Is it because you just can't resist my lovely MIL drama? :)

Stubborn and Determined

Big Brother looks at me dead in the eyes and says to me, "Mom, it's still Christmas."

Then a brief pause.

"And I mean it."

I had no reply...

Random Thoughts

This should be a lovely, random flow of thoughts right now. I need to update you on my life, and it's been so busy that I'm overflowing with 'stuff', so I'll start with the laundry list and try to go go into detail in future posts.

-My Christmas was wonderful! Kids were great. Big Brother super surprised, etc. My parents were able to come (in-laws backed out--previous post if you are interested) and stayed at the condo on SSI, so it was perfect. They watched the kids a lot and I got to work and shop!

-Have had to work and have Daddy watch kids. Have a little guilt over it. 20 hours is more than you think it is! And if you saw my paycheck you'd think I worked about 10! Working for God does not pay you back monetarily! ha

-Shopped in Jacksonville and found some smoking deals--best one I will share with you--Pottery Barn kids rug 3x5 normally priced at $129.00. I got it for $29.97! I can't even express to you how incredibly exciting that was for me! LOVE THE DEALS when I can get them from PBK.

-Went a little overboard and bought a 5x8 rug from Pottery Barn that was on sale, but still price-y. We had an 8x10 rug that is Pottery Barn that we've had for 5 years and it has been thoroughly abused by all--from small children to the dog--and I saw that it was on sale and so pretty. I'm pretty picky when it comes to a lot of things--including rugs--and it is really pretty. We didn't need the 8 x 10 size, and the 5x8 fits well, it just looks SO small compared to the 8x10. It shows off our hardwood floors, but I'm not 100% convinced it is 'the one'. Damn you Pottery Barn for being so freaking expensive and beautiful! We still have the wrapper and might return it. It's on a trial run right now. I just have a hard time with change, of any kind obviously! I'm such a weird-o.

-Miss Bug is walking---not 100% --but a lot! It is too funny. I forgot how cute they look when they stumble around like drunk old men. Love it!

-My husband's older sister--who we aren't very close to--that's a longgggg story--is getting married for the 3rd time. This time she's having a wedding--in Feb. I thought we were going to be able to avoid the in-laws for several months now that the holidays are over, but nope. Sucks. But we can't punish his sister and not go b/c we are so frustrated by his parents. And no, we still aren't talking to the parents.

-I have a bazillion thank-you cards to write.

-We had Big Brother's 5th birthday party this time last Saturday. It was so fun! That boy has so many toys!

-I have been eating like it is my job--birthday cake, twice-baked potatoes, banana pudding (homemade Martha Stewart meets Paula Dean style), candy, homemade fudge, cookies. I'm salivating just thinking about it! Not. Good.

-I'm mad at Ann Taylor Loft. Their return policy sucks. Beware.

Must go. Have a baby with a dirty diaper and a child that needs a snack.