My finished mummy cookies. I ran out of white frosting and had to use orange at the end.
The kids right before we went out trick-or-treating. Are you surprised that Amanda is a unicorn?
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Picture of the Day
The kids right before we went out trick-or-treating. Are you surprised that Amanda is a unicorn?
It's Not All It's Cracked Up To Be
I had a fabulous weekend away with my two BFFs from college, April and Renee. We went to Nashville, the city of music, but for all I cared we could have been in any town in any hotel in America and I would have still had a great time. I was with my two friends who know me better than just about anybody, barring my amazing hubby, who I can be silly and inappropriate and truthful and extremely direct with and they will love me all the same. We ate and drank and danced and shopped, the only thing we didn't do enough was sleep because those two are like robots, and I came home completely refreshed and ready to take on Halloween.
I kind of over committed myself this week in promising to make snacks for both Amanda and Sarah's Halloween parties at their respective schools. I wanted to try to make mummy cookies because a) I love to bake and b) they sounded really cool and I had never made them before. I spaced it out so I didn't do it all in one day, but it was still time consuming. I made the dough on Monday night so I could refrigerate it overnight. I always forget that you have to chill the dough and it always messes up my plans because I don't factor that in. This time I remembered. Tuesday I rolled out the dough, cut the cookies and baked them. Wednesday, and thankfully my sweet neighbor Brittan came over the help, I frosted the cookies. It was seriously a three day job! As if that wasn't enough, I also baked two batches of chocolate chip cookies for the teachers and neighbors on Tuesday and Charlie helped me make pumpkin rice krispie treats on Wednesday night.
Today I went to three school Halloween parties. Andy and Sarah's were at the same time so I jumped back and forth between those and Amanda's was later in the afternoon. I was exhausted before the trick-or-treating even began. Around 5:30 I started getting the kids ready in their costumes and over cooked our annual pumpkin shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's take and bake. It was still good, but man was I mad.
It was right about that time that I realized I don't really like Halloween. I like the idea of Halloween, and the days and anticipation leading up to it, but I don't like the actual day. It's too crazy and stressful and hurried and, this year, cold. I took the kids out last year so this year it was Charlie's turn and I was just going to stay home and hand out candy, but Andy's plans to go alone with a friend fell through and he wanted to go with me and not Charlie and the girls. So instead of sitting by the fire at home I was freezing my tushie off outside.
When we were finally all home the kids counted out the 30 pieces of candy that they get to keep and I gave them each a present in trade for the rest of their candy. We've been doing this every year since Andy was little and we've only had two instances where someone did not like or appreciate their gift. Tonight was one of those nights. Amanda and Sarah each got a stuffed dog and Amanda was not happy with hers. So, in amazing selfless fashion Sarah traded dogs with Amanda so she could have the one she wanted. But then she was still not happy because she wanted her and Sarah to have the same dog and for them to be twins. I tried to explain that they were twins, they were just fraternal twins instead of identical twins, but that didn't fly. Really she was just tired and overwhelmed from the day and will hopefully be over it tomorrow. She did go to bed with her dog and name it Reeces after the neighbors cute little dog.
So, we survived another Halloween, like it or not, and only have a few more weeks until Thanksgiving and then Christmas. I can do it, really I can.
I kind of over committed myself this week in promising to make snacks for both Amanda and Sarah's Halloween parties at their respective schools. I wanted to try to make mummy cookies because a) I love to bake and b) they sounded really cool and I had never made them before. I spaced it out so I didn't do it all in one day, but it was still time consuming. I made the dough on Monday night so I could refrigerate it overnight. I always forget that you have to chill the dough and it always messes up my plans because I don't factor that in. This time I remembered. Tuesday I rolled out the dough, cut the cookies and baked them. Wednesday, and thankfully my sweet neighbor Brittan came over the help, I frosted the cookies. It was seriously a three day job! As if that wasn't enough, I also baked two batches of chocolate chip cookies for the teachers and neighbors on Tuesday and Charlie helped me make pumpkin rice krispie treats on Wednesday night.
Today I went to three school Halloween parties. Andy and Sarah's were at the same time so I jumped back and forth between those and Amanda's was later in the afternoon. I was exhausted before the trick-or-treating even began. Around 5:30 I started getting the kids ready in their costumes and over cooked our annual pumpkin shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's take and bake. It was still good, but man was I mad.
It was right about that time that I realized I don't really like Halloween. I like the idea of Halloween, and the days and anticipation leading up to it, but I don't like the actual day. It's too crazy and stressful and hurried and, this year, cold. I took the kids out last year so this year it was Charlie's turn and I was just going to stay home and hand out candy, but Andy's plans to go alone with a friend fell through and he wanted to go with me and not Charlie and the girls. So instead of sitting by the fire at home I was freezing my tushie off outside.
When we were finally all home the kids counted out the 30 pieces of candy that they get to keep and I gave them each a present in trade for the rest of their candy. We've been doing this every year since Andy was little and we've only had two instances where someone did not like or appreciate their gift. Tonight was one of those nights. Amanda and Sarah each got a stuffed dog and Amanda was not happy with hers. So, in amazing selfless fashion Sarah traded dogs with Amanda so she could have the one she wanted. But then she was still not happy because she wanted her and Sarah to have the same dog and for them to be twins. I tried to explain that they were twins, they were just fraternal twins instead of identical twins, but that didn't fly. Really she was just tired and overwhelmed from the day and will hopefully be over it tomorrow. She did go to bed with her dog and name it Reeces after the neighbors cute little dog.
So, we survived another Halloween, like it or not, and only have a few more weeks until Thanksgiving and then Christmas. I can do it, really I can.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
The Things You Do For Love
I really need to get a portable microphone so I can dictate my posts while I'm alone in the car. When I'm driving and not really thinking about anything in particular I come up with the best stuff, but when I finally sit down to write it just comes out disjointed and crazy and full of run-on sentences. Ah, I guess that's what's fun about it.
Today I was lying in bed waiting for Sarah to go to the bathroom so I could read to her. All of a sudden she cried out my name in horror. Apparently she had a bracelet on and decided to take it off while she wiped because she didn't want it to get dirty but then she accidentally dropped it into the toilet. Right into a pile of poop. I calmly reached in and picked it up and then washed it and dried it off (and my hands) and attempted to give it back to her. She was not interested and I'm not sure she will wear it ever again. I don't blame her, but I'm sure some of her stuff has been through worse and she's continued to use it.
That's just the cherry on top of my crazy back to school week. However, in the wee hours of tomorrow morning I get to get on a plane to Nashville to have a lovely girls weekend with my two besties from college, April and Renee. It will be a nice long weekend with no children and lots of quality adult time, which means shopping and drinking and gossiping and all that good stuff.
I'm so glad that I have a wonderful husband that not only lets me go on these trips but encourages it. He knows that I need some time to regroup every once in a while and it makes everybody happier when Mommy gets a break. I may not miss the kids that much while I am gone, but I will be happy to see them when I get back and will be ready to take on the next pile of crappy problems.
Today I was lying in bed waiting for Sarah to go to the bathroom so I could read to her. All of a sudden she cried out my name in horror. Apparently she had a bracelet on and decided to take it off while she wiped because she didn't want it to get dirty but then she accidentally dropped it into the toilet. Right into a pile of poop. I calmly reached in and picked it up and then washed it and dried it off (and my hands) and attempted to give it back to her. She was not interested and I'm not sure she will wear it ever again. I don't blame her, but I'm sure some of her stuff has been through worse and she's continued to use it.
That's just the cherry on top of my crazy back to school week. However, in the wee hours of tomorrow morning I get to get on a plane to Nashville to have a lovely girls weekend with my two besties from college, April and Renee. It will be a nice long weekend with no children and lots of quality adult time, which means shopping and drinking and gossiping and all that good stuff.
I'm so glad that I have a wonderful husband that not only lets me go on these trips but encourages it. He knows that I need some time to regroup every once in a while and it makes everybody happier when Mommy gets a break. I may not miss the kids that much while I am gone, but I will be happy to see them when I get back and will be ready to take on the next pile of crappy problems.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
My Best Friend
I admit yesterday's post was pretty rough, but it can't be all sunshine and roses on here. Otherwise it wouldn't be real. I've had a couple people comment that I need to say no to my kids more. Believe me when I tell you I do say no, a lot. An incredible amount. However, it gets tiring saying no all the time and after awhile I get worn down. Charlie doesn't hear it as much as doesn't get asked as much and doesn't have to say no as much and that's why they like him better. But they are with me all day long. Well one of them is anyway.
Amanda is constantly asking for snacks, candy, anything that is not breakfast, lunch or dinner. The pediatrician loves to tell me how she weighs too much and how she's headed towards obesity but I cannot get this kid to stop snacking instead of eating meals. I have some control over it when she eats lunch at school, because she is trapped and it's the only food she has. On days when she doesn't eat at school she wants to eat something on the way home from school and then doesn't want lunch. When she finally is hungry she still doesn't want lunch. When she asks for a snack I'll suggest she have lunch instead and she'll respond that she doesn't want lunch she wants a snack. It's not just food, it's the type of food she wants. It's gotten a little better over time but it is a serious drain.
I'm not sure where she has picked it up, either from Andy or Sarah or just from being a smart little girl, but now she has a put a little twist on to her requests.
Amanda: Mommy, can I have a snack?
Me: No.
Amanda: Please, I'll be your best friend.
Me: No.
Amanda: I'll love you the best.
Me: No.
Amanda: I'll hug you and kiss you and love you.
Me: No.
Amanda: Please?!? I'll do whatever you ask.
And it goes on and on and on. Do you see why sometimes after awhile I just give in and tell her to get her snack just to shut her up? Not every time, but every now and then. I can say no five million times and she will not let up. I realize that if I give in even once that just perpetuates the problem, but it is exhausting.
On the plus side, at least I have one friend here. Too bad she's four years old.
Amanda is constantly asking for snacks, candy, anything that is not breakfast, lunch or dinner. The pediatrician loves to tell me how she weighs too much and how she's headed towards obesity but I cannot get this kid to stop snacking instead of eating meals. I have some control over it when she eats lunch at school, because she is trapped and it's the only food she has. On days when she doesn't eat at school she wants to eat something on the way home from school and then doesn't want lunch. When she finally is hungry she still doesn't want lunch. When she asks for a snack I'll suggest she have lunch instead and she'll respond that she doesn't want lunch she wants a snack. It's not just food, it's the type of food she wants. It's gotten a little better over time but it is a serious drain.
I'm not sure where she has picked it up, either from Andy or Sarah or just from being a smart little girl, but now she has a put a little twist on to her requests.
Amanda: Mommy, can I have a snack?
Me: No.
Amanda: Please, I'll be your best friend.
Me: No.
Amanda: I'll love you the best.
Me: No.
Amanda: I'll hug you and kiss you and love you.
Me: No.
Amanda: Please?!? I'll do whatever you ask.
And it goes on and on and on. Do you see why sometimes after awhile I just give in and tell her to get her snack just to shut her up? Not every time, but every now and then. I can say no five million times and she will not let up. I realize that if I give in even once that just perpetuates the problem, but it is exhausting.
On the plus side, at least I have one friend here. Too bad she's four years old.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
A Losing Battle
Fall break was kind of a bust. As I mentioned we didn't get to go to Mount Rushmore and then Sarah got sick. I took the girls in for their well visits on Wednesday and they didn't quite turn out like I expected. Both girls got into their gowns, which were really more like fabric sandwich boards, and got ready to see the doctor. Sarah went first and Amanda was all happy until Sarah's turn was over and she got dressed. Then Amanda had a huge fit because she wanted Sarah to stay in her gown. Since she didn't, Amanda refused to cooperate with the doctor at all and threw a huge tantrum. When the doctor asked me how we disciplined Amanda at home I almost told her we beat the shit out of her, but I knew that joke would only get me in trouble and instead mumbled something about sending her to the steps or to her room. We didn't even get to finish the exam because Amanda was so difficult, but it did get me out of the conversation about how I'm not feeding her right and she is too chunky for her age. Oh, and I sent her to her room for about two hours when we got home, so at least I wasn't lying to the doctor.
If I wasn't beat down from that little excursion, that night Sarah's temperature went up to 104.7 and then after giving her ibuprofen at 6:00p and acetaminophen at 9:00p when I checked her temperature at midnight it was 94.7. Let me just say that gave Charlie and me flashbacks to when she was an infant and had to be rushed to into emergency surgery, which all started with her temperature being too low. Charlie was more freaked out than I was and was reading all this stuff online about hypothermia, but his concern started making me a little uneasy. After a 1:00a conversation with an after hours nurse at the children's hospital we determined Sarah was probably okay and didn't need to go to the E.R., but I still didn't sleep well that night (she slept with me in our bed and Charlie slept in Amanda's room) and kept checking to see if she was still breathing. I swear that inner need to verify that they are breathing will never go away. Her fever finally broke that night and the next day she was tired but her fever was pretty much over. Oh yeah, you are probably wondering what it was. Just a bladder infection, but unfortunately whenever she gets them, which hasn't been in over a year, she gets ridiculously high fevers. Scary.
Friday she was finally able to go somewhere and then my friend, Larisa, and her son, Mark, came to visit for the weekend. Larisa came to do a 1/2 marathon with me and since it was Mark's birthday and he and Andy are (or at least used to be) best friends she brought him along. It was so nice to see my wonderful friend and catch up and hang out together. We even got to spend a good amount of time without the kids, just catching up without being interrupted - more than I can ever say we were able to do when we both lived in Dallas. The weekend went way to fast, though, and they are already back home. I can say she did awesome in her first 1/2 marathon and I am getting much better at doing them myself.
Since we had such a crappy fall break I was looking forward to getting back on schedule and getting everybody back to school yesterday. Except all I got was moaning and groaning and fighting. I used to tell everybody that Sarah and Amanda were best friends and they got along 95% of the time and fought about 5% of the time. That has shifted big time. I'm not sure what it is. Maybe because Sarah is in second grade and is getting an attitude, maybe because Amanda is no longer a baby and won't let Sarah boss her around anymore, maybe because they spend too much time together. I don't know but they fight all the time. They start first thing in the morning. Amanda wakes Sarah up to find out what time it is and then Sarah gets mad and starts calling her names and yelling at her. It goes down hill from there. Sarah stoops to Amanda's level and hits and pinches and name calls and they are constantly at it. Tonight I had to separate them and put them in different bedrooms because they fight right before they go to bed and first thing when they wake up.
My friend, April from New Jersey, writes a blog and just goes on about how much she loves her little boy and how sweet and wonderful he is and how she loves him more than anything in the whole world. She loves him so much it makes her heart ache. When I read this is makes me feel kind of bad. It's not that I don't love my kids, I do very much, I just don't get that feeling when I am around them. Maybe it's because she has just the one and he's only four and isn't influenced by all the crap that his older brother and sister do, but at the end of the day I have a hard time mustering that kind of feeling for my children. I feel tired and embarrassed and beat down and torn and pulled in so many directions. I feel like no matter what I do it's not good enough for them and they still blame me for everything that is going wrong in their perfect little lives. I feel like they are constantly making me look like such a shitty mom because they are entitled and bratty and whiny and have no manners and they can't sit quietly while I make a follow up dentist appointment or talk to a doctor or while one of their siblings is taking their turn with the piano teacher.
I always say that someday when they have kids of their own they will finally appreciate all the things I do for them, but I'm starting to wonder if it will also take that time for me to appreciate everything I have in them.
If I wasn't beat down from that little excursion, that night Sarah's temperature went up to 104.7 and then after giving her ibuprofen at 6:00p and acetaminophen at 9:00p when I checked her temperature at midnight it was 94.7. Let me just say that gave Charlie and me flashbacks to when she was an infant and had to be rushed to into emergency surgery, which all started with her temperature being too low. Charlie was more freaked out than I was and was reading all this stuff online about hypothermia, but his concern started making me a little uneasy. After a 1:00a conversation with an after hours nurse at the children's hospital we determined Sarah was probably okay and didn't need to go to the E.R., but I still didn't sleep well that night (she slept with me in our bed and Charlie slept in Amanda's room) and kept checking to see if she was still breathing. I swear that inner need to verify that they are breathing will never go away. Her fever finally broke that night and the next day she was tired but her fever was pretty much over. Oh yeah, you are probably wondering what it was. Just a bladder infection, but unfortunately whenever she gets them, which hasn't been in over a year, she gets ridiculously high fevers. Scary.
Friday she was finally able to go somewhere and then my friend, Larisa, and her son, Mark, came to visit for the weekend. Larisa came to do a 1/2 marathon with me and since it was Mark's birthday and he and Andy are (or at least used to be) best friends she brought him along. It was so nice to see my wonderful friend and catch up and hang out together. We even got to spend a good amount of time without the kids, just catching up without being interrupted - more than I can ever say we were able to do when we both lived in Dallas. The weekend went way to fast, though, and they are already back home. I can say she did awesome in her first 1/2 marathon and I am getting much better at doing them myself.
Since we had such a crappy fall break I was looking forward to getting back on schedule and getting everybody back to school yesterday. Except all I got was moaning and groaning and fighting. I used to tell everybody that Sarah and Amanda were best friends and they got along 95% of the time and fought about 5% of the time. That has shifted big time. I'm not sure what it is. Maybe because Sarah is in second grade and is getting an attitude, maybe because Amanda is no longer a baby and won't let Sarah boss her around anymore, maybe because they spend too much time together. I don't know but they fight all the time. They start first thing in the morning. Amanda wakes Sarah up to find out what time it is and then Sarah gets mad and starts calling her names and yelling at her. It goes down hill from there. Sarah stoops to Amanda's level and hits and pinches and name calls and they are constantly at it. Tonight I had to separate them and put them in different bedrooms because they fight right before they go to bed and first thing when they wake up.
My friend, April from New Jersey, writes a blog and just goes on about how much she loves her little boy and how sweet and wonderful he is and how she loves him more than anything in the whole world. She loves him so much it makes her heart ache. When I read this is makes me feel kind of bad. It's not that I don't love my kids, I do very much, I just don't get that feeling when I am around them. Maybe it's because she has just the one and he's only four and isn't influenced by all the crap that his older brother and sister do, but at the end of the day I have a hard time mustering that kind of feeling for my children. I feel tired and embarrassed and beat down and torn and pulled in so many directions. I feel like no matter what I do it's not good enough for them and they still blame me for everything that is going wrong in their perfect little lives. I feel like they are constantly making me look like such a shitty mom because they are entitled and bratty and whiny and have no manners and they can't sit quietly while I make a follow up dentist appointment or talk to a doctor or while one of their siblings is taking their turn with the piano teacher.
I always say that someday when they have kids of their own they will finally appreciate all the things I do for them, but I'm starting to wonder if it will also take that time for me to appreciate everything I have in them.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
They Prove Me Wrong Yet Again
So yesterday I said that we were all healthy. We were. Yesterday. This morning I slept in because the kids are on break and we didn't have to be anywhere until 10a. Around 9a I heard Sarah coming up the stairs and greeted her to find out she was tired and not feeling well. She felt a little warm so I took her temperature. 103. Not just a little warm. So I gave her some ibuprofen and changed all our plans for the day. Instead of taking Sarah to therapy, trying out a new hot yoga class and then taking Sarah to get her hair cut as we had planned, I scheduled a doctor appointment and we spent most of the day doing nothing.
Normally a day with nothing to do sounds great, except when you have three little people in the house. Luckily they were pretty low key and at one point both girls took a nap. At the same time. I was actually able to get a little bit organized. Don't worry, I didn't go too crazy, but I did get storage totes out of the dining room and butler's pantry for the first time in months and put away clothes that I had saved for Amanda from Sarah that had been sitting out for several weeks. Baby steps. Now I just need to throw everything else away in the house and maybe I'll be happy. Except then I will think we don't have enough and need to go buy more. It's a vicious cycle.
I took Sarah to the pediatrician and left Andy at home to babysit Amanda. He did a great job and I only had to pay him in promises that I would not bug him about his computer time tomorrow. I still will. They made us wait 30 minutes before I got a little feisty with the front desk staff. There were a million people in there getting flu vaccines and they were cycling in and out super fast while we just sat there. Plus I was still mad at them because last week I took the kids in for their flu vaccines and they made Sarah get a shot instead of the Flu Mist for "cardiac" reasons which were total bull because I called her cardiologist today and he said there was no reason she couldn't get the Flu Mist. Of course I should have called before we went but never thought it would be an issue since this same office gave Sarah the Flu Mist last year and she had it for a couple years in Texas as well. Needless to say she now thinks I'm a liar because I told her she would not have to get a shot, and she did, and she had a huge traumatic meltdown before they gave her the shot and I'm pretty sure every kid in the office could hear her screaming and crying which probably put the fear of Jesus in them. I digress.
So it turns out that she just had a bladder infection, well we are pretty sure but it will take a few days to culture to be totally positive, and they gave her an antibiotic to take care of it. Twice a day for ten days of something that tastes like crap. I am so looking forward to that battle each morning and evening. Because vitamins and Miralax aren't enough. However, she was feeling much better this evening before bed and will probably be back to her normal crazy-when-with-Amanda self tomorrow. Both girls have well-visits tomorrow also so it should be an interesting day. Yes I know Sarah should have had hers months ago but with the way insurance companies work and the move and finding a new doctor she is way off schedule. I was hoping Charlie's company would switch insurance companies this year so I could get back on schedule but no dice. There's always next year.
On top of everything else, it snowed today. It wasn't really much of anything, just tiny little flurries that didn't accumulate, but it's not really the fact that it snowed but that it is getting cold enough that snow is a possibility. For the next several months. I think I can handle it, I think I'm ready, but we just won't know until we're in the thick of it. Hopefully we can just survive the rest of fall break and see how it goes from there.
Normally a day with nothing to do sounds great, except when you have three little people in the house. Luckily they were pretty low key and at one point both girls took a nap. At the same time. I was actually able to get a little bit organized. Don't worry, I didn't go too crazy, but I did get storage totes out of the dining room and butler's pantry for the first time in months and put away clothes that I had saved for Amanda from Sarah that had been sitting out for several weeks. Baby steps. Now I just need to throw everything else away in the house and maybe I'll be happy. Except then I will think we don't have enough and need to go buy more. It's a vicious cycle.
I took Sarah to the pediatrician and left Andy at home to babysit Amanda. He did a great job and I only had to pay him in promises that I would not bug him about his computer time tomorrow. I still will. They made us wait 30 minutes before I got a little feisty with the front desk staff. There were a million people in there getting flu vaccines and they were cycling in and out super fast while we just sat there. Plus I was still mad at them because last week I took the kids in for their flu vaccines and they made Sarah get a shot instead of the Flu Mist for "cardiac" reasons which were total bull because I called her cardiologist today and he said there was no reason she couldn't get the Flu Mist. Of course I should have called before we went but never thought it would be an issue since this same office gave Sarah the Flu Mist last year and she had it for a couple years in Texas as well. Needless to say she now thinks I'm a liar because I told her she would not have to get a shot, and she did, and she had a huge traumatic meltdown before they gave her the shot and I'm pretty sure every kid in the office could hear her screaming and crying which probably put the fear of Jesus in them. I digress.
So it turns out that she just had a bladder infection, well we are pretty sure but it will take a few days to culture to be totally positive, and they gave her an antibiotic to take care of it. Twice a day for ten days of something that tastes like crap. I am so looking forward to that battle each morning and evening. Because vitamins and Miralax aren't enough. However, she was feeling much better this evening before bed and will probably be back to her normal crazy-when-with-Amanda self tomorrow. Both girls have well-visits tomorrow also so it should be an interesting day. Yes I know Sarah should have had hers months ago but with the way insurance companies work and the move and finding a new doctor she is way off schedule. I was hoping Charlie's company would switch insurance companies this year so I could get back on schedule but no dice. There's always next year.
On top of everything else, it snowed today. It wasn't really much of anything, just tiny little flurries that didn't accumulate, but it's not really the fact that it snowed but that it is getting cold enough that snow is a possibility. For the next several months. I think I can handle it, I think I'm ready, but we just won't know until we're in the thick of it. Hopefully we can just survive the rest of fall break and see how it goes from there.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Plugging Along
Yes, it's been awhile. Yes, we're fine. I'm just lazy and busy and a whole bunch of other stuff that doesn't really make sense together, but lazy is a big part of it. Okay, lazy isn't totally fair. I've been the reverse of lazy because I've been going to the gym about six days a week and busting my behind and then when I get home I'm frantically trying to get everything done around the house. But that's not a good excuse for not writing, because it doesn't take me that long to sit down and do this in the evenings. That's when the lazy comes into play.
Anyway, we're doing fine. The kids are off for fall break, which is weird because it feels like they just started school. Oh yeah, they did. My neighbor and I figured out that they don't go to school for a month straight without at least one day off until the last month of school. They have some kind of break every month. Rough life. So Charlie had today off since it's one of those weird banking holidays and we were going to take a long weekend and make the seven hour drive to Mount Rushmore and check it out except that it's closed because of our stupid government. I'm not going to get into the politics of it all because I refuse to discuss politics with my dad, who reads this, and I don't like to talk about politics anyway. Yes, the federal government did finally say that the states could open the national parks and pay for them if they wanted to, but South Dakota decided they weren't going to open Mount Rushmore until today and we needed to be there yesterday. Of course. So instead we went to Colorado Springs for the millionth time (okay, like fifth, but it's the only place we ever seem to go) and went to the Cave of the Winds. It was a perfect day trip and a lot of fun and I'm not complaining but it still would have been cool to see four dead presidents carved into a mountain. You don't see that everyday, and certainly not as many times as I've seen Colorado Springs.
Today the kids and I made caramel apples. I'm not sure why I wanted to do that with them but I thought it would be fun. It wasn't. They fought over who would stir the caramels and who would dip their apples first and which apple belonged to whom. I hate it when they fight, because it usually ends with Sarah crying and whining about how nobody loves her and then I have to deal with that. When we finally tried to eat them they stuck to the wax paper even though I followed the directions. The kids didn't care but it was pretty messy. I couldn't remember ever making them as a kid (smart one, Mom) and then remembered that when I was a kid we just took those caramel circles and wrapped them around the apples. I'm not even sure how they ever stuck to the apples or melted or anything. Maybe they didn't. In the back of my head we didn't even wrap the caramel around the apples we just ate the caramel. My memory stinks so who knows. With all that Charlie and the kids started discussing how we would do it better next time so I guess I haven't found my way out of this one yet. Even thought they were droopy and filled with wax paper we did roll them in sprinkles and they were pretty good. Amanda really liked them but I'm not sure she even ate any of the apple, just scraped the caramel and sprinkles off with her teeth. Good thing the kids are going to the dentist next week (no, I couldn't get them an appointment this week, that would have been too easy with fall break and all).
So yeah, we're fine, all is good. We're healthy, the kids are doing great in school and, believe it or not, we have no complaints.
Anyway, we're doing fine. The kids are off for fall break, which is weird because it feels like they just started school. Oh yeah, they did. My neighbor and I figured out that they don't go to school for a month straight without at least one day off until the last month of school. They have some kind of break every month. Rough life. So Charlie had today off since it's one of those weird banking holidays and we were going to take a long weekend and make the seven hour drive to Mount Rushmore and check it out except that it's closed because of our stupid government. I'm not going to get into the politics of it all because I refuse to discuss politics with my dad, who reads this, and I don't like to talk about politics anyway. Yes, the federal government did finally say that the states could open the national parks and pay for them if they wanted to, but South Dakota decided they weren't going to open Mount Rushmore until today and we needed to be there yesterday. Of course. So instead we went to Colorado Springs for the millionth time (okay, like fifth, but it's the only place we ever seem to go) and went to the Cave of the Winds. It was a perfect day trip and a lot of fun and I'm not complaining but it still would have been cool to see four dead presidents carved into a mountain. You don't see that everyday, and certainly not as many times as I've seen Colorado Springs.
Today the kids and I made caramel apples. I'm not sure why I wanted to do that with them but I thought it would be fun. It wasn't. They fought over who would stir the caramels and who would dip their apples first and which apple belonged to whom. I hate it when they fight, because it usually ends with Sarah crying and whining about how nobody loves her and then I have to deal with that. When we finally tried to eat them they stuck to the wax paper even though I followed the directions. The kids didn't care but it was pretty messy. I couldn't remember ever making them as a kid (smart one, Mom) and then remembered that when I was a kid we just took those caramel circles and wrapped them around the apples. I'm not even sure how they ever stuck to the apples or melted or anything. Maybe they didn't. In the back of my head we didn't even wrap the caramel around the apples we just ate the caramel. My memory stinks so who knows. With all that Charlie and the kids started discussing how we would do it better next time so I guess I haven't found my way out of this one yet. Even thought they were droopy and filled with wax paper we did roll them in sprinkles and they were pretty good. Amanda really liked them but I'm not sure she even ate any of the apple, just scraped the caramel and sprinkles off with her teeth. Good thing the kids are going to the dentist next week (no, I couldn't get them an appointment this week, that would have been too easy with fall break and all).
So yeah, we're fine, all is good. We're healthy, the kids are doing great in school and, believe it or not, we have no complaints.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Soccer
I think I mentioned in passing that Amanda is in soccer and hates it. Let me back up a little. So, over the summer we were on the way to the airport so so so early in the morning and I remembered that signups for flag football were that day and started at 6 a.m. Because there are so few flag football teams, all these crazy people let their 10 year olds and younger play tackle, you pretty much have to sign up right when registration opens if you want to get a good coach. Andy's football season last year was so miserable that I was not going to let that happen again. so as we were driving to the airport I was getting him registered on the iPad (I so love modern technology). Charlie told me without much prior discussion that he thought we needed to sign Amanda up for soccer, so I did. We didn't even ask her if she wanted to play. The third kid gets screwed all the time.
Anyway, a week or two before it started we told her she was playing soccer. She was not happy. She did not want to play soccer, she wanted to do ballet or gymnastics or anything other than soccer. Charlie decided that he would be the assistant coach since he also was the assistant when Sarah played, and came home from the coaches meeting to inform me that Amanda was the only girl on an otherwise all boy team. Great, that would make her love soccer so much more.
The first day she actually did great. I bought her a couple cute little soccer outfits from target with running shorts and quick dry shirts and she totally looked the part. Andy, Sarah and I were there to watch and cheer her on and Charlie was on the field with her coaching the kids. She did great until the scrimmage when all the 3-5 year old boys started chasing each other around the field. Then she lost her confidence and decided that she sucks. Of course she sucks, they all suck. But I couldn't tell her that. There must be something in my kids' DNA that prevents them from doing anything that they aren't good at because I was amazed that even at four years old she didn't want to do something because she didn't think she was good at it. We tried to explain that nobody is good when they first do something and you have to try and practice and get better, but she wasn't buying it.
The soccer here is a little different because you play games but they are with your own team. It's almost like a soccer class instead of a soccer team. They have practice and then they scrimmage each other, and although there are other teams playing on other fields they are doing the same thing - only playing against themselves. At first I thought it was weird, but then I sort of liked it because it really is no pressure and no score and they have time to get comfortable with the kids they are with and they are all so little.
So the second week she cried the whole time and then we missed the next week. The week after that Charlie was gone and so I promised I would take her to soccer and stay on the field with her at all times. Luckily the coach had actually asked the parents in an email to do that if their kid wasn't able to stay on the field themselves, so it wasn't a big deal that I was out there with her. That was the week I realized that her soccer team was starting to resemble a football team. There were a couple little boys on the team that not only tried to steal the ball from their own teammates, which is pretty normal at that age, but they were actually tacking anybody who got in their way, whether that person was on their team or not. There was also one little boy who kept picking up the ball and running to the goal, putting the ball in front of the goal and kicking it in. No matter how many times you told them no hands and no tackling, they kept doing it anyway. They are only 3-5 year olds, but things like that remind you of what a blank slate you kid is and just how much you need to teach them. Like not to tackle people.
Last week I had to take Andy to football so Charlie took Amanda to soccer and he said she did much better and participated and even got in the mix and stole the ball from some of the boys. I don't know if she is going to be a soccer star or if this will be her only season, but I'm excited to get her out there and doing something on her own that is just for her. It may not be her things, but I really hope she enjoys it no matter how long she plays. Plus, she is going to love the trophy at the end of the season.
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