I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this, but Andy is in 6th grade at the elementary school but does 7th grade math at the middle school. That means that he gets up an hour earlier (and I do too) to catch the 6:56a bus to the middle school, has math, and then comes back to the elementary school and has a full day of classes. I was told that during the time they have slotted him for math at the elementary school that they would pull him out of class and let him work on homework or do some extra, fun, academic projects with him, but today he told me he hasn't seen much of the G&T (gifted and talented) teacher and that lately he's been shelving books in the library. Nice. But I digress.
This is the first year that they've done this so there were a few things they needed us to be aware of, most importantly that they do not have the manpower or ability to transport Andy back to the elementary school after he finishes his math class at the middle school. Fair enough. Luckily there are two other boys doing this with Andy, so the three sets of parents split up the driving and we only have to drive Tuesday and Friday. How hard can that be?
Well, on Tuesday it was our day. Charlie is out of town all week so there was no discussion that morning of who was going to pick up the boys, it was all me. I had a chaotic morning with the girls, which sadly has become pretty consistent when Charlie isn't around, and finally got them out the door later than I wanted. When I got home from walking Sarah to school and Amanda to the house of the little boy she carpools with to pre-school, I saw my neighbor outside and talked to her for about 10 minutes. When I got inside I grabbed my phone which I unfortunately had forgotten on the way to school (but no big deal because who really is going to call me at 8:30 in the morning) and saw two missed called from Andy's classmate. Oh shit! I forgot to pick up the boys.
I texted that I was on my way and called them three times before he picked up. This is now the time that I tell you the benefits of giving your 11-yr-old son a phone, for just these reasons, but since his friend has one he doesn't need one. For now. Overall I was 20 minutes late picking them up. I felt pretty bad, but didn't let it get to me for three reasons: a) The boys didn't care. They were playing human bowling (not sure of the rules on this one) while they waited. b) The school didn't care. They didn't call or ask why the boys were 20 minutes late. c) I was the last of the three families to forgot the boys. That's right, in December both of the other moms (maybe one of them was a dad) forgot to pick them up too. Andy was holding out hope that we would be the only ones not to forget the boys, but sadly his wish did not come true.
Now if I could just not forget them again this year all will be good!
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Thursday, January 22, 2015
It's Starting to Get Real
Last week Andy brought home the paperwork for Middle School registration for the 2015-2016 school year. Middle School! How is that possible? Just yesterday I brought home this tiny, adorable blob who's biggest feat was pooping six feet across the room (do you remember that Mom and Dad? Because I will NEVER forget it) and now he's getting ready for Middle School. April, it goes fast!
But that's not even the crazy part. That's not even what prompted me to write this post. It's that when I went online to register him for his classes and I went to the drop down to choose between him and Sarah there was an additional name in the drop-down list. Amanda. They have processed her Kindergarten registration paperwork and all of my children are now valid participants in the public school system.
I was just telling my neighbor this morning how I cannot wait for Kindergarten. Yes, there is still three months of pre-K and then ten weeks of summer. But then all my kids will be gone all day and I won't have to drive Andy back and forth from the Middle School to the Elementary School and I won't have to drop Sarah off at the Elementary School and then walk Amanda over to the little boy's house that we carpool with. Andy will leave on the bus in the morning, I will take both girls to school at the same time and then I will be free. Free to go to the gym or clean the house or watch t.v. or even go back to bed for the next SEVEN HOURS. I haven't had this kind of freedom since I was childless. That was 12 years ago. Of course I'll still spend a lot of that time doing things for the children, but I will get to do them by myself and the phrase "hurry up" will not come out of my mouth nearly as much.
Most people are sad and teary when they drop their last kid off at Kindergarten. That's always a possibility, but right now I just don't see that happening.
But that's not even the crazy part. That's not even what prompted me to write this post. It's that when I went online to register him for his classes and I went to the drop down to choose between him and Sarah there was an additional name in the drop-down list. Amanda. They have processed her Kindergarten registration paperwork and all of my children are now valid participants in the public school system.
I was just telling my neighbor this morning how I cannot wait for Kindergarten. Yes, there is still three months of pre-K and then ten weeks of summer. But then all my kids will be gone all day and I won't have to drive Andy back and forth from the Middle School to the Elementary School and I won't have to drop Sarah off at the Elementary School and then walk Amanda over to the little boy's house that we carpool with. Andy will leave on the bus in the morning, I will take both girls to school at the same time and then I will be free. Free to go to the gym or clean the house or watch t.v. or even go back to bed for the next SEVEN HOURS. I haven't had this kind of freedom since I was childless. That was 12 years ago. Of course I'll still spend a lot of that time doing things for the children, but I will get to do them by myself and the phrase "hurry up" will not come out of my mouth nearly as much.
Most people are sad and teary when they drop their last kid off at Kindergarten. That's always a possibility, but right now I just don't see that happening.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
There's A New Kid In Town
Yesterday I took Andy to get his hair cut. Charlie was out of town so I took the girls along too. When we walked in Amanda said to Jillyn, our hairdresser, "When are you going to give me bangs?!?". She has been wanting to get them ever since Sarah got them at the girls' last haircut. She didn't want them then, but after seeing Sarah with them for a few weeks she was sold.
Luckily for her Jillyn had a cancellation and had a few minutes to give Amanda a trim. She was so happy. When we were getting ready for bed and picking out an outfit for today (yes, occasionally I have the forethought to do that), she said, "Nobody is going to recognize me tomorrow. I'll have a new dress, new bangs, they are going to think I'm the new kid!".
Add in the fashion glasses and you never know. Excuse her closed eyes, I took seven pictures and they all look like this. Maybe it's the glasses, I don't know, but she wasn't going to pose any longer.
Luckily for her Jillyn had a cancellation and had a few minutes to give Amanda a trim. She was so happy. When we were getting ready for bed and picking out an outfit for today (yes, occasionally I have the forethought to do that), she said, "Nobody is going to recognize me tomorrow. I'll have a new dress, new bangs, they are going to think I'm the new kid!".
Add in the fashion glasses and you never know. Excuse her closed eyes, I took seven pictures and they all look like this. Maybe it's the glasses, I don't know, but she wasn't going to pose any longer.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
A Walking Advertisement
There is a dating website that advertises on t.v. here called www.farmersonly.com. It's basically exactly what it sounds like. It's only for farmers, and allows single farmers to meet each other for dating purposes. I have no idea what the population of farmers is in Colorado, or how many people are actual members of this site, but they advertise, a lot, and for some reason on one or more channels that the kids watch.
The other day Amanda and I were standing in line at a busy store and all of a sudden she belts out, "You don't have to be lonely, at farmers only dot com." I just looked at her, dumbfounded, and asked if she she was singing the song to Farmers Only. She smiled and said yes, as if it was the most popular song on the radio.
I kind of forgot about it until that night Charlie and I were watching t.v. and that commercial came on. I started laughing and telling Charlie about Amanda singing in the store. It still makes me smile just thinking about it. I'm so glad I get to spend so much time with that girl, she just cracks me up.
The other day Amanda and I were standing in line at a busy store and all of a sudden she belts out, "You don't have to be lonely, at farmers only dot com." I just looked at her, dumbfounded, and asked if she she was singing the song to Farmers Only. She smiled and said yes, as if it was the most popular song on the radio.
I kind of forgot about it until that night Charlie and I were watching t.v. and that commercial came on. I started laughing and telling Charlie about Amanda singing in the store. It still makes me smile just thinking about it. I'm so glad I get to spend so much time with that girl, she just cracks me up.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Quotables
For some reason Amanda loves to quote movies. If she could talk to you all day long in movie quotes, she would. Every once in a while she'll say something totally brilliant or advanced for her age and Charlie will look at me like "wow, look how smart she is" and I'll just roll my eyes (to myself of course) and inform him that it's from some random movie that he hasn't been forced to listen to 800 times in the car while driving to and fro (those are places, not people) so it's not on the top of his head.
So today the girls were sitting on the couch playing Minecraft together on separate iPads (don't ask me how they do it, they just do...now I'm starting to sound like my mother) and they were arguing as they have been doing a lot lately. I don't remember the exact conversation and who was AM TOOing or AM NOTing, but all of a sudden Amanda says, "Well, if the boot fits!". She did actually use it correctly in their little tiff but I found it funny that she chose to quote Woody from Toy Story II.
I guess when you mostly watch Disney movies your choices are limited. The day she says "It's all ball bearings" or "put it on the Underhills tab" I will be so proud.
So today the girls were sitting on the couch playing Minecraft together on separate iPads (don't ask me how they do it, they just do...now I'm starting to sound like my mother) and they were arguing as they have been doing a lot lately. I don't remember the exact conversation and who was AM TOOing or AM NOTing, but all of a sudden Amanda says, "Well, if the boot fits!". She did actually use it correctly in their little tiff but I found it funny that she chose to quote Woody from Toy Story II.
I guess when you mostly watch Disney movies your choices are limited. The day she says "It's all ball bearings" or "put it on the Underhills tab" I will be so proud.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Making Room
Around this time every year I get the itch to purge everything we own and clean up. Sometimes I just have that feeling, other times I actually act upon it. There are things that I always say I'm going to do, but don't often, and then there are times when I am so focused it's scary. This year appears to be one of those focused years.
So I've been to Target several times this week to buy containers and book shelves and then to Home Depot to buy more shelves for some of our cupboards that are huge but don't have a shelf in them. Tomorrow I am going to sit down with the girls and go through their books to determine which ones they want to keep and which they want to find new homes for, and then also make space on the shelves for some of their toys. I think I am also going to get a soft sided toy box thing for Amanda to put her dress up clothes in because asking her to actually put them back in the closet on a hanger has been a problem. The girls think that everything should just be dumped on the floor, and this includes their princess dresses.
I know tomorrow's activities are going to cause stress for all of us. They are going to hate it, I am going to hate it, Charlie is going to hate listening to all of us hate it - it's going to be a nightmare. However, when it's over I hope to have created a little haven in each girl's room where they actually have a space to put their toys that they helped create and are proud of. Likely story, but we'll see.
As for the purging, while they are at school I need to take a garbage bag to their rooms and start throwing out all the tiny little useless things they get at birthday parties and school that they thought were so amazing for the first five minutes they owned them and now haven't touched for months or years. Sarah has so much stuff in bags on her dressers it is crazy. Of course if I dumped out those bags in front of them they would immediately start playing with all that crap and never let me throw it away, hence why I am doing it while they are at school. Bwahahaha!
As for the rest of the house I already started putting in the new shelves, but I ran out of nails today and the shelves were about a 1/4 inch too wide so tomorrow it's back to Home Depot. I will be so happy when this is done because it will mean more things that can be put away instead of on the counter so we aren't embarrassed to have people over and we don't look like hoarders. I am not kidding.
The last place we need to fix is the office, which hopefully will be partially solved with a trip to IKEA. Charlie and I aren't huge IKEA fans, but they do have some great stuff when the time is right. Hopefully in the near future I can post some before and after pictures of the office.
Here's hoping tomorrow's renovations are a huge success. Or at least we don't kill each other!
So I've been to Target several times this week to buy containers and book shelves and then to Home Depot to buy more shelves for some of our cupboards that are huge but don't have a shelf in them. Tomorrow I am going to sit down with the girls and go through their books to determine which ones they want to keep and which they want to find new homes for, and then also make space on the shelves for some of their toys. I think I am also going to get a soft sided toy box thing for Amanda to put her dress up clothes in because asking her to actually put them back in the closet on a hanger has been a problem. The girls think that everything should just be dumped on the floor, and this includes their princess dresses.
I know tomorrow's activities are going to cause stress for all of us. They are going to hate it, I am going to hate it, Charlie is going to hate listening to all of us hate it - it's going to be a nightmare. However, when it's over I hope to have created a little haven in each girl's room where they actually have a space to put their toys that they helped create and are proud of. Likely story, but we'll see.
As for the purging, while they are at school I need to take a garbage bag to their rooms and start throwing out all the tiny little useless things they get at birthday parties and school that they thought were so amazing for the first five minutes they owned them and now haven't touched for months or years. Sarah has so much stuff in bags on her dressers it is crazy. Of course if I dumped out those bags in front of them they would immediately start playing with all that crap and never let me throw it away, hence why I am doing it while they are at school. Bwahahaha!
As for the rest of the house I already started putting in the new shelves, but I ran out of nails today and the shelves were about a 1/4 inch too wide so tomorrow it's back to Home Depot. I will be so happy when this is done because it will mean more things that can be put away instead of on the counter so we aren't embarrassed to have people over and we don't look like hoarders. I am not kidding.
The last place we need to fix is the office, which hopefully will be partially solved with a trip to IKEA. Charlie and I aren't huge IKEA fans, but they do have some great stuff when the time is right. Hopefully in the near future I can post some before and after pictures of the office.
Here's hoping tomorrow's renovations are a huge success. Or at least we don't kill each other!
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Mini Milestones
Everybody likes to keep track of their kids' milestones, but it's usually only the minor ones. You know, first time they rolled over, sat up, walked, talked, or lost a tooth. But there are so many others that they hit that just pass by and you don't even think about it until it's gone. Like, when exactly did she start (or stop) doing that? It seems like we've made it through a lot of them lately, most of which make my life much easier.
For example, most people know around the time their kid starts to potty train, but do you really keep track of the last time said child asked you to wipe their butt? You don't write it down, but all of a sudden you go, "Hey! I'm not wiping anybody's butt anymore!". I wiped someone's (other than myself) behind for over 11 years and it feels amazing to not have to do that anymore.
Or, how many times has my toddler asked me to pick him/her up to get a drink from the drinking fountain while I have several shopping bags and my purse in hand? Well, I am happy to say that now all three of my kids are tall enough to drink from the water fountain. No more balancing a 40 pound kid on my hip so she can spill water all down her front and not get a drink.
Same goes for washing hands. Although I still have to do this with Amanda at a lot of places, it is so nice when she is tall enough and can reach the sink and soap by herself. I will tell you there are a lot of places where they put the soap ridiculously high. As a result I wash my hand and dry them before she comes out of the stall and then have to get them wet again to help splash water on her hands and/or hand her soap. I can't wait for this one to pass.
There are some things I will be sad about, like when they no longer ask to sit on my lap at dinnertime (even though it drives me crazy now I know I will miss it), but those three above I am happy to live without. I'm sure there are more, but I won't really figure them out until we're doing something and I realize I don't have to do it for them anymore.
For example, most people know around the time their kid starts to potty train, but do you really keep track of the last time said child asked you to wipe their butt? You don't write it down, but all of a sudden you go, "Hey! I'm not wiping anybody's butt anymore!". I wiped someone's (other than myself) behind for over 11 years and it feels amazing to not have to do that anymore.
Or, how many times has my toddler asked me to pick him/her up to get a drink from the drinking fountain while I have several shopping bags and my purse in hand? Well, I am happy to say that now all three of my kids are tall enough to drink from the water fountain. No more balancing a 40 pound kid on my hip so she can spill water all down her front and not get a drink.
Same goes for washing hands. Although I still have to do this with Amanda at a lot of places, it is so nice when she is tall enough and can reach the sink and soap by herself. I will tell you there are a lot of places where they put the soap ridiculously high. As a result I wash my hand and dry them before she comes out of the stall and then have to get them wet again to help splash water on her hands and/or hand her soap. I can't wait for this one to pass.
There are some things I will be sad about, like when they no longer ask to sit on my lap at dinnertime (even though it drives me crazy now I know I will miss it), but those three above I am happy to live without. I'm sure there are more, but I won't really figure them out until we're doing something and I realize I don't have to do it for them anymore.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
A New Resolution...Sort Of
My friend, April from New Jersey, made a New Year's Resolution of sorts that she was going to try to post on her blog everyday in 2015. That is quite a feat. If I said I would post once a week I would be better than I've been in the last few months. I couldn't believe when I logged in today that I haven't written a word since December 22. That is pathetic.
I don't really believe in New Year's Resolutions. I don't think you should wait until the new year to change horrible habits, I think when you realize that you are headed in the wrong direction you should just fix it then, not wait until a specific, magical day. Of course I am not and have not been a fan of New Year's in a very long time, so it makes sense (at least to me). However, every day when I read April's post, which is amazing by the way, I feel a bit sad and guilty that I have been such a slacker. So I am going to use her posts to motivate me to write more of my own, since I will be getting a daily (or close to) reminder. All I have to do is hit the computer right after I put the kids to bed at night, right? Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
So to catch you up on our crazy lives, I did survive the flu and finally felt better by Christmas Day. Charlie helped a ton and totally picked up the slack but I was completely run down for at least a week. Thankfully nobody else got it. We had a nice, quiet Christmas at our house and then flew to my parent's house on the 26th for a much louder, bigger Christmas with the extended family. A few people were sadly missed due to the flu hitting their house a little later than ours, but overall it was a very relaxing trip and I got to catch up with friends and family that I do not get to see enough.
We got home late on New Year's Eve and put the kids to bed right before midnight (they didn't want to stay up and were satisfied that they made it to midnight on the east coast) and then watched the ball re-drop in New York. They do it really weird here. They show you the ball dropping at midnight in New York, even though Times Square is long cleared out, and it even says LIVE on the top of the screen which you know it is not. We don't really care, but it's weird. Right April?
It was ridiculously cold while we were out of town, like -30 degrees with the wind chill, but got a little warmer after we returned, like 10 degrees, so we didn't go out much. In fact, they girls stayed in their pajamas from Thursday to Sunday, only changing every few days into different pajamas. You would think after all five of us being in the house together for that many days that we would have all been going stir crazy, but there was a combination of new toys, new movies and new video games (or new to me video games) that kept everybody happy until they had to go back to school on Monday. I'm going to whisper this so it doesn't come back to haunt me, but it was probably one of the most pleasurable breaks we've ever had.
Now everybody is back to school, Charlie is back to work and I'm back to the gym. Life is balanced and our schedule, which I would not have lasted much longer without, is restored. The Christmas tree and decorations are packed away (except for the outdoor lights that had too much snow on them to take down) and the house is back in order. Except for the girls' rooms which we are going to be doing a small amount of redecorating and moving things around so they have a little more space for toys in their rooms. Next week if I find some time I am going to stealthily go through their rooms with a large garbage bag and get rid of a ton of things they don't even know they have. That's one thing the new year always brings, a need to declutter and purge.
Hopefully, thanks to April's attempt to pick up her own slack, you will hear more from me and with greater frequency. These kids are pretty funny, sometimes life passes me by so quickly I just don't have time to write it down.
I don't really believe in New Year's Resolutions. I don't think you should wait until the new year to change horrible habits, I think when you realize that you are headed in the wrong direction you should just fix it then, not wait until a specific, magical day. Of course I am not and have not been a fan of New Year's in a very long time, so it makes sense (at least to me). However, every day when I read April's post, which is amazing by the way, I feel a bit sad and guilty that I have been such a slacker. So I am going to use her posts to motivate me to write more of my own, since I will be getting a daily (or close to) reminder. All I have to do is hit the computer right after I put the kids to bed at night, right? Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
So to catch you up on our crazy lives, I did survive the flu and finally felt better by Christmas Day. Charlie helped a ton and totally picked up the slack but I was completely run down for at least a week. Thankfully nobody else got it. We had a nice, quiet Christmas at our house and then flew to my parent's house on the 26th for a much louder, bigger Christmas with the extended family. A few people were sadly missed due to the flu hitting their house a little later than ours, but overall it was a very relaxing trip and I got to catch up with friends and family that I do not get to see enough.
We got home late on New Year's Eve and put the kids to bed right before midnight (they didn't want to stay up and were satisfied that they made it to midnight on the east coast) and then watched the ball re-drop in New York. They do it really weird here. They show you the ball dropping at midnight in New York, even though Times Square is long cleared out, and it even says LIVE on the top of the screen which you know it is not. We don't really care, but it's weird. Right April?
It was ridiculously cold while we were out of town, like -30 degrees with the wind chill, but got a little warmer after we returned, like 10 degrees, so we didn't go out much. In fact, they girls stayed in their pajamas from Thursday to Sunday, only changing every few days into different pajamas. You would think after all five of us being in the house together for that many days that we would have all been going stir crazy, but there was a combination of new toys, new movies and new video games (or new to me video games) that kept everybody happy until they had to go back to school on Monday. I'm going to whisper this so it doesn't come back to haunt me, but it was probably one of the most pleasurable breaks we've ever had.
Now everybody is back to school, Charlie is back to work and I'm back to the gym. Life is balanced and our schedule, which I would not have lasted much longer without, is restored. The Christmas tree and decorations are packed away (except for the outdoor lights that had too much snow on them to take down) and the house is back in order. Except for the girls' rooms which we are going to be doing a small amount of redecorating and moving things around so they have a little more space for toys in their rooms. Next week if I find some time I am going to stealthily go through their rooms with a large garbage bag and get rid of a ton of things they don't even know they have. That's one thing the new year always brings, a need to declutter and purge.
Hopefully, thanks to April's attempt to pick up her own slack, you will hear more from me and with greater frequency. These kids are pretty funny, sometimes life passes me by so quickly I just don't have time to write it down.
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