Sunday, November 30, 2008

He's Back....


Our Elf on the Shelf has returned. The boys have been talking about him for days. He returns every December 1st, and they then spend each morning until Christmas looking for where he has hidden. During the night, he goes back to Santa and reports on how they've been.
It wasn't until they were in bed, that we both remembered that we had to find Snowy, our beloved Elf. I had told the boys before hand that he might not make the trip tonight due to inclement weather.. luckily, I found him in the attic and he is now perched up on the hutch, waiting to be found.
It will be a race for the boys to find him, and usually someone ends up crying. But all we have to do is remind them of why Snowy is here.. Santa hates a cry baby! So, let the insanity begin!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Turkey Day.. and an email from an old friend..

Thanksgiving has come and gone. It was fun, and not one of my kids ran away screaming from my sister's brother in law (who was burned badly from a car accident a few years ago) In fact, they were all really good, and the only thing they were frightened of was the 2 dogs. The two big mean, labs! But my sister kindly gated them up in a room and my kids only had to hear the poor pups whine and not have to be in the same room with them. For that I was truly grateful, it would have been quite uncomfortable for me to have to hold all four of them in my lap as those dogs roamed freely.
Yesterday my husband woke up wanting a brand new t.v. We now have a brand new t.v. Despite my opposition, which literally meant nothing, as he usually gets what he wants. It's so backwards here. I wish just for a while he would pretend to be the man in the family, and let his wife get her way once or twice! I'm just saying.. couldn't he "raymond" it up a bit, and let me be"deborah" for a while??
Anyway, in other far more interesting and exciting news to me, I got an email from an old friend this morning. Someone I had worked with over a decade ago. I sort of feel like I had grown up with her. She was the kindest, sweetest and most giving person I had known. She and her husband came to my wedding, something that always meant so much to me.. For years I had tried to keep in touch with her. I would send her a card on Christmas, and try calling her. The last time I tried, which was quite a while ago, her number had been disconnected. I thought something terrible had happened to her. I figured it must have. But today when I checked my junk mail (just cause I always do) there was a note with a name I recognized. I was so happy. She was finally reconnecting with me! yea!!
Sadly I found out that her husband had passed away, suddenly, this past February. I couldn't believe that. Like I had mentioned before, they had been at my wedding. There are few details that I remember about that crazy day. But one, one detail I remember vividly, was her husband, Bill. Bringing me a beer during the long and very hot, exhausting "photo shoot" every bride has to endure. This was the first and only time I had met Bill, but I had heard enough about him, that I truly felt I knew him. This kind and generous act, which might seem silly to some, cemented the fact that I liked him! He was the mirror image of my good friend. I'm sad that he is gone. But I'm so glad that she has reappeared in my life. If only for today, and our few emails back and forth. I just hope that she won't disappear, and that if anything I can be the friend to her now, that she was to me back then, when I was growing up....

Monday, November 24, 2008

More Speech..

My youngest daughter had her first speech therapy appointment on Friday. This was the first time we had met this woman. Suzanne.. she was very nice, and somewhat awkwardly pointed out that she was not in fact a speech therapist, but in fact an early childhood educator. Something I could really care less about.. she was educated, in my home, and playing with my kids, for free. Seriously, credentials weren't that important.
Anyway, the appointment was a tad hectic, as she didn't come by until 4:15, so she had the pleasure of all the kids being in attendance. My oldest son did just what I asked, which was to be on his best behavior, and just let the woman have her session with his sister. My other daughter was right in the middle of it, which I expected. And then my 5 year old.. my seasoned speech therapy client, couldn't resist putting it into super spaz mode.. in his very loud, very abrupt way. Suzanne quickly assured me this was ok, what else is she going to say?? There was one point though, when he started throwing a ball around, when I flashed him a "cut the shit" glare, to which he promptly stuck out his little tongue at me. Ugh. shithead. His dad had run to the drug store and as soon as he got back, and saw the glaring looks I was shooting him, he quickly took care of the 5 year old, and we moved on with her speech.
Suzanne thinks my daughter is well on her way to having normal speech, even though she's not a pathologist (her words, not mine) Her reassurance was good to hear.
My 5 year old was only tamed momentarily by his father who was distracted by phone calls from his band mates. He started playing a game with his sister, rolling the ball back and forth. It got her right in the groin, to which he laughed and said "oh, it hit her wiener, oh, I mean her vagina" Yes, he's speaking so clearly these days! We're so proud!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

My Day..

This morning started out as any typical morning for me. Getting up.. feeding the kids, making lunches, dressing the kids, seeing them off, and so on.
In preparation for my yearly physical, I packed up my girls and my niece and headed to the hospital to have blood drawn to check my thyroid. Unfortunately, the girls could not withstand the 45 minute wait (and counting) and we had to leave. No blood drawn. Total bust.
We all returned home later, and I had received a message from my youngest sons kindergarten teacher, saying that I had forgotten to pack his lunch. Great. After searching high and low, and really having no memory of what I did with his lunch box, I called the school office and told them that I must have put it in his big brother's knapsack, and could they please take a look. Moments later, they called me back and said it was not there. Fabulous! So, I have to make another lunch, pack up the girls (again) and head off to the school and drop of the poor schmucks lunch.
The day progresses, and I'm exhausted (as usual) and it's time for my youngest son to get off the bus. I am totally geared up for the pissed off little boy that is going to get off the bus. I know he's going to be ripped that I forgot to put his lunch in his backpack.
Imagine my surprise, when he skips off the bus, happy as a clam.. so I asked him "gee buddy, what happened to your lunch??" "Oh," he replies "It was under Skylars jacket" REALLY??
And so goes my day.. I'm hoping tomorrow, whilst my feet are up in the stirrups, that I haven't forgotten any one's lunch, and that I have at least remembered to have shaved in the morning...

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

And they say he's got speech issues!!!

So today was the parent/teacher conference for my 5 year old. I had only met his teacher once at the open house, and she seemed very nice. In fact she is still very nice. However, I had never talked to her one on on before, and I must admit it was difficult, to say the least.
First let me say she said wonderful things about my son, and that he was very well behaved, very quiet, but was slowly coming out of his shell. He's also doing great in his overall studies, and is well liked by his classmates.
The difficult part of talking to her, was that while I was talking, while I was saying anything, quietly, under her breath, she was finishing my sentences. I have never talked to anyone who did that before. The first time she did it, I stopped dead in the middle of a sentence because I thought she was interrupting me. It only took me a second to realize that she was actually trying to talk along with me, and be ahead of what I was saying. It almost seemed like a nervous habit. It was hard to have any eye contact with her, and concentrating on what I was saying was almost impossible. I'm afraid that I may have looked like a bigger idiot than she did! It was very weird. Regardless, she was very nice, and I think she's doing a great job, even with all that weird talking going on.. I just hope that she doesn't do that with the kids!

giving multi tasking new meaning..

I can multitask as good as the next mom, however, I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to handle both my girls this Friday at my doctors with both legs up in the stirrups, getting my pap. hmmm...

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Pain in the A-Word..

Out of sheer frustration yesterday, I asked my older son why his little brother was being such a pain. And my older son said "don't you mean a pain in the a-word?"
Yea, that's what I meant.

Friday, November 14, 2008

This Apple Fell From a Different Tree...

I had a parent teacher conference with my 8 year olds teacher this week. Without actually saying it, she pretty much said my son is a genius. She showed me some of his work, and some of the testing they've done on all the students, and he scored well above his grade level. Highest in his class actually.
I graduated high school, as did my husband. I went to college for 2 years and learned how to funnel beer with the best of them. My husband graduated from college on the 5 year plan, and later became a teacher. Genius is not something we breed in these parts. But apparently, for some unknown reason, we have spawned a child that could quite possibly exceed anything his parents have ever accomplished. Every parents dream really! I just hope that he realizes his potential. And don't worry.. I plan on being there to constantly remind him! Someone has to take care of our old asses someday!!!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

His Winter Jacket..

Every morning, when my five year old gets on the bus, he does the same exact thing. He sits directly behind the bus driver (in what my older son calls the little kids seat) and waves to me 5 or 6 times, with the most adorable shy smile.
This morning, all he did was glare at me. Not one wave, not one shy smile, just a pissed off glare. I couldn't believe it. There was of course reason I suppose in his five year old mind to blow his mother off, but really, I was still shocked.
The reason why he wouldn't wave to me, you wonder? Well, please don't report me to social services, or make a call to child and family services, but this morning, for the first time this fall, I made him wear a winter jacket. I know..I know. The horror! Instead of letting him wear his flimsy transformer "windbreaker" (which I despise btw) I made him wear his brother's old North Face fleece jacket! One that he barely wore because it never fit him quite right. I tried explaining to him that everyone is wearing winter jackets now, and that his teacher is going to think I'm nuts if I let him wear his other jacket to school. Of course reasoning with him is something neither one of us does well. He basically cried about how he didn't like his coat until the bus came. Then to punish me, not one wave. That's ok. He'll be home before I know it (with his jacket stuffed into his back pack) and most likely will feel badly for not waving to his mother.

Monday, November 10, 2008

say what?

My girls had their speech evaluation today. One of them qualifies for services, and the other one doesn't. The silver lining: the other one is going to be right in the middle of all the sessions getting her free and not necessary speech therapy! yea for twins!

Flattery will get you everywhere.. or at least on my blog roll!

I have always been a low maintenance kind of girl. A simple compliment will usually get you whatever your heart desires (just ask my husband! Or my 4 kids!)
So, when I got an email from the author of a new blog called "Hotel New Hampshire", asking if I would exchange links to our blogs, because he is a "Fan" of "4 Kids.." I just about shit, and said "of course I'll link you!!" So here it is.. check it out.. looks like he's going to have some great work on NH and all the great places here in our fine little state!

Sunday, November 09, 2008

missing in action..

My sister told me today that I needed to update my blog.. I told her that I really didn't have much to say..nothing really to update.. of course that's not all true. I guess in the past week since I last wrote, lots has happened.. We had our first showing in a month. The woman "loved it" but loved something else more and made an offer on it. Secretly I'm hoping it falls through. The house we had put an offer on a couple of weeks ago was sold to someone else. Making that the last house in our town that we can afford. Who knows what else will pop up.
I've been trying to prepare my children for Thanksgiving this year. And you wonder, what could they possibly need preparation for?? Well, it that would be my sister's brother in law who will be joining us this year. I haven't seen him in years, but about 4 years ago, he was in a horrible car accident and burned most of his body..and his face. I can't begin to imagine how my kids are going to react to him. Hopefully they won't stare too long, and hopefully he's prepared himself as well. I'm sure he's used to little kids and their filter less mouths. My 5 year old has told me that he will just stay home with his dad. Too bad for him, his dad will be joining us as well.
Tomorrow my girls are having a speech evaluation done here at the house. Yes, all of my children have had some sort of speech issue. It's not like they don't talk, jesus, I can't get them to shutup. The girls though have their own little twin language, which is the cutest thing ever, but it's completely unintelligible, and could really hinder their ability to communicate the rest of us that aren't privy to their little gibberish club. If they do qualify, then they will provide the service here, free of charge. Thank goodness.. the good thing too is that I'll know tomorrow before they leave if they qualify.
I rented Sex and the City Friday night, and just finished watching it tonight. It was good. Not good enough that I would have gone out and bought a new shirt to see it (much like my gay friend did..) But I suppose he just wanted an excuse to buy a new shirt.. Anyway, everyone is in bed, including my husband.. so I'm going to head there as well.. it's been a long weekend, with gray skies, and too much rain.. which btw has been falling on our very dry uncovered wood. nice. I guess we're just "washing" it..ridding it of it's bad karma!