Smellyann Strikes Again

Saturday 9: Tunnel Of Love

Link up here if you want. I'm mad now; I already typed up this whole post once, and Typepad or Google Chrome ate it. Forgive me if the redeux is grouchy. Also, apologies for the comment verification; I've been getting so much spam lately, I could open a Hormel plant.

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Saturday 9: Tunnel of Love

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1) Do you enjoy amusement park rides?

Of course, but I'm kind of a big weenie when it comes to roller coasters and stuff like that. I'm working on growing my cajones, though: when I was a kid, I used to be terrified of rides like the Scrambler or others that spun around fast, and now they're favorites. So there's hope for me, yet!

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2) In this song, Bruce likens romance to riding through the tunnel of love. The Red Hot Chili Peppers sing about a "Love Rollercoaster." What amusement park ride reminds you of your relationships?

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If walking on hot coals were a ride, I'd say that. There's an element of danger, sometimes someone gets burned, and yet it's exciting and exhilarating. Oh, and very intense. Life with me is not a picnic.

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3) Bruce's nickname is The Boss. Who was your best boss? What made him/her a good supervisor?
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That would be me. I'm my own boss now, and I like it that way. I am hard on myself when I deserve it, but I can also be patient and kinder to myself when I need that, too. I pay myself what I'm worth - although I need a raise, Self! - and listen to my instincts. I push myself, I create challenges and goals, and I work hard to achieve them. 

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4) Bruce's father was a bus driver and his mother was a legal secretary. What professions did/do your parents work in?
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Hey, I was once a legal secretary, too. I had a good boss then, as well. (RIP, Jim.)

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Mom did a little bit of everything, and I'm sure she did lots I didn't know about. She was a secretary when she died. I have a newspaper article on her from when Stacey and I were toddlers; she had started a babysitting co-op in our town and they praised it for it. Now, those are commonplace. As for Dad, he's a bit of a Jack of All Trades, Master of None. To sum up his talents, he's a salesman. He could sell water to a fish.

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5) Bruce met his wife Patti at a bar in Asbury Park. Do you believe you can pick up lasting love in a bar? 
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Of course. I know a couple that met that way. As for Hubs and me, we met online, and that works, so why not a bar. Incidentally, my parents met though a dating service, too.

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6) Springsteen was unable to work for years because he was embroiled in a lawsuit with his management company. Have you ever been sued, or sued someone else?
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Five barks for you. Heh.

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7) Bruce won an Oscar for writing the title song for the Tom Hanks movie Philadelphia. Do you have a favorite Tom Hanks movie?
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It has to be Splash, my first Tom Hanks movie. He, Daryl Hannah, John Candy, and the rest of the cast were awesome in that. I could watch it again and again. I wonder if it's on Amazon Prime?

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8) Bruce's official Twitter account (@springsteen) has more than 389,000 followers. Do you tweet? If so, how many people follow you?
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I tweet updates and check-ins from my iPhone and reward sites like Crowdtap and Swagbucks, but I'll rarely go straight to Twitter and post Facebook-like status updates. I couldn't care much less about that. I'm @Smellyann if you want lots of stupid information about where I am, though. ;) I have no idea how many followers I have. Three or 400, maybe?

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9) Bruce's drummer, Mighty Max Weinberg, led the band on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. Who do you think is funnier -- Conan or Jay Leno? Or are you looking forward to Jimmy Fallon?

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Fallon's okay - he's gotten better since the beginning - but I'm a huge fan of Conan. We have a similar sense of humor; I 'get' him and think he's hysterical. I never liked Leno as a talk show host at all. He's unoriginal and unfunny, IMHO. I was horrified by that whole Leno/Conan shake-up on NBC. Really? That was ridiculously unfair. I felt so badly for the O'Brien family, to be honest.

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I'll be back tomorrow for Sunday Stealing, if not before then with some family updates. See ya back here, hm?

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Fin.

Friday Fragments

Link up here if you've got bits and pieces to string together for Mrs. 4444 and the gang tonight!

*~*~*~*~*

It's certainly been an up-and-down week for us here at Chez Odette, but I'd like to start off this post with one major announcement:

After SIX (originally typed "SUX," which would also have been appropriate!) WEEKS, THE LICE ARE GONE, THE LICE ARE GONE, THANK GOD ALMIGHTY, THE LICE ARE GONE!!!!

Now, I had to totally chop off ALL of Chloe's long, luscious curls to do it, but desperate times call for desperate measures, y'know? Thankfully, her hair grows back wicked fast, like her dad's and Jack's. It'll be back before we know it.

*~*~*~*~*

Downpoint:

Two weeks ago, my CPU died. We replaced it. Last week, my monitor died. Can't afford to replace that, too, just yet... UGH! I'm stuck using the laptop. I hate laptops. Can't say why; I just do.

Plus, this one doesn't have a number pad, which is why I can't do my special ALT characters. Bah.

*~*~*~*~*

Upside:

(SPOILER ALERT if you haven't seen the Olympics yet tonight)

Gabby Douglas, Virginia Native who trained at Excalibur, where Chloe will start next month in rhythmic gymnastics after a switch from another gym that doesn't offer rhythmic, won All-Around Gold tonight! The first African-American to do so. I'm SO super proud of her and her teammates! USA, USA, USA!!!

*~*~*~*~*

Downswing:

My boys, Hubs and Son, are at Webelos (Cub Scouts) camp all week. They were supposed to get there on Sunday, but we messed up and thought it was supposed to be Monday. On Monday, we didn't get paid, like we thought we would, and so they still couldn't go until Tuesday. Suck! But the main point is, I miss them so much!!! I can't WAIT to pick them up tomorrow (today) morning and hear all about their adventures!

*~*~*~*~*

Upside:

My dad and I had a major falling out several months ago. I mean, MAJOR. I thought we'd never speak again.  We've made a lot of progress through emails, however, and finally, I called him on his 70th birthday on Tuesday. There was no awkwardness whatsoever, which was a huge relief to me. I don't do confrontation - especially with my father - well at all, and there just wasn't any. Very anti-climactic, and I'm glad for it.

*~*~*~*~*

Downbeat:

Today, my toilet overflowed all OVER the bathroom, and indeed, it still IS. I cannot seem to plunge that da*n low-flow piece of crap for the life of me, and so it waits until Rob gets home from camp tomorrow. Not a fun time. To top things off, I broke a jelly jar pulling something else out of the fridge tonight, got glass lodged in my foot, and can't find the foxtail and dustpan anywhere. So that mess will be waiting for Rob, too. Unless I can find some paper towels somewhere... and yes, I'll put on some shoes. Oy.

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Upside:

I had multiple sales in my Etsy shop, I was commissioned to do knitting for another WAHM's Waldorf-inspired mini-dolls, my blog post about Virginia Beach was featured on a national travel blog, and I was invited to submit a chapter in a textbook. I'm not sure I'll do that last one - who has the time?! - but I might give it a go. Either way, cool. I do want to write my own book at some point, so it would be good practice if I did it.

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Down-another-thing:

My wrist, which I unwittingly somehow injured at the end of May, is still not even remotely healed. I think there is nerve damage, since the fracture we thought was there seems not to be, judging from later x-rays.  I'm in a hella lot of pain, and I refuse to take pain medication on an ongoing basis for it.  Back to the doc I go, I guess...

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Upside:

I had a LOT of me-time this week, with the boys away and my friend Saritah taking the girls along with her kids to Vacation Bible School - up to four hours a night! SWEET. I took advantage of it, because my migraines have been plaguing me lately, and did a whole lotta nothin'. That's difficult for me to do, but between the wrist and the brain-pain, not so hard at the mome.

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Guess that's all I feel like jabbering about for the time being, though I feel I could go on for another half-hour or more!  I'm going to try REALLY hard and visit other Fragmenters this weekend; a rarity for me with all the chaos our lifestyle brings.

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Take it easy, peeps, and, you know, stay away from Chick-Fil-A and stuff... ;)

Fin.

And That's A Cut!

So I'm going to present this in chronological order of the events as they happened, to make it easier on me to keep track of the days. Otherwise, my memory of the shoot will come out all as one big jumble, and that won't be so fun to read. M'kay? Here we go:

May 31: Chloë goes into the actors' studio in Va Beach to audition for a role in a project we have sides, or a small part of the script that pertains to that particular actor, for, but no real knowledge of the role otherwise. The role is "Sarah," for something that has to do with hauntings, but we don't know if it's a play, movie, TV show, or just what at this point. K, the Man In Charge, explains to the 8 or 12 Sarahs who show up what is happening each scene they will be demonstrating for him, and he describes how the audition process will unfold. No parents are allowed in the small room where they go, first in pairs, and then individually, to audition. I can hear giggling when it's Chloë's turn, so my whole thought is, "Yeah, she's blowing it." 

When she steps out of the room, for the first time (seven other Sarahs have gone before her at this point), K comes out and nods at her mother. At that point, he explains the follow-up process and thanks everyone for coming out, though six of the other Sarahs have already been dismissed. I decide, hey, this might be a good sign, despite her giggling during what are serious scenes. (She gets that from me!) We leave.

June 7: K calls me to tell me that they are still debating on the role of Sarah, asks about Chloë's availability for shooting the following week, and explains that I should hear something by the following day. I totally forget about Rob's hernia surgery and say, "Yes! She's available every day!" which does not win me brownie points with Hubs. I'm on pins and needles and inform Chloë of the latest news. She glows.

June 8: K calls back and informs me that they've chosen Chloë for the role of Sarah. I coolly (for me) thank him and hang up before going ballistic. At this point, we've learned it's for an episode of the Discovery Channel TV show, "A Haunting." I run outside to where Chloë is playing and tell her the exciting news. We do the Happy Dance. Over and over. For hours. She hasn't worked in about three years, between losing eleventy teeth at once and then getting braces, so we are BACK, baby! Woot!!

Later that night: Lisa from the production company calls me to say that Chloë/Sarah will need to come to the film studio on Monday morning to meet the Director, D, have a rehearsal, and then meet Amy in Wardrobe that afternoon. I'm to bring a wide variety of clothing and shoes. After I hang up, I flip out and start working on laundry like a madwoman, since a huge mountain of dirty laundry has taken over our entire upper floor. Eek! Rob and I subsequently decide we have to maintain a "work" wardrobe for Chlo, if she's going to be back in the game, after I discover that she's grown out of all the good stuff and stained and/or torn all the rest, and we have no current budget to go out and shop for new. I spend the weekend painstakingly putting together clothes and shoes that I know Amy (Wardrobe) will just HATE.

Monday, June 11: We drop The Littles off at Steph's house for babysitting and then head out to Suffolk, where the production company is situated. I did not know it existed and am surprised to see posters of all kinds of crime dramas and such all over the walls of the reception area, immediately realizing this ain't no small thang. This is the Real Deal. Mah babeh's gonna be on tay-vay, y'all!

First, we meet the 2nd Assistant Director of the show, X, and Lisa, who had called me Friday night, and go over the day ahead. X has me fill out paperwork aplenty and seats us at a conference table, where we meet some of the rest of the cast: Sarah/Kay, her "mother", and some other players I won't name, because I don't want to give away any details of the show!

Soon, we meet D, the Director, and he takes us back to a warehouse-like open area for rehearsal with her set mom, dad (Kevin/Chris), and himself. The other players are sent to a corner area to rehearse by themselves for the time being. D takes them through several scenes, working especially with Chloë to show her how he wants her to play certain lines. He gives lots of direction to all three actors; I can tell Sarah/Kay and Kevin/Chris, along with the other players, are real pros and am proud and pleased for Chloë to be part of such a production!

After D has decided Chloë is ready to start filming the next day, we are dismissed and sent to find Amy (Wardrobe) hours ahead of schedule, since she's free at the moment. I bashfully present the clothing I've culled to her, and she says they're perfect and calls me "her hero." I'm extremely relieved. Whew! Chloë falls madly in 'like' with Amy, and I think the feelings are mutual. They have a great rapport right off the bat, which continues for the remainder of the shoot. Amy has Chlo try on various outfits and takes pictures of her in some, for her "Wardrobe Bible." Chloë has 16 wardrobe changes, so she keeps most of the clothes and sends us home with a very small percentage of 'rejects.' We go find X, who tells us we were supposed to get a lunch per diem at noon, but it's ten 'til, so we're SOL. I'm all, "okay, whatever, I don't know how this works!" and we head out to pick up The Littles.

Tuesday, June 12th: SUCKS. Not at first, but eventually. We get on set, which is in the Ghent section of Norfolk, in a real house, and it's all hustle-and-bustle everywhere. We find X, do more paperwork, and then get the Call Sheet (what scenes are filming that day with which actors in which order, etc.) and sides for those scenes. Chloë is sent into wardrobe and changed for her first scene, and then she's called back to Tia, the Hair & Makeup, uh, person on set. Tia starts to work on Chloë's massive mane of hair and then steps back and mouths the words, "She's got lice" to me. My jaw hits the floor, in shock. WHAT?!!!! I'm instantly in freak-out mode, inwardly. How? When? Where? Why?! WHY NOW?!

Tia radios J, the set Line Production Manager, aka Fire Putter-Outer, aka D's wife, to let her know of the situation. An hour passes while they debate what to do: treat her on set, or send her home to be treated. Chloë and I are trying not to sob, worrying that they will fire her post haste. We cry; X comes up, as does Amy, and soothe us, telling us this happens, they see it all the time, blah blah blah. Still, it is MORTIFYING. Words cannot describe how I felt, especially after Tia and J come up and tell me they've decided to send Chloë home for the day to be treated, after rearranging the entire production schedule. Yeah. I feel awesome.

The rest of the day is spent rushing home, collecting all my CVS Extra Care Bucks, Walgreens Register Rewards, and Rite Aid Wellness Rewards money, because we are totally broke and have like, six dollars, which doesn't touch the cost of the lice treatment we were instructed to buy. Hooray that I have a lot of the above, though, so the kids and I go out and get ... lots of it. Rob comes home and showers Jack and Sophia, who are relatively easy for me to treat, but not before Rob shaves Jack's and his own head to simplify things. We treat ourselves and Chloë next, along with all four cats. Rob goes out to the new house to bomb it for bugs, while I continue going through Chloë's hair strand by strand by strand. She has SO MUCH FREAKING HAIR, I want to kill myself.

In the end, while she goes over her 98-page script, I treat her hair seven times. Seven. We stay up until 0300 that night (well, morning, whatevs), combing nits out of her hair, until exhaustion takes over and we crash, praying they'll let her return to work the next day. Oh, but not before we transport the kitties over to the new house (to their reluctance, which I still have the scratches and scars to prove), and go back to bomb the old one. I spend the entire afternoon puzzling over the source of the lice, which has seriously loused up our week (heh, sorry, I couldn't resist), and finally realize that it's probably the 7-11 guy I've been driving to work for the past many moons. He's been scratching his head a LOT lately, but I didn't think anything of it. So I treat the van, too, but still need to get it deep-cleaned... I tell him that night that the rides are OVER, but not why because I don't want to, frankly, and that's the end of that.

Wednesday, June 13: We return to the Ghent set and are greeted with open arms, smiles, and hugs, from everyone from the Director, to X and Amy, to Tia, who I tell about the seven different treatments, should she still find nits in C's impossible hair. She does, but I assure her they are dead, dead, dead. She decides Chloë/Sarah is going to spend much of the shoot in braids, just in case... which disappoints me (whose opinion doesn't count), because now her luscious curls will not be on display. And they match Sarah/Kay's, her "mom," so wonderfully, too. Bummer. But she's still working, so okay! Yay!  Before long, her clothes are on, hair and make-up are done, and she's called down to start filming her first scene with the family, including three "brothers": Jo, Ja, and Br. I can't remember their character names, ever, and don't want to use their real names without their parents' permission, y'know?

Here they are filming Chloë's (and the rest of the haunted family's) first scene together. That's Chlo in the daisy dress, which she wore for Easter last year! The director is the guy with the white ball cap on, looking my way. All the guys in the foreground are Props, Lighting, Grips, and so forth. We parents are always instructed on the best place to stand so we can watch - though not always - and, more importantly, be out of the way. I start getting used to hearing the commands, "Lock it up!" "Rolling!" "Quiet on the set!" "Still rolling!" "Action!" "CUT!" and, from the various assistant directors and other crewmembers with radios all over the place repeating my title phrase, "And that's a cut!!" which means we parents can all start talking again. Which we do a LOT. Hehe.

Re-filming the same scene, which THEY do a lot. During production, they make lots of little, and sometimes big, changes, to lines, or expressions, or whatever else you can imagine. Then they do the same scene, once they got what they've liked, from 27 different camera angles. For us parents, it's a lot of boring standing around and waiting for "And that's a cut!" so we can resume our conversations. It's a lot more exciting for the actors, but even more so for the crew, who are always busy setting up and re-setting up. I learn what "sticks" are - a tripod. I learn not to trip over these sticks. Quickly. (They're much bigger than mine.)

The actors taking a break under a tree, since it's about 900º that day. Make-up girl, Heather, is constantly dabbing at their sweaty faces right before "ROLLING!" The guy on the right, with arms folded, is the father of the oldest brother, Jo. He's an oncologist/hematologist; I bug him on Friday about all my iron issues. He plays along nicely. His wife is a pediatrician and shares that they get it all the time; I imagine they're not struggling the way we are!

At last, later on Wednesday, they start filming in the ground floor inside the house, which has... four floors? It's not teeny. When we're not shooting, the actors, parents, and X hang out on the 2nd floor, along with Wardrobe, Costumes, and Hair & Make-up. When we are shooting, on this day, I'm busy snapping these photos on my silenced iPhone, to send to a very proud papa.

At the end of the family's scenes, the rest of the kids are wrapped for the day, and Chloë goes back into Wardrobe to change into PJs for her big scenes. We have some time to wait until then, so we spend a lot of time out back at craft services, snacking, relaxing, and... waiting. Soon, the rest of the cast and crew break for lunch (which is at 5:30 PM, so you can imagine how hungry they are), and I fix Chloë a meager dinner of broccoli, bread and butter, and a teensy piece of lasagna. I can barely get her to eat, as she's filled up on fruit snacks since I didn't know about the whole lunch thing. After lunch, I go around snapping pictures of her with some of the folks on set:

Chloë hamming it up with Amy, left, from Wardrobe, and Brittany (sp?), Costumes - very cool chicks! (Oops, I lied, she obviously didn't change into PJs until after lunch!)

Chloë/Sarah with Sarah/Kay, her gorgeous set mom

Posing with Tia, the poor Hair/Make-up queen who was the unfortunate discoverer of the damn lice

With D, the Director, checking out "her" bedroom for the first time

With Kevin/Chris, her TV dad, fresh out of his latest wardrobe change - he must have had dozens of them!

Chloë posing with THE coolest 2nd Asst. Dir., X, who was HEE-larious. I loved him! So did she; we had a great time hanging out with him.

After these pictures, THEN she changed into PJs and was sent upstairs to the 3rd floor to start filming her big scenes with Kevin/Chris, and... more characters who shall not be named as of yet. ;) I didn't get to see much of it from my perch on the stairs leading up to the fourth floor, so I talked to C, the Asst. Dir. who was D's right hand woman. C is all but gushing; her facial expressions tell as much as her words. "She's fantastic," "She's a natural!" "I'm so excited watching her; I can't take my eyes off her on the monitor!" are some of the things C had to say about Chloë. Finally, just before 2200, Chloë is wrapped for the night, and I go pick up The Littles from an exhausted Stephanie. I'm absolutely thrilled about all the awesome feedback from both C and D, whose comments escape me at the moment...oh! I remember. When they were filming the outdoor scenes in the first pics above, he told me, "She's amazing. She's stealing it!" I later learned from J, his wife, that he was talking about Chloë to her at home, too. That's gotta be good, right?!

After we got home that night, I treated Chloë for the lice two more times. She was less than thrilled, but it gave her time to work on her scenes for the following day.  Her hair is normally curlier than this, but it dried as I was combing and re-combing it, leaving it partially straightened. I love her Farrah Fawcett look!

Thursday, June 14: We've spent the night, again, at the new house in Portsmouth, to be close to the Naval hospital where Rob needs to be at 0530 for his surgery(ies).  We get about two hours of sleep after all is said and done, so I'm worrying about Chloë's readiness for filming later that day. I'm also worried about how the whole day is going to play out, because I've got to stay with Rob, get Chloë to set, and worry about The Littles, who cannot be on set. My fifth babysitter eventually has a (true) emergency and cancels on me, leaving me in panic mode. Fortunately, Chloë doesn't have to be on set until noon, but this emergency comes in around 10 AM, leaving me without a sitter for Jack and Sophia.

So, not knowing what else to do, I call X and explain the situation to him. He tells me to take care of Rob, and bring Chloë to set at noon, with a note signing her guardianship over to the crew so I can leave her unattended by me. It's not ideal for anyone, but it works out. By the time Rob is released from the hospital around 1600 (!), traffic back to the old house, where he had planned to recuperate on the couch, is bumper to bumper: all stop and no go. I quickly make the decision that we'll have change course and go to the set, leaving Rob and the Littles in the running van, with A/C and movies playing. It's a crappy plan, but I had to get there! As soon as I'm cleared to enter the set, before I even see her, Chloë's voice rings out, "Mom! What are you doing here? I don't want you here! Go back to the hospital with Daddy!" Ha. She's having way too much fun without me, I can tell. I later learn someone asked her who was in charge of her that day, and she answered, "Everyone is."

I find X and explain the current situation to him, asking if my family can come to set to use the facilities if the need arises. Instead, he's extremely sympathetic to Rob's pain and agony and instructs me to go take him HOME where he belongs, along with Jack and Soph, and get back "whenever I can." And so I do, getting Rob and the kids settled on the couches with movies, food, and everything they need to survive until we get back much later that night. Rushing back to set, I find Chloë all a-giggle, waiting to film her last scene of the day, and absolutely hyper beyond words. Greaaaat. I go around apologizing for this to everyone who's had to put up with her shenaniganizing, and they all reassure me that she's been "fine."

Chlo with E/Cindy, who had also tried out for Sarah and is instead on set today to play the part of her BFF in two scenes. They get along well. Coincidentally, E's mom is the lead for the following week's episode. (Funnily, to me, several people over the course of the week ask me if I am also an actor, which makes me laugh. Um, no. Literally, I was in hives when Chloë was filming her big scenes, trembling and on the verge of throwing up. Can you imagine if it was me? Hells no. I do not have that kind of poise.)

After the girls are wrapped for the night, we rush home and check on Rob and the babes. He's ... okay, but hurting. They're... okay, but starving. Tired, thankful that that last day of shooting is around the corner from our old house in Virginia Beach where we are spending the night, I go out and scrounge up more food for everyone. And then we crash.

Friday, June 15: The last day of filming takes place 8 minutes from us, at another real house whose occupants are evicted during filming. It's a cool house. This time, craft services and tents for waiting between scenes are set up on the front lawn. Jo, the oldest "brother" has arrived on set with not just Dad this time, but also Mom and maternal grandparents. Ja, next older brother, also arrives with older sister. I feel bad that my fam don't get to experience filming, too, as it's such a great experience for Chloë and me. Anyway...

The first scenes, which the kids aren't in yet, take place on the side lawn. Several times during "Rolling!" we parents, now all old friends - and Facebook friends! - are shushed and told we can be heard on camera. Oops! We talk, then quiet, then resume talking repeatedly between "action" and "cut." When the "family" goes inside to film their indoor scenes, we are kicked out of the house and left to fester under the tent. No worries, we'll see what happened when it airs, right?

Speaking of which, Director D has told me that it will air on a new channel, the name of which might be "Green" something but he forgets exactly, in a few months. And the show will be renamed "American Haunting." It's Episode 41, called "Dark Dreams." And that's all I know about that; I'll keep you apprised when I know more!

When the kids are wrapped for the day, we grab the parents for a "family" photo op, seen here. Everyone hugs good-bye, and off we go... back into real life, waiting for the next call, the next big thing. Hopefully, fingers crossed, there will be more opportunities in Chloë's future here and, especially, in San Diego. She has caught the acting bug, and as long as she's loving it, we will continue!

And that's a wrap.

Fin.

P.S. On Sunday, Rob and I ran into her TV dad, Kevin, at dinner while we were on a mystery shop. He's already back at work on another series, for a different production company I didn't know about locally, this week. Good for him!  And now, I bid you adieu.

Sunday Stealing: The Never-Ending Meme, Parte Uno

Link up here if you're meme-crazy like me, too!

Cheers to all of us thieves!

1. Song that always makes you sad?

"To Where You Are" by Josh Groban, and "Tears in Heaven" by E.C.

2. Last thing you bought?

Canned foods for our donation to the Food Bank, part of our entrance fee to last night's Girl Scout Cookie Rally  

3. Last person you argued with?

Rob and I had it OUT the other day about where we're going to live after he retires in 1½ years from the US Navy, but I'm going to keep mum this time, until we actually make things happen. Sorreh.

4. Do you put butter before putting the peanut butter on?

Huh? Butter with peanut butter? Huh? Is you crazy?

5. One of your stuffed animals’ names as a kid?

My Cabbage Patch Kids were Aubrey Lenora, Tiffany Jacqueline, and Andrea Jeanine.

6. Did you ever at one time own a Barenaked Ladies CD?

Well, of course. "If I had a million dollars" is one of "our" songs...

7. Favorite day of the week?

Any day that Rob is home with me, sap sap, mush mush, gag.

8. Favorite sundae topping?

I can't eat it anymore, but if it's going to be a sundae, it better have nuts, hot fudge, whipped cream, and a cherry. Good stuff, there. Mmm.

9. Did you take piano lessons?

Yes. Well, my mom played the organ, so when she died, I took organ lessons to honor her. When the piano teacher came to my house, I played the organ. When I went to her house, I played her piano. So, kinda.

10. Most frequent song played?

Right now I'm overplaying "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5. There are boobs in the explicit version on YouTube, you know. I discovered this the other day. Who doesn't like boobs? I was told recently that even gay guys like 'em. Who knew?

11. TV show you secretly enjoy?

I enjoy Phineas and Ferb, which we stream on Netflix, since we don't have 'real' TV. Rob and I laugh more than the children do, I swear.

12. Would you rather play basketball or hockey?

Hockey. I can whack the shit out of some puck, dude.

13. Date someone older or younger?

I prefer them older. I don't want to teach you new tricks. I want you to know the tricks. Kwim?

14. One place you could travel right now?

Could, or would like to? I mean, I could travel to Williamsburg or the Outer Banks. I would like to travel to Japan or Australia. Say what you mean, and mean what you say, dammit.

15. Do you use umbrellas?

We have a Britto umbrella, which I bought for Rob as a gift during a trip to Charleston, that mostly sits unused. I prefer to just get wet, unless my hair and make-up are done, and then I'm using that mofo. I like getting rained on.

16. Do you know all the words to the Canadian national anthem?

Yeah, I know all the words to all the national anthems, dude. Duh. :\

17. Favorite cheese?

Velveeta. Sike! (Although I admit, I'll use it when it suits.) Hmm... I do like my Muenster.

18. The Smiths or The Cure?

Depends on the mood. Whatever, I like it all but country.

19. Do you prefer blondes or brunettes?

I really don't give a rat's ass. I like arm muscles, though. Not that you asked that.

20. Best job you ever had?

You should expect me to say the current one, mothering my three bebes. Which I do love, of course. But aside from that, I'd say it's a toss-up between my internship in Fisheries Biology at Mote Marine Lab and my stint working at the dive shop Diver's Paradise on Key Biscayne. Times of my life, both.

Well, that wasn't exactly never-ending. Twenty questions, really? I was prepared for fourscore. Ah well. More fun next week. Ciao, thieving peeps.

Fin.

The First Weekend In June

I keep feeling like I had this unproductive weekend, because I didn't accomplish my singular goal at all, so here is a run-through of what I actually did do, to make myself feel better. And to share with you, because I know you hang on the edge of your seat, waiting for me to post these scintillating things I talk about, right?

First, like I mentioned, there was desire to paint in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Now. So I painted the pantry door. And the little bitty corner of wall next to it, which of course meant that more painting in the kitchen would need to happen, or else that little green section of wall would like mighty curious, all by itself.

Well, the real first first was making the pizza cake, from Friday night into the wee hours of Saturday morning. 

And the second thing, immediately after finishing the cake, was scooping up the leftover cake and frosting and constructing these cake pops. These are long since gone, sold right away, but like I (think I) posted yesterday, more can be made if you need parting gifts for Teacher, or a special graduate, or Dad, or, well, anybody, because I really don't care whom you give them to, as long as you buy some. Heh.

So the third thing, then, was painting the door.

I went back and forth all day Saturday after that, moving kitchen furniture (that would be the full baker's rack, the deep freezer, and the table and chairs), scrubbing sections of wall piece by piece, paint first, second, and the exasperatingly always-necessary third coat... and coming back here to play on Facebook and run my stupid Farmville. (I call it "stupid," but I really like it. It gives me a quick opportunity to take frequent breaks from whatever I'm doing, and I've always been a girl who likes taking frequent breaks. Maybe I do have ADHD, but that's how I manage it. Whatever. Moving on.)

As part of this parenting course we're doing right now (more on that later), Rob and I are each supposed to spend 10 minutes of true quality time with each of the kids, twice per day. So Sophia and I spent one of our ten-minute sessions painting the back of the kitchen wall. I did all the cutting in around the edges, and she painted in the middle. I guided her with the correct way to hold the brush and move it back and forth, back and forth, and then she went and did it her own way. Which is fine. You can lead a horse to water...

Chloë wanted a painting turn after that, too, so I spent another segment of quality time showing her the same things I'd shown Sophia. She did it more exactly like I showed her, because that is her way. She, being a Virgo like me, is quite a bit of a perfectionist. I am doing my best, now, seeing this, and knowing how difficult it is to be that way, to guide her away from that tendency. It's not easy. Anyway, so they helped me paint the walls.

Jack wanted to paint, too, but he was never available when I was ready for him, because he spent a great deal of the weekend outside with the neighbor kids, riding his bike, driving his Cadillac Escalade Power Wheels, using the girls' scooter, and generally getting dirty and having a ball. So I didn't force the 10 minutes on him, although I do think it's especially important that he and I connect for those 20 min per day. I'll work on it, getting it in.

So eventually, the bottom half of the kitchen got painted, as far as I could go without moving the refrigerator. Luckily, I have plenty of paint left, for whenever Rob gets around to helping me with that. (I tried, but I'm a weenie.)

In the eight-plus years we've lived here, the kitchen has always been at the top of my "gotta change this" list, but for some reason, it has escaped my ministrations thus far. I even have the paint for the top half. Well, now that we've had to keep the windows open all the time (no AC), the cats have scratched out half the screens in the house, and they've all but shredded the café curtains covering the kitchen windows. I hate it. And I hate the country-cottage-y wallpaper on the top half of the kitchen walls, too. That's fine and good, but I am just not a country-cottage-y type of person. I like bold, striking colors that pop. 

So I got up on the chairs and started to RRRRRRRRRIP the wallpaper off the walls, tossing big strips of it onto to floor, to the kids' shock and dismay. "Mom! What are you DOING?!" they demanded.

I just laughed and let their father explain. That's often the way things go around here. I laugh, and he's left to explain why.

I pulled off all the copper molds from around the top of the walls, too. I'm going to sell them. I collected them years ago, when we lived in Panama City, FL. And while I still absolutely adore copper - it's my favorite precious metal - it's just not the look I'm going for anymore. So they have to go. I don't have them listed anywhere yet, but I do have some interest. Let me know if you, too, want to stake a claim. I'm willing to break up the lot.

Because we didn't get Rob's Navy paycheck the first of the month and things are uncomfortably tight right now, and also because I'm trying to walk more and drive less in the interest of Saving The Planet, Chloë and I walked to the grocery store late Saturday evening. The kids were begging, crying, for milk, so I decided to break down and spend some of our very little money on a gallon. I mean, it's milk, and they're kids. Not exactly a luxury. 

Chloë and I had the best talk on our way to and from the store. We discussed physical beauty and why that might not be the most important thing about a person, and what things might be more important. She decided that being healthy was the most important thing, and being safe, so we talked about ways she could be healthy and safe. She came up with lots of fantastic answers, like eating junk foods in moderation, always wearing her helmet when she rides her bike or scooter, and getting the proper amount of sleep. I was impressed.

At the store, she "helped" me shop, and by that, I mean she pushed the little cart around and mostly observed as I made decisions about what to buy and what to leave at the store. We talked about the importance of shopping the perimeter - she remembered what "perimeter" meant from her studies in math - and, like eating junk food, using the processed foods in the center aisles in moderation. I had decided to make a Key Lime Pie for dessert, to use up the Key Limes I'd picked up at a roadside citrus stand in Florida a few weeks ago, so we bought the condensed milk and graham crackers I needed for that, comparing prices-per-unit and all that we always try to do.

And since I have a partially-made batch of hummus in the freezer, I decided that I should get a lemon or two (of which there were none, so I'm going to try Key Lime hummus instead!) and the tahini I need to finish it. We spent about six years looking for the damn tahini, which used to be much easier to find, back when they had a separate section for "health foods." (Now it's next to the mayonnaise and other condiments, in case you're wondering.)

Having "gone green" by walking to the store instead of driving, I'd have felt pretty crappy about getting one of those God-awful plastic grocery bags in which to lug our loot home, so I bought yet another 99¢ canvas bag, too. I just can't stand those plastic bags. They, among other things like inconsiderate smokers, people who drink copious amounts of bottled water and don't even recycle the bottles, and folks who take nine hours to make the right turn in front of me, are the absolute bane of my existence.

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So we walked home, me lugging the bag full of milk-and-schtuff, and continued our nice, Mom-to-Daughter talk. Somehow it morphed into what life will be like as she eases into her teenage years, and how it's natural for girls to butt heads with their mothers frequently in those times. That really upset her. I made her promise to remember one thing: that no matter what she said or did, and no matter what I said or did, I would always love her more than she could understand until she was a mother herself. That eased her mind a bit.

Then that translated into a conversation about the pressures of being a teen and experimenting with things like drugs, alcohol, smoking, and sex. I told her my hopes and expectations, and she asked good questions. Overall, it was a very productive conversation, and I'm so delighted we had the chance to have it.

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So we got home, and I made the pie, and oh, my word, it was freaking delicious. Beyond expectations. I still have plenty of Key Limes, so I plan to bring another pie to our Gardening club this Thursday. Assuming I still have the gas to get there. Jack didn't like the pie, but everyone else devoured it with gusto. I had way more than I had any business having, but after cheesecake, Key Lime Pie has to be my fav... well, no, there's Dutch Apple Cream Pie, and Chocolate Chip Cookies, and... Uh. I just love sweets. I'm in the right business, I think. (And I'm glad I've discovered the power of prunes to help me take off any extra weight I might gain from sampling my own wares! Phooo, do those work well. Golly. *ahem*)

So that was Saturday.

Sunday, we didn't make it to church either, which was sad, especially since I'd visited their food pantry on Thursday after Girl Scouts, and they serviced us quite nicely. (That's something I've never done before in my life, and it's quite humbling. Thank you, to any and all of you who donate to the Food Bank. We haven't needed it before, but with this paycheck snafu, I'm certainly glad it's there for us in this time of need. Now if only there were a Gas Pantry, eh?)

I napped a lot on Sunday. Rob napped a lot, and Sophia did, too. The other two mostly watched Nova shows on the Wii, from Netflix. Jack is especially fond of the Nova programs, and particularly the ones that feed his transportation and mechanically-oriented brain. He'll watch the same ones about plane crashes or rockets taking off over and over, always going upstairs to get a toy that goes along with the program, and making-believe he's part of the action. It's pretty cool. Rob gets a huge kick out of his doing that.

For my evening 10-minute session with Sophia, she just wanted to play with the discarded boxes I'm trying to get rid of on Freecycle. She's decided she needs them for her tiny toys instead, like finger puppets and the Squinkies a friend gave her at her birthday party in April. Here she is admiring the bunk bed she made for her bunny finger puppet.

This is her favorite box, though, because "it's the biggest, and it has a window, so I can see what they're doing in there." She asked me to punch holes in the window with my knitting needle, so her bunny could breathe. And so I did, until she told me, "enough."

While Sophia had been napping earlier, I got started training Jack and Chloë on the way we do laundry, from beginning to end. They collected all the laundry in the house, sorted it into the proper piles, learned how to run the washer and the dryer, and then I showed them how to fold their own clothes. For now, I'll leave it at that, until I feel they're ready to start folding Mom & Dad's, and the towels and sheets. I've just always done the laundry myself and only had them run and put away their things. But with the parenting course, I see the error of my ways. I don't know why I didn't, but I guess I figured they would just pick it up eventually. Foolish. So now I'll be working on their "training," and we don't call them "chores" but rather "contributions." It's working out well. They feel important and significant, and Jack even commented that doing the laundry was "fun." (Not to me, but to his big sister. No way he'd let me hear such a thing on purpose!)

After dinner, when I wanted some knitting time on my sparkle! dress, and Chloë wanted a break from folding laundry, I asked her to spend a little quality time herself with Sophia. The two of them have been fighting a lot again lately, so I asked Chloë read Sophia some stories. She grumped and grumbled about it at first, but in the end, she read three stories to Soap without me asking her to go past the first one. And I made lots of progress on my dress:

Pretty soon, I'll be at the placket, which is my new favorite word to say. I can't wait to finish the front.

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Jack went to bed first tonight, so again, I didn't really get to spend my QT with him. I'll give him extra tomorrow. After story time between the girls, Chloë wanted her ten minutes with me. Sophia and Dad spent those ten minutes together, too, playing and Soph telling cute, six-year-old stories to her Daddy. Chloë and I went for a moonlit walk around the smaller lake.

I took the Nikon along, just in case I found anything cool to take a picture of, but most of my pictures didn't turn out. I liked the way these branches stuck out far into the light of the street lamp, so I snapped it.

Halfway 'round the lake, I spotted a "frog" hopping off the path, toward the water. I managed to catch it for Chloë, who immediately squealed when she felt it and dropped him. So I caught him again, and then, of course, I could see it was really a toad and not a frog at all. We agreed to bring him home to show Daddy and Sophia. We took turns holding him and talking about what we learned months ago when we covered Amphibians, about the differences between frogs and toads. Chloë surprised me by remembering quite a lot of them without my prompting her, and I felt a lot of pride inside me.

There were a lot of ducks and drakes pairing up along our walk, but those photos didn't come out. I'm glad this one of Mama and her four ducklings did, though - how cute are they?! I just adore baby aminals of all flavors and varieties. I'm definitely a Woman in that regard. Baby people, baby ducks, baby anything, and my heart melts.

Chloë could barely wait to burst in the front door and show them the toad. We had to shh-shh-shh her, because the windows are open, and our neighbors sleep early. Of course, they gave her all the attention she was due, and there was even more fun when Sophia, holding the poor toad, dropped him in the house. I was in the powder room when that happened, but the sounds of them all gadding about, trying to catch it, were amusing to hear.

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Chloë went to bed shortly after that - no, she had her ten minutes of Dad time first, and they looked through an American Baby magazine together, of all things - and Sophia and I shared some more time while I knit. She drew pictures of different things, like Chloë and I taking a walk, and of an "alien monster mouth" coming out of the sky and eating our entire unsuspecting family. I'm not really worried about that one, since she was giggling while she told me what it was. Sophia loves to color and draw, and she has become quite good at it, actually. I'll have to show you some of her drawings next time.

For now, though, I'm going to wrap up my weekend by trying to knit at least to the placket and making my To-Do list for the coming week.  I hope yours is a good one.

Fin.

Ego Stroking

So, I stayed up after I posted last night, until about 0500, knitting on that kimono. It really doesn't look like anything recognizable yet, which is why I haven't shown it to you at all. I think it'll have to wait until it's completely finished. It's coming along nicely, though. I'm kind of worried that I'll run out of yarn.

I didn't get right to sleep after that, because Rob was up and banging around, getting ready for work. So I got maybe an hour of sleep before it was time to get the kids up and ready for school.

Which meant, as planned and predicted, I pretty much slept the entire school day. I'm disappointed things have started off this way, but I'm not going to spank myself for it. Wait, that didn't sound right! Anyway. As soon as I'm done with this, I'm going to take a sleeping pill in order to get plenty of sleep tonight.

When I went out to the bus stop to fetch the kids, this sight greeted me at the back of my van. Lovely! I really thought someone had slashed it, because it was so flat, but Rob found a nail embedded in the tire. Sorry for making everyone on Facebook think someone had sabotaged my wheels! ;)

Chloë had Ballet today, and we were supposed to leave 45 min later, but now we were grounded. Plus I had a meeting for tonight that I could not miss. So I called Rob to come home from work to take her to dance. Fortunately, he was already almost finished anyway. Unfortunately, he arrived home late, and they missed half of class. Better late than nothing, I guess!

While they were gone, I went outside to take the picture. The neighbor's daughter was visiting, and since we don't see her very often, she did a double-take when she saw me. And then came a flood of compliments about how great I looked, how very different I looked, and what a great job I've done. Whenever people ask me if I'm at my goal, and I say no, I have about 40 or so more pounds to go, they look shocked! I guess that means I'm wearing the remaining chub well? That's good, because if I don't lose another pound, it'll still mean I look okay. But I'm not satisfied with that... Anyway, she finished up by saying that Rob had better watch out, 'cause "Girl! You look fine!" She complimented me on my haircut, too. Really, she had my head so swollen, I could hardly get back in the door. It's such a good feeling!

While they were gone, Jack did his homework and asked me about 47 times if I would make the same soup as last night for dinner. We had two cans left - Rob had taken a couple for lunch yesterday and today - so I agreed. Sophie and Chloë wanted a hot dog, and then they had soup besides. I had scallops. It was a potluck kind of night. Tomorrow, I'll do something "real."

After dinner, everyone piled into Rob's piece of shit God I hate it so much truck, to take me to my meeting. It's cookie time again! So I sat through an hour and a half of Girl Scouts Cookie Training, learning the ins-and-outs of being the Cookie Chair. Again. It was mostly the same as last year, with a few slight changes. It's still going to be lots of work for the next three months, so I hope Team Odette is ready. Bring on the crazy!

While I was there, Rob took the kids to Wally World to get some crap to fix my tire. He worked on it all evening, and now everything is right with the world again. Phew! I guess he's good for something. I'll keep him.

I kid, I kid. He's good for lots of things. Look at the pretty babies he gave me!

Anyhoo, after he picked me up in that God-forsaken truck, I sent out some cookie info to the other troop moms and then waited for my next meeting to start.

This time, it was an online or on-the-phone training meeting for a new mystery shopping program at a popular high-end Chinese restaurant. I've been excited to eat at this particular place since ours opened up several years ago, and now we're going to get the chance! Plus, the trainer really stroked our egos some more, telling us repeatedly that we were selected because we were the cream of the crop, the best of the best, the most elite, yadda yadda. You may think that mystery shopping is just a silly little hobby, but really if you knew what it was about, you would know that it's serious business and it's a lot of work, for me and for them. So all of us really appreciated being told those things. It's nice to be recognized, in whatever you do, isn't it?

The only other thing of note for today is that we're going to cancel our cable TV service (keeping the interweb, of course) to save some green. It's been a thought of mine for years now, but I just now broached it to Rob. The kids are going to be upset, but we'll live. We'll play games, we'll take walks - I'll teach them to knit! It'll be just fine. There will be plenty that I'll miss about having television, like watching it in the middle of the night when I'm knitting and can't sleep, but that's what we have Netflix for, right?

So. With some of that saved green, I'm going to sign Chloë up for 3-4 classes at the Hurrah Players, which is a theater group that puts on many productions a year here in Hampton Roads. They offer classes in all kinds of areas related to theater performance, and kids can't audition for their productions without being registered for classes. Plus, since Chloë wants to spend this summer in L.A. (living off my substitute teaching earnings, hopefully), working on her acting and modeling thang, she really needs to have some recent things on her résumé. This will be great for her.  I haven't asked her yet about doing the Hurrah Players, but we've talked about it in the past, and she was game.  Of course, I won't send a check until I'm sure!

And that is that. Here's hoping I get tons of sleep tonight!

Fin.

Hangin' In

So I thought I was going to catch up on the posts, but I haven't because I've been too tired to deal with all the pictures!

Here's a quick recap:

Saturday - We went to Kings Dominion, just north of Richmond. It's an amusement park with a waterpark inside. I had 5 - no, six? - mystery shops to do there, so my ticket and parking were paid for. 'Course I couldn't go alone, so the family joined.  We had lots of fun, took tons of pictures - and if you're my friend on Facebook, you can see them there! If you're not, why not??

Sunday - We drove Chloë up to camp in Williamsburg. She's there until Friday. This is her second year at camp. I miss her like crazy; last night I cried about it. I worry if she's having fun, if she's okay with the thunderstorm we got that night, if she's eating enough and if she's showering okay. She seemed fine though, and we've been sending her emails this year instead of regular mail (it costs, though, which is stupid).  Last year and this year were so different; she's being treated like a queen now! She's in an air-conditioned cabin, for Pete's sake. Maybe it's because she's in the "Be a Star" program and they get the star treatment??

Monday - Sucked for both Rob and me. He was supposed to do his Navy motorcycle class so that he can drive the bike on base - and off. Not supposed to drive off base without their seal of approval! He drove an hour north of here to take the class and, lo and behold, didn't have the motorcycle registration with him. Has no idea where it is. So they wouldn't let him on base, and of course he couldn't take the effing class. A major setback on the motorcycle front. I tried to be supportive, but you know.... ARGHHHHHH! Why did you not lay EYES on the thing before you went up there??? At least his Toyota parts came in for the Land Cruiser, so if he fixes that he can drive it again. One way or another, I needs mah Vanna back to drive up to NY later this month!

Later that night I had a mystery shopping gig at a local college that paid really well. It was boring, but worth it. When asked why now was the right time for me to go back to school, I replied that my youngest was going to be in school full time, so it was time for me to get back into the working world. The admissions guy asked me what school "he" was looking at, if he would be going somewhere locally. I said, "She'll be in preschool - how old do you think I am?!!" Geez. Now I'm paranoid!

Tuesday - A fun day. We dropped Rob off at work and then went to pick up "Miss Linda" for an all-day shop at a local water park. Sophia and Jack had tons and tons of fun; Jack even got a little adventurous and rocked and rolled in the lazy river in his tube. That was big stuff for him. Linda and I both got sunburns, but we made sure to slather the kids a few times, and they were fine. We both went down this big slide after being warned it would give us an 'atomic wedgie,' and they were right. Front and back! Owie. Good times, though.

Wednesday - Not a lot of fun for the kiddos. I saw my shrink for more meds, and he commented on my weight loss. 106 lbs, dudes! My dosages don't change after all that weight, which surprises me. After that, I did a quickie wine shop and a fast food shop (for Rob) before returning with the van so he could work for another hour or two. After work, we went out to dinner for another shop and then I worked on all my reports while Rob put my desk back together in the office. So I'm finally 'home' after being set up at a makeshift spot in the living room, which sucked. Now I can get back into the blogging groove!

{ I watched So You Think You Can Dance while typing reports, and I have finally decided on my two favorites. Jeannette (I think that's her name? Dark hair, not the one from Miami, although she's good too) for the girls and Cutie Jason for the guys. Do you watch? Who's your fave? I think this is the first season I've watched from the beginning, all the way through, thanks to DVR. }

Well, blah blah blah. Don't know if I'll be in tomorrow since I've got nothing but shops planned but you never know.

I shall return.

Fin.

Miscellaneous Weekend Schtuff

 

So Friday (or maybe Thursday, I forget), I made these name bracelets for the kids with the beads I bought at the Beads & Rocks store down at the Virginia Beach oceanfront. The girls love theirs and wear them all the time (when they aren't lost), but Jack was completely ungrateful about his. I can understand that - he is a boy - but it hurt my feelings. I thought he might like to have it, but he pitched a fit and cried about it. So I sent him to his room, which made him cry some more. Oh well, too bad so sad.

Friday night, we got out of here very late (thanks to Rob's pre-Chief stuff at work) and made the 2-hour drive down to Corolla in North Carolina's Outer Banks. I was supposed to check into the hotel by 2100, but I took a crazy wrong turn and got super lost. I was in Nag's Head before I realized my mistake, so we didn't get there until almost 2130. Seems my report was accepted anyway, so that's good.

Everyone was starving by the time we arrived, so I quickly did the room and hotel portions of the shop, and then we went off to get some grub. Only, it's still not the "season" yet down there, so everything was still closed! I expected things to be open by May, but nope. So we went to the little convenience store in the hotel and stocked up on gross microwave food. Oh well, it served the purpose.

Everyone went to bed after that, but I couldn't sleep for anything. Even though I took my meds, I was wide awake until about 0500. That sucked. I begged a muffin from the breakfast lady, even though it wasn't open for another hour, and went to the room and read the paper before finally sacking out.  Everyone else got up around 0800, and my loving husband left me sleeping while he did the breakfast part of the report. I got up around 10or 11, so we packed up, showered, and left the room for check-out.

The hotel clerk said we could stay and use the pools (three!) and beach access as long as we wanted, and we wanted. We floated around the pools and used the hot tub until about 1400, and Sophie "swam" the entire length of the pool and back while sitting in an inner tube. Both the older kids tried and failed after she did that!

Soo... we drove home, but I stopped at the Harley store in Kitty Hawk, so Rob could add another t-shirt to his massive HD shirt collection. Even though he drives a BMW bike. Well, has a BMW bike...

 

The kids and I waited in the van for what seemed like ages while he shopped for just the right shirt. Luckily we had cold water from the cooler and toys to keep them busy. (This was before several things conspired to keep our money from us, like the hotel putting an unauthorized hold on our checking account, and Rob losing his card...) We had stopped in Duck (love that name) to shop for Bunco prizes. I found a few nice things, and some for the kids, too:

 

A gyrowheel for Sophie, which everyone just loves playing with

 

A slinky for Chloë, and a toy VW bus for Jack. He hasn't put it down yet, hardly!

 

While they played, I watched the bikers rev around the parking lot in an effort to intimidate me (or so I imagined!) and sent Rob multiple texts to hurry up!

Anyway, we got home around 5, and Rob worked on his truck while the rest of us played outside and kept him (and our next-door neighbor) company.

The next day was Sunday. Mother's Day. Always bittersweet for me, being a motherless daughter. But I still managed to have a good day. I slept late, received my sweet cards from the kids, checked my email, and then went back to take a long nap! I really caught up on some sleep, and it felt good when I woke up. I lost more weight, so I'm down nearly 82 lbs now.  I spent the rest of the day crocheting a baby blanket and watching the three-hour finale of The Apprentice. Which was eh, okay. From the middle of the season, I knew Annie Duke would be in the final, and I wasn't impressed with either her or Joan Rivers. (What a bitch!) It would have kicked ass if Jesse James won. Whatever. I still love that show.

Today was pretty boring.  I did a bunch of laundry while the kids cleaned their rooms,  drove the kids to Chloë's Tap class while Rob took the truck to get inspected (it failed, so I still can't get my m-f-ing van back) ... and I crocheted the blanket while we sat there. It's almost finished:

 

I just have two rounds of the edging, in the pink, to go and should finish tonight.

Well, dinner's ready (Schwan's stuffed shells), so I'm going to go eat a bite or maybe two.

Hope you're having a decent week.

Fin.

P.S. I found out today that Jack has been recommended for promotion to first grade after all! (We'd been talking about retention.) Rob and I have talked about it, and we think we're going to give it a try. He made need extra special services, but if that's the case, so be it. Go, Jack!

P.P.S. Congratulations, Tabitha! Her sweet baby girl, Lily, was born this afternoon. I can't wait to see her!

...The Rest Of The Story

After I returned home from from picking up my scrapping supplies, the kids and Rob were enjoying the blueberry muffins I had put in the oven before I left. I didn't actually make them from scratch; they were the muffin 'pucks' that Schwan's sells. It was our first time trying them, and having eaten a third of one myself, I can say they are really very good! I bought the chocolate chip ones, too, but they are buried somewhere in the deep freezer...

Oh, and for the first time, we used the silicone muffin cups that I'd gotten at Williams-Sonoma. They were awesome! The muffins pop right out, and they cook beautifully. What I love, though, is that there is no waste. No liners to keep buying and tossing out; the silicone cups will last for ages.

My plan for the day was to go to the annual American Indian Pow Wow at Red Wing Park, down near the oceanfront.  We hadn't been in a couple years, and I could watch those Native Americans, in their varied dress from all the different tribes, dance for hours. Aside from the dancing, I really wanted to see what I could find for Bunco prizes, too. Most people go to places like Target or whatever for their prizes, but I like to do things a little different, a little artier, and represent things and people of meaning to me.

Well, it was at least 90º when we got out to the park, and the kids were all whining and complaining about the heat. We should have brought more water and sunscreen than we did. We stayed and watched about three dances before moving on to all the tents to do some Bunco shopping. I found lots of things in my price ranges, but of course I wanted to limit myself to only a couple so I could vary the prizes from different sources. I won't say what I found, because I want it to be a surprise for Tabitha and Stephanie who read the blahg! I just always worry that people will like what I've found... so we'll see.  It's hard to shop for 11 very different women (and girls)!

We left after an hour and a half or so, because it really was unbearably hot, and I felt like I might faint myself. It's too bad, because the outfits really were fantastic, and the dancing is captivating. I have some pictures and video, but I'll share those when I get things working again.

We were far from home - at least a half-hour - and the kids were sweaty and red-faced. We figured on driving down the short trip to the beach and stopping at our new favorite Chinese restaurant for lunch. Only, I drove halfway along the strip on Pacific, instead of Atlantic, and missed it entirely. We drove a long way trying to find another option and, finding none that appealed as much as Chinese, flipped a you-ie (how do you spell it?) drove all the way back. It would have been faster to just go home! But Rob had his heart - and tummy - set on the Chinese place, so we went.

I inhaled a spring roll and then immediately felt like crap, of course. Plus I was utterly exhausted from being up all night. Also, I was worried about the van, since we couldn't find a legal parking spot and ended up in the parking lot of a motel. They like to tow like crazy on the beach, of course, so I excused myself and went back to the van to take a nap while everyone ate lunch.

In the end, I just texted Steph about our plans for the following day - the tapas place for lunch and then the beach! - instead of napping. I tried to sleep, but then four fire engines roared by and disturbed my peacefulness, and soon after that the family returned with their various to-go boxes. So no sleep.

Back at home, the plan was to finally plant Sophie's tree. We were way late for her birthday, and Earth Day, so that tree needed to get in the ground already!  I have pictures of all the digging and planting, and those will be shared later, too. Damn Kodak.  Rob ran out of potting soil anyway.

A Sonic mystery shop was next. I made everyone come along with me, because I was too tired to go by myself in case I needed Rob to drive home. And I wanted to company to keep me awake.

That shop was on Laskin Road, from which we'd just come on our way home from the beach.  It was a quickie, being just a drive-thru instead of parking in the stall, so it only took 5 minutes instead of the usual half-hour. That, I like! Rob fed the kids and himself while I filled out my report.

Right next to Sonic, they're putting in a new Trader Joe's - the first in lower Hampton Roads! I'm ecstatic about it. I've never been to a TJs but have heard tons of awesome things about it. I rolled by the store front to see what I could see - which was nothing - so we'll have to wait for now.

Then we drove out to Home Depot to get more potting soil. I had some good coupons from the Walgreen's ad, and they're right next to HD, so I ran in there first. I got the fam some Pringles and gummy bears (necessities, right? Not) for practically free, and some dish liquid. I pawed through the Webkinz to see if they had any we didn't. They did - three, to be exact. But I resisted. Rob probably would have murdered me if I'd come out with three more right now, and I like to try to avoid being killed.

Then HD. I have to admit, while he was in the garden center getting some potting soil, temptation got the best of me and I opened the can of sour cream and onion Pringles. I do love me a good Pringle. As Sophie says, "They're so... Pringly!" I don't think I've had any junk food since surgery, and I don't plan to. But I ate... four. Maybe five. I doled out some to the kids, and no one squealed on me to Rob, but he'll find out when he reads this! If. I savored them. I won't eat any more.  Promise.

Back at home, Rob finished soiling (hee) the crepe myrtle while we watched. I can't wait to see it flower. Speaking of flowering, have you seen the azaleas around here? Holy crap, they seem particularly gorgeous to me this year. I must have some. I must.

When he cleaned up, we all piled back in the van for another Sonic shop. I'd done it with Chloë the night before, but I screwed it up. I didn't read my paperwork and see that it, too, was supposed to be the drive-thru and not the drive-in. It was another quickie, and again he fed the kids while I did the report.

Back at home ti was bedtime for the kids, and I reported my Sonic results online. Rob never came downstairs, and I was way too tired to do any scrapping or anything else. Plus I could feel a cold coming on. So at 9:42 PM - the earliest I've gone to bed since I was a kiddo myself - I plopped down on the couch. I don't remember another thing until I woke up this morning at 0820 when Rob and the kids came downstairs.

And then it was evident, I was full-on sick. Again. Tiffany the Brownies may blame the shoes I wear, but the truth is I've never had a strong immune system. I have always been sick a lot. Personally I think the amount I get sick is inversely proportional to the amount of sleep I get, which has never been great either. So let that be a lesson to me!

I got up and weighed myself, happy about the 73-lb loss in the 3 months since surgery. Joy!

I puttered for a little while, trying to get up and clean the house before Stim came over for or our lunch date, and take a shower, but it became increasingly obvious that I wasn't going to be going anywhere today. Which stunk, because it was another scorcher, and a day at the beach would've been right up my alley.

So I called Steph and left a message, and then I went back to sleep. From 10 to oh, 3 pm. Rob and the kids went out to the Navy base in Norfolk to exchange a part for his GPS, but I was none the wiser.

When I woke up, I puttered while Rob and the kids slept, but I soon exhausted myself and took another nap from 1630 to 1930. When I woke up, I felt oodles better, both rested and less sick. See what I mean?

Rob was outside with the kids, tinkering on his truck while they shot waterguns at each other and the neighbor kids. I heard lots of happy shrieks coming from outside. I had work to do, since we had a dinner shop at Denny's to do and I hadn't read the rules yet. So I don't think there's any pictures of that funness.

We went to Denny's, and immediately Chloë felt sick to her stomach, out of nowhere. She cried and clutched her belly, but nothing happened in the bathroom. When food came, she devoured it, so I think maybe she was just overly hungry.  Everyone else ate well, too, except me of course. I just ordered an appetizer and ate a third of it.

On the way home, my own belly started arguing with me, and I needed to get home immediately. That seems to be the trend with going out these days. Eat and rush home to go the bathroom, leaving the car running and everything in it for Rob to take care of. As soon as I pull in the driveway, he yells, "GO! Now!"  And I do.

So that's it. Gotta do my Denny's report, and then I'm going back to bed. Somehow, I am tired again.

Have a good week!

Fin.

PS. Did you watch Celebrity Apprentice?? OMG. Those Rivers girls are out of control! Melissa is such a brat, huh?! Appalling. But very entertaining.

Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This

Today was one of those rare rough days in motherhood when you feel like you want to give them all back. Or away.

I almost never say this about my children, and I don't allow anyone else to use the term either, but today they were straight up bad. All day. Not just naughty. Not just mischievous. BAD.

There was a lot of yelling on my part at one point. Well, as much as I could do with little voice. I hate to yell, I really do. I hate to be angry at them. When they were all crying, I wanted to hug them. But I was so, so, so mad at them! So mad.

I really couldn't believe it.  Don't know what got into them today! Especially Chloë. She should really know better.

We did manage to bake Easter sugar cookies today, but I didn't let them frost them yet, and I certainly didn't let them eat any. I haven't decided whether to let them color them tomorrow or just to do it them myself. I don't know. I'm still pretty mad!

********

When Rob came home from work and then again from the Marine Corps mystery shop I sent him out for, I gave up. I threw in the towel. We canceled/rescheduled the other two shops we had scheduled for tonight, and I went straight down for a nap. They exhausted me. He took over, and I was ever-so-grateful.

I slept from about for about four hours, waking up after 2300. Just in time to check over my grocery list for the absolute must-haves and run to the grocery store. Oh, how it thrilled me to go shopping just before midnight when the store closed and have to deal with surly cashiers, pushy stockmen, and cartons in all the aisles.

I did manage to save $30 on my smallish (for us) order, however. And I got seven free cartons of a dozen eggs, and three free gallons of milk. And a ham for two bucks. Go moi!

So now I'm chilling and trying to plan our weekend. I have a lot to try to cram in for tomorrow.  What's at the forefront of my mind, though, is Jack's eye exam. I'm eager to see whether he'll need glasses. If so, we'll need to find a super-dee-duper indestructible pair!

And that's a wrap.

Fin.

P.S. I was shocked to find on Wikipedia (the source of all true information, yes?) last night, the winner of the current Celebrity Apprentice listed. My mouth was agape for at least five full minutes! I was so pissed, not wanting to find a spoiler. So be forewarned, I know the winnah! (Supposedly.)

Smug

Today was A-OK, yo.

It didn't start off so great, though. I woke up 15 minutes late, and then I couldn't wake up the kids for school. They just weren't budging. I don't know what Chloë's problem was, but Jack? He was still up and playing with Sophia, who was in his bed, when I went upstairs at 2 AM. Rascals!

And then, I turned to go downstairs and stepped in a giant, heaping pile of dog shit.  My whole foot was covered, and it was in between my toes... ugh. So freaking gross. I hopped all the way to the bathroom and turned on the shower. It wouldn't knock off the poop, though, so I had to  yell for Chlo to bring me a washcloth. Then it wouldn't go down, so I had to scrub it off the shower floor.

And where was the dog? Why, she was locked up in her kennel. Which meant that she had already pooped there this morning before Rob left for work, locking her on her way out. Oh, yeah. I was MAD.

I napped for two hours (yay!) until Sophia woke up at 10:00. I hadn't slept long or well enough the night before, so I really needed that.  She had breakfast (oatmeal, which she somehow managed to get all over like a 10-month-old) and then was ready to play.

She colored. She played dress-up. She cooked in her play kitchen. We read several stories, until I lost my voice. Oh, she was into everything. I wanted to bake or something with her, but the kitchen was an absolute disaster.

Oh, speaking of that. Two things occurred to me last night: One, that Barbara is not coming back, and no one is going to knock on my door and offer to clean my house for free, and two, my children deserve to have a clean house. And so do I. 

I used to keep a clean place. I really did. But, as much as I love him dearly, I can honestly say that my husband is the biggest slob I've ever met in my entire life. I fought against that tendency for several years, and then I found my standards more and more relaxed until the low point they have reached today.

Well, no more. I am going to spend some time cleaning up this place, every single day, until it is no longer a source of embarrassment to me, or disgust, or stress. When Brownie moms come over to pick up cookies, I am ashamed to let them in my house. I can't have that anymore. The kids should be able to play in a clean environment.

Now, I'm not talking crazy talk here. I'm no germaphobe, and I'm not going to sterilize everything with which they will come into contact. It's not good for them to grow up that way, anyway: it jacks up their immune system (to put it scientifically). And I probably wouldn't ever pass a white-glove test, because I absolutely loathe dusting. But I will do my best to keep things tidy and clean enough, if it kills me!

Anyway.

So Jack came home, and after they had some lunch, we watched a little PBS Kids. They keep begging for Noggin, but personally I think PBSK packs more cerebral nutrition into a half-hour show. Even if it does mean watching that damn Sid.

 

Darn him for blinking! This would otherwise have been a really cute picture. And he wouldn't stay still after that. Sophie wore the cowboy hat pretty much all day long, until Chloë came home and usurped it.

Anyway.

So finally, I decided it was time to actually DO some of that cleaning, and I wanted to start upstairs. I didn't get as much done today as I wanted to, but then that is pretty much always the case, isn't it? To get started, I took my shower. I pretty much have to shower before I can be productive. I'm just not ready to start anything until I do. Are you the same way, or can you go out/clean/exercise/have sex/ etc. without showering first?

Then I sent Sophie and Jack in to clean their bedrooms, which always causes Jack to have a fit. "You want me to clean this mess by mySELF?!!"  Um, yeah. You made the mess by yourself, Buster...

I started in on the laundry. I folded about four baskets full and washed about three more loads. When Chloë came home, and when Sophie's room was finished, they worked to help me put kid clothes away. I had to make Chlo stop to change for Ballet, and then Rob came home and whisked her off to class.

Notice I never said I got dressed? Because I didn't. So when a Brownies mom came over to pick up some cookies (we had no designated time), I threw on the nearest pair of pants and a sweater, and hurried downstairs. "Sorry the house is such a mess! We were gone all weekend and I was sick yesterday and now I'm cleaning but I'm starting upstairs and blah blah blah" was my hello. I always  have to apologize for our house! Ugh, I'm sick of it. Anyway, we completed the transaction and I sent them on their way. Back to my laundry.

By the time I finished folding it all, Rob and the Dancing Queen were home again, and she helped me finish getting everything put away. Sophie, too. Jack had fallen asleep after cleaning his room, while searching for Chloë's missing glasses. Rob did some cleaning up on his atrocious filthy messy side of the room, and then I started vacuuming.

I did our room and part of the hallway. I'd have done the kids' rooms too - they realllly need it - but I didn't want to wake the sleeping monster. So I started the stairs. I'm still on heavy-lifting restriction, and our machine is not light, so perhaps I should have abstained. But they needed it, and, well, I'm stubborn. By the time I got to the bottom of the stairs, I needed a break! But they looked much better.

Chloë was working on her homework then, so I helped her while Sophia, and then Jack when he came down, cleaned up the living room. It was a sty. Last week, the Littles had dumped Chloë's bowl of Perler beads all over the place, and since Rob never carried the vacuum downstairs for me despite mucho begging, they were still there. Driving me crazy. When Chlo was finished with her math, I vacuumed the office and then helped the kids clean the living room. Finally, I vacuumed that and... Gawd, what a boring, blathery blahg. I'm sorry.

But the point is: it's clean! Yay! Time for Wii!!!

I broke out the stuff and eventually got it all put together and set up. Then I opened the Wii Fit and set that up. Finally, it was time to get down to bidness.

I created my Mii. It's a short and rather rotund little thing, just like myself.  But that's okay. She will shrink, as will I.

And then! I got on the board. This time, it did not kick me off for being too heavy! This time, it was actually nice to me. Sure, it told me I was obese (pbbtthhh) and that I needed to lose weight to be healthy, but it wasn't snotty about it like I expected. But it also told me I weigh 12 lbs less than my kitchen scale says, so I wonder what's going on there. I wish!

I did the Body Test next. It measures your posture and stuff, and gives you a Wii Fit age. Guess what my age was? Guess! Really!! Okay, okay, it said I had impressive posture and... dun dun DUN... my age was 32!!! Which is my REAL AGE! I know some people (wink, wink) whose Wii Fit age is MUCH older than their actual age, especially on the first try, so I was really excited!!  When it told me I was in great shape, I almost fell over laughing. Noooottttttt!

I did some exercises after the test. I started out with Step Aerobics (♥love♥) and did really great. Lots of "perfect"s! I did that twice and actually found myself working up a sweat. (Do any of you that have Wii Fit know if the pattern, intensity and duration of the work out changes as you get into it more? Oh, I hope so.)

Then I did some hula hooping (pretty good), yoga (great!), and slalom skiing (suck). The worst for me was a game where you had to change your center of balance to get your little Mii balls through the holes in a table. I was SO bad at that, but at least I was laughing and having fun!

I worked long enough to unlock two new games, which I tried, and finally, when my feet were killing me, I quit. I can't wait to do more tomorrow! Maybe twice!  I want to rack up lots of time.

That's it for me. I was hoping to have an FO (Finished Object) to show you, but I still have to knit the sleeves of the kimono. I'll do that now.

Oh! Did any of you catch the Jimmy Fallon show last night? It was just okay for me - lots of room for improvement. Good guests, though I had not a clue what Van Morrison was saying.

I'm out.

Fin.

Old Man Winter

Whew! What a freezing, cold, blowing, raining, blustering, snowing day!

We had to get up at 0430 this morning, in order to meet Chloë's 0900 call time in Charlottesville. (I later got yelled at by both Jack and Sophia, who told me I'm not allowed to wake them up in the night anymore, and that they're supposed to get up in the daytime, when the sun is out. Poor babies.)

None of the kids slept on the way up there, to my knowledge. I did, though. I'm sick - again!!! - with a sore, swollen throat and all the rest of it, and I eventually had Rob take over the driving duties so I could nap.

When I woke up, we were NW of Richmond, and outside was a Winter Wonderland! There was so much snow, more than the kids have ever seen in their lives. More than I've seen in a long time. It was beautiful! The streets were cleared, but there was a white dusting on every other surface, out in the country. I wanted to stop and take pictures, but we didn't have the time. And I never did get pictures of outside, dammit. I should have done so during the shoot.

We arrived at the designated cabin exactly on time. Today's shoot was for Chloë's role as Lucy in the student film An Origin by Christopher Strider. We first met with him in December, at Richmond coffee shop, so she's been practicing her script for a long time now.

We ended up waiting about two hours before it was time for her to go down to the site. In that time, the monkeys were all over everything, and it wasn't hard to understand why: the cabin, which belongs to Chris's grandparents, was very old and filled with interesting artifacts of time gone by. A simpler time. They also rehearsed the scene a few times, and I think they were impressed with how well she knew her lines (and there were a lot of them).  And I took a few pictures of the inside of the small cabin:

 

Sophia laughing with Mark, who played opposite Chloë in the movie

 

The right side of the living room, and part of the kitchen in back

 

Rob standing on the left side of the cabin, in front of the bathroom door. Yes, there was indoor plumbing, thankfully!

 

Chloë getting ready for the first read-through of her scene

 

Chloë in costume, fresh out of an argument with Sophia over where to sit on the couch. Hey, at least it was important.

 

Sophia coloring and writing with Anne, a production assistant

Rob was going to stay back with the Littles while I went down to the shoot with Chloë, but two steps into the snow with my piggy toes hanging out of my sandals (I live in them, year-round), and I said, "Nope, I'm not doing this!" I ran in and switched places with Daddy, disappointed that again I wouldn't see her doing her thang.

We were alone in the cabin then, just me and the Nons, who were begging for food. I found them something to eat, and then declared it time for a nap. They were definitely tired, having gotten up super early, so I thought it would be easy. At first they cuddled up with me on the cot, then they both insisted on sleeping under the large coffee table. And they did drift off eventually... until my phone rang and my dad wanted to chit-chat! Argh!

Then Anne came in to set up for lunch, and that was the end of that non-napping session.

Everyone came in then, and took their turns making sandwiches for lunch. Anne was actually very much on top of things, and she insisted the kids be fed first AND pretty much made their lunches. So I sat and helped the littles with their food, and then Rob brought me a teensy portion of hummus and cheddar cheese. People kind of wanted to know why I wasn't eating, so I just said I'd had stomach surgery and couldn't really eat much.

After lunch, everyone left again to finish the shoot, and to their great disappointment, I put the Littles back down for naps. This time, Jack slept on the cot with me, and Sophie lay on the other couch. She zonked right out and was snoring away, but Jack tossed and turned the whole hour or so. He never really slept at all. I knew he would be sound asleep in the car on the way home.

When everyone returned, Chloë was frozen to the core and ran into my arms, crying and telling me she never wanted to do an acting job like that again! Meaning, in the cold and snow. My poor girl! Chris said she did a really great job, and Mark told me he wished he was that good at her age! She only cried for a moment, and then she was cheerful and chipper again, saying she'd had fun and was proud of herself.

We said goodbye to Chris, Anne, Mark, the other guy whose name I never learned, and Chris's mom. I tried to back out of the curvy driveway, with Chris's help, but I couldn't do it without taking out half the woods! So Rob and I switched places, and he did the deed. We got a little bit lost on the way out of the country, but we quickly found our way. We stopped at a Taco Bell for a quick snack, and then I took over the driving.

Man, I don't know what is up with me and driving long distances anymore. I used to be able to drive forever with no problems, but lately it just makes me drowsy. Add to that the furiously falling snow, and it was like I was having seizures. And I got a migraine. So Rob ended up driving all the rest of the way home, which took us about five hours.

Part of that time was waiting at a gas station in Williamsburg for a jumpstart, when Vanna's battery died. We really need to get a new one. A very nice man, on his way home from church, said he'd go get his other car with the cables in it and give us a boost. He returned, just like he said he would, and soon we were on our way. Phew. That could have been a disaster; everyone was so cold!

And Jack did sleep in the car, for a very long time, by the way.

Rob stopped at McD's for dinner for them (not me, wah), and finally we were home, a good 16 hours after leaving. The kids were so relieved, but not nearly as much as the dog was!

I settled in to watch "Celebrity Apprentice." Are you watching this? I can't stop staring at Joan Rivers. It just seems like her face must hurt, you know? I wasn't at all surprised by the outcome, were you?

All right, off to bed. I'm wiped.

Fin.

Slumblog Millionaire

Oscar Night! Did you watch? Well, it's too early in the blahg for that chat just yet. We'll get back to 'er.

I weighed in this morning. Another three pounds gone forever - I'm down 36 pounds total! Wheee!  (And no, you can't tell  yet. I can feel it - the way I move, the way my clothes fit - but I cannot see it. Nor has anyone else noticed. When you're as fat as I am, 36 lbs is a drop in the chubby bucket.)

I spent the entire afternoon with Chloë, driving around our little section of the barrio and delivering Girl Scout cookies. I never expected to take so long doing so, but it is what it is. Er, was. Whatever.

We went out, dropped off a few packages, and ran home to replenish one variety. And so it went. We'd go out, deliver like crazy, and run home to refill. It was an extremely successful day; out of 57 customers to whom we had to deliver, we only have 14 left! And most of those, hopefully, will be home tomorrow night.

We stopped 3/4 of the way through our list to go home for a bathroom and lunch break. And get out of the weather. What crazy weather we had today!  When we left home around noon, it was raining. Well, drizzling. But like the postal workers, we deliver, rain or shine. During our break at home, it hailed. Or precipitated some form of frozen rain, who knows what it was technically called? By the time we left again, it was snowing.  Then it turned to rain again. In some places, the sun shone, and we were actually warm. But most of the time, we froze and I had the heat blasting on Chloë in the back seat. iQue loco!

Another observation I had today: if dentists are the most hated profession, Girl Scout cookie, uh, deliverers has to be the most beloved.  We had surly people come to the door, spit out, "Yeah?" and then immediately brighten up and shout, "MY COOKIES!!!" People literally laughing, jumping up and down, running out to greet us, and yelling about their cookies! So many people said, "We thought you forgot about us! We've been thinking about our cookies for days!"  Sorry, folks. Got a little busy with booths, there...! It was definitely more fun to deliver than to sell.

When we got home, the Littles were napping, and Chloë went off to snack or play or something, while I again did the number game. Figuring how much we had left vs. how much we actually needed (oops, we're only 16 boxes ahead and need 41 for Gift of Caring; guess I'll be pulling from the troop order for that!); calculating how much money she should have vs. how much she actually did (we were over, thank goodness, due to donations); adding up all the moolah and adding it to the booth sales for my big bank run tomorrah, etc.  At some point, Rob commented that "no one told me I had to be the cookie chair," but the truth is, I enjoy it. And I not-so-secretly don't trust any of the other moms in our troop to do the job as conscientiously. Hee.

Oh! You know what else I'm excited about? Guess! Guess! No, not that. No! Wrong. Okay, okay, I'll tell you: Our refund came in, and I ordered our Wii and Wii Fit today! I got them off of Amazon.com, via our school's fundraiser link (I love kickbacks for a good cause), and bam! They should be here within a week. I cannot wait to get to work on something way more fun than walking on the treadmill. Don't get me wrong. I'll still do my walking (though I've taken off way too many days in the interest of keeping some of the paltry calories I'd taken in lately), but now I can mix it up a bit.  I'm not quite ready to jump back into Pilates and work my still-healing "core"!

Speaking of calories... and protein, and fluids, I've done much better this weekend. I went over my required 90g of protein last night, which is great! I won't quite hit it today, but it's up there. And I've had more energy and no need of naps. So, hurrah. But when you can only take in a medicine cup worth of food or fluids every 15 minutes, it's hard, man.

Eventually, it was time for me to commandeer the television - much to my son's chagrin - and turn on the Oscar red carpet preview. I'm kind of "over" awards shows in general, but I lurve the Oscars. I never get tired of them. So I settled on the couch with my knitting and went to work. And by "work," I mean lots and lots of boring straight stockinette stitch accompanied by lots of impromptu sobbing fits over acceptance speeches and, sometimes, God knows what.  I'm emotional lately. "Lately" meaning, since birth.

Anyway.

Speaking of sobbing, hello, Heath Ledger? Don't tell me I was the only one. I went through two tissues when he won. Where was Matilda? I'd have liked to have seen her. My cynical husband said he only won because he died, and he's probably right, but I don't give a damn. I loved Heath.

Also, was anyone else pissed about the dead people montage? What the hell was that?!! Rob and I were both annoyed at the way they produced that. I mean, we could hear Queen Latifah - did we really need to see her while that was going on? And what was with the floating all over the screen? That's normally my favorite part of the night, but it sucked big donkey butt this time. You couldn't even read half the names! Gah!

Again, I say, anyway.

I needed to send the director of Chloë's next film, An Origin, pictures of her in some of her fancier dresses. So I sent her up to collect five of them, and we played fashion show. Two were of the dresses she wore to iPOP last year, and the third was her dress in the Christmas pictures, so you've seen them already. Here are the other two:

 

She loves that one.

 

I don't think she's ever worn that one, since the time she tried it on after I bought it, so she was excited to put it on! Guess I better let that be her Easter dress at least, huh?

I still had my camera out, so Sophia asked me to take a few pictures of her. Of course, she had to pose Soap-style, so this is what we came up with:

 

Thumb still visibly wet from some major sucking!

 

"My shirt says it all!"

 

"Look, my hair is finally growing back in!"

 

Then she said, "Mommy, do this!" and I did, and she took a picture, and here it is. Please ignore my unbrushed hair.

She absconded with my camera after that and took a trillion pictures of things important to a Sophie. Here are a few:

 

Yep. It's a ceiling.

 

Mommy's over-the-couch shark picture

 

The inside of Chloë's guitar. (Which she then handed to me and insisted I sing and play. We do that a lot. I make up goofy songs, and the kids laugh and laugh and beg for more. Rob doesn't seem to enjoy it as much as we do!)

 

Le Treadmill, which she is forever getting on and being yelled at to get off

 

I call this: Dog Hair on Fireplace

 

Two of her very favorite toys, the play kitchen and the Smart Cycle

 

Close-up of the Bouncer-to-Toddler Rocker that has served us well over the past 7½ years!

 

Extreme close-up of... no clue!

 

I just love the expression on Jack's face, as he's caught in the middle of playing with his trucks. And now that he's noticed what Soapy's doing, a fight ensues over Mommy's camera. I don't think so!!

 

Her big sister, oblivious to the Oscars, the toys spread everywhere, and her camera-wielding baby sister, reading her latest Highlights Magazine

 

The Bounce House

 

And finally, I don't know where she was looking when she took this, but dear God, Rob, would you please carry the vacuum back downstairs??!

Okay, so that was a bit more than "a few" pictures, so sue me.  I think they're cute.

I'll leave you at last with this look at the knitting I did tonight on the wee kimono:

 

I just love the interesting colorplay in this yarn from 2DI4 Independently Dyed Yarn. It's beautimous.

Have a good week, y'all!

Fin.

One Track Mind

{Right now it's something like 207 Obama - 142 McCain... if I were a nailbiter, I'd past the quick right now!}

Blue for hoping Virginia turns into a blue state tonight!

I slept horribly last night. I just wanted to get up and vote! Plus I have this sore booboo tongue that keeps waking me up, it's so painful, but that's beside the point.

I knew the lines would be long in the morning, so I had no intention of getting to the polls before noon today. I told the kids, who had no school today, last night that they should sleep in late this morning.

They really didn't, and all four of us were up by 9:30 or so. It's actually later than I expected but not as late as I'd hoped. We had plenty of time to kill, so after breakfast, I rounded up the troops and headed upstairs to do four loads of laundry. Chloë helped me put things away as I folded, while the Non-Twins jumped on my bed. Thankfully they didn't konk heads this time and bruise an eye or two. I still have another good four loads to do still, since the kids have been dumping clothes both clean and dirty on their floors, and who knows what is what? I hate that.

Anyway, after I showered and we got dressed, it was time to go. I had a half-dozen things or more on my list to do, but my eyes were on the prize: voting! That was my first stop and the only one I really cared about, which was evident by the fact that we had to return home THREE times to get things I'd forgotten for my errands and still managed to forget one:

At least I grabbed my purse for whatever ID they'd decided I would need this year to vote. (My license worked.) We were in and out of there in ten minutes, and all went smoothly. Walking up to the big, white church, Chloë asked, "Is this the White House? Is the President here?" hee.

We had to go home to get the three packages of Etsy purchases I'd sold, to take to the P.O. for shipping. I also needed to buy a second book of stamps, for who knows what I did with the pack I just bought?!

{WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! It has just been reported that Obama carried the state of Virginia!! Woooooooooooooo!!!!!  I'm ecstatic!!!!!!!!!!!  Yes, I am clapping and cheering all by my lonesome! yes we did! yes we did! Yes we did! Yes we did!}

Then we had to go home to get the money I planned on taking to the bank, from this past weekend's craft show! I swear, I brought nothing  I needed with me! At the bank, we went through the drive-though, so I wouldn't have to bring the kids in. That took ages, because I had to transfer our Christmas account over, too, and forgot to bring that information with me! Der.

I'm so excited about Virginia, I can hardly concentrate on this post! President Obama!!

What now? So then we went to A.C. Moore so I could use my 50% Election Day coupon. Only I forgot it, too. But they had one in there for me, so I got a second 12-cupcake pan. Now I don't have to bake my batches in stages, yay.

After that, we drove back out to the hotel where the big show was, to deliver the tutu I made for an employee of the hotel. She bought it as we were packing up, but I didn't have the right size on hand! Oh, first, we had to drive home a third time and get it...

Back at home, we finally had lunch,

and

I just can't go on. Barack Obama has just been elected the 44th President of the United States of America!!!! And it's amazing. It's wonderful. It's awesome. I'm cheering, I'm clapping, I'm stomping my feet and I AM CRYING!!!!!!!!!!

What a great day for America.

Fin.

Hodge Podge

Here's a bandwagon I don't think I'll be jumping on anytime soon: the Twilight  series of books. I just don't have it in me to read about a vampire love triangle. Just tell me when it's over.

One I am jumping on: the mass hysteria about the country's financial wreckage. Scary!!! I'm afraid. Very afraid.

Today was not that special. The kids were off for their Fall Break, though they'll go for the remainder of this week for the Intersession program. (Both the same week, both mornings, yay!) So we got to sleep in a bit and play around and not do much. Chloë drew a fabulous picture of The Little Mermaid, and the three of them had a musical afternoon. One would take the cowbell, another the maracas, and a third the bongos, and they would just jam away. It was wonderful, and very loud. I thought I was being a very cool mom by putting up with it, but after about a half hour, I couldn't take that f*******g cowbell anymore and wanted to throw it out the window!

Ah, well, it was fun while it lasted. I wanted to do an art project with them, but I couldn't find a supply I needed. So maybe we'll try that next week when they're off again. Nor did we bake, my back-up plan, because it just turned out to be a much hotter day than expected, and I plain ol' didn't feel like it.

So I made a few more tutus (two dozen are now gracing various surfaces of the office), and then we went up and did laundry after my shower. Chloë remains a big helper with the putting-away chores, for which my back is extremely grateful.

I took her to tap class, and again Sophie cried out that she wanted to go dance, too. No tears this time, but I'm glad she's looking forward to it now. We just dropped her off and then went down to A.C. Moore's so I could get some ribbons I needed for the tutes. Only, I'd forgotten to bring my purse with me, so we had to run all the way home first. Gah. There's a half-hour waste of time.

Back at the store, the Nons were so cute running around excitedly telling everyone who'd listen that they wanted this! And look at that! And that! And that! I overheard Jack listing off for Sophia more than once all the things he wanted for his birthday from the store (which is a craft store, much like Michaels, for those who don't have one). I giggled, and the store employee near us giggled, too. I told her, "Hey, I feel exactly the same way in here!"

I collected my ribbons, and a little more tulle, and off we went. Two minutes late to pick up the eldest. Eh, she was fine. Peering out the window when I pulled up, happy to see us.

Rob got home shortly after us, so Chloë and I went out to try and sell more Fall Product. We didn't get very far, though. For one, we ran into several very chatty neighbors this time. One even invited her to her son's upcoming birthday party, which was weird, since they only know us from Girl Scouts fundraising! Another lady was a big ol' whackadoo, obviously lonely, who just kept shouting at us over her mutt's incessant barking. By the time we got out of there, it was very dark, and we had to get home for dinner.  Oh, well, hopefully there will be time tomorrow.

So I'm back to making tutus and watching Dancing With the Stars. Susan Lucci is still driving me batty, with her very soap-operatic ravings even when she's not acting as Erika Kane. Chloris Leachman cracks me up, but she can go. I think I'm rooting for Warren Sapp, my fellow Hurricane! Woosh, woosh!

Rob is doing major surgery on our vacuum cleaner right now. I sucked up some red ribbon, blamed it on the kids (shh), and now it won't suck at all, or do the speedy turbo boost thing it does to save my aching arm. Please pray for Mr. Hoover. There just ain't room in the budget for a new one right now.

Fin.

First Goal Met; On To The Next

Quickly, quickly, because it's the middle of the night, I woke up, and now I'm getting tired again:

Nothing doing during the day, just hanging out. Took Chloë to tap and the Littles hung out in the back seats while I crocheted on another dishtowel, green this time. (Still not done.)

Made our way leisurely back home, because Daddy had an 1800 meeting at the house and had gotten there way early, so I didn't have to tackle the clean-up.

Went out with Chloë to sell Fall Product. We got two houses down when Daddy came out to tell me Sophia was pouting the full-on lip because I didn't take her with me. I told him to have her get her shoes on and join us, so she did. Happy, happy girl.

Chloë did a great job and sold 24 items - four more than our troop goal per-girl (as designated by me) and one less than the second incentive item. She'll get a patch and, with one more item, a cool light-up pen. Whoopee! She's really looking forward to that. Of course, our main goal is 65 items to get her all the rewards, so we'll be out hoofing it again soon.

{I haven't offered it here, because it's not allowed. But if anyone wants to buy from her, let me know. You'll have to pay for shipping though, because sending out all those cookies last year was $$$$, and I can't do it this time!}

Ran into crazy bus stop lady, who as usual played her competitive whose-kids-are-tinier game, which I can't stand. It's like she's jealous my kid needs shots and hers, who go to the same doc, didn't get them.  Really, I wish he didn't need them, and I'm hoping Chlo won't need them, either. It's not fun. She also gave me a million scare stories, because I send the two of them down to the bus stop by themselves in the morning. I don't know what I'm going to do; figure I'll talk to the kids in the morning about it. I know she's full of shite, though, so ... I'll probably keep doing what I'm doing. She did say my kids behave very well, so that's a plus.

Watched Dancing With the Stars premiere tonight. It was good! Surprised by lots of folks. Anyone else watch? I love this show! I can't wait until it gets GOOD. Susan Lucci bugs the crap out of me, I decided. Jeffrey Ross impressed me. Hm. I LMAO at his joke: "Speaking of ballroom, these pants are too tight!" Hilarious. And how much do we love Cloris Leachman???

Fin.

Sleepy Mama

Gah. Stupid Typepad ate my post.  I will try to redo it, but you know it's never as good as the first time. And that's not really saying much.

Chloë woke me well before 0700 yesterday, to show me what the Tooth Fairy brought her: four fat quarters. She was terribly excited about them, and kept fiddling with them all day before and after school. She just put one in her pocket this morning, to pay for Sno Cone Friday at school!

As much as I would have liked to, I could not go back to sleep after they left for the bus. I had to shower and get Sophie ready for her first day at gymnastics! As I've said several times before on this blahg, she's very flexible and tumbly, and I was interested in seeing how she'd do in a gym class.

 

She insisted on getting undressed and re-dressed in her leotard "all BY mySELF," as she is frequently fond of saying.

 

Kitty-bell looked on in interest as the long dressing process unfolded.

 

Whoops, starting out backward there, kiddo!

 

Finally, getting it pulled on the right way...

 

Oomfh, just one more tug!

 

Finally dressed and wearing her requisite ponytail, she remembered the craft table from the night before.

 

Alas, she could not get it opened. This was a very good thing.

(Sorry about the crappy picture; I forgot to take off the flash and she moved before I could do it again.) Things did not go quite as I'd planned at the gymnasium. After we waited our turn and the clock read 10:00, she ran to the back of the gym to visit with the big boys and girls. She had apparently thought she would immediately be doing tricks and flips like the gymnasts on the television during the Olympics. Oh, dear. We must start out small, my child.

So her class started with warm-ups. Only, there were about 30 kids for two instructors, and most of them had been there before, if not all year long. She was one of very few newcomers, and they did not take the time to make her feel welcome and comfortable with the procedures. She was very overwhelmed and kept running out and clinging to me. I tried encouraging her to go back in, showing her how much fun they were having jumping around, but she'd have none of it. *sigh*

  

Finally, after a quick trip to the potty, the group split up into beam, bar and floor exercises. Sophie's group went to the "beam," and she agreed to go give that a try. She was still feeling pouty, however, and would barely move until the instructor, with obvious annoyance, would bounce her down the beam to the next section. There she would wait, until bounced along again, while children piled up behind her.

 

I understood. She may not be ready for a class. But what broke the camel's back for me was when, after moving to the bar section, they lost track of my brand-new THREE-year-old. She wandered off and got hurt!! A little boy from another class - not even one of the instructors! - brought her up to me, crying (I couldn't see where she was, to know what happened.)

Oh, that was it. After consoling my poor baby, we put on her shoes and left. In the car, I cried hot, angry tears as I vented my ire and frustration to my husband. I was not upset about her lack of willingness, but I was furious over their shoddy class organization and ability to provide a safe, comfortable environment for my child. Thank God I didn't have any money invested in the class, other than her leotard, which I guess is now relegated to the dress-up bin. I know she'll wear it a lot; she loves it. But Rob and I agreed, we are definitely not bringing her back there again.

So, I called up Darlene at Chloë's dance academy and signed up Sophia for the 3- and 4-year-old Creative Movement class. She's been asking to go to dance like her big sis, anyway. We already have the leotard. I'll wait and see how she does with this class before I go out and buy her a pair of ballet slippers; she can probably get away with socks at first.

I guess we'll try the gymnastics again in a few years. We really feel that's where she should be. And I'll console myself with the knowledge that Shawn Johnson didn't start until she was six. Hehe!

After Jack returned from school and we had a quick snack, I took the Littles to Stephanie's school, where she teaches fifth grade. She wanted us to visit her in her new classroom, and I thought it would be a fun outing for the kids.

 

They immediately started finding toys to play with, although the biggest attractions were definitely the wheely chairs! Crash, boom, bang!

 

Steph kept working on her room, while I wrote out the kids' names for their desks, and we tried to keep the Littles in order. They played with toys on the carpet, drove the chairs around, and wrote on the chalkboard. It was fun for them.

 

The cutest part was when Sophia had to go potty and Jack, who had already gone, took her hand and led her across the hall to the boys' bathroom! I waited in the hall and listened as they pottied, washed their hands, and chit-chatted. So adorable! ♥

 

Soon, we left, to make it home in time for Chloë's bus. The Littles needed something more to eat and were desperate for a nap, too. Chloë came home in high spirits, and insisted I take this picture of her and her new hairstyle, looking like "Wendy's," as she said.

The  mail had brought some interesting packages today, two of which could not wait to be given to their birthday recipients:

 

Chloë was thrilled when I pointed out a box for her on the craft table. She skipped over and immediately demanded to know what was in it. "Just look!" I told her. "Happy birthday!"

 

It's a butterfly kit!!

 

She was amazed as she pulled out all the pieces: butterfly habitat, food and dropper, and finally, the live caterpillars. She loved her present!

 

I paid for five live caterpillars, but we received seven!! Here's hoping for a few good butterflies.

 

The kit was definitely a hit with the birthday girl. She carried around those poor critters - and her Tooth Fairy quarters - all night. Fun stuff!

 

I knew Rob was eager for his present, too, so when it arrived, I had to give it to him instead of making him wait two more days! He had smashed the screen - and gotten chicken soup in it (don't ask) - on his old one, so I'd sent it in to be repaired. We got a brand-new one instead! He's elated, as his nano just doesn't have the capacity he needs for his gigantic music collection. Yay for happy birthday babies!

 

In the midst of all the excitement, the Schwan's guy came. Whoops, I'd completely forgotten to place an order. So I sat on the steps with the guy and went through the catalog, page by page, and he was utterly patient with me. Very nice. We got a few favorites, and a few new things to try. The entire time he was here, Chloë tried getting him to look at her new caterpillars. He played along well.

I did a little crocheting after dinner, making a dish towel to match the washcloth I'd made a few days ago, while we watched the DNC. Yes, we can!! But I was just too tired to blahg or do much else, and konked out well before midnight. Very unusual for me.

I'm still tired, and Sophie's not up yet, so... back to my couch I go.

Fin.

Insert Clever Title Here

Kind of a boring day for us, bloggily speaking. We got up wicked early (for us) and went to breakfast at the Silver Diner. Yay, we made it! The kids weren't "allowed" to be there with us for the shop, so we got separate checks that must have made the server wonder. We kept making up different scenarios, such as Rob and I were dating and Chloë and Jack were his kids (they look like him) and Sophia is mine (looks like me), or we're brother and sister, since our credit cards have the same last name... but Chloë kept calling me Mommy (strange, I know), so who knows what she thought! It was a source of amusement for us simpletons, though.

Then we went home and went back to sleep. Hey. Small steps.

When we got up, the kids had lunch while I showered, and then I folded three baskets of laundry while Chloë helped me put some of it away. I told you this was an exciting day.

Then I had to go to Sears for two long hours and do a survey of the entire store. If I had known the kind of work it was going to take me for fourteen freaking dollars, I would never have done it. But I'd already printed out a ton of pages for it, and it kills me to waste all that paper and ink. I had to mystery shop all the different departments first, and then I had 'reveal' myself to the manager and go around taking pictures of anything outstanding or any issues. The manager of the portrait studio where we always bring the kids came into the ladies' room just as I was taking pictures of the garbage all over each of the stalls. "What are you doing?!" she said. It was a bit of a silly encounter! So I went over to the studio and said hi to Ellie, "our" photographer, on my way out the door.

I got two pairs of Levi's on sale for Rob while I was there. And a little outfit for our new nephew, due to arrive any time now (Elizabeth's younger brother, for those of you who remember me talking about her) in Missouri. I love buying baby clothes! Especially little teeny ones. Especially for my own, but moving on, moving right along...

Then I went from Pembroke Mall to Lynnhaven Mall to do another shop at Spencer's Gifts. I haven't done the report yet, but it will probably be my most embarrassing to date. I have to say things like "cock pops," "fart powder" and "penis shot glasses" when explaining the items the salesperson promoted to me! *blush*

Rob wanted me to pick up some micro-SD cards for his new GPS, and while I was looking for the store, I found this little candy kiosk that I'd never noticed before. Well, I'm usually never in that end of the mall. Those who know me extraordinarily well know I am passionate about just the very right kind of coconutty chocolates. I can never find them, not the way I like them. The last time I did was on the Jersey Shore boardwalk, in 1999. Well, actually I think I got some in the mall in Panama City, Florida, but not quite as good. Anyway, serendipitously, I glanced up at that candy kiosk and spied exactly that. I stopped and asked for one to taste, to see if I wanted to buy more. Perfection! So I told her to fill up a bag, and I'd tell her when to stop. I stopped her at 37 pieces. Then I had her fill another bag with chocolates for Rob, and hurried down the mall with my prize before I had her add more. The salesgirl winked at me and told me they have them all the time. Glee!

They were out of the SD cards at the store where they were on sale, and by that point I was near the boutique where I picked up Chloë's gowns for her iPOP! trip in January. I wanted to go in and see if I could pick up another tiara, and maybe a gorgeous dress (for what, I don't know and don't care) for Sophia. They are going out of business at the end of the year and are drastically reducing their prices, so I was hoping to find a bargain. But alack and alas, they were closed. Hopefully not for good. I spotted something tangerine-colored in Sophie's size the last time, and I want it!

Nothing much exciting (not that any of that was) occurred after I returned home. The kids were napping but soon joined us - after we'd dived (or diven, as I like to say) into our chocolates, tried on the new jeans, and scanned everything for Nielsen. We had some dinner, futzed around a while, and then they went off to bed.

Sophia was crying a whole bunch after bedtime. She's been having a rough time of it lately. She's in a two-year-old patch of stranger- and separation-anxiety, and sometimes she just cries inconsolably. I couldn't take it and had Rob go get her, and I held her on the couch while I watched Desperate Housewives. Well. I was looking at her poor butchered hair, hacked into so many times from having to cut out all the knots she twists into it, and I decided to even it out. The only way to do that was to cut it into a short little bob. Short. I cut off lots of hair all around her head. It's definitely a home-cut, but it's cute on her! Rob agreed.  I'll take a picture tomorrow.

That's about it. I've just folded three more loads of laundry and been cleaning up the living room, and Rob went upstairs to take care of Chloë, puking again. Siiiiigh. Keep a good thought for her, will you?

Fin.

Rain in the Blogosphere

Well, the day started like any other. The sun came up, the alarm went off, and I beat the shit out of it with a bat. Thank goodness Rob called to wake me back up, or I’d still be snoring up there.

Chloë went back to school this morning. One down. After I got her on the bus, I came home to work on some of the shop reports I was too tired to do last night. Jack still didn’t have school today, and I didn’t have anywhere else to be until mid-afternoon, so I zonked back out on the couch until the kids woke up in the very late morning, which was, like, totally awesome. And stuff.

I fed them, showered, did a little laundry, and got them ready for the trip to Jack’s school for my parent-teacher conference. He’s been pissed that there’s no school, but he was way more so that he had to go today in my van and not the bus. He loves his bus. Loves it.

I met with Miss Beth, and she had nothing but good stuff to say about Jack. Except the stuff that wasn’t, but there wasn’t much. Just that he’s very spunky and knows exactly what he wants and what he doesn’t, which is good on the one hand and can be frustrating on the other. He’s working really hard and making great strides, and I’m very happy we decided to give this a try. It’s been really great for him, and she thinks he’ll probably be on target to join mainstream kindergarten next year.

We went home after that and did a little more laundry while we waited for Chloë. She got home, and the kids had a snack before we took her to ballet. She went to dance class, and the Littles and I drove down to

Laskin Rd to do another boring Verizon shop. I’m on a big drive right now to pick up all the boring-but-paying shops I can, just to see how much money I can really make in a month. It’s not a lot, but it’ll pay a small bill or two.

We drove back to dance class to get The Chlo, and Jack started whining again that he was hungry. I told him that Chloë said she wanted pizza for dinner. He shouted, “I don’t want pizza!” and Sophia said, “I does!” hehe. So I said, “I does, too”! and Jack replied, “Well, I doesn’t!”  This conversation tickled me, so I called Rob to repeat it.

He’s working long, late hours this week. Some big projects got dumped in his lap today, and he’s got duty tomorrow, so I’ll have to bring the chillens with me to Bunco tomorrow night. My babysitter is now in our group, so no help there! Thanks a lot, Steph. ;) But her husband is going to watch them, so it’ll work out. It sucks, though. I see him little enough as it is.

I called Primo’s for a pizza, and we drove home and picked it up. A dozen garlic knots and some cannoli, too. Dee-lish-US! I finally found just-right pizzeria pizza, and they’ve been right around the corner from our house all along. I remember going in there a couple of years ago, but I left because I didn’t like the prices or the wait or something or other. Whatever. Back in business now, baby!

So the kids and I went home, and I cut up pizza for them, because they haven’t yet demonstrated the skills necessary for folding and eating a pizza in a decent manner. Rob was finally on his way home, earlier than expected, but they were too hungry to wait. I started looking at Chloë’s homework, but it was a difficult process since the kids suddenly broke out into their evening shenanigans. Thankfully Rob walked in at that time and relieved me, because I had a few more packages of Chloë’s Girl Scout candies to deliver. That’s been a little more trouble than it’s worth, with boxes trickling out here and there – and Jack opening and eating someone else’s candy…

I came home just in time to pick up the afore-mentioned little boy for a haircut. We went to my usual salon and was greeted with raised eyebrows. I guess it had been longer than I thought since my last visit. I had been growing out my hair to donate for months, and then my sister came in August and cut it for me, so… a long time. The kids are taking their Christmas pictures next week, and Jackson is looking quite shaggalicious, so I asked them to cut it the same way Stacey did – a ‘5’ guard on top and a ‘2’ on the sides and back. I don’t know what she did, but it looks like he got a ‘3’ all the way around. Harumph. Well, it’s hard not to make that teeny face look handsome, so we can work with it.  Then she trimmed my bangs, and I can see again. Hallelujah. Bangs hanging in my face drives me absolutely nucking futs.

Rob was working with Chloë on her homework when we returned, and the Littles were wanting more pizza by that time. So I fed them a little, and then I snoozed on the couch for an hour, in time for DWTS. J Finally, Jane Seymour got kicked off. About damn time. I’m sick of her sob stories, too. :P

So that’s about it. I might go see about that sourdough starter, which has gotten enormous, and I might go watch a movie and do some knitting, and I might go do some laundry, and I might go box up some toys for giving away on Freecycle. The night is young!

Fin.

PF (Post-Fin): I typed this in Word and c/p'd, and this is the way it's showing up. It won't let me fix it. So much for that!

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

It was an interesting and busy day.

I woke up late this morning, so I had to rush, rush, rush Chloë out of bed, into clothes, and down the stairs, still half-asleep. Poor thing. Did I ever tell you a week or so ago that when I came in one morning, she sat up and scolded me, "Mom, you woke me up!"? Yes, honey, that's why I'm here...  We made it to the bus stop with time to spare this morning, and I went home and zonked back out on the couch.

Had to keep Jack home from school again this morning. I think I'll send him tomorrow, but he still has a nasty chest cough. Really? Chest cough? As opposed to... his feet? But he's okay. And I'll send a note telling them to call me and come get him if he's not.

The Littles and I played a little after breakfast, and then we went upstairs so Mama could take a shower and fold laundry. Only I didn't fold the laundry. I sat on the bed with Soapy and watched Curious George. It was more compelling, what can I say.

When Chloë came home from school, I gave the kids a quick snack, and then I helped her write a thank-you note to Darlene, the director of her dance studio who gave her a nice check for her iPOP! trip to L.A. in January. She did a nice job. For a six-year-old. We hustled her into tights, leotard, and ballet shoes and headed for class.

The Littles and I just sat in the van during dance class; we didn't go to Wendy's for chocolate milks this time. They didn't ask, or I would have. Something much more exciting happened, however. About 45 minutes into class, Sophie piped up in a panicky voice from the back seat, "Mommy! Mommy! Help me! I have to go potty!!"  Well, well, well. (We are in the throes of potty-training for the third time in the Odette household, and this one has not quite gotten the idea that panties are not diapers, and we're not supposed to pee in them.) So I hurried her inside, whipped off her pants, put her on the potty, and waited. And waited. And waited. "Shut the door, Mommy!" Why do they think I should not be privy to their goings-on in the potty department? But they do. So I shut. Then I heard a little girl voice say, "I'm poopin', Mommy!" "I'm going poop, Mommy!" "I'm poopin'!!!" She kept me updated on her progress. Finally my nose told me the deed was done, and then she did herself. I was so proud! She actually told me she had to go and didn't have an accident! Hurrah.

Chloë fell asleep, drooling all over her harness, on the way home. Like all my children, she insisted she wasn't tired and didn't need a nap, but Daddy and I overruled that sentiment. She slept for hours, while I headed out for my appointment with my therapist.

This was probably the best session I've had with this therapist, to date. I don't want to talk about it here, but it was great. I'm feeling really good about things.

I talked to my dad when I got home. It was a brief conversation, but a really good one. I'm glad we were able to talk. He's going to come for Christmas, which will be really nice, especially for the kids. I look forward to his visit.

Chloë and I left again, to go get her new glasses. She looks really cute in them and is so pleased that "they have pink on the inside!" (The frames are pinkish on the inside, where only she can see.) Rats, I forgot again to take a picture. I'm slacking. After they adjusted them, I had them fix the old ones too, since they're the same prescription and will be kept for back-ups. They gave me the big sigh and then did it.  Psht.

Since we were already at the mall and her six-year pictures were now overdue, we walked down to Sears to see if they were finally in. I had been calling for days. Ellie, our favorite photographer was there, and I told her they were overdue. She and the other girl tore the place apart looking for them after the computer indicated they were in. No luck. I really didn't want to wait for them to be reordered, since I've been hyping them so much! I finally conceded to having them printed out there - only to find out they look better than the ones printed at the lab! D'oh! The printers have improved in the last few years, because last time I compared, it was by far the other way around. So, we have our pictures and will be mailing them out soon.

Walking back toward our car, we were both overcome with hunger, and I asked Chloë if she wanted a slice of pizza. Of course she did. I told her not to tell Daddy, who was home making dinner, and to keep it our little secret. She agreed. But they didn't have any plain cheese slices left and were closing soon. Rats. It all had meat on it.

Then we headed to her acting school. They had called me earlier and asked if I wanted four free tickets to Sesame Street Live. But of course we do! They were given the tickets as a courtesy, and we were the first ones they thought of, having three children in that age group. Sweet! I don't know if Sophie is free or not, so I don't know if all five of us will be going. Hope so. While there, I showed them Chloë's new portraits, in the gown she'll be wearing to L.A., and they were duly impressed by her gorgeaciousness.

I brought Chloë home, since it was getting late by this point, to eat dinner and do her homework, while I ran to the store for various and sundry necessities. Including a gigantic bag of giant-breed dogfood that broke my dang back. And cough and cold medicine for the Little People. Not those Little People, my LPs. The cashier refused to take my coupon, because it was for Children's Tylenol, and the medicine I got was Children's Tylenol PLUS. Well, I have been a cashier and a customer service cashier and a front-end manager in a grocery store, and I know how the coupon business works, and I know this coupon was completely acceptable. So I said, "Well, I'd like to challenge that, so can I see a manager please?" She called one, and it turned out to be my buddy Katrina, who knows me and mine. She said, "Of course you can take this, and this is how you do it," being kinda totally patronizing to the cashier, who was giving me major attitude prior to that. The cashier didn't look me in the eye after that. Hoh well. A dollar's a dollar.

I came home, and the first thing Rob said to me when I walked in the door was, "Sorry they didn't have any cheese pizza for you, dear!" I walked in, hands on hips, and said to Chloë, "Hey! That was supposed to be our secret!" She just giggled and said she forgot about that. Hehe. Then I ran into the living room to watch the bitter end of Dancing With the Stars. And boy, was it bitter. I shouted, "OMG!" and sobbed when Sabrina got voted off, and I was mortified when Rob came in the room and caught me standing there crying over a dancing TV show.

So that was the day. But no, no, not quite yet! I have to run out right now, at 1:20 AM, and go do an IHOP mystery shop. I could have done it at 11:30, but, well, things came up.

It's not like I wouldn't be up anyway.

Fin.