mom 1, dad 0

so tonight I made the underlying attempt to prove to my kids I am a GREAT mom, I just feel like crud.

so I took every blanket in the house and made the biggest pallet known to ..... them in our playroom. I popped several bags of popcorn and put on High School Musical. (yes Amy, I'm a little late on this one.)

a little while back, while I was browsing my Friday morning hang-out in La Grange, Second Chance, I happened to stumble upon the High School Musical DVD for $1. I grabbed it thinking I would one day watch it. Then, one day this week Hunter asks me something about HSM. He said his music teacher was talking about it. I felt so proud busting out with, "Hunter, I actually bought the DVD the other day!" He was excited and is now glued to the TV stuffing himself full of popcorn.

score 1 for mom...............just a little late to the party ;)

why?

as I'm sitting here using my children's nebulizer to breathe and not pass out from a coughing fit, I have to ponder many why's............

so why is it............

my husband chooses to leave me at home with both boys to attend a Texas Longhorn game when I'm sick as hell?

my children continue to fight?

I won't give into the fact that what I have probably isn't "just allergies" and actually make time to go to the doctor?

whenever we have a free weekend of Showtime, all the movies suck?

my head feels like it's going to explode, my ears feel like they are on fire, my chest feels like it is going to cave in, every breathe is more like a wheeze, my nose is raw, my eyes itchy and swollen and every muscle in my body just aches....probably from all the coughing?

my kids can't see I'm miserable and try not to fight?

my husband can't see I'm in no shape to care for the kids?

well, my neb treatment is about done, I hear the kids screaming at each other and another fight is bond to break out any second and I've got to figure out what to do for dinner.........

it's funny how little things can spark the kids happiness. take for instance the large bag of plates, cups and bowls Aunt Kara sent for the kids. They were so excited to have new batman, lion king, pooh and so on eating supplies! Thanks Aunt Kara!!!!

and a really scary ticker:

does it ever end?

I've decided I'm going to install a sound system in our house that chants my most often used words:

Stop fighting.

Boys, please stop fighting.

Guys, we have 2 of those. No need to fight.

kids, seriously, stop fighting.

ok....when is the fighting going to stop.

stop fighting. stop fighting. stop fighting.

can mom please get 2 minutes of peace here?

is there a reason to all the fighting?

STOP FIGHTING.

seriously, the boys fight over EVERYTHING. and by now, we own almost 2 of everything. 2 leappads, 2 leapsters, 2 Nintendo DS, 2 lightening mcqueen chairs, 2 shovels, get the picture? yet these 2 boys of mine have to fight over everything. from the moment I pick Hunter up from school, the fighting starts. by time Kreg get's home at 6:30-7:30, I'm exhausted. I've used every resource known to man to get the fighting to stop. And last night, all I really wanted was a nice-long hot bath. so while Kreg is putting the boys down, I try to escape. I hear Jayden causing trouble. so I'm out of the tub and walking into the bedroom when, huh, that's my perfume I smell. I'm utterly confused for a minute. I ask Kreg if he sprayed my perfume for any reason, no. okay. why am I smelling my perfume? about that time I walk over to my bottle and realize, hmmm, quite a bit seems to be missing. then Kreg informs me Jayden was playing over by my dresser. and about that time he goes to smell him and says he sprayed himself. I go to smell the kid and realized he was trying to drown himself with it. I ask him what he did. and he proceeds to tell me he was trying to make his hair spiky. so I go to feel his hair and in one spot it is drenched......with my perfume. I think the kid sprayed about a third of the bottle into his hair. only jayden.......

who?

as I am fixing dinner tonight, Hunter starts telling me about his day and how he is learning about Johnny Appleseed. And I ask him "what did Johnny Appleseed do that you are learning about?"

his response: "well, 1st of all, I'm not so sure why we are learning about him since he's dead anyways. and well, he planted some apple seeds."

when you start your morning by throwing your Diet Coke bottle in your purse and running out the door only to discover that your diet coke bottle decided to spill all over your purse and contents.....the day can only get better.

and thanks to my friend Amy, IT DID. If only her little Jax-a-nator would have been feeling better and I would have actually been able to spend the day with her. But she tipped me off to Target's Dollar Section with Batman paraphernalia. Woo-Hoo ;) Jayden and I broke away and headed to Austin to run some errands.

I often get asked the question, "Don't you miss Austin?" And to be honest, yes and no. Days like today, when I get to spend my time in Central Market, eating sushi and shopping for healthy stuff, yes, I miss that aspect. But then I run into an acquaintance from one of my old jobs and I let her know that we've moved and she's like "wow....I'm jealous. I wish I could do it." Then I remember how nice it is to be out of the hustle and bustle of Austin. It's funny how I and most of my friends, spent the 4 years of high school scheming the fastest way possible to get out of La Grange, vowing to never, ever come back and now that I'm here, I see so many familiar faces. And it's nice. It's funny to hear Hunter come home from school and ask me "Why does everybody at my school know my Nana and Popo? I'm always getting asked about them." Hunter, my child, that's what happens when you live in a small town. And one day, you will appreciate it. And it will take having kids of your own to realize it.

and it's always so nice to be able to sleep in on Saturday, I guess if you call 8:00 sleeping in. The boys, of course, had their weekend ritual of staying with my parents. Kreg and I picked them up and decided to come home and wash our cars and then head to the lake for some fishing. It's funny how something so unexpected can wreak havoc on your plans! As we are driving down our street, I spot this:


And so our weekend was spent building a flower bed around the back of the house and side of it. The boys played NON-STOP for hours. They didn't come in until almost dark last night. They are having that much fun with a load of dirt. Of course, nothing could be complete without fighting so they both ended up covered with dirt, dirt in their eyes, and yep.....dirt in my house. Oh well. At least they are keeping busy.



And Hunter is still picking up more pecans:



Tomorrow we have school pictures, so I'm off to give Hunter a haircut.

where has the week gone?

do you ever get to Friday and wonder, just where has my week gone?

Jayden had a busy week at school. Tuesday he had a Clifford play day and Wednesday the Hill Country Zoo came.



Hunter got his Halloween costume in the mail & Jayden I scored his at Second Chance today. Meet my Mr. Jangly Bones:

I just don't understand why the boys think that skeleton's are suppose to wear scary masks. Jay found this one @ Second Chance and Hunter found a hockey mask he wants to wear with his.

Today is a blog in pictures day. I've got homemade Almond Cupcakes to make and Cookie Dough Brownies! Dad is making dinner tonight and I'm taking desert. That's is we are still invited after he goes home at lunch and reads the local newspaper.

Thanks to moi! There anniversary was Monday (oops!) so this should come as a big surprise. I'm trying to make it up by getting him this very anitique food grinder/cheese grater thingy I found this morning for $3. It's right his alley.

I also wanted to share these before and after pictures. We still have stuff to do, but hey, it's a great change already! Maybe one day we will actually buy the house ;)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Hunter had a blast swimming at Aunt Ronda's over the weekend.

Sidewalk paint keeps them so busy!

The weather has been pleasant so I've been trying to keep the boys outside to play. Thank goodness we have pecan trees EVERYWHERE. They have so much fun spending the afternoon picking up and peeling pecans. So, if anyone is in need of pecans, please contact me. I will be more than happy to send you some. Cracked or uncracked.

it's that time.

you know....the kids are in school and I've got loads of "free" time. the house gets cleaned in no time, the yard and flower beds look fantastic. Halloween decorations are up. (see, I need SOMETHING to do!) I've made more candles than I know what to do with. I've walked about 10 miles around town. it's the time I start looking for something else to do with my time. the bad part is that we are now in La Grange and the part-time job opportunities just aren't there. I'm going crazy. I need work.

so I spent most of the day browsing around the Internet hoping to stumble across some fantastic work-at-home jobs. yea....didn't happen. and come one, we all know someone who works at home.....but how in the world do they find those positions. SERIOUSLY?!?!? The only opportunities I found involve me being a surrogate.....harvesting my eggs.....participating in studies.....or paying someone $$$ to receive "training materials" WTF? All I want to find is a decent, reliable company that will allow me to work from home. Why is that so hard?

alright.....my ranting is over.....back to the drawing board.

still the week from......

you got it.

I ended up taking Kreg back up to Austin last Sunday so he would be able to get his car on Monday. That morning, Jay and I take Hunter to school and rush off to Sugarland to get candle supplies. Driving to and in Houston is nerve racking enough so I love when Kreg calls and wants me to look around the car for his badge. Okay.....I'm going 80 on Interstate 10 and Jay is begging me to help locate his shoe. I'm trying to calm him down there's NO way I can look around for anything. I thought by taking Jay's Nintendo DS, he'd be good for me. Wrong. He kept asking for my help or wanting me to look at what he did. Or he wants to ask me 50 questions about where we are going. Which leads me to get edgy and I end up taking a wrong turn. But we made it home in enough time for me to pump out candles to get up to Austin on Tuesday. Following me: Sunday=Austin, Monday=Houston, Tuesday=Austin. And to make matters even better, Kreg's car broke down again Tuesday morning on his way to Austin. There's no wonder where my cold has come from. I think it's all the stress I've been trying to deal with. It's funny....I can handle my own stress. It's everyone else's that kills me.

Kreg's car is suppose to be fixed. I'm driving it now.

It's great to be back around small town football. And it's homecoming week! So they boys were ready to hit the pep rally last night.




Yeah....trying to take their pictures these days is like trying to get them to take Robitussin. Sometimes you just want to give up and you wonder if it is even worth it.

Fall is just around the corner and we've had a touch of it this week. Why oh why can't the weather stay like this? I spent all day yesterday re-doing my flower beds. The nice breeze felt so wonderful. Thankfully since it took me twice as long to work with my sore hand/wrist. I've learned trying to carry 40 pounds of ice with my right hand isn't the smartest move I've ever made. Typing this hasn't been the easiest as nothing with my right hand is.

The weather for the pep rally was also very pleasant. Hunter got a kick out of the music and wanted to go on the field and dance with the cheerleaders. I was a little worried when our alma matter started but the words flowed out just like they used to. It's amazing how that happens. We are all really looking forward to the football game this week. If I can shake this cold and lose the pain in my hand and wrist, it will be even better.

Happy Grandparents Day to all the grandparents.

We owe a lot to our grandparents. They have the warmth of a parent; the wisdom of the sages; and the heart of a child. An unknown author quotes: "Grandmas are moms with lots of frosting." Don't waste any opportunity to shower your grandparents with love. You just never know. Here are some wonderful grandparent quotes to remind us of these unsung heroes:

Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do.

The reason grandchildren and grandparents get along so well is that they have a common enemy.

Few things are more delightful than grandchildren fighting over your lap.

Grandparents are there to help the child get into mischief they haven't thought of yet.

A grandfather is someone with silver in his hair and gold in his heart.

A mother becomes a true grandmother the day she stops noticing the terrible things her children do because she is so enchanted with the wonderful things her grandchildren do.

I have so many wonderful memories with both sets of my grandparents. Granny and Grandpa and Meme. I hold on to all of those memories and now cherish them since they are no longer with us. I can only hope that my boys will have has many cherished memories as I do.

when it rains, it pours.

literally and figuratively.



it's been a trying day. I didn't get home until after 11:00 last night because I was out with my mom, cousin and aunt planning a baby shower. that's so way past my bed time. then I had to get up even a little earlier so that I could make my self presentable for Jayden's Grandparents Day celebration at his school. and of course, he decided to be a pill throughout the whole thing. then I had to sit with him in a little service station for 1/2 hour while I got my car inspected. then the lovely doctor's office debacle. I was really looking forward to going to bed early tonight.



since I was planning a big dinner tonight with mom and dad, kreg was going to be home earlier! YAY! So at 5:30 while I've got the BBQ pit going and try to get everything else together for dinner, kreg calls. He was stranded. His timing belt broke off his car in the middle of the toll road. OH MY GOD! so, then I'm thrown into panic mode trying to figure out what needs to be done. call my dad to see if kreg can fix this on his own. yes, but only if he knows what he's doing. okay, no. calling insurance to verify road side assistance, google-ing a road side assistance company, getting that information to kreg. so I'm juggling the home phone, my cell phone, chicken fajitas on the pit, the kids, trying to make homemade guacamole and salsa. we figure it out, finally. thank goodness for kreg's brother keith! my dad shows up about 6:30 ready to get to Austin to get Kreg. I told him we had it figured out but dinner was ready. He was a little astonished I managed to get everything done. seriously, I can multi-task with the best of them.

but know.....I'm exhausted. dad and mom are finally gone after making sure I closed all the blinds and locked all my doors. I told them not to worry. I was here by myself the whole week kreg was in the hospital. kreg is staying in Austin tonight with the hopes that his car will be ready tomorrow. I pray. I'm going to tuck the kids in and finish my beer.

today was fun.

I spent almost 2 hours in a doctor's waiting room. with both kids. to be ushered into a room where I wait almost another 1/2 hours for the doctor to waltz in for 2 minutes to tell me Hunter's x-ray looks great and to just call if we have any future problems.

what the B%RY%$YB ET$#^%#$QB #$%?

it was bad.

but I guess the good news is that his arm is healing nicely and as it should.

the art of fundraising.

some I took Hunter out and about today to see some family who wanted to contribute to the fundraising cause. He was very precious as he sat and give his spill. On our way home he commented how he needed to call Popo. So I let him and his end of the conversation went like this:

Popo it's Hunter.
.
.
School was good.
.
.
We are leaving Joelyn's house.
.
.
I need you to buy some stuff from me. I think like 160 items to be exact.
.
.
No, I'm not crazy.
.
.
I want to win an Ipod.
.
.
Nana bought from me. Now you need to buy something.
.
.
Ooohhh. You can buy wrapping paper or you can be lazy like Mom and Nana and Joelyn and buy bags. They also have chocolate.
.
.
What's it going to be?
.
.
I have to turn everything in on Friday.
.
.
Mom's driving.
.
.
Okay, I will see you after school tomorrow. I'm counting on you Popo.
.
.
Bye.


So I ask Hunter what did he want an Ipod for? His answer:

"Gosh mom. So I can hook it up to the computer and download music."

and I ask, "what kind of music Hunter?"

"I don't know..........whatever I can find."

Popo, he's counting on you :)

awe shucks.

I love my popcorn. Talk about comfort food for me.

reading, writing....

and hopefully sleeping. I'm unfortunately going through another one of those periods in my life when I don't sleep. It's about time to break out the Ambien again.

in a failed attempt at going to sleep, I've been reading like mad again. I love ABC's new show Notes From the Underbelly. (wish it would start up again!) Turns out it was based on a book, so I grabbed it and the follow up, Tales From The Crib. WOW! As a mom, these were such a refreshing read. And I flew through both in about 3 days. Both books were a far cry from the glamorous side of pregnancy and motherhood. The main character is a trip and I wished the TV show portrayed more to the book character. If your a mom, these are worth a read.

School started 2 weeks ago and we are already wrapping up our 1st fundraiser. Hunter has been such a troop but he's going to be disappointed when he doesn't win an Ipod. He had to sell 174 pieces. (that's pretty funny, huh!) But thank you so much to all who did help!! Now I just have to figure out what I want to order......

I spent most of yesterday trying to get candles made for Austin stores. Hunter came home and was so excited. "Mom! You made candles!?!?! I just have to take Mrs. Herron one." And Jayden chimes in "Mrs. Becky needs one to mom." So they spent the better of 20 minutes smelling every one and finally claimed stake to 1 each. They were so proud toting candles to class this morning.

I'm off to help with finishing touches for our Grandparent's Day celebration at Jayden's school. Whatever he's doing, he's super excited about Nana and Popo coming to school on Friday.

Fair Weekend....

it's come and gone! Thank goodness.

The boys had a crazy amount of fun.

Thursday night ~ riding rides
Friday night ~ Football game that got rained out
Saturday morning ~ parade
Saturday ~ Dad's softball games
Saturday night ~ more rides, ponies, & the animal farm
Sunday night ~ rides, balloon's, dancing

In this summer's style, it would have to rain as soon as we arrive at the fairgrounds Thursday night. But that doesn't keep the rides from going and the kids from wanting to ride rides. So Hunter rides a few and we take Jayden to participate in the Peanut Tractor Pull. That was right up Jayden's alley and I knew he would blow the competition out of the water. And he did. He won 1st place in his age group! He actually won the chance to compete against the 4 year old winner for a division prize, but was too tired! It didn't take long for Hunter to find one of his "bestest buds" and they rode their hearts out until about 9:00 that night.

Friday night the boys were pumped for the first La Grange Leopards game of the season and dressed up in purple to hit the stands. Again, it rained and lightening and after an hour delay, the game was canceled. Thank goodness. We all needed to go to bed early.

So we could arise early for the parade the next morning. Kreg gets the phone call to play in a softball tournament with my cousin's in Weimar so he's off. The boys and I sit through the parade. Okay, really, I sit through the parade while the kids run around trying to collect candy. Then we rush off to watch dad play softball. We watch him lose a game at 12:00 which means he plays again at 2:00 but there's a rain delay that moves the game back until 3:00 and then they win and play again at 6:00 and win to play again at 9:00. All the while I miss my 10 year class reunion and end up taking the boys to the fair by myself Saturday night. We rocked with some carnival rides, pony rides, petting zoo and loads of yummy food to eat. Jayden passes out in my mom's arms around 9:00 so he and I hit the road home while Hunter stays and parties it up.

If it wasn't for the final 4 free ride tickets and $10 in tokens we might not have gone back on Sunday. After 5 inches of rain over the past 4 days, Sunday night was muddy and nasty. At least we didn't have to complain of all the usual dust.

Enjoy the pictures:
Thursday night rides:











Jayden and the Peanut Tractor Pull Contest:





Hunter was so glad it wasn't a school day so he could "express himself"






Saturday night fun:










And Sunday night:




after all the animals and hay.....we all have the sneezing and sniffles. it's miserable! but I guess all part of the fun.