House of Estrogen

Funkity Funk

I'm in a funk. Or a mood. Or a bad place. Whatever is going on, I'm in a funk... a no blogging, no photographing, no laundry folding, no cooking, just want to lie in bed and read and watch the new season of Project Runway funk. I'll be back to blogging at some point. I owe Nina a 6.5 year letter, and I'd like to get that written before she turns seven. Bear with me... hopefully I'll be back to regular blogging soon.

Simple Woman's Daybook, July 26, 2010

For Today...

Outside my window... over 100 today... we've had record breaking temperatures all week.

I am thinking...  that I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've ever had two Simple Woman's Daybook posts back to back with no other posts during the week between them. I don't like that. It was a draining week, but hopefully this week will be better.

I am thankful for... the remote start on my car. It is amazing what a difference it makes in 100+ degree heat to be able to start the car from the fob and get the AC blasting while walking toward it. By the time I get Addie buckled, the car is surprisingly cooled off. Love it!

From the kitchen... lasagna, salad, garlic bread.

I am creating... Addie's big girl room. I'm painting the stripe around her room today, and I've found a couple things I want to order for the walls on Etsy.

I am going... to paint and do laundry today, and that's about it.

I am reading... Damsel Under Stress by Shanna Swendson.  I finished The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephanie Meyer.  I suppose if you're a huge Twilight fan, you'll probably love it, but it didn't do much for me. It was an interesting look at the newborn vampires but that's about it. Maybe I was expecting too much from it.

 I am hoping... that my cousin Lisa gets through the second half of her radiation treatments for oral cancer OK without any further complications or side effects.

I am hearing... a quiet house...ahhh....

Around the house... boxes of stuff to go to Goodwill! Yea!

One of my favorite things... the movie Ramona and Beezus!  The girls and I went to see it on Saturday, and I loved it.  I think it may rank up there as one of my favorite kid movies ever. I highly recommend it!  If the girls don't ask for the DVD for Christmas, I'm going to have to get Santa to put it in MY stocking!

A few plans for the rest of the week.... the usual extra-curricular activities for the kids, book club for me, Elementary school open house, a couple birthday parties, and taking the girls to see Annie.  

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... a sneak peek at our new master bedroom!

 
 
    To read more Daybook posts or learn how to participate, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook. 

Simple Woman's Daybook, July 19, 2010

For Today...

Outside my window... heat and humidity. Ick.

I am thinking...  that my toes are in dire need of a pedicure.

I am thankful for... J.C. arriving home from Snowshoe safely with all bones intact. I'm also thankful that I didn't have to be in the car with them for the 6 hour drive back without air conditioning in July. (The deer they hit knocked out the A/C.)

From the kitchen... do I have to cook? It is too hot!

I am wearing... I'm going to stop answering this one. My answer is always the same - a tee with denim jeans/shorts/capris and flip-flops. Done.

I am creating... still working on Addie's room - got my third paint color sample yesterday.

I am going... to get a pedi tonight. 

I am reading... The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephanie Meyer. I decided to try out the Kindle app for the iTouch. Since this is a short book, it seemed like a good candidate for the app. I downloaded it this morning. The book is OK so far - not wow-ing me though.  I finished Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner last night and thoroughly enjoyed it!  

 I am hoping... that Addie gets over her little cold soon.

I am hearing... J.C. playing with his new phone.

Around the house... the remains of the sleep-over we had Saturday night - sleeping bags, Twister, blankets, CD's, etc.  Elise and Nina each had a friend over, so it was 5 on 1 with J.C. out of town. Friends claimed I was brave... I replied that I wasn't sure if I was brave or stupid... probably a bit of both. It all went pretty well though. Elise had a meltdown Sunday morning from lack of sleep, but other than that, it was a fun night.

One of my favorite things... J.C. being home!

A few plans for the rest of the week.... busy week - tumbling, jump rope, swim lessons, making dinners with a friend, minor league baseball game with coworkers.  

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... tubby time!

 


 
 
  
 

    To read more Daybook posts or learn how to participate, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook. 

Spelling Words

One of Elise's assignments each week is to write sentences using each of her spelling words. These were three of her sentences this week.

• problem: Nina is my problem.
• lesson: Nina learned her lesson.
• victim: I am usually the victim when Nina and I fight.

I'm sensing a theme....

Too Cool For Preschool

Check out Addison's two year old class!  Is that flippin' hysterical, or what?? I love it!

Addie is standing on the far left.

 
(Click on the image to enlarge)
 
The brain child and photography talent behind this picture is her daycare teacher, Mr. M. Besides being daycare teacher and babysitter extrordinaire, he also does photography! Check him out at Cre8ive Captures Photography. I'm always impressed with myself when I can get my ONE toddler to stand still long enough to take a picture. He managed to get ELEVEN of them to not only stand still but pose too. That's talent. He turned the classroom into a studio earlier this week, and presented the parents with the pictures today as a surprise. LOVE it!

And It All Comes Crashing Down

J.C. and his biking buddies made it safely to Snowshoe on Wednesday. The deer who chose to jump in front of their fully loaded van and trailer did not safely arrive at his destination, sadly. J.C. claims the van is "drivable" and will get them home though. I hope so.

I rocked the single parenting gig for about 48 hours - everybody was fed, dressed, to school on time, with homework done. I juggled tumbling for one kid and jump rope for another with the other kids in tow. Stories were read, bedtimes were consistent and dishes were washed.

Then, this morning, it all came crashing down. The morning sounded something like this...

"SISSY!!! WAKE UP!!! SISSY!!! YOU NO MAKE MY TRAIN!!! SSSSSISSSSSSYYYYYYYY!! WAAAAKKE UPPPPP!"

"Mom, Sissy no make my train. That make me sad."

"Addie.... RUN to the bathroom right now!"

"MMMMOOOOMMMMM... Addie's poops are coming out of her diaper! She has poops on her foot."

"Mom!!  Nina spit on me!"

"STOP!! You're hurting your baby sister!"

"WAAHHHH!!  I want my DDDDDAAAADDDDDDDDYYYY!!

Ahhh... music to my ears... screeching out-of-tune migraine-inducing bagpipe music.

48 more hours...

Simple Woman's Daybook, July 12, 2010

For Today...

Outside my window... a little cloudy... crossing my fingers for some rain.

I am thinking...  that I am so glad to be done painting. I spent all day yesterday painting our master bedroom from immediately after breakfast until I went to bed. I just finished up the last bit this afternoon.

I am thankful for... Elise having a good first day of school.

From the kitchen... not sure, maybe pork chops?

I am wearing... painting clothes.

I am creating... a new master retreat - new furniture, new paint, new bedding, less clutter. I can't wait to see it all put together.

I am going...  to meet the girls at the bus stop soon.

I am reading... Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner. It is my next book club book. I just started it this morning, but it sucked me in immediately. I think I'm going to like it. This week, I also started and finished Uncharted TerriTORI by Tori Spelling. 

 I am hoping... that Elise's second day of school has gone as well as the first. She should be home in about a half hour.

I am hearing... J.C. pacing, waiting for me to get off the computer.

Around the house... a freshly painted master! It looks fantastic, and I love the color.  Next I need to tackle Addie's room.

One of my favorite things... Words with Friends (like Scrabble for the iPod/iPhone). My friend Kerry got me hooked on that one. I can justify it that Scrabble is good for the brain, right?

A few plans for the rest of the week.... single parenting due to Snowshoe Downhill Camp. Do other people's husbands go to "summer camp"?  I'm thinking not, right? Maybe I can find a summer photography camp for myself!  Or shopping camp? Anyway, I'll be tackling the first week of school, tumbling, jump roping, and swim lessons solo this week. Good times.  

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... to save your eyes, I am NOT going to share the most recent pictures on my camera... the ones that Nina took of my fat ass while I was on a ladder painting yesterday. Seriously, the mental image of those is bad enough... you don't want to see the real thing. Instead, you get Addie's bum which is so much cuter. This is her "handstand".

 

    To read more Daybook posts or learn how to participate, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook. 

Thumbs Up for the First Day

It appears all my worries were for naught. The first day of school went off without a hitch.

 

The girls woke up early, excited about the day. They were dressed and ready with plenty of time to spare instead of our usual scrambling race to the bus stop.

Check out Nina's new messenger bag. As gaudy as that print is, I have to admit it looked pretty cute with the outfit she chose.

This child is going to be SO ready to climb on the bus her first day of kindergarten in a few years!

 

 

Here's a subset of the bus riding crowd. A few others came running up just as the bus arrived. They are all first graders except for Elise and the boy (both third graders). The girl in the red is a tall first grader, and uh.... then there is Nina who seems to redefine tall.

 

They both got off the bus at the end of the day with smiles on their faces and nothing but good reports about their teachers and their days.  Thank goodness! Maybe I can get some sleep tonight and give my fingernails a break.
 

 

5 a.m. Parenting at its Finest

5:00 a.m.

Nina: Mom!!! Mom!!!

<stumbling out of bed, I make my way down to her room>

Me: What's wrong, Nina?

Nina: I had a really bad dream, and I can't sleep. I dreamed that a shark ate Elise, Addie, and me.

<thinking.. thinking... need to comfort child, allay her fears...brain not fully awake yet...>

Me: Don't worry. We never go out into the deep water where the really big sharks are that eat people.

Nice, huh? Yes, I really said that... "the really big sharks that eat people."  I rock at allaying fears.

First Day of School Jitters

No, not them.

Me.

I've got the jitters.

Jitters, anxiety, insomnia, whatever you want to call a crazy-ass, wide-awake, nail-bitin', rambling bloggin' mom who can't sleep because her oldest is starting third grade for the second time tomorrow.

The kids who are actually attending the first day of school tomorrow are peacefully sleeping... new back-to-school clothes and shoes lined up by their beds, backpacks bursting at the seams with new school supplies ready at the back door. They don't have the jitters. Just me. Maybe I should follow their lead? It is a mom's perogative to worry though, right?

Speaking of school supplies, can someone explain the folder situation to me? Why are folders so hard to find? Target, Staples, Walmart, ARE YOU LISTENING???  WHY DON'T YOU STOCK MORE FOLDERS? (and not those cheap paper ones that you have stacks upon stacks of in the aisles. The teachers don't like those. Didn't you get the memo?) School supply lists require an obscene number of folders... and not just any folders. They get really specific. Elise's list called for only 2 folders this year, one green, one orange, both plastic with pockets and prongs. Orange? Really? You choose only two colors, and you can't choose something common like red or blue? I could find orange paper folders with pockets and prongs. I could find orange plastic folders with pockets but no prongs. I could find blue plastic folders with pockets and prongs. I finally made some poor Staples employee climb a mile up a ladder to the top shelf to locate the required orange folder for me. Nina's list called for 6 different folders (each color specified, of course) - all plastic with pockets only (NO PRONGS). Now really, is it that big a deal if a folder has prongs that go unused? Wouldn't a folder with pockets and prongs work just as well as a pockets-only folder if only pockets are needed? I suppose I could rebel against the whole folder conspiracy by actually sending in a folder with pockets AND PRONGS at some point, but I don't need to add to my first day of school anxiety worrying about a teacher saying, "Didn't your mom read the list? NO PRONGS." We eventually located the 6 folders Nina needed... 4 different brands, 4 different styles, but they are all plastic with pockets, NO PRONGS. Whew! Crisis averted.

I should go to bed and get some sleep. I have lunches to make, hair to braid, pictures to take, and more nail biting to do in the morning.