Fa La La La La...Fell into the Toilet

I am happy to report that the stuffing of the fourth grade take-home folders yesterday was uneventful. I pulled it off without a hitch, due largely (totally) to the fact that the toddler stayed home and, instead of wreaking havoc upon the 4th graders, wreaked havoc in his natural habitat.


December has been a flurry of activity and mishaps. Treat making, house decorating, advent activity-ing, gingerbread cookie-ing, hand slicing, burning hot melted chocolate in aforementioned wound...


(yes. I spilled 3,000 degree chocolate over the cut on my sliced-up finger. It was like a twisted Freddie Kreuger Hallmark Movie.)


...errand running, to-and-from Idaho road-tripping, Christmas cards in the Costco shopping cart leaving, English toffee making, sick children nursing, in-laws for a week visiting, basketball game-ing, guitar lesson-ing, Chili's Night with friends celebrating, boys haircutting, Christmas plays at school watching, visiting teaching, birthday partying, game nighting, HOUSE CLEANING (which lasted for 2.5 seconds), list-making, freezer dinner flurrying (I made 10 dinners and stocked my freezer), present wrapping, almost-getting-my-power-shut-off panicking, card addressing (someone turned my cards into the Costco info desk when they found them abandoned in a cart), phone in toilet dropping (Jack strikes again)....


...lots of that kind of stuff.


Sadly, I do not have any photos to add to this documentation because I take pictures with my phone. 


The same phone that was kerplunked into the toilet by my toddler. 


The same toddler that is now for sale. 

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

Every Monday morning I show up bright and early (9:20am), dressed to impress and cheery as can be (sweaty running clothes and slightly groggy) to do the Monday Folders for Isabelle’s class at school. It is my job to stuff the childrens’ folders with approximately 217 papers each…sign-ups for the school play, classroom weekly newsletter, PTA reminders, and the like.

This is a great gig because for 30 short minutes I can monitor Isabelle’s behavior, get a read on her social skills, shoot the occasional evil eye at the classroom bully and eavesdrop on the teacher.

Yesterday, for the first time, I took the toddler. 

Yesterday was not a great gig.

I thought surely Jack would sit in the reading corner, happy to experience a bean bag for the first time, read a book and watch the students. He did! For about three minutes, until he spotted Isabelle. Evidently, Jack did not understand this is where his big sister disappears to every day.

         “Sis!” he shouted happily, and ran to her desk.  He wanted to sit on her lap, explore the wonders of her (messy) desk and chill with the boys on either side of her.

Pretending to be invisible—which I was not...all 24 kids were highly amused—I patiently dragged him back to the beanbag and plopped several engaging books in his lap.

Jack again escaped to her desk, I pulled him away, got 2 papers inserted into folders, Jack escaped again, I pulled him back…you get the picture.

Finally, he pretended to just stay on the beanbag. Until I turned my back and was lulled into complacency, stuffing maybe a grand total of 3 folders. Then he quietly got off the beanbag, sneaked around behind me THE LONG WAY, behind the teacher’s desk, and then ran full speed to Isabelle—watched by 24 children with bated breath.

         “Sis!” he called, “Hewwp!” (help) The class erupted in laughter—of the Little Rascals variety. (someone please tell me you know what I mean by that.)

Meanwhile, I was DRESSED IN LAYERS. And I had forgotten that the school keeps the thermostat at what surely must be 940 degrees. We were providing quite the entertainment—and I was getting sweatier by the moment. Steam was coming off my head, from heat and toddler-induced grizzlement.

Somehow all the folders got stuffed, while I was trying unsuccessfully to stifle my exasperation, and I sped over to the cubbies to throw all the folders into the kids’ respective slots and get the crap out of there. 

It was at this point that Jack discovered the recess bin. The bin that holds all the 4-square balls. The balls that bounce really high. And make a loud, echo-y “BOING!” noise.

         “BOING!”

         “BOING!”

         “BOING!”         

“BOING!”

         “BOING!”

         “BOING!”

Seriously, no less than six balls were sent bouncing in quick succession all over the classroom like pinballs. With ensuing Little Rascals laughter.

I tossed the few remaining folders on the teacher’s desk and got the heck out of there. Straight to McDonald’s, where Jack got an ice cream (don’t judge my negative reinforcement) and I downed a XL Diet Coke in 37 seconds flat.

And my final thought is this: Good thing Isabelle's class had a substitute that day. 

My new BFF this week.

Plagarizing Myself

I've been feeling a void in my life lately.  
     "What is missing?" thought I.  "What could be causing this inner emptiness?" I gave it some deep thought. Asked myself the tough questions.
     "Do I need to shop my woes away?"  
     "Have I not had a Diet Coke lately?"
     "Am I lacking some aspect of spirituality that will restore my inner peace?"
     "Perhaps take an inventory of my mothering skills?"
     Why, oh why have I not felt completely myself? After mulling this over, it came to me that...

I need to blog again!

Churning out my daily thoughts onto my blog helps me process my life and stay more cheerful about it. 

So. 

I may not have been keeping up my blog, but I have been blurbing inanities on Facebook. I'll cut & paste some of my status posts below, if only to prove to myself that I have, indeed, been alive and doing things. Here we go. (I'll insert commentary in parentheses.)

Sept 6

"Off the wagon." 

(I thought I'd try to cut down the copious amounts of Diet Coke I drink.)

 ~~~~~~

Sept 8

"Back on the wagon."   

(Good try.)

~~~~~

Sept 9  

"Um, off the wagon. Again. And now I need some chocolate to accompany my caffeine."

(Got some flack for this one.)

~~~~~

 Sept 22 

"I love it when you finish a book and let out a huge, delicious SIGH because it was so good."

(One person commented that I'd also feel this way when finishing a rousing game of "Halo." I'll leave it to you to decide if that commenter was MALE or FEMALE. Snort.)

~~~~~

Sept 23

"Helping with Mimi's field trip...I need a Diet Coke." 

(The photo speaks for itself.)

On the bus with a herd of wild 1st graders.

~~~~~

Sept 26 

"My new favorite running song! Especially for a girl (me) who tweaks out to marching bands!"  

("This Too Shall Pass" by OK Go. I really do think I will love this song forever.) 

~~~~~

Oct 4

"Where's the f-ing Calgon?" 

(Not my finest hour. I posted this at 6pm; it had been a realllly long day.)

(I got censured by my mother publicly on FB for this status. Sigh.)

~~~~~

Oct 5 

"I think I'm in over my head."

(I was T-5 minutes from the start of Boot Camp for Runners. In retrospect, I definitely WAS in over my head.)

~~~~~

Oct. 6

"So. Tonight I went to Boot Camp for Runners. Everyone there looked great in spandex and were all trying to improve their times and endurance for marathons. I, on the other hand, looked like a contestant on The Biggest Loser as I was attempting the regime."

(Seriously, if you can picture what the very L A R G E people look like on "The Biggest Loser" show when they are being pushed to their absolute limit--that was me. While, I might add, all the OTHER runners looked like they were from "Chariots of Fire.")

~~~~~

Oct 6, later that day... 

"I am so sore today that I look like a zombie when I walk...."

(No lie. I couldn't bend my legs. Every muscle hurt. Even my throat muscle hurt. I saw a friend at the grocery store who exclaimed, "You really are walking like a zombie!") 

~~~~

Oct 6, much later that same day...

"It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark..."

At the "Thriller" performace with my partner-in-crime friend, Ali

Oct 14

"D"

(Accidentally posted the letter D as my status. Got 45 hilarious comments.)

~~~~~

Oct 27

"I'm choppin' broccoli."

(I really was! Every time we have broccoli for dinner, I sing that song--sometimes under my breath, sometimes LOUDLY.)

~~~~~

Nov 3

"The mother in "Mommy Dearest" no longer seems so crazy to me. Actually, I can totally relate to her."
(A surreal night of chaos at kids' bedtime. There are no words.)

~~~~~

Nov 4

"A little r&r with P&P."

(Some down time with Mr. Darcy.)

~~~~~

Nov 5

"I'm at the park with kids and keep hearing a rustling sound behind me. Suspicious that a dog or something is sneaking up behind me, I keep whipping around--to see nothing. Yeahhhhh, turns out that rustling noise is the sound of falling leaves."

(It happened just like that. Falling leaves were making seemingly loud crunching sounds as they plopped onto the leaf pile under the tree. Creeped me out.)

(**In my defense, I was totally alone at the park. Except for the 2 toddlers with me--and how could two small babies protect me from a Wizard of Oz-esque tree???)

~~~~~

And there we have it. My borderline turrets blurbs from facebook. Tune in tomorrow for a real post! 

 

The Return of Friday Funny!

My favorite part: everyone bowing to Japanese Michael Scott, in deference to authority! Haha!

** What is your favorite part? **

To Mom.

Top Reasons We Love Grannie:

1. When we go there, there is always stuff to do & places to go. -Max

2. I was able to get to so many souvenirs in Washington, D.C. Thank you! -Sis

3. She loves to play village with me & Sis. -Mimi

4. She has the villages all set out to play with when we get there. -Sis

5. She takes us out to eat! -Max & Sis

6. She gave me an orange purse for Washington, D.C. with $40 in it! -Sis

7. I love that she loves to play with us and goes to the park. She is a spontaneous Grannie! -Max

8. She greets us at the door when we get to her house! -Sis

9. When we go there, she always has nests set up all cozy for us. -Max & Sis

10. She likes to collect rocks like I do. -Sis

11. She has pretty pedicures and pretty blue eyes. -Mimi

12. I love to go to her house because she does crafts with us, like the paperbag house and the bendy girl! -Sis

13. I like her pink high heels with flowers on them. -Mimi

14. I like to play fill-or-bust with Grannie!!! -Max

15. She brings us to the Discovery Center and the zoo and the park. -Mimi

16. She likes to go with me to Jimmy's and to Panda for chinese food. -Sis

17. She bought me a cute ladybug necklace. -Sis

18. WE LOVE TO PLAY WIFFLE BALL WITH GRANNIE!!! -Everyone

19. I love wasting her at Enchanted Forest! -Max

20. I love the classic Bob & Obo stories. -Max

Thank you, Mom, for being the best Grannie to my children!
Their childhood will be entwined with happy memories with you.
Just like mine.

Chapter 5: In Which the Day Passes in a Delightful Fog

Last night while watching Jack Bauer administer my weekly dose of violence, I polished off the remains of the best (best!) chocolate cake I've ever eaten.

We had dinner that evening at a great little restaurant. My poor father had taken home the rest of his cake, but it never had a chance--my mom and I pounced upon it like jackals late last night. (best!) A great way to end the day: "24" and rich chocolate dessert.

Today was a relaxing day, I'm pretty sure. It's a bit of a blur, as I was floating through it on a drug-induced haze. I am still getting electric shocks of pain through my head, originating at the point of root canal impact.

Or perhaps I am being struck by lightning in punishment for my regrettable habit of swearing under my breath.

Either way, the pain meds help.




My mom and I took Jack to his favorite playland and he wore himself ragged.


Afterwards, he came home and napped, exhausted from jumping and sliding. I also napped, exhausted from lightning bolts through my head. And that felt so decadent--to take a nap in the middle of the day! With no interruptions from tattling or arguing children! Luxurious.

We met up with my dad at Red Robin for lunch.


At one point I noticed that my dad had a sensible plate of grilled chicken & a salad, and I had...

....this.

Later I accompanied my mom to the mall where we had a delightful time checking out pretty spring shoes.

These were one of my favorites, in a soft turquoise. I canNOT believe I didn't document the other ones we saw because they were all so luscious! This season's shoes are the best I've seen in years.

And wouldn't you know it....This season I am the poorest I have been in years! Hmmm, what price does vicodin fetch on the street? Kidding! I wouldn't sell my precioussss even for shoe money.

And here is the crowning achievement of the day.

A black jacket, ruffley and feminine.

(The picture certainly doesn't do it justice, but by the time I thought to take a picture I was wearing my nerdy polka dot fleece jammie pants--and that would just be a very weird outfit. Even for me.)

But! It was $99 and I got it for $23! And I'm pretty sure I wasn't hallucinating, even though I was in a delightful, drug-induced fog.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

SPT: In Which Our Heroine Gets Her Roots Done

Monday I was treated to my 2nd root canal in two months.

It hurt. More on that tomorrow; I have a humor angle, but right now I am simultaneously in pain and high as a kite.

So I'm kicking back, loving my vicadin (pictured above at lower right), and soaking up a little violence a la Jack Bauer.


p.s. Since I have just advertised that I am in possession of pain pills, if you are a prescription pain pill addict and plan to raid my stash, please stay away. I have no filter in my drug-induced haze and will channel my Inner Jack Bauer against you.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

SPT: Give Me a Break

I have been hitting the trails again now that spring is here--my favorite form of therapy. Today was just a stroller walk but I've been running (wogging, really) on my favorite trails and I am determined to feel like a runner again. Sigh.

Running is my natural Prozac.

The trail of zen.

(go to Lelly's blog to join in on the Self Portrait Tuesday fun!)
Lelly, you're Lelly-licious! xoxo

All Hail the Return of SPT!

Cue the trumpets! Trumpets for the grand return of Self Portrait Tuesday! Thank you Lelly! (lellysmusings.blogspot.com....I can't seem to do links from Blogpress, %^*#!)

{late last night}

Spring Break at my parents' house, free at last of children for the day and reading in bed.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy Happy Easter

A Little Mid-Week Swoon.

I'm working my way out of the dark cave I've been hiding in, so here's a little treat for you whilst I fold my laundry and finish my next post.

Warning: The video jumps around quickly, so you may have to watch it many times. Many...delicious....times.

Can't Process.

I have lots to post about my family's trip last month to Washington, D.C.

However, I've been reading about a far different trip, a regular-just-like-me type of woman's trip into hell, and I can't stop thinking about her journey. Go read, then come back and process with me.

**Thoughts?**

This is How I Roll

I am in the Washington, D.C. area with my family to attend my sister's JAG graduation.

Severe storm warnings from the National Weather Service. Blizzard conditions in the city. 35" of snow in D.C., 18" where we are staying. The National Guard was called to the city where we are staying.





Only me.



(Stay tuned--the adventure continues tomorrow!)




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Heard on my flight to D.C.:

"I'll just slip off my shoes..."

Oh, please no, man in the seat behind me. I beg you.

Yep, he did.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

As Good as it Gets

The best possible way to spend a Friday afternoon.

Thanks, Ali!

Happy Birthday Dad!

The kids each made you a fill-in-the-blank birthday card!
Hope you have a fun birthday.
We love you!

Phantom Exhaust Fumes at 12:31am

1. I have to get up at 5am tomorrow and I cannot fall asleep.
2. It's 12:31am.
3. I drove home today from Idaho.
4. No, I did not guzzle a 5-hr energy.
5. I am smelling exhaust fumes every time I inhale, even though I am in my bed and I know very well there is no exhaust pipe in here. Blech.
6. I am dreading the treadmill tomorrow because I am out. of. shape.
7. I've been mulling over my Word of the Year for 2010 and all the self-reflection is making me a little sick at heart. I feel like such a shambles of a person.
8. Things always look better in the morning.
9. I miss my mom.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Blagh.

Portrait of Me & Mimi
by Mimi

I was going to gag if I had to look one more time at that last Christmas post, so here is a picture--ANY PICTURE!--for the interim until I can put together a new post.