One Proud Mama

I just had to take a minute and jot down this moment for posterity's sake. Tonight at reading time Emma read me the whole book of Green Eggs and Ham! The whole book! I was so proud of her I was beaming. She really read it to, word for word. Lots of books we've read frequently she has memorized and just spouts them off but tonight she was actually reading the words. If she said something wrong or forgot a preposition she would correct herself and get it right. I lavished praise on her when she finished and she was so proud of herself as well. She's been reading lots of smaller books but GE&H is pretty long and I thought she'd get tired half way through but she didn't.

Green Eggs & Ham has a special place in my heart because it's one of my Grandma's favorite books. She was a High School teacher (is retired now) and I can still remember walking in her class one year and she was reading it to her high school students. She introduced Dr. Suess to me at a young age and I've always had a soft spot for him in my heart.

Way to go Emma! I'm so proud of you.

How Facebook Ruined My Blog

A girl only has so much time a day to spend on the computer. I'm trying to set a good example for my children by making that time less rather than more. Then along came Facebook. Why oh why did I ever join? Am I as snoopy as everyone else. Stalking people I knew from ages ago just to see how they turned out. Combing through pictures of people I knew from yesteryear to see if the pretty ones still are pretty and the old boyfriends are still hot... or not? It's an addiction I tell you, and one I'm starting to resent.

When I log on to the computer, instead of going to my blog to update my life I find myself logging on to Facebook and checking out who's updating their profile pic and what everybody's "status" is. Honestly...I really don't need to know what my x boyfriend from high school is having for dinner! But somehow I'm intruigued and I keep going back for more. People from all phases of my life have found me on Facebook - including a classmate from like 2nd grade who I didn't even remember at first. It's been intriguing to me why people contact me after so many years, why do they even care what I'm doing and what does that say about me that I didn't contact them or sometimes even remember their name.

Not only is it taking away from my blog time but making me censor what I say because I have a link to my blog on my Facebook so I can't really talk about anyone who reads my Facebook in case they read my blog! I'd love to tell the story of this one xbeu which goes into the category of "what was I thinking?" but I can't now (he's a friend on Facebook)...Instead I find myself sending emails to so-and-so saying "can you believe this person that contacted me" and did you see so-and-so is on Facebook! I guess I could remove the link but who knows now who's lurking on my blog.

Don't get me wrong...I have found some awsome people from the past - like missionary friends who I never thought I would see or hear from again, and it's a great way to keep in touch with friends and family that I see all the time anyway. But there are sometimes I just think "hmmm? why the heck does this person want to be my friend (cyberly speaking) and do I really want them seeing what's going on in my life? Past boyfriends that maybe would be better off left up to the unknown...people from high school that didn't like me then so why now?...and then their are people who are friends of friends who I really don't even know asking to be my friend. Is it like a "friends" race to see who can have the most friends?

Some days I feel like maybe I should just close down my account so I can go back to spending time on things more important...but then I think the curiosity would kill me!

Bye, bye

My dad just pulled out of the driveway in his big Ford truck and 5th wheel. Emma is laying in bed sobbing because she's going to miss him. That's my drama girl. I'll miss him too but I'm not quite sobbing. She asked me the other day if "queens and kings go the bathroom like the rest of us?" She followed that up with "I'm ready to meet Baracko Bama now mom" (she thinks his first name is Baracko).

We're always sad when Po-Po goes home. While he was here he fixed my leaky toilet and my dishwasher that was falling out every time I opened it. He also helped me lay some weed block in my planters surrounding the grass in the backyard and amended the soil so it was all nice for planting. Friday I'm having 1500 lbs of rock delivered to go there. Wish me luck! Too bad Po-Po won't be here anymore...he got out just in time. Luckily I've recruited my husband. We'll be doing lots-and-lots-o-hauling this weekend. Wish me luck. I'm so lucky and grateful to have a dad that a) knows how to do lots of stuff and b) is willing to teach me how to do it. He's a great dad. We'll miss you po-po.

My sister was here last weekend and we had lots of fun with cousins. My silly card reader won't work so I'm having technical difficulties getting my pics uploaded. I have some cute ones from the snow trip. Dang computers. I'll post them soon though. Right after I sweep the floor, do the dishes, finish the laundry, finish the yard...

High Rollers

We got dressed up and had a great time at our neighborhood casino party Saturday night. Most awkward moment definitely goes to talking to a couple about the Mormon religion while my husband was raking it in on the craps table (fake money, people!) I knew it was nearing the end of a long evening of drinking when I started spotting multiple couples taking self-portraits of themselves kissing. But it was great to have a night out, and I definitely like being attached to such a smart, good-looking man. Not to mention that in addition to being quite the high roller (ending the night with over $7000), an economist becomes the most interesting person in a room these days!

You Learn Something New Every Day

1. My three-year old would actually have to drink an entire 4oz. bottle of children's tylenol for it to be toxic for a child of his weight, not just the 1/2 bottle he downed after I thought he was asleep last night. Thanks for a good night's sleep, Paul-in-Rochester-NY with Poison Control.

1a. If you have a VOIP phone service, Poison Control cannot accurately direct your phone call to your local office, which is how I got to hang out on the line with Paul-in-Rochester-NY at 12:30am. He kindly took down my information so that NEXT time, my call will be routed correctly. I hope I don't get to find out if it works.

2. I discovered tonight that DVR was invented specifically for watching the initial episodes of American Idol. Painful. So painful. I lost track how many times I fast forwarded through contestants just to hear the judges' feedback. I think it has been a long time since I have watched this early in a season. I repeat, PAINFUL!

2a. YES!! I finally understand why people have been hailing DVR as the greatest technology since the Internet!!! Even though I don't watch a ton of TV, it is my new best friend. Better than just having it is that it is free, thanks to the new fancy dancy home media server my husband and brother-in-law hooked a sista up with.

So there you go, can't say I didn't learn something new today!

Updates

I keep forgetting to update ya'all on a few items that I've been asked...

Yes we did get the plumbing problem fixed. My handy (not) husband did fix it himself (over the next couple of days) and everything is back to normal (except I can't use a plug in my kitchen sink for some reason and the wall behind the sink in the bathroom is kind of black still, but the smell is mostly gone). There are no leaks (we keep a bucket under the sink just to be sure) and we didn't have to pay a plumber to unplug the pipes (we only spent 30$ for parts and went 2 days without a kitchen or bathroom sink). We are getting the hang of this home ownership thing.

My new electric bill was 202.00. That's a savings of 566.00. Wow! Glad I called the Electric Company.

I figured out how to get my wood floors clean. Solution: Let your 20 month old alone for 5 minutes so he can get a hold of the dish soap and squirt it allllllll around the kitchen floor. Yes, lots and lots of soap does the trick.

My Personal Trainer

Snuggling in bed with my boys this morning, I'm laying on my side and they start poking at my stomach.

Nick: Hey, why is your tummy so big?
Me: You guys stretched it out, you were such big babies (they really were: 9lbs, 9.6 and 10)
Nick: Oh, so when your tummy is like this, do you think of us?
Me: Yes I think of you when I look at my fat tummy. But that's why I've been going to the gym, to make it smaller.

I roll to my back, gravity works its miracle.

Nick: Hey! It's all flat now! Maybe when you go to the gym, you should just lay on your back.

Just some things I want to say...

I love having a husband who will come home and watch the kids so I can go to the dentist - even when he's super busy at work. Even with Dave's crazy work schedule this time of year he's always makes a concerted effort to make sure I still have somewhat of a life even when he's not around. (Tax season stinks when you're an accountant). Not that going to the dentist is considered "having a life" but it's so nice being able to go to an appt without dragging kids along. Not that I'd take kids to my dentist appt. I just wouldn't go. It would be a great excuse to not have to go. BTW, have I ever mentioned how much I hate going to the dentist? I really, really dislike it. I just went for a cleaning yesterday and today my teeth feel wonderful! But I always get a pit in the bottom of my stomach when I'm driving there. I usually try to get out of it if I can. I have a little canker sore in my mouth so I called them yesterday morning to see if maybe I should reschedule. Unfortunately they didn't think it was any big deal and would "work around it". Drats...I thought I'd get out of it. They did give me a nice little patch that goes over the sore, and its tons better so I guess I can be thankful for that. I still remember in High School when my mom came to pick me up at a friends house to go to the dentist. I hid out in her bedroom and made her tell my mom I wasn't there! My mom drove away super mad and now that I'm a mom and have to drag kids around I feel totally bad about that! Sorry mom.

Benjamin...oh Benjamin. *sigh, sigh*. I've alway considered myself lucky that I didn't have kids that got into everything like some kids do... or draw on the walls... or play in the toliet...or smoother themselves with makeup and lotion. I was just considering myself lucky a little too early because along came Ben. He gets into everything! Proof:














When he's not getting into makeup and stuff he's playing with the toilet brush, or playing in the trash can, or finding Emma's markers and drawing on furniture. I've never had safety locks on my cabinets but I'm seriously considering it. Right now I just keep the bathroom door locked all day and make the kids use the guest bathroom that has nothing in it. Unfortunately, my bathroom has french doors with no lock (I know...weird, but I didn't put them in) so it's a little harder keeping him out of there.

The other morning while laying bed, Jacob told me he could only snuggle with me until he was 10 because then he would be an adult and couldn't snuggle with me anymore. I was sad about this until later that day he told me when he was 10 he would also have to move out (you know...since he would be an adult and all) but not to worry because he was building his house right next door. Or just buying one of the neighbors when they moved out. I was still sad about the snuggling part but happy he would be right next door.

I signed Jacob up for preschool starting on Tuesday and we are both very happy about it. He is a great kid but has been a little bored lately. Boredom in children only equates to one thing: Boredom = Naughty. It's just two days a week and he is so excited about it I kind of feel bad for not doing it sooner.

Emma has really been enjoying Kindergarten. She got an award last week for her reading skills. It's so fun to sit for reading time at night and she can actually read pages of the book. I love it. I've always loved reading and wanted to instill a love for reading to my kids. I started by taking them to the library when they were younger, but I've stopped that habit since the late fees I've accrued could buy us enough books to furnish our own library. I buy lots of books at garage sales and always support the book fairs at school so we have quite a good collection. Emma thinks she needs to hoard them all in her bedroom and stacks them so high they topple over. I've convinced her that our "library" in the toy area is like a real library and she can check out a certain number of books to keep in her room. If she wants to take more to her room she has to return the ones she already has to check out different ones. It's worked pretty good.

Does anyone have any good ideas to keep wood floors shiny? My goodness they are hard to keep clean. Especially around the dinner table. Annie - you used to have this problem. What did you use?

I Heart Valentine's Day

I just love an extra day to tell people how much I love them. I tell my family everyday but I like the thought of celebrating love. In the past, I always made handmade cards and mailed them out with candy and such. Since my craft stuff is still all packed up in boxes out in the guest house closet - I don't see that happening this year. It makes me a little sad but there is always next year.

I always hear people talk about how commercialized holidays have become. My thought is that the STORES have commercialized the holidays, but that doesn't mean WE have to commercialize them. Holidays are fun, memory building times to spend with family and it can simple and cheap. I love to celebrate holidays.

Here is a fun link of crafts/activities to do for Valentines day. Last year, I made heart shaped chicken nuggets, heart shaped jello, and pink mashed potatoes. I don't think anyone got as big a kick out of it as I did but that's okay. I like starting traditions while my kids are young, even though they don't appreciate it or totally understand it. That way, by the time the are old enough to get it - I'm already in the habit and haven't passed up an opportunity. They seem to grow so fast that sometimes I find myself wishing I would have done things differently and realizing it's to late. Hindsight is 20/20 right?

Happy Heart Day to everyone and I LOVE YOU!