Much Ado About Nothing

Compared to yesterday, today was relatively quiet. I got Nick's and the girls' rooms cleaned up. I also made some headway on some of my school work and finally got my classroom observation scheduled for this course. The public schools have half days tomorrow and Friday so with Aaron home to watch the girls, I can go observe a science lesson at the charter school. I've been trying to actually make healthy dinners without too much leftover. Monday we ended up finally throwing out a bunch of leftovers that just were not getting eaten. We had one pot of what had started out as beef chunks over rice. Over the weeks, leftover veggies, meat, and potatoes had gotten added to the mix. So even on the days is was being eaten, it ended up gaining more than was consumed. In my defense, it was not me who added the additional stuff to the pot. Yesterday I experimented with pork chops. I took the boneless chops, rolled them in italian seasoning, sliced them down the middle, but not all the...

I stole this idea (well not really, she did challenge others to do this) from my friend's blog spot. Here's what you do: 1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer 2) Select the 4th picture in the folder 3) Explain the picture 4) Tag 4 people to do the same Well I'm skipping step 4 and just inviting anyone who reads this to do the same. So this picture was taken at Legoland when I took Aaron and Daniel for vacation a couple of summers ago. This is called the Creole Queen and is a lego replica of a steamboat found in Mississippi/Louisiana. I took a picture of it because my brother served his mission for the LDS Church in Louisiana and I thought he'd get a kick out of seeing it made out of legos. The whole trip was a nice break for us. It was the first vacation I had been on with just the older boys since before Neil and I got married. But if anyone is considering Legoland as a family vacation, I would highly recommend it. It's not just f...

Today was supposed to be easy. Send Cierra to Joy School, get a sitter for Rachel, go to the dentist. As much as I dislike going to the dentist (I've been a lot lately between me and the kids), it beats what today turned out to be - exhausting. I had actually been at the dentist yesterday getting the temporary crown for my root canal and some other fillings taken care of. I left the girls with a dear friend warning of sniffly noses and a dry cough. When I picked them up 3 1/2 hours later (yes, it really took that long and the dentist is not that far away) she mentioned that the sneezing had gotten really bad. I thought maybe it was an allergic reaction to the cat, though they'd never seemed to have an issue before. Nope, not an allergic reaction. Cierra woke up a couple of times last night screaming in agony and Rachel crawled in bed with me and moaned most of the night. So after dropping the boys at school I took the girls to the doctor's office. Since I was a walk-in, we ...

With all the recent meetings and activities, the house has taken a back seat in priorities. So today, with nothing else on the agenda, is cleaning day. I banished the little kids to my room to watch television while I started in the kitchen. Two hours later, I am putting the cushions back on the couch and finishing up the mopping when they come in wanting food. That's fine. I tell them they must eat at the table. They sit down and I hop on the computer to work on some school work while the kitchen floor dries and the kids eat. Here comes Cierra with the mop in tow. I tell her that it's not time to mop the hallway because I have to sweep first and she needs to put the mop back. She's fine with that, but that mommy instinct kicks in and wonders about the status of the kitchen floor. Right on target, she and Rachel have slopped mop water everywhere. I kick them out of the kitchen just as the phone rings. It's Neil asking how my day is. So I rant to him about having to re-m...

What a long week. I should keep better notes, but I'm too exhausted. Otherwise I would post more often. Monday is the last day of my school week and that is when everything is due. So I spent the majority of Monday on the computer posting assignments. Other than that, it was a quiet day with nothing major going on. Tuesday I took Cierra to Joy School and then went to the library and park with Rachel. Aaron had a half-day so I picked Cierra up from Joy School and headed to the middle school for Aaron. Later, after picking up the boys, I took Aaron to band practice. They were calling themselves Armegeddon but have changed the name again and I can't recall what it is now. It started with a B I think. Tuesday night Neil had his 11-yr-old scouts at the house and I tried to keep the little kids out of his way. Wednesday was just a regular day once I got over the anxiety of Neil having to be in court and whether or not I should join him. My visiting teachers came and visited in the af...

It's been a long day. Neil had to go to court this morning to fight with the ex over stupid stuff. He didn't think I needed to go because it should just be a quick ruling on the need for counseling and giving (or not giving) power the ex thinks she should have. Court was at 8:30. I got a phone call at 8:00 to set up an interview for 9:30. I dropped the two younger boys at school at 8:15, got a phone call asking how soon I can get to the courthouse. I make a phone call to my visiting teacher to see if she can watch the girls. She's getting her daughter out the door and says she'll come over as soon as she gets dressed. By the time I've returned home from the school, Neil has called back saying I don't need to come after all. Apparently, his lawyer didn't show up at 8:00 and he was getting a little freaked out about whether or not I needed to be there when the ex showed up with her mother. Luckily, the lawyer showed up and calmed his nerves, and I was able to ...

I forced myself to finish Sense and Sensibility. I think I kept wanting Jane Austen to live up to her reputation. I honestly cannot comprehend why she is considered such a notable writer. I consider myself well-read and I try to read a variety of genres. Jane Austen writes dumb stories. I will not read any more of them.

Everyone else was at school so I took Rachel Rachel to the library and then the park. She decided she wanted to swing. She swings in the baby swings because she likes to fly. This requires no hands on the chains and she has learned from experience that letting go of the chains on the big swings causes her to fall, not fly. After a couple of big pushes she let go and was flying as she says "like a bird." "Are you a bird?" "No, I don't have feathers." We then discussed what could and could not fly. Birds can, chickens can, ducks can't. Cats can't, cows can't, people can. "Can you fly if you jump from the roof of the house?" "No" "Can you fly if you jump from the hood of the car?" "No" "Can people really fly?" "Yes" You'll never convince her otherwise.

As we were driving to the dentist, Cierra (politely even) tells Nick "Excuse me, you've got to see this cactus." Pointing out the window she laments that it only has one arm. Nick replies, "That's okay, when he gets older he'll get lots of arms, like a spider and an octopus."

This week has been pretty busy. Not much going on Monday, but Tuesday Cierra had Joy School and a dentist appointment. Daniel also visited the dentist to finish up some work started over the Christmas break. Cierra didn't do so well so was referred to a pediodontist. I called him that afternoon and scheduled a consult for Wednesday. That night I had a Cub Scout Day Camp meeting and a Pow Wow meeting. Luckily they were both down at the council offices so I split time between the two and left feeling that both had been a waste of my time. Wednesday I took Nick and Cierra in for their dentist consult and left with a Thursday appointment for Nick and a double booking for both of them on Monday. That night I missed a t-shirt design meeting for Wood Badge and the older boys skipped out on their combined youth activity because neither were interested in watching movies. Thursday Daniel woke up - well really didn't wake up - so I let him stay home with the girls while I took Nick to hi...

I remember why I don't like dentists. But the kids needed to go so I took them back in September for a cleaning. They all needed work so I scheduled them to go during Christmas break. Both Nick and Cierra did not do well with just a local anesthetic so the dentist referred us to a pediodontist. I liked him better. Not only will he sedate the kids before doing work, he doesn't find it necessary to put crowns on teeth that will most likely be falling out within the next year. Today was Nick's trip for sedation. He didn't like the taste of the orange soda they gave him - possibly because it was laced with Valium and Demerol. But he did get to wear the gas mask (nitrous oxide) and he got a new toothbrush that lights up and a car and Scooby Doo stickers. He also got a milkshake since he's only supposed to eat soft foods until the numbing wears off. Overall I think it was a positive experience and if it means he doesn't mind going to the dentist in the future, I'm...

I get a weekly email from my dad. I tried doing it for a while, but decided my life wasn't that interesting. But I know there are people out there who like to get an update so I'll post my weekly ramblings here and others can come catch up on my life if they so choose. Last Monday Neil started a new job. He had been laid off with a decent severance package in September and I was getting used to him being around helping out with the kids in the morning. He had done some house-painting for a couple of weeks in October, but decided he didn't particularly care for that kind of work. He's not sure what exactly he is supposed to be doing in this job, but I imagine he'll figure it out or make it up as he goes along. The kids were still home all week for winter break and decided they wanted a New Year's Eve party. So I made them clean the house in preparation. Tuesday I went to do splits with the missionaries. I was going to be with one sister doing appointments and doo...

I realized today was my last day of real freedom before the kids go back to school. It has been a luxury to be able to run errands without having to drag anyone along. After leaving a short list of chores for the kids, I ran over to the library to exchange materials then called a friend to see if she was available to go to lunch. We went to a restaurant called Chompie's. I know they're a chain but don't know how universal. I had a half sandwich and a small bowl of soup. Glad I went with the small portion - I had to bring home the sandwich. After chatting for a bit and getting my therapeutic fix, I filled the car with gas and did some quick grocery shopping. Aaron has gone over to a friend's house to spend the night and Daniel and Neil are off on Daniel's first boy scout camp out. Alyx and Derek are at their mom's house for the weekend so it's just me and the little guys. They're being entertained by Caillou and I'm looking forward to a quiet evening ...

Rachel received a princess dress up set for Christmas. It came with purple shoes which she loves to wear and clip-clop around the house. This evening she wanted to wear them and couldn't remember where she had left them. I told her to go check her bedroom. She walked into her bedroom and began calling "Where are you princess shoes? Where are you?" When that didn't work, she then yelled "Come out, come out wherever you are!"

So I'm trying to start the new year out right by actually keeping track of daily thoughts and happenings. We were up until 1:30 with friends and cleaning up a little of the mess made by the various poppers. Much more cleaning to do today but both trashcans are full and garbage man does come until tomorrow. I'm thinking about resolutions. I guess we're supposed to make them, but I have found that having a list of goals isn't really my style. I know in my head what I want to do and I either do it or I don't. I don't need the guilt associated with being unable to scratch anything off the list. Plus, it's not like I have any really bad habits like smoking or drinking or excessive overeating that I need to modify. No, my bad habits are more about attitude. So my one resolution that I'm really going to work at is to just be a happier person. Yeah, life can have its challenges, and I'm definitely facing some of my own. But complaining about them won't m...