Friday, October 31, 2008

Kooky Thursday...

Yesterday afternoon was just kooky. It was one of those days where weird things just kept happening one right after another.

We were in a rush for soccer practice because that's how Thursdays go. Zack's practice was canceled because his coach lives down near where the Obama Rally was happening and said that traffic was ridiculous. Matt decided to keep Skyler's practice as scheduled as the traffic wasn't too bad where we were.

* Zack's aftercare program called and said that he wasn't feeling well could we come get him.

* We ended up running late because Matt was lending an ear to a friend who is going through some emotional medical stuff.

* When I got there to pick up Zack he had fallen asleep sitting at a table. I COULDN'T wake him up. I lifted up his torso and shook him and he was spaghetti. He was breathing but not waking up. He's done this before. I got a bit nervous after a few minutes so I sent Zack's friend outside to get Matt because I can't carry the big boy. A minute or so later, I was able to shake him/pat him awake. Matt came in all nervous and carried him out. Once he woke up fully he was fine for the rest of the night. He NEVER sleeps this hard. You can wake him up in the middle of the night if you need to. WEIRD.

* I was sitting in the car with Zack and look up and one of the kids is bleeding profusely from the nose. Matt had picked him up after he collided with another kid and was covered. The group of parents got them both cleaned up.

* I went to take Skyler to the bathroom and when I got back one of the siblings of Skyler's teammate had locked herself in the car, she's 15 months or so old. Some of us stood outside the car entertaining her like monkeys while Mom got a ride home for the spare key. She TOTALLY didn't care that she was locked in the car and made good use of the time exploring everything while I tried to talk her out of climbing in the back-back. Mom couldn't find a spare and eventually talked her into the front seat to play with the door lock buttons again. This was just as one Dad was calling AAA and I had pulled out my phone to call the police. This little tot is going to give her parents a run for it - she's got a sparkle in her eye!

At this point Matt and I were exhausted and just hoping that nothing else would happen. Everyone was fine, but you just kept expecting another little emotional jolt.

I'm hoping that today is uneventful!

Happy Halloween!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Clothes troubles...

Is it just me or is everyone else having a hard time dressing their child this winter? I finally got both kids outfitted in enough pants for the winter (once I realized that Zack is now in a size TEN) and now I can't find them long sleeve shirts to save my life. Don't get me wrong, the stores are filled with enough crap to buy but I'm hear me out... For Skyler I'd like her to look five, not fifteen. Target is full of things that make her look like a teenager. Usually Old Navy has cute graphic tees and shirts but when I went in there and held one up I could SEE THROUGH IT. Hello, could they get ANY cheaper? And I don't mean the cost. I'm trying to be frugal and haven't hit the mall yet but it looks like I might have to. Zack happens to be in between sizes for shirts and he's being picky about it so I'm trying to find mediums that run big or larges that run small and it's a giant pain in my ass.

I have a hard enough time trying to dress myself, which I've basically given up on, when did it also become so difficult to dress my children? I used to be able to walk into any children's store and pick up anything in their size and all would be right with the world.

GAH!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Vote Barack!

I'm heading to bed, until tomorrow Matt thought you might enjoy this:



Jedi Master...

Zack: Skyler, Mommy bought ice cream at the store last night.
Skyler: {squeeee} I want some.
Zack: You have to wait until I'm done with my homework.

{Zack goes on doing homework. 10 minutes goes by}

Skyler: Zaaaack, come on I want ice cream.
Zack: Patience my little Padawan, patience.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Obligatory Weekend Wrap-up post...

We had a very busy weekend and everyone had something that they would call fun! Friday evening we went as a family to the kids' school for their Fall Festival. They got to have their faces painted and play games for candy. We enjoyed seeing all the kids in costumes and talking to parents and teachers.








Saturday was soccer as usual. It was warm but there were a few sprinkles. Zack proclaimed early that he hoped for a down pour as the last time he played in the rain was "the best day of my life". It doesn't take much huh? Matt and I were impressed as we watched him this week. It was as though he had just woken up for the first time since September. Prior to this weekend he's had a lot of pain in his heels. This week the pain seemed to have left and he was on fire on the soccer field. He was pretty proud of himself and got at least two goals (I'm bad with the details).




Once Zack gets moving, there's not much stopping him. This player got in front of him and they both ended up on the ground. Everyone was okay.

OH speaking of soccer. The kids' play for different age groups and have their games at different locations. The field where Zack plays has the distinct odor of onions. Onions you say? Yes onions. It's the most bizarre thing but the field is covered in thousands of sprouts of what look like scallions I guess. It's overwhelming and nauseating. I think I'm actually allergic to them as I always leave there with a headache. All the parents talk about it every Saturday. I've never noticed anything like it so I thought I'd share.



Saturday evening Matt and I went to dinner and a movie with dear friends Mike and Amy. We had a great time celebrating Mike's birthday as usual. There were lots of laughs, several bottles of sake emptied, and full bellies of sushi.

Sunday morning Zack and I had a date to see High School Musical 3. He was SO excited to see this movie. Note to other parents, Sunday morning is the perfect time to see a movie. It's fairly quiet and costs about half as much as a regular show. Zack had a grin from ear to ear as we watched. Part way through the movie the projector started having trouble. It took them about ten minutes to fix it which worked for the several groups who had kids that needed to go to the bathroom. On the way out they gave each of us an additional pass to see another show. For the record, that's TWO movies in one weekend and possibly another before the end of 2008. I certainly haven't seen that many movies in YEARS! Directly from the movies I had to run and pick up Skyler at a birthday party so that Matt and Zack could go wrastle with alligators. Skyler and I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to find pants that would fit Zack. Despite my frequent pleas, the kid will just not stop growing. We weren't real lucky until we hit Old Navy which I had meant to stop at last week. Oh well. We spent the rest of the afternoon snuggling and watching movies. It was a nice weekend. Both kids were asleep right when their pretty little heads hit their pillows!

I'm having trouble adding pictures. I'll post pictures from the weekend later!

Friday, October 24, 2008

A must read...

My friend Martin wrote an incredibly moving post on his blog this week. It brought tears to my eyes.

http://www.covertcomplexity.com/ It's the "Hitting Home" entry on October 20th.

I hope we all get a little bit of inspiration from the story.

A very busy weekend...

Skyler's social calendar is very heavy beginning yesterday and on through Sunday. Yesterday she had her class field trip (pictures to follow) and soccer practice. Today she has her class fall party this morning. She is seeing High School Musical with her friend this afternoon. She has the school's Fall Festival this evening. We have soccer tomorrow morning and afternoon. She is missing a birthday party that I am not telling her about and Sunday she has a birthday party. At some point this weekend I will need to take Zack to see High School Musical or he just won't be able to show his face in school on Monday. {eye roll} Sunday afternoon Matt and Zack are alligator wrestling again. SO, i'll be busy busy playing taxi driver. I'm hoping to get some good pictures too.







Political link:

There is so much to comment on in politics but the thing that made the biggest impression on me today was this video. I laughed HARD. You'll have to click because I can't embed it for some reason.

ABC News Link

Remind you of anyone?

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Tips for having your vote count!

One of my favorite bloggers, Bossy, did a post today on making sure to have your ducks in a row before you vote. I thought it was timely and had important information so I'm going to be a big old copy cat.

There is a website that you can use to ensure that your voter registration information is complete and accurate. Don't wait until the November 4th to check. Make sure your vote goes through without a hitch.

Go HERE, The National Association of Secretaries of State, and select your state. Many states have changed their requirements for this election, you may need additional identification, or proof of residence, or you may need to hop on one foot and pat your tummy. Click through to your state and check to see that you are registered and that the information is accurate. Check to make sure that you know where you're supposed to go when you vote and what the hours are.

Bossy also says:
Even more voting day tips: if your right to vote is challenged, do not accept a provisional ballot which deposits your name at the bottom of a very long list of problem ballots. Instead, demand adjudication from the poll judges, who are always present in each voting location.

This means you have the right to stand there until a decision is made about your status—but it also wouldn’t hurt to carry this phone number to help yourself or others around you: 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

I've heard of situations where someone's address didn't match on their registration and their ballot was put in a pile. I'm guessing it was "the pile to nowhere". Make sure your vote gets counted!!!

Three reasons it's hard to get any shopping done with "Fashionista" in tow...






Monday, October 20, 2008

Back to normal...

Everything is all back to normal. I didn't think Zack could sustain the niceness thing very long. Whew. I was beginning to get comfortable with the idea of kids who enjoy each others' company. We wouldn't want that to happen. Zack is back to teasing his sister and basically being irritated with every word out of her mouth.

Buttering me up...

I'm a bit confuddled this morning sitting here thinking about my kids who got along so well this weekend. They got along REALLY well, like we've done something terrible or want something big well. I just kept staring at them as though they've each separately whacked their heads, but I couldn't remember an accident, and except for the behaviour they didn't show any signs of injury. I'll give you a few examples.

Saturday evening we had dinner with our friends Tom and Jenn who have a son Zack's age. When the two of them get together there is never any room for Skyler besides which, in their eyes, she's a disgusting little girl. Well things were going along normally at first, they were all coloring, and they made her cry. She came in the kitchen and we all determined that she'd do better coloring with the grownups at the table. About 30 minutes later the boys come in with special pictures they've colored for her and the bottom of Zack's says "I heart you". I had to get it tested for his handwriting and double check that that's what he meant to write. He said that it was. GREAT GOOGLYMOOGLY he likes her, he really likes her. Oh wait, maybe the two of them hit Matt's new car with their bikes, or were planning to run HER over with their bikes. I wasn't sure but I was wary.

The kids continued getting along the remainder of the weekend, always with me watching cautiously for Skyler to be disappointed or for all heck to break loose. Last night Zack was begging for ice cream and we had the following conversation:

Me: Okay, here's the deal, you can have ice cream AFTER I cut your hair
Z: {small haircut whine} Can my sister have ice cream too? So that I don't tease her by having ice cream by myself?
Me: Oh Zack, that's very nice of you. I love when you worry about your sister's feelings.
Z: I WANT to be nice to my sister. Can she have ice cream too?
Me: Of course.

Normally this conversation would have been our deal and then Zack telling his sister that HE gets ice cream and SHE doesn't because she didn't get a haircut. Feel the love?

We'll see how this develops. I'm giddy with all the love right now. I'm sure it won't last!

How was YOUR weekend?

Political Mumbo Jumbo:

I was very pleased to see Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama on Meet the Press on Sunday morning. He is so well spoken and put so much thought into his decision. Listen here:



Sunday, October 19, 2008

First cool weekend is a quiet one...

We've had a quiet weekend so far. Soccer was canceled because of rain. Skyler and I hit up the library for LOTS of books instead. We had a nice dinner with friends Tom & Jenn at their house and watched the beginning of the Red Sox game. We've had our first cool weekend which Zack just can't get his head around and refuses to wear cool weather clothes. Skyler and I are puttering around doing crafts and laundry.

I didn't watch SNL last night but found this clip which was THE AWESOME. Amy Poehler is my new hero. Not because of the song, but because she's 9 months pregnant and moving around like that!!



Friday, October 17, 2008

Still in a funk over the death of our car...

Yeah yeah yeah. I've been MIA all week. The whole car thing had me totally stressed out and I just wasn't in the mood to write.

We determined that dumping money into Matt's car would be stupid. We're called time of death and are having a funeral. We did find a new vehicle (well new to us) Wednesday evening. The whole process makes me nauseous and do you know how difficult it is to find a vehicle that can comfortably house someone who is 6'6" tall? I really wasn't prepared mentally to purchase a new vehicle and I hated doing it. I would much rather have gone another at least six months without that car payment. SO, I'm taking my irritation out on the new car and have not yet professed my love for it. Matt has already declared RULES about riding in it and after the first day had the dust buster out there. I fear that the kids and I are going to have to remove our shoes and wrap ourselves in seran wrap before entering his sacred space.

The only thing that's truly cheered me up this week has been this picture. I laugh EVERY time I click on it. EVERY.TIME. The best part is that it isn't even Photo Shopped!



Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The Sh!t Hits the Fan...

{BIG pathetic sigh} Matt's car broke down Monday morning. We thought it might cost just under $1,000 to fix it which was enough to make me nauseous. We stopped by the garage yesterday afternoon (we're now commuting with one car) and I waited outside with my book while Matt went in for an update. I waited and waited and waited. Each passing minute telling me that nothing good was going on in there. When he finally came out with the ugly nasty $5,500 number written on a piece of paper I damn near had a panic attack. It needs a new engine and a whole slew of things to go with it. I don't understand it all but there was something to do with a serpentine belt and a tension pulley blahblity blah blah blah. Too much damage was done to save it. They said it was just a fluke. Matt spent a lot of time on the phone with his mechanically inclined brother (Thanks Ben!) last night confirming the diagnosis.

We're pretty sure we don't want to put that kind of money into a car that's seven years old. Thankfully it's paid off. We just hadn't planned on buying a new car until sometime next year. This sucks HUGE!

{another big pathetic sigh}

Monday, October 13, 2008

I almost forgot...

One of the very best parts about your kids going off to school, Kid Artwork!







Pumpkin Patch Fun...

I FINALLY managed to bring a camera somewhere with me. The family went to a pumpkin patch this weekend and had so much fun! I'll just get right to the pics:

Can we bring this one home?

Going on a hayride.


The family Skyler wishes she had (Mike Amy & Nate).

My clone.

Family photo via Daddy's freakishly long arms.





Pumpkin Drum





What pumpkin patch would be complete without a giant hill of mulch?

Or a peacock?

This is a pen of goats. Two of them were rubbing their necks affectionately (?) against each other for a long time. This must have made an impression on Skyler because on Sunday she told my mother that we saw goats "making love". I quickly had to explain to my mom what she meant.

Just for giggles here are some soccer pics from a couple of weeks ago:


Look at those long legs. This was the day that she had me do her hair like Princess Leia. There are about 20 bobby pins on either side of her head.



That was the most exciting part of our weekend short of the story of my next Bad Mommy Award (forgot to take Zack to a birthday party) and my fight with the idiot in "Customer Service" at the ToysRUs website. Ask how many times I said the word "bullshit" to him. There are some days when you really and truly wish that yours is the call that is being monitored for customer satisfaction.

Political Links:

The Electoral Map continues to look pretty. And by pretty I mean blue.

Matt finally read my blog post from last week that had the Sarah Palin song on it and loved it so much that he can't stop singing it which entertains me greatly. The fun part is that they recorded another song that's even funnier. Click through from my last post. I can't update it right this minute but will fix it tonight


A few people have expressed concern about Obama's support of military members. I think there is a mistaken impression that if you don't support the war, that you don't support the military members themselves. For me, a good indicator of supporting the troops is where each candidate stands with Veteran groups. I have heard several stories that most Veteran groups are terribly upset with McCain and went in search of what some non-partisan groups give as a rating for voting records on veteran issues.

Disabled American Veterans
McCain 20%
Obama 80%

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
McCain D
Obama B

Since Matt is a veteran and has veteran benefits this is something that concerns us. For more comparisons such as these for McCain and Obama or any other person running for any US elected office this is a great website Project Vote Smart Link to the McCain portion. Link to the Obama portion.

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