I'm back

I'm sure you're wondering where I've been. I'd like to say I've had a busy Summer of traveling, jetting off to Britain, shopping in Italy, weekend visits to Disneyland and of course the week spent in the Carribean. But that would all be wishful thinking and a big fat lie. We have spent our Summer camping-mountain camping, soccer camping, football camping and of course Scout camping. It has also been a Summer of fits, fighting, whining and not adjusting to the chaos. K2 and K3 really do much better with the structure of school.

But the good news is school is back in session. Bad news-it has pretty much taken every bit of money that we have and they are still asking for more. Sigh. Does it ever end? We are fast approaching Fall, my favorite season. I'm itching to start the Fall decor. Is it too soon?

My goal is to try and become one of those bloggers that updates regularly-those crazy people. Think I can do it?

Cupcakes

While I really should be doing an update post about the last few crazy weeks of stomach flu, end of softball season, soccer games, etc. I am linking up to participate in Saucy's virtual cupcake party. I've been looking for an excuse to try out some of her suggestions and last night I made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. So good! They are quite a hit at our house-as evidenced by K3 and his cream cheese face:



Of course mine don't look as pretty as Saucy's-I don't own a frosting bag so I used a Ziploc gallon size bag with the corner cut out. It works but makes it a little harder to control. I also learned that I probably should have let the frosting sit in the fridge a while before I decorated. The heat in the kitchen made the icing a little runny but after a night in the fridge it set up great.




I have long wished that I could make cupcakes that actually taste as good as they looked and with Saucy's recipe I have found a way to do it.

randomness-story of my life

I've wrote many posts in my head. Then I sit down to the computer and spend too much time on other things. So much has happened, so much of my life spent running this child to that activity-that child to that activity. Of course school has finished and we have started the chaos of Summer.

K3 completed the First Grade and had a cute little program. If you appreciate 7 year olds screaming songs, which I tend to do. K3 is on the bottom row between two grown-up heads.


He also started baseball. He feels like such a tough guy. Now he can be just like his brother and sister.

I attempted to make Saucy's cupcakes for a dinner we were invited too. Nothing too fancy but man were they delicious. I should know-I ate at least a dozen by myself.

Last is a picture of K2's door. She placed this sign herself and didn't appreciate the laughter it created. But it seems appropriate for the way she has been acting lately.

OMH!

Guess who got his driving permit?




Guess who is having panic attacks?




I really thought I was ready for this. I'm not.

Sunbeam Challenge

Yesterday at MJ's place she participated in a Haiku festival and she choose to Haiku sunbeams. I was immediately taken back to my childhood and my obsession with lying in sunbeams. I commented to MJ that I hadn't done this since I was a child. She challenged me to change that.

So after work I headed first to my mom's house to pick up K3. Since this was the scene of where I most often laid in the sunbeams I searched there. Because of the timing there were none to be found in her house. On to last night-I told K2 & K3 of my challenge. We discovered in our living room a perfect patch of sun and sunbeams so we grabbed pillows off the couch and laid down. We spent that time talking about the upcoming Summer and all we want to do. We even attracted the dogs so our patch was quickly taken up.

I realized how little do I take the time to just relax with my children and talk about nothing and everything. We are too busy doing things and spend so little time laying around. I don't have that much more time with them to do it and I vowed to spend more time laying in the sunbeams-with and without them. I even sat on my porch with Buster and did it this morning. Thanks MJ for reminding me to take the time!

I have to admit Mother's Day is not on my top ten favorite Holidays. I am happy that I am a Mother and I am happy that I have a Mother but this Holiday is one where my DH fails miserably. He's not real big on spoiling and pampering me on this day and honestly his philosophy has been that I am not his Mother so why should he buy me anything. Luckily my Mother has filled in and made sure that my kids always get me something good and my kids always do little things. K1 even bragged to my friend how he did "things" read: his chores that he is supposed to do, without complaining.

But this morning I knew my day was over when I walked into a spilled glass of grape Crystal Light that nobody thought to wipe up. Or even mention. Purple Crystal Light all over my white fridge, tan floor and in the cracks of my fridge that I just cleaned last week, first time in a year. The Holiday is over. :)

Mother's Day

To the woman who made me who I am and who without I would be lost-thank you!.



To the children who made me a mother-thank you!



To all you other mother's- HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Sunday we went fishing. All day. One of those days that even though I applied sunblock four times I was still the color of a tomato when we got home. K3 was begging to take off his shoes and put his bare feet into the reservoir. The dirty, yucky reservoir with fish poop and other bacteria and grossness. I finally let him when I was accused of being an over-protective mom but it was against my better judgment (stupid DH!). That night he showed me a cut on his foot and I freaked-threw him in the bath tub and put lots of stuff on it to make sure nothing happened.

Fast forward to today- I woke up to my toe hurting. I had cut my toenails after we had gotten back from the lake and since I hadn't walked around without shoes I didn't think much of it. But-*TMI coming* my toe is infected. A nice red color with puss. And it hurts and throbs and is yucky. Unfortunately I don't have a hot toe doctor so I am going to self-medicate at least until I get a smurf toe. Or maybe an Elphaba toe. Haven't decided yet. But I am going to redo my pedicure tonight and make sure that my legs are shaved in case I have to have an emergency toe doctor appointment. Thanks to Cheri @ Blog This Mom for all the visuals I now have in my head and the knowledge of what needs to be done before I head to the doctor.

Random-K2 addition

*I've been looking at taking K2 to Vegas to see the Jonas Bros for her birthday. Backup plan in case we don't win the trip at Saucy's place. But I would much rather win the trip so we could meet Saucy, Loopy and MJ!

*K2 is starting to get her mojo back on the soccer field. Karma being karma-her ex-coach's son was ref-ing today and commented about all the wonderful things that the other coaches were saying about her skillz. I love karma.

*Softball is in full swing. Between that and soccer K2 is feeling the stress. Then she mentions wanting to join orchestra next year. I just laughed.

*3 more weeks of school. I enjoy summer but really hate bored-kid syndrome. This year I am trying to limit it to only ne soccer camp for the girl.

*I'm really enjoying Twitter. Do you think I am the only 30-something following Miley Cyrus? (it really is for K2 but I am drawing the lines on all the rest of the Disney crew). The coolest part? The first person to follow me was Stephenie Meyer. I almost fainted.

First Time Fishing

The Fam fishing. Aren't they cute?


K1 casting. He nicely told K3 that I suck at casting.


DH getting everybody ready.


My pink & black pole. So sweet!

Have you ever....

been running outside to get someone's attention and missed a stair and tried to stop yourself and really ended up launching yourself-flying onto wet grass, using your bad shoulder and neck to brace yourself? It really is a great way to get their attention. (And everybody else driving down the 2nd busiest road in our town). But even better would have been if somebody had a video camera taping it-I easily would have won America's Funniest.

I have been gone for so long. I have had so many posts run through my head but then something happens that sends my life upside down. In one month we have had 2 deaths, 1 wedding, my mom's surgery, illness and mourning for someone far away. I can't even begin to put into words all the turmoil, stress and grief I have dealt with this last month. I am truly ready for Spring and the new "beginning" of life. The true meaning of Easter really brings this home to us. Here's to sunshine and love and happiness and contentment. Break out the Spring.

We all handle stress, grief, worry, etc. differently. This month has been one of those months. March is the anniversary of my Mother-in-law's passing from breast cancer, it is also my wedding anniversary and add to it the diagnosis and schduled heart surgery of grandma #1 and re-marriage of step-grandpa there has been a lot of emotions running through out our house.

K3's reactions to things has been interesting. All of the sudden he is spending a lot of time talking about death and death related things. He is a relatively normal child, he watches a lot of Disney and Nickelodeon so I know he is not really seeing that there. I am assuming this is a result of stress and worry and a tad bit of grief.

Example 1: He has a giant bruise on his calf. I ask what happened, he shrugs and says "Maybe my bone is rotting." WTH?!

Example 2: Sitting on our bed watching t.v. with daddy he starts to have a bloody nose. It's Spring, here in Utah we go from extremes, one minute it is 70° sunny and beautiful the next snow. But we are used to it, K1, DH and my brother all had bloody noses growing up-not really a big thing. A couple of hours later K3 is in the bath. I hear a very quiet but panicked "momma!" and rush in. Another nose bleed. Poor little boy says "I don't want to die!". One of the most pathetic and heart breaking things I have ever heard. Cleaning him up produced a boogie/blood clot that was easily 4-6 inches long. He thought I was pulling his brain out and again panicked just a little.

Example 3: Playing with his GI Joe last night. GI Joe was carrying around a bag---full of dead bodies. Again, WTH?! GI Joe also was hiding in a coffin and killing these "Germans" left and right. I am beginning to wonder what SpongeBob and Phineas and Ferb are really showing that I am missing.


***Something that made my day---Saturday K2 had a soccer game. As some quick back story I can't remember if i mentioned that the soccer coach we were having problems with kicked her off the team. It was heartbreaking but we quickly found a replacement team. She had a wonderful game and played spectacularly! Old coach had a game after hers and as we were walking by and exchanging pleasantries (all be it a little forced on his and my sides) a parent from the new team walked by and said "K2 you were excellent out there today! Such skills, you are so wonderful!" Such sweet vengeance and I didn't plan it so karma shouldn't get me for it. :)

Have you ever woke up, smelled Spring in the air and was energized? Have you ever decided to move furniture around so you could deep clean? Did you ever strip all the beds in your house and do 5 loads of laundry? Did you ever spend hours working in the yard?

Then did you wake up the next day sore but decided again that you had Spring Fever and needed to be outside? So you took your kids and DH and played baseball? And then walked 2 miles up and back the canyon with your DH? And spend more hours in your yard?

And then have you woke up the next morning and you can't move? That's where I am today. Ouch.

Scared

I am struggling. We got news yesterday that turned my world upside down. My rock, my protector, my best friend, my momma is going to have to have a quadruple bypass. I know it is not that big of a deal anymore, I know they have made so many strides when it comes to this surgery but still. I am scared. I am worried, I am numb, I am sick and I am lonely in my fear. I spent 3 months in the NICU, I am no stranger to death and mortality. But that doesn't mean it doesn't scare the crap out of me facing it with my mom. It will be okay. But I'm not ready-I don't want to do this-I'm selfish. I want my mommy. I want to go back to the time where I could run to her and with a hug she could make it better. Kiss my boo-boo and my fear away. I don't want to be the adult, but I will. Like I told K2-we are the women-we have to be strong. We are the ones that our men look to for comfort. So we will cry but we will go on and be strong. And scared.

Things I learned at Disneyland

If this post seems familiar it is because I did something similar when DH and I took our trip back in 2007. If I wasn't so lazy I would go back and link it but Wordpress is annoying when you are looking for old posts.

*People are rude, they have no problem with butting, pushing, cutting you off, running into you without batting an eye.
*Churros are better at Disneyland
*Disneyland is better with your kids
*Crowds are horrible
*Walking 6 or 7 miles a day offsets all the churros
*Tigger rocks. And for some reason every time I see Tigger the person playing him finds me immensely hilarious.
*Blue Bayou is not worth the cost, especially when mean hostesses are rude. But the wait staff rocks
*Having a nap is a must
*So are pain medications
*Bubba Gumps is a great restaurant
*The beach is so relaxing. But bitter cold
*Newport Beach has the best sand dollars
*My bed is the best
*6 days is too much Disney
*Vacations rock, real life not so much
*I have so much to do to get caught up. Lots of projects and so little time.
*I am ready for Spring

Disneyland 2009

Trip there:


Beach:


Hotel:


Breakfast with Goofy:


Characters:


Family:


The words to come in a future post, but after a week of vacation we have come back to real life totally slapping us in the face and time is running out quick!

The reason why he is my favorite:

The other day I was rushing around trying to get the house ready for company and K3 approached me for help. He wanted to get down one of our board games and since I know this requires my participation in playing also I told him I needed to get the bathroom cleaned first. He asked if he could do it! So I taught him "how" to clean the bathroom. I then told K1 and K2 that this is why he is my favorite! What 7 year old normally asks to clean a bathroom? Ain't he just the bestest?

Valentine's Day recap

First off-thanks for your ideas on K1. We have actually considered some of them, but I think from what I have heard from others overall it is a fairly typical Freshman experience. We just need to stay on top of him and push, push, push.

This year for Valentines DH & I went to dinner with another couple, one of my best friends and her husband. We went to a little Japanese restaurant, our first experience at one. We chose to bypass the 2 hour wait for the hibachi experience and sat a little table. DH tried Soke for the first time and I tried tempura. It was fairly good, not worth the money really but the company couldn't have been better.

The best part of the evening? The $45 ticket I got on the drive home. Nothing to add to the romantic mood like a fight because we don't see eye to eye on how things transpired. Poor K3 was scared-his only experience with police-besides our little local force-is limited strictly to my accident and Cops-the show. Lots of fun!

HELP?!

Does anybody have any suggestions on how to motivate a 15 year old, who has been testing at College levels since 6th grade, to get grades above C? We are at our wit's end. We have bribed, punished, begged, punished some more and I am just about to sit down and cry. This mom thing is hard.

Only 1 week and 1 more day until Disneyland! I can not wait. I need a vacation. Too bad I have to take DH & the Ks. :)