The Times They Are a Changin'

They are really growing up. No longer babies at all. No more diapers. Alexa is FINALLY fully potty trained and doing wonderfully. Only accidents when she gets playing with friends and forgets to go.. which isn't to often. She is thriving at Pre-School. No more tears at drop-off is such a blessing it makes my day so much easier. She thinks she is 13 years old and that can be a challenge most days but we get through them with little damage. She's growing up too fast and I find myself looking at photos wishing for my baby back so I could cuddle and rock her at night.

Chloe is doing fantastic in Kindergarten. In the words of Mrs. Garro "She is a joy to have in class, a wonderful student." She is excelling past the expectations of her teacher and even helping her classmates when they have questions in group activities. This of course makes me puff up with pride. My only concern was her emotional meltdowns. The ones she loves to share with me.  Well apparently she saves them for only me. Like I said.. "a wonderful student" . No worries there. Still want that baby back.


Aedan is growing so fast I think he is growing an inch every couple weeks. Constantly eating and I think the food burns off as it goes down his throat because it surely isn't being stored anywhere on him. He is also excelling in school. I wasn't worried about academics. He was reading at a 4th grade level in 1st grade not sure about the level this year as he hasn't been tested yet. Teacher's only concern is his humor. He is the clown, as usual. The other kids are drawn to him and he eats it up. Which isn't always good. But he isn't bullying and he isn't disrupting class so I can't really complain.  Missing the baby.

They may be more independent and easier to handle but I'd give anything to have the babies back because that is the time I love the best.

I Remember Every Day

I couldn't forget if I tried. He's part of my life story.
I can't understand how I've gone all these years not knowing about National Pregnancy and Remembrance Day which is celebrated on October 15th every year since Ronald Reagan instituted it in 1988. For people to recognize that a child lost whether in utero or after birth is still a child lost and is felt with the same pain.

I'm not sure if my baby was a girl or a boy. My gut tells me he was a boy so that is what I envision in my dreams. I still have them. I daydream about what my angel baby would be like if he were alive today. The same way I dreamed about his future while I was pregnant. He was our baby even if he never breathed the same air or held our hands.

Some people think that because he wasn't  born yet  the loss couldn't possibly be as great. Those people never went through month after month trying to get pregnant only to be met with disappointment.  Those people didn't have that sinking feeling  and dread with the sight of red.  They also weren't met with an ultrasound that showed that your precious baby, that was so longed for, hadn't grown after the last ultrasound. There are so many things those people just don't know. And they try to comfort you with hollow words like "it'll be OK.. you can try again"... "there is a reason for everything" .. or the best of all "it was God's will".  I wanted to scream at those people and shake them and tell them they were wrong.  There was no reason why my child had to die. And my heart felt as if it died with him at the time. It ached.  I just needed to be held and told that it was not OK. And that I could be angry and that I could cry as much as I wanted.  There weren't too many people that let me do that.  He wasn't a real child after all.. it wasn't a true loss of life. But he was a real child. He was our child and we lost him.

Every so often I take down the box of things I saved from that time and go through the cards and ultrasounds and just sit and remember. I think about him almost every day but those days when I get to go through the box I cherish I get to really think about all the joy he gave us in the short time we had him with us.

So now that I know about Remembrance Day I will do my best to make sure others know about it as well so all the women who have suffered a loss can find some comfort and support.

What the Hell?

The 3 year old is in pre-school now. She has gotten better at using the potty as opposed to a diaper. But only when asked/coerced/forced. She really only goes for the teachers at school. And flat out refuses for me unless I physically sit her down and stay with her till she goes. This isn't really working for anyone.  She is stubborn and apparently its not her time.. blah blah.

For the past week or so she has had a fascination with tying shoes. She says she is doing it but truthfully all she would do is grab the laces, bunch them up, ball them together, hope they stayed and say "I did it !" . Yeah, not quite kid but A for effort.

So after all this "practice" I sit with her yesterday and quickly show her how to tie. Just once.

Tonight while doing homework with the boy I turn around as she yells "I did it" again.. I look at her sneakers and see that she in fact had tied both sneakers.  I about fell over. Said "holy cow Alexa you did it ! Way to go ! " and gave her a hi-five.

And then I sit there shaking my head thinking to myself.. she's some fricking genius MENSA member or something and she still doesn't use the damn toilet. What the hell is going on in my household ?

My Glass is Always Half Empty.

After getting a phone call with potentially very bad news I immediately went to the worst case scenario. I didn't think positive or say to myself "it's still early days, things will be fine". I went right to doom and gloom.

If the bad news were to affect someone else and not myself personally then I'd jump right on the positivity train. "Things will be fine. The tests aren't even back yet. He's healthy and not showing any signs of being sick so that's all good and in his favor. "  I can boost someone else up so high they can't see the ground but as soon as it's MY family I crumble. I break down and see the end. I run through everyone I know who has dealt with the same thing and how that turned out and compare.

Why can't I have a full glass ?  Just this once?  Two weeks of taking baby sips and praying that I don't see the bottom of the glass. 

Lucky Number 13

September 26th is a couple days away and as usual it causes me to reminisce and reflect on my life so far.  I think about the decisions I've made with and without Jim's input and the results of those decisions. We got married in 1998 but we started dating long before that. We were together for 5 years before we even got married. So even though we are only married 13 years I feel as though we have already grown old together. We are comfortable.  This can be good and bad at times. Sometimes I find we lack the excitement that a relationship needs to thrive and then in the same instant I realize we have too much excitement.. it's just a different kind.

We were talking about something the other night and the topic turned to having only one child.  This lead to a conversation about how money is spent on one child and different activities are different with one child because you have more money to be spent on the activities etc. Jim looked at me and said "Would things be easier if we just had Aedan?"  I looked at him and said "Well yeah.. but then we would just have Aedan."  The conversation stopped dead there.  We can't picture our life differently because it's perfect for us.  It may be hard at times but it's the uphill struggles that makes the downhill butterflies in your stomach all that much better.

So if I had to wonder if 13 really is lucky I would say yes... because I feel lucky. And that is all that matters.

Happy Anniversary to me.. Lucky Number 13.

Peer Pressure

Whoever says it's bad I'd like to sit down and argue to the contrary. Alexa has been in Pre-School for exactly 2 days and has already peed on the potty more in those 2 days than she has in the past year of me bribing, coddling, threatening, rewarding, and every other way of reasoning with a 3 year old.  So the way I look at it .. if it works then let's run with it..

New Year.. New Teacher .. New ways to work the system..

The boy. Need I say more? To some of you, maybe not. To most I'll have to elaborate. He likes to work the system, aka his parents, teachers and anyone of authority.

Case in point. Day two of the new school year. We are at home that evening and asking the kids how their days went and what they did, etc.  Aedan gets a proud look on his face and says.. "I had my seat moved" .  I immediately went into flip out mode and started spewing questions.. "What did you do? Were you talking? It's day 2 for crying out loud !" and so on and so forth. He goes on to say that he asked to be moved because Girl #1 and boy #1 were talking too much and he didn't want to be in trouble. And Mrs. H moved him to the group of tables that sat his best buddy C.  Let the eye rolls commence. I doubted him of course as is my job after years of experience. He assured me that he was telling the truth. I said, "well good for you but if I find out you're goofing off with C then you're done and you'll regret it". That was a week ago.

Fast forward to tonight. Back to School night. A lovely evening out where parents race to school after work and feeding the kids on the fly to meet the teachers and find out what they are gonna teach your kids this year.  We get there and meet his teacher Mrs. H who is 9.75 months pregnant and ready to go so we also get to meet Ms. C who is on call to take her place at a day's notice. Both very nice ladies.  Get to talking and I warn her about the seating arrangements and how Aedan and C are best buds.  And I relay how the seating arrangement came to fruition. "yeah he's a little chatty" oh...But wait.. she gets a bit wide eyed and chuckles... we tell her Aedan's version of the story and she CORRECTS it for us. Aedan was moved because he was yappin' it up with his friends at the other table.  So I tell her she'll need to keep a close watch on him.. and I relay the same message to the sub. He thinks he is so smart... and he would have gotten away with it had we missed that darn meeting...

Watch that boy.. he's an evil genius. And he's always scheming.

First Day of School !!

It was kind of a letdown and it's all because of a mis-communication between the transportation department and the bus company. I had all my ducks in a row with Transportation.  But apparently they didn't line things up with the bus depot.

I was all excited with camera at the ready to get the shots of the kids coming off the bus after their first day of school only to be extremely disappointed, surprised, shocked and worried when first Chloe did not emerge from the bus. And then later in the day Aedan did not get off either.

I was worried about Chloe freaking out at a Day Care center that she hadn't visited yet, with people she has never met.  She of course got through it like a champ. Cool, calm and collected not even frazzled. Me ? I was pissed, and upset because I missed my photo op and I can't let anything go.

I specifically called transportation 3 days ago to make sure everything was in line for today and they were set up the right way. Apparently I was speaking jibberish.

Tomorrow the kids will each have a note in bold print telling the driver where they need to get off the bus. I hope that works or we have may have other issues.

Potty Training Boot Camp

We have 2 weeks. Alexa starts back at Daycare / Pre School in 2 weeks. I found out today that she will have the regular pre-school teacher for the next 2 years until she goes to Kindergarten which will be PHENOMENAL because we LOVE Miss Maggie. She rocks. Problem is.. I'd prefer Alexa not go into Pre School still not potty trained. The stubborn mule has sat and has gone on the potty but still refuses to go all in and go on the potty full time and live diaper free.

Starting tomorrow she is in Mommy's Potty Boot Camp. Do or Die time kid. Well be doing lots of laundry I think.. and there may be a few puddles ... but I can't take this anymore.. I want to be diaper free.

Lord bless me and please keep my temper in check as I go into this battle of wills with the Master . May I survive and come out on the other side victorious.

It's sink or swim time

Not sure I can remember the stroke. We are at that time of year again where we start looking at bigger houses because we realize, once again, that we have outgrown our starter home. A starter home usually doesn't last 13 years and 3 kids.

We are bursting at the seams and it can't come at a worse time in the real estate market. This time we have found the perfect home. It's new construction, the perfect size, the perfect area.  We wouldn't have to pull out of the School district we love and Aedan could finish out the year in the school he is currently in if we happen to move in the middle of the year.

But.. yeah there is always a but. I'm nauseous just thinking about the $$. I worry that we will jump and then we will be struggling to pay our bills. And I'm worried we'll jump and our neighbors will hate us for moving. And I'm worried that we will start the process and then we won't sell our house which means we can't get the new house..

I suppose when all is said and done I'm scared of the unknown. I'm comfortable here simply because it's familiar and affordable and the kids have friends. Not because we all fit. I'm sick of rubbermaid bins everywhere.. and moving stuff to get to stuff. I want space. I want the kids to have a room of their own to play in so their stuff isn't taking over my living room. And I don't want arts and crafts and homework/school paperwork taking over my kitchen. I want to park my car in a garage and still have a place for the bikes and scooters and wagon etc. I want a laundry ROOM.. not a closet with my laundry scattered in the hallway constantly. I want to be able to host a family party without renting the community clubhouse. I want my own yard and be able to do with it what I want.

I want space. The new house would have space.

I think I just answered my own questions. Looks like it's go time.. I can only try . I'm not afraid of failing. It won't kill me. So step one is DIVE IN. I have my goggles at the ready...

20 Years and Not Much Has Changed

I attended and informal 20 Year High school reunion last night that was organized through Facebook. I was excited to see a bunch of ladies that I literally haven't seen in person since graduation. I have missed all of the official reunions over the years.

I would like to start off by saying, I had a blast. I got to catch up with alot of girls that I chat with on FB and also with some friends I get to see a few times throughout the year. It was a nice night out without the man and midgets tagging along to say the least.

All the girls were just like I expected them to be. Of course that statement can be taken however you'd like to take it. The same girls I talked to in High School were the same girls I talked to last night.

What I don't get is this. If you are going to act like you are too good to be there then why bother showing up ?? I suppose it's simply to see how everyone turned out, but still..seems pointless to me.  Just gives everyone else the evidence we needed to keep our opinions of you the same and realize that some people really don't grow up after graduation.

Oh well.. there's always Thanksgiving..maybe the ones that really want to be there will come and everyone else will stay home..  ;)

Waking up with a Beach Bathing Beauty

When we are at home having the midget in my bed constantly can drain on my energy. But while on vacation when I can lay around and snuggle to my heart's content it's a joy.  I get to wake up to that freckle face giving me that little smirk. I get to hear all the little secrets she wants to share.  She giggles and asks me for chocolate milk just like at home but she's happier because she knows I'll be staying with her all day today because we are on vacation.  I'm happier because she wants me.

Accident?!?

Conversations from the Curtin Car.... 

Alexa:  There's an accident!

Me: Where?

Aedan:  In your pants?!?!

bring on the laughter.. even I laughed out loud and snorted because it was so off the cuff .. lordie..and then the buttcrack and poop jokes started and it went further downhill..

July 13, 2011

The day Julia Margaret Mary Ross arrived on this earth and blessed her Mommy and Daddy, and changed their lives forever by just being born.  Happy Birthday sweet baby girl, may you always know how much you are loved and never doubt that you were wanted. For you have danced with your Daddy and Snuggled with your Mommy in her dreams long before you even took your 1st breath.

God Bless you Baby Julia.

Listopia

My list writing and categorizing began last week. It must be vacation season. List after list and list of my lists.  Things to Pack. Things to buy. Things to buy and then pack. I love lists. Little square boxes to check off the stuff that has been bought and packed. Then the list is updated and reprinted.

Page after page of lists. Gosh how I love them.

And yet I will get to our vacation destination and realize we still managed to forget something. But that will be something that should have been on the man's list. Go figure. We can't all be perfect. ;)

Trophies for Everyone.. Don't Do it.

I am of the school that only the top teams get the trophies.  I also think kids need to learn how to lose graciously. And not get in a snit simply because they didn't get a trophy. It makes them strive for more and work harder. You want a trophy.. work for it.

My reasons for this topic??  This past school year the boy was taking part in a  reading competition.  He was told at the end of the year that the student that read the most books/chapters would get an award.  At the end of the year Aedan had blown past the other students and had read the most.  We wondered what the award/reward would be when the contest was over.

Aedan came home on the day the awards were given out with the award for "best handwriting ".  Which I am very happy about because his handwriting is exceptional for a boy in the 1st grade.  But what he told me next is what bugs the hell outta me. "Mrs. Dolloff said I read the most books, but because she didn't have an award for Kaleigh she gave that award to her and best handwriting is a better award so she gave it to me." . WTF is that??  I know I shouldn't be petty but I can't help but think my son busted his ass EVERY day reading and his award was given to someone else because the teacher didn't feel like thinking up another for her... Why is it so wrong that he would get 2 awards?  He earned both.  If he didn't I wouldn't expect an award at all. Period. It would not have bothered me one iota if he came home without an award at all if he had not earned one. But don't give his friggin award to someone else just to be fair.

Everyone worries about feelings and being politically correct. Stop coddling the kids and start teaching them how to live with disappointment because when they get out in to the real world they aren't going to be rewarded  just to be fair.

P.S. and for chrissake, start using red pens for mistakes. it's not scary. you can see what you did wrong alot easier than with the green and purple..

Summer Shenanigans...

 Once school let out life has been non stop .. so here is a glimpse into our comings and goings..

Stick around.. there is still alot of summer left.....

4th Fanfare

The 4th of July in our house could equal Christmas in some other peoples' households. The days are counted down and the anticipation can be felt for weeks in advance. The Man and the Boy begin discussing fireworks and try to figure out when the tents will start setting up right after Memorial Day.

They travel from tent to tent to find the best fireworks for our front lawn extravaganza and then they take a drive out of state for the backyard bonanza.

They just cant' get enough...

The Man and the neighbor put on a show for all the kids to entertain them up until the Big fireworks show over at the golf course.

If you ask the kids which ones they like more they always say ours.

Well except Alexa and Molly.. they prefer to watch from indoors as the the noise freak them out..

O.M.G. .. I'm mortified.

Unfortunately I am referring to Usher's version..

Yeah.The boy heard this song in Jim's car on one of their outings. He managed to remember certain lyrics.  I also have this song on my iPod. My kids didn't listen to my shuffle at all. Aedan would walk around singing this song and I'd tell him to knock it off.  So then I get the iTouch. I load my music on there. They listen to my music often. This of course causes the boy to sing this song more often and then also play the song more often. As a result he has taught Alexa a certain line. I wasn't too concerned. She was singing it and it was kinda funny. Until the other day.

I went to go outside with the kids and I hear Alexa singing...then the neighbor says "oh you better not teach Joseph** that song" . I about flipped out. Yelled at her to come inside. Grabbed the other 2 and went on a tear.

She was singing the line... "honey's got some boobies like wow oh wow..." it figures that would be the easiest line to remember. *she types with a bag over her head*

So now.. it has been deleted from my iTouch and they have been warned that if I hear them singing it they will ALL get pepper in their mouths as a result. Alexa still sings it but not within earshot apparently and we haven't caught her yet. I just keep warning her. Oiy. I have those kids that the other Moms pull their own kids away from at the playground. Super.

** names have been changed to protect the innocent. :)

Crazy Idea or Cool Possibility ??

So a few people have told me I should write a book. I laughed them off with a wave of the hand thinking they are nuts and I could never write a book. But as I got to thinking I'm wondering if I could actually do it.  I kinda know what it would be about but would people really want to buy it?   I'm running through the idea in my mind and they are racing at me one after another. So. I have loads of ideas but ideas get you nowhere if you don't have a plan.  So for now all I have is lots and lots of ideas and nowhere to go with them. Maybe my next idea will put me on the road with a real plan or make me realize it was all just a crazy idea like I figured from the beginning. I guess we shall see.

Baby Dreams and Celebrations

Today I attended the baby shower for my dear cousin Elizabeth. This has been the most anticipated event of the century, in my opinion. If you know Elizabeth and Danny and what it took to get to today then you might agree as well.  Just about 7 years ago I had the joy of participating in Elizabeth and Danny's wedding. It was a wonderful day. A little while after they were married they decided they wanted to start a family like lots of new couples will.  But unlike most young couples Elizabeth ran into many roadblocks on the journey to becoming a Mommy.

Like myself and many people I know, Elizabeth suffered from infertility. A few tries at insemination brought them those much sought after double lines that every woman who struggles with infertility looks for every month. They were having a baby!  As fate may have it , Baby decided to  set up camp in the tube and as a result Elizabeth lost her tube and her special little angel.  We were very lucky that we didn't lose Elizabeth in the process and are so very thankful.  After so much heartbreak some people would decide to give up. But as anyone who has been on this type of journey knows, that yearning will always be there so to quit is out of the question.  Many months went by of wishing and hoping each month and praying for that miracle. And in that time they underwent IUI eleven more times to no avail. At the end of all that they were lucky enough to be able to try IVF. This unfortunately failed as well.

Deciding to take a break, a year went by before attempting IVF again but not before trying other options. A trip to see a fertility god in Atlantic City to try and up their odds was tossed into the mix. But before they made it there it was moved to Ocean City, MD, so off they went to Maryland.  Hey, it couldn't hurt right?
And then.... the fall of 2010... Their 2nd attempt at IVF.  The odds are not with them as Elizabeth is working with only 1 tube.  And yet.. this is it. This is the one that works and this the one that will bring them their miracle.

After so much waiting and wanting, praying and hoping only to be let down and disappointed this was their special gift. (I still get goosebumps thinking about the phone call I got from Elizabeth telling me she was pregnant. I get happy when someone is blessed with a pregnancy but this was different. I still tear up thinking about how happy I am for her and Danny. Wiping the tears thinking about it now.)

So now we all have to wait. Wait for baby Ross to make his or her arrival. He/she was originally due in August but because issues with the placenta and baby's size (great so far) Elizabeth and Danny (and all of us) will get to meet their own special someone in July.  God Bless you Baby Ross and may your Mommy have a smooth and wonderful delivery.

A Passion for Purple

The boy has a sudden love of all things purple.  He's gotten a few t-shirts that are purple to mix up his spring and summer wardrobe and that's fine with me. I have no problem with him wanting to express himself with color. It's not like they are girl shirts he's trying to wear. So when his basketball sneakers grew a big ol' hole in the toe I was dreading the ultimate choice that would be made to replace them. I was trying to sway him with other options.  I was not too keen on the options out there when it came to purple sneakers for boys. I'd point out black and red like his old ones.  Black and gray ones or plain black. Even gray ones with blue soles and orange laces. No dice. He wanted purple. he saw the above shoes at Foot Locker one night and fell in love. The Man and I were not impressed and told him not to settle and that there were plenty of other shoe stores to find shoes hoping he'd find something totally different.  We searched and searched for acceptable replacements. Every shoe store and online store available. Anything he'd pick out was not available in his size. So after a week we ended up back at Foot Locker and bought these gems. After seeing some of the plastic, shiny looking shoes out there I actually like these ones and I'm pretty glad some of his other choices were out of stock. 

Purple. Oh well.. it could be worse and he could have wanted orange.

Mastermind or Evil Genius..

The boy's mind works in a way that I just can't grasp. Especially with games.

I want someone to teach him chess because I think he'd LOVE it.. I have no clue how to play so I'm useless.

I picked up a travel size Connect Four for him for Christmas. It was a more of a  "make sure the piles are equal" kind of gift. Well, that was a mistake. He wants to play anyone and everyone almost every day. And it's an off day if he loses 1 out of 5 games.

His mind can figure out how to set it up so he has 2 ways to win and you simply cannot beat him. He is 3 steps ahead with every play.  He has beaten us in 5 moves.. that's how good he is or maybe how bad we are. It's gotten to be a real competition for the adults here. My Mother plays him for money.  I play and sit there staring at the board before I make my *last* move.. It's insanity. Then when I lose I insist we play again, which is exactly what he wants to hear. He laughs his maniacal little laugh and says.. "I win.. again."

He plays this way with Blockus as well. I enjoy Blockus because at least with that I have a chance of winning on occasion. A very rare occasion.

He's like Rainman. I think I need to take him to Vegas in a couple years.

Note to self: find someone who knows how to play chess, get a chess board and have him learn.

From Baby to Big Girl...

How did time fly by so fast that she could possibly grow from this ..

To this…. 

in the blink of an eye. Have three years gone by already?  No wonder my womb is aching and yearning to be full again. It’s about this time that I’d be delivering again had we decided on a 4^th.  My Baby is no longer a baby and how I miss those days.  I gravitate towards all the new babies in my life like a parasite looking for a fresh host. I’m so glad my sister has accommodated me.  But she lives to far for me to get my fill often enough.

Alexa is at a great stage and yet I still miss those cuddly baby stages. She still cuddles but it’s usually at about 4 am when she climbs into my bed to finish her sleep off in my bed. Then she’ll wake up around 6:45 and ask for her chocolate milk. And if she doesn’t get it shortly thereafter her stubborn streak will wake the house up. She is a loud one. She's got some sass and a flair for the dramatic. She's got a style all her own and she is tough as nails. And then in an instant she can be sweet as pie. Even if it's only to get a piece of green gum.

She is so different from her brother and sister but wants to be just like them and grow up so fast while I try desperately to keep her little.  Two years from now she will be waving from the school bus and on her way to Kindergarten as I bawl my eyes out and wonder what happened to all of my chubby cheeked babies.

I don’t want to keep her from growing and learning but gosh in my mind if I let her do all the exciting things then she’ll just grow up faster and be gone in an instant. And as much as they drive me batty, I want my kids around me. Always. 

So Alexa on the eve of your 3^rd Birthday I want to wish you many years of happiness, love and adventure. Have fun because there is plenty of time to be serious. Believe me.  Be goofy and sing whatever you want and dance in the middle of the room and who cares who’s watching you.  Listen to your gut. If it feels wrong it probably is and if it feels right then go for it.  And every once in a while invite your old Mom on an adventure or two.. I could stand the fun. 

Happy Birthday Alexa Paige we love you lots and lots.

The Saga Continues. and ends.

Jim saw the Dr. today for his mysterious itching.  It apparently is not ringworm or some other icky contagious disease. It's simply a bad reaction of overly dry sensitive skin to an overly chlorinated pool. So anti-climactic.

Get some lotion and come see me when you pick up something way more interesting.

Swimming disease part deux.

The Man has been itching like crazy since Sunday night. In other words. Since we got home from the pool.  The Dr. says "it could be ringworm". Which of course has me stripping beds and pulling towels and separating laundry. Telling him to not touch me. What!?  It can be spread by close contact and I don't want to take any chances in case that is in fact what is wrong with him.

I gave him from lotrimin and hydrocortisone to hold him over til his Dr. appt. on Monday night. Maybe he'll be magically healed and maybe not. We shall see after the Dr. has a look. All I know is I don't want the itches so stay away from me buddy.

The Boy.

Today was math test day. When I got home I took out his folder and went through his papers. Asked him how his day was and how his math test went.  He said his day was good and he did OK on the test. Got some wrong.  Which made me stop in my tracks.. How did he know he got some wrong? So I checked his papers. The test was in the folder. Some wrong ? um. yeah that was an understatement. But besides the point and also not the point of my posting today .

I am going over the test and looking at the markings which are in in green on blue paper. This makes it HARD to see her marks. Maybe she is one of those teachers that feels the red pen is too harsh for little kids? Who knows. All I know is that it annoys the hell outta me. Anyway. There are a couple questions on there that weren't even covered in the 7 page review packet which irked me a tad. But I digress because that is also not the point of this post. I see one marked wrong with the right answer written next to it.  He had to draw in coins 68 cents 2 different ways. The first was 2 quarters, 1 dime, 1 nickel and 3 pennies.. the next was 6 dimes 1 nickel and 3 pennies. So I'm not seeing why it's wrong.  I'm looking at it over and over.. and I show it to my Mom and she agrees it looks right. So I put the paper down for a minute to take care of Alexa.

While I was gone my Mother found out that The Boy added that last penny in on both AFTER THE FACT because he didn't want to get in trouble with us for having it wrong.  I about died. I looked at him and shook my head. He was in tears. I told him he can't change a test after the fact because I was going to send his teacher an email complaining about the mistake on her part etc. and so on. Then I went on to explain that as long as he tries his hardest that he shouldn't be afraid to show us his test.

I felt worse that he was afraid of OUR reaction than I was about him fixing the test. What the hell kind of parent am I that my kid is afraid of us and afraid of bringing home a bad grade??? I pulled Jim aside when he got home before letting him see the test to explain what happened. So he also had a talk with Aedan and we went over the test with him together. We were disappointed that there were a few things on there that we haven't worked on in homework or on the review packet. Seems to be happening with every test.

I told my Mom this was just the beginning.. soon he'll be a computer hacker charging kids to change their grades for beer money...

I did it all for the .. booze apparently.

About a week and a half ago I was in search of  my big wine glass.  As usual when I need something from the top shelf I had to climb to get it.  Got on the countertop as I have for the past 12 years and got the glass down. I jumped off he counter and landed on my leg/knee on the top of the open cabinet door below. My kids got a lesson that night that would make a sailor and /or trucker blush. My mother came out of the powder room yelling "what the hell happened!?" And then she sees me doubled over in pain crying and hopping around. The kids' eyes are bugged out because they rarely see me cry and they haven't heard those words before either.

After a bit the leg was pretty swollen.  A small scrape and a small bruise. I figured it would bruise for a while and then I'd be fine. I could walk, it didn't feel broken.

Well I was sadly mistaken. As the days progressed the bruise gravitated south and it was green and ugly.. After a day of getting in and out of my chair at work did a number on my knee. It would hurt like a mother.

So off I go to the Dr. Dr. gets an X ray. No fractures show on the X ray. So off I go to the Orthopedic Dr. to get it looked at. He orders an MRI.  Had that done today. Next step is to go back to see him and get my results.  I looked at the MRI CD. I didn't see anything sinister but hey I'm no expert.

All this excitement and money spent for a glass of wine. I've since switched to beer and cider. I keep that in the fridge. No climbing involved.

Swimming in a Sea of Communicable Diseases.

We joined the local YMCA so that we could get the kids some swimming lessons in preparation for the upcoming swimming season and to try and get some workout time for Jim and I. Needless to say neither one of us has made it there to work out yet but that is besides the point. I'm physically injured so I can't even workout at home let alone in a million dollar facility.

We are in week 2 of the girls' lessons and Chloe is doing wonderfully. Took to it like a fish to water.  Yeah  it had to be said. Alexa, on the other hand, did not. Jim took her in for the 1st lesson and she cried most of the lesson and had his throat and other extremities in a death grip. I think he was purple at one point. I pointed and laughed from the side while cheering Chloe on. He looked at me and wished bad things upon me. I could tell. I still laughed.

Fast forward to week two.  It was turn to take Alexa in for her lesson. We figured we'd try to get there a bit early and swim as a family for a bit so she was comfortable in the pool before the lessons.  We are all in the pool hanging out and swimming, having fun. Alexa is dunking her head under. Aedan is swimming Chloe is racing her classmate across the pool. All is well. Until it was spotted.

Jim says "What is that ?"   I look around wondering what he is talking about. And then I see it. It HAD to be a large green snot. You know those dark green crusty ones that are stuck up there for a while and then come out all stiff. It floats by.  OH. My. God.  Totally creeps us the hell out.  We start seeing EVERYTHING. Even things that aren't there.  Jim says "forget what I said about maybe not getting a pool for our yard.. we are definitely getting that pool"  I find a corner bench seat in the pool and wait out the remaining 10 minutes before lessons start with my knees pulled up to my chest praying I'm not picking up 17 different diseases while sitting there. Yelling at the kids to "Stop opening your mouths! DO NOT SWALLOW THE WATER!!"

Then it's time for lessons. Alexa is pretty easy going. Then the instructions start and all hell breaks loose again. The crying and the clinging. But I handle it well because I have no pity. I threaten to take away her new favorite possession. The sparkle flip flops. So she stops screaming and starts listening. By the time the teacher says we can spend the rest of the class playing she is doing all the things she is supposed to have done. No longer clinging and I'm barely holding her. It turns into a wonderful lesson. Unfortunately after this next lesson it will all come to a screeching halt when she has to have Daddy with her again.. lord help us all.

Follow up to the icky water.. Chloe has been complaining her stomach hurts all day.. coincidence?? I think not.

Bad Bracket Mojo..

Just like in AC when they change your dealer it's all down hill when the organizer is switched up. A new guy organized the bracket pool this year. I went with my gut and picked a bunch of upsets.  Not unusual for me at all. What is unusual is the amount of upsets from the other teams.

The number of teams that got knocked off early, totally Effing up my bracket, is absolutely astounding. It could make a gambler cry. It almost made me cry when I saw Butler beat Pitt by 1 frickin point last night. 1 POINT.

I may have to (GASP) refrain from the money pool next year if the same guy is running the show because I truly think he Effed up my mojo. That is not to say I won't have a beautiful bracket filled out with my picks all ready to be circled and crossed off as they march towards the final four. But It will be for my own simple enjoyment and not for the almighty dollar.

Yeah.. who am I kidding.  I'm in it to win it despite my total lack of basketball stat knowledge. Therein lies my MADNESS. And I love it.

Potty Chair you Say ??

We apparently have a potty table. Some days I think I live in the jungle with the primitive people that can't speak a modern language or use utensils.Or make it to the potty chair even when naked.

The other night after bath I asked Alexa if she had to use the potty, she said no and ran off before I could get her diaper on. Usually she is in the other room. Not so on this fine night.  She reappears in my hallway trying to put on a swimmer.

Next thing I hear is Aedan and Chloe screaming that Alexa peed and "check her legs ! they are wet" So I corner her and check her. Sure enough I smell pee. I feel my blood pressure rising. Then they start yelling that she peed on the table.

Now let me say that all this is going on while Jim is in the shower. And that is better because he yells alot sooner than I do in these situations.  So I go downstairs to survey the situation because surely they can't be serious.  Oh.. but they are...

My damn end table (not a priceless antique by any means) is holding about a quart of urine. Wow. When that kid has to go she really goes. Little photo album. Soaked in pee.  Little play cake tray puddled with pee. Lamp.. sitting in pee. Pee foot print on my sofa from where she got off the table and jumped down.

You see.. she climbed on the table to get to the SWIMMER that she was trying to put on upstairs.

So I yell up to Jim to get a diaper on that kid PRONTO cause she can spring a leak at any moment.

Just a sweet little trip down memory lane.. or a 1/2 hour in my life.. feel free to visit anytime.. but bring beer.

Holy Crap

Literally.
Alexa will be 3 in a month. We've been battling with potty training for over 6 months. She is so damn stubborn we just couldn't find the magic bribe to get her to use the toilet. We'd put her in underwear and she'd wet them 10 minutes later. No embarrassment, no cares. Just a puddle on my wood laminate floor.

I finally broke down this past weekend and bought a potty chair for her. I figured if nothing else has worked why not try it. I hate them. I never bought one for Chloe so maybe that's why it took her so long to train too.. maybe I'm my own worst enemy.

I set the potty up yesterday. Alexa sat a few times but never went. Today while my Mother watched her she let her go bottomless. BIG MISTAKE. There was a puddle in my living room and then there was poop on the floor of my hall bathroom. That ended potty training with Grammy.

(This was followed by a phone call to my office asking me where the plunger was because the hall toilet was clogged. Apparently the wet wipes were used way too much and jammed up the works. Unfortunately (and I know this from past experience ) the only way to clear the pipes is the get your hands down in there and pull them out. Thankfully my Mother did just that and all is clear. )

Tonight she sat a few times and wanted to wear big girl pants. So I let her. I moved her potty into my living room to make it more kid friendly. She sat and peed almost immediately. Hi-Fives all around, a happy dance and a few pieces of candy later and she was back in her big girl pants. Fast forward a half hour. She saw Chloe go into the bathroom and followed. Next thing I know she is running half naked into the kitchen and telling me she went poop. Yep. She did it.

I am kicking myself for not getting this damn potty last year. Now I am keeping my fingers crossed that she can keep this up and not have too many accidents in the meantime.