random pictures

fussy watering the sidewalk. he's quite the little green thumb...
harry's new sand castle. the top is with that new play sand from crayola. the colored stuff. it's pretty cool. he took this picture himself. i think i need to teach him how to zoom.

fussy asleep on the rug. that is sallah from indiana jones in his mouth....

harry on memorial day

i am in the kitchen with my aunt elaine, who's house we were at, when i witnessed this conversation.

harry: aunt elaine...um??? i have a question....

AE: yes

h: um, well us kids...well, we were sort of wondering. i mean, we are all outside playing, and um...well, we want some place to sit. and ya know...um...we kind of want like....a clubhouse....or something....

AE: okay, what do you want?

H: um...welll........ do you have any......wood?

AE (and the rest of us) : WOOD?

*sigh* kids are so funny.

big d was awesome this last christmas. he got me this big mixer. mostly because i've been begging for one for years. i promised i would make home made bread again. i had sort of fallen off the wagon a couple of years ago, due to the fact i didn't have a mixer, so if he got me one, i'd totally be game.

so after christmas, weekly bread making ensued. and it was good. and it felt nice. like a good nice thing that you do when you are a stay at home mom (whatever that means) and you have all this time on your hands, right?

then i realized something. nobody eats bread anymore. well, they do, when it's hot out of the oven, it's a crazy dash. and i won't say that i don't push my kids over to get the warm crusty yummy bread. cuz i do. but that was it. nobody ate sandwiches, or toast. mostly, i would end up throwing moldy un-eaten loaves away.

it's a sad state when you throw away something that you put a lot of love into. and flour, and sugar and yeast, and all that. my kids just aren't bread eaters anymore. nobody really wants a pb&j sammy. or if they do, they want it on a left over bun.

it's sad in a way. and good, because honestly, i really don't have the time every week to make bread. i'm drowning in laundry, and dished and messy house. but i love the feeling of creating something yummy and warm and good for my kids. i love pulling out a fresh loaf and watching the craziness ensue.

so i guess that is the question, what to do? make my life a little easier, or keep up the bread making? probably, i'm gonna just keep on making the bread.

random thoughts

1. it's tradition for harry to do the whole "live long and prosper" thing to me as he exits the van, on his way into school. no, it's not a joke, and yes, he's been doing it for a really long time. and i do it back. mostly with a sigh, because i'm so cool. today i realized that my son, although he may be a geek, doesn't give a care to what anyone else thinks about him. and i think that is cool.

2. orange ice cream. home made orange ice cream on memorial day. i'm so looking forward to it. just because my mom makes it with love (and probably a little bit of frustration).

3. wishing i had as much energy on friday, as i do on monday. being all rested up for the weekend, instead of rested up because of the weekend.

4. we still have about 6 more weeks of school left. so even though everyone else is ready for summer break, we still have plenty of learning left. why on earth do i live here? i say that a couple of times a week.

5. guitar hero world tour is awesome for any budding rock star. including chilli. he rocks as drums. mostly because you can stick it on beginner. waiting for him to grow up is hard work.

6. i wonder if fussy is spoiled, or if he is just mean, rotten, demanding, unreasonable, and spirited. or is being 2 a good excuse for beating up his big brothers.

7. it's really gross how chickens eat their own eggs. kinda like the placenta in my freezer. i was gonna plant it under a tree. but it's still sitting there. if the power goes out for an extended amount of time, that is gonna be really gross. maybe i should get rid of it? probably.

8. i hate yard work. like really hate it. it's like running, but not going anywhere. okay, mostly mowing the lawn is like that. but i don't like it. and weeds. why do weeds grow so fast, but other things don't?

9. my parents are the coolest people ever. and not just because they give away good furniture, but because they buy a lot of furniture and give away a lot. and occasionally, i get some of it. and that is just awesome. like my new front room. even though the sofa is a bit big, it's still cool.

10. i spend way too much money at the health food store buying junk food. like candy and trail mix and stuff like that. it's so contradictory. but we love our healthy junk i guess. and the kid shopping carts. it's like a favorite destination shopping. like sam's club on sampleday.

say hi to my newest friend

meet mr. lime green pool noodle.

and amazingly, my leg is feeling so much better. i feel a little silly rolling around on the floor with a pool noodle, but it works. and the best part? instead of getting a foam roller for $20 at a specialty store. i found mine at walmart for $3.

(i'm gonna go ahead and edit this post, because i'm sure a few of you are wondering what i'm doing on the floor with this thing. and i agree, it sounds just a little dirty. however i'm just gonna say, it's a runner thing. )

curse you h1n1 !

a couple of weeks ago, i received a letter in the mail, from the school district. you know the story, about the whole flu thing. then i got an email. and then i got one of those recorded phone calls.

it was pretty obvious what they wanted, or in fact, didn't want to come to school. sick kids. or kids with any kind of sick. or the appearance of sick. or have recently been sick. or who might could almost be sick. or who have traveled anywhere including, but not limited to, the local wal-mart.

all that was fine, because we were off track. now we are on track, so guess what?

taco woke up today coughing. normally (and i'm totally admitting my bad parenting) i would have drugged him up, or sent a note saying it was allergies. it still might be. but he has a sore throat, and he sounds funny, like he's lost half his voice. so i kept him home.

have i mentioned that crazy race i'm training for?
have i mentioned how beautiful it is right now, this morning, when i would be running 8 miles?
have i mentioned how big d just thought i should leave my almost six year old home alone?
have i mentioned it is supposed to get cold and windy about the time big d will get home from work?
have i mentioned, when big d gets home from work is when i'm gonna have to get my run in.
have i mentioned it is 8 miles.


i mean, i love my kids. i don't really believe in the whole swine flu crap. yet here i am with a moderately moist kindergartner, who is not in kindergarten, but who is now running wild through the house coughing and playing and thinking he is pretty darn cool for not going to school today.

curse you h1n1.

happy mother's day

for mother's day, my dearest son harry gave me a card/booklet that he made at school. it had some questions about me, and harry answered them. some examples...

why is your mom special : she is my mom and she has a talent for cooking and cleaning.

i like it when my mom: helps me with homework, and when she cooks me dinner and lunch.

my mom can do many things! i think she is best at: making me happy.

my mom has a pretty smile! i like to make her smile by: giving her gifts like this card.

my mom is as pretty as: a precious diamond.

my mom is smart, she even knows: how the earth turns


i'd like to tell me mom: how well she cooks

ways we are alike:
we both worry, we like pizza

ways we are different:
she likes to run, i don't. she is mostly funny, i am more serious some times.

then there was this story...
me and my mom watched a roadshow that my mom and dad put together. it was very funny. a lot of people thought it was very funny. the judges gave my momma third place music and dance award, and out of 7 roadshows, she got 3rd place most entertaining show. so she did a great job.

and then there was the stuff he promised to do today...

do the dishwasher
get ready when you tell me
drink all the milk out of my cereal
not yell
and as hard as i can, not tease my brother.

and then there was the creative writing page
M-marvelous
O-oh wow
T-terrific
H-home helper
E-xcellent
R-ules


and last but not least there was a certificate of being the greatest mom

here's why: she cooks excellent meals, she helps me with homework, plans cool stuff for the hollidays, and best of all she loves me.


awe, that melts the heart, doesn't it?

leave a message, after the beep

we are out, we have been for a while. and since we have been away, our house has fallen prey to mischevious little elves who have dirtied it from high to low. and eaten all the food. and we are tired from wrangling kids for the roadshow. so i'm not gonna be around. because i'm tired. and i need to clean up the mess, maybe mow the lawn, and maybe take a nap. yes, it's been a really,really long week.

but i won't leave you without this little gem. harry took this today and i love it. because it looks cool.


but you can leave a message and i'll be back posting...soon...?