Sunday, September 19, 2010

Can You Say Soccer Mom?

After 14 years of driving a SUV, I am driving a mini-van again! We have found that we rarely all drive in one car anymore and at $75 per tank of gas, we've been spending a small fortune.

Last week I traded in my Ford Expedition for a Toyota Sienna.


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I LOVE IT! It has two sunroofs, windows that open in the second row, a dual screen tv (so you can watch a movie and play a game system at the same time (which won't be happening since all of my kids are big pukers in the car and that would put them right over the edge), reclining captains' chairs in the second row, and a navigation system that was great the other day when I got lost.


The kids LOVE it! As do their friends. Every time someone new gets in the car, Kellen acts like a salesman pointing out all of the cool features. The twins also let their friends ride in the reclining seats!

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Yes, those are snacks you see, but I didn't let them eat in the car...at least not this week!

Saturday, September 18, 2010

The Newest Member of Our Family

Meet Oreo...

She joined our family the last week of August. I hesitated to mention our latest pet because I wasn't sure that she would make it past the 14 day guarantee. We were in the pet store getting Allie a fish for her room and we saw this hamster running on a wheel in the cage. The hamster was rather hyper--she would hop off the wheel, run around the cage and then hop back on the wheel and run, run, run. Kellen fell in love with her and just had to have her for his birthday.
Since we already have Charlie, I figured it was no big deal to get another one.

As we were getting the hamster to take home the employee told us that she was so happy we were taking this hamster because she was constantly picked on by the other hamsters in her cage. To get away from them, she would run on the wheel ALL THE TIME!


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She spent the first 24 hours in our house running on her wheel. She was completely freaked out. The second day, every time we tried to touch her she would run away and get back on the wheel. When we tried to pick her up, she would bite us.

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A friend suggested we wear socks on our hands when we pick her up. These pictures were taken yesterday--we've had the hamster for a month and we still can't pick her up without them! Kellen also wears a dress shirt so that his arms are covered.

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It's a good thing she's so cute.

Friday, September 17, 2010

You've Got to be Kidding Me

This is what greeted me this morning when I went to have a muffin....

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Really? You couldn't eat the rest of the muffin?

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Calling All Letter Writers

To all of my blog readers...

Please help me out...These beautiful young girls are undergoing cancer treatment and would love to receive mail from you! They have to spend a lot of time away from their friends and families, and getting mail makes their days!

This is Cami. Read about Cami's story here.


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And this is Millie. Read about her journey with childhood cancer here.

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Please take a moment to send a postcard or a letter! Leave me a comment and I will email you their addresses! Thank you internet!

Friday, September 10, 2010

Sunflower Fields Forever

Flowers... are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues
all the utilities of the world. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson



I have lived in Maryland for 21 years and until last weekend, I never knew that this sunflower field existed. Yellow as far as the eye can see.

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Yesterday, the kids had off school so we drove up to the corner of Jarrettsville Pike and Hess Rd, parked the car and got out and walked around.

Kellen and his friend, Tucker.

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Tyler and his girlfriend, Payton.

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Allie--her friend had to go home early so she missed out on our sunflower adventure.

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Me and my girl, Ammy.

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If you have the chance to go see these flowers, I promise you that you won't be disappointed.

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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Can You Ever Have Too Many?

Ammy's collection of Silly Bandz.

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Do you think she needs more?

Sunday, September 5, 2010

French Braids

Many years ago, my friend, Andie, taught me how to french braid hair. I have been waiting for 14 plus years to have a child of mine allow me to french braid her hair. It has finally happened!

Ammy asked me to french braid her hair today!


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So cute! That is until the posing started!

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This one is going to be the death of me!

Biscayne Bay

On Friday, Kimberly and I went out on a 78 ft. catamaran, the Caribbean Spirit ,with other people who were attending the conference.

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We sailed around Biscayne Bay and dropped anchor in an area that was about 6-7 feet deep. We got off the boat and swam with noodles and played on a trampoline that was tied to the back of the catamaran. People also swam to a nearby sand bar where they could stand.

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Kimberly and I hanging out on the deck. At these meetings, we are always together--we are often mistaken for sisters.

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These guys were swimming and playing around the boat. Unfortunately as soon as we got in the water, they were gone.

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On the way back to the dock, we were leaning against the windows on the front of the boat. Someone took this picture of us from inside the boat!
Very cool.

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Saturday, September 4, 2010

Escape from Reality

About four times a year, I get to go away with my husband for meetings that he has to attend. They are always in great spots and it's fun to catch up with friends from all over the country. On Wednesday (after I sent the last of our 5 kids to school), I met Tony in South Beach for a few days of vacation. If you are a friend on Facebook, you know that I spent 6 1/2 hours sitting at BWI airport waiting for my flight to Miami. I got in around 11:30 p.m. after arriving at the airport here at 1:15 p.m.

South Beach is an interesting place and it is stinking hot. I haven't been that hot in a long time, and let me tell you that Baltimore is no picnic in August.


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The sunsets are beautiful though!

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We went to a reception on the lawn at the Lowes hotel where we were staying. The fake grass turf was absolutely smoking. The men were sweating so badly that their shirts were changing colors! The liner of my dress was sticking to me and the back of my hair was dripping wet...gross!

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I did get to catch up with my friends, Julie and Kimberly, so it was worth it!

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More of our adventures in Miami to come...

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

A Friend Sent Me This

I am still laughing...
10 Misconceptions of Moms and Back-to-School

Misconception Number 1: Moms miss their kids when they go back to school

Seriously. I’ve had enough of you by now. Every morning with the “what are we going to do today, Mom?” is finally over. I’ve had looked at your face twenty-four seven for the last 77 days. It’s time to go learn something. No more asking me about the pool, when is the next snack or if you can stay up late and watch a movie. It’s over….You’re going back to Hogwarts and I get to have a life again. There is a Christmas morning for parents and it’s called “back to school”.

Misconception Number 2: Moms like to go school shopping.

Are you freaking kidding me? Why do I pay taxes?…so I can rack up a 200 dollar bill at Staples for crap that we have laying around my house in junk drawers. Why does it have to be new pencils? What’s wrong with the chewed up, broken strawberry shortcake pencils sitting in the bottom of the toy box for the last 6 months? And how many subject books can you possibly need? What happened to reading, writing and arithmetic. If they added a couple of things for parents to that list I wouldn’t mind so much….why not pencils, erasers and vodka …..or some Nyquil.

Misconception Number 3: Moms like back to school night.

Why must we do this every year? I got it already. You’re the teacher…I’m the parent. My kid is either going to be smart or dumb. If he gets a certain number or colored dot on his discipline chart, he can’t get a prize from the prize box. Pretty simple stuff. Listen, I’m pretty old school. If he doesn’t listen to you…you can throw something at him. I don’t care. But I got a lot of work to do at home and I’m paying a babysitter right now. Plus, I’m pretty sure you are going to assign some project on wigwams made by some Indian tribe I’ve never heard of, so I need to get home and start my research. So, I got it. We’re all here for the betterment of the kids. Blah Blah Blah. Can I leave now?

Misconception Number 4: Moms like school paperwork.

How many trees are you planning on killing to tell me the same stuff I had to pay a babysitter to listen to the other night? You know our name, where we live and our emergency phone numbers. He doesn’t have a nickname….call him “stinkbutt” for all I care. We don’t have any “special circumstances” that you need to know about. He lives in a home with two parents who may or may not like each other at any given time and they will fight. If that qualifies as a reason he can’t get his homework done on time then he won’t be able to function as an adult and have a real job so you may want to “educate” him on that life lesson.

Misconception Number 5: Moms like covering books in that annoying sticky paper.

What exactly will you be doing with these books that I have to cover them in a plastic laminate? Do you often teach in the rain? Or while the children are drinking soda and eating soup? Do you know how long that takes? Has any parent in the history of education been able to do it without any air bubbles in it? From now on I’m covering it the old way…brown paper bags. That way I can cover the books and pack their lunches at that same time. Who says moms can’t multitask?

PS. Please tell my son if he can’t find his lunch to look in his science book.

Misconception Number 6: Moms like helping you with your homework.

What? I am scared out of my mind. I’m pretty sure that I forgot everything I learned in fifth grade by the time I was in sixth grade. I have no idea what you are talking about most days. I don’t really know my 12 times tables, I read the cliff notes to all your summer reading and I don’t know how to conjugate anything but I do know that song “conjuction junction what’s your function” if that helps at all. And please don’t even say the words “new math” to me. What the heck was wrong the old one?


Misconception Number 7: Moms can’t wait to pack your lunch every day until we die.

I hate doing laundry. Making dinner every night is the bane of my existence, so making your lunch every day for an entire year, in terms of “mom fun”, lies somewhere between brushing plaque off the dogs teeth and scheduling my annual pap smear. Listen, as a child I hated what my mom packed me for lunch. But, like every kid before me, and every generation to come you will find a kid to trade with…I’m sure someone likes sardines.

Misconception Number 8: Moms love after school activities.

I don’t know who made up this idea of organized clubs and sports but they should be the ones in charge of carting your ass around. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against all after school programs. I just wish they would offer it during hours that would work best for me so that dinner wasn’t at 8:30 at night followed by 4 hours of homework. Why not do it on the weekends and call it “after-hours activities” so mommy and daddy could actually go out one night and pretend that we have a life of our own. Don’t worry about us though I’m sure that me and “what’s his name” will be married a very long time.

Misconception Number 9: Moms don’t mind taking you to school if you miss the bus

Your bus comes at 7:10 am….which means that you should be standing by the door at 7:05 am. Not eating breakfast , chasing the dog around the house or in the bathroom, asking me to check your homework while I’m taking a shower. Get it together! I don’t like running down the street in my jammies at 7:12 screaming “Please wait” or “If you stop I’ll show you my boobies.”

Misconception Number 10: Moms cry on your first day of school

We do cry but they are tears of joy. I have done my job. I have successfully kept a human child alive for at least 5 years without doing any major damage. Motherhood is the hardest job in the world!! Sure, doctors save lives and CEO’s run million dollar businesses but…you teach a kid not to poop their pants and then you can say you’ve made the world a better place.”

Yipee!

In the order in which they appeared...

Tyler's first day as a Junior...he's thrilled.

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Tristan's first day as a Senior!

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Allie's first day as a Freshman! Don't you love the uniform? I do because you have to buy them at a specific store...you can't just wear any old skort...no more fighting... about that!


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The group shot.

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Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to dance in the streets!
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