OK - I suck - so sue me...

OK - we aren't here to discuss how I suck at blogging frequently.  If you don't see a new post for a while, assume that nothing noteworthy has been going on.  Or assume that a ton of noteworthy things have gone on and I haven't had time to tell the 2 people that read this.  OK - 3 people.

So, lets see, where to start...  Oh - I started a new job a few weeks ago, on the 22nd.  I went back to work for the Secret Service.  I was really nervous about leaving OHA/Social Security.  I had been there for 8 1/2 years & it really felt like I was leaving my home & family.  I knew going back to SS was the right choice, but - a big change for me.  Now, I worked at SS for 4 years thru college & LOVED it.  I actually looked forward to going to work every day.  I kept up with folks there, had lunch there every once in a while, etc.  So I knew I still liked the people, but was unsure about the work.  Well - so far, I love it.  Its a nice change of pace to be in an office of 20 people versus 70 people.  I actually have my own office, for the first time ever, and I'm lonely - but adjusting.  I'm used to being in a cube-farm with a million conversations going on around me.  The jokesters at OHA thought they were being funny & put a huge sign that said "You're Fired!" across my cube on my last day.

So work at Secret Service is going great & I'm really enjoying it so far.  Of course, it helps to start a government job the week of Christmas.  I worked 3 days the first week, 4 days this week - not bad at all...

OK - now on to Christmas.  We had an awesome one!  As usual, it was very busy.  Jaci woke up at 4am on Christmas morning.  Now, we had discussed this already & she said she was going to read a book if she couldn't go back to sleep.  That isn't how it happened at all.  I ended up going to lay in her bed & she could NOT go back to sleep for very long.  At 4:30, she woke me up to tell me she could say all the reindeer names.  I told her WHO CARES?  (ok - side note - some people are mean drunks, I'm a mean sleeper.  I might say something hateful to you if you wake me up, so don't take it personal.)  She continued to wake me up every 30 minutes or so, until we finally got up at 6:30.  Santa was a pig & ate all his cookies.  We had made Reindeer Food & put it all over the front yard, corn pops & red/green sprinkles.  Jaci ran outside to see if they ate it.  I was so nervous & hoping at least some birds had come to feast.  Nope.  But - thinking positive, Jaci came back in & told me there were still corn pops all in the yard, so the reindeer must have just eaten one each.  HA! I love this age & am enjoying it while I can.  It won't be long before Santa will be 'lame' so I'm loving it for now.

So - Santa brought Lauren a PRINCESS tent set & Jaci a Nintendo DS.  They were both so excited.

So after we did all that here, we went to my moms, then to Granny C's (without Granny C & Papaw), then to Dacvid & Nancy's... a VERY busy day, but so much fun. Thanks to Crystal Pie & Adam for making the burgers & cheesedip & cleaning up cat poo before-hand. I really appreciate it. Specially the cat poo part.

By the time we got home, Lauren was konked out. See the evidence:
All in all, we've had such a wonderful, blessed year.  We honestly don't have a complaint in the world...

And speaking of complaining - tomorrow is mine & Jeff's 1o year anniversary.  I know you all wonder how I have managed to stay married to such a jackass for 10 years, and let me tell you, it hasn't been easy...  hahaha  JUST KIDDING BABE.  

Thanks for being the best husband, best father, best everything.  I love you so & its been such a great 10 years.  Thank you.  And in honor - here is the oldest picture I have of us in iPhoto:

OK - scratch that - this is the oldest picture I have of you - that is what you get for not ever wanting me to take a picture of you. This is you & Jaci on her 3rd birthday...

But - here are a few pictures from our Mexico trip last month - so much fun....

I love you babe! I hope the next 10 years are as easy as this 10 has been. I've only regretted being married to you a handful of times in 10 years, so thats got to be a record... :) 

And a special thanks to KK & Unk. I've been able to pretend this week that I don't even have kids & its been wonderful. Stars in your crowns!

OK - I have an Oprah to watch - so y'all be sweet!

Imagination

My girls both have great imaginations.  But I've got to say, that Laurney takes the cake.  For about a year (give or take), she has played with "Little Mouse."  Little Mouse has a Momma Mouse & a Daddy Mouse & a friend named Leona.  Little Mouse swings on swings, rides rides, slides, dances, shakes her bootie & has a really fun time.

The kicker:  Little Mouse is her finger.

It is so funny to watch her.  Sometimes I wonder, "Is she going to sit there & play with her finger for half an hour?"  Little Mouse's slide might be her finger going down my leg or the side of the couch.  Little Mouse's swing might be Lauren holding up her finger & swaying it back & forth.  At the fair, Little Mouse even rode several of the rides with us.  To the average person, they might have wondered why this crazy lady & her little girl rode the entire ride with their finger held up.  Everyone has their own Little Mouse, assuming they have an index finger.  :)

Now don't get me wrong, it isn't cute all the time.  LG can get really annoying with Little Mouse.  Mainly because she wants you to talk in your mouse voice (high & squeaky) the entire time.  If her Little Mouse asks you a question &  you answer in your regular voice, she will promptly remind you that she is talking to Little Mouse or Momma Mouse, etc.  We have all learned a tip from JoBeth, "Sorry Lauren, Little Mouse is taking a nap in my pocket."  And she will be satisfied with that just about every time & go on about her business.

For those of you who don't have kids or have never seen the Sponge Bob where him & Patrick play all these games in a cardboard box, it is worth watching.  Squidward just watches them play & gets jealous because they are having so much fun & it seems so real.  That is what I feel like when Lauren plays with Little Mouse.  She has so much fun & so many crazy adventures, that I almost believe she is real.

Now - just for the heck of it - here is Ms. Imagination herself.  This is her suitcase fort that she played in for almost an hour.  She strapped herself in, I knocked on the door & she would unbuckle & be so surprised to see me.

Ahhh..... Silence

I love night time, after everyone is asleep.  Chances are, if you know me well, this might surprise you.  I do love going to bed early too.  BUT - on these rare nights that everyone is asleep & I'm up - hearing nothing but the fans & the dishwasher running - there is such a peacefulness about it.  I guess even though I'm tired, I stay up late just because I'm postponing tomorrow.  Tomorrow will be filled with business, like today, so if I stay up later tonight, I can enjoy the fact that I'm done for now.

Granted, it is only 10pm right now (yes - I'm a wuss).  The girls are usually in bed by 8:30, but it was 9:30 tonight because we watched the Razorbacks play.  (YET ANOTHER pay-per-view wasted, but it was a good game, with sucky calls.)  Jeff was pooped so he crashed immediately.  Usually, I'm the one crashing & he stays up till God knows what time.  I have fallen asleep to football & ESPN a million times over the years.

Anyway - on nights like tonight, I usually think of my mom.  She worked full-time.  My dad worked a hard job & was not one to help around the house.  As a matter of fact - none of us were.  I'm so sorry mom - I wish you would have been meaner & made us at least do our own laundry!  I think about how our laundry room would literally be knee-deep more times than not.  And that was just the dirty clothes.  There was a whole other pile in the clean clothes section, which was a counter in the laundry room.  The pile there was from about from waist to chest.  And I think of the "PUNISHMENT" sticker that my mom stuck above the doorway to the laundry room.  She is funny like that.  But I never thought to ask her - punishment for what?  :)  

Back then, I remember my mom sometimes taking a diet pill when she went to bed.  My dad always wanted her to fall asleep with him.  Boy does that sound familiar.  She would take a diet pill so she could sleep a few hours, then wake up in the middle of the night, when everyone else was asleep - the she would do laundry.  I promise you, when I'm up late or in the middle of the night, I almost NEVER do laundry.  Sometimes I read or watch tv (Suze Orman on CNBC & I used to love it when I caught Wings - that show is funny!)

The older I get, the more I feel like my parents.  Rather it be like my dad when I snap & just take the girls toys away that they are fighting over (or throw it out the window driving down the freeway - which I have done & gave me the best feeling ever.  Both girls were so shocked, I had at least 3 minutes of peace), or my mom when I bought a sign at Hobby Lobby that is hanging over my laundry room door:  "Mom's Laundry Service - Help Wanted - Inquire Within."

But - all in all, today was a great day.  I wanted to take the girls to watch the finishing of the Mud Run, but they were so awful this morning we just stayed home.  They have fought over everything today - even the stupidest stuff.  Lauren has gotten 2 spankings, sent to her room twice & Jaci got sent to hers too.   They were fighting over this stupid little pink keyboard that plays like a piano or you can push a button & it will play a song.  It was loud & they were on either end of it, each trying to yank it from the other.  I put it on top of the fridge.  When Jeff got home, we ran some errands - then Lauren & I took a nap when we got home.  This evening, JR & the Courtneys came over to watch the game.  I got the piano back down & sure enough - they started fighting again.  I was folding clothes & put it beside me & told Lauren "Don't touch it again."  I saw her finger extend towards it, like some force field was drawing her in.  I looked at her & said, "Lauren - I said don't touch it!"  She said, "But mommy, its so beautiful!"  

hahaha  If pink plastic is so beautiful & she can't keep from touching it, watch out trailer park - here she comes!  Later, I said, "Lauren, are you TRYING to get on my nerves?"  In her sweet little voice, she said, "Yessssssss."

So - this week - I've had Jaci crying that her life is horrible, LG running from Jeff - screaming don't talk to her, Jaci telling me, "OH REALLY?  Well you don't know that!"  Not to mention, this morning when I was getting on to them both - I busted Jaci mouthing my exact words when she thought I wasn't looking.  

But - LG did make sure to give me her Christmas list today:  a GILR tent & sleeping bag, a GIRL computer & a GIRL camera.  Perfect for a 3 year-old huh?

Well, I think I've had enough of basking in silence.  Time to hit the hay.  Y'all be sweet!

Experiments & Sunshine

Well, today has been a fun day.  Its the first one since Sunday that I feel like I MAY be getting a shred of energy back.  I took off work a bit early & took them to the park.  We had a ton of fun - swinging & chasing.  Well, I sat my big boo-tay on the park bench while THEY chased.

--- OK --- I was interrupted to do some "sticky-ooey-goo" decontamination. It was all over Lauren's hands & she was running towards the living room.  Now that is taken care of, & Lauren is back over there telling me that she is "doing an contraption."  I'm sitting at the bar blogging while the girls are doing an 'experiment' consisting of a fish bowl, water, dishwashing liquid, ziploc baggies, cookie cutters & sticky ooey goo.  (Note:  the sticky ooey goo will not last thru the night & will have disappeared by the time they get up in the morning.)

I wonder if their experiment can count as a bath?  After all, it involves water & some sort of bubbles...

I'm so glad that tomorrow is Friday & Monday is Columbus Day.  Long live Chris Columbus!!!  That is one of my favorite government holidays - mainly because it is one that Jeff has to work & the kids are still in school.  Woo hoo!  Hopefully I can work on my yardsale stuff then.

Oh - check back tonight to catch pictures of Jaci & her snaggle-teeth.  She looks so silly & so cute.

Be sweet!

Yeah, I know its been awhile - but trust me - not much newsworthy stuff going on here.  Staying crazy busy, as usual.  Me & the dog are home chillin' today.  I have felt crappy lately, so I decided to leave work early yesterday.  Then it stormed so bad last night - Lauren was scared & Roxie was spazzing - and in between I fell asleep on the couch where I dreamed I was choking Jeff.  (Sorry babe!)  I used up so much energy choking him & tying his hands behind his back with a shoestring, that I couldn't muster the energy to go to work today.

Oh - on another subject - I learned a lesson last night.  When Lauren sprays windex all over the floor to make it slippery so she can skate, & she falls - I don't have much sympathy for her.  :)

OK - the bed is calling my name!

Hormones - gotta hate 'em.

Since I'm keeping this blog as a semi-journal (hey - I'll print them out some day), I have got to tell you the conversation we had on the way  home from church tonight.  Church was over around 8 & Courtnay warned me that Jaci was sad that she didn't get some prize.  (OK - pause - I thought it was a 'treasure chest' toy & I reminded Jaci that a lot of the junk in the 'treasure chest' came from her room.  But that isn't the prize she was talking about & I never understood what she WAS talking about.)  Anyway - Jaci is crying pretty much the entire way home.  I'm telling her she is just tired & since she was crying that she couldn't think of what prize she wanted, I was trying to help her think of something.  No surprise - she didn't like any of my ideas.  Lauren is silent the entire time.  Eventually, I get fed up & its no more nice mom:

Me:  Jaci, you know how when you're tired, you cry over stupid stuff?  This is stupid.  Who cares about a prize?  And you know what?  Since you are being so bratty about it anyway - I'm going to tell Courtney T that you can't have one.

Jaci: [sobbing] I can never make my mind up and plus, Maddie hasn't played with me in like 2 weeks!  (WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?)

Me:  Jaci - we've already talked about this yesterday.  Maddie is allowed to have more than 1 friend.  And you love the other girl she was playing with - so play with both of them.

Jaci:  I just know she doesn't want to play with me anymore!

Me:  Did she tell you that?  (no)  So don't assume that she doesn't want to play with you when you haven't even asked her.

During all of this, Jaci is still crying & I explain to her that just like we can love more than one person, we can be friends with more that one person.  We have this long talk about how if Maddie is playing with someone Jaci doesn't want to play with - all Jaci has to do is go play with someone else.  She said that made her feel a little better. I tell both girls to tell me about their day.  Lauren starts off that they went to The Wonder Place & there was either 1 kid or 50,000 there.  Jaci jumps in to correct her, saying there was in no way 50,000 kids there.  

Lauren:  Jace - I don't want to hear about it!  (Uh oh - my words just 2 minutes earlier)

Me:  Lauren - I can say that to Jaci, you cannot.  Be nice to your sister.

Jaci: [crying again]  Well, me & Maddie were teaching 2 girls to Texas Twirl with a pullback (don't ask) and Maddie MADE me teach them even though I don't even know their NAMES.

I tell her we've already had that conversation & we are talking about our days.  

Jaci:  FINE.  I tell you all the BAD THINGS that happened to me today!

I tell her not to say another word until we get home unless she can quit whining. (She wasn't crying about getting checked out & going to The Wonder Place, then shopping with KK!)  Then Lauren starts going on & on about her good day &  all her friends at school.  

Lauren: Mommy - if Gracie comes up to me & says 'can I be your friend?'  I'll just say YES.  Then when Isabella comes up to me & says 'can I be your friend?' I'll just say YES.  She goes on to name almost every kid in her class & Jaci cries harder with every 'friend.'  Finally - Jaci tells Lauren to quit because she is making her jealous & mad.  

Dang - its a long car ride.

Somewhere during all that, Jaci asks me for a coin.  Then she returns to normal.  I asked her what she did with the dime.

Jaci: [no tears & talking like normal] I just flipped it.  Heads was I start talking nice & tails was I cry all the way home.  And it was heads.

And just like that - the storm is over.  I give her a high 5 for pulling herself out of it & then tell her I'm going to buy her a quarter with 2 heads (1 on each side) for next time.

Think it will work?  Be sweet!

A Day in the Life of a Mom

While cleaning out my computer files - I came upon this. It cracks me up! This is something I did for church several years ago on Mother's Day. Its not in perfect sentences, but still a good read. Any mom will identify. And believe it or not - the girls are a few years older, but we are still just as busy... This is back when I worked 6:30 - 3 & actually got here on time!

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A MOM

- alarm goes off at 5:45 – I hit snooze twice
- Get up, get dressed, brush hair/teeth, say quick prayers, out the door
- Go to work for 8 – 9 hours
- Leave work, stop to get gas, go pick up the kids
- Have a short conversation with MIL – were the kids good today, did they go potty, what/when did they eat last, thank you for keeping them, love you , bye
- Get baby in her car seat, get 1 whiney 4 yo in her car seat
- Argue all the way home b/c she wants to stay at grandmas & why don’t I let her do whatever she wants like grandma, she can’t hear the radio, she’s bored, and would I please pull over and get the marker she dropped in the floor board.
- Whiney 4 yo cries b/c the baby is laughing at her and its not nice to laugh at people, and she’s STILL bored, and it only takes 5 minutes to get from MIL to home
- Stop & get the mail, 4 yo wants to sit in my lap & help pull the car from the driveway to the garage, so I let her
- Get home, unload whiney 4yo & baby that’s still laughing at whiney 4 yo. Try to get both kids, shoes that have been kicked off, 2 lunch boxes, diaper bag, purse & mail all in 1 trip
- Feel like a pack mule – open the door with one my pinkie and foot, finally get in and pile everything on the bar
- Try to go to the bathroom by myself – FAT CHANCE – both kids follow me to see what I’m doing
- Make 4 yo go to bathroom while we’re in there, wash hands, change diaper, wash hands again, go fix snacks
- Pick up baby’s snacks from off the floor, get her out of her highchair and shake her a little bit to let all of the cheerios fall back on the floor that I just cleaned
- Put the baby down for a nap, thank God that she is easy to get to sleep
- Play game with 4 yo
- Start load of laundry, try to convice 4 yo that folding towels can be fun
- Hubby calls to see whats for dinner, OOPS, I haven’t even thought about dinner
- Hurry to thaw chicken, make salads. 4 yo wants to help with the salads, she spills bacon bits all over the floor
- She doesn’t want to sweep them up, but does.
- She tries again with the bacon bits and spills them again. She is adamant that cleaning makes her arms tired, so I sweep them up this time.
- Get chicken cooking, salads are made put them in the fridge
- Baby wakes up, I put her in her highchair w/ cheerios to keep her quiet.
- 4yo goes out to swing on her swingset, so the baby wants to go too. So – we go swing.
- YEAH! Papa comes over so I hold him hostage – he plays school w/ the 4 yo while I put the baby back in her highchair and give her more cheerios.
- Wonder if its possible to OD a baby on cheerios, figure surely not or there would be a warning on the box, so I go ahead and give her another handful.
- Finish up dinner, say bye to Papa
- Hubby calls – oops changes have to be made in time to show the clients in the morning, hopefully he’ll be home before midnight.
- Girls & I eat dinner WHY AM I EATING STANDING UP?, put hubby’s dinner in fridge.
- Try to straighten up the kitchen while kids are occupied
- I realize I have not sat down since I got home
- Baby starts crying, its bed time, but her fingernails need to be clipped & she has peas in her hair
- Put both kids in the tub. Hurry & wash baby’s hair.
- Fight w/ 4yo who is convinced if her hair doesn’t stink, she doesn’t have to wash it
- I decide I can take another shot at the towels that need to be folded while girls are playing in the tub
- Tell 4yo not to feed the baby bubbles by the spoonful
- Tell the 4yo not to waste shampoo. Reminds me to call my mother and apologize for all the shampoo wasted while my sister & I made shampoo burritos
- Get baby out, diaper, lotion & pjs on, tell 4yo to dry off next time before she gets out
- Wipe up all water that is tracked from the bathroom
- Put baby to bed, thank God again that she is easy to get to sleep
- Get pjs on 4yo, brush hair, dry hair, braid hair, brush teeth, turn on computer for her to play games
- She asks how many games she can play, I say 2, she plays 4
- While she’s busy with that, I go ahead & make lunches for tomorrow, lay out clothes, pack diaper bag, tape a note to the door to remind hubby not to forget meds in the morning
- Tell 4 yo to go to the bathroom, piggy back ride to her bedroom, OOPS, I forgot to get her water – in the ELEPHANT cup, she takes FOREVER to pick out which stuffed animals she wants to sleep with, finally we are all set.
- I tell her a short story or read a short book, we say our prayers, kiss goodnight & go to heat up the baby’s bottle
- I get 10 steps away from the 4yo room and she has to go to the bathroom AGAIN, and I forgot to turn on her fan
- I put her back to bed & tell her don’t call me again unless its an emergency
- Remind her that an emergency qualifies as blood, barf, or bathroom
- Go back to heat the baby’s bottle up, get baby up & feed her & change her diaper
- Put the baby back to bed, thank God AGAIN that she is easy to get to sleep
- HA! Now its my time! I get to take a shower & dry my hair in peace. But..
- Oops – I forgot to feed the dog. I let her in, and runs straight for under my bed.
- I coax her out from under the bed w/ a piece of turkey
- The dog eats and I put her back outside so she can go to the bathroom. Feel like the bathroom police b/t the dog, diapers & forcing the 4yo to go
- Bring the dog back in & put her in her kennel
- I wonder how many times I Have bend over to pick something up & wonder how people do it with more than 2 kids and with no family to help/hold hostage
- The day’s been so busy – I want to call my friends w/ no kids and warn them! Tell them how jealous I am of them that they can go to sleep when ever they want and don’t have to make anyone go to the bathroom
- But – instead of calling I decide to finally finish folding that load of towels that I’ve been trying to get to all evening.
- I find a hairclip that got washed with the towel. I smile and think of when the 4yo had the towel wrapped around her like a cape.
- I step in the shower and see a bucket & ladel & think of the shampoo concoction that was made in there just an hour or two ago. I smile.
- I go to brush my teeth and see all the toothbrushes arranged to spell part of Haley’s name – I smile
- I bend over to pick up a cloth diaper for what seems like the 200th time that evening, but this time I smile b/c I think of how the baby holds it when she sucks her thumb
- And a transformation takes place in just a few moments. I’ve gone from wanting to call my friends w/ no kids to warn them, to wanting to call them and ask them what they are waiting on – they should be envious of me!
- How I’m amazed that God has given me 2 beautiful, healthy girls & how astounded I am of the love I feel for them as I kiss them goodnight while they are sleeping.
- While they are asleep, I think I want several more kids – just like the ones I’ve got!
- Hubby finally gets home and tells me about the crazy evening HE’S had
- I’m asleep before my head hits the pillow and before I know it, I’m hitting snooze on that alarm again.


So the moral of this story is – kids & dads – today – give your mom a long hug & a good smooch – then let them go take a nap – they are exhausted!!!

Welcome Home! Your laundry room has missed you...

Yuck.  Laundry is like a bad habit.  Just when you think you have it under control, it sneaks up on you.  I think it is laughing behind my back the entire time.  Or you know in the movies when they foreshadow?    "Crystal thinks she is all caught up on everything - HA HA HA - but what she doesn't know is that her nightmare is just beginning..."  

OK - it really wouldn't be THAT dramatic.  But, its funny to think about.  While we were gone to Hotter 'n Hell (Jeff's 100 mile bike ride in Wichata Falls, TX), Aunt Joyce & I decided that if we had someone standing on our sidelines, ringing bells & yelling for us - we would be so inspired & get so much more done.  Just imagine, "Come on Crystal - one more suitcase to unpack - you can do it!  Way to go!"  Well, now that I think about it, my mom used to kind of do that when I was a teenager & it made me want to slap her.  (Sorry mom)  

So we get home, I immediately come in, use the bathroom, then proceed to dump our suitcase worth of wet, sweaty clothes in the washer.  When the girls get home, they are mildly excited to see us.  Lauren runs & hugs me & tells me she missed me so much.  Jaci is slightly less excited.  We've only been gone since Wednesday - so a few more days would have done her good.  ha ha 

So - I'm in the middle of getting my to-do list together:

Laundry - check

Bath for the girls - check

Wash Jaci's hair - put off till tomorrow

Grocery store - put off till tomorrow

So as I'm heating dinner up for the girls (pizza that Gary left over), I hear the sweetest sound in the world, or at least the sweetest question - 

"Mom - can I PLEASE make Lauren's lunch for tomorrow?"  Um - excuse me???  You can make Lauren's lunch every day if you want sweetheart!  Its a well-known fact that I hate making lunches, don't try to analyze - there is no rhyme or reason to my madness.  I will say that its a tiny chore that Jeff & I both hate.  Jaci is growing up so much - I love that she can read on the lunch calendar & see that its corn dog day & she already knows she can buy her lunch tomorrow.

So - I'm looking for Lauren's new lunch box - and where else would it be?  Ah - right where it should be - hanging on Jaci's "classroom" backpack rack, which happens to double as my cross-wall in the living room.  See how Hello Kitty hangs right next to Abby Cadabby?

I crack up & think its good to be home. 

 Gotta get - Lauren is yelling, wanting to know why Jaci is wearing a bra & she doesn't have one.  Oh Lord...

 

1st Grade

First Day of School. Ugh. Now it is officially back to packing lunches, uniforms, waking up extra early, you get the idea. Jaci was mildly excited. She got the teacher she wanted, Mrs. Coleman & she has lots of friends from last year in her class. There is a huge difference between last year & this year. She has grown 3 inches & went from wearing 5s to 7/8. She didn't even want me to walk in with her this morning - just drop her off! I said no way & took her in anyway. My baby is growing up!

ha ha  Jaci insists they have to button all of their buttons up.  Surely not.  I couldn't do that - just looking at her shirt makes me feel like I'm choking!  She also won't wear a belt (even though they are supposed to).  She says its too much to mess with when she has to go to the bathroom.  I'm with her there!  She actually let me french braid her hair this morning.  But as of tomorrow - she will go back to being the pony tail princess.

I'm at home with Lauren this morning.  (She was sad that her school didn't start today - me too!)  We took Jaci to school, then went down Snake Hill to get a donut.  But I forgot they are closed on Mondays!  Lauren said, "Thats ok mommy!"  She has busied herself cutting & gluing paper.  I swear, she could entertain herself for a long time with a glue stick.  We've also done puzzles & played school.  She is watching Diego right now.  Nancy is going to keep her this afternoon, so I'll go in to work then.  

Hope everyone gets back into the swing of things very easily.  Be Sweet!

 

We love the Bolympics!

This just in:  Lauren is the newest fan of the "bolympics."  

I had been working on a longer blog about our crazy evening, but I've been interrupted too many times to continue.  Maybe I'll post it later - maybe not.

Tonight, Jaci was in 'teen pop' mode.  She came out of her room wearing shorts, a purple (training) bra & arm warmers.  Is that what they are called?  Like the leg warmer things that you wear on your arm?  Well - YOU don't wear them & I don't wear them, but you catch my drift.  She was on the couch watching the Teen Choice Awards that I had recorded for her while she was gone.

Lauren had been in our room watching the Olympics with Jeff.  She came running in to the living room & said to Jaci, "Jace - you won't BELIEVE this!  These girls are diving in the water!"  Jaci was so non-chalant (how the heck do you spell that?) and said, "Yeah - I've already seen that when I was in Louisiana."  So Jaci goes back to her teen choice awards & Lauren starts crying.  She is pouting saying that Jaci is being "so rude" & their "bathing suits are beautiful."  So we ended up with a compromise & made Jaci watch the diving part with us (which she totally loved).  Lauren was running around jumping off the couch saying she was diving.  

You never know, she might be an olympic hopeful some day - well, a bolymic hopeful...  

This is the perfect day ever!

According to Lauren, that is.  What does it take to be a perfect day for a 3 year old?  Ironically, I had just been thinking that this has been a perfect day.  Or as perfect as it can get without Publishers Clearing House showing up on my doorstep.

After work, I picked Lauren up from Nancy's.  I was a little late because I passed my old neighbor, Lara, outside & had to go see her twins.  They are already 1 & anytime I think I have it rough, I will reconsider because of her.  Anyway - on the way home, I told Lauren that tomorrow is Saturday.  

Me:  Lauren, you know what tomorrow is?

LG: Yes (her standard answer rather she knows the answer to the question or not)

Me:  Tomorrow is SATURDAY!  You know what that means?

LG:  Yes - what?

Me:  It means I get to stay home all day with you tomorrow?

LG:  ALL DAY?

Me:  Yes!

LG:  (squealing with excitement) YEAH!

We got home & I remembered that our neighbor is having a birthday party for their granddaughter - I forgot to RSVP.  So I call & tell them Jaci is in Louisiana with her grandma & she'll be sad that she missed it.  When I was giving Lauren a bath, I heard lots of noise outside & peeked out the window.  There are about 15 kids about 6 feet from my house in a huge blow-up pool.  They are having a time & all I'm thinking is 'I hope they don't plan on leaving that pool up!'

So I thought I'd be a cool bloggin' momma & type this while Lauren was in the tub.  So I'm sitting on the toilet thinking how great this is working out.  But then she has to poop - so I get her out of the tub, she does her business, etc. & I stick her back in the tub.  I resume my blogging & she resumes making a gigantic mess in the bathroom.  Finally - I decide its not such a good idea & put the computer away.  This is Jeff's beloved Mac Book Pro & I'm pretty sure he would kill me if it gets wet.  So even though a good 1/2 hour passed between paragraphs - I wasn't lolly-gagging.  Just bloggy-gagging.  haha  I'm so lame.  But I might need to trademark that word.

OK - stay on track Crys.  

Before the bath - we had a great dinner.  Lauren helped me 'paint' butter on the shrimp & sprinkle spices, then we broiled it.  Not bad at all for a last minute dinner.  Then we had watermelon from Charity & Justin's garden.  Lauren had juice all over everywhere - from the top of her head, down to her waist.  I was just wishing Grandpa Haney was here.  She kept putting seeds in her mouth just so she could spit them out.

Jaci called me today, just to ask what her email address was - her & Emily were signing up for a neopets website or something.  She said she is having a great time & she has another loose tooth.  She noticed it was loose while she was eating a sausage biscuit that JoBeth made her.  She has really bad luck with sausage biscuits - she was eating one at McDonald's with Unk when she noticed her first loose tooth - and he pulled it that day.  I told her she should go ahead and let Choo Choo pull it.  JoBeth told her when you loose a tooth on vacation, the tooth fairy leaves you double the money.

KK & Unk left today for their 2 week Baltic Sea cruise.  Charity is in Boston.  Jaci, JoBeth & crew are in New Orleans.  We are a traveling bunch!  

Hope y'all have a perfect day ever too.  Be sweet!

A night in the life of the Holsteds

Well, after my zombie-day yesterday - I was surprised that my evening turned out pretty good. Well, as good as it can be with 2 stinky dogs causing me to leave work early & Lauren pooping in her pants & trying to wipe herself & getting poo all the way up to her belly button.

We had dinner last night at the in-laws & in the middle of dinner is when the 'accident' occurred. She was finished eating & in the play room. I hear her call for me - I tell her I'll be there when I get finished eating. Then she yells, "But mom - theres poop in my panties!" Let me tell ya - that will get a mother up fast... I ended up having to stick her in the bathtub. There is nothing like having to clean up poo in the middle of dinner - and every mother that reads this will shake their head & agree with me.

Since Jaci is gone on a trip with DoDo & Choo Choo - Lauren has been enjoying having all my attention. So - I told her last night that she could fall asleep in my bed & I would put her in her bed after she fell asleep. This is something we let Jaci do on a semi-regular basis. But it was Lauren's first time. Now don't think I'm being unfair - Lauren just likes her bed. Anyway - when I told her she could lay down with me - she got so excited. She pulled the covers up to her chin & said, "Mommy - this is SO comfortable!" That brought back lots of memories. My parents bed was the place I got the best sleep. I was always comfortable, the room was cool & I NEVER had bad dreams in their bed. Since there were 2 of us - sleeping with mom & dad only happened on special occasions. Bless their hearts - I can imagine having 2 Laurens & instead of having 1 toe in my belly button - having 2 toes there. Instead of one slap in the face - two slaps - you get the picture.

Well, it will be a while before I let Lauren do that again. After I put her in her bed, she woke up at 11:30, saying she needed to pee. 1:00 asking me to rock her. At 2 I got up to take some meds for a headache. At 3 she woke up again - I made Jeff get up, but she was crying for me. Finally - I go in to her room & she wants me to lay down with her. She has a twin bed, so I suggested going to sleep in Jaci's bed for the rest of the night. After I pulled the covers back - Lauren said, "Jaci doesn't want me to sleep on her sheets." I said, "Who cares - get in bed, close your eyes & mouth & go to sleep." She must have known I meant business because she did just that.

But then I couldn't go to sleep. Jaci can sleep through anything - including our loud house alarm going off. So I wasn't surprised that her stupid window thing clinks like crazy when the fan is on. It has about 10 strips of plastic circles hanging in front of her window. It drove me nuts - I finally got back up and tried to position her Littlest Pet Shop window box in front of it to stop the clink.

This morning when Jeff came in at 6:45 & said he was leaving - Lauren was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Not me. But strangely - I feel more awake after last night, than I did with my 10+ hours the other night. The human body is strange.

I'd better get busy with my day. I did make my list yesterday of the 7 things on it - I crossed off 5 - so not too bad.

A rebellious brain

My brain is rebelling today. It's in a zombie-like state & doesn't seem to care. (No more lame zombie jokes, Jeff! lol ) I'm trying to force myself to get organized & motivated to do all the things that need to be done today. But instead, I've dealt with interruptions all morning. I've been here 2 1/2 hours & not much has been accomplished. When I walked in to work:
-The ceiling is still leaking
- Crystal, my hearing reporter didn't show up
- Crystal, the security guard didn't show up
- Crystal, do you have a number for...
- Crystal, do we have any batteries
- Crystal - where are those green routing slips?
- Crystal - I've made a mistake with these invoices, which one is right & which one do I delete?
In addition to my phone ringing off the hook - who is going to keep Lauren tomorrow, she won't go poop, how am I going to get her this afternoon, etc.

I wish I knew how to turn my phone off for inside-calls only. It has a different ring for the internal calls, maybe I just won't answer it.

I went to bed last night at 8 & was out around 8:45 - I should feel refreshed, but noooo.... Even the delicious maple tea I got from Courtney wasn't enough to wake me up. I feel like I could stare off into space all day.

My only solution is to make a list. Only because I love crossing things off of one. I keep thinking of the Bible verse that says something about 'the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Yep - that sums me up. My flesh wants to go back to bed.

I never thought it would come to this... 2nd try

After all, I'm the one who resisted Myspace & Facebook because I didn't have anything interesting to say. And who knows, I still may not have anything interesting to say! I stole this idea from Crystal Pie & her Holsted Boyz blog.

We've had a very busy weekend & it has hit me that summer is pretty much over. Saturday Jaci & I got up, got our junky clothes on, grabbed a rake & a few brooms & headed to her school for the playground clean-up day. Except - in classic-Crystal-style... it was the wrong Saturday. Oops. I hope this is one of those its-the-thought-that-counts things, because I can't go next Saturday.

But - Jaci & I made the best of it. We had already dropped Lauren off at Granny C's - so we went to a few yard sales, then for breakfast at McDonald's. The yard sales were a bust, except for 2 things. 1) I ran into my old neighbor, Lara. 2) I picked up a brand new cranium game for $5.

Later in the afternoon, after Jeff got home from his bike ride, Jaci & I set out to uniform shop. UGH. Last year, at the beginning of kindergarten, Jaci wore a 5 & they were still a little big in the waist. Now - she has outgrown everything. I was hoping at least a few shirts would still work, but they only come to her belly button. The uniforms we got were a size 8! But, this is another area where I'm glad I have another girl - Lauren will be set for life on uniforms.

Jaci & I went to Savers - oh how I love that store. We were there for about 2 1/2 hours. WHY? Because I had a coupon - 'spend $100, get $50 off.' Do you know how hard it is to spend $100 on clothes at Savers? For those who don't know what it is - imagine a clean, well-organized yard sale. All the clothes are donated, so you never know what you will get. This is what we ended up with:

Jaci-
7 shirts
1 pair of shorts

Me-
3 skirts
6 tops
1 pair of shorts
1 pair of Lucky jeans ($4)
1 Ralph Lauren sundress ($7.50)
3 large hot pink storage totes

All for the bargain price of $60!

After Savers, Jaci & I went to KFC/Long John Silvers, then on to the uniform store where I spent $109 on 2 pairs of capri pants, 6 shirts & 1 jumper. Then we went to Target to get school supplies. We were both so exhausted by the time we got home.

Jaci leaves tomorrow to go w/ JoBeth & Choo Choo to Louisiana till next Sunday or Monday. She is so excited because they are driving over to Memphis & riding the train.

OK - well, mommy-duty calls. Lauren wants her Hello Kitty 'lunch thingie' so I'd better find it. This ends my trial run. Which I guess ended up more of a commercial for Savers than anything.

I'll end with what I always tell my girls - Be sweet!