"look at them guns"

Today I was driving back from my morning of running errands, and came across a car that was blocking the right lane. A small, grandma-ish woman was on the side of the road mumbling, and putting her hands in the air. Cars were swerving around her and the car. As I got closer, I rolled down my window and asked what she needed. She was very shook up and I told her I was just going to pull over at the next street. She looked panicked as I drove away about 20 feet.

Turns out, she had a blown out tire. I drove grandma's car onto the side street behind my car and asked her who I could call. Her son was 1 hour away, and when he didn't seem to have a solution... I was left to figure out a plan. Meanwhile, another woman pulled over to help and she walked to the next block to ask for help from the police who was dealing with an accident. Although the police couldn't leave the accident scene, they put a call in for some help.

None of us were sure how long this would take and I couldn't, in good conscience, leave grandma by herself. I also couldn't sit there and do nothing, so I started rummaging through her trunk for a jack and spare tire. I had already loosened the lugnuts, and was in the process of jacking up the car, when a nice man pulled up and offered to help. I brushed off my jeans and handed the tire iron over to him.

Part of me was disappointed that I couldn't finish the job, but Brooks was in the car wailing at this point, so I had to relent. As I left, the man said, "I don't doubt you could've done this... just look at them guns." I think he was referring to my flabby, noodle arms when he said that. Nevertheless, I think he was right. I could've got the job done... although I would've been much slower and probably would've missed getting the other kids off the bus. So, as much as it killed me, I let a man finish the job.

I'd like to think I looked like this:



But I have a feeling I looked more like this:

thesaurus

Frequently my two oldest boys find themselves writing sentences for not obeying or talking back. They don't particularly like it... but it quiets them down, and gives me a chance to process what I'm going to do next.

Caleb has simple sentences that he writes 5 to 10 to 15 times, depending on the offense. For example, his favorite sentence to write is, "I will not hit my brothers." ADDED BONUS: is that his handwriting has improved.

Josh, on the other hand, is capable of writing "essays". Depending on the offense, he is required to write 10 to 20 to 30 sentences that are all different. My hope is that he will actually think of reasons why he should not do something, and possibly commit it to memory.

Following are the 10 different sentences he wrote after he... well, you'll get the gist of what he did from HIS own words.

1. I will not be obnoxaus.
2. I will not be crazy.
3. I will not rough house.
4. I will not be wild.
5. I will not be brutish.
6. I will be civilized.
7. I will not be beastly.
8. I will not be a savage.
9. I will be sophisticated.
10.I will be polite.

ADDED BONUS: He has mastered the Thesaurus.

shuffle

Tonight I plugged myself into my iPod... pressed "shuffle" and decided to listen to whatever came up next... no exceptions. I play these little games with myself to make chores more fun.

Normally my thought process while doing dishes is something like this, "how is possible we have this many dishes?.... gag a little as I grab the mushy bread in the corner of the sink... cram just one more cup in... crap, I forgot to rinse out that oatmeal bowl... tomorrow I'm only using paper plates!"
You get the idea.

But what happened next, was nothing short of miraculous! My thoughts were transformed into the following:

Endurance... Determination... Strength... Speed... I am strong... I can do it!

Click here to find out what song I was listening to tonight. It just might change your attitude about doing dishes!!!

Iguana poop

Brooks and I just learned how to make strawberry plants grow on Go Diego Go. See, a big storm came and destroyed all the strawberry plants right before the Strawberry Festival! Oh no! Now Abuelito needs help to grow enough strawberries in time for the festival!

All they had to do was go into the rainforest and convince an Iguana to eat a whole bunch of strawberries, and then "hold it" until he gets to Abuelito's farm. Then Diego told the Iguano to poop out the seeds in the garden to plant the seeds. Despite the fact that Diego was talking about Iquana poop, I really thought there must be some catch. But I watched (almost in horror) as the Iguana walked among the rows in the garden, in perfectly straight rows, and "pooped out the seeds" so the strawberries will grow! Seriously, I'm NOT making this up!

Now I know why MY strawberries didn't grow very well this year. All I need to get next year is an iguana and strawberries!

Oh, and apparently I'm not the only one who thought that was weird. Here's a clip on YouTube so you can see for yourself. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5WEibfjai0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULif2iOtik0

'Twas the night before school....

'Twas the night before school starts, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring... not even 3 rowdy little boys! SERIOUSLY! The house is empty, and I'm starting to get concerned!

It all started this morning when I woke up with a hangover... well, not really, because I haven't been drinking...nor have I ever! so who am I kidding? I don't even know what a hangover feels like. Well here, I'll just tell you how I felt and you can judge for yourself. I felt dizzy, nausious, head throbbing, and on the verge of passing out.... now doesn't that sound like a hangover to you???

ANYWAY, I think I literally felt the earth spinning on its axis today... so I spent the majority of the day on my left side with my eyes closed... some of the time I was asleep, but I was mostly awake. I tried to get up and get a few things done, but coming down the stairs was more like a roller coaster ride and sitting at the computer screen was like a trip to the IMAX.

So to help me out, Mike took the kids for the day. Apparently Josh had baseball practice tonight and so they're still all there. The house is quiet... it's dark... and we should be getting ready for school tomorrow, but there is no one around.

What's a mom to do???

earthquake!

I was in the play area of McDonald's, and had to inform the other moms what was happening, since they had never felt anything like it before. They started to panick... but I calmly suggested that we ask the kids to come down from the rickety tower of tunnels 20 feet in the air, just in case. And although it lasted about 20-30 seconds, it had stopped before the kids even considered coming down. That's when I looked out the window and saw 15 men evacuate the McDonald's restaurant yesterday after the 5.8 earthquake was felt here in Richmond. And when I say "evacuate", I mean "running and looking both ways, and even towards the sky, with hands over their heads, literally fear-stricken".

Shortly afterwards you could hear people on cell phones, each giving their personal experience with the quake, confirming that "yes, that really was an earthquake."

After my kids had had their fill of romping in the tunnels above, we went to Walmart. I pulled into the parking lot and spotted a black SUV complete with flashing red/blue lights, and immediately started looking for Jack Bauer. Then I noticed several congergations of people standing around talking, along with 2 Walmart employees posted at each entrance. My first thought was that maybe there was an undercover, highly volitile, armed sting operation going on inside. (too many crime shows, I know)

Josh commented that it might have something to do with the earthquake, but I couldn't imagine what. So I got out of my car, only to have a hysteric woman run over and tell me that there was glass shattered everywhere and they had to close down Walmart. "Beacuse of the earthquake!!!!" she screamed! "We were inside during the earthquake and stuff was flying everywhere!... and it grabbed me with it's laser-vision and shook me like a dog!" (that last part was added for dramatic effect!)

She was a little overdramatic for my taste... but it was entertaining. Especially since she was just slightly more sophisticated then those people they enterview on the local news after a natural disaster. You know the type... curlers in their hair, sporting a ratty moo-moo, all while screaming, "It was Pandamonium, I tell you!...pure pandamonium!!!"

So I got back in the car and drove to Kroger. Things were definitely a little more calm there, but not near as satisfying as the Walmart and McDonald's drama! See, that's why I like to go there. You can't get that kind of entertainment just anywhere you know!

But all the drama and joking aside, earthquakes like that don't happen very often out here. It's kind of like snow... we just don't see it much! So people get scared. And in their defense, apparently there was some damage after yesterday's "small" earthquake. This photo was taken at a school very close to the "location". And thankfully, no one was injured from the earthquake.


And if you're like me, and find yourself making fun of all these "inexperienced earthquake survivors"... check out this article and find out more details about why this seemingly small earthquake had such an impact. I actually learned something today.
http://articles.courant.com/2011-08-23/news/hc-earthquake-0824-20110823_1_earthquake-reports-of-minor-damage-john-ebel

date night

For our Friday night date night, I suggested to Mike that we watch the movie "7 Brides for 7 Brothers". I ordered it on Amazon and I haven't seen it since I lived at home... my sisters and mom would watch the VHS version over and over and over again. I'm not ashamed to say that I practically have it memorized. (all the better, right?)

Mike's first reaction to this idea was to say, "I know, why don't we curl up and watch it Sunday night?" Although I was intrigued by his cuddly terminology, I questioned the delay in watching it. The moment it occurred to me that he would be long gone in Chicago on Sunday night, I almost threw a pillow at him.

My hopes dashed... I sulked on the couch for not quite 3 minutes until he redeemed himself by sincerely insisting that we watch it. smart man.

Both of us were surprised at how much he enjoyed it! A good musical does everyone a little good! And now after two days of hearing him sing, "Bless yer beautiful hide..." I realize that we have an adoring fan of musicals in the family. And I don't even mind that he continues singing it as long as he remembers the phrase, "heavenly eyes... and just the right size!" :) right girls?

Isn't it ironic???...don't ya think?

For the past 2 weeks, I haven't had a car because Mike was in a car accident. Everyone is safe and sound... but it turns out that the car is totalled, so we have to buy a new one. Irony #1: The car was almost paid off.

The week following the accident, Mike was super busy and couldn't go pick up a rental car for a few days. Irony #2: By the time he was available to pick it up, Enterprise was completely out of cars!

Meanwhile, I've been going crazy and have hardly left the house... but today when I called for a rental car, they actually had one available. HALLELUJIAH! It is now sitting in my drive-way. Irony #3: We're still stranded at home... not because we don't have wheels, but because I have cramps and the kids have been fighting all day!

Go figure!

Here is Mike's beloved Cadi... RIP RMAX 04!

No more lunches!

So it's the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! And I was thinking last night that it was my last night of packing lunches... and I rejoiced inside. FYI: I hate packing lunches. I dread it every single day, and I'm not sure why. It only takes about 10 minutes... and all summer, I will continue to make lunches for them every day. But for some reason when you have to pack it up, there's an extra stress involved. You have to be particular about what you put in; for example, no peanuts because of peanut allergies, making sure it's well rounded, trying to change it up a bit so they don't get tired of it and stop eating it... and making sure I have everything on hand, often includes a 9pm run to the grocery store, and I hate that! And did I mention, you also have to pack a snack??

Now some of you may wonder why it's such a big deal. To be honest, I'm not sure why myself. In fact, now that I'm writing that out, I'm wondering why I'm complaining about it... but it has never been something I've enjoyed, and now it's literally the bane of my existence... for some reason.

But today, I'm breathing a little easier because I don't have to do it. That is until next week, when Josh has scout camp... but after that, NEVER AGAIN! That is until next fall when they start school again.

Who am I kidding?

The truth is, I will be making lunches for 16 more years. There, I said it.

And before anyone says it... I know they could do it themselves. And for awhile, they did. But the OCD part of me goes crazy when they don't pack the bag right and risk smashing their sandwich. Or they only put in 3 grapes and 1,000 goldfish. The ironic thing, is that I know deep down that I want to pack their lunches... sort of a labor of love every day to make sure everything is just right, and on special occassions I like to throw in little surprises like candy or notes.

So yes, I'm going to enjoy the next 2,880 more days, or at least try.

fighting + talking back = ESSAY

Written by Josh:

Being respectful to your mom is important because one of these things will happen to you! They will ground you, make you write sentences, write an essay like I'm doing now and smack your rear end till it starts to bleed. :( You should never talk back to your parents. My mom makes me write sentences and paragraphs and stories if I do those things and finally and last and next she'll ground me for life. The reason why my mom sent me to my room is because I was saying some things you should NEVER say to your mom or this will happen to you. She might also take your favorite things away like toys and your most favorite sport... like mine is baseball. Even tho my mom wants me to go to baseball, she still sometimes... only sometimes makes me not go because I don't deserve it. But I know she loves me. Even tho she may seem sometimes really made, she will still always love you.
The End.

He sure can be a stinker... but he's right... I do love him (more then he'll know)... and he's a handsome little bugger!


Oh... and for the record... I have NEVER smacked his read end til it bled. I just think it's hilarious that he wrote it.