Allright, I am here....

Yeah, so I am a failure as a bog author.  I am not denying it. But, I am hoping to get back into the swing of things.  I blame it all on facebook.  I have become addicted, as most of you have too.  I know, because I see you sneaky little devils on there too.  It sucks much of my time away thoughout the day, and quite possibly most of the evening as well.  

Anyways, I am trying (or will try) to start being vigilant about posting on my blog again, even though I have nothing of great importance to write about.  But here I am.  

Tomorrow I leave for San Diego.  Hubby has a conference out there, and I am meeting him out there.  Three days of blissful quiet morning, sleeping in, grabbing a coffee at the local Starbucks or McDonalds in the gas lamp district, and shopping without children.  I could not ask for more.  Pure bliss, that will be. Coffee, shopping, sleeping in. Heavenly. And, I get to meet my niece Lenna for the first time.  So, off I go.  Until I return.... have a great weekend. 

Terd Toter

About two weeks ago, I walked in to wake up Elaina from her nap to find this.....  She IS my DESTROYER.... 

She will soooo hate me for this when she gets older.  We found her room a mess, but found her carrying something even better.   She SO knew she was in trouble.  

We like to call her terd toter.  'Nuff said. 

Here and there

Well, I am still in this state.  Weren't you hoping I was moved from the state by now?  No seriously,  we are SLOWLY adjusting to our life here.  I still believe the state hates me.  But, I am learning to deal with it.  

Julia started school Monday where Connor attends.  Elaina started preschool there about 2 weeks ago.... they accepted her for her speech therapy.  She goes 5 days a week half days.  Well, really 3 hours, but I'll take it.  So, I now have 3 kids in the same school.  Yeah!!!!!!  

Hmmm... where to begin.  I finally got my hair done here.  And my eyebrows, which had turned into furry caterpillars.  I may very well have sprouted cacoons at the rate I was heading.  So, I was glad to get that done.  

I did get my new car, a toyota seqouia.  I really LOVE it.  I will say it KILLED me to put my license plates on here and claim I am a legal resident.  ha!  I had a minivan, and we traded it in.  I was ready for a change, and all the maintenance on it was a perfect excuse. :) 

We just had a visit from Bart's step mom and sister and niece who live in Kentucky.  It was fun.  They were here over Bart's birthday.  It was a lot of fun to have a little baby in the house.  Eloise was only 8 months old.  I love babies. I could kiss and hold the all day long.  

I occasionally help out in the kids school and really enjoy it.  I have not taken a picture in FOREVER still.  I am lacking confidence and inspiration, but hope to get some sometime. :(  

I can't think of anything exciting or fun right now, but I didn't want to leave my blog totally empty for TOO LONG.  I know it's been a while.  So here are some Elaina funnies:

Elaina was flushing the toilet today ( a terd) and she mispronounces things often..... she says as the terd is swirling around- "Mommy I am wishing the toilet."  Hmmm, when you wish upon a terd I guess.......

I have my fall decorations out.  One of them is a little acorn tree.  She said "mommy, I like acorns and penis" (peanuts).   

The grocery store had a portion of the parking lot blocked off for maintenance.  They had grocery carts upside-down and yellow tape around the area.  She said "mommy, those carts dead?"  yep, they are dead Elaina.  

Man I love my kids. 

You know your child is in a good school when.....

The conversations goes like this.....

So, we are driving in the car and I ask the kids what they had for lunch.  They both started in with how icky the cafeteria food is etc.  So I divert.  "Okay guys, well what's the most favorite thing you have eaten at school?"  Julia IMMEDIATELY replies....

"Corn dog, because there are SOOOO MANY flies in our cafeteria I like to use them to swat at the flies to keep them away.  Except for that they just chase around the corn dog when you swat them.  But thats my favorite"

No people, she did not get into the good school, nor is she in the private school.  Mainly just so I can hear things like this.  No really.  We are going to tough it out, and in the mean time, we are laughing our butts off. 

Update and Random Thoughts

So, Thursday Julia DID make it into school.  She had a great first day (according to her), and liked her teacher.  She did however wake up with a sore throat and still wanted to go, but ended up in the nurses office on her first day.  So, Friday when she woke up, it was worse, and she ended up having to stay home from school.  We took her to the doctor to get her throat cultured, and came home.  Today she says it's a little better.  

So, onto my random thoughts for today:

It's useless to run my a/c in the car between the hours of 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.   It just doesn't even work at that point.  It's too stinkin hot. 

Running my a.c at 78 in the house does not bring down said electric bill, as discussed in previous posts.  It still is half a months rent for someone.  I guess they are serious about the 82 degree thing. 

I am hooked on McDonalds iced hazelnut coffee.  I mean seriously, what do they put in it, crack?  I wish they delivered it to my home every morning, because fighting traffic to get my morning iced coffee stinks.  I would pay them big money for it.  I have fallen in love with this quaint old woman who works at one McD's who calls me "lady"  IT is so cute.  "Thank you lady.  Please wait Lady.  Drive careful lady."  She darn cute.   There is anther worker who seriously takes happy pills.  I need me some of those.  He is SUPER DUPER HAPPY to be working there.  I told him he was always so happy, and he said "I just love life"  Wow!  And he is like that EVERY TIME I go.  Maybe it's the coffee.  He must drink it too... all day. 

I bought a really crappy IPOD alarm clock from the bullseye store.  Note to self: if you don't like something return it sooner than later, without procrastination.  Instead, I just unplugged it, and left it sit on my nightstand.  It was super hard to set, and even worse, it was really hard to turn off the alarm. I would go through hitting a series of 11 buttons before it would finally retire for the horrific beeping.  So, back to the store it was going to go.  That is until, an anonymous boy child offender, slept walked, and peed into the box.  Apparently IPOD alarm clock boxes look like toilets?  I giggled as I saw him head into my bathroom from his room, knowing he was sleeping walking.  That is until I saw him pull down his britches and start peeing in the direction of my box.  I couldn't get out of my bed fast enough.  Literally.  And, upon closer observation, it wasn't in the direction of the box, it was IN the box. 

It stinks to fill out those Emergency cards for the kids' schools and realize your closest emergency contact is 1,000 miles away.  Not for long....  The in laws (Hubby's mom and step dad) roll into town tomorrow.  The are moving only 1.5  miles away, and I am so excited!  I am happy to have someone in town, and family to spend holidays with.  Not that I don't have my family too, that we could visit, but lets face it, we can't afford to go back for every holiday.  Point being, I am excited! His mother has been a great friend, and we have fun together!  

We went to Jo-Ann Fabrics today and got some fleece.  Why?  I don't know, the heat index was 100.   But, they wanted to make blankets.  I figured it wouldn't be a hard project, and it was something that shouldn't be too messy.  Just cut, and knot, cut and knot. I should have been cleaning with the in laws coming tomorrow, but no.  We got material to make blankets.  They are all stuffy with colds, so they wanted to curl up and sweat, I guess.  Who knows.  Well, those dumb blankets are not as easy and fun as it looks.   You have to make 5 million cuts into the fleece, and then tie knots in all of them.   Dumb things, I was know tying until 10 pm and started at 2.  Granted, I had to get up and break up the sibling fights, and make dinner etc.  But, not an EASY AS  1,2,3  project, like I intended.  Oh well.  They are all going to sleep happy. 

Looks like I am getting a new car.  Not sure what yet, it's hard finding something big enough for 3 kids, the car seats, and room for strollers etc.  So, we are looking.  But, my car needs  a lot of (unplanned) stuff done to it right now, and it's got quite a few miles on it, so we will trade it in.  I am excited and stressed all at the same time.  We weren't really planning on it, but we also weren't planning on the amount of work that now needs to be done to it. 

We keep finding little gecko lizards in our house.  We found the third one Friday when we came home from the doctors.  I think the little things are so stinking cute, but they give me the eebie jeebies.  Which is ironic because I have them tattooed on my ankle.  Don't ask me why.  Let's just leave it at the fact that I was a VERY rebellious teenager.  Anything to make a mother mad?  Anyways, I have learned something new about these peculiar little creatures, and the second time this has happened as described below.  Both occasions equally appalling.  This is also the second time I have asked Julia to get them and put them back outside in the flower bed, as she loves it, and has no fear.  I told her they eat the bugs, and we need them outside so we don't get mosquito bites. Otherwise she wants to keep them for pets, so, mention mosquito bites, and she quickly obliges.  I was standing there, in the dining room watching her maneuver around to catch the lizard.  It scrambled, and I thought it went up my pant leg.  I started dancing around and screamed, as she laughed at me saying it had ran over "there".  So I watched again as she came around it from the other side.  She grabbed it, catching it, but it got away again.  Only, without it's tail.  Apparently, those little suckers can lose their tails and they grow back.  AND, even better, the tails are creepy and spin around like airplane propellers for a LOOOONG time after they are detached from the lizard.  It's so gross and disgusting.   She handed me the spinning tail, as not to let the lizard she had captured in her other hand get away, and I had to toss the spinning tail into the flower bed.  Ewwwwww.......

Well, I think that is all for now.  I need to get to bed.  I am sure I will lay in bed and think of more stuff I meant to write, but oh well.  Sorry about no pics.  I have been really bad about that right?  I will try to do better, but you have to take what you can get.  I am just lucky to be writing on the blog again at all.  Sheesh.

School: TAKE 4

We went this morning to get Julia her shots after we got Connor off to school.  She was very brave, even after they sprung on her that she needed a chicken pox booster as well.  I tried to argue with it, as she actually got chicken pox after she had her first shot, and your not supposed to have to get the shot if you have had chicken pox.  I could tell I was not getting anywhere with them, when they asked for proof, and I had told them it was in her medical records, and they said they didn't have the file in front of them.  Whatever.  Just give the child the stinking shot then.  So, she got both, and was begging for me to bring her to school.  I saw there was only about 2 hours left, and explained to her that she had missed lunch, and would only have about two hours left.  BUt, she insisted that she badly wanted to meet her new teacher and friends, so I gave in.  I drove straight to the school, and went to the office with her newly acquired shot records.  I said I was there with her updated records and wanted to get her into school.  They then explained to me that the "attendance secretary" was not there, and she was the only one who could assign her to a class.  SERIOUSLY??  No one else can whip out the class lists, and see which one is lower, and put her in that class.  I know I could have.  It elementary math people.  Count 'em up! I asked why it wasn't done yesterday, and they said, because she didn't have all of her shots.  I asked why they couldn't assign her, when they knew I would be getting her shots, and then put her into class.  I was running in circles with them, and it ended with me coming "back to school in the morning to start her" there.  Whatever.  I cannot tell you how hard Julia cried as we drove away, declined for the 3rd time.  Her little heart is broken, and so is mine.  So, we are trying the first day of school again tomorrow.  Let's hope we get in this time.    

First day of school: Take 3

Here's the big man, smiling away, and ready for the first day of school. 
Yep, this was the best I could get of the two.... but they're ready! 

Here is Julia waiting in the office to go to school.  School supplies, lunch packed, and backpack ready. School is earlier here so we are trying to adjust to waking up earlier.  :)  They both had bags under their eyes.
This was First day of school for Julia: Take 1
Little Connor in the cafeteria waiting to go to his first day of class.  

So, before we moved here, I had talked to the school Julia was supposed to go to several times about registration.  Each time I heard that they had never been full, don't worry about it, come in when I can.  I should have followed my mommy gut instinct, and gone immediately to register, but instead listened to what they were telling me, and continued unpacking boxes and settling in first.  After I felt pretty settled, and ready to gather all of the necessary paperwork, I went over to register them for school.  Well, not good news.  Connor was able to get in (the last spot) and Julia was not.  The options were as follows:  send Julia to a different school, and wait for a spot to open up.  or SEnd both of them to a the other school, loose Connor's spot, and hope that eventually they would both get into our school together.  Well, neither sounded good to me.  It was not what I wanted to hear, and began crying after hearing this.  Yep, I am the mother that has a breakdown in the school office in front of the new people I would begin to see often.  I am "that" mother.  She was then put on a wait list, and at number 4, I was hopeful.  Well, by last Friday, she had dropped to #1 on the list.  Apparently if you are not in school on the first day, you are unregistered and someone else gets your spot.  So, I was very sure at this point we were in.  I was told to actually come into the office Monday, and wait for attendance to be taken, and after it was taken, if there was a spot she could go to class!  Yeah!  All weekend, I was giddy with excitement, knowing that they would FINALLY be starting school.  Monday came, I brought Connor to his appropriate meeting place, and ran to get some coffee as we waited for attendance to be taken.  We came back to the school, all excited, bags of school supplies in hand.  As I walked into the office, no one said anything to me, they were making copies and running around etc.  I began taking pictures of Julia waiting in the office, smiling away, and then sat down to patiently wait while they finished up their tasks, and told us what class she would be in.  The lady I have been talking to then came over and sat down beside me, and tried to gently break it to me that there was no space for Julia and that she was sorry.  She asked what I wanted to do, and I spouted off to her that I was going to homeschool, while watching Julia's gummy, front teeth missing smile fall quickly off her little face.  Totally my fault for believing she was getting in, but I was so sure, I could have bet on it.  I mean really, we do live in a highly populated military city, right?

You see,  after I was first told this other school was an option, I found out where it was to go drive by it.  It is not in a desirable neighborhood, if you know what I mean, but I thought, you can't judge a book by it's cover, right? So, went home to look it up.  This surely did not comfort me.  I was saddened to see the testing scores where not great, nor were many other aspects of the school.  I ruled it out, confident my child would not go there.  We picked out our house, partly based on the neighborhood, and what school our children would be going to.  I did not want to be sending her to a school like this.  If we are being real here, I would have saved myself a lot of money buying a home in that neighborhood, had I wanted her to go to that school.  Grrr....

I began exploring homeschool options, and basically we decided that it just wasn't the way we want to go.  I admire those mommies who can do it, and I am sure I COULD do it.  I just don't WANT to do it.  I called around to private schools, and searched the internet like mad woman to find any other option.  Either they were capped, off, or we couldn't afford them.  If we could, we had to commit to one year of tuition, and either loose money if we pulled her out, paying for the rest of the year, or losing her spot again, and starting the process all over. I didn't want her to go to a school, after just moving away from her friends, making friends, and then pulling her out of that school when a spot opens up and doing it all over again.  She (like all of us) is desperate to get out and meet friends.  But, it just did not seem fair to make her do over and over.  After praying, and getting physically ill about it, I had decided Julia was a tough cookie.  I would put her in the not so great school, and hope a spot opens up soon for her to transfer out. I sucked up my pride, my ego, and all of my fears and decided to go today and register her there.  As I pulled up to the school, my stomach turned and my heart fell, but I put on my biggest smile, and we (Elaina, Julia and I) and all of our sweating glory, walked into the office together.  I stated I was there to register her.  Wew!  Okay it came out of my mouth, and I passed that hurdle. OKay, I had the file from the first school, and she was missing her shot records.  The other school nurse told me since we were military, coming in from out of state, I had 30 days to produce them.  She even wrote a note on the file, sitting right there in ink, initialed and dated.  Well, not the case.  She wouldn't be able to register for school without them.  I tried to explain it wasn't easy to get the records but I would try.  I had a speech appointment for Elaina in 1 hour, and would not be able to go to the base, but would try calling her old school to have them fax what they had.  The old school was called, they were going to fax them, all was good.  Excitedly, I told Julia she would start school tomorrow, and we would get this all worked out. Both of the schools start and end at the same time, and they couldn't get her on the bus route for 3 days, not including today.  So Tuesday she would be able to get on the bus.  We decided I would drop Connor off, drive Julia over to her school late, and then pick her up early, and drive to get Connor, as neither of them can be left sitting outside of the school for 40 minutes while I run back and forth to the schools.  Whewww!  A plan in place!  Except.... while I was at Elaina's speech therapy appointment, with my cell phone turned off, they called and left a message.  Apparently, after the umpteenth doctors we've seen through our moves, and attending two grades at a public school, no one has noticed that Julia has never had a Hepatitis A shot.  "Please be aware that Julia cannot come to school tomorrow until she receives her shot."  Greeeat.  I called the base, and immunizations were closed.  So, called medical records to see if there was some lost record of this.... I am so 100% sure she has had that shot, but whatever.  I have so much medical paperwork floating around, that their files are thick, and it's hard to find stuff.  She didn't see any record of it.  I asked her if immunization was walk-in or if I could make an appointment.  I was told it was walk-in for the whole base, not just pediatrics and heard "please be aware that it is a several hour wait, take a number, and a good book."  Allrighty-then!   First day of school: Take 3     We will not start tomorrow... we will be waiting for a long lost shot that I swear she has had.  I can't even remember her first pediatricians name, but I am sure they would be happy to let me look through her 3 inch files to try to find it. It's all okay though, Julia has confessed to me she loves shots.  Something must have hit her over the head.  And hard.  Maybe the heat got to her.  I don't know.