Jamo asked me for a sentence for "suggest". I said, "I suggest you get your homework done quickly."
It all went down hill from there. LOL!
( spelling word in caps)
*I'd SUGGEST you stop giving us homework. (underlined multiple times)
*I'm not CAPABLE of doing homework.
*I'm RELUCTANT to do my homework.
*I'm DRIVING to boring school.
*Do I have PERMISSION to stop doing homework?
Hmm, is someone ready for summer break???
*Scene - Jamo doing his spelling sentences*
"Mom, what does monthly mean?"
"It is something you do every month."
"What do I do monthly?"
*he shoots down several of my ideas*
...*snickering* "What about cleaning your room?"
"No, that is yearly."
*Scene - Mother and Daughter tea preparation*
"Don't touch that Sugar, it is really hot." (speaking of a curling iron)
"What is that?" (showing my utter lack of primping, my poor 4 yr old doesn't recognize a curling iron)
"It is a curling iron. I'm going to use it to curl your hair."
"Don't touch me with that thing! It will burn me!"
"No, as long as you are careful, it won't hurt you. Your hair won't feel it."
Poor, deprived Sweet Pea.
*Scene - at Mother and Daughter Tea Party*
I have just finished cleaning up the cup of milk Sugar has spilled trying to put a lemon into and the mothers are sharing what the daughters said for the cards. Here is mine from Sugar:
"I love you because we bake cupcakes and you give me kisses and I say, "GROSS!"
And they all laugh, but it is true. Every time I kiss her, she says "GROSS!"
*Scene - at Mother and Daughter Tea Party*
Sugar is up singing with the other kids the song called "Jesus rocks my blues away." I'm sure she was the only one singing, "Jesus rocks my boobs away." *sigh*
I know, I know. I've already said I hate this house. Now I have more reasons. As if I didn't have enough already. :o)
Brad decided to fix up the yard now that the sun is out and the temps have warmed up. He was out there for a few hours, mowing the lawn with a push mower, trimming the hedges, etc.
And in thanks for his efforts, he woke up the next morning with a nasty rash down the entire length of his right forearm. When I say nasty, I mean oozing, disgusting, NASTY. Poor boy. And forgive the TMI, but I need to explain. Most nights, Brad sleeps with his arm around me. Yup. I have an itchy, nasty, gross rash along my waist. Oh fun.
I can't believe I survived 2 yrs in this house. And even more, I can't believe I have another year to go. Boo.
Here is your chance to avert your eyes if you'd like to avoid seeing the oozing arm that is actually improved from a week ago. And my poor hip.
I posted this on Signing Time's Facebook page today.
My 7 and 9 yr old boys tease each other, as brothers often do. Today, we were watching Baby Signing Time with their little sister. Rachel was singing The Bug Song when my 7 yr old says to his older brother, "I'm going to bug you." Expecting a tease, I started laughing when he went to his brother and signed bug on his brothers nose. LOL!
You know I do! I'm incredibly organized when it comes to my paperwork, my digital files on my computer, my money and sales receipts, etc, but when it comes to my home, uh, not so much... Well, at least not this house.
I just found out that one of the moms from my Baby Signing Time class is a PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZER! Not only that, she even wrote the book on it. To be more specific, she wrote, The Pregnant Entrepreneur: How to Hand Pregnancy's Physical, Emotional and Financial Baby Bumps - While Running Your Own Business.
While I am not pregnant, and don't have pregnancy on any future agenda of mine, I could definitely use some advice about balancing my home and work life. I'm sure most of us could use those tips! So, this book may specifically cater to pregnant ladies, but I think any working mom could use this book!
And just because I love to share, Darla gave me a book that I can give to one of you. Entry is easy, just go to her website, read the About the Organizer tab and tell me one thing you learned about Darla in the comments section. You can also be a fan of HeartWork Organizing and leave another comment. Contest ends on May 1st at midnight so I can announce the winner on Brad's birthday. hee hee
As I am sure I have mentioned, I'm just not a fan of Philly traffic. Ugh. So, I'm calling on people with knowledge of traffic laws to help me out. What do you make of this intersection?
I try and turn onto My Street and the people "stopping" at Bad Street don't even pay attention to that sign and stop at the My Street sign, effectually blocking my turn onto My Street since they are stopped across the street.
I was trying to turn onto My Street today and the lady completely blew through the Bad Street sign WHILE I WAS TURNING onto My Street. I'm still shaking. I honked and she stopped, but I'm really tired of this happening.
Any ideas on how to deal with this besides moving, which is obviously my first choice. I called the Traffic Safety number and he said to treat it like it is an intersection, so, the people on Bad Street don't have to stop for people coming down My Street if they got there first. Okay fine, but the fact is, even if I DO get there first, they still go while I'm there. Freaking annoying. Don't you take TURNS at an intersection???
Have I mentioned I am really, as in REALLY excited to move? Is 52 weeks to soon to start my count down?
While some of you might believe I asked Roo to put his DS away after the fiasco last week because I am either A) saintly or B) spineless, neither is in fact true. Before causing a commotion, I wanted to make sure that there really was no rule about playing with a silent DS. This was my first time at this office and I wasn't entirely sure of the rules. I emailed the lady in charge and without revealing the situation, confirmed that silent DS games are allowed. Thus armed with knowledge, I brought Roo's (and Sugar's) DS games to the meeting today. The mom didn't even come. The baby sitter brought the older brother attending the meeting with Jamo. Roo happily played his DS for about 30 minutes, and then spent the remainder of the time reading National Geographic Kids. With about 10 minutes left, the mom and younger brother came. But Roo was no longer playing his DS, and while tempted to hand it to him and say, "Here, hurry up and play," I'm not exactly trying to instigate a confrontation either. So, if things continue this way, it looks as though the problem is solved. I can hope, right? :o)
Anyone else still trying to get their taxes done? Uh yeah. That's me. One week to go and still working on my taxes. Somehow, I'm not as motivated to get it done when we have to pay... We are doing our own taxes; 'we' being Brad. And since he knows about blood and guts, not as much about taxes and deductibles, any help with understanding the W2 form is greatly appreciated. How about you? Do you do your own taxes? Are you done yet?
This is one of those posts where I come to my brilliant readers for advice. I'm not quite sure what to do and would love some feedback. We were at an appointment for Jamo yesterday afternoon. Roo, Sugar and I had an hour in the waiting room to chill. They did a fantastic job of sharing, playing nice, etc. I was really proud of them. About 10 minutes before it was time to go, Roo got tired of playing with the toys and got out his Nintendo DS to play. I have no problem with him using his DS in a waiting room. I think waiting rooms can be boring too. The problem is that this other little boy didn't have one. Roo was willing to let him watch, and might have let him play had it been more than a few minutes. BUT, this little boy goes and complains to his mom that he doesn't have his DS. The mom says to him, "You aren't allowed to play with electronic devices here. Do you see that sign? It says "No electronics." The boy of course whines, "But he has one!" She replies, "Well, he is breaking the rules." Um, excuse me? I see 3 signs hanging on the wall:
That's it. Nothing about electronics. So the boy goes and tells Roo, "You are breaking the rules." Surprised, Roo asked, "What rules?" The boy points to the signs. Roo, who has read chapter books since pre-kindergarten, says, "I don't see that rule anywhere." The boy comes up to me, "He is breaking the rules." I kid you not, the mom was sitting right next to me. She had to have heard all of this. Did she expect me to lie to him too? I'm sorry lady, but just because you lie to your kid doesn't mean I'm going to go along with it.
I said, "Oh really?" "Yes. Look at the sign." Resisting the urge to walk him over to the sign and read it word by word to him, I said, "Thank you." I called Roo over and asked if he could put it away since it was causing problems. He did, to his credit, though disappointed since they rarely get to play with their DS during the school week.
Now my questions: What would you have done in my situation? Would you have lied to the kid and said, "Oh yes, it does say that." Would you have told him it didn't and maybe read it to him too? Would you have said something to the mom?
Keep in mind I have 7 more weeks of this as it is an 8 week course. Do I let Roo bring his DS next week??
Advice is appreciated!
There are some experiences that you will remember for years. If you want a memorable experience, the Lore's Chocolate Birthday party is one you won't soon forget! Lore's is a short walk from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall and worth the effort to go visit!
I was able to bring both of my boys to experience a Lore's Birthday Party yesterday. There were snacks and drinks available as we got ready to learn. The kids each got an apron, as chocolate was sure to fly! Tony taught us where chocolate comes from. The kids got to hold the cacao pod and see the different ingredients you can make from the cacao. We even got to hear a brief history of Lore's in Philadelphia. There are many reasons I love living in Philly, and the rich history is one of them!
Then the kids split into 2 groups to make their own chocolaty treats. My boys started at the molding station, where we learned how they make hollow chocolate shapes like bunnies and in our case, a turtle and Liberty Bell. Roo fell in love with that turtle! Then the boys got to fill their own molds. And dip pretzels in a chocolate vat and cover them with sprinkles. Oh, and how could I forget that they got to try their hand at making nonpareils. They weren't pretty, but I bet they tasted amazing! I get the feeling that those are harder to make than it looks.
After that, they moved to the enrobing line. Each child got their own box filled with marshmallows, pretzels, animal crackers, etc. They got to put them on the belt and watch their own treats disappear beneath the chocolate falls. After getting coated, they were supposed to use their fingers to decorate the top. They loved that part. Then the treats went to cool down before getting to the end of the line where they put them in their own box.
Tony and Maureen were so amazing and patient with that many little people running around. Roo was busy posing for a picture with his beloved chocolate turtle and ended up getting an arm doused in chocolate. Maureen didn't even bat an eye, she was calm, cool and collected. Of course, leave it to my boy to end up chocolate coated. *sigh* And at the end, as if things couldn't get better, we got a bag to fill with all of the treats we had made! And it even had a pre-made personalized egg! The kids were thrilled to see their own names in chocolate!
What an amazing experience it was for us! Now that is how to celebrate your birthday! Lore's is taking reservations for Saturday birthday parties, and will include weekday hours in the summer. I wish MY birthday were coming up soon!
In good news, the parking ticket was dismissed. Wise of them. I would have fought it tooth and nail had they not.
Brad went on a fellowship interview on Sunday. He had forgotten to hand off the pager, so I went to another resident's house to drop it off. Unfortunately, the road to their house was ripped up by construction and I had to do a scenic detour.
As I was leaving their street, I turned to go down another tiny street to the main street. I turned down it before I saw what I was up against. It was so narrow. And there were cars parked on both sides. I knew there was no way I could get past the 2 cars without some damage to Odie. So, I thought about reversing. But there was a line of 4 or 5 cars behind me also on narrow, one way streets. Going back wasn't an option, so I'd have to go through. Odie has already had his share of bumps and bruises in Phreaking Philly, so I wanted to keep the damage as minimal as possible.
I started to go past the two cars and saw that the one on the right was scratched like crazy. I was obviously not the first wide car to try this treacherous path. Why would the idiot park there, I'd like to know?! I went ever so slowly through the two cars. I'm not even exaggerating when I say there was MAYBE 6 inches between Odie and the car on the left. And I was so close on the right, I couldn't even see how close it was. But, somehow, Odie made it through unscathed. Wow, I may almost get the hang of this Philly driving thing.
The rest of my St. Patrick's Day was an improvement.
The medication pen that had previously very painful, was actually the most pain-free shot I've had in months! I even did it myself! That is a big deal for me. In 18 months of twice monthly shots, this is only the 3rd I've given myself. I guess it helps to be married to a doctor and always have someone around to give me the shots.
We had our traditional green dinner. This time it was green eggs and ham. And green pancakes, green toast and green milk. Yum.
Apparently only the Irish get to be lucky today, because I'm sure not feeling it!
On Tuesday, Sugar had been sick since Friday and finally seemed over it, but I decided to keep her home one more day just in case. And that afternoon I got a call from Jamo's school that he had a fever over 100 and had to come home.
I kept Jamo and Sugar home on Wednesday. Today, I was ready to send all 3 kids back to the school for the first time in a week and hit the gym. Yoga to be exact.
Upon arriving at the boys school, there were 4 of those trucks with buckets and tree grinders right in front of the drop off. You have got to be kidding me. Could there possibly be a worse time to trim trees? During school drop off? Really? Kids walking while branches are getting chopped, closing lanes during peak traffic, blocking the entrance to the school... someone really didn't think this one through.
After dropping Sugar off, I got to the gym parking lot. I parked a little funny, so I got back in and reparked. Then I put my quarter in the meter. It didn't drop. Odd. So, I put in a second to push the first one through. And that one got stuck. I grabbed a popscicle stick on the ground and tried to push them through. Nothing. So, I wrote a note and stuck on saying, "Look in the machine, the quarters are stuck."
This all made me late to yoga, but it was fun being there. I went out to Odie and there was a parking ticket.
Argh. So, I called the number on the ticket and explained it. She said to call back later after they looked at it. I took pictures just in case. 
How hard would it have been to look in and see a quarter sitting there? Argh. On the principle of it, I'm going to go to court if they dare try to make me pay. Hopefully when I call, they will have it resolved because I'm not paying it.
I will, however, pay for my overdue library fees, which was my next stop in Funville. I couldn't complain about that though. It was my fault. I took the other videos back not realizing the boys left one upstairs. I should have checked. I won't argue that one, it just sucks to pay huge library fees.
Oh and then while I was digging through my emails today, I heard a drip, drip, drip in the dining room. Sugar has a Barbie pool that she was playing with in the bathroom. We aren't talking a lot of water here. But any water that gets on the floor in the bathroom goes straight to the dining room. At least it wasn't toilet water, right?
Then I got a package from Fed Ex. That's always fun, right! Um, medications for RA aren't so fun. But then I got excited because it was 3 months of meds! Yay! I wouldn't have to keep calling for more! But then, wouldn't you know, they sent me the pens, which are a lot more painful than the syringes. *sigh* Stinkin' luck of the un-Irish.
I say: "Wow, my fingers look wonky."
He says: "You have ulnar deviation."
Uh, yeah, what he said. His way sounds better at least. :o)
I know, you are in shock I'm posting again so soon. I know I've said it before, but if you have kids old enough to use a computer, you should really look at Handipoints! I added some goals for the boys to earn a Wii game, and they have been fighting over who gets to wash, sort, and put away laundry. I'll enjoy it while it lasts until they earn their game. I remember being at a parenting class and the teacher said that our job as a mother is to work ourselves out of our job. Basically meaning, we need to be teaching our kids how to do laundry, clean, work, and cook for themselves before they leave our homes.
Wednesday was a bit rough for me. My host for my Signing with a Smile stopped hosting me, so I spent the day in a near panic that I didn't have a website. It's not good for business when the website doesn't work!
I did get to go Dragon Boating that night. You are thinking that it is super cold to be on a river right now, and you would be right. There is a place that has an INDOOR Dragon Boat facility. Who knew?! The trainer worked us pretty hard and we were all pretty beat by the end. Just in case you were wondering, it is a lot harder than it looks. ;o) My RA flare isn't calming down with the steroids yet, so between sets, I was sticking my hands in the cold water. Oooo, felt soooo good to get them chilled.
I came home and had to make crepes for Jamo's French Festival. Oh la la! I love crepes, but I like Brad's recipe better. By the time I was stirring the batter, my hands were beat down. I kept a bowl of ice water by the stove to chill my hands between flipping the crepes. It took me almost 2 hours just to make 24 crepes. Not cool. I wonder how Brad does it so fast?
And today has just been one nutty day too. The boys didn't have school for teacher meetings. I slept in until 9:30, but I'm pretty sure Sugar was up at 7 am. When she fell asleep on the couch at 11 am, I just thought she was tired from waking up early. My childcare arrangements didn't work out, so I bribed the kids and took them to my class with me. They were so well behaved. I know I have amazing kids and they are usually extremely well-behaved. I feel blessed. The class went great and there were no problems. I had bribed them with McDonald's and Sugar was asleep before we got home. I thought that maybe that first nap wasn't long enough, but I still wasn't suspicious.
After eating half of her lunch, she went back to sleep, and then I knew she was sick. The next time she woke up I took her temperature and sure enough, there was a fever. She spent the rest of the afternoon asleep. Poor sweet baby girl.
Then I got to spend the remainder of my afternoon working out some misunderstandings and miscommunications with one of my class locations. I think we have it worked out now.
It has just been a long an exhausting day and I see myself in bed in the very near future.
You know that feeling, when your kid says he is on his death bed, and so sick he can't stand it. You take him to the doctor and he is miraculously healed before the doctor walks into the exam room and you end up feeling like an idiot with a chunk of change wasted on a co-pay? You do?! Glad I'm not the only one! Well, it feels even worse when the one that is so sick is YOU!
I finally made it in to see my Rheumatologist today. Unfortunately, it takes me far too long to go to the doctor, namely because of the reason above. You don't want to waste your money and the doctor's time if you aren't really sick, ya know? So then I end up waiting too long to go and spend weeks in pain.
Like I said, I finally made it in, and my symptoms were still there (phew!). She was sufficiently impressed by the level of swelling in my hands (my knuckles look like dimples they are so swollen on my left hand). And she was even impressed by the way my fingers bend sideways now on my right. So gratifying to have someone impressed by my symptoms. No one wants to feel like a hypochondriac, ya know?
I still need to upload some way cool pictures of Brad shaving off his beard. He won the contest between the other residents. Yay, Brad! And yes, the yearly exam is over. Happy happy joy joy! Hopefully I'll get those pictures up soon.
Somehow I blinked and Jamo turned 9. Wow. Next year it is double digits. How did it go so fast?
I stayed up way too late making Hopkins cupcakes.
It was worth it though. Every month I go to both of my boys' classes and teach them a Signing Time lesson. So, the kids all knew it was Hopkins and loved it. :o)
Between my 2 scheduled classes, I also managed to make it to help at Roo's lunchroom at school. I'm having some kind of RA issue or something right now. And I spent the lunch time running around opening milk bottles, thermoses, etc. Owie! And tomorrow I have 9 classes. Oh please let my hands work tomorrow!!! I can barely open the jelly jar for my kids in the morning. And before you ask, mommy, yes, I have my appointment scheduled with my Rheumy. :o)
We had a wonderful evening. Jamo shocked us all and picked Pizza Hut for dinner over his beloved IHOP. Then the kids decorated the cake and we opened presents. If you didn't know, we have a recently started tradition of letting the kids decorate the cake. They are much better than I am at it anyway! Here it is:
Leftover frosting from the cupcakes and sprinkles. Lots of sprinkles. haha! It is a penguin with a 9 on his tummy. Can't you tell?? And do you know what I *just now* realized? We forgot to actually EAT the cake. Oops. The kids were really excited about the presents, so I don't think they noticed.
We printed cards off from Signing Time and I added a Hopkins finger puppet. I think they are pretty cute. 
I'm showing you this one because this story makes me smile. I had the boys cut out all of their Valentines and write the names on the back. Well, while they were cutting, Roo said, "I really like Jordan. She is always nice to me." And then the next day, when he was ready to write the names on, I saw him kinda grin, pick up this specific Valentine and write her name on it. First one he wrote. Then he went back and started with the "A" names. CUTE!
As for my Valentine, I could go on and on about how fantastic he is, but really, if you know him at all, you already know he is fantastic. So, here are some things I love about Brad that you might not know:
*He can cook with anything. He can walk into a kitchen with 5 ingredients and walk out with a gourmet meal.
*I love that his GPS is set to French, even though it makes me crazy trying to get it off French so I don't get lost.
*I love that he calls me almost everyday when he is leaving work and asks me if I need him to pick up anything on the way home.
*I love that he makes up lyrics when he forgets the real ones. And this happens frequently! LOL! It just cracks me up to hear what lyrics he'll come up with this time.
*And finally, I love that he'll kiss my forehead at night while he is asleep. He is dead to the world when he is sleeping, but if I get close to him, he'll reflexively kiss me. Love that.
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