Gone again all day. For someone who doesn't have anything scheduled, we somehow manage to be gone every day from 9 am until 9 pm. Today Dagny rode and I took Jack and his friend to the park in the pouring down rain. They were sopping wet bet regardless had a good time.

Jack was so excited to bring his friend to this park. He really loves this friend and the first time we went to the park he told me the one person he wanted to share the park with his best buddy. We brought bread for the ducks and we also brought along our sweet pup Lucy so she could enjoy all sorts of nature-ish things as well. I went out with the best intentions.

We had the park pretty much to ourselves. There was also some sort of day care day camp there as well and they were looking for bugs and frogs around the lake. The boys and I headed over to an area where the ducks were and tried to lure them over with bread crumbs. We were standing on a wet muddy bank and one sweet little duck was getting closer and closer. The boys were so excited. And apparently, so was Lucy. Once the duck got within a few feet of her, she decided it was lunch time and darted, dragging me with her. I went a foot or two and realized she was going swimmming with or without me., and there was no freaking way I was jumping in the marsh. I had to let her go and off she went. The kids were all screaming and I thought " OMG I can't believe my dog is about to kill and eat a duck and duck babies in front of an entire busload of kids who came here to catch butterflies." But that actually sounds about right for my famil.


Lucy did not get the duck. She swam about half way out and realized it wasn't going to happen. I was so afraid that either her or her leash were going to get completely wrapped up in all those roots and lily pads and we'd never get her out. I was so relieved when she made it back to shore. She shook a bit and then immediately after, Jack somehow managed to find some gigantic hole and fell in up to about his hip in mud. I was thinking "DAMN, this day could NOT get any better !!"

But I was wrong. It got MUCH better.

As I was pulling my son out of the hole and trying ( unsuccesfully) to clean him off with a Winco receipt and the plastic sandwich bag I had brought the bread in, a woman approached me and said...

"Uh, you know, that is reeeeeeeally not cool what just happened"

Me: " Man, I know, I am so......"

Bitchy Girl: " Do you know the damage you just did to the ecological blah blah balance blah nature blah"

Me:*blink blink* " Are you kidding?"

BG:" Uh, no, how could you let your dog do that?"

Me: " 'LET?? Did you not see the dog drag me down the bank? Do you think I wanted that to happen?"

BG: "Well, you should know your dog and know what to expect and you shouldn't even be down here....you should be on the trails"

Me: "What the fuck are you talking about you crazy bitch? It is a fucking SWAMP!!!! I am more concerned with whatever nasty lime-tick-west nile virus my DOG just picked up, you FREAK ! Go hug a tree dumb-o"


OK, I didn't say that last part....but I thought it, along with a 100 other "OH, OH, OH, OH !! I should have TOTALLY said THAT ! " As I walked away.

So yeah my day was good like that.

On an upnote, tomorrow is knitting :) I can't wait to see all my girls


Boys Gone Wild





So many lilypads



Jack at Scouts tonight....all he wanted to do was master those stilts. And as you can see his fab-O leader Abra was cheering him on

Tonight they made and raced Go-Karts

Jack and his drill


I know she's gonna make me take it down, but I can't help it. Tonight Dags and her BFF got to go to a production that her her BFF's ultra famous mom was working on. They got to go in thru the stage door and everything. I can't believe how beautiful they are growing up to be. And of course, they have matching wardrobes so they can dress alike

B and I split up today.....Dagny and daddy spent the afternoon cleaning the gutters, the garage, and the backyard. J and I headed off to the library and the grocery store. J is working hard to complete his wolf badge before his birthday, so we spent a lotta time working on that...

Jack working on his Boy Scout Wolf Book


Me: " PLEASE ! Just hold still so I can have ONE picture of you for da' blog"


The salmon that Jack prepared to fulfill his cooking badge.


You know you are loved when your woobie goes to the liquor store, finds your very rare Tanqueray vodka, brings it home and makes you a martini with blue cheese stuffed olives, and then chills it in the freezer right smack dab next to the corn dogs...


I lurve him greatly :)

So today I went in for my very first ever "Crown".


I had my root canal over a month ago and have cancelled a number of appointments trying to avoid today.

I know I am a pussy to all of you "seasoned-bad-teeth-havin'-million o' crown-producing" smiles.

But I spent way, way more time in the dentist and orthondonist chair from ages 6 thru 16 than the average bear. And now those folks come at me, and say they are just going to "give me a topical" so they can "insert a 10 inch needle that I will most certainly not feel" and then I will be "completely numb" except for today ( and every other f'ing time) when I needed four more injections to actually numb the area.

And I try, try, TRY to tell them: "No, seriously, all these "silly relaxants" you prescribe do not work"

My wonderful dentist prescribed two valium for me to take prior to going in. So what?

I still layed there and cried and cried and cried.

Before I left, my wonderful nurse brought me a wet, heated, lemon scented towel to clean up with ( read: get all the mascara off that dripped down my cheeks because I bawled during the procedure)

Shit

I told my dentist that, as much as I love him, and despite him taking every imaginable precaution, I do still consider him my arch enemy. And if I was stranded on a sinking ship with him and Charles Manson.....I am not sure who I would kick off to save my own ass. I did, however, thank him for my temporary crown and told him he should be grateful that I was as good as I was and that I did not try to:

a. bite him
b. kick him
or
c. punch his ass

which are all things I normally try to do my dentists. God bless 'em.


Anyhoozen,

some photos as I am trying to be a good blogger like That Abra Girl who shows all of us with her natural ability to be perfectly wonderful....

Dagny has started two business's this summer....one as a mother's helper and the other as a doggie day care provider. She is going to earn as much $$ as she can and then we will match her funds at the end of summer for a big "Back to School" shopping spree...

Here she is with a few of her clients
Annie, Kenzie, Joey, and Mia


dagny and Mia


dagny and The Goldens


Dagny on her way to ride

Things are good.

Very, very good. Things are so good that I consider homeschooling...Because the way my children behave when they are not around "their peers" ( ie "their friends") and they are just regular old J and D is heavenly. I would homeschool in a hearbeat if my DH would agree to it. Of course talk to me in August when I am ready to chew off my own arm and blah, blah, blah

Today we knitted. And gawd, do I love those girls.




My Uncle B is retiring. Which is, like, HUGE when you are one of Portland finest. I will say that the #1 thing my Uncle B has taught me over the past bajillion years is.....never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever allow yourself or your children on a motorcycle....mostly because of all of the brains he has had the pleasure of scraping of the sidewalk. So after years of his studly life saving fire fighting ability....that is the number one lesson I am taking with me. I lurve you Uncle B.

I can't believe he is "graduating" to the AARP........


My aunt V, her BIL and my uncle B, and The Greatest Great Grandpa Ever


Uncle B in all his old glory :)

A day...

We headed up to the Japanese Gardens and the Rose Gardens today....

The poetry rock...


Dags


waterfall


The "Meditation Garden" or once the McSilly kids get there... aka "The Ninja Garden"


lunch on the water....gawd it was beautiful


Jack


his favorite...steamed clams


ducks



Also hit the library....his favorite place on earth


Long division summer homework packet sent home by her teacher


"four times 3 is twelve, carry the one......"


dinner at home...curry ginger prawns and steamed brocolli

the first day of break....

Is a beautiful thing.....

I spent the day doing random cleaning and scouring. Jack spent the day reading, catching spiders, playing video games, eating a butterfinger McCflurry, and playing Legos.

Dagny woke up at 6:30 AM and headed off to This Horse Show with her grandma and her grandma's BFF all of which are huge horse lovers.

I made dinner for all and am now tucked in at 9:31 PM for the evening.

Have to rest up for Father's Day tomorrow !!

XOXO

Silly

Oy...

We are done.


I read parenting blogs around the globe and we are all letting out a sigh of relief.

The beauty of summer.

The beauty of saying " I know....let's got to the beach for the day"

And gawd...no homework, no bed time, no awake time. Just extreme laziness and being together.



Lucy did get hit by a car this week. The car was doing about 30 and was a red new VW bug, so the fender and body was that smooth sort of plastic-y material. She was thrown about 15 feet into the neighbors yard and as soon as she hit the ground, she ran home. She has a few abrasions but otherwise seems to be OK. Thank you all for your emails and phone calls.

I am so, so glad the school year is over. I am so glad all I have to do with my bambinos is simply be with them over the next 3 months. 90% of the reason I am a SAHM is so that I have summers with my babies.....day in, day out. I have field trips planned once a week for the next three weeks. Next week is the art museum, the following week is the Chinese Gardens, the following week is the Salem CHildren's Museum. I look forward to summer I think more than my kids do :)

We had "Fly Up" this week where the kids go to their new classrooms and meet their new teachers and classmates. I was very happy that Jack got the teacher I was hoping he would. Dagny will continue with her teacher which I could not be more happy about. We love her.


I am trying to figure out what I am going to do about middle school next year. It seems like so many of the "strong parents" stay at our school for 6 thru 8th, but we are all the pioneers, the ones who stay as opposed to taking the road most traveled. I look at our girls and how sweet and unjaded they appear as opposed to your "typical" middle schooler with their cell phones and their extreme over usage of eyeliner and mascara and believe it or not, I still wonder what to do.



Anyhoozen...

Pics
My son, the boy genius, and his 98% spelling test


hM and I did today....canned beautiful strawberries into jam....and this is just my share


The bathtub when my daughter is done....


My daughter's messy room, complete with her riding gear on the floor


A wall of her room with American doll #2


More room photos with American girl dolls # 3 & 4 and her slew of trophys and Ugly dolls


My GORGEOUS knitted bag felting itself ....


Dagny's art


Dagny's art

IS this a slump?

Thre are times when I read my blog and I think how stoopid I sound and how all things are GREAT! and NEVER BETTER !!

But then I hit a streak like I have for the past two months or so where it is just blog after blog after blog of negative bullshit.

Which is obviously where I am now.

Tonight, around 4 something PM , my dh was out front with the dogs. The dogs stay around, unless Lu sees a bird or cat and then buh-bye.

The kids have Lu out front with them all the time, with or without a leash. She is a big family dog and never strays. She is perfect.

Until tonight, you know around 4 something this afternoon.

Brian was out front and the dogs were out there with him. Just hanging out.

I was inside scrapbooking.


I heard Brian scream

He was screaming "LUCY......NO !!"
My husband doesn't scream. Ever. Or raise his voice. So, the scream was the first thing that scared me.

Then the brakes squealing.

And then the thunk.

And the silence.

And I thought " we can not lose two dogs in 6 months"


And then I got up and ran out front.

Fuck.

Wow

I am speechless

You Are a Liberal Republican

When you tell people that you're Republican, they rarely believe you. That's because you're socially liberal - likely pro-choice and pro-gay rights. You're also not so afraid of big goverment, as long as it benefits people and not politicians. You are the most likely of any Republican type to swing over to the Democrat side sometimes.

What's Your Political Persuasion?

I don't know how I would get through this whole "parenting gig" without my friends

There are days, like today when I see glimpses of what my future holds. My daughter will say and/or do JUST the right combination of backtalk/eye rolling/brother beating to make me snap. And I can't see it getting better anytime soon.

What is it with parents and the first borns?

I swear to goodness, everyone I know with two+ kids says the same thing....Oy the first born.

Today one girlfriend told me how everytime she told her son to stop doing x,y. or z, he'd answer her in a robotic voice "Yes....Mo ther" .

She tells him to stop it....NOW to which he replies " O K Mo Ther"

She tells him this is your LAST CHANCE and then she calls him a whore and he stops.



All I know is, it is 5:00 and I have poured myself a glass of much needed wine.

Our latest addiction

Man VS Wild

When they drop off Bear in the middle of nowhere and watch him as he tries to figure his way back to safety. I make the kids watch just so they know what to do if they are ever lost in Alaska, or the Amazon......You never know.

I am done....

The past month has been exhausting.

*warning, I am about to swear alot.....*

I can remember about two weeks ago I kept saying to myself "just get to 'this point' and you'll be home free" . It is the end of the school year, and for those of parents who are volunteer junkies, that means wrapping up everything for this year and getting everything ready for next year.

But you pile on top of that more shit.....And then more shit keeps coming.....like really, really serious shit. Like life and death shit. Shit that makes all the other shit you were dealing with look like stoopid fucktard games and you go "OMG, I thought this shit was important, but now I realize it isn't, it is a bunch of shit....and now I have to deal with all this insignificant shit ON TOP OF serious shit and it is simply too, too much shit....Now please pass me my chardonnay. "

And then you say on the phone...."tomorrow night, 15 people for dinner? Here? Like, at my house? Why not?" Despite the fact that you will be walking in the door the same time as your guests the following day, picking up underwear and cereal bowls....

But then, THEN you have a day of beauty and rest. A day of pampering with two of your BFF's....you cruise NorthWest ( wth did they start calling it "Nob HIll"? Nob Hill is down past Lovejoy and 23rd. They must have started that about the same time they made up "The Pearl"? Gawd..... ) Anyhoo, you hit Kornblatt's for bagels, Dosha for mani's and pedis, Seasons and Regions for lunch and chardonnay, and then home for a much needed nap. Supposing you could actually take one, but you can't. You watch You Tube for a bit and then go get the kids and head to the pool with everyone else from school....

Today was field day.....an event my DH works every year. Today he was astounded by all the parents who came to "stand around and watch". I told him welcome to my world.....

I am grumpy, and I am done with the school year.....

The little family that could

One of our get togethers.....We were sending my strapping 20 year old cousin off to the Central Oregon Fire Department and my grandfather off on an Alaskan cruise.

3 out of 4 generations.....If my mom was in there, we'd be four for four


3 generations of men


Brian eyeing up the hottest 90 and 93 year olds at the party...


I title this one " A view of things to come in the teenage years"


Me trying to get in on the hot action of the 90+ club


"Cutest couple" award winners.....what EVER !


Mom and the lone male off spring ( GO DUCKS !!)


me staring adoringly (as usual) at my fabUlous fire fighting uncle B

Pictures

Because Abra shows me up !!
Apparently the ducks can only have "cracked corn"....so leave it up to the worlds best Boy Scouts to bring a corn "cracker" to the park...


Feeding them da cracked corn...


The real reason we have kids.....Chore Monkeys


Her Spa Day before


her Spa Day after at her daddy's restaurant.....


Her BFF spent three days with us...this was their "Tiki/Hawaiian Party"



All of the bottles we drank at our dinner party "slash" Jeannie crying about grandpa evening.....



My son being an almost 9 year old dork in his room.......

Link Love

My dear friend Abra recently started a blog. She is our art lit queen and has done more for our school in the past few years than most have done in a life time. Thanks to her, as you will see if you scroll through all of her blog, we are a very, very heavy art minded school. We treasure our art, and we bow down before our Art Goddess.


She is also my son's Boy Scout Leader and is hand's down, the best Boy Scout Leader alive. You know, you are either a boy mom, or you aren't......and women who do not have boys simply will never, ever, EVER understand what we go through.

Anyhoo, both of her kids attend school with my kids....one is in middle school and one is about to graduate into our middle school. Her blog is filled with page after page of all of our art events and BS activities. And she is one of the reasons I will stay with this school for the next 5 years.

Make sure you bookmark her page so you can keep tabs on our school. She is a WAY better blogger than me.

I love you Abra.....

Abra The Great