the two jerks I live with.....

SO I was home alone all week with the kids as Bri Bri was out gallivanting with his new company, being awarded thousands of dollars, horseback riding and sleeping way, way in.

I was at home doing all the crap I do, plus all the crap he does ( garbage duty on Tuesday night *roll eyes*) Anyhoo, it is Friday night, it has been along week, and I am ready to call it a day.


We get home, the kids settle Jack does all of his "missing work"homework that he neglected all week. I sit down and work on the Valentine's Day party pages for our 5th grade memory book. About an hour later, the fighting begins.

"OMG...BE QUIET !!! I am trying to watch TV"

"You be Quiet"

"YOU!"

"YOU"

"YOU!!!"

"YOU!!!!"

"YOOOOOUUUU!!!!!"

"YYYYYOOOOOOUUUUU"



*shuffle shuffle, lamp tips over*

"MMMMMOOOOOMMMMMM!"

"MMMMMMOOOOOOMMM"


You know......The Usual.



I send them both upstairs to retire to their corners and settle and I start dinner.



15 minutes later, the 11 year old pre-pubescent girl comes down and says to me:

"I have an idea.....from now on when I get in trouble, instead of going to my room, I am going to take my journal, go out front and sit in front of a tree and write about all of my feelings and my frustration and I will just sit and think outside, because it is so much more peaceful than my room"


and I said: "No"


and she said: "OMG.....YOU ARE SO MEAN!!!!! YOU ARE THE MEANEST !!!!!!WHY? WHY? WHY?"


and I said: "Because the whole purpose of you being sent to your room to cool off is due in large to a behavior that was not appropriate. Going outside to play or "sit and ponder" is a privilege. Why would I reward your bad behavior by letting you do something enjoyable like going outside?"

And she huffed off

10 minutes later I called her down for dinner. I handed her delicious garden burger with grilled onions and cheddar cheese melted just so. She gave me some half assed mean look.

I asked her "What's wrong?"

and she said: "I hate you."

Now mind you this is the 1st time in 11 years and 4 months she has said those words to me. And I gotta admit, although I didn't show it, I was a little sad inside.

I said : "Huh"


She grabbed her plate and said: "I'll be having dinner in my room"

and stormed off.


So Jack and I sat down.


He said: " Is there cheese on this?"

Me: "Yes, but just a little"

Him: " I can't eat this"

Me: " Yes you can, I made it for you the way I make it for you all the time.....you like it"

Him:" Yes, but there is a seed here on the bun, I can't eat it"

Me: "Whatever"

Him: " And there is a little too much mayonnaise"

Me:"Whatever....don't eat"

Him:" And it is Friday, I don't eat things of this color on Friday"

(OK, he didn't say that but he may as well have because the child has more rules and conditions than the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes)

He storms off

2 minutes later he comes back with a picket sign he has created and walks around the kitchen chanting:

"I am not supported...I am not supported.....I am not supported"

I say :"Really Jack.....how are you not supported?"

He says: " First off...you have NOT bought me a video camera even though I have asked for one repeatedly....You obviously do NOT support my dream of being a film maker. Secondly, you serve barf for dinner. You do not respect my dietary needs."


And it is everything I can do to not shake him. Hard

and I am thinking really? Is this really how you spend you Friday nights with 11 and 9 year old children.. Because I seriously do NOT have the patience for this.




However, teaching preschool keeps things in perspective for me, lets me know my children are a *little* normal, and I want to say to the parents "OH man, it is going to get SOOOOOO much worse" But I don't, because I know middle school is in 4 months and it is going to get SO Much worse for me, and I really, really do NOT want anyone telling me that, tyvm.

Today...

example 1. Miss A come in today to show me an owie on her finger. I asked her what happened and she told me " Well, I asked my sister V to PLEASE stop nibbling on my finger, but she DIDN'T and it started to bleed and I told daddy and he went and got me a band aid and now I have the OWIE"

And I said " Oh that silly V, maybe she didn't hear you ask her to stop 'nibbling'.....Good thing daddy was there"


two more siblings walk in

example 2. Miss H has a scratch on her cheek....I asked her "What happened to your cheek" and she tells me "WELL!!! My sister M SCRATCHED me!" M, who is a year younger was standing right next to her and there was no way she was letting her get away with telling just her side of the story.....She tells me "NO, NO, NO....YOU knocked down my fort AND hit me with your elbow!" and then Miss H starts back up and I smile and I revel in the sweetness and innocence of the disagreements and I think "aaaaahh, sibling love at its finest." If only I could adore the fighting between my children at this age.....If only I could foreseee the future when they are arguing over cigarettes or who used who's razor, or when I figure out the vodka's been watered down..... Suddenly all of this sweet squabbling will be something I long for.




This weekend will be full, J has Tae Kwon Do at 10, D's game is at 3, off to the Dingus's for dinner with not only my kids, 1 or 2 of Dagny's friends as well....Maybe we will have to give Pab a Zan-Zan so he doesn't panic at all of the mad cap destruction this crew can do. Sunday will be spent doing a whole lotta crap we have put off, like mowing the small forrest out back , draining the hot tub, etc and then off to meet the Book Group Girls at 5:00. I don't know if da liver can handle Dingus two night in a row.


And OMG, my daughter is listening to the Ramones as loud as she can on her ipod........I am in so much f'ing trouble.


PS Reno pix are up on my FaceBook page :)

rantings and ravings

Hellooooo

SIlly here.....it is a Thursday before a four day weekend and I couldn't be more ready.


I have had a very, very long week. And from now until June, it isn't going to get any better. Dagny started basketball practice with the High School team she is going to go to. She is practicing with the team twice a week, and has practice with her current team once a week with games on Saturdays. A few of her teammates are doing it with her and when they walked in on Tuesday, they immediately walked out and said " This is the wrong place.....those girls are really really BIG" and I laughed and said "you silly girls....don't you know? These are Dagny's people" Dagny walked in and her jaw about hit the ground. She was suddenly a dwarf and in awe of all the gorgeous, tan, ponytail wearing, slam dunking-pivoting towering 6 foot tall girls surrounding her. I think she might have heard angels sing and harps play. We introduced her to the JV coach who has been there for 17 years and we talked a bit about her and what we can do. He told me " This is wear she needs to be...." So she will practice with him 2x a week through Spring and then start up again in the Fall. He also coaches a team in the winter that she can try out for instead of playing rec ball. I am so, so dead set against children trying out for anything until they are in high school. I would never pay money to have someone rate my child and tell him or her if she is "good enough" to play. To play. Won't be long before they start having T-ball tryouts, Tball all-star teams, mommy and me swim meets, Lord, I could write 10 pages on that.....ahem, but I won't.

So Tuesday I made dinner for four of the girls, drove them to practice, drove to PTO, stayed for an hour, drove back to practice, drove home all the girls. Wednesday we were up at the crack of dawn since we were headed to the Oregon Coast with the 5th grade. Anyone who has been on a filed trip knows the worst part is the bus. Being trapped in a bus with 50 sweaty stinky and incredibly loud 10 and 11 years is something close to hell. Doing it for four hours would have driven me to pack a bottle of wine in my sack lunch. SO I drove myself, through the snow( holy shit) with 3 other very smart moms. Back and forth. And then we ran out of gas in Cannon Beach. And did you know Cannon Beach has one, and only one gas station? And did you know that it isn't even IN Cannon Beach? It is across the highway, hidden in an RV park. So no matter how many times you drive back and forth through town, with your digital gage counting down.....10 miles till empty......9 miles till empty. ....You will not FIND the gas station until you pull over and ask a construction guy.

50 fabulous 5th graders....


I was so sad on this field trip....watching all of these kids running and splashing and playing. They really are a wonderful group. Even the onery ones. I don't know why it makes me sad since all of D's friends are staying. Could it be possible that I will miss the boys?? Egads...

Paying homage to the fabulous rock



They eve do the weird hand thing at the beach....


Good Lord

After we got back from the beach, it was my turn to drive the Wednesday night ( not to be confused with the Tu/Thur) basketball carpool. So I packed up 6 exhausted, wet and sandy 5th graders, drove home, emptied the dishwasher fed the dogs, fed the girls, got back in the mad cap mini van and went to practice. Turned around, drove them all home, came home fell into bed exhausted.

I know, I know....I am killing you with all my exciting news, right?

Tomorrow B and I and are BFF's are flying to RENO because we are not allowed to go to Vegas anymore. it is just not OK, and it is too, too much. Too much everything. So we are hoping to have a calmer, more peaceful trip this time, we are staying in a fabulous suite that would cost about 10 times more in Vegas than what we are paying in Reno. I am very excited to get away. We didn't leave town in November, so this is long overdue...


And on a lighter not....

I can't stop laughing. I watch it over and over.....Where the hell did she go? I love the way the last model kinda looks over at her likes "Huh, that sucks" and keeps walking.

See, I told you I was too old....

It took me WEEKS to recover from my concert so I could concentrate long enough to blog.

So SPring Break was LAST week and the kids, my mom and I headed off to the fabulous Oregon Coast....Our home away from home. Everyone was very glad to see us. Especially Mr Steve as my children so lovingly call him. We spent 5 days just relaxing, swimming in the pool, hiking the coast, climbing the dunes, eating too much, drinking to much, napping, reading and buying alot of crab from Barnacle Bills. The weather at the coast was beautiful, but chilly. We had snow in the mornings, and then it would quickly melt away. Mom and I had a wine day on the Beach which we always enjoy. Alot.

School is back in swing and we are in the final stretch of the year. The 5th graders have some crazy event scheduled almost weekly which means Christie and I are very busy following them around, chaperoning, taking pictures for the year book. I was so dreading the middle school decision for so long, and it is simply beautiful the way things have unfolded and how the future took care of itself. We have 50 kids and that would be a good number to stop with. We have room for 10 more, but we don't want them. We have an amazing group of children and families staying. Our kids, at only 21, will definitely be the minority, but I know they will make all the new kids feel welcome. We have a barbeque at the end of June so we can all meet and get to know the new families. How many middle schools do you know that extend such a warm welcome?

Today is Friday and we have a quiet weekend planned. The kids ate dinner early and have been playing together in the backyard all evening. Saturday night is turning into date night for me and my man and I am hoping tomorrow in no exception.

All in all things are quite good.








Gratuitous Photos...


Children at beach


I call this one " Can he get any more Irish?"



Mommy lurving her baby




Our favorite hang out



And here's why...



Plus they rent you these after they get you all liquored up



My #$%^!&* children. These two monkeys have scaled more shit than most kids do in a life time.....Just TRY to find the little freaks and GUESS how high up they were....





Time for a little best friend shout out.

So there are quite a few kids in 5th grade......46 total. Most of them have been there give or take since 1st grade. I know all of the girls pretty well and many of the boys. Dagny is friends with everyone. Everyone is friends with everyone. But these two......These two are like off the chart crazy in love and have been since they laid eyes on each other when they were both 6 years old. I think they had a fight in 3rd grade becasue Jenna was mad that dagny was wearing clogs instead of tennis shoes on "Tennis Shoes Day" which they had CLEARLY planned out and OMG WHY didn't she follow their promise.....dagny was so upset, she faked being sick so I would come and take her home. The one and only time she has ever done that. I think a day or two later, everything was back to normal. These two are dangerously protective of each other.





They have this secret weird little hand thing they do together.



There is a large group of girls at school, and they are all friends. But these two go so much deeper. I think you are blessed to find a best friend. I thank my lucky starts my daughter has such a good one.....