Well, I survived the first week of school. Both children seemed to come thru everything relatively unscathed. Yea us!!! Tonight, I am rewarding myself with an evening out w/ my pal, T, and we are going to the Club for dinner and drinks. We were going to scrapbook in the locker room but after the week she's had - we decided to concentrate on the liquor, food and conversation instead. We will be scrapping all day on 9/22 so we can put it aside for tonight w/o too much guilt.
I am really really glad it is Friday. We only have to work until 1pm and then have Monday off for Labor Day!!! Yea me!!! Of course, I am already packing the weekend schedule full so I'm sure it will fly by and gone before I know it. The most depressing part is that we do not get another holiday from work until Thanksgiving. Can I survive almost 3 months w/o any time off??
I have promised my parents I would install QuickBooks on their home/work computer this weekend. Then Tuesday a lady is coming to their house to show both of my parents how to use QB in a way that saves them and the company time and energy. Being the company's PT account is wearing thin for me so I decided to push them forward by setting all of this in motion. Hopefully Tammy is helpful and thorough because I need QB to be the answer to the company's prayers!! As the company grows, the accounting has been getting out of hand. Since I hate math and it hates me, I will never understand why my parents were trusting me to do their monthly billing invoices. They saw my math grades in HS and college - they were the pits. They only let me graduate from college w/ the grades I had in math because I cried to my advisor that I had already planned my wedding and had to graduate in August or I'd have to call off the wedding. Wonderful man that he was, he let me take Business Law 2 in place of taking another math class - I got my B and I walked away from ETSU with a big smile and no knowledge whatsoever of algebra or business math!! Of course, now I see what a disadvantage this was to me in the long run but at 22 - the decision between getting married or staying in college forever until I understood the intricacies of math was a no brainer! Love rules!
Hope you all have a lovely and safe holiday weekend! Cheers!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Gotta Go Back, Back, Back to School Again......
Yep, we survived (sort of) the first day of school yesterday! E was oddly hyped about the idea of going to school and meeting his new teacher. I was thrilled that he was being so cooperative about the whole idea. He started getting a little clingy when we got to the room but I quickly distracted him w/ toys on the tables. He even seemed to be fine when Ms. Mayra walked thru the door. He was okay when Daddy snuck out to pay the tuition. The fun stopped when Mommy tried to say her goodbyes. Tears! and more Tears! I am proud to report that when I peaked back around the corner a minute later, he seemed fine. I watched the clock until I finally got the phone call from Mom that she had picked up my baby boy and he'd survived the day and seemed no worse for the wear. Later, when A called to report all about her exciting first day - E got on the phone and recited all about his day and how he painted with his fingers, sang songs and liked his teacher!!! Yeah!!!!!
Miss A on the other hand had wonderful things to report off the bat about fifth grade. It was exciting, they get to change classes for four periods each day, their recess and lunch periods are too short but that is okay because the teachers are so fun and nice why not spend more time with them?? Everyone thought her back to school outfit and hair do were fabulous....it was a great day. Or so I thought. When we were eating dinner, the truth came out. One of the girls (who she is sharing her bday party with in two weeks) made fun of A's new backpack. I knew this could be an issue when we picked it out because it is Littlest Pet Shop and slightly on the young looking side. A didn't care because she thought it was super cute and even if no one else liked it, that wouldn't matter to her. WRONG! When she walked in and this "friend" looks over and in front of all the other fifth grade girls exclaims "that backpack is horrible", Ashton's first fifth grade experience is the pits. She held it together, ignored the girls comments, held it in all day long, after school, thru tennis and then told me the truth at dinner. We had a long talk at bedtime about how to handle situations like that in the future. We discussed how some girls are trying so hard at 10 to be 16 so they cannot admit they might still like things like Littlest Pet Shop or Bratz or Barbies. I told her that 16 is highly over rated and to take her time and enjoy being 10, 11, 12, etc first. 16 will get here before any of them know it and the ones that rushed won't remember the thrill of getting there! Being the mom to a girl going thru puberty and dealing w/ other girls in the same boat is no picnic. I have a feeling fifth grade is going to be a real bitter pill for both Ashton and me. I'm hoping we can both survive the trials and tribulations of our last year in elementary so that we are strong enough to survive middle school next year!!!
Funny E moment of the day: Last night at 2am, I hear him screaming for me from his room. He has been sleeping so well at night since his return from WV that this is the first time he's gotten up during the night so I know something bad has happened. I rush into his room, tripping over a dog bed, hopping on one foot, with one eye open - I kneel down at his bed whispering assurances that everything is okay and Mommy is here. He looks at me and says "Mommy, help me find Blue (his pacifier)". I find it, give it to him and he is snoring in 2.2 seconds. That was it, that was the big emergency. It took me a good 20 minutes to go back to sleep myself. Ahhh, the joys of raising a toddler!
Miss A on the other hand had wonderful things to report off the bat about fifth grade. It was exciting, they get to change classes for four periods each day, their recess and lunch periods are too short but that is okay because the teachers are so fun and nice why not spend more time with them?? Everyone thought her back to school outfit and hair do were fabulous....it was a great day. Or so I thought. When we were eating dinner, the truth came out. One of the girls (who she is sharing her bday party with in two weeks) made fun of A's new backpack. I knew this could be an issue when we picked it out because it is Littlest Pet Shop and slightly on the young looking side. A didn't care because she thought it was super cute and even if no one else liked it, that wouldn't matter to her. WRONG! When she walked in and this "friend" looks over and in front of all the other fifth grade girls exclaims "that backpack is horrible", Ashton's first fifth grade experience is the pits. She held it together, ignored the girls comments, held it in all day long, after school, thru tennis and then told me the truth at dinner. We had a long talk at bedtime about how to handle situations like that in the future. We discussed how some girls are trying so hard at 10 to be 16 so they cannot admit they might still like things like Littlest Pet Shop or Bratz or Barbies. I told her that 16 is highly over rated and to take her time and enjoy being 10, 11, 12, etc first. 16 will get here before any of them know it and the ones that rushed won't remember the thrill of getting there! Being the mom to a girl going thru puberty and dealing w/ other girls in the same boat is no picnic. I have a feeling fifth grade is going to be a real bitter pill for both Ashton and me. I'm hoping we can both survive the trials and tribulations of our last year in elementary so that we are strong enough to survive middle school next year!!!
Funny E moment of the day: Last night at 2am, I hear him screaming for me from his room. He has been sleeping so well at night since his return from WV that this is the first time he's gotten up during the night so I know something bad has happened. I rush into his room, tripping over a dog bed, hopping on one foot, with one eye open - I kneel down at his bed whispering assurances that everything is okay and Mommy is here. He looks at me and says "Mommy, help me find Blue (his pacifier)". I find it, give it to him and he is snoring in 2.2 seconds. That was it, that was the big emergency. It took me a good 20 minutes to go back to sleep myself. Ahhh, the joys of raising a toddler!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Monday, Monday
The twin boys that A has gone to school with since Kindergarten had their birthday party Friday night. Their parents allowed them to invite 8 total friends to their party! Sensible you might think - except they took them to a very fancy steak restaurant in the area. A restaurant so expensive that the mom's dropping off their children were complaining that none of them had ever eaten there. A said the steak cut like butter and was the best thing she'd ever eaten in her life. Maybe when I win the lotto - I'll get to try their butter like steak!! One can only dream.
We have come to a consensus on the group birthday party and I spent yesterday evening creating the invitations on the computer. We are going with a Cruise theme at the Pool w/ the teenage DJ's!! Since I did the invitations, I'll let the other two mom's decide on the decorations and food. The three girls narrowed down their list to a measly 36 5th graders. Yes, the five or six that didn't make the cut will be very upset. I really have no idea how many 5th graders there really are but it seems like we cannot have left off very many considering the number of invitations we are sending. Hopefully, a large number will have other plans for the afternoon.
This morning was Meet the Teacher which is always a joyful occasion. A was excited to find that several of her closest friends are in her homeroom again this year. There are two kids that have been in her homeroom every single year since kindergarten. It would have been three but they decided to split up the twins this year to prepare them for life in middle school next year. I have a feeling fifth grade will be our most challenging year. The girls are already starting to create cliques and drama galore. Apparently a couple of girls spent the summer spreading rumors about a couple of other girls and all the moms are waiting to see how the drama plays out during the school year. Hopefully, A makes it thru unscathed!
E's newest thing is demanding a snack every evening and the way he asks just cracks me up: "Two black cookies and cold popo juice pease!" That is two Oreos and a cup of Apple Juice please to those of you that do not speak E. He is a regular riot now that he is communicating. Another funny is when he is looking for someone or something: "Where Daddy be?", "Where blankie be?". Yep, that's my southern boy!
We have come to a consensus on the group birthday party and I spent yesterday evening creating the invitations on the computer. We are going with a Cruise theme at the Pool w/ the teenage DJ's!! Since I did the invitations, I'll let the other two mom's decide on the decorations and food. The three girls narrowed down their list to a measly 36 5th graders. Yes, the five or six that didn't make the cut will be very upset. I really have no idea how many 5th graders there really are but it seems like we cannot have left off very many considering the number of invitations we are sending. Hopefully, a large number will have other plans for the afternoon.
This morning was Meet the Teacher which is always a joyful occasion. A was excited to find that several of her closest friends are in her homeroom again this year. There are two kids that have been in her homeroom every single year since kindergarten. It would have been three but they decided to split up the twins this year to prepare them for life in middle school next year. I have a feeling fifth grade will be our most challenging year. The girls are already starting to create cliques and drama galore. Apparently a couple of girls spent the summer spreading rumors about a couple of other girls and all the moms are waiting to see how the drama plays out during the school year. Hopefully, A makes it thru unscathed!
E's newest thing is demanding a snack every evening and the way he asks just cracks me up: "Two black cookies and cold popo juice pease!" That is two Oreos and a cup of Apple Juice please to those of you that do not speak E. He is a regular riot now that he is communicating. Another funny is when he is looking for someone or something: "Where Daddy be?", "Where blankie be?". Yep, that's my southern boy!
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Birthdays Gone Wild
So when did it become the norm to spend hundreds on a kids birthday party? I remember growing up we were lucky if Mom let us have a couple friends over for cake and ice cream. The only time we were allowed something more extravagant than that was on special years - 10, 16, 18. We never went anywhere for our birthday parties - they were always at home, no fuss, just cake, the birthday song, open gifts, done. Occasionally, someone was allowed to stay for a sleepover but that is only if we behaved during the rest of the party.
Now, it seems that as parents we are trying to out do each other on every party. It started in preschool.....Chuck E. Cheese parties, McDonald's parties, bouncy houses w/ clowns or Batman impersonators. Then we graduated to Main Event bowling parties, Build a Bear parties, Laser Tag, Skating parties, Sweet & Sassy makeover parties. So for A's 9th birthday, I thought I'd throw down the gauntlet and have an old fashioned sleepover!! 11 girls, pizza, snacks, drinks, decorations, activities, gift bags....and I actually spent more than I ever had at Main Event! It was crazy.
This year is trying to balance a party with two classmates who share September birthday's w/ A. We have settled on a swimming party but we cannot come to a consensus on whether to pay $300 for a DJ for two hours or have a couple of High School students DJ for a free piece of cake? I'm voting free but one of the girls feels like it will just be considered a boring swimming party if we do not have a real DJ on site. A says the HS students are fine with her but that is beauty of my laid back child.
I know that all the party hoopla is my own fault. Miss A would have been perfectly happy all these years to just have a few friends over for cake and ice cream, but how could I allow that when all the other girls her age were having big parties at fancy establishments? I had to compete, be in the game, make an impression that I, too, could spend a ridiculous amount of money entertaining a bunch of kids!!! I could be the queen of the birthday party circuit!! Now that I see the error of my ways.....the question is whether or not I will be more practical when E starts having birthday parties? He's already been to one Chuck E Cheese party for a preschool classmate and during the party I found myself thinking, "you know, this wouldn't be so bad for his 3rd birthday!".. Darn me.......stop the insanity. It's going to be cake and ice cream at home with family....he won't know the difference, he's only three. But his friends parents will know and I might become an outcast.......
Now, it seems that as parents we are trying to out do each other on every party. It started in preschool.....Chuck E. Cheese parties, McDonald's parties, bouncy houses w/ clowns or Batman impersonators. Then we graduated to Main Event bowling parties, Build a Bear parties, Laser Tag, Skating parties, Sweet & Sassy makeover parties. So for A's 9th birthday, I thought I'd throw down the gauntlet and have an old fashioned sleepover!! 11 girls, pizza, snacks, drinks, decorations, activities, gift bags....and I actually spent more than I ever had at Main Event! It was crazy.
This year is trying to balance a party with two classmates who share September birthday's w/ A. We have settled on a swimming party but we cannot come to a consensus on whether to pay $300 for a DJ for two hours or have a couple of High School students DJ for a free piece of cake? I'm voting free but one of the girls feels like it will just be considered a boring swimming party if we do not have a real DJ on site. A says the HS students are fine with her but that is beauty of my laid back child.
I know that all the party hoopla is my own fault. Miss A would have been perfectly happy all these years to just have a few friends over for cake and ice cream, but how could I allow that when all the other girls her age were having big parties at fancy establishments? I had to compete, be in the game, make an impression that I, too, could spend a ridiculous amount of money entertaining a bunch of kids!!! I could be the queen of the birthday party circuit!! Now that I see the error of my ways.....the question is whether or not I will be more practical when E starts having birthday parties? He's already been to one Chuck E Cheese party for a preschool classmate and during the party I found myself thinking, "you know, this wouldn't be so bad for his 3rd birthday!".. Darn me.......stop the insanity. It's going to be cake and ice cream at home with family....he won't know the difference, he's only three. But his friends parents will know and I might become an outcast.......
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Welcome to my boring life.....
boring only if I tell stories of what goes on in my house.....if I included the stories of friends and family, you would have a very interesting read and might never have to watch another soap opera again!! I have been reading other folks blogs for some time now and decided I would start a blog of my own. Not sure why except I like to tell stories and I figure this is a way to get my stories out to my friends w/o boring them in person. I have been posting a few blogs on myspace but cannot post from work and that's no fun since I rarely have time to log on to the computer from home.
Hopefully I won't bore you too badly.
Hopefully I won't bore you too badly.
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