Ready for summer to be over

This summer has not been everything I had hoped for. I was seriously hoping to have more fun. Alas, the behavior has been so obnoxious that I haven't been able to enjoy myself. Case in point.....

Today was our quarterly visit to UMD hospital (if you are in need of peds specialists, this place is for you- the GI team is awesome). I took both kids thinking we'd go over to Lexington Market or maybe the Inner Harbor. Instead they were snapping each with rubber gloves, poking each other in the ear and nose with a pointy tipped scope, talking about poop.... You get the picture. We went home. I needed to stop by the uniform store (I thought that would be punishment, lol) so we went in to get stuff. We were greeted by a very helpful young man who most likely felt sorry for me. Helen had to try on gym shorts and was quite loudly announcing that she doesn't like to try on clothes because people have probably pooped on the clothes and wiped their butts with them.. Cute. They proceeded to hide inside clothes racks, etc. until I just gave up and paid for the few items I had in my basket (the young guy was following us around carrying my basket for me as I was dying inside). The reason I know that Helen knows her behavior is unacceptable is this- as we were walking to the check out, in walks C* and J* from her karate class and school with their mother. She did a 180 and was this nice quiet little lady. Maybe I need to hire J* to shop with us........

Super Easy Chili

I made chili Saturday and have been living on leftovers ever since. I should take a picture, but I am lazy (I think I have mentioned this before).

Chili

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

1 can light red kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 package Boca crumbles

1 onion, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

garlic, pressed

chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper

Saute onions, zucchini and garlic. Add tomatoes and turn down heat. Add drained beans and Boca bits.Then I added about 1/3 package frozen mixed vegetables and then it was too dry and I added some water (beer would have been good, but I didn't have any to spare). Then I seasoned to taste. It is actually better the next day. I love to crunch up baked Tostitos on top. Yum.

Shopping

I have to go shopping. A lot of people find shopping fun ans therapeutic. I, however, am phobic. I think I might need hypnosis or a twelve step program- that is how much I hate shopping. I wasn't always that way- but now I don't have time, money or patience. I can never find anything that looks good on me and everything is always too long, except t shirts. Those are always too short and about 3 feet too wide. So I have all this fabric flappin' in the breeze while my fat roll is hanging out of the bottom. Cute. Did I mention that I am 5 foot nuthin? So if the Amazon that my jeans with 10 inches of excess leg was designed for wears a tshirt with the jeans, I am guessing the shirt bottom would come to just under her boobs. How did clothing people decide that cropped off t shirts would look good on anyone over a size 4, let alone sell them in PLUS sizes? If I was a size 4, however, I could actually buy a t shirt that is long and cut close to the body. Not 5 feet wide and 3 inches long. Here's is a hint to the powers that make women's clothes- don't make them WIDER with LONGER arms and keep the length in 1990 fashion. One cannot even tuck a shirt like that in without looking deformed.

Further more, just because a lady is over a size 12 does not mean that she has lost her mind and suddenly desires to wear sofa fabrics. Big flowers look good on no one. I do not want to look like the Queen Mother. Or Hyacinth Bucket (see photo). Nope, I am not looking forward to shopping. Shoes are even worse. Ever since giving birth, my feet have not been the same. I can no longer wear cute little heels. Everything is too narrow; if I get wide, my heel rubs. I can;t win. Plus any heel makes my arch and toes ache and I don't remember how to walk in them and end up stomping everywhere. Don't even get me thinking about pantyhose. Aren't those out of fashion? I know haven't worn "nude" hose since high school (drill team- we all had to wear "suntan" sheer energy). Maybe I will just miraculously lose 40 punds in the next week. That would simplify my life somewhat. I know how I want to look, but this spread around my middle is keeping me from it. The good news is, I really have dropped a few pounds recently. The shorts I bought at the beginning of the summer are too big (partly because I didn't take "stretch" into account when I bought them), but the jeans that did fit are beginning to fall down. We'll see- I have given up on ever just being thin. I would literally have to give up most food to get there, and anyone who knows me knows that would never happen. I like to eat and I am married to a guy who likes to eat and that is that. But a few sizes smaller would be sweet.

Pasta Salad

I made pasta salad to take to a cookout today- there was none left. It was good if I do say so myself.

1 box Barilla mini bow ties, cooked in salty water
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
a bunch of tomatoes (grape, yellow, honey, etc.- some from MIL's garden)
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 bag of frozen peas, thawed
vinaigrette- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 clove garlic (pressed), 1/2 tsp marjoram, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tap celery seed, 1 TB sugar, squirt of mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Pour dressing over pasta and veggies.

I make my own vinaigrette all the time- it varies every time, but the results are always yummy.

Random Questions of the Universe

Why do kids fight a nap and grownups desperately want one?

Why does my son have of one shoe from every pair he owns in the shoe basket while its mate is MIA?

Why doesn't laundry fold itself?

And why am I the only one in a family of four that knows where anything is located? That is my true job description- curator of miscellaneous crap...

If anyone has the answers to these questions, please fill me in..........

This is a shirt from Noisebot (I want it, hint hint). I LOVE LOVE LOVE The Office. It is one of the only shows I watch. Too bad I am never sure when it comes on, cuz I never get the TV clicker thingie.

We went to the zoo after all. I will post pictures later cuz I am tired and don't feel like looking for the cable for the camera, lol. We got to see Sampson, the baby elephant today. And the kids rode a camel this time. I didn't take a lunch today and spent way too much money. Next time I'll go get some bread (that was the only reason I didn't pack a picnic).

We are going fishing tomorrow. Yes I know, I say I am a vegetarian, but I do eat fish on occasion. So call me a hypocrite if you want, but to me, any factory farm animal not eaten is helping the cause. I will not be partaking in the beef jerky, Dorito and bologna sandwich feast, however. I will be taking fakin, lettuce and tomato instead, lol. I am wiped out and want to go to bed but was conned into movie night- the kids are watching Karate Kid (again). Gotta go make some Kool Aid to go with the burnt popcorn (yummy smell).

A wrecked car and a new big boy seat

I got rear ended last week. Of course, I had to be in the new car. Some girl wasn't paying attention and rammed right into the back of the Santa Fe. No one was hurt but it did damage the bumper and the hatch door will most likely need to be replaced. And Zachary gets a new booster seat. The state has a new booster law that will require him to be in a seat until age 8 or 60 pounds. So at least one more year if he gains a lot of weight, or 3 years at the most. But he was outgrowing the seat, plus it is disgusting (what 5 year old's seat isn't?) and full of cooties and crumbs.

I picked up the new seat today on yet another Gawd-awful trip to Target (where else would I go, lol?). This is the one I got. It is the Evenflo Big Kid seat. They had one with built in lights but that only SOUNDS like a good idea if you don't actually have children, lol. Zachary likes it and we took it for a test drive around the neighborhood this afternoon. UPDATE- this seat is SOOOOOO easy to click cmpared to the old Graco. The arm rests lift up and I just reach around to click the belt. No more climbing into the car- yahoooooo

Happy stuff and sad stuff

The good news is this: after 9 years of being a non-revenue generating member of this household, I signed a teaching contract yesterday. I am a librarian. Wow. It is just part time for now, but will go to full time either this spring or next fall. My hours are great- Monday through Thursday, 10 to 3. It is at my kids' school, so I will not need after care or anything (that is $3900 per year for 2 kids). My days off are the same as theirs, with the exception of work days and end of school/start of school. The in laws are watching them for the beginning of school, but I will try to work something with friends to fill in other days. I am excited and nervous about it. The library is a mess and I don't know where to begin to fix it.

The sad part is this confession: I have not really enjoyed this summer. I was hoping that I would get to do stuff with them and just have fun now that they are older. But the high cost of gas and everything else has forced me to limit field trips to less than 40 miles away. That is not so much a problem as Baltimore has so much to offer, but my kids, one in particular, has been terrible. In fact, I cannot stand to take her anywhere. She whines and complains about everything. Nothing is enough for her. If I buy one thing, she wants two. Even the trip to the zoo was awful. I packed lunch and didn't have much cash. Just enough for each to get an icee and feed the giraffes. Do you think that was good enough? Heaven's no. She was mad that there was no carousel ride (another $5). I could have gotten money from the ATM. But there is a $2.50 fee imposed by the bank for using a different machine, plus the principal of the whole thing. The whole summer has been that way. I feel bad because I wonder why she is behaving like such a rotten ungrateful brat and then I feel like a cheapskate because I say no to so much, but even if I had a million dollars at my disposal, I would not choose to indulge my child's every whim.

The reason it ticks me off is because do you think my mother EVER in her life took me to swim in a river, or to the zoo, or even to a freaking park? No. I got ignored 90% of the time, sometimes even put outside for an entire day. Most of memories are of me being alone. Before I had kids I'd see mothers and children on outings and doing things together and wanted that. Now I have two kids and can't take them anywhere because of their behavior. They talk back, don't listen, wander away, refuse to stay with me...... I can't even get them to make cookies with me or do a craft. I am on the verge of giving up. I thought I was raising them better than that. I guess I was wrong and I feel like an idiot.

Ozzy Update

Ozzy is feeling better. He has started to want to play again, and can bark without coughing. I am so glad and I think that if he was going to have a problem, it would have happened by now. He goes for another test in 2 weeks, then another 4 weeks after that. If both those tests are negative, we will resume HeartGard and be considered heart worm free. Thanks to everyone who thought of us and prayed for Ozzy. I felt silly asking for doggy prayers, but St. Francis himself showed us that to care for God's creatures touches God.......

I'm Baaackkk!

I am home but had a chance to post. Yesterday I had a job interview (first one in 10 years). It went well and I've got a pretty good shot at it. Helen passed her karate test (I was surprised since she hasn't been to class in 2 weeks and hasn't practiced either). The school is adjusting its curriculum, so she got 3 stripes this month and will get her blue belt early (August instead of October). As I said, she really didn't work this month and it probably sent her the wrong message to receive all those stripes this month. At her school, the stripes on the belt are part of rank.

I will post more later, as I need to get myself outside and get the last of my junk out of David's car.

Gettin' ready

Here we go- again. I am packing today. I was going to the river to swim again, but I think I will stay close to home (and Ozzy, who is at the vets receiving the first treatment for heart worms today). Maybe we'll go to the park later since it is supposed to be cooler today. Can't play X-Box ALL day.......

So I need to make yet another list of stuff to do, clean bedrooms and pack clothes, in addition to cleaning out my car for David. It is full of cookie crumbs, toys and dog fur. I do try very hard to keep my car presentable, but darn it's hard. And the back windows are covered in something- I think Helen licks the windows. And under Zachary's car seat is enough crumbs to keep an army of ants alive four months. So we have to visit the car wash today, too.

Yeah, maybe skipping the swim is a good idea. The river is about 20 miles away, so it's not like I can just drop in for a an hour and come home- I usually stay all day.

Perfect Packing Plan

This is based on FlyLady.

For each child for one week:

3 pairs pjs

7 pairs underwear (plus "pullups" if needed)

5 play outfits

3 "nice" outfits

2 bathing suits

1 pair of sneakers, one pair of "nice" shoes

(they wear crocs in the car because I am NOT putting on 2 pairs of shoes for every stop, lol)

I typically take the number of days away and add one "extra". SO for a weekend, I'd take 2 pairs of pjs, 3 pairs undies, etc. I follow a similar plan for myself. It seems kinda lame now in print, but as I said it works for me. I usually don't have leftover "clean" clothing. Traveling alone with the kids is very different from traveling with Dad. When I go with just the kids, I take a picnic lunch, snacks and drinks. We stop at a rest area to eat and always stop at South of the Border on the way to GA. We drive about 6 hours the first day and then stop for the night. We go swimming, eat dinner and hang out in the room. They like to buy a soda from the vending machine (indeed a novelty) and then fight over who sleeps with me. (truthfully I cannot sleep with Helen, so I usually move after she goes to sleep and then tell her I was cold or something- does that make me a bad mom?).

Just another stop at home

We returned from camping yesterday and met up with the in laws for David's brother's 40th birthday. I had the best shrimp (yes, not very vegetarian of me, but I just cannot give up some things- coffee, candy, shrimp and eggs are too difficult.

Now I have 2 days to get laundry done, deal with the dog and clean my house before I pack up to go to Georgia for the remainder of he month. Why did I think that traveling for an entire month was a good idea? We will have 4 weeks after we return before school starts back and I do hope it is relaxing....... Yeah, right- have you MET my kids- no relaxing there. They always want to GO GO GO........

Any way, over the years I have developed a perfect packing plan and it has never let me down. I will share it with you in a later post.

Is it really back to school?

Well, Target is already putting out their wares, and I am making my lists. Since I've got 2 this year, I am spreading out the spending and starting early. I just ordered Zachary's lunchbox. Helen already has a pink one just like it. I just get the bento box, not the carrier. It proved too small to carry snack and drink plus the lunchbox. I went with a softsided cooler type bag for holding it all. The Laptop Lunch system was pricey ($20), but if you consider that Helen has been using hers for 3 years now and I didn't have to buy a lunchbox ($12), plus inside containers ($5+), plus ziploc bags ($2.50 for 50), etc, it has proven cost effective in the long run.

Next week we'll go to Stride Rite and get these lovely school shoes.
Helen hates these things. Can't say I blame her- they aren't very feminine. Zachary already has pants, shorts and two shirts. We still need:
3 jumpers (if hers don't still fit)
3 blouses (I'll get long sleeved later)
1 gym uniform
2 short sleeved white polos (will need long sleeved later, along with some button-down oxfords)
2 ties
1 belt

And then there are the school supplies- what is a "flexible binder" any way?

Clean clothes, doctor's visit and camping

The washer turned out to be a minor problem. The hose connecting the little bleach cup to the washer had come undone. The Big Strong Man fixed it and now I'm rockin' the laundry. Yeah. Now I guess he expects gratitude......

Helen goes to the doctor for her overdue well child visit (it is July and her bday is in May). I just dread going because of the whole growth chart. She has been consistently off the chart since she was 3. The curve has remained the same for 5 years, so I think it is just the way she is built. She could get more exercise and eat healthier, but so can most skinny kids I know. Overall she is healthier in most respects than our toothpick neighbor who eats pizza, fruit snacks and Burger King daily. It is sad that I stress so much about the weight of an 8 year old, as if lifetime of worry about my own hasn't been burden enough. I am pretty much sick of it and wish I didn't have to think about it ever again. But that isn't going to happen, is it? UPDATE- Dr. visit went well. She got 1 shot and barely flinched (better than the time it took 5 nurses to hold her down for an allergy test and blood draw). She is tall and heavy, but he said her weight gain has been consistent for years and is just how she grows. Make sure she exercises and makes healthy choices, etc. Not as bad as I was thinking it would be.

Lastly, we are getting ready to go camping. Yep, one day at home and it is spent getting ready to do the next thing. Fun. I love camping, though, so it will be nice. Just the packing and organizing part that is work.

Home Crap Home

We're back and I am tired. My washing machine is tired, too. I went to start all the laundry and as I am loading clothes, my feet are gettin' wet. I am standing in a puddle. Great. Flat tires, dented car, sick dog, broken washer........ Any clue what a broken washer means to a SAHM? Here is a f;ash back to the SAT's fer ya:

washer:SAHM::truck:trucker::pen:writer::money:banker::taxi:driver::script:actor

Does that clarify it? I do at least 2 loads daily. Help me.

Happy Fourth of July!

GOD BLESS THE USA!

Goin' on Vacay

We're leavin' in the am; destination Greenville, Maine. We'll be there for the fourth and will no doubt be takin' a ride in the boat to your left. We'll be back around next Wednesday. Then we go camping on Friday. Ozzy is supposed to have his procedure on Tuesday/Wednesday of that week. Then I leave for GA on the next Wednesday, which will give Ozzy 10 kid free days to rest. After that we're home until school starts and then I need to find something that pays me to do something.

heartworms=heartbreak

Ozzy has heartworms. I wasn't going to test him, but I did so that I could get him back on HeartGard. I'm glad I did. He is not showing any clinical signs yet, but I did have another test run to confirm the result and will have an answer tomorrow. The false positive for this test is rare, so it looks like we have to come up with a treatment plan. $887 was the estimate (high end, so chances of it being more is slim). I am sick about this. It feels like I have let him down. HE is my fur child and I am supposed to protect him. I would have never let Helen and Zachary go without a vaccine, why did I let the HeartGard lapse? TO save a couple of dollars? I am so mad at myself right now and so upset for the kids, especially Helen. She wanted a dog for so long and she loves Ozzy so much. He is such a wonderful and beautiful dog. I love him and so does everyone who comes around him. So, if you have a dog and you really care, get the heartworm treatment. Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes and left untreated, the heart is pretty much destroyed. Heart failure is likely. I am guessing at this point we have to decide if we can afford to treat him or if we have to have him put down.. I know that it would have to be soon- I can't watch him suffer and then have him put down. We just don't have all the money in the world and what if it doesn't work? Treatment can also fail and has its own risks. Arsenic is used to kill the adult worms and can have side effects on the dog. I am so very upset right now.

My child is strange some days

I've had a lot of posts about Zachy lately, but none about Bean. Ever since the Big Storm That Blew Our Roof and Tree Down, she feels the need to check the weather several times a day. The Yahoo Weather site is on her faves list, right under Webkinz. Now we have a new phobia. Last night she stayed up too late watching Verminators on the Discovery channel. When I put her to bed, she quietly asked when was the last time I changed her sheets (yesterday) and then picked up her toys. Later she got up and asked me if that noise was Zachary hitting his wall or did we have rats in the attic. OK, so I guess no more Verminator for you. Her other favorite shows are Clean House on the Style channel And Jon & Kate Plus 8. I find it strange that she enjoys shows about clearing clutter, pest infestation and a super control freak with 8 children (no offense Kate, I think you rock and I'm a control freak with 1/4 as many kids as you).

On another note, we are going to see the Kit movie tomorrow night with our friends, Erin and Emily. I'm more excited than Helen! Z is staying at Grandma's because he talks too much at movies and he won't like this girl fest any way!