Last Day of Freedom

The friend that has my kidlins called tonight and let me know that they bought a pony, so she would be home tonight. But the kids were staying with her mom. My decision to send Monster was confirmed...he's totally not missing his mommy or daddy.

Hubby and I went out to dinner at a chinese place (I don't want to call it a restaurant. It was a take out place with tables) and it was pretty good. It was our first time there, and I'm not one to try new places for Chinese. I know, exciting, huh?

Then, I totally cleaned up my work/craft area. I feel good now.

That's what you get when you have no children and your not feeling well.

mother nature is a...

not nice lady. Hubby and I headed out for a quick boat ride to pick up our crab pot. This one was stolen (as was the other one last week) and once we got home, we both were hit with some sort of stomach bug. Yuck...why, oh why, when we have time alone. So now we're hanging out watch Little Miss Sunshine together. Yes, I know, we're just getting around to watching it. I never get to watch anything that lasts more than 30 minutes unless it's a kids movie.

So this is what freedom feels like

So my babies are gone until Friday. They're off to camp at Chincoteague and see the ponies. I'm sure they will be fine, and they will have an absolute awesome time. But it was hard to be a big girl mommy and let them go without me or daddy going as well. This is the longest that Monster will have been away from us, and the first time he's gone with someone that's not family.


Tonight I went to dinner with my mom and then hung out on the net with my hubby. It was nice. Tomorrow night, a dinner with just my hubby...woo hoo!

And I'll try not to miss them too badly tonight.

If I were the queen...

I wrote this post last night and set it to post this morning. Imagine my surprise when I got home tonight and found it wasn't there...at all. ARGHHHHH!

Mommy Wizdom is our hostess this week for Fun Monday.
The assignment: If you were ruler of the world for a day/week/month/year (your choice on the time), you would...ex...make coffee free to all citizens. Or you'd abolish the penny. You may also specify if you're ruler of the world or just your country. Have fun with it; be creative. If you like to dress up, you may also choose to take pictures of yourself in your "ruler" outfit(s) and post them up with your entry.

If I were the ruler, I would make Blogger not lose my posts (lost it not once, but twice in 24 hours.)

If I were the ruler, I would make sure that every person had the basic necessities of life.

If I were the ruler, I would mandate three day weekends.

I had some really good thoughts last night, but in my current frustration, I got nothing.

Following in the footsteps of vacation past

Last night, we took the kidlins to see the Minor League baseball team in our state. My employer was given free tickets, and we were lucky recipients of 4. It was a good night. The weather was beautiful...not too hot or muggy, the game moved at a good pace, and we ate dinner before we got there. (Have you seen the prices at these places? Geez!) The monster was much better behaved this year, as he actually watched some of the game this time. They had an amusing gentleman dressed up as a nerdy umpire do little skits between each inning. The players and managers even got involved with them, dancing with him. My favorite was the manager that did Dueling Signals with him, to the tune of Dueling Banjos. It was really cute. Our team won 5-2, with the winning three runs coming in the bottom of the 8th inning. I wasn't sure why, but the group has a person dressed as celery come out and run around home plate whenever they score. I had to google why celery, and it's simply a matter of the costume being left in their store room. The kids get a kick out of it though. After the game, FIREWORKS! They were really good, and were well enjoyed. Don't worry, we did buy a pretzel, 2 drinks and some of those nasty dippin dots in baseball caps for the kids.

Tomorrow we are going to Sesame Place. I'll have lots to post about on Tuesday I'm sure.

comedy of errors?

Bought the Monster low cut black chucks today to match daddy's shoes...got them home and realized they gave us both left feet, no right ones. We were on our way out the door to a ball game, so it's back to the dreaded mall tomorrow to exchange one of them for the right.

Feeling the breeze in my air

Tonight the hubs and I took the kids out on the boat. This boat has been sitting all summer, as we thought it was really broken and needed to go the shop. Hubby investigated a bit more earlier this week and found that it was fixable here instead, so we took it out for the first time this summer. This is important to know. We live near the ocean...sometimes we forget how close, but it's really just a few miles away. So off we went, heading out to drop some crab pots, let the kids throw out a line a few times, enjoy the exhilaration, etc. We launch the boat and head out, and the boat stalls. Monster, ever so optimistic, starts matter of factly discussing how we will be stuck out in the ocean forever, never to return. When we point out that we have oars and could begin rowing, and we're just a few yards away from the shore, he's not deterred. He does point out that his "yittle bitty arms" couldn't get us back there. Hubby worked diligitantly and finally the motor was working again. We went out a bit and dropped off the pots, and then headed back into the inlets to explore. We found a nice spot to drop anchor, and the kids threw out a few lines. It was just a few, cause the attention spans were waning. Then we went really fast a little further away, and then back again. We enjoyed spotting various wild life, the scenery, and just the relaxation of the whole evening. When we finally got home, ordered and ate dinner and showered, it was 10:30. Thank goodness we can sleep in some tomorrow.

It's Thursday already?

I spent some quiet time this evening while my family was off riding the rides at the fair. I played Wii. It was awesome to play the Wii and not have to share it with anyone else, or have anyone else giving input, or asking if it's their turn yet.

That's my Love Thursday

Wherein I begin counting sheep, and it's not to go to sleep

Tonight was the second part of PB's sheep showing experiences. This is the part that is actually about the sheep. Since she only has one, she only has to go in once, but the rest of the group have lots of sheep that go in several times. There are lots of classes...spring ewe, spring ram, a pair of spring ram and ewe...on and on. The lady who takes care of the sheep regularly knows them all by name, and does a phenonomal job of sending the right ones in with the right people in the right group. I'm constantly amazed. I'm available for holding halters and moving them from the pens up to the show ring. Yup, I'm basically useless, but not completely.

PB didn't even enter the ring until after 8 pm tonight, so by the time we were done with the sheep, had our desert (fair junk food, yummmy) and got home, it was late. See what time I'm writing this?

I have some pics of the sheep. Perhaps I'll get them up on Flickr so you can all aww how cute their are.

And her sheep, it was last in it's group. But she didn't really care, because her ribbon matched her shirt. She has her priorities set right, doesn't she?

Baab

This morning we had to be back at the fairgrounds bright and early so that PB could show her sheep, Baab. Yes, you say it like the sound that sheep make. She's witty, that one.

This morning was the fitting and showmanship competition. This is the part of the contest that judges the kids and how they groom and show their sheep. (As a side note, why is sheep singular and plural? It sounds so wrong to say sheep for one.) PB's sheep is a Tunis breed. Friends of ours own the sheep, but they offered to let her start showing them for last year's fair, and they "give" her one each year. She goes down and works with them some before the fair each year, and spends a ton of time at the fair helping out with them. She really enjoys it, and I see it as such a great life experience. Since she hasn't been doing this long, and the sheep doesn't live with us, her time and experience in fitting and showmanship is very limited. We're truly happy if she just manages to beat someone else, and she was able to do that in both classes this year.

I spent the latter part of my childhood living in the middle of farm country and I grew up around farm animals, so being at the fair brings back great memories for me. Seeing my little mini-me doing some of the things I helped my friends do is so much fun. And when she gets all dudded up, I want to nibble on her cause she's so cute.

Tomorrow will be a late night, as she helps show the sheep and we're one of the last groups to go. I'm sure I'll have lots to share!

I am a Rock Star...in my mind (Part 2)

Next up was Staind. They put on a great show. Aaron, the lead singer of Staind, did an amazing cover of "Turn the Page." Just him and his guitar up there. It gave both of us goosebumps.

As a side note, we were sitting to the far left of the stage. There were around 12 tour buses to the left of the back of the stage. We were enjoying guessing who belonged with which bus, and there was an awning set up near them. Towards the end of Staind's set, members of Hinder came out with beer bottles in hand and hung out listening. People were taking pictures and going up to the barrier to try and get their attention. During the break before 3 Doors Down, I noticed two young women joining them, shaking hands. I commented to hubby about the "fresh meat" joining the band. The 15-20 minutes of down time was spent watching the strange people trying to get their attention and the progress of the girls. By the middle of the set, one of the girls and one of the band members had disappeared. I take my entertainment where I can.

3 Doors Down came out and sang Train, which is the first song on their new album. Earlier this week I had purchased their new album and had several days of non-stop from 3 of their albums, so I knew every song they played. The second song was Kryptonite...this song could arguably be in my top 5 favorite songs of all time. The entire concert was so alive...you could tell how much their lead singer, Brad Arnold, enjoyed himself up there. And when he thanked the crowd, he sounded so sweet with his little southern accent. They played so many great songs, when it came time for the encore, I couldn't even think what song was left. Uh, duh....Not My Time, their curren signal.

All in all, this was a great concert. It brought me back to my younger days...and while I love my life as it is, it's nice to be reminded of those simpler times.

I am a rock star...in my mind part 1

As I told you yesterday, hubby and I went to see 3 Doors Down, Staind, Hinder and Jet Black Stare last night at our State Fair. What an awesome show.


I hate the way our fair does their ticket sales. You order what section you want, but it's a crap shoot what seats you'll end up in. And tickets can run a little high, you need to order online, and now there's convenience fees. It all annoys me to no end, but we always end up buying at least one set of tickets...simply because it's the only time we can see big name artists without a four hour round trip drive.


My hubby isn't a fan of loud music generally, but he was game for attending with me, even when I offered to find someone else to join me. He has trouble hearing when there's a lot of background noise, and these type of bands tend to turn the music up so loud that he can't really hear and understand what the lead singers are saying. This is important to note for later.


Jet Black Stare opened the concert at 6:00. I'd never heard of this group before, and they were loud rockers. I don't think I'll be running out to buy their CD, but if I heard it on the radio I wouldn't change it. Next up was Hinder. Again, not a band that I particularly love, but not bad, and they did a pretty good show. Hubby had seen them in Georgia at a bar last spring and used that as his rationale that he would enjoy the show with me. About halfway through, he leaned over and told me that partaking of alocoholic beverages must have made the concert more enjoyable. He then complained that the instruments were so loud, he couldn't understand the singer. I chuckled and pointed out that was kind of the point.

More to come tomorrow night!

Another Saturday

Tonight, hubby and I are going to see Three Doors Down, Staind, Hinder and Jet Black Stare at our fair. I am so excited. I LOVE Three Doors Down, and a night of loud music is just what I need. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow!

A night at the theater

Tonight, PB performed in the Missoula Children's Theater version of Robin Hood. MCT is a traveling children's theater workshop. They come into town in a red pick up truck with a cap on back. This truck contains everything that is needed to put on a certain musical except the actors. The musicals are variations on classic that have been re-written by MCT. They're shorter, usually funnier, versions of the original. The truck is driven by two directors, who have gone through intensive training in how to make everything work. The two directors work with the kids for roughly 6 hours each day after try outs, and on Friday night they perform. These children memorize the entire performance (roughly an hour and half long) in these few hours...and it's truly a sight to behold. Audience members laugh along and everyone walks away talking about how good the performance was.

Last year, they performed the Wizard of Oz, and PB was a munchkin. This year she was a guard. She enjoys this so much, we make a point of not scheduling anything else for her this week. I know that local groups/businesses sponsor the MCT workshop, which makes it totally free for the kids.

There's a documentary film being released about this organization. The Little Red Truck is showing in a limited number of cities, but it looks like something I would love to see. I hope it eventually shows in more theaters or goes to video.

And after the performance, we went to Rita's Water Ice. What a sweet ending to the day.

Insert a succint bad word here

Someone opened my car door in the middle of the night and stole my sirius transponder and the remote for it out of my car last night. Apparently, they hit the neighborhood. So, here we sit, waiting for the helpful state trooper to get to us.

How stupid these kids are (because we're pretty sure it's a group of teens.) These transponders have serial numbers. We've reported ours stolen to the company. It can't be activated now. It's useless. They didn't take anything else, but there really wasn't anything else worth taking. I don't keep change in the car, and the two CD's are my kids Veggietale CD and an old one of mine.

But I'm angry. I have to live without my Sirius until my replacement transponder comes in. DDS called, and I was pleasantly surprised. They aren't at fault, and my transponder was 3 or 4 years old, but they offered us a free one of the previous generation, or the newest generation at a deep discount. And they're giving us 2 months free to cover the time we are without.

But dang, I love my Sirius. It's what makes my drive bearable. ARGHHH!! Happy Love Thursday.

It's just like riding a bike.

PB can't ride a bike without training wheels. At 9, her father and I thought it was time. I don't know if you've realized this, but she is our cautious child. She doesn't take chances very often, an when she decides to try something, it is only after she's assessed all the risks. And while I know that she gets this from me, it's difficult to deal with it. And teaching her to ride a bike? We've been doing that for 3 years now. And we are no closer to achieving that goal.

The entire time she's on the bike, she's constantly talking. "Don't let go. You're holding on, right? I don't think this is a good idea. I really don't feel comfortable with this. Can we stop now. " And On, and On, and On. Until you want to scream "Just shut up and ride the stupid bike already!!!!"

Last night, we pulled the bike out and raised the seat, and I started working with her. In sandals. We quickly realized that daddy needed to take over. He's holding her seat and the handlebars and leading her down the road, she's peddinling for all she's worth (and chattering in fear the entire time). He let's go of the handlebar, and she panics. She throws her legs up, and jumps off the bike. Into my husband. No, she doesn't jump off the side he isn't on, she jumps into him. They end up in a tangle of legs and bike. I see daddy trying really hard to not yell at her, but Ms. Safety has just violated so many safety rules. So a little hollering occurs. She runs upstairs and the bike riding mission is over for the night.

Does anyone want to come teach her how to ride her bike? I'll pay you.

Beginning of the end

Yesterday was the beginning of the Monster's last week of daycare. Although school doesn't start for another 4 1/2 weeks, he has enough special activities and and some time planned with my mom until then, so there was no point in paying for daycare that wasn't going to be used.

I can't remember if I've blogged about his daycare before or not. PB started going to this daycare when she was barely 3. We loved it. It's a center, but the staff cared about the kids. It's a federal daycare, so they're federal employees...there's competition for these jobs and motivation to keep it. The building is always clean, and the toys and supplies are always in good shape. When I found out I was pregnant with the Monster (not long after she started at this center), I put him on the waiting list. I wasn't taking any chances on him not being able to attend. The first year of his life, daycare expenses literally ate all but $75 of my paycheck a week. But the opportunities that the older girls were able to have at the Youth Center, and the fact that I had landed a very good, hard to get job, meant that we were going to have to suck up the cost for a while. His first caregiver was PB's soccer coach last spring. His third caregiver still seeks him out every week to see how he's doing. After 6 1/2 years, we are entrenched in this center (which is not the norm...most people are only here for a couple of years.)

But the last year or so has been hard. A new director came and made changes. I'm not oppposed to change for the better, but when you are dealing with young kids, you need to make changes slowly and in stages. You can not change the building, room and caregiver all in one week. And then 2 months later, just when they're all settling in, rearrange the rooms and caregivers again. I understand it's a business, but you still have to consider your customers. And they didn't. And enrollment has dropped considerably. Several years ago, you had to sit on a waiting list. Now you can call up and be in the next day (except for babies...they always have waiting lists for that group. They don't notice those changes so much.)

I thought I would be very sad to see this time come, but we've been so unhappy for so long that I've come to look forward to this change. We will miss some of the great caregivers he's had, but several of them have started leaving lately (retirement and new jobs). I also love the school and youth center he will be going to, and I'm really looking forward to seeing him change this year.

My baby is growing up, and I'm okay with it.

happy birthday to?

Dungareesablaze is our host this week, and our assignment is:

Let's hear about your favorite “Birthday”, it needn’t be your actual birthday just a "birthday" celebration. You can use one you planned, one you attended, one you crashed, just a fun time for this FUN MONDAY.

This is actually hard for me. We have given our kids some great birthdays over the last 11 years. Skating parties and bowling parties and on and on. Some of my favorites...PB had her last party at a local orchard. They painted pumpkins, went through 2 corn mazes, had a hay ride, and spent a ton of time in the grain boxes (think sand box with soybeans instead). We had pumpkin muffins with cream cheese icing. Our spa night was fun, even though it wasn't a birthday party. I have great ideas for the future as well, but I can't share those yet.

I love every birthday personally. Another year I was able to enjoy. What's not to love?

I need this reminder today

Today, I need to remember this.

ahh, the real vacation

We are doing very little today. I've made breakfast, and threatened to make them all go back to bed already. Later, I'll take PB to work with her sheep. Other than that, we're just going to veg around the house. I see us catching up on the Wii.

Vacation flash backs

I owe you vacation stories. I'm working on it, I swear. I have several, and they're fading, so I will get them up soon.

Tonight, We're just going to enjoy being home. Today was our staff meeting at work, which is a cookout that I'm in charge of. It's a well oiled machine now, but dang it's a lot of work. I'm tired.

Not your typical MIL

I've mentioned my MIL on here before, and I hope that my appreciation of her came through. Today, I'm going to tell you why.

My MIL doesn't try to be my mom, and she respects that fact that I am her sons wife. She remembers that I control the grandkids, and that if she wants to see them, she has to stay on my good side. Luckily, that is easy for us both. My MIL (and my mom and SIL) all participate in a game night once a month. They are all there because I invited them to come. Occassionally, I want to complain about something one of them has done and it's difficult, but that is because we are all human.

When DDS and I were first together, she didn't want me to marry him. It wasn't about me, it was about him. A few years ago, she told me that him marrying me was the best thing he could have done. I was so touched. I love my husband, and my children, with my entire being. They are truly my everything. To have someone validate that in such a strong way really made me so very happy.

She is always willing to babysit our kids. We had to make it clear very early on that we were offering her (and now my mom) rights of first refusal. We were always willing to find a babysitter, we just ask them first. That way they get the opportunity to have fun with their grandkids, and we get some time away.

She is human, as am I, and sometimes she drives me crazy. But loving someone means that you look past their faults and quirks, and appreciate what they do for you. And I appreciate that I have the best MIL.

Happy Love Thursday.

Wordle Wednesday

title="Wordle: lips"> src="http://wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/60529/lips"
style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd"
>

Thanks Jennie, I'm addicted now.

VBS

I love VBS. (Vacation Bible School) I love how excited all the kids are, the hokey songs that sound the same year after year with the great dance motions. I love that it's not extended Bible lessons, but general God Loves You themes. And I'm totally digging ours this year. It's a Cosmic theme, and we have some awesome talented teens doing the skits as robots. The kids all laugh and giggle during the skit, which is great. And the science labs...so cool! Snacks every night, great crafts. It's just so much fun. And I'm sooooo tired.

Whale tales

UROlive is our hostess this week and she has a whale of a task for us.

Hey, we are starting a new month and will be celebrating our Day of Independence soon in the US so let’s make the next FM a fun time. I would like to hear about your *whopper* of a fishing story. Yes, you heard it correctly whether it is fictional or non fictional I want to hear a fishing story from you. An example would be if you catch a minnow and tell it that you caught a swordfish (exaggeration is the operative word here). Did you hear me say show your photo(s)? Of course you did – be creative.

Saturday was our last day at the beach. Here in Delaware, you can buy a surf fishing tag that allows you to drive your 4 wheel drive vehicle up on the beach and park right there at the water's edge. The only catch is that one person in the vehicle must be actively surf fishing the entire time. So my hubby dutifully throws out a few lines while we are there. It makes the draggin of stuff so much easier :) We've done this several times before, and I don't remember anyone ever really catching anything. I really was beginning to believe that surf fishing was sort of like snipe hunting. But Saturday, I was proven wrong. The kids (and hubby) were digging up sand crabs, and hubby decided to try one out as bait. A few minutes later, he caught a little dogfish. By the time we packed up, he had caught quite a few, although none were large enough. That didn't matter to the kids, though. They loved reeling in those huge fishing poles, and the thrill of the catch.

This isn't one of the ones we caught Saturday. Those are still safely on the camera. This one is from another day, and is a fish tale for a later post.

Home Sweet Home

I missed my home and I'm so happy to be back to sleep in my bed. I'll post this week about our adventures.

This is what my husband wants to be...

When he grows up. A shriner with a mini chopper. Cause they're way cooler than the cars.

Happy Fourth of July

I am in dial up hell this week, so I have posts saved on my laptop to share when I get home. In the meantime, I'm hoping this will go. Hope you all had a spectacular day.

Fun in the sand

Timing

Since the dial up here is so bad, I'm just going to post a pic each day of our adventure. I'll have plenty to write about next week. This was from yesterday.

Queen for a...

Mommy Wizdom is our hostess this week.
Hello, Hola, Bonjour, Guten Tag! Yes, it's true, Irish Coffeehouse passed the torch to me, I am the next host of Fun Mondays! I have thought long and hard...The topic for Fun Monday for 7/28 is:
If you were ruler for a day/week/month/year (your choice on the time) you would...ex...make coffee free to all citizens. Or you'd abolish the penny. You may also specify if you're ruler of the world or just your country. Have fun with it; be creative.If you like to dress up, you may also choose to take pictures of yourself in your "ruler" outfit(s) and post them up with your entry.

Hmm, this could be a tough one...

If I was the ruler of the country for a week, I would abolish the ability to sue because you lack common sense. The United States has become way too litigious these days, and it's a major cause of the erosion of our values. And so many times, people are suing simply because they didn't think before they acted.

I would increase mandatory paid maternity leave for all families. Mothers should not have to leave their babies at such young ages just to keep their jobs and incomes intact.

I would ban a lot of stupid televisions shows.

I know there are a lot of other things that I would do, but I really can't think of them right now. Things that help make the basics available for people who don't have them. Basics like healthcare and healthy food.

What would you do? Visit the other Fun Monday participants and see what we're all up to!

We have arrived.

Wow, there was a lot of stuff to pack, and we forgot some important stuff. At least we're close enough to get back if need be. Today we're off to play in low tide. Laters!