Scheduling Nighmares

Let the juggling begin! Between Bridget's kickball schedule, soccer practices for all three kids, and my part-time job we are going bonkers! We have worked out tomorrows dance - Bridget goes home with a friend then off to the first kickball game of the season. Katie goes home with a friend and as a bonus gets to watch her friend's ice skating lesson and have dinner at her house. I drive Robby over to Joe's office and then head to work. Joe gets to run around town picking the girls up. Oh, and Bridget has a soccer practice at 7. Whew!

Mid-May cannot get here fast enough. That is the end of both soccer and kickball. Things will seem dull after that. Yeah - right!

Down With Dome

Well, our excitment for the day is the RCA Dome (a.k.a. the Hoosier Dome) is being deflated today. I can remember when it was inflated it 24 years ago! I'm not that old, am I?

Instead of standing in the middle of Senate Avenue we keep looking out the window. No change yet. They must have several speeches before turning off the fans that have kept it up. The speeches probably added more hot air to expell!

The pictures were taken by my co-worker (Tony Hamilton).

Vent!

Well, I just don't think my girls are destined to participate in Girl Scouts at SMS. I was going to be a Daisy leader. I had everything ready for my first meeting and had done a lot of research and meeting planning and was excited (as well as scared!) then Bridget attended a Brownie meeting.
My main motivation in agreeing to be Daisy leader was to get Bridget into the Brownies.

"Mom, you need to call Mrs. X." That was how Bridget greeted me when I picked her up from school.
"Why?"
"About Brownies. She didn't know I was coming to Brownies today!" she smiled.
"I didn't know you were going Brownies. What made you go to Brownie?"
"Mrs. Z came to the class and asked for all the Brownie. Since you are going to be a leader I went."

She was so excited. So I went home and called Mrs X and explained why Bridget went and to find out where I needed to send registration form and money. But, Mrs X explained to me that they already had their troop formed and it was too late. She had sent me an email 2 weeks ago and I didn't respond. What email? I didn't get an email. This same thing also happened 2 years ago when we transferred to SMS. Bridget was crushed because she loved doing Daisies at her old school. Last year Joe asked the principal about scouting and he said information would go at the beginning of school. Nope. No information.

I am already well aware that I am not a member of this elite clique. I am used to that. I have always been on the outside looking in. I am shy so that position, although painful at times, is okay. Bridget, on the hand, is outgoing and loves to be involved in everything. This is not easy for her. She does not like feeling left out. No one does, but it is especially hard for an energetic 8 year old. We both cried last night when I told her there was no room for her in school's 3rd grade troop. We cried about the unfairness. We cried about not getting a chance to be a Brownie.

I finally found a couple positives. Since Brownies meet on Mondays (which I didn't know until last night) she wouldn't have been able to do baton. Now she can. Now, I don't have to scramble to fit Daisy meetings into my schedule.
I have also contacted the Girl Scouts to find a troop in our area. I know there must a troop out there that welcomes ALL girls. Maybe I'm wrong. If I am, I may petition the Girl Scouts to change their mission statement and pledges. Some troop do not seem to follow them.

And I do forgive Mrs X. I'm sure she has her reasons for excluding girls. I didn't answer the email from her that I never received (and she never followed up on). That was my fault, I guess. I dropped out of being the Daisy leader because I didn't want to sit in meetings with her every month. That would not have been enjoyable. This way, when I run into her on field trips or at church I can politely nod and be on my way. I don't have to fake a camaraderie neither of us feels.

The Last Day

Sigh... I had a good time staying home with the kids. Even though we were busy. I'll have to try this when we have no plans. Wednesday we got hair cuts. Today it a trip to the doctor. Katie got her stitches. I think her forehead will heal up nicely.

Then there was the ice cream social at school. Bridget is so excited that Sara is in her class again this year. Katie starts kindergarten and Lauren is in her class. Yeah!

Vacation Day 4 - The State Fair

Oh, our state fair is a great state fair.... Sorry, that's all the song I can remember (fortunately!) I think we spent 3 hours looking at tractors and cars and animals. The biggest boar didn't seem as big this year. I guess everyone is cutting back. Darn economy.

I was able to stroll through the first floor of the Home & Arts Building. I was so tired I couldn't make it to the other floors. I told Joe that next year we were going there first!

We ended the day with ice cream from the Dairy Barn. Great ice cream - low price. What a bargain, especially when I think of the prices I saw for the other stuff! Yikes! And what the heck is fried Pepsi?! I don't even think my sister would get that. Well, maybe she would. She does like Pepsi.

Vacation - Day 2 - The Zoo

The Indianapolis Zoo was a good time. We went to the Butterfly Pavillion first. Bridget gave us a lesson on butterfly metamorphus. Which cocoons were about to hatch, why a couple of butterflies were still in the incubator box (their wings are still wet and they can't fly). She had a great time being in charge.

With Bridget as our zoo guide (having attended Zoo Camp last summer) we headed off to view the seals. Next, the visiting Adorable Duo - the Koala bears. They do a lot of sleeping - over 18 hours a day! One was sleeping but one was eating. The drawback was they are behind glass and sometimes the glare makes them hard to see and pictures are pretty much impossible. The dolphin show was a big hit.

Today we are going to the State Fair. It will be a nice family affair since Joe is taking off work to go with us. We are looking forward to ice cream at the end of the day. Last year we had this fabulous ice cream (inexpensive, too!) at the Dairy Barn.

Vacation - Day 1

Well, yesterday went so-so. This is Bridget & Katie's last week of Summer Vacation. School starts way too early.

I had planned on getting a new driver's license (to replace the one that was stolen). Guess what? All the license branches are closed on Monday! What's one more day driving without a license? meh...

We went to library to replace Bridget and my library card and get cards for Katie and Robby. That went much smoother. Plus, since my tote bag was stolen, I did not have to pay for the library book! That saved us $30. Woohoo! The library card have new designs, which Bridget & Katie were excited about. Robby got a cute "My First Library Card". It has a teddy bear, how cute is that?

We also went over to St Monica's playground. Bridget got to show Katie around her future recess playground. I think they had a great time and I got to read a little bit.

This afternoon, we are off to Joe's office and the zoo. I did not get Joe's lunch made so I figured we bring it to him and take our lunches so we can have a little family time.

Joe had golf last night, but still managed to get a piece of drywall hung in the master bedroom. He is close to having all the drywall hung. The last piece needs to wait until he finishes up some wiring in the crawlspace. It will be so nice to have it all done and be able to move back downstairs. I think the next project is the half-bath. A lot of tiling in there! The master bath will have to wait since there is some plumbing that needs to be re-worked.

Well, things are getting better. I slept last night, anyway. My phone is still not working and I miss it terribly! I did buy a new wallet at lunch. It's a Liz Claiborne from TJ Maxx. Now I just need to get a new driver's license to put in it!

This is the last day of the summer camp for the girls and there is a party/performance. I am armed with digital camera and camcorder. They've been practicing and I think it will be real cute.

I'm on vacation next week. Hope to do lots of fun things with the kids in addition to cleaning the home office, organizing the pantry and staining the windows upstairs. We will hit the zoo and maybe take in a movie.

A Really Bad Evening

So, I go to Costco with the kids to buy pet food. I know the car was locked, because I had to unlock it to load the dog & cat food into the back of the van. I'm not so sure I rolled up the windows since I was pre-occupied finding a cart to put Katie and Robby into. Both had fallen asleep on the ride over. I took out my debit card and Costco card and left everything else in the van. I'm pretty sure my black tote bag was in the van when we got back.

We get home, unload stuff. I leave my bag in the car (I think!) Joe comes home, I start dinner, then I go over to church for a meeting. I'm there less than a half hour but longer than I think I'm going to be. I did not roll up the windows. I have this vague memory of thinking of taking the bag in with me and dismissing the idea since I'm just going to run in and tell someone I'm interested in the training but cannot stay. I get back to the van and go home.

We eat dinner (a yummy spinach salad with strawberries). I'm tucking the kids in at 8 and Joe says we had a message on the machine from Chase about a possible fraudulent credit card purchase. I call and find out someone had made a purchase at a gas station not far from us. It was not me! Canceled the card when I could not find the black tote bag or the wallet. Sigh.... now I have to go get a new drivers license, new credit cards (glad we only have 2), new library cards (I was carrying Bridget's as well as mine) and I had a library book in the bag!

To cap off the evening, my cell phone fell into water and now is not working! I am not sure what I have done to be punished so, although Joe assures me I am not being punished. Easy for him to say, he still has his cell phone and wallet!

Family Reunion '08

SistersCrop
Originally uploaded by KrazyKatz57

It was so great hanging with the family, especially Becca. We arrived on time this year, yeah! The food was great. I really enjoyed Maggie's summer salad (cucumber, tomatoes & onion in a vinegar sauce) and Gooey Butter Cake.

Kerry Robinson and Larry Snyder conducted the 2nd Not-So-Annual Kids Fishing Tournament. Bridget, Robby and Nathan tied for 1st place, each catching one fish. They were tiny fish!

The weather was fab. Becky Loe worked really hard, putting together a time capsul and various other fun things. Once again (whew) I escaped being nominated for any office. MIchelle and Maggie were not quite so lucky, but both of them are so much more organized than me they'll do great!

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

It's August!?!@

Wow! This summer has flown! Last weekend was great. Becca and Danny came in for the reunion. It was nice seeing everyone. I may have been the only cousin there without a tatoo. I'm okay with that...

Becca stayed until Wednesday, spoiling the kids. Bridget and Katie are all set for school thanks to Aunt Becca. I met Becca's dollies (well - just 2 of them). Gracie and Tempe are adorable. I might be a bit partial to Tempe since she has blue hair. They are just too cute. She gave Bridget and Katie each a doll and we are looking forward to making new clothes for them and maybe building a little house for them. Well, maybe I am looking forward to it more than the girls! heehee!

Becca also introduced me to Flickr. Way cool.

The girls have one more week of Chinese Culture Camp. I am taking off the week before school starts since I have to where for them to go! I am hoping to get some stuff done around the house as well as take a trip to the zoo, take in a movie and perhaps go the IMA. Get a little culture into their lives.

More Drywalling....

Joe rented a drywall lift on Saturday. The bedroom ceiling is done (woohoo!) and the livingroom is almost done. We were up until 12:30 getting all the big pieces up. There is just a six foot by 29 in piece we need to get up. We don't a lift for that. The other sheets were up to 12 feet! It was a long, exhausting evening.

We were hoping to be done before Dan & Becca came this weekend, but no can do. I will spend tonight putting the livingroom furniture back in place and sweeping & dusting. And laundry. Since I did very little over the weekend.

Butterfly Eggs!

Robert is just so doggone cute! Last night when I picked him up he was all excited!
"Mommy! Look, I found butterfly eggs!" he told me, holding out his little hand to display what looked like little pebbles. "I digged them up on the play ground."
He could wait to show his sisters. I was afraid Bridget would try to ruin it for him, by telling him that butterflies do not lay eggs, but she didn't. Katie thought he was cool for possessing actual butterfly eggs. They were trying to figure out where to store the eggs. I convinced them it might be best to lay them in our yard so they could be with their butterfly friends when they hatch.

Daddy's Little Helper

Joe & I got finished removing the dry wall. Now Joe is preparing the room for hanging new dry wall. It should look awesome when down. The middle of the ceiling will be 9 feet with a bulk running down the east & west sides.




Robby helped out with his very own Bob the Builder tool kit! He was very in to it! Joe let him hold his hammer and he about fell over. "Whoa! I think I'll use my screw driver," he told Dad.




On the sports camp front, Bridget performed in a play today at camp. Joe & I thought she did a great job. She was Hospital 1 and the chorus in 1000 Cranes. She projected very well and was fabulous! Next week will be her final week at IUPUI Sports Camp. Her and Katie will be in the Chinese Culture Camp during July and part of August.

All the dry wall is down from our bedroom! Yeah! I am so glad because I hate, absolutely detest, wearing those stupid little white masks. I'm sure they are perfectly fine for those who do not wear glasses, but trying to maneuver around with fogged up glasses is near impossible! Add to that the glasses have so much moisture on them that the dust permeating the air sticks to your glasses making viewing worse still (hard to believe that's possible!) I hope we have no more demo work.

I was hoping that the previous owner had stashed a bag of $100 bills in the wall somewhere, but that was not to be so we are still poor. Darn the luck. At least, we still have our health thanks to wearing those little white masking and managing NOT to trip or injure ourselves while we couldn't see!

More Demo Work

Well, we decided it was best to tear out the drywall in our bedroom and start fresh, so that is what Joe & I did last evening. Bleech! We still have a little to go tonight. I will try to get some pictures (wish I would have taken a before shot - but that's life!)

I wish I were at home....

I wish I were a SAHM. I've said this I don't know how many times. Maybe it's because I really dislike this job. I sit here thinking of all the fun things I could be doing at. You know fun, like laundry and dishes. And while it's sunny out, like now, I could be weeding. I could get all the house work done and maybe, just maybe, have time on the weekend to do really fun stuff like sew. Or read. Or any of the numerous projects Joe and I have in mind. And I wouldn't be paying $1200 a month for daycare.



I'm sure it would take a while for me to get into my groove. The house wouldn't be spotless. There would still be dirty dishes. But I like to think that eventually, my house would be like clock-work. Especially after Bridget and Katie start back to school. I'd have my little morning routine: drop the girls off at school, come back home, get a load of laundry started, sit back with a cup of coffee and the morning Sudoku to watch HGTV (this of course, contingent upon getting cable!) while Robby would play with his toys or read books. I'd get the laundry put away (now there's a concept - put the laundry away into drawers/closets rather than letting it sit in the basket until desperately needed!) and work on a project for awhile - maybe sewing, scrap booking, or refinishing a table. After Robby and I enjoyed a nutritious lunch we would head to a park. Maybe even meet up with Kim and her kids. Afterwards, we'd pick up the girls from school (North Lot, of course!). I'd let the kids play outside for a while and then drag them in to do homework while I fixed dinner. Just think - we could eat dinner at 6 every night. Ahh... everyone needs a dream and that is mine. It won't happen in the near future, but it is nice to think about.

Construction Update

Everyday we get a bit more done on the house. Joe took a little time off from mudding, sanding, and priming to plant the garden. I don't think he has everything in yet, but he has started. I just hope the rains don't wash it all away!

The air-conditioning was hooked up Friday. Yippee! When the tech left at 4 p.m. it was a 89 degrees in the house! It took quite awhile for the house to cool down. Joe has also started finishing the doors. They are going to look fabulous! One of us needs to start staining the window sills, etc... Until that is done I can't install mini-blinds. Daylight Saving Time is playing havoc with the kid's schedules! It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't work and they could sleep in, but since we have to be out of the house before 7 am I need them asleep by 9. I start putting them in bed at 8 and I can still hear them at 9 - 9:30!

We have all the furniture (with the exception of the bed) cleared out of our bedroom. This will allow Joe to finish the drywall and install a new ceiling in that room. At the moment, we are sleeping in what will be the girls room. All three kids are in the same room. I am not sure Robby will know what to do with his own room!

Due to generosity of others, our floors look great! Larry gave us left over tile which was installed in the upstairs bathroom. Our neighbor, Brian, gave us (and installed!) tile in the kid's rooms and last week Rich and Edie gave us enough tile to do my sewing room. It is a real nice oak parquet.

I need to get some updated pictures.

Sunday Dinner & Dinosaurs

Went all out for dinner tonight - roasted turkey breast, mashed potatoes and greens. My husband is the only one in the family who truly loves greens. I will eat them for the nutritional value. Bridget and Katie managed to clean their plates, including the not-so-enjoyable greens. They were a little bitter this time. Last time I made them, I actually enjoyed them. This time? Not so much. Note to self: get the European greens, not the country greens. Big difference!

Anyway, Robert was the last hold out. Not even coaxing him with jello was working. I finally hit upon the solution. "Hey, Robby, these are kind of like the tree stars that Little Foot and Sarah eat on the Land Before Time movie." He liked the idea of eating dinosaur food and soon his plate was clean!