A Little Cup Of Black Magic

Leslie is always raving about Tim Horton's coffee but I had yet to experience it for myself... until yesterday. Leslie came to pick Reyna up bearing gifts of caffeine and sugar. The kids went for the donut holes while I enjoyed my fresh cup of coffee. I was starting to feel a mid-afternoon slump coming on, so it was perfect!

After Leslie left I took the kids into Austin's room to conquer it (but probably not once and for all). Getting his room picked up has been on my to-do list for weeks now. Every nite I tell Austin that we'll to get to his room the next day and the next day comes and goes and it still doesn't get done. So whatever was in that cup that Leslie brought me was pure magic because his room FINALLY is clean!!!

I worked late last nite and as the kids dragged my butt out of bed this morning I was wishing for a refill. We have a fun-filled day today. Austin is headed to Fun 4 All this morning for a friend's birthday and then we're off to do a bit of school shopping. Our schedule is just not allowing for the fun little date that Tom and I had wanted to do with him so I'm braving Target for an extended shopping trip with him and both of the girls. But what's really getting me thru my day is where I'm headed tonite... Archivers. I've heard that this is a scrapper's heaven on earth. I missed out on the last girls' nite out but I'm soooo there tonite. I'm really behind on our family book (almost 2 years... yikes!) So I'm hoping to get several pages done tonite. I'm so stinkin' excited!

Dentists & X-Rays, Doctors & Pokes

Yesterday I took Austin and Audrey to the dentist for their check up. It had been a whole year since their last visit. At that time, Audrey was barely 2 1/2 so she had only done a "lap visit" where she sat on my lap and the hygienist kinda poked around for her to simply get used to the whole concept. I happened to catch her at a bad moment when I casually mentioned that she would be going to the dentist this week and her diva mode kicked in. Being Mr. Big Brother, Austin also informed her that she might be getting a shot. Thank you, Austin. I shrugged it off knowing (hoping) that when we got there she'd get caught up in the "excitement" and everything would be fine. And sure enough it was. We go to a great pediatric dentist in town so they really cater to the kids~ goody bags with toothbrushes, toothpaste, mini floss, stickers, and a special prize from the treasure chest after their cleanings.

Audrey settled in to her chair and as the hygienist raised it up and tilted it backwards her whole face lit up like she was on a thrill ride at the fair. Austin was ushered into his own room and when I peeked in on him later he was sitting there with those horrible foam mouth trays full of fluoride with the sucker tube stuck between them. They always made me gag but he was sitting there like a champ. Neither of the kids had cavities (big sigh of relief)! Ok, quick mommy confession. When I'm doing bedtime with the kids, if I'm super tired or my patience is short or one of the kids is melting down tooth brushing is the first thing we skip. I was honestly expecting and dreading to hear the c-word from the dentist. For whatever reason brushing teeth is the most dreaded part of the nite time routine for me to do with them. It couldn't possibly be because they're fighting over who gets to stand on the stool first, and splashing water and getting their jammies wet and Lexi REFUSES to let me help her. I don't know. Anyways, the kids are cavity free and slacker mom is more resolved to do better now.

Today we took Lexi in for her 2 year check up. For being so mellow and laid back all the time, she is quite the little drama queen in the doctor's office. Cried when I had to take her "pitty dess" (pretty dress) off. Cried on the scale (what girl wouldn't?) Cried on the exam table. Cried in my arms. But overall, a clean bill of health. She's still long and lean. The 25th percentile for weight and the 90th percentile for height. Everyone got stickers and gum and then it was off to O' Donalds for breakfast where Austin wanted "cheese and egg on his hamburger". Any guess to what he wanted? An egg McMuffin. I love the way kids think!

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

It was 2 years ago today we met you for the first time, and it was love at first sight! I can't believe my baby is 2 already!

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Time will change you beyond imagination; for now I hold you close as though time does not exist.

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One Tired Momma

Last nite I started working third shift. I do bulk foods every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday and it occurred to me awhile back that maybe it didn't matter when I got my work done (because this is a one person job) as long as it just got done. So I tossed out the idea to my boss for me to come in at 10 on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. My reasoning is that I'll have the evenings with the kids and Tom can focus on his schoolwork. (Hopefully) I'll be able to establish a consistent bedtime routine and have them snugly tucked into bed and snoozing before I head to work. I miss out on sleep, but they're not missing out on "mommy time". Plus, Austin is starting school in 2 weeks and I have got to get him on an earlier to bed/ earlier to rise sleep schedule.

My biggest worry is getting up to 3 kids (and having to get one to school on time) after only getting 3 1/2 hours of sleep. I'm a nite owl and really don't start to feel like I'm fully functioning until about 10am and 2 cups of coffee. To reassure myself that 2 late nites a week is really no big deal I keep telling myself that sleep is highly overrated. We'll see if this bit of psychology really works.

So last nite was my first try and I really liked it. Audrey spent the nite with her cousin Katy at grandma h's so having only 2 to put down helped ease the transition some. I figured I needed to start bedtime by 7:15 to have them ready for lights out by 9. We did bathtime, jammies, snacks, teeth brushing, and books and I put them to bed. That gave me a half hour to clean up the kitchen and the living room so my house was ready for the next day, too- bonus!!! The only negative was that the kids weren't sleeping before I left but I think within a couple of weeks they'll get used to the earlier bedtime and start nodding off sooner. It was funny because I hadn't told the kids about my new schedule so when I went in to tell Austin goodnite and I was dressed in my uniform, he was a bit confused.

AJ: are you gonna sleep in that?

me: no, I'm going to work.

AJ: are you going to sleep at work?

me: no, I'm going to work at work. I'm going to work while you're sleeping and I'll be home before you wake up in the morning.

AJ: oh, so you're going to be nocturnal. (He loves using that word.)

I headed off to work, but not before stopping to get my caffeine fix at McD's. I was a little unsure about working 3rd because I see the people on that shift punching in as I'm usually punching out. It takes a "special" person to work this shift and, let me tell you, the group I see isn't exactly the friendliest bunch. I needn't have worried. There is no 3rd shift for produce/bakery/deli so I was the only soul around. Every once in a while I'd see a straggling shopper go thru. I assisted one customer at the beginning of the nite and then worked completely uninterrupted. I felt like I got a lot accomplished and it was nice to have a renewed focus on my tasks. Hah!- listen to me talk like stocking bulk food bins is a highly important job!

Austin and Lexi both woke up around 8:45 and I conned them in to letting me have another 15 minutes before I had to get up. Surprisingly, it wasn't that hard to do and I'm looking forward to doing it again on Thursday nite. I'm sure I'm in the honeymoon phase but hopefully by the time the love wears thin it'll be a habit I've adjusted to.

The rest of the day went well but then I gave in to temptation and invited Cinderella to babysit the girls while Austin played cars. With their attention diverted, I crashed on the living room floor and woke up to find both Lexi and Audrey snoozing. That is the biggest no-no in Hosmerville right now: do NOT let the girls take a nap because if you do you will pay for it in the form of an overly long, drawn out, I'm-not-tired-so-I-can't-fall-asleep marathon bedtime. Next time I'll remind myself that sleep is overrated but the refreshing nap was worth the later/longer bedtime tonite.

Signs Of Fall

Forget that the stores have been promoting back-to-school sales since the end of July or that there are a few trees in our neighborhood starting to change colors. The true sign that fall is coming can be found in the dairy case at Meijer... pumpkin pie spice coffee creamer. Yum! Can't wait to get me some of that!

Hosmerville's Youngest Scholar

Austin received a letter from his kindergarten teacher in the mail the other day and enclosed was a list of school supplies he's supposed to bring on the first day. He is so, so, SO excited about starting school! He went to sneak-a-peek last spring and loved it. He met his teacher and several of his new classroom buddies. There's a pet rabbit in the classroom and a b-ball hoop just his size on the playground. He was sold the moment I dropped him off.

Have you ever gone back to your elementary school? The thing that sticks out most to me every time I go back is that after 23 years, it still smells the same- a combination of book bags, school lunches, crayons, and cleaner.

Anyways, back to Austin's supply list. He needs all the basics- pencils, crayons, scissors, glue, etc. I think I am as excited as he is to go school shopping. I love the look and feel of fresh school supplies! One thing that wasn't on his list but I clearly remember being on mine is a nap mat. I remember some kids had really cool soft, comfortable rugs to lie on. For whatever reason, my mom got me one of those woven polyester, backdoor-shoe mat kind of things. I think that after my kindergarten year my nap mat did grace our mudroom floor. Hey, maybe my mom was just being practical and thinking ahead.

Austin will be attending for half days this fall, whereas I went for full days everyday but Wednesday, which were halves. Crazy how I can remember stuff like this. Fridays were the best days for lunch because our parents could order McD's for us and classroom moms would deliver it to the counter outside the classroom. I always got chicken McNuggets with honey to dip in or the fish sandwich. Austin is a bit bummed that he won't get the experience of lunchroom dining until he's in the 1st grade. And for some reason, the only snack I ever remember being served is graham crackers and little cartons of milk. To this day, I love to eat graham crackers with milk and I love the way milk tastes from those little cardboard cartons.

I come from a family of 13 grandchildren and my grandma took each of us out for a day of shopping and lunch before we started kindergarten. I'm the 7th in line so by the time my turn came around I could hardly wait. She took me to the west side Meijers and with a $50 budget, I'm sure I probably spent every single penny. I picked out a pink calculator (for those tough kindergarten math problems) and a green notepad that looked like a box of jell-o. I also got at least one outfit, a dress that I later wore for picture day. My clearest memory of my first day of school was sitting at my table and offering my new classmates some "jell-o", I guess that was my attempt to break the ice. Seriously, I can't remember how I spent my day yesterday but I can remember this stuff from 2 decades ago!?!? Crazy.

So with Austin being our first "baby" to start school we're hoping to start a tradition similar to my grandma's. Take just the new school kid out for shopping and lunch. The dress code at the elementary is pretty relaxed but all of his long sleeve shirts from last fall/winter are too short and he needs a couple of new pairs of jeans, plus some nice shoes and all of the essentials. New clothes, new crayons with sharp pointy tips, folders, and a pencil box... makes me wish I was the one starting school.

A Fair Evening

We took the kids to the fair Wednesday nite. They had a blast riding all the rides and eating fair food. Audrey's eyes sparkled all nite with excitement. Their pure joy totally made it worth the dirt, the germs, and the price. Why go to Cedar Point when the Jackson County Fair is 5 miles from home? To the right: Austin is less than thrilled that Audrey gets to drive and ring the bell.

Lexi checking out a newly hatched chick. No, I didn't let her pet it and then stick her fingers in her mouth. She was still busy polishing off the rest of the fries on the way to the birthing barn.

Austin thrilled with the carousel. Notice Lexi in the background less than thrilled. She cried the first 3 or 4 laps around before calming down a bit.

Lexi watching Austin and Audrey on the train. We didn't buy her an $18 unlimited rides bracelet because we thought she probably was a little too young to really enjoy all the rides (carousel- proof in point). We bought 4 tickets for $5 thinking she'd be able to ride a couple of rides and then blew 3 of them right away on her less than thrilling carousel ride. Which left us with 1 ticket, which of course wasn't enough for another ride. She looked so sad watching the kids through the bars it about broke my heart that her parents were being so cheap=)

Audrey on the bumper boats. She wasn't too happy when her dress got wet.

Austin looking like the handsome little dude that he is.

Did you think I would really be that heartless to let Lexi miss out on all the fun? After splitting with Tom, Austin, and Audrey I took Lexi thru the barns to look at the animals and get ice cream. Then we met back up with the fam and got 4 more tickets for her so that she was able to ride the train and go down the big slide with Tom. She thought she was the "stuff" riding with big brother and sister. Every time she came around she'd wave at me.

The votes are in and the favorite ride of the nite was: the tilt-o-whirl. I could hear the kids screaming like little girls but every time they'd come around they were smiling. As soon as they got off they headed back to wait in line for another ride!

Any other blogspot bloggers have trouble with uploading images? Every time I try to, my pics kind of pop up in no apparent order and then I can't get them to cooperate in my post. Ugh!