I Am So Screwed

As I mentioned yesterday, my track girls came over for practice and a movie. I wasn't able to get to the video store for an inspirational movie (Chariots of Fire, perhaps?) so we resorted to seeing what we could rent off the dish. They were leaning towards watching Twilight. I wasn't so sure. I double and triple checked to make sure it was okay for them to watch such trash as the last thing I needed to deal with was irate phone calls from parents later in the evening. I finally, hesitantly, relented then retreated to the safety of my bedroom with my kids to watch something more kid (and mommy friendly).

My SIL had passed on the first 2 books in the series to me several months ago and I have successfully put off reading them because:

a~ once I start a book, I canNOT put it down till it's done. The kids get neglected, the house gets neglected, I forget I have a husband...

b~ because I'm a scaredy cat kinda girl. The books seemed to be kind of dark and even knowing that they were a love story, I just couldn't get past the whole vampire thing.

So yesterday, I'd catch glimpses of the movie every now and then when I was checking in on the girls but it still didn't seem very appealing to me. But the movie was an all day ticket and I found myself mentioning to Tom that maybe we should watch it after the kids were in bed to get our monies worth. And surprisingly, he agreed to watch it with me.

So there I was at 9:30 at nite (in the dark) watching a movie about vampires. Good thing I had my big strong husband there to keep me safe;) Oh my word, I am totally sucked in to the whole thing now! The way the movie ended... there's got to be a sequel coming, right!?! Like I said, I have the first 2 books (I'm told there's 4 total) waiting to be read, but now that I've seen the movie do I need to read the first book or can I just save myself some time and skip ahead to the second? Anybody read the books and see the movie? Do I need to still read the first book to get the full experience? I can see this building into a Harry Potteresque obsession (and I did manage to stay out of that one, because like vampires, HP is just not my thing).

Tom just called to check in on Hosmerville and I filled him in on the end of the movie. He claimed he had to go to bed so he could get up in the morning but I think he was just scared;) Can you believe he left me alone to finish watching a movie about vampires just when it was getting super intense!?! Anyways, thoughts, suggestions, insights? They're all welcome. Did the vampires suck you in, too?

Spring Breakin'

This is the week I've been looking forward to since, oh.... Christmas vacation ended. I love having Austin home and I love being able to just relax and take life easy. This week is going to be all about catch~up though, with a little fun thrown in for Austin's first spring break. So here's the plan:

I have 2 formal track practices scheduled for the week, one for today at my house (I'm sending the girls on a trail run and then they're having snacks and watching Twilight) and one for Wednesday at Cascades (a good hill workout;) plus my kids can enjoy the playground. Hopefully it'll be a nice day.

I've also promised the kids a trip to the library for some new reading material. They love to ride the elevator and the playroom is nice now that they've redone things and added some new learning materials.

Friday is our official "spring break vacation". I'm taking the kids to the Chelsea Treehouse for a day o' fun. We're meeting up with my favorite girlies and their babes. If my babes are having a stellar day I'm thinking of making a quick stop at the Chelsea scrapbooking store to spend a gift card I've had for awhile.

The schedule got screwed up at work and I'm supposed to work Friday evening (something I haven't done since August). My boss has left the decision up to me. We can always use the extra money but the first 3 hours would go toward paying my sitter until Tom got home. So I'm trying to decide whether it would actually be worth the time to go in.

I want to go through the kids' rooms and spring clean. And then there's the dining room "closet" (i.e. shelving system that is overcrowded with games, puzzles, DVD's, dishes, dry foods, paper products, some of my teaching materials, Tom's crap, etc., etc.) that has gotten completely out of hand. This could be an all day project made more stressful because the kids will want to be right in the middle of it all. Hmm, maybe we'll just close the curtains and ignore the mess for a little while longer.

So that's our upcoming week in a nutshell. I'm hoping next year's spring break includes plans for some place tropical. Sunny weather, sandy beaches, and pina coladas. I'll just keep dreaming...

Saturday Morning Tradition

Fresh baked cinnamon rolls. I've come to the conclusion that while this used to be an every-once-in-a-while-when-the-rolls-are-on-sale sweet treat, it is now a weekly Hosmerville tradition. When I specifically only buy cinnamon rolls after my shift early Friday morning in anticipation of the weekend, when I pay a little extra for the Grands with cinnabon cinnamon and butter cream icing... now that's tradition! Mmm, cinnamon rolls fresh baked from the oven! The kids are in their jammies and the coffee is on. The simple pleasures in life=) Happy weekend, everyone!

Waiting Is The Hardest Part

Lexi threw~up several times Saturday evening. Sunday morning, it was her water, but it was also her first drink of the day and then she kept everything down all day. Yesterday I felt queasy at work but was trying to convince myself that if I didn't think I was getting sick, I wouldn't. I went to bed still feeling yucky but had a good nite's sleep and woke up today feeling good. Then Lexi threw~up twice this morning. And I'm feeling gross again. So now I'm just waiting. Waiting for the inevitable to happen. But while I'm waiting this is what I'm frantically trying to catch up on:

• laundry, which aside from a few loads washed and dried last week, is now again an overwhelming mountain in my laundry room.
• bills in the mail
• a quick run to the bank
• the house, in general, which tends to be, ummm, shall we say, a DISASTER by the time I get home on Sunday nites.

Mondays are usually my "recuperate-from-the-weekend" days anyhow. But with the flu virus threatening, I better get a move on.

This is my daughter:

The one who goes through about 10 wardrobe changes a day.

Who carries a different purse every day.

Complete with chapstick and gum.

The one who likes rum cake.

The one who has conversations with her "boyfriend" on her cell phone.

The one whom I've always said will have both the boys and the police chasing her in about 13 years.

Today is her birthday. She is turning 4 going on 24.

This is gonna be a fun ride.

Happy Birthday, my beautiful little girl!!!

My Weekend Rocked! Here's Why:

• the sunshine! Need I say more?
• celebrating Audrey's birthday with the Hosmer fam.
• cheering on Austin at his first b~ball game. He had several assists, shot 12/13 from the field and even had a steal (for which the whistle was blown; apparently you can't steal at the Y).
• having a prayer, 6 months in the making, semi~answered.
• taking a (baby) step in the right direction.
• receiving some great advice and a new perspective/insight from my boss.
• getting out of work early Sunday nite. (Rushing home to a sick child... not so great.)

The biggest disappointment of the weekend? The Target ad. Seriously, is anyone else bummed out? I think that it's the most bunk piece of advertising I have ever seen Target put out. Nothing great to look at. Nothing super cool to get excited about. I'm only ranting because every Sunday I pull the ad out of the paper before leaving for work. I work for hours with the anticipation of what's in the ad for the week and then on my first break I read it like it's the Bible. Yeah, I was slightly bummed yesterday.

Never A Dull Moment With The Hosmer Fam

Last nite we almost burned my in~laws' house down. Ok, I exaggerate slightly... let me start from the beginning.

Do you ever fell like your life is one big show for everyone else's viewing enjoyment? That's how I feel when I'm with my kids. There's nothing quiet or calm about life. It's like, ok world, the Hosmer family has arrived, sit back and prepare to be entertained. I don't blog about our craziness often enough, but seriously, every event, every experience on this blog is true. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

So back to yesterday. We headed over to my in~laws to celebrate Miss Audrey's upcoming 4th birthday. We had dinner and Audrey temporarily forgot about the waiting cake and presents and the kids went off to play. Later, Audrey remembered she had a princess cake with her name on it. We gathered everyone together and sang "Happy Birthday". She blew out all of her candles in one breath and we enjoyed cake. Then it was on to the presents. We were still all gathered around the table and as Audrey pulled out the first of the tissue paper from a bag it landed pretty close to a lit Yankee candle in the middle of the table. As she pulled out the next piece of tissue paper I started to say, "Watch out for the candle" as it landed on top of the open flame.

What happened next, in actuality, lasted maybe 20~30 seconds max, but played out in slow motion in my head. Tom heard me and grabbed the paper off but as he was pulling it away it caught fire. (I think all 6 kids were rather impressed with this bit of impromptu pyrotechnic display). I was waiting for him to drop it on the table so we could put it out but he continued to hold on to it. Until he burned his hand. Then he dropped it onto his mom's favorite table cloth. Which drew more flames. I jumped up and grabbed some half empty glasses and attempted to douse the fire. But the small amount of liquid and ice cubes didn't quench the flames. At this point I began to internally panic as I saw tomorrow's newspaper headlines flash across my mind's eye: Birthday Party Turns Tragic, Entire Hosmer Family DEAD!!!. (Ok, so I'm a bit of a spaz.) I start beating out the fire with the empty glasses in my hands and finally get it out. By this time I'm starting to giggle because Rona and I are the only ones attempting to put out the fire. Everyone else is just calmly sitting by (once again enjoying the show). We get the fire out and I look up to see Rona has frosting in her hair because as she jumped up, her hand went into the cake. She gets cleaned up, we push the scorched table cloth aside and Audrey continues on with the presents. With the smell of smoke in the air. As if nothing out the ordinary has happened.

And now as I think about it, I guess this just might be the Hosmer "ordinary".

Tom's Bod Is Smokin' !!!

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Yes, I (Occasionally) Feed My Son

Tom called on his way home from work last Friday nite to see where we were going to eat dinner to celebrate his first week at Hubbards. Knowing the kids were hungry and tired (which equals dining disaster in Hosmerville) we decided on Subway which is right up the road. I got off the phone with Tom and told the kids that we were going to Subway for dinner. Austin gasped and exclaimed, "I like that place! It smells sooo good!"

While waiting our turn in line I asked Austin if he wanted a footlong (thinking he'd split it with the girls) and he said, "yeah, a 5 dollar footlong!" (just like in those stupid commercials.) We sat down to eat and I gave the girls some of my sub to get them started, thinking that Austin would eat maybe half of his sandwich and be full so that the girls could finish the other half. The next time I looked the whole sandwich was gone! My scrawny 44lb. little man inhaled the whole ($5) footlong! (And just that morning I was expressing my concern to his doctor at his 6 year check~up because he's such a picky eater and has gotten so skinny. At 6years old, 44 lbs. puts him in the 39th percentile for weight and 46 1/2 inches puts him in the 68th percentile for height.)

AAAHHHH!!!

• Tom's new job = longer hours = less family time = "hi & goodbye" in passing.
• Track season has officially begun. One coach, multiple events, no assistants.
• Coaching a possible track superstar in her senior season. In an event I could never run (without dying). With college recruits watching. Yeah, there's no pressure there.
• Austin playing basketball at the Y. Weekly games AND weekly practices. For a six year old?
• More than enough hours at work (for that the paycheck can't complain)
• Subbing through the end of the month in Austin's Sunday School class. Lesson plans, activities, a bulletin board I just can't seem to get up, and don't forget the ever~important snack time.
• Babysitting different cousins' kids on different days (still with me?)
• Austin's Grand Prix at AWANA in 6 days and his car is yet to be finished.
• A certain someone turning 4 in 9 days. Plans for presents, a princess cake, family dinner, Chelsea Treehouse outing have yet to get out of my head onto something more solid. Pun intended, my brain is mush right now.

It's March... bring on the madness.

My Top 10 Favorite and Best Things About Spring

1. The promise of warmer weather. There is such a great feeling of hope when you step outside and smell spring and all of its freshness.
2. Spring ahead time change~ yay, it doesn't get dark till later!
3. Not having to waste gas to pre~warm the van every morning
4. Shamrock milkshakes from McD's
5. Not having to stuff kids into cold weather gear and then wrestle their car seat straps around their plump little bodies
6. The start of track season and all of the memories it brings back
7. Spring flowers~ their colors and fragrance, what's not to love?
8. Tax refunds (too bad they're already spent)
9. Easter Sunday
10. My birthday (which incidentally fell on Easter Sunday waaay back when I turned 3~ or was it 4?)

Complete Randomness

• Tom and I enjoyed dinner at the Beach Bar Friday nite to celebrate his new job. Everything was great except the little bags of kettle chips. We just don't get why they serve these instead of fries.
• All 3 kids went to the dentist yesterday. All 3 kids had great check~ups. My youngest drama queen wasn't exactly thrilled that Dr. Pink wanted to count her teeth. Let's hope she learns how to relax a little before their next appointment in September. (Maybe a little valium in her sippy cup?)
• Tom's halfway thru his first week at Hubbard's. He's completely overwhelmed and stressed out, but in a good way. Every new job takes time to adjust and get in a groove. I keep telling him to give it a couple of weeks (or maybe months.)
• Has anyone else been completely amazed at the unbelievable number of dead skunks along the road, or is it just me? Maybe it's a sign of spring to come.
• I was late to work on Sunday (again). We get a 1 minute grace period to punch in and I didn't get in until *gasp* 2 after the other day. Heaven forbid I had to stop and get gas because my husband left me on "E" and I couldn't even go the speed limit because I was in the Cutty. So last nite I got my formal notice and little reprimand. The good news is if I'm not late again for 2 months my incident gets erased from my record. Gee, I hope I can be good. (This was typed with loads of sarcasm.)
• I'm slowly gearing up for track season starting next week. I have my babysitter lined up but that's about it at this point. If the weather doesn't start getting warmer, I'm going to be doing alot of coaching from the inside of the school.
• We have no sound on our laptop now. Our speakers went out last October and we've been using earbuds since then. Now the earbuds don't work either. We can't turn the volume up on the computer and anything that has sound (playlists, videos, etc.) won't even start. Anybody else ever had this problem? Anyone have a quick fix?
• I'm looking forward to a girls' nite out tomorrow with my chickas from high school. These girls are the best! Just coffee and dessert for me though because I have to leave from there to go to work. Hmm, I wonder if I'd get written up if I came in slightly buzzed. (At least it would make the nite more fun=)
• Tom's shop has Saturday hours and I'm working all weekend long. Now the juggling act with the kids begins. This could get interesting.
• Tom and I shared our first kiss 15 years ago today under a bean bag during a party at our friend Angie's house. "Can I kiss you?" he asked. "I don't care," I said. I don't care!?! That was the best I could come up with!? Maybe I was playing hard to get but holy freak I was nervous! I guess I did okay because he came back for 2 more quick pecks.
• I think that's enough rambling for now. Happy hump day!