My Next Purchase

I have decided that I am going to buy a drum set. That's right, a drum set. I am going to strap it to my waist so I can entertain myself while I am skidding around town! Yea, the Energizer Bunny has been heavy on my mind this week! I figure that little guy is pretty annoying the way that he just keeps going and going and going and...ok, got the picture. However, even though he is definitely annoying, just think of how productive he has got to be. I mean he goes forever, and he has his music so he is well entertained on the way! Oh, speaking of music and entertainment, our van has been acting a little strange, and on my way home from work tonight the radio would not work. You who know me well, know that that is just about the worst thing that can happen to me. I love my music, I love to sing, all the time, about anything, anywhere, all the time. I kid you not, I just sang all by myself on the way home. I was one of those people that you see going down the road just having a big 'ol time all by themselves.

Okay, I'm regressing. Back to the Energizer Bunny. By the way, I keep calling it a "he", but it was, in fact, pink, so it must be a "she". I like to think that "she" was a mom and she is a cool mom because she has her own drum set, which means she cannot hear her children squabbling with one another while she is skidding around town. Anyway, my point to all of this is that I just thought that with all of the running that I have done this week that I should at least be able to entertain myself and drown out the kids' fussing. And, I mean if I am skidding and swinging those drum sticks, aren't I bound to skid off a few pounds along the way too. See? I'm thinking this could be a very wise investment for me. Okay, okay, enough of the talk about pink bunnies!

And really my kids have been doing pretty well with another about getting along. Every since I started letting them just duke it out, Tyler doesn't seem nearly as anxious to beat up on Kayla when he now knows that she is allowed to hit her back. I am justifying my warped parenting by telling myself that they are forming excellent problem solving skills when I tell them to work it out! Seriously, they have been really good this week. We are still battling the potty training issue, which I am beginning to realize is just something that I am probably going to have to battle FOREVER, because I'm not sure Tyler is ever going to get it!!! Don't even get me started on that whole topic.

This morning I took Kayla and McZ to see "Everyone's Hero". I wasn't sure they would like it because it was a baseball movie but they actually really enjoyed it. After that it was a blur of lunch, errands, hair cuts, and work. However, today is my last day of running. Tomorrow I am going to get the kids packed and ready to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house. They will be starting out their week in TN with a few days of camping - they are looking forward to sleeping in G&G's trailer! I can't believe that I am this close to leaving for Mexico! Ahhh! So, tomorrow is packing and doing laundry. Thursday we will meet R&R part way between here and there and drop the kids off. Friday is packing for me, and then Saturday, I'm off! More about the mission trip to come in the next couple of days...

Cooking Fun

Today has been one of those very rare, very productive days. Busy, but productive. The kids and I got up this morning and started cleaning. I am learning that my children are capable of much more than I give them credit for. Kayla vaccuumed today and did a great job. She is also a fabulous duster! Tyler is becoming awesome at doing laundry. He hauls the clothes from the bedroom to the laundry room, loads the baskets, and is even putting his own clothes away. They were a big help today and it felt great to get the house cleaned! This afternoon I spent at work. Left there and came home and got the kids and then we went to pick up Kayla's friend, McZ. They were cooking dinner tonight and then McZ is spending the night and we are going on a girls fun day tomorrow. Tonight they cooked and boy did we all have fun. I think I should have waited until tomorrow to clean the house! Seriously, I had to keep mentally saying to myself. It is okay, it can be cleaned again, and again, and again...:-) Okay, for the menu...are you ready for this:

Appetizers: Cinnamon-Apple Nacho
Main Dish: Mini Shrimp Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta and Watermelon Sodas to drink. The sodas were just as disgusting as they sound. Dad, I wish you could have been here for the watermelon - I know it is your fave. However, Kayla and McZ loved them; I guess that is really all that matters!
Dessert: Cookie and ice cream fill your handwiches! Cute name, huh? You gotta love Rachel Ray and her corny recipes.

The results - everything was good, um, except for the sodas. Yuck! Oh, oh, on top of that we dunked the tops of our glasses into corn syrup and then into colored decorator's sugar. Ugh!!! So you know, your lips kind of stuck to the rim of the glass when you took the first drink, and then you're puckered up with all of this nasty syrup and sugar stuck to your lips. Gives me the heebie geebies just thinkin' about it! Anyway, it was fun - the girls had a blast and I guess that is all that matters! Here are some pics from our fun meal...

Another Day

Saturday is just about over and it has been a very relaxing day. Kayla and I went to Bath and Body Works this morning to get a birthday present and also some stuff for me. They were having great sales by the way! Then we were back home to get ready for the birthday party. I drove Kayla to the horse riding stables and didn't even get lost! I left there and went to do some shopping because Craig got my shelf done and the microwave up - Yeah! So, I went looking for some stuff for the shelf and mostly struck out. Everything I bought didn't fit, so all I ended up with was a new napkin holder and some artichoke votives for my windowsill. The rest of the afternoon I have been mostly worthless. My ribs are killing me from the chiropractor yesterday. Ouch.

Craig tried so hard to be lazy and just relax this afternoon, but he just couldn't do it. Before I knew it he was up and putting primer on the walls. Now I have to tell you that he got the primer tinted with some red so that he could see the spots that would need putty very well. So, I have pink walls in my kitchen right now. When he gets a full coat on, I will post some pictures. I thought Kayla was going to cry when she got home and saw that the walls were pink. She thought it was the paint we had actually chosen! The look on her face was priceless!

That's about it for today. I have to go clean up my dishes from supper and get my lunch stuff ready for tomorrow. My husband has requested homemade chicken fajitas for Father's Day lunch, so I need to go and get my chicken marinating!

A First

So today I found myself at Wally World searching for head lice shampoo. NOT BECAUSE I HAVE HEAD LICE!!!! It was one of the things that was on my list to buy for Mexico as a precautionary measure. Most of ya'll know how I am about my hair - head lice is, like, my worst nightmare, so I am pretty sure I am going to get it while in Mexico and I want to be armed and dangerous. I swear, I felt like I was buying alcohol or something. I had it face down in the cart and covered up with stuff. I was mortified!!!

I think I have everything bought for my trip except a fan and a roll of duct tape. Craig and I got to do a little shopping tonight and I found a comfortable pair of shoes to wear and the rest of the stuff I picked up today. This time next week I will be packed and ready!

The Day is Done

Shew. It has been a busy day. I did get to sit down and relax for about an hour this afternoon and that was nice. Oh, and Craig and I also got about an hour together tonight while the kids were at VBS, and that was great. Bible schools are over for this year - Kayla had a great week. Tyler only went twice but he had fun too.

My husband was cracking me up tonight. You know when the kids go through these periods of ugliness like they are in now we have to laugh with each other lest we lose our sanity. When we got home from VBS tonight they were in an especially rare form of sassyness and misbehavin' and Craig said, "just give me a very sharp stick, and I am slowly going to insert it into my left eye because I think that might be more fun than this." He keeps me laughing even when times are tough. I was just telling my mom that we are going through this very weird season in our lives right now. I have to admit that Craig and I have always had it pretty easy in the big scheme of things, God has always made things pretty clear to us and has blessed us greatly. But for some reason we seem to be just wallerin' in a pit of confusion and turmoil right now! I keep praying and I keep hearing, "wait". Dear God, I'm not sure how much longer I can last in this season!!! AAGGGHHH - just give me the sharp stick! Okay, I'm kidding. Seriously, we have to keep laughing or else we would both end up committed somewhere!

On a very stinky note, Tyler is testing every limit of potty training right now. Shannon told me today that he is playing us big time - it's so nice to have friends who don't beat around the bush(love ya Shannabannon!). I'm being serious too, because sometimes you don't see it yourself. So, Craig and I have firmly planted our feet on this plan and we ain't backin' down! If this doesn't work, I'm thinking of hypnosis!

The Calm Before the Storm

This past week or two has been relatively calm, even with VBS going on this week and Kayla being so busy, I have not been that busy. I think that I am going to be thankful for that starting today. From today until I leave for Mexico things get crazy. I was just thinking about my calendar and everything that is on it and I am beginning to wonder if I am insane. I was trying to make a chiropractor appointment(more on that in a minute) and a hair appointment and I wasn't sure it was going to happen. What happened to my life all of a sudden???

Let's see - today is grocery shopping this morning. I was just reading on another friend's blog about the price of gas and groceries and how ridiculous things have gotten. It is insane - I dread it! My gas budget for the next two weeks is more than what I have allotted myself for groceries! Hello? What is up with that? I have reminded myself continually over the past few weeks that God will provide - what a comfort! So, Kayla has her last day of Bible school with her friend and our church, so while she is doing that this morning, Tyler and I will be running errands and buying groceries. This afternoon I have a chiropractor appointment that makes me feel a little nauseous every time I think about it. I have this problem with my ribs and it is just from sleeping funny and lifting Tyler, but the muscle in between my ribs pops out in between the bone and the chiropractor is kind enough to put it back into place for me. It hurts worse than child birth, but not quite as long as child birth, and then I have these really cool bruises for the next week or so. In defense of my chiropractor though I think it hurts him just as much. He told me one time that it just kind of made his stomach upset to think about the pain he was fixing to cause me - nice guy, huh? Anyway, the rest of the night, I will be mostly useless. We have parent's night at our VBS, and in between doing the records and the time that parent's night starts I am going to go out and try to do a little shopping for a couple of things that I still need for Mexico. This time next week I will be all by myself in my house for the whole day. What am I going to do with myself? We are taking the kids to R&R on Thursday. I am going to miss them like crazy. I have never been away from them for more than 3 or 4 days at a time and usually it is just 2 or 3, so this is going to be rough. Plus I just realized that it is going to cost me $1 a minute to call here from Mexico. Ouch! For those of my friends who know that I call home a lot when I am out of town, you know it is going to be rough, but we will all make it through and I can't wait to see what all God is going to do through this trip.

Okay, I can't even think past today now that I have put all of that down on "paper", so I am going to get off of here now and go and start my day!

Success

For those of you who prayed for me today - thanks! I stayed strong, and we have had a very successful potty training day. There has been NO dirty pants! I'm not telling all of my secrets, but let me just tell you that Tyler does NOT like baby food! He would rather poop in the potty than eat baby food. Hhhmmmm... that's all I am going to say about that!

Tomorrow I am taking the kids to a movie in the morning. The afternoon will be filled with paying bills and making a grocery list. And then back to VBS tomorrow night. I skipped out of VBS tonight after everyone arrived and I got the count done and went and had coffee with Holly. It was a fun time. Now there is lightning off in the distance and my children are freaking out and do not want to go to bed. So, I am off to try to get them calmed down and back into bed!