Odds and Ends

I think the hard part of the kitchen work is finished! After all the wallpaper came off, I sanded the window panes that needed it, then taped aaalllllllll of them up. Very tedious!

The primer has been applied everywhere. All that's left is the final painting! Yeah! My friends and I will work on it this coming Monday.

I know this is blurry, but these are the little chrysalides doing their hidden work to become butterflies. After seeing Suzy's butterfly/chrysalis post, I wanted to do this too with the kids. She has a beautiful picture of the chrysalides. Ours look just like that, but of course hers aren't blurry. I think we may have four or five more days before the butterflies emerge.

Today was Emily's last day of preschool, sniff, sniff. She had a little party, then afterwards, many of the kids and their parents met at the park for a little fun. She is now looking forward to being a big girl and going to Kindergarten and being at the same school that Kathryn and Ryan attend.

Last night was the last meeting of the parent meetings I've been attending all year at the elementary school. It has been such a blessing. It hasn't been well attended, but those parents that did attend somewhat regularly were greatly aided in trying to be better parents. We discussed problems that we have in trying to raise Catholic children in todays world. We had discussions about our spiritual journeys, we prayed the Rosary, we had Adoration in the chapel, and we had good laughs sprinkled in there, too. Hopefully, the group will continue the next school year.

Remember my tree story last year? My trees were dying. Well, I think one of them is finally coming around. Instead of seeing brown leaves everywhere, I now see green ones sprouting all over. It looks so nice and I'm hopeful that the tree is in recovery and we'll get our shade back. The other two still look sparse but maybe there's hope!

I know the tree looks exactly like it did when I mentioned it last year, but it did get worse throughout the year. There's more green now.

I'll finally end this post with some of my flowers.

Tuesday

Over the weekend, we spent lots of time at the soccer and baseball fields. Glad to say that all three of the kids won their games. Ryan came out of his batting slump and finally made contact with the ball each time he came up. As fun as the games are, I can't wait for the seasons to end. I need a little break from all the practices and hustling here and there. I will so enjoy getting to sit back a little and do some reading or crocheting/knitting. But I think it'll be just in time for the holidays.



I've been spending lots of time going through the kids closets. There are lots of clothes to go through. I've been making a list of clothing items that the kids need due to growth spurts. I've been bagging items to go to the thrift store. Old, broken toys are getting tossed and those that aren't used very often are going to the garage.

One of the things on my To-Do list is to go through my email folder and delete, delete, delete. I have so many newsletters from different groups that I fully intend to read but never get around to because of time limitations. For many of them, I think I'm just going to go in and unsubscribe. I also have a lot of those that come from Netflix that say, "We have received (insert name of DVD)". I tend to keep those, just in case they come back later and say, "We never received such and such DVD"! Well, of course, that hasn't happened, so I'm going to just delete all those. Then I have all the newsletters from Borders bookstore. I keep those because I want to read about all the latest books coming out. But honestly, my To Be Read list is long enough as it is. So, those will be deleted. I hope to have a clutter free inbox soon!

Ryan lost another tooth. His two front teeth were loose but were very stubborn about coming out. Luckily, a school friend of his was playing tag, and accidentally hit Ryan in the mouth. But only one tooth got knocked out. The other one is still hanging on. I keep reminding him to wiggle that tooth. I hope it's not there much longer. I can't seem to get myself to be the one to pull it out.

I made a menu plan for this week but I've already had to alter it. We will be going out to eat with Steve's visiting sister and brother-in-law tomorrow night so that will change the plan a little. I hope to post my interesting (hee hee) menu plan later.

I Need New Glasses!!

I'm now starting to feel officially middle-aged. I desperately need bifocals!! When I had my eyes checked two or three years ago, the optometrist said I didn't need them yet, as my close-up vision was still pretty good (I'm near-sighted -- I can see things close-up without my glasses but not far away). I could read with or without my glasses. Now, it's gotten to the point where I can't read at all with my glasses. I have to put everything more than an arm's length away to see it! So, I just take off my glasses to read or do close-up work. My arms are getting a lot of exercise taking them on and off, on and off. If I were far-sighted it would be a little better because I could place the glasses on my nose, just so, and I could look above the glasses to see far away and through the glasses at my book, knitting, or whatever. But when you're near sighted, you don't have a place to put your glasses. Maybe paste them at the eyebrows so they'll be at eye level for far away stuff and just look down below the glasses for the close-up stuff. I know that doesn't make any sense, but since I am nearsighted, I understand myself! LOL! Maybe those of you who are also nearsighted can get what I'm trying to get across!! Main thing - I can't see close-up while wearing my glasses.





So, it's time to see the eye doctor. I first have to check on my insurance and refresh my memory about what's covered. If I remember correctly, it didn't cover much. It covered a very little amount for the glasses so I've ended up paying a whole lot.

I took Ryan and Kathryn to get a few uniform items for school. Kathryn needed a bigger size skirt and Ryan needed an extra pair of pants and shorts. Thankfully the uniform place was not crowded. I was afraid there would be a huge wait. Not good when I have Emily! So, we were there for a short time, then we met Steve at work and had some lunch. We always love meeting him for lunch.

Kathryn has basketball practice tonight. Let's hope that Emily can get through that time without falling down. My goodness, it seems like the last three times she's gone, she somehow falls down on the cement and scrapes her knees, elbows, hands, etc. One thing for sure, she lives hard!

I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before, but I need to get a first aid kit for the car. I have a few band-aids in my purse, but I need some in all shapes. I just bought some Neosporin to Go.

Now I'm off to clean out the refrigerator. That's my first step before making out my menu for the next week. I hope there's not too many science experiments in there!

Blessings, everyone!

Random

The week so far has been spent doing lots of yard work, getting rid of overgrown plants and pulling weeds. Also, we're getting a new screen door for the front, so I cleaned the front porch area. I know entrances look nicer without one, but we love to have our front door open in the summer, especially in the evening time when the cool breezes come. But we don't want the mosquitoes and other bugs to come in with it!

I didn't get around to doing another menu plan this week because I'm still following the one from last week. The Chicken with Orzo came out great and so did the Pizza Noodle Bake. Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of them because I didn't think of it. I'm not used to taking pictures of my meals. I guess because everyone knows what chicken nuggets, spaghetti, and tacos look like (frequent meals around here)! LOL!

Summer vacation is right around the corner - next Tuesday as a matter of fact. I'm looking forward to getting to sleep in a little bit longer - not too much longer, though, as I like to start my day with some quiet time while everyone is still sleeping. Ryan and Kathryn have both started basketball this summer. I'm not too thrilled, but I won't get into that!:)

I got some gas this morning for 4.35 a gallon. That was the best I could find and that was at Costco. The lines there are so long, at times, six or seven deep! It reminds me of the lines back in the 70's (I know, I'm dating myself)! The gas station closest to me was already at 4.59! I don't know how much more of an increase we can take! I wish I had a smaller car but we need the space that my minivan offers.

Well, I think I'll take out my knitting and have a go at it!

Catching Up

Last weekend was tournament weekend and we all had a great time. Kathryn's team didn't do so well (they lost all their games and didn't score one goal), but it was a good experience for her team. Most all the teams in the tournament were competetive teams meaning they practice almost everyday and just go around playing in tournaments. Kathryn's team is your basic recreational soccer team. And believe me, you can tell the difference. They were a little intimidated at first because all the other teams they played were so good. But by the third game, they were a little less shell shocked and just played the best they could. They even made the other team sweat a little bit! :) Kathryn's has a wonderful coach and she explained to them that she didn't put them in this tournament so they could get smeared by the opponents. She put them in so they could have some experience playing against better teams and raise their level of play and just to have some fun playing in a tournament. In spite of the outcome, they all had a super time and so did the parents. Last weekend was super hot, but playing by the beach was great. We had ocean breezes the whole time!

Kathryn in her uniform.

This picture is kind of hard to see but it's a shot of Kathryn standing next to a girl on the other team. This other girl is probably over six feet tall! And these are 10 year old girls! It was kind of hard to play defense against her!

Remember the story about my trees? Well, I had a visit from the supervisor of tree maintenance for my city. He looked around, checked the roots, checked the dirt, and said the trees were getting too much water! My trees are Holly Oaks and he said these trees don't need a lot of water. He suggested I change the schedule for my sprinkler system so that the trees don't get as much water. I can't believe that we are the only homeowners who are watering around the trees so much, but our trees are almost the only ones that look the way they do. The tree man said that over time, if the trees get too much water, they will start looking like ours. I find it a little odd that watering a tree too much will make it look like ours but I guess I'll start watering around the tree less. I'll have to adjust the sprinklers and make sure the water is not hitting the tree trunks and set the timer for a shorter amount of time. I'll have to find the right balance so that the grass doesn't suffer and turn all yellow, especially in the coming hot summer months.

I also had a visit from the plumber this week. We've had two leaks on the faucets outside of our house for the longest time, but we finally had to call when my kids tried to pull the backyard garden hose to the front yard, even though it wouldn't reach. I don't know why they didn't realize that we have a hose in the front. Well, they pulled and pulled until it popped out of the faucet, taking with it some ring part of the faucet! Kathryn came in the house saying something happened with the hose so when I went out to look, I saw the water gushing out of the faucet. It looked much worse than it actually was. But, the plumber needed to be called because now that the hose was no longer attached, I could see how much water was really leaking out. Enough to leave the ground in a puddle.

Luckily the plumber just had to put some new part. He did the same thing to our leak in the front yard and that was that. I was thinking since the leaks were there for a while that we would have some damage on some old pipes, but he said they didn't look too bad. So I think we made out pretty good.

Tomorrow we're off to the wild animal park for a day with the animals!

My Days

It's a good thing I've been tagged for all kinds of memes as I haven't had much to say. I've been doing the usual cleaning, running errands, dental visits, homework monitor, etc., etc.

Lent is coming up so I've been doing some thinking about what we can do as a family to make it personal. I'm still thinking/praying about what I can do. I've picked out a couple of books to read through. I also want to "do" something rather than just "give up" something like I usually do. I'll do another post about all that.

My days have been busy with duties that I haven't been able to read or knit as much as I'd like.
I have three movies waiting from Netflix that are going to have to wait a little longer. Waiting in the wings are Walk the Line, National Treasure, and Miss Potter.

One thing I've been waiting for has been the season premier of Lost. I just love that show! Tomorrow is the big day. I'll have to program the DVR just in case something interrupts me, things like children needing their mom, or a husband who needs to talk!

So, not much going on. But I love these kinds of days. I'm doing what I love to do. It can be tiring and draining, but I'm doing what I've been called to do.

Feeling Much Better

Thank you to everyone who prayed and sent such kind thoughts my way! I'm feeling so much better now. Other than still being a little tired, I'm pretty much back to my old self.

Emily had a little relapse yesterday. She started with a fever again and had a terrible stuffy nose. She just laid around all day yesterday. That worked out for me because it allowed me to take a nap when she did. Plus I didn't have to chase her around much. Today, she still has a stuffy nose but not as bad, and her fever is gone. Thank the Lord! She's back to playing around and I have some energy to join her!

While I was laying around these past days, I was able to watch three movies and do plenty of reading. I finished watching St. Rita. It was a good movie and did a good job in trying to humanize her and not seem so supernatural or mystical. Eight Below was alright. I believe I was at my most feverish, so I couldn't focus too much. It also wasn't as sad as I thought it might be. The last movie I saw was Love Comes Softly. I loved that one. I really enjoy those wholesome movies that take place in pioneer times. Of course, now I have to rent all the sequels and read the books that the movies were based on. Well, I'll just add them to my already long list of must reads.

That brings up the question of what will I be reading for Lent this year? I should be done with Fr. Dubay's book any day now so I will be looking in my bookcase for some new spiritual books. I have so many that I haven't read yet that there will be plenty to choose from.

I've been tagged for a meme so I will be working on that, but for now I'm off to do a little reading before sleep.

Where Has The Week Gone???

Gosh, I didn't think it had been that long since I last posted! I've been caught in the hustle and bustle that I didn't intend to be in, but it seems to happen every year.



The kids started their vacation on Wednesday and Steve started his on Thursday. We've been plotting how to get shopping done while the other watches the kids. So far, we've been pretty successful. The only thing left is to get a few gift cards and do a little more wrapping. I'm hoping it will get done today so that the few remaining days can be spent a little more relaxed and reflective. Edited to Add: I did not get everything done, so I will be out Sunday after church. :(

Tonight we went out to see some beautifully decorated homes out by the waterfront. There was a lot of walking but the homes were just beautiful so it was worth it. Lots of lights, Christmas music playing and boats sailing through the canals. I wish I could have taken some pictures, but since it was night, the pictures wouldn't have come out. Most of the homes have huge windows out front with a wide open view of the inside living areas. They could be right out of magazines - just beautifully decorated.

Tomorrow after all the shopping is done, I hope to be able to relax a little and watch my favorite Christmas movie, White Christmas. I watch it every year and love all the music.

Right now, I'm off to watch an episode of Lost that I rented from Netflix. I'm hooked on that show! I need to catch up with Season 3 before the new season starts. With the writers strike I don't know when that will be so I think I have some time.

Christmas Program

Ryan's Christmas program at school went well. Everyone in his class played angels and they sang a few original Christmas songs as well as Silent Night. If I must say so myself, he looked so handsome up there and he had the biggest smile on his face the whole time. I think he loves performing. I didn't get to take many pictures because we were so far back from the stage and it was a little dark at times during the performances.

This is how far we were. Actually, if I zoom into this picture, I can find Ryan. He's about the sixth child from the right, next to the girl with the dress with the dark sleeves. Can you find him? You can just make out a speck of dark hair! Sorry, I don't know how to make the picture zoom in when you click on it.

Emily was very well behaved. She made it until about three minutes until the end of the program. Then she'd had enough and wanted to wander away. I think she did quite well.

Here she is being occupied with my pocket calendar.

I've been kind of tired lately. I'm still coughing at night and Ryan has had a cough as well. If it's not me coughing, it's his coughing waking me up. His is getting better, but I'm still at it. Hopefully, it will be on it's way out soon.

The rest of the weekend was spent shopping, or just doing this and that. I actually wasted a little time when I went for my hair appointment and realized as I was sitting in the waiting area that my appointment was the following week! That was a little embarrassing, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who's done that!

During the next few days, I hope to shop a little bit more for some of the things left for the kids before they start their Christmas vacation on Wednesday. Steve also starts a much needed vacation on Thursday, then we can do some fun things with the kids. I pray no one else gets sick!

Weekend Tidbits

This will be short as I think I'm suffering from a cold, the flu, something. Yesterday, I felt a sore throat coming on, but it never got too bad. Then today, I still had a little sore throat but I almost felt like I had muscle aches, a little bit of chills, and slight temperature. For awhile, I felt bad, but not so bad like you get when you get the flu. So I don't know what I've got. Is there such a thing as touch of the flu?

I did a little bit of on-line shopping however, but I only placed items in the shopping cart before I got tired. I'm hoping to go back tomorrow and finalize my purchases. I don't like shopping lists in the back of my mind while I'm laying down not feeling too well. But I realize this shall pass eventually. I just hope the kids don't catch anything. It seems like there is always someone sick at Christmas time.

I'm trying to get the kids clothes ready for tomorrow and get their lunches together so I don't have to do any of that in the morning. I don't know how I'll be feeling then. Hopefully I'll feel good enough to go about my usual business and take the kids to school.

I missed Mass today, as I just wasn't feeling well. So, I'm off to ponder the readings that I missed.

Ramblings

It's set to start raining here tonight. We hardly ever get a good rain so this is welcome. I did plan on doing some Christmas shopping this weekend, but I'll have to see if the weather cooperates. I will be doing most of the shopping on-line.

I've been taking part in the Making the Your Home a Haven challenge this week, but it's been harder than I anticipated! Emily's been sticking to me like glue lately and I haven't been able devote as much consistent time to the housecleaning. She's been wanting to go to the park all week so I had to take her! I knew rain was in the forecast so we had to take advantage of the wonderful weather! That can mess up a schedule. But I was glad to do it. I don't want her to remember that I was always doing housework and didn't have time to take her to the park or play with her.

Do you have any favorite Christmas movies? I've always liked White Christmas. I love the old movies, It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol. I even like to watch the ones from when I was a kid, like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, A Charlie Brown Christmas. We have some of these on DVD so I'll have to watch them. All of these bring back so many warm Christmas memories. I hope somehow my kids can have such memories.

That brings me to one thing I want to improve on in the New Year. I really want to try to incorporate the Liturgical year in our family life. I've never done much of that, but now Kathryn and Ryan are going to a Catholic school. So far, the school has been doing a good job teaching them about the faith. I see so many opportunities to expand on what they've been taught, and I do, but perhaps I can incorporate some purposeful activities. Anyway, we're still in Advent so I'll think about all that later.

Enough of my ramblings. That's just what I'm thinking about right now!

Holiday Weekend

Thanksgiving Day went very nicely. We had Thanksgiving lunch with my brother and SIL. It went pretty smoothly considering I was worried that my kids would act up in a major way. I prepared them ahead of time and they ended up being good most of the time. We all got to chit chat for awhile after the meal so that was nice. Then the kids got a little antsy and we called it a day before things could get out of hand. My brother and SIL don't have kids so I try not to overwhelm them with the noise level that my kids can generate. But kids are kids and I don't fault them for that.

Once we got home, we let loose and relaxed. We watched some more of Charlie Brown. Steve watched some games on TV and then we drove to watch the fireworks at Disney*land.

Friday, I did not shop. I don't even have my shopping list ready. I hope to be able to do most of the shopping on-line anyway. I spent most of the day doing laundry, reading and knitting. Then we went to the park with the kids and let them play ball, run around, and play on the play apparatus.

Today, Steve is trying to get the Christmas lights up. We won't light them yet as it's too early and can be a little expensive. He just wants them up since today is a warm day and usually it's freezing when he gets around to doing it. My car is getting a tune-up so I'm waiting for the call to pick it up. Then it's off to do some errands.

And that's an almost blow by blow account of my holiday weekend so far!

The Next Thing

I've been trying to spend more time in prayer lately. And I've noticed that I am more at peace and less anxious. That's good news as all this household needs is a wife and mom who's at her wits end, running around with her head chopped off, and yelling! What a sorry sight!

In Holly Pierlot's book, A Mother's Rule of Life, she talks about incorporating prayer, devotions at intervals throughout the day. That way, your whole day has been centered around your relationship with God. So, I think that if I can try to do that, my life will be a lot more focused. I can meet the needs of my family better. Isn't that what my vocation is all about?

Are you interested in getting a personal patron saint for 2008? Angela Messenger has kindly taken on the endeavor to do just that for anyone who asks. This is the first time I've heard of something like this and I think it's a great idea. Thanks to Therese (Aussie Coffee Shop) for the heads up.

I know it's early, but we are getting ready for a 3 day weekend. Kathryn & Ryan have Friday off from school and DH Steve has Friday and Monday off. Aside from the usual soccer and baseball games, we should have a free weekend to have fun. Kathryn & Ryan each won an award from their teachers for good behavior in class. As a result, they get a free meal at a local restaurant. I can go for that.

Miscellaneous

Wow, I guess it's been a long while since I've posted. I think I got a little distracted by life. Of course by now, most people know that those Santa Ana Winds that I wrote about previously brought many fires here to Southern California. We were not in any danger of them, but were close enough to have to deal with the smoke and terrible air quality. That is small compared to the losses that others suffered. Hopefully when/if they come again, there won't be any fires. The Santa Ana winds usually come in the Fall, so there's a good possibility that we'll experience them again before the end of the year.



On to other news:



Kid's sports has picked up again. There has been a two week lull due to the air quality. There have been no practices or games. So Ryan had his practice on Tuesday and Kathryn starts hers today.



Halloween has come and gone. Kathryn dressed as a Holly*wood starlet and Ryan was Buzz Light*year for the second year in a row. Emily was too scared to go out. She doesn't like to see the other trick or treaters in their scary costumes. I don't blame her. Some of them are just too bloody, evil, and ghoulish looking. Too bad it's gotten that way, with lots of big kids scaring the littles. Anyway, they both had a great time and of course, are left with loads of candy.

Next on the list, planning Thanksgiving & Christmas! Just around the corner.

What's Happening!

Here is what's been happening:

I finally finished Emily's second mitten. I won't bother to show it as it looks exactly like the other one I made, except this one looks a little more sloppy. I couldn't quite get the thumb to attach to the rest of the glove quite well. There's a little hole. Well, it shouldn't bother Emily too much. I'm working on her scarf now. This is a little swatch of the stitch pattern I will be using. The yarn looks a little bright here, but it's an off white.

When I am finished with that, I will work on a matching set for Kathryn and Ryan. Here is the yarn I will be using for that.

Ryan actually wanted a lighter blue. He said this one was too dark. He said he wants a sky blue color. I wanted it to be a little more conservative and adaptable with other clothes, but he wants the other color. I think I'll browse the Internet and show him what the light blue would look like. But I'll knit in whatever color he wants.

Kathryn has been busy learning to play the recorder for school. She loves it. We hear it all evening long! I think by now, I'm an expert at Hot Cross Buns. I hum it in my sleep! But I won't complain. I'm happy she's enjoying learning about music. And it beats (no pun intended) listening to the drums! LOL!

Emily is enjoying the My Little Pony DVD. She just loves those characters. She plays with the ponies a lot. Playing house with them and having the cutest conversations. Very cute!

Right now, this is what I'm reading. It's on my Fall Reading list.

It's a parallel story about the architect in charge of designing and building the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893. At the same time some murders were taking place the same area at the same time preparations were going on. It's pretty interesting but a little long.

Today I decided to do some cleaning under my bed. Oh my goodness! I found a treasure chest under there. This is a whole box of what I found. I don't know how these things end up here but here they are. Some things get accidentally get kicked under there when the kids are playing with all their silly cute toys that have a gazillion pieces. Other things, I don't know. I think it's time to tell the kids, "No more playing in Mom and Dad's room"!!

And, that's what I've been doing!

Weekend Recap

This weekend was spent, as is custom, going to the kids sporting events. Kathryn had her soccer game on Saturday. Her team won, yea! She didn't score any goals but she made some good passes that helped in the goal scoring. She has improved quite a bit since last season.

This afternoon was spent at Ryan's baseball game. His division (5 & 6 year old) doesn't keep score, so there is no winner or loser. Everyone just has fun while learning the skills. Some of those boys are so little, their uniforms barely fit and you can't even see their little faces under the huge helmets!

Emily & I made a trip to the library to pick up some new books. Right now she is into duck books and horse books. I was tempted, but I resisted getting some books. I have been reading from my list for the challenge and I'm trying to meet that goal before adding more. I just know I'll be adding later, that's just the way I am. But for now, I'm sticking with my published list.

This coming week will be spent doing my usual routine - taking kids to school, picking them up, practices and keeping home. In other words, doing what I love to do most!

This 'N That

Steve finally sold his car that he was trying to sell for the longest time. He already has another one picked out. He just has to wait for the other party (it's a used one) to receive the pink slip from their financial institution. Once he gets the "new" one, we'll finally have some reliable cars. We both have had some bad times with previous cars. The car I'm driving now is very reliable and I've had no problems with it.

Until Steve gets the new car, hopefully within the next few days, we'll be sharing mine. Hopefully we'll get all our respective errands done. He'll probably be driving my car when he returns to work on Thursday. I'll be left at home with the three kids, YIKES!

Today's agenda is to take care of whatever errands we can so that we can enjoy a leisurely 4th tomorrow. Tomorrow our neighborhood has its annual 4th of July parade. We need to put air in the kids bicycle tires so they can ride them in the parade.

It's been hot here the last couple of days. We're in the high 80's. Usually when it's this warm, our nights are so nice that we like to take walks along the beach. Maybe we can do that tonight.

Yesterday, I went to an interesting class about nutrition and managing cholesterol. I used to be more conscientious about my eating habits before, but I kind of let it slide and now I want to get back into developing better overall health habits. I hope to write about that in another post.

Weekend Stuff

The weekend began Friday night taking in hubby Steve's baseball game. He hasn't played in 20+ years so this was an historic moment. The team is organized by my nephew and consists of many of his family members and friends. DH looked good playing but his body is not quite used to the workout. He enjoyed it though.



This morning, Ryan had his first session of his tennis class. We don't know where he picked up the desire to play tennis as we are mostly baseball, basketball, and soccer people but if he wants to try tennis, why not? I used to play in my younger college years (not very well, only PE courses) but havent' played since. Maybe if Ryan keeps up with it, I may join in too. I think it would do me good to get up off the computer chair and become a little more fit. I think I'm going to begin to feel left out. Steve has baseball, Kathryn has soccer, Ryan has baseball and tennis, Emily is chasing whatever ball happens to come her way, and that leaves me. I can surf pretty well (the web, that is), my fingers move well on the keyboard and turning book pages, but that's about it! I'll have to think about what I can do. Fitness walking is probably my best option right now.



This afternoon was spent at Chu*ck E. Che*ese. The kids had lots of fun playing the games. Of course at the end, the only thing they have to show for it is cheap toys that have already been misplaced. That whole racket reminds me of Las Ve*gas. Lots of bells and whistles and money spent in the hopes of meaningful winnings. The only thing you have to show for it is a lighter wallet. At least the money spent is not equivalent to what can be spent in Ve*gas. And the kids enjoy playing the arcade games.

Tomorrow should be a free day. We go to Mass in the morning then see what the rest of the day brings!

My Dentist Loves Me

I had another visit to the dentist today. I think I've been there four times in the last three weeks! I went for cleaning last week, then had to return for some sealants to be put on some teeth. Kathryn went for a cleaning then had to return for some teeth extractions - 3 to be exact! Emily goes in about 3 weeks. Seems like one of us is always scheduled for something! I think I heard my dentist saying something about a trip to Tahiti (on us)! LOL

Goings On

I've been dealing with sick kids, again. But, isn't that the way it is when you're a mom. Ryan is over his ear infection. Emily seems to be over her cold. Kathryn looks like she's getting over her case of the hives.

Sunday night, she was complaining that she was itchy. I put some anti-itch cream and sent her to bed. She awakened me in the middle of the night and said she was itchy all over. Upon turning the light on, I saw that she was covered in hives! Luckily I had some over the counter allergy medication. She's been taking it for the past 2 days as the hives keep reappearing. Today was the first day without it and they seem to have stopped. Thank the Lord. Poor thing, she's been miserable with all the itching. If she can stay hive free today, I'll send her back to school tomorrow. I don't have any idea about what may have caused it. Perhaps a yogurt drink that she started drinking for the first time? Ryan had the same thing happen about two years ago. When I took him to the doctor about it, he said that sometimes we just don't know how they get it. It eventually clears up. It took Ryan about a week for them to finally clear up.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Ryan had a little accident at the park last Friday. He ran into the park apparatus and required 4 staples to his little head! He was so brave in the emergency room. Thank God that it wasn't as bad as it could have been! His guardian angel must have taken the brunt of it!