Treats and Tantrums

TREATS

*Spring break is less than 48 hours away!  Woo Hoo!!!

*Beach trip.  Short and Sweet, but nonetheless, a beach trip!!!

*K was invited by his literacy teacher to attend the Young Author's Conference in May!  (Good job K)

*Both K and H are participating in the school talent show.  This is a big step for K!  He is playing the piano, and I am so excited for him.  I heard tonight the talent show is held at a local high school in the auditorium so the kids perform on an actual stage.  A lady from church told me that it is quite intimidating because when her daughter performed the auditorium was packed.  Yeah, I am not going to tell K that!!  H is doing a karate routine.  She will be amazing, and she has the voice that will project through the auditorium.  I can't wait!  I am already having that butterfly nervous feeling for them.

*Speaking of H.  She is awesome!!  Her wit, her personality, her character...  I received the nicest e-mail yesterday from the school counselor who praised H for giving up a popsicle because her class was one short.  She said to the counselor, "That is okay, my dad will buy me a popsicle." 

*Kyle and I had a recent date night.  It felt so good to finally see him!!

*Cody's 21st!!  I am actually having a tantrum about the "guys only" birthday party in Vegas, but Oh I can't wait to hear the stories!!!  My dad, my brother, my husband and my pseudo brother...together...3 days....Vegas = Trouble!!!

TANTRUMS

* I have been sick for a week and a half now.  I have had a cold that has taken over my head!  It has been horrible. 

*Due to not feeling well, I have been all out of sorts.  I missed 3 days of work in a row.  That was weird and this week due to parent/teacher conferences, I just haven't found my groove yet.

*Being sick= No ZUMBA. That also means that I have given myself permission to drink coffee and eat chocolate milk balls for breakfast, vanilla pudding for lunch and a chocolate cream filled doughnut for dinner.  My diet has been awful, but I have been feeling too cruddy to care.  I hope to break this vicious cycle soon.  I am giving myself permission to take this week "off" but as soon as I am done with conferences, it will be time to pull myself together!

*Some financial stuff that is still irritating me!

*My last tantrum is a big one!!!  There has been rain for oh I don't know 47 days!!  I am tired of having wet feet and wet hair!!  I'd carry an umbrella but seriously, I would look odd.  People in the PNW don't carry umbrellas...they just don't!!

My Mama Said

So tonight I heard a catchy little tune on a tv commercial, "My mama said there would be days like this, there would be days like this, my mama said...mama said."  Now that song, or at least, that part of the song is totally stuck in my head.  However, my mama is right!  She once told me that there would be days like this...

**a day in which I think**

"Did I not just clean this house a week ago?"  Yeah, it's a mess.  I am so unmotivated to clean it. I am about ready to just give up until summer.  Oh seriously, as if I could!!!

"Where is my husband?"  Between Skeeters, working trades, hazmat drill and his bagpipe obligations I think I have talked to my husband for maybe a total of one hour since Tuesday. 

Due to my husband's crazy schedule, we are really REALLY cranky toward each other.  We will figure it out...the transition is always hard. 

With that said, I am really cranky about having so much college debt.  I walked into a department store today and as soon as I walked in, I pretty much walked out.  I have no business shopping at this moment in time.  I realized that "retail therapy" was not going to lift my mood so I left the store.  Today's bad mood stems from the fact that I am so so so frustrated that it is taking 3 incomes for us to even make a dent in our student loans.  I am not the most frugal, but I also don't just go out and spend money.  My mom and I figured that some of the furniture in my house that is truly falling apart dates back to 1983!  I'll keep hanging on though, maybe someday it will be an antique.  :-)  Just kidding...or not!!!!

Enough about finances, we have made some pretty good decisions over the last few years and I need to stay focused on the progress that has been made.  It's like being on a really long diet and there are days when I want to forgo the fruits and vegetables and eat through a box of expensive chocolate.  Bad analogy....moving on!

Back to my day...

**nail polish spill by my 6 year old.  Who needs carpet anyway?  Uggg, I remember clearly when my mom saw that I had spilled glue all over my bedroom carpet and I had moved my bed to hide the spill, and the day the truth came out, my mama said, "You wait girl...you just wait!!"  I think I got my "what goes around comes around" dosage today.

"Really rain....really???"  Does 19 days of constant downpour and grey skies really make one mental???  I had all intentions of actually skipping church doing a family devotion along the riverfront in the morning because the forecast called for a dry day (the first one of this month) and I was thinking that some natural vitamin D and walking along the beauty of the river would lift all of our spirits, but NOOOO, the forecast is now calling for rain and hail!!!  I don't know how Noah did it???  Well, yes I do!!  Maybe this is my cue to go and build an ark  pray!!

**If I could leave everything behind and put my children and my dog up in a safe place...ya' know...like grandma's...I would totally hop on a plane and go help the people of Japan.  I am still trying to wrap my mind around their devastation. 

Anyway, my mama said, "There would be days like this."  cuz "My mama said."  Sing it people! 

PS Told ya I was going a bit mental.

Coming Of Age

Last night my brother called me, and we talked for a really long time.  I loved it.  I shared with Dean that K was going through acolyte training at our church today.  Dean's response, "Umm, isn't there like only 2 candles at your church?"  This led into a hilarious conversation about my brother as an acolyte, the 20+ candles that needed to be lit in a timely manner, the white robe, a bloody nose, a mad mother, sitting so quietly and still next to Pastor Harms, etc...  Regardless of what our Lutheran traditions are/were, I think it is pretty sweet that today K learned how to light the 2 candles, usher and take offering today at church.  This feels so official to me as if my son is "coming of age."  In other words, he is becoming a young adult of the church and I love that.

H was chomping at the bit today because she is SO ready to be a "young adult" of the church.  Today during the training, she was denied respectfully told no due to her age.  I keep reassuring her that her turn will be here before she knows it.  I have a feeling that it won't be to much longer and H will have more responsibilities and activities at church than the rest of us combined.

So today after church, K with one other boy and 3 other girls were lighting candles, greeting imaginary people and taking imaginary offering.  I have to say that it was one of the cutest things I have ever seen.  Even though these kids are "Coming of age" at church, they are still kids and they are pretty darn cute with pretty proud mama's!!

So while our church isn't the most traditional Lutheran church with huge candleabra's, white gowns, slow songs, it is a church is filled with high energy kids, a pastor who leaves his office open so the kids can get a sucker from his desk, and a diverse congregation.  I love our church for so many reasons and today I loved there was acolyte training even if it was just for 2 candles.  Praise the Lord!!!

What I Have Heard This Week

Monday at bible study:  "I want to be the type of Christian woman that when I wake up and my feet hit the ground the devil says, "Crap, she's up!"

"If Satan can't make you bad, he'll make you busy!!"

Okay.  Those are kind of deep.  Here's quotes from H to lighten the mood:

During our snow day:  "Mom, can we play Scrabble so we can just see if I am ready to leave first grade and just go on to 2nd?"

Early this morning:  "Mom, I am going to use my senses.  I think I am going to go down the stairs with my eyes closed." 

Me:  "Ummm, okay.  Be careful."

THUD!!!

Me:  "H are you okay?"

H:  "Yep, I think I need to open my eyes the next time I go down the stairs."

Tonight after dinner:  H lifts up her shirt and stares at her stomach. "Yep, there's room in there.  I think I'll eat more."

Kyle to H:  If you are going to continue to hit me, then you better start turning your wrist, using your hips and really turn that hit into a hard punch."  (Little did H know, her playful hitting ended up with having to hit pads held by Kyle for 30 minutes so she'd quit hittin' like a girl.)

So, there you have it readers:  quotes to live by!!  :-)