job interview ?!?!

WARNING ... this picture titled "sheer happiness of a devil child" has nothing to do with my post. But, I love it so!!

Now back to our regularly scheduled post:
I went on my first "job interview" this morning! Well the "job" part might be a little mis-leading ... it is more of a part-time intense hobby type of job, but they pay actual cash for the type of stuff that I currently do for free for the PTO, the Lacrosse League, friends & family etc. So, it was pretty heady stuff for this SAHM who listed her last paying job as 1997 ... and then listed tons of volunteering projects that I have done since the little ones came along.

My favorite comment ... "you mean you could ACTUALLY put together the program and send it to a printer?" Yes, why yes I could! Not sure who this group has been interviewing over the last few weeks, but my skill set certainly seemed to be a good match! fingers crossed!

My creation

My creation, originally created by fd's flicker toys.

I love love love finding new toys to play with ... thanks to Zoot for directing me to this one! Christmas in the Square!

bas ket ball

basketball,

Beachboy has been a lacrosse fanatic for 3 years now. The first year was a complete waste because he hated it, didn't understand the sport, and found the time he spent on the field a complete waste. I stressed and fretted, but stuck by our rule "if you start a season you finish a season" so there was no choice about quitting! A friend who had older boys who played told me this was normal ... hang in there he would become a lax junkie!

SURE ENOUGH ... after his first horrendous season, he cannot get enough of the sport now! AND, he is doing very well. The best of players (NO), the most athletic (NO), the toughest (NOOOOOO) ... but the boy loves to play and he is coachable. (Hubbie taught me what that means).

SO, fast-forward to this past November when he really really really wanted to play league basketball. Mind you, it can be cold where we are and indoor lacrosse is only offered one day a week, so he wanted to play a winter sport. He started early in the season with excitement and enthusiasm. We have progressed from the early days of having absolutely no athletic ability whatsoever, to being a pretty good athlete. Unlike his mother, his two feet can move independently of one another ... a definite bonus for playing the sport of basketball.

Is he the best on his team (YES), is he the most athletic (YES), is he the toughest (YES) ... now, this might sound like I am a little full of myself ... but ... and this is a BIG BUT... his poor poor team is absolutely pitiful! They have played 14 games so far and the closest score was 14 - 1!!!!!! Beachboy is not feeling the enthusiasm or the excitement any longer. If he could quit, I know he would, he hates it ... but remember the rule: "if you start a season, you end a season" ... maybe next year will be better!

I don't know about you

...but I have a really hard time writing when things are not going so well! This time it is financial ... after 10 years of not working and staying at home with the kids, our financial situation has finally gotten to the point of major suckage!! This has been coming for a year or so, and I have been trying to "stem the tide", but the big ole wave is getting closer and closer to home and I am not quite certain how we are going to get out this time. My major piece of advice to anyone who might want to ask, don't think that your credit cards can solve any problems... they simply make things worse, and worse, and worse. Now, I have always known that the cc's were a stop-gap measure for a very short period of time, but as the kids have gotten older and older, the opportunity to pay back down to zero balances has simply disappeared.

7 months until the littlest one is in school full time ... we have promised I wouldn't go back to work until then and we have been so relieved to have been able to keep that promise, but something has to change, and soon!

cool mom ... NOT~!

but … the kids came home from school today in a cute little snow storm that we are having. They got home, went to the snack cupboard and Beachboy said “awwww, I wish we could have snow ice cream but I know you never got the stuff”. I love love love the days that I can surprise them and I did! So, here you go, straight from Paula Deen … SNOW ICE CREAM!!

8 cups of freshly fallen snow
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1tsp vanilla (although chocolate sauce truly works better)

Quickly mix all three ingredients … even more quickly serve in bowls and pour chocolate sauce over the top & serve!

Truly one of the more awesome things this mom does (yes, that is pathetic!!)

day off from school

thanks to MLK day, we had no school today! I tried something new today, and spent the entire day at our best friend's house so that the kids could all play and hang out ... and we could enjoy a day of no driving and dropping, laundry, cleaning and organizing. I took my computer with me so I could finish a "picture project" for my mom ... figured out that I had to re-format my flash drive to "fat-32" (whatever) so that it would accept all of the pictures ... so I wasn't COMPLETELY USELESS!!

Once I finished the hard, hard work of the day ... we curled up on the sofas with blankets & iced tea and totally vegged in front of the huge tv, watched a full morning of TLC, then "The Devil Wears Prada" - can you say, awesome bangs & eyeliner - and then watched 3 episodes of "better by the dozen" about these amazing (sort-of) families with 12 or more kids. OMG OMG OMG!!

Meanwhile, our 6 kids ranging from 4 through 11 were truly having an awesome awesome day playing video games, outdoor football in 16 degree temps, hairstyling and creating a "spa" as well as eating pizza, birthday cake & everything else that wasn't nailed down in the house.

THE BEST DAY OFF FROM SCHOOL EVER!!!

giraffes

"I know who I am. No one else knows who I am. If I was a giraffe, and someone said I was a snake, I'd think, no, actually I'm a giraffe."

I have google desktop, and this quote was in my "Quote of the Day" today - attributed to Richard Gere. I usually do a "quick check" of email and reader before anyone else in the house wakes up in the morning just so I know what is up for the day. This quote has stuck with me all day because it has taken me a long long time to feel this comfortable about myself. If someone were to ask me, I would tell them that I finally felt like an "adult" when I could finally accept who I am with no apologies or exception. When I finally didn't apologize for being a SAHM in spite of the fact that our financial outlook is dismal. When I finally realized that THE ONLY PERSON WHO COULD RAISE MY CHILDREN WAS ME regardless of what all of the "experts" (including my mom) had to say. When I finally realized that I could have an opinion and support that opinion even when it went against common beliefs.

I was 6 feet tall in the 7th grade and my nickname all through high school was "giraffe". Now, if that sounds endearing to you, you must be 5'2" and desperate to be taller because it was awful. But, being tall came with one benefit that I did not realize until I was much much older, and that is that tall people are definitely taken more seriously that shorter ones - especially girls. Had I realized this when I was in high school, my life would have been a whole lot easier. But, as it was, all I felt was gawky, awkward, and geeky. To make matters worse, I had absolutely no coordination which meant that sports of any kind were out of the picture. I was, however, to the horror of my son, a cheerleader. I loved cheering, the uniform, the saddle shoes (yes, we wore them in the late 80's), the hair ribbons. I never felt out of place when I was cheering, but omg, I should have - I look back at the pictures and now completely understand why they called me "giraffe"!

stuff stuff stuff

finally ... this is a relatively slow week! Does that mean I am accomplishing all of the little tasks I have been putting off for months? Of course not...however I have been ironing off and on for the last hour or so just to keep the "guilts" from taking over. I truly hate ironing, but it is not so bad when it gives you a great excuse to watch "The Housewives of Orange County" and "Who's Wedding is it Anyway" for hours on end. I just love mindless "reality" TV ... Bravo with its project runway, and the food one - can't remember the name now was just made for me. I can while away hours with the whiny, whimpering, and backstabbing gossip that goes on hour after hour! Long live BRAVO!!

kid sports

when is a parent pushing sports too much??? I am really struggling with this because while the kids love their respective sports, and they are really pushing themselves at the moment ... I worry that I am encouraging this behaviour just a little too much and I need to back off my enthusiasm so that they don't feel pressure from the parent front. I WAS NOT A SPORTSGIRL growing up - cheerleading was about my speed and I truly have never apologized for that! Hubbie was a football and track "superstar" in high school and college and just loves that the kids each have their own sports that they love.

Beachgirl is a swimmer ... and frankly if you could watch her swim you would realize that she has a God Given talent for the sport. When she starts to get a little cocky (which with her success, who wouldn't at this age) I am reminding her that this is a talent she was given and it is her responsibility to practice and practice and listen to her coaches ... her speed and grace at the age of 8 are due to something beyond her and she should be proud and humble. She has decided to move to a new practice time for the next two months because the girls in her group are getting a little lazy as the season winds down and practices are becoming free-for-alls and the coach is getting pretty frustrated with their lack of discipline. The new practice time is a much smaller group and includes the girl who "smoked" beachgirl in the 50 meter free last weekend ... so she wants to practice and pace with this girl.

I think that her thought process is amazingly mature for an 8 year old, especially when all of her friends who got her started in swimming are in the earlier group. BUT, is she just setting herself up for a fall by taking all of this so seriously so young? I wish there were easy answers!!!

Alzheimer's

oh my heavens, our extended family is beginning to realize that in spite of all of the awesomeness that exists in our lives it is time to accept that Alzheimer's is now touching us and we need to find a way to deal with it. My grandmother was killed in a car accident when I was 13 and my grandfather remarried a year later to the woman who is now his wife. My grandfather is having major heart and lung problems which just forced them to come home from Arizona. We have been suspecting but now realize that the extremely beligerant behavior that his wife has exhibited over the last 2 years was the beginning of Alzheimer's. My parents went to pick them up in AZ ... and there is no question there is a major problem that must be dealt with immediately - she is so bad she is threatening the welfare of my grandfather. Not a good situation!

a few tidbits

• the littlest guy went to his first drop off birthday party on Saturday ... well, we made it a drop off party since we had a basketball game for Beachboy & a swim meet for Beachgirl. He was sooooo excited about this party with its Hawaiian theme and he knew exactly what he wanted to buy for the little girl - JEWELERY!!! I tried, I really really tried, to change his mind and help him select a toy or game for the little girl, but NOOOOOO he wanted to get her earrings or a necklace because she likes jewelery. When a 4 year old boy gives a 5 year old girl a Pooh locket there is apparently hell to pay from the little girl's dad.


• preschool drop off today was a hoot! After the big party Saturday, the little guy is apparently the "hit" at preschool and had kids pulling him in every direction. "play with me", "play with me", "play with me"! In typical little guy fashion he stated, with hands on hips, "I don't want to play with any of you ... I want to play with [the one little girl in the room who wanted NOTHING to do with him]!!!


• the new hair is OK - still working on making it look cute and flirty - not mom hair!


• Beachgirl must have had a hard swim practice tonight ... she is a BEAR!!!


• paid bills today ... $112 left in the account. I guess I should be happy we are in the black and not the RED

4 inches

went for a trim today and wound up cutting off 4 inches of hair into many many choppy layers and a side "swoop" as my son calls it. I think I like it - a little concerned about having "mom hair", but what the heck, it grows back ... doesn't it????? Of course, the cut has led to an appointment in a week for some new highlights in the top - need some color since he took off all of my summer sun highlights!

Waiting to see what hubbie thinks ... he'll like it though because it means no more ponytail (and sweats!!)

beachgirl

the little miss left the house this morning in full tears, swollen eyes and face ... and all because of me! wow, there are days when that 8 year old makes me feel like I am riding a roller coaster - fabulous mood & fun one moment, and the world is ending the next. She, more than the boys, suffers the most when I am stressed and have a lot going on. She does not like disorder and agitation, so the simple fact that I was trying to deal with some PTO stuff this morning before I took them to school just put her in a tizzy. Do I blame her? NO! How many mornings have things been going along just fine and I decided to take a moment to deal with one small issue that turns into Mount Olympus ... but I am still going to deal with it in the 10 minutes before we go to school! What happens next, I start running around grabbing my bags & phones, finding shoes for the little guy and getting irritated with the older two because I CAN'T FIND HIS SHOES and you two don 't have your backpacks and coats on and surely it is your fault.

OMG, I am psycho ... no wonder my daughter is happy one minute and a disaster the next. She has been WELL trained!

good morning and good day

today I am blogging first thing, taking the kids to school, coming home and not even entering the office until 1/2 of the laundry mountain is gone! Had a big PTO meeting last night, and between planning that meeting, assembling a teacher grant application and waiting for word on my ill grandfather (not so good), AND the fidgeting on the computer over the past few days ... the landscape around these parts is a little "rugged"!

PTO - the most frustrating responsibility that I have right now, and that is saying a lot. I am president of our group for five more months and am ready to be done! I don't even like the way that the PTO is, but I don't know how to solve it. My goal has always been to have a more open, more friendly, more engaging group ... but even when you have 30 people show up for a meeting, it feels like a failure when no one bothers to volunteer to head up or even help with an event. Why don't more people realize that we cannot continue to do all that is done without more help and participation. AARGH! Oh well, obviously the nature of PTO's in general - I have certainly read plenty of posts from the other side ... "I won't be part of our school's PTO/A because they are snooty moms who are power hungry" or "I don't want to be part of an organization, I just want to do my own thing for the school". All relevant points, but boy does it make it hard from the board side of things!

OK, vent over, day must begin!

can you see it, can you see it???

photoshop has been the bane of my photo existence for a very very long time. Back in the day (when I was just a cute (HA), sexy(HA) wife ... and earning a salary) I had an assistant who could "do photoshop" like there was no tomorrow. She tried and tried to teach me .... but I was hopeless and it was a waste of her time to not just fix the d*** pic herself and email it back to me. Well, after 5 years I may have found a proper tutor, I followed some step by step directions of how she made an incredible piece of art from an already amazing photograph ... and LOOK ... I did something kind of cool without ruining the picture. Truly, I have never pulled of a transformation of any kind before, and while this may not seem a huge big deal ... it is to me!!! Yeah, me!

So, now that I have spent 2 1/2 hours on the 5 minute blog check I must go scale the laundry mountain!

thanks Pioneer Woman!!

how is it possibly 10:30 already???

I JUST sat down to start working on the PTO agenda for tomorrow night's meeting and looked at the dreaded clock and WHAT THE HECK???? According to my schedule, I should already have the agenda well underway, all contacts confirmed for attendance and in the process of developing an application for Teacher Grants.

AND NOW, I need to go get another Diet Coke, move the laundry, fold the laundry, grab something sweet and then return to my desk to get back to work started! Who do I beg for an extra two to three awake hours in the day? I really really need them!!

Saturday

we spent the day taking down holiday decorations, re-arranging the living room (for the 4th time this year) and watching poor beachboy get CRUSHED in basketball. All in all a bizarrely comforting day ... nothing too exciting going on, just a very "family day" with plenty of time to chat with the kids even though they were trying to escape for fear I was going to ask them to run one more thing to the "box downstairs" or the trash. In the rush rush world of the last three weeks, it was a very pleasant way to spend a cold and blustery Saturday.

another gramma gift

Christmas07 076, originally uploaded by lauri_weeks.

again, I say, where is the mother that I grew up with????? Beachboy asked over and over for "club penguin" merch, and being the good mother that I was trained to be, I said "no" over and over and over.

BEHOLD... Beachboy starts yelling "awesome, Gramma you are awesome" while he pulls out this red ball of fluff and brown T-shirt.

I had no clue what Mom had put in that box since she was such a straight-laced mother and if our requests were in any way "popular", "fashion-forward" or based on a tv character she always let us know it was just not appropriate.

Obviously, I needed a computer in the old days ... apparently internet characters are OK!

photo confusion

Christmas07 064

Originally uploaded by lauri_weeks

I am slowly organizing the computer for the new year ... and playing around with all of the photographs from the holiday (and my new camera) ... thanks again kids!! Can you tell in this pic, there are probably 4 photographers in the immediate vicinity?

Quick story ...

my original camera is at the bottom of Pirates of Caribbean in Disney ... the kids had a pretty heavy fall season of "cat sitting" for which they received $15 / day.  When they were done they told Daddy that they would like to use their money to buy Mommy a new camera because she didn't have one anymore.  AND...they found the magazine inserts of a digital SLR since they thought mommy needed a more "professional" camera.  The kids earned $220 and hubbie chipped in the rest for the Nikon D40 ... which is a lot of camera for someone who has been using a point and shoot for the last 7 years.  I love it, all of my Nikon lenses work on it (yes, I have to manually focus ... but I haven't had any problems) and I was once again reminded just how special my life is.

what happened to my mom?

**discussion of pic to follow - timeout to say "thanks" to MissZoot for her help this morning in teaching me how to use FLICKR to have reasonable size images on my blog without changing the sizes of all of my images on my hard-drive. A godsend which I have been struggling to figure out for a couple of months now!!

Now, back to me ... on Christmas morning, beachgirl and her "little beachgirl" received matching pj's from my mother. Cute, yes. A little creepy, yes. The simple idea that my mother would spend more than $75 on matching pj's for the girl and her doll is simply amazing! Don't for a second think that Mom ever left me wanting for anything (well, a car at 16 ... but fortunately Dad won that battle), but I honestly do not think even for the slightest second she would have CONSIDERED this special little purchase! Beachgirl's mom didn't either... Thanks Gramma.

ahhhhhh ... the newness of it all!

New Year's definitely ranks up there with one of those "bittersweet" holidays in my book.  Bitter because the years are actually flying by (yes, all you youngn's out there...it does happen) and ONCE AGAIN, no solo trip to Paris to stroll from cafe to cafe ... but definitely SWEET because we all get to start out all over again.

My brain has a wonderful capacity to block out the past year (well at least the bummer parts) and pretend I am all shiny and new all over again and I have the opportunity to once again be perfect.  Ok, perfection might be pushing it since I got a ticket at 9:01 am today for failing to properly signal during a turn.  Here's the scoop - I did signal (the policeMAN) even acknowledged it ... but I did not signal for long enough - thus a $66 ticket on January 2nd!  Not my fault, though, or at least that is what I am claiming ... not my fault we live in a wee-small tourist town where the police have nothing better to do than harass poor defenseless mothers who are finally dropping off the youngest of her brood after 13 days of a kid & present filled existance.

OK, back to my striving for perfection ... if only in my own mind!

welcome, 2008

wow!  that is about all I can say about 2007 ... nothing monumental happened ... we ate, we breathed, we grew and we slept.  Because this is my first post of the New Year I will leave out that we fought, we pouted, we complained and we realized that we don't currently make enough money to cover all of the kids extra-curricular activities.  BUT, all in all, it was a great year and one that I am certainly thankful for.

While I have spent a lot of time in the past few days being reflective, pensive and basically "psycho in my head" I have given lots of time and thought to the three following categories which  I will discuss shortly...

1. money, money money money!

2. we just have way too much crap in the house ... no wonder 5 minutes after everyone comes home from school it appears that a whirlwind has struck the house

3. parenting, discipline, "liking your kids", etc.

Chew on those for a while and I will be back to discuss later!