Halloween week.

Just time for a quick note...

Halloween is tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some photos into this computer but I'll tell you now what the kids will be.

Olivia - Indian squaw
Meredith - Spanish dancer
Wade - firefighter
Paige - pumpkin

I have a Buzz Lightyear costume for Wade to wear, but he has never seen the movie and doesn't know the character. I bought the fireman outfit just as a back up but he loved it and it is what he'll be.

Buzz Lightyear = $30
fireman = $7

Go figure, right?

Bryan has a football game, so he'll be gone and won't be able to trick or treat with us. I'll be walking around with my neighbor, Javier, whose wife is out of town.

He is my second husband.

Other than that, I've been sick this whole week - too tired to write out anything.

Started my Christmas shopping... if it is on sale - I'm picking it up. Stashing items is easy... if the kids find something I just tell them that it is for EBAY and to leave it alone.

They listen, but can't believe that I'd have the EXACT gift they asked for and I'm selling it on ebay.

After Thanksgiving, we'll be taking out Freddy, our ELF ON A SHELF. Freddy is a small elf doll that comes with a book/story about how he watches over our home and goes, each night, to the north pole to tell Santa about the children and how they behave.

Every morning the kids wake up and search for Freddy, because he is never in the same spot that he was yesterday.

Children cannot touch him, he'll lose his magical powers.

Warning the children that Freddy is watching is a wonderful tool to get them to listen well during the holiday season.

Can't wait for Freddy.

The only two times Wade will tell me NO!!

When I say to him...

#1 - 'open the drain'

and

#2 - 'quit playing with your pee-pee'

Enough said.

This week has been crazy busy but I'll do my best to fill you in...

Paige has a black eye. She was sitting in Wade's little chair - the Thomas the Train foam chair (sound familiar Auntie Linda?) and was watching TV with all of the kids. She fits nicely in it and Meredith was sitting next to her. I asked Meredith to move in front of her, in case she fell forward, and Meredith instead left her to go get a blanket.

Of course, I was on the computer - heard a thud, thought 'what was that?' and turned to see Paige on the floor behind me... with Meredith standing in front of her holding a blanket.

After much screaming and crying... all is better, but Paige has a bruise just under her right eye.

I'd show you a photo but I can't get photos out of my camera.

Bryan is in Orlando this today - football. I hate this part of the season. He's never here and when he is... I'm angry at him for the times he was gone. It is a bitter cycle.

I'm working lots and unfortunately I agreed to work this Tuesday, which is normally my day off. So my week, including this weekend, is booked now until a week from this Tuesday.

I do have off, from the hospital, on Halloween but both of the kids' schools are having parties and Bryan is attending the preschool and I am attending the elementary school's Halloween parade.

Then it is back to the grind of weekend stuff.

I must be PMSing, because everything is just bothering me.

My parents are out of town and have been gone for two weeks. They left my dad's car here for us to use, which we have been enjoying. They are coming home today.

This week, I arranged for a car wash company to come over and wash his car - in and out - so it wouldn't look like we abused it the way we did.

An hour ago, they called (after not showing up for 2 hours) and had a story about the truck breaking down and could they come out tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UH NO!!!! My parents are in flight!!!! So, as I'm unloading $240 in groceries, me and the kids go outside to clean Grandpa's car.

Wade is tracking more dirt onto the floor mats than was there in the first place. Meredith is climbing on the car to wash the windshields. Can I tell you that she left dirty feet prints on the hood? And Olivia is inside, refusing to come out, because the other two are doing the jobs she wanted to do.

Looming clouds overhead stopped me from washing the thing... thank God too, because it did just start to rain as we came inside.

At least the footprints will wash away and the inside is semi clean.

See the fun that Bryan misses?

Weekends are so short.

I've come to the conclusion that my children are not capable of getting along... at all... without the need for parental intervention.

Today was a constant battle. I have BORED children who just didn't want to do anything at all. And as a result, were loud and getting into trouble... which meant that I had a headache for most of the day.

After dinner, Bryan and I were cleaning up the kitchen, when this incredible screaming from the girl's bedroom. We have grown used to occaisional screaming, especially today, but this scream was different - and it was Wade.

Bryan made it to the room first only to find that Olivia and our neighbor, Jessica, were trying on their Halloween costumes, using the full length mirror perched in the middle of the room.

Wade had his fingers pinched in the swinging part of the mirror. He was screaming the most painful cry and was being ignored.

It all happened in a matter of seconds, but within 1 minute, we had managed to have all 5 children crying. Here's the reasons they were all crying.

Olivia - because she was being punished. Stay in your room, no tv, into your PJs and read.
Jessica - because she was yelled at (for ignoring Wade's screaming) and sent home.
Meredith - who was not in the room, but now Jessica was gone.
Wade - for the injury.
Paige - too much noise, I guess.

It was not pretty... and now no one is happy.

But I'll stand my ground.

My high school reunion...

Well, as I write this I am missing my 20th year high school reunion. The first half was tonight and the second party is tomorrow - at the Pier 66 hotel.

Tonight's gathering place is at the Howl at the Moon bar - a piano, sing along bar over in Ft. Lauderdale at Beachplace. It is free to attend, but I don't like the bar itself, the few times I've been there, and just didn't want to go. Besides I couldn't remember most of the people who were emailing me to check if I was attending. It is bad enough when you don't remember them alone in your home, but to not remember them at a bar setting, would be too much for me to handle.

Tomorrow's function is at Pier 66 and will be more formal. Even though Bryan has the evening off from football, I didn't sign us up to attend. It costs $125/per person and I just don't want to spend the $$$.

Not too mention the addition of paying for a babysitter. It would cost us over $300 to go... at that rate, I'd almost rather regret not going, then regret going.

If that makes any sense.

I suppose I could change my mind - we could always pay at the door - but I don't know.

When I was first dating Bryan, it was 10 years ago and it was time for the 10 years reunion. At the time, I was joking that I had 6 weeks to get married, have a baby and lose 20 lbs. I didn't want to show up at the reunion and have not reached any milestones as an adult. I wanted to wow people with seeing how much I've grown and by not being married, with kids and, somehow skinny, I didn't think I'd accomplished that.

Now, I'm at my 20 year time and I have the hubby, the kids and I'm still fighting those same 20 pounds... but this time I don't care who knows about it.

Stepping into our life is like stepping into a tornado. I don't feel the need to leave the tornado.

Not even for a night.

Maybe I'll change my mind - by tomorrow.

Bryan is off - I could still go, but I don't expect that I will.

Crazy days

Nothing new to talk about this week.

Yesterday, Sunday, I had a free day, which I never get, and was planning out my day, when I asked the girls to bring me their backpacks.

I've had them forget weekend homework, until Monday morning, and then there is a scramble to get it done. So, I try to combat that by looking at the backpacks early.

So, sure enough, Olivia has two reports due by Oct. 31. We decided to tackle one of them, but it was a book report and it involves a project creation. We had to make a Michael's trip and that was pretty much the rest of the day.''

Of course, I had to read the book - Olivia was struggling with telling me the answers to some questions. How can I guide her for a book report if I don't know the answers to the questions myself.

So, I ended up spending an hour reading her book - which was pretty funny, because she was AMAZED that it only took me an hour to read the same book that took her two days to finish.

This'll be an ongoing thing for a few weeks.

What this is all REALLY about...

Every weekday, by the time I get to the elementary school to pick up the girls, I'm usually in a bad mood. Not a bad mood where I'm cranky outwardly, but mentally I'm fighting a battle not to be overwhelmed with the load I've got ahead of me for that evening.

By the time I pick up the girls, I've either worked all day and I'm tired - or - I've spent the day running errands, doing laundry, or cleaning the house. Either way, by 5pm, I'm toast and NOT looking forward to dinner, homework, soccer, bathing and bedtime - what I call 'round 2' of everyday.

Sometimes, when I go to pick up the girls, I am in the parking lot at the same time as another mother taking her child home from the school. I notice them often and usually stay in my car long enough to watch them, without them knowing, as they go out to their car.

Why do I watch them?

Well, the child is in a wheelchair. One of chairs that reclines and has a headrest for her, which tells you she is seriously in need of much care.

I notice that her mother parks in the same place, every day - on the far side of the parking lot, not near any traffic and on an end space. She parks there because it takes them longer to get into the car than most of us, who are just trying to run out of the school. She parks there to be able to take her time getting the child out of the chair, safely in the seat and then, slowly, unload the wheelchair and equipment to the back of the truck.

What make me cry, when I watch this, is not just the obvious sympathy I have for this family... it is the fact that , as she is walking from the building to the lot, the mother is bent over the chair kissing and speaking softly or singing to her daughter.

Sometimes, I've been close enough to hear what she is saying... "How much do I love my baby?" or singing 'You are my sunshine' quietly in the ear of the child, who (by the way) is all smiles. This mother's love is obvious and endearing. She is a true inspiration.

The vision is enough to make even the hardest day melt away.

I mean, how can I be so overwhelmed with my day? At the end of each day, I have 4 healthy, beautiful, robust children... compared to HER day, could anything I have on my plate be bad?

No... I think not.

Believe it or not, I am grateful for the days when I watch the interaction between this loving mother and her handicapped daughter. I'm reminded that I may have a loud, noisy household, but how much do you think SHE would give to hear her child's voice one time?

So, I'll try to remember, today, that it is 9pm and the dinner dishes are sitting in the sink, the coffee is not made, there is a load of laundry waiting to go in the dryer, Wade is still up (after having drawn on Meredith's bed with a permanent marker), our neighbor's daughter is here for a sleepover and the three girls are teaching each other a hip hop dance and, not one, but TWO TV's are on with Hannah Montana.

Hopefully the baby, who's first tooth is sprouting will sleep all night.

But it's all good.... I know.

Busy, as usual.

Still can't get any photos out of my camera, but this is one of the few goals I have over this weekend. So, sorry, but no new pics.

Paige has a cold. Nothing much, just a little runny nose, and I think it may be because she is cutting her first tooth. Not that the reason matters - she just doesn't feel well is the bottom line. Hopefully, she'll sleep well tonight - she is still in our room and her not sleeping means that Mommy is awake.

I'm just grateful I don't have to work for a few days.

Busy here, as usual. Seems homework is a top priority and with both Meredith and Olivia doing lots of it, it just seems like we are doing homework from 5pm until 8pm. Some nights go quicker than others, but most are like this.

I'm getting better organized with their homework, too. I keep a folder, for each child, in the kitchen. I put their weekly homework assignments, reading logs, upcoming field trip forms and spelling words in the folders. Now, at least, we don't spend too long searching for the homework that needs to be done... we have it right next to us.

I don't even know where to begin... but I'll start with saying that something is wrong with my camera system. There is a glitch that won't allow me to download any photos into the computer, so , for now, there won't be any photos. I'll be trying to add some later.

We survived our trip!! The Nickelodeon hotel is really a Holiday Inn with a coat of orange paint. I'll have to admit that the children had fun, which is all that matters, but I was completely OVER the hotel within the first few hours there.

The pool area has fun water slides and a huge pool, with life-guards, a couple of hot tubs and a nice basketball court. They also have a workshop area that they have activities for the kids to do, but they don't say how much each activity is until you show up. Only one was free, most were about $10/kid. Which is something I wasn't willing to spend.

Honestly, when it came to the swimming pool, I didn't know which was worse - being surrounded by the other parents who were mostly overweight, flabby, and pale white OR the fact that me and Bryan fit in!!!

I'd be thinking, to myself, that I can't believe that these people were willing to get into a bathing suit and then I'd catch a view of myself , in a window reflection, and think, 'OH MY GOD, I look like them!'.

It was kind of a mood killer.

We survived going to Disney's magic kingdom, for the nighttime party, and Green Meadows petting farm. Both were tiring, but fun.

It was a short trip but quite a whirlwind.

Not to mention that Paige missed us all and we missed her, terribly. She was alone, at Grandma's, with no children fighting over her. I did give my mother a sheet and a few blankets for her to use there, so she smelled home each night - but it was nice to get home to her.

Tomorrow starts work, homework and, this week, CCD for the girls.

Back to the fire...