Christmas Eve - Part 2 "Wrapping"

Every year, for as long as I can remember, Eric and I have come home from church on Christmas Eve, put the kids to bed, and settled in either the living room or the family room to finish the wrapping. This year was no different. Well, actually, it was. It was different this year because Eric was rather cranky about it. We do it every year. He should be prepared. But, for some reason, this year he just wasn't happy about it. His attitude was not in the least bit festive or joyous.

It was compounded by the fact that we had the "We really should cut back this year" conversation back around Thanksgiving and as the presents kept coming out of the closet -- I swear they must have been reproducing in there! -- it became apparent that I had not done a very good job. At one point I actually dreaded getting up from my not-so-comfortable spot on the floor to get "another load." I could just sense that this was going to be the "load" that resulted in the "I thought we were cutting back this year!?" comment. And, sure enough, it was. (Interesting the way you can sense these things). I did try the "Well I got a lot of things on sale" angle. I also said "It really isn't that much." But, at the end of it all, my only argument is that "It just isn't that easy to 'cut back'". I tried. I failed.

How do you cut back when you have a 13 year old that wants a $150 ipod? And a 4 year old who wants everything he sees on TV? And you have to fill in everyone in between. And you need to be sure everyone has the same number of gifts to open. And you don't want to spend twice as much money on one kid as you do on the others. Is it working? Have I convinced you that I did the best I could? Nope. I didn't think so. I didn't convince Eric, either. Oh, well. What's done is done. We'll pay the bills in January and then I might feel a little bit of remorse. But probably not. Christmas was GREAT! Everyone was happy. And that is my job -- and I do it well.

Anyway, we finished wrapping. I (I mean, Santa) filled the stockings. Eric put away the wrapping paper and we were in bed by 1:30 am. Not too bad. We've done worse.

Eric swears that next year we aren't doing the wrapping on Christmas Eve. But I kind of like it. So we probably will. I'll just hope this cranky thing was just a mood.

Happy New Year!

OK, so he might be justified...this time

This morning Mark came into my room at about 6 am. He has done this fairly regularly the past few days and for varying reasons, all of which resulted in me sending him back to his room to go back to sleep. For the love of God, there is no school and I want to sleep past 7:00!

This morning's conversation went something like this:

Mark: Mom, I'm scared.

Mom: What are you scared of?

Mark: Fire.

Mom: That's ridiculous. Go back to bed. It is only 6:00.

Mark: But there is a candle burning in the family room.

Mom: Oh. Well blow that out on your way back to your room.

OK, so I think I will leave that off of my "Mother of the Year" application.

And the scary thing is that my next thought was "Damn, that was one of my favorite candles. I hope it isn't gone."

Christmas Eve - Part 1 "The Christmas Pageant"

My kids participate in the youth music groups at our church. Brooke has been active for years. Her group is called Music, Arts & Drama (MAD, for short) and meets on Wednesday nights -- they don't want any part of the little kids. Kevin was guilted in this year by the music director who suggested that he could just do handbells and skip the singing and drama. His group is called MAD, Jr. and meets on Tuesday nights. Daniel is part of Preschool Faith Weaver Friends meeting also on Tuesday nights. Mark was strongly against participation of any kind. But, as Kevin and Daniel's groups meet at the same time on Tuesday's when Brooke was at church working on her confirmation lessons -- he had to be at church anyway. The first night, way back in September, he refused to join in. So, I said fine. You can just hang out with me and be bored. About 1/2 way through the night a boy came out and invited Mark to come on in -- very sweet. Mark decided he would just "look". He went to the door, peeked in, and I proceeded to shove him from the back into the middle of the room. Stunned and not knowing what else to do, he took a seat. Lucky for me they were giving out Hershey bars that night. He hasn't missed since. The possibility of a snack is all he needed.

Anyway, back to my story. The groups all participate together in the family Christmas Eve service. Brooke's group sang and directed the service. Kevin ended up as a shepherd and singing. (He might as well learn now that one thing leads to another and saying "no" isn't that easy.) Mark was a King and had a small speaking part! And Daniel was the cutest little shepherd you ever did see.

We had moments of brilliance: Brooke nailed her piano piece "Carol of the Bells" and sang beautifully.

We had moments of frustration: The afternoon before the performance, Daniel expressed reluctance to participate. Actually, his exact words were "I'm not going up on stage." I asked him why not and he said "I don't like the costume. It chokes me in my neck." To which I replied "I'm going to choke you in your neck if you don't get dressed for church!" At the end of it all, he got dressed, Eric took him to church and he got swooped up in the mayhem and never looked back. (Or if he did, there was no one there to care -- we all went to get good seats and didn't even go check on him).

And we had moments of laughter: Mark walked in with the other kings looking like he was being led to the electric chair! I really can't adequately describe it in words. I am desperately trying to get a copy of the video and I will post it if I can. But it was absolutely hysterical. And when he said his line: "Indeed, this is no ordinary star. It signifies the birth of a new king. Let us follow the star and see this young king!" with the same lack of enthusiasm I cracked up -- and so did everyone else. So, we need to work on his "drama".

Why bother?

My kids had school today and will have another full day of school tomorrow before the Holiday Break (can't call it Christmas Break because that wouldn't be PC). The problem with this is that they aren't doing anything!

Mark asked me to pick him up early today because this afternoon the entire school (all 500 students) were watching the movie "Kung Fu Panda" in the cafeteria. The 3rd grade, as the highest grade in the school, sits at the back, so he can't see. His teacher allows him to move to the front so that he can see and even lets him bring a friend, but he is bothered by having to sit with the Kindergarteners. So, what is the point of making him stay and not see a movie that he has already seen and can watch (and see) in the comfort of his own home?

Tomorrow he has a party in the morning and a Sing-A-Long in the afternoon. I suppose he will attend because I am in charge of the craft at the party. I'm sure he would like to skip the Sing-A-Long (he has already told me he won't go up front and sing), but I can hardly sign him out early two days in a row with no good reason! Or can I?

Brooke stayed home with a cold today. I probably won't send her tomorrow, either. They are having an assembly in the morning -- the band, chorus, and orchestra are performing. And in the afternoon they are all going to pile into the gym to watch 3-on-3 basketball games for "Hoops For Heart" -- a fundraiser for the American Heart Association. Brooke hit me up for a donation, but not being a huge fan of exerting herself, decided to pass on the actual basketball part of the fundraiser. So, what is the point of sending her to school when she is not 100% so that she can suffocate trying to play her flute with a stuffy nose and sit on the gym floor with 100's of classmates watching basketball games that she doesn't care about?

Kevin hasn't shared the agenda for tomorrow with me yet, but I'm sure it is not chock full of academic stimulation.

Daniel is the only one who seems to have a purpose to his day tomorrow -- a Happy Birthday Jesus party at preschool that is sure to include a cupcake!

Completely makes sense...when you think about it

Daniel is a VERY picky eater. There are only about 15 foods he is willing to eat. He tries nothing new. Chicken nuggets is the only "meat" he eats.

Anyway, one of his favorite foods is a cream cheese sandwich on cinnamon bread. He has been eating this for a little over a year and he does vary it. Sometimes he wants it toasted, sometimes open faced, sometimes cut in fours, etc. Whatever it is, though, it is a trend. He doesn't vary from meal to meal or from day to day. (And he does eat cream cheese sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner -- but, not all in one day).

Currently, the order is always "Cream cheese sandwich, not toasted, yes top." I got to thinking about the "yes top" the other day and wondered where that came from. And it made perfect sense. The opposite would be "Cream cheese sandwich, not toasted, no top." So it stands to reason that if he wants a top it would be "Cream cheese sandwich, not toasted, yes top."

OK, that's enough thinking for me for one day.

There must be a better way

Today in New Jersey it is snowing. The forecast was for snow to begin at about 6 am, so I thought there might be no school. However, when we woke this morning at 6 -- no snow. I checked the website and there was no message posted about school cancelation, so I woke everyone and off they all went to school (except for Daniel who has a cold and has been hanging with me ALL week! Ugh!). By about 9:30 am the snow had started and I began to think early dismissal.

So, I, in my infinite wisdom, saw a small window of opportunity to run a couple of quick Christmas errands. Off I went in the snow to Bed, Bath & Beyond, Michael's and Target. While in Michael's my cell phone rang -- the automated message that school's are dismissing early due to the inclement weather. OK, no problem -- it is only 10:45 and Brooke and Kevin won't be dismissed until 12:15 -- ONWARD! As I am checking out, my cell phone rings again. Someone from MLK School is calling (mind you, I have no children at MLK) regarding Brandon (my friend Lana's son). They can't get in touch with her and want to be sure that someone will be picking him up. I tell them that I will get in touch with her. Call Lana on her cell. Two minutes later -- a call from Randolphville regarding Julia (my friend Jessica's daughter). They can't get in touch with her and want to be sure someone will be at the bus stop to meet her. I tell them I will get in touch with her and if I can't I will pick Julia up myself (Mark is at Randolphville, too). Call Jessica on her cell -- no answer. Call Jessica at home.

Now why, if Jessica is at home and Lana easily reachable on her cell, are they calling me? Well, it seems that when the emergency list is called they start with the emergency list and not the home and cell numbers for the parents. So, if you did not put yourself as the #1 emergency contact, then you aren't even called. But it doesn't make sense to put yourself since all of your contact numbers are listed on the "information" part of the form. Why would you put them again in the "emergency" section. Most people just assumed that parents would be called first and that emergency numbers used if parents couldn't be reached. WRONG!

At this point I decided it was time to give up my shopping and head for home, since I couldn't get anything done with my phone constantly ringing!

Anyway, to wrap up, in total I received 4 automated phone calls (2 at home and 2 on my cell), 1 call for Lana's son, 1 call for Jessica's daughter, and NO calls for my own children! BTW, my parents also received at least 1 automated call.

I think we need to find a way to streamline this process so that I can make more efficient use of what little time I have available on a snowy day when the kids are coming home early!

This guy takes his job a little too seriously

I went to Lube Express to have my oil changed yesterday. Admittedly, it had been too long -- it has been on my to-do list since October or so. Yesterday was cold and rainy and I didn't feel like being in and out of stores, yet didn't want to be inside cleaning and doing laundry all day, so Daniel and I hit the McDonald's drive-thru and headed to Lube Express for an "in the car picnic."

Well it is a little tough to enjoy your lunch when the Lube Express guy, Matt, is ripping you a new you-know-what for not having your oil changed regularly enough! Yes, I know it had been 9,000 miles. But, what does he care? You would think he had birthed my engine himself and given it to me to take care of! He kept going on and on about the damage I am doing to my engine and that it is highly recommended that I flush the engine (for $99), and that I was more than a quart low, and that oil gets burned onto all of the engine parts, and on and on and on.

So, I call Eric at work and tell him "Hey, this guy and Lube Express is quite disturbed by the fact that I haven't had the oil changed in a while and highly recommends that we have the engine flushed. What should I do?" And Eric, of course, says "Don't do it." And I say, "Well, geez, this guy is really upset about the condition of the engine, etc., etc. He highly recommends that we do this." And Eric replies, "Don't do it."

OK, so I had to tell this guy "No, we'll pass on the engine flush." Given the obvious gravity of the situation, I expected him to cry. But, he took it like a man and told me that we were going to keep burning oil if we don't do it, but that is our decision. And next time he wants to see me in 3,000 miles.

Yeah right! Like I want to go back there again!

(Well, actually I probably will go back there again. I get these coupons for a $19.99 oil change and they are right there by McDonald's. It is just too easy. Let's just hope Matt isn't working that day!)

Y-intercepts and slopes and graphs, oh my!

Yes, I am back on the topic of Algebra. This is going to be the year of Algebra. I just can't get away from it. Kind of like a recurring nightmare.

Last night, before the last of my party guests was even out the driveway, Brooke came into the living room and said "Can Caitlyn come over? We have an algebra assignment due tomorrow that we can't figure out and she thinks that if we work together we can get it." Well, as always, I was a good sport and agreed. So, in a blink of an eye, Caitlyn and her dad were at the door. I told her Dad that I would be happy to drive her home when they were done (I don't know what came over me!), but he said he had nothing better to do and would wait ("Would you like to help clean up my kitchen? I just had 36 people here for a party").

So, the girls settled in the living room to compare their work. And I sat down to try and help. I didn't even remember that y-intercepts and slopes existed and I definitely didn't remember that they could be graphed! But it is like riding a bike. Well, maybe not quite that easy, but I was able to help a little and an hour and a half later Caitlyn and her Dad (who had been watching the Giants-Cowboys game in my family room by himself while Eric put Daniel to bed -- he even let the dog out!) were on their merry way with the assigment done to everyone's satisfaction.

Gee, I hope we get a good grade!

For Moms...funny!

Follow the link below for an absolutely hilarious rendition of the Mom song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMhuAtyFCrw

I'm a moron.

Wow! It sure has been a while since I posted here. Just a long run of days where I just can't get out of my own way.

Here is my latest "boob" moment.

This year, as always, Mark's school sold Entertainment Books as a fundraiser and, as always, I dutifully purchased one. I always have good intentions of taking advantage of tons of coupons and I am lucky if I remember to use the 4 $5 off Shop Rite coupons, which just about cover the $25 cost of the book.

Well, this year even that will be a bit of a challenge since when December 1st came around and I knew that the 2008 book had expired -- I recycled my 2009 book!

Maybe next time I will look at the date a little more carefully before I chuck the damn thing!

Cold chicken nuggets?

Last night the boys had chicken nuggets for dinner. I know, not quite a gourmet meal, but Brooke had Music, Arts & Drama at 5:30 (which includes dinner) and Kevin and Mark had karate from 6-8:15, so no time for gourmet. Anyway, we usually eat pretty late -- at least 6:30, so when I put dinner in front of them at 5:15 they often aren't that hungry. Mark ate most of his meal. Kevin barely touched it.

Fast forward to 8:30 when the boys arrive home from karate.

Kevin: I'm hungry.

Mom: Your left over chicken nuggets are in the fridge. You can eat them.

Mark: Can I have some?

Mom: Those are Kevin's, but if you are that hungry I will make you some more.

Mark: (in a sulky voice, obviously put out) But they won't be cold.

Damn if I know what the appeal is of cold chicken nuggets, but there obviously is some because Mark sulked right up until he went to bed at 9:15. He never had anything to eat because of the constant sulk. Too bad, right?

Fast forward again to this morning. Mark woke up STILL sulking about the chicken nugget thing! (The boy can hold onto his anger, can't he?)

Mom: Are you still sulking about the chicken nuggets?

Mark: (nods)

Mom: Fine, then I will make you some for breakfast (gag!)

Mark: But they won't be cold.

Mom: (exasperated) OK, I will cook them now and you can let them sit out for 15 minutes and eat them cold.

Mark: (perky, and happy -- all is good in the world) OK!

So, what is it about cold chicken nuggets? I think my kids are just weird. And one of them is downstairs right now having cold chicken nuggets for breakfast! YUCK!

A guy's got to make a living!

Mark just cracks me up!

On Friday (before the ER incident), Kevin came home from school and announced that he had been elected as the Student Council Representative from his class. He ran against 5 other kids and won -- beating out the "popular" girl in the class who looks like Selena Gomez from Disney Channel.

Anyway, I was on the phone with my mom and said "I really give him a lot of credit for putting himself out there and running. I don't think I would have." At that point, Mark, who is sitting at the kitchen table doing some homework says, "I won't."

So, being the encouraging mom that I am, I say "You might. In 3 years you will be more self confident and might feel differently. You'll see."

After a long pause, Mark says, "Does it pay?"
I, of course, answer "No" and he says "Then I won't run."

So, how do you like that? He'll only serve on Student Council if it is a paying job!

I think we might need to work on his priorities.

ER visit or book club? Decisions, decisions.

Well, Friday afternoon turned interesting in a hurry.

At about 3:45 pm the phone rang. I could see from the caller id that it was Eric calling from work. I figured he was finally returning my phone call from the morning. Instead he greets me by saying, "I think I'm going to go to the Emergency Room." Just like that. He said it as if he was going to say "I think I'm going to go to the bar for a beer." Anyway, seems he was have a "burning sensation" in his bicep. He said he had called his doctor and she said to go to the emergency room.

So, I debate what to do now. Should I go pick him up to drive him? No, that would add at least another hour to his arrival time and he says he is fine to drive. Should I meet him there? He says no, but I kind of feel that a good wife should at least offer moral support. Most importantly, should I cancel my Book Club meeting? It is at my house this month and I have been cleaning and preparing food all day.

Long story short, I decide to drive to the hospital (like any good wife would do) and cancel book club. We were home by 8:30, having paid a $150 co-pay and learned nothing. They did an EKG, bloodwork and a CT scan of his head (maybe to see if there is a working brain in there!). From the start the doctor told us that his symptoms were "unusual" and that he didn't think he would find anything. He thought that it was unlikely to be cardiac, which is Eric's paranoia since his dad died of a heart attack at 70 (could someone please tell him that heart attacks at that age are not that uncommon and do not pre-dispose a 42 year old son to heart disease!), but more likely neurologic (thus the CT scan) -- probably a pinched nerve. So, $150 and 4 hours later -- no diagnosis. Not even a prescription for pain medication. Oh right, when the nurse asked him to rate his pain on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the worst, he said a 4. A 4! You mean I canceled my book club meeting for a 4 on the pain scale! You must be kidding! I think he was sleeping in the chair when I was in labor with pain at 11 on that same scale! And I am sitting in the ER instead of at book club for a 4!

Anyway, I have since learned the following information:
This "burning sensation" started on Thursday morning.
He went out to lunch with the guys from work before calling the doctor's office.
He didn't call the doctor's office until 3:30 pm -- 1/2 hour before they close for the weekend.

Of course they told him to go the the ER -- they don't want to stay there late waiting for him. And lunch. What part of that brain (yes, the CT confirmed that there is one) thought that going out to lunch was a good idea while in the throws of a medical crisis like "burning sensation in the right bicep!" And why, why, why, why didn't he call the doctor Friday morning if this had been going on since Thursday morning? Timing is everything!

What was I thinking?

Here's the way my yesterday went:

8:00 am - take Mark to school for Rise & Shine
9:00 am - take Daniel to preschool
9:15-10:45 am - get gas for the car, stop home to throw in a load of laundry, classroom observation at Mark's school
11:00 am - pick Daniel up at school
11:10 am - pick up Jack (Daniel's buddy) for swimming
11:30 am - take Daniel and Jack to swimming
12:00 noon - swimming over - get Daniel and Jack changed out of their wet suits & into clothes
12:30 pm - home with Daniel & Jack for lunch & playdate (work on PTO Treasurer's report while they play)
3:00 pm - Kevin & Mark arrive home from school
3:15 pm - drive Jack home
3:20 pm - pick up Brooke at Megan's
3:30 pm - take Brooke to piano lessons
4:15 pm - home from piano
5:30 pm - take Brooke to church for Music, Arts & Drama
6:00 pm - take Kevin to wrestling (Mark & Daniel with me -- Eric is stuck in traffic)
6:30 pm - pick up Brooke at MAD (she has to babysit at Randolphville, so needs to leave early)
6:45 pm - drop off Brooke at Randolphville for her babysitting gig
7:00 pm - PTO Board meeting, which lasted until 11:00 pm (Eric was home in time to pick Brooke up at Randolphville at 8:30 -- gee, thanks!)
11:10 pm - return phone call to Steve
11:30 pm - proof and print Brooke's science lab report
11:35 pm - realize that my printer is out of ink -- oh, crap!
11:40 pm - go to bed

Mind you, Mark was supposed to be at karate from 6:00 - 8:15, but unless I could clone myself (or Eric, and God knows I don't need two of him -- one is more than enough!), that just couldn't work. And I was supposed to be at a Board of Education Community Relations Committee meeting from 6:30 - 8:30 (missed that). In my craziest moment, I actually thought I could go to that meeting and leave early to be at my PTO Board meeting by about 7:30. That plan went out the window when Eric called from Route 1 in traffic.

And where, I ask, is the time for laundry, cleaning, dinner? I did manage to feed the boys -- chicken nuggets, Cheez-Its, and a bananas -- before I took Brooke to MAD (just so no one thinks I am neglecting the important stuff). I had a quick fried egg before I left for my PTO meeting (I can't figure out why I'm not skinnier!).

Some days are crazier than most!

Correction

I hate to keep harping on Kevin's wrestling/hair issue, but I need to set the record straight.

It is not a hair net that I need to get. It is a "stocking cap". Eric learned this last night while talking to the father of an African American boy that Kevin wrestles with. His older son wrestles and wears this "stocking cap" because he has long braided hair! Ughh!

I'm told I can get one at Walmart. But where in Walmart? I guess I'll have to ask someone. That ought to be interesting.

And now I promise I will change the subject.

There is hope! Or not.

Kevin just left for wrestling. But not before freaking out about putting his headgear on with his hair without making himself look "creepy". I guess the first time he put it on he pushed his bangs back under it -- giving him the "creepy" look. He did manage to find a look that worked for him. However, his hair keeps getting stuck in the velcro! I just about busted a gut trying not to laugh out loud listening to the sounds of pain as he pulled his hair out of the velcro strap.

It's going to be a long wrestling season... or maybe not. Maybe he will cave and get a hair cut. I know. I'm living in a fantasy world. But a girl can dream, can't she?

This long hair really is important!

Kevin and Mark are both sporting long hair these days (see Halloween and pumpkin picking pictures). I keep waiting for something to come along that will inspire them to cut it.

First, I thought it might be swimming. Kevin's was long enough that it got in his face a bit while he was competing on the swim team this past summer. His answer -- he wore a bathing cap!

Now wrestling season is upon us. Again, I saw a glimmer of hope that this might be just the ticket. Unfortunately, he announced at dinner tonight that he has a solution. He will put his hair in a pony tail and wear a hair net!!! WTF! Does the boy have no pride! He'd rather wear a hair net than get his hair cut! I don't get it. All I know is that I need to go out tomorrow to buy a hair net for my 11 year old son and I have an issue with that!

In my humble opinion...

Dear Everyone telling people who didn't vote for Obama to give our support to him for the good of the country,

I WILL support him and give him the benefit of the doubt even though I did not vote for him (do not trust him and don't believe that a socialist agenda can move our economy out of the shit hole it is in) because I believe in what this country stands for and want the "American Dream" for everyone willing to WORK for it. That said, unless YOU did what you are asking others to do and gave your support to Bush "for the good of the country", I ask you to kindly SHUT UP.

Dear President-elect Obaba,

How about a great big "Thank you" to the liberal media who did so much to help get you elected. And good luck. You are about to take over a thankless job in the middle of the biggest economic crisis this country has seen in decades. And don't think the American people are going to be patient. It isn't our nature and you made some big promises.

Food focus

Why is it that everything I do revolves around food?

I had a conference with Daniel's preschool teacher this morning. My friend, Tina, had her conference scheduled right after mine, so we went out to breakfast.

My friend Jessica and I decided to meet at the park with the kids this afternoon. What did we decide to do first -- McDonald's drive-thru.

When I'm happy I celebrate by eating. When I'm depressed I forget my troubles with food. When I'm tired I don't nap -- I go to Dunkin' Donuts for a coffee (and a donut sure can pick me up). Eric and I once had a weight loss bet -- who could lose the most weight in a month. What was the reward? -- winner picks the restaurant for a dinner out! (I don't think either one of us lost any weight, so a winner could not be determined)

And just to show you how severe my food focus is, when I am going out to dinner, I look online for a restaurant menu so I can decide what I'm having and look forward to it all day. Pretty pathetic, huh? I will also eat less during the day so I can eat more at dinner.

It's no wonder I am overweight!

Back to the gym on Monday -- and this time I won't use it as a way to rationalize eating more!

Halloween pictures

Daniel at his Minnow Pond parade



Mark at the Randolphville parade

Daniel, Mark & Kevin ready for Trick-or-Treating



Megan and Brooke with our skeleton friend

Costumes

Halloween is a lot of work under any circumstances. Getting costumes together for 4 kids is difficult -- expensive, exasperating, time consuming, etc.

Brooke is a cheerleader. I bought her a cute little typical cheerleader costume. It is straight across the top with 3/4 inch straps over her shoulders. So, the obvious questions is...what are you going to wear under it. Despite the fact that the weather forecast is beautiful with a high expected to be in the low 60's, her plan is to trick-or-treat after 6:00, so the temperature will be dropping. Of course, she had no really good ideas. Her plan was to leave her legs bare (BRRR!) and wear her jacket. I can deal with the bare legs, but the bare chest and neck was going to have to be a "No." So, I spent an hour and a half last night looking for my silk, long-sleeve long underwear top. Do you think I could find it? I dumped almost every box of clothes in the basement, looked in every drawer in my dresser (and Brooke's and Eric's for whatever reason), in my closet, in the upstairs bathroom closet, in the office closet (I know, getting desperate here). It is no where to be found. I'm sure it will turn up sometime in July! I finally ended up borrowing a white under armour top from a friend.

Kevin never told me what he wanted to be. I didn't think I should have to beg, so last weekend I told him that if he didn't tell me what he wanted to be or take some kind of initiative to come up with a costume he could either wear last year's costume or put on his karate uniform for trick-or-treating -- or skip it all together. I still don't know what his plan is.

Mark was easy. He is a Yankee baseball player. He is wearing his A-Rod jersey and I bought him a pair of white baseball pants. He already has a Yankee hat, so we are good to go.

And Daniel is a Blue Power Ranger. Or will he decide to wear Mark's old Spiderman costume? Or will he wear the Buzz Lightyear costume that he wore to the Faith Weaver Friends party on Tuesday? Actually, since I went out and bought the Power Ranger costume brand new for him for 35 bucks he will wear that if he knows what is good for him!

We'll see...

Pictures tomorrow.

The Phillies ROCK!

Last night the Philadelphia Phillies FINALLY won another World Series! Woo hoo! I grew up a Phillies fan and Eric is a big Phillies fan, and while our boys have somewhat brought us over to the "dark side" of the New York Yankees, we still love those Phils. (I am glad the Yankees are in the AL and the Phillies in the NL so I can somewhat justify my dual allegiance).

Let me just tell you that when they suspended that game AFTER the Rays tied it in the top of the 6th -- I was more than a little annoyed. I felt that they waited for the score to be tied up to suspend. The conditions were no worse in the middle of the 6th than they were at the end of the 5th when the Phillies were leading by a run.

Oh well, all's well that ends well!

The one perk is that last night's game was only a 3 1/2 inning game and we could let the kids stay up and watch. I was pleased that, despite their love for the Yankees, Kevin and Mark rallied around their dad and the Phillies and cheered them on. Of course, they all want Philadelphia Phillies 2008 World Series Champions SHIRTS! And I think they just might get them!!!!

God works in mysterious ways

Dear Mr. Lopez,

Thank you for the catcher's mitt. I wanted one for a long time and I have been begging my parents. I have already used it alot. it is Awesome. Almost every night I use it with my brother and dad. I have always wanted to be the greatest catcher in the MLB.

Thanks. Mark

Mark really has been asking for a catcher's mitt for months. We kept telling him to put it on his Christmas list, but that didn't stop the constant nagging. Then one night my dad called and said that a friend of theirs, Bob, had been having lunch with a friend and mentioned the boys and their visual impairment, etc., etc. Well this friend was moved by the story and happens to work at a golf course where he had recently found a catcher's mitt that had not been claimed! He went and got it, gave it to Bob, and asked that he pass it along to the boys. Kind of freaky, isn't it?

Well, as fate (and God) would have it, Mark is now the thrilled, proud new owner of a completely broken in catcher's mitt. Above is the sweet thank you note that he wrote to the gentleman. I hope he will know how happy he has made this 8-year old boy who wants more than anything to be a Major League Baseball player, but can't see well enough to hit or catch a baseball in the sunlight.

High hopes and big dreams

Daniel takes a swimming class (reluctantly) every Monday morning. The class is called "Toddler Splash" and it is an "all by himself, without Mommy" class.

He refuses to go under water, will only swim with one particular teacher who promises she will not put him under water, won't jump in to an instructor, etc. (you get the idea -- he's not a very strong swimmer). Which is why I found it so hysterical when he told me this morning on the way to class that he doesn't want to do Toddler Splash anymore -- he just wants to be on the swim team!!! Ha!

Algebra update

I think I posted earlier this week that Brooke is having a tough time in Algebra so far this year. Well, strangely enough, I am thrilled to report that she currently has a 70.9 average!!! Woo hoo! This is a strange reaction for me to a C- average (she has never gotten a C on her report card and has 90+ averages in every other subject), but since this time last week she had a 69.4 average (a D) and had lost her text messaging priviliges I am thrilled at her progress. She had 3 quizzes this week -- she got 11 out of 12 on the first one, 13 out of 14 on the second one, and 1 out of 3 (OK, this is not so hot) on the third one. I am seeing some real effort on her part (still a little attitude), but some real sweat (and alot of eye rolling and exasperated sighs) went into those three grades this week. (Brooke especially loves when she sits down to do her homework and I say "Wait, let me just run and get my Algebra notebook")

Now, if we could only get this Algebra teacher to lay off the quizzes and let us just get this marking period behind us! She is hanging on to that C- by her finger nails! No such luck, though... another quiz on Monday... Stay tuned...

Blockbuster

The phone rang yesterday and as I sprinted to find a cordless phone, Brooke yelled, "It's Blockbuster." (We really love caller ID)

Me: Blockbuster? I returned those movies three days ago. Why are they calling?

Mark: Maybe you returned the wrong movie.

Me: How could I do that?

Mark: I told you the Star Wars movie is in the DVD player.

So, it seems I returned only one disk of a two disk movie. I guess I need to put "Return movie to Blockbuster" back on my "To Do" list. So much for progress!

Oops!

Well, I blew it! I signed up to attend "Books Over Breakfast" at Mark's school (sponsored by the PTO, for which I am the Treasurer) and forgot! The event was this morning from 7:45-8:30 -- the PTO provides breakfast and the kids and their parents (who remembered to come) sit and read books together.

I wrote it on the calendar -- both calendars. I was reminded yesterday while speaking with my friend, Jessica. But, I got up this morning and was enjoying the peace and quiet that happens briefly after Kevin and then Eric and Brooke leave for school/work and before Mark and Daniel get up and then it hit me. Oh crap! Today is Books Over Breakfast! So, I tip-toed into Mark's room and said, in my sweetest Mom whisper: "Mark, how badly did you want to go to Books Over Breakfast?". And he said, groggily: "Not that bad." Phew! Dodged that bullet!

It takes a village

I am eternally grateful for the many people that help me get everyone where they have to be, safely and on time. I am equally grateful for the opportunity to return the favor and help when I can. I just picked up my friend's daughter at school. She isn't feeling well and Lana is stuck at work with her husband away on a family emergency.

I have 4 children, so I sometimes feel like I rely on other people more than they rely on me.

Let's take the end of the school day carpool.

Before last school year our town redistricted our middle schools. Our neighborhood was switched from one school to another. The kicker was that Brooke had just finished her first year of middle school and had adjusted nicely and had a great group of friends who we loved. Thank God for "grandfathering". Unfortunately, keeping her at Conackamack meant losing her bus priviledge. We would have to transport her.

Well, it took me about one day to realize that I was in trouble. It was near impossible to pick Brooke up at school and get home in time for Mark, my then 2nd grader. So, Lana arranged for Brooke to join her carpool. Brooke would be driven by whoever was picking up Megan to Megan's house and I could pick her up there once the boys got home -- no rush.

Things got funny when, later in the year, Megan joined the chorus and had rehearsal on Thursday afternoons. So, the plan became: Brooke would go with Debbie, the Thursday carpool driver, and be dropped off at Megan's house, let herself in using the garage code and wait for Brandon, Megan's brother, so that he wouldn't be alone. Then, at 3:30 I would go to school, pick up Megan from chorus rehearsal and bring her home and pick up Brooke. It sounded crazy at the time. But, it worked.

Thank God for the village!

Algebra

Here is a recent conversation between me and my 8th grade daughter, Brooke:

Me: Have you finished your Algebra homework yet?

Brooke: Pretty much

Me: What does "pretty much" mean? Let me see it.

Me (upon learning that "pretty much" means "I did the easy ones and skipped the more challenging problems"): Do you want to get a "C" in Algebra?

Brooke (with attitude): Well, no. But I don't want to work any harder than I have to.

Now, how does one respond to that? I don't know. Maybe I should look into some really good beauty schools. Actually, no. That wouldn't work. That would require her to get her butt off of the couch. Is there a job that can be done from the far right end of my family room sofa? If so, she has a pretty solid resume!

Are those eggs or rocks?

OK, I need to preface this story with a little background on my two middle children. Kevin and Mark, who are 11 and 8 years old, have a visual condition called nystagmus. Basically, they don't have all of the cone function in their retinas. Their vision is poor, about 20/180, and they are extrememly light sensitive, so they wear sunglasses all the time outside and when they are in an unfamiliar or flurescent lighted place.

Lest you think that I am making light of this situation in my next story, I need to tell you that they are amazing kids and they cope amazingly well. We are so proud of their lack of self-pity and their ability to successfully navigate this world with their visual challenges.

Anyway, we all went pumpkin picking at a local farm yesterday. We go every year -- there is a hayride, animals, corn maze, Burger King nearby, beautiful foliage -- all of the trappings of a great fall family day. It was a beautiful, sunny day -- great for us, a little challenging for Kevin and Mark. We decided to go see the farm animals first. As we approached the pen with the pigs, Kevin said "Are those eggs or rocks?" I looked to see to what he was referring and what did I see? A group of sleeping piglets! I cracked up! (Then I looked around to see if anyone else heard him!)

More pictures from the pumpkin picking excursion:

Kevin, Mark, Brooke & Daniel

Mark & Daniel on the tractor

Daniel & Kevin on a straw horse

Kevin, Mark, Brooke & Daniel on the hayride

Kevin, Mark, Brooke & Daniel after a successful "harvest"