tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57990179981835247322024-02-06T20:45:06.639-07:00Don't Touch the Cactus!Our life as we live, work and play in the desert.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.comBlogger455125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-24598937140997556352011-09-30T14:02:00.004-07:002011-09-30T14:15:26.029-07:00The Joys of Being Knocked UpWell getting knocked up at my age is proving much different then when I was pregnant with Little Man. That was five years ago. I do remember being tired but not really THIS tired. It's for a good cause though that's for sure. And I should get used to it since I expect to be this tired for the next oh five years or so.<br /><br />The kids are excited about their new sibling. And much like the Super Mario Bros. game I am sure there will probably be fighting over who made the baby laugh last or who's turn it is to sit next to the new one. Or we could go in the exact opposite direction and while they are excited NOW once the new kid is out and here they will not want anything to do with him/her. But I am doubting that.<br /><br />I don't have anything exciting to report besides being tired. But I was trying to keep in the routine of posting.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-44268535412567554992011-09-18T20:42:00.003-07:002011-09-18T20:56:27.439-07:00Well That's NewYeah let's see. What's new eh? Lots really. I won't mention I am a big slacker who never posts because in reality that's not new news. So now I actually have something fun and exciting to post about, but more about that later.<br /><br />Last post was June 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">nd</span>. That's a long time ago. I'll bullet list what has happened since then.<br /><br />1. Leo and I went to Hawaii to celebrate 15 years of wedded bliss. I ate so much food, I even took pics of it with all intentions of blogging about that shit but well you see how that turned out. Anyway, Hawaii is an incredibly beautiful place. I would seriously live there. And never leave the Coast. I also drank a shit ton and abandoned all responsibility, resulting in getting knocked up. By Leo just to set that record straight. I do some crazy shit when I drink but finding a new man is not one of them (at least not anymore now that I already have kids. Kidding Kidding, seriously I am joking).<br /><br />2. Little Man turned five AND started Kindergarten. IN THE SAME MONTH. Holy shit. But he is doing FANTASTIC and I have to admit here that I am kind of shocked. He never showed much interest in academics. But he is rocking Kinder like a star. I am beyond happy. And when asked who his friends were this year he quickly replied "all the girls". Trouble is coming.<br /><br />3. Sweet Girl is in 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">nd</span> grade and she reads the Dictionary for enjoyment as well as books beyond her grade level. She is a reading fanatic. I love it. But it's making me broke, even with the used book stores. Library won't work because she RE READS her books multiple times. She is kicking ass in Karate. She will best for her Orange belt soon. She is mean and I can't wait until she starts sparring. My sweet Girl putting the smack down. I love it.<br /><br />So that's it, the new news. I am hoping at this point to really keep up with the blog, now that I have being knocked up and the joys and fears that brings with it to write about.<br />I'll back and you will probably learn more about me than you wanted to know. I'm like that you know, an over sharer.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-53488566109992198092011-06-02T12:59:00.003-07:002011-06-02T13:18:10.530-07:00Recap of the Last Few MonthsIt's been months. I've been here, just not on here. But alas there is nothing too exciting to report, therefore nothing exciting to write about. At least in my opinion. And I'm not even sure why I'm writing this one right now because I need to be doing something else. That is probably the key. I only write when I need to be doing something else. Like when I was working at a real job, I didn't want to do it so I did blog posts instead. Daily. And now I stay at home, and while there is plenty I avoid doing here too, I am not tied to the PC all day. I can close it and never open it again. And email, I can check it on my phone. And then I forget to reply because typing a long reply on the phone is a pain in the ass. But I read them and forget to reply when I do finally open the PC again. So I'm probably losing all kinds of friends, blog friends because I never post and friends because I never reply to their email so they probably think I'm blowing them off.<br />Jeez I am kind of a bitch.<br />But really I already knew that.<br />You did too probably.<br /><br />So let's see what's been going on?<br /><br />Little Man starts Kindergarten in July. Sweet Girl is going into 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">nd</span> Grade.<br /><br />Sweet Girl is trying to send the Tooth Fairy to the poor house. She lost THREE teeth in ONE week. She does look super cute with both her front top teeth missing. I love it. But now they are growing in and the cute little window is closing. Boo.<br /><br />It's getting hot in Arizona. Huge shocker, right? Although the weather has been weird. Last weekend it was only like 79 on Sunday. Heavenly. But then it went to 97, NOT heavenly. <br /><br />Heat makes me crabby. I really just do not like it. I am not getting used to it, really just the opposite. I hate it more each year.<br /><br />We are going to Hawaii (without kids!) to celebrate our 15 year wedding anniversary. I am looking forward to that. I love the beach. I wouldn't mind heat if we lived on the beach.<br /><br />I've been reading a lot lately. I do enjoy reading. I just finished all of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It's about vampires, but these are not Twilight vamps. A very good series, you should check it out if you like vampires and don't mind them having a lot of sex.<br /><br />I made it through my first year as a Girl Scout Leader, we even bridged to Brownies. And I'll have you know that not one of those girls said any bad words because of me. Thank you very much.<br /><br />So that's about it. I'm sure I'm probably missing something huge but I don't think so. So maybe I will get in a routine of posting. The kids will be home and maybe as a way to avoid doing crafts I will do blog posts instead. Because there is only so much crafting I can do before I want to poke my eyes out. I always thinks it's a cool idea until we get into it and then I'm like what the hell was I thinking? I do that a lot so maybe I should just avoid crafts. I need crafts that require limited supervision or don't require me to take over to complete the task!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-39169587065376258162011-01-23T00:01:00.001-07:002011-01-23T00:01:01.151-07:00Traffic? More Like GRIDLOCKTraffic in CA sucks ass. I think it took us 3 hours to go 4 miles after leaving Disney. That does not make for a carload of happy people. And I was hungry. I am not really all that nice when I am hungry and I was really hungry and ready to EAT. After leaving the stopped freeway to make our way to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Chik</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Fil</span> A, I was better. I had food and drink and I was happy. All was good, except that we <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">weren</span>’t moving and our good trip time was wasting away by the second. Watching the arrival time on the GPS go from 9:01 PM to 11: 30 PM was a bit disappointing.<br /><br />Then Sweet Girl has to go to the bathroom. And she’s crying because she REALLY has to go. We are stuck in traffic that’s not moving and there is a closure on the ramp we need and a detour coming up too. It’s like the bad things that happen in threes. Finally we find somewhere to get off, go in and she is still crying but there bathroom is out of order. Do you have another one we can use we have a child emergency. “NO, you can go down the street and turn right to the Circle K”. Gee thanks buddy. I hope you and all your co workers standing around with you crap your pants in public. Karma works you know.<br />We head over to the Circle K, we all get out again which is a pain in itself because we’re crammed in there with all our luggage, food, strollers, and assorted shit. And Little Man is not the quickest kid in the west. His nickname is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Pokey</span>. So we all go in and are informed they do not have public restrooms.<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">OMG</span> seriously, I think Leo or I said how about she goes in the yard? The clerk kind of just stares at us. Obviously she’s not the sharpest tool in the west. Back in the car, I know the feeling Sweet Girl has. No one wants to crap their pants. Except I do want the clerks at the first place to crap their pants because they deserve it for being such jerks.<br /><br />Finally we find somewhere, everyone is relieved. No one has peed or pooped their pants. At least to my knowledge. And our trip continues smoothly. We get home late, hit the sack and wake up fir Christmas Eve. And that is the end of our Disney Adventure. Overall a good one. Except for my souvenir cold but oh well, I think we all had fun anyway!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-88893607308680189642011-01-22T00:01:00.002-07:002011-01-22T00:01:00.261-07:00Disneyland is SO MUCH FUN in the rain!It’s Day 2 at Disneyland, and guess what it’s still raining. And umbrellas should be banned from the park. I got poked in the face, arm, etc with the points. It is seriously annoying. And really in driving rain, an umbrella <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">doesn</span>’t help much. I was jealous of the rain boots though, I have to admit that. And there were people in FULL rain gear: jackets, pants, shoes and hats. That would have been nice too. But all we had were the ponchos. They helped yes, but not that much. Add in some wind and poncho effectiveness is decreased. And ponchos don’t keep your butt dry.<br /><br />We ride some more rides, we ride some rides multiple times. Like the Haunted Mansion. Little Man, obsessed with Jack <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Skellington</span> and that ride. I think we rode that ride 8 times. Pirates multiple times too. In a hard driving rain Big Thunder Mt is fun but damn that rain stings.<br /><br />That night I don’t think I had a dry spot from my boobs down to my toes. We had to find a launder mat to dry our shoes. I had to peel my jeans off me. Good Times.<br /><br />We catch a small break from the rain on Tuesday and we actually have a full 12 hour day where we are mostly dry. Same with Wednesday, this was surprising because that was the day it was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">forecasted</span> with EXCESSIVE rainfall, another 6-12 inches. Although Wednesday we had planned to go to the movies because we trusted the weather man. Should have known better, we saw a little sliver of blue sky and sun and we pretty much ran to park abandoning all reasoning because IT’S THE SUN for God's sake and we haven't seen that yet in "sunny" California. It did work out for us though, thankfully. We were able to go to California Adventure and got to see the World of Color. An amazing show all on sprays and jets of water. AMAZING. And we even get to catch the fireworks at Disneyland as we’re walking out of CA Adventure. They had been cancelled every night before. And some of the parks even closed early because of the weather.<br /><br />Despite our grumblings at the start of our trip, I think we all feel the rain was actually a blessing.<br />Sometimes prayers are answered in a weird way. The rain actually kept a lot of the crowds away. We were able to get on and off rides without a wait. We rarely waited more than 10-15 minutes for a ride. And from what I understand that is extremely abnormal during Christmas at Disney. This was evident on Thursday when we decided to go back to the park before heading back home to AZ. The sun was out and holy crap so were the people. The wait times were more than tripled. It was difficult to walk around. Yes we may have been wet but we were able to do so much more. I would gladly go back to Disney in the rain again. But I would go with full rain gear, jackets AND pants AND boots.<br />And because of the rain we didn't take the strollers in the park because I wasn't going to push around that thing in the rain. And much to my surprise, my children never, not once, complain about having to walk. Shocking I know...<br /><br />We rode only two rides I think on Thursday before heading home. And that was the beginning of<br />another adventure in itself. I will save that for the next post.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-73988600149707183752011-01-21T00:01:00.002-07:002011-01-21T00:01:00.330-07:00CURB!! PUDDLE!! Where’s My Poncho?So it’s barely raining now, this was after our making it to the hotel in torrential rain. God bless Leonard and his mad driving skills. We’re going to Disneyland because we can’t check into our hotel yet. And because yes it’s barely raining. But we stop and prepare ourselves with ponchos. Disneyland themed ponchos at that! We’re set.<br /><br />We park, ride the tram to the entrance. And go in. And we are not in that park five minutes, not even down <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Main Street</span> yet when my Mom trips over the curb and falls. She was so captivated by the giant ass Christmas tree and all its 1200 ornaments that she failed to see the curb transitioning up. I turn around and there is she on the ground. Yep this is definitely one of our trips now. If Little Man had turned around and puked on the curb it would not have shocked me. But thankfully he <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">didn</span>’t.<br /><br />So after getting her to a bench and getting a ring of cast members surrounding her to save her from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">gawkers</span> we head on down to first aid. She rides in style down <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Main Street</span> in a wheelchair. She stays at first aid for a while and props her leg up to help swelling. And I am really impressed with her; the fall <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">didn</span>’t slow her down. She kept up with us the rest of the trip. I think she even surprised herself. And every time we got close<br />to a curb someone would yell “CURB!!!!!”<br /><br />We rode ONE ride.<br /><br />And then it starts raining. And the ponchos, pointless. Pants? Soaking WET. Shoes? Wet.<br /><br />“PUDDLE” was yelled when a giant puddle was seen, one that would cover your shoe. I still walked in a few of them they were unavoidable and everywhere. My shoes have a large amount of mesh. Water and mesh? Not a good combo.<br /><br />But we stay for a while longer in the rain, because <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">damnit</span> we paid to get in this place. And as we all know Disney <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">ain</span>’t cheap.<br /><br />We head back to the hotel we’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">ve</span> had enough for one day. We complain how much this sucks that it’s raining so much. And we are despaired at the forecast.<br /><br />We dry our shoes with the blow-dryer that night.<br /><br />And we sleep. And I’m sure we’re all praying that the rain lets up so we can enjoy the park. At least I know I am praying!<br /><br />Stay tuned for Day 2 because my stories are long winded you know...Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-6487528641896220342011-01-20T13:50:00.004-07:002011-01-20T13:55:32.982-07:00Don’t Touch ANYTHING and Keep your socks ON!Well Happy New Year! It's still January so that's a plus! So it’s been a while, I really am sucking lately. And I find that I am starting every blog post like this. I guess we all know by now that I am a SLACKER. So anyway now that we’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ve</span> established that, I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ve</span> admitted it and we’re all good let’s talk about our trip to Disneyland.<br /><br />But first, I hope everyone had a great holiday time with your family and friends. I hope Santa was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">good to</span> you and you got what you wanted.<br /><br />We had a good Christmas, despite the fact I ended up wicked sick and really to be honest don’t<br />remember much of Christmas Day or the day after. But anyway, I do remember the week leading up to Christmas. Oh yes. And with most of our trips it included an injury. Let me set the stage for you.<br /><br />We’re going to sunny California to Disneyland. We surprise the kids. And let me tell you we probably <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">wouldn</span>’t have been chosen for those commercials where parents surprise their kids with that news. “Guess what kids? After the Polar Express in Flagstaff we’re not coming home, we’re going to Disneyland!” My kids just stared at us like we had 500 heads. Like we spoke gibberish. Like we told them we were <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">going</span> to the mall. That was their reaction. Until I guess it set in that we really were going to the land of Disney. Then they got excited. They are so weird.<br /><br />We set off with a stop at the North Pole via the Polar Express, where my children, well more Sweet Girl, belted or rather shrieked out some Christmas carols. Wow, that was one loud train ride. We got our bell that we all heard jingle so I guess we all believe in Santa still. Until I get so nuts from hearing the jingle that I pry that sucker open and rip out the bearing. Luckily that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">didn</span>’t happen. At least not yet. I should put those away until next year. Build up some tolerance.<br /><br />Now we’re on our way to CA, we stop in a little town in Arizona. It made such an impression that I forgot its name. But I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">didn</span>’t forget the Motel 6 we stayed at. They really should have turned their light “off” for us, so we had to go somewhere else. Wow. That place was GROSS. I actually wanted to sleep with my shoes on.<br />Don’t touch anything kids.<br />For the love of all that is holy PLEASE don’t put your face on the comforter.<br />Don’t touch the remote.<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">OMG</span> the phone is STICKY.<br /><br />I immediately itch, not because there are bed bugs (I checked…and lifted up the mattress and proceeded to wash my hands in bleach) but because it just seems like there are. I don’t sleep. Little Man is coughing. And they are PROUD to let you know that the Santa Fe train line comes through hourly and blows their horn at EVERY crossing. Really that’s the sign in the office. I know why they are so proud…<br /><br />We leave the next morning but not before disinfecting ALL our stuff with Lysol before putting in the Yukon. No joke. I’m serious.<br /><br />And on to sunny California, except yeah not that week. That week they had the worst rain storm they’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">ve</span> had in like 20 years. There were states of emergency declared, mud slides, floods. And A LOT of rain. And not just a nice drizzle I mean a hard driving rain. The kind where you can’t see anything. I’m checking the forecast every five seconds on my phone (because I can now, I got a new one with <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Internet</span> access and all that fancy shit). The forecast is not looking good. Rain EVERY day we are there. Red Alerts with EXCESSIVE rain warnings. Rain INCREASING AND Thunderstorms. I’m thinking, this is just great. All this damn rain. Maybe they are wrong, they are weather forecasters they are always wrong. I look at the radar; I pretend I’m color blind when all I see is a huge mass of green and red. And apparently they were right that time, those bastards.<br /><br />But we go anyway. And more about that in the next post.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-42057808680198685182010-12-18T08:31:00.003-07:002010-12-18T08:49:35.161-07:00The ONLY Time I will Complain About RainYou'll never hear me complain about rain. NEVER. At least while living in AZ because we get oh so much rain. And you'll never hear me complain about clouds either. The ONLY time you'll hear me complain about rain is when I'm going to go on a trip. And it's mostly outside and costs a shit ton of cash. We're heading to Disneyland and the current forecast is rain for the first two days. I'm hoping like most weather forecasts it's wrong. Clouds? Fine. A little rain? Sure, not a problem, I won't even complain about that. A raging downpour? Absolutely not acceptable. NO NO NO. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">DAMNIT</span>. NOT WHILE ON VACATION!!!<br /><br />So if you pray, (I'll take any God at this point), say a prayer for us that we're not soaking wet walking around trying to enjoy Disney in all it's Christmas glory. I am SO excited about seeing it all decked out. I mean really excited here, so if the rain ruins that I'll be pretty pissed off. I might have some sort of Clark Griswold breakdown!<br /><br />Peace Out and Rain free.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-87904995790419035432010-12-12T20:01:00.004-07:002010-12-12T20:50:50.398-07:00Going Going But Not GoneSo I'm not gone, I'm on a hiatus. Why I am on a hiatus? Because now that I don't work on a job that is outside of my house I am never home. I'm running here and there and all over the damn place doing you know I don't even know what really.<br /><br />I work at school, I help out but that is only once a week. I enjoy it. I get to have lunch with Sweet Girl. I like it. And for some reason EVERY kid in her class wants to sit next to me. I am pretty popular with the 6 year old crowd. I'm not sure what this says about me. I'm just THAT exiting I guess. Or I'm just <span style="font-style: italic;">THAT</span> exciting that someone who ISN'T six wants to hang out with me.<br /><br />And I work on my Girl Scout stuff which I am sadly behind on. I was doing so good, when I worked because I did all my personal stuff on the clock (I know brilliant isn't it? But I got my actual work done so it worked out as a win win for everyone, so no judging me here). But now I have no "clock" per se and I'm all over the place. And we're gearing up for Cookie Sales! Woohooo! Lucky us though Daisies can't do booth sales yet, so we can't harass people in front of the store. That's next year. So, I really need a defined schedule so I don't lose my mind for good.<br /><br />I also, because I am a masochist I guess, became a consultant for Thirty-One Gifts. Now I LOVE a tote, storage tote, purse and if I get the chance to personalize it, well I am in. So if you need storage tote or purse or stationary and want it personalized, visit my <a href="http://www.mythirtyone.com/31danielle/">website</a>. I LOVE that Large Utility Tote. It kicks all kinds of ass. You want one? You should especially if you have kids and all the crap that accompanies them. And their laundry or their sporting stuff.<br /><br />The kids are growing, shocking isn't it? I guess that's what they do at this age. But I'm not happy with it. I want the kids that love me and think I'm all knowing. And they must think I'm all knowing right now, or at least Little Man does considering some of the questions he asks me. For example, how does fire get on the ceiling or if we can sell scorpions. Or why is God everywhere. Or if we can buy a baby next time someone comes by selling them. Sure Little Man, we'll do that right after we call the cops.<br /><br />Our house is all decorated for Christmas (OMG I did in fact SAY Christmas, as in CHRISTmas, you know it is Jesus' birthday, oh there I go again, I said Jesus, and not in vain). And I'm quite sure that Jesus loves all our inflatables. Especially the trippy "snow" globe with lights that will cause someone to seizure. And if I could find one of those plastic nativity scenes you can bet your ass it would be out there. I love those old ones, I'll have to check the Goodwill. And next year, next year I'm going all Griswold on the house.<br /><br />Speaking of Griswold, how can you NOT love Christmas Vacation? LOVE this movie! Watch it as part of your Christmas tradition....And if you're feeling like Clark and think you want to have everyone over or the perfect Christmas then please don't have this breakdown..."Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse. "<br /><br />I'll be back again...hopefully not a month plus between posts!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-4936383636914535772010-11-01T20:07:00.005-07:002010-11-01T20:25:35.763-07:00More Tricks Than Treats!Ah Halloween you were abundant with your tricks yesterday, so I'm glad you're gone for a year! We had quite the busy weekend and Halloween day too. And apparently the black cat that showed up at our Girl Scout ceremony crossed my path and brought along some bad luck we redeemed on Halloween.<br /><br />Here is a run down of our tricks:<br /><br />1. We did some "tailgating" before the Cardinals game, we were enjoying some music when it stopped and Leo asked me if I turned it off. I didn't. I asked him if the battery in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Ipod</span> was charged. It was. So what happened? The truck battery was dead. Awesome. We have no jumper cables. Even more awesome. Leo asked some neighboring tailgaters if they had any, they had one of the jump pack things (official term, I have no idea) which was dead, but they had regular cables thankfully. Our offsetting good luck here was we had met some friends and they parked close to us. So into neutral the truck goes and we push it back so we can get a jump. It works and runs for a while.<br /><br />2. Our friend breaks her shoe, the toe band of her flip flop came off. No luck with the super glue. Lucky for her she had a spare pair of shoes.<br /><br />3. Leo dropped and stepped on his glasses. Broke the arm, but was able to fix it. But he scratched the lenses to hell.<br /><br />4. Our shuttle driver that was taking us from the parking lot to the stadium got lost. Seriously we made a U-turn in a school bus. We were already cutting it close <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">timewise</span> and he made me miss the National Anthem. That may have been some luck because I generally tear up when I hear it and after the morning we've had I may have started balling.<br /><br />5. Little Man fell asleep AT THE STADIUM. Yes so he's not feeling good. A sick kid on Halloween. Fun.<br /><br />I have a feeling I'm missing one or maybe two. As luck would have it I forgot. Or suppressed it. Not sure which.<br /><br />This week however will be better, my parents arrive tomorrow. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Yay</span>!<br />Sweet Girl turns 6 on Friday. Holy crap, 6!<br />I turn 35 on Friday, 1 more year then it's late-30's. Ugh.<br /><br />Hope you had more treats!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-89200511223813384072010-10-21T19:17:00.004-07:002010-10-21T19:28:18.269-07:00Up Down Up DownI had a lunch date with my favorite Little Man the other day since Sweet Girl went to lunch with one her friends. So we headed to Joe's Farm Grill, one of our favorite places. It's a yummy farm restaurant that used to be someone house and is in the middle of an urban farm. There is also a coffee shop there that has cupcakes and assorted items and so I told him we could get desert there.<br /><br />We finish up lunch and head over to get a cupcake. Little Man makes his selection of the cruelty free cupcakes (a little over the top if you ask me, I mean really you need cruelty free cupcakes??? Maybe it helps people with weird issues eat them, who knows. But a cupcake is a cupcake in my book and I really don't think the wheat used for the flour was treated cruelly in any other cupcake I've eaten. But I digress.). He selects a mixed berry with cherry frosting, it looks good. I go with the cruelly made <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">choco</span> chip pumpkin scone. It's not cruelty free, but I don't care because if you think about it, chewing it up into mush is pretty cruel too. So I eat that sucker and enjoy the whole damn thing. But again I digress.<br /><br />I look over at Little Man who is looking down at his shorts with this odd look, which usually indicates he's spilled something. I take a look and nothings there. So I ask him what's wrong. And what he says is not anything I was expecting. I mean NOT EVEN CLOSE. He says "nothing is wrong, I'm making my penis move. Up down, up down, up down."<br />I stifle my laughter and tell him "That's great Little Man, now finish your cupcake."<br /><br />Ah the joys of a boy!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-10307266170201090412010-10-18T08:49:00.002-07:002010-10-18T08:57:55.338-07:00It's About TimeI am probably going to jinx myself here but thank you Jesus for finally cooling the weather down for me. We had triple digits until the beginning of October. For the love of all that is holy that is just wrong. I know we live in the desert but seriously 106 on Oct 1? Wrong. Just wrong I tell you.<br /><br />But right now there are 70's <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">forecasted</span> for this week! 70's!!! Of course this could change 10 times before Wednesday when the temp is supposed to be 76 and then 73 on Thursday! And next week it's even going to be 70. I am anxious to turn off our air conditioner and open the windows. I am anxious to feel the chill in the house and maybe even turning on the fireplace. I am also excited about wearing jeans and long sleeved shirts comfortably and shoes WITH socks! I love the flip flop but am ready for some actual shoes.<br /><br />Here's to cooler weather!! Bring it on!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-18927599291176081592010-10-16T19:19:00.004-07:002010-10-16T19:35:59.334-07:00So Now What?I thought for sure I would have more time to write posts after I stopped working but that just isn't the case. I used a lot of work time to do my blog posts and now that I don't actually sit down to work, I don't actually sit down to blog either. I think about it but don't <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">login</span> to do it. I find this weird.<br /><br />Let's see what's been happening since my last slacker post. Sweet Girl has been coming out of her shell at amazing speed. She is making friends while shopping at the Pottery Barn Kids store and playing at various places. This makes me so happy. Little Man is growing an at alarming rate, with as many questions as he can muster. Lord the kid comes out with some good ones. And they are so random and all over the map. I mean all over, from why can't you see God to how does fire get on the ceiling. That is in one conversation! And he will NOT accept I don't know as an answer. I make up a lot of shit I don't know. I try to make it sound as good or logical as possible but if he remembers it at any point and repeats it I'm sure that will be just great.<br /><br />Sweet Girl is enjoying Girl Scouts. I am enjoying Girl Scouts too, actually. I've only wanted a shot of hard liquor after one meeting. Yeah... um...we've only had two meetings. Actually I really do enjoy it, that one meeting was right during PMS. 15 six year <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">olds</span> and PMS yeah they don't mix. Don't try it, just trust me on that one. Or maybe if you're some kind of masochist you can try it. Go ahead but I warned you.<br /><br />I'll be back and more regular. Like fiber.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-81893372206818412010-09-17T09:09:00.003-07:002010-09-17T09:23:06.569-07:00New RoutineToday marks the end of the second week I have not worked. It has been strange not having to get up and flip on the laptop and start working. I honestly can't say I miss it at all. The first few days I always felt like I needed to check email or was late for a conference call. But now I don't even give that a second thought. I figured it would take longer but maybe it was due to not having a lot of time to give it some thought. Last week, the first week sans work, Little Man was home every day sick. He had some random fever and cough and the poor thing didn't do anything but lie in bed and watch TV. <br /><br />So far this week, I've kept busy getting ready for our first Girl Scout meeting (quite a success I might add), had lunch with a friend, got my hair cut and colored and volunteered at Sweet Girls school two days. I have a new respect for teachers. I don't think I could that every day. I helped in Sweet Girls class working with groups doing contractions and writing sentences with quotes. I did enjoy it I must say and will probably try to do it weekly.<br /><br />Now it's time to clean out Sweet Girls room, she's a bit of a hoarder and her crap needs to be thinned out. It's much easier to do when she is not around!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-60236690323297100822010-08-26T12:24:00.003-07:002010-08-26T12:33:46.078-07:00A Moment Then GoneMy Sweet Girl has been sick this week. She missed two days of school and officially has tarnished the potential goal of perfect attendance for her entire academic career. Leo was the one who brought that up.<br /><br />I know my kids are growing up and getting bigger. They are really almost too big to carry around anymore. But I was carrying her down the hall and she had a good grip on me, a nice engaging hug, when it really hit me. They will never been this little again. Ever. They will only get more difficult to carry and won't fit on my lap much longer. It made me kind of sad really.<br /><br />They really do grow up too fast. It does seem like only a moment ago they were babies and now Sweet Girl is in 1st grade and Little Man not much behind her.<br /><br />Soon the moment of childhood will be over and they'll be leaving for college.<br /><br />At least for now they both like their mom, think I know everything, are convinced I can see through walls and out of the back of my head, and still even though really they are too big they like to be carried. Sweet Girl doesn't mind that I walk with her in the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">morning</span> line up at school or that I give her a hug and kiss in front of all those people.<br /><br />Proof positive that I should be enjoying all the moments I can because soon the childhood, my mom is the best moments will be gone.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-75455553039498683862010-08-24T14:08:00.003-07:002010-08-24T14:26:43.320-07:00On My HonorWatch out people, I've agreed to become a Troop Leader for Sweet Girl's Daisy Girl Scout Troop. I have reached a new level of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">momhood</span>. I will lead a Troop of 15 5/6 year <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">olds</span>.<br /><br />Was this by choice?<br />Well yes and no.<br /><br />I wanted Sweet Girl to be part of Girl Scouts, I was a Girl Scout when I was younger and still remember the fun I had, even a few years later when I put on my uniform that was 4 sizes too small and decided it was a good idea to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">roller skate</span> down the street in it but I digress that is another story for another day. I wanted her to join to help her make more friends, gain some more confidence and experience new and fun things (hoping she never does the rollerskating bit). And the Troop was full. Maybe it was maybe it wasn't, but that's what I was told. I think maybe she said that to lay the groundwork for the next guilt inducing comment to the effect of 'The biggest issue in starting new Troops so all the girls can experience Girl Scouts is adult leadership. Would you be interested in volunteering?"<br /><br />Ah see I got suckered, and I know it. Maybe it was all the cookie selling practice they have? Who knows. Or maybe I just give in to guilt to easily.<br /><br />So I <del>suckered</del> convinced one of Sweet Girl's friends mom to join me on the journey of molding the minds of 5/6 year old girls and preparing them to be the best damn Daisy Troop ever.<br /><br />It will be fun.<br />What the hell was I thinking?<br />It will be fun.<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">OMG</span>, how much stuff do I have to know?<br />What the hell was I thinking?<br />It will be fun.<br />It will be fun.<br />I'm doing it for Sweet Girl.<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Damnit</span> to hell if she decides to drop out, no way she's doing that.<br />It will be fun.<br /><br />These are my thoughts the past few weeks leading up to our first ever meeting. That meeting hasn't happened yet, so officially I could still bail but I won't. I'm doing it. And I'm going to have fun.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-79335863770013682782010-08-23T09:13:00.003-07:002010-08-23T09:24:19.792-07:00Damn BarbiesI played with Barbies when I was a kid and really I LOVED it. I had so much fun playing Barbies. My Barbies had lives and stories, the whole nine yards. Ask my sister, she'll tell you. She will probably also tell you my Barbies were also sometimes gay, and silly and sometimes they had a lot of sex. And poor Ken, there was a like a 10:1 ratio. Ken had many roles - Father, brother, boyfriend, etc.<br /><br />But now not so much. Now, I CANNOT STAND IT. I am happy Sweet Girl has Barbies and enjoys playing with them. She has a castle instead of a dream house. She has a jeep and carriage instead of the corvette. She has an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">assload</span> of Barbies, still only 4 Ken dolls so the ratio is the same even now. And when she asks me if I want to play Barbies with her I cringe. Because I don't to play. I cannot explain it. I would rather watch Barney for 24 hours straight than play Barbies. I try to divert her and play something else, like a game or cards or something. Sometimes this works. Sometimes it doesn't and I have to play. I do my best to seem <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">interested</span> and excited about it. But I have to tell you it's like some form of torture for me.<br />Don't get me wrong I love doing things with her and playing with her, just not playing Barbies.<br /><br />She'll probably end up in therapy because I didn't engage with her on things SHE liked to do.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-91366997385966295572010-08-13T10:04:00.003-07:002010-08-19T13:22:42.002-07:00Winds of ChangeThere are lots of things going on here that I should have been updating on, but alas due to my slacker tendencies I have not.<br /><br />We're getting better into our routine of getting ready for school in the mornings, better drop offs, and doing homework in the afternoons. I think we've all adjusted nicely to it. Although we're still trying to nail down the best morning routine. All in good time. School drop offs have gotten much better. I even got the I don't want you to walk with me a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">couple</span> times. I was SHOCKED when that happened. Sweet Girl is making friends and talking to people and doing great. I am so happy and proud of her. I tell her how proud I am of how outgoing she is being and how exciting it is.<br /><br />And now another change, I did it. I quit my job. I gave my notice and now it's done. It's both frightening and freeing. My last day is September 3rd. What are you going to do, you ask? I have no idea. I wanted a break. I will take one. I will clean and organize my closets. I will probably have to get another job <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">because</span> I will go mental at home all day. I debated taking Little Man out of preschool. But he likes it. And he's learning stuff. I don't think he views me as his "teacher" like that kind of teacher. We've never had those roles, yes I teach him things but not all day every day. And I didn't want to take him out and then put him in if/when I found <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">another</span> job. Not very consistent for the kid.<br /><br />Maybe I will write the book I've wanted to write.<br /><br />Everyone tells me, that I will fill up that free time in no time and will wonder why I even thought that I would not have anything to do. Maybe that will be the case.<br /><br />Maybe I will find out what I REALLY WANT to do? That would be nice. I would like to have that answer and know the joy that comes from doing something you really love and enjoy.<br /><br />It's kind of an odd feeling, I imagine I will go through some kind of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">withdrawal</span> and or weird depression of not having to come home from dropping the kids off and jumping into an schedule of conference calls. Or maybe not?<br /><br />Lots of changes for sure. But I think all for the better. At least I'm hoping so!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-1834863555948418012010-07-29T11:15:00.003-07:002010-07-29T11:29:20.634-07:00Over The HeatI gotta say, I'm OVER the heat and humidity here in AZ. This last week has sucked ass and has been extremely humid. It's monsoon season. Don't let the word 'monsoon' fool you. When I think of monsoon, I think of rain and a lot of it. I think it's the wrong word. We live in the damn desert. It doesn't rain in monsoon quantity. We get more blowing sand and dust than rain. And let me just tell you I LOVE that (insert an extreme amount of sarcasm here, as much as you can possibly muster and multiply it by 100).<br /><br />We did get a lot of rain over the winter (no complaints from me!) but that was probably some weird <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">weather</span> freak of nature. It's like we got it all then and nothing now. I mean come on spread the raining love over the year.<br /><br />On a different note, Sweet Girl is doing better with the school drop off. She still really doesn't talk to any kids while standing in line. I wish she would, I guess I would feel better if she had a friend. But it is only the 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> day and it will probably take her a little longer to make friends.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-59898178833876943762010-07-27T13:54:00.004-07:002010-07-27T14:25:50.833-07:002nd Day Not As Good As the FirstSecond day of school droop off was not as good as the first. I guess she knew what she was in for and it caused her some more nervousness and apprehension.<br /><br />The drop off started off bad as someone tapped my bumper in the parking lot line as I was pulling in. No damage but really <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">WTF</span> lady, pay attention. And seriously this would ONLY happen to me on the second day of school.<br /><br />The Sweet Girl was not as happy and excited today to wait in line. I tried to time it so we only had to wait a few minutes. But even in those few minutes she complained of a tummy ache and would not let go of my arm or hand. Yesterday I was able to get out of line and let her walk in. Today there were tears and I had to walk with her to almost the building.<br /><br />She wouldn't talk to the other girls standing in line around her. Yesterday she said she talked to some girls but really I wonder if she did.<br /><br />Little Man also had a first day at his new "school" as well. He did fine. I don't worry about him interacting and participating. He is outgoing and talks. His status sheet said he had a great day and enjoyed playing with paint.<br /><br />It's funny, I do worry about both of them but they are for the exact opposite reasons. The ones strength is the other ones weakness. I would never worry about Little Man taking long to adapt to a new situation, even with people he doesn't know. But I DO worry about his academics. That kid has NO desire to practice his letters. He can't spell his name. They practices X's in school yesterday and he tried making them H's. Sigh. This would be my last worry about Sweet Girl, that kid could spell her name at 2.5. She already knows and can spell all the sight words they have to know for this year. But new social situations, forget it. I worry until I'm almost sick. All this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">unbeknownst</span> to either one. And I know boys are different, don't compare your kids, blah blah blah. I get it. I would never say you need to be more like Little Man or Sweet Girl to either one of them. They are individuals. I just think it's funny how the strength of one is the weakness of the other. I guess it all balances out. At least I only have one major worry per kid. And maybe that kid can be an example. Although that hasn't really worked yet, probably because I haven't pointed it out. Nor do I plan to, so I'm back to where I started.<br /><br />I wonder if I kept Little Man home with me instead of working if he would learn more? But I'm Mom and playmate. Not Mom the Official Teacher. Not that I don't teach him things because I do, we've just never had structured teaching/learning time at home. Not sure how that transition would go for either of us. And he does like interacting with the other kids.<br /><br />Ah the joys of parenting. It's a never ending quest for balance, happiness, and all that without guilt!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-55288146819399955002010-07-27T10:51:00.006-07:002010-07-27T11:13:33.950-07:00The Beginning of A New EraWell <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">it's</span> done, Sweet Girl has crossed the threshold that begins her academic career. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Yesterday</span> was her first day of first grade.<br /><br />I was so proud of her. I was proud of myself too, for holding it together and not breaking down like one of the kindergartners.<br /><br />I gave her a charm bracelet with some charms. Each one <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">signifying</span> something special. A cupcake because she is sweet and special. A <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">snow cone</span> because she is one super cool kid. An owl as her good luck charm so whenever she is nervous at school about doing something, she is to hold the charm and say to herself "I can do it". The owl is significant because he is ALL OVER their classroom. He is their class "pet" and stands for Our World of Learning. The last charm was a Friends 4 Ever from a couple of her friends to signify she will always have friends and will make new ones. I think it really helped her.<br /><br />She stood in line and we stepped out of the way. She turned back once for a wave and then she was off walking with her class to her new room.<br /><br />No tears.<br /><br />A big girl.<br /><br />A 1st grader.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-14488068584403992252010-07-22T12:14:00.004-07:002010-07-22T12:27:12.415-07:00SighI have to say again, I'm not really sure I am ready for my Sweet Girl to be starting first grade. I don't let her know about my anxiety around it, I am always upbeat and excited when I talk about it. How exciting it will be to go to the new school, to make new friends and all that. I'm doing that in hopes that she will be excited too, looking forward to the new year. And while I know she is probably excited, nerves and being afraid are starting to tip the scales. I can see it happening. I know she's feeling that way because she is <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">unfortunately</span> just like me. I hated school in the beginning. HATED IT. I hope it's not like that for her. It makes me hurt thinking of her feeling that way.<br /><br />We have the meet the teacher night tomorrow. I hope this helps her, we can talk about more of what to expect over the weekend. That generally helps her deal when she has an idea of what's coming.<br /><br />I never expected my kids going to school to have this effect on me.Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-5469512697593537402010-07-21T13:09:00.003-07:002010-07-21T13:27:44.299-07:00Cloud CoverSummer in Arizona is not my favorite time of year. My <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">acceptance</span> of triple digit temps lasts about a week and then it's annoyingly tolerated. Mostly because what other choice do I have at this point? The past couple weeks have been particularly brutal with temps of 115 on multiple days. The pool isn't even <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">refreshing</span> and actual feels hot. I prefer to just sit in the house and watch TV when it's that hot out. But thankfully the temps like that are <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">short lived</span> (and really if they were not I would not be living here) and we'll be back to cooler temps soon. Yeah soon = probably 3 months but still there is at least relief in sight.<br /><br />Today we had cloud cover and even some rain (by AZ standards). I was pleased to see the blue sky covered with a nice layer of cloud cover and the blue grey rain clouds. I wish I could have sat on the patio and just stared at the cloud covered sky. But alas I was stuck on conference calls most of the morning and now it appears the sun is back out. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Yay</span>. You know how they say people in Seattle tire of the rain, well I have the same feeling about the sun. Too much of a good thing is bad in my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">opinion</span>. Jeez I'm <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">jonesing</span> for cloud cover to hide the giant hot ass ball of gas for a few days.<br /><br />There are a lot of changes coming up for us. This may mean some good blog topics which inspire me to write more often. Sweet Girl starts first grade on Monday. I'll be a big giant <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">emotional</span> ball of mess trying to hold myself together so she doesn't notice. Little Man goes to a new day care/preschool on Monday too. He'll be fine, no worries about him. He talks to everyone and does fine in new situations. Other changes coming which I'm sure will be a new adventure and stress that will need to be dealt with by writing. More on that later. But no I'm not pregnant. Let's just get that one out there now, that's not the change.<br /><br />Here's to more cloud cover!Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-44384312368315025242010-07-07T13:43:00.004-07:002010-07-07T14:01:52.924-07:00Long Time No WriteSo again I'm slacker blogger. Like you need any reminders of that. If anyone is even left reading it.<br /><br />We've had a fun few weeks. We headed to the beach, the Florida Gulf Coast. Yes the coast that has oil. We called it our disaster tour.<br /><br />We started out in Nashville and Middle TN (<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">disaster</span> 1 = flood) where we had a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">b'day</span> party for Little Man who turned 4 on the 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">th</span> of July. It was a good party, at the Pump It Up. Always fun to let the kids jump themselves silly. A little touch and go there for a minute as Little Man almost puked just before we had to leave for the party. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Impeccable</span> timing that kid has. He went pale white and lost all color in his lips. I think it was because he hadn't eaten all morning. And so I gave that kid some coke, a cheese stick and some goldfish. He seemed better. Although honestly I was expecting him to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ralph</span> in the bounce houses (he didn't but it wouldn't have shocked me at that point...). We shipped home a small toy store from his <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">b'day</span> gifts...<br /><br />We then proceeded to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">disaster</span> area #2 - The Gulf Coast. I obsessively watched all the sites, trajectory maps, everything to see if that oil was going to affect our <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">vacation</span>. I mean <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">seriously</span> we <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">didn't</span> fly 2000 miles <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">across</span> the country to go to the beach when we couldn't even actually GO to the beach. Everything was looking good, it was <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">looking</span> to avoid the area, until two days before we were going to arrive. We went anyway, praying. We got to the beach and thankfully there was no oil lapping on shore, but we do have a few tar balls on shore. The water itself was clear most days, a couple days we dealt with some June grass, but it was clear mostly. So we swam. Hopefully in 6 months we don't find out that swimming was a bad idea. It was fun, we enjoyed the beach pretty much every day.<br />Except for the time when Leo, myself and Sweet Girl were all puking. Oh yes, no vacation of ours is complete without vomit. And we got it. Lots of it. Good times. I'll spare you the details. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Ironically</span> our normal <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">puker</span>, Little Man, was spared. How odd. I expect the next trip will be two times as bad for him. Poor kid, poor me.<br /><br />The vacation motto: Is that a tar ball? and Are you going to throw up? I made Little Man nuts with asking him this. I was just waiting and waiting for him to puke. And alas he did not. And no one else that went with us puked <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">either</span>. I was happy to not share that with anyone.<br /><br />We loved visiting with our friends and family on our trip. It was great and fun. And while I don't have that same feeling of longing anymore when we drive around the Nashville area, I do have that longing feeling for all my friends and family. Having them all <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">together</span> for Garrett's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">b'day</span> and some came over to my parents was so nice. I miss them all terribly. I love being around everyone.<br /><br />I was happy to get home. But wish I was at the beach still. Maybe that means I need a house at the beach? I think that sounds lovely.<br /><br />We then celebrated Little Man's official <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">b'day</span> on the 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">th</span>. We tried to stay up and watch the fireworks that were "just for him" but both kids totally crashed out in the back of the truck while we were waiting. And then they slept until 8 AM the next day. Sweetness!<br /><br />And now it's back to the norm. School and work. I liked when the norm was what time should we go to the beach today?Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799017998183524732.post-17206642574129333972010-06-14T13:58:00.004-07:002010-06-14T14:08:44.689-07:00Campout FunWell we had our first official camping trip this past weekend. It was a really great time I have to say.<br />Here are some of the highlights:<br /><ul><li>Kids had a great time playing by the creek, getting dirty and having fun. </li><li>Kids slept great in the tent. </li><li>We had AWESOME weather, can I tell you how elated I was to wear jeans AND a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">sweatshirt</span> in JUNE?? </li><li>We climbed some rocks and saw spectacular views. </li><li>We saw a famous movie spot and we were dorks and took pictures. (From National Lampoons Vacation - the spot where they are somewhere in Arizona and Clark slams on the brakes and they almost fly off a cliff - Yep it's in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Sedona</span>! And we watched the movie to verify and sure enough the exact spot we took pics is in the movie!)</li><li>We met new people, and found a new game we liked (its' <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Bananagrams</span>, check it out it's fun!)</li><li>There were no farm animals waking me up at all hours. No roosters or cows! </li></ul><p>Some of the not so fun parts: </p><ul><li>The bathrooms made me gag. There are few things that make me actually gag, and this bathroom was one of them. </li><li>I forgot the pillows. </li><li>The first night I think I got 2 hours of sleep total, probably because I forgot the pillows and I've seen too many horror movies. </li></ul><p>Would I do it again? Yes and I'm looking forward to it. It was great to be outdoors and relax and let the kids play in the dirt and have fun. Time to plan the next one!</p><p> </p>Daniellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03157684624743354994noreply@blogger.com3