Thursday, June 30, 2005

Missing

I miss my babies. And husband. And dog.
That is all.

Image Meme

Seen many places. Can't remember them all. Stolen directly from Zoot.

Directions:

Go to Google and click on the "Images" link. Type in the following and post the first (or your favorite) picture the search engine finds.

Sunday, June 26, 2005

I'm Here...

In hot, hot & humid St. Louis.

Yay, for central air.

My little nephew is the most adorable red-headed baby EVER. He is sweet. He hardly cries. He didn't wake me up once last night. He sleeps A LOT. And his cry does not shatter glass. Not that I've ever known anyone who has. It's not like one or two of my children had that ability at birth. HA!

But Collin. No glass shatters. No hullabaloo ensues. Just quiet. Peace and quiet. And an occasional newborn sounding cry.

And light. The child is long and oh so skinny. I can hold him with one arm for hours. Not that I've tried that or anything. *cough, cough* Have I mentioned how cute he is?

The trip out...

Do you really want to know? No? Well, I know I've mentioned this before - my blog - my chance to whine/complain/rant/expound on the mundane/write boring drivel. So here goes...

The trip involved 3 flights.
  1. Rochester to Detroit.

    Was late pulling into the terminal in Detroit. I got off with 9 minutes until my next flight was suppose to take off. Checked the screen with the info... Gate A10. Looked at the gate I just came out of... Gate 53. FIFTY_THREE! 9 minutes.

    I ran (okay, speed walked) 43 gates (Imagine Hurley on LOST running for his flight). I was late. They'd held the plane. (Someone might have mentioned they were going to do that) I received many dirty looks from passengers. My seatmate informed me there was a tram that would have got me there in 2 minutes. I figure the amount of time it would have taken me to find out how the whole tram thing worked the plane would have been in Memphis.
  2. Yes, Detroit to Memphis.

    20 minutes from gate to gate. Gate was 10 yards away. Plane was already boarded. Still had time to use a real bathroom.
  3. Memphis to St. Louis.

    Arrived at last. Luggage actually made it. I was sure it wouldn't since I barely made the flights. But YAY! Luggage. YAY! no more flying in a tiny, ity-bity seat, where hot sweaty people surround you for another week. YAY! Get to see Shana, Rob and COLLIN!
So that is the end of my trip. Now I must just survive the heat. Did I mention the crushing, smothering HEAT?

Saturday, June 25, 2005

I'm Off...

Must start getting ready to fly to St. Louis.

I have packed NOTHING.
I have made lists of NOTHING.
I have NO BOOKS to read on the trip.
I have errands to run.

I REALLY must get off the computer.

7 hours until lift-off...

Friday, June 24, 2005

Hot Weather Hullabaloo

I just found my 6 y/o in the dryer.
He won't come out.

Childhood

All these posts have me thinking about my childhood. Sort of the point I guess. Also a great writing exercise.

It actually took me days to do those posts. DAYS.

They have left me sorting through those long lost memories. I found the '5 things I miss' difficult because I don't miss most of what I remember. I had to keep shoving the 'things I'm grateful are gone' thoughts out and try to pull out the good things. I won't say they came flooding back but the more I thought about it the more memories came back. It's definitely something I may revisit in the future when I start writing again. Great way to mine for ideas.

The poem was difficult because I don't remember much more than the horrible teen angst that I'd prefer to forget. This too brought back many memories the more I thought about it. I won't say it was easy... definitely not. But a great exercise and a great way to force back the memories I've buried.

Anyone else up for mining their memories?

On another note of childhood...

Today is day 3 of summer vacation. The kids are all still alive and we are slowly getting into our summer schedules. I figure once we have it down, new activities will be introduced and everything will change. Ah, such is life.

Baseball is in high gear since Alex made the all-star team. Every night is practice or a game. I am going to miss all the all-star games because they are taking place while I'm in St. Louis. I'm sad about this but Alex seems fine. He says he makes his best hits when I'm not there. So there's that.

They have also extended the regular season because of all the rain and flooding we had. The only problem with that is soccer starts next week. When baseball is suppose to be over. When I won't be here. When Alex & Tyler & Zach all have practice at the same time on different fields. When Alex will have a baseball game at yet another set of fields. 1 adult, 4 kids, 3 fields, 1 child who must replicate himself. hmmm... not sure how this is going to work.

Max just took his food bowl into the laundry room, laid down and ate the rest of his breakfast. Can we all say LAZY?

Another scheduling conflict is tomorrow. 1 boy has 1st all-star game 20 minutes away. Starting a 9 in the morning. 1 boy has gymnastics 45 minutes away (in the opposite direction) starting at 12:30. I need to be at the airport at 1 (25 minutes in yet another direction). 2 children that need supervision. Extended family: 2 working. 2 not sure.

I think my husband should take over the scheduling NOW. Don't you? Good practice for while I'm gone.

Max is now playing with his bowl in the playroom. ATTACK!

The kids are dressed, breakfasted and brushed (teeth). YAY! Now it's my turn...

*updated to add: I still have not started packing. I'm sure I have plenty of time for that. **cough, cough**

Where I'm From...

I am from hot iron steam, from bike rides to Lynch's and raspberry Slushies.

I am from woods, a long, steep driveway, the smell of pine.

I am from oak trees, lady slippers and moss. The scent of the earth and the carpet of leaves.

I am from the pines, rhododendrons and toads. Lumpy and smooth all at the same time. Hopping. Peeing when you pick them up.

I am from trips to the ocean and strong women, from Moms and Aunts and Grandmothers.

I am from yelling and hugs.

From being anything I want to be and being different is good.

I am from Episcopals and Catholics. Church on Sundays.

I am from open-minded in a close-minded town. From New England and England, Poland and the Mayflower, a nice thick steak and pancakes for dinner.

From the question of my dad's parentage, book lovers, and the know-it-alls.

I am from photo albums and stories told during family visits. I am from love, laughter and support.


**This poem was done from a template. The original poem was written by George Ella Lyon. Both the poem and template can be seen here.

Thursday, June 23, 2005

5 Things You Miss About Your Childhood

I've been tagged by Englishrose. I've never been tagged before so I'm a little excited but also? A bit frightened.

It seems everyone has done this meme. Mine is sure to be dull and mind-numbing in comparison. Also, not very insightful.

But! I am nothing if not trying. Okay, wrong choice of words but anyone who knows me will tell you I'm trying. I'm also willing to put myself out there and try something new... as long as it doesn't involve physical exertion or daring or heights.

Enough procrastination. On to the meme...

First, the rules:
Remove the blog at #1 from the following list and bump every one up one place. Add your blog's name in the #5 spot. Now visit them and meet some new people.
  1. Marti
  2. Melody - http://melslifeinanutshell.blogspot.com/
  3. A - http://motherswork.blogspot.com/
  4. Englishrose - http://craz4acop7.blogspot.com/
  5. MoMMY - http://heidimdavis.com/MoMMY.html
AND, I pass the meme on to some writer friends:
  1. Cindy Lord
  2. Tami Wight
  3. Mona Pease
  4. Jen Kramer
  5. Donna Farrell
Now to actually TELL you the 5 things I miss...
  1. The feeling that I could do whatever I wanted when I grew up. I could be whatever I wanted. And I would be successful if I just tried hard enough.

  2. I miss playing in the woods with my brother. The hours of imagining space ships and blasters hidden among the trees. The way we tortured each other but were always there for each other.

  3. I miss the hours of daydreams and book reading and no demands on my time.

  4. I miss knowing my mom was always right. ALWAYS. The fact she always had the correct answer made me feel safe.

  5. I miss summer days that lasted weeks. Snow that was deep enough for forts, forts in the woods and under tables. Having a little 'nest' in the bottom of my closet to read or write or just dream - alone.

Kid Quote

"Dad, is my wood longer than your wood?" 
Said by Alex, age 10, on a golf outing.

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

A Moment of Silence

Today is the last day of school.

Tonight is the first night of my summer of binge drinking.

The end.

Monday, June 20, 2005

Slacker.

Yes, I've been a slacker. A busy slacker. But a slacker all the same.

Actually, can you call someone who is busy a slacker? No? Well, then I've just been busy and bad at prioritizing. How's that?

What have I been busy with, you ask? Well, let me tell you...

Wait. You didn't ask? You don't care? Who's blog is this anyway? Mine. That's right. So I'm telling you anyway.

But first, an important announcement:


HAPPY FATHER'S DAY
to all the DADS in my life!
Dad, Rich, Jeff
Hope you had a great one!

(Dad, I already sent your gift. Rich, you'll get your's next weekend when you come to visit. Jeff, well you know, you already got your's yesterday.)

On second thought, let's skip the busy-ness. Just know that I've been BUSY. But there is still much to do today. And today? Today is the 2nd to last official day of school. But tomorrow? Tomorrow I have to go into my 1st grader's class at 10am and participate in a Math thing. Then I have the privilege of bringing him home early. Early. Privilege. Who comes up with these ideas?

So, if you don't hear from me in the next week or so... know I have been killed by the children that are home all day and running free. EVERY day. RUNNING FREE.

The good news? The best news? I will be leaving home in just 5 days. FIVE DAYS. To fly. On a plane. By myself. To St. Louis. By myself. No children. Well, none that belong to me. And probably lots of people will be on the plane. But none I have to speak with or answer to or even respond to when they yell, cry, whine or speak. Alone. In the middle of many. YAY!

I shall bring my knitting and a book (or 10) and my camera. Oh, and clothes. I don't want to frighten the good people of St. Louis. I'm hoping to blog from St. Louis. And take care of my SIL and her new BABY.

Friday, June 17, 2005

Hee, Hee, Hee

Today I am feeling gleeful in my embarrassment of my oldest. Yes. I'm a cruel, cruel parent.

I horrified him. Embarrassed him. He RAN from me. And I'm laughing.

He accused me of being cruel. Begged me to not perpetrate this crime against him. Insisted I could not do this to him. But I did.

And I laughed about it. And the school secretary laughed. And she told me more ways to mortify my children. And I thanked her.

And now to explain...
I told the children years ago that if they missed the bus through their not getting their butts in gear that I would wear my pj's and fuzzy pink slippers into school to sign them in. All their friends would see and laugh and point.

Today is the first time I had a chance to do this. I ended up keeping the fuzzy slippers in my bag. But NEXT. TIME. I told him. Next time I will wear them too. Ha, ha, ha! This time I wore only my pj pants and a regular shirt. (and even a bra & sandals) What is there to complain about?

To further horrify him, I asked if I should buy a nightgown. With a ruffle or something. So next time I could completely destroy his life. He shuddered, yelled no, and started running to class.

Nice to have a parenting highlight at only 8 a.m. Maybe I can squeeze in another by bedtime.

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Happy Birthday Zach!


Today my baby is five. Five whole years old. So hard to believe. (Why must we always say that?)

He is preparing for kindergarten. He strong and confident and our little comedian. He loves to entertain. This is the child who performs for show-and-tell. He prefers to bring puppets so he can put on a puppet show. He sits in the little wooden chair and puts on a play for his classmates. He makes them sit up and take notice. He makes them laugh.

I hate to admit but I barely remember his first year. He was born while I was trying to pack up the house. We had problems closing on our house and were homeless for 2 weeks. I had a breakdown. We moved into a new home. His 20 month old brother almost offed himself about 5x's that summer. His oldest brother started kindergarten. My memories of Zach are sketchy at best.

Zach was my only child not needing oxygen at birth. The only one I got to hang with right away. The only one with which we seemed to get the birth part right.

It seems he was a good baby. He was a good nurser. He slept well. He got his teeth earlier than any of his brothers. His brothers loved him.

He has no baby book. No photo album. I swore I would never let that happen. It has.

I still hope to start one this year.

Right now, Zach is handsome and cute. He charms everyone he comes in contact with. He is also stubborn and his attitude is the size of Texas. He talks NON-STOP.

Zach finally got the dog he has been begging for since last year. Have I mentioned determined?

He's going to play soccer this year. Just like his brothers. He's been waiting months. He's very excited.

Zach is a photographer. He 'borrows' my camera when I'm busy. His eye is astounding. He orders me to photograph beauty. He is always dead on.

He must do everything his brothers do. He's clumsy like his mother. He's sweet. He's kind. Everyone loves him. And he loves them right back.

I love you Zach. I hope you have a wonderful birthday and a even better year.

No More Weather, Really. After this Post.

So it's raining again. Yes, again. The good news is it is a soft, gentle rain. Not a hard, flooding rain. And the basement? NOT. LEAKING. YAY!

It's not dry either. But. NOT. LEAKING. YAY! Wait, I said that already.

Water situation? We now have HOT water. YAY!

My meds are still keeping me sane. YAY!

My son may not need therapy. YAY!

End of year activities are starting to slow down. Well, not quite, but the end is in sight. YAY!

My nursery school career? Over. YAY!

Many excuses to go out for ice cream at night. YAY!

Today's to-do list?
  • Bake cake.
  • Buy son gift.
  • Hand over nursery school stuff to sucka new registrar.
  • Nap.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Water Be Warm, Please.

Oh, how I miss my hot water.

Oh, how I never appreciated your warmth.

For even when I want the shower to be cold,

I need you to take the edge off.

Last night I learned the error of my ways.

The fact I should bow down and thank the Gods and Edwin Ruud for your existence.

The pilot went out on the hot water heater again.

The water was as cold as a mountain spring.

The children screamed from the shock.

They handled it much better than I.

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Where is Your Ark?

I think it's time to start building an ark. The rains just keep coming. And Mother Nature is entertaining herself with sun, liquid air, and then Crash! Bang! Lights! Cue the floods!

Every day we have endured at least one major storm. Every day I see my neighbors pumping their basements. Everyday the fire trucks are parked on the street aiding the worst of the flooded. Today is day 5. FIVE.

The good news is... the air has cooled. YAY! And our basement keeps draining. YAY! And the plumber fixed the hot water heater. YAY!

The bad news... no pictures of hot firemen. Sorry. Maybe later today if I get a chance. (It looks like I will. We're expecting 2 more days of this weather.)

On another note, last night was a perfect example of why 4 children is too many. Unless you have 4 adults in the house or can clone yourself. Or, of course, if you can be in more than one place at a time.

Tyler was in a play at 7 o'clock. Zach was graduating preschool at 7 o'clock. Alex had a baseball game at 6 o'clock.

Thank you Mother Nature. The game was cancelled. Mother Nature was busy flooding roads and basements and starting fires with lightning at the appointed hour.

So Dad, Alex and Aunt Rachael went to the play. Dad videotaped.

Dylan, Grandpa & I went to graduation. I photographed.

We all went out for ice cream after. (Mother Nature was kind enough to spare the ice cream shop in her floods. Thank you!)

So we are damp, tired, and there are only 5 days left of school. Just waiting for the weeping to commence. (My weeping that is.)

Sunday, June 12, 2005

Welcome to the Rainforest

We apparently moved to the rainforest when I wasn't looking.

The air is liquid. The storms have stormed 3x's in 3 days. The basement has flooded 3x's in 3 days.

The good news is it may not be a huge problem with the basement as nearly everyone on the street has had a flooded basement repeatedly in the last few days.

They say it is the huge amounts of water in short amounts of time.

I'm glad I haven't done any landscaping this year as the rain has been doing quite a bit of it's own. It's having particular fun forming new rivers and relocating dirt.

A walk around the block with Max garnered many looks at hot firemen and some burly Water & Sewer guys. They are all over our street. Seems almost the whole village is flooded. Have I mentioned the hot firemen? Doing manly things in big boots? Looking hot.

On one last note...
All this water and no shower available. Unless you want frigid rain water to bathe in. Seems the pilot on the hot water heater went out. And I am NOT calling a plumber on a Sunday unless my house is floating away. Wait, it almost did. I mean unless it is floating away and the plumber can fix it.

Saturday, June 11, 2005

The Bad, the Worse, and Looking at the Bright Side

It has been one of those times in life where things just seem to keep getting worse and worse. Jeff and I have been stressed to the point of breaking. I just thank God for the medication or I would definitely be in a padded room somewhere.

I'm going to vent by listing the bad. Then I am going to list the good - or the 'at least it wasn't this' variety of counting our blessings.

You may not want to listen to the whine. If not, that is fine. Move on to the cute baby picture and news of my new nephew. If you don't mind or revel in this sort of thing... grab some cheese to enjoy with your whine.

The bad...
  • Decided lack of money.
  • Jeff's van needed big bucks to be fixed.
  • Jeff's van needed even more bigger bucks to be fixed.
  • Jeff's van needs even more big bucks to be fixed (we still don't have it back).
  • Time to buy a new car. (Have I mentioned lack of funds?)
Now on to yesterday's, send Heidi over the edge, drama...
  • Man with snake must come to clean out clogged sewer drain.
  • Thunder, lightning, rain, more rain, lots of rain and hail, high winds, and even more rain.
  • Yard floods. Several rivers form starting in the back of the yard and proceeding to the road in the front.
  • Basement floods for first time ever (in the 5 years we've lived here). Water is pouring into the basement in a rapid river/waterfall type way.
  • Four inches of water in basement.
  • Must clean out basement before mold forms.
Today...
  • Realize we must send 6 year old to a therapist for something that happened in the fall. We thought he was handling it. He's not.
The 'things could be worse' list...
  • Jeff has a vehicle to drive while van is being fixed.
  • Sewer drain is unclogged.
  • No lightning hit house or surrounding trees.
  • Water drained from yard.
  • Water drained from basement on own.
  • Basement was flooded with RAIN water not SEWER water. YAY!
  • Found the quickest way to clean out your basement. Flood.
  • I have a husband to do the dirty work.
  • Basement is drying.
  • Found out son needs therapist now. Talk with son and husband went well.
The REAL good stuff...
  • New nephew.
  • Mom and son healthy.
  • Got feedback from a photo buyer on photos.
  • She liked my stuff. Gave me direction for new career.
  • Got a new idea for a kid's book. (been a LONG time)
See, things can always get worse. I'm ready for more good things now. Anyone want to throw a bit more happiness my way?

Cutest Red-Headed Baby. EVER.

You want a peek. Don't you? I knew you did. Collin on his birthday...

Friday, June 10, 2005

Collin Jeffrey

Stats:
  • 6 lbs. 9 oz.
  • 20 inches long
  • red hair
Can't wait to meet him.

Thursday, June 9, 2005

Happy Birthday!

I'd like to welcome
Collin Jeffrey
to the world.

Born at 3:19 p.m.
No stats yet.
Mom is doing well.
Congratulations Mom & Dad!

8 centimeters

Almost there.
Mom doing well enough to call me.
Dad is fine. (except during needle insertions)
Nurses think it will all happen in the next 1-3 hours.
I'll have a NEPHEW!

Still Working on It

Spinal done.
Epidural done.
7 cms. dilated.
Mom on oxygen to keep baby's heart rate up.
Mom resting comfortably.
(TG for epidurals!)
Nana giving updates.
No word on Dad.

3 Minutes Apart

All parties are at the hospital.

Contractions are 3 minutes apart and counting.

This & That

So I'm still trying to renegotiate this whole June thing. No one's letting me turn the calendar back to May though. I mean come on people. May has all the promise of June without the insane schedule and end of school. May is IT people. June is just a jumble of running from activity to activity. The clock speeds up and all we do as parents is run, run, run. Time feels as if it is running out.

What do you say? Can we flip the calendar back to May?

In other news...
My SIL is in labor. LABOR. I'm going to be an aunt. WHOOHOOO! Little Collin is on his way.

As for the sweater I'm making for him...
I'm hoping it's done in time for my grandchildren.

Max? Did you ask how the adorable Max is?
He is chewing on EVERYTHING. The children, me, the husband, furniture, toys, his chew toys, sticks, and anything else he can get his teeth on.

He's also not enjoying the excessive heat we are experiencing.

Have I not mentioned the heat?
The 90+ degrees? The humidity? The fact I'm not a fan of these weather conditions? Well, there you go. Consider it mentioned. Excuse me as I go melt.

For those of you asking about the lilac photos...
I have not even started going through the photos from the lilac festival. I'm still taking photos but I am v. behind in dealing with them. At this rate I will be posting them in January some time. No, I will try to get them up sooner than that. This week I took a bunch of peony photos, so those will be coming up too.

Must jam shoes on the children and shove them on the bus now...

Wednesday, June 8, 2005

When?

Just wanted to know...

When did it become JUNE?
I'm so not ready for June.
All the end of year activities and
birthdays and Father's Day.
And only 10. MORE. DAYS. of school.
TEN!
And Zach has only 3 more.
THREE.
I'M NOT READY for Summer!

Tuesday, June 7, 2005

The Weekend

The glorious weekend. The lovely weekend that held all that is good and alcoholic and fattening. Except not fattening because Girls' Weekend is a fat-free weekend.

So all that cookie dough and cake and chips... totally not fattening.

And the fact I put on even MORE weight... has nothing to do with the cookie dough.

And the women are good. And the kids of said women are growing and healthy and good. And the husbands of said women - all good. Parents? Some good some not but all coping. Jobs are good. Promotions and house buying and such - good, good, good. And the fact we all got away for a weekend - Wondrous.

There was much talking and drinking and toenail painting. There was movie watching and eating and jewelry making. There was admiration for all and a late evening walk for dinner. There were almost no vegetables all weekend. There was a discovery, by me, of some absolutely fabulous sweet potato fries within walking distance of my home. Who knew? Not I. But now I do and I will consume many more of them.

There was also a bit of crankiness from a husband or two. But oh, the laughter. (not concerning the men - relax men)

And the weekend ended with a lovely trip to The Wizard of Clay. A perfect place to go with other women. Not a place to visit with children. Even I get nervous walking about. Imagine the tension that exists when you have children in your care.

But, no children present. Just lovely things to look at. I was very good and bought nothing. But I did make a list. So anyone looking to buy me a little something can just ask to see the list. *hint, hint*

Oh, almost forgot...
we played Cranium. I'd wanted the game for ages. Got it for the holidays. Never figured out how to play. But played it we did. And it was great fun. And one artist in the group made a Martini Goddess out of the clay. And then it started getting a bit riskee. And then it got downright dirty.

Thursday, June 2, 2005

ONE. MORE. DAY.

ONE. MORE. DAY.

Much more cleaning. Shopping. Planning.

Actually, my mom came yesterday and was a HUGE help with the cleaning. Other than the tub, the upstairs is done. Until tomorrow. When I have to wash all the sheets and towels and re-clean the bathroom.

Today is the kitchen floor. The playroom. The laundry room. Many loads of laundry. And many errands. And can't forget the lawn that is growing like a weed. Wait, it is all weeds. Guess that explains it.

The best part though? ONE. MORE. DAY. until my friends come!!! Until we have a chance to talk and drink and eat and talk and NOT TAKE CARE OF CHILDREN. No kids. No husbands. Just us. Whooohoooo!

(Even the puppy is going to my mom's Friday night after everyone meets him.)

Wednesday, June 1, 2005

Kindergarten Screening (2 years ago)

Going to screening yesterday reminded me of 2 years ago. When I took Dylan to screening it was a different day. A different kid. A different mood. A different experience.

He was excited. That was the same.

I was nervous. He has an October birthday. There was discussion at nursery school about whether or not he would be ready to go to kindergarten in the fall.

He didn't know his letters. He could barely write his name. He was difficult to motivate. He didn't like doing what he didn't want to do. He'd been known to tantrum (although only at home) and he was the most persistent person of any age I've ever met.

Well, now he reads really well for his age. He can write with the best first graders. His creative writing is amazing. As for the rest? All the same.

Everyone has told me it is because he is young. HA! It is him. He has been this way since birth. Now we need to work on finding ways to work with his being a pain in the ass trying to kill us idiosyncrasies.
But now to the real story...
A year ago I took Dylan to a birthday party for one of his friends. There I met another mother.
HER: "I remember you from kindergarten screening."
ME: Why the hell does she remember me? What happened to make her remember me a year later? Did Zach do something while we waited that was so inappropriate she never forgot? OMG, what happened? "Really. Um, I have a really bad memory." I am so socially inept
sometimes.
HER: "Yes, your hair was wet."
ME: WTF? "Oh."
HER: "It was in the afternoon."
ME: She's lucky I showered. "Yes, well... I had just showered. So... where is the birthday boy?"
What kind of person remembers something like that? What kind of person finds that so notable they remember? I can't remember IMPORTANT things. I don't notice when people I know get 10 inches cut off their hair. Why would you notice that?

Naps

It seems all this activity is taking its toll. I have actually napped the last 2 days. No really. It's true.

It's not that I've wanted to nap. Although I love me a good nap. But more of the can't keep my eyes open and am physically exhausted and useless and simply must lie down or I will just fall to the floor and sleep where I drop type of napping. Luckily the kids have been too busy to notice.

Yesterday:
The orthodontist appt. went well. I thought it would be a quick in-and-out. How foolish of me. The one time I bring nothing to do. An hour and a half and 2 new brackets later we were out of there.

An hour home for lunch with Zach and Max and off we went to kindergarten screening. I brought my book. There were 2 moms I knew from preschool there. One was nervous since it is her oldest.

I felt a tad ridiculous because it seems I know most of the school. Every other person (at least) who walked by had a comment.

Adults: "Another one?" or "Last time for you." or "You've done this a few times."

Kids: "Hello Mrs. Davis." (eleventy million times until they were out of sight)

I did get to see both my kids. I also got a chance to find out Dylan was having his testing today. Have I mentioned he is being tested for some visual perception/processing thing? Well, if not (I'm too lazy to look right now) now you know. Not a huge deal but it might explain his difficulties in math. I'm interested in finding out the results.

As for his take on the whole thing...
They have a TRAMPOLINE in the room. He got to JUMP on it. He PLAYED games. He got ONE-ON-ONE attention. (He is an an attention wh*re) It was FUN. It was easy. He wants to go back. I think he'd move into the room with that teacher if they let him.

I'm thinking if he needs extra help/special services, there won't be a problem getting him to go.

Oh, and Zach... he did fine in the screening. Except he told them his birthday is October 4th. It's June 16th. He seemed distressed to get it wrong. I told him not to worry. So he isn't.

As for the house...
NOTHING. Much work to do. Little time. WAHHHHHHHHHHHH!