October 16 uh...
So, potty training children involves a lot of talk about what is going into the potty. The ever creative Elise came up with these two gems today... This morning, Lillian put poops in the potty (huzzah!!!!!) and Elise was supervising. I hear her say "That one looks like a banana!" So you can guess which fruit we bypassed in the produce department. This evening, she hollers out that her peeps are green. I said "Oh yeah, how did that happen?" In the tone of someone explaining the painfully obvious to the village idiot, Elise says "Well, they are magic." Of course...thanks for clearing that up. I have never been so excited for tubby time!! October 12 In the van on the way home from school, Kaely was telling me about how Christopher Columbus brought disease and that killed a lot of the native americans. We talked about how everyone has their own germs that they are used to and when you are exposed to something new it can make you sick, blah blah blah. Then I told her that today we have medicine and doctors to help us when we get sick. At this point in the conversation, Elise adds "And Scooby Doo band-aids! Scooby Dooby Dooooooo!" Thank you Elise. Also, I don't know where you get your old sailors named Richard, but I found a place in Charlotte that has em... 
October 10 On the road again...
We had a morning appointment to see another house and then the girls and I were leaving to come back to Tallahassee. The house is nice, they have done quite a bit of work to it, but the layout is wackier than the first house we looked at. That and it smelled...uh, odd. Not bad, I guess just that old house smell. I'll purchase stock in Glade and Febreze if we end up in that house. Sadly, there is no livestock at either of the neighbors. Definite con. Let's just say that the trip home was longer and more hellish than any exhausted mom should have to bear. But it so nice to be home!
And it still rained...
Saturday morning, we canned our plans to hit the carnival and somehow ended up with Shelby (Allan's 12 year old) at the coolest mall. Much like Sawgrass Mills in South Florida, but lacking the cubans and alligators. Great. That was pretty much the whole day...at the mall. But it was fun and it beat the pants off walking around a muddy carnival getting motion sickness from all the rides I would have had to have ridden with various small children. We did end up at some sort of NASCAR go cart track that is located in the mall. Highly amusing. I need to figure out how to get the video of Elise driving on here because, damn. That was great. Saturday night, we watched Alexander on the On Demand thinger. Pretty good movie and I highly recommend watching it with Allan because he is not a fan of gays. Sweet! Oh, and Lillian fell down the stairs, so I am betting that a 2 story house is out. 
Charlotte, NC: Where you can still smoke in the restaurants.
So, on Friday morning, at 5:15 am (pagi pagi) the girls and I loaded up and struck a trail for Charlotte. Rainiest.Day.Ever. I tried not to let that or driving get in the way of picture taking. The girls were awesome! So angelic and calm (I should have taken that as an early warning sign). We got into town and found Don around 2. We had a 3:30 appointment with a realtor to see a house. The house was neat, but the layout was kinda wacky and our neighbors would include 2 honking geese and 2 goats (and a partridge in a pear tree). For dinner we met up with Allan's family at Dante's and the kids went to town!! It was great letting them burn off all (no, more like some) of that excess energy that small children are famous for. Let's just say that after being up since 4:30, I was so very ready for my bed...too bad that wasn't to be until after 11. 
September 30 boys are gross
This morning as I was walking up Gardenview, I passed a city crew preparing to take down a tree. We did the customary nod and "good morning". On the way back, their truck was on the sidewalk, so we had to walk in the street. As I passed, the guy looked at me and apologized for blocking the sidewalk and then adjusted himself. I wanted to laugh and then ask him to apologize for that...but I didn't. The worker further down commented on what a load I had and I had to suppress the urge to say "Yeah, but apparently not as much as your friend there." So, in my brilliance, I walked today. No, no, there's more...Elise didn't have school today, so I was unable to drop her off and boy does she make that stroller heavy. I hadn't realized how much until today. And I know what you are all thinking... 
September 28 Hooray for school pictures!
We got Elise's pictures back from the photographer today...yay! She was so cute when she had them taken last week. After I picked her up from school, I asked her if she smiled for the lady and she said "Yes! She was a grandma!". So there you go...wanna get a good picture? Be a grandma. Also, today, while we were watching "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", Kaely looked at me and said "Mom, did they even have tv's when you were a kid?". Look, I may walk to school uphill both ways like an old person, but I am not so old that I ever had to live without tv...evar!
September 27 gee honey...
I dunno why I am having trouble getting all this packing done...
heh...my daughter is a pot head...
Yesterday was Johnny Appleseed's birthday (who knew?), so at school Elise made a pot hat to celebrate. The pictures do not do the hat justice...and you should have seen all the kids in their pot hats! Ha! 
September 25 Whew!
The present was a hit! He was so excited to get his Beater Bot. The party was also, in my opnion, a huge success (Hooray Jen!!!). So my only complaint is in the false advertisement (not really, I just don't understand boy toys) of this toy thing that we bought. The picture on the box shows this robot thinger...but the inside of the box shows an unassembled mass of plastic...gah! I assembled it...slowly, but it got done (sorry, I'm not an 8 year old boy...I'm sure he could have done it faster). The little boy is happy with his Beater Bot and attached "clip" of marbles that he can shoot at his sister, so I say job well done! We also had fun installing batteries in the two remote control dinosaurs (and by we, I mean Jen and Dad...because I was assembling that darn robot thing). To keep the party spirit alive, we moved things over to my house for an all night sleep over extravaganza!! We ate pizza and watched movies and then wiggled ourselves silly in a vain attempt to stay awake. In true sleep over form, we stayed up late and woke up too early (as in, before the sun). After breakfast, they planned out a play...The Princess and the Magic Tiger. I wish they had gotten more sleep so they could have actually finished it. They got as far as costumes and lost interest. Kaely was the princess (of course), but both cousins wanted to be the Magic Tiger...so one got to be the Tiger and the other was the Black Magic Tiger. He wore the black leotard and the sparkly black cat ears. It was (to quote the Guinness guys) brilliant! 
September 23 Shopping for a boy...
is seriously hard work. I felt like a needed a map and a translator at the store. There was no pink...no flowers...no feather boas. What was this strange place? So hopefully the little man likes his birthday present. I have no clue what I just bought...some sort of plastic robot thinger that shoots balls...dunno. Like I said...I was like a girl outta the mall on the boy aisle. September 22 Amazingly, the glitter was contained and no mess was made! I am so very impressed with that Kaely! They never did make it to that dance party, though... Today, I took a picture of Elise's work. It's all the stuff she has been working on that stays at school. Not much happening...worried sick about Rita. Mother informed me that Bay City was being evacuated (and her tone screamed concern). When I answered vaguely that I would look at a map, she snapped "That's where you were born!". I know that Mother...however, I am not a salmon and I need a map to visualize the exact location. Thank goodness for Google Earth. I am concerned, though, if the city in which I was born is wiped away by a hurricane...do I cease to exist?? I think Mother is just very stressed out about everything, and it just came out in the whole Bay City conversation. 
September 21 100% Girl!
I'm not 100% sure about what is going on in Kaely's room at this moment, but I can tell you that it involves glitter. I know, because I opened it for her. I just passed by her door and Elise is at the vanity, hairbrush in hand. Elise: I don't want to wear a bracelet. Kaely: You have to, we are going to a dance party (in her best snotty girl voice). All I know is that the vacuum will be used and abused tonight. That, and pictures will be posted!
Yeah, so my sweat was sweating...
Hot hot hotty hot hot! But I guess that makes a shower so much more dee-lish-us when I get home. So, I had to explain to Kaely the difference between the "home" phone and the cell phone. It blew her mind. Just wait until she finds out about records... Going to finish the bathroom this weekend. Which is good, because it has been halfway for about um, months now. I stripped all the wallpaper out, but there are holes that need to be patched...and that's where Daddy comes in. Hooray! We'll patch the holes and then I can paint. He'll also help me decide what to do with that crazy wood thing that hangs from the ceiling. September 19 Retraction
I take back all the warm and fuzzy things I said about walking last week. Walking sucks when the humidity is at 5000%. It was horrible and I was almost too gross to walk Elise into school. Yeah...it was that bad...like walking through soup. The cool thing (and by cool I mean neat, not cold) was that Lillian and I saw a turtle crossing the street as we walked back uphill through the park. And now you know why I carry the camera with me at all times. Apparently, in my former life as a pirate, my name was Mad Pegs. Bad Pirate Joke: How much for the corn? A buccaneer. Now ye must walk the plank! 
September 17 One thing led to another...
and before I knew what was happening, my desk was clean!! Any gamblers out there are more than welcome to place bets on how long it will stay clean... We are already going on 4 hours!! 
September 16 Maybe North Carolina won't be so bad afterall... 
Walking is fan-freakin-tastic! It just gets easier and easier...not that that makes it any more fun. I don't know about you, but sweat is gross. So I will be so very pleased when the weather finally cools. And, because I am such a nerd, I drove the route I walk...1.7 miles one way (uphill both ways...in a hurricane, because we don't get snow). Good times... We've had a little tummy bug visit our house, which means lots of laundry and late nights. The good thing about being up late was that I got to watch Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Frylock is my hero. Oh and Carl. So, the other day, I thought I was being brilliant (and by brilliant, I mean desperate) and I brought bubbles in the van to play with while we waited for Kaely to get out of school. Sigh...they were bubbles of the "Catch a Bubble" variety which means that they are very sticky and last forever (for a bubble: approximately 42.3 minutes). While the girls had a great time, the bubbles made a mess everywhere. Elise refused to get back in her carseat because it was covered in bubbles. There are still spots where the bubbles, um...for lack of a better word, melted. yay. Looks like we are going up to Charlotte the first weekend of October, just to visit and hopefully look at some houses. Don has looked at a couple...one was really cute. Unfortunately, we outgrew cute little houses 2 kids ago. The search continues... 
September 13 I am a sucker...
I did not plan on walking Elise to school this morning (because I did yesterday), but she cried and I fell for it. I realized yesterday that it is uphill both ways (just like the stories your grandparents tell you...except there is no snow because, well, this is Florida). I'm not sure why the girls enjoy it so much, though. The first time, sure, because it was something new...but now, they can't sit still. They lean out of the sides of the stroller, Lillian enjoys putting her feet on the wheels, they try to stand up...it's like pushing a cart containing two fighting dog... or maybe sloshing water (uphill both ways!). I used to think that the people smiling at us as we passed were just being polite, but now I am starting to think that they are busting a gut on the inside and the smile is all that shows...you know, so they don't explode. I plan on developing a limp by tomorrow morning so I have an "excuse" to not walk Elise tomorrow (not that I think she will fall for it). I will, however, make sure to eat breakfast...just in case. I am not making that mistake again! I found this picture on thesuperficial.com and had to share! 
September 09 Hum along of you know this one:
The B-L-E-L-E and that's the word for me dum dum dum da duh dum dum dum The B-L-E-L-E whoo! Gotta love the Methodist Preschool!!! Elise gets really creative with the way she sings that one verse that she doesn't know the words to. It's great. I think I will actually be disappointed when she starts to sing it the right way. September 08 I was bored...
so for S&G's I moved Lillian's furniture. She walked in and said "My love it, my room!" and clasped her little hands together. Yeah, I got my giggles. 
Hooray for Hairy Hat Day!
Obviously they are still exploring the letter "h". H is for hilarious... The best thing is that when Elise is older, she will hate (oooh, there's another h word) me for putting this picture up. Oh, and the balloon hat picture, too.
Hills, schmills...
Twice now I have walked Elise to school. Tuesday was absolutely terrible. Gardenview is the biggest bitch to walk up while pushing a stroller. About halfway I was close to tears thinking that I couldn't do it and I would have to give up walking until we moved. Then those glorious endorphins kicked in and I was suddenly flying! It was fan-freakin'-tastic. Today was much better (Gardenview is still a bitch, though). So I don't have to give up walking after all...woohoo! The girls are showing signs of stress that Don is gone. I'm glad that Open House is coming up for both schools, so I can talk to their teachers. I need someone to also talk to me...I'm showing signs of stress as well. I'm trying to keep the girls on the same schedule as before to minimize their "upsetment", but by the end of the day I have turned into Dragon Lady. The dog needs to be groomed, so perhaps I will take out some of that frustration on him...but then again, he may be the first hairless shih-tzu when I am done. Elise is very proud of the extensive study on the letter "h" that she completed in school, so here it is. Speaking of that kid, I gotta go get her! 
September 05 Flying solo...
Today, being a holiday, is wonky. We decided to go to the playground. It's just down the street...not very far and it's on the way I would walk to take Elise to school. I thought it would be good to kinda test it out, you know, see how hard it was gonna be to push the girls in the stroller. Two words: Holy shit!!! Getting there was no problem (because it is a downhill walk)...see where this is going? On the way back out of the park...hills and wind. The wind kept catching in the little canopies (think: Conestoga Wagon headin' west). So I guess you could say that I have emerilized my workout. Don is already planning on firing half his new store (and he hasn't even officially started yet). I hope he sends me some pictures soon, I am dying to see what it looks like! It is time for naps here...gotta love the naps! 
August 30 Ok...so, note to self...
"ladypops"+sleeping children=sticky mess Off to watch "Dog" ha ha! August 29 Oh that Elise...
While we were in the van waiting for Kaely to get out of school she came up to me with a very serious face and said: Elise: Mommy, I have a secret. Me: Ok...what? Elise: It's (there was a pause and I am thinking that she is going to tell me that Jesus loves me or something else that she learned at school)...corn. Me: ::speechless:: Elise: Purple corn, not {finger quotes} yellow corn. Special purple corn... I about died laughing (on the inside, of course) when she actually did the finger quotes. Later, on the way home, Kaely asked me where the hurricane was and I told her it was somewhere over Mississippi. Elise: Mrs. Slippy? Who's that? Thank God I have a smart kid, because I was once again speechless with laughter (on the inside) and could not explain that Mississippi was a what not a who. Oh, and apparently we are moving to "mo canalina".
Dang!
Here I thought I was all clever and stuff, but the WMP doesn't work. I have the right file type and everything...a great song even....sigh. I shake my fist at technology! Don talked to Allan yesterday and we finally have a date: September 6 (which is sooner than I expected). So it looks like this weekend we will drive up to Charlotte and see the new store. The girls and I will drive home Monday...probably stop at Mom and Dad's and check on Dad. I doubt Mom will be home by then, but I don't really remember, actually. At least this time, I'll have Jen close by and I won't be completely alone. And packing should be easier, too, since I'll be down two kids every morning... Looking for the positives... So after carrying two different migraine meds with me for 2 months, I finally got a migraine yesterday and was able to try them out. Per the doctor's instructions, I took a Zomig straight away and then a Frova two hours later. The Zomig was great...I couldn't keep my eyes open or my mouth shut. I think Don was thrilled when I fell asleep. Unfortunately, neither drug did what I thought they would (make it go away, like really fast...you know, instant gratification) and I still hurt (18 hours later). I'm gonna go play around with the WMP...if it works for you will you let me know, please? August 27 Damn big pizza
This is what happens when you give your husband the bank card for the day: 
August 26 Ha!
I shake my fist at Mother Nature! Where's the icon for that? I need a shaking fist!! It's probably premature shaking, but it looks as though the system is moving west of us...take that M.N.! P.S. You need to click on the photo to fully enjoy my arts and craps. 
My morning conversation...
Me: Hey babe, they say that the hurricane may be a 3 by the time it gets to the pahandle. Don: Cool! sigh... 
But then later he calls... Don: I love you. Me: I love you. Don: Which is why you need to take the girls and go up to your Mom's. Me: No Whatta goofball! I just checked weather.com and it looks like landfall will be west of us, so I am not too worried. Liz...reading news articles that list our actual cities is a bit freaky. Hope you guys are ok!!! I wonder what the school board is gonna do... 
August 25 sigh... Poor Liz without any power 
.
Tropical Update
So wahoo! I love weather.com! Here comes another hurricane...Liz, hope you are ok! I'd say you could come stay with me, but that would be just plain silly . We got a note from the Pre-K already about possible school closings (which I guess is good...shows they are on the ball). Monday is supposed to be Kaely's Open House...this is just like last year! 
August 24 Also...
Jen, if it's alright with you, I'm gonna Napster some music and then we'll be square. Cool? I need something new to drive to :)
October 16 uh...
So, potty training children involves a lot of talk about what is going into the potty. The ever creative Elise came up with these two gems today... This morning, Lillian put poops in the potty (huzzah!!!!!) and Elise was supervising. I hear her say "That one looks like a banana!" So you can guess which fruit we bypassed in the produce department. This evening, she hollers out that her peeps are green. I said "Oh yeah, how did that happen?" In the tone of someone explaining the painfully obvious to the village idiot, Elise says "Well, they are magic." Of course...thanks for clearing that up. I have never been so excited for tubby time!! October 12 In the van on the way home from school, Kaely was telling me about how Christopher Columbus brought disease and that killed a lot of the native americans. We talked about how everyone has their own germs that they are used to and when you are exposed to something new it can make you sick, blah blah blah. Then I told her that today we have medicine and doctors to help us when we get sick. At this point in the conversation, Elise adds "And Scooby Doo band-aids! Scooby Dooby Dooooooo!" Thank you Elise. Also, I don't know where you get your old sailors named Richard, but I found a place in Charlotte that has em...
October 10 On the road again...
We had a morning appointment to see another house and then the girls and I were leaving to come back to Tallahassee. The house is nice, they have done quite a bit of work to it, but the layout is wackier than the first house we looked at. That and it smelled...uh, odd. Not bad, I guess just that old house smell. I'll purchase stock in Glade and Febreze if we end up in that house. Sadly, there is no livestock at either of the neighbors. Definite con. Let's just say that the trip home was longer and more hellish than any exhausted mom should have to bear. But it so nice to be home!
And it still rained...
Saturday morning, we canned our plans to hit the carnival and somehow ended up with Shelby (Allan's 12 year old) at the coolest mall. Much like Sawgrass Mills in South Florida, but lacking the cubans and alligators. Great. That was pretty much the whole day...at the mall. But it was fun and it beat the pants off walking around a muddy carnival getting motion sickness from all the rides I would have had to have ridden with various small children. We did end up at some sort of NASCAR go cart track that is located in the mall. Highly amusing. I need to figure out how to get the video of Elise driving on here because, damn. That was great. Saturday night, we watched Alexander on the On Demand thinger. Pretty good movie and I highly recommend watching it with Allan because he is not a fan of gays. Sweet! Oh, and Lillian fell down the stairs, so I am betting that a 2 story house is out.
Charlotte, NC: Where you can still smoke in the restaurants.
So, on Friday morning, at 5:15 am (pagi pagi) the girls and I loaded up and struck a trail for Charlotte. Rainiest.Day.Ever. I tried not to let that or driving get in the way of picture taking. The girls were awesome! So angelic and calm (I should have taken that as an early warning sign). We got into town and found Don around 2. We had a 3:30 appointment with a realtor to see a house. The house was neat, but the layout was kinda wacky and our neighbors would include 2 honking geese and 2 goats (and a partridge in a pear tree). For dinner we met up with Allan's family at Dante's and the kids went to town!! It was great letting them burn off all (no, more like some) of that excess energy that small children are famous for. Let's just say that after being up since 4:30, I was so very ready for my bed...too bad that wasn't to be until after 11.
September 30 boys are gross
This morning as I was walking up Gardenview, I passed a city crew preparing to take down a tree. We did the customary nod and "good morning". On the way back, their truck was on the sidewalk, so we had to walk in the street. As I passed, the guy looked at me and apologized for blocking the sidewalk and then adjusted himself. I wanted to laugh and then ask him to apologize for that...but I didn't. The worker further down commented on what a load I had and I had to suppress the urge to say "Yeah, but apparently not as much as your friend there." So, in my brilliance, I walked today. No, no, there's more...Elise didn't have school today, so I was unable to drop her off and boy does she make that stroller heavy. I hadn't realized how much until today. And I know what you are all thinking...
September 28 Hooray for school pictures!
We got Elise's pictures back from the photographer today...yay! She was so cute when she had them taken last week. After I picked her up from school, I asked her if she smiled for the lady and she said "Yes! She was a grandma!". So there you go...wanna get a good picture? Be a grandma. Also, today, while we were watching "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", Kaely looked at me and said "Mom, did they even have tv's when you were a kid?". Look, I may walk to school uphill both ways like an old person, but I am not so old that I ever had to live without tv...evar!
September 27 gee honey...
I dunno why I am having trouble getting all this packing done...
heh...my daughter is a pot head...
Yesterday was Johnny Appleseed's birthday (who knew?), so at school Elise made a pot hat to celebrate. The pictures do not do the hat justice...and you should have seen all the kids in their pot hats! Ha!
September 25 Whew!
The present was a hit! He was so excited to get his Beater Bot. The party was also, in my opnion, a huge success (Hooray Jen!!!). So my only complaint is in the false advertisement (not really, I just don't understand boy toys) of this toy thing that we bought. The picture on the box shows this robot thinger...but the inside of the box shows an unassembled mass of plastic...gah! I assembled it...slowly, but it got done (sorry, I'm not an 8 year old boy...I'm sure he could have done it faster). The little boy is happy with his Beater Bot and attached "clip" of marbles that he can shoot at his sister, so I say job well done! We also had fun installing batteries in the two remote control dinosaurs (and by we, I mean Jen and Dad...because I was assembling that darn robot thing). To keep the party spirit alive, we moved things over to my house for an all night sleep over extravaganza!! We ate pizza and watched movies and then wiggled ourselves silly in a vain attempt to stay awake. In true sleep over form, we stayed up late and woke up too early (as in, before the sun). After breakfast, they planned out a play...The Princess and the Magic Tiger. I wish they had gotten more sleep so they could have actually finished it. They got as far as costumes and lost interest. Kaely was the princess (of course), but both cousins wanted to be the Magic Tiger...so one got to be the Tiger and the other was the Black Magic Tiger. He wore the black leotard and the sparkly black cat ears. It was (to quote the Guinness guys) brilliant!
September 23 Shopping for a boy...
is seriously hard work. I felt like a needed a map and a translator at the store. There was no pink...no flowers...no feather boas. What was this strange place? So hopefully the little man likes his birthday present. I have no clue what I just bought...some sort of plastic robot thinger that shoots balls...dunno. Like I said...I was like a girl outta the mall on the boy aisle. September 22 Amazingly, the glitter was contained and no mess was made! I am so very impressed with that Kaely! They never did make it to that dance party, though... Today, I took a picture of Elise's work. It's all the stuff she has been working on that stays at school. Not much happening...worried sick about Rita. Mother informed me that Bay City was being evacuated (and her tone screamed concern). When I answered vaguely that I would look at a map, she snapped "That's where you were born!". I know that Mother...however, I am not a salmon and I need a map to visualize the exact location. Thank goodness for Google Earth. I am concerned, though, if the city in which I was born is wiped away by a hurricane...do I cease to exist?? I think Mother is just very stressed out about everything, and it just came out in the whole Bay City conversation.
September 21 100% Girl!
I'm not 100% sure about what is going on in Kaely's room at this moment, but I can tell you that it involves glitter. I know, because I opened it for her. I just passed by her door and Elise is at the vanity, hairbrush in hand. Elise: I don't want to wear a bracelet. Kaely: You have to, we are going to a dance party (in her best snotty girl voice). All I know is that the vacuum will be used and abused tonight. That, and pictures will be posted!
Yeah, so my sweat was sweating...
Hot hot hotty hot hot! But I guess that makes a shower so much more dee-lish-us when I get home. So, I had to explain to Kaely the difference between the "home" phone and the cell phone. It blew her mind. Just wait until she finds out about records... Going to finish the bathroom this weekend. Which is good, because it has been halfway for about um, months now. I stripped all the wallpaper out, but there are holes that need to be patched...and that's where Daddy comes in. Hooray! We'll patch the holes and then I can paint. He'll also help me decide what to do with that crazy wood thing that hangs from the ceiling. September 19 Retraction
I take back all the warm and fuzzy things I said about walking last week. Walking sucks when the humidity is at 5000%. It was horrible and I was almost too gross to walk Elise into school. Yeah...it was that bad...like walking through soup. The cool thing (and by cool I mean neat, not cold) was that Lillian and I saw a turtle crossing the street as we walked back uphill through the park. And now you know why I carry the camera with me at all times. Apparently, in my former life as a pirate, my name was Mad Pegs. Bad Pirate Joke: How much for the corn? A buccaneer. Now ye must walk the plank!
September 17 One thing led to another...
and before I knew what was happening, my desk was clean!! Any gamblers out there are more than welcome to place bets on how long it will stay clean... We are already going on 4 hours!!
September 16 Maybe North Carolina won't be so bad afterall...
Walking is fan-freakin-tastic! It just gets easier and easier...not that that makes it any more fun. I don't know about you, but sweat is gross. So I will be so very pleased when the weather finally cools. And, because I am such a nerd, I drove the route I walk...1.7 miles one way (uphill both ways...in a hurricane, because we don't get snow). Good times... We've had a little tummy bug visit our house, which means lots of laundry and late nights. The good thing about being up late was that I got to watch Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Frylock is my hero. Oh and Carl. So, the other day, I thought I was being brilliant (and by brilliant, I mean desperate) and I brought bubbles in the van to play with while we waited for Kaely to get out of school. Sigh...they were bubbles of the "Catch a Bubble" variety which means that they are very sticky and last forever (for a bubble: approximately 42.3 minutes). While the girls had a great time, the bubbles made a mess everywhere. Elise refused to get back in her carseat because it was covered in bubbles. There are still spots where the bubbles, um...for lack of a better word, melted. yay. Looks like we are going up to Charlotte the first weekend of October, just to visit and hopefully look at some houses. Don has looked at a couple...one was really cute. Unfortunately, we outgrew cute little houses 2 kids ago. The search continues...
September 13 I am a sucker...
I did not plan on walking Elise to school this morning (because I did yesterday), but she cried and I fell for it. I realized yesterday that it is uphill both ways (just like the stories your grandparents tell you...except there is no snow because, well, this is Florida). I'm not sure why the girls enjoy it so much, though. The first time, sure, because it was something new...but now, they can't sit still. They lean out of the sides of the stroller, Lillian enjoys putting her feet on the wheels, they try to stand up...it's like pushing a cart containing two fighting dog... or maybe sloshing water (uphill both ways!). I used to think that the people smiling at us as we passed were just being polite, but now I am starting to think that they are busting a gut on the inside and the smile is all that shows...you know, so they don't explode. I plan on developing a limp by tomorrow morning so I have an "excuse" to not walk Elise tomorrow (not that I think she will fall for it). I will, however, make sure to eat breakfast...just in case. I am not making that mistake again! I found this picture on thesuperficial.com and had to share!
September 09 Hum along of you know this one:
The B-L-E-L-E and that's the word for me dum dum dum da duh dum dum dum The B-L-E-L-E whoo! Gotta love the Methodist Preschool!!! Elise gets really creative with the way she sings that one verse that she doesn't know the words to. It's great. I think I will actually be disappointed when she starts to sing it the right way. September 08 I was bored...
so for S&G's I moved Lillian's furniture. She walked in and said "My love it, my room!" and clasped her little hands together. Yeah, I got my giggles.
Hooray for Hairy Hat Day!
Obviously they are still exploring the letter "h". H is for hilarious... The best thing is that when Elise is older, she will hate (oooh, there's another h word) me for putting this picture up. Oh, and the balloon hat picture, too.
Hills, schmills...
Twice now I have walked Elise to school. Tuesday was absolutely terrible. Gardenview is the biggest bitch to walk up while pushing a stroller. About halfway I was close to tears thinking that I couldn't do it and I would have to give up walking until we moved. Then those glorious endorphins kicked in and I was suddenly flying! It was fan-freakin'-tastic. Today was much better (Gardenview is still a bitch, though). So I don't have to give up walking after all...woohoo! The girls are showing signs of stress that Don is gone. I'm glad that Open House is coming up for both schools, so I can talk to their teachers. I need someone to also talk to me...I'm showing signs of stress as well. I'm trying to keep the girls on the same schedule as before to minimize their "upsetment", but by the end of the day I have turned into Dragon Lady. The dog needs to be groomed, so perhaps I will take out some of that frustration on him...but then again, he may be the first hairless shih-tzu when I am done. Elise is very proud of the extensive study on the letter "h" that she completed in school, so here it is. Speaking of that kid, I gotta go get her!
September 05 Flying solo...
Today, being a holiday, is wonky. We decided to go to the playground. It's just down the street...not very far and it's on the way I would walk to take Elise to school. I thought it would be good to kinda test it out, you know, see how hard it was gonna be to push the girls in the stroller. Two words: Holy shit!!! Getting there was no problem (because it is a downhill walk)...see where this is going? On the way back out of the park...hills and wind. The wind kept catching in the little canopies (think: Conestoga Wagon headin' west). So I guess you could say that I have emerilized my workout. Don is already planning on firing half his new store (and he hasn't even officially started yet). I hope he sends me some pictures soon, I am dying to see what it looks like! It is time for naps here...gotta love the naps!
August 30 Ok...so, note to self...
"ladypops"+sleeping children=sticky mess Off to watch "Dog" ha ha! August 29 Oh that Elise...
While we were in the van waiting for Kaely to get out of school she came up to me with a very serious face and said: Elise: Mommy, I have a secret. Me: Ok...what? Elise: It's (there was a pause and I am thinking that she is going to tell me that Jesus loves me or something else that she learned at school)...corn. Me: ::speechless:: Elise: Purple corn, not {finger quotes} yellow corn. Special purple corn... I about died laughing (on the inside, of course) when she actually did the finger quotes. Later, on the way home, Kaely asked me where the hurricane was and I told her it was somewhere over Mississippi. Elise: Mrs. Slippy? Who's that? Thank God I have a smart kid, because I was once again speechless with laughter (on the inside) and could not explain that Mississippi was a what not a who. Oh, and apparently we are moving to "mo canalina".
Dang!
Here I thought I was all clever and stuff, but the WMP doesn't work. I have the right file type and everything...a great song even....sigh. I shake my fist at technology! Don talked to Allan yesterday and we finally have a date: September 6 (which is sooner than I expected). So it looks like this weekend we will drive up to Charlotte and see the new store. The girls and I will drive home Monday...probably stop at Mom and Dad's and check on Dad. I doubt Mom will be home by then, but I don't really remember, actually. At least this time, I'll have Jen close by and I won't be completely alone. And packing should be easier, too, since I'll be down two kids every morning... Looking for the positives... So after carrying two different migraine meds with me for 2 months, I finally got a migraine yesterday and was able to try them out. Per the doctor's instructions, I took a Zomig straight away and then a Frova two hours later. The Zomig was great...I couldn't keep my eyes open or my mouth shut. I think Don was thrilled when I fell asleep. Unfortunately, neither drug did what I thought they would (make it go away, like really fast...you know, instant gratification) and I still hurt (18 hours later). I'm gonna go play around with the WMP...if it works for you will you let me know, please? August 27 Damn big pizza
This is what happens when you give your husband the bank card for the day:
August 26 Ha!
I shake my fist at Mother Nature! Where's the icon for that? I need a shaking fist!! It's probably premature shaking, but it looks as though the system is moving west of us...take that M.N.! P.S. You need to click on the photo to fully enjoy my arts and craps.
My morning conversation...
Me: Hey babe, they say that the hurricane may be a 3 by the time it gets to the pahandle. Don: Cool! sigh... But then later he calls... Don: I love you. Me: I love you. Don: Which is why you need to take the girls and go up to your Mom's. Me: No Whatta goofball! I just checked weather.com and it looks like landfall will be west of us, so I am not too worried. Liz...reading news articles that list our actual cities is a bit freaky. Hope you guys are ok!!! I wonder what the school board is gonna do...
August 25 sigh... Poor Liz without any power .
October 16 uh...
So, potty training children involves a lot of talk about what is going into the potty. The ever creative Elise came up with these two gems today... This morning, Lillian put poops in the potty (huzzah!!!!!) and Elise was supervising. I hear her say "That one looks like a banana!" So you can guess which fruit we bypassed in the produce department. This evening, she hollers out that her peeps are green. I said "Oh yeah, how did that happen?" In the tone of someone explaining the painfully obvious to the village idiot, Elise says "Well, they are magic." Of course...thanks for clearing that up. I have never been so excited for tubby time!! October 12 In the van on the way home from school, Kaely was telling me about how Christopher Columbus brought disease and that killed a lot of the native americans. We talked about how everyone has their own germs that they are used to and when you are exposed to something new it can make you sick, blah blah blah. Then I told her that today we have medicine and doctors to help us when we get sick. At this point in the conversation, Elise adds "And Scooby Doo band-aids! Scooby Dooby Dooooooo!" Thank you Elise. Also, I don't know where you get your old sailors named Richard, but I found a place in Charlotte that has em...
October 10 On the road again...
We had a morning appointment to see another house and then the girls and I were leaving to come back to Tallahassee. The house is nice, they have done quite a bit of work to it, but the layout is wackier than the first house we looked at. That and it smelled...uh, odd. Not bad, I guess just that old house smell. I'll purchase stock in Glade and Febreze if we end up in that house. Sadly, there is no livestock at either of the neighbors. Definite con. Let's just say that the trip home was longer and more hellish than any exhausted mom should have to bear. But it so nice to be home!
And it still rained...
Saturday morning, we canned our plans to hit the carnival and somehow ended up with Shelby (Allan's 12 year old) at the coolest mall. Much like Sawgrass Mills in South Florida, but lacking the cubans and alligators. Great. That was pretty much the whole day...at the mall. But it was fun and it beat the pants off walking around a muddy carnival getting motion sickness from all the rides I would have had to have ridden with various small children. We did end up at some sort of NASCAR go cart track that is located in the mall. Highly amusing. I need to figure out how to get the video of Elise driving on here because, damn. That was great. Saturday night, we watched Alexander on the On Demand thinger. Pretty good movie and I highly recommend watching it with Allan because he is not a fan of gays. Sweet! Oh, and Lillian fell down the stairs, so I am betting that a 2 story house is out.
Charlotte, NC: Where you can still smoke in the restaurants.
So, on Friday morning, at 5:15 am (pagi pagi) the girls and I loaded up and struck a trail for Charlotte. Rainiest.Day.Ever. I tried not to let that or driving get in the way of picture taking. The girls were awesome! So angelic and calm (I should have taken that as an early warning sign). We got into town and found Don around 2. We had a 3:30 appointment with a realtor to see a house. The house was neat, but the layout was kinda wacky and our neighbors would include 2 honking geese and 2 goats (and a partridge in a pear tree). For dinner we met up with Allan's family at Dante's and the kids went to town!! It was great letting them burn off all (no, more like some) of that excess energy that small children are famous for. Let's just say that after being up since 4:30, I was so very ready for my bed...too bad that wasn't to be until after 11.
September 30 boys are gross
This morning as I was walking up Gardenview, I passed a city crew preparing to take down a tree. We did the customary nod and "good morning". On the way back, their truck was on the sidewalk, so we had to walk in the street. As I passed, the guy looked at me and apologized for blocking the sidewalk and then adjusted himself. I wanted to laugh and then ask him to apologize for that...but I didn't. The worker further down commented on what a load I had and I had to suppress the urge to say "Yeah, but apparently not as much as your friend there." So, in my brilliance, I walked today. No, no, there's more...Elise didn't have school today, so I was unable to drop her off and boy does she make that stroller heavy. I hadn't realized how much until today. And I know what you are all thinking...
September 28 Hooray for school pictures!
We got Elise's pictures back from the photographer today...yay! She was so cute when she had them taken last week. After I picked her up from school, I asked her if she smiled for the lady and she said "Yes! She was a grandma!". So there you go...wanna get a good picture? Be a grandma. Also, today, while we were watching "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", Kaely looked at me and said "Mom, did they even have tv's when you were a kid?". Look, I may walk to school uphill both ways like an old person, but I am not so old that I ever had to live without tv...evar!
September 27 gee honey...
I dunno why I am having trouble getting all this packing done...
heh...my daughter is a pot head...
Yesterday was Johnny Appleseed's birthday (who knew?), so at school Elise made a pot hat to celebrate. The pictures do not do the hat justice...and you should have seen all the kids in their pot hats! Ha!
September 25 Whew!
The present was a hit! He was so excited to get his Beater Bot. The party was also, in my opnion, a huge success (Hooray Jen!!!). So my only complaint is in the false advertisement (not really, I just don't understand boy toys) of this toy thing that we bought. The picture on the box shows this robot thinger...but the inside of the box shows an unassembled mass of plastic...gah! I assembled it...slowly, but it got done (sorry, I'm not an 8 year old boy...I'm sure he could have done it faster). The little boy is happy with his Beater Bot and attached "clip" of marbles that he can shoot at his sister, so I say job well done! We also had fun installing batteries in the two remote control dinosaurs (and by we, I mean Jen and Dad...because I was assembling that darn robot thing). To keep the party spirit alive, we moved things over to my house for an all night sleep over extravaganza!! We ate pizza and watched movies and then wiggled ourselves silly in a vain attempt to stay awake. In true sleep over form, we stayed up late and woke up too early (as in, before the sun). After breakfast, they planned out a play...The Princess and the Magic Tiger. I wish they had gotten more sleep so they could have actually finished it. They got as far as costumes and lost interest. Kaely was the princess (of course), but both cousins wanted to be the Magic Tiger...so one got to be the Tiger and the other was the Black Magic Tiger. He wore the black leotard and the sparkly black cat ears. It was (to quote the Guinness guys) brilliant!
September 23 Shopping for a boy...
is seriously hard work. I felt like a needed a map and a translator at the store. There was no pink...no flowers...no feather boas. What was this strange place? So hopefully the little man likes his birthday present. I have no clue what I just bought...some sort of plastic robot thinger that shoots balls...dunno. Like I said...I was like a girl outta the mall on the boy aisle. September 22 Amazingly, the glitter was contained and no mess was made! I am so very impressed with that Kaely! They never did make it to that dance party, though... Today, I took a picture of Elise's work. It's all the stuff she has been working on that stays at school. Not much happening...worried sick about Rita. Mother informed me that Bay City was being evacuated (and her tone screamed concern). When I answered vaguely that I would look at a map, she snapped "That's where you were born!". I know that Mother...however, I am not a salmon and I need a map to visualize the exact location. Thank goodness for Google Earth. I am concerned, though, if the city in which I was born is wiped away by a hurricane...do I cease to exist?? I think Mother is just very stressed out about everything, and it just came out in the whole Bay City conversation.
September 21 100% Girl!
I'm not 100% sure about what is going on in Kaely's room at this moment, but I can tell you that it involves glitter. I know, because I opened it for her. I just passed by her door and Elise is at the vanity, hairbrush in hand. Elise: I don't want to wear a bracelet. Kaely: You have to, we are going to a dance party (in her best snotty girl voice). All I know is that the vacuum will be used and abused tonight. That, and pictures will be posted!
Yeah, so my sweat was sweating...
Hot hot hotty hot hot! But I guess that makes a shower so much more dee-lish-us when I get home. So, I had to explain to Kaely the difference between the "home" phone and the cell phone. It blew her mind. Just wait until she finds out about records... Going to finish the bathroom this weekend. Which is good, because it has been halfway for about um, months now. I stripped all the wallpaper out, but there are holes that need to be patched...and that's where Daddy comes in. Hooray! We'll patch the holes and then I can paint. He'll also help me decide what to do with that crazy wood thing that hangs from the ceiling. September 19 Retraction
I take back all the warm and fuzzy things I said about walking last week. Walking sucks when the humidity is at 5000%. It was horrible and I was almost too gross to walk Elise into school. Yeah...it was that bad...like walking through soup. The cool thing (and by cool I mean neat, not cold) was that Lillian and I saw a turtle crossing the street as we walked back uphill through the park. And now you know why I carry the camera with me at all times. Apparently, in my former life as a pirate, my name was Mad Pegs. Bad Pirate Joke: How much for the corn? A buccaneer. Now ye must walk the plank!
September 17 One thing led to another...
and before I knew what was happening, my desk was clean!! Any gamblers out there are more than welcome to place bets on how long it will stay clean... We are already going on 4 hours!!
September 16 Maybe North Carolina won't be so bad afterall...
Walking is fan-freakin-tastic! It just gets easier and easier...not that that makes it any more fun. I don't know about you, but sweat is gross. So I will be so very pleased when the weather finally cools. And, because I am such a nerd, I drove the route I walk...1.7 miles one way (uphill both ways...in a hurricane, because we don't get snow). Good times... We've had a little tummy bug visit our house, which means lots of laundry and late nights. The good thing about being up late was that I got to watch Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Frylock is my hero. Oh and Carl. So, the other day, I thought I was being brilliant (and by brilliant, I mean desperate) and I brought bubbles in the van to play with while we waited for Kaely to get out of school. Sigh...they were bubbles of the "Catch a Bubble" variety which means that they are very sticky and last forever (for a bubble: approximately 42.3 minutes). While the girls had a great time, the bubbles made a mess everywhere. Elise refused to get back in her carseat because it was covered in bubbles. There are still spots where the bubbles, um...for lack of a better word, melted. yay. Looks like we are going up to Charlotte the first weekend of October, just to visit and hopefully look at some houses. Don has looked at a couple...one was really cute. Unfortunately, we outgrew cute little houses 2 kids ago. The search continues...
September 13 I am a sucker...
I did not plan on walking Elise to school this morning (because I did yesterday), but she cried and I fell for it. I realized yesterday that it is uphill both ways (just like the stories your grandparents tell you...except there is no snow because, well, this is Florida). I'm not sure why the girls enjoy it so much, though. The first time, sure, because it was something new...but now, they can't sit still. They lean out of the sides of the stroller, Lillian enjoys putting her feet on the wheels, they try to stand up...it's like pushing a cart containing two fighting dog... or maybe sloshing water (uphill both ways!). I used to think that the people smiling at us as we passed were just being polite, but now I am starting to think that they are busting a gut on the inside and the smile is all that shows...you know, so they don't explode. I plan on developing a limp by tomorrow morning so I have an "excuse" to not walk Elise tomorrow (not that I think she will fall for it). I will, however, make sure to eat breakfast...just in case. I am not making that mistake again! I found this picture on thesuperficial.com and had to share!
September 09 Hum along of you know this one:
The B-L-E-L-E and that's the word for me dum dum dum da duh dum dum dum The B-L-E-L-E whoo! Gotta love the Methodist Preschool!!! Elise gets really creative with the way she sings that one verse that she doesn't know the words to. It's great. I think I will actually be disappointed when she starts to sing it the right way. September 08 I was bored...
so for S&G's I moved Lillian's furniture. She walked in and said "My love it, my room!" and clasped her little hands together. Yeah, I got my giggles.
Hooray for Hairy Hat Day!
Obviously they are still exploring the letter "h". H is for hilarious... The best thing is that when Elise is older, she will hate (oooh, there's another h word) me for putting this picture up. Oh, and the balloon hat picture, too.
Hills, schmills...
Twice now I have walked Elise to school. Tuesday was absolutely terrible. Gardenview is the biggest bitch to walk up while pushing a stroller. About halfway I was close to tears thinking that I couldn't do it and I would have to give up walking until we moved. Then those glorious endorphins kicked in and I was suddenly flying! It was fan-freakin'-tastic. Today was much better (Gardenview is still a bitch, though). So I don't have to give up walking after all...woohoo! The girls are showing signs of stress that Don is gone. I'm glad that Open House is coming up for both schools, so I can talk to their teachers. I need someone to also talk to me...I'm showing signs of stress as well. I'm trying to keep the girls on the same schedule as before to minimize their "upsetment", but by the end of the day I have turned into Dragon Lady. The dog needs to be groomed, so perhaps I will take out some of that frustration on him...but then again, he may be the first hairless shih-tzu when I am done. Elise is very proud of the extensive study on the letter "h" that she completed in school, so here it is. Speaking of that kid, I gotta go get her!
September 05 Flying solo...
Today, being a holiday, is wonky. We decided to go to the playground. It's just down the street...not very far and it's on the way I would walk to take Elise to school. I thought it would be good to kinda test it out, you know, see how hard it was gonna be to push the girls in the stroller. Two words: Holy shit!!! Getting there was no problem (because it is a downhill walk)...see where this is going? On the way back out of the park...hills and wind. The wind kept catching in the little canopies (think: Conestoga Wagon headin' west). So I guess you could say that I have emerilized my workout. Don is already planning on firing half his new store (and he hasn't even officially started yet). I hope he sends me some pictures soon, I am dying to see what it looks like! It is time for naps here...gotta love the naps!
August 30 Ok...so, note to self...
"ladypops"+sleeping children=sticky mess Off to watch "Dog" ha ha! August 29 Oh that Elise...
While we were in the van waiting for Kaely to get out of school she came up to me with a very serious face and said: Elise: Mommy, I have a secret. Me: Ok...what? Elise: It's (there was a pause and I am thinking that she is going to tell me that Jesus loves me or something else that she learned at school)...corn. Me: ::speechless:: Elise: Purple corn, not {finger quotes} yellow corn. Special purple corn... I about died laughing (on the inside, of course) when she actually did the finger quotes. Later, on the way home, Kaely asked me where the hurricane was and I told her it was somewhere over Mississippi. Elise: Mrs. Slippy? Who's that? Thank God I have a smart kid, because I was once again speechless with laughter (on the inside) and could not explain that Mississippi was a what not a who. Oh, and apparently we are moving to "mo canalina".
October 16 uh...
So, potty training children involves a lot of talk about what is going into the potty. The ever creative Elise came up with these two gems today... This morning, Lillian put poops in the potty (huzzah!!!!!) and Elise was supervising. I hear her say "That one looks like a banana!" So you can guess which fruit we bypassed in the produce department. This evening, she hollers out that her peeps are green. I said "Oh yeah, how did that happen?" In the tone of someone explaining the painfully obvious to the village idiot, Elise says "Well, they are magic." Of course...thanks for clearing that up. I have never been so excited for tubby time!! October 12 In the van on the way home from school, Kaely was telling me about how Christopher Columbus brought disease and that killed a lot of the native americans. We talked about how everyone has their own germs that they are used to and when you are exposed to something new it can make you sick, blah blah blah. Then I told her that today we have medicine and doctors to help us when we get sick. At this point in the conversation, Elise adds "And Scooby Doo band-aids! Scooby Dooby Dooooooo!" Thank you Elise. Also, I don't know where you get your old sailors named Richard, but I found a place in Charlotte that has em...
October 10 On the road again...
We had a morning appointment to see another house and then the girls and I were leaving to come back to Tallahassee. The house is nice, they have done quite a bit of work to it, but the layout is wackier than the first house we looked at. That and it smelled...uh, odd. Not bad, I guess just that old house smell. I'll purchase stock in Glade and Febreze if we end up in that house. Sadly, there is no livestock at either of the neighbors. Definite con. Let's just say that the trip home was longer and more hellish than any exhausted mom should have to bear. But it so nice to be home!
And it still rained...
Saturday morning, we canned our plans to hit the carnival and somehow ended up with Shelby (Allan's 12 year old) at the coolest mall. Much like Sawgrass Mills in South Florida, but lacking the cubans and alligators. Great. That was pretty much the whole day...at the mall. But it was fun and it beat the pants off walking around a muddy carnival getting motion sickness from all the rides I would have had to have ridden with various small children. We did end up at some sort of NASCAR go cart track that is located in the mall. Highly amusing. I need to figure out how to get the video of Elise driving on here because, damn. That was great. Saturday night, we watched Alexander on the On Demand thinger. Pretty good movie and I highly recommend watching it with Allan because he is not a fan of gays. Sweet! Oh, and Lillian fell down the stairs, so I am betting that a 2 story house is out.
Charlotte, NC: Where you can still smoke in the restaurants.
So, on Friday morning, at 5:15 am (pagi pagi) the girls and I loaded up and struck a trail for Charlotte. Rainiest.Day.Ever. I tried not to let that or driving get in the way of picture taking. The girls were awesome! So angelic and calm (I should have taken that as an early warning sign). We got into town and found Don around 2. We had a 3:30 appointment with a realtor to see a house. The house was neat, but the layout was kinda wacky and our neighbors would include 2 honking geese and 2 goats (and a partridge in a pear tree). For dinner we met up with Allan's family at Dante's and the kids went to town!! It was great letting them burn off all (no, more like some) of that excess energy that small children are famous for. Let's just say that after being up since 4:30, I was so very ready for my bed...too bad that wasn't to be until after 11.
September 30 boys are gross
This morning as I was walking up Gardenview, I passed a city crew preparing to take down a tree. We did the customary nod and "good morning". On the way back, their truck was on the sidewalk, so we had to walk in the street. As I passed, the guy looked at me and apologized for blocking the sidewalk and then adjusted himself. I wanted to laugh and then ask him to apologize for that...but I didn't. The worker further down commented on what a load I had and I had to suppress the urge to say "Yeah, but apparently not as much as your friend there." So, in my brilliance, I walked today. No, no, there's more...Elise didn't have school today, so I was unable to drop her off and boy does she make that stroller heavy. I hadn't realized how much until today. And I know what you are all thinking...
September 28 Hooray for school pictures!
We got Elise's pictures back from the photographer today...yay! She was so cute when she had them taken last week. After I picked her up from school, I asked her if she smiled for the lady and she said "Yes! She was a grandma!". So there you go...wanna get a good picture? Be a grandma. Also, today, while we were watching "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", Kaely looked at me and said "Mom, did they even have tv's when you were a kid?". Look, I may walk to school uphill both ways like an old person, but I am not so old that I ever had to live without tv...evar!
October 16 uh...
So, potty training children involves a lot of talk about what is going into the potty. The ever creative Elise came up with these two gems today... This morning, Lillian put poops in the potty (huzzah!!!!!) and Elise was supervising. I hear her say "That one looks like a banana!" So you can guess which fruit we bypassed in the produce department. This evening, she hollers out that her peeps are green. I said "Oh yeah, how did that happen?" In the tone of someone explaining the painfully obvious to the village idiot, Elise says "Well, they are magic." Of course...thanks for clearing that up. I have never been so excited for tubby time!! October 12 In the van on the way home from school, Kaely was telling me about how Christopher Columbus brought disease and that killed a lot of the native americans. We talked about how everyone has their own germs that they are used to and when you are exposed to something new it can make you sick, blah blah blah. Then I told her that today we have medicine and doctors to help us when we get sick. At this point in the conversation, Elise adds "And Scooby Doo band-aids! Scooby Dooby Dooooooo!" Thank you Elise. Also, I don't know where you get your old sailors named Richard, but I found a place in Charlotte that has em...
October 10 On the road again...
We had a morning appointment to see another house and then the girls and I were leaving to come back to Tallahassee. The house is nice, they have done quite a bit of work to it, but the layout is wackier than the first house we looked at. That and it smelled...uh, odd. Not bad, I guess just that old house smell. I'll purchase stock in Glade and Febreze if we end up in that house. Sadly, there is no livestock at either of the neighbors. Definite con. Let's just say that the trip home was longer and more hellish than any exhausted mom should have to bear. But it so nice to be home!
October 16
uh...
So, potty training children involves a lot of talk about what is going into the potty. The ever creative Elise came up with these two gems today...
This morning, Lillian put poops in the potty (huzzah!!!!!) and Elise was supervising. I hear her say "That one looks like a banana!" So you can guess which fruit we bypassed in the produce department.
This evening, she hollers out that her peeps are green. I said "Oh yeah, how did that happen?" In the tone of someone explaining the painfully obvious to the village idiot, Elise says "Well, they are magic." Of course...thanks for clearing that up.
I have never been so excited for tubby time!!
October 12
In the van on the way home from school, Kaely was telling me about how Christopher Columbus brought disease and that killed a lot of the native americans. We talked about how everyone has their own germs that they are used to and when you are exposed to something new it can make you sick, blah blah blah. Then I told her that today we have medicine and doctors to help us when we get sick. At this point in the conversation, Elise adds "And Scooby Doo band-aids! Scooby Dooby Dooooooo!" Thank you Elise.
Also, I don't know where you get your old sailors named Richard, but I found a place in Charlotte that has em...
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October 10
On the road again...
We had a morning appointment to see another house and then the girls and I were leaving to come back to Tallahassee. The house is nice, they have done quite a bit of work to it, but the layout is wackier than the first house we looked at. That and it smelled...uh, odd. Not bad, I guess just that old house smell. I'll purchase stock in Glade and Febreze if we end up in that house. Sadly, there is no livestock at either of the neighbors. Definite con.
Let's just say that the trip home was longer and more hellish than any exhausted mom should have to bear. But it so nice to be home!
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And it still rained...
Saturday morning, we canned our plans to hit the carnival and somehow ended up with Shelby (Allan's 12 year old) at the coolest mall. Much like Sawgrass Mills in South Florida, but lacking the cubans and alligators. Great. That was pretty much the whole day...at the mall. But it was fun and it beat the pants off walking around a muddy carnival getting motion sickness from all the rides I would have had to have ridden with various small children. We did end up at some sort of NASCAR go cart track that is located in the mall. Highly amusing. I need to figure out how to get the video of Elise driving on here because, damn. That was great. Saturday night, we watched Alexander on the On Demand thinger. Pretty good movie and I highly recommend watching it with Allan because he is not a fan of gays. Sweet! Oh, and Lillian fell down the stairs, so I am betting that a 2 story house is out.
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Charlotte, NC: Where you can still smoke in the restaurants.
So, on Friday morning, at 5:15 am (pagi pagi) the girls and I loaded up and struck a trail for Charlotte. Rainiest.Day.Ever. I tried not to let that or driving get in the way of picture taking. The girls were awesome! So angelic and calm (I should have taken that as an early warning sign). We got into town and found Don around 2. We had a 3:30 appointment with a realtor to see a house. The house was neat, but the layout was kinda wacky and our neighbors would include 2 honking geese and 2 goats (and a partridge in a pear tree). For dinner we met up with Allan's family at Dante's and the kids went to town!! It was great letting them burn off all (no, more like some) of that excess energy that small children are famous for. Let's just say that after being up since 4:30, I was so very ready for my bed...too bad that wasn't to be until after 11.
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September 30
boys are gross
This morning as I was walking up Gardenview, I passed a city crew preparing to take down a tree. We did the customary nod and "good morning". On the way back, their truck was on the sidewalk, so we had to walk in the street. As I passed, the guy looked at me and apologized for blocking the sidewalk and then adjusted himself. I wanted to laugh and then ask him to apologize for that...but I didn't. The worker further down commented on what a load I had and I had to suppress the urge to say "Yeah, but apparently not as much as your friend there."
So, in my brilliance, I walked today. No, no, there's more...Elise didn't have school today, so I was unable to drop her off and boy does she make that stroller heavy. I hadn't realized how much until today. And I know what you are all thinking...
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We got Elise's pictures back from the photographer today...yay! She was so cute when she had them taken last week. After I picked her up from school, I asked her if she smiled for the lady and she said "Yes! She was a grandma!". So there you go...wanna get a good picture? Be a grandma.
Also, today, while we were watching "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", Kaely looked at me and said "Mom, did they even have tv's when you were a kid?". Look, I may walk to school uphill both ways like an old person, but I am not so old that I ever had to live without tv...evar!
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September 27 gee honey...
I dunno why I am having trouble getting all this packing done...
I dunno why I am having trouble getting all this packing done...
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heh...my daughter is a pot head...
Yesterday was Johnny Appleseed's birthday (who knew?), so at school Elise made a pot hat to celebrate. The pictures do not do the hat justice...and you should have seen all the kids in their pot hats! Ha!
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September 25
Whew!
The present was a hit! He was so excited to get his Beater Bot. The party was also, in my opnion, a huge success (Hooray Jen!!!). So my only complaint is in the false advertisement (not really, I just don't understand boy toys) of this toy thing that we bought. The picture on the box shows this robot thinger...but the inside of the box shows an unassembled mass of plastic...gah! I assembled it...slowly, but it got done (sorry, I'm not an 8 year old boy...I'm sure he could have done it faster). The little boy is happy with his Beater Bot and attached "clip" of marbles that he can shoot at his sister, so I say job well done! We also had fun installing batteries in the two remote control dinosaurs (and by we, I mean Jen and Dad...because I was assembling that darn robot thing).
To keep the party spirit alive, we moved things over to my house for an all night sleep over extravaganza!! We ate pizza and watched movies and then wiggled ourselves silly in a vain attempt to stay awake. In true sleep over form, we stayed up late and woke up too early (as in, before the sun). After breakfast, they planned out a play...The Princess and the Magic Tiger. I wish they had gotten more sleep so they could have actually finished it. They got as far as costumes and lost interest. Kaely was the princess (of course), but both cousins wanted to be the Magic Tiger...so one got to be the Tiger and the other was the Black Magic Tiger. He wore the black leotard and the sparkly black cat ears. It was (to quote the Guinness guys) brilliant!
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September 23
Shopping for a boy...
is seriously hard work. I felt like a needed a map and a translator at the store. There was no pink...no flowers...no feather boas. What was this strange place? So hopefully the little man likes his birthday present. I have no clue what I just bought...some sort of plastic robot thinger that shoots balls...dunno. Like I said...I was like a girl outta the mall on the boy aisle.
September 22
Amazingly, the glitter was contained and no mess was made! I am so very impressed with that Kaely! They never did make it to that dance party, though...
Today, I took a picture of Elise's work. It's all the stuff she has been working on that stays at school.
Not much happening...worried sick about Rita. Mother informed me that Bay City was being evacuated (and her tone screamed concern). When I answered vaguely that I would look at a map, she snapped "That's where you were born!". I know that Mother...however, I am not a salmon and I need a map to visualize the exact location. Thank goodness for Google Earth. I am concerned, though, if the city in which I was born is wiped away by a hurricane...do I cease to exist?? I think Mother is just very stressed out about everything, and it just came out in the whole Bay City conversation.
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September 21 100% Girl!
I'm not 100% sure about what is going on in Kaely's room at this moment, but I can tell you that it involves glitter. I know, because I opened it for her. I just passed by her door and Elise is at the vanity, hairbrush in hand. Elise: I don't want to wear a bracelet. Kaely: You have to, we are going to a dance party (in her best snotty girl voice). All I know is that the vacuum will be used and abused tonight. That, and pictures will be posted!
I'm not 100% sure about what is going on in Kaely's room at this moment, but I can tell you that it involves glitter. I know, because I opened it for her. I just passed by her door and Elise is at the vanity, hairbrush in hand.
Elise: I don't want to wear a bracelet.
Kaely: You have to, we are going to a dance party (in her best snotty girl voice).
All I know is that the vacuum will be used and abused tonight. That, and pictures will be posted!
Yeah, so my sweat was sweating...
Hot hot hotty hot hot! But I guess that makes a shower so much more dee-lish-us when I get home.
So, I had to explain to Kaely the difference between the "home" phone and the cell phone. It blew her mind. Just wait until she finds out about records...
Going to finish the bathroom this weekend. Which is good, because it has been halfway for about um, months now. I stripped all the wallpaper out, but there are holes that need to be patched...and that's where Daddy comes in. Hooray! We'll patch the holes and then I can paint. He'll also help me decide what to do with that crazy wood thing that hangs from the ceiling.
September 19
Retraction
I take back all the warm and fuzzy things I said about walking last week. Walking sucks when the humidity is at 5000%. It was horrible and I was almost too gross to walk Elise into school. Yeah...it was that bad...like walking through soup. The cool thing (and by cool I mean neat, not cold) was that Lillian and I saw a turtle crossing the street as we walked back uphill through the park. And now you know why I carry the camera with me at all times.
Apparently, in my former life as a pirate, my name was Mad Pegs.
Bad Pirate Joke:
How much for the corn?
A buccaneer.
Now ye must walk the plank!
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September 17
One thing led to another...
and before I knew what was happening, my desk was clean!! Any gamblers out there are more than welcome to place bets on how long it will stay clean... We are already going on 4 hours!!
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September 16
Maybe North Carolina won't be so bad afterall...
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Walking is fan-freakin-tastic! It just gets easier and easier...not that that makes it any more fun. I don't know about you, but sweat is gross. So I will be so very pleased when the weather finally cools. And, because I am such a nerd, I drove the route I walk...1.7 miles one way (uphill both ways...in a hurricane, because we don't get snow). Good times...
We've had a little tummy bug visit our house, which means lots of laundry and late nights. The good thing about being up late was that I got to watch Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Frylock is my hero. Oh and Carl.
So, the other day, I thought I was being brilliant (and by brilliant, I mean desperate) and I brought bubbles in the van to play with while we waited for Kaely to get out of school. Sigh...they were bubbles of the "Catch a Bubble" variety which means that they are very sticky and last forever (for a bubble: approximately 42.3 minutes). While the girls had a great time, the bubbles made a mess everywhere. Elise refused to get back in her carseat because it was covered in bubbles. There are still spots where the bubbles, um...for lack of a better word, melted. yay.
Looks like we are going up to Charlotte the first weekend of October, just to visit and hopefully look at some houses. Don has looked at a couple...one was really cute. Unfortunately, we outgrew cute little houses 2 kids ago. The search continues...
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September 13
I am a sucker...
I did not plan on walking Elise to school this morning (because I did yesterday), but she cried and I fell for it. I realized yesterday that it is uphill both ways (just like the stories your grandparents tell you...except there is no snow because, well, this is Florida). I'm not sure why the girls enjoy it so much, though. The first time, sure, because it was something new...but now, they can't sit still. They lean out of the sides of the stroller, Lillian enjoys putting her feet on the wheels, they try to stand up...it's like pushing a cart containing two fighting dog... or maybe sloshing water (uphill both ways!). I used to think that the people smiling at us as we passed were just being polite, but now I am starting to think that they are busting a gut on the inside and the smile is all that shows...you know, so they don't explode. I plan on developing a limp by tomorrow morning so I have an "excuse" to not walk Elise tomorrow (not that I think she will fall for it). I will, however, make sure to eat breakfast...just in case. I am not making that mistake again!
I found this picture on thesuperficial.com and had to share!
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September 09
Hum along of you know this one:
The B-L-E-L-E
and that's the word for me
dum dum dum da duh dum dum dum
The B-L-E-L-E
whoo!
Gotta love the Methodist Preschool!!! Elise gets really creative with the way she sings that one verse that she doesn't know the words to. It's great. I think I will actually be disappointed when she starts to sing it the right way.
September 08
I was bored...
so for S&G's I moved Lillian's furniture. She walked in and said "My love it, my room!" and clasped her little hands together. Yeah, I got my giggles.
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Hooray for Hairy Hat Day!
Obviously they are still exploring the letter "h". H is for hilarious... The best thing is that when Elise is older, she will hate (oooh, there's another h word) me for putting this picture up. Oh, and the balloon hat picture, too.
Obviously they are still exploring the letter "h". H is for hilarious... The best thing is that when Elise is older, she will hate (oooh, there's another h word) me for putting this picture up. Oh, and the balloon hat picture, too.
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Hills, schmills...
Twice now I have walked Elise to school. Tuesday was absolutely terrible. Gardenview is the biggest bitch to walk up while pushing a stroller. About halfway I was close to tears thinking that I couldn't do it and I would have to give up walking until we moved. Then those glorious endorphins kicked in and I was suddenly flying! It was fan-freakin'-tastic. Today was much better (Gardenview is still a bitch, though). So I don't have to give up walking after all...woohoo!
The girls are showing signs of stress that Don is gone. I'm glad that Open House is coming up for both schools, so I can talk to their teachers. I need someone to also talk to me...I'm showing signs of stress as well. I'm trying to keep the girls on the same schedule as before to minimize their "upsetment", but by the end of the day I have turned into Dragon Lady. The dog needs to be groomed, so perhaps I will take out some of that frustration on him...but then again, he may be the first hairless shih-tzu when I am done.
Elise is very proud of the extensive study on the letter "h" that she completed in school, so here it is. Speaking of that kid, I gotta go get her!
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September 05
Flying solo...
Today, being a holiday, is wonky. We decided to go to the playground. It's just down the street...not very far and it's on the way I would walk to take Elise to school. I thought it would be good to kinda test it out, you know, see how hard it was gonna be to push the girls in the stroller. Two words:
Holy shit!!!
Getting there was no problem (because it is a downhill walk)...see where this is going? On the way back out of the park...hills and wind. The wind kept catching in the little canopies (think: Conestoga Wagon headin' west). So I guess you could say that I have emerilized my workout.
Don is already planning on firing half his new store (and he hasn't even officially started yet). I hope he sends me some pictures soon, I am dying to see what it looks like!
It is time for naps here...gotta love the naps!
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August 30
Ok...so, note to self...
"ladypops"+sleeping children=sticky mess
Off to watch "Dog" ha ha!
While we were in the van waiting for Kaely to get out of school she came up to me with a very serious face and said:
Elise: Mommy, I have a secret.
Me: Ok...what?
Elise: It's (there was a pause and I am thinking that she is going to tell me that Jesus loves me or something else that she learned at school)...corn.
Me: ::speechless::
Elise: Purple corn, not {finger quotes} yellow corn. Special purple corn...
I about died laughing (on the inside, of course) when she actually did the finger quotes.
Later, on the way home, Kaely asked me where the hurricane was and I told her it was somewhere over Mississippi.
Elise: Mrs. Slippy? Who's that?
Thank God I have a smart kid, because I was once again speechless with laughter (on the inside) and could not explain that Mississippi was a what not a who.
Oh, and apparently we are moving to "mo canalina".
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Dang!
Here I thought I was all clever and stuff, but the WMP doesn't work. I have the right file type and everything...a great song even....sigh. I shake my fist at technology!
Don talked to Allan yesterday and we finally have a date: September 6 (which is sooner than I expected). So it looks like this weekend we will drive up to Charlotte and see the new store. The girls and I will drive home Monday...probably stop at Mom and Dad's and check on Dad. I doubt Mom will be home by then, but I don't really remember, actually. At least this time, I'll have Jen close by and I won't be completely alone. And packing should be easier, too, since I'll be down two kids every morning... Looking for the positives...
So after carrying two different migraine meds with me for 2 months, I finally got a migraine yesterday and was able to try them out. Per the doctor's instructions, I took a Zomig straight away and then a Frova two hours later. The Zomig was great...I couldn't keep my eyes open or my mouth shut. I think Don was thrilled when I fell asleep. Unfortunately, neither drug did what I thought they would (make it go away, like really fast...you know, instant gratification) and I still hurt (18 hours later).
I'm gonna go play around with the WMP...if it works for you will you let me know, please?
August 27
Damn big pizza
This is what happens when you give your husband the bank card for the day:
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August 26
Ha!
I shake my fist at Mother Nature! Where's the icon for that? I need a shaking fist!! It's probably premature shaking, but it looks as though the system is moving west of us...take that M.N.!
P.S. You need to click on the photo to fully enjoy my arts and craps.
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Me: Hey babe, they say that the hurricane may be a 3 by the time it gets to the pahandle.
Don: Cool!
sigh...
But then later he calls...
Don: I love you.
Me: I love you.
Don: Which is why you need to take the girls and go up to your Mom's.
Me: No
Whatta goofball! I just checked weather.com and it looks like landfall will be west of us, so I am not too worried.
Liz...reading news articles that list our actual cities is a bit freaky. Hope you guys are ok!!!
I wonder what the school board is gonna do...
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sigh...
Poor Liz without any power .
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Tropical Update
So wahoo! I love weather.com! Here comes another hurricane...Liz, hope you are ok! I'd say you could come stay with me, but that would be just plain silly . We got a note from the Pre-K already about possible school closings (which I guess is good...shows they are on the ball). Monday is supposed to be Kaely's Open House...this is just like last year!
. We got a note from the Pre-K already about possible school closings (which I guess is good...shows they are on the ball). Monday is supposed to be Kaely's Open House...this is just like last year! | |
Jen, if it's alright with you, I'm gonna Napster some music and then we'll be square. Cool? I need something new to drive to :)
:D
Ok...before I go to bed, I just had to brag about Miss Kaely! Her teacher told me this afternoon that when she tested Kaely's vocabulary, Kaely read words up to (and including) the Fourth Grade list. 
That's my girl! So now she knows that she has to start on chapter books (which she has been avoiding). She actually rolled her eyes at me...
That's my girl! So now she knows that she has to start on chapter books (which she has been avoiding). She actually rolled her eyes at me... I am sooo "That Mom"...while I was waiting for school to get out, I drew up an alternate plan for the car pick up area (complete with diagrams!). The way it is now is terrible...I wonder what the principal will do with my email... Hopefully I will get a gold 
!
! We are still really enjoying the zuma...it has become a bit of a competition (I'm winning so far...level 4-2 thank you very much!). It's sad, really...
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August 23
It seems to me...
that I am spending a lot of time in the old van...and of course I have pictures of the girls in the van (you know, for evidence)! This whole school thing has really cramped my style...hot damn! I'm losing my mind!
In other news, I have become a zuma freak...that's a fun game. It will help pass the time when Don leaves for Charlotte :)
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August 18
Those crazy kids...
So we had broccoli for dinner tonight. The girls are not big fans, so I add the universal cover up (cheese). Kaely tries it and loves it. Elise finally bows to the peer pressure (come on, you know you want it..everybody's eating it...) at the end of the meal and tries some broccoli. She says "Oh it's great! I tried it and I liked it! It's awesome! I love broccoli now!". All smiles because she knows that there is still 
. I suggested that she eat some more, since she liked it so very much. She looked at me very seriously and said, "No Mommy, I'm full."
. I suggested that she eat some more, since she liked it so very much. She looked at me very seriously and said, "No Mommy, I'm full." sigh...
August 17
Another First
Today Elise started Pre-K!! Very excited little girl until the time came for Lillian to leave :( Elise wanted Lillian to stay at school with her. And, of course, Lillian didn't want to leave Elise. Tears all around! Fortunately, Pre-K is only a 3 hour tour, so we'll pick up Elise at 12. And then wait to hear from the Pontiac people... I'm just really hoping that whatever is wrong with the a/c will be quick and easy to fix.
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August 15
First Day of School!
Well, here we go again...K-Bug is off to school...first grade, even! We had a pretty good morning. I was even alowed to take her picture before we left the house. I was not allowed to take any pictures after we got to the school, though! Elise cried when it was time to leave, so Kaely hugged Elise...but then of course Lillian needed hugs, too. I think Kaely and her teacher were glad to see us leave. I've become that Mom...
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