Like socks in the dryer - in reverse

Today I was running errands and looked in the back seat. There is a full load of laundry on the captain's chair and more in the trunk. This happens twice during the year - cross country season and track season. Ask me in three weeks. I'll have enough clothes in the van to outfit the whole team....

April fool's made possible through texting!

Today I texted my two oldest kids mid-morning and told them that the school announcement system sent me a text that the schedule was misprinted and only the grade schools have off tomorrow. Both of them caught it right away, and texted me back, but what a great way to connect with them!

Our $3000 "free" puppy...

So a few years ago we wanted a dog (ok, it was me). No gerbil, hamster, or guinea pig can compete when you've grown up with a dog. So we wnt to the humane society looking for a cute, little, white terrier kind of thing and we wound up with a puppy that grew up into a 60 pound lab/border collie. But I digress....

He was practically free. A week after we had him home he started vomiting and quickly became lethargic. We took him to the emergency vet where he was diagnosed with parvo virus, which has no treatment except supportive care, and is nearly always fatal. He spent 4 days in the puppy ICU at a cost of $2000, but he survived.

Things were going along pretty well, until January. He was running through the yard in the snow, and suddenly yelped. He would not put weight on his foot, so we treated it with RICE for a day to see if it would get better. It did not. A visit to the vet confirmed my suspicion of a torn ACL. The best option for a young dog like him was surgery to replace the torn ligament for a cost of about $1500.

So most of the month has been spent trying to keep him quiet and healing after the surgery. And did I mention, that 30% of dogs who have torn one ACL usually tear the other one within a year? 

Nothing is ever free. Good thing he's cute.

it's simple

I have always loved planners, calendars, and journals, but this s one of my all time favorites! I love how the pages are kind of random thoughts - much like my own. The page always starts with a choice of three things to describe my day and a place to explain why. There's always a red quote in the middle. The rest of the things on the page are random - sometimes I comment, sometimes I check them, cross them out, or add my own. You have to check it out.

Proof of a technology gap

My husband is not Mr. Technology. He learned how to send email a year ago. On more than one occasion I have found him talking on his cell phone with it next to his ear - on speaker. So, when he told me he found a place online to order a replacement tail light for the broken one on our van, I was shocked. "Yeah," he said, "it's a lot cheaper than in the store, but it's like a mail order place. Is that ok?" A mail order place? You mean like online shopping? (snicker)

Look, it's a...a...a...oh, hell I don't know.

In December I got a great deal on the electric guitar that my daughter requested for Christmas on craigslist. So when someone we knew told us he was moving and getting rid of a piano, I thought we hit the jackpot. Maybe I should have asked to see it first.

As it turns out the paint is only the beginning. Many of the hammers are broken and the strings are starting to rust - it's not worth repairing as a piano. It's sitting in our garage waiting for the right person to find it. Can't you picture it as a garden planter? Maybe a desk? A headboard in a shabby chic room? A fish tank? A "piano bar" for the rec room?

C'mon, who's feelin' it?

Announcement, Everyone!

Many of you know my sister because I post her crazy stories here as well. What you might not know is that she is also an expert on early childhood special needs. Later this week she is talking at a local MOPS about how to modify child behaviors. For example, did you know that you can make your kids great with a mood ring, a rock, and pair of rabbit ears. She like McGyver for parents!

Watch for more of her tips here!

Whew, it's been a while!

The last month off has been great! I finally piled up enough vacation time at work to take time off without trying to make up the hours. In November, I also cut back my hours at my part time job. I knew my life was really unbalanced, but didn't realize how much I disliked it being that way.

I have missed my blog though and it's time to get back to writing, starting tomorrow.

I had no idea....

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At least I didn't flush my keys....

Today I picked my oldest up for an appointment with an oral surgeon to put a bracket put on a tooth. We stopped at the mall for lunch on the way to the office, and I realized on the way back out to the van that, for the third time in a month, I locked my keys in the van - which is a whole other story.

Fortunately my stepson was not too far away on a errand, and agreed to run by and get us - except he had his pickup not his car and could only take one of us at a time. When I called the office, they agreed to do the procedure even though we would be 40 minutes late.

Once the procedure started I made a stop in the bathroom, which I probably should have done hours before while I was still at work but I forgot (which every mother will relate to). As I flushed, I realized that the water wan't flushing. One thing everyone who lives in Wisconsin knows is that most "flushable" products, ARE NOT FLUSHABLE! The person in the bathroom before me was obviously from Illinois or something, because that's exactly why the water rising to the top of the bowl.

So I am late to the appointment, have to make two trips to get us both there, and now I am flooding their bathroom. Way to make an impression I know.... Desperate, I did a quick sweep of the bathroom - soap dispenser, garbage can, toilet brush.... toilet brush! I am saved!

The rest of the afternoon was much less eventful....

A new conference record....

Tonight at parent-teacher conferences we had what was probably the shortest conference in the history of education - except maybe for the parents who don't show up at all.

We did the 10 seconds of obligatory introductions, and sat down. I looked down at her report card and said, "Good grades, good comments - unless you've got something, I'm all set." He paused for a moment, kind of thoughtful, then stood, stretched out his hand, smiled and said, "Nope, that about covers it. Have a nice night then."

Leaves!

Poor Favre....

Is it any wonder Brett Favre can't seem to figure out what he wants to do? It's from living with the weather in Wisconsin for so long. Last month the kids wore winter coats and mittens to homecoming and today my youngest played outside in a t-shirt. It's not Favre's fault - it's the environment....

Changing of the seasons

November 1st. It's probably safe to assume that the rummage sale I was planning is not going to happen anytime soon - which is really sad because I had it all set up and just couldn't find a weekend when I was at home long enough to hold it.

I have to say it was really tempting to just leave the rummage sale set up over winter, so come spring I could fling open the garage door, and be ready to go. Fortunately for me, my family and friends all shopped when they stopped over, and there's not much left to worry about - which left plenty of room for... the snow gear!

Back in the nest

Well, the first flight into the adult world was a success. My oldest returned from her trip to D.C. with photos, souvenirs, stories, new friends from across the country, and so much to consider about what she wants to do with her future. That was the hardest thing I have done in a really long time – and probably the best.

Shopping anyone?

Every parent has done it. You’re shopping at the mall looking through sale racks with your preschooler by your side. You look down and she’s gone. The practical side of your brain is telling you that she’s probably hiding in the clothing racks. But there’s no convincing the protective parent part of your brain that goes into full panic mode, scanning the store for every possible abductor, calculating the number of possible exits against the amount of time since you last saw her.

I can’t shake that feeling. I’ll be happy when she is back home.

Sick Irony…

I left the airport after sending my daughter off into the great unknown, and stopped to pick up a paper on the way home, thinking the crossword puzzle would take my mind off it. The feature story was about the plane that landed the plane in the Hudson river a while back. Are you kidding me?

Like the first day of school... kind of… not really…. Ok. Not at all.

Tomorrow morning I am putting my oldest daughter on a plane to D.C. alone to attend a conference for a week. I wrote all her important numbers on an index card to keep in her wallet. Would pinning it to her shirt be overkill?

At least I feed them

We have all seen that baby who couldn't keep going any longer and fell asleep face down in her food on the high chair tray. I give you the 14 year old version.

I went up to her room to make sure she had enough to eat and say good night, and found her sleeping with her dinner plate on the bed next to her (and yes, that's a steak knife inches from her head).

Weekly Cards

Two years ago I started a project called "the weekly card". Each week I decorated an index card using paint, paper, stickers, and found items to create a piece of work that represented the week for me - kind of an journal entry without the words. I really missed doing them, and decided to start again with the start of the school year. I'm gonna try to do them again. We'll see.