May Madness and Memorial Day Weekend

For the last 27 days, it has been non-stop. June is typically the busy month for me, so I'm a bit worried about how much more crazy it can get. Since my last post, I have been doing things like:

• Taking care of a sick child. This has been one of the worst asthma triggering Spring's of note. I know many families that have been dealing with children in similar situations. It's been no fun. And here I started Ry's meds early this year to be prepared, and yet he has suffered greatly anyway.
• Room mom duties including Teacher Appreciation Week (which I do right, seeing that I am a teacher too and want to make sure my children's teachers are fully appreciated).
• Mother's Day activities--we went to Burke Lake Park and enjoyed a nice walk, a train ride, a carousel ride and some ice cream with my kids, my sister and her family, and my parents.
• Watching my son earn his green stripe in Tae Kwon Do.  His response when he was notified by Master Lee was, "Yes!"
• Enduring the trials and tribulations of my husband's employment with Whole Foods Market.
• Enjoying a fabulous Girls' Weekend with two special friends. We went to Chapel Hill, NC. Despite the fact that I was in the land of an ACC rival, I thoroughly enjoyed the cultural experience of a beautiful, historical and slightly haunted old town.
• Being immersed in a full basement renovation. We have never had a finished basement, and in a few more weeks, we will. It has been a busy, messy, loud experience with workers in and out of my house almost every day, at very early hours. We survived lots of banging when the frame for the walls went up, and the deafening noise of concrete being jackhammered to move the plumbing. We are now enduring the drywall process. The dust down below is like snow on a January day. Stay tuned for the before and after shots as the end draws near in a few weeks.

Now on to the traditional weekend of the beginning of summer.......

It has been low key, to say the least. We have done a little shopping, and a lot of resting and relaxing. The highlight of the weekend was the first swim of the 2010 season. Let the summer begin......(uh, except my poor older child still has 24 days left of school--doesn't seem fair, does it??!)

She's a bit excited about being in the pool.

Yeah Mommy, for capturing the action shot!

Notice the goggles...he's wearing them upside down, and doesn't have a clue!

He was so happy!

The last week has had me doing all I can to keep my head above water.  Rylan got sick.  Congestion which lead to a bad cough, which lead to wheezing and numerous doctor's appointments.  We've been to the pediatrician four times in just less than a week.  And to think, we were all geared up and ready for spring with his preventitive meds.  Oh well. 
Jen fell ill on Saturday night after a very competitive soccer game that afternoon.  It was hotter than usual, but not that hot.  However, it affected a lot of the girls and their ability to play.  It was very strange and disconcerting.  Jen got nauseous, shaky and lethargic after the game.  It was a two day recovery, but she made it to school today.
Two sick kids and a basement to clear out.  I have little over a week to prepare the basement for some construction that will bring an unfinished storage room into a Rec Room where the kids can play with their stuff.  It is an overwhelming project, but refreshing in that...this stuff would never been cleaned out if it weren't for a project of this magnitude.
The highlight of the day.....Rylan made it back to Tae Kwon Do after a couple of weeks of being sick.  He earned a green stripe.  He was SOOOO proud!!  He kept saying, "Mom, I am SO happy!"  He also asked if "I was proud?"  Of course.....I am so VERY proud!!

Monday Musings

• Allergies vs. Cold....always the question.  Both kids are congested.  Ry is now receiving neb treatments because he has a bad cough and is wheezing.  Plans for today have all changed.
• Continued working on the basement cleanout over the weekend.  With so much to organize, donate or throw away, it is one immense project.
• Watched a very exciting soccer game on Saturday.  It's fun watching my daughter's team grow and become more skilled with each passing season.  They beat a very good team.  It's was hard to contain my excitement and not act like an over zealous soccer mom when the whistle blew to end the game!
• Ry has discovered the word "weanie," and asked his dad if he "had a weanie."  Must have gotten that little jewel from his boys at school.  It's hard not to laugh when they say things like that.
• I have now entered the world of having to screen music.  Jen wanted a song by Ke$ha called "Tik Tok" put on her iPod.  I downloaded it THEN listened to the lyrics.  I hear "brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack" and "ain't gotta care in the world, but got plenty of beer" and "boys tryin' to touch my junk."  That song has now been removed from the iPod.  Yikes.


• This is the innocence I prefer to keep.  Playing dress up.  She did his hair.  Dashing, isn't it?  She looks like a glamour puss in her hat and sparkly lip gloss.  You can just tell she is about to bat those eyelashes....can't ya??

Passin' it on......

A friend of mine (basically the only one I get blog ideas from....she knows who she is) suggested this as an entry, so here's my version.

1. Ever had any run-ins with the "library police?"

Haven't had to deal with anything severe, but there have been a few fines here and there in my day.  I'm no George Washington.  There are still two books he hasn't returned.

2. Do you have a special organizational plan and place for wrapping paper, gift bags, etc., or do you just purchase whatever you need as you give gifts?

I have a whole bag of gift bags, rolls of wrap and a box of bows and stuff.  I almost always manage to buy something else when I give a gift because what I have "just isn't right."

3. Have you ever been in (first-hand witness) a natural disaster?

I have been in one too many hurricanes.  One I remember most was when I was at FSU.  The Chi O house was dark and scary.  We walked around campus the next day and saw huge trees toppled over.

4. What's your favorite Barry Manilow song?

Ew. Ew. Yuck.  He gives me the heebie jeebies.

5. What's the best costume you've ever worn?

Dirt.  Yes, dirt.  I was sick and got pulled around in the wagon with a piece of brown felt over me.  I was the dirt and my sister was the super, cool carrot in my garden.  She had some awesome costumes as a kid.  Me, not so much.

6. Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus?

Dictionary.  Got a pet peeve about mispelling.  Maybe it's a teacher thing.

7. What's your favorite breakfast food?

Guess it's omelettes.  Although I don't eat them very often.  Coffee is pretty much a given these days too.

8. Have you ever purchased anything from an infomercial?

No, but my husband bought the Smart Saver system and now it's in stores everywhere.  I have to say it is very organized, and well-used!

9. Have you ever crawled through a window?

Yup.  Had to get back in my house.  The keypad on the garage door wasn't working and therefore I was locked out.  Borrowed a ladder and crawled in the window that I happened not to shut all the way earlier in the day.  Haven't left the house without my key since.

10. Do you believe in love at first sight?

No, I am too practical.

11. How many pairs of jeans do you own?

A lot more than I did when I was working.  I'm up to 10 now.


12. If someone were going to bake a cake to honor/represent you, what would it be? (Think creatively, like Duff and Crew on "Ace of Cakes.")

How about a doggy cake?!  It's sweet and loyal.  Not to mention, white and flakey.

Monday Musings

On the request of a friend, here are my Monday Musings....

• The prospect of having my basement finished and remodeled is both exciting and overwhelming.
• Looking forward to a Girls' Weekend.....t-minus 25 days and counting.
• Temperatures are normal this week..mid 60's.
• Witnessed my first drama on the soccer game sidelines this weekend between the other teams' coach and one of their parents...my heart was racing.
• My son is learning a lot in Tae Kwon Do.  I'll be excited for him when he earns his first yellow stripe.
• Thinking of taking a photography class with my sister.  That would be fun.
• Working on plans for Teacher Appreciation Week..May 3-7...as a teacher myself, it's important to recognize my kids' teachers.
• Already contemplating what to do with myself next year when both kids are in school all day.
• Must find a way to deal with stress...it's overwhelming at times.
• It takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty~three to frown. ~Anonymous

It's almost time....my tears are welling up already

Today was a big day for Ry.  We went to Kindergarten Orientation...already.  I was pleasantly impressed by the program, organization and gifts.  Not only is my son going to be attending full day kindergarten (unless the FCPS budget cuts get a hold of it) which is different than my daughter who only went half-day, but I don't remember all this orientation stuff so early either.
We arrived at Bull Run Elementary...yes we live in Civil War central, where we were greeted by the smiling faces of Kindergarten teachers and staff, and placed in a color group.  We were "yellow" and Ry promptly put on his yellow crayon box tag.  We sat in the yellow section of the Little Theater.  All the "kindergarteners" were taken by 5-grade buddies to the library to hear a story while the parents listened to a presentation by the principal.  Then we met up with our child to go through a series of four rotations, based on our color group.  First we took a ride on a school bus, which Ry has never done.  Mommy started worrying about how Ry will do with that on a regular basis because he has a tendency to get car sick and the bus ride might intensify that feeling.  Eee gads.  Next we went to a Kindergarten classroom to see the room and to work on a project with a current student.  Ry made his Bull head band.  (see picture above).  I found it amusing that despite Ry's ability to write his name and cut, other students were doing a lot of it for him.  Next we went to the pod to complete puzzles and use manipulatives.  Again, the fifth graders were doing more of the puzzles than the little people.  I saw another mom who couldn't stop crying.  Boy, wait until school starts, she's REALLY going to lose it.  Lastly we went to the registration area, and I proudly had all but 1 of the 10 documents and forms I needed.  Yeah, mom.  Ry got a sticker on his crayon box for each station he went to.  I should have gotten a gold star for being prepared and holding myself together.

Wine, Words and Wow

Wine.  Drank this one tonight.  Just the name is fun.

Words.

Took Rylan to get a blood test to determine if his allergies to peanuts and tree nuts has changed.  We're hoping he'll grow out of it.  When we got to the lab, I explained he was having a "peanut test" because I didn't want to talk about the needle and blood.  He says, "oh, so we can see if I eat it again by accident then I might not react?"  I was so impressed I said, "Wow, that's a big word."  He says, "Yea, I learn everything from you."  I nearly cried at the sweetness of his comment.  I just love him to pieces.

Tonight Jensyn says, "I saw Sebastian today.  I looked into his eyes," as she batts her eyelashes.  I thought I might fall onto the floor right then and there.  She is only 8, right??