When you find yourself with some free time and no interruptions, sit and talk with a child... you never know what you will get. Sometimes profound... sometimes funny... sometimes inspiring... alot of times surprising.
On Friday, after seeing Shrek the Third, the kids and I went to Olive Garden for dinner (definitely NOT on my approved food list!). While waiting for our name to be called, we talked about lots of things...mostly school stuff. But when K1 said something his sister didn't like, K3 pipes up with...
Boys go to Jupiter... to get more stupider.
Girls go to college... to get more knowledge.
Everyone laughed... only because none of us had heard it for quite awhile. K1 and K2 had had their time reciting it (of course, the genders were changed to reflect which ever sex was saying it). So I piped in with how it was said way back in my day...
Boys go to Jupiter... to get more stupider.
Girls go to Mars... to eat candy bars.
K3 laughed and looked at me like I was crazy... eat candy bars??? Yeah, maybe that's why I was overweight most of my life. So then we proceeded to try other planet names and see what rhymes we could come up with... until I made the mistake of saying the next one...
Boys go to Jupiter... to get more stupider.
Girls go to Mars... to eat candy bars.
K3 goes to Venus...
to which she replied...
To get more pe*is.
The best thing (after I got over my initial shock) was seeing the look on her brother and sister's faces. Their mouths fell down to their knees. They couldn't believe what they had just heard their baby sister say. As for K3, she at first was confused why they were looking at her like that until all of a sudden it dawned on her what she had just said. "I was just trying to make a rhyme. I didn't mean anything by it." As for me, I was trying to hold back hysterical laughter.
Showing posts with label conversations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conversations. Show all posts
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
You Reap What You Sow
I have been saying this phrase a lot lately... along with trying to decide if I am a horrible daughter.
My sister, G, had called a couple of times on Sunday however we had gone camping this last weekend and didn't get home til later. She finally connected with me around 8:30 p.m. Now you need some background info on my sister and I. We are 11 years apart... she is the oldest out of 7... I am second to last. My mom always had little ones around and underfoot and my sister told me once that she felt more like my mom than my sister. However, by the time I have vivid memories of my sister, she was a late teen and not home much between working McD's and her boyfriends (like Milton... I called him Milton the Toaster.... does anyone remember that commercial?). Then my sister who always had a rough relationship with our mom moved out when she was 18. My little brother and I would get to spend the night at her place sometimes and she was very good about taking us to the zoo and the park. But most of my memories of her always have her as an adult. We were never close like sisters can be.
Then as I became an adult... got married and started having kids. Her life was in chaos. Her marriage of 16 years ended... she hooked up with and married (for 9 months) a man who may not have been particularly good for and to her. She has been a diabetic since 14 and has had many other health issues. Then she started on the meds and it became extremely hard to talk to her. Many times she was "loopy" for lack of a better word. Other times she was angry and combatitive. She could do no wrong... everyone else was though. I pretty much gave up talking to her. When I was in communication with her, I tended to worry too much about her. However, there were many times when she said she wished everyone would just leave her alone and just quit nagging her. So I did... I washed my hands of her. It didn't mean that I didn't love her... I just couldn't sit and watch her sink lower and lower.
So back to my phone call... I was a bit nervous when I had first heard her voice on the answering machine. In the past, you never knew which G you were going to get. I have gotten calls at 2 a.m. where she had to call me because of a Golden Girls episode reminded her of us. Or I had gotten phone calls where she was upset with something that someone else had "told" her that I had said. Like I said... I didn't know which G was calling.
Before I could call her back... she connected with me. And to my surprise, she was coherent (she only forgot one thing that I had just told her)... she sounded intelligent not drugged up or loopy. She told me that she has made some changes since moving to NC. She is no longer on any pain meds but now had to learn how to deal with the pain and the depression. It sounds like her move was the best thing for her. She is now living with our cousin who doesn't take her sh$t. She has "evicted" G twice and threatened to take her to a women's shelter. But since my sister is still living there, apparently our cousin has not done any of these. But just the fact that she doesn't coddle G and let her get away with stuff, I think is making for a huge change in her life.
So our conversation started off talking about the kids... mine and hers. She thought K1 was J when he answered the phone. She couldn't believe it when I said that K1 was taller than me too. I was brought up to date on her 3 kids... my niece and nephews that I haven't seen in a year. Then she hit me with the big question... "So what is up with you and mom?" Hmmm...
My reply... "Nothing." Which pretty much sums it up, seeing as how I haven't talked to my mom since December. Yes, I can hear the shock and surprise from all of you reading this. So I asked G what she had heard. She said that mom has been wondering trying to figure out what she did to make me not call her anymore and that she hadn't heard from me since August. Well... first of all,
I let G know that I was at mom's for Thanksgiving and that I had called her at least once in December. It was then when I went to our family Christmas gathering at my brother's house on the 23rd and was told that mom and dad weren't coming... they had decided to head south a couple of days earlier. I was mad... I was upset... I was extremely sad for my kids... and I was pissed. They didn't HAVE to leave early, they chose to. My mom is not a big fan of my sister-in-law who was hosting Christmas. So they didn't come. And yet, everytime I would see her, she would say to my kids... "We never get to see you anymore. You never come to visit." (side note:my parents live 3 hours away from me) Yet here it was Christmas and she purposely moved her trip up 2 days so she could avoid our family gathering. Then she didn't have the decency to tell me herself. I had to hear it from one of my brothers. My parents were now down south... with no phone call that they were leaving... not one phone call while they were gone... and not one phone call when they returned. I only knew that they were coming back in February.
So yes, I did not call my mom. I also didn't receive a phone call from her... I asked my sister that... when is the last time mom has called me? Her response... "Carrie, you know she doesn't like to call us... we are supposed to call her." Yeah, and those are always fun phone calls. She doesn't really ask about anything. When you tell her what's going on, she is short and doesn't encourage more details. Then after about 5 minutes, she says she has to go and that's the end. I have had enough. I am tired of putting the work into it with no positve return.
My sister went on to say that she now calls Mom and Dad every Sunday... she the one who couldn't be in her prescence 5 minutes without tension and fights breaking out. She reminded me that they are getting up there in years (they are 71 and 70) and that they won't be around for much longer. How am I going to feel then? Well, this is actually something that I have given lots of thought to. I knew that by not keeping incontact with my mom that there might come a day when she would be gone. And maybe it sounds cold but I am resolved with that. Not that I won't be sad... nobody wants their parent to die. But will I be upset with would've's coud'ves, should'ves??? No... I purposely made this decision.
My sister said that some days our cousin has to actually dial the phone and hand it to her but she does call them weekly. Then if things start getting heated, she has our cousin call to her from the background that they need to be going. But why bother? Why play the game at all? I don't have the energy for it.
Then there is the "I love you" factor. I can count on one hand the number of times I remember hearing it said to me in my lifetime (and I would still have fingers to spare). Then last summer I overheard my mom on a phone conversation with the same cousin that my sister now lives with... and just for the record I was not eavesdropping... I was in the loft on the computer and my mom knew I was there. But during her conversation, I heard my mom say that she doesn't believe in saying "I love you" that they are just words. She said she showed her kids she loved them thru her actions. I was completely dumbfounded when I heard this. I remember thinking what actions... how did she show us? I went thru most of my childhood beliving that I wasn not loved. My sister's response to this was that we had a roof over our heads, food in our stomachs, vacations every summer... and I got a college education. But when it came to other moments in my life they weren't there. They never came to one of my high school volleyball games. When I graduated from college... they sat thru the 2.5 hour ceremony (my dad grumbling) but left right after... J's dad took us out to dinner afterwards. They weren't there for these moments... there were no hugs... and definitely no kisses... and no "I love you's". So G says that she tells them now that she loves them and they say it back to her... but again why bother? Especially when there is no feeling behind the words.
My sister said that she tore into my dad a few summers ago about how rude and mean he is to our brother's boys. He said quite frankly, "I don't like kids." She then said... that he had 7 of them... did he like them/us when we were little? His response..."not really, that's why I worked two jobs." I just shake my head.
I am not mad at nor am I purposely not calling my mom. I pretty much have just given up on being the only one putting work into the relationship. I feel like I am looking for crumbs when I call her and visit her. Sometimes it is better to starve.
So my conversation ended with G, with me promising to call mom for mother's day... it would be a day late (because I wasn't calling after that phone call... she would've been in bed) but better than not at all I guess.
So the next day, I was rushed and running around like crazy. It was my first regular day at the new job and I didn't want to be late. So I called mom from the van as I was pulling into the parking lot.
Me: Hi, Mom. Happy Mother's Day.
Mom: Who is this?
Me: Carrie
Mom: Oh, I didn't recognize your voice. I thought it was C (the cousin that G lives with).
Me: Sorry for not calling yesterday, but we were in IL camping this weekend and didn't get back til late.
Mom: Oh
*** Silence... Dead air ***
Me: Okay, well I just wanted to wish you a happy mother's day. I am starting a new job today and need to get going.
Mom: Oh, you are starting a new job?
Me: Yes, I quit the store and found this one thru some internet connections.
Mom: Oh, okay. Good-bye.
This is how most of our conversations go. She doesn't ask questions. She doesn't even ask about her grandkids (wait, I take that back... she did ask in this last conversation if K3 got her birthday card last week.) She isn't interested in our lives or anything that we are doing.
Plus, when she lived closer to me... we saw each other at least once a week. When she had her knee replacement surgery, I was the one who took her everyday for her physical therapy sessions (dragging 2 little kids with us each time). When they moved 3 hours away, she would periodically come down with my dad and call me up. We would usually spend the day together. Well, she hasn't called me in 2 years to do that. And I am pretty sure that she has been down here at least a few times in 2 years.
I don't mean to sound like I am whining... and I don't expect many of you to understand this. But for me... being around my mom, who has always been a very negative person, is draining. And then to realize that she wants the reap the benefits without doing any of the work. I can no longer do that. Will I try to call her more often... maybe... we'll see.
You reap what you sow... she has never sowed the seeds with love and tenderness and now she must reap what has been borne from those seeds. As for me, I refuse to sow those same seeds with my kids. They will be sown with love and nourishment. But maybe I am destined to continue this same cycle. My mom had a horrible relationship with her mom ( I rarely saw my nana unless we ran into her at another relative's house) and she has/had a horrible relationship with her eldest daughter. And now she has an indifferent one with me. I hope I can break this cycle with my own daughters.
But... you reap what you sow...
My sister, G, had called a couple of times on Sunday however we had gone camping this last weekend and didn't get home til later. She finally connected with me around 8:30 p.m. Now you need some background info on my sister and I. We are 11 years apart... she is the oldest out of 7... I am second to last. My mom always had little ones around and underfoot and my sister told me once that she felt more like my mom than my sister. However, by the time I have vivid memories of my sister, she was a late teen and not home much between working McD's and her boyfriends (like Milton... I called him Milton the Toaster.... does anyone remember that commercial?). Then my sister who always had a rough relationship with our mom moved out when she was 18. My little brother and I would get to spend the night at her place sometimes and she was very good about taking us to the zoo and the park. But most of my memories of her always have her as an adult. We were never close like sisters can be.
Then as I became an adult... got married and started having kids. Her life was in chaos. Her marriage of 16 years ended... she hooked up with and married (for 9 months) a man who may not have been particularly good for and to her. She has been a diabetic since 14 and has had many other health issues. Then she started on the meds and it became extremely hard to talk to her. Many times she was "loopy" for lack of a better word. Other times she was angry and combatitive. She could do no wrong... everyone else was though. I pretty much gave up talking to her. When I was in communication with her, I tended to worry too much about her. However, there were many times when she said she wished everyone would just leave her alone and just quit nagging her. So I did... I washed my hands of her. It didn't mean that I didn't love her... I just couldn't sit and watch her sink lower and lower.
So back to my phone call... I was a bit nervous when I had first heard her voice on the answering machine. In the past, you never knew which G you were going to get. I have gotten calls at 2 a.m. where she had to call me because of a Golden Girls episode reminded her of us. Or I had gotten phone calls where she was upset with something that someone else had "told" her that I had said. Like I said... I didn't know which G was calling.
Before I could call her back... she connected with me. And to my surprise, she was coherent (she only forgot one thing that I had just told her)... she sounded intelligent not drugged up or loopy. She told me that she has made some changes since moving to NC. She is no longer on any pain meds but now had to learn how to deal with the pain and the depression. It sounds like her move was the best thing for her. She is now living with our cousin who doesn't take her sh$t. She has "evicted" G twice and threatened to take her to a women's shelter. But since my sister is still living there, apparently our cousin has not done any of these. But just the fact that she doesn't coddle G and let her get away with stuff, I think is making for a huge change in her life.
So our conversation started off talking about the kids... mine and hers. She thought K1 was J when he answered the phone. She couldn't believe it when I said that K1 was taller than me too. I was brought up to date on her 3 kids... my niece and nephews that I haven't seen in a year. Then she hit me with the big question... "So what is up with you and mom?" Hmmm...
My reply... "Nothing." Which pretty much sums it up, seeing as how I haven't talked to my mom since December. Yes, I can hear the shock and surprise from all of you reading this. So I asked G what she had heard. She said that mom has been wondering trying to figure out what she did to make me not call her anymore and that she hadn't heard from me since August. Well... first of all,
I let G know that I was at mom's for Thanksgiving and that I had called her at least once in December. It was then when I went to our family Christmas gathering at my brother's house on the 23rd and was told that mom and dad weren't coming... they had decided to head south a couple of days earlier. I was mad... I was upset... I was extremely sad for my kids... and I was pissed. They didn't HAVE to leave early, they chose to. My mom is not a big fan of my sister-in-law who was hosting Christmas. So they didn't come. And yet, everytime I would see her, she would say to my kids... "We never get to see you anymore. You never come to visit." (side note:my parents live 3 hours away from me) Yet here it was Christmas and she purposely moved her trip up 2 days so she could avoid our family gathering. Then she didn't have the decency to tell me herself. I had to hear it from one of my brothers. My parents were now down south... with no phone call that they were leaving... not one phone call while they were gone... and not one phone call when they returned. I only knew that they were coming back in February.
So yes, I did not call my mom. I also didn't receive a phone call from her... I asked my sister that... when is the last time mom has called me? Her response... "Carrie, you know she doesn't like to call us... we are supposed to call her." Yeah, and those are always fun phone calls. She doesn't really ask about anything. When you tell her what's going on, she is short and doesn't encourage more details. Then after about 5 minutes, she says she has to go and that's the end. I have had enough. I am tired of putting the work into it with no positve return.
My sister went on to say that she now calls Mom and Dad every Sunday... she the one who couldn't be in her prescence 5 minutes without tension and fights breaking out. She reminded me that they are getting up there in years (they are 71 and 70) and that they won't be around for much longer. How am I going to feel then? Well, this is actually something that I have given lots of thought to. I knew that by not keeping incontact with my mom that there might come a day when she would be gone. And maybe it sounds cold but I am resolved with that. Not that I won't be sad... nobody wants their parent to die. But will I be upset with would've's coud'ves, should'ves??? No... I purposely made this decision.
My sister said that some days our cousin has to actually dial the phone and hand it to her but she does call them weekly. Then if things start getting heated, she has our cousin call to her from the background that they need to be going. But why bother? Why play the game at all? I don't have the energy for it.
Then there is the "I love you" factor. I can count on one hand the number of times I remember hearing it said to me in my lifetime (and I would still have fingers to spare). Then last summer I overheard my mom on a phone conversation with the same cousin that my sister now lives with... and just for the record I was not eavesdropping... I was in the loft on the computer and my mom knew I was there. But during her conversation, I heard my mom say that she doesn't believe in saying "I love you" that they are just words. She said she showed her kids she loved them thru her actions. I was completely dumbfounded when I heard this. I remember thinking what actions... how did she show us? I went thru most of my childhood beliving that I wasn not loved. My sister's response to this was that we had a roof over our heads, food in our stomachs, vacations every summer... and I got a college education. But when it came to other moments in my life they weren't there. They never came to one of my high school volleyball games. When I graduated from college... they sat thru the 2.5 hour ceremony (my dad grumbling) but left right after... J's dad took us out to dinner afterwards. They weren't there for these moments... there were no hugs... and definitely no kisses... and no "I love you's". So G says that she tells them now that she loves them and they say it back to her... but again why bother? Especially when there is no feeling behind the words.
My sister said that she tore into my dad a few summers ago about how rude and mean he is to our brother's boys. He said quite frankly, "I don't like kids." She then said... that he had 7 of them... did he like them/us when we were little? His response..."not really, that's why I worked two jobs." I just shake my head.
I am not mad at nor am I purposely not calling my mom. I pretty much have just given up on being the only one putting work into the relationship. I feel like I am looking for crumbs when I call her and visit her. Sometimes it is better to starve.
So my conversation ended with G, with me promising to call mom for mother's day... it would be a day late (because I wasn't calling after that phone call... she would've been in bed) but better than not at all I guess.
So the next day, I was rushed and running around like crazy. It was my first regular day at the new job and I didn't want to be late. So I called mom from the van as I was pulling into the parking lot.
Me: Hi, Mom. Happy Mother's Day.
Mom: Who is this?
Me: Carrie
Mom: Oh, I didn't recognize your voice. I thought it was C (the cousin that G lives with).
Me: Sorry for not calling yesterday, but we were in IL camping this weekend and didn't get back til late.
Mom: Oh
*** Silence... Dead air ***
Me: Okay, well I just wanted to wish you a happy mother's day. I am starting a new job today and need to get going.
Mom: Oh, you are starting a new job?
Me: Yes, I quit the store and found this one thru some internet connections.
Mom: Oh, okay. Good-bye.
This is how most of our conversations go. She doesn't ask questions. She doesn't even ask about her grandkids (wait, I take that back... she did ask in this last conversation if K3 got her birthday card last week.) She isn't interested in our lives or anything that we are doing.
Plus, when she lived closer to me... we saw each other at least once a week. When she had her knee replacement surgery, I was the one who took her everyday for her physical therapy sessions (dragging 2 little kids with us each time). When they moved 3 hours away, she would periodically come down with my dad and call me up. We would usually spend the day together. Well, she hasn't called me in 2 years to do that. And I am pretty sure that she has been down here at least a few times in 2 years.
I don't mean to sound like I am whining... and I don't expect many of you to understand this. But for me... being around my mom, who has always been a very negative person, is draining. And then to realize that she wants the reap the benefits without doing any of the work. I can no longer do that. Will I try to call her more often... maybe... we'll see.
You reap what you sow... she has never sowed the seeds with love and tenderness and now she must reap what has been borne from those seeds. As for me, I refuse to sow those same seeds with my kids. They will be sown with love and nourishment. But maybe I am destined to continue this same cycle. My mom had a horrible relationship with her mom ( I rarely saw my nana unless we ran into her at another relative's house) and she has/had a horrible relationship with her eldest daughter. And now she has an indifferent one with me. I hope I can break this cycle with my own daughters.
But... you reap what you sow...
Saturday, April 21, 2007
I love all my kids but today K3 gets special KUDOS!
Today it was a beautiful day! After my interview, I pulled out a pair of capris from last year to wear. Imagine my extreme delight at discovering that they were BIG!! Time for some new ones, so K3 and I headed off to Kohl's. As I was browsing the capris and picking some out to try on... K3 says to me...
"Mom, are you in the Misses department???? REally? You are wearing Misses? When's the last time you shopped over here? Was it like before K1 was born? Way to go... woo hoo! "
Now don't get me wrong... it was great to hear this support from my youngest child however, she wasn't exactly quiet about it and other people start turning around to see what the commotion is about.
But it felt good to have her notice and say something... Gawd, I love my kids!
"Mom, are you in the Misses department???? REally? You are wearing Misses? When's the last time you shopped over here? Was it like before K1 was born? Way to go... woo hoo! "
Now don't get me wrong... it was great to hear this support from my youngest child however, she wasn't exactly quiet about it and other people start turning around to see what the commotion is about.
But it felt good to have her notice and say something... Gawd, I love my kids!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Conversations in our House lately...
The Jeans -
J to me... "Why would you let your son buy a pair of pants with holes in them?"
Me: "I wasn't the one buying them. It was his money. The holes weren't inappropriately placed."
K1 received a few GC to Kohl's for his birthday. He bought a few t-shirts, a new belt and a pair of jeans. The jeans in question are Levi's 527...
For me the main consideration in not allowing certain clothing, is any part of it indecent. I didn't think these were ... even the holes near the pockets have material under them. When K1 wanted to buy them, I told him that he needed to know and understand that they would NOT be worn to, at or from school. That leaves only after school or weekends. He said he was fine with that. I also told him they may not last as long since they already had holes... they could easily be caught on something else and ripped further... and if any of those tears became inappropriate, they would not be worn at all. HE agreed to all my terms and still wanted to buy them... no matter the cost. The little shit got lucky though and they were on clearance for $14 (why is it the stuff that I want to buy is never on clearance?) So J is miffed that I allowed K1 to buy the pants. I figure that it is a lesson to him on spending his money (which he is normally pretty tight with). To spend... 30, 40 or 50 dollars (or in this case $14) on a pair of jeans that may not last long... I wouldn't do it but he needs to figure that out on his own. If I tell him no, it will only make them more attractive. Was I wrong? Who knows... we'll find out. And if I was... it's not life or death related... we will all survive the JEANS.
Vacation:
It's pretty late to start planning but if we are doing a vacation this year... we really need to decide now. I was toying with the idea of going to Kentucky and Tennessee to do Mammoth Caves and The Smokies but while researching them in a National Parks book, I came across my new hot idea... Acadia National Park in Maine! Out of all the traveling I have done as a kid, I have never been up in the New England states.The kids like the idea too. K2... "Cool! Then I can eat lobster!" I think we will hit Niagra Falls on the way there... and maybe drive down to Boston or Cape Cod. Then on the way home hit Cedar Point in Ohio, the home of my very first roller coaster, The Corkscrew and K1 says there's one he wants me to try with him(something about tallest, fastest, spiral... ). Our travels would take us up thru Detroit over to Canada...which the kids think will be cool. K2... "I've never been to a foreign country before." and K3..."Will they let us cross the border? Don't we need special permission?" There's still alot of pre-planning to do before we start to make any decisions but we need to do it soon.
Picking classes for next year...
K1 had to pick his classes for freshman year in January while K2 just had to pick her electives last week. On their schedules for next year, both are taking Latin and continuing with band (K1 will have Marching band and Pep band for the first time!) Also, joining them next year will be K3 as she will finally be able to join band in 4th grade. Her big decision will be what instrument to play. We already have a French Horn (K1) and an oboe (K2) and it doesn't help that K1, K2 and especially J are all telling K3 what she should do. I think she should choose whichever seems the most interesting to her. It's not like she can't change her mind 1/2 way thru the year or even the next year.
J is working on the taxes, trying to get them mailed out (and it's not like we even have to pay... We are getting a REFUND for cripe's sake! Can you spell P-R-O-C-R-A-S-T-I-N-A-T-I-O-N???? I am trying to figure out my work situation... I need something daytime... the store will let me move to days but there are things to consider with that... work when the kids are at school but every other weekend? Or no weekends but a 6:00 a.m. start time on the weekdays. Plus, I have been in contact with a fellow BB member about the possibility of going to work for her as an assistant, but I don't want to say more on that until something more happens with it. We haven't talked details yet...just the generalities. But as far as the kids and school, etc. goes... it sounds perfect!
That's about it around here... not a whole lot going on... just another week at our house.
J to me... "Why would you let your son buy a pair of pants with holes in them?"
Me: "I wasn't the one buying them. It was his money. The holes weren't inappropriately placed."
K1 received a few GC to Kohl's for his birthday. He bought a few t-shirts, a new belt and a pair of jeans. The jeans in question are Levi's 527...
For me the main consideration in not allowing certain clothing, is any part of it indecent. I didn't think these were ... even the holes near the pockets have material under them. When K1 wanted to buy them, I told him that he needed to know and understand that they would NOT be worn to, at or from school. That leaves only after school or weekends. He said he was fine with that. I also told him they may not last as long since they already had holes... they could easily be caught on something else and ripped further... and if any of those tears became inappropriate, they would not be worn at all. HE agreed to all my terms and still wanted to buy them... no matter the cost. The little shit got lucky though and they were on clearance for $14 (why is it the stuff that I want to buy is never on clearance?) So J is miffed that I allowed K1 to buy the pants. I figure that it is a lesson to him on spending his money (which he is normally pretty tight with). To spend... 30, 40 or 50 dollars (or in this case $14) on a pair of jeans that may not last long... I wouldn't do it but he needs to figure that out on his own. If I tell him no, it will only make them more attractive. Was I wrong? Who knows... we'll find out. And if I was... it's not life or death related... we will all survive the JEANS.Vacation:
It's pretty late to start planning but if we are doing a vacation this year... we really need to decide now. I was toying with the idea of going to Kentucky and Tennessee to do Mammoth Caves and The Smokies but while researching them in a National Parks book, I came across my new hot idea... Acadia National Park in Maine! Out of all the traveling I have done as a kid, I have never been up in the New England states.The kids like the idea too. K2... "Cool! Then I can eat lobster!" I think we will hit Niagra Falls on the way there... and maybe drive down to Boston or Cape Cod. Then on the way home hit Cedar Point in Ohio, the home of my very first roller coaster, The Corkscrew and K1 says there's one he wants me to try with him(something about tallest, fastest, spiral... ). Our travels would take us up thru Detroit over to Canada...which the kids think will be cool. K2... "I've never been to a foreign country before." and K3..."Will they let us cross the border? Don't we need special permission?" There's still alot of pre-planning to do before we start to make any decisions but we need to do it soon.
Picking classes for next year...
K1 had to pick his classes for freshman year in January while K2 just had to pick her electives last week. On their schedules for next year, both are taking Latin and continuing with band (K1 will have Marching band and Pep band for the first time!) Also, joining them next year will be K3 as she will finally be able to join band in 4th grade. Her big decision will be what instrument to play. We already have a French Horn (K1) and an oboe (K2) and it doesn't help that K1, K2 and especially J are all telling K3 what she should do. I think she should choose whichever seems the most interesting to her. It's not like she can't change her mind 1/2 way thru the year or even the next year.
J is working on the taxes, trying to get them mailed out (and it's not like we even have to pay... We are getting a REFUND for cripe's sake! Can you spell P-R-O-C-R-A-S-T-I-N-A-T-I-O-N???? I am trying to figure out my work situation... I need something daytime... the store will let me move to days but there are things to consider with that... work when the kids are at school but every other weekend? Or no weekends but a 6:00 a.m. start time on the weekdays. Plus, I have been in contact with a fellow BB member about the possibility of going to work for her as an assistant, but I don't want to say more on that until something more happens with it. We haven't talked details yet...just the generalities. But as far as the kids and school, etc. goes... it sounds perfect!
That's about it around here... not a whole lot going on... just another week at our house.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
"You Smell... different."
This is what I heard this morning from K3 when she woke up... What does that mean?
"I smell?"
"Well, not bad... just different than your normal smell."
So I still smell...
"Well, I showered last night before bed. I used a new shampoo and conditioner, maybe that's it."
"Nope, that's not it." She says after smelling my hair.
"Hmmm... well, maybe it's dirty clothes... with the new washer not arriving until tomorrow (that's a whole 'nother story!), we are all wearing dirty clothes."
"What? I'm not... I pulled these out of the clean clothes pile."
"Well, that's what you think. But since I haven't been able to wash clothes for 4 days, I have been pulling clothes from the hamper and folding them nicely and putting them in the clean clothes pile so no one would know."
"WHAT?!?!?!? I can't smell when I go to school!"
"Calm down... I'm just joking!" My kids have so many clothes, they could probably go weeks without running out of stuff to wear. I really was kidding! "I just wanted to get you back for telling me I smell."
"Well, you do... not bad...just different."
Well, she did the sniff test all over again and couldn't decide what it was... we just left it with that I smell... different.
It wasn't til after she went to school that it dawned on me... I went to J and asked him (he knew the whole conversation) "Do you think she smelled... " ummmm... never mind... ;)
"I smell?"
"Well, not bad... just different than your normal smell."
So I still smell...
"Well, I showered last night before bed. I used a new shampoo and conditioner, maybe that's it."
"Nope, that's not it." She says after smelling my hair.
"Hmmm... well, maybe it's dirty clothes... with the new washer not arriving until tomorrow (that's a whole 'nother story!), we are all wearing dirty clothes."
"What? I'm not... I pulled these out of the clean clothes pile."
"Well, that's what you think. But since I haven't been able to wash clothes for 4 days, I have been pulling clothes from the hamper and folding them nicely and putting them in the clean clothes pile so no one would know."
"WHAT?!?!?!? I can't smell when I go to school!"
"Calm down... I'm just joking!" My kids have so many clothes, they could probably go weeks without running out of stuff to wear. I really was kidding! "I just wanted to get you back for telling me I smell."
"Well, you do... not bad...just different."
Well, she did the sniff test all over again and couldn't decide what it was... we just left it with that I smell... different.
It wasn't til after she went to school that it dawned on me... I went to J and asked him (he knew the whole conversation) "Do you think she smelled... " ummmm... never mind... ;)
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