John and I in the Olympics!!!

Yes, we really ARE that dorky. :) Watch the clip to see us in action at the Olympics in our #1 sport! Be sure to pause the background music (down toward the bottom on the lefthand side) before watching, then enjoy!

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Should Have Taken My Own

There are times in life when I question the need for strict adherance to policies. Shouldn't we, after all, be granted a tiny bit of grace every now and then? Aren't there certain circumstances that should knock us off our "high horses" and allow us to address the needs of fellow human beings before the need to have a policy for every little thing?? Is it really that important?

I know what you are thinking---why all of the questions here.

And this would be why...
*warning, bathroom terms used*

Caroline has been doing awesome with the pottytraining-so awesome in fact that I let her wear panties all the time. She stays dry 99% of the time, so no real worries about going out in public and having an accident. Today was no different. I let her wear cute panties all day long, and she did great--but there was a big scare right around 3pm. Here's how it all went down:

I pulled up in front of Caitlin's school at 2:55pm to pick her up. I got a prime parking space which would allow her to just walk across the street and I wouldn't have to get out. Wahoo! So there we sat...waiting....waiting. Just as it was about to turn 3pm, Caroline hollers from the back seat, "Poo-poo Momma!!"

*Momma puts her head in her hands and deeply sighs*

No way...not right now. "Sweety, hold on, we'll be home shortly. I have no where to take you, " I coaxed.
"Pooooooo---poooooooo!!! Momma, poo-poo!!"
Oh dear. This is definitely getting serious.
I got out and went around the side of the car with a terrific idea in my head. I'll just put her in a pull-up. That will solve everything! That way, if she poops, at least the carseat is saved and I can clean it up at home. I took her out of the seatbelt and tried to change her out of the panties and into the pull-up. You'd have thought she was getting a spanking or something--the yelling was deafening. She did NOT want that pull-up, and it was gonna be like trying to bathe a cat to get it on her. Not worth it in my book, so I barked at Christian to get his shoes on and get out of the car. We were going in to the school to find a potty.

Of course Christian "conveniently" forgot his shoes at home. How's that for timing?!?

I made him get out anyway, and we crossed the street and ran up to the back of the school where kids were now coming out. I found a nice looking teacher and asked her if there was a restroom just inside the doors that I could quickly use.
I gave her my best "desperate-momma-with-2-small-children-one-of-which-is-pottytraining-and-is-in-serious-need-of-a-potty-for-pooping-purposes" look, along with a batting of the eyelashes for added drama.

"I'm sorry, I can't let you go through those doors. It's against our policies. You can, however, go all the way around the building to the front and use the restrooms there. I'm sorry about that," she said.

No you're not! You're not sorry a bit! If you were, you'd have heard the smallest Haskell's pleads for a potty and ushered us right in to one. Arg!

With no other choice, I half-marched-half-ran from the back of the school all the way to the front. Let's just add here for humor's sake that I got about 1,000 mosquito bites on the way--some of which came through my pants and onto my fanny and thighs. Sheesh!
We made in the front doors and found the pottys--only to discover that the girls' was occupied. Reeeeeeeally??? I ran for the boys' and prayed no one saw us. About 5 minutes later, we came sneaking out, me all sweaty and grumpy, and Caroline as happy as a lark because she didn't do anything in her panties. After the trek back to the place to pick Caitlin up (and another 1,000 mosquito bites later), we were all in the car under the air conditioner. So much for a fantastic parking place!

Lesson learned: carry the little pink potty EVERYWHERE we go in the car. That will save me from ever having to adhere to a place's policies again. I understand the need for policies, but I don't understand the need for making an already frazzled momma's life that much more difficult for their sake.

Oh yeah, and we got a phone message from AISD this evening reminding us to spray Caitlin down with mosquito spray before school due to the overwhelming mosquito population. You don't say? Mosquitos? I would have never known...*rolling eyes*

Tie Dye To Die For

This is what happens when you read too many parenting magazines. Haha

While reading one of these magazines, I came upon an article that gave instructions on tie dying shirts for the family. It walked you through step by step and had pictures of patterns that would be really cool. My original plan here was to allow each C to help me put on the rubberbands and assist in the dying process. Ummmm....well.....that was a big no-no. The dye was amazingly messy (yes, I should have thought about that waaaaay back when this sounded like a good idea) so I ended up doing most of the work. This is how it turned out:
(Please excuse the pajama bottoms and pullups-we were getting ready for bed)
Caitlin & Caroline have a rosebud pattern (turned out more like clouds or big spots, but whatever) and Christian has horizontal stripes. His took longer, clearly because I had to do 2 different colors. Even though it was extremely messy and time consuming (2 hours start to finish) I had fun with them. I may even do a few more later. There are still several patterns I've yet to try---the bullseye, crinkle, twist, and heart. Should be tons of fun!


*Honestly, I think the lack of sleep this week has gotten to me---why else would I have chosen an arts & crafts project with the kids that was utter chaos and messiness?!? Someone please save me from myself!* :)

PS: This is my 400th post--can you believe it?

I Don't Really Mind The Drive, Except....

....the horrifying smell that's coming through the car vents in the early morning.
I have no problem driving Caitlin to the other side of town for school, but I could certainly do without the smell of cow cr*p that's almost suffocating as you get to the area around 34th and Bell. Sheesh, why should those of us who choose to live within the city limits have to breath that? Seriously, it's so thick you can see it in the air! I like it being cool enough to not have to run the a/c while driving, but it's almost not worth it. After all, it's not fresh air anymore! I don't smell it out here in Foxridge. In fact, as I type, all of the windows in my house are wide open and the gentle, sweet-smelling breeze is flowing through. What's the difference between this side of town and that side? Both days we have driven now, we've been greeted with it, and it can make a person sick to say the least.
Ok, there's my venting session for today. I really wish the smell didn't drift in like that--it seriously burns the nostrils.

1st Day of School Year 2008-2009

Can you believe that it's the school year of 2008-2009?!? Man oh man, time flies when you're having fun. :)
Today was Caitlin's 1st day of 4th grade, and to top it off, she's going to a new school. It was so cute last night---I was helping her organize and label her school supplies, and her little eyes lit up at the sight of it all. She was particularly impressed with the fact that she gets to use "big people scissors" this year, not the baby ones. Ahhhh, the little things....
Caitlin was sooooo ready to go today. She bounced right out of bed when I woke her up at 6:15am (yeah, that enthusiasm will last all of a 2 days) and was dressed and ready to head out by 6:45am.
I can't wait until I pick her up this afternoon. I'm sure she will be bursting with excitement--at least I hope so. She felt like such a big girl this morning--she was allowed to walk into the building by herself without me following behind her with my camera and holding her hand (not that she didn't want me there, she just felt more comfortable heading in by herself). I did, however, make her pose for the ever-annoying 1st day of school picture before we left. Ha!

I'm also including her 1st day of school pic from last year. She's growing up too fast!

Score!

Man, today was a shopaholic's dream come true at Old Navy. They were having a TERRIFIC sale--adults' jeans were $12 (reg. $29.50) and kids' jeans were $7 (reg. $15-19.50). John and I took the 2 smaller C's with us (Caitlin was spending the night with Mimi) and we thought we were going to be there right as it opened at 9am. Notsomuch. They opened early and we didn't know it--drat! The parking lot was a zoo, the store was a complete madhouse, and to top it all off the boys' jeans were out of stock! Poor Christian...no jeans. :( However, we did score big time on the rest of us! We all got 2 pair and were able to get in and out of the store in about an hour. I didn't even get a cart or take the stroller--too many people to fight through. Oooooooohhhh yeah--the best part was we got a free ADORABLE denim bag--big one too!--with the purchase of the jeans. Wahoo! I may have to embroider my name on it and use it for who-knows-what. :) Anywho, it was a great deal. I hope some of you out in bloggerland got to take advantage of the sale as well!

Christian, Christian

There are times when my boy just totally cracks me up. A lot of times it's when he's in trouble and trying to be cute so he can get out of it. Other times, it's just Christian being....well...Christian. Here are a few examples:


1. He wanted me to tie a blanket around his neck and Caroline's too, so they could "fly" around the house. After about 30 minutes of them running in circles, he stops and comes to me in the kitchen. "Mom, look! I'm a recipe!" A what?!? I then realized what he was trying to say. "Christian, don't you mean a superhero?" I asked. "Yeah! A superhero! Watch me fly!" he exclaimed.
Ahhhh, yes. A superhero he is!

2. We were in the car on the way to the gym, and I had given each child a snack-sized baggie filled with mini nilla wafers. Christian now sits in the very back seat (he and Caitlin switched when he figured out how to buckle his belt with his booster seat), and I made sure to tell him to be super careful and not spill his wafers. After all, I didn't want to have to climb back there and clean it up. Just as we were pulling into the parking lot, Christian says, "Uh-oh Momma, I dropped my bag. The wind blew it right out of my hands!"
Seriously?!? In the car? You don't say....

3. A few mornings ago, Christian was in the restroom peeing. He has a camel bladder, I swear. The boy can keep going and going and going....
I walked by the restroom door and made a comment to him about how I was amazed that he was still peeing. His response: "Yeah Momma, it's all those fresh foods I've been eating."
Note to self: lay off on the fresh foods for the boy.

I feel sorry in advance for his Mother's Day Out teacher--I'm sure she'll get a taste of his little funny/sweet/silly/ornery personality on day 1. Should be interesting!

Training Pants Woes

*Update*
Thanks to Misty for the link to the site of how to make your own training pants. I'm going to the store sometime this week to pick up some fabric for the job. :) By the way, if any of you ever need a link for a project--heck, for ANYTHING--Misty is your gal. She can google like no one I've ever seen!

For those of you who read my blog and do not have small children, I'm sorry you have to endure yet another post dedicated to the topic of potty training. It's the big subject right now around here, and it can be a huge point of frustration too.
Ok, the frustration is by no means with Caroline--it's with the world of training pants. I am not one of those moms that has to have organic everything, #1 brand, most expensive items, etc. I truly just want the things for my children that make their lives easier and MY life easier. With that in mind, I googled "training pants" this morning in order to find something different. I originally bought some of the "cloth-inside-plastic-outside" ones off of Ebay, but that's the ONLY place I could find them and the markup was unbelievable. This is all because it is a coveted smaller size that has apparently been discontinued in the stores. Why?!? Not enough teeny tiny hinies I guess. Gonna have to re-Ebay them because they swallow her--something to do with the plastic outside that makes them more bulky and bigger than necessary.
Anywho, we've also been using the good ol' pull-ups, but to me they seem to be too much like diapers. Caroline has been doing amazingly well with #1, but #2 is another story. She keeps bringing me a pull-up when she feels like she needs to do #2---it's almost like she thinks she needs a diaper for it. One of the few times she did do it in the big potty, she cried about it...almost like it scared her.
My theory here is that if she has no option of a diaper-like pull-up, then she'll have to learn to do it in the potty. Yes, I am prepared to do more laundry and deal with the stink. :)
Like I said, I started looking up training pants on the computer, and there are tons of different ones. If you really want something made of cloth that fits well on small bums (under 30lbs), you have to pay $12-$16 each---yes, that's correct---EACH, and you have to order them. If you were to go to a local store such as Wal-Mart, Target, or Toys R US, all you can find are Gerber cloth training pants that start at size 3T. Waaaaaaay too big for Caroline. After researching it, I found a lady who had the same issue with a skinny child, and she found some at JC Penney.
Yes, I immediately packed up the 3 C's and headed out to the mall. After 2 trips in the "eldervater" (elevator), 10 circles around the baby department, 2 meltdowns, and a miscalculation and refund at the register, we had the size 2T cloth training pants I was wanting--and WAY cheaper than ordering them online. Apparently they are a new item, because they were still on the stocking cart of things to be put out today. I was thrilled! Now to see if Caroline shares in my joy....
I'm sure I could have made my own (Misty, is there such a thing as a pattern for training pants?!? If so, direct me to them...we may need more), but I just wanted enough to start us off. Actually, Caroline is just on the verge of being able to wear underwear out of the house. We are on day 4 of no accidents while out and about. Yippee! :)

Pure Genius

A spork!!! ROFL...that's it!! That's exactly what my children need!! Must.....go.....buy.....package.....of.....sporks....TOMORROW. Then there will be no question as to what utensil is necessary. Love you ladies in bloggerland who have such wonderful ideas! :)

(In case you have absolutely no clue what I'm talking about, please read the post before this. Really, I'm not as crazy as I sound.)

Bleh

I have a love/hate relationship with rain. LOVE it because my grass looks much better already and my water bill will be lower this month, but I hate it because the kids can't get out and play, and it interrupts our plans. I did, however, make it out to the gym today, but that was as far as I went. I have been dragging all day, and the gloomy weather has made me just want to crawl up in bed and snooze. Not possible with 3 small ones. Did I mention John is on a 24hr. overtime shift out at Pantex?!? Uggggggg. Yes, that means I have been going it alone today.
John and I had the chance to escape for a date night last night, and we went to see the play TEXAS out at Palo Duro Canyon. It was wonderful!! I just love a good musical. :)
Back to today:
I have been able to do some sewing though, so I guess I really can't complain too much (to be displayed in a later post). I also did a good deep cleaning on the house, watched some Olympics, and shopped around on Ebay.
Unfortunately, the rain caused us to miss out on the Polk Street Block Party (I must have details from whoever got to go!), as well as making us postpone our little "project" we were going to do.
Nope--not spilling any details. Hopefully we'll get to do it tomorrow. Let me tell ya, it's gonna be so neat! :)
One more thing before I go: I need a question answered. When you make Mac 'n Cheese (the shells kind) and add chopped up weenies to it, do you serve it with a fork or a spoon?!? I seriously had to contemplate that one for a while. I finally chose a fork, but Christian later informed me that he needed a spoon. His noodles were too slippery. Sheesh! I just hate dirtying up 1,000 utensils in a day.
I know, I know....stupid question. Go to sleep Melissa....*deep sigh* :)

Plastic Jewelry

By now, most of you know that I have a nose ring (stud, actually--gotta make that differentiation--not a hoop). Anywho, I really like it and am happy that it's small but definitely "there." I have found myself not wearing earrings as much now, just so I won't have so much bling all up in the facial region. See Mom, adding the nose ring actually subracted the earrings!
:-P
Since I've only had it for 5 weeks, I've had to be very careful when it comes to playing softball. I really have tried to cover it up and make sure it's not an issue on the softball field, but apparently I didn't do a good enough job of that this past Sunday.
Before our games, I put a small spot band-aid over the nose ring, just to keep it clean and hidden so the umpire wouldn't pitch a fit about me having jewelry on the field (a violation of the rules--NO jewelry is allowed). I knew that I couldn't take the ring out because it's not fully healed and I didn't want to have it close up on me. Thinking I was good to go, I went up to bat. Right as I got up there, the umpire asked my name, and then told me that there was to be no taping of jewelry on his field. How in the world did he know what was under my band-aid (and under my sunglasses, might I add)?? Anywho, I told him that it was still new and I couldn't take it out. He informed me that he was going to be kind just this once, but that come next week it had to be gone or I couldn't play. Oy!

I have since been on the hunt for a flesh-colored or clear retainer of some sort. They have them online, but I knew it would take too long to get here, so I decided to make a stop at the friendly local tattoo parlor to see if they had any. The piercer (nicknamed "The Jew") met me at the counter. I described to him what I was looking for, and he had this piece of advice...."Here's what I want you to do--go buy a shirt or a pair of pants."

Oooooooooooookkkkkkkkkkk......

"Bear with me," he said, "I am going somewhere with this. What you are needing is the plastic piece that holds the tag on to the piece of clothing. You want to snip off the tiny end piece that is usually inside the clothing. Be careful not to lose it--because that is what you are going to use as your nose ring retainer."

At first I thought he was crazy, but after he drew me a picture and explained how to cut it just right, I thought he was a genius. :)

Needless to say, John and I made a trip to Wal-Mart last night and bought Caitlin a pair of much-needed school pants. I removed the tag from them and kept the plastic piece for my nose.

I know, I know....all of this for a stupid nose ring?!? Ha! I can't do anything simple can I?

Here is a picture just so you can see what I'm going to have to insert in my nose ring hole during the softball games (JUST the little end piece--I trimmed the longer section off). If the umpire gets huffy with me over this, I'm gonna be a tad grumpy. After all, it's NOT jewelry....technically speaking of course.
Now here's my question: Who in the world thought of this and then actually tried it out?????
I AM going to purchase a real one online, just in case you were wondering if I'm going to walk around with a tiny piece of clothing tag in my nostril at every game. LOL

Soooooo.......

What do ya think? Just thought I'd shake things up a bit and add a little more of "me" to the page.

:)

Things That Make You Wonder

A little background is necessary for this post to make any sense at all.
Background Information:
#1: Back when I was pregnant with Caroline, we got a 6wk old female Sheltie puppy that we named Lily. We got her to breed with our Sheltie, Charlie. However, this breeding was not successful due to Charlie's irritating hair-munching issues (that's a whole other post in itself). We ended up giving Lily away to a sweet family who we know through my brother-in-law, and it worked out great.
#2: We used to have a black cat named Bo. We got him from the Humane Society, and he was my baby. Bo was super laid back, beautiful, and great with the kids and Charlie. About 2 years ago, he accidentally ate a part of a plant that was poisonous to animals, thus leading to kidney failure. He died the morning of his vet appointment (I knew something was wrong and was going to address it, but never got a chance).
#3: Caitlin was torn up by the above 2 stories. She loved Lily to pieces, and was sad to see her go. Bo was as much her baby as he was mine, so she was crushed when he died.
#4: The family that lives across the street and 3 houses down has a 10 year old girl (who happens to have the exact same birthday as Caitlin--only a year older) named Megan, and she and Caitlin have been on-again-off-again friends since we moved in. She's a bit pushy, sometimes rude, and has 2 extremely irritating brothers that like to pick on Caitlin. Megan is not my idea of a great friend, but really Cait has no other choice in the neighborhood.

Ok, with that all out of the way, I can now tell you about what's on my mind.

About 3 months after Bo died and about 5 months after we had to let go of Lily, Caitlin and Megan were playing outside when a stray white kitten came into our yard. Both of the girls were, of course, madly in love with the kitten. Caitlin came in holding it, and begged me up one wall and down the next to let her keep it. After discussing the issue with John, we agreed she could keep the kitten---if and only if she agreed that it was ok to have it as an indoor/outdoor kitten. Agreed. She and Megan went back outside and over to Megan's house to show her parents. SOMEHOW in this trip, Megan took the kitten away and convinced her parents that she had found it and it was hers to keep. Her parents, being the animal lovers that they are, told her SHE could keep the kitten. It was really a big war between the girls, and my sweet, darling, amazing daughter decided that it was best for Megan to keep the kitten than to continue fighting over it. I knew that Cait's heart was broken, but she felt like she did the right thing--I was proud. Ok, the kicker to this story is this: Megan named the kitten LILY. To this day, she still brings Lily over to our house to "play" when she wants Caitlin to come outside. I didn't think the name was very fair, but then again, who am I to tell a 10 year old what to name her pet. I let it slide.
Fast forward to last night. Megan came over and asked Caitlin to play (something she hasn't done in about 2 months) and I let her go. Cait played for about an hour, then had to come in and get ready for bed. I went into her room to tuck her in and found her pouting on her bed with tears in her eyes. After asking her what was wrong, she told me this: Megan had gotten a new puppy, and she named him BO.
Are you kidding me?!?
At this point, I'm very frustrated with this little girl. I mean, after all---how much more could you hurt your friend than to rub yet another new animal in her face and name it after her dead cat whom she cherished and has yet to replace.

I don't know if I'm just being a turkey about it all, but I'm really mad at this little girl. What's truly amazing to me is how, even though Caitlin's heart is broken and she's frustrated, she lets it go. I'm sure that the next time Megan comes over and asks her to play, she will go without hesitation. She shows love and friendship to someone, who in my eyes doesn't deserve a friendship with her.
The whole situation just makes me wonder...

Olympic Know-It-All

Last night was by far one of the most exciting in the Olympics. John and I stayed up until 10:30 watching the mens' gymnastics. Apparently, this team was not favored to win. I tell ya what though, they came out and kicked some booty! :) It was so fun to watch each American do clean routines, stick the landings, and cheer afterward. I really wanted to stay up later and watch the rest of it, but John was shutting off lights around me as he headed upstairs--big "hint hint" that it was time to go to bed. It still took me an extra 20 minutes to make it up there, because I just HAD to watch the guys do the high bar rotation.
I finally made it to bed, and by the time I did, John was already almost asleep. I kept bugging him with questions and comments about the Olympics...trying to get him to join in on the conversation. I think I basically talked to a sleeping hubby for 10 minutes or so. I made the comment that I would have liked to have stayed up and watched the end of the gymnastics stuff, and I wondered how late they broadcast the Olympics. John peeped out from underneath his arm that was over his eyes and casually said, "Do I look like an expert on the Olympics? Do I look like I have any idea how late they broadcast? Or do I look like a guy that has to get up at 5:45am and needs his sleep?"
Nuff said. I huffed as I turned over, and decided I could just watch the recap on t.v. in the morning. :)

Blah Blah Blah Round #2 and Camp

It's that time again....time for your weekly Haskell Rascal update! Aren't you super excited?!? :)

Let's start with Caitlin:
She had the privilege of going to church camp this week (Mon-Fri) and had a blast. She had fun with friends, got chased by bees, and was eaten alive by mosquitos (yes, as any good mother should, I packed bug spray. I did, however, forget to tell her that you have to apply it more than just one time when you arrive...it must be put on each time you go out. Silly mom...). Caitlin has a ton of stories to tell, and she's just so darn cute when she gets excited about something. She showed me dances that she learned, and made sure that I knew about the fact that the bedroll I sent was too small, thus requiring her to borrow someone else's blanket the whole time. Sheesh.

I'm sure Caitlin has heard the story of how I went to church camp when I was her age, and how my mom forgot to pack me any underwear. I had to wash out my same pair every night....and she complains about a small bedroll?!? Whatever! haha
I was so thankful that she got to go with such loving and caring counselors (thanks to Eric, Randall, and Teresa!). She really did have fun, dispite the fear of the bees. Apparently she had a huge drama session (freak out really) when the bees swarmed around her. Man, I have NO CLUE where my child would get drama like that....no one in this household has any tendency toward drama. :)
Now, Caitlin is safely at home with her annoying little brother and sister, complaining about how they get on her nerves and she can't wait for school to start. Right there with ya sister!

Speaking of the littlest Haskell---Caroline is well on her way to being pottytrained. We got her a cool little pink potty (as seen on Jon & Kate Plus 8) and she is crazy about it.She stays dry all day, during naps, and even wakes up dry. The only thing we are working on right now is getting her to TELL me when she needs to go. As long as I keep it on a schedule of asking her, she's happy. Oh---and #2 is a bit of a struggle too. The 1st time she did #2 in her new pink potty, she flipped out and yelled at me to clean it up. She didn't want to dirty up the prized potty. Silly goose!

Grandma C and Grandpa Haskell (John's parents) are settling in this week after moving back from Colorado. We are so glad to have them back here in Amarillo with us!

Oh yes---if you get a chance to go to the Polk Street Block Party (Saturday the 16th), be on the lookout for our praise team from Plum Creek Fellowship--the team that I play violin with. I won't be performing, but there are several talented guys that will be there, including the worship leader. I've heard they do a bang up job of playing and can't wait to go hear them!

Ok, that's it for now. Have a great week and enjoy the rest of the summer while you still can!

Jumping Through Hoops

It's amazing what you have to do to register a child for school these days. I had no clue, being as Caitlin has been in private school for 3 years now. Even when we enrolled her in kindergarten (public school), I didn't remember having so many darn forms to fill out.
Today Christian, Caroline, and I went down to Belmar Elementary to get Caitlin registered. Let me interject here that I had to jump through some hoops already to be able to register her in a different district. *In case you haven't read my blog in a while or are new, the reason we are going out of district is because we have a contract on a house in Belmar. We felt that if we were going to move soon, we didn't want Caitlin to start in one school and have to transfer out soon. Just saving ourselves some steps basically* I had to come up with a copy of the contract on the house to show proof of residence (well, ALMOST residence if that makes sense), shot records, birth certificate, SS#...I could go on and on. Basically I had to empty out her folder in the fire-proof lock box to take it all with me.
Can I just say I feel really old right now having a 4th grader?!?

Back to the subject at hand. So we get to Belmar bright and early this morning, and there weren't a whole lot of people standing in line. There were a lot sitting around though. After looking closer, I notice that every adult in the room has a huge stack of papers they are filling out.
Grrrrrrreat. Not really what I want to do with a 4 year old and 21 month old in tow. Ack.

After giving Caitlin's life-in-a-folder to a lady for copies to be made, I grabbed a packet and began to fill it out. Every now and then, a worker would come up and ask if I needed help.

Yes, I need help. Wanna take the other 2 kids for a walk while I try to concentrate and remember what my firstborn's date of birth and middle name are?!? While you're at it, how 'bout you take the ink pens away from them so they don't poke each others' eyes out?
Thank you.

Then the PTA representative comes by. I immediately wanted to disappear. Something about signing my name to a paper and committing to help out in the classroom gives me the heebiejeebies. I'll send cupcakes and supplies every now and then, but I really have a hard time going to the classroom and making nice with the other moms.

Something that I'll obviously have to get over. I guess....

Anyway, she wanted to know if I was interested in helping (I've addressed that already) and then if I wanted to purchase Caitlin's school supplies in bulk through them. Hmmmm.....now what's the markup on that?!? Should I or should I not? That was the question. Why is it that John is always teaching a class when I am in need of advice??? *deep sigh*
So I decided to buy the supplies. I reached for the checkbook and realized I had no checks for that account!! Really? Now what...
After fumbling through the purse, I found yet another checkbook that would do for the moment. Of course I'd have to jump through hoops later to transfer money between the accounts, but at least for now the sweet, wonderful, perfume-a-holic PTA lady would have her check.

20,000 pages and an ink pen later, I finished. I then had to wait in front of 3 women sitting behind a table--in a row--while they looked over everything and added checkmarks here and there. Oh! Let's not forget the fact that they couldn't seem to understand that I was enrolling a 4th grade girl that happened to be away at camp. They kept addressing Christian and asking him questions. I'll chalk it up to a busy day for them. No other explanation works.

I'm glad the schools are so on top of things that they make you fill out so much paperwork. After all, it would only be necessary to know anything and everything about Caitlin before she goes there---I'm surprised they didn't ask for the date of her pottytraining, when she lost her 1st tooth, how many siblings John and I have, and what we keep the temperature of our house set on. :)
I'm excited about Belmar, and I hope she will be too. We've already bought some school clothes and--obviously the supplies--so she's ready to go! She gets back from church camp tomorrow, so I'll have to do a post after she tells me about her exciting time there. Stay tuned...

I Have 2 New Names

And they are: WINNER and COOK

Explanation of the WINNER name....
My new bloggerland friend, Tasha, did a givaway the other day that was for 2 gift cards to 2 different digital scrapbooking sites, Shabby Shoppe and Sweet Shoppe. I decided to give it a whirl and put my name in for them, and I WON!! My gift card was to Sweet Shoppe--but what makes it even more wonderful is that I had already been eyeing a kit from there. Back when I had my blog designed, I reeeeeeally wanted this kit, but was unable to use it. Boohoo Not that I'm not crazy excited about how my blog design turned out, but it wasn't my original choice. Anywho, the 1st thing I bought was that kit--and I plan to use it for something super special soon! :) Thanks again to Tasha for the fun givaway. You're the best!

Explanation of the COOK name...
I actually baked something yesterday evening. I know, I know...gasp! Melissa cooked! haha

Don't get too excited--it wasn't anything huge and grand. In fact, it couldn't have been more simple. Christian was my big helper, and we made Malt-O Meal magic muffins. Fun to make, easy, and delicious. Above is a pic to prove that I was actually the one mixing the ingredients and using the oven. John is still in shock that I didn't burn them. By the way, I posted the recipe on our recipe blog, GREEN EGGS AND HAM--so if you want to try them yourself, go for it! They are an awesome breakfast or snack for the kiddos.

Decisions, Decisions

Hello all in bloggerland! Thank you so much for reading and commenting on our site. We LOVE to get feedback and hope that you are all having a blessed day.
(I don't ever address you readers, and many apologies for not doing so before now)
Ok, so this is the thing. I've got some stuff in the works, and I'm gonna share just a tidbit of it here...there will be more later I assure you. :)
First of all, I went and toured a Mother's Day Out (MDO-for short) program at More Church (right behind the United on Tascosa Road--great little church!) to see if it was a place I'd be interested in taking Christian to this fall. I have been calling around to different preschools and MDO's for about a month now, and I hadn't stumbled upon anything that was screaming a confirmation at me. Preschools are so darn expensive these days, and I just wanted Christian to have some exposure to other children his age, as well as get him semi-ready for kindergarten next year. I had actually given up on looking for a place, simply because I thought I had exhausted all options. THEN, this place presents itself.....
*This is where I insert what was REALLY running through my mind*
Here were my thoughts:
#1: We wouldn't be able to afford any preschool or MDO right now
#2: I wouldn't find anything small enough to be comfortable with
#3: Given the location of More Church, I didn't think it would be something we could do right now, being as our house hasn't sold and the contingent contract to buy the house in Belmar is expiring on August 21st
#4: With gas being so expensive, it would be insane to drive to the North side of town 4 days a week (Sun. & Wed. for church, Tues. & Thurs. for this)
Needless to say, I had a great time visiting the facilities today. One word sums it up--AMAZING. The woman running the program (Natalie) is just a sweet, sweet spirit. The classes are going to be small right now (considering it's brand new), it won't start until Sept. 2nd, and the cost is comparable if not cheaper than alot of other MDO's around town. Christian would go from 9am-2pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
For some reason, something in my being just knew this was the one. I was able to pay the registration fee right then and there, fill out the paperwork, and basically get everything in order for Christian to attend.
I know in my knower that God has set this place in our path for a reason. He WILL work out all things for our good, no matter if we can see that now or not. I believe that we will be moved and ready to hit the ground running by Sept. 1st. Why do I think that? No clue...just believing it. Christian will be with godly teachers, other children his age, and in a safe/fun environment. I want him to branch out and see that there is so much more to this great big world other than Momma and baby Caroline. :)
Please--if you think about it---pray for our family over the next few weeks. We are all excited and anticipating a great overhaul in things. Yeah for change!

The New Toy and Some Creativity

My new toy FINALLY arrived!!
Here it is:
This is a wonderful new electric violin that I was so blessed to get. I can't wait to try it out on Sunday morning--it has a very rich sound and reminds me a lot of my accoustic (regular) violin. I named her Eleanor. Yes, I know...I'm weird! :) Some people name their cars--I just name my violins. lol

Now for the creativity part....

The gig case that the violin came in didn't come with a place to hold my bow, so I made my own bow case. I made it for about 1/2 the price of a real bow case (I would have to order one and it could take 2 weeks to get it, so that wasn't really an option). I made it out of a mailing tube, orange velour material, batting, black spray paint, and ribbon. I think it works wonderfully!
The bow case/tube
Inside the tube--nicely padded!