I am in full blown planner mode! Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Birthdays... they are all right around the corner and I want to have a plan in my head for each and every one of them.
Halloween: Each year (for awhile now) we have done a theme. Last year was decades. We had a diner girl (50's), a gangster (20's), a "Scream" guy (90's), and two 80's girls. The year before was superheroes. We had Wolverine, a knight, a viking (Astrid from "How to Train Your Dragon"), a soldier and Super Girl. And one year we went with a Wizard of Oz theme... THAT was fun and cute and everyone loved it. Lexi was Dorothy, Jacob was Tinman, Kadie was The Cowardly Lion, Adam was Scarecrow and Sara was a flying monkey... I was the Wicked Witch. I put on my dress, put on my Snugli baby carrier and put Sara in it. THEN I put her costume over her so it looked like she was flying :) It is easily my favorite theme and I imagine everyone else's too. Up until this year, that is. This year we are all getting in on the action and we are back to a cast of characters. I revealed our theme on Facebook yesterday but everyone will have to wait until next month when the costumes are all put together and the makeup and hair is all done. I think I am more excited about this year's theme than anyone else! Do you want to know what our theme is? Well, ok, twist my arm... It's Alice in Wonderland! Most of our costumes are going to be homemade or pieced together... no store bought full costumes. This way is cheaper, more fun and let's the kids (and mostly me LoL) interpret the characters how we want but still make them recognizable. I bet you can't wait to see us all dressed up :) The tricky part will be when the older two want to split off with their friends and we end up losing two characters... lucky for us the main character is a sweet and sassy 9yr old that loves sticking to her mama's side!
Thanksgiving: This I hadn't really thought of. I don't want to cook... I know that much. I don't have any friends here so no one but the family to cook for and I do that every day already. I suppose I could meet people between now and then or just offer up my house as a place to go for anyone military families with no place to go. What I'd really like to do is take a weekend flight to visit a friend and be able to go Black Friday shopping with her! Of course, I don't know if this is a possibility. Flights aren't too terrible around then but I haven't talked to her about it and I haven't talked to the husband about it. I doubt he would go for it anyway... it's just a thought. I'll probably just end up using my roaster to make a turkey, make my amazing mashed potatoes and cook the day away. It's one of the few things I am good at, so might as well stick to it, right? As for Black Friday shopping... maybe I will take the girls out with me, or the whole family! What do you think about that, John? HAHAHAHA! Anyway, I'm not too concerned about Thanksgiving, that tends to just fall into place anyway.
Christmas: Oh, it sure is sneaking up on us. You know there are only 13 weekends between now and Christmas?! That means only 6 pay periods for us military families paid twice a month. Wow... how did it get here so fast??? Despite the fact that it's just right around the corner, I do know what I want to get my kids for Christmas but shhhhh don't tell them! The Santa gifts are going to be somewhat big... I want to get Lexi her own clarinet. One she can keep and we won't have to rent or borrow. She can have it now, and over the summer, and when we move. Of course I don't want to spend $800 on one so I hope whatever I do decide to get her will last and not fall apart because it is cheaply made. I guess if that's the case then we keep renting and/or borrowing. {shrugs shoulders} Jacob has been wanting a ripstik for quite some time now and I think this Christmas will be the one where he gets it. The weather is more conducive to getting outdoor toys for Christmas since they will be able to use them right away and it will keep him active. Kadie is easy... an American Girl Doll.,.. oh wait, no. I still don't want to spend that kind of money on a doll, so I am getting her a practice balance beam! It basically sits on the floor but she can practice her balance, her cartwheels and any number of other things on it. She already has a bar she plays on all the time, so this will be perfect (and I am slowly turning my great room into a gymnasium LoL). Adam is getting a 12x6 soccer goal... which I suppose really is a family gift... hmmm, might have to rethink that one. Anyway, all the kids will love it. I almost want to go buy it now and set it up for them... THAT is how much they are going to love that thing. As for Sara... I don't have the slightest clue. She is following in Kadie's footsteps with the love of gymnastics but I don't have room in my house for anymore equipment. She likes soccer but not as much as Adam & Lexi. She is basically a mini adult. She would rather sit next to me and watch a movie than play with the other kids. She would rather sit and have a conversation with the adults than play in the other room with friends. So what do you get a kid like that... an espresso machine?! I really am lost as to what to get her. I know she won't know if it costs less or think any lesser of it if it's smaller than everyone else's gifts but I will know. And it will bother me! Gah! Any suggestions??? I did already buy the girls some barbies and Jacob some Legos and some cool looking dino transformer thingy for Adam... all on clearance! Plus I got them each a body board for the beach. And for Christmas Eve we are going to the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl! If you don't know what that is, it's a College football Bowl game. We have no idea who will be playing but the kids are super excited about it... and I haven't been to a college football game since... well, since college and it will be my kids' first one. We know Ohio State won't be there (their conference doesn't take part in that bowl) and that's cool because we are hoping to be watching them in the National Championship game ;)
Birthdays: We started our "Six months of birthdays" on August 1st with John's birthday. We went down to Waikiki Beach and watched a hula show then had dinner at Jimmy Buffet's Beachcomber which was amazing, albeit pricey, but amazing! On the 2nd we headed over to the beach again for swimming at dusk and fireworks at dark, right behind the Hale Koa for Jacob's birthday which wasn't until the next day but it was free fun. On the 3rd we had Da Big Kahuna for dinner. It was a good dinner, pricey again, but we got a good deal of food and the atmosphere was very kid friendly. It was also close to our hotel which was a major bonus. Kadie's birthday was 10 days ago. We started the day with donuts and balloons from Safeway then headed to Waikiki for a 90 minute submarine tour that John got an amazing deal on ($95... for ALL of us). Kadie had originally wanted Pizza Hut for dinner but since we were already in Honolulu we decided to find Round Table Pizza and eat there since we still had to drive back home and then order pizza and we had already missed lunch. We got lost finding the pizza place but eventually found it. The kids were tired and starving when we got there but it ended up being a great day. Sara's birthday is the next one up and we have decided to go with a spa theme. She is already talking about who she is inviting. I think I am going to stick with 2 friends, plus my girls for the party. It will keep my cost down and she will enjoy it all the same. I'm thinking simple but for her it will be perfect. Adam's birthday is only 18 days after that and I have no idea what we are doing for his. It's hard when they are on school break and people go out of town... of course we are in Hawaii now so he might just have friends around to come over for his party... if we have a party... hmmm. Why is it so much easier to have parties for girls than it is for boys?! Hmmm I'll have to do some thinking on this one. Then there is Lexi... she is turning 13 and this party is going to be BIG! Not Sweet 16 big, but big none the less. Her parties are usually the best out of everyone's... does that make me a bad mom? She is just so easy to plan for and she almost always has friends that she hangs out with all the time that she would invite. Plus her birthday is smack dab in the middle of the school year so it's much easier to plan and invite and actually have people available. Her theme this year is a glow party... or a rave, as John just so happened to point out. I have all kinds of ideas going through my head. It's going to be a blast! I foresee a large purchase from Oriental Trading Company before then... and I will most definitely be hitting up Halloween clearance too :) Oh, I almost forgot... my birthday is in there too. However, I have NO IDEA what I am doing for my birthday. John will be in Virginia for military schooling and it's unlikely I will have a babysitter or any friends or family here to celebrate with me. Might have to talk my kids into making me breakfast and pampering me all day. All I ask for is no fighting, no whining and them doing all the work I usually have to do... is that so much to ask?! I ask for the same thing on Mother's Day too... and that never happens LoL
So yeah... planning... lots and lots of planning.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Bring on the Sports
Our entire fall season is currently filled up with soccer and football and we wouldn't have it any other way. 4 nights a week we have 2 kids in soccer practice with games on Saturdays. And then our entire weekend is filled with football watching! We love it! It sounds a little crazy busy but really it's nothing. I almost feel like we aren't doing enough LoL
Lexi has been playing soccer for 8yrs now. She started when she was just 4 with a short season of indoor soccer while John was deployed the first time... and she hasn't stopped playing since. She has high hopes for one day playing professionally and if she is going to make that dream come true, I am going to have to help her along the way (read: shell out the money for better leagues). Currently she is playing for a recreation league on a U14 team. I am pretty sure the majority of the girls on the team don't actually take it seriously and up until this past weekend I was convinced we were only hurting her by having her play on this team. The coach is not exactly the best, and I would venture to say he is the worst coach I have ever encountered in the 8yrs we have been involved with the sport. John and I have a hard time watching the team play... partly because of the coaches inability to properly teach the girls and partly because the team just doesn't show enough seriousness. If they mess up, they laugh. If Lexi messes up, it pisses her off. She leaves her game each week in a mess of emotions from sad to angry. It hurts to see her that way. I know she isn't perfect. I know she makes mistakes. And I expect her to make mistakes... how will she learn from them if she never makes them? However, the coach pretty much contradicts everything she has ever learned about soccer... that makes it difficult for her to better herself as an individual and as a team player. We will be glad when this season is over, for all of our sakes.
My other soccer star is Adam. He has also been playing since he was 4 and he is an animal out there. He started his soccer "career" as a quick, little, ninja, ball hog! If Adam was on the field, he had the ball. If Adam had the ball, he was down the field in a flash. If Adam had the ball, Adam scored! It went that way until last season when he started playing U8 with goalies. I take that back, he started talking to his teammates more and passing the ball more when he played U7 the season prior to that but you could bet if he had the ball, he was scoring. Anyway, back to U8. He was passing, he was talking, he was dodging, he was playing goalie! He loved every minute of it. When I signed him up this season in Hawaii, he was determined to be goalie so he started practicing with Jacob in the backyard. Come to find out, they don't use goalies for U-8 here. He was rather disappointed but got over it quickly. And he loves his coach... as do we! These boys may only be 7 and 8 yrs old but they practice like bosses. They do hill sprints, they jog the length of the giant field they practice at, they side shuffle across the soccer field, they run backwards, they do push ups and sit ups and they rock it! Adam is a maniac out there. He never stops. He is a ball of motion on that field. They finally had their first game last week and it was the first time (aside from a scrimmage) that they actually played on the field as a team. It was comical, it was cute and it was fun to watch. I don't have high expectations out of kids this age for working together and playing their positions and not stealing the ball from each other... it happens. They just haven't grasped the concept. To them it's "Get the ball and score." Seeing the same kind of mentality at the U14 game, that is what grates on my nerves. Oh, we are talking about Adam... so yeah, it's much more enjoyable to watch his games. They had their second game this past Saturday and it was a great game! They played just a bit better than the week before and Adam seemed to be getting acclimated to running in the sun (there is a lot of shade at practice). He even scored TWICE! Another thing I love about this age group... they don't get too disappointed when they lose or mess up. It's still just fun being out there.
I don't want you all to think I am disappointed in my daughter... that is not the case. I am disappointed that at her age she is still dealing with the same kinds of things that happen in a U8 game. Stealing the ball from your own teammate, walking on the field instead of running, not knowing how to be a goalie (just because a girl is bigger does not mean she is going to make a good goalie), passing to the other team instead of your own team and terrible, terrible throw ins (KEEP YOUR FOOT DOWN!!!) Basic things that these girls should know but I suppose I am expecting too much from a rec. league. Time to find a more competitive league... of course that means more money too. It will all be worth it though when I see my daughter chasing her dream.
The other three kids are not currently in any sports. Jacob refused to play soccer when they wouldn't allow him to play up an age group in order to play on the same team as Lexi and wouldn't allow Lexi to play on a boys team at all. Oh, how I wish she could have played on a boys team. Those two only get along on the soccer field and they make a great team. I guess it was only a matter of time before she wasn't able to and had to move onto the girls' teams though. Anyway, I was going to sign Jacob up for basketball but $125 for a 9wk rec league just seemed like too much money for something he only wanted to do because he was doing nothing else. His real passion right now is "American Ninja Warrior" and if I could find him an obstacle course gym, I'd sign him up right now. He is definitely my dare devil. I've always said that he would be a professional stunt man one day. He throws himself on the ground, he slides, he dives, he climbs, he tumbles and he just keeps going. Maybe I can get him into some strength training and running and we can eventually build our own sort of obstacle course. Now THAT would be fun!
As for Kadie and Sara... they are OBSESSED with gymnastics. We traded an elliptical and trampoline for a gymnastics bar and mats prior to leaving Washington. These two girls love this thing! They are self teaching with videos from YouTube and ask every day to get their leos on so they can play on the bar. Kadie can't walk through my house without doing a cartwheel and Sara is constantly on her heels. Kadie has a lot of potential and Sara could too. I intend on signing them up for some gymnastics classes as soon as possible. I can't wait to add more crazy to our schedule :)
Oh, I almost forgot to mention... Adam was reading a book about Troy Aikman and all of a sudden decided he wants to be a football player when he grows up. What position, you ask? Oh, you know... defense! What?! Yeah... weird kid LoL He said he wants to tackle. We almost named him Thomas Anthony Nicholas Kelly (aka TANK) but it would have been completely ironic seeing as he is super skinny and super short. Maybe he could be a kicker, or a quarterback... or I suppose if he really, really wants to play defense... he will! I told him he is still too young to play tackle football, so I will sign him up when he is a little older. Of course there is also a minimum weight requirement and I am not sure he will meet it come that time but you never know. I won't crush his dreams though.
And how awesome would that be if I had a professional soccer player, a professional stuntman, a professional gymnast and a professional football player for my kids?! I'm not worried about what Sara will be... quite possibly a professional speaker. That girl never shuts up! But either way, we will have our choice of 4 professionals to mooch off of! Sweet! ;)
Lexi has been playing soccer for 8yrs now. She started when she was just 4 with a short season of indoor soccer while John was deployed the first time... and she hasn't stopped playing since. She has high hopes for one day playing professionally and if she is going to make that dream come true, I am going to have to help her along the way (read: shell out the money for better leagues). Currently she is playing for a recreation league on a U14 team. I am pretty sure the majority of the girls on the team don't actually take it seriously and up until this past weekend I was convinced we were only hurting her by having her play on this team. The coach is not exactly the best, and I would venture to say he is the worst coach I have ever encountered in the 8yrs we have been involved with the sport. John and I have a hard time watching the team play... partly because of the coaches inability to properly teach the girls and partly because the team just doesn't show enough seriousness. If they mess up, they laugh. If Lexi messes up, it pisses her off. She leaves her game each week in a mess of emotions from sad to angry. It hurts to see her that way. I know she isn't perfect. I know she makes mistakes. And I expect her to make mistakes... how will she learn from them if she never makes them? However, the coach pretty much contradicts everything she has ever learned about soccer... that makes it difficult for her to better herself as an individual and as a team player. We will be glad when this season is over, for all of our sakes.
My other soccer star is Adam. He has also been playing since he was 4 and he is an animal out there. He started his soccer "career" as a quick, little, ninja, ball hog! If Adam was on the field, he had the ball. If Adam had the ball, he was down the field in a flash. If Adam had the ball, Adam scored! It went that way until last season when he started playing U8 with goalies. I take that back, he started talking to his teammates more and passing the ball more when he played U7 the season prior to that but you could bet if he had the ball, he was scoring. Anyway, back to U8. He was passing, he was talking, he was dodging, he was playing goalie! He loved every minute of it. When I signed him up this season in Hawaii, he was determined to be goalie so he started practicing with Jacob in the backyard. Come to find out, they don't use goalies for U-8 here. He was rather disappointed but got over it quickly. And he loves his coach... as do we! These boys may only be 7 and 8 yrs old but they practice like bosses. They do hill sprints, they jog the length of the giant field they practice at, they side shuffle across the soccer field, they run backwards, they do push ups and sit ups and they rock it! Adam is a maniac out there. He never stops. He is a ball of motion on that field. They finally had their first game last week and it was the first time (aside from a scrimmage) that they actually played on the field as a team. It was comical, it was cute and it was fun to watch. I don't have high expectations out of kids this age for working together and playing their positions and not stealing the ball from each other... it happens. They just haven't grasped the concept. To them it's "Get the ball and score." Seeing the same kind of mentality at the U14 game, that is what grates on my nerves. Oh, we are talking about Adam... so yeah, it's much more enjoyable to watch his games. They had their second game this past Saturday and it was a great game! They played just a bit better than the week before and Adam seemed to be getting acclimated to running in the sun (there is a lot of shade at practice). He even scored TWICE! Another thing I love about this age group... they don't get too disappointed when they lose or mess up. It's still just fun being out there.
I don't want you all to think I am disappointed in my daughter... that is not the case. I am disappointed that at her age she is still dealing with the same kinds of things that happen in a U8 game. Stealing the ball from your own teammate, walking on the field instead of running, not knowing how to be a goalie (just because a girl is bigger does not mean she is going to make a good goalie), passing to the other team instead of your own team and terrible, terrible throw ins (KEEP YOUR FOOT DOWN!!!) Basic things that these girls should know but I suppose I am expecting too much from a rec. league. Time to find a more competitive league... of course that means more money too. It will all be worth it though when I see my daughter chasing her dream.
The other three kids are not currently in any sports. Jacob refused to play soccer when they wouldn't allow him to play up an age group in order to play on the same team as Lexi and wouldn't allow Lexi to play on a boys team at all. Oh, how I wish she could have played on a boys team. Those two only get along on the soccer field and they make a great team. I guess it was only a matter of time before she wasn't able to and had to move onto the girls' teams though. Anyway, I was going to sign Jacob up for basketball but $125 for a 9wk rec league just seemed like too much money for something he only wanted to do because he was doing nothing else. His real passion right now is "American Ninja Warrior" and if I could find him an obstacle course gym, I'd sign him up right now. He is definitely my dare devil. I've always said that he would be a professional stunt man one day. He throws himself on the ground, he slides, he dives, he climbs, he tumbles and he just keeps going. Maybe I can get him into some strength training and running and we can eventually build our own sort of obstacle course. Now THAT would be fun!
As for Kadie and Sara... they are OBSESSED with gymnastics. We traded an elliptical and trampoline for a gymnastics bar and mats prior to leaving Washington. These two girls love this thing! They are self teaching with videos from YouTube and ask every day to get their leos on so they can play on the bar. Kadie can't walk through my house without doing a cartwheel and Sara is constantly on her heels. Kadie has a lot of potential and Sara could too. I intend on signing them up for some gymnastics classes as soon as possible. I can't wait to add more crazy to our schedule :)
Oh, I almost forgot to mention... Adam was reading a book about Troy Aikman and all of a sudden decided he wants to be a football player when he grows up. What position, you ask? Oh, you know... defense! What?! Yeah... weird kid LoL He said he wants to tackle. We almost named him Thomas Anthony Nicholas Kelly (aka TANK) but it would have been completely ironic seeing as he is super skinny and super short. Maybe he could be a kicker, or a quarterback... or I suppose if he really, really wants to play defense... he will! I told him he is still too young to play tackle football, so I will sign him up when he is a little older. Of course there is also a minimum weight requirement and I am not sure he will meet it come that time but you never know. I won't crush his dreams though.
And how awesome would that be if I had a professional soccer player, a professional stuntman, a professional gymnast and a professional football player for my kids?! I'm not worried about what Sara will be... quite possibly a professional speaker. That girl never shuts up! But either way, we will have our choice of 4 professionals to mooch off of! Sweet! ;)
Friday, September 20, 2013
Once Bitten, Not Twice Shy
***The following contains somewhat graphic images at the end***
People always warn you about going to a stranger's house when picking up something you found on an internet site (i.e. Craigslist, Freecycle, Facebook "For Sale" Groups). They don't want you going into a dangerous situation and getting yourself hurt. We've all heard horror stories and sometimes our little hairs stand up on the backs of our necks when we find ourselves on a stranger's doorstep. But no, not me... I tend to get a sense for a situation and have a bit of an idea of how it is going to go. So let me tell you this story that just so happened to me 2 weeks ago.
I was skimming through one of my Facebook "For Sale" Groups and came across a post from a lady getting rid of a bunch of her items. She had posted a rather undetailed description of what she had to offer and requested to be contacted via text message if anyone was interested. I was interested in the two computer desk chairs she had so I shot off a text asking for pictures. She quickly responded and I liked what I saw. After agreeing on a price of $30 for both chairs (a pretty good deal), we set up a time for me to come get them.
The following morning I was to go pick up the chairs from her house. She sent me directions but offered to meet me at Walmart, if that was easier. I declined out of respect. I know I wouldn't want to load two computer chairs into my car to meet someone in a parking lot and potentially have them bail or not be able to find me. I was fine meeting her at her house. After all, my spidey sense was not tingling.
I had planned to drop my kids off at school and head straight over to her house but I didn't want to be early (and her not be expecting me so early) so I came back to my house. I procrastinated a little too long playing Candy Crush and smoking a cigarette (a nasty habit I picked up 9 months ago but have since given up). I was supposed to be there at 8:30 and it was already 8:15, it was to take about 20 minutes to get there according to Google Maps. Just as I was headed out the door I got a text message from the lady. She had to run to Pearl Harbor but would be back around 10am. Ok, no big deal. I didn't have anything else going on so I decided that I would hang out at home for a little while longer.
I got antsy at 9:30 so headed out earlier. I arrived just outside her neighborhood at 9:50 and decided to go drop off some books at the library around the corner so as not to arrive before she made it back home. The timing was perfect. I left the library at 9:58 and sent her a text message asking if we were still on for 10. She replied almost immediately. She was home and we were still good for 10. Great! In about 5 minutes I was going to have 2 new chairs and she was going to be $30 richer.
At 10:02 I drove past her house. It was on the corner so I missed the address. I turned around and pulled up to the curb. I didn't text her to let her know I was there but then again, she was expecting me... right? I walked around to the side of the house where the door was and walked through a small gate that led to her yard (the only way to get to her door). I walked up the two steps to the porch and noticed a "NO SOLICITING" and "BEWARE OF DOG" sign above the doorbell. Ok, you have dogs... no big deal. I have a dog. I like dogs. You know I am coming over... right? I could hear noise coming from the house (like someone was doing dishes) and knocked on the screen door. Immediately the door was answered by a barking dog just inside the screen door and not 2 seconds later, another dog came barreling through the screen door to greet me. This whole time I have a smile on my face. I don't even know why I was so happy. I just remember feeling happy.
Don't worry though... the happiness ended rather abruptly. I thought the dog was just nipping at my ankles like some dogs do. I tried to back up off the porch but by that time the medium sized lab/rottie looking mix had clamped down on the back of my right calf. There was screaming and crying and I shook the dog off my leg. The lady was not far behind the dog and she dragged him back in the house. I couldn't move. I was crying, I was shaking, I couldn't stand, and I couldn't move from that spot on her porch.
She came back out with a bottle of peroxide and a paper towel and I just about kicked her in the face when she tried to touch me. I was livid. I was in a lot of pain. And there was NO EFFIN WAY she was putting peroxide on the large, already bruised, wound on my leg. I hobbled my way off the porch and to the gate, still in her yard. I fumbled for my phone and instinctively called 911. That was at 10:08am. Apparently calling 911 here does not get you to the right person and you need to be transferred to the service that you actually need. Weird, but ok. I get on the phone with the paramedics and they ask me all kinds of questions... the first being was it a pit bull. No, no it was not. Pit bulls are not the only dogs that bite, people! Anyway, after finally figuring out where I was located, they were sending an ambulance and the police.
I made my way to a picnic table in a small courtyard in from of the house and the lady followed me over there. I held the paper towels on the bite that was hardly bleeding and called my husband to let him know what happened. And then I took a picture and posted it on Facebook. The lady called her boyfriend to also let him know what happened since it was his dog that bit me. The police were on their way, the ambulance was on it's way, my husband was on his way and the dog owner was now on his way.
We sat there in silence for what seemed like forever and then saw the two police cars drive by. They passed the house just like I did and had to turn around. They pulled up to the curb and asked if I was the one that called and then came to see what happened. They questioned me, they questioned her, they questioned the dog... ok, they didn't question the dog but they did ask to see the dog. Figures he looks all happy with tail wagging and no barking when the cop WITH A GUN walks up to him but when a HAPPY woman WITH A PURSE comes to the door all hell breaks loose. The lady explained that the dogs are just protective of the house and they don't let anyone get to the front door. News flash! I was AT the front door! And no one needed protecting from the girl with the money! AAAAANNNNNDDDD YOU KNEW I WAS COMING!!! Would it have killed her to put the dogs away? NO! But it sure could have killed me since she neglected to do that. It didn't though... as you can tell or else I wouldn't be typing up this blog right now LoL
The paramedics finally showed up. They determined that I was probably going to be fine but I needed to go get a tetanus shot and have the E.R. clean it out. The EMT asked me if I wanted the ambulance to take me but I was not paying that bill when my husband was on his way.
The police left after giving me a little card with the incident report number and letting us know that the Humane Society would be investigating. Did you know there is a one bite rule in most states? That means a dog can bite one time and nothing will happen... the 2nd time though, my guess is it doesn't turn out well for the dog. Also, did you know that having a "Beware of Dog" sign relieves the owner of responsibility because the victim knowingly put themselves at risk? Yup, didn't know what either. So needless to say, no charges were filed against the owners and I was sent on my way.
My husband arrived after everyone else had left (I think...) and I asked him if he still wanted me to get the chairs. Before he could answer, the lady piped up in a rather uncaring tone, "If you want." she said. {Did I mention she seemed more pissed than I was about this whole thing? And not pissed at the incident or the dog, but pissed at me for calling the cops!} I joked that I had come all that way so I might as well get them. I know, I probably should have just said "Fuck you AND your chairs." but it was a good deal {minus the dog bite} and I was already there and I did need computer desk chairs. So yeah, I got the chairs. I only had $22 in cash, the rest was in change that I pilfered from my 8 year old so the lady with the chairs and crazy dogs said I could have them for $22 instead of $30... the first nice encounter I've had with her since I showed up.
John loaded the chairs into my car, I followed him home and then we headed to the hospital in his Jeep. Getting in and out was a challenge. My leg really hurt but felt much better when the ER doctor numbed it all up. I'm pretty sure he put some funny drugs in that needle too because after that I was really giddy and everything was funny. The best part was when the male nurse filled my puncture wound with saline and then squeezed my leg. I took a picture which you can see below if you so desire LoL
It only took an hour and a half from start to finish in the emergency room and we got home just in time for the kids to get out of school. With my leg all wrapped up and the numbing meds still working I was able to walk all over campus to find my heathens and meet John back at the shopping plaza next to the school (that is another story in and of itself). Shortly after arriving home the numbing meds started to wear off and naproxen became my new best friend. It was uncomfortable to walk, it was uncomfortable to sit, it was uncomfortable to sleep and I was exhausted from such an eventful day.
Now here it is 2 weeks later and my leg is healing nicely. There is still a bit of a bruise and a knotted muscle underneath that but all in all I should be just fine aside from a scar. I wasn't scared of dogs before and I'm not scared of dogs now... will I walk up to another house with a Beware of Dog sign? Who knows... I am a little crazy.
And without further ado, for your viewing... er... whatever. Some of my "favorite" pics
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| Right after it happened |
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| My squirty leg that made me laugh |
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| One week later |
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| 10 days later |
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Snack-a-tivity
I've been in total supermom mode lately... it's weird actually. I've always got done what I needed to get done but I am a procrastinator and I'm kinda lazy. But since moving here, I've been surprising my kids with little things on top of doing all the regular mom stuff.
When school started up and I was making their lunches every day I was leaving riddles and quotes and pictures on their sandwich bags for them to discover at lunch time. If it was a riddle, there was no answer. I loved asking them when they got home if they figured it out. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't. But they always enjoyed seeing what I would come up with next.
Now I am on a creative snack kick... hence the title of this blog post: Snack-a-tivity!
For Friday the 13th I made them little pretzel skeleton snacks on peanut butter smeared graham crackers and green eyeball oreos. Those were fun! Yesterday we just had nachos, but they LOVE nachos and usually those are reserved for my husband and myself and we are very reluctant to share. I did make it fun though when I told them they couldn't have anymore. When they asked why not... "Because they NA-CHOS!" Get it?! Nachos... Not yo's... not yours HAHAHA I sure hope you all got it because explaining it totally ruined it LoL Today has been my favorite snack so far. They are a crack up, you just can't help but smile when you look at them. And if I would have thought about it, I'd have made them "piratey" for Talk Like a Pirate Day but I kinda forgot. Shame on me! The kids still love them though :)
When school started up and I was making their lunches every day I was leaving riddles and quotes and pictures on their sandwich bags for them to discover at lunch time. If it was a riddle, there was no answer. I loved asking them when they got home if they figured it out. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't. But they always enjoyed seeing what I would come up with next.
Now I am on a creative snack kick... hence the title of this blog post: Snack-a-tivity!
For Friday the 13th I made them little pretzel skeleton snacks on peanut butter smeared graham crackers and green eyeball oreos. Those were fun! Yesterday we just had nachos, but they LOVE nachos and usually those are reserved for my husband and myself and we are very reluctant to share. I did make it fun though when I told them they couldn't have anymore. When they asked why not... "Because they NA-CHOS!" Get it?! Nachos... Not yo's... not yours HAHAHA I sure hope you all got it because explaining it totally ruined it LoL Today has been my favorite snack so far. They are a crack up, you just can't help but smile when you look at them. And if I would have thought about it, I'd have made them "piratey" for Talk Like a Pirate Day but I kinda forgot. Shame on me! The kids still love them though :)
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| If you're happy and you know it clap your... Oh :( |
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| I improvised with what I had on hand :) |
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| You smiled, didn't you??? |
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Where Is She Now?
No, not Jodie Sweetin from Full House or Shannon Doherty from Beverly Hills 90210... but me, Bri, from Iowa or Washington or wherever I was the last time you came across this blog.
The last time I posted here, my husband was in the beginning of his deployment. It was a short deployment, only 7 months. It was by far the craziest one we have dealt with yet. We were having some hard times as a couple, I was having some hard times being a single mom again and I am pretty sure the kids were on a mission to drive me absolutely bat-shit crazy. Things calmed down a bit when he got back from deployment though. Things were going pretty well, the kids were starting to behave better and we were finally getting back into our family routine.
Then all hell broke loose. Things went from good, to okay, to bad, to worse in what feels like the blink of an eye. My marriage was broken. We were divorcing. We were working it out. We were separating. We were moving to Hawaii... what?!
Yeah, the Army really has a way of throwing a wrench into things. We knew we were going to be leaving Washington but we had NO IDEA that they would be sending us to Hawaii. Although, in the Army's defense, we did put it on our list... however, it was #15!!! There were 14 other places higher on our list that we would have gladly taken. Ok, Army, lesson learned.
By the time he got his official orders to Hawaii, we were on the path to working things out but we still weren't sure if we were making the right decisions. We told the kids we were going to Hawaii. Then we told the kids Daddy was going to Hawaii and we were moving back home to Ohio. Then we told the kids we were staying in Washington while Daddy went to Hawaii. Now the kids were just as confused as we were. Another lesson learned... keep your mouth shut until you've actually made a decision.
And then one day I did. Out of the blue it came to me like some sort of epiphany. I knew what I had to do and I was going to Hawaii with my husband, our 5 kids and just one of our dogs {if you have never taken a pet to Hawaii, it is a big, big hassle... especially if you have less than 120 days before you have to be there}. I called about a couple of houses, something we had yet to do since finding out we were headed to the middle of the Pacific Ocean and I found the perfect house. I was under the impression she was offering us the house but it turned out when she said, "I will be sending you the lease agreement," it really meant that she had other possible tenants and that she would get back to me. In the end we didn't end up with that house and were back to square one with the house hunting.
We arrived on the Island of Oahu just shy of 3 months ago... dammit, 2 months, 2 months! I suck at math LoL We spent the next two weeks shacked up in a hotel, driving back and forth from Waikiki (where we were staying) to Ewa Beach (where we were looking to live). We put in applications for housing on post to find out the wait time was at least a year for a family our size and considering we only had 60 days authorized in a hotel, we started looking even harder for an off post rental.
School started shortly after arriving and without an address, I had no idea where my kids were going to be going to school. Not only did I not know where they were going to school, I didn't know what kind of supplies they would need or if they would need uniforms or if the school was even worth sending them to. I strongly considered homeschooling but now was not the right time and luckily we found a house just days before school started.
I am still considering homeschooling, however I am giving the schools a chance. Lexi really likes her school and I think the classroom is the best place for her. Jacob is a very trying child and does very well in a structured environment. He gets way too stressed at home with his siblings around. The younger three, I think they would flourish being homeschooled but again, now is not the time. We still aren't quite settled. Yes, after 3 months I am still a hot mess from the move LoL
My van finally arrived in the middle of August which meant I could finally stop paying out of my ears for a rental car. We had a Ford Flex when we first arrived. It was an awkward vehicle to drive but it fit us all. We kept that car until we moved into the house and then I rented a Chevy... a Dodge... crap, I can't remember. Anyway, it was a cute little black car with a moon roof and only seated 5 but John's Jeep was already here and if we needed to go anywhere we would just drive separately. I loved that car! Which is a bit ironic seeing as I can't even remember what kind of car it was. Probably blocked it out since I won't ever be able to get one. I was so glad when I got MY CAR back though! As much as I loved the Chevy/Dodge... I am a total soccer mom and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Odyssey. The new one is on my wish list ;)
The unpacking and organizing has gone slowly but smoothly since our household goods arrived. I am doing pretty well keeping up with the laundry and the dishes and the sweeping (and not scratching) of 1200sf of hardwood floors (the upstairs is all carpet) and the boys are keeping their room clean (the girls, not so much). I still don't have all of our pictures on the walls but it will eventually get done as long as I can stop breaking them.
Well, to be honest, I haven't broken any picture frames {knock on wood}, but the kids have and the movers have. But I have broken several glasses {one of them was one of my favorites that I use for my raspberry iced tea, sniff - sniff}. It has officially been dubbed the year of broken glass. And that year can be over at any time now.
Not only have we been dealing with broken glass since moving in, we have also had one rotten thing after another. John's Jeep didn't pass inspection which led to us having to shell out $230 for a new windshield and reflector light on his bumper. Then I was bit by a dog... no, not bit... attacked. This little fucker {yes, little. It wasn't a big dog. More like medium sized.} sunk his vampire teeth into my calf. It hurt like a bitch. It instantly bruised and I spent the afternoon in the ER. It's healing nicely and doesn't hurt anymore, aside from the tenderness of the swollen muscle and I am pretty sure I am not going to die... nor do I wish the stupid dog any harm either. From my understanding though, the Humane Society is investigating and there was a police report in regards to the incident. On a less dramatic note, one of my son's broke his glasses... the other son had a little boy knock his glasses off and rub them in the dirt, scratching them to hell. The first pair of glasses was replaced at no cost because it was just the frames... this second pair I am thinking is going to cost what I paid for the lenses ($79, transitions). The mom of the little boy did offer to foot the bill and was pretty pissed. Yay for parents that actually take responsibility for their kids' actions instead of playing it off or defending him. Thankfully we are not strapped for cash though like we were a couple weeks ago and I am not distraught over the glasses issues... it happens. Sometimes kids are just dumb and don't think. We all have had our share of that. In other boy issues, Jacob woke up with a swollen eye and missed school due to the possibility of pink eye. Turns out it was a pretty big and painful sty under his eyelid. He is fine now, aside from his glasses being scratched to hell from the above little boy. And Adam, he woke up with a nasty looking bump on his shoulder. I think it was a spider bite. John cleaned it up and put a band-aid on it and it has all but gone away now. Then yesterday I had a headache from Satan himself. It started out as a stabbing pain, then turned into a dull, all around, whole head throbbing. Naproxen didn't help, Tylenol didn't help, Ibuprofen helped a little. I was in bed by 9pm and woke up again with a slight headache. Not sure what is going on but here is hoping it's just PMS related and nothing more serious, like a brain tumor {kidding, I always joke that I have a tumor to which my husband replies in his best Arnold voice... "It's not a tumah!"}
So yeah, that leads me to today. Just another scorching day in my hot and humid house where I refuse to use the A/C because it would double my electric bill. I've got mouths to feed and sports to fund. We can sweat it out a little bit. Oh, and it's Wednesday... kids get out early. Thanks to Megan {the BFF from Boston with no kids} for reminding me to not forget them ;)
Eventually things will start getting better again, right??? Just nod and agree, nod and agree :)
The last time I posted here, my husband was in the beginning of his deployment. It was a short deployment, only 7 months. It was by far the craziest one we have dealt with yet. We were having some hard times as a couple, I was having some hard times being a single mom again and I am pretty sure the kids were on a mission to drive me absolutely bat-shit crazy. Things calmed down a bit when he got back from deployment though. Things were going pretty well, the kids were starting to behave better and we were finally getting back into our family routine.
Then all hell broke loose. Things went from good, to okay, to bad, to worse in what feels like the blink of an eye. My marriage was broken. We were divorcing. We were working it out. We were separating. We were moving to Hawaii... what?!
Yeah, the Army really has a way of throwing a wrench into things. We knew we were going to be leaving Washington but we had NO IDEA that they would be sending us to Hawaii. Although, in the Army's defense, we did put it on our list... however, it was #15!!! There were 14 other places higher on our list that we would have gladly taken. Ok, Army, lesson learned.
By the time he got his official orders to Hawaii, we were on the path to working things out but we still weren't sure if we were making the right decisions. We told the kids we were going to Hawaii. Then we told the kids Daddy was going to Hawaii and we were moving back home to Ohio. Then we told the kids we were staying in Washington while Daddy went to Hawaii. Now the kids were just as confused as we were. Another lesson learned... keep your mouth shut until you've actually made a decision.
And then one day I did. Out of the blue it came to me like some sort of epiphany. I knew what I had to do and I was going to Hawaii with my husband, our 5 kids and just one of our dogs {if you have never taken a pet to Hawaii, it is a big, big hassle... especially if you have less than 120 days before you have to be there}. I called about a couple of houses, something we had yet to do since finding out we were headed to the middle of the Pacific Ocean and I found the perfect house. I was under the impression she was offering us the house but it turned out when she said, "I will be sending you the lease agreement," it really meant that she had other possible tenants and that she would get back to me. In the end we didn't end up with that house and were back to square one with the house hunting.
We arrived on the Island of Oahu just shy of 3 months ago... dammit, 2 months, 2 months! I suck at math LoL We spent the next two weeks shacked up in a hotel, driving back and forth from Waikiki (where we were staying) to Ewa Beach (where we were looking to live). We put in applications for housing on post to find out the wait time was at least a year for a family our size and considering we only had 60 days authorized in a hotel, we started looking even harder for an off post rental.
School started shortly after arriving and without an address, I had no idea where my kids were going to be going to school. Not only did I not know where they were going to school, I didn't know what kind of supplies they would need or if they would need uniforms or if the school was even worth sending them to. I strongly considered homeschooling but now was not the right time and luckily we found a house just days before school started.
I am still considering homeschooling, however I am giving the schools a chance. Lexi really likes her school and I think the classroom is the best place for her. Jacob is a very trying child and does very well in a structured environment. He gets way too stressed at home with his siblings around. The younger three, I think they would flourish being homeschooled but again, now is not the time. We still aren't quite settled. Yes, after 3 months I am still a hot mess from the move LoL
My van finally arrived in the middle of August which meant I could finally stop paying out of my ears for a rental car. We had a Ford Flex when we first arrived. It was an awkward vehicle to drive but it fit us all. We kept that car until we moved into the house and then I rented a Chevy... a Dodge... crap, I can't remember. Anyway, it was a cute little black car with a moon roof and only seated 5 but John's Jeep was already here and if we needed to go anywhere we would just drive separately. I loved that car! Which is a bit ironic seeing as I can't even remember what kind of car it was. Probably blocked it out since I won't ever be able to get one. I was so glad when I got MY CAR back though! As much as I loved the Chevy/Dodge... I am a total soccer mom and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Odyssey. The new one is on my wish list ;)
The unpacking and organizing has gone slowly but smoothly since our household goods arrived. I am doing pretty well keeping up with the laundry and the dishes and the sweeping (and not scratching) of 1200sf of hardwood floors (the upstairs is all carpet) and the boys are keeping their room clean (the girls, not so much). I still don't have all of our pictures on the walls but it will eventually get done as long as I can stop breaking them.
Well, to be honest, I haven't broken any picture frames {knock on wood}, but the kids have and the movers have. But I have broken several glasses {one of them was one of my favorites that I use for my raspberry iced tea, sniff - sniff}. It has officially been dubbed the year of broken glass. And that year can be over at any time now.
Not only have we been dealing with broken glass since moving in, we have also had one rotten thing after another. John's Jeep didn't pass inspection which led to us having to shell out $230 for a new windshield and reflector light on his bumper. Then I was bit by a dog... no, not bit... attacked. This little fucker {yes, little. It wasn't a big dog. More like medium sized.} sunk his vampire teeth into my calf. It hurt like a bitch. It instantly bruised and I spent the afternoon in the ER. It's healing nicely and doesn't hurt anymore, aside from the tenderness of the swollen muscle and I am pretty sure I am not going to die... nor do I wish the stupid dog any harm either. From my understanding though, the Humane Society is investigating and there was a police report in regards to the incident. On a less dramatic note, one of my son's broke his glasses... the other son had a little boy knock his glasses off and rub them in the dirt, scratching them to hell. The first pair of glasses was replaced at no cost because it was just the frames... this second pair I am thinking is going to cost what I paid for the lenses ($79, transitions). The mom of the little boy did offer to foot the bill and was pretty pissed. Yay for parents that actually take responsibility for their kids' actions instead of playing it off or defending him. Thankfully we are not strapped for cash though like we were a couple weeks ago and I am not distraught over the glasses issues... it happens. Sometimes kids are just dumb and don't think. We all have had our share of that. In other boy issues, Jacob woke up with a swollen eye and missed school due to the possibility of pink eye. Turns out it was a pretty big and painful sty under his eyelid. He is fine now, aside from his glasses being scratched to hell from the above little boy. And Adam, he woke up with a nasty looking bump on his shoulder. I think it was a spider bite. John cleaned it up and put a band-aid on it and it has all but gone away now. Then yesterday I had a headache from Satan himself. It started out as a stabbing pain, then turned into a dull, all around, whole head throbbing. Naproxen didn't help, Tylenol didn't help, Ibuprofen helped a little. I was in bed by 9pm and woke up again with a slight headache. Not sure what is going on but here is hoping it's just PMS related and nothing more serious, like a brain tumor {kidding, I always joke that I have a tumor to which my husband replies in his best Arnold voice... "It's not a tumah!"}
So yeah, that leads me to today. Just another scorching day in my hot and humid house where I refuse to use the A/C because it would double my electric bill. I've got mouths to feed and sports to fund. We can sweat it out a little bit. Oh, and it's Wednesday... kids get out early. Thanks to Megan {the BFF from Boston with no kids} for reminding me to not forget them ;)
Eventually things will start getting better again, right??? Just nod and agree, nod and agree :)
Death of a Blog
The only way to keep a blog alive is to keep posting on it. I failed. Something happened along the way and I just stopped posting. I blame Facebook.
I started this blog long before I was on Facebook and then when Facebook became all popular, I made the switch. More people over there to read all my crazy crap. But, this isn't for them, is it? Nope, it's for me...
So maybe I don't have a bunch of followers. Maybe a bunch of random people don't stumble across my blog and find it so awesome that they then become followers. No, that's ok. I am here to save my blog, for me... and for my kids to maybe read one day. And for anyone else, thanks for taking the time to read about my crazy rollercoaster of a life.
I hope anyone stumbling upon this maybe decides to stick around to see where this all goes but don't worry, I won't be offended if you don't come back. However, if you stick around, I can guarantee you will laugh... and you might even cry... and hopefully you will nod your head in agreement signifying that no, I am not the only one out there that can't remember where her phone is as it is pressed to her ear or that it's Wednesday and her kids get out an hour early. I thank you in advance for letting me know I am not alone.
So, welcome to my blog... or see you later! Let's get this ball back on a roll :)
I started this blog long before I was on Facebook and then when Facebook became all popular, I made the switch. More people over there to read all my crazy crap. But, this isn't for them, is it? Nope, it's for me...
So maybe I don't have a bunch of followers. Maybe a bunch of random people don't stumble across my blog and find it so awesome that they then become followers. No, that's ok. I am here to save my blog, for me... and for my kids to maybe read one day. And for anyone else, thanks for taking the time to read about my crazy rollercoaster of a life.
I hope anyone stumbling upon this maybe decides to stick around to see where this all goes but don't worry, I won't be offended if you don't come back. However, if you stick around, I can guarantee you will laugh... and you might even cry... and hopefully you will nod your head in agreement signifying that no, I am not the only one out there that can't remember where her phone is as it is pressed to her ear or that it's Wednesday and her kids get out an hour early. I thank you in advance for letting me know I am not alone.
So, welcome to my blog... or see you later! Let's get this ball back on a roll :)
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