Snow!

My week in Review

After a wonderful trip to Abilene where we ate great food, bought an expensive new camera (a Canon Rebel xti if you're interested), and went to see two Academy Award nominated movies (Juno, No Country for Old Men), there was Monday: I went out to start the car and to my great surprise, Bowen's side of Myrtle had been open all night in the rain. Yes. Holy. Shit. When I say wet I mean when I took his seat out of the car, water POURED out of it. My seat was even wet, I had to sit on trash bags on the way to school. I quickly got some towels and newspaper, got his seat out of the truck, switched Laine's seat to the very back and I was only three minutes late to school. This was not before I called my husband a bad name and gave him the bird because he was being less than helpful. We apologized later. I cried my make-up off on the way to school. The rest of the day was a fiasco, especially the part where we had to load the crib, changing table and crib mattress up in the truck in the rain/sleet. I had a large glass of wine with some wine on the side when we got home.

Tuesday: Shopped Just Between Friends sale, got some cute stuff for the kids.

Wednesday: Worked JBF sale with Meredith, it was fun although Mere was a better cashier on her first time than I was on my third sale. It was fairly humorous.

Thursday: I was SUPPOSED to go get my hair did today but because of the weather had to cancel, that caused me to say bad words. Thankfully she rescheduled for Saturday. Gymnastics was cancelled and now we're just waiting to see if we'll have school tomorrow. The snow is pretty cool even though it's totally time for Spring.

Stupid Blogger won't let me upload pics, maybe later.

New Camera!

I LOVE today!

Because I get to vote, not only vote but vote for someone I'm really excited to vote for.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghSJsEVf0pU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY



LOVE!

Purse Analysis

Purse contents all in one picture.

OK in the picture above we have to the left a pile of crap. What that says is I carry crap in my purse.

Bottom left corner, cash, which will help me pay for my cut and color next week. That says, I don't trust leaving that cash in the house in case it gets used for somwthing besides my hair.

Bottom right all our new debit cards because our bank is being taken over by another bank. That says, procrastination like I can activate those cards if they are in my purse.

Top right, two necklaces and a bracelet. I have great taste in jewels.

My make up bag. This shows how I love hand lotion and Burt's bees.

Syringe, who knows when you might need to dispense some meds.

Top right, wipes, I think that says I'm a mom. So do the cars.

My medicine cabinet is on the right. Let's see, got some, Advil, Aleve, Nosonex, inhaler, and Mucinex-D. I think this shows my dependence on drugs.

Check book. Ummm, I do the shopping?

Finally, here's the dreck left in the bottom after I took all the other stuff out. I think that shows that I don't clean out my purse nearly enough.

D.I.T.D.

Down in the dumps.

I want to give a disclaimer that I do realize how blessed I am, sometimes a girl just needs to get it all out.

Here are the reasons I'm feeling down, probably all lame.

I was really wanting to get my hair done and my girl couldn't me in until next Thursday.

I'm tired of work, you know all the responsibility stuff and the getting up early.

When I took over out finances, I cut out almost all extra spending (except for hair coloring). I'm tired of that. But I'm not tired of accidentally over drafting our account. I want to go buy my kids an Easter outfit, I want an Easter outfit. Blah.

Gas, no, not that kind, the kind you put in your car. I'm trying for a budget, how can you budget gas these days?! I can't NOT drive to work a couple of days a week, we can't NOT go visit our families. I can't believe that we're a family (and not even CLOSE to the only one) who's budget is getting broken by the price of gas, it grosses me out.

I had a horrible crick in my neck yesterday, it still hurts today but at least I can turn my neck.

I'm feeling really good about going to A town this weekend, there's nothing that makes you feel better than to get taken care of by your family.

Thanks!

Thanks for all the suggestions for Laine and her "friend". We are asking her to play with lots of friends during the day. I am going to invite other girls from her class to stay after with us and try to form new allegiances.

We're off to Jasper tomorrow to spend the weekend, a pre-surgery trip. I' sure we'll have a relaxing time.

I've been feeling off for the past few weeks, grouchy, tired, constipated, you know all the things that make you feel really great and fun to be around. I got some blood work done and my Thyroid levels were low, so she upped my medicine. Hopefully, I'll be good as new in two or three weeks.

Have a great weekend!

Operation Laine Just Say No

Not to drugs but to getting bossed. Get ready, this is a long story and I need your help.

There is a girl in Laine's class, we'll call her Layla. Layla is a teacher's kid, her mother is someone that thinks she is the greatest thing ever and has taught her daughter to think the same way. Layla has a reputation that precedes her and is a parent appointed princess with an attitude. One day, we invited Layla to stay after school with us and go get ice cream. I let them play in the gym and stayed out of thier business. Well, what I discovered is that Layla has a very sly way of manipulating. She makes everything that she wants to do seem like it's the greatest idea ever made, she's just like her mother. We have also found out through Laine that she tells HUGE stories, I finally called them lies to Laine the other day because that is what they are. All her stories are told to make herself seem cooler, like she went backstage at the Hannah MOntana concert or that another girl in class has red eyes when she goes to home center.

That's the background.

Laine thinks Layla hung the moon. She is the only one in her class that will play with Layla because everyone has caught on to her. She talks about Layla all the time.

We have had several conversations with Laine about how she needs to play with lots of friends instead of just Layla. I've told her to tell Layla no when she wants to do something Laine doesn't want to do. We've told Laine not to believe everything Layla says. I held out hope that Laine would get tired of Layla and move on to someone else. She hasn't.

So, we are at the precipice of doing something I really never thought I would say to my child and that is: You cannot be around Layla, you cannot play with her.

That really goes against my morals. As Christians aren't we to be kind to everyone, I know you can be kind to someone and not be thier friend, I just don't think a 5 year old can discern that yet. I want Laine to be a kid that is kind to everyone. But more than that I don't want her to be a doormat, I know Layla wants to play with Laine because Laine will go along with whatever she wants to do and that is wrong. Laine needs to learn that a real friend will do what YOU want to do sometimes and not always want her own way. I want her to know that she is better than getting bossed aroud. Dangit, I want her to stand up for herself and not get bossed around.

I do have Laine's teacher on my side. Even she has a hard time liking Layla. She will tell Laine she can't play with Layla if she sees they are spending too much time together. I found out today that another kid in Laine's class has been told she can't play with Layla (from her own mother).

Any thought? Suggestions?

Open letter to Jodi Picoult:

Dear Ms. Picoult:

Will you please stop writing such horribly wonderful books so I can pay attention to my family again? I mean, I can't tear my eyes away from the pages but at the same time I don't want to keep reading because your characters lives just seem so sad. But then, then your write such terribly exciting pages that I can't look away, it's like a train wreck you just can't help but look at what's going to happen. In other words, I love your books. Keep up the good work.

Heather

Fancy Nancy

Today Laine had her first "big girl" party, one in which I dropped her off and left! She ahd so much fun, the party goers were to wear dress-up clothes and my friend Julie let them decorate their own cake, eat cookies, have lunch and get made up. Julie (ie Martha Stewart) even made them an apron and monogrammed. By the way, this was a Valentine party not a birthday party. It was really sweet of Julie to do this for the girls! After I dropped Laine off I went to Ulta, got lunch and then went to get a mani and pedi with my Valentine money (thanks Mom and Dad and Gran and Pop). It was quite a treat to have pretty nails in yucky February.

Funny story...

On Wednesday I was sitting, and sitting and sitting in a fuculty meeting about starting the bilingual program at our school next year. It was towards the end of the meeting, everyone was sitting quietly listening when all of a sudden a loud voice comes over our Assistant Principals' walkie-talkies. You couldn't understand what the person said but it was very enthusiastic. my principals hurrued to turn down the volume and the AP sitting closest to me sort of peered over at me with a grin on her face. I'm wondering why she's smiling at me, was the call for me? did I miss something in the meeting? My mind was working rather slowly and I thought to myself that the voice on the walkie-talkie sounded like a child. Hmmmm...So my AP then point at me and mouths the question "was that Laine?" Then it all registered, I flew out of the meeting, got my mean face on and stomped into the gym. There were about 5 or 6 kids in there all waiting for thier moms to get out of the meeting, I asked in a stern voice "who talked on my walkie-talkie?" THey all outed Laine immedialtely. She was scared because she thought she was in trouble but I really put on my mean face for the older kids in the group who knew better. Laine has NO idea how walkie-talkies work and she certainly didn't realize a whole room full of people would hear her voice if she spoke into it. I finally coaxed her into telling me what she had said: HEY! HELLO, WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER! Something only a kindergarderer would say! It was really funny and the highlight of my day!

why oh why won't spellcheck work for this sorry speller?!

T and A (and maybe E)

that stands for Tonsils and Andenoids and maybe Ear tubes. Yes, we went to the ENT today. I walked in thinking this was going to be a consult in which the doctor would tell me we needed to wait until Bowen got strep a couple more times or to just monitor is snoring for another six weeks. Instead I walked shakey-legged out of the office with a pre-op folder with the date March 13th written on it. Accoring to Dr. Burkett, Bowen's is a black and white case, no doubt he needs both his tonsils and adenoids out. He said when Bowen sleeps his tonsils sit at the back of his throat and he snores, then his brain signals to his body that it needs more oxygen so it makes him breathe deeper and he snores and snorts and wakes up a little everytime he does that. This means he never gets into the much needed deep sleep because his body keeps waking him up becuase he can't breathe. So, in 4 weeks those silly little body parts are getting kicked out for over-staying thier welcome. The doctor will decide at his pre-op whether or not to put in another set of tubes. He has one left and the ear without the tube is already full of fluid. The recovery for T and A is 9 days so we were fortunate enough to get a surgery day right before Spring Break so he will have both his mom and dad to help him recover. This probably won't seem real to me until I am driving him to Cook's at the crack of dawn on March 13th. Wish us luck and pray for a speedy recovery for Bowen.

Jonathan made pancakes tonight!

Plain or Peanut?

Yesterday Jonathan brought home a puppy and I didn't kill him. Mainly because he isn't our puppy, Jonathan's parents have wanted a puppy for a while and someone at Joanthan's school was giving away part Bassett Hound part Lab puppies and he took one. At first, Bowen called him donut but it has evolved to Peanut. He's pretty (really) cute but I am so glad he's not mine. Haivng a puppy is like having a baby, they are lots of work.

In other news I'd like to say THANKS to my mom for coming to Fort Worth to keep the kids home one more day to recoup before heading back to school. I love you Mom! And I loved drinking coffee out of my cute Valentine's Day mug.

I went to the doctor yesterday for some bloodwork and found out I have rosacea. Anyone with ANY information on this skin condition, give me some advice. I have some topical antibiotic cream and was told to get a really good sunscreen so that the cream can do it's job. I had been having some trouble with acne, these big cyst looking pimples with no head and they wouldn't pop. Turns out they aren't acne, it's rosacea. That's why I look like I have a sunburn all the time and I why I blush at the drop of a hat. Weird. I probably need to see a Dermatologist but I'm going to wait to see if the cream provies any cyst relief.

I think this cute puppy is giving me hayfever, he better be glas he's cute.

Fun in the SUN!

The weather has been killing me the last few days, the never-ending wind, the coldness. Today, however, we got to have some fun in the sun!

Yes, these are my sick children playing outside in the water. What are you going to do, I mean a kid need his vitamin D and we a sick of being in the house! Laine asked to pick up dog poop, so I let her, I see a great chore in her future! Finally we had popsicles and lunch, in that order, and then came inside for a nap. What a great day in the sun, I love it!

Shauna is the blog Goddess!

Thanks to Shauna my blog looks shiny and new, you can see her designs at:

www.seemydesigns.blogspot.com.

She is very talented, very talented indeed!

Thanks a million Shauna!

Oh good something to do while I'm at home with my sick kids!

1. Do you wear a name tag at work? I'm supposed to but I am generally a rebel at school and I don't.
2. What kind of car do you drive? Silver Nissan Quest, yes, it's a minivan but it rocks.
3. What do you order when you go to Taco Bell? Soft taco and a supreme chlupa, bell sucks, bueno rules.
4. Have you ever had a garage sale?yes...they are never as profitable as ou want them to be (unless you are the garage sale queens Linda and Robin)
5. What color is your iPod?silver
6. What kind of dog do you have? two mutts
7. What's for dinner tonight?Maybe some take out or the lasagna Jonathan made last night, it was really good.
8. What is the last alcoholic beverage you had? SOme of Mere's margarita at Mi Cocina, before that wine on New Year's Eve.
9. Stupidest thing you ever did with your cell phone?washed it in the washing machine at Disney World.
10. Last time you were sick? last weekend
11. How long is your hair?touches my ear lobes
12. Are you happy right now?Yes
13. What did you say last? I told Bowen his Choclate milk was in the kitchen

14. Who came over last?My parents last weekend, ever since then we've been on lockdown flu-style.
16. Have your brothers or sisters ever told you that you were adopted? No
17. What is your favorite key chain on your keys?A pink cross
18. What was the last movie you watched at home?I watched part of Goblet of Fire the other night.
19. What is in your pocket?No pockets today!
20. Who introduced you to your crush? No one has ever introduced me to George CLooney.
21. Where do you hurt?My heart hurts for my sick kids!
22. Has someone ever made you a Build-A-Bear?Nerdily enough, Jonathan and I made one together one V-day a while back.
23. What DVD is in your DVD player?Toy Story, the kids are watching it right now.
24. What's something funny you did today? Nothing yet, but I have cleaned the kitchen floor.
25. Who was the principal of your high school? Mr. Curtis, he's the best.
26. Has your house ever been TPd?yes
27. What do you think of when you hear the word 'meow'?Pumpkin Batman, the cat that doesn't play.
28. What are you listening to right now?Toy Story and a Lap Band Commercial.
29. Drinkin? I've had coffee and water.
30. What is your favorite aisle at Wal-Mart? Probably the hair color aisle.
31. When is your birthday?March 30th.
32. What's the area code for your cell phone?817
33. Where did you buy the shirt you're wearing now? Goodwill.
34. Is there anything hanging from your rear view mirror?No
35. How many states in the US have you been to?I would say between 13 and 15.
37. What are you going to do after this?I'll probably crack open a Diet Coke, check on my kids and clean up the house a little.
38. Who was the last person you went shopping with?My mom and dad, we went to Northeast Mall and I almost got lost in Sephora.
40. What about your favorite dessert?Black Tie cheesecake at Olive Garden.
41. What is something you need to go shopping for?Really nothing I NEED right now, perhaps some Lysol.
42. Do you have the same name as one of your relatives? No but my middle name comes from the Lord of the Rings.
43. What kind of car do your siblings drive? Mazda CX7
44. Do you like pickles? LOVE
45. What about olives? Aaack
47. What is your favorite kind of juice? Orange, or maybe Cranberry but only if it has CHampagne in it.
48. Do you have any tan lines? Yes, but not because I'm tan they are permanent from teaching swim lessons.
49. What hospital were you born in? Wichita General
50. Do you remember the name of your kindergarten teacher?Ohhhh, no I don't I remember she had long hair and glasses though.

Hazardous Material

SO Laine woke up last night around midnight crying because she had to tee-tee really bad. So she went but she was still crying. Jonathan reached over to comfort her and felt the flames of death eminating from her skin. Her took her temp and it was over 103. Yikes. It was Jonathn's turn to stay home so I made an appointment for her at the doctor. At school that morning when I dropped Bowen off we walked into a very quiet classroom and that was because there were only 3 other boys there. Everyone else was sick. About noon the Learning Center called and said Bowen had a temp again and that I needed to come get him. I ran over to pick him up and there were only two other kids there, two others had gone home sick before Bowen. Yikes. SO Jonathan came to my school, picked Bowen up and took both kids to the doctor. The doctor ran a flu test and a strep test on Laine. Let's see, which one woould you choose if you had to if you said the flu because it's way worse and takes longer to recover, you are correct, Laine has the flu which probably means Bowen has it too along with strep. Stay away from our house were are a BIOHAZARD.

A few of MY favorite things:

My first favorite thing is my newest favorite thing, I love the way the Bobbi Brown corrector and concealer makes my eyes look bright and awake!

My favorite snack or item to go with a sandwich Ritz baked chips in Veggie flavor, yum!

My favorite place to get a burger is Kincaid's, it might get bumped tonight, I'm going to try Dutch's on University.

Best drink of all time.

My favorite overall place to eat, my order: enchiladas modern with sour cream sauce.

I love my terry cloth robe from VS, it keeps me warm after my shower and no need for a towel!

My favorite store to browse in is Sephora, it used to be Ulta but Sephora is way fancier and has more fun stuff to try.

BTW, Bowen has strep again, we're going to have an ENT consult on the biggest tonsils in the world.

Cute Pictures

We are recovering at the Williams' house. Jonathan is on the mend, I ate food today. Bowen is the only one still puny, he is running a fever and I think I'm going to stay at home with him tomorrow.

I have to give props to Pace for finishing the Benbrook Half in less than 2 hours, way to go Pac!

We are a sad sight...

Jonathan has some form of the flu, he's miserable

I have had an upset tummy today (the runs at the zoo is NO fun), I'm sure I have the bug that is running rampant in my school.

Bowen was miserable while ago because he was constipated, thank goodness a warm bath and some juice cleared him out.

Laine is the only one that is totally OK today.

Blah.

Bowen: Before and After

OK, after the haircut I was TOTALLY freaking out because the way the girl fixed made it look uneven and nerdy. I was really regretting wanting to get is cut short. But a little Bed Head Manipulator fixes everything. None of these after pictures are great because Bowen refuses to take a normal, look at the camera and smile picture right now. Maybe I can get some more later.

The eyes have it...

OK here is what I need from my blog readers, an honest opinion on my eye make-up. I've been having lots of allergy related darkness under my eyes. The first picture was over Christmas and I have no concealer on under my eyes. The second two picture are from today after I went to the Bobby Brown make-up counter in Nordstom and had them correct and conceal under my eyes. I think it looks really good and Jonathan noticed as soon as walked in that something was different about my look. My question is, can you tell a noticeable difference? And if you can is it a good difference. My first inclination is to go back tomorrow and buy that stuff up but I want to see what you guys think.

Where all the magic happens...

We moved this desk downstairs when we made upstairs a playroom. I LOVE our initials above the desk and really love our computer screen. You can't see the details but I acquired a Jesus clock at a white elephant gift exchange, it's awesome.

Random Thoughts on a Tuesday

* I hate it when I cook a sucky supper, tonight was one of those nights. Don't make enchiladas with smoked chicken, or maybe do if you want some quality dog food.

*Meredith found my SUNGLASSES! YAHOO! I finally bought some big girl sunglasses (read expensive) this summer and I thought I had lost them, but she found them in her purse, my guess is I accidentally put them in her purse instead of mine at the hospital.

* I hate insurance.

* Two Aleve + two mucinex D = a very good afternoon at school

* I really want a new tattoo, what can I do to convince Jonathan this is a good idea?

* Please continue to pray for the right doors to open for Jonathan, if you know what I mean.

* We have decided Bowen's hair has gone from cute to scruffy so we are going to get a new style for him.

* Valentine's Day is WAY too close to Christmas.

* Being Type A is really hard work sometimes.

* Locking lug nuts aren't just to keep your tires from being stolen.

Worst Parenting Story...

I read lots of blogs and one that I read had a contest the other day so see who had the worst parenting story. I was too late to enter but I feel like this one might have been in the top 10 at least.

Let's see...we had just gotten back in town from somewhere (or maybe it was back from staying at the Veale's all July) any way it was hot weather. In our house we are not always prompt at picking up sippie cups so it is common to find a sippie with spoiled milk in it. Well, Bowen one day, found a sippie cup that I guess had been under the Entertainment Center for a LONG TIME and decided to take a bog swig off it. I know, that is extremely gross all by itself, but the worst part is when he spit it out maggots, yes, maggots came out of his mouth too. Beat that suckas.

Pics from the break

Aaaaaaand, I'm back.

Wow, this has been the busiest Holiday season ever! The highlight of course being the arrival of Blake.

At the beginning of the break we went to Jasper to have Christmas with Jonathan's family. We left the Friday we got out of school and got there Friday evening. We had some great hang out time on Saturday and then early Sunday morning my mother-in-law walked into our bedroom with the phone and I immediately knew what was going on. It was mom calling to say that Mere was in the hospital and would not leave without a baby. I quickly took a shower, packed some essentials and got on the road to Fort Worth. I made record time, a little less than 4 hours, and was at the hospital in time to wait for Blake's arrival. After she was born we had holding time and picture time and then I went home to spend the night, went back to the hospital Christmas Eve morning and then drove back to Jasper in time for Christmas Eve present opening.

We drove back to Fort Worth and the day after Christmas had Christmas with Mimi, Paco, Mere, Ryan and Blake. It was wonderful to look over and be surprised to see a baby instead of a big tummy! That night we went to a Stars game, Bowen and Laine had a grand time riding the TRE and going to the magnificent American Airlines Center, the game was fun, lots of goals.

A couple of days later we hosted the gang from San Angelo for Christmas. Man, we ate great food, opened presents and had a fun time on New Years' Eve playing games with Mere, Ryan, Koby, Robin, Justin (Jonathan's brother) and Leslie (Justin's girlfriend). Linda helped me redo my crosses in my Living Room, we shopped and visited.

That is a very brief version of the marvelous Christmas our family had. Truthfully, it is going to go down as one of my favorite Christmases ever. We really enjoyed hosting meals at our house and having way too many people sleeping in way too little space.

I'm sure I'll think of some good stories to tell soon, I'm still digesting what a special family I have and all the fun things we've done together this Christmas.

Happy New Year, here's to a great 2008!

Scattergories Game

What’s your name? HEATHER
car: HUNDAI
city: HAWLEY
boy name:HENRY
girl name: HANNAH
alcoholic drink: HAIRY ARMPIT (I know but I looked it up on the Internet, it's real)
occupation: HOUSEKEEPER
something you wear: HOT PANTS
celebrity: HELEN HUNT
food: HUSHPUPPIES
reason for being late: HAVING A BABY
cartoon character: HOMER SIMPSON
something you shout: HELL NO

I think I amost died last night...

I have felt SO cooped up lately! I just don't have enough opportunities to exercise lately with all the holiday business and cold weather. So last night I declared I was taking a walk and headed out the door. On the way back home I went down a street I don't usually go down to make my walk a little longer. Well, when I turned the corner I saw two dogs in a front yard. I was a little suspicious but I went on the other side of the street and got on the sidewalk. I squinted hard to see where they were and saw one dog, he looked at me but didn't do anything. I couldn't put my eyes on that second dog, then, out of nowhere, he was about three feet from barking like I'd just entered his private territory. My instincts kicked in and I shouted NO as loud as I could. Thanks for teaching me to yell at stray dogs Dad! However, he continued to bark and growl and snap at me. By now I was thinking about what I would do if he tried to bite me. I looked around to see if anyone was outside and kept my limbs as close to my body as I could. I decided if he attacked me I would scream and roll up in a ball so I could protect my head and vital organs. As soon as I decided what to do his barking slowed a little and a couple of seconds later he trotted off, obviously satisfied he had scared me to death. I tentatively walked a few steps to see if he was going to follow me and he didn't. A guy was walking down his drive way as I turned to walk off, I think he was coming to see what all the racket was about. Anyway I walked the rest of the way home sneaking peeks over my shoulder to make sure no mean dogs were following me home!

Maybe my stomach will get flatter

I went and had MORE allergy testing done yesterday, it was a food allergy test. Here is a list of all the dreck I'm allergic to:

4 (the highest level):
Lamb I'm so disappointed we eat Lamb at least 2 times a weeks (NOT)
Mushrooms fine, I hate them anyway
Broccoli OK I really like broccoli

3:
Rye, no dark brown bread for me
Hazelnut

2:
Turkey Meat
Egg
Apricot
Strawberry
CHOCOLATE
Watermelon
Cinnamon
Coffee
Pecan
Brazil nut
Cashews
English Walnut

So, I'm supposed to not eat these foods for a month. Chocolate. Coffee. Cinnamon. I'm totally mourning Starbucks right now. No Cinnamon Dolce Latte. So, my request is that if you're going to be with me over the Holidays, make me something for dessert I can actually eat.


I am totally going to become one of "those people" that are all "So, what kind of nuts are in this cake?" "Are those mushrooms" "Is that cinnamon sprinkled on those cookies?" and "did lamb touch that chicken?"

Incredible...

That my daughter's Principal had to call me this morning because she was out of dress code. Mainly Incredible because I work in the same district and know the dress code.

That I walk into the girls' bathroom by my gym this morning and there were two turds on the bathroom floor. One was in one stall and one was in the other, flat, because it had been stepped on.

That I tooted tonight and Meredith thought it was the dogs whining.

That I will be an aunt in less than a month (Meredith hopes).