Recap of weekends past and future endeavors

This past weekend was such a blast! We started the weekend off on Thursday with all day preparations for food for Saturday! I wanted to make sure that if there was trouble with my jello jelly beans I would have time to fix it. They turned out wonderful and were postively pleasing to the eye in their glass bowl and all! I admittedly had to smack a few hands and keep them OUT of the jelly beans (Eric & Austin=NO NO)....lol.

Friday was a day of cleaning and more cooking. We also had to sneak out and get the boys stuff for their Easter baskets! Never again, I tell you, will I leave the house on Good Friday for retrieval of "Easter-y" things! There was positively NOTHING to grasp for my little boys. We finally ended up getting non pastel candies, a tackle box for Cody (loaded with hand picked tackle), and an adorable cow for Austin. Let's discuss this cow. It had no price tag, no price on the shelf! So we find one of those price checker sytem thingy's and it was $15!!! I flip the tag over and it's because it was a webkinz animal! We decided to go ahead and purchase it, it was too cute to pass up. He also got a ball that he couldn't really care less about. He doesn't necessarily like his cow yet either, although, he will give it random kisses from time to time. Cody was THRILLED with the tacklebox however.

Saturday we got up and headed to my sister-in-law's Karen's house. We were meeting there to move onto Marysville. We were, count it, 30 mins early! We even beat Eric's mom and dad there. They were running a little late and Cathy told Garry, ah don't worry about it we'll still beat Eric and Tiff. Ha! lol Little did they know we were EARLY for once! So we got to Marysville and the yard was scattered with Easter eggs and Cody informs us he's making a "mental map"! lol We ate awesome food, talked, hung out, it was a blast. Cody kept calling the sparkling grape juice wine. Thanks to Jake & Derya's wedding and his "wine". It was getting on some peoples nerves because it wasn't "nice" for a 7 year old to be so interested in wine. I say, OH WELL, he likes it and he knows it isn't really wine, he likes to feel like a grown up at any given point in his young life and this is one way that we allow that to happen. While on a cigarette break (with 3 kids outside), I was walking alongside a child that was naming off his colors like a pro. He was only three (at the time, turned 4 today) and he knew every single color. We had a conversation that went as follows:
Me: Augustine, are you excited for the Easter bunny to visit you?
Augustine: There are no Easter bunnies in our world, only real bunnies!
Me: (stunned silence followed with) I see!
Me: Augustine, do you like to hunt for Easter eggs?
Augustine: I DO!

It was the most precious thing ever I think! He looked at me like I was a freak....lol. Duh, why wouldn't he like to hunt for easter eggs....lol. So cute. Eric kept saying all the way home...how cute was Augustine and Olive? He was so impressed with their vocabulary and nature. Augustine is a really cute kid. I made him ask his Mom before I would take him outside and he said I'll be back and raced down the stairs to ask. While waiting upstairs for him, Olive says Oh, I'm coming too! And off she raced down the stairs to find her Mommy. SO CUTE!!!

So Saturday we came home and made some homemade rolls and mac n cheese and anything else we could. Jake and Derya came down and helped and spent the night. Austin had a screaming fit and just couldn't not go to sleep so we took him on a ride in the dodge. Jacob said to Derya, yeah we're not having any kids....lol. Then on Sunday.

Sunday we got up early and did what we could to get ready. Everything was going smoothly. Jacob was playing with Austin while I helped cook/clean. He was getting ready for his morning nap and Jake hands him over with a "there's a 22 lb. birth control pill"....lol. Apparently my little boy is a handfull....lol. Yep, I knew that when he was still in the womb...lol.

Sunday evening we headed up to Karen's house for a celebration dinner up there. HAD A BLAST...we played cards, ate good food, hung out, hunted eggs, made plans, fun, fun fun. Kylie is getting so big and I swear prettier and bigger every time I see her. I try to remember to tell Kylie, this is Aunt Tiffany and I love you....I LOVE being an aunt. It is so much fun and I can't wait until she gets bigger and can say Aunt Tiff I love you....okay maybe I'm jumping the gun a little bit, she's only 3 1/2 months old...lol.

Monday should have been a day of rest, but, Cody ran out of adderall and that meant a day of wooo how do you even describe that day? Eric hurt the muscles in his upper back and couldn't help his Dad move that day and spent ALL day in bed with muscle relaxers and motrin and cold meds.

Tuesday he was feeling better but not tip top. Today is much better for him. He went mushroom hunting with my parents and the poor things only found 6. He was disappointed but did however find the biggest one. I did laundry=puke puke! That's about all really. Eric is making plans to go to KC raceway this weekend there is a big race and he wants to go. Seeya! lol
On an unrelated note, after he dropped Cody off at school he came home with a single red rose. I said aw Thank you! What is that for? Eric says: Cause I love you! Awww isn't he so sweet.

I realize that by posting that story as I did that it makes it sound like he was buttering me up witht the rose. That was not the case, I don't think....lol. I'm too tired to reword the above paragraph...so....gnight!

things that make you go hmmmmm

Some things that make me go hmmmm:
1. Why the grocery store did NOT have blue jello?
2. Why Cody came home with an orange dot today?
3. How man time is different than real time?
4. Where time goes?
5. Why I say I'm going to do something and then make the job harder by doing other things directly related to it?
6. How Sunday dinner turns into 3-4 meals all in one?
7. How I can justify paying $2.04 for gas and not have money for "extras" (ie. haircuts, make-up, clothes, shoes, blah blah blah)
8. Why I make lists for everything..hahaha?
9. Why I feel the need to watch the news and then get depressed by what the news is saying?
10. Why I want things and then when I get them I feel overwhelmed by them?

Speaking of #10, have I mentioned that I am 3/4 of the way into enrolling Cody in homeschooling? All I have left to do is get a document notarized and then he's in. I am a little "confused" for lack of a better word. He has been really struggling lately and I think that we are going to have to do another dose change on his medicine (adhd). I say that with a heavy heart. I was hoping that we could get him completely off his medicine soon. I am really stressing out about this. AAAAAAAAAAAH!!! Sorry I felt like I needed to scream and so I typed it??? Less noise?

I went to the grocery today to get all the different types of jello that I needed to make my jello eggs and jelly beans. Sorry Jenny, I lied lol the majority of them will be jelly beans. Anyway, I also got the stuff to make rice crispie's egg treats thingy's. They have a commercial for them. I also picked up plastic eggs to take to Cody's school tomorrow for the easter egg hunt. I bought two packs of 14 plastic eggs. There are 25 kids in his class. Then I picked up a bag of airheads (Cody's fav. candy). There were 25 candies in this bag. I got home and started filling these plastic eggs and got to 24 and guess what? No more Airheads! They ripped me off a whole candy. I was so mad. I was looking for numbers of people to call and everything. I almost cried. I was just so frustrated by that point. So one of the eggs have about 5 hershey kisses in it. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

I hate when crap like that happens. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

oh okay

Cody singin his heart out!

Robert & Cody saluting after the recital!

There is literally not a whole lot going on. Cody had his first and probably only school recital last week and I will post a couple of pics. The kids had to dress up like a character out of a disney movie. Cody was a toy soldier from the movie Toy Story. Who would have thunk it?

We are looking forward to Easter weekend! We have a weekend full of fun planned. We are going to a dinner in Marysville Saturday, then on Sunday we are having my family dinner mixed with my Grandma Charlotte's birthday party and then we will leave there around 3 and go to Eric's Mom's house or maybe Karen's house. I can't wait to see everyone! Austin has an outfit already but needs some cute shoes to go with it. Cody has so many polo's and button ups I will probably just pick one of those for him to wear. I, however, need clothes but will probably just pick out an outfit and complain about it on the inside lol.

So as the summer time approaches I have found myself in desperate need of cami's. If anyone finds any that are really cheap please let me know! I would like for them to have the square neck line so I can where them under stuff and my ta-ta's won't be showing as bad! This is something that has never really bothered me before but this year I find myself trying to hide the sista's. Eric isn't exactly thrilled with this, but, I guess I should be flattered that he is still attracted to me? lol

Austin riding the gator

My Mom is getting better. They have her on 2 of the 4 or more meds that she needs. She is actually able to get up and do things around the house now! She is so happy. I have never seen anyone that happy to freakin clean! lol

Cody rocking his new shades!

Well our onions are in the ground if the frost hasn't killed them! We have also had a HUGE problem with the birds "unplanting" them. We hung the pie plates to deter them, but, that only works when the wind blows.....lol.

Austin still rockin out in his sleep! Check out those itty bitty fingers!

Circus' and Birthday Parties

We took the boys to the Shriner's Circus the Sunday before last. Cody had a blast and well Austin slept through the whole first half...somehow. This was the first circus that my Mom, Dad, Jacob, myself, Cody & Austin had ever been to. It was so much fun. Eric couldn't be there due to some circumstances. He has already been to a few and wasn't thrilled to go anyway, he said they suck. I, however, thought that it was awesome! Then afterwards we went to Chuck E. Cheese's. The boys did have fun there however, Cody threw a huge fit when we were leaving and I was really upset. We tried to do something really nice and I felt like it was ruined. He did apologize afterward and say that he really had fun and that he was rude. I felt so small after chastising him and you could tell he really felt bad.

So yesterday was Cody's birthday party. He turned 7 on the 26th! I can't believe he is that old already. Seems like just yesterday he was teetering around telling jokes. Now he jumps around and gives weather reports (ie. Daddy today is going to get up to 59 degrees. According to WCHO lol). He is so funny! Anyway he got some really terrific gifts. I cleaned for 4 days trying to keep the house clean and kept up for the party. I noticed that the kitchen floor needed swept again for the FOURTH time right before we lit the candles. Here's a list of his presents that he got.

• $10-from family friends in Marysville, the first card he received
• a basketball-from Mom & Dad
• a helmet (chrome with red/yellow flames), a racing jersey, and racing pants-from Cathy & Garry, Karen & Jason
• a pair of racing boots, a discman-from Us
• a pair of goggles for his helmet-from Mom & Dad
• a $40 gift card to GameStop-from Grandma Charlotte and Papa Neil
• a new XBOX 360 controller-from NeNe & Uncle Rob, Uncle Brian and Aunt Linda
• a new racetrack for his hotwheels-from Jake & Derya

I think that is all really. I'm sure I missed something and someone will be upset but that's all I can do for now! lol

I have triumphed over my own fears and enrolled Cody into Ohio Virtual Academy for the 09-10 schoolyear. Where I was certain that this was the right decision before we made it, it is sorta scary now. I have been emailing a lady that lives in Jeffersonville that does it and she has four kids and number five on the way. She has been reassuring me and helping with some of my questions. I feel relieved that it's finally happening yet apprehensive.

ladidadidooo

Hmmm what shall I blog about today? Well yesterday was a day where I actually felt like I got something accomplished. I helped Eric move and stack wood yesterday for hours. Then when we got it all moved and stuff I raked all the leftover bark and tree trimmings up. It was a really great workout. I felt my heart pumping (cardio), I was lifting with my arms, and while I was raking I could feel it pulling on my abs...so I had an almost all over body workout. The day before we went on a picnic to the spillway and we walked back to the spillway with the boys and played on the playground for an hour or so, I got my leg workout there. Note to self: When you say Do Not put Austin on that slide he's too little, stick to your guns! Austin HATED the slide, the sand however was another story. His favorite: The swing (go figure)! Anyway, I had fun helping Eric move all that wood and the day before, after our picnic, I helped him paint his flatbed alongside Cody.

Cody: Mommy you're doing MAN's work now!
Me (to self): When did I raise a sexist?
Me (to Cody): Thanks, I think.

Today was pretty productive too. Our bedroom has needed a total cleaning and I did it today. I cleaned out the closet, cleaned off the dressers (aka where we put EVERYTHING), and went through pile after pile of mail, junk mail, and Cody's school papers.

I received an email from a prospective school for Cody next year, my favorite. They are having an informational/enrolling seminar in Washington Court House on Tuesday. We are planning on attending. I really like this school and I have done my research. They have schedules of what a typical 1st graders day is like posted on the website and it pretty much meshes with what I had in mind. So we are definitely thinking that we will at least do a one year trial.

Cody did well returning to school today. The teacher called me first thing this morning and I was like oh crap! She just wanted to make sure that Cody was right and couldn't take his fluoride treatment this morning. I told her to hold off for the next couple of weeks. His scabs are almost all gone but I don't want him to get anymore bleeding. Everytime I talk about his scabs I want to puke in my mouth. The thought of scabs inside your mouth just makes me nauseous. Blah!

I was so happy to have some warm weather lately. Eric got the garden tilled up and wanted to do it one more time before the rains hit but we ran out daylight.

I was watching houseswap this evening (reruns on Lifetime) and there was a professional organizer on. She said that she asks herself three questions:
1. Do I need it?
2. Oh, crap I forget #2
3. Does it make me money?

Good questions! Of course it would help if I knew the second one. I like to add a fourth rule, if it hasn't been touched in a year do you really need it around? There are some exceptions to this, ie. books, board games, and some movies. That's all I can think of right now and I'm sure there are others out there.

yeah, yeah, yeah

I felt tired and blah throughout most of today. I got three loads of laundry done (yuck), the bathroom scrubbed swept and mopped, supper cooked (bbq ribs, julienne potatoes from scratch, peas, and strawberries cut and put in sugar, homemade pound cake), the living room picked up like three times, changed Mom & Dad's sheets, and that's about it. My heart just wasn't in it today. I was aggravated most of the day and it just kept on coming. I'm not exactly sure what I was aggravated about, just aggravated. In the words of Taj George: I was hot! Mad at noone in particular just mad. Ugh, whatever.

I have this addiction to facebook's myfarm. It was a shared addiction until a friend of mine quit on me yesterday...she also quit our Dr. Pepper addiction too....what's up with that??? lol

So tomorrow I guess I will have to do more laundry and clean those areas of the house that I have not done yet. I need to do some windows, walls, blah blah blah, but I won't. I'm waiting until I can air out the house for that. When it's warm but not too warm. The windows will be open and I will be comfortable in an old pair of jeans and a long sleeve tee. Yep that's when.

My Dad had surgery this past Wednesday. He has had a hernia for about 3-4 years now and finally got it operated on. He did great, but couldn't pee the next day. So, he had to be admitted into observation until he did pee which was the very next morning like at 6. So then he came home. He's been a better patient than expected while recooperating. I expected him to not follow doctor's orders and do things he should not. While he would never say it, I think he misses being able to rough house with Cody and pick up Austin. I know Austin misses it as he screams and cries everytime Dad leaves a room.

I think that we are pretty convinced that homeschooling is the way to go, although, what I am considering is not really homeschooling. I'm really really looking at the Ohio Virtual Academy. It is a public school done over the internet. Cody has had his makeup work this week and is doing pretty darn good at staying on task even with all the commotion that is Austin. Eric seems to be backing me up on it now and that not only surprises me but is an awesome surprise. We tend to disagree on most things when it comes to the boys. Different upbringings bring different views to the table. We are trying to mesh our childhoods to make the perfect childhood for our kids with moderate success. At least I feel like it we are successful. We still get the occasional comment (ie. Well when I was raising ____ I did this and it is best....etc). We are searching for our "best".

While I was reading a passage in my Bible the other day, a childhood song came to me. It was the (I'm not sure of the name):

My b-i-b-l-e, yes that's the book for me
I stand alone on the word of God
My b-i-b-l-e, BIBLE!

I don't really know why it came to me but it did. And then that one turned into the:

I am a c-h
I am a c-h-r-i-s-t-i-a-n
And I have C-h-r-i-s-t
In my h-e-a-r-t
And I will L-o-v-e him e-t-e-r-n-a-l-l-y
(and then you repeat until it's so fast you can't spell out the words anymore)

Anyway not that any of you wanted to know that but I was back there in my bedroom singing these kid songs to myself. Well and Austin who was looking at me like I was crazy.

We had budgeted to fix our truck with our income tax return. Well we went over budget. We have already replaced the u-joints in the fall and now the upper and lower ball joints on both sides were bad, so we fixed those and then had to get it aligned immediately afterwards or it would do no good to fix it. Then we got the call from the alignment company that said that they wouldn't align it if we didn't fix the tie-rod ends and the pitman arms. UGH!!! So now all we have to do is buy an air conditioner condenser and get the freon charged in it. There goes another couple hundred I'm sure. Eric bought a flatbed for his S-10 and while putting it on by himself discovered that his shocks were really bad so he had to go buy those (another $50). Geesh!! Cars are so much upkeep, I'm thinking the Amish have the right idea with the horse and buggies. Eventually the Dodge will need new tires too because the ball joints were so bad for so long it wore our new tires in a bad way. BLAHHHHHHH!!!!!

Oh well, those vehicles should last us a good long while now. Keep your fingers crossed and we will keep praying.

The realtor called today and showed our house today. Hopefully the couple will put in a bid. They seemed to really like it. I hope so that would help tremendously with our stress levels cause it's not looking good right now. We'll see!

Another point for homeschooling and so on...

I found out through a friend that Cody's teacher has been talking about the students to other parents. Let me first tell you that in Cody's school there is a "student of the month" program wherein the students of the month get to go to lunch at McDonald's with the principal. My child is no angel as we have previously discussed but he is not bad either. The friend's child has only had to move his crayon 1 time mind you. I said all that to say this: The teacher sat there with my friend (she volunteers in the classrooms to help out the teachers) and said "As the year goes on it's getting harder and harder to find a student of the month, I wish I could just pick my 'favorites' over and over." Can you believe that crap! I haven't had the parent-teachers conferences yet due to Cody's surgery but I do believe that she is going to hear AND see me at those conferences. I am so mad. First of all, you can't have favorites and if you do, DON'T say it to another parent whose child has not been picked and apparently NOT your favorite. Second of all, pay attention and watch your class. Those being picked 3 out of 4 in the past two months are the same kids that are bullying the other kids in the classroom, playground, and at lunch. Homeschooling here I come with open arms!!!!!!!!

I'm just tired of leaving my child's education up to people who are nothing more than overgrown teenagers!

Cody is doing exceptionally well! We had a couple of scares this past week. We had to call Children's Thursday night due to some "white veins" in the roof of Cody's mouth. Children's had me call the surgeon on call and he said he thought it was probably thrush from the antibiotic they gave him. So we stopped the antibiotic and gave him some of Austin's Nystatin. Did the trick and cleared right up. It's so hard to keep an adhd kid calm and laying around. He watches movies and plays his video games for the most part. I have to go to the school and pick up his work tomorrow and then he'll have something to do. We also bought some thank-you notes for him to send out. They are really cute with lines inside that are good for children to write on...you know the wide lines with the dashes down middle? So we'll probably do that tomorrow or Wednesday. Thursday we head back to the surgeon's office for a followup appointment.

Austin is doing...well he's doing! This child is so ornery. He doesn't mind that you tell him no in fact he doesn't care at all. He laughs! He definitely is keeping us on our toes to say the LEAST!! lol. I am glad he has spirit. At least, that's what I keep telling myself...lol.

With what looks like spring coming, I fancy taking up some jogging. We'll see. I doubt it. lol At least I am being honest with myself...lol