And it's back to the grindstone...

Good-bye Spring Break 2010. :o( That is my face today. Alarm rang - 5:00 a.m. UGH! No exercise today, though. Still can't bring myself to do it. But, sandwiches made, sleepy kids roused and dressed and sent off to school. Husband's lunch packed (he claims he starved last week since I made him no lunch - boo!). Husband off to work. Me, sitting here drinking third cup-o-joe writing some hopefully good stuff (I just looked and it is still March - how long is this month for heaven's sake???). First, some catching up to do....

I found one picture of the kick-off fire-pit. Some of the kiddos playing in the dark. And, I found a great picture of the BMX clinic. So I have posted those.

And now for today's post....................Can I just say, "Yesterday was fabulous!" We headed off to the river despite the 30's temps and winds blowing fiercely. Call us crazy. Have to digress here for a second to Thursday's girl's night out. I heard tell of a discipline technique that frankly I am in awe of and can't believe I didn't try when my kid's were smaller. I will not describe it because some people I do not know might read it and wonder. Let's just say it involved COLD WATER, kids throwing HUGE FITS, and SUCCESS at stopping the fit. So.................despite the frigid cold we went to the river with three extremely loud and obnoxious kids throwing a few fits. Does that make any sense? If so, you are probably a parent, can read between the lines, and know me. If not, don't worry you can still read the blog post. ;o)

Just a great day yesterday with some great pictures to boot - thanks Eddie! I am so happy you control that since if it was up to me we would have no record of ever having had four kids and that would just be wrong. I cannot really describe the fun yesterday because it just wouldn't capture it, so here is what happened in pictures. I love my kids and I love my husband (I put that in writing precisely so I can go back and read it around 3:30 today when the three older kids are in extreme meltdown due to first day back to school after nine off, husband is calling to find out what's on the menu for dinner - which I will not have started - and baby is screaming for some unknown reason).

As Promised...

Well, we have come full circle. Friday of Spring Break 2010 has ended. As spring breaks go, it was pretty good. There were a few times I wanted to send my children back to school, but there were also plenty of memorable times. Wednesday was another lazy day. I can't even really remember what we did, but whatever it was it was minus Sofia - which was difficult. Sofia is my peacemaker, so when she leaves - no matter for how short a time - all hell breaks loose between Malcolm and Corina. I think they fight until there is literally nothing left to say or do. It's crazy. So, I do know that a great deal of Wednesday morning was spent breaking up an ongoing fight. I think we then ran errands and by then the desire to fight about everything and nothing had subsided somewhat. It was a gorgeous day so they got a lot of energy out in the great outdoors. Sofia decided to spend more time at granmy's and aunt lucy's after having somewhat of a craft-fest - which is her ultimate dream. We headed to Kerrville Thursday for a picnic and to take Sofia more supplies. It was another gorgeous day, and we had a great time at the river. Friday we relaxed, Sofia finally came home, and we rested from our busy week. Ed managed to get home early and the kids again spent most of the gorgeous weather day outside. Today it's back to work and we hope to spend tomorrow - our last day of spring break 2010 at the river. Although, as luck would have it a cold front hit last night, so we may end up here eating hot dogs instead. ;o) Here are some pics from our week. Happy days!

2010 Spring Break Report #1

This may be the only one, but in case I am ambitious I will number them. So, we have only sat down one time since Friday. Here is my report:


1. Friday ended with a Spring Break kick-off fire-pit. None of the pictures Ed took came out (not that I would ever post them on my blog since I am terribly computer-inept), but a great time was had by all. Kids finally petered out around 10:00 p.m. after their sugar-high finally wore off. We celebrated a week off with beverages and lots and lots of sweet treats.


2. Saturday was spent largely in our pajamas. Malcolm and Ed took off in the afternoon to a BMX "clinic" (which means there is a semi-famous BMX guru charging lots of money to teach the kids tricks and techniques of the trade). I spent a large part of the day researching our family vacation. And, after STILL being undecided I have decided travel agents earn a respectful living. Us girls finally got dressed around 2:00 p.m. and played outside in the sunshine with some good friends. I cooked a pot of spaghetti for dinner everyone ate and us girls promptly got BACK into our jammies. The boys headed BACK to the track where Malcolm was destined for a second place until another boy wiped out and in the process clipped Malcolm's tire which then wiped him out. Boy child was sad, but admitted he'd had an eventful and worthwhile day.


3. Sunday began with church and then an interesting trip to and then around the zoo. Little did we know - all 100,000 spring breakers in San Antonio for the week also wanted to go to the zoo on Sunday "after church." When we rounded the corner and saw a sign "parking $5.00" that I have never seen before and few spots left going for $5 - we made a smart decision to forgo the zoo for another day. We headed to a city park right downtown and had a fabulous time. In a rare move, Ed decided to spend a small fortune on the kids and he took them to the top of the needle and they saw a 4D movie (included in the price of the ticket) and got to go on the observation deck and had a lot of specific things to relate to me in screaming voices upon returning back down. We headed to Sonic for happy hour and then back to the house for a yummo dinner of burgers and even got to play outside with the neighbors after dinner.

4. Monday we attempted the zoo again. Time 2 proved successful albeit CROWDED. The news cameras were there and it was later reported that the zoo had record numbers of visitors Sunday and Monday. But, we GOT IN and we didn't have to pay for parking - bonus. I spent $.98 on a refill popcorn (after popping the first round at home - he-he-he-he!) and a few dollars on a train ride for all of us. The girls had a great time and baby had a ball on her third official trip to the zoo. Malcolm made the decision to go with a friend to Pump It Up and not join the girls for the zoo. It was a little sad (for me), but it was a mature decision for him and I decided to let him make it and live with any repercussions. He was a little miffed that we rode the train, but quickly remembered it was "his decision," and got over it.

5. Today we ventured out again on an unsuccessful journey. The Witte Museum is free on Tuesdays after 3:00, so we headed down there around 2:00 with my dad and my sister and all the kids in tow. Well, it did occur to me that I should know better (after we were already looking at the STREAMS of people)...........holy cow! All the people that were at the zoo on Sunday and Monday were in line to get in free at the Witte. Once we got through traffic we decided to go to Half Price Books and hang out instead. Not nearly as fun, but no waiting in line. ;o) I promised the kids we would try again - not during spring break, but again sometime.

So, that's it for now. Sofie is hopefully tucked in at grandpa's house thanks to her Aunt Lucy's invitation and promises of craft fun, and Malcolm and Corina are sound asleep on my bedroom floor happily enjoying a mom's room sleepover. I hope to report back in at the end of the week if I am still alive and well. And maybe I will even be able to post a few pics. I am still thoroughly enjoying not getting up, not making lunches, and not having a schedule. Happy days, my friends.

Is It Still March?

Yes, it is. Seems like I've lived at least a month in the past few days, though. Funny because January and February moved slow as snails and I felt like I was in January the whole blessed time. Now that March is here it is just blowing right by. I guess that's why it's wind?

Well, since it's still March I feel compelled to write well. Can't wait till April and the pressure's back off. It will be back to the writing worthy of deletion for me. So, today was Malcolm's First Communion Retreat. Wow. Big title for second graders, huh? It was actually fun, funny and bittersweet. Fun because the religious educators are really good teachers and they know how to make learning fun. Funny because........well.......Malcolm is my kid and he's funny. Bittersweet because I know how much my mom would have loved to share this with Malcolm and it makes me and him think of her a lot. It's funny because driving to the church I was thinking of ma and how I would like to talk to her on the phone after the retreat and let her know how it went and tell her some funny story about Malcolm. And.....it's as if she heard me.

I have composed a list - albeit a short one - for the day. I find I write well (and I use that term loosely. "Well" when referring to my writing means just that it wasn't deleted. ;o) when forced to stick to the confines of a list. So, a list it is!

March 6, 2010. First Communion Retreat

1. Malcolm was uber-excited (are you paying attention?) about getting to see the "back of the church." This is a little seen area behind the altar. I must say I was a little excited, too because I couldn't for the life of me remember what the heck was back there (I was pretty sure it wasn't Jesus, though ;o). So, he's first in line during the entire church tour part of the retreat (right behind the deacon). And when he goes behind the altar the microphones just happen to be set to pick up all noise behind the altar. So, the entire church heard him when he said, "Wow! It's a big kitchen back here!!!"

2. He had a strange look on his face when he sat back down next to me after practicing receiving the unconsecrated host and wine (stick with me all you non-Catholics ;o). I said, "Are you okay, bubby?" He said, "Yes, but that tasted awful." I said, "Yeah, I know. It doesn't taste all that great." He said, "No, it doesn't taste like Jesus." ;o)

3. He cried while we watched a movie called, "Grandma's Bread." Curiously, we both pointed to it when we saw it on the agenda. I was dreading it and I am not sure what he was thinking. It was a tear jerker and I did my best to maintain my composure. It was about a grandma who makes this special Easter bread with her grandson. She dies right before Easter and he goes on to help his family make her special bread for his First Communion celebration. It was probably from the 50's, but surprisingly it was not hokey and it was very sweet. In the car on the way home bubby said, "Mama, I had a really good time at the retreat." I said, "I did too, bubby. What was your favorite part?" He said, "Well, I really liked finally seeing what the heck was in the back of the church. What was your favorite part?" I said, "Well, I liked seeing the back of the church, too. And I really liked that movie." He was surprisingly quiet. Then he said, "Yeah I really liked it, too. It was good, but it was really, really sad though and it made me think of grammy."

"Yeah, I said. Me too."

Attention Deficit Disorder? Check.

Got it. Did I always have it? Nah. It was brought on in a mild version after the birth of three children. After the birth of the fourth it was kicked into high gear and I probably should be on meds for it. But, somehow I manage to get four people (sometimes five) out the door daily, so I am what doctors I suppose would call "functional." ;o)


I read a funny article in the restroom the other morning. Love to read the paper. Love it, but rarely do it. And when I do it's in the restroom - not USING the restroom, but rather hiding in there for refuge. Y'know, like the song, "Give me refuge?" The author was a mother of TWO (ha! like she should have any disease) boys - one of whom was "on the spectrum." That's one of my pet peeve words "on the spectrum" - it's like "uber." How could we use those together in a sentence? I'll think on that and get back to you. ANYWAY, I'd read similar amusing articles like hers before. Going to put a toy away, see a sock, wind up in the laundry room putting a toy in the washer, and so on. The thing I'd not heard was the wrap up. Either you are thinking, "Wow! That is JUST like my life." OR you are thinking, "Wow! This woman is INSANE. How does she function???" That made me laugh.


And it got me thinking, seriously...how do I function? As pure luck would have it - after all I have dedicated the month of March (as soon as I found out it WAS March) to good writing since I have been writing awful drivel since January - I had a pretty writable day yesterday.

So, today's post is a wrap-up of yesterday appropriately titled "ADD." Here goes.

Malcolm had a presentation on Carson Elementary TV at 8:00 a.m., so mission before 8:00 was Get Out of the House Clothed. That was going off without a hitch. We all arrived (clothed) at school BEFORE 8:00. Can I get an amen? I got to be Proud Mama while my son received a prestigious award for a photograph he had submitted last year sometime (that the PTA lost - oh, well) and a medal worthy of Mr. T. Okay, so we are rolling - no ADD present. SMACK DOWN. That's when I somehow managed to scoop baby off the library floor after she hurled her milk at one of the teachers and had a holy hell melt-down (much to the amusement of several onlooking fifth graders) on the ground, quickly retrieve Malcolm's award, and forget his camera somewhere in there. I carried all my stuff and baby who by this time was doing her best to scare the school, out as quickly as possible.

I realized when I got to the Yukon that I had forgotten said camera (which contained the only record of the day since the PTA so graciously LOST the actual photograph that was the winning item) in the library. So, I grabbed baby again (because I don't want to go to jail for leaving baby in the vehicle) and trudged back in the school. Amazingly, no one had seen the camera???? What the heck? It had been like two minutes?

Okay. No biggie. Until I got to the dentist about two hours later and was thinking about how mad my son was going to be. Ugh. So, I am at the dentist making arrangements to see the new pediatric dentist and thinking about how this is really going to stink....telling my son I lost his camera. But, we should all live through it. The day wore on....painfully. I addressed about 25 envelopes for work, completed the grocery list for today, did two prints, worked out, took a shower, did two loads of laundry, (I had no kids - which is why my ADD was at bay and I was actually able to get a few things done) made a few phone calls for work and a few for the pure joy of talking to friends that I only get to talk to when there is an "emergency" or when I have free time (HELLO? free time???), and called Ed to tell him that I had lost Malcolm's camera - oh, and I answered an email from the art teacher at my son's school who had inquired about the camera and told me she would alert "all the staff at Carson" to be on the lookout for the camera. Ugh. The embarrassment. I spent about three hours of the day (if totaled up) thinking regretfully about losing my son's camera.

So, 3:00 p.m. Malcolm skips off the bus and I say to him, "So, did anyone give you your camera?" He says something like, "No, that would be weird. Why would anyone give me my camera?" I say, "Well, because I had like the whole school looking for it after I left it in the library this morning. I am so sorry." And he says, "MOM, I picked it right off the table in the library and put it in my backpack. Didn't you see me?" Doh!

So, lessons of the day? Too many to list. Teach responsibility. Your kids might actually listen and heed. Don't beat yourself up. Don't put off dental appointments for yourself or any family members even if you have other things on your mind. Work-out it will get your mind focused if only for 45 minutes. And, possibly the most important: Do not let your ADD get the best of you. Nine times out of ten you will be obsessing and ADDing about something that didn't even happen.

Time Sucker Thy Name is Laptop

Wow. I had about one million things on my to-do list yesterday and my house cleaner called to tell me she couldn't come over to clean my filthy house. So, with all the things I had to do I decided to clean my own house (which was not a good decision in the end since I have now been four weeks without a professional cleaning my house ;o). So, because I cannot stay focused and cleaning is not my best subject I had to veer off-task several times throughout the five to six hours it took me to clean. In my veering off I checked everyone's Facebook statuses (what is the plural of that word - statusi?), checked the blogs on my reading list, checked out a new coffeemaker online that I had seen over the weekend, checked out a new VISA card that would allow me to rack up miles to places Southwest travels since I cannot afford to fly six people across the street, etc., etc. While getting up to date on my blog reading, I managed to check MY blog and I saw that I had posted only a few times since the new year. This got me thinking...............what month is it anyway? MARCH??? When did THAT happen (I have been told that it happened over the weekend)? Holy batcar, Robin. It's March and I find myself mentally in January. So, this post is going to be a quick (WAS going to be a quick) list of what I have been doing since my last post - which as I recall was sometime in February.

What I have been doing since my last post (I know, you are stunned by my creativity - join the club):
1. Laundry - has this multiplied? Honestly people, I think it reproduces.
2. Making lunches for five people
3. Writing really bad stuff every morning while drinking three cups of coffee
4. Trying to stay in January by not changing any of our calendars
5. Re-doing my downstairs (which although it is only comprised of about 900 square feet is very problematic since I cannot make a decision about even which pillow to buy)
6. Trying to make money so that I can re-do my downstairs
7. Mothering four small people
8. Cooking three meals a day
9. Having an internal debate as to whether or not I should return to full-time work
10. Making countless pro and con lists
11. Running errands
12. Inventing ways to not do my taxes this year
13. Attempting to keep in touch with my family (the ones who live and don't live with me ;o)
14. Re-doing the budget each day in an attempt to find extra money
15. Working out
16. Squeezing in prints when I am not too busy wasting time
17. Trying desperately to stay focused on tasks ahead
18. Preparing my oldest for his First Communion (the anticipation of another possible Examination of Conscience is killing me)
19. Yes, #15 said "working out" - I am IN SHAPE, baby. My core is tight. Wow, that's something you don't see often on my blog.
20. And drum roll please because twenty is a multiple of 10...................................Keeping all of my new year's resolutions (check the list, friend).

That's a wrap. What have YOU been up to?

The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

One of my best childhood memories is indeed a strange one. My mom used to invite my teacher over for dinner once a year. Can you imagine? This was always one of the best nights of my school year. I remember so well the anticipation of it. Ma would tell me a few weeks in advance that she had invited Ms. So-and-so over for dinner and I would anxiously await the night. My mom would cook a special meal (usually Mexican food - but fancy stuff like enchiladas or something) and a special dessert. I remember more about the anticipation of the evening than I remember the actual evenings themselves. I remember mostly just staying quiet while the adults talked. And I vividly remember this feeling of, "My teacher is normal. She must eat dinner every night just like we do." I also remember being so happy that the teacher would know where I lived and what my parents were like. That somehow this would build a bond between us. I've wondered more than a few times why my mom did this. When I asked her one time she said something really amazingly smart like, "Well, what a kind way to welcome someone into your home and get to know more about them. And, what a kind way for them to know more about you. Sharing food together." Yes, isn't that true?

Can you imagine doing that now-a-days? Wouldn't it be weird? What would the teacher think? What would you say? Well, my kids had an experience the other night that - after it happened - has been the one occurrence in their short lives that I could remotely liken to what I experienced as a child. And, it has got me thinking about my BC (before children) life as a teacher and about my mother and how much she knew about life.

As a school fundraiser (because doesn't everything have to do with money now?) the teachers and administrators at my kids' school delivered pizza to families from our school that ordered pizza from a local pizza place. A portion of all money earned was donated to the school.

My kids anticipated this event like it was the Second Coming. It was funny. They wanted me to mark it on the calendar (which I did - because wouldn't it have been AWFUL to forget and actually cook dinner when we were getting pizza?) and they counted down for at least a week before the actual day. They took bets on who would deliver their pizza. Several times they giggled when asking me, "So, Ms. So-and-so - if she is our delivery person (insert wild laughter) will know where we live???" Followed by hysterical laughter again, chatting among themselves and sometimes belly-holding with the thought that someone from their school would know where they lived.

It took me back several years when I was a teacher in North Carolina and when I was an administrator in Texas. I, as a teacher and later as an administrator, made several home visits. And what an experience that was. I taught for several years before I did this and learned immediately what a better teacher I would have been if I had visited more children in their homes. Among other things, I certainly got an up-close look at extreme poverty. And if you don't know what that looks like and you are teaching extremely poor kids - you should. I saw things first-hand what I had only imagined in my head. And what a difference that made. I saw more things than I can list here - but just a few that top my list: houses so filthy that I was truly scared for the safety of the babies crawling around on the floor, adults opening the door in various stages of dress with the house reeking of drugs and other unsavory things, trailers with no electricity or running water, outhouses, houses with no flooring of any kind, the list goes on and on. Fortunately I also saw and met so many people trying really hard to make a loving, caring home for their precious children.

Why this silly fundraiser should bring back so many memories for me, I don't know and I've stopped caring because my thoughts have been so interesting (if only to me - which is usually the case ;o). When the ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL and my son's teacher delivered our pizza a few nights ago they could have hung the moon. My kids are still talking about it. "Mom, the assistant principal knows where we live!!!" And, what about my mom? Was she one smart lady way ahead of her time, or what?