Make note: for the record books....
1. I am skipping out early from "The Office" marathon so I can go to bed early. (well, it's 10:15 but EARLY since I'm missing "The Office"!!!!!
AND
2. My neighbor has ventured out for his first trip in the big truck!! T says that he went to Ohio. I am wondering if he's just parked in someone else's driveway for a change of scenery. ;)
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
what a difference a day makes
Yesterday I was a complete psycho. Every breath, word or action that my kids made drove me to the end of my rope. I was SO ready to throw in the towel and call it quits. I put them to bed at 7:00 and I was in bed by 8:10pm. That was totally a first for me. I rarely go to bed any earlier than 10 or 11.
After a good nights sleep, I feel much better. I was ready to face the world today.
I suppose it helped that I was able to ship one kid off to school and leave another one at preschool!! :p
I usually help out at the elementary school on Wednesday mornings but the kids were practicing for a play and I was relieved of my duties. I went to the library and then headed home.
That's when my real therapy occured.
Get this:
I cleaned both bathrooms, scrubbed the bathroom floor, swept and mopped the kitchen floor, vacuumed the entire house, folded two loads of laundry AND washed all of the cushion covers and pillow covers from our downstairs couch.
I am feeling GREAT!!!
What a difference a good day of cleaning can make!!
After a good nights sleep, I feel much better. I was ready to face the world today.
I suppose it helped that I was able to ship one kid off to school and leave another one at preschool!! :p
I usually help out at the elementary school on Wednesday mornings but the kids were practicing for a play and I was relieved of my duties. I went to the library and then headed home.
That's when my real therapy occured.
Get this:
I cleaned both bathrooms, scrubbed the bathroom floor, swept and mopped the kitchen floor, vacuumed the entire house, folded two loads of laundry AND washed all of the cushion covers and pillow covers from our downstairs couch.
I am feeling GREAT!!!
What a difference a good day of cleaning can make!!
Friday, March 23, 2007
The truck
As many of you know... we have an "interesting" set of neighbors.
For some reason, I feel that I can write more freely about them since we'll be moving.
Here's the background: We had a nice older lady living next door. She passed away in December of 2005. Her son and his family moved in to her house shortly after. The family consists of a mom, dad, pre-teen son, 8 year old son, 6 year old girl, 4 pit bull dogs, and the occasional grandmother who comes to stay for long visits. Imagine that crew in a house identical to ours. And add lots of cigarette smoke.
So they promptly moved in and started using their inheritance money. They re-did most of the inside of the house, got a new deck, new side walk and porch, a new Harley (make that two... they got one for the mom) , a go-cart, and the list keeps going. You would think that the money spent on the house would be an improvement but visually, there is no change. The dogs chew up things and leave trash all over the yard. The neighbors, themselves, throw trash in the section of woods between our back yards. The Dad bought a nifty rainbow colored pick-up truck which sits in the driveway and collects their household trash bags.
The Dad used to drive over the road with a tractor trailer company before their inheritance windfall. He stayed home for months when they moved in and I think he worked briefly a few months ago. But I don't think he works now.
Which brings us to the heart of this post:
He recently bought his own big truck. (the front truck part of a tractor trailer...is it called a "rig"?) He had mentioned early that he was going to buy his own truck and work for himself. So his plan has begun. Interestingly enough we have never seen the truck leave the driveway! Every day he starts it up, lets it run for a while, and occasionally changes it's position in the driveway. One day it'll be facing the house and the next day he'll turn it to face the street.
He must be making a ton of money with that thing.
His daughter insists that he has taken it on the road, to the store, for a pack of gum. Gee... he must have snuck out while we weren't watching.
We get such a kick out of this truck thing. It's very interesting to watch this neighbor do absolutely nothing!
Yes, you are thinking... how in the world will we sell our house when the neighbors are so .... (what's a nice way to say it).... "visually obvious"??
I have no idea. That's where prayers would come in handy.
I'm hoping that the greenery of spring will hide most of the visiual trash and perhaps the dogs will be inside when prospective buyers come along.
The plan is to have the house on the market by May and I'm pretty sure it will sell sometime this summer. Atleast I'm praying in that direction.
keep ya posted-
For some reason, I feel that I can write more freely about them since we'll be moving.
Here's the background: We had a nice older lady living next door. She passed away in December of 2005. Her son and his family moved in to her house shortly after. The family consists of a mom, dad, pre-teen son, 8 year old son, 6 year old girl, 4 pit bull dogs, and the occasional grandmother who comes to stay for long visits. Imagine that crew in a house identical to ours. And add lots of cigarette smoke.
So they promptly moved in and started using their inheritance money. They re-did most of the inside of the house, got a new deck, new side walk and porch, a new Harley (make that two... they got one for the mom) , a go-cart, and the list keeps going. You would think that the money spent on the house would be an improvement but visually, there is no change. The dogs chew up things and leave trash all over the yard. The neighbors, themselves, throw trash in the section of woods between our back yards. The Dad bought a nifty rainbow colored pick-up truck which sits in the driveway and collects their household trash bags.
The Dad used to drive over the road with a tractor trailer company before their inheritance windfall. He stayed home for months when they moved in and I think he worked briefly a few months ago. But I don't think he works now.
Which brings us to the heart of this post:
He recently bought his own big truck. (the front truck part of a tractor trailer...is it called a "rig"?) He had mentioned early that he was going to buy his own truck and work for himself. So his plan has begun. Interestingly enough we have never seen the truck leave the driveway! Every day he starts it up, lets it run for a while, and occasionally changes it's position in the driveway. One day it'll be facing the house and the next day he'll turn it to face the street.
He must be making a ton of money with that thing.
His daughter insists that he has taken it on the road, to the store, for a pack of gum. Gee... he must have snuck out while we weren't watching.
We get such a kick out of this truck thing. It's very interesting to watch this neighbor do absolutely nothing!
Yes, you are thinking... how in the world will we sell our house when the neighbors are so .... (what's a nice way to say it).... "visually obvious"??
I have no idea. That's where prayers would come in handy.
I'm hoping that the greenery of spring will hide most of the visiual trash and perhaps the dogs will be inside when prospective buyers come along.
The plan is to have the house on the market by May and I'm pretty sure it will sell sometime this summer. Atleast I'm praying in that direction.
keep ya posted-
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Spring?
Humph. So much for spring. A quiet chill has settled over our house today while the sky is cloudy and sad. My fingers are frozen as I attempt to write this short blurp.
I'm not even sure what I'm blogging about today. I think I'm just killing time while L is having quiet time and we are waiting for D to get home. I've already vacuumed and done the laundry for the day.
There is plenty to be done, but like they say "many hands make light work"... and I've only got two. So I'm giving them a rest today.
I've been working a few days on cleaning out my laundry area so T can finish the laundry room work. I have taken out and sorted anything that I can personally claim, and anything that could be organized. Those items all are packed neatly and ready to be moved to a storage area when we put our house on the market.
The rest consists of broken boxes with all types of dusty parts, tools, gadgets, broken rc cars, etc. etc. I have no clue what to do with all of that stuff. I'd be pretty happy to rent one of those blue dumpsters for a day. Then, I'd really be able to work :-)
For now I'm doing what I can. Pray that we can get everthing in order so we can put our house on the market in May.
Today is our busy day. If the rain holds off, we'll be heading to soccer practice and then we'll take the kids to Awana. Luckily we have over an hour of kid-free time before we pick up crazy boys and bring them home.
(Why is candy a staple of the Awana program?!)
Btw-the kids have really impressed me with their memory skills. They are moving right along in the awana program. It's amazing what those little brains can soak up!!
I'm not even sure what I'm blogging about today. I think I'm just killing time while L is having quiet time and we are waiting for D to get home. I've already vacuumed and done the laundry for the day.
There is plenty to be done, but like they say "many hands make light work"... and I've only got two. So I'm giving them a rest today.
I've been working a few days on cleaning out my laundry area so T can finish the laundry room work. I have taken out and sorted anything that I can personally claim, and anything that could be organized. Those items all are packed neatly and ready to be moved to a storage area when we put our house on the market.
The rest consists of broken boxes with all types of dusty parts, tools, gadgets, broken rc cars, etc. etc. I have no clue what to do with all of that stuff. I'd be pretty happy to rent one of those blue dumpsters for a day. Then, I'd really be able to work :-)
For now I'm doing what I can. Pray that we can get everthing in order so we can put our house on the market in May.
Today is our busy day. If the rain holds off, we'll be heading to soccer practice and then we'll take the kids to Awana. Luckily we have over an hour of kid-free time before we pick up crazy boys and bring them home.
(Why is candy a staple of the Awana program?!)
Btw-the kids have really impressed me with their memory skills. They are moving right along in the awana program. It's amazing what those little brains can soak up!!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Spring chickens
Tomorrow is officially the first day of spring. And boy! the weather today is such a tease! I'm hoping that this kind of weather will stick around.
L and I went to the park today. We had a picnic lunch and hung out on the playground.
I could tell that L really missed D because I'm certainly not any fun on a Merry-Go-'round. What happens to our bodies as we get older. I am super sensitive on the trampoline and the thought of a merry-go-round sends my head spinning. I have chosen to skip those beloved activities and I think I'm turning into an old boring mom.
So be it. I'm just a wimp.
We are currently taking a brief indoor break while we wait for D to get home from school. Then I can send the kids out to do all of that "kid" stuff... like chasing each other with sticks and hanging upside down from the swing set. Ahhh... to be young again.
L and I went to the park today. We had a picnic lunch and hung out on the playground.
I could tell that L really missed D because I'm certainly not any fun on a Merry-Go-'round. What happens to our bodies as we get older. I am super sensitive on the trampoline and the thought of a merry-go-round sends my head spinning. I have chosen to skip those beloved activities and I think I'm turning into an old boring mom.
So be it. I'm just a wimp.
We are currently taking a brief indoor break while we wait for D to get home from school. Then I can send the kids out to do all of that "kid" stuff... like chasing each other with sticks and hanging upside down from the swing set. Ahhh... to be young again.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
soccer star
It has begun.
I will be taking D to his first soccer practice this evening. It will be our first adventure into the sports world.
Those of you who know me, know that I have put this moment off for quite a while. I was strongly set on never seeking out a sport for a preschooler. I knew that sports would filter in as the kids got older. I kept saying that we'd deal with the sports issues once they were offered in school, etc.
I am super set on not becoming overcommited to sports. I see so many other families who are trapped into the taxi-cab lifestyle of overcommited kids. I would ideally like to keep it down to one sport per year.
This year the flyers have started to come home with D, recruiting for karate, wrestling, basketball, underwater basketweaving, etc. I read each opportunity to D and he nicely declined. Much to my surprise D took interest in the soccer flyer and decided that he would like to play.
The inevitable could not be postponed any longer.
I researched a bit about the commitment involved for little kid soccer. I was super pleased to hear that practices are minimum and that soccer games are timed!!! We would be done with soccer games by 10am on saturdays! whew. It sounds much more refreshing than the neverending tee-ball games that I have heard about.
So the soccer is a go.
It was neat to see D try on his cleats and shin gards last night. It's amazing to think that I've got a kid old enough for organized sports. (That came quick!!)
I'm hoping that he'll "catch on" to the game quickly and enjoy his time with the other kids.
T likes to joke that I have officially become a "soccer mom". (ugh).
I have told T that if I EVER get the urge to put one of those soccer ball magnets or stickers on my van... that he is to take me out back and shoot me.
;)
I will be taking D to his first soccer practice this evening. It will be our first adventure into the sports world.
Those of you who know me, know that I have put this moment off for quite a while. I was strongly set on never seeking out a sport for a preschooler. I knew that sports would filter in as the kids got older. I kept saying that we'd deal with the sports issues once they were offered in school, etc.
I am super set on not becoming overcommited to sports. I see so many other families who are trapped into the taxi-cab lifestyle of overcommited kids. I would ideally like to keep it down to one sport per year.
This year the flyers have started to come home with D, recruiting for karate, wrestling, basketball, underwater basketweaving, etc. I read each opportunity to D and he nicely declined. Much to my surprise D took interest in the soccer flyer and decided that he would like to play.
The inevitable could not be postponed any longer.
I researched a bit about the commitment involved for little kid soccer. I was super pleased to hear that practices are minimum and that soccer games are timed!!! We would be done with soccer games by 10am on saturdays! whew. It sounds much more refreshing than the neverending tee-ball games that I have heard about.
So the soccer is a go.
It was neat to see D try on his cleats and shin gards last night. It's amazing to think that I've got a kid old enough for organized sports. (That came quick!!)
I'm hoping that he'll "catch on" to the game quickly and enjoy his time with the other kids.
T likes to joke that I have officially become a "soccer mom". (ugh).
I have told T that if I EVER get the urge to put one of those soccer ball magnets or stickers on my van... that he is to take me out back and shoot me.
;)
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
The latest big news...
As some of you have heard... and this is new to some of my blog readers...
T's company announced on Friday that they will be closing. He was one of the few employees that received an offer to continue working with the parent company in Clearwater Florida.
So, of course, this is huge news for us.
At this point, we are researching the costs of living in Florida and determining whether a move would be beneficial for us as a family. T has a few other options on the table too.... so we are weighing the pros and cons of each.
It's so neat that I'm not feeling too stressed about things. I know that ultimately God will put us where He wants us to be. And I'm just excited to find out where and when. I know that T may obviously be a bit more stressed since the decision is largely on his shoulders.
My prayer is that God will make the decision very obvious to T when the time comes. We will keep everyone posted as things progress.
Here's the neat background info that I haven't really shared....
For months, I have been begging T to move us to another house in our same area.
Then, it occured to me a few weeks ago that I would be perfectly happy at this current location if we built a fence to separate us from the neighbors. I came up with a big plan to get a fence, do some landscaping and make our environment more private and cozy.
Since we decided to stay here, we thought it would be a nice time to refinance our house.
The very day that T made the call to start with our refinancing, his company announced it's closing plans.
This was SO clearly a God thing. God was saying... "nope, you're not staying, you're not refinancing, you're moving!"
I'm always encouraged when I can see God obviously working through situations. Our own plans that we try to devise are SO tiny compared to what He has in store for us. I have learned over the past few years that it's important to look for those 'God plans' in our ordinary situations. I can't wait to see what he's got in store for us with this upcoming move.
Please keep us in your prayers!!!
T's company announced on Friday that they will be closing. He was one of the few employees that received an offer to continue working with the parent company in Clearwater Florida.
So, of course, this is huge news for us.
At this point, we are researching the costs of living in Florida and determining whether a move would be beneficial for us as a family. T has a few other options on the table too.... so we are weighing the pros and cons of each.
It's so neat that I'm not feeling too stressed about things. I know that ultimately God will put us where He wants us to be. And I'm just excited to find out where and when. I know that T may obviously be a bit more stressed since the decision is largely on his shoulders.
My prayer is that God will make the decision very obvious to T when the time comes. We will keep everyone posted as things progress.
Here's the neat background info that I haven't really shared....
For months, I have been begging T to move us to another house in our same area.
Then, it occured to me a few weeks ago that I would be perfectly happy at this current location if we built a fence to separate us from the neighbors. I came up with a big plan to get a fence, do some landscaping and make our environment more private and cozy.
Since we decided to stay here, we thought it would be a nice time to refinance our house.
The very day that T made the call to start with our refinancing, his company announced it's closing plans.
This was SO clearly a God thing. God was saying... "nope, you're not staying, you're not refinancing, you're moving!"
I'm always encouraged when I can see God obviously working through situations. Our own plans that we try to devise are SO tiny compared to what He has in store for us. I have learned over the past few years that it's important to look for those 'God plans' in our ordinary situations. I can't wait to see what he's got in store for us with this upcoming move.
Please keep us in your prayers!!!
Saturday, March 10, 2007
This could SO be my kid....
I took this from regina's blog today. I loved it!
Why Parents REALLY Need God.
A boss wondered why one of his most valued employees had phoned in sick one day. Having an urgent problem with one of the main computers, he dialed the employee's home phone number and was greeted with a child's whisper.
"Hello?" "Is your daddy home?" he asked. "Yes," whispered the small voice. May I talk with him?" The child whispered, "No." Surprised and wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, "Is your Mommy there?" "Yes" "May I talk with her?" Again the small voice whispered, "No." Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss asked, "Is anybody else there?" "Yes ," whispered the child, "a policeman".
Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked, "May I speak with the policeman?" "No, he's busy", whispered the child. "Busy doing what?" "Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fireman," came the whispered answer.
Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background through the earpiece on the phone, the boss asked, "What is that noise?" "A helicopter" answered the whispering voice. "What is going on there?" demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive. Again, whispering, the child answered, "The search team just landed a helicopter."
Alarmed, concerned and a little frustrated the boss asked, "What are they searching for?" Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle... "ME."
Why Parents REALLY Need God.
A boss wondered why one of his most valued employees had phoned in sick one day. Having an urgent problem with one of the main computers, he dialed the employee's home phone number and was greeted with a child's whisper.
"Hello?" "Is your daddy home?" he asked. "Yes," whispered the small voice. May I talk with him?" The child whispered, "No." Surprised and wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, "Is your Mommy there?" "Yes" "May I talk with her?" Again the small voice whispered, "No." Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss asked, "Is anybody else there?" "Yes ," whispered the child, "a policeman".
Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked, "May I speak with the policeman?" "No, he's busy", whispered the child. "Busy doing what?" "Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fireman," came the whispered answer.
Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background through the earpiece on the phone, the boss asked, "What is that noise?" "A helicopter" answered the whispering voice. "What is going on there?" demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive. Again, whispering, the child answered, "The search team just landed a helicopter."
Alarmed, concerned and a little frustrated the boss asked, "What are they searching for?" Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle... "ME."
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
at home again
I'm grabbing a "free moment" to type a blog entry but I don't really know what's new. I've been stuck at home for such a long time with sick boys.
We did make it to L'burg last weekend for a nice visit but the kids were sick and they probably passed along the yuckies to our lovely family.
As for the past few days:
When the boys are together, they manage to play together nicely and also beat on each other pretty well. D tripped L in the kitchen and L fell into a basket which scratched his forehead. And the same day, L managed to cut his hair! (for the third time in his little life... you think he would have known better by now...) So right now, he looks like one of the three stooges.... whichever one had the really short bangs. ugh.
I am trying to make the most of my "stay home" days. I have worked on my wedding scrapbook for the past two naptimes. I've managed to complete 21 pages!! yay!!
If only I could catch up on the recent times.... last july through now....but as many of you know.... ALL of those pictures are on my hubby's work computer. Arg.... what a bitter subject.
Anyway, coming from someone who hated scrapbooking, I'm doing pretty darn good with my pictures. Feeling accomplished :-)
We did make it to L'burg last weekend for a nice visit but the kids were sick and they probably passed along the yuckies to our lovely family.
As for the past few days:
When the boys are together, they manage to play together nicely and also beat on each other pretty well. D tripped L in the kitchen and L fell into a basket which scratched his forehead. And the same day, L managed to cut his hair! (for the third time in his little life... you think he would have known better by now...) So right now, he looks like one of the three stooges.... whichever one had the really short bangs. ugh.
I am trying to make the most of my "stay home" days. I have worked on my wedding scrapbook for the past two naptimes. I've managed to complete 21 pages!! yay!!
If only I could catch up on the recent times.... last july through now....but as many of you know.... ALL of those pictures are on my hubby's work computer. Arg.... what a bitter subject.
Anyway, coming from someone who hated scrapbooking, I'm doing pretty darn good with my pictures. Feeling accomplished :-)
Friday, March 02, 2007
back on track
for the grandparents:
everyone is back to their routine today. We shipped D off to school and I'm getting ready to take L to school as well. It feels SO nice to be free of this house.
Unfortunately I'm suffering from some type of cold with a very mild fever. So I'm going to cancel my volunteer time at the elementary school today and take it easy.
Things look promising for a trip to L'burg tomorrow.
T and I are supposed to have a date tonight so I'm hoping things stay on the up swing for us all.
more later-
everyone is back to their routine today. We shipped D off to school and I'm getting ready to take L to school as well. It feels SO nice to be free of this house.
Unfortunately I'm suffering from some type of cold with a very mild fever. So I'm going to cancel my volunteer time at the elementary school today and take it easy.
Things look promising for a trip to L'burg tomorrow.
T and I are supposed to have a date tonight so I'm hoping things stay on the up swing for us all.
more later-
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