shopping

what is the thing about Walmart??

I was planning a simple trip today to purchase cheap party supplies for the kids. L is having a water party for his school buddies and D's class is having a big birthday bash.

My shopping list started off easy. And in just a matter of hours, the list includes:
soap, brita filters, a kiddie pool, stickers, bday cards, a ball, gifts for my book buddies, ziplock bags, a backpack for my grown husband (to use on the motorcycle I suppose) and gum!

My plan to buy plates and napkins for a few bucks has grown into a shopping extravaganza!!
Walmart always seems to do this to me. I make a trip into town every few weeks and the list of items makes it's way into the 80-$100 range.
I know that many of you hate walmart but I gotta tell you... It's cheaper than Target... and they have more generic stuff than target.

true... if walmart doesn't have a cool kiddie pool, I will stop by target to get a better one.

Both stores have their pros and cons. But I tend to frequent Walmart for those 'everyday' supplies. (maybe all the working at target has tainted me....???)

Enough bloggin about this shopping thing. I need to actually go and get it done!!
and the other plus about shopping is that we usually meet T for lunch while we are out!!
happy thursday!

American Robins

My bro-in-law sent me a good article about American Robins.
I am starting to wonder if my kids give the momma bird enough time to sit on the eggs. And I haven't really seen a Dad around... so maybe the eggs aren't even fertilized??
I'll be curious to see.
With or without babies, this has been a neat thing to observe.

Bird's eye view

I have really come to appreciate mother birds over the past few days.

A robin family has constructed a nest under our deck, on top of one of the posts. You can see the nest (which is right above my head) from the ground, and you can look directly through the deck slats and see the eggs (probably about 6-8 inches below). It has been very neat to observe.

Upon first observing the nest... which generously contained two eggs... one of my horrid little boys managed to crush an egg. (that was AFTER we had discussed the miracle of life, how to make sure the eggs stay safe, etc. etc.) Ugh!!!
Boy, I was angry and my kids knew it. We had another "talk".... this time with deathly consequences if anyone even thought of breathing on that nest.
I felt so sorry for the mother bird. What a loss!

To my surprise, the next day, there were two eggs!! I didn't know how often Robins would produce eggs. I thought that perhaps she missed her little one and decided to replace it with another. Was that really possible?

And today, there are THREE eggs! :-)
Truly cool!

I have observed the mother today.
She swoops out from under the deck when people approach. She stays gone for a few minutes and then returns to sit on a fence post about 10 feet away. She sits for quite a long time and just watches. She kept a close eye on me as I sat on the deck this afternoon. She would just sit and stare in my direction. I assume that she repeats this routine all day long... since my kids are like wild animals roaming the back yard. She probably gets a good chunk of time to spend with the eggs at night and in the morning.

I am so curious to see how things progress over the next few weeks. I don't know the incubation time for Robin eggs (I assume that I could 'google it').
It would be really cool if we can see baby birds at that close range. Talk about an upclose view. We can literally look straight down into the nest. I think this will be a good learning opportunity for us all...
I'll keep you posted.

eek!

L spotted an Eastern five-lined skink in our basement today!!

It hid briefly under our couch and then I left the basement door open so he could escape. As of now, there is no sign of him. I really hope he found the open door. I'd sure hate to think he's living in our couch. that's just creepy!!
I know that it is harmless but it's just weird to have a lizard in the house!!! How in the world did it get in??

hopelessly LOST

There are a ton of things that I should be doing this afternoon but I have decided that it will be more important for me to take a nap for the next hour and a half.


The last episode of LOST, for this season, comes on tonight at 9!! I need to gain my strength and be prepared to stay up late.
I didn't even start watching this show until this current season. I am amazed how the plot just sucks a person in and won't let go. The writers on this show leave so many unknowns that we just HAVE to watch every week.
I am proud of myself for "calling" last weeks ending. I knew WAY ahead of time that Charlie was going to swim into that place and that people would be there.

I can't wait to see what twists and turns happen tonight. Obviously, we'll all be a little dumber after watching tonight... since they never really conclude anything and never really answer any of the obvious questions.

This show is just so great because it keeps you wondering. And if they keep writing like they do... they could carry this show on for an infinate number of years. Pretty much like a soap opera.
Wouldn't it be a shame if this show is still on the air when my kids are adults?!

Well. first things first. Off to nap :0)

the hike

We had a fabulous family hiking day on Sunday.
We went to Skyline Drive, mile 56.4, Bearfence Mountain:

Bearfence Mountain summit provides a 360-degree view. The round-trip from the parking lot is only 0.8 mile, but part of it is a rock scramble and can be difficult, especially if wet. Wear sturdy shoes. This hike is for the sure-footed and those not afraid of heights.

T picked this particular hike because it was short and seemed like fun. I jokingly said that we were taking our boys on hike for "sure-footed" people.... we'd probably loose a kid down the mountain or something ;)

BOY!! I had no idea that the park service would open a trail like that to normal people!! It was a TON of fun but it seriously had a "rock scramble". Several in fact. Not really scrambles either... I'm talking climbing up boulders!!! Several parts you had to find good footing and pull yourself up through large cracks, etc. The kids absolutely LOVED it!! They were serious rock climbers.
I, on the other hand, got to the last large climb and completely wimped out. There wasn't really anywhere for my feet and I couldn't find a good hand support. We were kind of on the edge of the mountain and the height got to me. I felt pretty wimpy.
T and the kids went to the summit. They returned quickly because T said it was super windy and that they were literally on the side of a cliff at the top.

I must say that I should retract everything I said about being tied down with babies. There was a family in front of us on the trail. There were several adults and probably 3 kids under 7. AND, the mom had a baby strapped to her chest!!! That lady climbed ALL of the rocks with no fear. It was amazing. She just had to be careful of the baby's feet that hung down while she was climbing. She was like a powerhouse!! It was impressive.

All in all, a super afternoon. Surely a "do-again" activity.

eating oreos

As I sit here eating oreos (that I solely bought for the soccer kids... these are the extras....)
I am pondering the fact that I have officially gained 16 pounds since last year at this time. I am starting to feel the roll of fat drool over my lower cut jeans. This is most likely becoming a problem!! yuk.

I seriously think that going to the gym for a year helped me loose some weight and keep it off. Since my gym membership ran out last April, I haven't really been eating differently, I'm just less active.
I really miss the exercise addiction that comes along with gym membership. I can remember needing to go to the gym just to make it through the day! Ahh... those were the days. Now I just hang around like a sloth. It's interesting how things change in a matter of months.

Luckily, we did end up getting a bike trailer for the van. I am super excited that I'll be able to take the kids out this summer and ride.
I should probably get my fat bum out of this chair and stop blogging as well ;)

And, my mind wanders to the fact that both kids will be in school next fall! yay! If I can manage NOT to get a job... perhaps I can join a gym!! It would be fabulous if I could volunteer at the school a few days each week and then head to the gym!!! Oh the possibilities!
If we can manage to get a really cheap house with a cheap mortgage, I'll be able to have extra "fun money" for the gym... I can call it "skinny money". :-)
We'll see how things go.

opinions

I was telling T about my last post and how I often think I'm rather blunt in my opinions about kids.

T has come to the conclusion that "God must have left some things out" when He made me. "Like motherly intuition".

interesting. :-)

I always knew I was special. hehe.

oops... looks like a soap box...

L and I enjoyed a nice mother's day weekend in L'burg. We celebrated my nephew's birthday on Saturday. And my sisters and I took our mom out for dinner on sunday night...without the kids!! The men kept the kids at home. What a nice mother's day treat! :-)

T and D stayed home for a "man weekend". I don't really know what they did but I think that they had fun hanging out, bike riding, etc. It was a good opportunity for D to spend time with his daddy.

L and I went bike riding yesterday. I am determined to buy a bike rack for the van really soon. It was a pain to smoosh two bikes in the back of the van.
I'm really looking forward to riding with both kids this summer so I need to plan ahead and get the rack.

(this part unintentionally turned into a soapbox) :
I really can't say enough about how I love having these "older" kids who can walk, ride bikes and do big kid stuff. I know that I have blogged about it before, but it is just SO cool!!! Sometimes I wonder why in the world people (ones with older kids) would mess up such a perfect arrangement by having more kids. I have absolutely no desire to be tied down with babies again. I am really glad that I did the baby stage all within a few years. I look at some mothers who continue to have kids with vast age differences and I think to myself, "what a sucker".

I often think it's just not fair to the older kids who may miss out on activities because their mom's are attached and tied down to babies all of the time. I also think that moms miss out on alot of stuff if they have to attend to a baby while the big kids continue venturing out.
I am REALLY looking forward to camping, etc this summer. I certainly wouldn't want to be dragging a baby around to our "big kid" activities. Or worse, I'd hate to stay home with a baby while the dad takes the older kids out. ouch.
I love "family" activities!!

I know that I'm probably not being fair with some of these statements. And I realize that some of you really like your baby, after baby, after baby, after baby. :-) (hehe)
BUT! I'm just voicing an opinion.
I hope not to offend... but if you are offended... start a blog and tell me about it! ;)

I think I'll stop now.

Off to awana and date night.
soccer was canceled due to rain.
later
j

whole lot of nothing

I suppose that I'm just bloggin' for the heck of it today.
I have a whole lot of nothing to report.

We are finishing up in our laundry room. It's looking bright and cheery now.

We had a real estate guy come and check out the house yesterday. He's getting back to us today or tomorrow.
I'm hoping to have the house listed by the end of the week.

I rented a storage space for all of my holiday boxes, etc. and hopefully T will tote some of his junk away too.

D has 21 days left of school. yippee!!
L has 7 days left... that's even cooler :-)

I'm just biding my time till date night tonight. We are going for mexican.

I hope that everyone else is having an eventful week!

video your kids!

I pulled out the camcorder yesterday.
It occured to me that we haven't taken any videos of the kids in quite a while. I ran across one of our most recent tapes.... of L when he was almost 2!!! yikes.
( I do have one more recent... from our current house... don't worry!)

I am so amazed that I don't remember anything from when my kids were smaller. I watch those tapes with complete awe! They were so precious. I am fortunate that I caught lots of the little tricks on camera that made each child unique.
I know that these tapes will be very valuable to me over the years. I'm even looking forward to watching many of them soon and recording them on DVDs.
And I'm certain that I'll watch them when my kids are grown... I should probably be stocking up on tissues!
It is just so neat to see how those kids have changed in just a few short years. Their appearances and personalities.
We are truly a lucky generation... one that literally has the ability to record a lifetime of memories. (With video and still cameras).
I'm hoping to do a better job!

happy friday!

"that time of month"

Yes, "that time of month" rolls around every month, at the same time. A woman should realize that it's inevitable and perhaps prepare for the moodiness that is sure to come.
Sure, I tell myself that I'm just more sensitive at "that time of month". And that I should be more patient, etc.
But nothing that I mentally tell myself seems to work.

Today was a perfect example of why I should lock myself in my room this week.
L and I went to Target to buy 2 birthday gifts, laundry detergent and pull-ups.
About 90 minutes later and $80 poorer we emerged from the store with those items, two pairs of fashionable flip flops, 2 super soakers, and toilet paper. We had argued and whined with each other for the last 90 minutes... we were both exhausted. So... we proceeded to Burger King where I pigged down a whopper and fries.

This is one of those days when every word, breath or utterance from my child's mouth is completely and totally irritating. I have begged him to play in the basement while I "clean" upstairs. I just want one quiet second before my other kid, and the circus animals from next door, get off of the bus!!
I know it'll be a long afternoon.
I'm hoping to keep everyone at an emotional distance this afternoon by letting them play with the sprinker and our new super soakers.
If all else fails, I'll take control of the super soakers and use them in my defense.

It just occured to me how lucky I am to have boys. I can't imagine living in a house with another female in my condition. (my poor parents!... whew!)