Two months ago we welcomed a cute little bouncing Gnome we named Weeder to our family. I even wrote a post about his grand arrival to our home.
Weeder Gnome on June 30, 2009
I had high hopes that by naming him Weeder he would take care of my little flower bed in our backyard. Boy, was I ever wrong! I think by naming him Weeder her grew the damn weeds bigger and faster!
Weeder Gnome August 31, 2009
I guess since Weeder Gnome has failed to take after his name I will be forced to take care of the weeds myself. Damn Gnome!
My 10 old daughter has been back in school for a week and a half now. But, today is the first day of school for my 17 year old daughter and the rest of the neighborhood kids who go to public school.
My 17 year old goes to a fairly new high school and this is the first year it has all four grades. This morning was a nightmare getting her to school. We live 10 minutes away from the school and it took us 40 minutes to get to school this morning! I really don’t know who was driving worse, the parents or the students! I saw more parents on their cell phones either texting or talking than I saw doing it. I can’t wait for September 1st to get here! That’s when our NO CELL PHONES in SCHOOL ZONES law goes into effect.
I survived the school drop off routine and proceeded home to go exercise. As I went out for my daily bike ride on the trails you could tell there was just something a little different about the day. The Junior High kids I passed at the bus stop were all a bit nervous and very tired looking and the moms I came across all had that look of, what’s the word… Happiness in their eyes!
I am going to enjoy my first day of back to school freedom by doing absolutely nothing! OK, I have a few things planned but they are all about ME! I might go get my hair cut without having to tow both kids with me and I am definitely going to go eat lunch at my favorite Mexican restaurant that nobody else likes! As for the rest of the week, I am going out on our boat fishing one day and I might just go see a movie that I want to see another day!
Ahh… there is nothing like the first day of school!
Yesterday my 17 year old daughter and I went down to Galveston for our annual mother-daughter day at the beach. We like to walk The Strand and window shop and then hit the beach for a few hours. Since nobody else likes to go window shopping with us we have made this our little tradition together.
Our day started out pretty good we loaded up an ice chest with soda and water and gassed up the car. It only takes us about 30 minutes from our house to get Galveston. We went to the Strand area first. I pulled into a little parking lot and the parking space that I had picked had something laying in it on the passenger side. I jokingly said “I’m not sure about this spot that looks kid of like a Voodoo Doll Head or something!” We got out only to find that it was a dead pigeon! We laughed our head off what a way to start the day.
I went to go pay for parking only to find this:
The note says: I went underwater during IKE and no longer work. Yay, parking is now free, it would have cost us $5 for parking.
We made our way up and down the Strand popping in and out of shops. It has been a slow road to recovery since Hurricane Ike last year but the Island is coming back. We ended our window shopping tour by going to our favorite place the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. My daughter had a chocolate dipped Oreo and I had a piece of Mint Fudge Brick. We shared a bottle of Chocolate soda which was awesome. We of course had to get a quarter of a pound of Chocolate covered Raisins for my husband and my younger daughter. Too bad they didn’t make it past the car ride home! We meant well!
After we were hyped up on sugar we took off to the Seawall. We found a spot on the beach and headed into the Gulf of Mexico. The surf was a little bit rough but we had fun! Right about the time we were getting ready to leave this guy in his 20’s came up and asked my daughter if I was her sister. She of course said “Eww… No!”and then he turned around and left. I threw her towel at her and said “Thanks a lot! You can’t just let me have one little moment!” I told her to remember Paybacks are Hell!
Question of the week: What is the stupidest thing you or your kids have ever gotten in trouble for at school?
My 10 year old started school last Thursday. Monday afternoon her class was the last class dismissed from school. She hopped in the car and she had the “we got in trouble” smirk going on. I asked her why they were the last class out and she started laughing. Apparently at lunch they were singing inappropriate songs so they were held back for 5 minutes. I asked her what they were singing and she said they were singing Low by Flo-Rida. The next time they get an after school detention!
Almost 2 years ago the Easter Bunny brought my daughters a doll house kit. I tried to hide the thing and I was successful for a year and a half but about 2 weeks ago my youngest daughter pulled the doll house kit out from behind the couch and said with a big smile on her face, “Can we build this together NOW or do I have to wait some more?”
I thought about telling her that we could save it for when she has kids but I caved in instead and we started in on the doll house kit. My room has been turned into Bob the Builder’s construction site.
Both of my daughters have helped out building the house but they never help at the same time they are like a little tag team. The minute I start to get a little frustrated they tag off! My 10 year old daughter is really only interested in painting the house and my 17 year old is only interested in decorating the house.
After a week and a half we are finally at the painting point! Since my youngest daughter has started school already this job will be a little slow. She will have after school if there is no homework and the weekends to work on it.
My oldest daughter is checking out the hobby shops to decide what decor the inside will be. She has been put on a budget for decorating the house. I told her this would be a good life lesson for her in case she ever when she moves out on her own!
All I know is if the Easter Bunny ever decides to leave another doll house kit here at this house I am going to chase him down with a pellet gun!
Question of the week: Is there a certain event (birthday, anniversary, etc.) in your life that you just can’t remember?
Yesterday evening I walked into my kitchen to start dinner. On my kitchen island stood a vase with a dozen red roses. I immediately said “Oh, Crap!” and then I heard my husband laughing . He said “You forgot again didn’t you?”
Yep, I forgot my church wedding anniversary AGAIN! I even did a post on this last year! I never remember this date for some reason. I went and wrote it down on my calendar for next. Hopefully I will not have to write another post like this again!
Last week I learned a few new things that I thought I would share with you. See you learn something new everyday!
A 10 year old can plan an outing to the movies with a friend in one phone call. It takes ten phone calls for a 17 year old to plan an outing to the movies with a friend and then the day of the movie the friend calls and cancels and the 17 year old ends up going to the movies with the 10 year olds!
When hot glue from a glue gun hits your skin it burns, really bad! I finally broke down and used a hot glue gun for the first time. I guess my 10 year old felt bad, even though she was laughing really hard, that I had burned three of my fingers so she showed me how to use the dang blasted thing. Now that I know how to use it I love it!
A 38 year old mom attempting to show off teach her children how to Pop-a-Wheelie on a kids bike will always end up on her butt. The second attempt will leave her flat on her back with children laughing at her!
A 38 year old mom should not attempt to jump hurdles. Again, the first attempt will leave her on her butt and the second attempt will leave her flat on her back with children laughing at her!
A 38 year old mom does not heal as quick as she did just a few short years ago! A few landings on her butt and back will feel like she jumped off a building the next day!
Question of the week: Do you (or did you) ease your kids into the back to school schedule of waking up early in the morning or just let it come as a big shock come the first day of school?
My youngest daughter goes back to school next Thursday so here at my house we have started Back to School Boot-camp this week. This week I have started making my 10 year old go to bed 15 minutes earlier each night and waking up 15 minutes earlier. We are up to waking up at 7:30 right now and by next Thursday we need to be waking up at 6!
I can’t really control when the 17 year goes to bed anymore but I have invoked an “All is Quiet Upstairs” rule at 8:30pm. I have also started waking her up at the same time the younger one gets up. She goes back to school two weeks later than her little sister and she is pissed that I am waking her up so early.
I am finding it rather fun myself! This morning my youngest didn’t talk to me for an hour and the oldest one mumbled a few words under her breath and she better hope I don’t figure out what she said!
Today was like Christmas for me. I got to take my 10 year old shopping for school supplies! She was just as excited about it as I was. She goes back to school in just a week and a half! My 17 year old tagged along with us but I will take her shopping for clothes and school supplies probably in another week or so. She still has 3 weeks left before she goes back.
We walked through aisles and aisles of new folders, notebooks, pens, crayons and markers. I could smell the aroma of wooden pencils the minute I walked through the front doors. It was just as glorious as walking into a coffee shop in the morning!
We had our 5th grade school supply list in one hand and pen in the other just waiting to mark off the items as they flew into the basket. And fly into the basket they did! We managed to fly $100 worth of school supplies into our basket! I must note that when I shop for school supplies I double up and keep a set of the needed stuff for the house as well. That way when it comes time for homework they have the same stuff available at home as they do at school.
Starting this week we are going to have to get our sleeping schedule back into school mode. Gone are the days of staying up to finish a movie and sleeping in the next morning. It is back to rise and shine at 6 in the morning for the little one. Crap, that means I have to go back to waking up at 5 in the morning! I guess it’s not too much of a sacrifice to pay for not having bored kiddos any more!
The Eyes In The Back Of My Head 