The Oddities of Aging...

The title could lead in to a million different discussions...but for now:

Oddly enough, it's not the 3 kids, one of which is now in high school that makes me feel OLD. 

The fact that Magnum P.I. is 65 years old today is what makes me feel old!!!

That show ran from '80-'88 - ALL of my middle school and 

high school days.

Utter Randomness...

If I only had a brain

This week I've been painfully stupid.  I don't know if it's stress, lack of sleep or too much wine (or any combination of the above).  So far I've:

1.  waited for 35 minutes in the atrocious pick up line for Ella after school, only to realize right when I got to the pick up area that she had an after school program and needed picked up an hour later

2.  Looked all over the house for 2 days for the check that I wrote for preschool. I finally just decided to write another...low and behold the 1st check was still patiently waiting in the check book...

Ella lost the cat (somewhere inside the house - the cat was really just hiding from her and Silas). She decided she needed to make a sign to help find her. I found the cat...at 3am when she was sitting in the hallway outside our bedroom door meowing her fat head off.

(sorry for the blurry pic)

The new Apple iPad makes me think of a feminine hygiene product. Might as well name it iSummer's Eve or iTampon. Product Naming department: fired.

I've decided not to wish it was Friday anymore.That means I'm wishing the week away and my life is going fast enough already.  I might not LIKE Mondays as much as Fridays but they'll have to do.

I just read Anna Quindlen's A Short Guide to a Happy Life (while waiting the 35 minutes to pick up Ella. No kidding, the book is that short - the title is very fitting). I love her.  Love her writing and her view of life (see Words to Live By to the left).  Another post for another day.

I haven't mentioned much about being 40 now.  but it's there. much like the 10 pounds I think I've gained since Christmas day.  Is this how it's gonna be?

"Her thoughts now turned to the words of Washington Irving she had taped to her fridge: 'There is in every true woman's heart a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity; but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity'."

This is from an article about a woman named Stephanie Nielson who miraculously survived a horrible plane crash. I've read her blog for quite awhile (she was on Oprah I believe) and just recently read this beautifully written but painful to read article about her experience and recovery. It is impossible to look at anything in my life as tragic or an adversity after reading this.  All I can do is thank God and pray for her.

And finally, say a little prayer that my eyeballs don't get burned out of my skull tonight. My eyelashes have been horrible lately.  Breaking, thinning, just difficult.  I got some "natural" eye lash conditioner to put on at night.  This could be my last night with vision...

oh, and I'm now totally addicted to Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice cream.  I had it on Tuesday night and haven't stopped eating it since (thanks Sarah.)

If the Shoe Fits...

Someone knows Miss Ella Boo very well - my dad got this sign for her 

- and yes, she does save most of the DRAMA for her Mama!

And speaking of (Drama) Queens - Miss Cleo

has found a new place that she likes to call her throne.

 

I thought we were Tough Love kind of parents -

how did our kids (AND animals) get so stinkin' rotten??

Chicago (aka The Pukey City)

This past weekend Ella and I went for a visit to Chicago with Beth, Sarah, Jill, Abbi and Alli.  We had a GREAT time up until 6pm on our last night there. Lucy was a little unsure of us at first.  She didn't know who all the people were that had invaded her home. She warmed up pretty quickly though and we got to see lots of smiles from her.

Andrea and Lucy

Miss Lucy escaping from her tent

 

On Saturday we went to a Wonder Works - a place for the kids to play.  It was supposed to be some kind of kids' museum but as they pointed out later - "it wasn't much of a museum" - but they did have fun running around, dressing up for the stage and making pictures in the art room (and possibly picking up the stomach virus that hit on Sunday night...) 

 

On Sunday we took the train into downtown for a little shopping.  Ella was all excited.  I thought she was excited about going shopping but when I asked her, she said, "No, I'm excited to ride the train!"  She wouldn't sit down on the ride in.

 

We hit the Hersey Store first - it was yummy!

Next was the American Girl Store. I know that this is a very exciting store for little girls.  I didn't want to deny my one and only daughter the chance to enjoy the store.  But $14.00 for baby doll socks?  $14 for a baby doll bibs? I told her I'd buy her an outfit for her Bitty Baby (Emma) but if she wanted the socks she'd have to use her tooth fairy money. She decided that Bitty Baby could have cold feet.

I did really like the historical displays 

that they had set up though. That was pretty neat.

Abbi, Alli and Ella

We grabbed a bite to eat at the mall, shopped a little more and then headed back to Andrea's.  
Unfortunately, a couple hours later is when the puke hit the fan...Abbi came down at dinner time saying her belly hurt.  Jill and I really just thought it was from being tired - the girls had stayed up pretty late Friday and Saturday nights and had been getting up very early to play with Lucy.  Right as dinner hit the table though, Abbi was upstairs and got sick.  About an hour later, Ella came down to tell me that HER stomach hurt.  I really didn't get concerned. I just thought that she was trying to get some attention or "play sick" too.  About 2 hours later, she threw up as well.  Still trying to be an optimist, I thought that maybe it was just the grilled cheese sandwich that Ella and Abbi ate.  

So, our last evening in Chicago was a bust as Beth went to bed early in case she had to drive home, Jill and I took care of sick kids and Andrea, Tom and Lucy did their best to stay the hell out of our germ radius.  We were up and out by 9am - the ride home was NO fun.  Andrea packed us crackers, sprite, plastics bags, towels - and unfortunately we had to use them all. And Ella missed the bag the 2nd time around. And Jill's van probably still doesn't smell too good...

Overall, it was still a great visit and we hope that we aren't banned from visiting again.  I bet next time the "decontamination station" will be more than a joke!

This is What Happens

When you let yourself get bossed around by your older sister...

You end up in a party dress that doesn't really match your

purse, and wearing an I'm 40! tiara.

 

Lost and Found

Lost:

yep, you guessed it - another tooth. And 2 more loose.

The tooth fairy REALLY needs to make sure she keeps dollar bills on hand.

This $5 a pop has got to be killing her wallet!!

Found:

 

Notes taken on a 1 ft x 2 ft piece of drywall.

Doesn't my husband know they make notepads 

for this kind of thing?

Writing on paper must not be manly enough. 

 

The Lists

Well, Christmas break is over...the kids are all tucked in bed, getting ready to head back to school. It went incredibly fast.  I could have used another week off, bickering and all.

I had 2 lists for break.  One was for stuff to do around the house - organizing, cleaning, etc. The other was stuff that I wanted to do with the kids. 

On the "fun" list was...

 1.  Make Christmas cookies

We made lots of cookies and a really BIG mess!

 

2. Go to see the Wildlights at the zoo.

 

The zoo lights were beautiful!  We went on a pretty cold night - it was about 20 degrees.  It started snowing when we were on our way there and by the time we got there, it was coming down pretty hard.  The kids started complaining because the snowflakes were pelting them in the eyeballs. It made the lights even more beautiful though.

 

Ella got very cold and about 45 minutes into being there, got a nasty earache. 

 

They did have fun riding on the Merry-Go-Round - it was warmer in there!

 

After that, we decided the weather was getting worse, everyone was cold and tired

and we headed home (making a pit stop to pick up some Caines Chicken).  It was REALLY snowing hard and difficult to see much on the road.  Warm pj's for everyone when we got home, and Motrin and a heating pad for Ella and her ear.

#3. The Main Library and the train display.

 

With the kids' school schedules/times all being different, it's hard to find a good time to get down to our awesome Main Library. 

 

We took Aunt Margie down there with us.

Saw the train display, the kids picked out a ton of books and played in the

Children's area - wow, has that changed since I worked down there.

Apparently you aren't supposed to take the book baskets out into the lobby area - 

the security dude jumped all over us about it.  If I want one badly enough, I'll have to steal it from Kroger instead...

Two things that did not get crossed off our list were Graeter's Ice cream  (lots of gift cards to spend but who wants to eat ice cream when it's 9 degrees out??) and the Franklin Park Conservatory.  Those will have to wait until we have a no school day or some weekend with available time.

On the NOT so fun list, I admit I got less than 1/2 of my items crossed off.  And my Christmas tree is still up until next weekend. But I feel like I spent a lot of time resting, spending time with friends and family (3 family birthdays, several family Christmas gatherings, a fun NYE party/birthday party and a Buckeye victory in the Rose Bowl!), had a lot of fun with the kids and the mess will still be there when I get to it.

One thing that Justin accomplished is getting my under the cabinet iPod radio mounted (a Christmas present for me).  Love having the free counter space!

 

What did not get done is cleaning up the kids' rooms, sorting though my piles of papers, taking the tree down (like I said), starting on the basement cleanup...all in due time.

*I do have a special request.  Over the holidays we found out that Justin's dad, Grandpa J, has cancer (lung). Please keep him and the family in your prayers.  I hope to update more later when we have more details. Until then, prayers and positive vibes are greatly appreciated!

Happy New Year-

May it be a blessed one for us all!