Puking, preschool, and other tales

So guess what?  Abby started preschool like two weeks ago and I'm just now posting a picture of her.  

Bad Mommy!

But isn't she just so cute?  I've never put my kids into preschool this young before, but let me tell ya...she needs this like she needs food.  And I need it like I need air!  Those three hours have got to be the fastest three hours of my life.  We both absolutely love it.

Life continues to be so full of adventures for us.  Yes, I'm attempting to be optimistic by calling them "adventures".  I won't make a list of them, but I will tell you one little story.  It will make you laugh, I promise.

A few days ago I woke up feeling kind of sick.  Like the throw-up kind of sick.  As the morning went on I felt worse and worse until I came to the point that all I could do was lay on my bed and feel very sorry for myself.  Abby, of course, did not understand why I couldn't play tea party or construct a Barbie universe with her, so I attempted to distract her.  I had her lay on my bed with me and play my iPod.  I downloaded probably 5 or 6 different free kids games for her during those few hours and let her play to her heart's content.  She is just old enough that she can navigate through them fairly well and it gave me a few moments of peace.  Well...you know how when you put your password in to download something, it remains active for 15 minutes and after that you have to re-enter it to download something new?  Well, 15 minutes is a long time when in the hands of a 3 year old.  Later that night I received an email from iTunes with a receipt for my recent purchases.  "Funny...", I thought.  "I don't recall making any actual purchases."  I scrolled a little farther down the screen and sat there stunned as I read the dollar amount of these purchases...... 

$128.20

Apparently, while I was groaning with my head in the toilet, little Miss Abby was busy purchasing in-app content with my credit card.  Yes, you could say that I learned a few lessons:  

First, always make sure that in-app purchases are restricted.  Even when you think you are oh-so-smart and are convinced that you have already done this.  Check again.  Especially when handing over control to a toddler.  

Second, never hand over control to a toddler.

I immediately e-mailed iTunes, the people who made the app, the National Guard, and the president of the United States.  I gave them my sob story and they reluctantly agreed to refund my money "just this once".  I was grateful that they even did that much for me, considering that this was completely my own stinkin' fault.  However, I am glad they could see the logic behind my case--why on earth would I download a free kids app and then proceed to spend over $100 on content?  Ya, it doesn't make sense.  I felt rather stupid about it, actually.  I hate those "duh" moments as a parent.  But the good news is that they teach us the greatest lessons.  Well...

lesson learned.  :)

I actually finished a project!

Alert the media!  I have just accomplished something that might seem minor to all of you motivated, goal-oriented people out there, but it is HUGE for me.  I won't go into detail about the who's (Abby) and why's (Abby) of my lack of ability to complete even the most simple tasks.  I will just take this moment to celebrate the fact that I planned a do-it-yourself project, started said project and then completed it within a reasonable amount of time (and when I say reasonable, I mean less than a year...lol!)  I even have pictures as proof!

Here is the story behind my kitchen...

I have been redecorating my kitchen for literally, about 2 years.  When I started out, I had this picture as my inspiration:

Isn't it cute?  I love the black, white and red theme and I absolutely adore the damask print on the fabric.  You know, when I found this picture, I went to look for that print in my local fabric stores and couldn't find anything.  I couldn't even find very many versions on the internet, only similar prints that were black and cream instead of white.  Apparently, it wasn't very popular two years ago.  Now, it is EVERYWHERE.  I have seen everything from greeting cards to plastic tablecloths with matching paper plates and cups, all made from a similar print.  On one hand I am grateful that it is so convenient to find things that match my little kitchen, but I am also irritated and it kind of makes me like it less now that it is so popular.  Geez, what a snob I am! :)

So I decided to paint two of the walls red and paint the trim white.  I recovered my cushions in a black vinyl that cleans well and won't show fingerprints.  The next thing on my list was curtains.  Anyway, here is the before picture of my window (sorry it is so dark;  there just is not a good time to take pictures of my kitchen!  The lighting is never ideal.):

 Oh, it just looks so sad and lonely doesn't it?

Now look at my cute curtains:

The instructions are here, in case you are wondering.

I am still undecided on whether or not I should paint these two walls red.  The other walls are painted red, but are very small areas.  Actually, our whole kitchen is very small, so I'm wondering if adding too many dark walls might make it seem dark and uninviting.  So I leave it this lovely, boring shade of brown for now until I can think of something better.  Stay tuned!

She is not normal

I just asked Abby to pick up a mess she made in her room, to which she responded, "I'm too delicate to clean up those toys."

Where does she come up with this stuff?

Wow

Yup. Enough said.

Who says?

Who says that a thirty-six year old mother of four can't wear Converse?

My kids!  That's who! 

I was in Nate's room today when I noticed a pair of Converse shoes in his closet that he had only worn for a few months before he grew out of them.  They are a nice shade of denim blue, very neutral and unisex, and I thought "Huh....I like those shoes, I wonder what size they are?"  I checked them out and sure enough, they were just my size!  I know you are thinking it's really weird to be wearing your kids old shoes and quite frankly, I agree with you, but these are Converse!  They just get better with age!  So I sat down right there on his bedroom floor and tried them on.  Wow...can you say "comfy" and "dang, I look cute"?  I walked in the next room to show my kids that I had a brand new pair of shoes and you know what they did?  They laughed!  I asked them, "So do you think I could get away with wearing these?"  Nate just pauses and says, "Uh.....sure......", while Alex, who knows better, remains silent.

Well, I guess I got my answer. 

But you know what?  I'm gonna wear 'em anyway!

Happy camper!

So we just got back from our annual Crockett family camping trip.  Five days of the great outdoors with my parents, sisters and their spouses, 13 kids and 6 dogs.  I know.  It sounds insane.  Probably because it IS!  And we keep doing it year after year, people!  But even though I freeze my butt off every year, come home with two-hundred bug bites and spend the next 2 weeks doing laundry and trying to get the smell of smoke out of my hair, I freaking LOVE it!  We make more great memories in those 5 days than we do all year long.  I love sitting around the fire at midnight, just talking and joking, playing dumb campfire games.  I love the food that always seems to taste better in the mountains.  I love the smell!  Isn't it amazing how a smell can bring memories rushing back to you?  Well, not the disgusting pit toilets, but the smell of the clean air and the river.  Every time I step out into the forest, the smell of the trees just makes the memories of camping trips with my family as a kid come flooding back to me.  I forget about all of this until I get up there and I realize I am making these memories for my own kids now.  These really are the best times of my life.  But because I also really enjoy making fun of camping, you must listen to this hysterical bit about camping from comedian Jim Gaffigan.



Yup!

Abby's funnies

Abby:  "Oh Mom, I don't want to be a girl."

Me:  "Why?"

Abby:  "Because I want to be a boy so I can grow up and marry you.  In the temple!"

******************

Me:  "I have to go to work Abby."

Abby:  "But why do you have to go to work?"

Me:  "So I can make money for our family to pay the bills."

A few minutes later she comes in my room and hands me a penny. 

Abby:  "Here is a penny for your bills Mom!"

A few minutes later....

Abby:  "Mom, when you get home I want some money so I can buy something.  Like a pony.  Or a Snickers."

My how time flies

...and it flies regardless of whether or not you are having fun.  Believe me, the past four months of my life have not been my idea of having fun.  School, work, family, health, finances...everything seems to be a jumbled mess.  I will spare the general public the details and focus on the present.

So...we are presently experiencing what I like to call the "summer time warp".  It's a strange phenomenon where time seems to move at a breath-taking speed, but yet we accomplish absolutely nothing of importance.  It's a strange feeling.  People ask you what you have been doing all summer and you look at them with a sort of dazed expression and rack your brain for something exciting to tell them.  I honestly don't know what I have done all summer other than our trip to Santa Cruz, California.  I planned it, went on it and then spent the next two weeks recovering from it.  Even when I try to talk about the actual trip to California I can't even think of what we did for 10 days!  I can only say, "Uhhh...we went to the aquarium and the beach a few times?"  Now I am facing the next two weeks full of scout camps, birthday parties and family camping trips and before I know it I will be shopping for school clothes and paying registration fees.

Here's my other beef:  why in the heck does time seem to move so much faster now that I'm older?  Back when I was 8, the summer seemed like it stretched on FOREVER.  I would be out of school on June 5th and two weeks later I would be complaining to my Mom about how bored I was.  Really?  Youth is completely wasted on the young.

So anyway, back to my summer experience.  It's been blazing hot here for the past several weeks, which makes it so you either go swimming or hole up in your lovely air conditioned house.  Since we are pretty much broke right now, we have been doing the latter.  Whenever I am home for days on end, I tend to try finding creative outlets.  Oh yes...that means Barbie clothes and Mod Podge galore!  Can I just say that I freaking LOVE Mod Podge?  You can use that gunk on anything!  If I ever decide to finally upload pictures from my camera, I will include a few of my latest projects.  Most have no purpose whatsoever, but that is part of what makes them so fun to create, right?

Happy Summer!!

LOL

I was backing up some documents on an old computer yesterday and ran across this little gem.

Funny things my kids have said:

Seth (age 5)

Seth:  Mom, do we have tornadoes in Magna?

Mom:  No, I don’t think so.

Seth:  Oh good.  Now we can all relax!

Alex (age 11)

While watching an interview with Harrison Ford for the new Indiana Jones movie in 2008, Alex says:  Wow, that guy looks like a really, really old Han Solo.

Nate (age 9)

Nathan is laying on our bed next to Shawn, comes right up to his face, looks at him for a few seconds and then says, “Hellooooo, baldy.”

Oh thank you January

I just wanted to take the time to express to the wonderful month of January my deepest thanks.

Thank you for being the worst month of the year.  Thank you for your gray skies, your sub-freezing temperatures, your short days, your long nights and your singular lack of interesting holidays.  My gratitude to you for making my life miserable;  for ruining the air with your inversion;  for causing much post traumatic stress, but most of all thank you for being OVER!

Until next year....

I will not be missing you.

Love,
Megan