Testosterone Zone Tales

30 Day Mom Challenge

2010-11-10T08:29:00.002-07:00

I recently saw this posted on facebook and thought I should share it here too.

30 Day Mom Challenge
Mom's Ultimate To-Do List

1. Ask "what is one thing we can do together, this month?"

2. Go the whole day without yelling at your children.

3. Hug your child three times today.

4. Kiss your child while they are sleeping.

5. Tell yourself, "He's only ____ years old. He's still a child." Then treat him that way.

6. Bake, make, or buy them their favorite food.

7. Leave a sweet note for them.

8. Calculate how many more weekends let until your child graduates from high school.

9. Picture yourself at your child's age. Try to remember how you felt.

10. Today's mom focus: joy.

11. Tell your child, "I am so glad you're my son/daughter."

12. Pray for wisdom in mothering your child.

13. Do not criticize your child today.

14. Remember that being a mother is a gift.

15. Be firm when needed, but not harsh.

16. Picture what you want your child to be like at age 25. Mother with that in mind, today.

17. Laugh with your child today.

18. Who is a mom you admire? What quality of hers can you live out, today?

19. Teach your child one thing that he can do on his own today.

20. Today's focus: patience.

21. Forgive yourself when you mess up.

22. How do you want your child to remember you? Be that mom, today.

23. Replace sarcasm with kindness.

24. Don't interrupt your child when he is talking.

25. Ask your child's opinion sometime today.

26. Make it a point to encourage your child today.

27. Do one thing that is good for your health: walk 10 minutes, eat a piece of fruit or get a good night's sleep.

28. Teach your child a new word.

29. Turn off your phone, computer or TV today when your child is with you.

30. Today's focus: love.

Sometimes this will be easy. 3, 6, 17, 26.

Sometimes this will be hard. 2, 13, 14, 21.

I started yesterday, the 9th, on #9. I found myself thinking back to my middle school years, not a great time in my life.

Carter is now in 7th grade. He is trying to find his place. Last year was pretty tough. This year seems better.

While working on #9, I try to have more patience for the preteen angst. I remember trying to get to classes on time, with all the necessary supplies, after going to my locker, the bathroom, checking my hair, and passing notes in the hall...all within 5 minutes between classes.

He is doing all that and getting mostly B's. I should cut him some slack and give him more praise.

I often forget that Hayden is only 6. He likes making his own scrambled eggs for breakfast. He is on the swim team. He runs his own bath. I am always concerned with not letting him be the "baby" of the family. Have I made him too independent? What was I capable of doing by myself at age 6?

The 30 Day Mom Challenge is a great way to focus on one thing at a time. Make one change at a time. Change one bad habit. Start one good habit.

I hope you will join me and share the ways you have accepted the challenge.

Today's mom focus: joy. Time for me to get to work.

Testing, Testing. Is this thing on?

2010-03-11T10:30:00.001-07:00

I've been supporting you for over thirty years.

Sometimes I loved you.

Sometimes I hated you.

We've partied all night.

We've spent quiet nights at home.

We cried over spilt milk.

We got a lot of attention together.

I've pushed you up.

You've pulled me down.

I realized I didn't have to take it anymore.

I cut you down to size.

I thought we had come to a mutual appreciation of each other.

This week you have been scaring the hell out of me.

Hopefully before the weekend hits we will know you were just messing with me.

Because even though I love the new you, I wouldn't risk my life for you.

You better watch out....

2009-12-14T11:56:00.003-07:00

He's coming to town. And now you can catch him in the act!

Have you seen this?

We did it last year and the boys were amazed!

Grandpa stayed over night on Christmas Eve. He heard the dog barking and went upstairs with his camera and this is what he found.....

When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange who you are, into what your're gonna be

2009-12-02T07:20:00.006-07:00

Do you remember that episode?

Jan went to buy the silver platter for the anniversary and ordered the engraving, Bobby's voice started changing during the talent contest they entered to pay for the additional engraving cost.

I am beginning to have a new appreciation for Mrs. Brady, she married a man with three boys.

Things are changing at my house too, things are starting to stink.

Just this week I noticed a foul smell coming from the gym bag. I know you are saying "STOP, Don't do it!."
It was the GYM bag, I never should have picked up anything to smell.

It was Carter's shirt. Seriously, how can it smell like that after one day?

And I thought I learned my lesson, but did I?

Nooooooo.

Last night I sniffed Griffin's armpit.

Why, I do not know. Maybe I didn't think my precious 8 year old could really be the source of that smell.

He was.

How did these cute, great smelling babies turn into these foul smelling young men.

My friends always comment on how nice my house smells. If they only knew my secret.

Plug it in, out of sight, near the front door. When you walk in the door your sense of smell focuses on cinnamon goodness and not the gym bag aroma.

To save all of you from more of these posts, I pledge to not play "What's that smell and where is it coming" again. When it doubt, assume it is a boy.

Tofu: To F U

2009-10-23T08:48:00.002-06:00

I got in a fight at Sunflower Market.

Maybe "fight" isn't the right word.

I had a stare down in the dairy aisle.

With Tofu.

Me: Listen Tofu, what are you even doing in the dairy aisle, you big faker.

Tofu: Don't even look at me, I am too good for you.

Me: What are you anyway?

Tofu: I am a healthier alternative to meat. Like I said, too good for you. Go find the Hostess cupcakes.

Me: But, I want to be healthier.

Tofu: hahahaha

Me: Really, but what do I do with you? Soft, firm, extra firm. You look so gross just sitting there in that Tofu juice.

Tofu: Stop squishing me and put me down.

Me: How could I pass you off on the men? They would know I tried to fake them out with Tofu the big faker.

Tofu: Stop staring at me like that and put me down.

Me: If I do buy you, I would need to make you tonight and hid the package way down deep in the garbage. How do make you? How could I pass you off as meat?

Tofu: I told you so.

Me: Told me what?

Tofu: I'm too good for you. Now move along.

And I did.

Tofu scares me.

Is anybody out there?

2009-10-18T09:14:00.003-06:00

I am trying to get back into the swing of things. The kids have been in school, sort of, since August 17th.

If anyone is still following my blog, I thought I could catch you up with a list of numbers. This is what has been going on since July 10th.

6 medals (3 gold, 3 silver) Griffin won at the city swim meet

3 days spent at the State swim meet

1 friend who moved to Mexico for a year of immersion

15 cousins and aunts who flew in to celebrate 8/8/09

150 particpants of the Sue DiNapoli Ovarian Cancer 5k run and 3k walk held August 8th

5000 dollars raised for the Sue DiNapoli Ovarian Cancer Foundation I started in honor of my mother who passed away on August 5th 2005. The foundation will help low income women with ovarian cancer screening.

85 friends who celebrated the night away at the early 40th birthday party

2 nights spent in an awesome house in Beaver Creek over my real 40th birthday weekend

3 boys who started school on August 17th

1 Labor Day pool party, sadly 1 pool closed for the season

1 job interview and offer

1 field trip with kindergarten class cut short, see next entry

1 broken arm, 1 ambulance ride, 2 pins, 1 night in hospital, 1 week off school
4 weeks in cast, 4 weeks in sling

1 swimming season over

1 football season over

3 pumpkins cut off the vine

22 pounds of apples picked off the tree

1 and 2 uterus and ovaries removed

14 fantastic friends who brought over food, snacks, flowers during my recovery

1.5 confirmed h1n1 cases in our home

1 unbelievable husband who took a week of vacation to care for his wife and ended up caring for sick kids too

28 vicodin taken during "quiet recovery at home"

5 hats knit on vicodin, now known as "vicodin hats"

0 days all the boys have been in school at the same time since September 28th

0 boys flying over Colorado in hot air balloon

3 boys going back to school tomorrow

What are you going to do when all three are in school?

2009-07-10T13:50:00.003-06:00

I have been asked that a lot lately.

I would love to go to the gym everyday and be a MILF by Halloween... ok, maybe by Thanksgiving.

Sometimes I think I should get a j..o..b.. (I only spell that word, never say it out loud.

Perhaps I can go back to school and get a teaching license.

So many choices.

I did order my college transcripts just in case.

Here are a few of my favorite classes from my well rounded education:

Introduction to Photography
General Astronomy
Intro to Theatre
Photo Collage
The American West
Geology of National Parks
World of Wines and Vines (wine tasting class)

Here is a list of obsolete classes:

Intro to Library Research (Fall 1987)
Computer Literacy (Fall 1987)
Intro to Microcomputers (Spring 1988)
Women in Politics (Fall 1991)

Luckily the minimum GPA requirement for the teaching program is 2.75.
I made by .007. Phew...

Maybe I could just keep our house clean and the kids out of trouble.

What will you do when your youngest heads off to kindergarten?

Independence day has come early

2009-06-03T21:34:00.003-06:00

Carter's bike has had a flat tire since last fall. He didn't seem to care about getting it fixed. He would ride his brother's bike or his scooter.

The tire was fixed on Monday.

His friend rode his bike over on Tuesday. The two of them rode 2.5 miles back to the friend's house for a sleepover.

"Call me when you get there," I say as I watch my baby ride off. He has his own wheels now. He has some independence.

Although at times he lacks the responsibility character trait. I call the friend's house 45 minutes later, "Did they get there? Can I talk to Carter?" I lay on the guilt trip, even though I know he just forgot to call.

This afternoon he rode home, by himself, on wet roads, got splashed, and had a ball.

He rode to the library to sign up for summer reading, decided the line was too long, checked out some books and was back 1/2 hour later.

After dinner he decided we needed ice cream for dessert. He rode to the supermarket with his backpack and his own $15 and bought 2 containers of ice cream and chocolate sauce.

He will be headed off to middle school in the fall. I know he is growing up and needs some independence. I just didn't imagine this day would come so soon.

Wasn't it just last week he was shooting green food coloring in his mouth because he thought it would be sweet and tasty? Oh yes, that was just last week.

Finally

2009-05-22T06:19:00.004-06:00

Have you been watching the countdown clock?

Do you know what tomorrow is?

Oh yes, the pool is finally opening.

A few things we have missed during the long, long, long winter:

Doing cool jumps off the diving board

Maybe this year Hayden will jump off the diving board too

Building sand castles in the sand volleyball court

Working your shift as a lifeguard

Waiting on the diving board for adult swim to be over just to be the first kid in the pool

Hanging out with your friends

Hanging out with your brother

Hanging out with your girls, poolside.

Taking a nap in the shade after a busy day of swimming

And yum, yum, yummy drumsticks from the snack bar on a hot summer day.

Happy Summer! See you at the pool!

With a mug like that I guess your daughter can skip the America's Next Top Model audition

2009-05-17T12:33:00.003-06:00

I guess you won't be hurrying down to the American Idol try-outs, I wouldn't even sing in the shower with that voice.

Did you sign your wife up for What Not To Wear? She has the fashion sense of an 85 year old escapee from the nursing home.

Rude.

Even if I thought it (which I do not) I would NEVER say it.

I would never suggest someone try out for The Biggest Loser. You put on a few extra pounds or should I say tons?

Or maybe you are in your late twenties and not married yet, have you thought about applying for The Bachelor? Hmm, maybe you need Extreme Makeover first.

Your house is needs some updating, it is kind of a dump. Have your lived here long? Oh, let's nominate you for Extreme Home Makeover!

Have a couple more kids and you can get your own reality show. They can call it, John and Kate Know How To Mate.

No normal person would say those things.

So, why do people think it is ok to say this:

Them: Are you going to apply for it?

Me: What? Spanish Immersion (one track mind)?

Them: No, Supernanny, the auditions are coming to the Springs.

Me: No, I am not.

Them: Why not? It would be great.

Me: Not for me.

Them: But you have the three boys, everyone who knows you would think it is so funny.

Me: No, we are not going to sign up.

Them: Really, it would be so fun.

Me: No, I do not think it would be so fun.

Back up to earlier this morning.
Carter had a friend sleepover and join us for church.
Ben and Griffin were at a father/son camp out for cub scouts.
Hayden decided to sit with Carter and his friend during church. They were so good. I was right behind them. Carter was rubbing his little brother's back for most of the service. I was so impressed.

And then someone has to assume that since I have boys, I need Supernanny.

Do they get a little crazy sometimes? Yes.
Do they burp and fart and think it is hysterical? Yes.
Do they act any different than any other boys? NO!

Do not assume because they are boys that they are bad. Boys are different. Different is good.

100 reasons why I love the Testosterone Zone.

I wish people could think before they speak. I realize he thought what he was saying was hysterical. In fact, he probably thought about it all week and couldn't wait until he saw me on Sunday to mention it.

What I should have said was:
Do you think my parenting skills are so bad? Or is it my children you find horrible? Why would you assume being a parent of three boys would automatically make me interested in Supernanny?

Or perhaps I should have just said:
F _ _ k off. (which is exactly what I was thinking at the time.)

Spring Fun, Mother's Tea, Racing, Camping

2009-05-14T06:39:00.003-06:00

Carter and Griffin have 8 days of school left. Hayden has 3 days. Our 8 consecutive years of preschool is over. I will cover this crazy feeling more in another post. As we wrap up the school year the days are filled with activities. (As I write this I should be getting ready to attend the volunteer breakfast at school.) Here is a quick look, in pictures, of the last few weeks.

Our last preschool Mother's Tea. The kids are so proud of their song, the room looks beautiful, the kids drew a picture and wrote a description of their mother.

Hayden's said:
Mom
Dark hair and curly
She is 84 years old
A hat that fits her
She loves crunchy food
She goes to the park and garage sales
When I am at school she texts and knits
Her job is to knit
We go on adventures together
For fun she drinks coffee and looks on the computer
She kisses and loves me

Hayden with his preschool buddies.

Me and Hayden at his Mother's Tea

Griffin ran in the Landsharks Running Club again this spring. His first race was rained out so they combined the first two meets, he ran a 400m (1 lap) and a 50m (sprint). Way to go Griffin.

We took our first camping trip of the season to Lathrop State Park. The kids had a great time on the lake. We went with our neighbors, our group was 4 adults and 6 kids. We all had fun. Ben and our boys, along with the neighbor and his son will be going back the first weekend in June. Their first boys only camping trip. Hmm, what is a mom to do all weekend by herself? So far I am planning to clean the house, precook lots of meals, write tributes to the men in my life, yeah, I am just kidding. Maybe sleep in and watch a Lifetime movie.

Carter jumped over the split rail fence and broke it. He is becoming camera shy so I have to sneak these pictures.

Part of the beach fun is jumping off the bench into the water. Doesn't it look like he is walking on water? I snapped it just before those feet landed in the cold water.

Griffin also made an adorable Mother's Day tribute to describe me. His was a fill in the blank style. Here is is, complete with spelling and grammatical errors:
My mother has brown hair and green eyes.
My mother likes to rest.
My mother is prettiest when put's on make up.
I like for her to cook eggs.
I don't like when she cooks asperuges.
She likes me to help her cook.
My mom thinks the best present I could give her is love.
We really have fun when we go places.
My mom is so special because she is nice.

Griffin at the park.

Do you notice the black dot on my camera? What is that? I have tried cleaning the lens. Is it time for a new camera? psst, say yes, new camera.

I didn't think it could happen to us

2009-05-05T08:14:00.003-06:00

There were 4 adults.

There were 3 kids.

Pretty good ratio.

We were watching the magic show at Seaport Village, an outdoor shopping area in San Diego.

The kids were up front, the adults were behind the magician and had a great view of the kids.

Griffin, was asked a few questions from the magician and was stealing the show.

Magician: Griffin, Pick a number.

Griffin: 4376.

Crowd laughs.

This went on for a bit, the magician told us to watch out, this was exactly how he acted at 8 years old.

Hayden gets bored and hangs out with the adults during the remainder of the show.

The magic show ends, Griffin and Carter come looking for tip money for the magician.

As we are getting our contribution together I notice the swarms of people leaving the area. There must have been over 60 kids watching the show and at least as many adults.

Carter and Griffin go give the money to the magician. I look around and my heart stops.

WHERE IS HAYDEN?

I start to scan the crowd. Did someone take him during the confusion of the show ending? Did he go back in the shop behind us?

Somehow I get the words out that Hayden is missing.

I run into the store behind us. No Hayden.

I start to panic.

The man sitting near us says, Are you looking for the little boy? He went that way.

We break off and start searching the shopping area. Seaport Village boasts 54 stores and 17 restaurants on 14 acres of waterfront property. I think Linda took Griffin and my dad or brother must have had Carter. I started walking aimlessly, checking in stores as I went by, I think it was shock. I could not imagine how this happened. He was just right there next to us.

How long had he been gone before we noticed? How far could he have gone? Did someone take him? I can not remember what he was wearing. Why can't I find a security guard?

I still can not imagine how much time passed between when he left and when Linda and Griffin found him. He had wandered off to the other side of the shopping center, he was FAR from us. It was probably no more than 10 minutes, maybe less. It felt like HOURS.

After I cried and hugged him so tight, I asked him why he left us. He said he wanted to go back to the store that makes the special pennies. You know what he means, you put in 2 quarters and 1 penny and turn the handle, out comes a souvenir penny.

He was nowhere near the penny store. He couldn't find it.

This happened during our Spring Break trip to California, almost 2 months ago.

My heart still aches at the thought of what happened and what could have happened.

10 years ago

2009-04-20T08:52:00.003-06:00

A day that was so sad and frightening. It happened so close to us, just up the highway. How could it have happened here? What was going through those kids' minds? The shooters and the victims. Columbine High School. The news coverage, the videos, the stories, the shock. A tragedy.

Another story.

My cousin and her husband. Bought a house with a future family in mind. Started saving for their children's college before they were pregnant. They enjoyed married life for a few years and then they decided to try to get pregnant. It was not easy. They were not lucky enough to get pregnant easily. They continued to try. They would be great parents.

They came to our wedding. Six months later I am pregnant. They are not. I feel guilty. We weren't even trying.

My smart and oh so wise cousin says, "Laura, don't feel guilty. You being pregnant does not reduce my chance of getting pregnant." I cried, damn pregnancy horomones.

I gave birth to Carter in January of 1998. Six months later their miracle occurred. They became pregnant with twins. The pregnancy was difficult. There were long periods of bed rest. And finally the big day came.

April 20, 1999.

She gave birth to the most adorable babies; a girl and a boy. It was a day of celebration for our family, so happy that they finally had the family they prayed for everyday.

Ten years ago I was watching the news coverage and thinking I am so glad the twins were born today, so we can have some joy and happiness on this day that will be forever defined by the actions of two disturbed teenagers.

There can be happiness and joy and hope for the future.

Happy 10th Birthday Kristen and Steven.

What are you doing next Thursday?

2009-04-16T05:46:00.002-06:00

x-rated mail

2009-04-06T15:32:00.003-06:00

I am not talking about penial enlargement ads over email.

I am talking about mail that came right to my mailbox.

Mail that I sent the boys to go collect.

Mail that they looked at on the way across the yard.

The "handwritten" note inside the ad reads:
"This is the softest thing I've ever worn. Feel for yourself...you won't be able to stop touching it!
XOX Miranda"

HELLO MIRANDA, I have prepubescent boys over here! Put some damn clothes on and stop telling my boys to touch your bra!

Victoria,

Your secret is out. Put on some clothes and watch what you send to my house.

Mom of three boys

My love affair with Dave continues

2009-04-03T13:30:00.002-06:00

Dave Ramsey is such an inspirational speaker. I hope his Town Hall For Hope is encouraging and benefits many people. Do your best to spread the news about this FREE event.

Town Hall For Hope

Some highlights:
FREE
Question and Answer period
FREE
Available at local venues across America
FREE

Check out the website, find a location near you, or organize one at your church and go be inspired to find the hope.

Language Immersion; is it so great for our school?

2009-04-02T11:46:00.008-06:00

This may be boring to most of the non-local readers, but I have to get my opinion out there and try to get some dialogue going. I am afraid if I do not, this will just happen without discussion and a good look into the future. I know one of my closest friends has a completely different opinion on this and is in fact moving her family to Mexico for a year so her girls can get Spanish immersion.

Language immersion is a great option for some families. If it comes to our elementary school, the 26 incoming 1st graders will benefit greatly. They will be the pilot program, so much attention will be focused on that group of 26 kids. They will have many resources available to them.

Point 1. Class Size and Attrition Rates

The other two classes of first grade students may indeed start out with a lower class size, but I believe over the next 5 years the attrition rate in the immersion class will make that class smaller. And the information that I have so far says that new students will not be admitted into the immersion program after second grade, there would be no way for the new students to catch up. So the immersion class in 3rd, 4th, and 5th continues to decline, not because of the program, but because people move, get transferred, life happens. The other two classes of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders also have attrition but because people also move into our neighborhood these spots can be filled back up. Could we also reach a maximum class size of 28 (3rd) and 29 (4th and 5th) and need to turn away students? All the while the immersion class has dropped and there is no way to fill it.

For example, let's assume the 1st grade classes look like this:
class A - traditional - 21
class B - traditional - 21
class C - immersion - 26 max class size

2nd grade has historical attrition losing 15 students. Wow, isn't that a lot? I am glad I saved every school directory for the past 6 years. All numbers I will be using are based on the current 5th grade class, showing what could very likely happen if traditional attrition rates continue. Even though we lost 15 students, we gained 11.

2nd grade
class A - traditional - 21-5=16+3=19
class B - traditional - 21-5=16+2=18
class C - immersion - 26-5=21+6=27 max class size

Keep in mind if students can still choice in in second grade, the number of Foothills families in class C will decrease from attrition and can be replaced with choice students skewing my class A and B class size numbers.

From 2nd grade to 3rd grade we lost 7 and gained 11

3rd grade
class A - traditional 19-3=16+5=20
class B - traditional 18-2=16+6=21
class C - immersion 27-2=25 (Max of 28, but no more admitted)

3rd to 4th we lost 14 and gained 11. Keep in mind 8 went to School in the Woods for 4th grade. Hope they had fun, can't get back into immersion after that year off.

4th grade
class A - traditional 20-5=15+5=20
class B - traditional 20-5=15+6=21
class C - immersion 25-4=21 (max of 29)

from 4th to 5th grade we lost 4 and gained 14, welcome back to our 8 School in the Woods kids.

5th grade
class A - traditional 20-1=19+7=28
class B - traditional 21-1=19=7=28
class C - immersion 21-2=19 (max of 29)

Well, that looks fair. This model is as accurate as the class lists from each school directory published in October and does not account for students that start after that date and do not return the following year.

This model also does not account for any families that start the immersion program and drop out after the deadline for admittance. This model also does not account for a large surge of immersion choice applications, this is historical date from the past 6 years.

I did speak with the principal of the local school in our district that offers immersion. She made many positive points for it and said the students not in immersion even benefit from the language being used around the school. A few items she mentioned were alarming to me.
1. Their school is 50% choice and 50% neighborhood.
2. Only 5 seats per grade level (remember they have 2 immersion classes) are held for neighborhood kids going into immersion, the rest is a lottery.
3. They have 4 classes per grade level, 2 immersion and 2 traditional, the traditional classes are maxed out and the immersion classes have approx 5 open spots. They do not fill the immersion spots after Labor Day of second grade unless the child can test into the program. Few can.

I think it is important to note that even if you are in favor of the immersion, there is no guarantee your child will be granted access to the program, only a few current students will be enrolled. If our goal is to grow the school, we can't fill the immersion class up with current students/families, we need new bodies. See point 3 for another attrition breakdown based on accepting 14 choice students in 1st grade.

Point 2.

Our school is already a magnet school for CSD kids. I love the program we have available for the autistic kids. I believe it makes our peer children more accepting, patient and caring. I have noticed this with my own boys and am so happy they have had the opportunity to mentor and assist in any small way with the CSD program.

Having said that, we are already short on educational PARAs to assist with the CSD kids. Limiting the CSD kids to two classes per grade level will certainly be a bit more distracting for everyday teaching in the traditional classrooms and may even force them to stay in the CSD room more. This would not be a benefit to out peer students or or CSD students.

Point 3.

How many students can we really add?

Let's assume we take the model school's example and hold 5 seats (although we only have 1 class where they hold 5 seats for 2 classes) for community students and choice in 21 students. Assume again 4 more current families are lucky enough to get in with the lottery, we can add 17 new choice students.

Let's revise our class attrition model:
1st grade

class A - traditional - 21 (plus 8 students who didn't get in class C)=29
class B - traditional - 21 (plus 7 students who didn't get in class C)=28
class C - immersion - 26 max class size including 17 choice students

Ok, so we are over already. So let's assume we "make room" for 5 additional current students who didn't get into class C and reduce the amount of choice we accept, by 5.
5 original spots held + 4 that won the lottery + 5 that would have been sent to another school = 14 current families out of 68 kindergarten families. Do you like those odds? This arrangement leaves room for 12 choice students.

New first grade with 12 choice students in immersion and filling every other 1st grade spot with current families. I hope no one moves into our neighborhood over the summer, we are full.

class A - traditional - 26
class B - traditional - 26
class C - immersion - 26 max class size including 12 choice students

In our example year we lost 15 1st grade students and gained 11. We have maxed out the immersion class and have a few spots left for new students.

2nd grade
class A - traditional - 26-5=21+3=24
class B - traditional - 26-5=21+2=23
class C - immersion - 26-5=21+6=27 max class size

Keep in mind if students can still choice in in second grade, the number of Foothills families in class C will decrease from attrition and can be replaced with choice students skewing my class A and B class size numbers.

From 2nd grade to 3rd grade we lost 7 and gained 11

3rd grade
class A - traditional 24-3=21+5=26
class B - traditional 23-2=21+6=27
class C - immersion 27-2=25 (Max of 28, but no more admitted)

3rd to 4th we lost 14 and gained 11. Keep in mind 8 went to School in the Woods for 4th grade. Hope they had fun, can't get back into immersion after that year off.

4th grade
class A - traditional 26-5=21+5=26
class B - traditional 27-5=22+6=28
class C - immersion 25-4=21 (max of 29)

From 4th to 5th grade we lost 4 and gained 14, welcome back to our 8 School in the Woods kids, oops sorry, no room for you to come back.

5th grade
class A - traditional 26-1=25+7=32 (max is 29)
class B - traditional 27-1=28+7=35 (max is 29)
class C - immersion 21-2=19 (max of 29)

We end up turning away 9 kids, I hope we saved spots for our returning School in the Woods kids, but it doesn't look like it.

In our revised model we gained 12 choice students in 1st grade and turned away 9 kids from 5th grade. For a gain of 3 students.

If we consider adding 12 choice kids per year, our upper grades will max out and neighborhood kids will not be admitted.

I guess my big question is, do we want to be a neighborhood school with a focus that includes everyone or a magnet school that turns away neighborhood families? Is it worth it to add those 3 kids per year?

Point 4.

Is there a focus we can look into that can benefit ALL of the students and grow EVERY grade level?

One idea that has been tossed around is a Science and Arts Academy. Integrating science and art into the classroom, focusing on environmental issues, building a greenhouse and a community garden. Teaching ALL of our kids to be better citizens. Instituting lifelong learning through direct interaction with science and art and our environment. These kids would have a deep appreciation for the world, a commitment to making it better.

The possibilities are endless!

There would be no need to cap the enrollment at 2nd grade.

There would be no need to displace current teachers.

There would be no students turned away unless all of our classes were full. Now wouldn't that be a great predicament to be in?

If we found a broader focus that benefits every student we would get all of the current parents involved to take a part, help plan and execute the idea. Instead many of those parents figure "my child is going into 2nd grade (3rd, 4th or 5th), this doesn't affect me." Why not find a focus to ignite their enthusiasm?

I do believe language immersion is a wonderful concept and would no doubt benefit that group of kids, but is that what is in the best interest of all of our students? And if you support language immersion, great, I hope you are one of the 9 families (estimation, maybe 14) out of 68 kindergarten families that get accepted to the program, but in case you aren't, wouldn't you have rather had a school focus that was beneficial every child?

Perhaps you already know that you would not try to put your student in the immersion program so you are holding back from having an opinion on the idea, think about this, how would you like your student to be packed in a FULL 5th grade class when the other class has 10 openings? And in your FULL class, you have 2 CSD kids with 1 PARA and the class seems a bit distracted and hard to manage, will you still refrain from voicing your opinion?

And what if your child went to School in the Woods for 4th grade and there was not a spot to return to for 5th grade, would you have an opinion then?

We are changing the entire model of the school to enroll 12 choice students and hope they last through 5th grade.

In our model class (from my stack of directories) that started 68 kids as 1st graders five years ago, only 42 of those original kids are now finishing 5th grade. If a third of those were in language immersion (23) only 14 kids would be in language immersion as 5th graders. What would the other 5th grade classes look like?

Wouldn't changing the direction of the school in a way that would benefit ALL students be a better option? Why limit ourselves to only admitting kids until 2nd grade? A broader school-wide focus could bring in MANY more students to EVERY GRADE, EVERY YEAR. Why aren't we looking at other options?

Wordless Wednesday - Sing-Along

2009-04-01T09:41:00.002-06:00

Well, I'm a standing on a corner
In Winslow, Arizona
And such a fine sight to see
It's a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford
slowin' down to take a look at me
Come on, baby, dont say maybe
I gotta know if your sweet love is
Gonna save me
We may lose and we may win
though we will never be here again
So open up, Im climbin in,
So take it easy

Notice the refection in the store window. There really is a girl, my lord in a flatbed Ford...

This was on a stop on the drive back from California over spring break.

Carter: "So we are really stopping to just take a picture standing on a corner?"

Me: "Yes, it will be fun."

Carter: "It sounds lame."

Me: "You'll understand someday, now smile."

I wish I could travel back in time...

2009-03-30T10:18:00.003-06:00

It would be a hoot to see the kids as babies again.

Or experience the first time we walked into the elementary school knowing it would be our second home for the next 12 years.

Or walking up to Ben on that party boat and asking him to dance.

But weighing on my mind today would be to go back 4 years ago.

Right after the genetic counselor came to speak at her ovarian cancer support group.

I tried then, but she was hesitant.

There were so many other things she wanted to do.

She couldn't make time to get the test done.

Today I took the test. Or at least had the blood draw, it took 30 seconds.

Let's back it up a bit.

Many of you have been wondering where I have been for the last few weeks.

Besides driving the boys to California and working on the yearbook for the elementary school; I have been at doctor appointments.

Sit down and dry up, nothing that serious is going on. I hope not anyway.

The bloating and other symptoms of ovarian cancer were getting to me. I had my regular physical. The doctor knew my mom died from ovarian cancer and sent me for a pelvic ultrasound.

There is NO screening test for ovarian cancer so I knew I would start getting these ultrasounds on a regular basis.

I had my appointment on Wednesday, February 25th. The tech looked and measured, measured and looked. It seemed to me she spent a lot longer on the left ovary than the right and I was convinced she had found something.

At one point I remember saying, "What's that?"
She said, "your uterus."
I said, "I hope there isn't a baby in there, ha ha ha."

You know they can't tell you anything, so I didn't expect any news from this appointment.

Monday morning (March 2nd) I get a call from the doctor. "Your uterus is really big and shaped like Mr. Potato Head," she says. "It is probably just fibroids, but go see a gynecologist and he can advise you further."

My first available appointment is March 16th.

For the next two weeks I googled "Fibroid" and determined my abdominal girth is because I have the world's largest fibroid on record. The largest one so far was 20 pounds, mine has to be at least 25. With every beer and brownie it grows and by the time I have my appointment I am sure I am the proud momma of a 45 pound fibroid. I have also concluded that my butt looks so big because my 45 pound fibroid has pushed my other organs to the rear, literally.

The nurse weighs me in, I refrain from sharing my 45 pound fibroid theory.

I meet the doctor, he does the exam, and concludes I have Adenomyosis. Adenomyosis is a condition in which tissue that normally lines the uterus (endometrium) also grows within the muscular walls of the uterus. This is most likely to happen late in your childbearing years and after you've had children. It is different than endometriosis.

My uterus is GINORMOUS, at least 45 pounds (ok, maybe not 45 pounds but that is my story and I am sticking to it.). It is actually quite big, shaped like a gourd and should explain most of the bloating, etc.

So what do you do about it. Hmm, take birth control pills that will probably not do anything (doctor's exact words) OR do nothing OR have a hysterectomy.

Well let's explore the hysterectomy option. I am not near menopause, would need some type of estrogen replacement, heard that maybe you can get cancer from that. Could I get a tummy tuck with that?

Let's explore not having hysterectomy. Really tired of feeling like this, could end up with ovarian cancer anyway like my mom.

I have no idea what do to. I mention to the doctor my fear of ovarian cancer and if I knew Mom's was hereditary this whole decision would be a no-brainer.

The next thing I know I am on the phone making an appointment with a genetic counselor. And not just any genetic counselor, the same one I met with my mom 4 years ago.

Remember 4 years ago when she was too busy or didn't have time to get that blood drawn? If I could go back in time, I would have dragged her there or dragged the lab tech to her.

They could have gotten me in last week, but I drove the kids to California, so this morning at 8:30 I met with him.

He looked at my family history. Here is a brief look; mom had 3 sisters, one with uterine (?) cancer, one with bladder cancer, one without cancer. Her mom had three sisters, one with early onset breast cancer, another with breast cancer and one with kidney or bladder cancer.

To me it looks pretty frightening. There is a lot of cancer going around and I want to know how much I should be worrying.

He agreed that the best person to test would have been mom. If she had it we would know it was hereditary. If I am tested and do not have it, it could still be hereditary but I may not have the gene, but my sister could. Or my cousin or my aunt.

So I am going to be a little mad at my mom for not taking the 30 seconds to get the blood draw. I haven't been mad at her for a long time and I think it was selfish of her not to do this test so we could know what else she passed on, besides her love of volunteering and lack of cooking skills.

In the end, after the hour long counseling portion of the appointment, I decided to get the blood draw. If the insurance approves the testing our portion will still be significant but I feel like I have to know, one way or another.

I should know by Friday if the insurance will cover the test. If they do, I could know results within two weeks.

If it is positive, like I said, no-brainer hysterectomy. If is it negative, bigger decision. Friends and family who have had one say, no big deal do it. Those who haven't say, try to stick it out until menopause.

The cure for andenomyosis is a hysterectomy or menopause.

So, that is the long story of where I have been, and I guess of where I am going.

Yes, I will keep everyone posted. And yes, I know you are concerned about the outcome of the test.

But what I want to know is...

how much do you think my uterus weighs?

I just want comments with guesses and then if I decide to get the hysterectomy maybe I can get the doctor to weigh it for me and have a winner posted on the blog. Hmm, what would be a good prize for that?

You really have to have a sense of humor about these things.

Here is another tidbit of info, when the doctor did the exam he actually said, "Wow, that is a big uterus." He is a professional and he thinks it is big too. Apparently the uterus should end around the pelvic bone, mine goes to almost the belly button.

Have fun guessing the size. And no, I will not be posting pictures of my abdominal girth.

Excuse me, Are you related to Matthew McConaughey?

2009-03-10T17:18:00.007-06:00

Dear Sir,

Let me first apologize. You can not believe how embarrassed I am that you caught me staring at you...repeatedly.

I am very sorry, I could not tear my eyes away and focus on anything else, like say, umm, perhaps..... Hayden's swim lesson.

When you came in I had to look twice, and then a third time, and then again.

I was just in shock, seriously how old are you?

Much of the time I was staring, I was trying to figure out your age.

I didn't think you were a prematurely gray haired 50 year old.

I figure you have been a member of AARP since the first George Bush was President.

Retired for at least 10 years.

You are older than my father.

And Sir, can I just say....

Your body is smokin' hot.

Ok, I know, it is so wrong, you are probably 70 years old. But I have NEVER seen muscles like that in my entire life...except on one man..

Matthew McConaughey

Or as I like to call him

Matthew McCon-a-hey-hey

And then I figured it out...

... You must be Matthew's grandfather or his father's much older brother.

There is no way those muscles are not related.

Again, I apologize for staring. I realize you and your muscles would like some privacy.

And next time, when I remember to bring my camera, please ignore the flash, I am just taking pictures of my son in swim lessons. I would never take pictures of you to post here on my blog.... No, that would just be wrong.

See you Thursday morning and give my love to Matthew.

Sincerely,

The drooling, open mouthed, crazy, staring lady on the bench at the pool

MIA

2009-03-09T06:31:00.006-06:00

Sometimes I try to do too much.

Or maybe I just wait until the last minute to get things done.

Either way, I haven't had time to blog lately.

To see what Hayden has been up to, check out Hillary's blog.

After 5 years in Cub Scouts, Carter crossed over to Boy Scouts. The boys walk across a bridge and are greeted by the Boy Scouts from their new pack. The ceremony was held during the Blue and Gold dinner. We are very proud of his commitment and dedication. He hopes to earn Eagle Scout someday.

Hayden, the four year old, has developed the mouth of a smart alec teenager. After I was gone working on the yearbook yesterday afternoon, I walked into the family room, he turns and looks at me and says, "Well, look who decided to join us."

Griffin's 2nd grade class (all 3 classes) performed a musical, 12 songs from around the world. One of the songs was Guantanamera, never heard of it? How about One Ton Tomato? One Ton Tomato is the parody of Guantanamera. The kids did a great job singing in many different languages.

I did have time to do the Incline again with my friend Chandra. It was her first time and she did great. I hope to get up there again soon.

Ben is done with refereeing basketball for the season and it is nice to have him around more.

We are still planning our driving trip to Southern California for spring break and we may have picked up a passenger or two. My dad and his cat may join us. The cat would be a one way trip only. What could be more fun for the 17 hour drive than adding a 66 year old grandpa with a hearing aide and a cat who hates being in the car.... Just kidding, I am sure having Grandpa along will be a huge help. He can drive and help entertain the boys.

I have a backlog of work to do also. Real work. The work I get paid to do. I have a (very) part time gig doing marketing work for a local restaurant group.

And so that is what we have been doing, or should be doing. Hopefully I can find more time for the blog between the paying and volunteer work. Thanks for understanding my lack of time management skills.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Elvis and the Sock Hop

2009-03-04T12:08:00.004-07:00

Much to Priscilla's dismay, Elvis never had a problem picking up the ladies.

Hayden (Elvis) and the twins

Hayden and Anna

Sock Hop

"Have a nice walk"

2009-03-01T06:21:00.014-07:00

That is what my husband said before I left with Hillary.

We wouldn't exactly call it a walk, more like a hike, a really, really hard hike.

The Manitou Incline is a legendary workout. Yes, it is only about a mile long but in the mile you climb 2100 feet in elevation.

Hillary and I at the start. See that break in the trees, you think that is the end? No, it is the false summit, it goes up further, that was a shocker.

How sad that I have lived in Colorado for almost 30 years and had never hiked the Incline.

Since I am an inquisitive girl, I had to find out the history of this incline. I found some great websites loaded with information.

Completed in 1907 the Manitou Incline was a 1 mile cable tram built to support the construction of a hydroelectric plant and it's waterline. After performing this service the railway was then purchased by Dr. Brumbach and turned into a tourist attraction. The incline boasted a 16 minute ride to "scenic splendors", 10 miles of hiking trails in Mount Manitou Park, and claimed to be the "longest and highest incline on the globe."

Spencer Penrose bought the incline in 1923 and made it part of his tourist attraction empire, which is now owned by the Oklahoma Publishing Co. During this time the cars were upgraded to allow for a retractable roof and more safety. The summit station was again rebuilt in 1958 and lasted until it was dismantled upon closure of the incline.

The Manitou Incline became a prominant feature above Manitou Springs. It was a popular tourist attraction and remained busy for many years. However it was plagued with rockslides that made the maintenance costs very high.

1969 Summit Photo and the final version of car used on the incline.

The Incline tourist attraction closed in early 1990 and has become a very popular place for local hikers. And now we know why.

Hillary

Me and Hillary

More to go

Hillary looking down

I found myself counting the railroad ties, "I'll take a break at 40." Or "If I can just take 20 more, I can sit and rest." Rumor has it there are about 3000 railroad ties. I counted to 40 several times. During the steepest parts, I counted to 5.

Looking up

Looking down

Hillary gets to the summit

We ROCK!

And you can either hike back down (umm, no thanks) or take the 4 mile stretch of Barr Trail back to the parking lot.

Next Saturday we are going to take this "nice walk" again. Want to join us?

Wordless Wednesday ~ My Pantry

2009-02-25T07:32:00.002-07:00

This is my pantry

Look closer

And closer

Who ate a piece of cake in the pantry? AND LEFT IT THERE??

Spring Break

2009-02-24T05:12:00.003-07:00

Spring break is quickly approaching. Last year we did this. It was fun. I love taking a vacation in your hometown. We discovered a new museum, took a short drive to a historic area and were home every night in time to make dinner.

This year we are doing this. It is a 17 hour drive. No problem, we have two drivers...oh wait, Ben can't get vacation time over spring break. Ummm, ok, I can do it myself. I just have to remember to wear my big girl panties.

I am already scouring the stores for cheap games, activities, and dvds that will keep the three boys busy while Mommy drives them to California.

So far I have:

Temporary tattoos, complete this with a few Ziplocked wet paper towels and we will have a mobile tattoo shop.

Playdoh, yeah nutty idea but it should come off leather seats, right?

Two car dvd scene it games

Travel game and riddle books from the library

Do you have other ideas? What keeps your children acting like angels on a long road trip?

Since we started Dave we try to do everything with cash and inexpensively. I noticed that the credit card we no longer use had some reward points I could cash in.

We should be receiving the following gift cards:

2 $10 Burger King, for road food

$25 Blockbuster, for purchasing used dvds

$25 Starbucks, mommy juice

$75 Best Western, one night stay on the road

Once in California we will be staying with my brother and sister-in-law. I have big plans for seeing Balboa Park and all the museums, the beach (of course), Legoland is a definite possibility also.

The boys are saving their allowance/commission from the chore chart for souvenirs. I am saving the basketball referee money (from Ben) for admission charges.

It is a crazy, long drive. I am probably insane. But who could resist this?

Linda and Vinny

Summer 2005, hot tub party

The kids have Thursday and Friday off for parent/teacher conferences so we can leave Thursday morning. I plan to make it to Winslow, Arizona by the evening. Yes, I will be taking a picture of the boys standing on a corner. (Google the lyrics for Take it Easy by The Eagles if you didn't get the reference) We should pull into Vista, California by early evening on Friday.

I have three more weeks to prepare myself and find those big girl panties.

My daughter-in-law

2009-02-22T11:55:00.003-07:00

I often run around with Hayden delivering marketing material to the restaurants for my cool part-time gig.

One day we walked into Salsa Brava and as Hayden bellied up to the bar to order the usual,a Shirley Temple with 5 cherries, he noticed his friend Emily having lunch with her grandmother.

He leans over on his bar stool to whisper in my ear. "I'm gonna marry that girl someday," he tells me.

For a moment I think twenty years has flown by and here is my 24 year old son, home from medical school, telling me he is engaged.

And then I flashback to reality....

Although he may just marry that girl someday.

He said what?

2009-02-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

Griffin: Has Wilma been neutered?

Me: (not exactly, but I get your meaning) Yes.

Griffin: She still has some of her claws. She clawed me in the leg.

Me: Ummm, well, she still has claws, neutered or spayed means...... something different.

~~~~~~~~

Hayden: What are you doing Mom?

Me: Baking cookies.

Hayden: For us?

Me: For good boys.

Hayden: Why can't you make cookies for us?

~~~~~~~~

Griffin: Yum bread. Do we have grape juice?

Me: No.

Griffin: Aww, I wanted to have communion.

Our Snuggie

2009-02-19T13:35:00.005-07:00

You have seen the commercials.

Your kids have begged you to buy one, AND GET ONE FREE!

Do you have a Snuggie?

No, we don't either.

We do have this blanket that I just finished.

You may remember I started it over Thanksgiving break. I longed to finish it over Christmas, but who has the time then?

And when I had two kids home sick last week, I finished it.

I love it. I made it with old jeans from everyone in our family and the green velvet maternity dress I wore with all three boys.

It is very heavy and warm and better than any old Snuggie. Even if they do offer buy one, get one free.

I hope he remembers this lesson

2009-02-17T07:09:00.004-07:00

Buying on credit.

When you don't have quite enough birthday money to buy that Ipod,

And you KNOW your Great Aunt will send a gift card, but it hasn't come yet,

And your Mom offers to front you the money until the other gift card comes,

You MUST pay her back when the gift card comes,

And it hurts so much to hand over that shiny, new gift card.

You know that feeling Griffin?

That's how it is with credit cards too.

You don't think of how it feels to pay it back when you are "buying" something. And it feels so much better to pay in cash in the first place. It is painful to pay down your credit card when you can't remember what you purchased. That's why Dad and I are not using the credit card anymore.

I wish we had covered this lesson from Dave Ramsey before I gave you the money for the Ipod. It would have made yesterday so much more fun.

Nice Thong

2009-02-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

Dear Lisa,

Thank you so much for inviting us to your birthday party. We really enjoyed hanging out with your CRAZY relatives. I know we weren't technically invited, but your boyfriend said we should help ourselves to the food on the pool table, I think that counts as being a part of your party.

When we decided to go to the neighborhood sports bar on Valentine's day to watch our friend in the band, I had no idea there would also be a floor show. Out of the entire evening, the crazy dancing, Grandma who kept requesting Elvis, the man dance and butt grab, my favorite part has to be the full moon. Like a train wreck, I couldn't look away. Really a red thong? You go girl. I just hope at my 60th birthday party, my ass looks half as good. I must admit, I did turn away in horror as you were showing everyone the festive panties. By the way, were those your grand daughters in the cheerleader outfits, they looked about 5?

We had a fun time Lisa. We will always remember your 60th birthday. And when you get those pictures back, from the disposable camera your sister gave us, you can remember us too.

The Testosterone Zone Top Ten

2009-02-12T07:28:00.004-07:00

Audrey is having a contest. I love Top Ten Lists. Here is my entry. Want to play along? Grab the button, post and link up at Audrey's blog.

10. A view from the kitchen of the Testosterone Zone

9. Lost that lovin' feeling? No Way!

8. What a bummer

7. Be More Specific

6. Not a Cool Mom?!

5. Thank you for calling Cheap Tickets. This is Laura, how can I help you?

4. Three is a Magic Number

3. Speechless

2. I am not going to cry

And the NUMBER ONE post on the Testosterone Zone

1. 100 reasons Why I Love The Testosterone Zone

Wordless Wednesday ~ Where is he going to go?

2009-02-11T07:13:00.006-07:00

This little baby-cakes is going to kindergarten. Today is phase 2 of kindergarten registration, go to the central office and sign the paperwork. School will start on August 17th.

It is really hard for me to believe that it is time already. Oh, don't get me wrong, I AM READY. The time just flew by. I think they warned me that it would.

First day of Pre-K with friends Abby, Emily and Maddie.

For more wordful Wednesday check out 7 clown circus

For more wordless Wednesday check out 5 minutes for mom

What are YOU doing?

2009-02-10T09:37:00.003-07:00

What I am doing:

Listing items from my closet at swapmamas, Mommy Pie's awesome idea to recycle items with other moms.

Taking care of Carter and Hayden who are home sick again.

Catching up with the bloggers, trying to comment, laughing and crying at all the stories I have missed.

Wishing we had lots of money to remodel our kitchen. I have a new idea to remove the wall between the kitchen and the (seldom used) living room to make the kitchen bigger and have a small sitting area.

Talking with my sister on the phone, deciding who is going to call dad to check in since we haven't heard from him since Saturday.

Searching facebook for more friends. I need more friends.

Smiling because my over-priced, over-sized, gas guzzling, boy mover is PAID OFF and the car repairs were minimal.

Wondering about our appointment at H+R Block this Saturday. Will it be a good refund? Will we owe? Is this really the way we want to spend Valentine's Day?

What I should be doing:

Laying out the yearbook for the elementary school.

Calling people that ordered from the Little Ceasar's Pizza Fundraiser to remind them to pick up their pizza kits on Thursday.

Making the word games for the Valentine's Day party in the 5th grade classroom this Friday.

Finishing my jeans/denim blanket I made with the boys jeans.

Cleaning the house.

Finishing other sewing projects while my sewing machine is upstairs.

I hope I get something accomplished today. And what are you doing today?

My love affair with Dave

2009-02-06T08:07:00.002-07:00

He makes me laugh.

He tells me how it is.

He tells me when I am being stupid.

He tells me what would be smarter.

He gives me baby steps so I can be smarter, quicker.

He understands our issues.

He knows it is hard to change our ways.

He is giving me 91 days to make a change in my life.

He is coming to Colorado Springs on April 18th.

Because of him, I am driving a paid off car for the first time in 15 years.

Because of him, we have a new plan.

Because of him, I am not as worried about the economy as I was before he came into our lives.

Because of him, we will be accountable to each other and our family and make SMARTER choices.

I love Dave.

Can I be honest with you?

2009-02-04T07:26:00.004-07:00

Look what Elaine gave me!

It's an award, with a catch.

1). List 10 honest things about yourself - and make it interesting, even if you have to dig deep!

2). Pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap.

Did Elaine award me with this award because of my open and honest look into The Testosterone Zone?

Did she pick me because when she reads about this, she can almost smell it?

Is it because we send out Christmas cards like this?

Did she pick me because The Testosterone Zone is a glimpse into her life with older boys? She's scared and sickened, but can't look away. Like a bad car wreck, you have to slow down and take a look and hope that never happens to you.

Whatever her reasoning, I am honored. Here we go.

1. I HATE being barefoot on a hotel bathroom floor. It creeps me out. The first thing I do is put down that little bathmat and move it with me all over the bathroom to make sure my feet never touch the tile.

2. Each time I was pregnant with the boys, I thought he would be a she. We had ultrasounds and found out the sex. With Hayden (the last) I saw the proof before the ultrasound tech. When we got back in the car, "This one's for the girls" was playing on the radio and I cried all the way home.

3. Ok, I'll be honest. I cried for several days.

4. I am now happy we have just boys. I do not like the "oh poor Laura, she has boys" comments. My boys are GREAT! They are responsible, honest, caring, active, funny and self confident. What more could we ask for?

5. Ben and I met on a cruise, during a day excurison on a party boat. I was drinking. My cousin threatened to kill him if he took advantage of me. When we made plans to get together later, he said, "Go rest and sober up, let me know if you are still interested later." We were married 51 weeks later. And no, he didn't take advantage of me.

6. As a teeneager, when my mom once said she was glad we were friends, I said you are not my friend, you are my mom. I felt HORRIBLE about it for years, because we were friends. I am sorry I waited until the end to apologize to her for saying it. I have always regretted saying it. What a snotty daughter.

7. My husband brings me coffee in bed EVERY MORNING, even on his birthday. This is when I check email, blogs, schedules. I really can not get out of bed without the coffee and he knows it. On the rare morning that I am awake before him, I bring him coffee.

8. I need to lose 25 pounds. I tell myself I only need to lose 10. I love ice cream. I love dessert. I love having a few drinks. I am not making much progress.

9. I hate feet. Do not touch me with those nasty things. They are smelly and sweaty and I hate them. Two weeks ago I told Hayden he still had cute baby feet and I liked his feet. Since then he has developed sweaty, yucky feet. I am going to have to tell him the truth. This is all about being honest, right?

10. I really don't like to talk on the phone. I prefer email. I refuse to replace the battery in our cordless phone because I know it only allows for about 30 minutes of talk time and if it starts beeping, I have an excuse to hang up. Now, I do occasionally like talking to people on the phone, like YOU but not everyday or for more than a few minutes. So you can still call, and I'd love to talk to you but now you know the secret of the beeping phone.

I think lots of bloggers are honest in their blogging. It is hard to just pick 7. If I missed you and you want to participate to, please do!

1. Jodi
2. McMommy
3. Laural
4. Kristen
5. Auds
6. Hillary
7. Mommy Pie

That kid needs a shave

2009-02-03T08:31:00.003-07:00

Hayden's 5 o'clock shadow

Part Chocolate milk. Part Italian descent.

Seriously, double click the photo to see it bigger. He has a moustache.

11

2009-02-02T21:24:00.005-07:00

What did Carter do for his 11th birthday?

He ordered off the adult menu for the first time ever (with us, Grandpa let him once). We have three, we had to set a precedent or the 4 year old would want to order a rack of ribs instead of chicken nuggets.

He tried out for Missoula, the week-long theatre program that comes to our school every year. And FINALLY got a part.

See him?

No? How about now? He is a tree barker. Griffin was chosen to be an assistant director.

And then, after the performance he had 4 boys sleepover. They had 5 pizzas, many sodas, lava cake and a sleepless night.

For breakfast, two loaves of Texas Toast French toast and a gallon of milk.

It was a fun night, but I am glad it is over.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Harry Potter Jr?

2009-01-28T12:53:00.003-07:00

My adorable nephew Zander wearing my glasses.

One day with a 4 year old

2009-01-28T06:16:00.002-07:00

Hayden: Do you know what today is?

Ben: Carter's birthday?

Hayden: NO, Vanessa's birthday party.

~~~~~~~

Friend's mom: Is Hayden's middle name Johnson?

Me: Umm, no.

Friend's mom: (Laughing) He told us it was Johnson. We figured it was a family name.

Me: Umm, no. It is Vincent, also a family name but not as out there as Johnson.

LATER

Me: Why did you tell them your middle name was Johnson?

Hayden: I couldn't remember my name.

Clearly I do not hollar at him enough. Even the neighbors know Griffin's middle name.

~~~~~~~~

Walking through Kohl's

Hayden: (giggling) I know what those are.

Me: What are they?

Hayden: They are bras (giggle, giggle). You wear them on your tummy.

I either need a lift or some privacy.

~~~~~~~~~~

Kohl's bathroom

Hayden wiggles, the automatic toilet flushes, he gets up so he doesn't get wet, he sits, he wiggles, the flush, he gets up, repeat FOR 15 minutes.

I had to purchase 1 thing. Our trip to Kohl's lasted 1 1/2 hours complete with 4 trips to the bathroom.

3/4 of a what?

2009-01-25T15:02:00.007-07:00

What would happen if instead of 3/4 of a teaspoon of baking soda

You added 3/4 of a cup?

You would get cookie dough that doesn't look right,

Cookies that do not flatten when they cook,

And a NASTY taste in your mouth when you try one.

Griffin learned there is a very BIG difference between 3/4 of a teaspoon and 3/4 of a cup. I learned that even if he says he can do it by himself, I should find something to do in the kitchen to keep an eye on things.

I am sure it was an honest mistake and not an attempt to poison his older brother, although the older brother disagrees.

We broke the girl

2009-01-22T17:13:00.003-07:00

I had an interesting call yesterday. The names have been changed to save the innocent.

Caller: Hi, this is Jane's Grandmother. Jane and Susie were invited by Carter to come over.

Me: Ummm. Ok, but it can't be tonight, we have a commitment at church. (not into phone) HEY CARTER.

Me: Carter, did you invite Jane and Susie over?

Carter: (smirking) yeah.

He says it was more of a "you two should come over sometime" kind of invitation, not a "come over tonight" type of invite.

Me: Well, Jane's Grandma, they can come over tomorrow.

We agree to chat again on Thursday.

Today the girls did decide to come over.

I had already had the "the door stays open" talk about playing Lego's in his room.

I wasn't really sure what to expect.

I did not expect that we would break one of them.

They were in, they went out, they played upstairs, they played downstairs...and then they decided to try the green machines.

We have two, the boys got them from Grandpa for Christmas 2006. They are pros. I can even ride them and spin out like no body's business.

Little Jane can not.

She took a tumble and has a scraped up knee. A badly scraped up knee.

I am awaiting the Grandmother's return to pick up the girls.

How am I going to explain this?

We only had them for an hour and we broke one.

Luckily we have plenty of band-aids and neosporin. What house full of boys doesn't? We even had to break out the BIG gauze pads and surgical tape.

I am sure this incident will ruin Carter's social life forever.

Susie: "Remember when we went to Carter's and his parents let you get broken?"

Jane: "Yes, I still have a scar."

Susie: "Yeah, that's why I am not going to prom with him."

Wordless Wednesday ~ They have been friends since the beginning

2009-01-21T04:54:00.004-07:00

Hayden with Fred and Wilma.

Hayden and Fred (Wilma was out with Betty, just kidding)

Too Many Updates Tuesday

2009-01-20T11:06:00.002-07:00

Can you believe it is Tuesday again? The long weekend threw me off.

Post your facebook, twitter and all other updates you have had for the week.

You could get a quick look at everybody's week.
Let everyone know what else has been going on since there is less time for blogging!
Get more friends on Facebook.
Get more followers on Twitter

Here we go! Remember to post your updates and link up below.

Laura is glad the Sal and Monella are back at school. January 15th 8:47am

Laura is going to make an appearance at Cub Scouts. January 15th 6:33pm

Laura thinks that Hayden watches too much t.v. When he exits the room, he says "I'll be back after these messages." January 15th 9:46pm

Laura is really sick of the ONE SONG Lego Customer Service offers for those on hold. I can "Just Imagine" not having to call Lego anymore. January 16th 5:36pm

Laura is going to the Y this morning. If she can remember how to get there. January 16th 8:30am

Laura is a master Lego builder, according to Carter. Ah, finally the respect she deserves. January 17th 9:40pm

Laura has eight kids running between her house and the neighbors and back. She is ok with this because she also has a LARGE bottle of wine. January 18th 1:14pm

Laura just cleaned up the yard. 5 bikes, 2 motorized scooters, 3 scooters, 2 green machines, 3 sleds, 2 hoses, 1 wagon, 3 baseball bats, 2 helmets, 1 basketball. January 18th 7:06pm

Did I blink?

2009-01-19T15:30:00.002-07:00

We went from here:

To here:

I swear it happened in the blink of an eye.

And today I finished step one of kindergarten registration. This little angel face will start kindergarten in the fall.

I said I would be crying tears of joy.

I said I would be fine with sending my baby to kindergarten.

I think I may have spoken too soon.

On February 11th, I will complete step 2 of kindergarten registration. I will bring tissues, just in case.

It takes a village...or a cul-de-sac

2009-01-18T20:53:00.004-07:00

We have the best neighbors ever. (And friends too! But this is just about the neighbors)

No, seriously we do.

The house next to us has changed owners 5 times in the 10 years we have lived here. We try not to take it personally.

A few owners ago, when we found out they were selling, I told Ben, "Yes, it's sad, but I think we can do better." (If you are reading Connie, NOT YOU GUYS)

Ben "Do better? These guys are great."
Me "They are a pair of fives. They are good but we can get better."

And we got better. And other houses have turned over and we have gotten better neighbors there too.

We have a cul-de-sac of full houses and a few straight flushes.

In the summer the kids play together all day. The parents enjoy adult beverages and conversation on various front porches. The cul-de-sac is filled with sidewalk chalk art, until the next rain storm. We have even talked about getting a projector to show movies on the garage door.

We get together for Happy Hour Fridays, no invitation neccessary, just come over, the porch is always open. We get together for holidays. We get together to play cards. We get together just to get together.

When Carter "went missing" this week. One neighbor took off one way in her car AND the other neighbor took Hayden, BEFORE I COULD EVEN ASK!

There are fantastic teenage babysitters RIGHT NEXT DOOR.

We have a neighborhood watch, sort of.

Have to run a quick errand? One of the neighbors would be happy to keep the kids.

Running late and can't meet the bus? One of the neighbors will pick the kids up for you.

It's your anniversary and you are low on cash to pay a sitter? No worries, the neighbors VOLUNTEERED to watch the kids so you could go out.

Besides being REALLY lucky in the neighbor department, I think our street ROCKS because of the cul-de-sac and the front porches. The kids play out front, you get to know your neighbors. You can sit and visit on the porch while they play.

Do you know your neighbors? Do you have a front porch? Any thoughts?

I have had a lot of visitors to the blog lately and very few comments. I am starting to get a complex. Please comment. I am starving for attention.

I love our porch!

YIPPEE

Fall Fun

Where has the time gone?

2009-01-15T20:28:00.004-07:00

December of 2004, Carter was a Tiger Scout.

I remember we had the Christmas den meeting at our house. I think the boys decorated cookies. I snapped that picture.

And tonight, Carter earned the Arrow of Light award. Now, I am not going to tell you I really know what that means. I have probably been to a handful of meetings between the Christmas den meeting in 2004 and tonight's Pack meeting.

I will tell you it is a BIG DEAL.

They got a cool arrow. A fancy new pin. A Badge for the Boy Scout uniform they will wear when they cross-over from Cub Scouts next month.

Carter has been in Cub Scouts for 5 years and plans to make it to Eagle Scout one day.

We are very proud of you Carter.

Carter and two of his buddies that will be joining him in Boy Scouts.

Too Many Updates Tuesday

2009-01-13T09:16:00.004-07:00

What have you been up to this week?

It's time again for Too Many Updates Tuesday!

Post your facebook, twitter and all other updates you have had for the week.

You could get a quick look at everybody's week.
Let everyone know what else has been going on since there is less time for blogging!
Get more friends on Facebook.
Get more followers on Twitter

Laura would like to find a mouse trap big enough to kill Chuck E. Cheese, then we would NEVER have to go there again. Jan. 6th 8:17pm

Laura says 2 down, 1 to go....back to school that is... Jan. 7th 11:24am

Laura annoyed with Oprah and Suze Orman for suggesting a month long restaurant boycott. Jan. 8th 5:40pm

Laura called the district transportation dept to complain about the bus driver. Almost makes me want to drive them to school...almost. Jan. 9 8:21am

Laura is afraid she has watched every episode of House. Jan. 10 8:57am

Laura is googling E. Coli, Shigella and Salmonella. Jan 11 6:49pm

Laura is in LOVE with Lysol. She loves Lysol so much that she may marry it. Jan. 12 1:46pm

Copy and paste your updates into a quick post and link up here.

Oh poop!

2009-01-11T21:30:00.004-07:00

Carter and Griffin have the same problem.

I wont divulge details, but if you are curious, click here. Don't say I didn't warn you.

First it was Carter. I called the doctor. We were sent to Urgent Care.

I was on my way there when Ben called and said Griffin now had the same thing.

I made a u-turn and went back for Griffin, hoping we had some sort of two for one deal on co-pays.

We got our money's worth today. We were at Urgent Care for almost 3 hours.

Many stool samples, urine samples and blood tests were taken.

I was told to collect more stool samples at home. Lucky me.

Most of the results will be back by Tuesday morning.

So far the thought is they have either Salmonella, Shigella or E. Coli.

The good news is, besides the one symptom above, (did you click it?) they feel fine.

We should know more by Tuesday morning.

There is never a dull moment in the Testosterone Zone!

Darn that Blogger! HELP!!

2009-01-10T22:28:00.002-07:00

I lost all my blog rolls. Please comment with your blog address so I can add everyone back on my list.

I hate being out of touch.

I feel so abandoned.

oops, She did it again! What did Oprah do now?

2009-01-08T17:15:00.002-07:00

First, the meat industry. Remember that? After seeing cows being butchered she spoke off the cuff and said she wouldn't eat meat again. The meat industry was crippled after that remark. They sued Oprah!

And today, she had Suze Orman on the show. Suze suggested the following:

1. Don't spend any money for one day

2. Don't use the credit card for a week.

3. Don't eat at a restaurant for a month.

She had me until #3.

Ben: what are you doing?

Me: I'm writing to Oprah.

Ben: No, really, what are you doing?

Me: I am on Oprah.com writing her a letter about today's show.

In case she does not publicly respond to my letter and admit her mistake, I have included it below for you to read.

Dear Oprah,

I love your show, you always have such great advice. Although today's show with Suze Orman had more far reaching implications than I think you realize.

The suggestion to avoid eating out at restaurants for a month may indeed save people money, however those in the food service industry are GREATLY impacted by such a boycott of restaurants. The servers making less than $3 an hour rely on those tips from customers to pay their rent. The commission based food service salesmen,such as my husband, sell far less food if Oprah and Suze say don't eat out for a month. The truck driver delivering the food will have much less food to deliver, shortening his work day and paycheck.

You can see how this suggestion of a restaurant boycott will do more harm than good for the American economy. It may help your personal checking account for the month but the realization is, that if these food service workers lose that money in wages, that money will also not be circulated through the local economy, thereby impacted several additional industries.

I hope you can amend your suggestion and encourage people to eat out responsibly, not using the credit card to pay for the meal would be one example.
I look forward to seeing your next show.

Thanks,
Laura Ayotte

I think my friend Jean Chatzky would have had other advice. She would not make such a crazy suggestion that affects so many people.

I now have to end this post and sit by the phone waiting for Oprah to call and invite me on the show. If she doesn't call, Jean and I can just sit around making fun of Suze.

Wordless Wednesday ~ New Year's Eve PARTY ANIMALS

2009-01-07T08:11:00.004-07:00

Oh yeah, we know how to party.

For more Wordless Wednesday, check out Seven Clown Circus

Too Many Updates TUESDAY

2009-01-06T08:00:00.001-07:00

I have been feeling this way for a while.

After Auds posted this I knew I wasn't alone.

My brain started spinning, after all those martinis it actually hurt. Then I came up with an idea.

What if everyone did a blog post once a week with all their favorite updates, from Twitter, Facebook, or elsewhere.

You could get a quick look at everybody's week.
Let everyone know what else has been going on since there is less time for blogging!
Get more friends on Facebook.
Get more followers on Twitter.

Ok, the last two reasons are just the icing on top.

Then my mind started spinning again, ouch...

Facebook Friday, nah, Friday is busy enough without adding another commitment and it leaves out Twitter.

Let's see, today is Tuesday.....

And so we have Too Many Updates Tuesday!

I hope you like it and feel like joining in.

Here are my updates for the week:

Laura is glad the furnace IS NOT broken. Laura is NOT glad Hayden stuck the plastic tail from Griffin's new kite into the air return and mucked it up. Dec 30, 7:44am

Laura is having a hard time remembering it is only Thursday. Doesn't it feel like Saturday? Jan 1,9:54pm

Laura is ready for the kids to go to the bus stop on Monday! Oh wait, not until THURSDAY!! AWW, Come on! Jan 2, 5:59pm

Laura is finding it hard to believe Griffin is going to be 8 tomorrow. Jan 4, 7:04pm

Laura has submitted the park reservation application and is now in the planning phase of the Sue DiNapoli Ovarian Cancer Awareness Walk (and hopefully 5K run). Jan 5, 9:06am

Laura is regretting teaching Hayden an appropriate word for part of his body. His new favorite word rhymes with BESTICLES. Jan 5, 6:31pm

Laura is hopeful you will link up and join in! Simply write your post (or copy and paste from Facebook, like I did) and add a link to this post.

And you may have noticed this is my 200th post. I didn't plan that this way. I was thinking I would do something like this. That was my most popular post EVER. Maybe this will be just as popular, it can be with your help. LINK UP!

This isn't relaxing

2009-01-05T11:10:00.002-07:00

Isn't yoga supposed to be a mellow, relaxing exercise?

You get in touch with your inner self and find peace.

How can I do that when every time I try to do yoga, this happens?

Mom and her yoga groupies. Notice the extra one, Griffin had a friend sleepover, he got right into the action with the rest of the boys.

I am excited for Friday when they are all back in school and I can do my Wii Fit by myself!

Random thoughts

2009-01-04T19:58:00.004-07:00

I may have had one too many pomegranate martinis last night. Thanks to my good friends who helped celebrate a belated Happy New Year!

My Wii Fit scolded me for missing 4 days. Doesn't it realize I couldn't walk for two days because of the FIRST time I used the Wii Fit? I haven't missed a day since, I don't like to get in trouble.

If things were different, today would have been a day of celebration, because forty five years ago today, they did this:

Instead, tonight I sit filling out park rental applications for the Sue DiNapoli Ovarian Cancer Awareness Walk (and hopefully 5K run). I will be at the park office at 8am tomorrow to file my applications for the August 8th event.

Tomorrow is also Griffin's 8th birthday! He is celebrating tonight with a sleepover. Again, let me remind you I had one too many martinis last night maybe a sleepover wasn't the greatest idea....

Here are some fun shots of the Birthday Boy.

Where we've been, Where we are going.

2008-12-31T07:43:00.002-07:00

I never make resolutions. If I make goals for the new year, I do not call them resolutions.

For better or worse, I posted the 2008 goals on the blog, it was the first post.

You probably missed it. Nobody read the blog back then.

As a way to achieve physical fitness, I decided to start a racing bib collection.

As a way to achieve financial fitness, I decided not to shop. Pretty unrealistic.

However, I did spend less time shopping, more time blogging.

Less time buying "great deals" that we do not need, More time hanging out with Jean Chatzky.

I think we finally realize what an "emergency" is and why you should only use your credit card for those. Unfortunately an emergency IS NOT the semi annual sale at Bath and Body Works....

The racing bib collection was also pretty vague. 1 can be a collection, right? As the year is now drawing to a close, I counted my racing bibs.

My favorite, you guessed it the Half Marathon!!

My least favorite, The Tortoise and the Hare 5K. I think I still need therapy from that day. Click the link to travel to the running blog and read the details. I can't even retell the story, too horrific.

So, how many racing bibs? Eleven! Not bad considering my forced break from May-July, and the ankle injury in February. For more running info and a list of my 2008 racing results, check out the running blog. I hope to update it more regularly in the future. ColoradoRunnerGirl.blogspot.com

I am so glad I started the blog. I look back to all the posts and realize I would have forgotten many of the little things. I love having a blog. It started as a diary really and has become a way to keep in touch with family and friends. And who knew I would make so many new blogging friends!

Who knows what 2009 has in store for us.

When asked by family what Ben and I got each other for Christmas, we said "Financial Freedom." Hopefully we can continue with that goal throughout the new year. I think we can do it.

One racing bib I am looking forward to wearing is the Pikes Peak Ascent. They will post the qualification requirements in January, hopefully my half marathon time is still good enough. The Pikes Peak Ascent is run the day before I turn the BIG 40! I really need to do it this year.

I hope 2009 includes:

No car payments
Happy, healthy family and friends
A better 401K
A great, big 40th Birthday Party
Several more racing bibs

Do you make resolutions? Set goals? What are your dreams for 2009?

Caught ya! and other news

2008-12-29T08:53:00.004-07:00

On Christmas Eve, after everyone went to bed, Grandpa heard Buddy barking. He went upstairs to investigate and this is what he found.

(stop laughin' at our pathetic tree!!)

Now if you know my father, you must be thinking, He can't hear anything without that hearing aide, how on earth did he hear the dog barking?

Well, I don't know, but that's our story and we are sticking to it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

10,000 Legos

It certainly feels like 10,000 Legos, maybe more. It has been a very Lego Christmas. Santa put smaller Lego sets in the stockings, great idea since it slowed down the mad rush to get to the tree.

The boys have been helping each other put the sets together and playing together. Live has been pretty peaceful.

They received a few Lego gift cards too, they are looking forward to placing that order.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christmas Day

Dad stayed over Christmas Eve. Susie, Alan, Dusty, Xander and Josh came over for brunch. Hillary, Scott and the girls came too. It was a fun time. We made the usual ham, broccoli and cheese dish, baked french toast had fruit and bloody Marys!

We had an empty house by 1:30. Dad decided to join his girlfriend's family in Denver for dinner. Susie and her family went to Alan's family for dinner. I was not looking forward to a small Christmas dinner, it isn't in my genes to be able to handle that! Our friends across the street came over and joined us at the dinner table; 4 adults 6 kids, it was great!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You show us everything you've got

You keep on dancin' and the room gets hot

You drive us wild, we'll drive you crazy

You say you wanna go for a spin

The party's just begun, we'll let you in

You drive us wild, we'll drive you crazy

You keep on shoutin', you keep on shoutin'

I wanna rock and roll all nite and party every day

You guessed it! The boys (Carter, Griffin and Ben) got Guitar Hero Aerosmith. And they are rock and rolling ALL Nite and partying everyday! Hayden even got an acoustic guitar. I have a house full of Rock Stars!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

New Year's Eve Plans

Comfy jammies
chips
dips
chocolate fondue
snacks
4 adults
6 kids
movies
card games
Guitar hero (heaven help me)
champagne
sparkling apple juice

What are your plans?

I didn't even have to pay him to sing it

2008-12-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

Santa Claus IS Coming to town!

2008-12-24T07:39:00.004-07:00

One of my FAVORITE memories from childhood Christmases was waiting for the Santa Tracker on the nightly news. I do not remember this when we lived in New York, only when we moved to Colorado. It was 1979 and I was 10....don't judge me, I still believe in Santa.

NORAD (remember the movie War Games?), just down the road in SW Colorado Springs is the center for the Santa Tracker. It started in 1955 after a misprint in the newspaper, a number from a local Sears store to contact Santa was misprinted and the number printed was to the Director of Operations at Continental Air Defense (Now NORAD). Click on the above link to read the entire history.

Or to just get to the fun stuff, CLICK HERE, SANTATRACKER.ORG.

The boys are already checking the updates, watching the videos, and realizing YES, there is a Santa Claus and he can get all over the world in one night.

If you don't believe in Santa, YOU SHOULD and you will after seeing this website.

NOTE: Click and drag to see the whole map. Video clips have Santa starting at the North Pole and stopping in various locations across the globe.

Make sure to get to bed before he gets too close to your house.

Merry Christmas!

Be my friend

2008-12-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

Are you on facebook? If not, you should be.

I love facebook.

Life in Colorado

2008-12-21T08:07:00.004-07:00

I just couldn't resist sharing. I did add some links to help the non-Coloradoans understand.

You're from Colorado if you'll eat ice cream in the winter.

When the weather report says it's going to be 65 degrees, you shave your legs and wear a skirt.

It snows 5 inches and you don't expect school to be cancelled.

You'll wear flip flops every day of the year, regardless of temperature.

You have no accent at all, but can hear other people's. And then you make fun of them.

'Humid' is over 25%.

Your sense of direction is: Toward the mountains and Away from the mountains.

You say 'the interstate' and everybody knows which one.

You think that May is a totally normal month for a blizzard.

You buy your flowers to set out on Mother's Day, but try and hold off planting them until just before Father's Day.

You grew up planning your Halloween costumes around your coat.

You know what the Continental Divide is.

You went to Casa Bonita as a kid, and as an adult.

You've gone off-roading in a vehicle that was never intended for such activities.

You always know the elevation of where you are.

You wake up to a beautiful, 80 degree day and you wonder if it's going to snow tomorrow.

You don't care that some company renamed it, the Broncos still play at Mile High.

Everybody wears jeans to church.

You actually know that ** South Park ** is a real place not just a show on TV.

You know what a 'trust fund hippy' is, and you know its natural habitat is Boulder.

You know you're talking to a fellow Coloradoan when they call it Elitches, not Six Flags.

A bear on your front porch doesn't bother you. Or under your deck

Your two favorite teams are the Broncos and whoever is beating the crap out of the Raiders.

When people out East tell you they have mountains in their state too, you just laugh.

You go anywhere else on the planet and the air feels 'sticky' and you notice the sky is no longer blue.

A view from the kitchen of The Testosterone Zone

2008-12-20T18:39:00.004-07:00

This is what they ate today:

1/2 dozen hard boiled eggs

2 pieces cinnamon toast

1 bowl cereal

3 pound bag of apples

1/2 cake

1/2 package of hot dogs

banana

oreos

candy corn

ice cream bar

chocolate bar

snickers bar

chocolate milk

and 3 full slabs of ribs

Me: Did you eat any vegetables?

Carter: No, I'm a meatatarian. It is against my moral fiber to eat vegetables. It's a life long commitment. And one I don't take lightly.

Jean called me Laura and SMART.

2008-12-19T11:13:00.002-07:00

Did you see it? Skip ahead to 3:05 if you want to skip the first few questions.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I would have seen it LIVE on the show if I wasn't at school at Winter Party #1. Thank goodness for DVR and the internet!!

Good Morning America Here I Come!!

2008-12-18T20:40:00.001-07:00

Dear Jean,

What the heck?

I ask a SIMPLE question.

Your girl Sarah emails back, "great question, make a video and we will put it on the Today Show."

I make the video and ask when it will be used.

Sarah emails back, Tuesday.

WE ALL WATCH. NO LAURA.

THEN, Sarah emails again yesterday, "Where are you from? We are going to use the video Thursday (Today)."

I email back, Pueblo...just kidding.

WE ALL WATCH. NO LAURA.

I email Sarah. She said, I thought they used it.

Ummm, HELLO Sarah, watch the show sometime, Jean Chatzky didn't even show up.

And so I figure you have a week left to air it. I filmed it in front of this .

Now the question is, Do I say don't air it and assume you will. Are you obstinent like Hayden that way? Or do I just set the DVR for every Today Show between now and Christmas?

And, by the way. We already figured out our answer and don't need your advice anyway. I was just hoping that after all the chuckles, this made it on NETWORK TV.

Sincerely,
Laura

p.s. If you are reading this, please ignore everything between Dear Jean and NETWORK TV. Thanks. Hope I make it on the show soon. I LOVE TODAY!

Christmas Meme

2008-12-18T08:08:00.000-07:00

I found this at Elaine's house. Why don't you play along too.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real, but after this we may try the artificial next year.

3. When do you put up the tree? We usually purchase the tree from the Air Academy Band, (Not this year, see link above) they have one day to pick up, usually the first Saturday in December.

4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's Day.

5. Do you like eggnog? No, but Carter will drink gallons of it. I have a GREAT eggnog cookie recipe.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I loved the dollhouse my grandparents made for me. I still have it. GI Joe lives there now.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My brother.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Hayden. He's 4, he is happy with anything.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, I bought one at a super dooper clearance sale. I don't like it, but it will do until I inherit the GORGEOUS set my grandparents painted. I do not want it until the kids are a little bigger and the risk for damage is much smaller.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A Weight Watchers Cookbook from my (soon after ex) boyfriend's mother.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Do I have to pick just one? National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? All year long, but mostly Black Friday.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not yet, anyone have a Weight Watcher Cookbook on their list?

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Some favorite Swedish recipes. Yum.

16. Lights on the tree? Anything that still works from last year.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Colorado Christmas by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Christmas Carol by Skip Ewing.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? Stay home.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? No, but I can google it.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? They kids can open one present on Christmas Eve...Just this year Carter has figured out that it is always new pajamas. Have to look good for pictures.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The parking lot. Any and ever parking lot and the ninnys who think they are much more important than the rest of us.

23. What theme or color are you using? A theme? I am supposed to have a theme?

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Whatever is on the table, as long as someone else cooks it.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Santa to live on for another year.

26. Do you have a favorite ornament? I love all the ones the kids make. I have a cool Woodstock or bust hippy Santa. Remember this?

27. Gifts from Santa? Wrapped or Unwrapped? Wrapped in "from Santa" wrapping paper. Our Santa is a little OCD.

Now it is your turn to share you Christmas Meme.

Today Tomorrow?

2008-12-17T15:04:00.002-07:00

Remember this?

Rumor has it the segment will be used on the Today Show tomorrow morning.

Ever hear of the little boy who cried wolf? I hope I am not him.

Watch for Jean Chatzky's Money 911 segment and we'll see if I make it on this time.

Tooth Fairy UPDATE

2008-12-17T08:05:00.004-07:00

His first apology letter was sloppy and included his original signature...G-DOG.
Yes, He calls himself G-Dog. He writes it on schoolwork, birthday cards, etc.

When we named him, we thought of all the nicknames, Griff, Griffy, my husband also calls him "fiffin" (much to my dismay). Can you believe we never thought of G-Dog?!

Anyway, the tooth fairy must have loved the letter, she left the tooth and the money....No, Not $5. There is a reccession.

Griffin learns a timely lesson

2008-12-16T08:12:00.004-07:00

Griffin lost a tooth yesterday.

Here is the note he left for the Tooth Fairy.

And what did he get from the Tooth Fairy?

Did she agree to leave his tooth AND more than $5?

No, that's not how the Tooth Fairy rolls. She does not support such greediness.

Griffin received ZIP, ZILCH, NADA!

I suggested he try again tonight and write a nice note to the Tooth Fairy apologizing for his previous letter.

Let's just hope this little lesson helps him scale back his list for Santa.

'Tis the season...to be BUSY!

2008-12-15T06:49:00.005-07:00

What should I say when someone asks, "What did you do this weekend?"

I think I might just answer...."EVERYTHING!"

Here is a look at our hectic, but fun weekend.

Friday night we had one of Carter's buddys over and watched Fred Claus. It was great for the kids to see how funny Vince Vaughn can be, especially in a movie that is appropriate for kids. Fred Claus is rated PG.

Saturday morning the kids and I went to practice for the Christmas play. Then we raced over to Manitou to join in the parade. A friend of our had a float entry and he asked the kids if they wanted to ride. Oh yes, sounds like fun. Carter had an official job, make sure Frosty doesn't blow off the float. It was pretty windy.

Hayden with the Elf hat bundled under blankets

We stopped at Savelli's Pizza in Manitou for a late lunch. Haven't tried it yet? You are missing some really good pizza. Stop in and see Brad, tell him Laura and Ben sent you!

Ben was gone refereeing most of the day. He came home in time for us to head over to our friend's for a Christmas Open House. The kids came too. They had fun playing BINGO in the basement while the adults shared elf secrets in the kitchen.

Sunday morning we braved the cold and blowing snow to head over to church for the Christmas play. This year's production was "Christmas in a Box." It was a fun play. The kids had a great time.

The play is for children from preschool through 5th grade. This is Carter's last year. I was happy to get a picture with Hayden (wiseman) and Carter in the same shot.

Griffin was child #2, a modern day child.

Carter as Joseph

Joseph, Mary and a wiseman (Hayden)

The afternoon was fun for Carter too. He had a KIC (Kids in Christ) Christmas party from 4-5:30. They played games, had snacks, did a gift exchange. It is also his last year for KIC, next year is the youth group. KIC is for kids 3-5 grade, so Griffin will move right up next year.

And at 6:30 Sunday night, our sitter came over. It was finally time. The Salsa Brava Christmas Party. Well, it started as the Salsa Brava Christmas party 7 years ago when we received our first invitation. Now I guess it is the Rocky Mountain Restaurant Group Christmas Party. It has been held at the Rockrimmon location (back in the old days), it had moved to Sonterra downtown, and for the last several years it has been held in the Briargate location (the largest).

After the busy weekend, we were really looking forward to the party. And this year I even remembered to have someone snap a picture of us.

And what did you do this weekend?

08/08/09

2008-12-10T21:48:00.000-07:00

Will you be there?

Check it out

How to give a mother a heart attack...EASY DIRECTIONS!

2008-12-10T10:41:00.003-07:00

How to give a mother a heart attack.

Call her at home and on her cell phone at 9:15am, leave a message to let her know her second grade child has been marked absent from school...

This works really well when the mother (or father) personally put the "absent child" on the bus at 8:05am.

Then let the mother, on her way to school anyway, envision all the bad things that could have happened.

1. Someone wanted to show him a puppy and dragged him into their car, right behind the bus lineup.

OR

2. The blood clots are back and he passed out on the bus and no one noticed him laying on the floor.

OR

3. He went off to help someone "in trouble" and they snatched him up.

And when the now FRANTIC mother runs into the school and says, "we put him on the bus," thank you for dropping everything and calling the teacher to confirm the absence.

I understand the teacher marked the wrong child absent, accidents happen. I am so relieved that it was all a mistake.

One question, When will my heartbeat return to normal?

Oh Christmas Tree, sob, sob, Oh Christmas Tree

2008-12-10T07:19:00.006-07:00

This was our Christmas tree last year. Wasn't it beautiful?

We ALWAYS get our tree from the local high school band fundraiser, they sell beautiful trees. We have been very happy EVERY YEAR.

This year, we should have preordered, but weren't able to. They didn't order extra trees this year, even though for the last 9 years, we have preordered and they have had extra trees. This year NO EXTRA TREES.

I left crying. What were we going to do now? Where else can you get a tree?

Too keep this in perspective, this is our 10th Christmas in this house, and every tree has come from that lot.

I dried my tears, put on my big girl panties, and did a search for Christmas Tree Lots.

I found the Merry Christmas Tree Farm, you can cut your own tree.

Many people cut their own trees here; you get a permit, bundle up your kids, lug in your saw, go hiking through the woods, stop the kids from fighting, find a tree, pause to warm up their little bodies, cut down tree, lug it out of the forest, stop because their feet are tired, continue hiking out of forest, tie tree to your car, and drive it home.

Not my idea of a great day.

The Merry Christmas Tree Farm seemed like a perfect answer.

No permit required, they provide saws, tree farm is not national forest, we shouldn't get lost, short hike back to car lugging tree and tired kids.

We still had the Griswold experience, I was waiting for the light to shine down on the perfect tree.

On our third time around the tree farm, Ben mentions, "um, Honey, you know you are not going to find a perfect tree like we get from the lot. Those are grown and groomed to be perfect. These aren't."

Me, "I am sure we can find one, maybe over here."

"Or maybe, back over this way."

Ok, so there wasn't the big light shining down on the perfect tree, maybe the reflection from the snow made me think this was the one.

And now it looks like this:

Let's see them side by side:

On the bright side, decorating the tree took no time at all, I even packed up a bunch of ornaments we didn't use. It could have something to do with the lack of branches....

Suze Orman, where are you?

2008-12-09T07:39:00.003-07:00

What is your deal Jean?

Fine.

What is your deal Ms. Chatzky?

Didn't your girl ask for the video?

I spent hours getting ready and perfecting the question to fit in your 20 second timeframe. Making sure the lighting was good. Setting up the tripod when it was clear Carter has a shaking problem.

And then you use some dorky guy's question and not mine??!!

I know it hasn't even been on yet in my time zone. I have my sources. I know you betrayed our friendship. I don't think I can ever forgive you for this deep emotional hurt you have caused.

Does anyone know Suze Orman's email address?

Go Fa, La, La yourself

2008-12-08T11:22:00.005-07:00

You know how some days life just smiles on you?

Every stoplight turns green as you approach.

The kids are little angels and you wonder why you didn't have more.

Today, is NOT one of those days.

1. Hayden decided to use his older brother's scissors to cut his new shirt. Not one of the hand me downs, oh no, a shirt I bought just for him.

Remembering the Love and Logic lesson, remove the child, remove the adult, or remove the offending object, I removed the child to his room.

And then, the offending child, who must have had the offending object in his room, decided to use the offending object again to cut his hair.

2. The awesome Christmas cards I spent hours perfecting online and submitted to samsclub.com photo labs was LOST! Not just lost, but lost AFTER they charged my credit card! So now, I have spent HOURS on the phone trying to either FIND the order or CREDIT my card or REDO the darn order. Unfortunately no one at Sam's Club wants to take responsibility and help me.

3. One of the very important gifts I ordered from Kohl's was shipped to Charlotte, NC. We live in Colorado. If you live in Charlotte and received our gift, please enjoy it, Merry Christmas. Hopefully our replacement will arrive by Christmas, but we can't be sure.

4. I have not heard back from my good friend at the Today Show with confirmation that my video will indeed be used. I have sent her so many emails that I feel like a stalker. I guess I will just have to wait for the East-Coasters to call me tomorrow morning and let me know if I made it on.

And so for now, I am going to pick up Hayden from preschool and make him take a nap. I think we both need one. Hopefully when we get up things will look a little cheerier.

Jean Chatzky is my new best friend

2008-12-07T12:25:00.005-07:00

She doesn't know it yet, but we are going to be tight, I can tell.
BFFs 4Ever!

Especially after she answers my question on The Today Show Tuesday morning.

Yes, you read that right.

My financial question will be answered (or is scheduled to be answered) on Tuesday morning's show.

But how can you tell it is my question? Oh that's easy, because there will be a 20 second video of me asking Jean the question.

ON THE TODAY SHOW!

I really thought I would be on The Today Show because Matt Lauer was professing his love for me, maybe he remembered me from 1995?

My cousin Maureen and I with our sign, the night before we went to The Today Show. We made it on t.v. too, I have the video to prove it!

Even though Matt said he would join us, he never did. And it's a good thing too, since I met Ben in Cozumel on that trip! Your loss is his gain MATT!

My second appearance on The Today Show or "Today", as we regulars call it, is happening because I emailed a financial question to the Money 911 segment.

I would like to say they picked me because of my world renowned beauty or because they thought my excellent home decorating would make a fabulous background.

They probably picked me because we are like a lot of people. Our 15 year mortgage is now too big, his sales job is paying less than it did a year ago and things are tight.

My question is "should we refinance to a 30 year mortgage?"

I think I know the answer, but I am excited to have Jean (her good friends call her Jean, not Ms. Chatzky) answer it on Tuesday's Today!

Will you be watching?

They may NEVER leave

2008-12-07T06:35:00.005-07:00

What a difference a few years makes.

Carter, the ten year is embarrassed to have a mother.

Hayden, the four year old wants to marry me.

Griffin, the seven year old knows he will marry a girl about his age. Knows I have many cute baby things to save for her, baby's first Christmas ornaments, coming home from the hospital outfits, nursery bedding I made for him.

Griffin is also under the delusion that he and his new bride will move into our basement guest room and live there forever.

Me: Look at this cute ornament. Your wife will love to see it when you come home for Christmas EVERY YEAR to see your mom and dad.

Griffin: Oh, don't worry mom. I'm gonna see if she wants to live here. We could take the guest room in the basement.

Me: Or your room on bunkbeds.

Griffin: No, we need to sleep in the same bed....like you and dad.

Me: What if daddy and I don't live here anymore?

Griffin: Then we'll take your room.

And then I found this article.FindArticles - Today's 30-somethings living just like yesterday's teenagers; Study
Sunday Herald, The, Jun 20, 2004, by Jenifer Johnston

It could really happen.

What if he doesn't grow out of it?

What if she actually agrees to move into our basement?

Maybe I should start showing Griffin real estate in his price range. When he goes to the Olympics he should have plenty of endorsments and can buy his own house....

Or better yet, He can have this one and buy his mom and dad a new house!

Crime Fighting and Holiday Shopping

2008-12-01T20:54:00.002-07:00

Last night at 8pm, as I sat on my porch smoking...I mean checking out the neighborhood, I saw a kid trying to get into my seventeen year old neighbor's car. I thought it was the older nephew of the homeowners UNTIL he turned around and saw me.

Then he high-tailed it down the street!

I ran into the house, called for Ben, grabbed the phone and called 911.

As I was giving his description to the 911 operator the neighbors came home. I filled them and Ben in on the attempted break in and they both drove off looking for the kid.

The police showed up within minutes, gotta love our tax dollars at work, and set off to find him also.

They came back and said they found someone matching the description. They looked at the kid's footprints in the snow and left again. I have no idea if they caught the right kid.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I think I have finished Christmas shopping. There are a few things left to make/pick up but my list is complete.

I always go shopping on Black Friday. I love how everyone is having fun, laughing and happy to be out getting great bargains. We live in the friendliest place on earth so I know things maybe different in other parts of the country. But this year, for the first time in MANY years I did not go shopping on Black Friday.

A. I wasn't feeling well.

B. I thought with the economy so bad, I didn't want to fight with people over the deals. I figured it wouldn't be the same happy crowd that I am used to.

However, I did stay up late on Thanksgiving night since the Kohls website started their sales at 1 am eastern, 11 pm mountain. It was worth it.

~~~~~~~~~~

I made a decision on the Christmas cards and ordered them from samsclub.com, they have great deals! I will post the card after I pick them up on Thursday.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ben had his first basketball game to referee tonight. He has many more scheduled. It will be bad that he is gone so much, but he really enjoys it and the money will certainly help.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hayden told me today that he needed a "Poppa."

Me: What's a poppa?
Hayden: A Poppa is like an uncle who watches kids so mommys and daddys can have a day off.
Me: Yes, you need one. Where can we get one?
Hayden: At the poppa store.

We are headed there tomorrow.

I must confess..

2008-11-29T10:53:00.004-07:00

It is true. I LOVE Christmas music. I really, really do.

I love all the traditional favorites.

I love the Very Special Christmas albums with top artists performing the classics.

I love the Barenaked Ladies "Barenaked for the Holidays".

I love Jimmy Buffett's "Christmas Island".

I love when that one radio station starts playing Christmas music ALL THE TIME from Thanksgiving to New Years.

My two VERY FAVORITE songs are Christmas Carol by Skip Ewing and Colorado Christmas by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Click the link to hear the songs. And if anyone has an EASY way to add my itunes playlist to the blog, please let me know. I have lost (almost) all my Christmas cheer trying to figure it out.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Christmas Card Photo 2008?

2008-11-26T06:57:00.003-07:00

Yeah, probably not. But it would be funny.

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

2008-11-24T19:17:00.006-07:00

Saturday I baked, Sunday we celebrated our 12th anniversary. Today we purchased TWO car batteries for our TWO cars that both decided to need a new battery AT THE SAME TIME!

And then we took the boys here for a quick photo shoot.

Dear Santa,
I need a new, better camera.
Love,
Laura

Feel free to vote for your favorite, but don't be upset if we pick one of the others.

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

And we saw this guy. He looks too surprised, if you ask me. Didn't he know we were coming? Or was he just surprised that the boys had so much to ask for....

I almost forgot! Sunday afternoon I worked on this...

...a quilt (and I use that term loosely as I do not "really" quilt) of old jeans, mostly the boys, a bit of grown up jeans and the darker squares are pieces of my green velvet maternity dress I was lucky enough to wear while carrying each baby. I still need to finish it off, but I am pretty happy so far.

My busy kitchen

2008-11-22T19:36:00.003-07:00

Today I made:

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Hillary's Whole Foods Monster Cookies

Plain Old Regular Chocolate Chip Cookies

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

AND

5 months worth of tracking posters for Ben to track his accounts

AND

1 big 6 month tracking sheet for Ben to track current month/year versus last month/year

I have been very busy. My kitchen in clean, but my house is a wreck.

Look what I did

2008-11-19T11:52:00.006-07:00

In the summer of 2007, I did this project.

Ignore Griffin in the "I heart Chicks" pjs, he is looking for Easter eggs. I am very bad at taking before pictures, so this was the only one I had of the cabinets.

Newly painted with brown glaze detail, new hardware.

Ever since the big kitchen project, I had wanted to update the bathrooms as well.

When she posted this, I knew it was time to get busy.

Again, no real before shot. We have the same bathroom cabinets in our master (pictured) that room is next!

I painted the walls, removed the rubber duckie wallpaper border, painted the main cabinet, medicine cabinet and spray painted the hardware. And the best part...I had all the paint so the project cost was only my time.

I love it. It is still kid friendly for our 4 year old but not too babyish and embarrasing for the almost 11 year old.

Next up, the master bathroom. Anyone have a good (CHEAP) bathroom renovation project to share. I need ideas.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-19T07:48:00.003-07:00

Scenic overlook at the Air Force Academy, 5 minutes from our house. We see those mountains, all day, everyday. Aren't we lucky!

Life in the Testosterone Zone ~ Grown-Up Edition

2008-11-15T10:31:00.004-07:00

Let me apologize in advance, as most of you will not see the humor in this post. But those of you who have been over when Ben has brought home a case of number 10 can enchilada sauce or a case of tortilla wraps, or jalepeno poppers should find it slightly amusing.

Ben, the food service salesman husband, received this email. It is a funny look into our lives. Yes, my children read sugar packets and boo US Food Service and Sysco trucks.

You might be a Food Service Saleman:

If you have four kinds of olive oil, three kinds of mustard, and 5 pounds of ground black pepper in your cupboard.

If most of the shirts you wear between 7am and 6pm have Tony the Tiger, Toucan Sam, or the Pillsbury Dough boy on them.

If your home appetizer menu includes Poppers.

If you keep your roll foil and film on the workbench in the garage because they each weigh 15 pounds.

If your kid flips the ice cream man off from the garage where he morphs into Santa Claus with the neighbor kids as he hands out Blue Bunny ice cream bars.

If the top of your gift wish list includes car wash and oil change gift certificates.

If you know which restaurants in your area have clean kitchens.

If you have looked in a restaurant's dumpster to see what they are buying and from whom.

If your personal car has 300,000 miles on it.

If your kids boo the competition's trucks.

If your ketchup, steak sauce and mustard have "FOODSERVICE PACKAGE. NOT FOR INDIVIDUAL SALE" on the label.

If you are the go-to person to supply the food for holiday parties.

If your spouse knows what a number ten can is.

If you have ever turned over a piece of China to look on the bottom in a white table cloth restaurant.

If you have read a sugar packet on a date.

If the cheese in your fridge is a forty pound block.

Ha Ha, I love second grade jokes

2008-11-15T08:03:00.002-07:00

You will probaby rememeber these from second grade recess.

Spell: I cup. I see you pee. Ha Ha Ha.

Spell: PIG backwards. Gee, I pee. Ha Ha Ha.

Thanks for the morning chuckle Griffin.

You need to wear a coat

2008-11-14T08:25:00.002-07:00

It is snowing outside.

Me: Carter, you need to wear a coat.

Carter: No, I'll be fine.

Me: I can not let you wear a sweatshirt only when it is snowing out. Put on a coat.

Carter: I don't want to wear a coat, I'll look like a nerd.

Me: If you don't wear a coat, you'll get sick.

Carter: I don't want to wear a coat.

Me: Ok, fine. Get a piece of paper and write a note to your teacher that says: I did not wear a coat. I understand I will not be able to go out for recess today. Please send me home with next week's homework as I will probably be home sick.

Carter: Fine, I'll bring a coat, but I won't wear it.

Me: IT IS SNOWING OUTSIDE!!

Carter left for school wearing his sweatshirt...and his coat. Hopefully he leaves it on until he gets to school. I can't wait until he is a teenager, GEEZ!

The Chef

2008-11-14T05:55:00.003-07:00

The moms at 5 minutes for mom have chance to win $500 in free groceries from a photo contest.

The contest is about celebrating our families through our FUN with FOOD.

I searched for the picture of Griffin answering the banana phone, but realized that was before the digital camera.

I searched for a picture of the boys making those sugar cookies last year, but that was only video snipets.

And then I found this. My entry for the contest, Hayden helping in the kitchen. Here's a helpful hint, have little chefs break the egg in a small bowl, not the bowl with the other ingredients, it is easier to get the shells out this way.

Bon appétit!

Bedroom Time, no, not for grown-ups

2008-11-13T08:04:00.004-07:00

Love and Logic part 3

Tired of bedtime fights? Try bedroom time! The theory is that they need too learn how to fall alseep by themselves. After all, if someone tells you, "go to sleep right now!" Can you fall asleep?

This little gem teaches them to go to sleep when they are tired and that staying up really late isn't as fun as you would think.

We didn't even get out of the church parking lot before we decided to spring this one on the kids.

Us: Are you guys tired of us telling you when to go to bed?

Them: YES!

Us: Do you think we send you to bed too early?

Them: YES!

Us: Well we have an idea. You can stay up as late as you want!

Them: WHAT??!!

Us: Yes, you can stay up as late as you want, but there are a few rules.

Them: OK! What are they?

Us: You have to get your pajamas on, brush your teeth and stay in your rooms when we send you for bedroom time. No coming out to say you are hungry and thirsty. You stay in your room.

Them: OK, is that it?

Us: One more thing, we get up at 6 am and you shower/bathe and get ready for school. No complaining.

Them: OK! It's a deal.

So last night, for the first time ever without complaining, they got in pjs, brushed teeth and ran up to bedroom time.

Hayden fell right asleep.
Griffin watched a little tv and was asleep by 9.
Carter stayed up until 10:30 watching a Disney Channel movie.

The real learning takes place later today, when those little angels turn into grumpy, tired little boys. Then during tonight's bedroom time they should fall asleep earlier.

Wish us luck....luck that we don't get a call from school about our grumpy boys!

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? Does Anybody Really Care?

2008-11-12T12:56:00.002-07:00

I awoke to Hayden crawling in our bed.

Ben and I lift our heads, see the clock says 12:45 and we tell him to go back to sleep. Really, I was just watching Letterman, I can't have only 1 1/2 hours of sleep.

Hayden continues complaining that he wants to go downstairs, "I'm hungry," he says.

My reply, and it is pretty brilliant, "What a bummer Hayden, I guess you should have eaten dinner."

It is a brilliant reply because not only did I remember Love and Logic, but I remembered he didn't want to eat dinner. And all this is happening at 12:45 in the morning.

Time passes, he wiggles, and he pleads and finally goes back to his room.

And then Griffin climbs in the middle of the bed. "Go back to sleep," we tell him and he does.

I continue laying there awake, wondering how I am going to deal with this busy day on only 1 1/2 hours of sleep, and then...the heat comes on.

This is strange because my brother-in-law just installed a new programmable thermostat AND I just programmed it two days ago.

I know the heat is supposed to kick on at 5:45 am, not 2:07 am.

What is going on?

What was that noise?

Why is it getting so hot in here?

OH NO, Suddenly it makes perfect sense.

A burglar has broken in, he turned up the heat to make it uncomfortable to sleep, then when I go downstairs to turn the heat down, he will thump me on the head and horrible things will happen.

OH NO, What am I going to do? Why is Ben sleeping through this? How much hotter can it get in here?

Ben sneezes, "Hey, while you are up," I say to him, "Can you please go check out the thermostat because it is really hot in here and the heat isn't supposed to come on until 5:45am. I will stay here by the phone in case I have to call for back up."

He goes downstairs, I wait for the thump on the head.....no thump. I go downstairs.

"The time on the thermostat is wrong, no wonder it came on already" he says.

"Ok, I'll reset it, what time is it?" I am thinking it must be 2:15 am by now.

"The kitchen clock says 6:00am.....oh, the clock upstairs is wrong. How did that happen?"

And so that was the way our day began, at 12:45 am and then time warped to 6:00 am. Does anybody really know what time it is?

Out of the mouths of babes

2008-11-10T07:01:00.002-07:00

Griffin explaining first class mail to Hayden: It is when the letter gets to sit in the front of the plane.

Carter trying to use a word that he thinks also means whoosh: Douche

Hayden being creative: Let's get a hot air balloon and pump it full of hot air and we can float all the way up to heaven to see Grandma Sue.

Whew, that was fun!

2008-11-08T07:16:00.003-07:00

In August our church started the $eed2Harvest campaign. I was in the initial meeting when this was planned and was so excited to see it was approved.

Here is how it worked at our church.

Every person over the age of 6 in each family receives $2. Our family had $8. The goal was to use the money over a few months to earn more money. Then turn the money back in on November 16th.

We planted the seed in August, reap the harvest in November.

After a bit of family discussion, the boys decided to put me in charge, they would help. I did what anyone would do with money, I shopped.

We found spongebob temporary tattoos on a cute tape dispenser for .24 each. I sold them on ebay for anywhere from $1.99 to $5.20 each.

We found adorable Halloween bibs (in early September) from .12 to .26 each and sold them on ebay and at church for about $1.00 a piece.

Overall we made $50 out of our $8. Maybe that would have been good enough, but I had another idea.

When we first joined the church, the preschool teachers would offer a Parents' Night Out once a month. You could drop off the kids on Friday night, pick them up a few hours later. The last one was held 3 years ago....until last night.

We made signs, bought snacks, planned crafts, solicited youth volunteers, bought pizza for the youth for dinner. We spent the $50 to prepare for the Parents' Night Out. We had 15 kids from 8 families sign up.

The kids had a great time; they made turkey handprints, an all about me book, they watched Veggie Tales, had playtime and ate lots of goldfish and popcorn.

The youth helpers were great; they were each assigned a couple of kids to help with the projects, they helped straighten up, they also watched Veggie Tales and had snack!

Our $8:

Sent temporary tattoos and bibs across the United States

Sent 8 mommys and daddys out to dinner

Brought together 8 youth helpers on a Friday night

Allowed our two older boys to feel the reward of being youth helpers for a night

Enabled Ben and I to have that "we did a good thing" feeling

Oh and of course, our $8 turned into $178.

I think this "we did a good thing" feeling is going to last a while.

Dear boys,

2008-11-06T07:52:00.004-07:00

Dear boys,

Maybe it isn't a big deal to you but it is a huge deal for me. Someday it will matter more, or at least it will to your wives. Please let them know that I did other things good; I was at your class parties taking pictures of your friends, I helped plan the parties, I made a nice dinner for our friends and relatives so everyone could have a full belly before going out to trick or treat.

I'm sorry this is the last picture of all three of you together in your Halloween costumes. I really should be better at taking those pictures. You are all so excited to head out and trick or treat, I always forget to line you up for the picture.

Last year I remembered to get Griffin in the Elvis costume with our neighbor Hannah, they were so cute. Do you see any other brothers in the picture, 'fraid not.

I do own a camera, in fact here is a picture form Carter's class party. The only picture of Carter in his costume. Don't feel bad Carter, I can't seem to find any pictures of your brothers in their costumes.

When I realized I did it again this year, I thought I could recreate the event. After all, who would know years from now that the picture was from November 1st and not October 31st. But by then you guys were so hyped up on candy, I couldn't face it.

So next year I will try to be better. I will try to get you all to stand still before trick or treating. And if I don't, you can send me to my room, alone, for along time. After all, I really should be punished for being a bad mommy.

Random Randomness

2008-11-04T18:56:00.002-07:00

I am thankful for all the people who voted early and waited in those long lines so those of us procrastinators could vote with no lines today. I was in and out in 15 minutes, an new record!

I am thankful for the end of daylight savings time since Hayden thought it was bedtime and fell asleep on the couch at 6:15pm.

I am thankful for Cub Scouts because the other guys are gone and I can watch election coverage in a quiet house.

I wish I could talk to my mom about the election. Those of you who have lost a close relative know that there are those times when you think, I wish I could call them right now. This is one of those times for me. It is the first presidential election without Mom cancelling out Dad's vote. Just when I thought I finished with the firsts without Mom. Geez.

I am thankful I found a package of marked down Breast Cancer Awareness Hersey Kisses at Target. I will need those tonight. I would be happier if they were Ovarian Cancer Awareness Hershey Kisses, but I realize I can't have everything. Are you listening Hershey Kisses People?!

I am happy that Carter and Griffin went with us to vote today. They are excited about the process and looking forward to the 2020 election when they can place their first votes for President.

I am excited to see how many people turned out to vote, I hope my guy wins.

I love Jim

2008-11-03T15:21:00.002-07:00

Oops, I mean, THE GYM, not Jim. I do love a few Jims, but I wanted to talk about the GYM.

I love that I can have 2 hours of free childcare a day just for working out.

I love that I usually can catch up on my reading while climbing miles on the stairmill.

I love that I belong to the Y and I do not have to worry about the latest fitness attire to show up and get sweaty.

I love that I changed our membership and now I have a key to the cool locker room, complete with hair and shower stuff.

I love that I am only paying $1 more a month than before for the cool locker room.

I love the steam room in the cool locker room.

I love the NO KIDS rule in the cool locker room.

I love the coffee, tv, hot tub, carpeting, toiletries, TOWELS in the cool locker room.

I know it is the closest I will ever come to belonging to a private club and that is fine with me.

I hadn't been to the Y since before our company came in mid October. While I was there I realized how much I love it and missed it. Hayden even asked when he was going back to "Y School" (childwatch). Don't worry baby, you are going tomorrow and every day we can after that.

What a bummer...

2008-10-30T15:40:00.002-06:00

Oh, your parents are taking a Love and Logic parenting class, what a bummer.

Yes, that is our phrase.

Oh Carter, what a bummer that you wrote Griffin sucks BA_ _ S (like basket, base or soccer) on the back of my dirty car and now you have to use your report card money to pay for a car wash.

Boys, what a bummer, you decided to steal that lick-a-stick candy thing off our counter and now you have to surrender half of your Halloween candy.

Yes, life is sometimes a bummer. But hopefully things will be more peaceful in the long run.

Can't wait to attend week two!

Not our Father

2008-10-28T07:02:00.005-06:00

Griffin is outgoing, social, compassionate, funny, and a cutie. Although we discourage it, he says he has 3 girlfriends. We believe him. He doesn't know it yet, but he has a date for prom, my friend has her heart set her daughter and my son going together. I must admit, they would be a cute couple.

Imagine my surprise when he announced his latest choice of profession.

Griffin: Mom, I want to be the world's youngest priest.

Me: First of all, we aren't catholic. And secondly, priests can't go on dates, have girlfriends, or get married.

Long pause.....

Griffin: I changed my mind.

I told Ben, I don't know why he said he wants to be a priest. He doesn't even know what one is. Ben said, he wants to have communion all the time....I bet that is it. He loves the first Sunday of the month!

Mother Abuse

2008-10-23T08:47:00.004-06:00

I used to think it was torture. Cruel and unusual punishment. Like twisting that knife in my heart a little bit more.

Why would they do that?

Sure, they don't know better, but is that really an excuse?

Now I think, it's fine, I don't need you. Obviously you still need me. Listen carefully, I can not help you. I will try to pawn this off on someone else, I can't guarantee they will go for it.

Hillary, Jennifer, Karen, Paula, Monica and my other friends with girls,

Please come pick up this latest issue of the American Girl catalog before I pitch it in the garbage.

UPDATE: Are you people INSANE? I just flipped through the catalog on the way to the garbage. Do people really spend that much on a doll? And $250 for a doll treehouse? Umm, is it life size? Can't you get a kid-size fort for $250? Is this one lined in gold?

Does anyone really spend this kind of money on dolls? God Bless Legos and GI Joe.

On Vacation

2008-10-22T06:48:00.006-06:00

We had a great time with our company this past week. The weather warmed up for us, but it was still chilly for our Florida visitors. We ate too much, drank too much beer, laughed a lot, slept too little, and had a really great time. I completely neglected the blog and the job.

If I still have any followers, I hope you enjoy this post and I promise to blog more regularly! I am sure Jim and Judy will be happy to see a new post. And Susi, thanks for your concern, we are doing fine now.

In between the beer drinking and eating we managed to do some sight-seeing.

American Numismatic Museum

Buell Children's Museum

Air Force Academy

Focus on the Family

Pumpkin Patch

Our boys were out of school Thursday and Friday for parent/teacher conferences. Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Tammy planned their vacation knowing we would have lots of time with the boys.

We also had low key fun around the house, pumpkin carving, baseball games, bear hunting.

We splurged for a baby sitter one night and had grown up time: a nice dinner out and off to see our neighbor's band.

It was a very fun time. We are always happy to have company come to visit. Thanks Jimmy and Tammy, we hope you had as much fun as we did!

It's a very sad day

2008-10-13T07:47:00.002-06:00

No one died. No one is sick.

It is the third consecutive day with the morning temperatures below 40. It is the day I realized summer is over, fall is here.

I must put away all my sandals and flip flops....Ah, sad, sad day.

I can no longer leave the house in my black Speedo flip flops and expect the weather to warm up. It may still warm up, but if I leave the house in flip flops, I will look like an idiot. With weather like this, snow is in our near future. It is very embarrassing to be caught in a snow storm in sandals. "Are you stupid?" "Do you not have tv for weather forecasts?" "Do you not have a window to the outside?"

So, with a heavy heart I will back up my sandals for the winter...

And pull out fun fall boots and cashmere! Oh, there is a bright side.

Home Economics ~ Home School Style

2008-10-10T13:04:00.002-06:00

Before you read any further, NO I do not home school my boys. A. I am not that creative and B. I am not that patient.

I cringe when I see another teacher work day (= no school) on the calendar.

Today we REALLY NEEDED to go to the grocery store. Hayden still had preschool, so it was just Carter (10), Griffin (7) and myself. I did not want to be sucked into buying every little thing they picked out. I would have chosen to go without them, but we really needed to shop today.

I wanted to spend no more than $50. Truly, I didn't think this was possible.

I armed Carter with a calculator, the boys brought their $5 from Grandma Judy and Grandpa Jim (Thanks guys!!) and we headed to King Soopers.

The boys compared prices, picked apples that were on sale, weighed the produce, entered the amount on the calculator. Aisle after aisle of reading the price per pound/ounce section of the tags. Picking store brand over Jif peanut butter (I am a choosy mom but really, I am on a budget). Seeing lots items we will think about for next time. Saying, "Oh, I wish that was one sale."

We got 7 bags of food; lots of apples, bananas, soups, cheeses, meat, etc.

Our total would have been $55, but I had pharmacy rewards (we had filled a prescription earlier in the month and got a $20 reward!) so our total was $35.

But that isn't even the best part. The boys worked together, made informed choices, worked within a budget, and got a better understanding of the value of money. AND THEY DIDN'T FIGHT! It was a wonderful morning.

And they go back to school on Monday!

After School Snack

2008-10-08T16:40:00.002-06:00

I remember after school snacks: a couple of cookies and a glass of milk.

Griffin's (the 7 year old) after school snack today: one can beef ravioli (gross, I know) and two corn dogs.

Next question: When's dinner?

Is it any wonder I can not keep food in this house.