It's a crazy-haired, new humidifier, ants in the pantry kind of Friday

It's 'Crazy Hair Day' at 12YO's school.

Did she participate? Nah...she always looks this goofy!

*giggle*

David helped her spray her hair the colors this morning. I'm so proud....

This is 2YO's new humidifier. I never thought we'd need another one, but we got impatient trying to clean our old one and ended up sort of breaking it. Oh well, that one made warm mist and she's actually supposed to have a cool mist one...even though they had said that humidity was humidity. Now I had an excuse to buy a new one.

Now, since she so regularly gets that yucky cough (which has loosened up quite a bit and is almost gone now, thankfully!) I figured we can get a cute one that can permanently sit on her dresser when it's not it use. Target had humidifiers shaped like cows, frogs, penguins, even Spongebob Squarepants! 2YO HAD to have the frog.

This thing is really cool. It starts making the mist almost immediately and it goes well with the colors in her room! David did have be very clear to the girls that it is NOT, in fact, a PIGGY BANK. As soon as they got home last night, they looked for coins to drop down the 'slots' in the eyes. Hmmmm...I wonder how much damage that would do!

And Lily took her nap in the morning sun by the front door this morning. She loves this part of the day.

Another thing I was able to buy yesterday was a new broom. David is always taking my broom outside and sweeping things that ought not be brought back into the house. I was looking for my broom on Wednesday and could not find it ANYWHERE. That evening, I asked David where it was and he told me that he had taken it to the DUMP so he could sweep out the GARBAGE TRAILER when he was done. I told him he could KEEP that broom outside and that I was buying myself a new one.

Why are boys so gross?

I also told him that, if this broom ended up outside for ANY REASON AT ALL, I would just go out and buy another one. Nothing bothers David more than wasting money, so I'm hoping this means he'll leave my new broom alone!

Another thing that's gross is that there are ANTS in my pantry floor. Now, these aren't just regular ants. They are teensy-tiny and brown. They show up about once a year and go after random things. I swear these little buggers have eaten some of the grout around the top of my kitchen sink before! They are actually so tiny that they are hard to see and they eat grout.

Has anyone else ever seen or heard of these ants? Someone once told me that they were 'Piss-ants' but I'm not sure if they were serious, joking, or just plain ignorant! Thankfully, I don't think they got past the floor in the pantry and most of that stuff is in large cans or bottles. They were on a box of graham crackers. I hate those little suckers!

Well, 2YO is making a tower with couch cushions and she just turned one large piece of styrofoam into many, many tiny little pieces of styrofoam. If I wasn't motivated to vacuum before, I guess I am now!

OH! Before I forget...I made THIS for dinner last night. I was going to make THIS (and I still intend to!) but I haven't made it to the actual grocery store yet and I had all the stuff for the BBQ chicken and cornbread thingy on hand. It was REALLY GOOD! I swear, all of the wonderful recipes I'm getting from THE CROCKPOT LADY have been so easy that I actually feel like I'm CHEATING! Seriously....

On another note, I was totally wanting to add another crock pot or slow cooker or whatever to my collection. Technically, mine is not a Crock Pot. Mine is a SLOW COOKER. The concept is the same only the actual 'pot part' just sits on the heating element and is completely removable. I would love to have an actual 'Crock Pot' brand, but it's not completely necessary at this point. While I am waiting to purchase the name brand, I have another 'Crock Pot-type thing' coming my way.

David gets these yearly awards for 'Safe Driving' at his job. Every consecutive year, the prizes get a little better. I mean, he always gets a certificate and a little pin or magnet or something but he also gets to choose a gift from this little catalog they send. What cracks me up is no matter HOW many years they drive safe or how expensive some of the gifts are in the brochure, you always have the option of getting the PEN. I mean, I'm sure it's a really NICE pen and all....but if you look at the prizes they can choose from after many many years of safe driving, who's gonna choose a PEN over a PATIO SET or a BBQ??? (By the way, David is years away from anything that nice. None of the prizes really appealled to him. That is, until he got to the last page and saw THIS. He pointed it out to me, as I'd just mentioned the other day how I wanted another crock pot so I could have more options. I looked through the catalog again and pointed out the things that might interest him, just to be sure. I don't want to bogart his prize, you know! There is nothing in there that he wants or needs. SCORE!!!!

So, I will now have TWO crock pots. (Three if you count the 18-quart one, but it's not like I can keep that one anywhere within reach, you know! That one is reserved for Thanksgiving turkeys and baby back ribs. I mean, who needs to make 18 quarts of STEW or something?)

Maybe, just maybe, I'll make a LASAGNA ON STERIODS or something and use the big one! Hmmm....I wonder how much meat I'd have to brown for THAT......

(Almost) Finished Hat and Last Night's Dinner

I finished that hat I was working on. No, I still haven't weaved the ends in! Thanks for noticing.

2YO was more than happy to model it for me.

In between shots, I would have to show them to her and she would say, "Aaaaawwwww!!!" Obviously, self esteem is not a problem for her. It might be a problem for the rest of the world, but that's their problem, right?

One more shot for, you know....posterity? Okay, maybe not quite....

And what do we have here? That's right...I made THIS yesterday!

It was like opening a present! I couldn't wait to open all the layers and see how it all turned out.

The veggies....ummm...let's just say that I will use something larger the next time. Also, I might not put them at the very beginning. If we had a baby in the house, these veggies were just a small step away from being baby food. But we don't, so I forced my family to eat them anyway! You live, you learn.

Notice how the color of the peas makes them look canned? I can assure you that these are frozen peas and carrots. They just cooked so long that they were about as far from their natural state as you can get.

What are theses? Are these baked potatoes???

Why YES! Yes they are!

And they are absolutely perfect! We ate all six last night!

But, what about the meat?

Personally, the meat tasted good....but that's only because I happen to be a fan of beef jerky. I won't use as much seasoning the next time because boy were they salty! Plus, I didn't use the actual rib eye steaks that the recipe called for. I used what I had in the freezer, which happened to be round steaks. A thicker cut of meat would have cooked up much better! I simply alternated small bites of meat with bites of potato and veggies. That was the easiest way to handle all the salt!

I will definitely make this again. I will use a thicker cut of meat and a different veggie, if I cook the veggies in there at all! I might just fill the rest of my slow cooker with potatoes. Those will not go to waste in my house!

What's next? Not sure...I think I want to try THIS. I'm headed to the store to stock up on options.

THANKS AGAIN, CROCKPOT LADY!!!

My Crockpot Lasagna....

An hour after it had been cooking...

When it was all done and ready to cut...


On my plate. Mmmm....I had a second piece too, but it wasn't on my plate long enough to take a picture of it. The next thing I knew,

...that was what my plate looked like!

And there are no leftovers to speak of! NONE!

I guess you could say that this experiment was a success!

Stay tuned, because tonight's dinner is going to be THIS. (Or, at least it will be a modified version of it!)

THANKS, CROCKPOT LADY!!! YOU ROCK!!!

Our New Monday Routine....which just might kill me!

2YO wakes up by watching old episodes of 'Big Comfy Couch'

I cannot believe how much we cram into our first day of every week! It looks as if this will be our schedule for awhile:

6:00 a.m: Wake up. Wake 12YO so she can get in the shower. Walk out to the kitchen, let the dog out, and get some hot water going for my morning tea. Fold the load of clothes in the dryer and put away. By then, 5YO is awake. (Or she should be.) We argue about whether or not it's actually morning (she thinks I'm lying and waking her up when it's still nighttime!) and I talk her through getting dressed. She can totally dress herself, but isn't 'all there' when she first wakes up in the morning.

6:30 a.m: 5YO is usually dressed, shoes and all, and I'm doing her hair and cleaning her earrings. Then, she goes out and eats a bowl of cereal while I make lunches. She sits and talks with me, which helps her wake up, while I make the sandwiches. In between all of this, I am running to the bedroom to look for a pair of earrings for 12YO or helping her with some other special request that she can't seem to do on her own. These requests vary by the day.

7:10 a.m: I send 5YO in to brush her teeth. She has to be out at the bus stop at 7:15. David walks her out there and I usually grab my cup of tea and throw on some flip flops and a pair of sunglasses and head down to the bus stop to wait with them.

By 7:20 a.m, the bus has usually come and gone and we all head back into the house to tie up any loose ends that 12YO and David have before they head out the door. (Basically, I help them find all the crap they mislplaced the night before!)

David and 12YO leave just before 8:00. The rest of the morning is a little quiet. I'm just dealing with 2YO and whatever she's in the mood to argue about. That's also when I take my shower and try to blog something before we have to go the library at 11:00. We are almost always a few minutes late, but at least we make it.

By 12:30 or 1:00, we leave the library and head to the store. I pick up whatever I want to make for dinner that night (which makes Monday the only day when I feel truly prepared for dinner!) and get whatever groceries we'll need to get by until I do my major shopping, which is usually on Friday. After that, we head home and try to grab a quick lunch before it's time to pick the kids up from school at 2:30. (This won't be in the routine for long, as their little butts will be on the bus once we get more settled in our school thang!)

By the time we get back, it's almost 3:00. I then have two hours to check backpacks, help with any home work that needs to be completed, clean out lunch bags and have dinner ready and on the table before cheer practice. Then, we have just enough time to eat, put the food away, put hair up in pony tails, get dressed in the right clothes, fill water bottles and grab a snack and something for 2YO to do before we pile into the car and get to cheer practice by 6:00. Cheer practice is one hour for 5YO and B5YO and two hours for 12YO. We usually get out of there by 8:15 or so. We take 12YO's coach home and are home by around 8:30. I help 5YO get showered and into her PJs and we pick out her outfit to wear the next day, clean her earrings, take her vitamins and brush her teeth. She's in bed snoring by 9:00. I wish it could be earlier, but I don't see how! 2YO actually fell asleep yesterday on our way home from cheer practice. She had already had dinner, but she never got to see her daddy! I put her in her PJs and gave her medicine and had in her bed just a few minutes after David got home. Even though he helped hold her while I pulled her shirt over her head and gave her medicine, she slept through the whole process.

12YO finishes up homework or goes to bed early and reads for awhile. I reheat a plate of dinner for David and sit down on the couch to watch tv with him. It only takes a few minutes before I realize that I will fall asleep soon and might as well be in bed when it happens. David didn't get home from work last night until 9:30. I was headed to bed by 10:00.

Sooo...that is what I love and hate about Mondays.

I have a new game plan today. I have a lot of things to get done around here (notice there was no cleaning in Monday's routine!) and I don't actually need to leave the house until we head to cheer practice tonight. With the new demands of an early dinner and still having to either keep warm or reheat David's dinner when he gets home (which is almost always around 7:30 or 8:00) I have found a new HERO: A Year of Crockpotting. This woman has vowed to make something in her crockpot every day for the entire year of 2008. I am going to start visiting her blog quite often, I think. I need to worry about dinner earlier in the day rather than later when all the kids are around and there is so much more to do. Tonight, I am making THIS. The only mozzarella cheese I had on hand was string cheese, but that totally worked for me. (I'm not sure how different 'Italian Cheese' is from plain mozzarella, but don't Italians pretty much put mozzarella on pretty much everything anyway?) I didn't put many veggies in mine either, but I plan to serve green beans on the side. I was also out of actual spaghetti sauce (which is a total shock to me, by the way!) and ended up using a can of pizza sauce and a can of diced tomatoes. I also didn't have any ricotta cheese on hand, but instead mixed some Parmesean cheese in with some cottage cheese and used that. I think it'll work out nicely.

And the best part? Dinner is already cooking! I might try to whip up some bread or other side dish for it later, but it's pretty much done if I want to call it done! I can clean my kitchen and call it 'done' too. And I've timed it perfectly so it should be done by 4:00 or so. I'll turn it down then and feed it to the kids around 4:30. I'm so excited, because my family loves lasagna and it's never been so simple to make!

I'll let you know how it all turns out. For now, me needs to do these dishes, sweep and mop my kitchen and change the sheets on my bed. We'll see what else I can possibly get accomplished today, but I'm not making myself any promises! I'm still pretty exhausted from yesterday and might just try to squeeze in a nap or something! I would also like to finish knitting that hat and get some more reading done from the new Jennifer Weiner book. I love her!

But a nap sounds the bestest of all!

Yup...It sure is Monday!

So, 5Yo did take the bus this morning. She likes to ride the bus to school. She still wants me to pick her up after school today.

From what David tells me, the bus sat in front of our house on Friday like she was waiting for us. You might remember that she wanted me to drive her to school on Friday, so we weren't waiting for the bus. She waited past the time she was supposed to. I figure she either has a watch that's really wrong or she's doing her best not to piss off the complainer. The bus actually came late today but we were out there the full five minutes before, just as we're supposed to be. I can't complain about delays, so long as she slows down.

Maybe this won't be such a bad experience after all. I can't start each day thinking that she'll be wrong. Today, she was fine. 5YO sits in the front, right behind her. They want all of the kindergarteners to sit in the front. It would be too easy to get lost in the shuffle in the back and have a little one miss their stop. 5YO has not had a single complaint about the bus driver, and that's what really matters to me.

2YO's cough has improved noticably, but she's still coughing. We cranked up the humidifier in her room and gave her the breathing treatment before bed. That little stinker woke up at around 4:00 a.m. and came to our bed. That's not so bad, but she was making the traditional 'H-Formation' between David and I. She would rest her head on one of us and kick the other one. For two solid hours. I wake up at 6:00. I didn't want to get out of bed any earlier than that because I figure my body needs the rest, even if I'm not actually sleeping all that well. I must have looked at that clock 50 times before it finally said '6:00.' At one point, I think she was trying to squeeze her toes in between a couple of my ribs. OUCH! I wonder if I have any bruises on my back...

As 2YO was having a coughing spell yesterday, right after her nap, I was watching her. She was coughing pretty hard and I wanted to make sure she wasn't having any trouble breathing or anything like that. As soon as she finished coughing, she got a big grin on her face and said, "Mommy, why are you looking at me?" When she's not coughing, it's the farthest thing from her mind. At least there's that.

I wasn't sure when we woke up this morning whether I'd be taking her to the library or the doctor. Since she's improved, it looks like the library wins today!

Have a great day!

It's that time of the year again!

Here's 2YO on her sisters' first day of school

It all started last Friday when B5YO came over before school with a slight cough and a little congestion. On the third day of school. Sharing pencils and cooties is just a part of school, right? I've always thought so. She never really had any other symptoms and it didn't seem to really bother her. I might have blinked and missed my 5YO having the same symptoms. She fights off most illnesses like a champ and saves most of her health scares with things in her ear and spider bites that send her to the doctor. Normal colds and even flu bugs don't hit her as hard as everyone else.

Then, there's my 2YO.

Don't get me wrong, 2YO is, overall, a pretty healthy child. When she was two months old, she was diagnosed with reflux. We were lucky that she never needed medication and her weight gain never suffered, either. The only real issue there was that she (and I) pretty much always smelled like puke. I can think of far worse things to deal with than that. It was more of an inconveniece than anything else.

When she was 8 or 9 months old, she seemed to outgrow it. She was eating more real food and rarely spewing it back out. And then, it was gone. No more puking. This was a huge step for us, no matter how gradual it actually was. Life just got easier and I was finally able to clean up that crusty puddle in the base of her infant car seat and know it would stay gone this time. Don't you just hate that?

When she was ten month old, she taught us about croup. My first two children had nothing of the sort and this was all new to me. She woke up on a Friday morning (Of course! Doesn't it always happen at the beginning of a weekend and when the doctor is only open a half-day?) and she was barking. I called the doctor and they told me what to do. With no other symptoms and her breathing otherwise normal, it was more of a 'wait and see' thing than anything else. BOY! Did we get to 'see' what could happen!

I had errands to run that evening and my baby was really tired. She was asleep in her car seat by the time we got home, so I just brought her inside and let her stay in her seat while I put away the groceries and such. Her breathing changed so suddenly it was frightening. David was on the couch and he mentioned to me that her breathing sounded bad. Within the next hour or so, her breathing sounded downright difficult and David and I scrambled to find someone to stay with our other two while we took her into the E.R. The other two were already in bed by this point, so they never really knew we left.

As David drove, I watched her intently on the way to the hospital. We were both just hoping she kept breathing, not knowing what this was. That night in the E.R. we both learned what croup was and that her breathing problems were actually called stridors. Stridors are scary when they are happening to your ten-month-old and the people in the E.R. were all concerned and took us back within minutes. She had two breathing treatments that night and they sent us home in wee hours of the morning. They told us that that was probably the worst of it but to watch her closely and be prepared for nightime, as that's when it always gets worse. That next night, she started the same labored breathing again. We followed all the directions for croup that they gave us as the hospital. We took her into the bathroom with the steam from a hot shower. We wrapped her in a big blanket and took her in the cold, foggy November air. She should have gotten better, but she didn't.

Once again, we found someone to stay with the kids and took her back to the hospital. Once again, she was taken back almost right away. They started her on a breathing treatment right away. After the first one, she seemed to even bit a bit worse. They did a second one immediately after the first one and she seemed even worse. They immediately decided to admit her so they could perform an EIGHT HOUR BREATHING TREATMENT. I have to give David HUGE PROPS for being the one to hold her and wrestle with her to keep that mask on her face. FOR EIGHT HOURS. He's stronger than I am (OBVIOUSLY!) and he's even more cuddly than me so she could just give in and relax on him for awhile with the mask on. Before long, she was fighting it all over again.

The treatment worked. They kept her overnight and we were all able to come home on Monday. She hasn't had any stridors since, but she gets that tight, croupy cough with every little sniffle that comes through the house.

And she has that cough again.

I was Googling recurrent croup this morning and I found that there could actually be a connection between reflux and croup. Has anyone else heard of this? She's almost three now and I really hope she outgrows this soon. Her voice is all raspy her cough sounds just terrible.

If anyone else has had similar experiences and/or tips to share, I would love it! The reflux doesn't seem to be a problem now. At least, not that we know of. David has acid reflux and is on one of those preventitive medications that you take every single day to keep his symptoms at bay. I just wonder if the reflux and the croup are related, or if one aggravates the other. Or, is her airway just smaller than normal? Does she have asthma? Is this all because she was a c-section? Or born at 38 weeks?

As my daughter hacks and barks away, I am at a loss.

No bus news to report...

...because I took her to school today! She wants me to pick her up from school today, too. That's only because she has older kids coming into the class today. She's not so sure about them yet. They 'buddy up' with the kindergarteners and show them around. They also read stories to them and help them with projects and things. Every Friday. These kids totally dote on the little ones and my 5YO doesn't like that kind of attention or audience from someone she doesn't know very well. She's a bit nervous, but I think she'll be fine. I knew change would be hard for her and I was honestly surprised that she'd adjusted to her class and teacher so quickly!

On the middle school front, we had our 'Back to School Night' this week. 12YO has her work cut out for her with a couple of those teachers! I forgot how middle school teachers are usually a bit more eccentric and quirky than the elementary school teachers. She has one teacher that I like to call the 'Pencil Nazi.' (You remember the 'Soup Nazi' from Sienfeld, right?) Well, this lady takes her pencils SERIOUSLY and has quite a few rules in place to keep all things regarding pencils within her control. I think it's funny. This is a good age for kids to start learning about people with quirks and things. She has another teacher who used to be an engineer and then decided to become a middle school math teacher. He's funny. Her P.E. teacher is as energetic as all-get-out and you can tell that he is totally doing what he wants to do with his life. It's nice to see teachers with a passion for what they do.

Besides, it's not as if they're doing it for the money!!!

School seems to be going well. 5YO is still very intent on learning to read very soon. She'll get there, I'm sure. Her homework for the weekend is going to be to read a book that they put together in class to everyone who'll listen. I just know I'll have that book memorized by the end of the day, she'll be reading it so much! There are just a few words on every page and she'll probably be reciting the book more than she actually reads it, but it's a start! I want her to focus on her sight words anyway and this is a great way to begin!

Well, I am off to grocery shop and get back before I have to pick the kids up from school.

Have a great day!

The Saga of the Bus Driver~Episode One

Here's 5YO and B5YO about to get on the bus for the first time this year on the second day of school.

What is it...like, the SEVENTH DAY OF SCHOOL? I mean, really. Let me start off by saying that I am NOT one of those people who believes their kids deserve anything more than what everyone else deserves. I don't expect special treatment or for anyone to kiss my ass.

What I do expect, however, is for people to just do things right. We have a new bus driver this year. Evidently, she's not a new driver but ours is a new route for her. She may not always know exactly where to stop and she may feel a bit rushed. That's to be expected. What I don't expect is for her to blow right past our house without even slowing down, just because there was no one waiting at the actual stop for her. There was a garbage truck in front of our house at the same exact time and we were in the front yard. AND THE BUS DRIVER WAS EARLY!!! Something that David and I had noticed from the second day of school was how abruptly she slams on those brakes to stop, along with how quickly she accelerates. The kids haven't complained and no one's been hurt, so I'm hoping she'll slow down as she gets more acquainted with this route. But, when she blew past our house without even slowing down, I felt the need to call the district and let them know. Yes, I complained. I really hate to complain about things and I normally wouldn't. But this was just crazy. She's required to stay at the designated stop until the actual time she's supposed to be there. If she's running late and she sees no children at the next stop, she may just keep driving past but must slow down and look for children that may be running toward her. Granted, the garbage truck being there might have thrown her off, but she didn't even slow down!

So, I called the district office and complained. While I was at it, I let them know that in my six years of watching the buses I have never seen a bus brake and accelerate so abruptly. I feel I was very justified in saying this and I understand that driving a bus can't possibly be an easy job. I told them that I figured that she felt a bit rushed because she was new to the route. The lady on the phone said that they would talk to her.

Yesterday afternoon, when the bus came again, she immediately mentioned that she heard that we had a 'misunderstanding' that morning. No misunderstanding....she just blew past one of her stops! I understood that perfectly. She then asked me if a certain child was mine. I told her that she lived next door but would come to our house sometimes after school. She told me she'd been having trouble with this particular child. She didn't want to have to write her a referral, but maybe she'd just write a letter to her mom instead. This girl has only ridden the bus like THREE TIMES since school started and she is NOT one to disobey or get into trouble. Her sister even backed her up. Once I put two and two together, I started to wonder if maybe she thought that child was mine and was going to 'show me' how it feels to take complaints. She was maybe even just in a bad mood from having been 'talked to' after her morning route and took it out on anyone who so much as looked at her sideways. Either way, it just doesn't seem right.

So, we were sure to have 5YO out at the stop five minutes early, just as they would like. The bus was right on time today and I could even see the driver very obviously checking her watch as she pulled up. She asked me if these were all the kids riding today and I was able to tell her, "Yes." I pretty much know all the kids who ride and what their schedules are. She then asked me if she missed the garbage truck. You know, like the one that was here YESTERDAY?

Now, where on earth does she live to have a garbage man come every single day??? If he was here yesterday, why on EARTH would he be here TODAY??? I've never HEARD of a garbage man that comes everyday!!!

So, as she pulls the bus away, she takes extra care to just coast along. That bus would have to be on its hands and knees to crawl anymore than it was crawling as it pulled away from our house! David and I giggled as she turned left and hit the gas hard, like we couldn't see her anymore.

She didn't use her turn signal!!!

*giggle*

I just think it's funny. I wouldn't call about something like that. I would if I wanted to 'play along.' But, I don't . I want my kids to have a safe trip between home and school. That's all. If she feels rushed, she just needs to relax. The route is set up to where they don't have to speed. I have no problem with bus delays. They totally happen! I've seen the bus pulled over around the corner while the driver argued with a parent who wanted to take their child off without waiting for them to be at an actual stop. The bus was just around the corner but was delayed by about 15 or 20 minutes. I wasn't upset. These things happen and I know that bus drivers have to follow a certain protocol. Not by any means do I think that being a bus driver is easy. In fact, it really has to be one of the crappier jobs out there. Whatever they get paid, I'm sure it's not enough. It's a given that kids behave a certain way in the classroom, but many think that they can act like absolute heathens when they get on the bus. They might be tired and cranky or all wound up in the mornings. They might be the same in the afternoon. Having to navigate a large vehicle with the pressure of not being able to see all the kids and knowing that they have 60-80 kids to get home safely cannot be easy. And I never said it was, just don't act like a total doorknob!

I'm calling this 'Episode One' because, after this morning, I get the feeling that I'll have plenty of stories as the school year goes on. And if she tries to take out her frustrations with me on my timid 5YO....IT'S ON!!!!!

Internet Withdrawls and COCO IS NO MO'

This is the last picture I took of Coco. His owners came back.

Apparently, the owners were out of the country for 5 weeks. The dog was staying at their house, which is down and across the street from ours. He got away almost immediately after they left. The relative caring for the house doesn't speak a word of English. I'm not sure why he never at least tried to call, as there was a poster almost directly across the street from his house...but whatever!

They drove up yesterday and said that they believed that we might have their dog. I brought him out and the children ran up to him with such excitement. I don't know if he was excited or scared to see the man, but Coco started to pee as I carried him closer. Either way, he definitely knew these people.

Oh, and by the way, his name is 'Speedy.'

2YO woke up from her nap just as I was carrying 'Speedy' out to front yard. She didn't know what was going on, until they put a leash on her dog and walked him away. Remember, she's the one that called him 'her dog' from Day One. And they were taking her dog.

She had the biggest frown I'd ever seen. Giant crocodile tears streamed down her face as she watched them take her dog away. As Lily came out to see what was going on, she walked over and stood next to her friend. She had started to come extremely protective of 'Coco' or 'Speedy' or whoever he is. We had to hold her back so she didn't follow him to his new/old home with his new/old family.

Lily walked around the rest of yesterday with her ears slightly back. She just knew something was wrong. She's napping in a sunny spot in the backyard right now. I don't know if I ever saw her do that the entire time our guest dog was here. 5YO was fine about the dog finding his owners. 12YO was surprised, but okay. 2YO....well, she's not one to accept ANYTHING that easily! I'm just waiting for the day the he gets out and finds his way back to our front door. He's an escape artist, that's for sure.

Other than that, I spent most of yesterday cleaning the girls' room. How on earth did I let it get so bad? I was exhausted by 8:30 last night! The room is clean now....with the exception of running a vacuum over the floor. I think I did well...except for the toothpick that got stuck in the back of my heel! Why was there a toothpick in their bedroom floor, you ask? Why was any of that crap on their floor??? Because my children are pigs, plain and simple. (Actually, I think they got the toothpick from my nail polish box. I keep a few in there to make flowers when I want to decorate my nails. It was a clean toothpick...at least, as clean as a toothpick on the floor can be!) I'm pretty much barefoot year-round and my heels get really dry and cracked....especially in the summer. The toothpick actually went inside the crack on the back of my heel. OUCH! I am semi-limping today, as it hurts to put weight on my right heel. Thanks to that, my legs are starting to hurt.

Talk about a chain reaction!

I didn't get the chance to even look at my computer yesterday, much less turn it on. I think I was starting to go through withdrawls, actually having something to blog about but no time to do it.

David is on vacation this week. I knew I'd be busy. I knew I wouldn't have as much computer time. I just didn't know how much I would dislike that part!

A few more pics of my hat...

..and a 5YO who totally thinks she's ready to begin her modeling career!

I am working on actually writing down what I did to make my latest masterpiece....or just 'piece.' (I guess it depends on if you're a better knitter than I am. If you knit at all, you probably are!)

Our a/c is still not working, but the sun is starting to set now so my shirt is no longer sticking to my back. The pool helps, too. We have a lot to do before tomorrow, which begins the second week of school for us.

This is not the exact hat that I will make a pattern for. I have an idea to make it even easier and sort of different. I'm working on one right now. If it turns out the way I want it to, then that's the pattern I'll go with! I knitted a flower to put on the top of this one. 5YO likes flowers AND I was too lazy to neatly close it up at the top. I am much more prepared to do the second hat. And, the flower pattern is totally not mine anyway! You can decorate yours however you like.

Well, it's still 90 degrees in my house. And it's almost 8:30 at night.

Is this what hell is like?

Why is my shirt sticking to my back?

I've asked myself that question more than a few times this week. School has begun. Isn't it supposed to start cooling down now? Granted, our school starts in the middle of August, but STILL...

Our air conditioner is not working. I'm not sure what the temperature actually is outside, but the cocky asshat on the news today said it was supposed to get to 104. They are never welcome in my living room with news like that! All I know is that the last time I had the energy to venture down the hall the thermostat said it was 88 degrees in here.

And that was my first clue that the a/c might not be doing its job.

Yeah, I'm a quick one, aren't I? In my defense, we usually set our thermostat to about 82 degrees. We are trying to be responsible with energy and have a lower bill and yada yada yada. Usually, it's the bare minimum of comfort, but our energy bill doesn't give me quite the stomach ache, so I think it pretty much all evens out in the end. I thought it felt warm in here, but I'm not feeling at the top of my game anyhow, so I just casually walked by and hit the 'DOWN BUTTON' twice on the thermostat. A few hours later, I started thinking that maybe it's not normal to be sitting quietly in my living room with the a/c on and feeling my shirt sticking to my back.

That's when I discovered that there might be something wrong.

We are just about to be able to say that we've had this a/c unit for three years. Almost. It was brand new and decides to stop working at least once a summer. Okay, so I only have three to count, but still.

So, I found the worst picture possible of me to document how I'm feeling right now. Because it's icky. I told the kids I didn't want to go swimming, but that was before I knew that my living room would soon be turning to what feels like the fires of hell.

I would write more, but I can actually feel the difference in the amount that I'm sweating while I type. Unnecessary movement is just not happening right now.

And dinner had better cook itself....OUTSIDE!!!!

School has started, change is certain.

12YO started the 7th grade today. 5YO started kindergarten AND got her ears pierced! She didn't shed a single tear nor will she admit that it actually hurt.

This has been quite a day for all of us. I have a bunch of paperwork to fill out and I am going to bed.

More stories to follow after a good night's sleep. Do me a favor and keep your fingers crossed on that one!

Photo Blog...because I'm lazy! *SNICKER!*

I can finally make a pretty omelette. Does this mean I'm a GROWNUP NOW???

I'm knitting a hat for 5YO. It was inspired by THIS ONE, but the pattern is all my own. I really liked the ribbing on that hat...whatcha think? I think my KNEE wears it well. Don't you?

That pillow never saw Coco coming!

2YO got into some lipstick. Isn't she PURDY???