Merry Christmas!

I won't be here for about 2 weeks, so I want to say to you Merry Christmas!

Our family leaves tomorrow for Arizona. The kids are very excited. My daughter was so excited about packing her suitcase, she emptied out her dresser drawers. Then, to be helpful, she emptied her younger brother's dressers too. Then she packed it all into their suitcase that they share. She was so sweet to be so helpful. I took everything out and she helped me fold and put into the suitcase what she would be needing. She is insisting we bring just about every stuffed animal and baby doll she owns.

This morning I gave my two younger sons a haircut. They were starting to look like Luke Skywalker. Now they have nicely trimmed hair and everyone got showers. I'll do my older son when he gets home from school. My to do list is so long, there is laundry and packing and I need to get to the library to return some books, and cleaning the house.

I've been learning, recently, about web pages. I'm learning some HTML and enjoying that. My hubby, who loves to do cool projects in Photoshop taught me a few basics and I'm creating things. It has been fun and my attempts aren't very good right now. I'm hoping to fix up my blog and make it fun and when I'm better at that, I want to create some web pages. Anyway, I'm having fun learning a bit of something new. When Christmas is over, I'll fix up my blog.

Well, I've goofed around enough. Merry Christmas everyone, and a very happy new year!

Typical Monday

Things have been quiet around here. A little too quiet. This week's schedule is crazy and this Monday morning we received an omen foretelling us of the week to come.

I got up this morning and went to start breakfast. I checked the dishwasher and found that I had forgotten to start it - again. I've done this a lot lately. I load the dishwasher, put soap in it and forget to turn it on. So, annoyed with myself, I start the dishwasher and start cooking oatmeal. At 7:13, the phone rings. I knew who it was before I answered it. None of our friends get up this early and most of our family are in later time zones so they wouldn't be calling us either. It was my husband's carpool companion asking "Is he coming today?" The answer was no. They had made arrangments, but she forgot. My daughter comes down a few moments later. She had wet her bed and was soaking. So, while the older kids are starting to eat the oatmeal, I take the princess back upstairs and start the bath. She bathes. I go into my bedroom to talk to my hubby while he gets dressed.

After a nice morning conversation in which he told me all about the lack of sleep he got because of the princess going in and out of his room all night, we went down stairs together. The kitchen stank. There is smoke coming out of the dishwasher. I open the dishwasher expecting a fire, but thankfully, there isn't any. It seems the smoke was in the front electrical compartment on the door. OK. The dishwasher is history.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my friend Kristi, who gave me her dishwasher when she remodled her kitchen. We will be installing that dishwasher very soon. Thank you!

Now the downstairs skinks of electrical fire smoke. It is 30 degrees outside, so I can't open windows and doors to air out the kitchen. I lit some incense. I don't like that stuff much, it gives me a headache, but I was hoping it could mask the electric smell. Hubby leaves and I take a couple of things out to the mailbox. When I came back in, the smell nearly knocked me over. The house smells like electric fire with a hint of cinnamon. Ewww.

The week is packed. I have a to do list a mile long, a mountain of laundry awaits me and there are no free evenings this week to get extra things done. I do get the van tomorrow so I can run errands. We leave Friday for our trip to Arizona to see family. I'm dreading the airport!!!! With all the storms going on and all the canceled and delayed flights, I am going to be getting plenty of snacks to take along.

So, do you think the dishwasher fire is a bad omen or is it just one of those things that happen? I'm hoping it is just one of those things..... time will tell.

Boys will be boys

I looked out my kitchen window, just now and saw my two older sons jumping on the trampoline. They are laughing and jumping and flicking underware at each other. They each have a pair of their undies and they are shooting it like a rubber band at each other. Obviously, it is tremendouly funny to them.

What is it about boys? What is it about an underware fight is so hilarious? We live on a busy street. Anyone who walks by or drives by can see this going on. I'm horrified and amused at the same time. Do I let them have their underward fight, or do I stop it?

Ugg, boys!

Run Away Mom

Can I run away today? My youngest didn't get much sleep last night. That is his own fault, but he makes the rest of us suffer when he doesn't get enough sleep. He and his sister can't get along. He wants whatever toy she has. When she doesn't give it to him or she takes it back, he screams a horrible scream. It honestly makes my nerves jump when he lets out a scream like that. Most people would think he had just broken his arm because of the way he screams. No, he is just mad. What do I do to stop him from screaming like a banshee when he doesn't get his way? I've tried popping him in the mouth and telling him don't scream, but he does it again and again and again. He refuses to nap too and I can't hold him. He is too strong for me to stuggle with and my big baby belly just doesn't give me the lap room to hold him in.

So, I was working with my homeschooler and asking him a question. He didn't know an answer and spent more time hitting his head with his hand in a supposed deep thought than he actually spent time thinking. While he is doing this, he sits on his desk, knocking it over. As bad as it is to do that, he had a cup of milk on his desk. I didn't know that was there. The milk went everywhere all over his books, his calculator, and the floor.

Today is a rare day for me that I get the van. But the 2 year old is in a horrible mood and just throwing constant tantrums and crying spells because he is so tired. I wanted to get some copies of pictures at Sam's Club so I could give them to Grandmothers as gifts, but last night hubby told me we went over in our checking account. No money, again. He tells me I should use the credit card, like he does, but I can't stand the debt and I am not going to add to it. What errands can I run with a tired toddler and no money?

I guess it isn't all that bad. I'm in a bad mood today, I guess. I need to get moving. My hubby has had a headache for two weeks and has been in a terrible mood about it. Of course, he won't do anything about it but take pain relief meds and complain. I guess his mood is rubbing off on me. All I know is, if when we get old and he has a lot of medical problems, I'm going to have to get him a private nurse and I'm going to get my own apartment.

Monday clean up

I really haven't thought of much to write about lately. There are a hundred things going on and I stay so busy, but at the same time, nothing really to write.

A few things going on around here:

My 2 year old son is potty-training. He is very young, just turned 2 last month. He is doing alright. We aren't making this a serious effort and if he has accidents, oh well. He is aware of his body and even when he has on a diaper, he will let me know if he needs to go pee. It's messy and the bathroom stinks. I'll be cleaning the floors really good again later today.

Our Christmas plans are on hold at the moment. We were going to my husband's family for Christmas. I was having some anxiety about the trip - 4 kids in the airport for hours, 4 kids on a plane for many more hours, the in-laws pets, and finding a place to sleep everyone once we are there. Still, we were all very excited about seeing the grandparents and all the aunts, uncles and cousins there. Now we found out last night that a one way plane ticket was bought by accident by my mother-in-law. We can get there, but we couldn't get home. A large amount of money was spent and if you have ever looked at one way plane tickets, they are more expensive than just a regular round trip. For the 6 of us to get back home, it would cost a lot more money. So, we are thinking of the possiblities, cancel the trip and go next month for half as much money, go anyway and just spend the money to get home, drive? The drive would be nice but it would be a three and a half day journey each way. Basically, we would get there Christmas Eve and leave around the 28 or 29 to get home intime for school to start and without hubby taking off anymore leave. So, we are waiting to hear from hubby's parents. They are the one to make the decision. There isn't much time to think. Christmas is coming soon.

Anything else? Nope, homeschool, potty training and Christmas travel are taking up much of my thoughts. My mind is busy with those things, but my body is busy with laundry, weekend recovery clean up, and tortilla making.

The Silly Postman

The oddest thing happened today. I was at my computer typing an email to a friend, when there is a knock at the door. It is the postman and he has a registered package for me to sign. He was quite funny about it and told me I am the proud recipient of a registered package and would I please sign. Sure, I signed, took the package and the rest of the mail from his hands and he bowed as he backed up saying thank you in every language he could think of. It was funny and it made me laugh.

I bring in the mail and start going through it, not paying attention to anything else going on the house for a few moments. The package was for my hubby who does all his Christmas shopping online. A few moments later, my seven year old son closes the front door and tells me the mailman didn't pick up the Netflix.

What?

I go out to the mailbox and sitting in it, with the flag still up, are 20 Christmas letters, one birthday card to my grandmother, one card to my cousin and 2 Netflix movies!

The silly postman forgot to pick up our mail, but he was very kind in bringing the mail and the registered package to my door. As soon as hubby gets home from work, I'm going to have to drive those letters to the post office. Most of the letters can wait one more day, but not the birthday card to grandmother. Oh well. I need to get out of the house.