Thursday, September 18, 2008
Being Flexible
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About 2 years ago, I had acquired a list of character qualities from a parenting seminar I had attended. It is titled "Christian Virtues" and has a list of them and next to each one is a rather simplified explanation so that even a small child could figure out what they mean. So, I had this on my refridgerator , and I made a copy for each of my kids and hung it in their rooms. I went over each character quality and their meaning and since then will go back to it when I think that they need to be reminded. I really don't think that they bothered to look at this list at all in the past two years..........until this week. About 3 days ago, something happened where things didn't go for Kylin as he had planned. Usually for him, that means a meltdown. Kids with a autism or a form of it, really like to have things a certain way and they really don't like to have any kind of change from the status quo. So, anyway, something didn't go as expected and Kylin dealt with it pretty well and then told me, "I am willing to change if change is needed". Well that sounded a bit too grammatically correct for him to come up with that statement on his own. So I asked him if he read that somewhere and he said that it was next to "Flexible". So he finally read something on that list and made a connection. And he was so pleased with himself that he handled the change well. Then came last night when we went to church. Usually when we go to church on a Wednesday night, he goes to his class at right away. But, we were informed that the kids were going to sit with us during worship and then go to their classes when the parents go to the adult class. That didn't sit well with Kylin, and I could tell by the look on his face that he was angry and trying hard not to have a meltdown. At some point, the children's pastor came by, said "Hello" and reached out to shake his hand and asked how he was doing. Kylin stuck his hand out and said, without any joy, "I'm flexible!". I think that the kids' pastor was amused. Possibly one day, he'll wish that he never learned what "Flexible" means, and he'll wish that we never knew that he knows what it means. Lp |
Monday, September 8, 2008
School has begun.
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We did it. We made it through the first day of school and all of our lessons. I arranged the schedule a bit differently this year in that I had both kids here in the kitchen and I worked with Kylin in getting through his subjects. He was finished in about an hour. Heather who is in 7th grade had all but 3 subjects that needed my undivided attention so I let her wait on those until after lunch, when Kylin went to his room for a couple of hours of "room time" (formerly known as "naptime"). We got through everything except math in the first hour. Her math lesson took up that second hour and she was yawning and telling me how tired she was and just not putting much effort into it. She'd rather stay in her room and read and have "roomtime". I did remind her that if she were going to a regular school, that she'd be in a class or in P.E. at that very moment, so it's not like she was the only 7th grader doing schoolwork at that time. I also reminded her that most kids her age also take schoolwork home to work on in the evenings and they are really tired. Tomorrow, we get to do it all again. Hopefully, there will be less yawning (and just typing about it makes me yawn) In other news, it looks like I'll get to be an aunt again! My sister, after confirmation from her doctor, announced that she's expecting her second child in the spring. Her firstborn just turned one just over a month a go. She is going to be sooooo busy, (at least one year of changing two sets of diapers) but she'll be happy too. So anyway, that's my latest tidbit of news! Lp |
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
School starts........Next week for us.
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I decided to postpone the beginning of the school year for us because Kevin is taking this week off as a vacation. When he's home, it's just harder to keep a school schedule when he isn't following any schedule. I do have the first week's lessons planned out and I have some curriculum ordered that should arrive very soon. So I think that I'm about as ready as I can be. The weather is finally getting a bit cooler. It can still be sunny, but there is a bit of a chill in the air, which of course excites me, because it's "fall-ish", and that means long sleeves, sweaters, jeans, colorful leaves coming, and makes me feel like making soup (potato/cheddar is my favorite). Recently, Kevin bought a 10 gallon fish tank that he found on Craigslist for $10. Yesterday we went to buy some fish to add to it and wound up needing a heater, new filter, water conditioner and a net. When all was said and done, we wound up spending $$41. About twice as much as what Kevin was expecting to spend. So we named the fish, "Hugh", "Navarre", "Dwight" and "Dex", and an algae eater named "Al". This morning I was informed that "Navarre" had already died. So once again, the pet I personally pick out winds up dying. Kevin is out running errands and he mentioned wanting to get another fish for me. So maybe if he's the one choosing it, it'll live! This afternoon, I am going to make up some soup to freeze for later lunches and possibly some macaroni & cheese as well. It'll really depend on if I have enough containers. So, that is the plan. Hopefully I'll have no interruptions and I can carry it out. Lp |
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
August 6-The Summer Festivities Are Almost Over
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Well just as I was doing the last time I posted, I am enjoying a berry smoothie while I blog! Hot weather just seems to require that treat. Yesterday, I discovered (and I don't know why it never occurred to me) why, in the 11 years I've lived here, I have rarely seen a hummingbird. I was out side pulling the shade down over the window when I noticed to my left, one of our cats playing with something and I also kept hearing what sounded like a loud squeak. I thought that he had a small mouse (I've seen the cats play with one of those recently) and discovered a very small hummingbird. The poor thing was still breathing (barely). So then I started thinking about how we just haven't seen as many birds as we used to. Then I started thinking how, by setting out bird feeders, I'm really setting up a buffet for the cats. Poor birds! Heather had her birthday earlier in the week. We planned to have family over for dinner and cake on the evening of her birthday. Kevin was out of town taking a class for work, so I was parenting by myself and getting the house ready for company. It wasn't that hard this time. Our days stayed busy and we'd hear from Kevin in the evenings. He came home two days before the birthday. The day before the birthday was spent doing last minute shopping and baking the birthday cake. Then wrapping up the gifts and leaving them on the table for Heather to see when she awoke in the morning. Sure enough, when we got up on Sunday, Heather was already in the livingroom waiting for us so she could see her loot. She was pretty happy with her gifts, but I have a feeling that she sort of knew what she was getting. Either that or kids don't get that excited when they're 12. Later in the morning, we took our birthday girl to the mall to get her ears pierced. I think that has been the thing that she's been looking forward to the most. She was rather anxious because she knew that there would be pain. She made it through, almost cried, and when all was said and done, she had a big smile and earrings in her ears. So now that the birthdays are over, for a while, we're taking a few weeks off from doing school. I need the break and the kids do too. Lp |
Sunday, July 20, 2008
July part 2
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I'm sitting here on a Sunday evening, enjoying a berry smoothie, made by my spouse. |
Friday, July 11, 2008
Keeping cool
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Summer seems to be in full swing. The required heat is here too. I don't mind having the sun as much because we need it for the garden to produce the veggies that we planted. There's just something about harvesting your own food and having it for dinner or at least preserving it. It's a pretty good feeling. The summer heat also provides us with a reason to make smoothies too. A few weeks ago, Kevin bought a heavy duty blender, that crushes ice. So on Friday nights, and sometimes other very hot weekdays, he can be persuaded to make smoothies using the frozen berries from last year's garden. They're very filling and very good, and not as fattening as what we'd normally get at Dairy Queen. Kevin made some smoothies tonight and they were soooooo good! And finally, summer is bringing birthdays. Between last Saturday and the end of August, we will have a birthday party every two weeks. My grandma turned 90 last Saturday. We celebrated with a family dinner at Marie Callender's. My aunt & uncle joined us from out of town and my nephew, who will be 1 in a couple of weeks, was the main entertainment. Next weekend is my nephew's birthday and then two weeks after that is Heather's 12th birthday and 3 weeks after that are the birthdays of my dad and brother-in-law. It's a busy birthday summer. So that's the latest with this report. Due to the rising price of gas, we aren't doing much traveling, so most of what we'll be doing will be here at home. Lp |
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
My real name is "Mom"
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We've told our son, Kylin, several times, over the years, what our names are. My real name is "Elizabeth", but I've gone by "Lisa" for most of my life. So today, Kylin asked me what my middle name was, I told him. He repeated it back adding the "Lisa" to it. So I asked him what my real name was. He thought for a minute and then said, "Mom". Maybe I need to have my birth certificate changed to reflect his perception of me. I'm currently watching a videotape that Kevin took earlier today of some local trains having a railroad crossing demonstration. I'm starting to think that my voice is sounding alot like my mother's. Yikes! When I mentioned that, Heather started to get a little worried that the same would happen to her. I told her, "Behold your future!" Kylin's latest responses to the following: 1. When he asks us a question that we don't know the answer to, or when he asks where something is that we have no idea of it's whereabouts, he says, "Well you should have known!" or "Your lying" 2. When we tell him that he needs to get his chores or his schoolwork done before he can play, He'll say, "I'll do it super sloppy!" (and "super sloppy" has been the reason that my dishes have received more chips in the last month when the dishwasher is unloaded). I finally heard the word "sloppy" way too many times and finally started to take away minutes from his computer/video game time. He's a bit more aware of when he's about to say it now and sometimes manages to stop himself, but he does slip up a bit. The weather is finally nice enough that we can eat outside. Kevin cleaned up the patio, and cleaned up the patio furniture, put up the umbrella, and brought out the cushions. So for the last 3 days, we've been having dinner outside. If the nice weather continues, we be doing this every evening. Kylin's pretty happy with the warmer weather as it means that he can go outside and play which is a good way for him to burn some energy. Heather is ok with being outside, but she doesn't play really. She's happier sitting out in a chair reading her latest find from the library. So that's my latest tidbit. Lp |
Thursday, June 19, 2008
What We Filled Our Days with in the Spring
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Hi There, Summer is almost here, tomorrow actually. So I thought I'd try to add some pictures to show what we did in the spring.  This is a picture of the French flag that our son made for the night that we had ratatouille for dinner. He also drew and cut out a picture of an Eiffel Tower, which he taped just below the flag. The kids actually liked the ratatouille, even though it was full of vegetables that they normally don't like. So I'm thinking that if Pixar could make more movies named after veggie dishes, that our kids might be encouraged to eat healthier food. Just a thought. This is one of our cats, Oscar. This cat will sleep anywhere and in the strangest positions (ones that would make my back hurt if I tried sleeping like that) In April, we went to a model train show and swap meet at the fairgrounds. Kevin and Kylin are really into trains. Heather isn't at all, but she was a good sport (after she was reminded about how her brother went to alot of events that she liked and he didn't). Ok, here it is! I blogged a few weeks ago about how Kevin had asked for our opinion if he pierced his ear one night, and the very next day came home with it pierced. |
Thursday, May 22, 2008
A Bang up and a Birthday
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I thought that since I had put in an earlier status message that I was taking care of an injured husband, I should probably elaborate a bit. This past Sunday afternoon, Kevin went out for a bike ride with a friend. We had had some rather hot weather so Kevin took some water with him. What wound up happening was that after riding for 6 miles, and then resting in the car, he tried to get up and walk and when he did, he passed out, hitting his head on the pavement. He had some short term memory issues and so his friend called me, and I went to pick him up and take him to the ER. The doctor said that he probably had been dehydrated when he fell. Kevin did get a CAT scan and thankfully, there were no major injuries other than a mild concussion. The doctor also said that the memory issues would go away too and by the next day, his memory was much better. After two days to stay home and rest (he was really sore and still is), he's back at work gaining sympathy for the scratch under his eye and telling folks that I beat him up ;) Then on Tuesday, our "baby" turned 10. He'll be the first to tell anyone that he's not a baby. We have a new Chuck E. Cheese in town and Kylin wanted to have his party there. His party consists of mostly adults, and we discovered later at the party that adults really can't visit in a restaurant where there are little kids yelling, and screaming and marching around chanting "Chucky, Chucky.....". Kylin did have a good time. He likes noise. He likes to contribute to noise and has been since he was born. He and Heather played in the arcade and "won" all sorts of little prizes like tattoos and stickers and candy etc. Kevin was hoping that Heather wouldn't want to go there for her birthday, but she does. So we will probably change the plans to where the adults can come to a more quiet environment, like our house, for the family party and then one of us will take Heather, Kylin and maybe a friend back to the noisy Chuck E. Cheese. |
Monday, May 12, 2008
The Day After Mother's Day
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I only mark this one as "The Day After Mother's Day" because I didn't have a chance to blog yesterday. We had a full day of celebrating and by the time we came home, I was too tired to type. So, today, I write. Mother's Day, at this house started with my husband waking up with a headache, sinus pain and not having slept very well. Yet he crawled out of bed, and took a steamy shower (hoping to relieve his headache) and set out to make Mother's day happen for me. While he was in the shower, Kylin came in and asked if he could take the next shower and when I told him that he'd have to wait until his sister and I had had ours (due to having to wait an hour between each shower for the water to heat up and that we needed time after washing our hair, to fix it), he had a meltdown and a major conniption fit. So Kevin worked on adjusting that attitude with the boy. After that Kylin said that he'd have a good attitude and wait for his shower. So, all is borderline "well". Kevin drove down to the store and picked up a Sunday paper and a magazine for me to read while I was going to be confined to my room while he made breakfast. He also stopped at a coffee stand to buy me a delicious vanilla latte. The person at the coffee stand asked him how the day was going so far and he said, "Well I woke up not feeling well, I have a cranky kid and I'm trying to make Mother's Day nice for my wife!". So he came home and gave me my reading material and set out to cook breakfast. Trying to judge by the smells coming from the kitchen, I could only guess that maybe he was making an omlet with green peppers (I could definitely smell those) or biscuits & gravy. Finally he arrived with breakfast and the guessing was over. I have fried eggs, vegetarian sausage, O'Brian potatoes and english muffins. He also made homemade "egg McMuffins for the kids. However Heather didn't like hers because the english muffin was whole wheat. I looked at it later and discovered that she didn't eat the egg inside either and when I pointed out that she still could have eaten the contents, she said, "I hadn't thought of that!". She still didn't eat it. When I finally came out to the livingroom, there was a flower on my desk and Kevin told me to look out of our front door and I saw the hanging plant that Kevin had put together for me. It was full of dark pink and purple flowers. What I like the most about it was that he put it together himself. Then it was time for Kylin's shower and he asked me what he could wear. When I pointed out that he could wear his nice yet casual shirts, he had another fit because he wanted to wear a play t-shirt (and they were still drying in the closet. Plus we were going to someone's house for a family dinner, it wasn't like I was asking him to wear a suit). He finally dressed and we started hoping that his attitude would be better during the day................at someone else's house. After we were all showered and spruced up, we headed over to my grandma's as she was going to join us on the drive to my dad's in Creswell. On the way, Kevin asked if I had been to my mom's grave recently. I haven't in at least two years. It's been 12 years and by now, going to the cemetery isn't what it used to be. In the first few years after my mom had passed, I did go more regularly, but now, it's like I put the flowers in the built in vase and see the headstone that I've seen many times and then what else does one do except go home. I didn't have plans to go yesterday. I may this week because we did have Mother's day and the cemetery just happens to be where she is. We picked up my grandma and headed to Creswell. She was happy to spend the afternoon with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Of course when my sister and her family arrived, everyone wanted to play with my little nephew. He's nearly 10 months old and he had changed a bit since we saw him at Easter. Yesterday was also my sister's 25th birthday. Back when I turned 25, my then 9 year old sister informed me that I was "half of a half of a century old. So, in the last couple of years, I started "training" my daughter to say the same thing to my sister when it was her turn. That came yesterday. My sister was expecting it though. My dad made dinner as usual, but decided to save himself some clean up work and he used paper plates and cups. So he was actually able to sit and visit a bit more rather than being in the kitchen the whole time. In the early evening, we left my dad's, we took grandma home (along with two hanging plants from her children), went to the store, picked up pie and ice cream, and went to visit Kevin's parents. Kevin bought his mother a metal lunch box with pictures of Elvis Presley on it. She loved it! She loves collectibles and music from the 60's so that gift was just right for her. We arrived home after 9 and we were so tired. Other folks think that mother's get the day off to kick back and relax. I don't think that it's my turn yet. Lp |
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Yard Work!
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This weekend has seen the return of the nice weather. It's not too hot but warm enough to start working on the yard. Yesterday, I took a couple of hours to transplant flowers that I had just bought to the flowerpots on the porch. Then I looked over and saw the weeds along the walkway and started working on them. I woke up this morning, already thinking about pulling weeds, and I wasn't even out of bed yet. Now, it is evening, and the flowerbed that goes along the front of the yard is about 75% weed free. Now, the herbs we have planted there look alot better surrounded by dark, rich dirt. I never thought that I would wake up in the morning looking forward to yard work! What I wonder sometimes is why I enjoy this now as an adult when I hated it as a kid. When I was growing up, my mom would constantly send me out to the garden and tell me that I was to pull weeds for an hour. I never thought that it was fair because I never saw her pulling any of her weeds (not even considering that she was tired from working all week and trying to be a single parent, and then later trying to be a stay at home parent to a teenager who wasn't used to her being around). But I was a kid then. Somehow, when I grew up and had my own yard, my viewpoint changed. I discovered that I love flowers, and I loved them in my yard, so I needed to weed out the things I don't like, but naturally grow there, and I like it. Kevin spent the day working on that last bed in the garden and finished transplanting the tomatoes and peppers So now, I'm sore, all over, Kevin is too. But it's worth it because something was accomplished. We also treated ourselves to a treat at the DQ. Ice cream is always a good reward! I bought Kylin some "ice cream" bars made from tofu (because he's not consuming dairy for now) called "Tofuti Cuties". They aren't bad. They taste just like real ice cream. On another note, my husband Kevin, ventured out and got his ear pierced. I won't elaborate, now as I have pictures to go with the story behind that. It was a little weird at first. I'm used to it now. Heather thinks that it's really weird and it's something to shock her friends with. So far, she's told one friend and that one didn't seem so shocked. Time to sign off and rest. Lp |
Sunday, April 20, 2008
What Season is it really? Someone please tell me!
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I don't think that I'm the only Oregonian who is confused on this issue. Last weekend, we had beautiful weather. It was 84 degrees (if my dad still had his boat, it would have been a great day to go to the lake) and it looked like the spring weather was here to stay. However, the weather cooled during the week and this weekend, we had a dusting of snow during the night. Hmmmmm...... Since we did have a weekend of nice weather, Kevin turned over one of the beds in the garden and then planted bush beans, peas, carrots, and 4 grape starts. And then over the past week, we've been wondering if they'll survive the sudden drop in temperatures at night. We took the kids to the model train show last weekend as well. Kevin and Kylin are definitely more into trains than Heather and I are. Heather really would have preferred to stay home, but we reminded her of the times that her brother came to the events that she liked and he didn't, and we pretty much made her go. She was a pretty good sport and didn't complain. One of these days, I will start posting pictures with my blogs. I've noticed other bloggers who do that, and quite frankly, when I read what other's have written, I like a picture or two to help me see what the writer is trying to convey to the reader. I have started reading a bit more, at least trying to fit it in. I'm currently reading "Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself" by Alan Alda. I read his previous book, titled, "Never Have Your Dog Stuffed". I do like to read autobiographies and I really liked that book. This one is good, it take a bit longer to get through, as it's not entirely autobiographical, but also a bit philosophical and I don't always agree with his beliefs. I did just finish Amy Grant's book, "Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far" and I did enjoy that. I used to listen to her music when I was in Jr. High, but haven't in a long time (I'm more of a Newsboys/ Hillsong listener now). So, as I mentioned before, I will try to start putting pictures up. Spring is here, hopefully the really nice weather will come back soon and stay, and I'll have some more interesting things to blog about. Lp |
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
April Fools..........for everyone else!
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Happy April 1st! I've already heard the "April Fools!" from my husband. We've changed the calendar (almost an event with the kids), and Kevin and I are wondering, "Just how fast will THIS month fly by?". We really can't do any pranks around here. Kylin just doesn't understand jokes (though he certainly has attempted to tell his own). He takes everything that is said so seriously, and if we say something that sounds a bit ridiculous, he'll say, "Are you joking?" or "Are you lying". Then he'll get really upset. So, we really try not to do that. Kylin will meet enough folk in his life who will probably play pranks on this day and we'd like for him to know that he can at least trust his parents and his sister to be more considerate of him. Last week, we had alot of rain and hail and even some snow. Not the kind of weather one would associate with late March. This week, we have sunshine and I even heard birds outside. I have a new birdfeeder and a fresh bag of birdseed ready to set out, and new flowers to put in the planters. When I was growing up, my paternal grandparents lived a couple of miles outside of a very small town. They had a house up on a hill, sitting in front of a little set of woods, which held a cemetery (and after watching "Night of the LIving Dead" when I was 14, that cemetery concerned me a little bit..........but I did get over it). Anyway, in the mornings, we would eat our breakfast in "the sunroom" (a room with alot of windows) and watch this family of quail come down out of the woods and eat the birdseed that she had scattered for them. At first, it was hard to see the quail because their color blended in with the bark that was in the yard and we'd only notice them when the "bark" would move. Sometimes, if the weather was really warm, we'd eat our breakfast or lunch out on the deck and listen to the sounds of the birds.....the cow from about a mile away.........a rooster working overtime in reminding everyone that the sun is out..........and a donkey wanting attention..........and the sound of fresh air. Yes, it does have a sound. Anyway, those are some of my memories of spring. Lp |
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Spring Has Sprung, The Grass is Rizz.........
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Spring is officially here. However, the weather hasn't really coincided with the new season, and that has bothered Kylin quite a bit. We recently had rain so the ground is still damp and the weather is still chilly. Kylin has been asking me for the past few days, nearly every hour, to check the temp online to see if it's risen enough for him to go outside. This boy has been waiting all winter for the weather to be dry and warm enough to go outside. Once that happens, he'll play outside all day until the sun sets, running around the yard, and making ponds and rivers in the flowerbeds. My husband Kevin has finally bought a drumset for himself. It's electronic so as not to disturb the neighbors who go to earlier than we do. He's been wanting to learn to play the drums since he was a teenager. He bought a pair of drumsticks when he was 15 and then after that, asked for a drumset for every Birthday and Christmas. He was never given one. So now, at age 39, he finally decided to go ahead and buy a set and start learning. He still has the pair of sticks that he bought as a teenager, and a practice pad that he received for Christmas last year. He also has a lesson book, so he's been working with that and has been diligently practicing. I would have to say that he does really well. He doesn't think so, but I've heard him and I'm impressed! My large purchase this year was a treadmill. I can't always get away to walk around the mall early in the morning (when it's been raining) so Kevin found one on craigslist for a great price and it works wonderfully. Sometimes Kevin will practice his drums at the same time I get my walk in. Certainly not a time for chatting as he needs to concentrate and I get too winded to talk. Tomorrow is Easter, and even though my kids are nearly 10 and 12, they still like to get Easter baskets, eat candy, and hunt eggs. As the kids get older, I have had to rethink what non-edible goodies to put into those baskets. It was easier when they were little and I could put little toys in them. But now, they're older and the goodies include books, new flip-flops (because after all, it's spring), and......because we have the drumset.............and they seem remotely interested.................a pair of drumsticks for each of them (I did pick up a new pair for Kevin too, as well as a pair for myself). So, I guess drum lessons are next. The kids both seem to have the potential to play the drums. I think that Heather will practice more. Kylin can keep rhythm, most of the time, but he's also more interested in making up his own songs. Songs about losing his video game time and how the cat somehow has the authority to give it back to him. Hmmmm........ It's late and everyone in the house is asleep except me. So I guess that is my cue to stop typing and go to bed |
Friday, March 14, 2008
Just some ponderings....
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Just a few thoughts to jot down. In the past few months, I've seen some really miraculous blessings and provisions from the Lord, and then just as I'm feeling really good about those, I get sideswiped with something that I hadn't expected. I've come to the point to where I know that if I say that things are great or fine when someone asks, that I should expect to the unexpected (and it's not the good kind) to come out of nowhere and overshadow the obvious hand of the Lord in my life. It's these things that God's enemy uses to try to discourage me from praying, and tries to plant seeds of doubt and disbelief in my heart. I'm continuing to pray and press on, and stay in the Word, and really put my trust in the Lord. I will say that my prayer life has improved......alot, and I'm slowly discovering just what it means to put ALL of my trust in the Lord, he's the only one who is truly trustworthy and he's proven himself as a provider. It's nice to know that he's there to lean on during hard times. Lp |
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Our February Update
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Hello, I noticed that it's been nearly a month since my last entry. I don't have alot to report because we haven't done much outside the house. However, the exciting things for us this month so far have been: -A new bed! For us, this is exciting, because we've been needing a new bed since we bought our last one (used) nearly 12 years ago. Our previous one was a basic mattress in a waterbed frame. The new one is a pillowtop and much softer. -We finally got rid of our 17 year old Mercury Grand Marquis, (named "Ol' Drippy" because of it's inability to hang on to the oil we constantly had to pour into it). Kevin put it on craigslist as a free parts car to whoever could drive it home. Two guys showed up with a gallon of old motor oil and managed to get it running and smoking down the street (possibly like the car that John Candy drove in "Uncle Buck" but without the backfiring). These guys planned to drive it all the way to Cottage Grove (a 30 minute drive on the freeway). I hope they made it! -Valentine's Day came and went and we've all had our fill of chocolate. The kids feel that they need more, but Easter will be here soon enough and they'll get another large dose then. -My sister had her family pictures taken at JC Penny's, and the photographer thought that my nephew was so cute that they asked my sister if his picture could be shown in all of the Penny's studios. So in the near future, if you happen to be at a Penny's studio and see a picture of a jolly baby with big blue eyes, that is probably my nephew (and his auntie is very proud). -Kevin's birthday is next week. He'll finally be the same age as me. I'm really glad that he no longer refers to me as "the older woman" (I'm only 2 months older). The kids and I have some gifts for him and we'll get a pizza from Papa's (great pizza!) and we'll either have a fruit pie or a birthday cake (he usually wants pie and the kids always want cake). -We've only had one sad thing happen and that was my granddad's funeral at the beginning of the month. He was a really neat guy, and was able to live a really full life. More than most folks his age. So that sums up February. As I'm typing this, my son is spinning around in circles. Then he falls and says, "I wish I could do this right!". I'm wondering what it is he's trying to get right. You spin, get dizzy and fall over. I think he's succeeded. Lp |
Sunday, January 27, 2008
We Finally Have Snow!
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Well in my last entry, I was lamenting the forecast of snow and the absence of it. Well the snow is here and fat & fluffy snowflakes consistently coming down. My kids waited until after their favorite show (Green Acres) was over before they bundled up and headed outdoors. Heather had picked up a few ideas from one of her "Calvin & Hobbes" comic books. She built some snowmen (she calls them "snowgoons") in front of our old car that would give the impression that they were actually pedestrians who were hit by the car. Kylin actually attempted to build his own snowmen in the backyard. He later told me that they were penquins. The last time we had such a decent snow was about 3 years ago. It was so decent that Kevin wound up staying home from work. Of course, with snow like this, we tend to wonder if it'll be like the snow of '69. I was about two months old, and it was in February, and it snowed so much, we had snow up to the windows of the Chevy (my mom took pictures). My dad worked at my granddad's dairy and wound up taking a sleeping bag with him and staying there for the duration of the snow. Hopefully, it won't snow that much. So anyway, Happy Snow Day! Lp |
Thursday, January 24, 2008
It Be Very Cold Here!
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Yet no snow. My kids would love to see some snow and make a snowman that will probably melt before noon. There is a new treadmill in our garage. After two days of walking on it, I can honestly say, "ouch!". The last time I had such a workout, was two years ago when I was working a paper route. But it's good for me. Cold weather means soup too. I made a beef vegetable soup (with vegetarian "meat") and it just hit the spot on a cold day. The kids aren't really into soup, but my husband had seconds and thirds. It's nice to know that someone likes my cooking. A good cookbook helps too (Better Homes & Gardens is my favorite). Today was our weekly trip to the library. So the kids have something new to read in the evening before bed. I didn't bother to get anything for me to read. I bought a book called "Love & Respect" at the store the other day (I may blog on that more after I've finished) and have just started reading it. I've also read two other books since the beginning of the year. If anything, that could be a New Year's resolution: To read more books. |
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year! 2008
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Well another year flew by. What is sort of scary is that we know that this new year will fly by and we'll be celebrating Christmas again and trying to stay up until midnight waiting for 2009 to ring in. Our kids asked if they could stay up until midnight. I told them that I'd talk to Kevin about it. His answer was "no". By 4:30 in the afternoon, I was ready to put my son to bed. He really likes to be outside, and since it's been cold and wet outside, he's had to stay in, so I think he has cabin fever and we all get to "enjoy" it with him. We did let the kids have Martinelli's and ice cream before going to bed. Surprisingly, after all of that sugar, they did go to sleep fairly quickly. We decided that we'd try to stay up though. When we were younger (in our 20's) we seemed to be able to stay up until 2 or 3AM, sleep 3-4 hours and get up and go to work and be fairly fine. Now, we're really pushing ourselves to stay awake until 11PM. We watched our new DVD's until midnight, caught a glimpse of Dick Clark on TV and then went to bed. Our neighbors set off all sorts of noisy fireworks (our poor cat tried to hide behind the toilet in our bathroom to get away from the noise). If anymore fireworks were set off, we slept through it. Today, we're starting the new year with internet surfing, laundry, and putting away decorations, and wondering what lies ahead for us in 2008. |
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Just one more week.....
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Just one more week until Christmas. Are we ready? Not really. Last minute projects and clean up have us rather busy. I am finished with the shopping for the kids. The presents are all wrapped (to make them more difficult to peek into). The kids continually count them to see if we've added anymore to the stack. Kevin has been doing last minute shopping, and tying up loose ends at work so he can enjoy the next two weeks that he's chosen to take off for a vacation. We have family coming to our house this year. Kevin's parents will be joining us on Christmas morning. Then in the afternoon, we're going to my dad's to celebrate with him and my grandma. So it'll be a busy day. Kylin has been keeping track of the number of days on our kitchen white board. It keeps him busy. Lisa |