We are the Champions!

Check out the Mansfield Red Raiders! We won the tournament this weekend. Of course it was 95 degrees all weekend and we look like lobsters....but we won! Andrew scored the winning run in the championship game. Way to go, boy. (He wants everyone to know that he sprinted all the way from first to score). Andrew is in the front row with both "guns" up.

My little entrepreneur

I found out today that my son has started his own business during class. I got all the details during our drive home. He has 2 employees whom he pays 2 tickets a month. Anderson is his peeler and Olivia is in charge of advertising. It is a free service and he may end up going in the hole so we will have to address this issue. He is already planning to expand in the near future. So if anyone needs his service, see Andrew at his desk in the 3rd grade classroom during regular school hours. What is this service, you ask? Crayon sharpening. My little entrepreneur has found a needed service in the 3rd grade and has the sharpener to get the job done!

On a completely unrelated note.... a word of advice. Never leave a box of cereal on the kitchen counter when you have a bad kitty in the house. Otherwise, when you return after a long day, you will be sweeping little rolling puffs of corn from your entire kitchen floor. Just an FYI.

Gotta go now. Tonight is Open House and the principal just called and she has cracked her elbow so guess who gets to be in charge. Goodie goodie!

I'm a bad mommy

Remember last time I had to shave my kitty and promised I'd never do it again. Apparently, I lied.

Poor kitty.



And the worst part is Maggie still doesn't recognize him and keeps hissing.

Little League World Series Tournament

What have I been doing since we got back from vacation?.....

(One of the parents gave us a CD of the series so that is why I can post pictures. Can't post vacation yet since I have no idea where the cord is to connect my camera to the computer.)

We were eliminated on Friday morning and I think we are all baseballed out right now. Andrew was EXHAUSTED by the end of the week. We ran by Sharla's on Friday and when we got home, we all fell asleep for a much needed nap.

6th Grade Graduation

Since I've been gone...

Quick update:

1. We are all still breathing, sweating and breathing......and sweating.

2. Computer crashed a few days ago so the whole family has been fighting over the laptop. (guess who usually loses that fight and goes to the end of the line).

3. After much praying over and hitting the computer on the forehead yelling, "Be healed", I have cured the computer and now it is working again (we'll see for how long).

4. Alyssa graduated from school and I only cried a little bit. Junior high here we come!

5. Summer has been here for almost two weeks and it feels like forever. I guess that's good, but I know once July hits, the summer will fly by.

6. Andrew was playing on an All-star team but we were knocked out of the tournament tonight. Oh, rats. I love watching baseball in 100 degree weather. But, another tournament starts next week so.....YIPPEE!

7. Colorado trip. Who's ready? Not me. I still have time though.

8. Oh, Blake bought a new van. The conversation went something like this....
Ring ring (phone rings at work) "Hi, dear wife, remember when I told you I was going to work at home today well instead, I'm going to work at home only half the day and this afternoon I'm going to buy you a new van. Okay? Bye." No, I'm not kidding. But he got a good deal and I like my new van. We still can find it in the parking lot though.

That's about it. Boring but sweaty.

Daily Chuckle

Warning: You must be at least 18 years old and female to continue reading this post!

This cartoon is totally inappropriate and offensive....and it makes me laugh.

Hello. I'm old.

Yes, it's true. I'm old. And birthdays are no fun anymore. But at least my friends at work made me laugh. This is what greeted me in the morning in my office.

All the windows covered with black and things from my desk all wrapped (like my computer, printer, stapler, phone, kleenex box, all individual pens.....) Then they got the parents and teachers to drop off Luby's senior citizen coupons to me all during the day. But the best moment had to be when one of the two year old classes walked up to me very solemnly and each handed me a coupon saying, "I sorwy you old." Thank you kids.

But my sister brought me some lovely flowers and a wonderful gift certificate to a spa from both sisters and my brother. It was great. I spent the rest of the day figuring out how I'm going to use it. I think I'm going for the big package with a massage, facial, manicure, pedicure. (If I can stand someone touching me for 3 hours!)

(Kitty liked the flowers too!)

I have a sick little girl. We ended up going home today at about 1:30. I think she just has a bad cold but you know how that is, not really sick enough to stay home but feeling lousy at school and then feeling worse as the day goes on. She is also going to miss LTC practice tonight. But it was nice in one way. I sent her to her room to take a nap (and she is still asleep 3 1/2 hours later) and then I layed down on the couch for an hour. Nothing better than an unplanned nap...during a thunderstorm!

We finally got rain (I'm just glad it waited until Mom and Dad left). As we were leaving the school today, the sky looked like this....

I have never seen clouds like that before. The pictures don't do them justice. They looked like draped fabric. Very cool.

PRCA Talent Show Pt.1

I have now officially given up on trying to add the talent show video. So instead, you get a couple of still shots.

Andrew and his best friend sang ZZ Top's Sharp Dressed Man.

Ally and her friends did a skit to All the Single Ladies.

And the finale of the night was the sixth grade dancing to Thriller. They did a great job! My friend Rene and I did the hair and makeup. And Dawn was the director. It was really good! Of course now the 5th grade is wanting to know what they are going to do next year.

Now that the talent show and Ally's science project is over, I am feeling a lot less stressed. And only two more weeks until Spring Break!

How to Recognize Stress....

This is registration week at work. On top of that, it's the final talent show practices and I still need to get costumes finished. Plus, Ally has a huge project to complete and is totally confused. Then lets add a field trip on Friday and all the paperwork and details that need to be worked out. And then, there are daily tours of the school (yesterday I had three back to back). Not to mention the pre-school's circus and the program, decorations, etc. that go with that. Added on top, we have no food in the house so I need to go shopping, the library books are due, my house is a mess and the only way to get through the kid's rooms is by jungle vine, LTC practices twice a week, basketball practice and games each week, baseball practice starting, children and pets that think they need my attention, a husband who needs the same....

All this to say. Something was bound to break and today I believe that it did......

Not only do my shoes not match but they look nothing alike; one is blue and one is brown and even the heels are different. I didn't even notice until I got into the office. Can I just go home now?

Monsters, Candy and Songs

Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day. The kids decided to make valentines for their classes this year instead of just buying a box. Thank you Family Fun magazine.

Andrew made monsters attached to a heart full of candy (the sign says "I have my eye on you")....

Ally made I-pods out of a box of conversation hearts (since she is never without hers)....

And they made these for their teachers....

I had told Blake not to buy me flowers since I was feeling "over-commercialized" this year. So instead I was surprised at work by a singing telegram. It was very sweet and a total suprise! Of course I was in such shock that I didn't video them or even take a single picture. And through the whole first song, I kept thinking, "Did they really say this was for me? Am I stealing someone else's telegram?" He done good. I think I'll keep him.

The sun is shining. The birds are singing. And I am not tempted to rip anyone's head off today. It's amazing what a good night's sleep, lunch with your sister and venting will do for a person's attitude.

Don't mess with me today!

Just to let all you parents know...

1. It is not my job to know when exactly your child has talent show practice, whether or not they ordered lunch today, what homework they should have done, when your class valentine party is, or what "the mean kid" said to your little angel.

2. Read your notes that come home from the school. You need to know this information. That is why we send it home. Oh, and it's also not my fault that little Johnny didn't give it to you. Check the pile of squished papers in the bottom of his backpack like I do.

3. A "deadline" is the latest time when something should be completed. It is not a vague general suggestion. If you miss it, too bad. How do you work at your job if you cannot get this concept? Does your boss let you keep sliding? And it is not my job to keep reminding you that something is due! I think three notes/e-mails are enough.

4. If your child is sick enough to have medicine or looks like death warmed over, DO NOT send him to school. We will be calling you as soon as the tylenol wears off and the fever comes back. Meanwhile, all you have done is expose everyone else.

5. To the parents who do the above evil. Do not complain when your child gets sick because someone else did the same thing.

6. The school closes at 3:30. Just because I happen to be in the building until 4, does not mean I am still working and want to deal with you. So stop buzzing the button for me to let you in. I will just sit here typing and ignore you until you read the note that was sent home (see #2) and call the person who you need to talk to in the first place.

7. If your child misses school, we will be happy to send home missed work but you will need to wait until the end of the day like it says in your student handbook. If you call at 9, it will not be ready for you to pick up at 10. Sorry.

8. Stop calling me to chat. I'm busy and don't really care what gross bodily functions your child is taking care of now.

9. If you are leaving our school, do not tell me the great things about the school you are thinking about. By pulling your child from our school, you are effecting my job and I can't pretend that I'm excited for you. I understand that we cannot meet every child's needs, but that doesn't mean that I want to keep hearing it. Oh, and your little angel who is perfect but not doing well here, will have the same problems at another school because I have seen their behavior and attitude. Good luck.

10. If you do not like public schools, keep it to yourself, especially if there are students around. Some of those kids will be going to public school and, you know what, they will be fine. So stop filling their heads with how "terrible" the public education system is. I went to public school and I'm just fine. Happy and fine. See how happy I am.

Okay. I feel better now. Thanks for letting me get this out of my system. I was about to blow up. I know it's only Tuesday but it has been a really LONG week. At least Sharla is coming down tomorrow. Then she can hear me complain about how my fridge stopped working and Andrew's closet clothes rack fell as I was trying to get ready today. How much longer until Spring Break?

My Day...

In the span of two hours, our school received the following donations:

a check for $3,000

a box of expired pork fat

Use your imagination on which one we kept and which one ended up in the dumpster. And no, we did not use the money to buy more pork fat.

Sorry, I just had to post this. The P.E. teacher and I just sat here for the last 20 minutes laughing hysterically about this and I had to share our joy!

Last Day of Christmas Break...

Don't you think that if a person is sick for 4 days over the holidays, they should get that same amount of time off once school starts again? So unfair! If I'm going to be that puny, at least I should have gotten to miss work. But, I do feel better today and it was a great jump start to the diet!

I have been trying to post my favorite commercial from the holiday season but I wasn't able to so here is a link to it. This makes me laugh everytime I see it. I think they were following me over the last month!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTZv76R5FTo