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

Ally has joined the blogging world! She was feeling left out since at least one child from each family has their own blog. (Thanks Tracy and Sharla). Here is her site: http://talesfromashopahalic.blogspot.com/

I take no responsiblity for content or spelling.

I could now tell you about our Christmas but there is not much to tell so just go to Sharla's blog and insert my family's names.

Quote of the Day

Said at lunch today by me, to Melania: 

"Sweetie, please don't color me."

(though the green crayon stripe down my new blue pants does add a certain charm)

The Nutcracker

Our school went on a field trip yesterday to go see the ballet, The Nutcracker, and I actually got to go! It was an abbreviated version so it only lasted an hour but my kids were still bored for the most part. I liked it. Of course when we left, I was informed by the 2nd grade boys that there wasn't enough fighting and when the mouse king's head was cut off, there was no blood. How disappointing.

 Andrew did recognize one of the songs. It was this one... 

So when we got home, Andrew was humming this part of the ballet and got a puzzled look on his face. "Mom," he asked, "is that a BonJovi song?" hee hee

Happy Thanksgiving!

Okay family, I need your help. Let me tell you the whole story.

My friend, Dawn, is the school's PE teacher and also watches the pre-school teachers kids before class out on the playground. So far this year she has found - on our enclosed secure playground - some personal unmentionables, child poop in a playhouse, cat poop in our sandbox, a homeless man....twice, and the latest, a family of dying mice. (Needless to say, she wants a raise.) 

So, to lighten her mood one morning, I found one of our cat toys that looks like a real mouse and put it on her purse that she keeps in my office with a note saying, "Dawn, where are you? We are waiting to play with you!". hee hee. Laughter ensued all around. So THEN I found more mice and put them in her PE closet in a line with a note that said, "Follow me! I think Dawn is in here!" hee hee. Again laughter ensued up and down the halls. 

Well that was two weeks ago and she still has my mice and my kitty wants them back. So Tuesday, I made a wanted sign with her picture on it and posted it on her PE closet.

Laughter is now ensuing ALL over the academy since the kids have all seen the poster. (Yes, I know, I have WAY too much time on my hands. But it's more fun than working.) So today, my sweet little boy's teacher called down and said Andrew needed to talk to me. Apparently he was worried about me (I had a stomach pain-that-doesn't-exist attack last night). So I went and let him know I was fine. Came back to my desk and found a mouse toy with google eyes and lips waiting to kiss me! Dawn set me up using my own child! So needless to say he is grounded along with the whole second grade class who all knew. 

So here is my question...what can I do to get her back? My creative juices has all dried up and I can't just let it drop! hee hee

Help Me, I'm Losing My Mind!

Since we are not talking election results in my house tonight, I am pondering some of life's great mysteries. Tonight while tucking Andrew into bed, I started to tell him not to let the bedbugs bite. Which naturally led to a plethora of bedbug songs. Which then led to a giggle fest during one such song. Which led to the mystery of the evening....WHAT ARE THE WORDS TO THIS DUMB SONG!

(hum hum hum)
(hum hum hum)
The beetles and the bedbugs, were playing a game of ball.
The score was (hum hum), the beetles were ahead.
The bedbugs hit a home run, and knocked me out of bed...

I remember the chorus from here on. But help me....I'm losing my mind over this.