Yippie!!

I got a new camera!! Woo hoo! It's just a very basic model. I bought the protection policy that Best Buy offers. It covers dropping, which we all know I desperately need. Although, like I was telling Erica, since I bought it, I'll probably never drop this camera. But it's worth it just for the peace of mind. I really like the new camera. It takes great pictures and it's really small. They've gotten so small. I finally have some pictures to post! No more boring just text blogs.

Our computer is still shot. Hopefully we'll be getting our new one soon. In the meantime my lovely sister Erica lent me her laptop. She wasn't able to use it at her house for some reason, but it's working for me. Thank you Erica!!

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Logan has decided to join the Cub Scouts. We had our first "event" this morning. It was a Rocket launch. We had to build him a rocket. It was a kit, but it was kind of a pain. We had to cut and sand balsa wood fins and glue them on the cardboard tube fuselage. And paint the whole thing. It turned out nice. We painted it a slick black with no markings. It looked cool. Unfortunately the first time we launched it went up so high and blew so far that we never found it. This happened to a lot of the kids. They were bummed and so was I as I had spent several hours building the stupid thing!

Logan is in 2nd grade so their "Den" is called the wolves. There are also Tigers, Bears and Webelos. After that they move from being Cub scouts to Boy scouts.

Here is a picture of all the Wolves' rockets. They were judged and Logan's didn't win any prizes, but I still thought it was the coolest!

After that we went a picked up Logan's uniform. He was really excited to get this. He seems to really be excited about the whole thing. Next weekend is his first camp out. He's really looking forward to it. Doesn't he look cute?

Check out the patches on his sleeve. I just spent about 45 minutes sewing them on!

He is enjoying it so far and is really excited to do all the fun things they do. I'm all for a little wholesome fun. Especially in today's crazy, growing-up-too-fast world.

Hopefully I'll be able to blog a little more now. And I'll have pictures. You have no idea how terrible it was not to have a camera!

Girls, we need to get together again soon. I miss you all! Have a great weekend!

10 lbs!!!

Hello!!
The last few weeks have been so busy. I've been learning to adjust to this new routine of ours and unfortunately the thing that has suffered most is my exercise routine. It's been hard to find time to fit it in. Then I had the stupid rash (which I formerly attributed to poison ivy, but seeing as how it's returned since I finished my "roids", who knows what it is) I wasn't feeling like putting on shorts and going to the gym. So I was pretty sure that not only had I not been actively losing weight, but in fact I had probably gained back a pound or two. So you can imagine how I was pleasantly surprised when I got on the scale Friday morning to see that I had upped my weight loss to a total of 10 lbs!! Woo hoo!!!
Go Patch!
I'm so excited. I did get the chance to work out twice this week, so I'm feeling a little better about that.
Things are going well at work. I really feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be. I really like the kids, most of the time. I'm still looking at cameras. I've been picking Stu's brother's brain this weekend about them. He works in the camera dept at Best Buy, so he know more than I do.
I think we've picked out our new computer. It's a Dell of course. No shocker there. Hopefully we'll get it soon. I'm sick of having to ask Stu to use his laptop all the time. I feel like a little kid asking to use my Dad's stuff or something. "Can you please log me on the computer?" Gag.
We're in Houston this weekend. We'll be back tomorrow. The kids and I have a holiday from school. It's just a teacher work day, but who cares, it means a 4 day week! Actually it will be a 3 day week for me since I'm taking Friday off to go on a field trip with Logan. I'll let you know how that goes. Hope I have a camera by then.
OK, that's it. Bye!

Hi

I am really trying to do better than twice a month. It seems that technology is not on my side right now. I told you before that I dropped my camera and broke it, well now it seems that my computer is on it's last legs as well. I can't really complain that much about it. I'm actually embarrassed to say that it's almost 8 years old! Amazing it still works at all I guess. I've been frantically trying to burn all the pictures we have on that computer onto CD's before it completely bites the dust. It's in there right now taking 51 minutes to burn one disc of pictures. Now it's started making this clicking noise. We don't know what that's all about, but it can't be good. If this disc finishes successfully, I only have one more to get done, then I won't care so much if it dies. We'll just be forced to buy a new one. Great timing I know. Stuart was already worried about money and the economy before the shit hit the fan. Now it's just intensified. I naively thought that since I was working that things would be better or easier at least. We'll see.

Now I'm in the market for a camera and a computer if anyone has any input on those. As far as the camera goes I'm going with a cheapie on that. This is the 3rd time in about 2 years that I've dropped a camera with dire consequences. The first time I got it repaired costing around $100. The second time I decided to buy a new camera. Now, I have no choice as the cost to repair is about the same as the cost of the camera.

Right now I also have a horrible case of Poison Ivy. I have never experienced anything like this before. It has been just awful. It's all over my legs. That's what I get for chasing Logan's baseball into the greenbelt behind my house. If I had a camera I could take pictures, but I don't know that I would anyway. It's utterly disgusting. I had no idea how bad poison ivy is. I had to go to the doctor twice. I finally have medicine that's helping though.

I'm using Stu's work laptop for this and he's on my case to get off, so that's all I have to say right now.

Also, I just wanted to mention that I went to a pampered chef party tonight. I haven't been to one in like 4 years or something. I never thought I would want to do this, but I'm having a "catalog party" starting at the beginning of November. This means no one has to come to my house to order stuff, but if there's anything you've been wanting you could order it on the website she's setting up for my party and I'll get credit for it. There's one item I really want, but it's kind of expensive, so we'll see. No pressure.

OK, bye.

Hello again!

I'm still alive. I'm just soooo busy. I thought I was busy before. Ha! This whole "working thing" is hard. I have absolutely no idea what I would do if I got home at like 6 like so many people do. As hard and tedious and mind numbing as staying home is, at least you get a moment to think occasionally. Any time I have to even check my email is few and far between, much less time to post. Also, I broke my camera last week. :-( So now I have to find time to take it to the repair shop which is not at all close to my house. All this to say that I'm still here and I'm still enjoying my job. It is nice to get a paycheck again!

The patch is doing wonders for me. I need to post some pictures of myself before and now (I'm not totally to my "after" yet), for those of you who haven't seen me in a while. I've lost 8 lbs and LOTS of inches!! I'm putting on clothes I haven't even thought about wearing for a long time! Plus I'm sleeping better, have more energy and am not quite as bitchy! I told you it was a miracle! Hahahaha!!

OK, that's all for now. I promise I'll keep trying to post for anyone who's still bothering to check my dormant site!

School Days

Hi all!
I just wanted to write a quick line or 2 to let you know that school's been going great. I really enjoy it. The kids are all so cute and sweet. Even the one's that can be "challenging" (is that the PC term for it nowadays?) are still cute as buttons! I like this age much better than older kids so far. At least you don't have to wipe older kids butts though! Oh, and one kid today handed me a booger before I could tell what it was. I think I threw up a little bit in my mouth on that one!!

But it's all still good right now. It's really busy. You NEVER get to sit down there. I barely get to run to the bathroom! Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know how I'm doing in case you were wondering!! BTW, all that running around has helped me lose another pound!! That's 6 now (in case any one's counting). Yay power patch!!!

Have a good Wednesday!!

The difference between boys and girls

Ellie has a CD of Disney music from all the Disney princess movies. We listen to it every night while she's falling asleep. This song is from The Little Mermaid and it's the 2nd song on the disc so we hear it all the time. I noticed one night that she was singing all the words. She really likes to sing. Unfortunately, she seems to have my voice which is not the best in the west. The kids were dressing up the other day and Ellie started to sing, so I grabbed the camera and took this video.

OK, I'm a moron. I turned the camera when I took this video and now I don't think there's a way to rotate it. It's kind of annoying to watch like that, but it's too cute not to share (at least to me!). If it bothers you just stop watching. The next one is short and really illustrates the point of my blog's title. Also, I need to put a warning to any childless people or even people with babies and no older kids- the last 30 seconds or so are disturbing. But, it gives an accurate unedited ( I would have just posted some of this, but I couldn't figure out how, duhh) view of life with a 7 year old boy and 4 year old girl.

Logan wanted the 2 of them to dance for me while I video taped them. This is the best illustration I've seen of the basic difference between boys and girls (at least my boy and girl).

Here goes...

Thanks for all your nice comments about my room and your well wishes. They are much appreciated.
Tomorrow's the big day. My first full day of class. Monday and today were orientation, so the parents brought the kids to my room for about 45 minutes while they had a meeting with the director. It was nice to put faces to the names. They're all sooo cute! Only 1 each day cried at all. I think they will do well. None of them seemed too incredibly irritating, at least not yet! I think we're going to have fun. I just want to get through a few days and get in a groove where I know how things are going to go. I've decided to just act like I know what I'm doing until I actually do. The kids won't know the difference.
All the other teachers there have been really nice. I have the teachers in the classroom next door that have been helping me and I'm sure I'll be sticking my head in their door at least a few times in the next few days to get a tip here or there.
I have to go now so I can email the kid's parents before tomorrow! I can't believe it's finally here!!!