The End

The winter storm has come to an end. Last night, temperatures rose so we had rain rather than snow. The ice is gone from the roads. School is in (with an hour and a half delay so the kids go in at 10am). Cars' preschool is still canceled because the delayed start knocks off all morning preschool and kindergarten.

Today also marks the end of NaBloPoMo. I managed to post every day through the month but then that wasn't particularly hard for me because I tended to blog about my blah blah life most everyday anyway.

Lastly, today is the end of my sitting on my butt thinking about Christmas. I need to get in gear and buy, wrap, pack up gifts that need to be mailed to Toronto, Edmonton and Minneapolis! I am running out of time!

Snow Day #2

No school again today because the roads are still icy. Stephen did make it down the hill and off to work today. I hope he can make it home!

Comcast was supposed to come to take a look at our cable box/dvr and our cable line but the guy just called and said he cannot get his truck up the hill. Funny, the milk truck was able to make deliveries today. I bet the cable guy just does not want to work outside today (don't blame him - it is COLD!).

I made cookie dough for shortbread and sugar cookies today. I was short an egg but fortunately Neighbour had walked to the store to get some eggs. There was no milk in Safeway. None. She said they were also all out of beef and ham. Crazy!

Snow Day

No school so no school meeting. I guess it will be rescheduled until next Tuesday.

It is very cold for here - 24*F - so the snow is not melting. The roads are all ice so Stephen has decided to stay and work from home. There is no way that he will be able to drive the car up the hill so it will have to stay at the Shell station until tomorrow.

The kids are itching to go outside so I suppose I should bundle them up so they can play in the snow. This could be the last snow that they can play in for this winter season so we might as well make the most of it.

edited for clarification...24*F, not -24F
That better Pley? ;)

Let it snow...some more

Please forgive me for being a typical Pacific Northwesterner and blathering about the weather all of the time. It is just what we do.

We went all day long with no snow but then it came with a vengence right at rush-hour tonight. What a mess! Stephen almost got into an accident so he turned around and went back to work, arriving one hour after he left. He left again at 7pm but is not yet home (less than 10 miles).

Oh! He just came in (8:23). He had to walk the last 7/10 of a mile home because the car could not make it up the steep hill that leads to our street.

We'll find out in the morning if school is canceled for the kids. And if so, that means that our "Guidance Team" meeting scheduled for 8AM is also canceled so they will have to wait another week to formally tell us that Jax's disability (life-threatening allergy) makes him not eligible for a 504 Plan. Of course, everything I have read tells me that he is eligible. >:\

I have not yet heard back on the results from my CT scan. Since it was Thanksgiving last week, I figure I will give it an extra couple of days. I might need to add a day too for this snow day since snow usually shuts the whole area down for a day.

Ash is scheduled for sinus surgery in the morning too but that may be canceled due to the snow. She is having the same surgery that Stephen had 4 (or was it 5?) years ago by the same surgeon.

Ok, time to go work on my swap ornaments because they must be mailed by Friday!

Let it snow...

We awoke to a dusting of snow this morning and what looked like a promising day for more snow. Unfortunately, the snow turned to sleet and it rained most of the day. It has now again turned to snow so with luck, there will be enough snow for the boys to throw one snowball each just before bedtime.

Edited to add - it started snowing before dinner so there was plenty of snow for snowballs:

This morning as I drove down off the plateau to go work out, we had rain mixed with snow. They are predicting snow for tomorrow and of course Jax's feet have grown like 8 sizes (ok, more like 2 FULL sizes) since last year so I took him shopping this afternoon to buy some boots. I found a good deal on a pair at Mervyn's (they are closing all of their stores in WA and OR).

I also caved and bought myself a new cell phone. I could live without the caller id working and the broken screen but it was completely draining the battery in a couple of hours and that wouldn't do. T-Mobile even replaced the battery for me for free (how nice of them) but that made no difference. So out I went and purchased a new phone which also extended my service with them another six months. The service extension is not a big deal, I suppose, but it bugs me to have to do that. Especially with the spotty service we have from my house to the parkway along the lake (I just do not make any calls until I hit the lake).

I was going to buy the new phone off ebay but the phones were selling for anywhere from $60-$80 more than I had to pay (plus shipping!). Anyway, I shall now be much more careful about where I put my phone and about zipping my up my purse.

I took photos of the boys today for our Christmas cards. Unlike last year and the 60+ photos I took, this year I managed to get a decent one after 30 pictures. How wonderful that they were so cooperative.

This is not the best one but it is one of my favourites because it really captured them (not that Cars looks cross and sulky all of the time but he is three after all!)

Stephen braved the Black Friday crowds while I stayed home with the kids. He got a few items but the main ones on our list were sold out by the time he got to those stores.

I raked up a ton of leaves that I should probably have done last time we had a day of no rain. I completely filled the yard waste bin and my neck and shoulders are sore!

Movie night today "Cars" or last night's episode of "Survivor". We haven't decided yet.

Stephen has spent much of the day (after shopping) putting together all of the Harry Potter Lego sets for the boys. The Lego has all been dumped in one big bin so a lot of the time has been spent searching for just the right piece. He is so patient!

Happy Thanksgiving

Feeling better and we are off shortly to E & T's for T-day dinner.

Yesterday, I had a CT scan to take a look at what my OB/GYN thinks is incisional endometriosis (basically, he thinks some of the uterine lining leaked out of the incision in my uterus from my last c-section). Anyway, I had to drink barium for the test but I kept throwing it back up. I thought it was just the fact that the barium is oh-so-gross but later when I had the chills and a fever, I realized that I must have the flu. Then, by 2pm yesterday, Stephen had the same symptoms. We took turns napping yesterday and the kids' 8pm bedtime could not come fast enough.

We are supposed to go to E & T's house for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. I cannot see that happening based on how we are still feeling at the moment. I will have to let them know soon because we are to bring the pumpkin pie.

Ash drove Jax and Dex to school today. I will pick them up when they get out at 11:30am. Poor Cars is basically on his own this morning.

The flu or some other stomach bug has landed. Of course it is Stephen and I who are sick. Jax is worried about who will make him dinner! lol Wish us luck!

I am a very proud parent today. Both Jax and Dex had glowing reviews from their teachers at Parent/Teacher interviews. Jax's especially was so good compared to last year and the attitude he copped with his teachers (I think I was too embarrassed to write about it!). He is doing really well and I think a lot of it has to do with his teacher. I do really like her (although I do still hate that the classroom is not peanut-free but that is not an issue I have with her but with the administration).

Dex is doing well and his reading has really taken off. We need to continue to work on his handwriting (which is horrible!). We asked for a stack of handwriting practice paper (you know, with the two solid lines and middle dashed line).

Jax's teacher also reminded us of the Guidance Team meeting on the 28th and that she would be there. I told her it was about peanuts and 504 plans and mentioned that I was not sure she was needed but that she could follow up with the counselor (I have been spelling that word wrong for ages - Pley - why did you not point that one out to me? ;)

Anyway, I am so proud of my boys. They ROCK!

Well, I did not accomplish much from my to-do list this weekend. I did work out and return two things to the mall. Oh, and I did buy a Christmas present so I guess that is four things. I decided that I hated the swap ornaments that I was making so I have been planning what to do in place of the ones I was making which turned out to be very cheesy-looking.

When I went to the mall to return the boots and pants, I parked in an area that I never park in so when I entered the mall, I passed by a store that I have never been in before - Coldwater Creek, so as I passed it on the way back out, I decided to pop in to look around. Ok, the clothes were nice but kind of, hmmm, how do I describe them - "old". I mean they were not out-of-date (although there were some mom jeans and stirrup pants (STIRRUP PANTS!!) in the store) but just something that perhaps my mother might wear. Oh, I then noticed that I was the youngest person in the store by at least a decade (and we all know I am no spring chicken!). One of the saleswomen, who must have been at least 60 years old, approached me and said "Oh, I love your hair! What a great effect! They did a great job!". WTF?! Did she think that I paid someone to make my hair look like it is growing-in-grey? Seriously. I was speechless and just blinked at her a few times before turning on my heel and taking my too-young-for-Coldwater-Creek self out of that store.

Reminder to self: Park outside of the Nordstrom or Macy's entrance from now on.

edited to appease Pley's spelling issues. ;)

Blah-di-blah-di-blah

I am totally blowing off my to-do list today. I did work out with Terry but that is about it. I may assemble a few packages to mail...maybe.

My gut is killing me. I am still taking antibiotics and I wonder if that it is. I missed a few doses here and there so I still have 2 left. I took one before bed last night, not heeding the warning to take with food. Ugh.

Stephen has taken the boys swimming at the club today. And then he is taking them out for lunch and to the park before the rain returns for the rest of the month. The meteorologists are excited that we stand a chance to break the all-time record for most rainfall in one month. We've already broken the November rainfall record.

I have the name of someone who was able to get a 504 plan from our school district for food allergies for her son. We met online at a food allergy forum but it turns out she is also an acquaintance of my friend, T (the kids go to the same school). So much for the district's policy of not writing 504 plans for food allergies, eh?

I called the mail-order drug company the other day to order more EpiPens® for Jax. I had to talk directly to customer service in order for them to affix the pharmacy labels directly to the EpiPens® and not just to the box. Anyway, after arguing with them that yes, they can do it because they always do it with Cars' EpiPen® Jr, they said they would send them out right away. They arrived via overnight express, in a huge box which contained a cooler with three ice packs and the EpiPens®. I wonder how much Big Software Company had to pay for that! Or is the mail-order company footing the bill? Normally, they come via regular mail.

I have been thinking a lot about going to see Crazy Doctor again. Not sure if I need to but just the fact that it is almost always on my mind makes me wonder. I was stressing so much about childcare, if I need to go, but then I decided that it would be ok to pay for daycare for Cars at the club if Crazy Doctor could not see me while Cars was at school. The club's daycare is licensed and they just charge you an additional $1/hour if you are off-site. I have this info, just in case...

My To Do List for this weekend

• meet T to work out
• return boots to Nordstroms
• return pants to B.R.
• pack up and mail present for O's baby
• pack up and mail C's birthday gift
• finish packing up and mail gift for R
• buy/mail b-day cards for L
• pack CARE package for my niece (she is away at college plus her b-day is coming up)
• finish Ornament Swaps (create, pack, mail)
• knit hat for Cars
• take photos of boys for Christmas cards
• start Christmas shopping
• order keychains for mom and mail to her

Too much to do. So why haven't I been doing any of it?!

The sun is shining and it is about 50 degrees. If you did not see the downed tree limbs and branches down everywhere, you'd never know we had a storm yesterday. Our power was out from 2pm until 6:54pm (not counting the times it went out in the morning). Some of my friend did not get their power back until 7am this morning. I guess overall we are very fortunate that we live in a pretty mild climate so it did not get too cold in the house.

MOPS was this morning. Our craft was no-slip wooden hangers. Next time we are doing Votive candles. I need to get a crack on figuring out exactly what I am going to do and get all of the supplies. I am thinking of something like these Votive Candle boats but with Christmas paper. I need to find some vellum too.

We are going to E and T's house for Thanksgiving dinner this year. I am making pumpkin pies since it is nearly impossible to find some without a peanut warning on them. The Costco ones are HUGE and only $5.99 but they are made on shared equipment with peanuts. I also need to make a dessert for T's kids because they will not eat pumpkin pie. I will probably make a chocolate pudding pie or something like that.

I wore my news pants with my kick-ass boots today. :)

Another Wind Storm

Another wind storm has hit today. The power has gone off twice so far this morning so I am taking this oppoortunity to get my post in for NaBloPoMo!

I am also trying to get laundry done but it is taking FOREVER while the power goes off and on and off and on.

I was up waaaay too late last night reading online documents about "hidden disabilities" and food allergies, the responsibility for schools who receive federal funding and protecting children. I know that we are right and just because the school district has a policy where they do not like to write Section 504 plans for food allergies, they cannot deny because it is State and Federal law. Also, I have found at least one person who has a child in our school district with a Section 504 plan for their life-threatening food allergy. So, we will go in armed with that information.

To make this day even more fabulous, I accidentally ran over my new(ish) cell phone with the car today. Friggin Riggin Briggin!

OMG, where has November gone? Seriously, it feels like the 4th of the month, not the 14th! Next week is Thanksgiving then comes Christmas and I am so ill-prepared! Yikes!!

I hate-hate-hate our school district. You can guess what this is about. As always, I loathe this situation. I don't want to get into it for now. Maybe in two weeks after we have a meeting where they will FORMALLY denying Jax his legal and civil rights.

Sleepless near Seattle

Blogging early today because we are having a windstorm and it is highly likely that the power will go out.

I think I have mentioned before that many (ok most) nights Cars will wake up and end up in bed with Stephen and I. Well, with me mostly since he sleeps on my side of the bed so really it has not been a problem for Stephen. However, one night last week Cars came in and ended up sleeping on Stephen's side of the bed. The next morning, Mr. Grouchy-due-to-lack-of-sleep-and-sharing-his-pillow-with-a-three-year-old said "This is ridiculous! He cannot sleep in our bed anymore!" Easy for him to say.

Cars never comes in our room on the weekends because Friday and Saturday are "Crazy Sleep Night" which means the boys can sleep anywhere in their room or the "other room". Some nights they all climb into the double bed, other nights they put their mattresses on the floor, sometimes they just sleep on the floor with no mattress and we will blow up the queen-sized airbed for them too. They all love "Crazy Sleep Night" and will discuss and plan all week where they will sleep on "Crazy Sleep Night". Anyway, on "Crazy Sleep Night", Cars never comes in our room. I think it is because when he awakens, he is close to either Jax or Dex and doesn't feel the need to come into our room.

Ok, so Stephen has had enough and I really would like to sleep a whole night without having to share my pillow so last night before bed, I told Cars that I wanted him to stay in his own bed all night long. And if he felt that he needed to come into our room, he would have to sleep on the floor. I figured that eventually he would tire of sleeping on the floor and eventually he would stay in his bed. He said "O-tay" and went to sleep.

At 3:23AM, the door to my bedroom opened and there stood Cars with his pillow and blanket. I told him to go back to bed and he announced that he was going to sleep on the floor of my room (notice that Stephen slept through all of this as he does most nights). I got up and arranged the pillow and blanket at the foot of the bed and Cars lay down and went right back to sleep.

Then this morning when we all came down for breakfast, Cars said to Jax and Dex in that teasing sing-song voice that kids use "I had "Crazy Sleep Night" last night! and you didn't. Ha ha ha-ha ha".

"No fair!" the others cried, "We only have "Crazy Sleep Night" on the weekends!"

Some arguing ensued and as much as I tired to convince Jax and Dex that Cars indeed did NOT have "Crazy Sleep Night" last night, they don't believe me. They want to sleep on the floor of my bedroom on a school night too. Help - I've created a monster!

I think tonight I will most likely be back to sharing my pillow with a 3 year old.

Shop-a-holic

I am a little high from the smell of swishing credit cards. I have been buying stuff for me. I don't shop ~that~ often for myself except for basics (ok, stuff from Joann's and Michaels but that really don't count).

Anyway, I do spend a lot of time window shopping online. I found these pants and have been coveting these

for weeks and weeks and weeks now and they are finally on clearance so I ordered them online on Friday night (Stephen's fault since he was out and the kids were in bed and I was bored. ;) Anyway, they should be arriving this coming week. However, last night I went shopping with Ash and the pants were a little cheaper in the store than online and I really needed a smaller size than the one I ordered (happy dance!). So I bought them and I will have to return the bigger size when they come.

Well, these pants are a little long so I figured that I needed (NEEDED!) to buy some kind of shoes or boots with a heel. Boots, definitely boots. So, we went to Nordstrom's Half-Yearly Sale for Women and Children (love that nice long name for their sale and everyone around here actually refers to it as that, never just "Nordstrom's sale"). Boots galore! I found this pair

which I love. They would look great with a skirt (not that I actually wear them) or with pants. They were dressier than I was originally intending to buy but they are so nice and I had to have them. Plus the salesman was so very nice.

Then today I went to Fred Meyer (to buy groceries and our free-with-coupon turkey) but decided to take a detour to the "Outdoor Mall" as my children call it. Basically, it is a mall with all of the stores that you would find in any regular (indoor) mall. Not sure whose bright idea was it to build a outdoor mall when it rains for 6 straight months?! Anyway, I stopped at a shoe store and found these boots

which were more along the lines of what I had been thinking about buying. And they would look better with the cargo pants. Plus they were on sale, then an additional 50% off! Plus, if I bought a second pair of shoes or boots, they would take 20% off my entire purchase! So I bought these

which were on sale but not listed at 50% off but when the salesperson rang it all up, she took 50% off the sale price of them plus 20% off the entire purchase. So, those two pairs ended up being about $10 cheaper than the one pair of boots which I will be returning to Nordie's.

Rock on!

11/11

Today is a day for celebrating!

One year ago, I was in Las Vegas to celebrate my best friend's wedding! Happy 1st Anniversary to Ramona and Greg!

And it is also a day of Remembrance:

In Flanders Fields

By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Blah blah blah...

Book Club last night was fun. Our book was Wifey by Judy Blume. It was fun to re-read that book. I had originally read it when I was about 14 years old (OMG if my mother had ever found out I would be in so much trouble - more than I got in after my cousin was caught with the copy of Forever that I had lent to her).

Conversations were very interesting and I learned so much more about some of the women in our club - like I did not know that Ash had been engaged to someone before her dh!.

Today it is Veteran's Day (observed))so no school for the boys. I am planning to take the kids swimming at the club. Torrential rain again (why am I always surprised at how much it rains each November?) so I am certain it will just packed in the pool.

Stephen mentioned this morning that we really need to have someone do something about the drainage (or lack thereof) in our backyard. And the fact that the retaining wall is leaning over more and more each year (a result of drainage from our neighbour's property into our backyard). Come spring, however, when we get estimates for it, he will balk. Just like with the gutters (a higher priority IMO).

Oh my, it just started raining harder - how is that even possible?!

Yesterday when I was in Costco, I ran into K whom I had not seen in a long time. We were never close friends but we were in this "Goddess" group together a few years ago where we got together once a month and celebrated girlfriends and friendships etc. The group started dissolving when one woman left her husband, another moved to California, one more moved off the Plateau and then K and S had a big fight which made it uncomfortable for some of the others who were good friends with both of them.

Anyway, getting aback to K. She is a very kind person. She is warm and friendly and very funny. However, she reminds me a bit of Oprah in that she really hasn't a clue how people who are not in her socio-economic bracket live. K had an allowance of a couple of thousand dollars each month and if it looked like she was falling under it one month, she would rush out to a several stores and buy $100 gift cards to ensure she would hit her amount so that her dh would not cut her allowance. A while later, she had run up her credit cards to $40k and was wondering how to ask her dh to write a check to cover it.

As I mentioned, K is a very kind person and is always looking to help people out. A few years ago she had called me and told me that there was an opening in a playgroup that some woman had formed in her home for 18 month-2 year olds and she just knew that it would be perfect for Dex and me. Dex could play there while Jax was in preschool and I could go have some mommy time to go for a massage or pedicure or even just relax at Starbucks. And it was very "reasonable" - only about $300/month (which was almost double what I was paying for Jax to be in a structured preschool!). Um, I am a SAHM and I do not have a lot of extra cash lying around to that I can put my toddler in a for-profit playgroup so I can run to go for coffee or to the spa. Needless to say that I passed on that opportunity.

Another time, K asked me if I were looking for a Nanny (because apparently I was the only SAHM she knew who did not have one) two days per week because she did not need her Nanny full-time but she did not want to lose her completely. She only charged $18/hour and was a fabulous Nanny and what do I say?! Um, no again.

(Now, I must interject here that eventually I did get Nanny (a different nanny) for one morning each week after Cars was born but that was because I was suffering from post-partum depression and I could barely function. It was financially a strain on us but got easier last year because we had no preschool costs. Oh, and I am no longer crazy but it really did take over 2 years to get back to my new normal. The third year with Nanny was just pure decadence).

So, I had not seen K in a very long while until I ran into her at Costco yesterday. She had two of her three kids with her and two other women who looked to be in their early 20's. K explained that she was out taking her new au pair to Costco for the first time and she also had "Runaway Au Pair" with her and hey, did I need an Au Pair because "Runaway Au Pair"'s family was "Mean Family" so now she was staying with K until they could find a new family for her.

Au pair? Pour Moi!? There I was, wearing my Costco coat, my Fred Meyer clearance shoes, my Mervyn's clearance jeans, an Old Navy Deal of the Week t-shirt, my growing-out-the-grey-because-I-cannot-afford-monthly-trips-to-the-salon-for-colour hair and K asks me if I need an au pair. I had a nice laugh and thanked her very much but told her I was fine since Cars was now in preschool two mornings each week.

I wonder what K will have to offer me next time I run into her?

I received an email today from the Catholic school and school at all three campuses is canceled for the rest of the week because of the flooding at one of the satellite campuses. That makes no sense to me. Why should all parents suffer? I mean, why should the kids at the other two schools miss out?!

So, the rain finally stopped so I went to Costco today to pick up a couple of things and walked out nearly $140 poorer! OMG, I seriously thought it was about $75 worth of stuff. A few things I bought were:

Wheat Thins $4.99 (Jax and Cars love these)
Grands Bisquits $4.99 (total impulse buy here - they had free samples and I fell for it!)
ChickenBreasts $20.00 (I bought this package because it was an even dollar amount and I thought that was cool)
Bananas $1.30 (these used to be 99cents!)
Salad mix $1.99 (no spinach here!)
Turkey Lunch meat $6.00 (for two pounds!)
Mixed Peppers $6.49 (usually I just buy the red for $5.69 but I splurged!)
Kirkland Detergent $11.49 (I usually buy Tide but the box was too big to fit in the cart - or just about! - so I bought the Costco brand)

Another splurge item that increased my shopping cost was a $24.99 cooking thermometer that I thought would make a good Christmas gift for Stephen. Ok, so now I can see how I managed to spend $140.

Oh, time to make dinner. I am making a "French Braid Chicken with Broccoli". I gave the recipe to Ramona this morning while we were on the telephone then I decided that I wanted to have it too! It is so yummy!

Rain and Light

The Pineapple Express storm has brought record rainfall and flooding to our region the past couple of days. As a result, many schools are closed due to flooding, including the Catholic school which runs Cars' preschool at our church (even though our church is not affected). So, Cars is home with me this morning and we'll just hang out here today. I was going to work out but it is next to impossible to get same-day childcare at the club. Then I thought about going to Costco but the thought of pushing my unbagged groceries through the parking lot in the pouring rain is not appealing to me so I'll wait another day.

Last night, Stephen and I finally finished hanging the new light (and plastering/texturizing/priming and painting). Here's a picture:

Now I need a picture of painting to hang on the wall above the tv.

Drugged

I finally decided I needed to see the doctor about my cold/sinuses, so I dragged my butt to her office today in a torrential downpour. The diagnosis was as expected - a sinus infection. So now I am on Mucinex (over-the-counter), Rhinocourt nasal spray (might be Rx but I got a free 2-week supply from their office), a 10-day dose of Augmentin (anti-biotic) and Diflucan (because, Ladies, we all know what happens when you are on anti-biotics for 10 days).

Now I am going to make myself a cuppa tea and sit on the couch with my feet up. I'll knit while Cars watches (what else?!) Star Wars.

To Tell the Truth

Jax wants a Lego set for Christmas that has not been out since 2002. I can find it on ebay for about triple the original price but no way I am paying that price! He told me that he will just ask Santa for it then because Santa can get anything. I think we might need a heart-to-heart conversation about Santa this year. :(

I just signed Jax and Dex up for Little League for next spring. Practices start in February and league play begins the last weekend of March through to the beginning of June. This year, Jax will have to be evaluated and he will be placed on a team according to his skill so the teams are evenly distributed. Jax really, really wants to be on Gav's team again next year. He just might be because Gav is better than him and if they are sorted just right, they may end up on the same team. I cannot really say that to Jax though, can I? So I just told him that we will have to wait and see.

On Dex's registration, I wrote "We respectfully request that Dex not be placed on a team coached by Butt Head". Butt Head was his coach from last year. He actually seemed like he might be a good coach for kids over 12 but for 5, 6 and 7 year olds, he was horrible! He would make the kids run laps if they missed a ball. He MADE them hit both right and left (this is first year instructional coach-pitch league and they are just learning to hit the ball) during games. He would not let Dex catch because "there are no left-handed catchers in the Majors". He would tell the kids to run the bases but if they did not hit the bags with their left foot then they did it "wrong!". He would tell the kids they were "screwing around" if they did not pay attention. Definitely NOT the kind of coaching that Dex, at age 5 needed. His practices were not well run and he would often start batting practice 5 or 10 minutes before the practice was to end. I would either have to stay an extra 1/2 hour (keeping in mind that I have all three kids with me at the school yard where they practiced) or take Dex and leave with him crying because he did not get a chance to bat.

So, I just do not want to deal with BH again this year. I felt a little uncomfortable writing that on the registration form but there is no way either Stephen or I could suffer through another year of BH. Of course, after I submitted the registration, Dex chirps "I hope I am on the same team as last year!". Do I tell him?! *sigh*

Old Grey Mare

It has now been 1 year (well, 360 days) since I last coloured my hair. Ok, I did get some low lights done in May but I am talking all-over colour. It is funny that I don't think the pictures of me show just how grey I am (see upper left for recent photo - click for larger). A lot of the grey is on one side - the right - and more along the temples. It is funny that the hair on top is darkest.

Anyway, I am still miffed that my mother told me that I need to cut my hair if I am going to keep it grey. Really, there are more and more women out there going grey and keeping their long hair. I see pictures of models in the jjill and Chico's catalogues with long grey hair. So clearly there have to be real women out there with grey hair who do not want short hair, right?!

And why am I so bothered by this? I had no qualms about it until my mother made those comments. I have endured one whole year of grey roots, way past grey roots and now, half grey hair. My plan was to grow in the grey then cut shoulder length as soon as the grey was long enough, then grow it again to the length it is now. I have been second guessing this decision now. I mean I don't want to colour my hair again (although I do have brunette envy whenever I see women with hair colour that I used to have) but is it really wrong to want to have long hair when it is grey?

Thinking back, when I worked at IBM and I was young with only the odd grey hair or two, my friend and I used to make fun of Jane, a manager who had waist-length salt and pepper hair. We used to say she looked like a witch. Now my friend and I both have long grey hair (she is still colouring)and I wonder if people think that I look like a witch! Eep!

So, what to do. What to do? Colour or cut. Or nothing. What to do...?

Snuffle

So here I am on like Day Eleventy Hundred of my cold. Ok, it is really day 9 but it feels like many more. Seriously, I don't think I have ever had cold that has lasted this long.

Art Start in Dex's class went fairly well. I was surprised at the number of 6 year old girls who can already sew and they did well. One told me that she does cross stitch too! The muslin I used was very thin which was good for poking the tapestry needles through but it was not thick enough to keep the stitches from pulling too tightly. We spent a lot of time pulling on the too-tight stitches. The other Art Start mom thinks that we should mount these little squares and frame them for the end-of-year gift for the teacher. Hmmm...have to think about this because those kids really, really, really wanted to take home their embroidered squares.

Jax and Dex's school photos came home today. Dex's are of course crumpled because he just jammed them in his bag. The pictures are fine - nothing great. Jax's hair is a disaster in the pictures. Seriously, besides that it is long and shaggy, it looks like he did not brush it that day. He does have a lovely smile though so that makes up for the hair.

So, remember that letter from the school district that we have been waiting for (see just about every September blog post for reference)? I got the name of someone at the school district who apparently is currently working on it. UBI: Her last name is the same as my first name. Anyway, I called her today and she told me that it is on its way to Risk Management (again!). I told her how irritated I was that it has been all these weeks since school started and not one official note has gone out to parents about food allergies. I told her that we needed consistency and to know where the school district stands. She started in on the "false sense of security" line. Save it, Name Stealer. That is not what this is about. Anyway, looks like we will just move ahead with our plans and change them as necessary when/if this alleged letter every materializes.

Ok, off to cook our pizza for Pizza and Movie Night.

I saw this comic in the newspaper on Halloween and I thought it was cute.

The MOPS craft was a lot of fun today and everyone really liked it. It was that one with the roll of toilet paper wrapped in fabric to make a pumpkin.

Now I need to prepare to teach Art Start in Dex's class tomorrow. I decided to go with darning needles, embroidery floss and muslin rather than yarn on cardstock. This is what the lesson plan calls which is easiest on me because it is less prep-work than doing the yarn on cardstock (too much cutting and hole-punching). I am feeling sick again (not sure if the cold is back or if it the effects of the flu shot) so I need to do what is best/easiest for me (and forget what is best for the kids! ;)

Oh, I am feeling flushed again. Oh, I just had a horrifying thought that this could be a hot flash and I am peri-menopausal rather than it being a cold. No, I am sure it is the cold. I am sure.

Blustery Day

Today it was very windy but not as cold as the past two days. It feels very much like fall. After school, I made a huge pile of leaves at the park and the kids had a great time jumping into the crunchy leaves. I wish I had brought my camera with me.

I met Stephen at work today so we could go together and get flu shots at the clinic they set up in his building. Then we had cafeteria food for lunch. What a romantic date.

I am teaching Art Start in Dex's class on Friday. We are supposed to be doing embroidery but the needles are just too sharp for 6 yr olds (IMO) so I am scrambling to figure out what to do in its place. I know that they have plastic needles for kids but I really do not have time to be running all over the place trying to find 20 of them. I might just use yarn with masking tape around the tip like an aglet (love those crossword words!) and then punch holes in a design in paper. Ok, this is what I need to plan and organize tomorrow afternoon after MOPS.

Tonight I will go walking with Neighbour for the first time in about 3 weeks. I hope I can keep up with her!