Nine Months! Already!

Miss M. Can we talk about your obsession with the cat food? Not a day has gone by that you haven't invaded the cats property with them staring at you in disgust. I know they are planning a revolt. Even when I give you a bowl of Fruity Tooties (cuz I'm too cheap for the real thing) you just throw them around like they're confetti and head straight for the cat bowl. I cannot imagine Purina tastes better than Fruity Tooties, but what do I know...I do not eat cat food.

Recently you have begun pulling up on my desk chair while I am working, leaving me completely at your mercy because if I remotely swivel the chair, you will get knocked out. Or you prefer when you sit on my lap and type your own medical terminology. I'm sure somewhere someone has had a cholecsssssssssssssssdoodfiaiucystectomy.

Now that your sisters are in school, picking them up is the joy and highlight of your day. Absence certainly makes the heart fonder. I won't tell them what you do in their room while they are gone.

You and Daddy have a ritual every night, he rocks you to sleep. He adores the heck out of you. I adore getting a half an hour of peace.

I can't believe you've been alive as long as you were in my belly. I prefer you outside.

Love you Kenner!

Calm Before the School Storm

School starts tomorrow. And though my house will be cleaner, the "do-you-have-everything" factor of school stresses me the hell out. And dioramas. Whatever teacher came up with that, well, a bane on them.

Met the new teacher. he was extremely nervous but he looked pretty easy going. Al does not have a lot of high energy kids in her class this year so I think it will be a good year for her. I just hope this guy is prepared! How do you get a week to prepare for a whole year of 5th grade? I don't know. They say he's strong in math though, which is great because then I won't have as many awkward moments when she realizes that my math skills barely go beyond 5th grade. I have a hard time giving change at the yard sales we have every summer.

Speaking of, I had two sales in a row the last two weekends, and made almost $200 and got rid of a bunch of stuff. Note to those with no children: DO NOT BUY A DIAPER GENIE!! Just a waste and no one will buy it at your sale. I begrudgingly also sold 3 Build-A-Bears (approx. value $25 apiece) for $2 apiece. But they are no longer In. My. House. And that is most important. No real crazies this year, as yard sales tend to exhibit, unless you count the lady telling me about her ex-boyfriend needing a restraining order and her ex-husband wanting to kill him, etc. etc. Very interesting tale, had my daughter not been standing there.

The house hunting is not going well. I have found my dream house, unfortunately it is really far in the country. I do not want to hear my in-laws and parents complaining about how far we live from them. It would seriously drive me nuts. I'd rather live in a less wonderful house than have to hear about it. Oh, but this house. It's on 4.5 acres and has all the modern sinks and fixtures and it's just gorgeous. We've decided that if it's still on the market in March, we're going for it, angry grandparents be damned. At least we're not moving to California, which became a surprise option last week when LP got a job offer. That's still not been taken off the plate, though highly unlikely.

I still love sushi

Two weeks ago, Al found out she got the teacher she was hoping to have for 5th grade. I couldn't get the past the fact she was going INTO 5th grade, so I was just happy for her.

A week later, that teacher quit. Right before school starts! Ah!

So they quickly hired a new graduate. It's a BOY.

Al is very excited, yet apprehensive. She is hoping he'll be as good as the other male teachers at the school.

I'm just hoping he's good lookin'. More incentive for me to volunteer, yah?

Anyway.

Lots of crossroads and decision making going around in our house. There is a blanket of indecision that is covering us. As well as 105 degree temperatures, which certainly is not conducive to proper decision making.
Mostly it's about school, and our kids becoming 'public schoolers'. I just can't get behind some of the stuff they're teaching up at their 'private' school, either inadvertently or in the curriculum...because it seems to me that tolerance is something that is pretty important in life, at least to LP and I, and I haven't seen much of that, between the parents or some of the 'officials'...I'm also a bit singed on the fact that my 2nd grader will have 26 kids in her class with no aide, but 3rd grade will have 28 kids and an aide because of 'politics'. Okay I'm just rambling here at this point, but bottom line is I want what is best for my kids, and this no longer looks to be it.

We are trying to save up money for the new house, so that means I don't get to eat sushi for awhile. This makes me sad. But I certainly don't want to attempt discount sushi again, I learned my lesson. I've seen some ridiculous campaigns for money on the internet (remember the chick who asked people to pay off her credit cards? Sorry lady but I'm not going to pay for your Jimmy Choo shoes when all I can afford is Payless!) so maybe I should start a Sushi fund. It's a thought.

And my air conditioning broke on Monday, but $140 later and it's still cool in here.

Miss M is in her room right now, talking and playing with her toys, waiting for someone to come in and welcome her to the new day. I think I'll accept that job.

Monotony has kicked in

Soccer has started. Blogging therefore shall suffer.

Hoss borrowed the meme I borrowed from somewhere (not sure where) and that makes me Pretty Darn Important. Hoss, I owe you a bottle of headache medicine.

The houses were almost exactly what we wanted. Unfortunately for us EXACTLY is about 100K more than what we can afford. So we shall keep looking. The thing is though, we sort of really love the house we live in except for a few things:
1. School District sux (they go to private school now but the shenanigans at that place have me almost pulling my hair out...)
2. Only 3 bedrooms. Rug and AL are almost at the duct tape line in the middle of the room phase.
3. No bathroom in the basement. That's just cuz we're lazy.

Otherwise, everything is pretty nice. Since we remodeled the kitchen and did a bunch of work to it, it's almost exactly what we want. So we're at a bit of a crossroads. Some people suggest we build, but I actually love my husband and think that fighting over granite countertops is something I could do without.

Miss M is still eating the cat food. She can't get enough. She takes the bowl and just dumps it over her face, hoping to at least catch 2-3 in her mouth. Crazy baby.

And Al finally asked me what a period is. Ohhhh, dear. I told her I'd tell her later. Great, huh?

While we were in the last house with the realtor (which was SO close to being perfect) Rug clapped her hands together and said, "Ok, sooo, what do we gotta do here? Let's make an offer and talk about us getting this house." To the realtor!! We should just call her Poker Face from now on.

Momma let's Meme!

Two Names You Go By:
Momma (never Mommy anymore...can't wait for Miss M to bring it back in style)
Hey, listen could you.... (this is LP's favorite)

Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
My glasses
The best pair of Umbros in the world

Two Things You Want Badly At The Moment:
To lose my baby weight
Someone to reimburse me for the new brakes I had to put on the Grand Minivan

Two pets you have:
Archie-balls
Aurorie Borie

Two things you did last night:
Took Al to soccer practice
Kept the marital bliss intact

Two Things You Will Do Tonight:
Oh! Oh! Go see a house that is for sale that I am super interested in--three words people...Floor warming System! Gah!
I'm guessing I will have to cook dinner of some sort for this family of mine. Where is the Iron Chef when I need him?

Two Favorite Holidays:
Christmas (the in-laws could never break me as much as they try)
4th of July (remember I'm a fireworks junkie)

Two Things You Can't Live Without:
My morning internet fix
Peanut butter

Two Favorite Numbers:
23, 26 and 21

Two Current Favorite Songs:
Rehab by Amy Winehouse, is it wrong that when I ask my girls if they want to go somewhere, they reply, "No, no, no!"
Ok, this is totally showing my Soccer mom-ness, but the girls have been listening to Aly & AJ's new song, "Potential Breakup song" and I like it! Even if one of them was on "Phil of the Future"! (this may need even more explaining...Disney show, the boy is from the future, their time machine breaks down in the present day...you know, your basic sitcom premise)

Two Favorite Sports:
Futbol!
Basebol!

Two Good Drinks:
Diet Dr. Pepper
A good Pina Colada

Two TV Shows:
Scrubs
Moving Up (my new favorite to watch while I'm attempting to cook dinner, more on it later)

Two Favorite Foods:
My mom's spaghetti
Assuming this means food and not chocolate and/or peanut butter, because in that case it would totally be a peanut butter toast sandwich or brownies, let's say my other favorite food is sushi.

Two Favorite Passions in Life:
Being a goddess, even a domestic one
Trying to make my kids to have as little therapy as adults as I can

************************************************************************

Wish me luck tonight on this new house. It's in a perfect location (corn field) and has a great yard (read: soccer practice) and did I mention the floor warming system? It gets cold here!

One more thing...I had a flash of youth yesterday, as my minivan is getting new brakes, they gave me a sweet Pacifica to drive...I almost felt like I was back in college...listening to tunes on the radio, with my hair blowing in the wind.

Then the baby spit up.