When in doubt...continue to doubt

Last night Jerrod reluctantly allowed Emma to go to the softball fields with him while Bailey played her game (I had to miss because Teague was without a nap and I knew quite well what that meant for me- I KNEW it would be a rough night with him there) so she was playing with a group of girls from her school while Jerrod coached the team and watched her out of the corner of his eye. Somehow she fell down and scratched her knee up pretty good. This is ironic because the last time Emma was at the ER was when she was at the softball fields without me and sliced open her toe on a piece of glass.

The first thing Jerrod says when he gets home is, "That is the last time Emma is going to the softball fields without you there! This happens every time she goes..." I couldn't help but think how me being there was going to stop Emma from being so clumsy!

We cleaned it up, sprayed it with some antiseptic, put some neosporin on it and bandaged it up with a gauze pad and some waterproof bandage tape. It looked like she had been to the ER.

If you know Emma, this scratch is BIG. It is something to talk about, look at, touch and spend a lot of time trying to fix it. It is all time consuming. Poor Mrs. Parmer- her teacher. She told me today that she went to the nurse at school twice...the first time she bandaged it up very nicely for Emma. The second time, she bandaged it again and then gave Emma 3 additional bandages to take home. Bad move. Emma came home with zippo zero bandages.

So I am figuring that this sore has been bandaged on the average about 10 times (that I am aware of) in about 24 hours. I am not worried, when it does heal...Emma will find something else spend her time on- this, I am certain of!

She has also asked me a dozen times to go to the store and buy the bandages that Nurse Cathy gave her. Those must have been some fancy, schmancy bandages...

Our Artists draw Lucy

We have a fabulous artist located right here in Greatwood that offers art classes each month. Tracy Reed is an artist herself and does a great job teaching little minds to adore art. My girl, Bailey, LOVES art! She was chosen last year as a Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Finalist for a piece she drew at school so she seems to have a natural talent (actually her daddy is a pretty good artist himself!).

Well, the month of March just happened to be a "paint your pet" class and I thought both girls would have such a great time drawing Lucy. Today was "reveal" day...an opportunity for the students to show their work to everyone. Wow, I was impressed with both girls work! They both did great.

We hope to continue with Tracy's classes maybe even into the summer. Her classes can get full quickly so if you are interested, let her know early so that you get a spot!

Here's our girls portraits of Lucy...pretty great, huh?!

U-G-L-Y

When Bailey was just born I swore off "character" clothes. I thought they were ugly. No princess t-shirts, no winnie the pooh dresses and certainly no blinking- light up tennis shoes. No Barbie jeans or Hello Kitty sandals. Super ugly.

Jerrod and I always joke that we used to be so strict with what the kids wore and what they watched on TV, movies they watched and even the music they listened to on the radio. Well, times have really changed. We have so much going on that it makes it hard to "control" everything and of course, the friends at school and the TV are influences.

One show that we really despised was Sponge Bob Square Pants. It really has a lot of adult humor and it can be down right crude.

I don't know what it is, but my kids LOVE Sponge Bob and I must say that he is growing on me and Jerrod. Maybe it's because that is one of the few words Teague actually says that we understand (heck, he sings the theme song)...bum bob, bum bob! It is so dog gone cute. On the way to church yesterday we couldn't believe the song we were listening to on the Sponge Bob DVD:
"Idiot Friends"

Who's there for you when you are sad and down? (Me!)
Idiot friends
Who picks you up and slaps you all around?
Idiot friends
Who puts thorns in you so you can save the town?
Idiot friends, idiot friends, idiot friends

Duh duh duh, doo-duh doop do do
Da dee da da do dada da
Dee da da doo-doo-doo, duh-do

(You know SpongeBuck, all we've been a'doing is singing about what I've done for you. Well, what have you done for me?)

Who helps you pick your pants up off the ground?
(Thanks buddy!)
(Curses!)
(Only an idiot friend would do that!)
(Let's bring it home, idiot friend!)
(Okay!)

Who'll let you ride on his coffin?
Who slaps you hard and often?
What do you and me have in common?
We're idiot friends

It grows on you, I promise! And if you have enjoyed the song before and know what I am talking about- you have got to be laughing right now...

Anyway, the funniest part is that I have officially found the ugliest shoes on the planet. They go with nothing and are stinkin' yellow!! They are so bad that I think when Teague sees this picture someday- he will be amazed that I let him wear them. I think you will agree.

And for the record, my girls and boys had all of the above. Jackson has so many character t shirts right now that he could wear one everyday for two weeks and never repeat.

Our Cardinal

Jackson had so much fun at his first T ball game. He barely fit into the size XS pants and the socks were so big the heel was at his knee- but cute all the same!!

He was so happy. He ran fast, jumped up and down after everything, and hit the ball...yes, he did!! One of the other Moms said to me, "I know which child is yours. You haven't stopped taking pictures this entire game." I just grinned...because it was true!

got it right and then kinda wrong and then REALLY wrong

I swear. I amaze myself. Jackson's Rodeo day is finally here and I finally get it right. I laid out his clothes last night and once again had the long discussion about how much fun he was going to have the next day with the special snack (I was supposed to provide the ground beef for Chili). Only this time, he didn't complain. After all, he had heard it all before and knew what to expect. Good kid, huh??! We got up this morning and were off like gangbusters. I had to provide a dish for my MOPS meeting so I was cooking cinnamon rolls for the gals. I also made a yummy dip from WildTree- lemon cheescake dip. Jerrod was busy getting the kids off to school and then himself off to work. He was nice enough to take Jackson to school for me so that I could concentrate on the food, myself and Teague and get there early to help set up. I never had a chance to eat myself (Ann, my trainer, wants me to start eating meat and veggies only to see if it makes a difference in my weight loss) because I didn't have time to make eggs and couldn't find anything fast that I could get away with eating.

A hint of things aren't right.....

1. Jerrod calls to tell me that Jackson was the only one without a lunch at school as I am running out the door to MOPS.

2. I call the school to confirm on the way and yes, Jackson needs a lunch for school. It seems that I got it all wrong and the chili was going to be a "taste". I told them I would pick up Jackson from school early and bring him home for lunch.

3. I go to MOPS and everything goes great only there wasn't anything that I could eat. MOPS lets out at 12:15 p.m. and we had a great speaker, but I had to leave early to get Jackson. I'm thinking I'll eat when I pick up Jackson.

4. I am off to get Jackson and super hungry (read: starving) by now. Bummer.

Starting to get worse...

5. I head home from Jackson's school (starving) and of course, get stopped by a train on FM 762. The lights blink so that it becomes a four way stop and I am about 7 back. By the time it gets to me to go- I go- but the lights had stopped blinking so I am out in the middle of the intersection with cars coming at me. To put it bluntly, I ran a red light. Bummer.

6. I head down a little further and of course, the train is going the same direction as me so I get stopped again. Bummer.

7. I do the same thing AGAIN- ran another red light. Yes, the cars around me must be looking at my vehicle and thinking that dumb blonde...oh come on, you know they were using only CHOICE words for me! Major bummer.

8. I round out my trip home by getting off 762 and heading home on 59N. Alleluia...alleluia...still starving but now thinking about cheeseburgers, french fries, and all things evil. Bummer.

Starts going downhill and way SOUTH all at once...

9. I realize that Jerrod's truck is acting funny and look down to see the gas tank on E. Seriously, empty. I start thinking, "this cannot be happening, really? OUT of gas?".

10. I called everyone to help, but finally reached my DEAR friend Ginger. She was just leaving H-E-B and could get right to their gas station to get me some gas.

11. She shows up but only our AGGIE education showed. We couldn't figure out how to put together the gas tank all while 18 wheelers were barreling by us with our precious children in the car! It must have been nerves...

12. I get in the car to calm down my hungry boys and give them what they looked at as THEIR last meal...Wheat thins.

13. I gave up on the assembly of the gas tank and put the funnel in the truck and just poured the gas into the tank...darn t-sips must have created that gas can!!

14. We are off...

15. I could have eaten my arm, a finger or anything at this point so I resorted to the wheat thins too. They were delish...but not as good as the left over cinnamon rolls from MOPS. Major bummer.

16. I ate and ate and ate wheat thins and cinnamon rolls until I made myself sick. I was seriously ill from the sweet sugar and the carbs. I had such a headache and an even BIGGER guilty conscious. Biggo bummer.

I am going to sleep so good tonight and figure out how to explain this to Ann, my trainer.

Campbell Elementary Fundraiser Pot

Guess what I have been working on all week? I am room mom for Bailey's 4th grade class and every year the school has a really big fundraiser. The room moms from each class are responsible for creating a "pot" full of goodies for the silent auction. It brings in some great money for the PTA to put towards the school and all the things the teachers need. I have a great group of parents in Bailey's class and they all pitched in to make it a great "spa day" pot. I was responsible for completing the pot and I decided to decoupage the pot with pictures of the kids. It sold...for $100!! Yeah!

Bubbles, bubbles and the funniest things!

I took a closer look at the jets in my tub this morning and I was feeling overly ambitious so I turned the hot water on and filled the tub to the jets, dropped a little Simple Green all-purpose cleaner in and walked away. Voila! Instant clean, instant shine...or so I thought.

Bubbles, bubbles...everywhere!!! This is a visual of what happens when you put too much Simple Green in a jetted tub. When they boys saw it, their jaws hit the floor and Jackson immediately asked if they could play. Wouldn't that have been fun??! Then, we could have added Simple Green to Teague's new toy list!! whoo hoo!

One more thing to say about today's events and discussions. Jackson convinced me he was "sick" and he didn't need to go to school (this is the latest with him- he doesn't want to go) because of his ear infection. He is currently taking meds for it so I caved and let him stay home with me. He says the funniest things. First, we were outside swinging and he told me that he really was sick (oh really, I couldn't tell) and that he wasn't lying...or anyfing. Ok, I said. Then, I asked him what letter they were going to study this week (T) and what he would bring to show and tell that started with a T? He said a "transformer" of course and then he told me they were going to start studying the human body. They just finished up with their body so I quizzed him again and told him that I thought they had already studied the body. He said they had already studied the human body, but they were going to start studying the new one. Okay, alrighty then...

I came home to a dog that I swear is back at square one- she was doing so good and yesterday she peed right in front of me...as to say, "this is the way I run things". The girls really do a good job with Lucy and so I asked him nonchalantly, "what happened while I was gone? Lucy was doing to good- she is just peeing and pooping everywhere! What did the girls do to her?". Jackson said that is wasn't the girls- it was Grand Dad. Poor Grand Dad (Not really- but that's a different story)!! So I asked him what he did to her. Jackson just shrugged his shoulders and looked at me and said, "I don't know...he just didn't do her right!". Silly kid!!

Have a New Kid by Friday

One of the books I read while I was on vacation in Playa was Have a New Kid by Friday by Dr. Kevin Leman. I read the book from front to back in just a day or so. It was a great book that taught me many things.

First, it taught me that my kids are pretty great kids. The stories he told in the book were amazing to me- the way some parents let their children act. We do have pretty great kids, but of course, they are normal and so I am always looking for ways to improve their moments of "entitlement" as I call it.

I don't like it when I feel like my kids expect a reward, a new outfit or toy or for me to jump up when they ask for something- like I don't have a life other than them- Dr. Leman says it as when they drive you up the wall. It's the feeling that the world OWES them- it bugs me. So I was on the hunt for some tips to make it during these times.


I recommend the book. It takes the monkey off your back and requires you to step up and expect more from your children without screaming, threatening or having a long discussion with them about what and why you need them to do. All without the guilt that we all feel- paying close attention to the ABC's: Attitude, Behavior and Character issues. And there is so much more in the book- I am trying to get Jerrod to read the book too so that we are on the same page. He is working on it.



So today I thought I would put the suggestions to work. I told my children that I wasn't going to repeat anything anymore. (the book says that by repeating things you are actually telling your children that you think they are stupid- too stupid to do it right the first time) I told them that I knew they were smart enough to get it right so I would stop talking so much. Homework came, chores came and Emma just couldn't get it right. Note: she is my passive, super silly child that always finds a way out of doing what is expected all with a big smile and a happy heart. She is fun loving and this is why I have always had a hard time disciplining her- plus she is a crier. She feels so bad that she starts to cry and it is a sad cry- not the annoying, loud, obnoxious cry my other children do when they don't get their way. She breaks my heart. Of course, I shouldn't make an exception for her and expect any less!!



I am off following all the recommendations of the book. I get her where it hurts with her things: I took her puppy journal book where she writes all her songs with the first offense and then after another I sent her to her room for a good thinking. She didn't know what hit her, seriously. She cried in her room about this and that and then when it was all said and done she came back downstairs, gave an honest apology and then joined the family. Suddenly, I got this letter- I couldn't help but post it.
She didn't know I was going to be mean, huh?!! So I sat down with her and had a heart to heart- I told her mean mommies are good mommies. What do you think??!! Agree?

spring seeds

Last night, after I unpacked from Playa, we decided to plant a few seeds in some small pots I picked up from Target about a month ago. They were in the $1 aisle and came complete with dirt, seeds and the little pot to grown them in. Jackson spotted them and asked to plant them and so we did. It turned out to be a great little project for the 3 big kids. We planted a daisy, a sunflower and a clover so we can't wait to see how they turn out!!

Playa Del Carmen

Jerrod and I had the opportunity to go somewhere, anywhere during spring break. My in laws came in town and my MIL said that if we wanted to go somewhere, she would stay with the kids. She didn't have to say that twice...we made our reservations quick (before she changed her mind!). We chose Playa Del Carmen because a friend of mine just got back and quite frankly, I just happened to talk to her and she mentioned it was a great place to go!! We stayed at El Dorado Maroma resorts and had a great visit. We did a lot of laying around, sleeping on the beach, listening to our iPod while basking in the sun, reading books and did I mention relaxing? We came back so rested and energized...a vacation like this can be addicting!! Here's a photo of the pool.Here's the beach looking out from the hotel. Another view of the palapa's (outdoor beds- behind the palm trees) and this is where we hung out the most!Another view of the hotel from the beach.
We set up the camera (yes, we are dorks) and took a picture of ourselves before dinner. This was right after the time share agent told us "we were going to get mad at her for saying this, but we were stupid" for not joining the time share club. We shrugged our shoulders and headed out to enjoy our dinner with a smile on our face. Some people!! These huts in the picture below housed massage beds for a "sky massage" under the stars. This sounds totally wonderful until you decide how you are going to get on the table without your robe and there is a couple having a nice romantic meal just a few yards away. Can you say, awkward? We decided that we wouldn't see them ever again so each of us got on our table as quick as could. It was relaxing the first few minutes. Then we started to hear the couple we passed on the way in talking and having a good time. Shortly after that my masseuse actually "passed gas" loudly and it was ALL over for me. I had the hardest time NOT laughing. I had to just concentrate on something else...like the dingo's that started barking and the "cupid shuffle" playing at the party next door

(ya know, the song- to the left, to the left, now kick, now kick, now c'mon baby kick, now walking by yourself...) and the macharena, too. Yes, I am serious. It was a night of comedy of errors and we laughed and laughed somemore when the massage was over! I told Jerrod that was my last massage at the resort- we had another scheduled the last day and I cancelled it promptly the next morning!

To make myself feel better, this is what I did the next day...ALL day! So relaxing! We went shopping in downtown Playa the day it was overcast. There were TONS of shops to explore and we found a few nifty items for the kids.

The last day I decided that I wanted to parasail. I didn't even think about what COULD happen to me until I was already on the boat heading out!! It was so easy and just beautiful!

This vacation will be hard to beat. No ones bread to butter, no ones meat to cut or clothes to fold. I can't remember the last time I didn't have something pressing or a kid about to wake up or a day where nothing mattered. This was a vacation where definitely "nothing mattered"!! Thank you Karen and Donnie for allowing this to happen for us...we owe you big time!

Spring Break Snapshots- some serious, some not so serious