My First Manicure

For Trevian's birthday one thing she really wanted was to get a manicure. She's been asking for months for a manicure and we decided birthday month was the perfect time to do it. So off we went...two gals off to get their first manicures! Yes, you read that right. I also had NEVER had a manicure. Trevian was quite amused at the fact that her "old" mom had never had a manicure.

I'm pretty sure the woman doing my manicure thought I was a complete idiot--I certainly wasn't in the "know" of how things were done. But she tolerated me while everyone else gathered around the cutie next to me who was eating up all the attention and pampering. Of course, once she saw the pedicure chairs with foot bath and massage, she was pretty sure she needed an upgrade. Sorry sweetie...maybe next year!


The finished result! I'd picked out a nice "Wow!" color for myself, but my friend suggested trying a french manicure. Once I was done Trevian looked at me like "what a waste Mom!" Trev spent the rest of the day admiring her fingers, complete with flowers and sparkly gems on her thumbs. I'm certain she is a diva at heart and would be happy to go for weekly manicures. Me, on the other hand??? I'm thinking I was blessed with pretty great nails of my own--I'm sticking with what I've got. However, I'd probably be on board with the pedicure for next year's birthday month. :)

It's Birthday Month Time!

Well I have been a complete slacker on the blog lately. And I'm planning to turn over a new leaf--it is fall afterall! And the biggest birthday month of the year has arrived at the Leonard house! NOVEMBER!!!

Just a quick recap of birthday month (so you all can be jealous that you don't celebrate birthday month at your house)...birthday month was born when Doug and I first got married. When March 1st 1996 rolled around, I proudly announced to Doug "Today is the first day of my birthday month!" Being a smart husband, he looked at me and said "and what does that mean exactly?" I promptly replied "it means you should do something nice for me EVERY DAY this month until my birthday!" And HE DID! I promised to return the favor in November...and I DID! Thus, birthday month was born and it stuck. So, the month of your birthday, the rest of the family does something nice for you every day through your birthday (everyone in our family has birthdays in the last half of the month so it works out nicely).

Well, fast forward to today and 3 kids later and we now enjoy birthday month in March, July, December, and our double-dose month of November. Doug was lucky enough to get the best birthday present ever--a daughter! And we are off to a smashing beginning this November! Only some of the days are actual gifts, many days are nice gestures and kind words. Though yesterday Trevian did receive a small lip gloss from the dollar store for her birthday month. She told me "this is the BEST birthday month present ever!" It may be hard to top...but I did agree that sometime this month she and I would go for our first-ever mom/daughter manicures. That may be better than a lip gloss.

The Wildwood Trail Run

This year I spent my Labor Day morning at the Wildwood Trail Run 10K. I had not planned at all to run this race...at least not until Sunday evening when my running buddy Maria announced to me that she was going to run it. Now mind you...typically I just say "hey great--good luck to you!" when a friend tells me they are running a race the very next day. But this was Maria...

• Maria who got me back into running to begin with 3 years ago...
• Maria who convinced me to train for and run my first marathon last year...
• Maria who FRACTURED HER FEMUR while training for that marathon and thus left me running the marathon alone last fall...
• Maria who has had 2 surgeries and 3 giant screws put into her femur (the last surgery being a mere 12 weeks ago)...
• Maria who was going to go run her first run of any sort in the last 13 months...

And I was not about to go and let her do it WITHOUT me!

(Maria and I before starting the race...Maria on the left and I'm guessing if you are reading this blog you know which one I am)

So off we went to the Wildwood Trail Run, Labor Day 2009. Our first run together in 13 months and wouldn't you know it...that chick ran the WHOLE DOGGONE THING! In fact, had it not been a single-file wooded trail that kept her stuck behind me (I was playing the role of "pacer" to keep her from running too fast) she probably would have run it faster than she did!

So, hats off to Maria in her return to running! That darn girl has already got me signing up for my next marathon...June 2010!

Home Alone

My children's eyes rolled to the backs of their heads as I sang one of the little songs my mom taught me as a kid (with a few words edited to my benefit)...

Today is a wonderful day!
For you are going away!
Not to the circus, not to the pool...
Can't you guess you are going to school!

Okay, don't get me wrong...I love my kiddos! Very much so! And we've had a wonderful summer:

• Great vacations (Sunriver, trips to Idaho, out to the beach, Terry to Europe, etc)
• Zach's fantastic baseball season
  
• Swimming at some different pools
• Enjoying the new trampoline Doug the pediatrician convinced me to finally put up
  
• Playing in the neighborhood--my water bill has covered enough sprinkler parties to keep all neighborhood kids soaked for the past 2 months and my food bill has provided enough popsicles to keep the same set of kids wired for those same two months

(Trevian, Zach and Trevian posing for the traditional first day of school photo--each holding up the number of fingers for what grade they are in. Yes--Zach really is 3 grades ahead of Trevian!)

But alas, it is time for school to start again. My oldest started middle school today and my youngest started first grade. So today I am HOME ALONE! ALL DAY! Trevian told me last night she knows how sad I will be to eat lunch alone today and how lonely I will be without her home with me. She was so excited though to get to have lunch at school and have TWO recesses instead of just one (like in kindergarten).

Zach is now the "responsible" Leonard family member at Cooper Mountain Elementary. He's our 4th grader this year! It's his job to lead the way to and from school each day (we live next door to the school so walking takes about 90 seconds). But nonetheless, he is to look out for Trevian and get her safely there and back each day. But he's ready to rise to the challenge! :)

And Terry is thrilled to be in Red Hall at Highland Park...at least probably until after school today when he gets home and has homework to do. Oh, and the return of the school-year video game playing time rules will be a rude awakening for all of them.

So summer is officially over...there's actually that fall "nip" in the air on a beautiful day...the kids are all excited about their new experiences at school...and my house has stayed clean for more than 20 minutes...Today IS a wonderful day! :)

Hood to Coast 2009

Hood to Coast** 2009 is in the books and it was our funnest year yet! Okay, I only say that because quite honestly, I kicked butt this year! First year I was sick and spent too much time scouting out honeybuckets. Second year was good but I was more worried about my marathon training so I didn't focus much on H2C. But this was MY year!!!! :)

(Doug and I at the starting line, the view up to the top of Mt Hood from Timberline Lodge)

Weather was perfect this year...high 70s, low 80s. So it poured rain on me on my 3rd leg...it felt great! And we're hardly hard-core H2C'ers. We firmly believe that all van-mates are entitled to a REAL shower after each leg and a place to catch a few zzz's during the night that doesn't involve a tarp, fairground fields and 10,000 other people! (thanks to our sponsors this year...Kevin, Shelbe, and Jake for use of your homes for each of our showers/naps)

2009 Team Name: Team Carebear (yeah, we didn't pick it). Teammates included "I Don't Care Bear," "Chafe Bear," "Shut Up and Run Bear," "Why am I doing this againBear?" etc. Actually, our great van mates included Heather, Doug, Ryan (Doug's brother), Kevin (my brother's father-in-law, who filled in last minute and did AWESOME), Kristan, and April (friends). And we had a ball...who wouldn't with 197 miles to cover, Miley Cyrus's "Party In the USA" as theme music (yes--I confess, it is a favorite running song of mine now), only 90 minutes of sleep, and a cowbell to ring out your window the WHOLE WAY!!!!

We saw stellar performances this year from Ryan and Doug who stepped up (or down) and covered legs 1 and 2 for us...dropping 3500 feet in elevation over their combined 11 miles, Kevin for running through the rainstorm and the wee hours of the morning, Kristan (who found a new level of "hard" in her racing experience but still conquered her first H2C in great time), April for giving up her bike for the weekend and trading out for her sneakers (she cruised right through it), and Heather for running the FASTEST 5.67 miles she has ever run as she found herself smack dab in the middle of a stolen car scene at midnight complete with 4 cop cars, large firearms, and people being cuffed and hauled away (I've never run so fast and I have never wished so much that I wasn't sporting a reflective vest, flashing light and headlamp in the dark of night---I wasn't slowing down until I was out of possible gunfire range!!!!)

(Doug's final leg...finished...6 miles with a climb of a few hundred feet in elevation followed by a fast 1/2 mile downhill)

(Heather's Rocky Balboa moment as I finish my final leg and click the "EASY" button! 3.6 miles of uphill, climbing 600+ feet followed by another 2.5 miles downhill...they post Prefontaine quotes along the climb just to keep you inspired until the end. Toilet paper finish line at the crest of the mountain courtesy of Doug)

Doug told me he was retiring after this year, but of course he said BEFORE we ran. He's ready to commit for round 4. Anyone want to run with us? We've got 4 seats in Van 1 up for grabs! :)

**For those of you unfamiliar with H2C, it's 197-mile relay held every August. It starts at Timberline Lodge on top of Mt Hood and ends on the beach at Seaside, Oregon. It was the first relay of it's sort and there are 1,000 running teams (plus some walking teams and high school teams) for about 20,000 participants. There are 12 people on a team, divided into two "vans" (or SUVs). Each person runs 3 legs of the 36-leg course, varying in distance from 3.5 - 7.5 miles in length for a total of 13-19 miles each over the 24-30 hours it takes a team to finish. It's crazy, but so much fun...197-mile-long party!!!

The Vacation Update

I got an update from Terry this morning on his vacation. He's in Italy now. What a week actually---Doug is in California, Terry's in Europe, Zach's going to Cub Scout camp all week, and Trevian is going to a parks and rec day camp all week. We are each on our very own agendas this week. And me...I'm just running mad between keeping it all straight!
Nevertheless, the vacation update from Terry. He's been spending the past few days in Venice and is off to Rome now for a few days. He went for a gondola ride and actually got to help steer the gondola. As I updated Doug about what Terry was up to, we both sort of sunk into this glum thought of how very unfair this is...Terry is 11 and seeing the amazing sights of Italy while Doug and I were oh so close to going back in April but had the trip frozen on us. It's just not right....Terry in Italy and me at home blogging about how I wish I was in Italy with him.
A message to Uncle Clint and Aunt Malisa....thanks for taking such good care of Terry and putting up with his "charming" personality all week. Feel free to stop feeding him. Cut him off...he's likely built up enough stores to see him home. :)

Cool blogs to check out!

Okay, so I don't do the best job keeping up my own personal blog, but here's a couple of links to blogs sharing material from me (okay...from my work really). Nevertheless, enjoy reading my summer tips for slimming down on either of the links below. And check out some cool blogs in the process.

http://girlgetstrong.com/2009/07/14/slim-down-while-summer-heats-up/

http://mizfitonline.com/2009/07/09/2579/

Vacation...it's all about the food?

Terry was given the opportunity of his 11-year-old lifetime this summer. He has gone to Germany with his Nana for two weeks. Doug's brother Clint is in the Air Force there and Nana agreed to let Terry go with her to visit. The trip also includes a visit to some other cities, and today they spent the day in Paris.

Each day I talk to Terry and I get the 2-minute travel report of what they have been doing. Yesterday's report began with "Guess what I did today Mom!!! I had 3 different kinds of German sausages!!!" Today he called and he said they went to Paris. I said "oh wow! What did you see?" Terry responded with a laundry list of items he had eaten today--he must've gone on for a minute about everything he ate. Finally I interrupted him and said "Terry, I said 'What did you SEE?' not 'What did you EAT?'" "Oh," he responded. "Um, we saw the Mona Lisa."

Hello! Really??? Seeing the Mona Lisa is an afterthought??? I just hope there are more than pictures of German sausages and meatball subs on those rolls of film he's burning through.

Have fun Terry! Don't forget to write in your journal every day. And if you bring me back food, make it some good German chocolate rather than a good German sausage. :)

The "patteren" is broken!

So the past couple of weeks Trevian has been trying not to be sick...she's put up a valiant effort. But she's woken up in the middle of the night dry heaving a few times in the past two weeks. Well this week it finally hit and she spent a better part of the week doing some impressive purging.

Well, my little kindergartner turned first grader spent the better part of the school year learning about patterns, or as Trevian pronounces it, "patterens." She is an expert at AB patterns and all sorts of variations of the kindergarten pattern system.

This morning Trevian came out of her bedroom with a BIG smile on her face. She said "mom, I'm all better! Know how I know?"

"How?" I asked her.

"Because of the patteren! Throw up. No throw up. Throw up. No throw up. Now today it has been TWO no throw ups! The patteren is broken. And I'm better!"

Way to apply your kindergarten education to a real world setting sweetie! Forget red squares and blue circles...we've got our own "patteren" education at home. And this girl has finally broken the patteren! Much to my relief.

Can you live without your liver?

Thanks to the Cheerios box on the table today my boys and I had a conversation about "cholestREEol," as Zach put it. "What is cholestestREEol Mom? Is it good for you?" he asked. As we talked about cholesterol and how your liver makes cholesterol, Terry asked "can you live without your liver?" To which Zach very quickly replied "Of course not! Duh! That's why it's called a LIVER!"

Good thinkin' Zach. :)

Can I get that in writing???

Trevian just told me that I am exactly the Mom she wanted. She said when she was a baby, she wanted a mom just like me. I asked her what type of Mom I am that she wanted so much. She said "You're pretty and you're cute and you are so nice and you are fun."

I want that in writing--just so I can remind myself (AND my kids) on the days that I am not their favorite..."remember, I'm the exact Mom you wanted!!!"

We are hippie chicks!

What better way to spend Mother's Day weekend than running. Cuz isn't that what I do all year long as a mother? Run around, getting everyone where they need to be, getting them what they need, cleaning up what they needed....you know the drill. Well this year, my friend Nicole and I signed up to run the Hippie Chick Half Marathon--a 13.1-mile race only for women the day before Mother's Day.

I must admit my training wasn't quite as good as last year when I prepared for my first half marathon, but I had a goal and figured it was something that wouldn't be too hard to reach...finish in under 2 hours. I finished my half-marathon last year in 1:57, and that race had a HUGE hill in the middle of it. So I figured this "flat" course would be a breeze. Well I made a very bad assumption though. This race was chip-timed so I figured I would not worry about being close to the front of the pack at the start of the race. What I didn't realize, until it was too late, was that they were using gun start time rather than a timing pad at the start of the race. Ugh. The clock was against me for hanging back. (My running partner Maria, who has been out of commission for 9 months now due to a broken femur assured me that had she been there she would have known that and NOT made that error. Yah, thanks for the reminder Maria that I am not a smart runner without you.) No worries though, I'd make it up I was sure.

The first half of the race went really well actually. The course is a loop that you repeat twice. My time was great the first half. In fact, my time was great the first 11 miles. Then I realized I really did need ONE MORE pack of Gu. Why or why did I leave that other pack of Gu in the car? (again, Maria's wisdom kicking me in the butt here for not being smart). I think my last mile was about twice as slow as all other miles of the race. Ugh. Oh, I was going to be so close to my goal mark.

Well, finally, finish line in sight...my trusty Garmin on my wrist telling me that I was finishing in 1:59...PERFECT. Oh, but no...the official clock showed 2 hours and 11 seconds. 11 seconds!!! NOOOOO!!!! My official time was 12 seconds slower than I wanted it to be. I tell you the Garmin said 1:59. The Garmin does not lie. The lack of timing pads at the start of the race lies!!!!

So, I made my goal, if only by my own watch. And you know what, I did pretty good. I came in 40th in my age division and 134th out of 640 women...not too shabby. At least, not until you ask a 6-year-old. When I got home from the race, Trevian looked at my finisher's necklace (yes--they gave out finisher's necklaces with a charm rather than medals). They had additional charms you could buy at the race. I bought 3 extras so my necklace had 4 charms on it. Trevian looked at the necklace and saw the 4 charms and said "Mom, did you get 4th place?" I said "no, I got 40th place!" She looked at me and said "oh Mom...that is BAAAADDDD!" Thanks Trev.

Nevertheless, I finished the race, I had a great time, and I loved seeing so many women--all ages, shapes, sizes--out there running the race and seeing that their health is important to them and that they love the rush of the run.

Welcome to Lacrosse!

Terry took up a new sport this year...he's trying his hand at Lacrosse! This is our first experience EVER with lacrosse and we knew nothing about the sport until he joined the league this year. The first thing we learned is that lacrosse is not a cheap sport:

Registration...$100
League dues...$25
New cleats...$30
Equipment rental...$85
Replacement elbow pads...$35
Seeing your son stop a goal with his kidney...PRICELESS

Terry doesn't think that is very funny, but he is definitely learning to take his licks. He wasn't actually PLAYING goalie when he blocked that goal. Or the time he stopped a goal with his elbow. He just sort of found himself in the wrong (or perhaps "right") place at the wrong (or perhaps "right) time.

So Terry is teaching us the rules as he goes...and as he learns them too. I have to admit that lacrosse is actually a little more entertaining to watch than soccer (if you ask me). The rules are simpler, there's more contact, fewer penalties, and a higher score. So it moves a bit faster. All in all it has been a pretty good experience. The fact that he can catch a ball with a basket on the end of a stick is pretty impressive actually.

Fishin' with Dad

So our family has a new found hobby--fishing! Doug has always wanted to take the kids fishing more often, but there never seems to be a good opportunity for a big old fishing trip. But we have found the solution.

Last week our good friends the Bagoyos told us about their fishing spot. Unbeknownst to us (and probably lots of other Beavertonians--if that is a word), there is a park just 10 minutes down the road with a small lake. Turns out the Parks and Rec department stocks that lake with rainbow trout every 2-3 weeks! Now granted, these aren't gigantic fish by any means, but the perfect quick fishing outing for Dad and the boys. (Squint closely and you can see the fish in front of Doug's hand in the above photo).

So Saturday morning they spent 3 hours fishing at the park and between the 5 boys there (Zach, Terry, and 3 of Zach's buddies) they caught 30 fish. Then, last night for home evening, we headed out again. Doug took Trevian along with them and I met them at the park as soon as I finished with work. It wasn't quite as busy of a fish evening, but we still brought home enough for Doug to fry up for dinner. And it was TASTY!!!

Who knew...just down the road in the middle of town we would find a great little fishin hole. I'm sure we'll become regulars there as the kids keep asking to go back. Gotta love the picture of Trev though--even when fishing, it's all about posing to look good for the photo op! :)

The Little Red Hen

Trevian had her debut theater performance this month in school. The kindergarten put on the musical "The Little Red Hen." Trevian was a chick. Of course you know the story of the little red hen...how nobody will help the hen make her bread, but everyone wants to help eat the bread. The kindergarten puts on this play every spring. So EVERY student in the school knows the songs and has played a special part in the play in their earlier years. (This pic is Trevian and her teacher.)

Trevian has practiced very hard to learn all of the songs. Last week for Family Home Evening, we spent time singing all the songs with her. She has asked me countless times which Little Red Hen song is my favorite. At the end of the performance, everyone yells "encore!" and they sing an extra song, followed by a rousing performance of the chicken dance (which they expect audience participation for). It was a very fun evening and a very fine performance!

Food = Friends

The other day Terry was telling me about a new friend he made at school. I asked him about this kid and what makes them friends. He said "we just have so much in common with each other Mom." I responded, "oh? Like what?" Terry said "well for starters, we both LOVE ranch dressing."

Now, I must admit I have never forged a friendship over salad dressing, but it got me thinking. And I HAVE forged a few friendships over other foods. Namely Dr. Pepper and chocolate. You know who you are--my fellow "girl day" friends. And I am quite convinced that there is nothing in the world that a 2-liter bottle of Dr. Pepper, a giant chocolate bar, and an afternoon with good friends can't make better. Okay, some days it may take 2 2-liter bottles and 2 candy bars.

Now, this probably goes against everything I preach professionally--encouraging relationships with food. But let's remember moderation in all things. It's not a daily occurrence. In fact, lunch dates with friends are really only like once a week, max. And hey...as one friend put it, we all get our time on the couch while the others listen. It's therapy and it costs a lot less than a shrink! :)

So, whether it is with carrots and a side of ranch dressing, or Dr. Pepper and a chocolate bar, I'm grateful today for the good times I have had and will always have with friends.

Random Thoughts on Running--it's really about the skirt

So I had a great run today. Really. It was 12 miles...longest run I've done since the marathon last fall. But I am signed up for a half marathon the day before Mother's Day so it's time to get serious about my training again. Actually, I had a long run planned for last week but I spent that morning worshiping the porcelain god in my bathroom and after worship services were over, I had no energy left for the next 3 days. But this week I was ready to get back on track. Today was the day.

Well, last week I read this article in Runner's World magazine about what people think about when they run. Apparently what you are thinking about can impact the quality of your run. And while random thinking can be good for you, apparently if you are serious about running you won't just spend all your time in random thinking, but you'll focus on your run some of the time as well. For me personally, I can't get into that routine that some of my runner friends do when they count their breaths compared to their pace and how many steps they take per breath, etc. No...for me, I figure if I am running, I am pretty sure I am breathing. End of analysis.

So today, after confirming that I was running and therefore breathing, I moved on to the part where I zone out and just run, lost in the abyss of random thoughts in Heather's brain. So, in risk of letting people catch a glimpse of just how random and scary my brain is, here are some of my random thoughts while running.

• Man, every song on my playlist is about running. Really! Every song relates to running. I can find at least one way that EVERY song on my playlist can be tied to how I feel while running, how I feel about running, how I feel after running, etc.
• I am moving so slow!
• I don't care if I am moving slow...I have on a dang cute skirt!!! And anyone running in a skirt is awesome! (really--try it. Get a running skirt. It's like secret power--you feel invincible as you pass others and you are thinking "yah, I just passed you. And I'm in a SKIRT!!!" Most of the time they are walkers, but I still pass them.)
• What if I saw a dead body in those bushes? Okay, seriously, what morbid person worries about coming across a dead body on their run??? It's not like I live in some psycho neighborhood or crime capital of the world. Nevertheless, it has popped in my head as I've run past swampy, marshy bushes.
• I swore I would never eat Gu!!!! Now I have favorite flavors!!!
• This flavor isn't going down so well today.
  
• How many people that know me have passed me and thought I was running slow? Did they notice I at least have on a very cute skirt???
• Hmmm....maybe I COULD be an American Gladiator. Or at least an Athleta model. Then I would have a lot more cute skirts to run in. (I tell you--wear a skirt when you run! It makes you certain you are so much more than you are!!!!)
• It doesn't matter how hot it gets, I will NEVER run in just a jog bra. My wobbly bits are for my eyes only. Hmmm...how am I going to be an American Gladiator or an Athleta model with wobbly bits?
• What am I going to make for dinner tonight? When are we going to find time for dinner tonight?
  
• Maybe if I stare at the ground I won't notice that I have a big hill to climb. No, now I just think that I'm running REALLY SLOW on flat ground. I'd rather know that I'm going up a big hill slow.
  
• Who's idea was it to program this Garmin to beep at me every time I slow down...doesn't it know I'm going uphill???
• Why am I so crazy that I don't just turn the stupid beep off? Because secretly I love the beep taunting me to run faster. And hey...I have on a really cute skirt. So maybe I CAN run faster.
  

After all these years...

...we're still in love!

Yesterday was our 14th wedding anniversary! (insert sappy sigh here....ahhhhhh!) To celebrate we had tickets to see Wicked. It was wonderful! This was our first time seeing the show. I'll admit it took me a bit to get settled into it, to get my bearings of what was going on. I knew just the basic gist of the story line. But we loved the show, the music, the characters. It definitely gives you a new perspective on the story of the Wizard of Oz--and will make you think differently about that story from now on. My friend lent me her soundtrack from the show and it has been fun listening to all the songs again. I can see why people like seeing it over and over again. And in the future, I would even take my kids to see it.

Oh, and after 14 years, Doug still had the hottest date in the place!!! (right honey? right?)

Can you say "bummer" in Italian?

Bummer! The trip to Italy is off. Okay, it isn't the end of the world actually. But the university has frozen the funding that would have paid for Doug's trip. They did say he could still go if he wanted to...but he "might" not get reimbursed for it. LOL!!!! :) Like we would fall for THAT one. The reason for me going with him now was because his work was paying for hotel and his airfare. Without that incentive, well, we'd rather wait and do a trip to Europe right--take a few weeks, see LOTS of places, go at a time that is convenient with leaving the kids behind, etc. So, are we disappointed? Yah, I guess. Will it leave us better off financially? Most definitely!!! And with the economy the way it is right now, it's really the wise thing to do. But Doug promises he will take me to Italy someday. That works for me.

"Hi" translated means "I'm an American Idiot!"

I've come to the realization that "hi" is translated into all other languages to mean "I'm an American idiot." When Doug and I were living in Vermont, we would go up to Montreal on occasion. Montreal is part of the french-speaking province of Quebec. So all road signs are in French, everyone speaks French, etc. Now, mind you, my husband WAS the "French Student of the Year" our senior year of high school--proof that the 80-year-old French teacher was sweet on young boys I guess. :) Ten years after high school, I was just grateful he knew that "ouest" was "west" and "est" was "east" (not that I couldn't figure that out)!

Anyhow, on to the story...everywhere we would go you would walk in to a store, museum, restaurant, etc. and the employee would smile and say "bonjour!" To which, I would sheepishly smile and say "hi" in return. This simple utterance of the word "hi" is the well-known code for "I'm an American idiot who doesn't speak a lick of any language other than English so please cater to my lack of intelligence and come down to my level." At which point, the employee politely responds "oh, hi" and carries on with the conversation in English because yes, he or she is actually a minimum of BI-lingual.

So, the point of this story, other than that I wish I had taken my high school Spanish class more seriously, is that it looks like I may get to spend a week in Italy with my husband! Yay! We will be going to Florence, but may try to make a trip down to Rome as well. I'm looking for any recommendations, advice, etc. from those of you who have been to Italy and any suggestions for avoiding being a complete and utter annoyance of a tourist. :)

Pay it Forward!

Pay it Forward!

How it works: The FIRST THREE people to leave a comment on this post will receive at some point during this year a handmade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive will be a total surprise--to both of us.The CATCH is that YOU MUST PLAY TOO! Before you leave your comment here, write a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going (you can cut and paste these instructions). Then come back and let me know that you are going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift. It's THAT easy!Remember, only the FIRST THREE comments will qualify. Good luck!

There's good probability that Terry loves his mom

Terry has entered that tween stage where his mom is no longer very cool. Okay, not that I am saying I USED to be totally cool to him, but I'm definitely more of a liability than an asset now. He constantly rolls his eyes at me.

So today Terry said he had very little homework to do. In fact, he only had one math worksheet. The worksheet asked him to define the term "probability" and give an example of it. Then he was to ask one of his parents to define probability and give an example. Well, being a great example of how to get your homework done quickly, I peeked at his answer and wrote down the same thing...

"Probability is the chance that something will happen."

My example that I wrote on his homework for him to turn in tomorrow...

"The probability that Terry has the coolest mom in the world is about 100%." :)

His eyes are rolling yet again.

Bob and His Toothache

Zach had the assignment to write a short story for school. He insisted that a short story only needs to be 2-3 paragraphs. He had picked the topic of "a shark that has a toothache." Here is Zach's story that came out of it...with only a very little bit of help from Mom. :)

Bob and His Toothache

Once upon a time there was a shark named Bob. One day Bob was swimming and his tooth began to ache. Bob knew exactly which of his many teeth were hurting, but he didn't know what to do.

Bob decided to ask a clown fish for help. The clown fish tried to make Bob laugh the tooth out. It didn't work. He asked the octopus for help. The octopus tried to pull the tooth out using all eight legs. It didn't work.

Bob was very sad that nobody could help. Just then Bob ran into a big, fat, sleeping whale and his tooth came out! Bob put it under his pillow and that night the tooth fish brought him a sand dollar.

The end!

Mom, what is that???

I have failed as a homemaker. This morning Terry wanted me to help him iron a shirt and some pants to wear to school today. He had a "job interview" at school for an upcoming activity they are doing and he wanted to look nice. So he pulled out the ironing board and the iron. I went down to the laundry room to help him, and Zach (the 8-year-old) followed me down. Zach looked at me, looked at what I was doing, looked back and said "what is that Mom?" I replied "the iron." Zach replied "what does it do?" Apparently the only time Zach has actually seen the iron in action is when we use it to melt little craft beads together to make cool designs. Let's hope he finds himself a woman that can iron. Either that or his dad is going to have to give him lessons...he sure isn't going to learn it from me.

My daughter may very well become my BFF!

So Friday night Doug was flying home from the conference he was at in California. He needed me to pick him up from the airport, but it was late. So I let Terry babysit, told them they could finish their movie, and then he had to get them all to bed. Trevian was asleep when we got home.

The next morning, Trev came in and woke us up. She said "Mom, where were you last night?" I said "I went to get Dad from the airport." She said "Oh, I thought you were gone SHOPPING!" I laughed and said "no, not that late at night." To which she responded, "oh good. Because I was gonna be REALLY MAD if you went to the mall without me!"

Ah...we were meant to be together! :)

Hours of entertainment

So we just discovered Photo Booth on the mac. And it has provided hours of entertainment! Here's a few of my favorite shots from the "booth"...can you identify my little cuties?

And the blog gets forgotten...

Okay, I have to admit. For the past 3 weeks I have forgotten that I have a blog. Kind of like I forget that there is laundry to do...or beds to make...or lizards to feed. Luckily, I have not yet forgotten that I have children. They somehow remind me on a regular basis that they are there, making their presence known in a variety of ways. So, since I sometimes run out of clean clothes, the lizard starts climbing the walls of his tank, and the kids start complaining of hunger, the one thing that doesn't make itself known (the blog) gets forgotten. Perhaps there is an automatic email reminder that can be sent..."hello, this is your blog. Did you forget me?"

Truthfully though, the real stressor consuming my life so far in 2009 is my lovely car. Yes...car trouble. I hate car trouble. And even worse, I hate car trouble that only causes ME trouble. Nobody can seem to figure out what is wrong with it. I've taken my car in to be looked at 6 times now! I have a new battery and a new starter. And still, I have car trouble. It won't start. But it's random. Actually, not so random...its favorite place to NOT START is right after I've filled it with gas and there are 3 cars behind me waiting for me to get out of the way so they can get gas. That seems to be a surefire time that it won't start. Or if I have somewhere that I REALLY need to be. Like Zach's LAST soccer game of the season. Then, the car won't start. Some days it takes 5-10 minutes to get it started. One day it took 2 hours.

So today I took my car back in AGAIN to be looked at. Actually, took it in yesterday, but got it back today. They said everything checks out and it runs fine. Can't find anything wrong with it. I should bring it back when it is having trouble so they can see what's going on. Um...did I mention the problem is that it won't start??? Yah, I'll be sure and bring it in the next time it won't start. That'll work.

So I leave the service department today and stop to do an errand on my way home. Come back out 5 minutes later and yes...the car WON'T START! It's been about 30 minutes since the "yah, it runs fine" speech at the service dept. It won't start! So I decide, I'm calling them on the phone and making them listen to me sitting here struggling to get my car to start. Oh, is my luck just perfect or what...I called 3 times and NOBODY answered! Lunch hour! Are you kidding me???

So, tonight I am surfing the net, car shopping. I've gone from loving my car to loathing it. And I'm finding lots of things I could definitely give my car love to...oh, if only their price tags loved me, too. :)