I've Got Nothing

Nothing to blog about. Seriously, for as busy as this week has been at home and at work, I am really struggling blog wise. No cute stories. No big revelations. Yet I still feel the need to blog about something.

So, tonight I bring the random list of 10 things I am currently obsessed with

1) Grumpy Cat

2) Hi, I'm from Ohio - my co-worker showed me this today and I'm in love with it!

3) Pinterest - 'nuff said

4) The TV shows "Go On" and "Castle"  I love all the characters in "Go On"and I always snort out loud with laughter at least once.  "Castle" is like watching a cozy mystery and, well, Nathan Fillion

5) Culinary cozy mysteries. I think I read at least 10 different cozy series. LOVE THEM!!

6) Reverse Wine Snob - he only reviews wine's under $20!!!

7) Biscoff cookie spread. Not really new information, but the obsession lives on

8) My dishwasher. Oh I love my dishwasher. I don't mind loading it or unloading it.

9) Laini Taylor and David Levithan - Yes, I'm cheating and combining these -  two amazing authors that I cannot get enough of. I have had the chance to meet them at conferences and turn into a total fan girl around them. It's actually a little embarrassing.

10) Mya's Fried Chicken - the food truck of a family we know. It's so good! I crave it every weekend.

Do You See What I See?

I look like my mom. There is no denying that fact. I am totally her "mini me." My mom could never not claim me as her own, it's just too obvious. I joke that look like my mom and I act like my dad.

So imagine my surprise when Susan took the picture on the right on our moving day and I immediately saw my grandma (my dad's mom) looking back at me.

My uncle put her picture side by side with mine. What do you think? I think I got some genes from my dad's side after all.

She was a first class lady and I miss her terribly.

Too Good a Teacher?

Wesley takes a great deal of pride in teaching his little brother all kinds of things. Lately he has been making spelling tests for Ryan. Wesley might be a little too good at teaching though. Last night I was calling out Wesley's spelling words for the week.

"How do you spell 'me'?" I asked.

Before Wesley could answer, Ryan piped up, "M-E!" 

Good job to both boys!

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Duane and I did not realize about two hours too late that we sent Wesley to his grandparent's house without brushing his hair or his teeth. And there is no way we also realized that we had forgotten to brush them the night before as well.

I did not turn into psycho-lady on the phone with a customer service representative. How uncool would that have been?

There is no way I let my youngest son consume two unnaturally blue foods that stained his mouth Smurf colored on the same day - and no fruit or veggies!

I do not get a little bit giddy when I load and unload the dishwasher because it's been so long since I've had one.

Getting Ready to Say Goodbye

In the midst of all the happiness and excitement about the new house, there is something that is tugging at the edges of my heart. My dear kitty, Sanders, is really not doing well. I guess I thought that once he came home from boarding he would shape right up, but the fact of the matter is that he is old, diabetic, arthritic, and I think he's starting to lose his sight.

Duane and I have been doing everything we can to make our old man comfortable. He was doing some inappropriate peeing at the old house, but I think the stairs were too difficult for him. Because of that and the fact that Sanders needs a special diet, we kennel him when we are asleep or not home. His kennel has a soft bed, a blanket, his favorite toy, both his foods, water and a litter box, so he has everything he needs right there. We've put extra water dishes out so he doesn't have to walk very far to get a drink. We've put an extra cushy cat bed in the spot he has claimed as his own.

But deep down, I know this is just a bandage.

Sanders weaves and limps when he walks. He can't jump up on laps or chairs and has to be lifted instead. He lost his balance on the five steps that lead to the lower level and fell down them. He has only been in the upper level of our house twice.

He's eating pretty well but is so very skinny. We have to take him for fluids twice a week and he's still just fur and bones. And worse, he has actually lost weight in the last week.

The dry air in the new house is proving rough on Sanders too. I get chapped lips and dry skin. Sanders gets kitty nose bleeds. The first was so bad he was actually sneezing blood, prompting me to call the vet, which is how I now know cats can get nose bleeds.

Every morning when I come downstairs to let him out of his kennel, I am half surprised he is still alive. I love Sanders so much, and it hurts to see him like this. Gus and Sadie just leave him alone and Sadie has taken over as the kitty head of the house.

I spend time every day sitting with Sanders, petting him and telling him I love him. But the truth is, I am starting to feel guilty. Am I trying too hard to hang on to him because I just don't want to let him go? How will I know when to say goodbye? And then I feel bad for thinking those things. Part of me has him on his death bed, but he's still here. I guess I'm just trying to prepare myself for the day he dies.

Fun Day

You know we have settled into our new house, because we have started packing our weekends full of activity again.

This morning the boys and I went to a movie/concert with some friends while Duane went to work on a mission project for church.

The peanut gallery

Little Artists

Then this evening we went out to dinner and to a hockey game with our church group.

So, yeah, the W. family is back in the swing of things!

The "Before" Pictures

There is a fair amount of cosmetic work to be done in our new house. Lots of wallpaper to remove and paint to choose. I eventually want to update the kitchen and our furniture too, in order to get away from the "country" look. But I know some of you haven't been able to see the inside of the new place yet, so here's your peek.

The living room. Note the floral wallpaper boarder all the way around the high ceiling.

The view from then entryway

Kitchen part 1

Kitchen part 2. I'd like to replace the fridge and oven when we get our tax return.

Family room part 1

Family room part 2

The half bath

Our room - note the wallpaper half way up the wall and the border again.

Wesley's room with floor to ceiling floral wallpaper on all walls (and into the closet)

Ryan's room, again with the wallpaper halfway up.

Dining room

Wesley and Ryan's favorite part of the house.

Still Here, I Promise

Sorry the blog has been so quiet this week. We're all unpacked and pretty settled in, but I've been waiting to get our computer set up to blog. It's not that I can't blog from the iPad, but its so much easier to post pictures from the desktop. Unfortunately, getting our computer hookup and our landline for the phone has turned into a terrific nightmare and it STILL isn't done. Theoretically it will be in tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath. However, I'm starting to feel guilty about not blogging, so we'll just skip the pictures for the time being.

As I said, we're pretty settled in to the new place. My brother even commented that, "it feels like your old place, only bigger" which means it already feels like home. And I have already gotten very used to the attached garage.

The cats are all adapting very well to the new place. Sadie has pretty much taken over as the ruler of the house. Gus is still acting a bit skittish, but very affectionate. And then there is Sanders. Sanders is not doing so well. He has been on the upper level of the house only once because its just too hard for him to climb all the stairs. He's been having kitty nosebleeds too because the air in the new house is so dry. He is eating well though and likes to sleep under the desk in the living room near the heat and the sun.

The boys are happy as clams here. They have picked out paint for their new rooms (once we get the wallpaper removed) and can't wait to paint. Ryan has pronounced our house "wovewee" and told me he is "really enjoying our new house."

I'm still in shock that I really get to live here. Every day I'm worried I'll wake up from this wonderful dream. If I am dreaming, please don't wake me.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week

I did not laugh (a lot) when a stink bug dropped from the ceiling and landed on Wesley's arm, causing him to scream at such a high pitch, I thought for sure the glass in the windows would shatter.

I did not cut my finger at some point while moving and not notice at all until it was WAY past time for a bandaid.

I did not change my mind three times as to where I think Sanders' kennel should go.

I did not sleep better the first night in my new house than I have in months.
I did not see a picture of myself and immediately think that I looked my paternal grandmother in it when I have before seen a physical resemblance between us.

Waking Up in a Dream

It's real! It's really real! I slept in my own bed in my new house last night! Yes, I woke up to boxes everywhere and I can't find anything, but I'm home and Sanders is here and Sadie is here and I'm home! I can't tell you how nice is was to have Sadie curled up on the bed. To be able to pet Sanders. To have my own stuff again ... Well, somewhere.

Yesterday went pretty smoothly and I only had a little bit of stress last night about all the unpacking left to do. The furniture is in and the beds are put together and after today Duane and I both have a week off to put some order to the place.

Already I can tell we are going to be so happy here. Despite the chaos, it already feels like home.

Moving Day

So here it is. Nearly 5:30 AM on moving day and I cannot sleep. I've been up since 4:45 and I have officially given up hope that I will fall back asleep. I'm just too excited. I've been laying in bed and mentally placing out furniture in the new rooms, making lists of what we'll need to get today (like a shower curtain) and counting the minutes until I can go pick up Sanders.

The boys got to see the new place for the first time last night and have pronounced it the best house ever. They ran all over for at least half an hour, checking out every nook and cranny. Of course, the bedrooms were a pretty hot topic.

"I know which bedroom I want," announced Wesley excitedly. "It's the one with the little playroom off of it."

I thought for a minute them answered, "Wesley, that's not a playroom. It's a walk-in closet and that room belongs to Mommy and Daddy."

Luckily the disappointment didn't last long.

I think we're going to be really happy there. Tired today, but happy.

My Booktalking Boy

I have been at my job for about 13.5 years now and I worked at a different library system for a few years before that. Needless to say, I've seen lots of book trends for kids come and go, but one that has really hung on has been the "Magic Tree House" books. There are nearly 50 of them in the series now and kids are still clambering for them.

Truth be told, I've taken kind of a twisted sense of pleasure in being able to say that I've never read one, despite the fact that they are popular and have stood the test of time (the first one was published in 1992).

But all that has changed. Santa Claus brought Wesley the first book in the series for Christmas. Santa figured they were right at Wesley's reading level and Wesley might like them. Santa has no idea what can of worms he opened. Wesley does not like these books. He loves them.

We started by him reading me a chapter each night, with me helping on a few of the tricky words. That quickly moved to two chapters a night. One book became two, which became three. "I'm never going to stop reading these books until the new Bad Kitty book comes out" Wesley told me with glee. I even stocked up on several titles so we wouldn't run out while I'm on vacation for our move next week. And yes, we do have to read them in order.

Yesterday morning Wesley asked me which library I work at.

I told him the name of my library then asked why he wanted to know.

"I've been telling M. at school all about the Magic Tree House books and she wants to read them now. I have to tell her which library you work at so she can go get some."

I smiled, "She certainly can come to my library, but any library around here will have them. Your school library probably even has them."

"But she really wants to read them and I KNOW you have them at your library!" The he promptly wrote down the name of my library and put it in his backpack so he wouldn't forget to give it to M. Love it!

Best Teacher

I know I have blogged about the way Wesley tries to teach Ryan different things. I guess Ryan actually likes it - at least some of the time. The other day he told me, "I like to sit next to Wesley because he teaches me reading and math."

I guess he's a good teacher. Just not a patient one.

Be a Man

 

Sorry, but this post needs a little theme music - like the song "Be a Man" from the movie "Mulan." 

I hope you are all singing along now.

Yesterday Wesley came down stairs and told me, "Mama, I'm turning into a man!"

"Well, yes, you are growing into a man, but what made you say that?" I asked.

"I'm getting a whole bunch stronger and men are strong!" he told me while flexing his seven-year-old muscles. "And I'm starting to like football and men like football."

Danger Will Robinson! Danger Will Robinson! (am I dating myself with that reference?) I don't want my boys to think they have to be all stereotypical macho in order to be a man!

"Wesley, lots of women like football too. I love football. And all not men like football. Grandpa H. doesn't."

Still, Wesley was determined. "But most men do and I'm going to be a man!"

"Wesley, if you want to grow up to be a real man, you should pay attention to the things your daddy does because he's the best man I know," I told him. "A real man is kind. He helps people who need help in any way that he can. He treats people with respect. A real man always tries his hardest and stands up to bullies. That doesn't mean he fights the bully, but he works to make bullying stop. A real man takes care of his family and he loves God."  Yes, I am writing this blog about my own family and so my own definitions and beliefs apply to this story.

Wesley thought for a moment. "I'm good at some of those things, but sometimes I don't try my hardest and I don't take care of my family."

"Oh yes, you do," I told him. "When I'm sad, don't you make me pictures and try to make me smile? Don't you teach Ryan math and work on his reading? That's taking care of your family."

"Then I guess I am going to be a real man!" Wesley said proudly.

I hope so, son. I really hope so.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week

I did not do a mental happy dance when I dropped Wesley off at school for the first time since winter break.

I did not take a big whiff of an opened candy bar in hopes that, since I wasn't really hungry, the mere smell of chocolate would dissuade me from eating it.

I know I did not drop my brand new, expensive, never before used make-up brush into the toilet as I was taking it out of the packaging. Nope. Didn't happen.

Duane and I did not tell the boys we would take a dollar out of their piggy bank every time they"forget" to flush.

I did not skip telling the boys they had to eat a vegetable at dinner just because Grandma made lima beans and I didn't want to have to set a good example and eat some.

He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

Moving On

I am still pinching myself to make sure yesterday wasn't a dream. We've been through such a nightmare with the whole house thing that I'm almost afraid to believe its really done. But it is! We officially no longer own our old house and have purchased out new house!!

As awful as this whole process has been, the closings really went pretty smoothly. We finally got to meet our buyer and he was nothing like we pictured. I don't know why we had pictured anything, but we did. Anyhow, he was great. He and his roommate were just as happy to getting the house as we were to be getting out new place. The room just had an air of happiness in. We left the closing with huge smiles on our faces and feeling happy about who would be living in the house where so many good times were had and good memories were made.

The second closing took a lot longer for some reason and didn't have the same giddiness about it, but it was still a happy occasion.

The best part? We are going to get possession a few days early! So next weekend I get to move in and I get my cats back and I'm so happy I could burst!!

We're moving on!

Wesley Short Stories

Wesley asked Ryan a question the other night. I dot remember what the question was, but Ryan's answer was very obviously false. "Your smile says you're telling the truth," Wesley said, "but your eyes say you're lying." Don't know where he heard that, but he sounded like a bad detective show.

___________________________________________________

I asked Wesley is anything interesting happened at school one day.

"I don't know about interesting, but something terrible happened," he told me.

I was a bit surprised. "Oh my goodness! What happened that was terrible."

Wesley heaved a big sigh then said, "Today was my last art class with Mr. Vance. First grade only gets art with him for half the year and now he has to go to Kindergarten."

Considering how much Wesley loves art, I'm sure that did make it a terrible day.

___________________________________________________

Wesley took it upon himself to give Ryan a science lesson and teach his little brother about the properties of matter. Ryan was more interested in eating his breakfast than learning first grade science, which caused Wesley to become very frustrated. But instead of giving up on his pupil, Wesley just kept repeating the lesson louder and louder. When I finally got him to lay off he told (threatened) Ryan, "I hope you remember this stuff because tomorrow you're going to move on to contractions."

Piece of Mind

Many of you know that I love to bake. Scratch that. I adore baking. It calms me when I'm feeling overwhelmed. I think it has something to do with that quote from the movie Julie & Julia:

"You know what I love about cooking? I love that after a day when nothing is sure and when I say nothing, I mean nothing, You can come home and absolutely know that if you add egg yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk, it will get thick. That’s such a comfort.”

 

 

But despite my love of baking when feeling stressed, I haven't been doing much of it lately. I'm not sure if it has to do with just winding down from the Christmas baking season, or if it's because I'm not in my own kitchen, but the oven has been cold.

What I have been doing is working on a bunch of jigsaw puzzles. If I wanted to get all theoretical and pretend to be deep, I'd say it has something to do with putting order to things or making sense out of a mess. On some level that may be true, but honestly, I just like doing puzzles.

All my puzzle solving has brought out the puzzle lover Ryan too. He used his own money to buy a puzzle over the weekend and has been putting it together several times a day.

The other night after dinner, Ryan asked if he and I could do one of my puzzles together. I said yes, and before long we were working on a 150 piece puzzle together. Duane joined us and we had a really nice time piecing together Buzz Lightyear and Woody.

Yes, I have a bunch of Disney puzzles.

Duane and I had to fake not knowing where some of the pieces belonged and we gave some hints, but Ryan did a lot of the puzzle. It was just so cozy and nice being able to focus our complete attention on one child since Wesley was upstairs. It completely relaxed me. It's funny, I know it was just the overhead light, but in my mind, there is a golden glow around the three of us bent over the kitchen table.

Total peace (or piece) of mind.

Barely Passing

The other night Wesley was bugging me in an attempt to get out of cleaning his room. After asking for the fourth time if he could bring his box in from the garage, I kind of snapped, "Wesley! I already answered that question and the answer is no."

"You never let me do anything!" Wesley pouted.

"You're right," I deadpanned. "I am a horrible and mean mom."

"We'll, I guess you're not that horrible," he answered. "I mean, you do let me do some stuff some of the time, so I guess you aren't that bad."

Nothing like a whole-hearted endorsement from your child.

Back in the Swing of Things

I cannot tell you how happy I was to get back into our normal routine yesterday. I didn't mind the alarm clock waking me up, or getting the kids ready to go for the day. I felt happy as we loaded into the car and made the trip to school and work.

I guess, like Wesley, I'm a creature of habit. I'm happiest when things move along the way they are supposed to.

Speaking of things moving along the way they are supposed to, we have both closings set for this coming Friday. And judging by the amount of time Duane spent on the phone with the mortgage company today, every one is making sure all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed this time. It feels like this just might actually go through this time!

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week

I was not so grossed out by Wesley's extreamly loose tooth that I told him there was no way I could help him remove it and he'd have to ask his grandpa or wait for Dad to get home.

I did not plop a jar of peanut butter on the dinner table and announce to the kids, "You can eat what we are having, eat peanut butter, or be hungry tonight."

I know I didn't start counting the minutes until the boys bedtime one night when it was barely 6:15PM.

Brotherly Advice

Wesley has been all about L the last couple of days. I guess Ryan didn't want to feel left out because he told Wesley "I only one girlfriend at school and her name is U." The truth is, Ryan is crushing hard on U. but she won't give him this time of day. But he insists she is his girlfriend.

Wesley out his arm around his brother's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, that will change in Kindergarten."

Yikes!

Wesley and L Sittin' in a Tree

There is a girl we'll call L who is in Wesley's class at school. She had a crush on him all last year and still carries a torch for our boy this year. He doesn't exactly discourage her affection, as he has purchased her several little gifts with his allowance.

L lives in the subdivision we are currently (and hopefully permanently will be) living in. She was thrilled to discover that Wesley is moving in up the street and I envision lots of playdates in our future.

Yesterday when Duane brought the mail in he found a note to Wesley from L with a little guitar eraser attached. Wesley then spent part of the evening working on a book for her.

"I'm making this whole book for C," Wesley told Duane.  Now for those of you who don't remember, C. was Wesley's preschool girlfriend and they said they were going to get married.

"For C?" Duane asked.

"I mean for L!" Wesley amended. "I don't know why I said C. It's for L. I feel like I'm going to kiss her one day."

Hope she likes the starving artist type when she gets older!

More Potty Humor

I am choosing to share more potty humor with you all rather than share how all out annoying and obnoxious my children are being and that I am counting the minutes until they return to school.

Oh wait. I wasn't going to share that. Oops.

On to the potty humor I guess. Stop reading right now if potty humor does not amuse you.

Still reading? Then here we go!

The other night Ryan broke wind rather loudly. He gave me a look remarkably like the one to the right (read: ornery) then said proudly, "That was a silent toot!"

I burst into laughter and said, "Dude! No it wasn't!"

"Oh," he shrugged. "I thought it was."

If he thought that was silent. I think we need to get his hearing checked!

Just Doesn't Add Up

"Mom, when we get our new house can we trade Gus and Sadie for two hamsters?" Ryan asked.

Before I could even answer that we are certainly not going trade our cats in, Wesley replied "Ryan. We are not going to trade them for two hamsters."

I was relieved that at least one of my children had some sense, but the moment was ruined when Wesley continued, "We could probably trade them in for one hamster AND get a dog too!"

Welcome 2013

It's a brand new year! With any luck, our house will actually, officially get sold and we'll be able to move into the new place. That's my biggest 2013 dream right now - everything else that might happen will just be a bonus.

We sent 2012 out in style last night. Our usual New Year's Eve routine is generally a quiet night at home, but last night we went to some friend's house instead. And it was a fantastic night. The kids (about six or seven of them) were all between the ages of four and thirteen and played together really well. Honestly, I didn't see much of Wesley and Ryan all night. They played in the basement all night and there was no fighting or anything. We were able to enjoy the night with the grownups and just have a good time. It was perfect!

Oh! And in case anyone was wondering, it turns out that the tooth fairy does work on New Years Eve. Wesley lost his other front tooth yesterday and we took a chance that the tooth fairy would be on the job. Wesley woke up this morning to find two one dollar coins under his pillow and a cute gap toothed grin.