Weekend Wrap Up

It seems now that Spring is officially here, our calendars are quickly filling up. Our weeknights are back to being stuffed with scouts, soccer, soccer, PTA, Zumba, ukulele lessons and more. And the weekends are just as busy.

Friday night the boys and I had a movie night while Duane worked on a cake for a friend of ours.

Ryan called this his "Ryan set-up" for movie watching

But it quickly morphed into this

And this is what Duane did while we watched a movie

Saturday was a bit of a whirlwind day.  We spent the morning at our church's Easter Family Fun Fest. Wesley is probably getting a little old for parts of it, but they still love the Easter egg hunt and the one at church isn't nearly as crowded or scary as the one at the local park.

Reading to pass the time until breakfast

For some reason, Wesley felt his Easter bucket would make a great hat

If big brother does it, little brother is going to do it too

Yes, he even wore it while eating

And while doing activities

Of course, in the midst of attempting to have some family fun, I was also attempting to sign the kids up for a week of summer camp at the local community center. I don't know what it's like where you live, but getting into the city run camps here is a super competitive and stressful event. I thought I was all set, but after logging on and getting kicked out of the registration process no less than six times in half an hour, I gave up. We are lucky and don't NEED the camp - it's mostly to give grandparents a break here and there, but it was still super frustrating. Lots of my friends said it took them over an hour due to the site crashing repeatedly, and even then, some of them ended up on the wait list.

We hung out at home in the afternoon (although it felt much busier than just "hanging out") and then got together with a bunch of our church friends for an adults only game night.  It was so much fun! I can barely remember when I laughed so hard!  I won't say I was very good at the games - in fact I "won" one of two Loser trophies, but it was totally worth it!

Today was equally as busy. We went to church, dropped Wesley off at choir, went to a store to find an Easter outfit for Wesley and coordinating outfits for our church portraits next week, picked Wesley up, dropped a friend and fellow choir member off at home, went to Costco to eat lunch and shop, went to Barnes and Noble so Wesley could spend a gift card, checked out a couple of stores at the mall, went to Duane's eye-appt, swung by the grocery store, put gas in the car and then came home.

I'm beat! I'm ready to go back to work to recover!

How to Drive a Librarian Mom Crazy

1) Wait until the middle of breakfast to ask where your school library book is.

2) Be unable to recall the title of said book, making it nearly impossible to find in a house full of books.

3) In the middle of the search (that has already interrupted breakfast) suddenly remember that you are supposed to chose a book to read out loud to the whole class today.

4) Be incredibly indecisive about which book you'd like to share 

5) Go back to nonchalantly eating breakfast, expecting your poor, librarian mom to deal with your newly created book crisis in the ten minutes left before everyone needs to leave for the day.

Good times

Kids Grow Up So Fast These Days

Ryan's going to need to start shaving soon! But in the meantime, he mustache you a question.

Winning Readers

Our school did a Read-a-Thon as their winter fundraiser this year. Today the top readers and the top earners for each grade were announced. Wesley and Ryan were each top earner for their grade!!!

I'm covering up the other kids' faces because I don't know that their parents want them on my blog. But since we are the "All Stars" I thought the star stickers over their faces was kind of ingenious.

That means that in addition to raising a lot of money for the PTA, each of my boys is getting a gift card to spend at Barne & Noble (Wesley) or Target (Ryan). Wesley is planning on buying an origami book and paper, and I'm sure Ryan will spend his on Legos.

On Friday we'll find out if the kids at the school read enough for their principal to pucker up and kiss her prince (shown below)

Won't they make a cute couple? Hope Mrs. B's hubby isn't the jealous sort.

Even if there is no frog kissing this time, I'm really proud of Wesley and Ryan for all their work on the Read-a-Thon.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Just a few pictures of my favorite little leprechauns on this holiday.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

I did not somehow manage to turn the alarm off in my sleep, causing me to wake up twenty minutes late on a school/work day. I pride myself on being an early riser, so there is no way that could have happened.

There is no way that I willingly tried almond milk and and actually kind of liked it on my cereal, but putting it in my coffee may or may not have caused me to dump out a full cup o' joe.

I did not walk around without my wedding and engagement rings for several days while they were repaired, but even if that rather mundane thing did happen, there is no way on earth I checked my ring finger several times each day and momentarily panicked when I noticed anew that the rings weren't on my finger.

I did not absolutely dread going to mall for something when there was a time I would have thought going to the mall on a weekend was the best thing ever.

Happy Birthday, Kirk

Yesterday was my big brother's birthday. We are so lucky that our family lives nearby and we get to celebrate birthdays with them!

Aunt Cathy, Ryan, Kei and Wesley

The boys. Doesn't Sho look thrilled. He's such a teenager!

My own wild children

Wesley learned how to play the Imperial March on the ukulele as a present for Uncle Kirk.

Ryan hamming it up with Uncle Kirk

The birthday boy ready to make his wish

Wesley sampling the icing stuck on the candles

Kirk and Susan

Me and my sweet boys

I look exhausted in the picture (and I was) but I love these boys so much, I had to post it anyhow

In Great Shape

The radio station I listen to while taking the boys to school plays a game called "Beat the Toaster" every morning. In this game, the caller selects a category and tries to give a certain number of answers before the toast pops in the toaster (usually about 8-10 seconds).

Yesterday the caller had to name at least four shapes with four sides before the toast was finished.

"Square!" I immediately called out. "Rectangle! Octagon!"

Then Wesley chimed in, "Trapezoid! Rhombus!"

And suddenly, Mommy didn't feel quite so smart anymore.

That's My Boy - Take Two

The other day Ryan and I were sitting together as I was working on my tablet. I don't remember what I was trying to do, but I do know that I messed it up and said, "Oh! Dang it!"

Ryan looked at me out of the corner of his eye. "Did you just say the 'D' word, Mommy?"

I figured I'd try to keep my youngest son innocent a little longer, so I answered "Yep. I sure did. Sorry about that."

Turns out that I'm the innocent one because Ryan very casually replied, "But I thought the 'D' word was 'damn.'

That's My Boy!

Wesley's scout den is working on their whittling achievements and Wesley came home from the last meeting with his very own knife. He already has one scout knife, but this one is much cooler (in my opinion) and it has his name engraved on it.

Since I wasn't at the meeting (Duane has banned me from nearly all scout activities because of my poor attitude) I asked Wesley to show me his knife and tell me what all it does.

"Well," he said proudly while opening various parts of the knife. "Here's the screwdriver and one of the knife blades. And here are the scissors, and the can opener, and the wine opener."

"Um, that's called a corkscrew," I reminded him. 

"But that's what it's used for," he insisted. 

I have taught my child well.

A Loving Surprise

Wesley has been working very hard to learn something special for his uncle Kirk's birthday this Friday. Wesley is so determined to get it right that he was practicing before school this morning.  After several minutes, Wesley turned to me absolutely beaming and exclaimed, "I did it! I did it by memory! I know it in my heart!"

If he knows it in his heart, you know it's going to be one special birthday surprise for Uncle Kirk.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

I am not so excited about the dining room furniture we purchased (to be delivered next month) that I have been showing people pictures of it as if it was a new baby.

In the span of two days, I did not have to show my child who is "gifted" in reading and math how to operate the toaster, shut down the computer correctly and cut a pat of butter off the stick. No way.

I know I didn't find Ryan working on Wesley's homework - and he certainly wasn't doing it more quickly than his big brother. Even if I did, there is no way I was both proud at Ryan's ability and a little sad that he's growing up so fast.

I did not ask one of my kids to bring me a "decaf" soda. That would have proved that I actually needed the caffeine quite badly.

I did not start to miss my dad desperately when he went on vacation for a couple of weeks and I know I didn't start itching to hear his voice when I hadn't talked to him in less than a week. That would mean that, even at 41, I am still a daddy's girl.

There is no way that two different people at two different stores complemented Duane and I on how well behaved our children were and that we "must be doing something right."

A Taste of Spring

You know we've had a rough winter when, on the first day in climbed into the 40's, everyone ditched the winter coats and traded them in for light jackets or just went without. I saw my neighbor out walking in shorts and t-shirt!

I won't say we went quite that far, but we did manage to enjoy the nice weather. Wesley couldn't wait to take his skates outside and skate around the neighborhood. We made him stay near the house where there wasn't any ice - after all, his skates have wheels, not blades. Still, in a lighter coat and with the sun shining down, you would have thought he had been transported to his own tropical paradise.

It was such a great Spring like day that we even went to my least favorite fast food place and treated the whole family to Shamrock shakes. Roller skating outside and mint milkshakes pretty much made it a perfect day for Wesley.

Cheers!

Maple Syrup Festival

We headed out to the Boy Scout Maple Syrup Festival this morning with Grandma and Grandpa H. Despite the really icy trails (and a bit of whining from each child at different times) we really enjoyed it.

We had to park a little ways away and take a shuttle bus over to where the festival was held. Ryan faked a nap on the way.

Shuttle bus selfie for Mommy and Wesley

Our first stop was the all you can pancake breakfast with blueberry sausage (much better than it sounds) and real maple syrup. Ryan and Wesley each ate three pancakes and I'm not telling how much I ate. It was a lot.

I LOVE this picture of Wesley and Grandpa H. taken in the dining hall.

Even though we were all full from breakfast, we had to try some fresh made fry bread with cinnamon sugar. And Ryan can't resist a camp fire.

If you know my family in real life, you know why this picture of Grandpa by the sign amuses me so much. 

Ryan and Daddy made a metal whistle

A really loud, ear piercing metal whistle

Wesley didn't want to make a whistle, so he munched on some (hopefully) clean snow to help quench in thirst.

Doing a little leather working

Lots of trees around the camp were tapped

Ryan with a piece of wood he had branded

Put that boy to work!

Drill those holes!

Twist! Twist!

Wesley checked out the loft in the pioneer cabin

Grandma and Grandpa kept their feet on the ground

I think Wesley wished he could sleep there

Duane found a hat in the scout store. Hmm....maybe for our anniversary. I do love a man in a hat!

So that was our big outing today. Cold, but with good food and loving family!

My Own Seven Dwarfs

Quick! Can you name all the seven dwarfs? I even provided a cheat sheet picture for you in case you have forgotten these classic Disney men. 

Are you done? 

In the above picture you will find, Doc, Sneezy, Happy, Bashful, Dopey, Sleepy and Grumpy. I didn't even have to look up their names - a sad, but true fact.

Unfortunately, I am having a bit of a battle with my own seven dwarfs and they are not nearly as cute, nor as musical, as the ones above. I call my dwarfs Frumpy, Bitchy, Saggy, Wrinkly, Lazy, Mopey and Worrywart. They seem to have moved in to my body/mind and taken over lately like they do most every year towards the end of winter.

Frumpy dwarf hates all my clothes. All of them. Frumpy heaves many sighs whenever I look in my closet to get dressed and immediately discards everything as "too cold, too old, makes you look fat, makes you look even older, or just plain ugly."  Frumpy is a very cheap dwarf and will make me feel exceedingly guilty if I actually go out and purchase any clothing that may make him/her go away.  Frumpy also picks on my hair and my make up and my shoes and makes me feel much older than 41.

Bitchy dwarf raises her voice all the time because she can't stand being stuck in the house anymore. She yells at the kids and picks fights with my hubby. I work pretty hard to keep her in check, but she manages to slip out of the closet I shut her in and say cutting or mean things. I hate her.

Saggy dwarf is, unfortunately, here to stay. I can often ignore Saggy, but with a trip to the beach coming up this summer, Saggy is making me acutely aware of how much lower my breasts are hanging these days and makes me a bit self conscious about how that bathing suit is going to look come June. Saggy recommends a new supportive bathing suit, but Frumpy won't let her go out and get one for me. 'Besides,' Frumpy says. "All supportive suits are ugly."  Saggy has also been quick to point out that I'm starting to get a wee bit jowl-y around the jaw line and maybe I should do something about that.

Wrinkly dwarf is Saggy's twin. Wrinkly likes to make me very aware of the fact that, no matter how cute my nail polish is, my hands are starting to look old. Wrinkly also brought to my attention that I have a number of lines across my forehead that don't go away and are very pronounced in pictures. Wrinkly is settling in for a good, long stay.

Lazy dwarf can't get motivated to do anything. This is the dwarf that sat in a chair for two hours over the weekend and didn't nap or read or anything - just sat there. Lazy finds it hard to get up and go to work or to exercise class or even to get out of bed some days lately.

Mopey dwarf is Lazy's first cousin. When the two of them team up, I fight myself generally uninspired to do anything or see anyone. I start to lose my taste for food and begin to dislike things that generally bring me pleasure. I'm pretty sure it's Mopey's fault when I lose interest in puzzles or baking or books and start finding excuses not to go places or do things.

And finally, we have Worrywart. Worrywart is most likely to come around when the other dwarfs are here. This dwarf causes me lose sleep over stuff I have no control over and over little trivial things that I know better to believe when these dwarfs aren't visiting. Worrywart will keep me awake stressing over whether I am a good mom or if I have somehow damaged my children, about what I would do if Duane were to die suddenly, about various diseases and illnesses that could befall me or my loved ones, and about whether or not I am any good at my job. Worrywart likes me too tired to function well because it helps the other dwarfs get comfortable.

Now before any of you start to worry too much, yes, I am taking an antidepressant and yes, I get like this every winter.  I'm trying to look at it with a touch of humor because if not, Crazy dwarf may come knocking on the door, and I just don't have enough room for eight dwarfs. Good thing most of these dwarfs will disappear when the winter weather goes away. If only they'd remember to take Saggy and Wrinkly with them.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

I did not have to bite my tongue to keep from yelling, "Where is your coat!?" to a teen who walked into the library with no coat, hat or gloves (but very expensive sneakers) on a day that was so cold that the schools closed.

I did not use a sugar packet as a bookmark when I found myself sitting in a restaurant with a book and no convenient bookmark.  What kind of librarian would admit to doing that?

There is no way that the words "Who peed on the back of the toilet?" come out of my mouth on a daily basis.  I mean, really?

I did not mentally liken going to church with my mom (the church I grew up in and went to into my 30s) to going to "Cheers" because everybody knows your name.  It would just be kind of wrong to compare a church to a bar.

In Like a Lion

This is what March 1st looks like in central Ohio.  

That's four inches of fresh snow and depression. Ryan is supposed to start soccer practice this week. I don't see that happening. I'm really ready for Spring. March had better go out like a lamb this year. A very warm lamb.

Ryan Short Story

This week's fairy tale theme at school must really have stuck with Ryan.  At dinner tonight he paused while eating and announced, "This is a Goldilocks dinner."

"A Goldilocks dinner?" I asked. "What's that?"

"Not too hot and not too cold. It's just right," he answered before spooning another bite into his mouth.