Vacation all I ever wanted...

Sing it! I need a vacation from this vacation.

Yesterday I had a dentist appointment at 10am. The kids had to come along with me as CPS looks down on leaving kids of this age home alone. They sat quietly in the lobby of the office while I was getting a cleaning. Yes, you read that correctly - they SAT QUIETLY in the lobby... Even the dentist commented on how good the children are. Not quite sure how we accomplished that but I rewarded their efforts with a lunch out with Daddy at Pasta Pasta where we had a gift card to burn. This is Emma behaving at the restaurant:

No sass here!

I needed to catch up on my office accounting so the kiddos may or may not have played on the ps4 for a solid two hours after lunch... is what it is!

We have been letting them stay up late this week knowing we are dance partying on New Year's Eve at our pals house and knowing we are saying in the city this weekend and I want them to be able to stay up late without getting cranky. That means they are sleeping in later (nice) and will possibly backfire on me next Monday when they go back to school. ;)

Both kids were up about 8:45 and dove into their crafts from Santa without a peep, didn't even ask for breakfast! Ben is building a Solar System model and Emma is making jewelry with clay and charms. Good fun!

Adorable, right?

363 days til Christmas

I'm not much into religion but I am one of the most Spiritual people you will encounter. This paper by Ben made me smile today when I finally decided 5 days later to empty backpacks...

Simon has no doubt been the winning present of the Season. $500 PS4 vs $24 Simon. Go figure. ;)

I love the rare occasion I wake up before this delightful creature. He is the world's most peaceful little man. #miniGandhi

Ben received a Science Box-o-tricks from Santa Clause. Guess who could care less and who reigns Science Supreme?  #miniMarieCurie

Technology rocked my Christmas world, too! This device is life changing! It even goes around rounded corners without flinching! Such suction! From carpet to hard wood without flinching!

Daddy rocked his gift as ChefDaddy tonight - a 16 inch cast iron skillet (no handle so it fits into our TINY oven)!!! I pretty much licked the pan clean...

I'm not sure what Santa was thinking, but he got Emma hair chalk for Christmas. Super cool. Super...ummm...pain in the butt?? She loves it... the pillow cases, not so much!

A rare PS4 moment. Honestly, they have no idea what they are doing. Daddy is in the basement building homemade shelves for Emma's room. They are begging me to teach them how to PS4 but I truly have NO IDEA or any desire to learn... Thank God the kids go bak to school tomorrow!!!

Oh, wait. Crap.

Happy Christmas 2015

Me happy. Woke up in my own home to 60 degree temps. Have enjoyed GOOD kids (mostly) all day...

Now on the couch wondering if 7:30pm is too early to go to bed....?

Daddy woke up first and scored sunris pics!!!

Before they tore into the gifts!!

Santa got us WICKED tickets!!!!

We are HAPPY!

Can you tell? Science project!!

Hungry? Standing rib roast. Yummmmm. 

Playing outside. 60 degrees. We LOVE you!

Simon is a total winner!!!

Don't Mess with my Boy

Do you ever wonder why I volunteer so much of my time to the PTA? Days like today will help you understand.

Because of my PTA executive role the past four years, I have become close to our school principal. I am confident that any request I make of him that is reasonable, will be granted. I am also - especially after today - confident that this man has my back...

Ben's sweet teacher has been out for the past two days with a horrible sinus infection. Think steroids, antibiotics, nebulizer badness. The class has had a sub who I have never heard of - mostly because I never get any DETAILS from my kiddos about their day at school (lesson here: MOM, ask MORE questions daily!) - but also because I didn't recognize her name as one of the "regulars".

Last night as I was cleaning out backpacks, I noticed Ben hadn't touched his snack. As you know, the kid is not much of an eater, so while I queried him on it, I didn't delve into why he didn't even touch it (verses only eat a couple of bites...). He simply offered up, "It's because of Sean!" Sadly I dismissed that as a Benism when indeed it was a cry for help. (Mother of the year?)

This morning while setting up for the the PTA's teacher & staff appreciation luncheon, I received a phone call from the parent of another boy in the class that we have had frequent play dates with. The mom said her son came home from school yesterday saying he was sad because his friend, Ben, was being bullied (mama bear starting to growl...) and ultimately got in trouble with the substitute teacher over a "misbehavior" that was NOT AT ALL Ben's fault but the fault of the bully which resulted in the Sub punishing Ben by NOT LETTING HIM EAT SNACK. (Mama bear claws being sharpened on a rock...)

I emailed his teacher thinking she would get the email Monday upon her return, but she was checking her email from home and was absolutely HORRIFIED that Ben was not allowed his snack and said she would confront the bullying situation Monday when she returned.

Our amazeballs (yes, amazeballs) principal somehow got wind of what happened (our school guidance counselor's kid is in Ben's class - that's helpful!!!) and confronted the sub. She tried to bullsh*t him saying she wouldn't let Ben have his snack (rainbow goldfish) because it wasn't peanut / treenut free and there is a kid with a deadly allergy in his class. Obviously the sub did not know who's kid she messed with (PTA mob boss) and our principal shut her down and made it very clear you CANNOT deny a child food!

Long story longer, this sub will never be welcomed back to our school. (I could sue. I won't.) The principal pulled Ben aside at recess and had a good talk with him letting Ben know that if he EVER feels he is being treated unfairly, Ben can go to the principal and talk. Ben's teacher is now aware to keep her eye on bully boy and to never EVER get sick again. ;)

Here's where is gets fun and mama bear relaxed... Both kiddos had play dates after school so I didn't have to cook a nutritious dinner (!) and daddy brought home Chinese food. Ben, who had already eaten dinner at his pal's house, wanted a fortune cookie. The picture below was his fortune! OUR PRINCIPAL WILL MAKE SURE OF THIS! :)

What's a telephone?

I got the dreaded call for the 2nd time this week from the school nurse. Ben was back in her office, this time with a deep gnarley cough that was disrupting the class. They are not allowed to administer meds anymore and I was 30 minutes away at the office. I asked the nurse what she could do and she said they can give him water, let him relax, then send him back to class. I agreed that was a great solution. She asked me if I wanted to talk to Ben. I said, "Sure!"

There was a long pause as she handed the phone to him before he spoke and I could hear her instructing him on HOW TO USE A PHONE. 

You see, we haven't had a home phone line in over 8 years. My kids have never used a landline. They only know cell phones and then we use them on speaker so they don't have to hold them up to their ears!

Ben truly had no clue how to use the landline. Afterwards I explained that to the nurse and she (at about age 70) got a good laugh as she had never encountered a kid who didn't know how to use a phone. #firstworldproblems

Flying high

Once again my babies-no-more amazed me with their stellar travel skills. These kids were total studs on the drive to JFK, shuttle bus from parking to airport, thru the long lines of TSA, boarding the plane and the 5 1/2 hour flight. No complaints - all goodness! 

Daddy woke Ben up at 6am, and Ben squeeled, "It's Sunday!!!!" He had been waiting forever for the day to come. We got in the car and headed down the road and he asked, "Can we listen to some pop music??" (Never has he referred to the radio as pop music - hahaha!!)

We landed at LAX and headed north for a quick pit stop at the Hollywood sign, "I can't wait to tell all my friends I saw it!!!!" Then a visit with Uncle Raul & Aunt Laurie at Auntie Cole's house. It was their 1st time meeting Rylan and they all played so well together. 

We headed South to our hotel in San Clemente around 6. The kids were starting to get cranky - factor in the time change and they had been awake since 3am. Ben crashed immediately and was up at 4am Monday. Emma wasn't far behind him. So we got some bagels and headed to the San Clemente Beach and let them splash around for a bit before heading to LEGOLAND. 

Pillow no more

And Hello again. We need to talk about my pillow. It goes deeper than pillows really, as my crackpot mom therapist thinks... I don't really like change. Transitions are tough - but I AM getting better...

But back to my pillow. Years ago mom bought our entire family new pillows from the home shopping network. The dude selling them swore they were God's next greatest gift to human kind and even reduced the price drastically if you purchased more than three. SCORE!

We all used those pillows for a year or so. Then Mom got suckered in (but not really) by the BJs dude impulse selling bampoo pillows two pack.  Mom LOVES her bamboo pillow, Dad hated it. So he impulse bought the "my pillow" and really loves it. Emma inherited the bamboo pillow, but I still used the good ole HSN pillow. 

To make a long story longer... I get bloody noses every once in a while. My HSN pillow was getting pretty stained. Three nights ago I had a killer bloody nose and mom THREW INTO THE TRASH MY HSN PILLOW because she said it could not be saved. (She LIED! What really happened was I got a bloody nose at 4am. I woke her up. She told me to relax in her bed spot while she grabbed a towel to clean me up. While wiping off my face, I FELL BACK TO SLEEP, leaving mom with no other place to sleep but my bed. 

You still with me?

Mom then TRIED to sleep in my bed but my old HSN pillow is flat as a pancake and covered in blood so she decided WITHOUT ASKING ME to trash it and kindly, so she thought, bought me a new pillow. Cool, right?

NO! I don't like change!!!! Remember??

For the past two days I have gotten off the bus SAD. Mom worries there is a bully bugging me or something. Really, I just MISS my flat bloody old HSN pillow. 

Once mom figured that out, she looked for a solution. She realized she may still have an outcast HSN pillow on the spare bed. I raced up the stairs to find it. SHE WAS RIGHT!!! I am so happy. Even though the new pillow she bought was AWESOME, it doesn't matter, I don't. Like. Change. 

Wanna see how said I was? 

Sunset

We had one of those beyond gorgeous - in the middle of dinner - what the heck is going on outside with the sky moments last week. Turns out the Sunset was reminding us that Mother Earth is thriving!  The purples and pinks and oranges were mind blowing. 

I snapped this great shot which my God/fearing pal manipulated. Giggle. 

You think this is about SUSHI???

Name that movie!!

Hey, look at my finger! No, it's not a boo-boo. They are tiny fish eggs and I ate them up when I was out for sushi with my family. I am trying to get better at trying new foods. Mom and Dad were very proud of me. I ate a ton of Sasimi Fry Chicken, too. I must be feeling better. I had a gnarly chest cold w cough all weekend. Mom boiled up some fresh oregano for 5 minutes, removed the oregano, added honey and let the tea cool. Dad then spent 30 minutes forcing me to drink it. It actually tastes good, I was just being a toad. The next day my cough was gone!! Nature's medicine truly is best. I should listen to Mom more often. 

Split!

Look at me! I can almost do a full split!! My friend, Anna, and I practice all the time. We are amazing at karate. Strong and confident and focused. I need to work on that mindset in my own home still. But I am only 8...

Halloween

The School Halloween parade is always fun. But I had to split my time between both class parties which were held at the same time. Ben was blowing me kisses as he marched by as JengoFett.  

Halloween on a Saturday rocks! We started our trick or treating early in the Harbor Hills area of our village joined by our besties, the Matvya Mob, and their pals. We walked for a solid 90 minutes and scored some serious quality goodies. We ran into various friends along the way - the beauty of living in a small village and had a blast. It was chilly, but not freezing and the afternoon was enjoyed by all!!

 

Furry friend

9 1/2 years after we rescued Apollo, aka our Great Protector, he passed away from old age and joined Cassidy in Puppy Heaven. He was skin and bones for over a year and I kept saying to Brian every time we went out of town, this is probably it for the old boy. But he was one tough doggy! This picture was our last "family" photo taken - he still followed us everywhere even if he was skin and bones!  The house is definitely so empty without him. I'm getting used to peeing and showering alone again - that dog was my constant companion. The kids took it pretty rough that first 24 hours - lots of tears. But we are slowly working through our grief. Ben took it the hardest - and is working through his grief with ART. It's the cutest thing I have ever seen...

The BUNCH

Hey Mom, this stands for Dodo Is In Heaven. (Ben)

Our sensitive sweet little man!

Blow out

So Ben and I were driving east in Daddy's car on the expressway a few weeks ago doing about 70. We were in the middle lane and were looking to move into the right lane as our exit was up next. There was a Walmart semi coming up fast on my right when out of no where the car started to pull hard to the side. At first I thought, "Geez, this car could sure use an alignment..." Then BAM! the front tire on the passenger side exploded! That dang semi was still coming up fast so I had to gun it to get enough in front of it so I could get safely off to the side of the expressway. It all happened so fast - good thing I have been driving (no joke) since I was 12 years old and have had a bit of "extreme" driving experience. The smell of rubber was horrific. I immediately called AAA for emergency road service, then called my office to let Brian know. Within 10 minutes I was canceling AAA because we have two retired cops who work with us and they came to my rescue! (I love our office family!!!)

Ben was so funny and patient the entire time we were waiting and getting the tired swapped out.
We had to go get Emma from a sleepover then go get a new tire. Normally we are home by 1:00 but didn't pull into the driveway until 2:30... It was a chilly rainy day but we survived - thanks to Ben's great sense of humor and for keeping me calm during the drama! :)

Our knights in shining armor!

Blew the tire right off...

The things you do...

...when you are a mama. I spent a solid hour trying to bring "footprint blankie" back from the dead. It was a serious CSI crime scene. The "cleaner" would have been proud of me. No evidence of blood when I was done!!

Three guesses...

I'll give you three guesses, what do you think Emma wants to be for Halloween? Hint: we have been listening to the Wicked soundtrack endlessly...

Peace Poetry

Emma's class have been writing poetry on what peace means to them. Today they did a reading in front of all the parents and it was awesome!! 

They also pledged that the "Bullying stops here." Here is a pic of her pledge. I'll try to post her poem when she gets home. 

Lego club

Ben LOVES getting his Lego club magazine in the mail and reading it from cover to cover. There is always a "submit your creation" section with kid's pictures and their work. This month's theme was Astronauts and their ships. Ben decided it was time he got HIS picture in the magazine. This is the one we submitted. Who cares about the creation! I'd pick him because he is so dang cute!!!

Tooth fairy

Look who lost his top tooth! ...and just in time for school pics next week. This should make for a good Wedding slide show picture!!!

1st day of school 2015-2016

The best Summer ever has come and gone. The kids were excited to go back to school and even with all the holidays we've already had, seem to be settling in nicely. Both teachers are great and they come off the bus smiling daily. We made some bus changes, they still catch the bus out back in the morning, but get off out front at the end of the day. That buys us an extra 10 minutes before rushing off to karate and piano lessons and makes a big difference on mama's sanity. :)

Emma, 3rd grade, Mrs Winkler-Brogan

Ben, 1st grade, Mrs Coyne