Just For Me

So, Shane was busy the other day creating something. He's working the scissors, the stapler and has a boat load of paper. He's busy and occupied so I'm happy.

He comes into me and says that he has a present just for me and presents me with a new purse. He said that I needed one (no kidding about that!) Now I'm really happy. I didn't even care that I had to go behind him and clean up all of the scraps of paper.

Here's the master piece.



He even made a slit so that the purse flap could close.



He thought of everything.

A pocket for my credit cards (probably so I could buy him stuff!)



A pocket for my drivers license.



There was actually enough room for my lipstick, phone and eye drops. Oh...and my Tide stick. Because that's important to have!



If you're wondering, yes I did use it when we out that day. I ever so gently carried it through Target and it made it through the YMCA park and pool. I didn't even care that people looked at me like they wanted to hand me their spare change.

Because it was made with love and Shane was so proud of himself. And, I was proud of him, too!



Yep. This one is a keeper for sure!

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Best. Tribute. Ever.

To Mr. Kuhns

Mr. Kuhns,

I am sorry for questioning the 2 that you gave Shane on his report card for proper oral communication. You were right. I was wrong. (And, I don't say that very often to anyone even if it is true.)

SHANE: Mom, I think I have a bad cold. I blew my nose this morning and now it's all stuffy again. Did you ever have to take dramastic measures to clear your nose?

DRAMASTIC. LOL. That's good stuff. Or, stuffy. LOL.

Happy Monday!

Kim

The Love/Hate Relationship

Sometimes a song can invoke a love/hate relationship.

You love it and your spouse hates it.

So, Em and Scott, this one is for you.



I'm sorry, Scott, but I couldn't find "your" version on youtube. LOL.

Confidential To The One Who Needs A Hug Today

Congratulations...It's Another Boy!

I told you that if I had another baby, it would be a boy. I told you so. And, I was right.

I would like to announce the new addition - a bouncing baby boy. Again.

Now, before you pick up the phone, Ginny to find out what in the heck is going on, I should explain that this is Owen's addition to the family...not mine. He wrote a list of his family members at school.

But, there's an extra one.

A boy...of course.



Owen has included Lukie into the family. Frankly, I think that he likes Lukie more than he does us. I mean...Lukie does have a cool "mo-hog" as Owen calls his mohawk. It's just so cute that I don't have the heart to correct him. :)

Apparently, Lukie likes Owen just as much.



They talk on the phone all the time. Owen thinks so much of Lukie that he took him to the bathroom with him while he was on the phone with him last night.

But, instead of doing it discreetly so Lukie wouldn't know that he was going to the bathroom, I hear him tell him that he "has to go poop."

I roll my eyes and ask Ken if he heard that and he said yes but he's sure that he hung up the phone.

I said no he didn't.

Then we hear Owen yell "I'm ready to be wiped."

Ken goes up there because he lost at rock, paper, scissors.

Ken comes back down and says "he didn't hang up the phone."

No kidding.

I guess that next conversation with Owen is about how we are more discreet if we're talking on the phone and going potty. Not that I ever do that.

Man. That's a conversation that I never anticipated having to have.

And, this wasn't the direction that this post was going into.

But...sometimes you get what you get.

What Did He Do?

Every once in a while, the kids will come home with a doozie. This is one of them.

But, rather than re-tell the story, I'll share with you the text of the note that I sent in to Owen's teacher.

Enjoy.


April 22, 2008

Mrs. King,

So, what did he really do?

Shane gets in the car and says that Owen got sent to the principal for pulling down his pants and peeing in the playground mulch.

He says that Conor told him that Owen got sent to Mr. Roman.

{At this point, I interject and reminded Shane that when he was Owen’s age he did the same exact thing at my friend’s house in South Carolina with another boy right in the middle of a party with about 30 people standing around. But…I digress.)

Owen says *ie – screams* that no he didn’t and proceeds to tell me that he was checking his pants to see if he had an accident (and yes, we had a conversation then and there about the appropriate way to check yourself which did not include exposing yourself on the playground or sticking your hands in your pants).

He then goes onto tell me that he went inside with you to the bathroom.

And he washed his hands. Twice. That’s what took him so long. He was NOT at Mr. Roman’s office.

I have to be honest…if he did get sent to the principal, a) I’m surprised it took this long for his first trip, and b) it would not be the first time he’s been sent to the principal for pulling his pants down. You see…a boy in his preschool class would not leave him alone. Owen warned him multiple times. He wouldn’t listen so Owen did the only thing he could quickly think of. He turned around, pulled down his pants and shot him a moon.

He went right to the principal’s office. But the kid left him alone. (Annie' mom Elizabeth was his teacher. She can testify to this incident.)

We’ve been moon-free until this moment. We were on a roll. Life was so good.

So, what gives?

Have a great day!

Kim

Back To The Future

So, my friend Emily and I took the kids (and Ken!) to the Blue and Gray Brewery St. Patrick's Day festival.

(And before you say anything, I know that was a while ago. I did put a disclaimer on the intro to my blog that I sux about sharing pics, okay? I know it. You know it. So, don't be hatin' on me.)

Anywho, we got out there and it was okay. A *little* disorganized (to say the least) but we had fun. I love self portraits. It once took my friend Tracy and I about 45 takes to get us both in the same frame. LOL.

Here's me and Em.



What is it about St. Patrick's Day that makes grown adults think that they actually look good in green hats and green wigs?





Oh yeah. The green beer.

So, as we're leaving, I'm a little disappointed because I didn't get too many photo opportunties.

Until we round the corner. And, run smack into the 1980's.









That was one sweet ride back then.



Emily and I could not resist.





Gawd we're hawt.

So, we get home and her husband was watching Back to the Future.

Did you hear the same Twilight Zone music that I did?

So, like the last ten minutes of the festival made it all worth it. Like, oh-my-gawd. What a trip. Like, totally.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!

I know...I know. It's almost over. But, that's okay because I got the post in on time.

Recycle. Reduce. Reuse. It's something that our family thinks about every day. My kids will fuss at you if you dare throw away a can or a piece of paper.

We recycle everything that we can. We reuse when at all possible and we donate all usable items.

Shane did his science fair project on whether recycling made a difference or not. It does. I know. Shocking, right? He didn't win but he did learn something and that's what matters.

The landfill looking thing on the right was actually his graph showing how much would go into the landfill if you threw everything away versuses if you recycled. It was a pretty significant difference.

I'm constantly on the kids about cutting off the lights and not wasting electricity. We're still working on that one. But, if they don't start being better about it, they're going to walk into their bedrooms one day soon and find that there's no lightbulbs in their lamps.

The lesson will then be learned. Look for the future post. You can take that one to the bank.

Anyway, there have been a series of comic strips that I've been meaning to post. I think that this woman is living in my house. These will paint the picture better than any story that I could ever write.

Click the picture to enlarge.

I can relate to every single frame here. And, I am cute.

Happy Earth Day!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Learn it. Live it. Be it.

Woot.

The Math Whiz

Shane comes home today and tells me that he had an algebra problem today and he was the first in the class to finish it. He said he got it right and his teacher took it and put it in his portfolio.

(He also said that he is having a contest with another boy in the class to see who can finish their work first. He said that he told the boy that he finished first and the boy replied that he finished five minutes ago but was just waiting to turn in his paper. I wonder where he gets his competitiveness from. Hum....)

But that's another post all together and I'm sorry for the post derail.

Anyway, do I need to remind you that he's in 3rd grade?

Maybe this a good time to relive my experience with Algebra. Well, I remember taking Algebra in the 9th grade and struggling with it something awful. Shocking, I know. I remember meeting with my friend Brian, who was also super smart, in the library and he had to tutor me in how to figure out what the value was of a if a+3=5.

I'm not kidding.

Maybe instead of switching places with Susan in Algebra to fool the teacher, I should have been actually going to my class instead of her class. :o)

For the record, I now know that the value of a is 2. I hope.

When Shane was in 2nd grade, they were working on geometry. He came home telling me about it and said (and I quote verbatim) "but you wouldn't know how to do geometry mom, because you did it in high school."

Well, son, you're right on both points.

Anyway, I guess that it's a good thing that Shane is good at math. Because he sure isn't getting any help from me. If I struggle with kindergarten math, I'm in real trouble with Shane's work!

And, he's only 8.

They Call Them Like They See Them

SHANE: Mom, you have water on your face.

ME: Shane, what are you talking about? I don't have water on my face.

SHANE: Yes, you do. See (and runs his finger across my forehead.)

ME: That's not water. My face is greasy. Thanks for noticing.

Recognition For A Job Well Done!

Everyone should be recognized for going above and beyond.

Especially a teacher.

Shane's been working on a research project, which includes a paper and a project board, for one of the teachers at school.

He wanted to find out what makes gems have their color. We researched at the library and checked out at least 15 books and a few videos. (Yeah - we forgot to return them on time and got a $5 fine but whatever.)

He interviewed a local expert, Kenneth Bonanno, who owns a jewelry and antique store in downtown Fredericksburg. He was awesome and spent so much time with Shane. I would recommend visiting his store and giving him your business. He's very knowledgable and won't steer you wrong.

We also visited the Museum of Natural History with Joan to pick up some things for his project board.



The teacher has been staying after school to help the kids write their paper. She's been very supportive of Shane and has been so enthusiastic about his research (as well as that of the other kids.) When I've been in her room, I've noticed her talking in depth with the kids about their projects and really spending time with them.

So, I go opened the mailbox the other day and found a postcard in there for Shane from the teacher.




So, Mrs. Kutch, I just wanted to thank you for going out of your way to encourage Shane and to praise him. He was super excited about getting real mail (he had just been complaining about not getting mail the day before) and you made him feel really good about himself.

And, here's to the teachers who go out of their way for the kids. It's a job that I'm not sure I could do - dealing with the smart mouth kids all day, not to mention dealing with their parents and the administration. Oh yeah - and the SOL's and the other tasks that they are required to do that don't directly involve teaching the kids. And don't even get me started with the budget or lack thereof.

To all of the good teachers, your work is not unnoticed. By the kids. Or the parents. :)

I Have A Confession to Make

I have a confession.

It's not a pretty one but it's one that I'm betting that some of you share.

You see...I love dollar stores. And close out stores. And I just can not control myself in them. I mean, it's only a dollar, right?

So, I decide to swing by Big Lots today to check out their garden section and see if they have some sunfaces on sale. I also need to pick up some cereal for the kids for breakfast before they revolt at having to eat another bagel or eggs and toast.

I get there and decide that I'm not going to get a cart. I will control myself. Plus, I just need two items and they may not even have one of them.

I got through the first couple of isles okay.

But then I was reduced to a five year old in a toy store. With no parental supervision.

I picked up a new tape measure for $3. Because Owen decided to see how far our last one would go out - and, of course, it broke. That one was $25 at Home Depot. Hum. Good buy, right?

Then I picked up a pair of needle nose pliers for $4 because we need them. NEED them.

Then, I cruise past the summer section and see some jelly shoes. Remember those? Well, I could not resist them for $3. Besides, I just bought some at Burlington Coat Factory for $10 and would return those. SCORE.

While I was there, I picked up some gardening gloves for Ken. Because he is going to do yard work this year.

I also picked up a large bottle of goo-gone because it was $1.50 and I did actually need some.

By now, my hands are getting full and I have to start being more selective about what I choose. After all, remember I don't have a cart and I can only carry so much.

And, by the time that I hadn't even gotten to the food section and I was wondering if I would be able to carry the cereal. Remember, that's what I came in there for. NOT all of this other stuff!

So I go through the food isles and go past the large Ketchup on sale for $2.50 and since my family eats it like it's candy (mostly putting it on their french fries so I won't eat them - Ken taught the boys that trick), I figure it's a good buy. I load it into my cart - err, arms and continue looking for the cereal isle.

By that point, this stuff is really heavy. I looked around to see if there was an empty cart. Nope. Nothing but an old lady pushing a cart and I didn't have the heart to knock her over and take her cart.

I finally found the cereal isle and there was one of the organic cereals on sale for $2.50 that I've been wanting to buy but it's expensive but wait...I see what I'm looking for. A huge box of Kix for $3.00. THAT'S what I came in here for.

Now I've got a real dilemma. I can't carry anything else. But, I want both boxes of cereal. So, I use my one free hand and pile the smaller box of cereal up on the other stuff (thanking god for once that I have big boobs to hold all of this stuff!) and carry the larger box of Kix with me.

And, so what if the Kix box looks like my kids practiced karate with it? It was $3 and they will eat it and be happy to have it.



When I got home and told Ken the story about my shopping trip, he picked up this box of cereal and asked if I did this while I was trying to carry everything. LOL.

Anyway, I then made a wise choice and decided to skip the rest of the store. Because I couldn't possibly carry another thing.

And then I walk past the boys undies. And they're on sale for $2 and Shane really needs some new undies.



So, I set down my two boxes of cereal, and somehow crammed in two packs of undies in between the other stuff, pick up the boxes of cereal and make my way up front where I drop all of the stuff I had:

Onto the counter with a huge sigh of relief.

Total damage? $27.16.

Did I mention that I had already been to the Dollar Tree Store that morning?

I told you - I'm sick. ;)

I couldn't resist the cute luau stuff. I wasn't planning on having a party but I guess I will now.



And, I didn't really associate shot glasses with luaus but I bought them because they're pink and green.

They had a ton of educational stuff for the kids so I bought multiplication flash cards for Shane and reading ones for Owen.



And, I picked some up for Mrs. King because I thought that either she could use them in class or with her grand kids. And because they were $1.

I also got a hair brush for $1 which I've been meaning to pick one up. SCORE. They're usually well over $10. And, I also snagged a folder for Shane's project and a pack of notebook paper, a drop cloth for painting because they're usually expensive in the paint store, some gloves for myself (pink, of course), some sandwich baggies and some ribbons.

Because a girl can never have too much ribbon. It had cute crabs on it. Like for the beach and I may want to do a scrapbook from the beach. You just never know.

Here's the loot from Dollar Store.

Total damage at the dollar store was 28.88.

So, there you go. Now you know my secret.

I'm addicted to dollar stores. If you've never been, I'd highly recommend going. But, get a shopping cart. You'll need it!

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary, Baby!

14 years. Wow. How does the time go by so fast?

It all started here. At the Lawrence Welk Mixer at the PKA house.

Fortunately for us, I was a photography nut then too otherwise, this picture would be just a memory and it would be ashame not to be able to share these lovely GoodWill ensembles with others. ;)



Somehow we survived college and my move to DC to make it to here:



And, let's not forget about the best things in life:

First, Shane came along.



And, then came Owen.



And, our lives have never been the same!

Thank you for sacrificing so that we can have a better life. Here's to 14 more! I love you.

The "Ah Moment"

What is an "Ah Moment" you ask?

Everyone has one.

It's the moment that you've been waiting for all winter.

The moment where the temperature outside is just perfect. You can tell that spring is here and summer is just around the corner and you say to yourself "ahhhh, finally."

For you, it may be when you can wear shorts or when you don't have to wear a jacket outside.

For me, it's when I can take the lid off the punch buggy. Friday was like that.



It was 77 degrees and beautiful outside. Definitely a perfect day for a convertible!

What's In Our Garage?

Well, besides a mess, that is.

The boys and I were pulling into the garage the other day and out of the corner of my eye I caught some quick movement. I saw a small brown body scurrying along the ledge of the garage and it moved behind something that was leaning up against the ledge.

Oh GREAT I thought. I knew it was a rat because it was too large to be a field mouse.

Gross. I HATE rats and mice. It really freaked me out but I had to know for sure.

So, I went and put my stuff into the house and told the boys to keep an eye on that area so we would know if it moved.

I came back out and screwed up all of my courage and looked at it.

This is what I saw:



Whew. It wasn't Mickey. It was a cute little bunny but it definitely did NOT need to be in my garage.

We had to get the bunny out of the garage, but how?

Well, I got Ken's baseball glove and put on the only gardening glove that I could find backwards because I couldn't find the right one.

Of course, the garage is a mess so we had to move everything out from in front of the area where the bunny was to try and get it. Five minutes later, I was ready to scoop the bunny into the glove.

And, of course, I had to take a picture of the bunny, right? I had Shane take it because I had the bunny in my glove.



And, well, that was a brilliant move. NOT.

I forgot that bunnies can jump and the bunny hopped out of my glove right onto me and jumped behind a bunch of other stuff in the other corner of the garage.

I screamed like a little girl when the bunny jumped. I'm sure that the neighbors three streets over heard me. Shane told me to stop screaming. LOL.

So, I finally made a wise choice and told Shane to put the camera up (I know - shocking) and told him that we'd leave the door to the garage open and the bunny would just have to leave on its own.

It took two days for the bunny to leave. I wonder if we'll see the bunny again? I'm betting so. Last year, we had a bunny in our back yard all summer.

What's Your Birth Tune?

What was the #1 most popular song on the day you were born?

I know that you are all dying to know this. It's quick, easy and fun. Give it a try.

On this site, you can specify your birth month and date.

Then the site will show you which song was at the top of the Billboard charts on the day that you were born.

Note that you look through the years manually so that you don't have to put in your age. :)

Mine was "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Diana Ross.

Susan's was too. :)

Thanks for the linky, Josh. That was fun. :)

Owen's A Soccer Super-Star!

Owen loves soccer. He looks forward to going to it every week.

He was very sad when I took it away from him two weeks ago for smarting off. Or continuing to smart off should I say. ;)

But, he was back on the field last week. Loving life. High fiving his coach and really playing his hardest.

And, I wanted you all to enjoy his soccer as if you were there too.

Here are the kids at the goal. His team is about to score. If you look closely, he's got on the gray shirt. (Sorry it's not close up - I only had my point and shoot with me.)



Don't see him?

Well, it's because you're not looking in the right place.

If you look down on the opposite end of the field, he's there.



Doing gymnastics instead of soccer.

I reminded him that his teammates were at the other goal and he said "oh, yeah" and casually ran down and re-joined the game.

Oh well. I did tell you that he was playing his hardest, right?

Happy Friday!

For Wilson :)

I think that we all need a break from yesterday's traumatic kindergarten math homework. I know that I do. So, Wilson (and anyone whose ever dined with children), this one's for you.

Click to enlarge.

An Open Letter of Apology to Mrs. King and Mrs. Stodola

Mrs. King and Mrs. Stodola,

I promise to check Owen's backpack carefully before I send him to school from now on. I'm really, really sorry.

I have gotten more phone calls from your room this week questioning what in the world I am doing. First, I send in that very clear note explaining that Owen should ride the bus AND be a car rider. In the same day.

Now, I get a call from Mrs. Stodola asking about a note in Owen's backpack stating that Shane can stay after school for help on an assignment.

My mind starts racing and trying to figure out what is going on. I did send in a note to Shane's teacher but how did it get in Owen's backpack?

First, I thought that I had wrote a note to Shane's teacher twice and had accidentially put it into Owen's backpack. But, I knew that I had not wrote an actual note other than in Shane's dayplanner. But I did have a brief doubt.

Then I *thought* that somehow the note that I had wrote in Shane's day planner had gotten into Owen's backpack.

But, I KNEW that I put it in Shane's backpack.

And, I knew this because I wrote the note while we were walking to the bus stop and I had to make Shane stop in the middle of the road so I could stuff his day planner back into his backpack. Which, by the way, I had to dig out while he was walking so I could write the note.

Of course, to write the note, I had to dig into his backpack to get a pencil or pen or crayon (while he's walking) because I didn't have anything to write with on me. I got a chewed up stubby pencil. But it worked.

Yes, I know. I should have done it last night or before we left this morning but I forgot.

But, then I thought how in the world did Shane's day planner get into Owen's backpack? What in the world were they doing on the school bus?

Then she explained to me that it was a note from another teacher to me that Shane could stay after school. Ah...now it all makes sense.

I wasn't losing it. I hadn't wrote a note that I forgot about and the note that I did write didn't just jump into Owen's backpack.

What I did do is forget to clean out Owen's folder. Oops. Sorry, Mrs. King. I guess I was "one of those parents" today.

We had been to soccer the previous afternoon and, being one to utilize my time well, I had gone through all of the kids papers while Owen was at soccer and had shoved everything into Owen's folder so I wouldn't lose anything when we left.

I made a mental note to clean it out when I got home but then when we got home, I had to cook dinner (which I actually did by the way), help Shane with his homework and then get back out the door by 6:30 for a photography class. Then this morning, I noticed that the zipper on Owen's backpack was broken and had to get a new backpack and pack that one.

By that time, we had to rush out the door (thus, writting the note on the way to the bus for Shane) and I just simply forgot to clean out his backpack.

So, I'm not cracking up, Mrs. King. Or, maybe I am. I think that I'm just disorganized. Am I forgiven?

Love,

Kim

Are You Smarter Than a Kindergartener?

Those that know me know that I'm not "great" at math.

Well, that is an understatement. I changed my major in college from education to English because I couldn't pass logical math and English would allow me to skip the math classes. Plus, if I figured if couldn't even pass logical math, then I really have no business teaching kids. But, that's beside the point.

Anywho, here's Owen's math homework. Click on the image to enlarge it.



What did you come up with and how did you get it?

Owen hasn't done it yet (he'll do it tonight...we ran out of time last night) but Shane and I came up with the same answer. But, I'm not going to post our answers yet. I'll do that later tonight so I don't corrupt your thinking. :)

Put the answer in the comments section of the post. You don't have to have a google account to post comments. Post anonymously and either put your name or intials on it.

Don't be shy. I could be, and probably am, wrong but I do feel better about my answer knowing that my 8 year old got the same answer. And he's smart. ;)

Bring on the PINK!

Bring on the pink. Bring on the bows. Bring on anything that is NOT sweatpants, t-shirts or blue.

Ginny, here's the last few pics of Mary Mayken that you will likely get until I have her again.

She discovered she had pockets in her PINK jacket. So cute.





I know that this outfit isn't PINK but it's not BLUE and it is cute, so it still counts, right?!



Of course, she needs a pink towel. She had two baths while she was here and I think that I pulled my back out on the last one trying to get her into the tub. Every time I would go to stick her in the water, she would raise her legs up and somehow walk herself back out of the tub (clinging to me of course) without ever touching the water.



Owen saw the whole ugly thing go down and said to me: "Just put her in the water already. It's so simple." I hear ya, Owen but right now I'm wrestling an alligator and could do without the peanut gallery, m'kay?

So, that's the last of the Mary Mayken pics. I hope that you enjoyed them. Now I'll get back to the regularly scheduled posts about undies on the floor. :)

Yep. It's a Monday.

So, once again I pulled a good one.

Unfortunately, I did not catch myself before someone else found out.

I need to pick the boys up from school today for their science class at the Parks and Recreation Center.

I am chilling with the boys this morning. We're ready to go 30 minutes before we need to be. I'm all super proud of myself and it's going to be a good - no great - Monday.

I rock. Yeah me!!!!!

Then, Shane says something about riding the bus home and I remembered that I needed to send a note into the teachers that they are going to be car riders.

So, I write the same note to both boys teachers and put it in their backpacks, placing it where the teacher could easily see it (to be helpful and all). Remember, I'm not rushing and the notes are actually on a piece of paper this time and not hastily scribbled on a napkin or the back of an envelope like they usually are. I even put the kids last names on the note so that the teacher doesn't have to write it.

I'm good. Real good.

Then I get a call at 8:55 from Mrs. King. I'm thinking that something's wrong and she asks me what Owen's suppose to do after school because she doesn't understand my note. It says:

"Owen should ride bus 284 today because he needs to be a car rider for an after school activity."

Um...say what?

I should probably disclose (and since I've already embarrassed myself, what's there to lose?) that Shane actually pointed out that the note was wrong and I told him that, no, the grammar was correct.

Sorry for the extra work, Mrs. King. She called Shane's teacher and explain to him the note because his said the same thing.

It's a Monday. The Mondiest of Mondays.

Sometimes I crack myself up. Or, maybe I'm just cracking up.

Chores Part II

As I've said before, it's never too early to teach them chores.

Mary Mayken wanted to help Ken (proving that it's also never too late to learn how to do chores) do the laundry. So, instead of shooing her away, he let her help. He would put the wet clothes on the door to the dryer and she would shove them in.



I mean...it's free labor and all. And, she's certainly more helpful than the boys.