Thursday, May 31, 2007

My husband has lost it!

Current mood: giggly

We got Stefan's looney mutt from a breeder we found online. He told me that Lou was the topic of discussion at work today and that he and some coworkers had revisited the breeder's website. Stefan saw that the breeder has bred Lou's parents recently and they had pictures of the new litters.

When Stefan got home tonight he showered Lou with his usual attention. Stefan then got the idea to show Lou his new half-brothers and half-sisters as well as his parents. You should have seen it...Stefan with Lou on his lap showing him the pics saying, "See your brothers? See your mommy?"

Like I said...Stefan has lost it.

I would've taken a picture, but our camera is on the fritz and headed back to the manufacturer's black hole for repair. We have a back-up camera but it needs a battery so we'll have to get that taken care of before Lexi's recital on Saturday.

Today's forecast: smoky with a chance of fresh air

Current mood: indifferent

For quite some time a fire has been burning near the Florida-Georgia border. This is far from where we live, but for the last couple of weeks weather systems have blown the smoke to our little town. This has been wreaking havoc on asthmatics and those with allergies and makes it quite unbearable to breathe. For that reason, we have yet to visit our neighborhood pool. I don't know when we will get a chance to do so because it has been closed for chemical concerns. Go figure.

Yesterday there was an escaped prisoner on the loose near our neighborhood. Apparently, he was being transported from a local jail and the transporting officer decided to stop at the grocery store which gave the prisoner a chance to flee. What a stupid move. The area was bombarded with police cruisers both marked and unmarked and overhead helicopters buzzed for hours. It was quite a scary time especially seeing police patrol through our neighborhood at unprecedented levels and police road stops right in front of the neighborhood. Times like that make me glad Stefan works second shift (<-- sarcasm here). We made it through though...no word on the prisoner but police activity is back to normal if that means anything. Who knows?

School's out for summer....not so fast Kaiti

Lexi's first official day of summer vacation was on Tuesday. The reality of not returning to Pre-K hit her pretty hard. She woke up in a panic and was very angry. When we asked her why she was so mad, she stated that it was because no one woke her up. I explained that being able to sleep in is a perk to summer vacation. She still wants us to wake her anyway. She also didn't make it past noon that day before she went to the closet and took out her workbook asking me to do them with her.

Today is my first day of summer school. I am only taking one class but it is one that I dropped before. The reason I dropped was because it required a 30 page single-spaced paper, attendance at "Math Nights" which are talks that last about 2 - 4 hours, and of course the usual tests and quizzes. At the time, I thought it was too much time for an undergrad course not to mention I had a 4 1/2 month old at home that I didn't want to miss a waking minute with. Thus I decided to drop it and I don't regret it.

To prevent myself from dropping it this time, I took it by itself during the summer so I wouldn't be tempted to drop because I wouldn't be taking anything. At the time I thought I would WANT to be taking something but, at this point, I'm dragging and taking nothing is exactly what I want to do.

Press on Kaiti, get your butt to school.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Busy, busy, sudsy

This weekend was so busy but yet so much fun. It doesn't feel like a three day weekend, though, because Stefan worked on Saturday. Needless to say, Friday and Saturday were pretty uneventful except for the fact that, on Saturday, I wrote an email forgiving someone who hurt me in the past and I was surprised by the immediate feeling that a weight of burden had been lifted from my shoulders. It didn't even matter to me that the recipient actually read it or responded for that matter. It was just something I had to do to allow myself to move forward and achieve a sense of closure.

Sunday, we got up and took the girls to brunch at Applebee's. Afterward, I dropped Stefan and Abby off at the house and Lexi and I had a big girls afternoon date at the movies. We saw Shrek The Third and it was a good movie. I was a bit concerned given the fact that we hadn't seen the first couple of installments, but the movie was easy to follow. I'm sure there are some things I would have picked up on had I seen the others, but I didn't feel like I was missing anything.

Before the movie started I told Lexi I love her to which she promptly returned the affection. I told her she was a good kid and she just smiled. I asked if I was a good mommy and she said...no. What?!?!?! She explained that I am a good mom, but I am mean to her too much. I questioned this further. Her definition of mean is when I tell her 'no'. Kids!!! Good times anyway.

Later in the evening Stefan's parents and brother came over. Stefan was showing off our new water meter (I was thinking of all the things...) to his brother when he found the meter completely submerged in water. Great! After an unanswered call to our community management who had hired the contractor to install the faulty meter, Stefan and his brother went to The Men's Toy Store to get the necessary means to fix the problem. Good thing Stefan was showing off a meter or we wouldn't have discovered this until our first water bill independent from our Home Owner's Association. That wouldn't have been good.

Monday we spent the morning doing piddly things around the house which means I had a date with my boyfriend (AKA Ken Moore. Get it? Kenmore?) and Stefan helped to keep the kids out of my hair while I did laundry, dishes, or anything else that needed to be done that caught my eye. For the umpteenth time, our dryer refused to dry during a normal cycle. I was fed up. I showed Stefan the evidence of something I've only told him about before. He shrugged and on we went downstairs to research new washers and dryers on the internet and then we went on with the rest of the day. We went to my sister's house in White, GA and had yummy food that my bro-in-law cooked up for us. After dinner, he made a sinful chocolate chimichanga. This should not even be legal it was so yummy.

When we got home, I went to the laundry room to pick up where I left off. The previously undried load was finally dry. Stefan came in to check on the load's progress and I told him it was dry. He then decided it was time for a new w/d anyway and researched various stores and if they were having Memorial Day sales worth taking advantage of. this store was, so he unloaded his lawn equipment from the trailer and picked up the new loves of my life.

A friendly neighbor assisted in moving my new fraternal twin boyfriends (AKA Mr. W. Earl Pool, and his bro Swirl). Meanwhile Lexi was interested in the box so she could use it as a play house. Again with the boxes!!!! Here's my blackmail shot for her when she asks for help with rent in the future. I'll show her this pic and remind her that a box was good enough when she was 5.



Once the kids were in bed and the twins were ready to go, our evening consisted of sitting on the laundry room floor watching the clothes tumble in both machines trying to figure out the inner workings of my new boyfriends. How pathetic are we?

All-in-all it was a great weekend.

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Medical Mysteries

Current mood: pensive

There are a couple of questions I have regarding prescriptions that just don't make any sense to me. If you know the answers, please enlighten me.

1) If you have a stuffed up nose from allergy symptoms, why does a doc prescribe a nasal spray that you have to sniff in? How is that possible?

2) If you have a bad memory, you can take Ginkoba to help. But you have to take Ginkoba 3 times a day. If you have a bad memory to begin with how are you going to remember to do that? If you can remember to take it 3 times a day, do you even need it?

Friday, May 25, 2007

Lexism of the week

This week's Lexism is brought to you by Bumble Bees Bee Gone...you're solution to pesky, dirty bugs.

As you heard and read in my last post, part of Lexi's spring program was a song about a bumble bee. It goes like this (a much cleaner version than others I've heard before),

(Hold hads together and cupped)
I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me?
I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee
Ouch! It stung me!!!

(Act as though smashing something between hands)
I'm smashing up my baby bumble bee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me?
I'm smashing up my baby bumble bee
(Open hands to show the palms)
Oooo...it's messy

(Wipe hands on front of shirt or pants)
I'm wiping off my baby bumble bee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me?
I'm wiping off my baby bumble bee
(Show palms again)
Now my mommy won't be mad at me.


Today Uncle Faron came over to play with Lexi after his workday was done. Lexi was thrilled and was wearing her favorite dress for the occasion. He asked her to show him a song she performed yesterday. She started the bumble bee song. She got to the part about wiping off the baby bumble bee, stopped singing, and asked me to sing the rest. I told her no knowing that she was fully capable of finishing the song herself.

Her response?


You're gonna laugh because this is something only Lexi would do.



She said, "But I don't want to get it on my dress!"

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Lexi's Spring Program

Lexi's spring program was today. I half expected her to have a similar meltdown as her Christmas program, but that did not occur. She took her spot and sang and danced to every song the class performed. The first song was "I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee." Here's a video clip of the beginning of the song.







They also performed "Tootie Tot" which is a silly song that by the end of the song the kids are chanting "Tootie tot, tootie tot, tootie ta ta" and they have their thumbs up, elbows back, feet apart, knees together, bums up, tongues out, eyes shut, and are turning around in circles all at the same time. This song had the parents laughing like crazy.

They also performed "Who Let the Alphabet Out?" to the tune of "Who like the dogs out?" and the "Cha Cha slide." Needless to say this was a very cute program.

Lexi gave a very cute and proud smile at the end of each song. She was very proud of herself and the applause that the class received.





After the singing was done, each child was called to receive their certificate of graduation. I don't think the kids knew what this meant, but they all like getting their pictures taken with their teachers.



Once that was over, her teacher's husband showed a compilation video of pictures taken throughout the year. It showed pictures taken in class and pictures of each child as a baby. I think there were many parents with lumps in their throats by the end of it. Part of the video was set to the song from Toy Story called "You've Got a Friend in Me." One friend of Lexi's that has stood out since the first day is a little girl named Savannah that I know Lexi will miss sorely. Savannah will be going to a different school next year. Hopefully this is a friendship that will last at least through the summer.





That very pregnant belly in the background is Savannah's baby sister Phoebe Faith who will make her screaming debut in 4 weeks.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Look out Ebenezer Scrooge!!

About a year ago we started giving Lexi a small allowance to teach her about money and saving and whatnot. She was excited as she saw her small piggy bank (literally it's a pig) begin to fill up. Up to that point the only cash flow she had was when she would con Nana and Papaw to empty their change from their pockets or if she found coins on the counter (which I told her were up for grabs if Stefan or I was so careless to leave them behind).

Today Lexi came to me and asked if I thought she had enough allowance to buy a toy. She brought me her piggy bank and I counted twelve dollars in bills. Knowing full well that her eyes go straight to then $15 items at the store, I asked her if she wanted to take her change to the grocery store to trade it in for paper money that is easier to spend. She said yes and that is exactly what we did. After the store took their 8% for the use of the machine, Lexi still had over $20 in change.

We went to Wal-Mart where she took an excruciatingly long time to decide on the toys she wanted. She got a new unicorn pony, a new Barbie Fairytopia toy, the new Fairytopia Magic of the Rainbow movie, and a toy cell phone. Needless to say, her miserly ways definitely paid off today for her. She was thrilled.

She came home, played with her doll, ate dinner, and watched her new movie. I didn't hear a word from her as the movie was playing. When it was finished, she took her pony upstairs and it was bedtime. While tucking her in for the night, I asked her if she liked her movie and she said no and explained about a scary part of the movie.

Now keep in mind that since Lexi was 2 she has loved Strawberry Shortcake. I like it too because the movies are upbeat and always have a good lesson about friendship and kindness - just the type of movie you would want your child to watch. The downfall is that Lexi thinks everything should be cheery and rose-tinted just like those movies and freaks out at anything remotely spooky or scary in any other movies - this includes anything Disney...go figure.

Liar, liar

Current mood: frustrated

Abby is bound and determined to make a liar out of me. This happens to all parents at one point or another. You may say that your child can perform a certain task yet when you want the child to display it, they refuse.

Well, Abby has been having a fussy spell. I think the issue is that she wants to be more mobile than what her body is capable of and she voices her frustration. In fact, yesterday while Lexi was in dance class I was sitting in the lobby of the studio with Abby and she wanted to crawl around on the floor. I would normally let her do this but the floor was exceptionally dirty this week so I tried to keep her in my lap. After wrangling her for what seemed like forever, I was quite frustrated and ready to just sit out the hour in the car. Only a few minutes had passed.

Another mom walked in and saw my state. She asked what was wrong and I tried to explain how fussy Abby was. She didn't believe me because while I was trying to explain it, Abby was laughing and smiling with her! The mom and I then went to Publix to do some shopping. Abby was still in a great mood. When I got an aisle ahead of the other mom, Abby started her fussiness again. I had my back to Abby while perusing the abundant selection of table foods for her when all of a sudden she was giggling again. I turned around to see the other mom had caught up to us again.

This mom does not believe that Abby was in a sour mood at all.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Abby's new wheels

Abby has graduated from the all-encompassing walker that she used to sit in, to the walk-behind style. She has had two walk-behinds (one a hand-me-down from Lexi and one she got for Christmas) but has never really understood them until yesterday. She was circling around the living room for about 5 minutes yesterday. ::beam:: She's going to be vicious with this thing by this time next week!!!


Lexism of the week

Current mood: dumfounded

Earlier this week, the dinner menu in the house was mac & cheese and fruit salad. When I told this to Lexi she started to squirm and to have a whining, eye-rubbing meltdown. I tried to talk to her rationally about what was wrong but there was no getting through to her. I used threats of going to bed with no dinner to no avail. Finally, I gave in and called Daddy at work. He as able to discern through Lexi's tears, moans, and groans that she wanted the mac & cheese but not the fruit salad.

I was confused. Lexi has always loved fruit - especially fruit salad. What was the problem? I asked her this question and her calm, rational response was, "I like the fruit part, I just don't like the salad part."

For the rest of the meal fruit salad was only refered to as fruit...and all the fruit was, in fact, consumed. Picky, picky.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

And to the Green Publix...

Current mood: giggly

Abby had her one year well-check today. She weighs 21 pounds (50th percentile) and 30 inches long (75th percentile). The doctor said that she is looking really good and that we're doing a good job. ::beam:: We got the go ahead to give her whole milk and transition her to table foods. She had two shots and of course she screamed this time. She sulked in the car on the way home until the sandman took her over.

Later in the day, I took the girls to Wal-Mart to stock up on the new foods Abby would require. On the way there Lexi was telling me about her Spring program being next week. I asked what they would be doing and she told me in a scolding tone that it was a secret and I would have to wait and see next week. Bad Mommy!!!!

She then proceeded to tell me about the Pledge of Allegiance (hmmmm...will this be part of the program?) and started to recite it. This is her interpretation

I pledge the allegencks to the flag
of the you nighted steaks of the merica
and to the Green Publix
for the witch it stands
one nation, under God, in the invisible
with liverty and justice for all!!!!

Too cute!

The new look of SGL Lawn Services

As mentioned in a previous post, SGL Lawn Services has a new logo. Without further ado, I present to you the new look of SGL Lawn Services.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

A Muddled Hodgepodge

Current mood: content

Mowin', mowin', mowin'


SGL Lawn Services has experienced a new phase of growth. First, let me start with the fact that it wasn't until last year that Stefan had enough work to merit the hiring of a helper. That guy was young and made young people mistakes and was not an option to rehire this year. I went into employee seek mode and spread the word around campus. Those efforts were fruitless. Then an author of a blog I read posted that her brother needed some work and fast. I wrote and told her that Stefan needed help and that if she wanted to pass the offer to her brother she could. She did and this has worked out beautifully. This guy is motivated and hungry for more hours. This has prompted Stefan to take the business to the next level - which meant either buying a company truck, a new mower, or an enclosed trailer. Ideally he would have done all of the above but the company can't afford it AND the worker and he definitely didn't want to lose the worker.

In the last week Stefan purchased a used ZTR (zero turn radius) mower. He's like a kid in a candy store. It's funny how something like that can instantly place him on a cloud of bliss. This mower is steered differently than anything he has used previously, so it's going to take some practice for him to operate it without damaging customers' properties so he is practicing in the field across the street from the house.




With the purchase of the new mower and the great help Stefan has now, we decided to place an ad in the local paper to take on more work. With the two of them and the new mower, they are now able to service more clients with the time that they both have to devote to the business. So, here we grow again!

We also finalized the new company logo today. New shirts, window decals, business cards, and stationary will be around soon. Once I get the final file copies, I'll post the new logo here. It is 10 times better than the clip art that Stefan has been calling a logo for the past 4 years.

These are exciting times for the company that's for sure!!!!



Stand in the place where you live!!!

While Stefan was playing...err testing out his new mower, I took Abby outside to watch Daddy. My arms got tired after a short bit so I stood her on the ground in front of me. Eventually she let go and stood on her own for the first time ever! She has done this 3 times since. I don't have any pictures because each time she does it, she is standing with her back to me in front of me and the only view I have is the top of her head. One day I'll get a good shot though and I'll post it here.


My blog book is here!!!


My blog book arrived today. It looks much better than I thought it would. I'm glad I did this and I have decided I'm going to print a new book each year from this point on. If you missed it before, you can order your own here.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Mother's Day

Current mood: ecstatic

Mother's Day was a great day. Stefan got up with the girls in the morning to allow me to catch an extra hour of sleep. No breakfast in bed this year though, because we went over to Faron's house for a brunch which was fabulous!!! Of course Stefan's parents were there too! Lexi entertained as usual and obliged when Daddy request she sang a song from The Little Mermaid. Once she finished, she got a huge round of applause.

The girls wore matching outfits which was adorable, but the only picture I got was one you could barely notice the outfits in. They were both hiding behind some of Lexi's ponies. Oh well!



Later, Abby was crawling around and Stefan nabbed her to serve as his own personal pillow. Little did he realize that Abby thought SHE was using HIM as her own pillow. Too cute!!!




After Faron's we went to the pottery studio and made a platter with the girls' prints on it. We made something similar for Uncle Faron as a house warming gift when he first moved here and it was so cute that I wanted one for myself. It's off to get glazed and fired as we speak, but I'll post the pics when I get it in my hands.

Later, we had my parents over for a steak dinner that Stefan cooked and it was awesome!!!!

All-in-all I would say that this was a great Mother's Day.

More milestones

Current mood: giddy

Abby has decided that, since she's one now, she's going to do some things differently. I've described before that her crawl was more like that of an 80s break dancer doing the worm. She has now decided that is unacceptable and that crawling on all fours is the more acceptable method. This makes her a bit quicker to say the least.

For awhile now, Abby has been able to hold her own bottle but the princess wouldn't do it because she knew that she could con other people to do it for her. We're all suckers, I know. Yesterday, she gave herself a whole bottle for the first time.

It's my party and I'll pout if I want to

Current mood: giggly

Abby's party was Saturday. It was very nice and we were so thankful for all who came. Everyone really made Abby's day.




The little squirt made off with some big time loot. She got quite a few adorable outfits, toys (of course), and many gift cards/money. When it came time for the cake she allowed her big sister's performance 4 1/2 years ago upstage her. Even after the cupcake she tore into two days before, she showed close to no interest whatsoever in her special cake. I think she may have been intimidated by the size and the fact that so many people were watching.

Before



During - she was quite confused why we were allowing her to dig into the concoction



This is when she had had enough and the show was over.

Friday, May 11, 2007

Lexisims of the week

Current mood: busy

There are two Lexisms this week because I couldn't decide between the two.

Do you have 72?

A couple of weeks ago, Lexi and I were shopping at K-Mart. While there, we got Lexi some new markers - a pack of 72 from Rose Art. Lexi was beside herself! She's done colorful pictures of rainbows and various pages from coloring books and whatnot.

Last weekend when we were out with Uncle Faron, he said something about a friend of his named Mark Hersch (sp?). Since he was in the front seat and Lexi was in the back, I doubt that she heard anything up to the point where Faron said the name.

"Do you have 72, Uncle Faron?" she asked.

Faron was quite confused. When she kept asking him, it occurred to me that she thought Faron had said 'markers' so I explained to him.

"I only have one Mark Hersch," he said.

Not catching on to what Faron was saying, Lexi still thought he was talking about markers. "What colors do you have?" she asked.


A very confusing invitation

Yesterday, for Abby's birthday, I had the idea to invite my parents over for dinner because it didn't seem right to me that it was just me and the girls to celebrate Abby's actual birthday. When Lexi heard me mention it on their answering machine, she got excited and went into party planning mode.

She dictated an invitation to me and it went something like this,

Dear Grandma and Grandpa,

You are invited to a fancy tea party at Ruby's house that
there's going to be a surprise birthday party at Ariel's house.
And we are planting a birthday party for Abby and it's going to
be at Ariel's house so you better get ready and wear fancy clothes.

We're going to have a pinata and some flowers. The flowers
are going to be in the middle of the table so it's going to be
a super, super wedding. Then we're going to have to get married
and everyone will bring glitter and sparkles.


Love,
Lexi

Notice how it started out as a tea party then progressed to a birthday party then to a wedding? She is relentless!!!! Good thing she didn't write the actual invitations for Abby's birthday party or no one would know where to go! And by the way, is it possible to plant a party? Just wondering.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Abby's Big Day

::sigh:: Today was Abby's big day. Her numero uno. All the main festivities will be on Saturday, but I couldn't let today go by like any other day. Last night Lexi and I made cupcakes (we bake a lot together for special events). Unfortunately, Abby's nap schedule did not allow for Stefan to be here for our intimate, little celebration tonight. It was just me and the girls, but it was good.

The girls ate dinner and afterwards we partook in the results from last night's bake fest.

At first Abby didn't know what to do or think about the cupcake.



She stuck her finger in it and looked at me as if to say, "What's the big deal about this, Mommy?"

Then, Lexi showed her how to eat it. This really was a hard thing to get Lexi to do because she hates cupcakes (<-- sarcasm here)




Then it was game on for Abby vs. cupcake 2007. She picked the whole thing up and tried to shove it in her mouth.




By the time all was said and done, she ingested about half of it...and the other half was reduced to crumbs.



And here's a video of the cupcake monster in action.



Happy 1st Birthday dear, sweet Abigail!!!!

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

I'm still in denial

Current mood: happy

Lexi

Lexi's a princess and loves froo froo things. She picks bouquets for me all the time in the backyard much to Stefan's dismay. He tried to limit her to one flower a day, but he obviously doesn't know that it's not about picking a flower...it' about the beautiful bouquet! One day, I made a head wreath for her from some of the flowers she picked and took this picture of her in the backyard.





Abby


The reality that Abby is turning 1 is starting to sink in. The RSVPs for her party are rolling in, I have bought the paper supplies and done my shopping, and today we got her 1 year pictures taken here. I love this place! They always take such great shots. Here's the proof.





















After her modeling session, we went to this place for her other right of passage for being a year old..getting her some bling, bling. We did this for Lexi's first birthday too and I don't regret it. She didn't mess with them because she didn't know they were there and that way they were able to heal without complications. The first ear Abby was a trooper. I was thinking that she wouldn't scream after this because she didn't scream for her last shots either. I was wrong. After the second ear, she let out a whoop that lasted less than a minute but for dramatic effect she kept sulking and shooting dirty looks at the employee that worked there. If looks could kill...



Rest assured she was over it all after we left there and went back to pick up our pictures. On the way back to the studio we ran into a woman we had seen earlier in the studio and she told us that she saw one of the pictures they took of Abby and that we would scream. We didn't believe her.

When the photog came out to preview our pictures and place our order with us, she brought out two framed and matted pictures - one collage of five pictures that was darling but not worth the price, and another 10x13 black and white close up. This is where they get you. Who could resist when they're framed and matted looking like they're ready to be hung in a gallery? I tried...but failed. I had the five photo collage reduced to a trilogy with the 3 best pictures and once everything was said and done Stefan wanted the 10x13. He said he'd regret it when we walked out of the door if he didn't get it.

Monday, May 07, 2007

Only in the South

Lexi's fixation of getting married, like an interest rate on a bad loan, compounds daily. She has said in the past that she won't get married until she is 28. This sounds good to us! But now she is experiencing some anxiety over this subject because she doesn't know WHO she will marry when she is 28.

One day last week, she asked Stefan if he would marry her. He let me answer that as he was way too flustered to deal with it on his own. I explained to Lexi that he was married to me and it's against the rules to marry more than one person. "You don't want Daddy to go to jail for breaking the rules, do you?" I asked her. She said no. Moments later she asked if I would marry her. I told her the same rules apply for everyone and that I would be breaking the rules. That was the end of that. Until...

Sunday we got together for lunch with Stefan's parents and his brother. Lexi sat in between Faron and myself. With the noise of the restaurant and the other conversations going on at the table, I didn't pay attention to what was being said between Faron and Lexi until Faron abruptly turned to me asking if I heard what Lexi just said. I hadn't. Evidently, she asked him to marry her!

I wonder how many boys in her class have gotten proposals from our dear darling.

The saga continues...

Friday, May 04, 2007

Lexism of the week

Yesterday, I took the girls shopping for Abby's birthday (sshhhh...don't tell Abby). While we were going through the store, Lexi kept asking for this and that. I said no many times only getting her one frivolous item. Then she got the brilliant idea to start asking for things for HER birthday. Her birthday is in October. I tried to explain that her birthday is still 5 months away, but this didn't phase her one bit.

She said, "Remember the things I showed you in October for MY birthday then. Okay, Mommy?

Yah, right. As if I'll remember the 100 things she asked for then...and that there won't be at least 100 more things she asks for between now and then. Kids!

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Attention bloggers!!!!

Current mood: excited

I found this really cool thing on the internet where you can have your blogs printed into hardcover or softcover books. This is so great as I have always wanted a tangible archive of the blogs that I've been keeping. Go to blurb.com, and you can upload your blog into it's software. From there you can format your book, order it, print it, and have it delivered to your doorstep.

I just got done with mine and I can't wait for its arrival!!!

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

In Her Shoes

Current mood: amused

I’m sitting here on a Wednesday night. Stefan is home because he called out sick. I was able to get my hair done this morning which was too nice to be able to break away from reality for a bit and be pampered.

Right now, Abby is snacking on some crackers and Lexi is dictating a book to Stefan. She is telling the story, “The Princess and the Pauper” that she knows from the many times she has watched the movie. She definitely has in mind how things are supposed to go, but Stefan is requiring some translation here and there. Some things I am able to figure out, but others are enigmas.

She’ll say something that sounds like “mayhem cars” when she thinks she is saying “Madam Carp’s” perfectly enunciated. Or she’ll say something that sounds like primager…we haven’t figured that one out, but evidently it’s not a very nice character. After 15 minutes of non-stop dictation, Stefan realized that she knew the whole movie by heart. He also realized that if he allowed it to continue, he would be writing the entire movie. I’ve done this a few times with her myself. It tries your patience that’s for sure!

Another example of how he has no idea as to how busy these two girls are or what goes on here when he’s working his tail off. I guess now he sees how it is not as easy as one would think to keep the house presentable while watching these two on your own. He’s also made the realization that he doesn’t know Abby’s current schedule quite as well as he knew her schedule before all these long work weeks kept him away. Trust me, she has expressed her frustration with him as much as he was feeling his own frustration about this subject.

Oh well, they’ll reconnect this summer and she’ll revert back to being a Daddy’s girl and I’ll be chopped liver once again.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Lessons learned on the written word

It matters not how elegantly you phrase your sentences or how many flowery adjectives you use. If a person has a preconceived notion of who you are and what your intentions are – notions that may be true or false or some shade of gray between the two – they will read your written thoughts in a manner like that of the person they think you are. The sweetest, most gentile Southern woman known for her manners and decorum can write a bomb threat, but her words would be read like that of a Hallmark card dripping with honey. The most brash, hard-to-get-along-with person could write a carefully worded thank you note and some readers would read it as if it were bleeding with sarcasm without any truth behind the words.

I said all of that to say this. Once your words are written and sent, you give up your right to control the manner or tone in which they are received. It does not matter if the receiver knows you well or not. What will influence the way or tone in which they read your words is their opinion of who you are – right or wrong. If their opinion is wrong, then you may suffer unfair consequences for their inability or unwillingness for seeing you for who you truly are; what everyone else sees but what the receiver does not. If their opinion of you is right, then you're in good shape but you're a minority.

Here are some lessons I have learned from both sides of the argument. As the writer, I learned that if you are not a brown-noser in face-to-face personal encounters, writing a complaint to someone is not a good idea. You may not even see it as a complaint. You may see it as a suggestion for improvement or informing someone of a concern; however, any way you put it, 9 times out of 10 whatever you write will be read as though you are a striking snake. To avoid this, you must swallow your pride and force yourself to do certain things in personal interactions that are not necessarily second nature in your character or avoid written communications when they are not singing praises to the receiver. Another thing to avoid as a writer is using all caps in your written communication. Since the onslaught of email and instant messaging, using all caps in written communication is perceived as the equivalent of yelling. Avoid this unless you really intend to yell.

As the reader, I have learned that the way I read things when I receive them are often not in the same way the writer intended. Some writers are clear, however, and their use of capitals is carefully planned and often hurtful. If you receive something offensive read it again a few times to see if there could possibly be another way the writer intended it to be read. If you still find it to be offensive, carefully think about your response before you send a word in response. You don't want to commit the same act that has hurt you. Another thing is, don't show uninvolved parties anything until you have a clear understanding between you and the writer as to what was really intended. Most times, if you are offended by something in writing, it is a misunderstanding. And my last piece of advice (I saved the best for last), the Bible says it best in Luke 6:37, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." Remember, your impressions of someone are not always correct. You may actually be surprised how many times you are wrong.

Aaaahh!!!

Current mood: conflicted between relieved and worried

School

Finals are over yippeeeeee!!!! This morning I took my Spanish final and, although I felt that I didn't know a thing, I miraculously pulled off a 257/300 (which translates to a 85). My overall grade in the class is an 85, too. Thursday, one of my group members from my teacher education class will turn in our final project which I am confident will be A quality. So, it is safe to say that I am in relax mode until June. ::sigh::


Family

If there are any of you out there that talk with The Man upstairs, please send up a little prayer for my bro-in-law. He blacked out while driving to work yesterday and they are saying that it has something to do with his heart. If it is one thing, he can get by on medication. If it is the other possibility, a pace maker will be required. Please pray for him and his family during this time.