Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Birthday, Caleb

Yesterday was Caleb's 2nd birthday. Initially his c-section was scheduled for today, Halloween, which would have been even worse, so I'm glad it ended up being moved up a day! As it was, we had daycare until 5:15, and Cameron had a band concert that he had to be at by 6:40 which lasted until 8:45. So, we had to postpone heading to Happy Joe's for bad pizza & fun games. Hopefully we can find a night next week to go.

He & Amata enjoyed his birthday donuts once they got up. (Tyler & Cameron weren't able to partake, since the birthday donuts were purchased after the were dropped off at school...oops).


We didn't do much during daycare for his birthday, mostly because I wasn't prepared enough to have gotten some birthday treats before hand, and also because cupcakes with frosting are just not a favorite of mine to give to the daycare kids...way too messy!
As soon as the last daycare kids was out the door (okay, so maybe we started a tad before they left), we dined on some yummy PB&J and Cheetos. Seriously, if Caleb was able to say, or sign, those exact words, I have no doubt that is what he would have asked for. As it went, Chris asked him if he wanted some PB&J and chips and Caleb shook his head yes and had a big smile on his face.



We also managed to squeeze in opening the gifts before we had to leave. He started off strong, opening his new games for the Nintendo DS from Auntie Meggie and a Twins basketball set.

But then he decided to open his gift from Nana next, a foam bat & ball (apparently, Nana was a little nervous playing catch with him using a real baseball). He decided he'd had enough gift opening & wanted to play with that. After a little convincing, he finally decided he would finish.




He liked his new "Cars" chair, deciding to sit there while opening the rest of the gifts. He got his very own Twins sweatsuit from Auntie Marnee (actually she gave him 2). He decided to wear that to Cameron's band concert - which was fine considering he had lost the pants he was supposed to have been wearing way before lunch. And he finished with a Fisher Price Animal Train & Diego game.


We did let the kids stay up to enjoy cake & ice cream after the concert...except for Baylee, she just couldn't make it!
Tyler is always such a camera hog!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Back in Business

I started my third week of daycare, and overall, it is still going pretty well for me. This week did start off with a bit of a snag, however. The other night, I cleaned out the fridge, and ended up dumping quite a bit into the garbage disposal. I didn't think it would be a problem, since it was mainly spaghetti & stuff, softer foods. But, apparently, I was wrong. The sink in our kitchen got clogged.

I was hopeful it was something Chris could fix, with some Drano, and when that didn't work, I knew he had a snake. I guess it had been building up for a while, though, because neither of those things worked. So, I finally got the plumber here today.

The conversation started a bit shaky, when he said he the pipes must be enclosed inside the walls, since he couldn't see where they were just by looking under the ceiling tiles. That did not sound like fun to me, as I'm sure the bill would have gotten mighty spendy, not to mention the mess. And since Chris had already tried a 25 foot snake, he was not very hopeful that the he would be able to get to the clog without tearing up walls. He was willing to try, though. So, he ran back to the shop to get what he called a "medium piece of equipment" which was 30 feet long, and a little more powerful than a snake. He had me go downstairs to see if I could hear the cable in order to figure out where exactly the pipes did run. It appears they go through the closet in Cameron's room. Fortunately, he was able to find & clear a blockage with this piece of equipment, and the drain is once again working properly.

Of course, that also meant I no longer had an excuse not to clean the kitchen (without the drain working, I couldn't run the dishwasher, and since it takes forever to get hot water to this faucet, and I had no drain, there wasn't much else I could do, either.) It also meant that my family was probably going to expect a real dinner tonight. Last night I served Eggo waffles & eggs. Because we couldn't have anything that needed water like pasta, and it was really hot inside the house, so I really didn't want to turn on the oven, either. I was pretty proud of myself, since I'm really not much of a cook. 87% of what I make comes from a box. But, Tyler requested a cheese omelet, and it turned out pretty dang good, if I do say so myself. Perfectly shaped & everything. Then I decided to get really daring & try to do some over easy eggs for myself (scrambled eggs are my specialty, since you really have to try to screw those up). The over easy's were pretty good, too. I didn't break the yoke or over cook it.

After a great culinary experience like that, I didn't want to over-do it tonight, so we had Chicken Kiev & wild rice...both from a box :-)

Friday, October 24, 2008

You know the ones

You know how there is always at least one difficult kid in any group setting, school, daycare, birthday party. Our daycare is no exception, and I wasn't really surprised by it. But what I wasn't prepared for was the fact that the difficult kids in my daycare our my own kids!

Amata & Caleb are mean. Amata pushes, steals toys, and yells at times. And yesterday, Caleb was literally wrestling another little girl down to the ground. And of course they wait until I am feeding one of the babies before they start in.

I really want to believe that a persons behavior is affected more by their environment than genetics, but I'm starting to worry that may not be the case. And if it's not, then we're in BIG trouble as they get over!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Never Too Young

Caleb & Baylee decided to help me out with the laundry this morning.



Now I just need to teach them that the clothes actually go from the washing machine to the dryer, not the dryer to the washing machine. But at least they're trying.
It was kind of freaky, though. I had put a load of clothes into the dryer and then got side-tracked for a while. When I went back to put the chair covers in the washer, there were a few clean washcloths that were actually folded sitting in the washing machine. I hadn't folded any washcloths, so I don't know who folded them & put them in there. I wish I could figure out which one of the kids did it because they actually did a pretty good job, they could help me out some more!


Monday, October 20, 2008

Time

I'm officially on my second week as a daycare provider, and I am really enjoying being at home. I'm not as tired as I used to be. I guess staring at a computer 8 hours a day can really wipe a person out.

But here's what I don't get. I am at home ALL DAY LONG now, and yet, I find I have even less time for the computer & TV than I did before. I realize a small piece of it maybe that I am still doing some work for the City from home, but that's only a few hours a week.
I think they real issue is these kids are just so demanding! They want me to feed them, take them outside to play, and be a referee for them. They just don't seem to get that all of that stuff is taking up my valuable computer time! Not only haven't I been updating this blog very regularly, I haven't even been keeping up with the blogs I usually read on a regular basis.
I'm still hoping that the longer I'm at home, the more of a routine I'll get into so that I will be able get back to posting some pictures of my adorable kids!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Give till it Hurts

Amata had dance last night, which goes until 6:15, and that is about the same time Chris got home also, so needless to say, at 6:30 when Amata & I got home dinner was not cooking. I went to look through the freezers to see if there was something quick we could make, and managed to find some chicken nuggets & shrimp.

I just came in & started the oven when Tyler walked into the kitchen. He said, "Mom, did dad tell you about my idea to order pizza from Casey's for dinner? I'll even call in the order for you."

What a giver that boy is! He just gives & gives until it hurts!

Sadly, though, that will likely be the last pizza's we order from Casey's. We just don't have good luck there. This is the second time in a row that Chris went to pick up the pizza at the time they told us and they hadn't even started cooking them! Then, this time, the guy apparently slid it wrong, so half of the pizza flipped over in the box. He also rolled that crust paper thin in the middle, so even the pieces that didn't get flipped over fell apart. At least Chris didn't pay for that pizza, but it still pretty much wrecked our dinner.

Chris said he's planning to call the company, but the last time we did that, the store manager called to bitch me out for not calling her first. Seriously??? Maybe she should spend a little more time in her store at night, and then she'd know that her employees were screwing around. (Honestly, over half the time our pizza are made wrong, or not ready on time.) It is just disappointing because when it's made properly, I really do like their pizza.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

The Answer is: Nine

The Answer is: Nine
Question: How many dirty diapers did I change today?

The Answer is: 3
Question: How many times have I put on Caleb's pajamas tonight, zipping up them all the way up & snapping them at the top before he decided to take them off?

Seriously, after 2 days of daycare, things are going pretty well. I haven't lost a kid yet, nor have their been any serious injuries. I admit I did have to break out a bandage today, but that was just for a ripped fingernail. Maybe once I get into a better routine I'll have a little more down time.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Football Star

Tyler had an awesome football game last week. The previous game, he had again seen very little playing time, so Chris decided it was time to contact the coach. And while, no matter what, the rules state that all kids are to have equal playing time regardless of how good they are, you still don't want them to have a horrible game right after you contact the coach!

But in his last game, besides being the cutest player on the field, Tyler also had TWO interceptions! The first one he ran back for a touchdown!! I was pretty ticked off about this one, though. Because the games start at 4:30 and the last daycare kids don't leave until about 5:15, Chris & I take turns going. If it's a home game, the other person can usually catch at least the last half. It was supposed to be my turn to go to the whole game, but since Chris has to work during the next game, I let him go instead....and so I didn't even get to see his first interception. The second one was actually the last play of the game, so his team was able to complete a shut out of the other team.

He said he got the interception by just hanging back & watching. Apparently, the quarterback of the other team also had a certain player that he always threw the ball to, and so Tyler just stayed near him. I told him to tell our quarterback that, so maybe he will try to throw the ball to more players.

Needless to say, he was pretty pumped after that game! And Chris & I were pretty proud, too.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

My Little Celebrity

Okay, first of all I know I've been slacking with my posts a bit this week. But it is my last week at my job so I'm feverishly trying to get everything that I have been putting off til another day done this week! Okay, it's not actually my "last day" last day, the council did approve me to work part time after hours & from home for at least a month, possibly longer depending on how the hiring goes, but it is my last day here during normal business hours.

But moving on... during Fire Prevention Week, the fire department drives all over the town with their lights on and sometimes sirens, and the kids of the firemen are usually riding on the truck, too. I don't know exactly why the do, but the kids always like it.

So last night when I heard them coming I told the kids to watch for them. They came by once and then turned around at the end of the road and came by a second time. Caleb was still standing by the window, and as they drove past I heard a "Hi Caleb" coming from the truck.

I'm pretty sure it came from one of the boys that was on Tyler's baseball team this past summer. Caleb was kind of their little mascot, as he loved to throw the ball to the kids who were on the bench. It got to the point that as we would be walking to the field, we'd hear someone saying "Hey, Caleb's here." I sure hope that his celebrity status here doesn't go to his head!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Judgemental

Okay, so I know I am being a bit hypocritical here, but I really hate it when people who don't know me get judgmental.

Last night was Cameron's night out and he wanted to go see Eagle Eye. I admit I didn't know much about it, but it is only rated PG-13. When we got to the popcorn counter to pay for our $5.10 small popcorn & $3.50 box of candy Cameron wanted (We did at least stop at a vending machine to buy our pop & sneak it in) the gal at the counter said, "You must be seeing the 7:00 Chihuahua showing." I said actually we were there to see Eagle Eye. She looked shocked and said, "Oh, well I just assumed..."
Now I admit this movie does have some swearing in it, but it's not like my boys don't know what those words are. They also know I better never hear them using those words. (Heck, to this day, I still don't swear in front of my mother) And technically there was some violence, but it was mostly military/war violence, not a bunch of kids running around shooting things up. And besides, it's not like he went alone. I was with him, so if there was anything in the movie that concerned me I could have discussed it with him.

Now, I know that I can be a wee bit judgemental at times, but at least I don't say it to their face. I wait until they are gone before and then I tell whoever I'm with!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Monday

Well work pretty well sucked today. I had the worst day at payroll I've had in years! I'm still not done, but at least paychecks are out, so the employees are happy.

The best part of my day was when I ran home to pick up Amata for an appointment. Caleb ran to the door and yelled, "Mama". That is another new word for him. Granted it came behind ball, poop & m&m, but at least he finally said it! (Especially since he has not said "dada" yet....all of our kids have always said that first!)

Friday, October 3, 2008

Sneaky Boy

We had "brunch" for dinner last night. It's always a favorite. However Caleb has become somewhat picky lately. Not so much about what food he likes, more about how the food is put onto his plate &/or what plate he is using.

To start out, Chris has put a little bit of everything on Caleb's plate. Caleb didn't like that. First of all, he did not just want some of the eggs on his plate...he wanted the entire plate of eggs that was in the middle of the table. Going with the whole "choose your battles" theory, since everybody had taken some eggs & there wasn't that much left, we gave it to him. Then it was an issue about the waffle. He didn't like the one that Chris cut up. So fine, I got him a different one, and didn't cut it. But that wasn't good enough, either. I guess there was a specific waffle that he wanted.

I was getting a wee bit tired of the game by this point & told him that he had to eat the waffle that was on his plate before he could take another one. Caleb then took the waffle on his plate & put his hand under the table. He saw me watching him, so he paused for a minute. I thought for sure he was going to throw the whole thing to the dog. I guess he realized that would be to obvious, so instead, he began pulling it apart & just throwing pieces to the dog.

Need I remind you that he is not even two years old yet???!!! Lord help me when that boy is a teenager!!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Wierd

I've left jobs before, and I've always known people have applied the job I've left. But it feels a little odd this time around because it is such a small office, I am actually taking the applications from the people who want my job. I don't know why, but it's just weird!

I'm kind of regretting giving 3 weeks notice at this point, because I am already tired of all of the BS. But the good part about giving 3 weeks is that I will get to work with the new city administrator for a week and the council has decided to let me work part time after hours & from home for at least a month, possible longer depending on who they hire & how long it takes that person to learn motor vehicle & my job. That kind helps to avoid that whole awkward last day stuff, especially when you will not really be missing the people you have worked with for the last 7 1/2 years very much...if at all!