Someday....

I might actually blog on a regularly basis. Didnt realize the last post was last wednesday. Ooopppss

Saturday, we got up early and drove down to Pendleton for the "HardCorps series Bulldog bike ride" Rain or shine it said. It was lightly raining when we got there....only to be told it was cancelled due to rain. They offered entry in any other series race except the Mudrun (good since we are already entered). I felt bad for Jon....he doesnt run and everything else in the series includes running....not to mention his entry was Christines Valentines day present to him. Around 10:30 the rain finally picked up. It was a 2 1/2 hr max race...starting at8:30.....rain really shouldnt have affected it.

We had a lousy St Patricks day meal after that....food was good, service was more then awful.

Today has been a quiet, yet busy day. Busy enough to make time go by rather quickly. Kids did school work,....Math, Critical thinking reading, book reading and Geography. Bekah is reading along to "Little HOuse in the Big Woods" and Nathan is reading a Jason and the Argonauts version by the author of the Magic Treehouse. We are supposed to go see a play of Jason and the Argonauts next Wednesday. Next week, will be a crazy week.

Dinner is Chicken cutlets, cauliflower and swiss chard....maybe salad, if I can find the lettuce in my too full frige.

Nathan is currently obsessed with "shuffling"...here is the video ...(hope it works) Hey now I can call this a Musical Monday post!

Today

Today is Wednesday.

Wednesday mean our produce pick up from Abundant Harvest Organics. YAY! Tennative list has Asparagus in the box.

DH will be picking it up because the kids and I will be seeing Zorro today.

DH has some work today....but not til about 1. Nay has baseball at 4.

Dinner will most likely be left overs LOL. Nay will be thrilled considering he ate nothing last night.

Hey look!

I remembered how to log in....next up...remembering how to post...

Follow up

I am really not crafty. I can make those knot blankets....and quickly

The tye dye ....we did it once, it was fun...came out nice....no craftyness needed....unless you want to be fancy and that I cant do...LOL

As for the cabinets...we still need to get a new BASIC range....gas....forgot about that ROFL

And the craft fair will be at the Monday park day in Orange....in december...but I forgot what day ROFL

I'm a reader, not a writer..........

I read.

I don't write

and I rarely blog.

Even way back in high school....no issues reading the assignment...write an analysis? I was the one counting the words...and making my margins on the typewriter smaller to fill the pages.

October is over....which is good....it was crazy.

November is here...and we are almost half way ...and it has been so much calmer.

Next Friday we will go with the science group to the local planetarium/observatory...I am not sure which...heck I dont even know where it is.

Tomorrow Christine has another Faire workshop....I have to take her all the way there and back....her normal carpool partner couldnt get the day off work. No biggie, I dont usually mind driving. Now, if I only knew where to go.

My laundry is behind again, it was caught up on monday...I am not sure how I let it fall behind yet again.

I need to get some blankets made....really, really need to...

And perhaps some tye dying...park day is having an arts and craft fair and the kids want to tye dye for it....
Its on the list....

We also finally ordered our cabinets for the kitchen....they should be here the week of the charity shoot....hmm I see December ending up much like October...CRAZY

Kids are having evaluations at Gymnastics this week. Hopefully, they will all advance at least a level....

I have been branching out in cooking again...found a few new recipes that have been hits....have another I am dying to try...turnip gratan...I also have been keeping closer tabs on our food budget.....

Off to go yell at 2 youngerst to clean up the living room...yet again....with as long as it takes them, you would think we lived in a mansion...instead of a 1,100 sq ft townhome.

yah, yah yah I know

I havent updated in a week. or so....

We went apple picking. I made apple butter and pear jam mmmmmmm was going to make apple jam but ran out of apples. We hope to go pick again. The pear jam is not quite thick enough but still tastes good. We didnt bother with the raspberries because they were really expensive....more so then the grocery store and we would have to do all that work and fight off the bees.

That Sunday we went skating....Ivan didnt skate...he had hurt his back earlier in the day. I clearly didnt skate enough as my legs did not hurt the next day.

That tuesday, I took Rebekah to the NP about the moles she is trying to scratch off. Got a referral to dermatology....that appt is this friday.

First GS meeting of the year that wednesday. And the building boys group. THe kids had fun. Ivan helped with the boys....Christine and I snuck out earlier for a dr appt for her....her hands/wrist have been bothering her...they were actually swelling last week.

Thursday was music for the little ones....they got new songs and we actually got there ALMOST on time. And it was Christine's bday. She opted to skip ASL that night.

Friday we went to the DMV in the morning, followed by the bakery, followed by science club at the pool. Then a friend of Christine's came over to spend the night. And Ivan, rebekah and I went to Costco for party food. And the washer broke.

Saturday was the party....fajitas, cheese, bananas foster....and good company. NIce time......somehow we ended up with more alcohol then we started with and no sodas left. Um ok....

Sundaywe drove to Santa Monica to meet up with Ivans friends from NY...they were in town for a wedding....we went over to Venice and saw some really strange sights. Then we attempted to go to Jerry's deli for dinner...we drove everywhere...finally asked a policeman for directions...he gave them to us and we found the deli. Sat down and looked at a far too large menu and discovered we were NOT at the location we had been searching for! We ate and took Dan and his wife back to the airport. And came home....

AND WATCHED AMAZING RACE

Monday was park day.....followed by bakery trip for the challah we ordered. Followed by bass lessons. Followed by a very very late night at Ivans parents.

Today I have been doing nothing but not really....I finished the sales tax and other large projects but have been left feeling like I didnt do much.

The rest of this week brings ortho tomorrow (I hope we can stop with the pallet expander expanding, music class, science club, dermatology appt, maybe disney and a Candy mountian bday party on sunday...so we prob wont skate this week but thats ok....the party will be a heck of alot more fun....isnt food always better then exercise?

I need to update my book list

update due

Where were we when I last updated???? Hmm who knows...

This past weekend we went on a friday to monday cruise on Royal Carribbean for my Inlaws 50th anniversary. It was fun. ALthough, I much preferred the almost identical cruise on Carnival to this one. But Carnival will not do Kosher meals for my brother in laws family....

We hope to do Alaska in June....FIL is leaning towards Holland America.....I lean toward Princess or Carnival...but Carnival is prob out for reason stated above....

I have not yet emptied my barely touched Camera from the Cruise....Christine has....perhaps she has posted pictures on her blog.....I know she posted them on Facebook.

Funny thing happened on the cruise. Everyone but Nathan, Ivan and I were up at the buffet the first day. The 3 of us were talking to the dining room mater'd (totally spelled wrong I am sure) about getting one large table for us, as opposed to the 2 small 6 people tables. We finish and walk to the elevator....where nathan procedes to dig in my bahama mama glass for an ice cube (it was empty...I wasnt boozin' the 5yr old up) And we strike up a conversation with another couple waiting. All of a sudden Ivan says "Are you Mark from Bud's appliance?" Mark stares blankly at Ivan who then introduces himself....when Mark is sure this isnt a complaining customer he says yes. Turns out a few other Appliance service companies are on the boat. Even funnier....there are 3 MAIN warranty servicers for this one appliance in Orange county....(there are 2 others but we are the big ones) and ALL of us are sitting on the boat. OOPPS hope there was no emergencies this past weekend. I actually told one of the guys...Oh you are here? My outgoing messages says we are out and to call you. His mouth dropped and I said I am kidding!

Otherwise nothing to exciting....Rebekah had a dr appt yesterday...she bruised her foot....on Wed and we wanted to make sure it wasnt broken. All is fine.

The kids missed music yesterday due to construction which caused us to be running so behind we would be rude.

Rebekahs's expander is going....slowly but going....

Christine opted out of her stage makeup class....time was bad and last minute switch in teachers.

They have their science today. And then tonight is the ASL/deaf night at the district. Roller skating on Sunday....we have been going every other sunday with some other Homeschool families. It is Holliday Skate in Orange from 630-830 for $5.50 per person including skate rental. Come on down and join us! Our family hits yougurt land on the way home and I have been craving some.

Oh we are going apple picking in Oak Glen on Saturday....once again JOIN US. Or not...but come on up with your family. It is fun. Currently, u-pick is available on Apples, pears, raspberry and maybe strawberries. I will be "jammin' on Sunday. Actually, going to make apple butter to pass out on Rosh Hashanah. There are a few groves open on sundays too but you really should go on a Saturday. Lots of fun.....good family activity....and some history in there too....

Ok need to get back to work! My Washer is done.

HI!

Yep here I am....

Just been really busy and havent felt much like blogging....because then it is all spelled out and seems like so much more.

"School" is in full swing effective today....Today all of Christine's classes will now be in session. Nathan does have a 3wk art class that starts tomorrow. Rebekah and Nathan have started their music class....I still need to get each a recorder.

Girl Scouts starts at the end of the month. We have begun to schedule some field trips. I need to find time to get to Bowers before the beginning of October....

Oh and my inlaws 50th anniversary cruise is this weekend. That is a whole 'nother headache....

And there is the ever looming 25yr reunion which I am the head of the committee for.

My dog

We have this dog who is about knee height with a purple tongue and a strangely mixed coat.
I dont know how to post pictures so, you will have to imagine
or WAIT!
You can see pictures here on this blog, belonging to someone who knows how to post pictures
http://myflyingcircus.blogspot.com/2006/10/vacation-to-yosemite.html

and

http://myflyingcircus.blogspot.com/2007/09/day-in-life-sept-18th.html

ANyhow, our vets office was offering "mixed breed testing" so, since they were already doing routine blood taking things, we said what the hey.

I havent received formal results yet but the vet just faxed over the one page report they got.
Our knee height dog is part Leonberger, Shiba Inu and trace amounts of Chow (hence the tongue) and Golden Retriever.

I have never heard of a Leonberger so, I googled it. It is a HUGE dog....hmm the markings are right, the coat is not....

Very interesting.

Where has time gone?

Well, July is more then half over and I can't tell you where it has gone.
I have sent kids to camp, organized the address lists for the reunion, settled current details that need to be settled for the reunion and done just general catch up.
(do you know how much laundry you suddenly have when one comes home from camp and dumps their bags????)

We went to the Getty center sometime in the recent past...(I dont want to get out my calendar so be happy with recent past) That place is awesome. I loved doing it with a class situation. It is so big I would never find my way around (evidenced by afterwards trying just to find the Renoirs and monets). The class was titled bodies in art...or something like that. We, er I mean the children, learned a little about materials in art, bodies and telling the stories from the bodies position and expressions....and roman mythology....they have some statues and paintings that tell the whole story of when venus was shot with cupids arrow....really neat place....I couldnt spend the day there only because the little ones loose patience...but they were really good for the class.

Next week we are going to the muzeo to see the Jane goodall display...should be good too.

We hope to get to the fair soon. And then the CHN expo is first weekend in august. The kids are already excited! They keep going on and on about Jim Weiss and his stories.

Sometime in the next couple of days christine has to register at Orange Coast College....then in august she will register for IVC. Her classes will be tue/th at IVC and wed at OCC. We hope sign 3 makes it this semester.

OH and bekah has an ortho consult on wednesday...I have put it off long enough. And I need to make her and I dentist appt on monday. I finally had a moment to do it on Friday and the office was closed, wouldnt you know it. And someday I will make an appt for me....I really need a physical, I havent had one in years.....ya' know moms are always last.....

Oh and we have read the first 2 books in the Kit book series. But, my personal reading has really been on the back burner....that is soooo bad.

And peter pan on stage now plays only every other day instead of daily in my house.

Am I done? perhaps....if I dont think of anything else before I hit publish. I am not going to re read...because then I will spend all day editing and fixing typos and such....and well, I have laundry to do!

my daughter says....

I need to update my blog so here it is.
Today I did laundry.....all caught up from Rebekah being at camp. Just in time for Christine to leave for camp....monday morning she has to be at the port of Long Beach at 8 am.....eeeegggaaaddds that is early. Not the 8 but the time we need to leave to get there.

I think she is almost packed.....needs a flashlight and book light she has told me.

She will be gone for a week.

I still need to unroll the sleeping bag from Rebekah at camp and put the flannel liner back in it for Christine.

hmm what else has happened in the last week? Prob a whole heck of alot of nothing.

My class reunion date has been chosen....July 18, 2009 at the Queen Mary....anyone reading go to Long Beach Wilson??? yah I didnt think so.....

I got the new Rainbow Resources catalog...havent had a chance to look thru it yet.....or even open it! The book is huge.

Nathan has been having frequent melt downs and is driving me crazy!!!! ANy suggestions???? He has been obsessively playing Chess....at least one game a day and is currently attempting to read "Chess for Dummies" I caught him re enacting one of the moves they show.

Dot aka Rebekah ( go to youtube, look up mad tv and dot) had a good time at camp and talked the entire ride home from Malibu She climbed the rock wall, went horseback riding and went in the pool 2 times she said. And wants to know when the next camp is.

Ok thats all....I need to find a pillow

Camp etc (updated at 2:10pm)

Tomorrow, Rebekah heads out to Camp Del Corazon and so begins the summer. We drop her off at 10am-ish tomorrow and pick up at 1pm friday.
She can't wait. She was up at 7am this morning wanting to pack. That will make for one very long day today.....as the day wears on between the lack of sleep and the heat....she is going to be one cranky girl, which leads to one cranky mommmy.

So, today's to do list:

Take sleeping bag out of box. Set flannel liner aside (will be needed for Christine's camp and later Camp Del Corazon session both on Catalina but not for this one)
Fill out camp forms
pack
grocery shopping
guess I should make a shopping list first
make DH's route for tuesday (normally monday AM chore but no time and I need to call the people before we leave tomorrow)
cut the cat nails(because he decided bright and early this morning to try and scale my backside)
cat box

I have a hundred other little things I could also do....maybe I will get to them....
filing
parts orders
voice mail
paperwork DH is supposed to give to me
laundry of course (but cant be done til packing is done...I fold clothes on my bed....same surface is used for packing)
make jam (with fruit I will buy at store #2, if it is ripe, if not this will have to wait another day)

I would like to read but, can't decide what to read next.....

What else can I ramble about?
On Friday, we saw "The Bodies Exhibit 3" at the Science Center. This one focused on hearts, sorta.....It was actually very interesting.....including smoker's lung and LEG...I had no clue there was smoker's leg. As for hearts, they had Hypertrophied heart, a VSD, a heart and its pacemaker, the abiocor LVAD and the berlin heart. They also had some arteries with CAD. They had whole bodies with just the bones and all the vessels....wow we have alot of blood vessels! Nathan had to inspect all the models to determine which were boys and which were girls. And also decided to read LOUDLY the description of the testes on display. In the end, Nathan insisted we needed a video of the exhibit. I believe the video also talks about the process used for preservation.

Our next field trip is to the Getty Center in a few weeks. I have never been there so, it should be at least interesting. I have 2 that enjoy art....although Rebekah prefers pop art (the warhol exhibit in San Diego was a hit some time back)

After that we have one planned at the Muzeo that is on Jane Goodall and her chimps. None planned at the moment for after that.....I don't have a fall calendar...and I am not sure what days Christine will be in class in the fall. When that is settled, we can work on fall trips.

updating

This will ramble....because....well life has been rambling...

I cant even recall when I last updated....
Rebekah's nose prob.
Dizzy spells are gone....
College is out for Christine for the summer....I have half of the fall forms in....working on the other half
Rebekahs dance recital is Saturday afternoon.....I wonder how long she will give me before she wants her hair cut short again.....they need it in a pony tail for the recital so, I wont let her cut it.
Gymnastics is going good. My kids love it.
Our annual picnic is over.....went really smoothly. I was happy
Rebekah learned to swim, demostrated it by spending 3hrs at a birthday party yesterday IN the water.
Nathan ran laps around the pool.....um ok...
We went to chinatown on friday for a field trip. It was a walking tour and meal. Christine tried a century egg. We have video. But she disabled embedding....check youtube for disneyschooling and then it is under her videos. The tour was alot of fun. And the meal was awesome.
We went to an angel game that night. Firework night. Nathan made a pig out of himself, eating two hot dogs.
I forgot to vote yesterday. Well I didnt know I was supposed to until DH reminded me about 530 or so....and I still managed to forget. Although I didnt really have a clue what it was on and figured it seemed like such a no brainer there must be things tacked on the propositions so prob good I didnt vote since I never read the propositions.
Rebekah's end of the year girlscout party is next week at the beach with tidepools. I have taken the kids there a few times. They enjoyed it. I liked it (not a beach person). Between a beach I am ok with and people I like, it will be fun....although a bit sad....I enjoy the adults at girl scouts.
hmmm what else have we been doing?
Oh yeah. I have been making jam....
I have blackberry and an apricot/peach/nectarine one....I want to make a berry one next (straw/rasp/blue) if my kids dont eat the berries. It is SOOOO easy! So now I make bread and jam....although I havent made the bread in awhile....maybe tomorrow....not sure in what time LOL....tomorrow is gymnastics.
My corn is growing nicely....I see tomatoes on my plants....my hot peppers FINALLY came up....now I have to thin them. Our early scorching heat killed all my radishes...and my mushrooms.
The plants we have out back in containers right now (we have no ground to put them in)
Lemon Cucs (supposed to be good for pickling, my next adventure lol)
oregano (not doing so hot)
Dill
basil
corn
carrots
tomatoes
bell peppers
hot peppers (assorted LOL...1 jalapeno...not sure what else because NOTHING else was growing so we just started throwing all the hot seed in there )
chives
Romanesco (a broc/cauliflower family veg)
and
my blueberry plant (usually takes 3yrs to get a "crop" so nothing yet)

Ok, I am out of time....
Have a nice day!

If this makes no sense to you, I apologize now

This is a rambling, I am way over tired email I just sent. If this makes no sense to you I apologize....I am all "talked/emailed" out over this so, I dont know who knows what anymore....because I am sick of talking about it and retelling the story....
Christine's blog has a brief note on it
Pretty much no corrections, just as I sent it to someone earlier. Oh I removed the profanity


no sedation
no contrast
radiology over ruled that citing head injury
of course she already had the iv by that time...

no food forever (9pm ish last night....needed at least 4hrs due to contrast med I wasnt getting up at 4am to force her to eat...this is important in the next set of sentances)

got a headache while waiting to go down
they gave her tylenol, after much debate....and rebekah not happy that they didnt have pills to swallow and she had to take chewables
and in true rebekah fashion waited until IN the CT scan machine to barf
yep I said barf...she barfed up her tylenol
then barf more when back on the floor...all while still saying she had a headache
they ok'd more tyenol, she declined the chewable.....
then more in my car (good thing I had a bag)
I gave her motrin and dramimine upon return home
she barfed more
took a nap
and ate
and ate
and ate
and now seems fine

funny they had 2 ped anthesiologist
one said he spent hours last night going thru her records and reading about her heart defect trying to figure it out
still had more questions
one asked when she had a band? (uh no band no ds) no band, natural banding of the pulmonary with stenosis
one asked when was it corrected I said ah...it is congenitally corrected TGA also known as LTGA no surgery,

interesting morning
left the house at 740
got there at 820 (thank you rush hour...normall a 15min drive)
on the floor and with IV by 915
down at 1030
home at 1140

Rebekah update

Too lazy to look where I left off.....forgive me if I duplicate.

So we go to ENT also know as head and neck surgery on thursday at 1130. I realize that morning that we have been to this office before but I have no clue who we saw last time. Rebekah is a semi regular at the Head and neck surgery in Irvine with the Physician's assistant but we were told we had to see a doc this time and that office had no openings.

Last time we were at this office was also for Rebekah. Also for some freak thing. At her Developmental ped a few years ago we noticed the ball of her earing (stud) had slipped back into the hole in her ear. He sent us to Urgent care(he recommended the one next to the hospital just in case) to remedy it. Rebekah scared Urgent care and they sent us downstairs to an apparently not busy Head and neck dr for removal.



So anyhow, we get there at 1130 and are told they are 40min behind. I check my watch 40min is ok....we both brought books. We sit down to read. About 15min pass and they call us in. I think wow they caught up. Yah no.....they brought us back, took history and then put us in a room. A much colder then the waiting room, room....of course with no gowns and no sheets. The nurse says yes they are still 40min behind. I say well I might need to leave....and I tell her what time. Back to reading. Well after 2 trips to the bathroom, it is obvious that rebekah is bored and she is now fidigiting with all the instruments....I give up....its about 20min prior to my deadline but I gotta go....(this is no 1245 or so).



I go back to the nurse's station where I talk to the nurse there (our doc's nurse had gone to lunch but she did tell us and also let the other nurses know about the situation). The nurse goes to reschedule. Now I already know they are booked weeks out (because I was called three times by different people to schedule and each time I let them give me a date before I told them I already had an appt) So, I briefly tell her why we are there and how I dont really know if we should be or was this just a way to get $25 out of us. As I say that a doc walks up.....he apologoizes for the wait and explains they had not 1 but 2 new cancer diagnosis this morning....he asks what is going on....looks for a moments....says wait just a minute. He comes back with papers for the patient he was seeing....also admission procedure papers....and says to us....go to room 2....and tells the nurse what he needs the patient to know and joins us. This is NOT the doc we had the appt with.



I tell him the whole flippin story....he looks at her a bit....asks me if her nose looks different at all. I say....well I wasnt taking notes on it before she decided to fly but it does look like maybe it is a bit fat in the middle area....I show him where. He looks a bit more. I tell him that maybe we are here because she already has breathing/ear issues . He checks her ears, her forehead area, all her teeth, her cheek bones, reads the xray and says "in the case of a nose, xrays are not useful. Physical examination is.....and really unless breathing is obstructed or the nose is dislocated...neither is the case. The we generally dont do anything. Yes there is still some swelling....and should last another week or so. Avoid all ball type activiites where she could miss and hit her nose because it isnt healed and then there could be a problems. (frisbee is also out....)and tells us it is ok to use the flonase again.. To which he never seemed really sure why we were told to stop.

And we head home. We get home at 1:25. Gymnastics is at 2pm. Just enough time to get Christine and Nathan and head off.



Ironically. On Tuesday I got a phone call from member services. I called them a few weeks ago because I dont particurally care for our ped. We got him by default when our beloved Dr Yu stopped seem patients. I loved them....Dr Yu (husband) was our Pediatric Cardiologist and Dr Yu (wife) was our ped. He stopped seeing patients over a year ago...Almost 2 now. Unfortunately, when I called to change Peds, no other one out of the local office had openings so, we were placed on the wait list. They were calling to take Nathan off the wait list. I was dialing the phone before the message finished. When I got them, I mentioned I actually had 2 kids (I moved Christine to a 12 and up general practioner when I called a few weeks ago) that I wanted with Dr Cordes. She said I called 70 people, you are the first to call back. YOu can move both. WHO HOO. It was funny too because that day I had said at least 10times while telling the story that I didnt like the ped....

A post

Ok I want to blog but, I do not have a heck of alot to say. SOOOOOOO, I will summarize last week for you lol....maybe along the way I will find something interesting to say.

My sinus/congestion/headache thing is almost gone. I still cough at night and am flemmy in the morning. But I am 100% better then last weekend.

Monday:
Christine headed over to friends house to get a hair trim then go to Disneyland. Rebekah had her Jazz dance that afternoon. While she was there, Nathan and I went to the bookstore and used some of my Gift certificate. We started a new routine for the morning. As most know, my house is really slow to wake up. So, while the 2 youngest are beginning to function and eat breakfast etc. instead of the usual mindless noggin or nick, we watch/listen to mostly....an educational (somewhat) dvd. The Leapfrog series or "Between the Lions" or "Electric Company" or similar. Then we watch 1 episode of "Signing time". Ideally, Christine who signs is around for this part....so, questions can be asked and correctly answered. We own 3 of the DVD and currently have 3 episodes, I believe, on DVR. Usually by then end of this hour....they are dressed, fed and functioning. Christine arrived home that evening around 830 (hmm cant recall what dinner was....OH wait, burritos and rice with the left over chicken from Sunday night). Our friends, who were dropping Christine off came in. Their youngest played with Nathan and Rebekah while the rest of us obsessively looked for a home movie of Christine giving herself a concussion. It was never found.....although hours later, the footage of that day was located but, I guess we didnt film the actual sled jump.

Tuesday:
About midway thru Monday, I got a call from IVC, they needed some odd paperwork for this semester. We headed over there about 1230 to take care of that then headed for girlscouts. After girlscouts, we returned home and then at 4 rebekah had another class at the Nature center. While she was in class, Christine, Nathan and I went to sprouts to get dinner which I now cant recall what it was.

Wednesday:
Christine headed to the snow with the friends from Monday. We had a pork/pepper dish from Jamie Oliver with Jasmine rice. It was pretty darn good and easy. Discussed what we would do to "tweak" the recipe next time. Ivan and Christine went down to "On Target" to meet up with a group of Shooter, that is just starting. The group is still small so, they did not find them but, I believe they had fun anyway and from what I hear, the place was colder then Running Springs, earlier that day had been. We also took the work van in for a new fuel pump (ouch)

Thursday:
Rebekah went to Grandmas for her usual once a week lesson. Grandma wants her working in a book that is 3rd/4th grade. Rebekah says it is too hard ( I agree) so, Grandma, while disappointed, work with her in another book. I picked her up, we came home for a very brief time and then headed to Christine's bass lesson. While she is at her lesson, we go across the street to a cute little park. We place a blanket and read a few chapters from whatever book we are reading this week. Then they play til it is time to go get Christine. That evening we went back to grandma's for dinner and intellegent conversation. We discuss classic books that we had read and Grandpa told us a bit about his childhood and how he traveled from Russia to Germany to Israel during the war. And also how is dad became an Eastern Orthdox priest despite being agnostic.

Friday:
Christine went to disneyland. In addtion to the normal morning video's rebekah watched "Wishbone" a few times while I was gone. (Daddy was home) We had pinwheel steak and sweet potato fries for dinner. Then headed to Disney ourselves. Where our last ride of the night, Star Tours, scared nathan so bad he peed his pants. He normally refuses to go on that ride because it scares him but decided to go this time. We only discovered this when Ivan went to put him on his shoulders. Beware should you sit in vehicle #1 row 4 2nd seat from the exit door...

Saturday:
Lazy, Lazy day. We finally got our act together and headed to Friedmans to discuss this kitchen of ours. My husband and his dad are perfectly capable of doing it but the drawing/layout part just doesnt get done. Well surfice to say IT MUST....holy cow....to pay someone to do it....um yah....I would be willing to spend that kind of money to have a nice kitchen I loved....but, I just want a kitchen I can function in, that looks nice to be sold. I dont need or want to love it.....I need a kitchen for a flip style house. Anyone know a good handy man to do it? LOL Then we stopped by my dads who lives down the street to make the ornament drop LOL My mom delivered 2 boxes of old ornaments to me on Christmas. She declared one for me, one for my brother. Well considering some were actually my dad's parents. I thought he should have some say so in the matter. My brother didnt much care. We shifted and rearranged the boxes, with some joke along the way (I decorated his house with some of the stuff....because they still live in my childhood house and some of the things always went in the same place EVERY year) I took the ornaments I had expressed that I really wanted years ago (2 of them were in my brothers box WTF?) after clearing it with my dad because, technically they are his. He said eventually they will be the two of you's anyways...I told him but your not dead yet so they are yours. I gave my brother other ornaments that belonged to my grandparents and took the Santa my mom stuck in my brothers box that I had bought her years ago with hard earned money. It was bought the first year I did not live at home. More jokes about all the junk in the garage. And home we went. When we got home, it was really too late to think about, decide and prepare dinner so, we decided to go out. Racked our brains for something and ended up at the Orange County Mining Company. We had a nice meal. I think perhaps once a month, as a family we need to go to a nice dinner. Dress up and use our manners for food.

Sunday:
This is today. My husband and his brother are at the indoor range. Something about David trying one of Ivans pistols (Christine correct me if I am wrong) because he is considering purchasing one. Right now the girls are out walking the dog. I am doing laundry and listening to endless Thomas the Tank engine DVDs. Later, Rebekah has another Archery lesson. Then Christine wants to cook fish for dinner. I did a small amount of gardening too. There are finally brocolli showing! YAH


OH and Christine's new semester starts tomorrow.

Tracking Santa

Yah a little late in the day....since Africa and Europe are already complete but, here it is anyhow....

http://www.noradsanta.org/en/home.htm

You could even turn tracking Santa into a Geography lesson if you are so inclined.


Merry Christmas!

Neat sites

(gosh dan, I hope you are happy)

My friend Tina sent this one to me

http://www.letssaythanks.com/

You can send a postcard to a soldier.

And another "feel good" site. Don't remember where I got this one

http://www.modestneeds.org/


oops need to move laundry.....

Chanukah funny

Yes, I know it is over but, I am just now cleaning out my mailbox. A friend sent this to me. I love the Gefilte fish puppet

Proper Update

Dear Blog police, AKA Dan at 0ddness....

Proper Update you say?
Since I dont really write...as mentioned in numerous blog posts and even mentioned upon original start up of blog to said Blog Police....
Here is the run down of life:

Almost finished Christmas shopping....stocking stuffers really left....something for my grandma (what do you get someone who buys whatever they want?), and my mom....she is downsizing....so getting her stuff seems silly...although her DH called me today to say she informed him she wants high thread count, white pillowcases....um ok...
My dad and my brother but they are so easy...some holiday beer or similar...coffee and Gift certificates...

We got off 5 or 6 boxes to B & C Company containing Holiday Oreos, canned tuna, magazines, cards, nuts and blank stocking with paint to write names on them. Oh and one contained a silly elf hat. We will prob continue every now and then thru the year as the group Ivan belongs to continues the project.

On the way to Park day tomorrow we will stop (the kids and I) at the OC rescue mission with Jeans mostly but some other misc clothes.....only what we can carry easily....any overflow will be taken another day. We stocked up on a clearance jean years ago....and they dont fit Ivan....some are brand new with tags....he is finally parting with them. If I had motivation, I would ebay them (they are GAP) but giving them away is better Karma anyway.

My washer is fixed so, I have been catching up on laundry.

We attended our yearly Christmas party last night. Fun as usual. Santa came, the kids were thrilled.

This week brings a Nutrition appt for the oldest...to try and learn how to manage the Hyperglycemia. And an early morning Jaunt to San Diego to see the nutcracker on stage...just me and the girls (incredible group price....totally worth the gas) We hope to get the tree up Tuesday I think....and then Disney either tues or thurs as Rebekah is dying to ride Christmas Haunted house. The kids is a Nightmare before Christmas fan.

Rebekahs birthday is next Sunday. She wants to eat at Goofy's kitchen and have a few people over for Cake and Ice cream. Not sure how we are going to do that, still working on it....

As of last week, rebekah has given up Ballet for the year. It has really been frustrating her. So she will continue with Jazz and perhaps trying Ballet next year. She is not quite, emotionally on the level yet for the class I think.

What else? No classes for Christine, finals were last week. She is registered for spring already. Also, I believe she wants to take a cooking class or two with the Parks and rec....as well as swing dance again. Need to get those off my plate as far as sign ups go.

I could make a to-do list but I bet the blog police would like that even less then my to-read list.

I need to get the charity shoot pics uploaded so, I can create the thankyou picture. And then get that off. We took about half the toys to the hospital already. Those that could be hospital supplies (crayons etc) and a small assortment right before Chanukah. I think we will take the rest on Rebekahs birthday.

Also, on this weeks list is some baking....I have ready made sugar cookie dough for cookie cutting, need to make chex mix....and I dont know what else. We will get there.

yep I think that is it for now.