New School report

Last Tuesday was Cirriculum Night at the school. You got to your child's classroom and see what they are learning about. I am delighted to report that while the 12 YO is not popping out of bed smiles and sunshine, he is still happy. He did get caught putting off his homework one weekend until late on Sunday. I talked to his Language Arts teacher who said he's doing well and participating in class.

Friday night, the local Catholic H.S. had a dance for 7th and 8th graders. He enjoyed himself so much he wants to go back to another this Friday.

We bugged him yesterday asking if he homework was done. He swore it was. I told him that as long as his grades stay good that we will stay out of his business, but if he starts to have trouble, we would be all over him.

The 7 YO is enjoying himself. He got his cast off Friday. I gave his hands and arm a proper scrub right there at the sink in the examining room. We are all so happy he can bathe himself again. He's excited for his birthday on Thursday.

I stay out of his business pretty much too. Yes he's only in second grade, but everytime I quiz him on his spelling words, he knows them. I looked over a bunch of papers he had in his take home folder (On the "keep at home" side). When he got things wrong it was usually a stupid mistake, proably from going too fast. He gets that honestly.

He grew a lot over the summer. At the end of the school year, size 8s were too big. I took him shopping yesterday and got him 2 pairs of size 10 pants.

He abhores silence

Saturday we are leaving my niece's soccer game and going to meet my parents at the local pizza joint for lunch. The Seven year old says "So Mom, what's for Dinner tonight"

I feel the frustration rise in me. This kid is always asking about his meals, He always wants to eat.

Me: We are on our way to lunch and you are asking about dinner? I don't really know. (Deep, calming Breath) Are you asking becasue you want to know or are you asking to have something to talk about?

7YO: I'm asking to have something to talk about.

Phone Calls from Mom

While my phone calls with Mom are not as good as Everyday Mommy's or even Boo Mama's, I enjoyed this one Friday night:

My folks were in town for their 45th HS reunion. Since my parents went to Gender-specific schools, Friday night was informal, Sat was a formal dance for all three schools. So Mom calls me form the restaurant (bar?) they were at.

Mom: (lot's of noise in the background)What's my email address?
Me: No Mom, it's RJsmith* at Yahoo
Mom: bSmith* at cris?
me: No Mom R. J. (Robert, Judith) at yahoo?
Mom: Oh yes, he changed it so it's Rsmith at yahoo
Me: NoNoNo! R J
Mom: Ok R J at Yahoo, Ok I've got it. Bye.

I thik she probably hung up the phone turned to the lady next to her and said "Man she is just like her father"

Menu Plan Monday - Sept 10th

I haven't played in a while, but I do have a well-stocked freezer now after moving.

Mon - London Broil
Tues - (School Open House) Grilled Chicken Breasts. - My boys are starting to appreciate spice rubs now.
Wed - Sirloin tip roast in the crockpot. We'll slice it and eat with crusty bread.
Thurs - Spaghetti
Fri - Leftovers.

This past Saturday I picked up my Market Day order. Market day is a program here int he Mid west where schools orchestrate a sale of frozen food. The schools keep 5% of the profits. Money-wise We could probably get some things a little cheaper, but being able to make a purchase once a month and stock my freezer is wonderful. It is becasue of this program that I plan my meals the way I do. Monday - Ground beef night. Even if I don't know what I will do with the ground beef, I know Sunday night as I am cleaning up from dinner that I need to pull a chub (or two) of ground beef out of the freezer. Tuesday tend to be Chicken night....

Market Day does carry a lot of pre-made foods. I tend to stick with the plain meats: Chubs of Ground beef, Frozen shrimp, turkey cutlets... Their chicken steaks are popular, but thee is something about theen I am not partiularly fond of. We get their frozen veggies and snack foods. If you have an opportunity to try them, I would encourage it. It does simplyful meal time for me many nights of the week.
So Blogger is not allowing me to upload Laura's new banner. But for more recipes, check out her blog.

Trouble

You know you are in trouble when youa re sitting in the chair with you bare feet in the air and the Podiatrist walks in and says "Those are some mightly flat feet you have there."

Ah yes, and Please make them stop hurting.

She is sending me for an MRI. I have in inflamed tendo that has been a problem off and on for over a year. (This is a different doctor in the practice than the one I was seeing.) The Orthodics have not healed it. So she wants to see what is up. Is the tendon torn?

Make New Friends...

Friendships are hard for me. I tend to speak my mind and I like to produce some mild drama. (I try to be aware of it.) However, I think that that my turn some people off. I have a hard time nurturing close friendships. I had such a friend in high school. Or maybe I thought I did. This friend loves to be a part of a large group of friend. Not exactly my scene, but I played along.

It just dawned on me this weekend that I am on her D-list of friends. I have been fooling myself for the past 13 years or so, since I was pregnant with my first child. She had a hard time with that. It was what she wanted so much in the world and she did not have it, so she pulled away. Ok, I dealt with that. She developed a new, deep friendship to someone I introduced her too, Ok, I could deal with that. She became engaged. Cool I thought. Maybe we can do some activities as couples. So I invite her and her new man to my house for cards. She felt sorry for the third friend and invited her along. She wanted to spare S. feeling and yet she crushed mine. This was the one incident I have not been able to get over. It’s been probably 5 years. But this weekend, she and S. were so close to my house for another event that they could have spit on it. I was home, but they “did not have time” to stop by and say hi. Once again I allow myself to be hurt.

I have decided that I am no longer willing to allow her actions to hurt me. If I no longer have high expectations, I will no longer have my feelings crushed. I do not plan to cut the friendship off, but I will not initiate contact anytime soon. It’s sad, but I actually feel better. Time to go off and see about meeting new people.

Oh Happy days!

School has started and boy can I see a difference int he attitude of the 12 YO. He is happy. He says school is going well and he has made friends. I feel bad for having him change schools when he was int he last one since Kindergarten. The new school is also K-12. However, he is a bit of a geeky kid and earned such a reputation. I'm sure the kids remember how he acted the day in second grade when we changed to an ineffective ADHD medication or the time he....

We told him this was an opportunity to be a new person. His new classmates have no memories of him. Yesterday I called to get him into the advanced band at school.

He is popping out of bed and getting dressed without being reminded. A gentile reminder to brish his teeth or clean up from his breakfast are a nice respite from the nagging I was doing at the end of last year.

On the other hand, there is the 7 YO. He's having trouble getting up. However I think he's pretty happy. He likes his teacher and has friends at school.

Menu Plan Monday/Back to school

I have not participated in several weeks. Shame on me. But school started today so Time to get back into a schedule\

Mon - Meatloaf (Mixed and wiating int he fridge for someone to bake it.

Tues - Chicken Breasts

Wed - Pork Chops

Thurs - Beef Tip roast

Fri - Tuna Noodle Casserole

For more great Menus and organizing tips check out Laura's blog

Here are my boys getting on the bus. It arrived 13 minutes after the Time I was told it was scheduled. The Public high school bus came, then the Freshman bus came - Imagine a public school district so large, it has 2 high schools, East and West plus a freshman high school.

Generation gap

This was drawn by my 7 YO. I want to draw your attention to the spelling of the comment by the stick man in the cart. (Wii)

Small world

The new school the boys are going to has a program where they have an experienced Mom in the school contact a new Mom. The "Buddy" can then answer questions about the school, the PTO, etc. Great idea. I got a call from min Sunday night. She has a 7th grade boy. We arranged to my for ice cram Monday night and she brought 2 of her son's friends. They will all be in the same homeroom as my 12YO.

Turns out my buddy (S.) and I have a lot in common. She grerw up in my hometown, 50 mile North of here. She graduated from the High School that is the rival to my Alma Mater. She had heard of my Uncle (one of the 17 Aunts, Uncles and Cousin's who have graduated from that school) She works outside the home as a programmer/Project Manager. Where as I manage email servers and email adminstrators. We talked about how she is studying for her PMP Certification which I got 2 years ago. We could not have been more compatible.

Oh yes, she is co-chair for the Market Day program. Something I did for 2 years at the old school. (Before I became insane and was the Director of the Wrestling club for 2 years).

I would be thrill if this developed into a friendship.

Moving is expensive...

I try to be very conscienous about the way I spend my hard earned money. But here it is, the middle of the month, and I have about $200 to make it to payday at the end of the month. That money is for my gas, household groceries and my spending money.

The 7yo threw a fit this morning asking why I could not take him to McD's for breakfast. Heck, I'd rather spring for ice cream. But before we moved, we would indulge in a once a week trip via the drive through. Of course we are not traveling 45 minutes to the YMCA for day camp any more. Not it's more like 17 minutes.

What have I spent my money on? Organizing "stuff" bins, baskets and the like. We also went gained an extra bath that needed a shower curtain, rug, soap dish. Both bath tups are slippery, so they needed bath mats. They there is the food. We cleaned out the freezer and the pantry. Those need to be stocked back up with sales goods.

I had to buy a wireless network card for the computer int he basement. The router went on the first floor and we were not about to pull a cable.

Now it's back to school time. Uniforms, the 12 YO requires a gym uniform. School supplies. I may need to get Hubby to pay for the first week of school lunches.

Then there is the school tuition. I have requested a disbursement of funds from the education fund, but they have not arrived. I sure hope it arrives beforme the next payment is due the first of next month.

I still want to build shelves in the basement. Shelves to store holiday decorations, my craft and sewing supplies, and all that other stuff we tend to keep in the basement.

Now I am about to count my pennies to go get a cup of coffee.

Things are better...

So there are things that money can buy: a car repair for one. So sort of Idle-air intake valve went bad. So it is fixed and my car runs again. Hubby made a comment "So maybe that was the reason for your complaint that your car was not "running right" that I ignored. (Gotta love a man who admits his mistakes like that. Yes, earlier in the summer I complained that the engine was "rev-ing" far too long after I removed my foot-to-the-floor posture I was using on my trek up and down I-75 for far too many miles (Before the move).

I have not sent the 7yo back to Daycamp this week. He gets stronger everyday and he's starting to get fiesty. But it has been so danged hot here in SW Ohio and with him not being able to swim, I imaginged that daycamp would be tourture. So I have left the 12YO brother in charge. I did relent and allow them to go to the neighbors to play yesterday. They both went. I'm sure the 12Yo was packing an XBOX controller so he could play with the younger boys. Yesterday after coming home, the 7yo complained that he and his brother were "yelling at each other a lot."

A little while later, the 7yo Drama King came back. During the whole ordeal of the broken arm and surgery, Drama King stayed home. It was amazing. But last night I was awarded a tearful performance of the old play "Everybody at Daycamp is mean to me." I'm not sure what brings this up, but it seems to happen ever 3 months or so. He does nto like what he is doing and wants to change. We look into it and he is making a mountain out of a molehill. He only has 2 more weeks of daycamp. He has loved it so far and this is the first complaint. I did assure him that he most likely would not be in that program next year.

When will it end?

So I'm all ready to go to work today. The boys are settled, DS12 has agreed to be the babysitter and has a list of phone numbers and another list of do's and don'ts.

Guess what, my car will not stay running. I start it and it stalls. So before 9:00 am I have found a repair shop close to my house, called a towing company. My car was loaded on a flat bed and I have a reciept for just under $70 for towing my car about 2 miles. Who knows what the repair will be.

It's a good thing I am a state employee with a gazillion sick days and a Gazillion +1 vacation days.

Overheard this weekend

7yo: Mom, can you get me some chips?
Mom: You can get them yourself, It's your arm that is broken, not your leg.


I mean, if he's going to eat potato chips, he should have to expend a little amount of energy to get them, right? Besides, he needs to give his eyes a break from all the TV-watching and Video game playing.

A boy and his arm

The boy's surgery went well. Were got home at 2:00 PM. He puked at 4:00 PM, but has been eating ever since. he just asked for Orange juice. I offered 7-UP. He got some water.

He cannot understand why I won't let him go find his friend next door or let him invite the friend over.

I have been away from work 8-1/2 days out of the last 10 business days. My blackberry has gotten quite a workout. While I have the sick and vaction time, i feel like I do need to show my face in the office for at least half days next week. The Doctor was unsure about sending the injured boy back to Daycamp, but I am going to call them to see if they have accomodations for a boy who cannot swim. If on friday their field trip involves water (today's was a trip to the local waterpark) I can keep him home.

New Church

I went and registered with our new Parish on Wednesday. They asked for a fmaily picture. I could not find one. (I'm sure my Mom took one at Christmas, but I don't have a copy). So Hubby went and found the tripod and we went out on the deck and took these.

It is interesting, the last two parishes I have been members of are the two largest parishes in the entire Archdiocese. One was the one I grew up in, went to school at and was married at. We still attend occasional Masses there as my brother and his family go there. Then the one just ot the North we were members of for 13 years. I had been an Extraordinary Eucharistic minister for 9 or 10 years, both the boys were baptized there. As a matter of fact, My grandfather had been a member of that parish and his funeral was there.

I had a nice chat with the Director of Adult faith formation at St. Michael's, the new parish. She said this new one is average sized for the Archdiocese. This is a new experience for me. We did have someone stop us after Mass and comment about Hubby's license plates. There are from his alma mater, the Catholic University 50 miles to the North where we just moved from.

Catholic parishes, they are the same, yet they are all different. I am looking forward to this new experience.

What is it about my boys and getting close to turning 8?

My Now 12 Yo. He was climbing over a fence and fell and broke his arm. This is his First Communion picture. He had to have surgery to pin the bones back in place. This was within weeks of his 8th Birthday.

This is my 7 Yo. His birthday is in 7 weeks. He fell of the Monkeybars and broke his elbow. He is scheduled for surgery on Friday to pin his bones together.

I had to call Hubby after the daycare called. I was on the other side of campus. We were going to take him to a close hospital, but when he got to the Y, he said it looked so much like the older boy's that he decided to swing by home and pick me up and go back down to the local Children's hospital rather than getting sent there from the other hospital.

Actually, the boy we have dubbed our "Drama king" was quite stoic. He kept saying it did not hurt that much. But knowing him and how he looked, he was in some pain. The nurse said that his vitals were telling her that he had some pain. His respirations and heartrate came down after he was given some pain meds. He did not flinch when they put an IV in his hand.

Menu Plan Monday - July 30

I'm actually a day early. I'm still working on getting the new house put together. A lot has been accomplished since Hubby has been home over the weekend.

But as to the meals, It's a little loose becasue with moving, cash has become short until my Tuesday payday. And before moving we really ate down the pantry and the freezer. I did spend $12 at a local farmer's market. I told my boys we are eating corn on the cob until we are sick of it since it is corn on the cob season.

Sunday - Leftover BBQ Pulled pork sandwiches, MAc and cheese, Corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes and baby carrots.

Monday - Chicken pot pie (Bisquick recipe).

Tuesday - We have Minor League Baseball tickets. Dinner will be out.

Wednesday - Spaghetti

Thursday - Another baseball game

Friday - Pizza

For more great Menus, check out Laura's blog

My Childhood home

My Childhood home

We moved 3 times when I was in grade school. It is the middle house the floods me with memories. We lived in it for less than 2 years. But it was May when I was in First Grade when we moved there and it was December when I was in Third Grade when we moved to the next house.

This house is coming up even more in my memories because I am moving my family to within 5 miles of that house this weekend. My youngest son is the age I was when I lived in this house. It was a ranch with a basement – a walk out basement, through the garage. The Upstairs had 3 bedrooms, a bath a living room, kitchen, breakfast nook and a family room. Oh and a half bath. The basement had another kitchen in it. But the rest was unfinished. My brother and I would roller skate (the old metal over the shoes type that you needed a roller skate key for. The basement was a bit dark. There was a full bath down there. It really had one working light. Probably because My parents were not down there much. The Toilet was black and the tile was all different colors. Dad said the guy who built it was a tile layer and used leftovers for this bathroom.

The bedrooms had hardwood floors and there was a 2 sided fireplace between the living room and the family room. There was a large patio out back. It was at this house that my parents started throwing big parties. Well, with Mom’s 10 brother’s and sisters coming of age, and the fact that Mom was a nurse in the Emergency room working with people who needed to blow off steam, our house was a great spot for parties. This patio has a built in brick grill.

The back yard has a flat area, a hill and another flat area, almost like it had been terraced. I have heard stores of a mud- volleyball game at the top.

But then, the plant Dad worked at closed down and he got a new job back in the city 50 miles to the North. So we moved.

For more stores, Check out Mary’s blog

The big day has arrived

This afternoon this house will belong to us (and the bank).

Menu Plan Monday - July 16

Closing on the new house is Thursday. Yipee. Goodbye long commute! I have cleaned out and unplugged the freezer. I have been pretty successful and eating down the contents. I went to the Grocery and spent lass than $20.00. That was on fresh milk (only 1/2 gallon though), celery, cucumber and the snack foods for the 7 YO's packed lunch, He claims he gives away the fruit I pack him. Sigh! It's all highly sugared, processed crap! I guess I jsut need to watch his breakfasts and dinners. Anyways, the rest of our meals are from food in the fridge and the pantry.

Mon - Salisbury steak (last 2 lbs of ground beef)
Tues- Stuffed Chicken breast (purchased from MArketDay) We have a mix of Broccoli and cheese and Italian.
Wed - Tuna and Noodle casserole

Thurs is closing day. I am planning to eat out. Same with Friday. Saturday we are going to a Graduation party picnic after my new refridgerator arrives.

Sun- Moving day - I picked up a whole pork tenderloin and will make BBQ pulled pork for sandwiches.

For more great Menus, Check out Laura's blog

Guilt, It does a Mom good

Yesterday I let my 12 Yo go to a movie that I usually would not let him go to. Although it would not bother his Dad at all. You see, His two buddies int he neighborhood were going to see "Live Free or Die Hard." It is rated PG-13. The three boys were being dropped off too. I like to carefully consider what I allow my kids to see. But Dad, he'll let them play Halo on the XBox. "Shudder".

But we are moving in a week. The boy will have to make new friends. I want to ease the burden as much as possible. Or rather I did not want it to start for a few more days becasue Mom would not give him money and permission to go see a movie. Rated PG-13 and aafter all, he is 12.

But I do remember, at a 4th of July party, my Aunt, a second Grade school teacher, saying that she saw the movie and she enjoyed it. I never pegged her for the action movie-sort. So I gave him $10 and sent him on his way.

He wants to go see HArry Potter tonight, but I know Dad wants to go see it also. (I still have not watched "The Goblet of Fire yet." And since the other boy is only 7, nowhere close to 13, he will not be seeing it until it coomes out on DVD and we bring home the DVD. Sigh!

Closing time, one more call...

So many people have songs playing when they go to their Blogs. So close your eyes and imagine "Closing Time."

I have not gotten a lot packed since my last post. But we have closing times and dates set. We are exercising our writing hands for the closing on our new house Next Thursday at 1:00 PM. I already put in for a half day of vacation. Even though we allowed the sellers to wit until Saturday to give occupancy, they will hand over keys at closing. Hubby will be calling the utility companies to have the service transferred to us. I will be loading up my car with stuff to move in Thursday afternoon.

Maybe I will take a Sharpie and a bunch of post-it notes and plan out where to put things in my kitchen. My MIL said she would be there, but she was not sure how much moving (ie: lifting and carrying) she could do. I'd be happy if she unpacked my kitchen, but she will want me to tell her where to put everything. Then I will plan for other things. Like my craft area.

Menu Plan Monday

Mon - (Baseball at 6:00) - I neglected to plan for this. It will be up to Hubby

Tues - Burgers on the grill (Frozen bubba burgers), Mac and Cheese or backed beans

Wed - Turkey cutlets, topped with stuffing and gravy - I'll have the 12 Yo put in the oven. No wait, I'll set up the crok pot and have him take the crok from the fridge an have him place the liner in and turn it on for 6 hours.

Thurs - MEat Loaf

Friday - Spaghetti with Italian sausage.

For more great recipes, visit Laura

Moving update

As far as we know, we are on schedule to close ont he new house on the 16th of this month. We are expecting to get occupancy on the 21st. The 22nd is moving day.

I was lent a bunch of moving boxes form a co-worker who moved from several states away. While a wonderful gift, many of the boxes are too big for the things I am trying to pack. I have obtained copy paper boxes from my office (I have three that need to go home today). I also went and purchased some file boxes. Stacks of boxes are starting to dot the various rooms.

It is amazing how fast the entire family reverted to our slobish ways. I no longer swiffert he bathrooom floor on a daily basis. We are forever leaving things sitting on the kitchen table, shoes are left everywhere and dishes are not being promptly put away. I enjoyed having a clean house, but I was driving myself nuts. (And taking the family along with me).

On a positive note, since the local Cable company has a Monopoly on the South West portion of Ohio, the same group of people manage the old community as well as the new community. So we will be able to pack up our equipment and set it back up at the new house. And even though the current owners have a sattilite dish for TV, they have cable internet. We have the Cable, Phone and High speed internet option. We will not have to change our email address (Yipee!), but we will get a new phone number (it is a different area code after all). I guess we call them a week ahead so that they can get everything set up and we should be able to plug and play, at least for the Internet and phone.

Hubby has managed to remove the swing set. (That was in the contract.) He did do some cleaning up in the garage. He still has a lot of packing to do of his workbench area. Sigh. The Craft stuff is definitely mine, but why am I the only one worried about cleaning and packing the bathroom, kitchen and file cabinet?

Menu Plan Monday -July 2

My 12 YO came home from Camp G&G (Grandma and Grandpa's) yesterday. Unfortunately for him, he came almost a week early. My Dad has a ruptured disk in his back and we expect him to go for surgery soon. Thus they will not be able to come home for my cousin's wedding this weekend. The 12YO agreeded to be a server at the Wedding Mass. This weekend was the best way to get him. We met half way. It is good to have him home. Now he is available to put a prepared dinner casserole in the oven or even to put the crockpot on for me.

But for this week's menu:

Monday - Leftovers - Pizza, Cheeseburger sloppy joes before the 7yo's baseball gamE

Tuesday - Turket cutlets topped with dressing and turkey gravy

Wednesday - Independence day - Picnic at my cousins - I will take a layered salad and a dessert

Thursday - Chicken Breasts - Maybe kebobs.

Friday - Italian sausage

Have a great week. For more menus visit Laura at I'm an Organization Junkie.

Menu Plan Monday - June 25

Last week was a bust. I think Hubby and my 7 YO grabbed sandwiched on Monday before baseball. The rest of the week it was out because of the House hunting and Moving. So now that we have a contract to sell as well as a contract to buy, the fun begins.

I made an inventory of the stuff from the freezer and hope to eat it all up before moving. We have quite a few Stuffed Chicken breasts from Market day. I have 8 Turkey Cutlets, Italian sausage, a package of Bubba burgers, a package of chicken breasts....

Mon - Baseball - Sandwiches

Tues - Work Concession stand if no one else volunteers..

Wed - Baseball

Thursday - Home inspection on the house we are buying

Friday....

So I'm not even going to try this week.

For more (and better) menu ideas, visit Laura.

Woo-hoo! a contract accepted!

So after deciding that the sellers of the first house we were interested in did not seem very interested in selling their house to us, we looked again and found a better, and less expensive house. The offer has been accepted.

So today we started to pack some stuff into a box. We will be eating off Tupperware plates and drinking out of plastic cups. I packed my pottery and glasses. This should not be a problem.

Walking away

So we placed a bid on a house we liked. We felt pressured to find a house to move into because we have to be out of our current house July 26 - Closing date. The idea of moving our stuff more than once was horrifying.

To put it simply, the buyers were being a bit of a pain in our book. So we have decided to apply our house-buying dollars elsewhere. It fels so liberating! We are scheduled to look at another 4 houses this afternoon.

Drivers 10 Commandments

So the Vatican issued a list of 10 Commandment for drivers.

Excepts from CNN

'Drivers' Ten Commandments'

The "Drivers' Ten Commandments," as listed by the document, are:
1. You shall not kill.
2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.
4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.
5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.
6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.
7. Support the families of accident victims.
8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.
10. Feel responsible toward others.


And it suggested prayer might come in handy -- performing the sign of the cross before starting off and saying the Rosary along the way. The Rosary was particularly well suited to recitation by all in the car since its "rhythm and gentle repetition does not distract the driver's attention."

Wow! I may be a bit ahead of things. The post describes my attempt to combat road rage and those self-defeating negative thoughts by praying the Rosary.

Is the world becoming a bit sad the the Vatican feels the need to develop this list?

Menu Plan Monday

So it was a busy weekend. We signed a contract to sell our house Thursday night and went house hunting Saturday and Sunday. We had done enough looking that we were able to zero in on our First choice neighborhood. So we found a house we really liked that meets our budget. The 12YO went to stay with Grandma and Grandpa for the next three weeks.

Mon - Baseball game - A will eat his pizza leftover from last night's dinner out

Tues- Most likely be out since we plan to take one last tour of a house we are going to submit a bid on. See this post for the story.

Wed - 6:00 Baseball - Turkey Sandwiches.

Thursday - Meatloaf

Friday - Some sort of Chicken breasts.

For more great menus, check out Laura's blog.

House Hunters - Madcap style

So have you ever whateched "House Hunters" on HGTV? After showing a couple look at three houses, the announcer says something like: " So Which one will they choose, The Traditional budget buster with all the room, the well-priced two-story with wite carpet, or the smaller home with the screened-in porch.

So we plan to submit an offer on the well-priced two story.

We had visited 5 houses Saturday and found the Budget-buster. It was within the range Hubby had expanded our search to, but the A/C was not working. Mr. HVAC wanted to tour the house with it working right. But then a funny thing happened. He started getting cold feet about spending that much on a house. Mr. We-can-afford-that-payment.... We looked at two others on Sunday. The 7 YO was with us (not happily). He liked the Home with the screened-in porch. It was in a different school district than the other two and thus had higher taxes. It was a bit smaller. Especially the Kitchen. (Our kids will be attedning a Parochial school). A drawback on our chosen house it storage space for DH's tools. There are no outbuilding allowed re: Home Owner's association - but a big pool. So everthing will have to go in the basement. But it has the almost light carpet throughout. So we may have to alter the basement a bit.

We have a contract on our house

Our real estate agent came over about 10 PM for us to sing the papers. Yipee. We will come out slight on the negative side of the money equation, but we knew it would be close. I think we will mkae up the difference in saved gas expenses over the next year or so.

So now the house hunt begins in earnest. We have been in contact with an agent. She sent a list of 44 houses that meet our criteria. I put 22 of them in the NO pile becasue we had seen them and did not like them or they did not have Gas heat. There are 22 left. I picked out 5 and requests showing of them tomorrow. They are all in the same subdivision. I will have Hubby go through the rest of them for possible showings Sunday or even next week.

My Commute and my boys

So I drive 50 miles one-way to work. See this post and this post for reasons.

But now that my boys are out of school, I am taking the 7yo to Daycamp at a YMCA about half way for me. Yesterdy morning we are about 25 minutes into the drive and he asks "When are we going to get there? I am tired of riding." I guess he thinks if he's going to be int eh car for more that 20 minutes he'd better be going someplace exciting, like Grandma and grandpa's (That's about a 9 Hour drive) or to Chicago to see the other Grandpa (5 hours) or even to Uncle Bill's (about 50 miles). I just can't belive him. But he's also the boy who walks into the kitchen where there are 2 analog clocks and three digital and demand to know what time it is.

My 12 YO is riding all the way with me. He is attending Baseball camp in the morning and hanging out in my office in the evening. Last night on the way home, he observed: " Only 4 more days of this"

Me: "Of what, hanging out in my office?"
12YO: "No, riding in the car this long."

Sigh. I could at least hope for some empathy or appreciation of what I have been going through for the past year.

Menu Plan Monday - June 11, 2007

Hi All, This morning was a logistical nightmare getting the 7YO to the new YMCA for daycamp, picking up 2 carpoolers, parking, hopping a campus shuttle to take my 12 YO to baseball camp and getting back in time for a meeting.

Anyways here is the meal plan:

Monday - Salisbury Steak
Tuesday - Chicken pot pie
Wednesday - (Baseball game at 6:00) - Probably drive through
Thursday - Steaks on the grill
Friday - Pizza with my cousin from out of town.

For more menu ideas, Check out Org junkie

Menu Plan Monday

I missed last week's post. Still showing the house. I'm ready to move after school is out this week.

Mon - Ground beef night - Dad's Choice

Tues- Chicken - Chicken Potpie from leftover chicken from Saturday's beer can chicken

Wed - (Late Baseball game) - Turkey Cutlets

Thurs - Chicken Kabobs

Friday - Homemade Pizza

For more Menu's visit Laura's Blog

Happy Friday

Hey Blogville,

We have 3 and 1/2 more days of school after today. The 12YO has a full-blown case of Summer-itis. His teacher said that this is not uncommon for kids who will be going to a different school next year. He just flat out does not want to complete his homework.

The last 11 weeks have been difficult first with Dad changing job and his start time so that the morning routine was turned upside down. Then the house went on the Market and we made plans to move him away from the school he has been in since Kindergarten, the only house and neighborhood he has known, the friends... Keeing his room presentable has been a mighty challenge for him, but he has rose admirably to it. Before last night it had been a full 10 days since I last asked "How many times do we have to tell you the house hunters look in closets to see how much room they have? You cannot hide stuff in the closet." The week after school is out he will be going to Baseball camp in the morning and hanging out in Mom's office in the afternoon. Then he is going to stay with Grandma and Grandpa at their lake house for three weeks. He did express a concern that we might move while he is gone, but I told him once and I need to tell him again, that moving takes time and we are willing to fly him home if it comes down to it.

Meanwhile, this week has been a little slow. We did have someone come view it on Wednesday. Of course I forgot to open the blinds in the bedroom.

Have a great weekend!

Taking it easy

Yesterday I had to go into work early for an 8:00 Class. So the Dad got the boys off to school. But that meant I picked up the 7YO at the Y after school care.

7 YO: "Mom, do we have anything we have to do tonight?"
Me: "Nope, we are open tonight."
7 Yo "Oh Good, that means we can sit back and take it easy tonight."

He was not happy when that meant doing his 1st Grade math homework while dinner was bieng fixed. He wanted to play with his buddy across the street.

Menu Plan Monday - May 21, 2007

Well, If not calmer, life is a little more predictable. The 12YO's baseball season is over. He played for his school team. They ended up 7-5-1 (a tie because time ran out). But last week the & YO's league began. But his games are fixed to Mon and Wed nights and there are no more practices. So that is actually quite a bit relief on the ole schedule. But there is still the matter of the house being on the market and working to keep it showable.

Next year Dad needs to choose to caoch one or the other. Especially if he follows through on going back to school for his masters degree. My job benefits at the big State U offers full tuition remission. We'd have to pay books and fees, and taxes on the tuition benefits if they get too high, but it is a wonderful benefit.

So here is the menu:

Mon - Baseball - Fast food or sandwiches

Tues- Turkey cutlets, stuffing mix and gravy in a casserole

Wed - Baseball - Fast food or sandwiches

Thurs - Meatloaf - Dad may play golf after work

Fri - Chicken breasts on the grill.

For more great menus, visit Laura's blog

Funnies

My MIL emailed this picture (along with others) with the caption of "How to tell if a Catholic is driving too fast."

I have written in a WFMW post about how I say the Rosary on my commute home.

My Response: The swinging Rosary is why I keep mine in my cup holder… It is my low tech solution to road rage. Ever said 10 Hail Mary’s through gritted teeth? When It’s really bad I pause and call someone a bad name and then worry about a lightning strike.

In saying the Fatima Prayer, I sometimes feel like shouting "Lead all Souls to Heaven ESPECIALLY THOSE IN NEED OF YOUR MERCY. "

Dear Lord, Please watch over my MIL during this difficult time in her life. Help her to make the right decisions for herself and her daughter. Provide her comfort and lead her back to you.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - The 7 YO has baseball M & W starting today. So it will be sandwiches - Roast, Beef, Ham or Pulled pork

Tuesday - Crunch day - the 12 YO has a band concert at 7:00. Dad has to work late too, Mom will be rushing home to get the boys. Casserole the 12 YO can put int he oven.

Wednesday - More baseball - Both boys play tonight. It's the 12 YO second to last game. More Sandwiches.

Thursday - No activities - Chicken breasts on the grill

Friday - Picnic for a Birthday party. Woo-hoo.

For more menu ideas see Laura's blog.

Mother's Day - 6th Grade style

Yesterday I took a vacation day. It was the day of the Annula Sixth Grade Mother's Day Mass. And it was lovely. Each student had a role to play. My Son played the drum for the recessional hymn.

The the reception aftwards, the students served their mothers donuts and coffee. There was a gift bag at each place in eash bag was a lovely hand knotted small rosary (one decade size). The students made them. Along side was a sheet on how to pray the rosary. I am thrilled to pieces with it and will cherish it as much as I cherish my other Rosary that was the decoration on my First Communion cake.

Last Sunday we attended a First Communion party for my cousin. (When your Monther is second of 11 children, you have cousins close to the age of your children.) The same Aunt who made my cake made my cousin's. I told her that I still have my Roasary. She smiled.

Menu Plan monday

Hi All,

This week's Menu:

Monday - Fast food (DS12 has a Baseball game a 6:00)

Tuesday - Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes (2 lbs ground beef, envelope of dry onion soup mix and a jar of Ragu Cheddar cheese sauce.)

Wednesday - Turkey Cutlets

Thursday - Homemade Pizza

Friday - Chicken Breasts

Now if we have a dinnertime showing of the house, all bet are off. For more Menus Check out Laura's blog

The House

So here are some of the pictures taken by our Realtor. First is the front of the house, the living room, the kitchen and the breakfast nook/dining area.

I have become obsessive about keeping the place clean and clutter-free. I am a piler. I have gotten rid of all of my piles. Last night I read a magazine and immediately put it in the recycle bin. It made me a bit sad. Silly I know, but I enjoy my few magazines. The tend to sit around for a few months.

And my kitchen counters. Oh, No bread sitting out, no dish drainer. I wash my pots, dry them and put them away. I have been enptying the dishwasher when DS12 is not available so i do not have to leave dished int he sink. I sweep my floors regularly. I miss my books sitting around just waiting for my to pick them up. I like to have a lot fo things going at once. I am afraid of starting something. What if we get a call and someone wants to see the house RIGHT NOW? Sigh.

It's not really a home anymore. It feels like a hotel for me. Only without the maids.

Being the coach's wife

To the parent who for the second game in a row, stood behind me a complained about the coach. Don't you know I'm his wife? Don't you relize I can hear every word you say? Do you care the the coach's Mom is sitting next to me?

Then when I ask you to please refrain from making complaint in my earshot becasuse it is frustrsting for me to listen to it when I know how he struggles to create a lineup that is fair, don't complain that you are frustrated with the coaching. Where were you at the beginning of the year when he begged for help? Well, let me tell you, you can take the job next year!

Menu Plan Monday on Tuesday

Oops, I missed Menu Plan Monday - My 12 YO stayed home due to allergies. I'm glad becasue I had a sinus headach that would not quit. But we are better today.

This week is grill out so as not to smell up the kitchen. LOL!

Mon- Burgers on the grill, baked beans, green beans

Tues - DS12 has a baseball game - Fast food night - Note: house showing between 6 & 7

Wed - Chicken breasts on the grill. I'll find somethign to marinate them in.

Thurs - Pork Chops on the grill

Fri - Homemade pizza

Visit Laura for more menus.

So we had 2 showing of the house over the weekend and 2 more scheduled for today. I do feel like I am living in a hotel. I like to leave things sitting out. I'm afraid to do a whole lot other than sit and watch TV. Can't mess anything up in case someone wants to vie the house. LOL!

Selling a House - ADHD style

So two of the members of our household have been officially diagnosed as ADHD. At least one other member could be ADD (No Hyper). The 7 YO does not seem to have these types of difficulties. For the most part we are all "out of site, out of mind" people. We are pilers.

All of this is a great disadvantage when trying to sell a house. All of the the information about staging a house says

• get rid of clutter
• clear off the counters so people can see how much space there is.
• Remove excess furniture (but where to we put stuff)
• Keep everything cleaned up.

Boy is this hard. Fortunately I was raised by a Mom who might be a tad OCD about clean houses and stuff out of site. So I can do it. I know what to look for. But when Hubby rolls his eyes at me when I told him I took his Pajamas off the hook in the batheroom and put them under his pillow. He does not see what difference putting the pajamas out of site makes.

Or drying the stainless steel sink, or hiding the change he pulls out of his pockets everynight. ..

Since today is Friday and Hubby only has to work a half a day. He sleeps in uh, allows me to start work at 7 AM. I am worried he did not make sure the kitchen towels were placed on the holder in the cabinets, the table was wiped off from breakfast and the toothpaste was rinsed out of the bathroom sink - wait, he often forgets to make the boys brush their teeth in the morning...

My front yard...

It's about the crumbling driveway... But we are on the market.

Book Give away

Overwhelmed with Joy , one of the ten or so people who read my blog, wrote a reivew on a couple of books for kids written by Randy Alcorn. The first is Wait Until Then and the Second is Heaven for Kids. They sound pretty interesting.

Sign up for it.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday (Baseball Practice)- Pot roast _ put it int he crockpot Saturday for after baseball, but the boys finally won after getting beat twice. So it was off for Chicken wings.

Tuesday (6:00 Baseball game) - Beef tip roast in crockpot eaten on sandwiches

Wednesday (Realtor coming) - Not-sagna - from Rachael Ray. My son wanted Lasagna. Rachels is a 30 minute meal.

Thursday (6:00 Baseball game) - Leftover beef tip roast sandwiches

Friday - Mom goes to Girls night out (appetizers and desserts) Dad and boys are on their own.

Works For Me Wednesday

It's been a while since I've played along, but I came across soemthing I do that is helpful to me. I have been preparing my house to sell and move. So I have been purging a lot. Actually, I am on the calling lists of both the local AMVETS and Vietnam Veterans organizations that do pickups. So about ever 4-6 weeks I get a call. I keep a box in my basement utility room, right inside the boor that is my donations box. Anytime I come across something in good condition that I no longer have a use for, it goes int he donate pile or donate box. Then when I get a call, I make the pick-up date on my calendar. On the appropriate day I set the donate box on the front porch.

A pile for my donations works for me. Visit Shannon for more great tips and ideas.

It's all in the name...

So my oldest turned 12 last week. He has a nice strong male name. His first name is my father's, his middle name is Hubby's fathers (Along with Hubby's middle name, along with our 7 YO's Middle name). But the point of this is his first name. We can him by a common nickname, I believe they call it the diminutive. (You know, where you add a Y, like Jimmy, Billy, Tommy, Bobby). But since his birthday, I have been dropping the Y (Jim, Bill, Tom, Bob). It's like in my mind, he tunrned 12 and it is time his name sound more grown up.

I am anxious to see who he will decide to be when he goes to a new school next Fall.

Of course, I completely change my name when I went to High School. I am Margaret, after my Grandmother, but growing up, my nickname was Missy. I was proud of my "real" name and wanted a nick name to reflect that.

VA Tech tragedy

So it's almost the end of my day and scanning my Bloglines I see a lot of blogs I follow have put up posts praying for the victims of the rampage. My prayers certainly join them.

But earlier today I had to deal with the tragedy in a different way. What if this happened on our campus? VA Tech was sending emails to their students. There website was up and down. What if something similar happened here? Could the email system that I manage handle the traffic? Could students get the message to stay inside, not come to campus. Could students communicate with paretns and friends that they were ok?

Scary Day.

Menu Plan Monday

Mon - Baseball game - Hot Dogs

Tues - Baseball Game - Something with Ground beef

Wed - Science fair - Chicken and noodles

Thurs - Beef in crockpot

Fri - Homemade Pizza

It's a busy week, We'll see how this menu holds up. But there is food in the freezer.

Check Out Org Junkie for more great menus.

Anybody seen my keys?

First of all, Happy 12th Birthday to my son B. Wow he's getting big and independent.

I was getting ready and the 7 YO was eating breakfast. The new 12 YO was not yet up. I went to grab my keys to go out to my car and get a gift, wrap it and leave it sitting out to torture him all day. Where are my keys. -- First of all, we have a cute little rack of hooks just for keys inside out back door. I am not always the greatest about putting my keys there. I blame the ADD. - If my keys are not on the key holder, then they are usually on the table, the dishwasher or the counter by the phone. or in my pocket. Not on the hook. Not on the table. Not on the dishwasher. Not on the counter. Not in the pocket of my raincoat. Not int he pocket of the blazer I wore yesterday.

Ok think. I stopped at Friendly's and got an Ice cream cake for the birthday boy. I remember walking in balancing my purse, lunchbag, tote bag and the cake and pressing the lock button on my car's remote. Did I leave them by the freezer? Not on the dryer. Not on the ironing board. I start pulling boxes out of the freezer. No frozen keys.

I checked my bedroom. I have removed most flat surfaces from the Living room to have put them down on. No Keys!

However, when the 7 yo got up, he said "Look what I found, Dad's Cell phone in my bed." Huh Ok like CSI the flashback is that Dad went into his room to give him a hug and kiss, the phone was in his shirt pocket and it slipped out when he bent over." ( And dang am I good).

What time is it? almost 7 AM. Is Hubby at his office, (because he won't get the call on his cell)? Did he pick up 2 sets of keys? I call, Oh no! Voice Mail. I leave a message and continue the search.

Phone rings 2 minutes later. Caller ID says unavailable. This is how his phone calls form Hubby's offcie show up. "I have your keys. We need to find another system so I don't grab your keys off the hook." And of course he asks if I have to go to work today. He has a pressing assignment. I have a meeting at 3:30.

By the time he finished his pressing work and drove the 30 miles home, he handed me my keys with a sheeping "I'm sorry. I left my keys in my pocket and rushed out of the house and grabbed yours off the hook. "

And I am the ADHD one. The process is not broke, just the follow through.

Now I need to find something big and pink to attache to my key ring so that it is significatnly different than his.

Painting a staircase

So I spent another weekend working on the house. It was a long weekend too since I took off Friday. Hubby got new tiles put on the kitchen floor. I got a lot of cleaning done. My parents came in and my Mom scrubbed the bathroom in the basement.

We had a nice relaxing Easter Sunday, even though the 7 YO was not feeling well. But I took off Monday to stay home with the sick boy. So it was time to paint the staircase going into the basement. Our house is 50 years old. There were 3 layers of pain on the stairs, (Gray, brown and green). We had gone to the paint store and got a gallon of primer and a gallon of paint - both Latex. So how to go about this. My dad siad to paint the sides and trim of each step going down, leaving just and area to step on and then go back up the steps and reash down with a roller and get the rest of the step. Miss Gracefull here would have gone tumbling donw the steps. So I remembered a trick I had read somewhere, Paint every other step. I primed it all at once becasue the can said it should dry in 1 hour. But the top coat they wanted you to wait 16 hours. So one coat went on Monday, a second coat went on last night. Tonight I plan to put the first coat on the opposite tread and a second coat tomorrow.

Friday I am going to caulk. Hubby won't let me paint the kitchen cabinets, or drill holes for the door knob on the kitchen cabinets and I don't want to install the last set of closet doors in our bedroom. However, since he has not had the time to do much since Saturday, I may create access panels to cover the holes int he basement (drywall) ceiling. Dad suggested using 1/4 inch plywood. Hubby is worried about it being too heavy. Aha, another idea. I got 3 sheets of foam core board from Hobby lobby. I can use 2 drywall screws to attach it to the ceiling, we don't ahve to worry about studs and we will paint it witht he same paint we used on the ceiling.

Workday tomorrow

Since Hubby is off work tomorrow and the boys are out of school, I decided to take one of my 22 vacation days. We are having about 30+ people over for Easter. So we need to prepare. Hubby is going to replace the kitchen floor. We need to put the rooms that got painted last week, together again. We are almost there with the inside of the house. The big tasks include painting the basement steps, re-doing the bottom kitchen cupboards, somethign about the basement bathroom and some general cleaning and organizing.

Then there is the outsdie. But it has to get above 35 degrees for that.

Where did St. Joseph go to?

My Father in law spent years lovingly caring for his mother when she developed Alzheimer's disease. Grandma passed away in March 2006. So Dad has had her house on the market. I was lucky enough to lister to her tell sotries of moving into it. At the time it was way out in the boonies (now it is a bustling neighborhood in the NW side of Chicago - within the city limits). Her Mother in law insisted they get a 2 flat for the income. She talked about how she and grandpa redid the whole house. How she had to shovel coal to warm the house in the mornings. How she raised 5 boys and her mother lived with them. Grandma really wanted a bungalow.

Dad has had this house on the market since about last August. Being the devout Catholic he is, he got a statue of St. Joseph and buried it in the backyard (upside down) so that St. Joseph would interceded on his behalf and assist in getting the house sold.

Part of the process of burying St. Joseph is that once the house is sold, you dig St. Joe back up and you give his statue a prominent place in your new home. Well, there is a contract on the house. Dad will move by the end of the month. He has not found the statue of St. Joseph yet. He's dug in the area he buried it, but no St. Joe. He has asked St. Joseph in prayer where he is hiding. He has asked St. Anthony to provide some asistance. So I'll add my voice. Let's ask St. Jude to join the party too. If you Gentleman would intercede on behalf of my Father in law to find St. Joseph. He's a good man. But thanks for letting me tease Dad a bit about losing St. Joseph. LOL! And I'd appreciate help in convincing Dad that close to us would be a great place for him to retire to.

House work update

So this Sunday was anotehr work day. My wonerful SIL had told me that she'd be happy to help us with painting. Well, Sunday was painting day. I dropped E an email stating that Sunday was painting day and she would like to join us that we would welcome her help. Well, with her coming, that was enough to kick us into gear with preparations. So we were taping B's bedroom when she arrived. She started painting that room. I painted the Bathroom. When I was done, I started taping A's bedroom. Meanwhile Hubby is working ont he upper kitchen cabinet doors. At the post-Church trip to the Big Box Home Improvement store (the blue one this time, we had been giving a lot of money to the Orange one but Hubby felt like he needed to share his welath LOL!) we acquired paint, more brushes, another drop cloth as well as hinges and closet doors.

Tonight we need to put the rooms back together - I got the bath most of the way this AM. Hubby needs to put up the towel rack. Hubby will mow the lawn and get the doors back up.

We are both off Friday. We are having Easter for about 30 people at our house, but I would like to see new tiles ont he kitchen floor, moulding under the base cabinets. Possibly the lower cabinets repainted.

Menu Plan Monday

Menu Plan Monday is hosted by Org Junkie. Check out her site for more menus.

Monday - Ground Beef night - Cheeseburger sloppy joes

Tuesday - 6 PM Baseball Practice - Stuffed shells. I have 2 more containers of them in the freezer. The 11 yo can put them in the oven ready when Dad breezes in with the 7 YO.

Wednesday - Chicken and rice

Thursday - 6 Pm Baseball practice - Beef round roast in the crockpot - Did not get to it last week.

Friday - Not sure - my parents may be in. There is salmon in the freezer. My kids and hubby would be happy with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Slow Cooker Thursday

It's been awhile since I have participated in Sandra's slow Cooking Thursday Meme. I made this one yesterday. Hubby liked it a lot, but it was a bit spicy. I did not have a can of tomatoes and chili's, so I chooped up a tbsp of pickled Jalopenos. I am having it for my lunch today. It is another delightful Taste of Home recipe.

Cabbage Patch Stew

INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
2 celery ribs, chopped
11 cups coarsely chopped cabbage (about 2 pounds)
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) stewed tomatoes
1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes with green chilies
1/2 cup ketchup
1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream, optional

DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and celery over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Stir in the cabbage, stewed tomatoes, beans, diced tomatoes, ketchup, chili powder, oregano, pepper and salt. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until cabbage is tender. Serve with cheese and sour cream if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

Because I'm Geekly like that

I rolled over 100,000 miles on my car. My camera is in need of batteries. Yes, I was seriously going to take a picture. I put the camera in my car just for the occasion. I’m geeky like that. It was at mile marker 29 on I-75 in Ohio.

(Note: the engine only has 43486 miles on it. I had to get a new one at 56514 miles. Ugly story.)

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Turkey cutlets stuffed with Dressing and covered with Gravy

Tuesday - Cabbage Patch stew

Wednesday - Cheese and Sausage stuffed shells

Thursday - Top round int he crockpot

Friday - Salmon

For more recipes, visit Laura's blog

H-E-Double Toothpick Bells

Mom, I need my bells.”
“You need your bells? I thought you were done with them”
“Mrs. F gave us a piece of music where we all need our bells”
When do you need them?”
“Next week”
“Dad, B needs his bells”
“What does that mean to me?”
“The bells are in one of the first boxes we packed and put in the storage unit”
“Oh”

Edited to add: It Turns out that the Bells were easy to find. The box was on top and was well labeled: B's Bells and awards... Darn I'm good! LOL

Morning Routine with an ADHD-er

This is a new routine for us. Dad started his new job this week and needs to be at work by 7:00 AM and he has to drive 30 miles. That used to be my territory. So My alarm still goes off at 4:45 and I have been going to the gym. Dad gets up at 5:30 showers and eats breakfast. At 6 Am he wakes the boys and ensures that the ADHD pre-teen gets his patch on. Then he’s out the door. I get out of the shower. The 7YO is often dressed and bugging his brother who may or may not be in a state of undress. So I remind him to get dressed.

 

Both boys make it out to the kitchen form breakfast.

Mom: “Who wants an egg?”

11 YO:” Me want cereal” Mom cringes. Why cereal? I believe he does so much better with more protein. I’m going to not buy cereal next week.

 

7 YO: “I want a bacon egg and cheese on a bagel, but only half a slice of cheese today.” (Tomorrow, I am going to have him cook the eggs. Train ‘em young!)

 

11 YO: “AAAAAAAAAA, EEEEEEEE, XXXXXXXX”

7 YO “Stop it”

11 YO: “YYYYYYY, ZZZZZZZ”

Mom: “B, please stop”

11 YO: “SSSSSSS, PPPPPPP”

Mom: “B- Please Stop”

11 YO “JJJJJJJJ, LLLLLLLLL”

Mom: “I said Please stop”

11 YO “XXXXXXXX, YYYYYYYYY”

Mom: (screaming) Would you stop that?

 

 

Mom: B, what are you doing? Come out here and clean up from your breakfast.

Mom: A, go brush your teeth

Pause

Mom:"B, come out here”

And so on…

 

6:55 rolls around. The 7 YO goes out to wait for the bus. Where is the 11 YO? Still in his room.  This week he has safety patrol so I am driving him.

 

Mom: “B, lets go!”

He comes out putting on his belt, no shoes, still has to get his drum kit (band today). Mom is in tears. With now leaving an hour and a half later, the traffic is awful. I need to figure out how to deal with this. Maybe I’m doing too much in the morning trying to get dinner partially fixed, fixing my lunch, getting on the computer…  

Organizational Challenge

Laura over at I'm an Organization Junkie is conducting a Spring 30 Day Organizational Challenge. I particpiated in her Fall challenge and felt like I fell flat on my face. I was unable to accomplish my goal. My before pictures are posted here. (Ed: I fixed the link) But I finally accomplished my goal which was to clean up my craft area. I developed an accute case of TMS (Too Much stuff). I knew I should get rid of some stuff that I no longer have a great need for, yet when my 11 Yo had to build a model of a virus, I dug enough materials to create one. (Glass Christmas ornament, Pipe cleaners, raffia...) I like to be able to grab a couple of googlie eyes and doll hair.

However, I don't scrapbook with 12x12 paper anymore. But that can be cut down as necessary. So what to get rid of. Well I had duplicates of craft paints. I don't do much painting anymore. So why keep paints that don't fit into my nifty paint holders. So out went the extra paint bottles. Out went scraps of paper. I am using large scraps of my fabric stash to protect breakables in moving boxes. But here are my after pictures. Wouldn't you love to have this great craft area. It is right next to my laundry area.

Menu Plan Monday

It was a very productive weekend for us. Friday we toured 2 Parochial elementarty schools. We dicded on one of them. There are 4 school districts that will provide busses to the school. Then we spent the weekend working on the house. Our basement is presentable. We have taken enough books to the second hand book store to generate $91, and got our 10x10 storage unit 2/3rds full.

Our menu for the week:

Mon - Leftover Cheeseburger sloppy joes

Tues - Turkey cutlets and rice

Wed - Meatloaf

Thurs - Pork chops

Fri - Stuffed shells

This is going to be difficult. I will not be home until after they rest of the family goes to their evening activities (all week).

For more Menus - check out Laura's blog

Another list of tasks:

Today is Hubby's last day at his employers. His new job starts Monday.

[Rant mode on] This new job of Hubby's has office hours 7 -4:30 M-Th and 4 hours on Friday. The boys catch the school bus at 7:05. So Mom is going to have to shift her schedule. Yuck! Can I say that I am a tru-blue morning person? I like being one of the first ones in the office. I'll be lucky if I I make it to the office by 8:45. Then I tend to run out of steam about 3:30. Since I won't be levaing the office until 5:30 or so, I will most likely miss most of my boy's baseball games. But better me than coach Dad!

On the upside, I will be able to reinstate a workout routine. If I keep getting up at my current 4:45. I can be at the gym at 5:00 am. I'll reach home just a Hubby is close to walking out the door. I'll be able to grab a quick shower and then roll the boys out of bed. My waist line sure could use the exercise. I stopped exercising about November when I started carpooling and fortunately I did not gain weight as I feared. [Rant mode off]

Tomorrow I am taking a vacation day. I have a call in to make a visit to one school and when they call me back with a time, I will schedule a second candidate school. I suppose we'll do some more driving around looking at neighborhoods.

Menu Plan Monday

Hey Everyone, This was one of those weeneds where I'm glad it's Monday and I can sit at my desk most of the day. I ran a concession stand in a high school cafeteria for 13 hours Saturday and did some mroe purginf/packing/cleaning. Hey Laura, I hope by next weekend to post pictures of my clean craft area that I started on during your 30-day Organizational Challenge.

Monday - Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes. I'v got my Salisbury steak recipe below..

Tuesday - Chicken breasts

Wednesday - Spaghetti

Thursday - Stroganoff

Friday - Salmon

Salisbury Steak

1 lb ground beef

chopped onion

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

1 slightly beaten egg

1/4 c Campbell's Golden Mushroom Soup.

Combine the above and genlty form into 5 or 6 patties.

Bake 350 deg for 30 minutes

Drain off the excess grease. Mix the remaining soup with 1/3 c water. Pour over patties and bake another 5 minutes.

Check Out Laura's Blog for more menus

My Worries

So I am going to park my list here so that at work I can slow down, read my emails and understand what they are saying before I start to answer them.

• gotta get the house decluttered, cleaned and painted for selling
• I need to get it looking better in case my cousing and her Finacee come to look at it
• If they decide not to buy it, will re have to replace the cement driveway?
• Can we get our money's worth out of it?
• Should we relace the kitchen floor?
• What about the carpet?
• What kind of Child care arrangements should I make for the summer for the 7 YO? Should I find a place close to Hubby's new workplace? That way I could drop him off on my way to work and Dad could pick him up. He will be playing baseball near the current home this summer.
• Should I sign the 11 YO up for the mid summer wrestling camp? It is 9 a - 2p. Then there is the sticky issue of transportation.
• Can I find a golf camp? He'd really like to do that.
• Can we afford the kind of house we'd really like?
• Will I be able to get the boys in a Catholic school? Which one? Should I put them on a waiting list?

Faith in Action

Now I have written before about how we are Catholic, send our kids to Catholic school, attend Mass Sundays and most Holy Days, and say grace before meals; but we tend to be rather private about our Faith. Of course this week I saw where Catholics were admonished to Confess sins of Omission about when we failed to proclaim the Word. Kind of Funny. Reading about other Chritian women living, acting and bloggin about their Faith is a lot of what has attracted me to the blogsphere.

But lately there has been a glimpse of Faith in action. This past weekend my parents visitied with the couple who they were very close to in the Early years of their marriage. Ucle B's Alcolholism along with moves following jobs, and chasing after grow children forced them apart. I am Happy to say Uncle B is clean and sober. He brough up several topice related to the Church and Catholicism and discussions ensued. At one point he looks at my Mom and says "J, you are usually jumping in here with something to say." Mom replies "I'm just very happy my kids are willing to discuss this and they have good points and are in line with the Church."

Another occurance this week is that our Parish has a traveling crucifix program where a family prayer for voacations for the week. Hubby signed us up for this week since it is between Wrestling season and baseball season. So while we say grace before meals at home, we do not generally take the time to pray as a family. Sunday night when Hubby announced it was time to pray, both boys came running with their Rosaries in hand. The each had a change to pick out a prayer to say. While we did not say the rosary, we said some of the prayers from it.

The way my family lives is the way both Hubby and I were raised. I guess we are doing something right. But we could always do more. I want to make it a point to find time to say the rosary with the boys on occasion. Since I started to say it myself when I am driving home from work, I know I can say it in less than 20 minutes. Maybe our next long car trip I'll do it. Oh yeah, the 11 Yo wants a new, nicer Rosary. I want a second one. I leave the one that decorated my First Communion cake in my car.

Menu Plan Monday

Here's My menu for the week:

Mon- Ground Beef night - Salisbury Steak, Mashed potatoes and corn

Tues - Wrestling club meeting - Chicken in the crockpot

Wed - Hubby and the 11 YO will practice wrestling - Leftovers" I froze last week's leftovers - so there are a couple of serviings of Cheesburger sloppy joes, Chicken breasts and Pork roast

Thurs - Pork Chops

Friday - Tuna casserole

For more Menus check out Laura's blog

Ultimate Blog Party

Janice and Susan over a 5 Minutes for Mom are hosting a blog party. So at the last minute, I decided to attend.

I am Maggie. I have a great husband and two sons, 11 and 7. Both boys play sports all year long. (They are both high energy and need an outlet otherwise I might duct tape them to the wall.) Hubby loves to coach them an is an excellent coach even though he did not play much sports growing up.

I aslo work outside the home as a manager of email for a large University. Right now we live 50 miles from my office. However we are no in a transition phase. This week Hubby accepted a new job offer closer to my job. We are preparing our house for selling and hope to move over the summer.

My blog is my journal. I have not told many people that I know in real life about my blog. But I enjoy the virtual world here. I am much more comfortable typing my thoughts than picking up a phone. But I love to talk in person.

So welcome. And Check out 5 Mintes for Mom for links to more new blogs.