My trip to the Principal

As if I was not already feeling like a failure as a mother because I have a rude, disrespectful toddler, who refuses to sleep, we have this. I get a note in the mail yesterday from the school board. The notes states that Will has had 6 unexcused absences and that I need to meet with his principal. If I fail to comply with the letter within 3 days, I will be turned into the juvenile court system for truancy! Great...

I am sure you will be relieved to know that the letter was sent to us by mistake. So, I spent a night worrying about what they would do to me and I didn't even need to. I go to meet the principal and she says that she wasn't sure why we got the letter but that Will was fine! Whew!

Such a punk

I love my child. I love my child. I love my child. This is the phrase that has been going through my head pretty much non stop this week. I don't know if he has hit a new stage, if it is the warmer weather or if he is just destined to be a punk but, whatever it is I have about had it with Ben. He has been so difficult this week. Anytime I ask him to do something, pick up his toys for example, he says, "No. You do it." Anything I say, he says "No, it's not." I am talking concrete facts here, not opinions. It is like he has already figured out how to get under my skin and does it just because he can. Then last night, he was fighting bedtime. I told him it was bedtime and picked him up and started off to his room with him. He starts twisting and turning and yelling, "You mean mommy." Why so soon Ben? Could you not wait to have a bad attitude until you are at least a little older. I have no idea how to handle this... What do ya'll do when your toddler is a punk? How do you handle it? I don't mind him having an opinion. I want him to have an opinion. I want him to be able to state what he thinks but, at the same time I need him to be respectful. I know there is a fine line here and I am not sure how to make sure he stays on the right side of it.

Me from A to Z

I just finished an essay test and rather than do anything productive until lecture starts I am going to do this.


A. AREA CODE : Good old Memphis, 901 baby

B. BED SIZE: King, no way we could sleep on anything smaller. In fact, the first night home from our honeymoon Will, Matt and I were all trying to sleep in a full. No one was sleeping. Matt got up turned on the lights and said, "I am real glad we did this! This is real fun! We got a king bed the next day.

C. CHORE YOU HATE: I don't really hate any of them. I like my house clean so, chores don't bother me.

D. DOG'S NAME: no dog

E. ESSENTIAL "START THE DAY!" ITEM: COFFEE!!!!!

F. FAVORITE COLOR: green

G. GOLD OR SILVER: silver

H. HEIGHT: not tall enough

I. INSTRUMENTS YOU PLAY: none

J. JOB: mommy and a student, mostly just a mommy

K. KIDS: Will 7 and Baby Ben 2

L. LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: a house??

M. MOM'S NAME: Dutchy

N. NICKNAME: Meg, Mommy, Meggie Muffin

O. OVERNIGHT HOSPITAL STAY: Appendectomy and babies

P. PET PEEVE: so, so many... a few are dirty car interiors, hearing people blow their noses, messes, poor grammar, automated phone systems

Q. QUOTE FROM A MOVIE: Really? There is no way I could just have one. My family can have an entire conversation made up of only movie quotes! I love quoting movies. Some of the best have to be Steel Magnolias, Napolean Dynamite and The Hangover

R. RIGHTY OR LEFTY?: Right

S. SIBLINGS: 2- one brother and one sister

T. TIME YOU WAKE UP: when Ben yells "Mommy, Come mere!" usually around 7.

U. UNDERWEAR: always

V. VEGGIE YOU DISLIKE: pretty much all of them

W. WAYS/REASONS YOU ARE LATE: me, my kids, my husband. I am usually late and always have a reason :)

X. XRAYS YOU'VE HAD: foot and hand

Y. YUMMY FOOD YOU MAKE: I make pretty good mashed potatoes and desserts

Z. ZOO ANIMALS YOU LIKE: I love the sea lions and the elephants!

Cozy

Last night, I was getting ready to put Will to bed. I turned down his bed and turned around to put some clothes up. I turned back around to find Ben in Will's bed covered up with his head on the pillow...

Me: "Get out of brother's bed. He needs to go ni-night."
Ben: "No. I cozy in here."

At least the child likes to be comfortable.

Sleepy, Sleepy Monday

Good morning! I hope ya'll had a great weekend. Mine was pretty good.

Friday night, Ben and I hung out with my dad. We just sat in their kitchen, ate junk food and colored with Ben. It was so much fun! I haven't spent time with just my dad in a long time.

Saturday, Will had his first baseball practice. It was a beautiful day. I just enjoyed sitting outside. I also really enjoyed watching Will play. This is the first year he has played where everyone has played before and knows what they are doing. It is almost like watching real baseball. I do have to admit that I will miss the cute moments from t-ball. I don't think we will have anybody sitting in the dirt making castles or running the wrong way around the bases this year. Nope. I am afraid this year they are all "hard core", as Will would say.

Sunday, we picked up Will and went as a family to Bass Pro. For those of you who don't know, Bass Pro is a hunting and fishing super store. It is the mecca of all things hunting and fishing. Needless to say, my boys love it there. Even little Ben loves Bass Pro. We didn't know it when we were going but they were having a Easter egg hunt and pictures with the Easter bunny there yesterday. So, while Matt shopped the boys and I found eggs and did Easter crafts. No picture with the Easter bunny though. Ben was scared to death and Will is way too cool to have his picture made with the Easter bunny (by himself). Last night we had dinner as a family, which was nice. Then it was bath and bed. Everyone went to bed wonderfully!!! This is a huge deal at our house. Bedtime is usually a battle but, last night it was great. I think everyone was worn out.

I hope that ya'll have a great week. Hopefully, for most of you, it will be a short week followed with a great Easter weekend. I am hoping to get the ground ready for my garden this week so, I will be able to have it all in and planted by the 15th. We are supposed to have nice weather and I am planning on taking advantage of it. We will see.

The Office

Favorite TV Comedy Show:

Hands down, "The Office"

In my opinion, this might be the funniest TV show ever!! If you have never watched it, you have got to. It just reminds me of places that I have actually worked. They manage to take all the stereo types of working in an office and combine them into one office!

It is one of those shows you can quote and each time you do you laugh a little.

"Change is a bad thing, just ask the climate." -Michael Scott



You should go to Jen's page and play along. There are a few shows that others have posted, I just might have to watch!

Better Late Than Never

I am participating in this weeks I "heart"... at You and Me Plus Three. Go there now to add yours and read others!!

I have to say that the "I Heart" posts are definitely my favorite posts. I love to read what others are thankful for and I love to share what means the most to me.

Here are this weeks...

I "heart" my husband! He is such a great father and a wonderful provider. He gives and does so much more than is required of him. I am truly blessed.

I "heart" hearing Ben talk and talk and talk.

I "heart" Will's heart. He is so kind and so thoughtful. He just has a way about him. He is so special and I love being able to watch him grow.

I "heart" the thunderstorm we had this morning.

I "heart" that it is almost time for flip flops! A few more weeks and my feet won't see socks or real shoes (as Matt calls them) until October!

I "heart" my parents. They are truly the smartest people I know. I hope that I will be like them when I grow up.

Joys of First grade

I picked Will up from school yesterday and this is what I get...

Will: "I might puke but don't worry if I do."
Me: "Do you feel bad? What's wrong? Let me feel your head."
Will: "No! I am fine but, a boy in my group threw up all over all the desks in our group. It even got on one girl! It was so gross!!" (He says this with total excitement)

Now I am worried about him getting a stomach bug and I am worried because he was so excited about it.

Two Things I Can't Live Without

Two things I can't live without...

My Vacuum Cleaner
I can be a bit of a freak about my floors. I like them to
be clean. I vacuum at least once a day and sadly sometimes
more.

My Washer and Dryer
This pretty much explains itself. I love clean clothes. I can't stand dirty clothes. I don't like them on my kids and I hate them in the laundry baskets. I don't know what I would do without my washer and dryer.


And just so you know these are the vacuum and washer and dryer I wish I used each day. The ones I actually use are not this cool.

The Weekend

I hope that ya'll had a lovely weekend. Our's had its moments. We had Will's basketball banquet Saturday. It was fun and he got a trophy, which we all know is the only reason to play any sport. Then, I left the boys with my mom so that I could go with Matt to the doctor. He has been sick for a while and waited until Saturday afternoon to decide he needed to be seen. Of course by then, the doctor's office was closed and he had to go to the minor med*. Three hours and a shot later, we came home. It rained yesterday and we were all able to get some much needed rest.

I am looking foward to this week. Everyone is done with spring break. I am ready to get back into some sort of routine. We just all seem to function better that way.


*Side Note- Matt has been sick since last Wednesday. I told him Thursday that he needed to go to the doctor. He didn't. He said he was fine. Saturday rolled around and he was still not feeling well. I told him he should go ahead and go to the doctor before they closed at 12. Again, he said he was fine. So what happened? He calls me at 1 and says he needs to go to the doctor! Why does he do this? Do any of ya'll's husbands do things like this or is it just mine?

Hearts and more

I am participating in this weeks I "heart"... at You and Me Plus Three. Go there now to add yours and read others!!

It is Thursday. We have made it through another week. I don't know about ya'll but this has been a hard week at our house. Will is on spring break and so we are out of our routine. Add to that the time change and we are just a mess!

My hearts this week are:

I heart that spring break is almost over. (Does this make me a bad mom?)

I heart my new straightener. No more holding it at an angle for it to get hot.

I heart the pictures hanging on my fridge made by my boys.

I heart the dinner my mom brought tonight. Sometimes you just need your mom.

I heart the Sunday school class I have recently joined.

I heart that my big project is done for the semester.

I heart our new remote.

I heart that it will be 70 and sunny tomorrow.

Oh- and one more thing...
Will was playing a game on the computer.
Will: "MOM! I own this game."
Me: "What do you mean own it? It is a computer game."
Will: "No, like they gave me the whole thing, the whole website!"
Me: "What? Why do you think that?"
Will: "Every time I win it says, 'You have won Funbrain' "

I love his logic!

Good Bye

Yesterday was a sad day in our house. We finally said good bye to Will's infamous Under Armour shirt. It had a long and happy life. I am sure that it will be missed.

Not I

It was not me who fed my child pizza almost every meal this weekend. I am always sure to offer only the most nutritionally sound meals to my children.

It was not me who broke my toe trying to step over toys instead of picking them up. I would never be so lazy.

It was not me who took all the hot water knowing my husband had to shower too. I could never be so selfish.

It was not me who ate an entire box of girl scout cookies in one day. I am way more health conscious than that.

It was not me who ran out of my deodorant and had to use my husband's.

It was not me who cleaned out the fridge and threw away the leftovers, containers and all. I am not wasteful and would never do such a thing. That is just throwing money away.

It was not me who washed the potty in the dishwasher*. That is just disgusting.


*There were no dishes present in the potty washing session of the dishwasher. Give me some credit.

Head on over to MckMama's page and play along, not that any of you would have anything you might want to confess! Have a great Monday. I hope that ya'll are having an easier time adjusting to the time change than I am. It seems to get harder every year.

Friday is my Favorite Day!

It is finally Friday! I feel like this week has flown by. I guess it seems like that because we have been so busy. Matt's yard business is in full swing. So, I have been in single mommy mode. I did not realize how much my Matty had started to help over the winter until this week when he wasn't here. Isn't that how it goes though?

Last night was Family Literacy Night at Will's school. We had a great time. The boys got free books and we heard a lot of good stories and met some really interesting people. There was a bit of an awkward moment when we went in one of the rooms. The presenter was a vet. Will walked in and recognized her. He said, "Aren't you the one that put my dog to sleep?". It was a classic Will moment. How he remembers her, I have no idea.

We don't have a whole lot planned for this weekend. Tonight is girls' night. I am really excited to have the chance to get away for a minute. Then tomorrow, my sister in law and I are going to get a mani/pedi and taking the kids! I will let you know how that turns out. I am sure it will be interesting. After that, NOTHING and I can't wait! I hope ya'll have a great weekend. Remember, we spring forward Saturday night (boo).

Favorite Friday

The topic for this week's "Favorite Fridays" is Favorite home Decor Shop.
Mine would have to be Pottery Barn. While I can't actually afford much from there now, I can dream! I love the way their stuff looks like you can actually use it. It all looks so inviting yet still pulled together and nice. One day, (I hope) my house will look like this...



What is your dream house decorated like?

Hearts

It Thursday and you know what that means... "I Heart Thursday"

I heart that my windows are open.

I heart my quiet house, even if it is for just a few more minutes.

I heart Easter candy, been eating waaay too much of it.

I heart my full pantry, even though I don't heart going to the grocery store.

I heart the invention of hi-lights. My hair looks so much better.

I heart my husband and all that he does for our family.

I heart the notes Will wrote on my grocery list.

I hope ya'll are having a great day. One more day 'til the weekend. YAY!

Poor Jessica

So, I normally don't post about entertainment type news but I just have to mention this. Did anyone see Jessica Simpson on Letterman last night!!? What in the world has happened to her (not that I have any room at all to talk). I was embarassed for her. Her hair looked terrible, even Matt siad something about it! I was however impressed with the way she handled all Dave's awful questions about her past boyfriends. Why he felt like he needed to open up that can of worms I will never know. I just needed to mention that.

Gobble, Gobble

Ben and I were getting ready to leave the house. We were in his room getting his socks on and he said, "I wanna take my gobble". I am thinking he means this hat he made at school for Thanksgiving (complete with feathers). I reluctantly say, "O.K." and go to get it from the shelf. As, I am reaching for it, I am surprised when he says, "No. My show you." I pick him up and he points to his bible! He says, "No. This gobble.". On the way out of the house, he kept saying, "I love this gobble!"

Such a sweet boy. I am pretty sure he is trying to make up for the past few days.

In review...

These past few day have been crazy! We had a beautiful weekend here which is such a nice change. I wish that we had been able to enjoy it a bit more.

Saturday, I got up and cleaned the house. While Will went and played golf with his grandfather and Ben and I ran errands. Then we came home and I had to get ready to go to a funeral. Matt and I have some friends that were pregnant with twins. She ended up delivering at 20 weeks. The babies passed shortly after they were born. I cried the entire service. I can honestly say that was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. After that, Matt had to go finish up some work and I went and got the boys. That night we ordered pizza and watched movies and spent the whole evening just loving on my boys and remembering what a blessing they are.

Sunday, we went to church and then went to my parents' and had a picnic and the boys played. After a nice nap, we went to Matt's parents' house for dinner. His aunt and uncle were in town and it was great to see them.

Yesterday, I spent most of the day at the hospital. Matt's mom had back surgery so, I went and sat up there with his dad, aunt and uncle. Last night, Matt and I along with Candice and Clinton (my brother and sister in law) snuck in a date before we went back up to the hospital to visit. Then, it was home to get the boys and myself in bed.

I am hoping that tonight will be calm and that I will be able to get the boys in bed on time and watch Parenthood. I know it is wishful thinking but, I can hope.

Top Two- Baby Names

Over at the Undomestic Momma, it is once again time for "Top Two Tuesday". I love this week's topic, Top Two Baby Names. I mean how perfect is this! Weather you have kids or not, every girl has her favortie baby names. Here are mine,

Girls
Elisabeth, call her Ellie
Margret, call her Maggie

Boys
Charles, call him Huck
John

Obviously, I like names that can be shortened. Both my boys go by shortened versions of their "real" names. In fact, with Ben, I picked Ben first and then picked a "real" name that could be shortened into Ben. I know that is so backwards but that is just what happened.

I am looking foward to reading all of your favorite names. I hope ya'll have a great day!

And Sisters

Last night, we were in the car (I love car conversations),

Will: "Mom, do I have any and sisters?
Me: "What is an and sister?
Will: "You know, family that is dead."
Me: "Oh! Ancestors. Yes you have them"

Favorite

Another day, another blog game. YAY! I am such a nerd and look forward to these little games. I like to read about other people's lives. What they like, don't like... you get the idea.

Today, I am playing "Favorite Friday" courtesy of "A Girl in Pearls and A Boy with Toys". The topic is favorite romantic comedy movie. Mine would definately have to be "You've Got Mail". First of all, I love Meg Ryan and I think she is just too cute in this movie. Her little apartment and her shop, I just love it all. Secondly, I love her and Tom Hanks togther. I think they just have great chemistry (remember Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally). Lastly, I love books and what is better than a movie about two bookstore owners!

Potty Problems

I could not really find a way to tie potty training in to my "I heart" post. Mostly, because I do not "heart" potty training. I don't remember it being this difficult with Will but, maybe I just don't remember it at all. As most of you know, form a few posts back, Ben showed an interest in being potty trained. He told me he had to go and went. He did really well for three days and now just doesn't care. He wants a diaper on instead of big boy pants. When he does want to wear big boy pants he will come and tell me he needs a diaper instead of going potty. To top it all off, last night he wanted to sleep in big boy pants. So, of course I let him. He calls for at 4this morning. I go in there and he tells me he needs a diaper. The child woke up because he had to potty! He is so ready. Why he won't actually use the potty anymore is beyond me.

I was wondering if any of you had any advice. Everything I have read says "don't push it". I just don't want him to lose interest in the potty totally. I am afraid if he does then it will be that much harder when it is time that he has to be trained.

I Heart...

I am participating in this weeks I "heart"... at You and Me Plus Three. Go there now to add yours and read others!!


I heart that I am on Spring Break!

I heart that the weather is supposed to be nice this weekend.

I heart what we are having for dinner (chicken alfredo).

I heart Will is going to be home all weekend.

I heart my new make-up. It is mineral make-up which I have never used. I will let ya'll know how this turns out. Could be a disaster waiting to happen.

I heart that I have pink polish on my toes for the first time since October.

I heart the cute little shoes I bought for Ben, on sale!

I heart The Office comes back tonight.

I heart the comments ya'll leave. They make me happy.

Have a great day!

This Old House

First, I noticed that some have you have come over from other blogs and I am so happy that you did. I would have to say that is probably my favorite part of blogging. I feel like I am getting to know people that otherwise I would have never met but, I guess that is the whole point. Anyway, I am happy that you stopped by and I look forward to getting to know you!

Next, the reason for my post. I am not sure what has come over me but, I have this over whelming urge to redo my entire house. I am talking the bathrooms, the window treatments (if you could call what I have window treatments), bedrooms, the WHOLE house! I have no idea where this is coming from or what on earth I am going to do about it. I would like to say that I will go room by room and start but, I doubt this happens. I am not too creative nor am I very gifted in the whole making the house cute area. Then there is the whole budget issue. I can't really go out and buy all that I would like to in order to change things up. I am hoping that if I can clean out and de-clutter maybe I will feel better and be able to settle on a few minor adjustments. We will see. Any suggestions anyone can give would be very appreciated. I know that there are lots of you out there that have a real gift in this area :)

I hope that you all have a wonderful day tomorrow. The weekend is almost here and it will be "Thankful Thursday" or "I heart Thursday". Whichever you play or whatever you call it, I hope you will take just a minute to remind yourself of all you have to be thankful for.

What Can I Possibly Say

So, I was helping Will fix his hair for school. He was asking if what he was wearing looked good. I was telling him how good he looked and how handsome he is... our typical morning ego boost (like he needs it). I asked him about the polo he was wearing.

Me: Are you going to want shirts like that for summer or t-shirts.
Will: I want shirts like this but make sure they have this part in the sleeves (pointing to the end of the sleeve with the part that is a bit tighter).
Me: O.K. Why?
Will: It sticks to my arms and makes me look huge.
Me: I think that means you need a bigger shirt.
Will: No Mom. When your shirt does that it means your arms are huge. It makes you look good.

So, my first grader is going to be one of THOSE guys. The ones I laugh at. You know, the ones that wear shirts that are too small so they look bigger. Karma can be cruel.

Wishful Wednesday

The "Wishful Wednesday" topic at The Seattle Smiths this week is 'I wish' .... I could have gone to the 2010 Winter Olympics to see one event, and it would have been...

This is tough because I have so many favorite Olympic moments. If I had to pick just one, I would have loved, loved, loved to have been there for the men's half pipe to have seen Shaun White win his gold. He is amazing. There is just not anyone that even comes close to him when it comes to snow boarding! If snow boarding had a god he would be it. In addition to his snowboarding awesomeness, I am a sucker for red hair.

Not Me Monday

Today, I will once again be participating in "Not Me Monday". This has quickly become one of my favorite "bloggy" things to do. I love it.

First off let me just remind you that I have been sick these past few days. Remember that before you go grab your phone to call child services.

It was not me who searched for and then played Lady Gaga songs for my precious two year old. I would never let my sweet and innocent child listen to this kind of music.

It was not me who did not get my child out of his pj's yesterday until almost 4 in the afternoon. It was me however, that did make sure his diaper was changed and he ate.

It was not me who layed on the couch and watched fore mentioned child unroll an entire roll of wrapping paper and then walk all over it to hear it make noise.

It was not me who accidently threw the lock for the gate in the big trashcan outside and then left a sticky note telling my husband to get it out. I would never do such a thing!

It was not me who tried to convince my child that he really did not want the last yogurt, that he would much rather have something else, anything else, candy even.

Then, it was so not me who ate the yogurt he did not finish. I have way more dignity than this.

It was not me who put off going to the grocery for three days. I would never let my pantry become so empty.

I hope this list of all the things I did not do makes you smile today and be glad that you would never do these things either.

Here We Go Again

This weekend started out great. Friday night Matt, Ben and I met Matt's family for dinner. The dinner was terrible but it was so great to hang out with his family. We don't see them nearly as often as we used to. After we ate, we went to Target with Clinton (Matt's bother), Candice (his wife) and Presley (our sweet little niece). We put Ben and Pres in the same cart and they had the best time. The best part for me was that Clinton and Matt pushed the cart while Candice and I shopped!

Saturday morning, Ben woke and was not acting like himself at all. With all that has been going around lately, I made an appointment for him. He fell back asleep and I got ready. He was back to normal by the time we got to the doctor. Of course there was nothing wrong with him. After our visit to the doctor, we met Candice and Presley for lunch at Chili's. (Side note- I love Chili's. Matt doesn't. So, I was super excited about this.) Then we went home to nap. That is when things started to go downhill... I woke up from my nap feeling tired. I just figured I was tired. Ben and I went to my parents and while we were there I started to actually feel sick. I had to leave Matt and Ben at my parents. I felt so bad. I came home and then it started. THE STOMACH BUG!!! Let me just say this was awful. It has been years since I have had any sort of stomach bug and I think I made up for it all Saturday night. Praise the lord for Phenergan!

By Sunday morning I was feeling a little better, just really sore and weak. Matt had to work so Ben pretty much had run of the house. I just laid on the couch and made sure he wasn't going to hurt himself. I began to feel better Sunday night.

Today I feel just fine. I am still sore but that is it. I have a big test tonight and another in the morning. After these 2, I will be on my way to Spring Break! I hope that ya'll had a great weekend and that you week is off to a great start.