Be Happy Mommy!

So, I have been pretty down lately. Between the weather and sickness, I am ready to be done with it all. But, good news, tomorrow is MARCH and spring is just around the corner. I was reading my friend Fonda's blog today, and it was a great pick-me-up. She did such a fabulous job I am not going to add anything to it, just read.

Have an awesome first weekend of March!!

My turn

Well three weeks of taking care of sick people in my house has caught up to me. I feel like crap. I feel like I have a brick on my chest, a very stiff neck, and drained of energy. (It's probably meningitis--JK) Of course the only reason why I was already planning to stay home was because Gracie had a fever yesterday afternoon, and guess who feels A-OK, yea Gracie. She is talking my ear off and proclaiming, "Mommy get happy. I am happy, you be happy." I told her that we should just not talk since mommy doesn't feel good and she then turned bipolar on me and said real ugly, "You are sick and I am a little sick, so stop talking to me!" Oh, OK, I'll do that. She's so weird.

Thanks Lexi

Gracie didn't have a fever all day yesterday and still nothing this morning, so we were all back to school today. I was having a great day getting a lot of stuff done and preparing for a potentially nasty meeting that was to start at 3. At 2:50 the phone rings and it's the preschool--Gracie is running a temp of 102, need to come get her. So I wrap up stuff at school, give everything I had for the meeting to our sped director, text Jon to let him know what is happening, and take off to pick up the girls. At preschool I found Gracie sitting on the director's lap wrapped in a blanket and shivering, poor baby. We get home and I put Gracie on the kitchen counter to get some chewable meds for the fever. As soon as I get the cabinet opened Gracie starts bawling and yelling about how she doesn't like that medicine, and at the same time I hear Lexi asking if she can have some purple medicine too cause it is her favorite. (Nice, the kid with the fever is refusing to take medicine and the other is apparently a druggie.) I get Gracie some water to take with her medicine and I tell Lexi to get a snack instead of medicine. At that point the phone rings, Jon calling to see how things are. I pick Gracie up off the counter and walk over to pick up my phone. I say two things to Jon and Gracie starts coughing and throwing up all over me, herself, the floor, and the counter. I hang up on Jon (literally) and run to the sink, but of course she is done at the point. I take Gracie's puke covered coat and shirt off her and tell her to get another shirt on while I clean up the kitchen. Bawling/screaming she proceeds to walk down the hall and I get wet paper towels to start cleaning. As I am kneeling on the floor, in my puke covered dress clothes, cleaning up puke, listening to Gracie bawl in the other room, Lexi gets right in my face and asks me to open her mini m&ms for her snack. "OH MY WORD!! I kind of have a lot going on right now, and opening your m&ms is not really at the top of important things I need to do, matter of fact it's not even on the list." I finally got everyone and everything cleaned up, and Gracie settled in on the sheet covered couch. I then give Gracie the throw-up bucket and from the kitchen in a mumbled voice I hear Lexi word-for-word, "You should have given her that before she threw-up." OH MY WORD!!! Are you kidding me? is what I think in my head but, "THANK YOU LEXI, now stop talking." is what I said. Don't you just love kids? So helpful aren't they?

I haven't had any pictures of the kids lately, but nothing fun has happened.

Lexi has had red chapped skin under her nose for over a week. I have been putting Aquaphor (Eucerin's version of vasoline) on her at least 3 times a day, but her nose keeps running and she keeps wiping.

Doesn't Gracie's eyes look creepy? Not really the best picture of her, not to mention the throw-up bucket.

Biggest Loser last night

Did anyone watch Biggest Loser last night? Thoughts? Here are mine, if you don't care, don't read.

Ok, I was happy that Mark was voted off, he has been on my nerves for awhile. What the heck was up with all the crying though? I mean seriously wasn't it a little excessive? I can understand being sad to leave, but come on. Then Mark was all, "Take care of my brother like he is your own." Um, your brother is a grown man with his own family, I don't think he needs anyone "taking care" of him. Was he talking about not voting him off, no one can promise that. I just thought the whole crying brother thing was ridiculous!!!

Is it STILL February?

I don't know about you, but the shortest month of the year, February, has been a VERY long month for us. Here is the way the last two weeks have looked for us:
Feb 11-13 snow days/Jon flu
Feb 14 Valentine's day/Jon flu
Feb 15 Homecoming b-ball/Jon sick
Feb 16 shopping/Jon still sick
Feb 17 normal Sunday
Feb 18 Pres. Day no school-crop pictures at Alissa's
Feb 19 Lexi home sick with fever
Feb 20 Lexi still sick with low fever-yet everyone to school
Feb 21-22 Ice storm no school
Feb 23-24 me gone to scrapbook weekend
Feb 25 (today) Gracie home sick with fever
In a short recap within the last 15 days...Who am I kidding, I can't recap that...Everyone is sick, it snows all the time, and I am really far behind at work!!!

BRING ON SPRING!!

I'll learn that in Kindergarten

That is Lexi's response to everything she can not yet do: whistle, snap, tie her shoes, write her last name, seriously everything. The other day we were in the car and she was commenting on my driving (she said I didn't have my hands on the wheel, she just couldn't see it) and then she said, "I'm gonna learn how to drive in kindergarten!!"

She is so excited to go to kindergarten next year, and yet the slightest thought makes me sad. When did my baby turn into a big kid?


As you can see from the time and date that I am posting we are out of school again...snow day seven. No, Fonda, there is no prize for guessing the right amount of snow days we get this year.

DESPAIR

All five built-in snow days already used and an ice/sleet/snow storm on the way.

Why me?

I am taking a poll.........How many snow days do you think we will end up with this year?

(We already have five this year, last year we had nine.)

Cloud observations

One the way to and from STL today here were some of the observations my kids had about the big, puffy, black clouds we saw.

Lexi: Look at the clouds...is that where God lives? Look at that really big one, it is bigger then our car, it is bigger then everything...that must be God's bed.

Gracie: When the clouds jump on God it makes Him sad and he cries. That's mean, and then God pulls down my socks. (I know totally weird and random, but that's Gracie.)

I'm over the snow day thing.

So, we got out at 9:30 on Monday, and we have been home ever since. I am so over it! So far here is what I have accomplished:
1. Workout twice a day all three days
2. Cropped every picture I have in prep for the scrapbooking weekend
3. Dusted
4. Mopped the kitchen floor
5. Disenfected my whole house from Jon's flu
6. Watched The House question Clemens and that other guy on ESPN
7. Helped the girls' with their Valentine's
8. Cleaned two little girls' room many times
9. Played games, doctor, and tea party

Sounds good right, here's the rest of the list...

10. Eaten all of the cookies Brenda made me for Pro Co Day
11. Watched way too much TV
12. Yelled at my kids
13. Made many snacks
14. Turned on many movies
15. Broken up fights
16. Prayed for nap time to come sooner. (I know this sounds horrible, I do love and appreciate my kids, but no one leaving the house for 3 days is a lot for everyone!)

Again I say...I am SO over it, and I am ready to get back on schedule. I wish I was a good stay-at-home mom and planned cool activities and crafts, but I am not. I am all about the outdoors, but when the weather takes that from me, I got nothin'. So, for everyone's well being we NEED to get back to school. Our road is finally clear, so tomorrow is looking good.

Happy Pro-Co Day

Last week was counselor's week, so you know me I had to make it known that I was getting screwed with this whole special day thing. I mean, there is a whole week dedicated to counselors, a whole week for teachers, a day for secretaries, a day for boss', etc. etc., but nothing for process coordinators.
So today the sped director, our secretary, the nurse, and the nurse's assistant surprised me with my very own Pro Co day. They were so nice. They even had a teacher call me to her room so they could decorate our office. I told them that I would send out a school wide thank you and then people would feel bad that they didn't know and I could get even more goodies! (I'm always thinkin'.)
Here are some pictures Brenda, our secretary, took during the hour and a half we had school today before the ice storm.

Vickie, the sped director made me a shirt (the yellow one that I am wearing) with an iron on patch thing that says our school name and my title, very nice.

Last year Brenda decided there were too many people in our school named Angela, Angie, or Ang, so she has only, ever called me Ernie.

Me, Vickie, and Heather with some goodies to eat.

No, I normally don't dress like that for work, but I knew the ice storm was coming and I didn't want to have to scrape windows in dress clothes. I am so glad I did dress down...I was outside for 30 minutes starting people's cars and scraping off windows. It came so fast, when we got to school at 7:30 there was not a drop in sight, by the time we left at 9:30ish everything was coated with ice.

Is that one piece of hair that is not with the other bangs bothering anyone else, or is it just me? I want to reach into every picture and move it to it's right place. Urgh!

What a CRAZY Winter!!

Is it me, or has this winter been really crazy. I feel like everyone I talk to is telling me about their whole family being sick with the flu. Yes, people do get the flu every season, but this season I feel like it is hitting more people and it's not the same virus. Some people have it for a day or two others for the whole week. Some are having it coming out both ends, some just have body aches and a fever, weird. I guess it is our turn now with it. Jon strated last night and today he is bed ridden. I went to Wal-mart and bought him meds, drinks, and Lysol (the most important thing). I plan to spray this whole house in hopes that none of the rest of us get it. So far his has just been aches and fever, I hope it stays that way.

Do you think the crazy flu season is because of the crazy weather? Yes, we all know if you don't like the weather in St. Louis wait a few hours, but come on. Over the past month we have had numous days where the temp is way above normal and within 24 hours we are having temps way below normal. I am glad we played in the snow on the first day cause by noon the next day it was gone, I mean COMPLETELY gone.

Anyways, hope you have a good week and stay healthy, warm, and/or cool, depending on the day.

Side note: Is anyone else having trouble with spell check on blogger? It hasn't worked for me in over a week.

Stories

Lexi
So Lexi is really into writing random letters on blank paper. The other day she wrote a bunch of letters, I don't recall exactly, but it was similar to: hjelshfuriwoomj. Well she brought it to me and asked what it spelled. I told her it didn't really make a real word. That wasn't good enough, she kept asking what it spelled, so like any good mom I sounded out her nonsense word. I kid you not, that girl's face light up and she said, "I wrote spanish!!!!" She was so proud.

Grace
Today on the way home from school here was the conversation in the back seat.
Lexi- "Look Gracie there was a doggie on your side. It was big and black like Sagoo, but Sagoo died." (Of course she would still go back to that.)
Gracie- "Lexi (long pause), you don't make any sense. Why you call the doggie a goose?"

Super Tuesday

My thoughts.....

Who the crap were all of those other people on the ballet? I mean seriously, do they think they might actually win without any commericials?

Snow Day

I love snow days. Sleep in, oh wait, no not in this house. I heard Lexi waking Gracie up at 5:55am. How does that happen? It was still a weekday, and on normal weekdays we have to wake the girls up at 6:30am. Oh well. Lexi and I still got to hang out in our jammies all day. Gracie never likes to stay in her jammies, she just enjoys being able to wear whatever she wants, and not have me tell her that it doesn't match or that it is too small.
Then of course we went outside. It was really nice, no wind and temps around 40ish.
Jon normally pulls the girls on the shovel, here is Gracie doing her best to pull Lexi.

What a helper.

What an angel.

We even managed to build a snowman. The snow was rather powdery and didn't work very well. We ended up using the packed snow from the driveway that was a little melty.
OK, so it wasn't very big, but it sure took us a long time to build this little thing.

Pig Tails are Back!!

Let's recall what Gracie's hair looked like during Christmas 2006.

Then came New Year's Eve 2006, just one week later. Below you will find the e-mail I sent out to a few friends.

So Lexi and Gracie stayed a couple of nights at my parents (Sat. and Sun.) so that Jon and I could have a little alone time before we went back to school. Well, let me just tell you, there was an incident. I called my mom this morning to see what time we were going to meet and after we figured that out she got real serious and said, "I am not going to be able to keep your girls at my house any more." With this comment I got real nervous, I was like what the crap could they have done to make her not allow them at her house? Well, she proceeded to tell me that on Sat. night they had some friends over including their 3 year old daughter, Haley. Well, while the boys were watching TV and the girls were looking at scrapbooks the three little girls, Lexi, Gracie, and Haley were playing in the play room. When Haley's dad went to check on them he came out of the room with a pair of scissors and exclaimed, "This is bad!" I am sure most of you can put it all together what they were playing...barbershop. Apparently the big girls cut a little off of each other’s hair (Lexi's isn't too bad, Haley lost a whole ponytail), and then decided they would take turns on Gracie, she got the worst of it. My mom, bless her heart, thinks we will never allow her to watch our kids again. She especially thought Jon would be real mad. We were both like, its just hair don't worry about it. I guess what goes around comes around; I did the same thing at my babysitter’s house when I was in kindergarten. Oh well, but poor Gracie she looks like a little boy with a real bad haircut. Ok, now you can look at the pictures, some are from my mom's house and then some I took today when we got home. Go ahead and laugh, we did, it's pretty bad!:)Have a good one, Ang

Next is a picture of Grace the day we brought her home from Mom and Dad's, January 1, 2007.

Here is February 14, 2007, one of the first times I was able to get a mini pony back in her hair.
It took many hair cuts to get her hair to even out.

And finally here is a picture from last week. I got her hair in two ponies again. Yeah, it only took a year.