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Grateful for....

My girlfriend Kirsty has this awesome blog (ask me about it and I'll tell you more) and she inspired me today. She is a very loving, forgiving, glass half-full kinda girl. Her blog for yesterday was about what she was thankful for since November is supposed to be the month of niceness or something like that. Being the glass half-empty girl that I am, I immediately turned her kind words upside down and found loopholes left and right. In all honesty I will do my best to express what I am thankful/grateful for (oh, I get it...November...Thanksgiving...Pilgrims...givings thanks for what you have...she really is a good person!)

1) I am grateful that I did not harm any human being this past month be it adult or child, (threatening my own children does not count). Considering what we went through this past month with Megy and school this is a near miracle. You may laugh but when Danie was in preschool there was this little girl that always bit her, we're talking drawing blood kinda bite. One time when I picked Danie up the only people in the room were me and the girl. Let's just say that the only thing that saved her from being pinched was the fact that I wasn't sure if she could talk or not.

2) I am thankful for frozen Snickers bars. This past month has been very stressful and as my tight jeans can attest I have needed my Snickers. I am not talking about the Snickers ice cream bars either. What do you think I am, some kind of fancy pants? I want a good old fashioned Snickers that's been thrown in the freezer.

3) I am thankful for Swan Creek Candles (specifically for the Lemon Icebox and Vanilla). Without the aromatherapy of these candles (I'm sure it's medicinal therefore tax deductible) I would go totally insane. Also it keeps my house from completely smelling like old leaky dog and stinky kid shoes.

4) I am grateful for my washer and dryer even though they aren't nearly big enough and the dryer squeaks like a roller coaster. I am already 5 months (at least) behind on laundry so I cannot imagine how far behind I would be with a wring washer and clothesline. Although my husband does on occasion promise me my very own rock and bucket when I complain too much......who me?

5) I am grateful for the friends that I didn't even realize I had or that I didn't realize cared as much as they do. Sometimes (okay, all the time) I get so wrapped up in my little family bubble that I forget that there is an outside world where people actually converse and do things for one another. This past month some very kind and loving people made it very clear to me that not only were they there for me but they always are. For someone who isn't good at making/retaining friends that means a lot. What the hell, if they can put up with me they must be angels of some sort...or deranged.

6) I am thankful for my family....even the ones that aggravate the hell out of me. I won't say who is who....they can figure it out themselves. My life is my family. Every decision I make is for them. On occasion I may overreact when I am feeling emotional (yes I know, it is shocking that ultra cool moi could ever overreact) but they know that in the end I will do what is best for us all. I do dammit so don't argue!

7) I am thankful for Michelina's microwave dinners. Being the "think ahead" kind of mom that I am I have already taught all my children how to cook. What this also could be translated into is.....when I am feeling lazy as hell, hurting or just don't feel like cooking they make their own dinners. Yes, it ends up happening more often than not but Michelina assured me that these are healthy well balanced meals and I am sure she wouldn't lie.

8) I am thankful for Farmville. Without my farm on Facebook I would be forced to actually go outside and break a sweat. I need to relax and everyone knows that working in your yard along with petting you animals is very relaxing. Now I can do both in my living room....no sweat, bugs or dirt. Awesome.

Last but not least....
9) I am grateful for my husband whose continuing love and support keeps me going. At least that's what they always say on awards shows. Truthfully I am very grateful for everything he does that makes it so I can stay home and continue to stalk....I mean volunteer at our kids school. I truly believe that one of the biggest reasons we have such great kids is because I have been able to be there and be a part of there school experience.

That wasn't to bad. My skin isn't bubbling up and lightening didn't strike me so this must have been a good way to start November. After all, it does have my favorite holiday of the year. THANKSGIVING!

Summer Goals

Every summer I make a list of what needs to be done. Usually these are in order according to priority, i.e. getting Danie and Jessi out of the same room or clearing out the dense jungle in the backyard so my neighbors won't stop talking to me (only the ones I like). Now my list has always been MY list. The importance of it for some reason is only seen by me therefore getting anything done takes great negotiation skills and sometimes bribery. Bribery is something I have learned through the years works very well but has to be used sparingly or the affect of it is lost. My negotiation skills are nowhere near as masterfully cunning as my husbands so I always have to be very careful how I word things for fear I have agreed to some unknown hunting trip or a new motorcycle just to get Danie's room done.
My list for this summer was about the same as it is for every summer. Some of the items that are on the list have been on my refrigerator since we moved in 8 years ago...yes, our life is a constant work in progress. Here is my list for this summer:

1. Sand and stain (dark chocolate) front porch...
This has been on my list for a number of years but always gets forgotten
whether its because I don't feel like putting forth the effort or it rains a lot.
This summer Ryan actually came up with the idea of extending the mini-
porch all the way to the garage hence the lack of staining action.

2. Finish Danie's room...
Last summer Ryan and his dad turned our "3 seasons" room into a bedroom.
What was supposed to take a few days was never finished for lack of time and
money. When they removed the paneling they realized they had to take
it down to the studs and start over. I'm hoping it will be finished by 2010.

3. Go through kids clothes and finish laundry...
Sounds easy enough right? I have a horrible habit of washing the clothes as
needed then the rest pile up. The kids put their clothes (and whatever else
they don't feel like putting away) down the chute in the bathroom which ends
up in the dirty clothes room. Labeled this because that is all it is used for.
There is a shower and toilet but they are non-functioning. After much pulling
and prying out of the chute they end up on the floor where I "sort" them.
If they aren't needed right away they are on the floor for an indeterminate
amount of time. I have been known to wash sweaters in the summer...and not
because it was cold out. After they are sorted I take them 4 steps over to the
laundry room where after lovingly stain checked, washed and dried they are
thrown into a basket. This basket is then put in my room (which is 1 step
away from the laundry and dirty clothes room) and left to sit until someone
says "Mom I don't have anything to wear." Needless to say I always have
good intentions to finish everything up but once I open the door I realize it
is much easier to just shut it and walk away!

4. Plant beautiful flowers in the front yard...
We bought our home from one of the top members of the BG flower club,
(or something like that) so you would think or yard would be a color
bonanza. Unfortunately they took all the good stuff with them. What was
left I probably dug up because I thought it was a weed. My friend Kirsty had
a fantastic secret concoction for massive plant growth on her blog that I used
on my few plants and it worked wonderfully. I envisioned bountiful flowers
and neighbors staring in awe at my gorgeous yard. First you have to
plant more than just groundcover for this to happen. I mean well but hate
getting dirty. Then there's the whole bugs and sweating factors thrown in.
Just not my idea of a good time.

5. Paint the girls rooms...
The last time I painted the girls rooms was when Jessi was in kindergarten
and Danie was in 3rd. That was 6 years ago. Jessi is no longer into
the brightest hot pink you have ever seen (just drive down our street and
you'll know which house is ours) and Megy (who has Danie's old room)
hates lilac. The plan was that Danie's room would be finished, we'd get her stuff
out, put Jessi's stuff in the middle of the room and after 15 layers of primer
I would paint it a beachy sea foamy blue. Since Danie's room is a continued
work in progress and she has more stuff then our whole family put together,
there will be no painting for awhile. I could probably do Megy's room but
once I start painting I want to paint everywhere.

6. Strip hallway/foyer wallpaper...
We have this perfectly harmless cream/pastel wallpaper in our foyer/hallway
that is shiney and for some unknown reason only bothers me when I am
walking in the front door. It's probably about 15 years old and I am assuming it
should come down easy enough because it is peeling off rather nicely on its own.
My reason for not doing this goes back to the whole paint thing. If I'm going to
end up painting I want to do it all at once.

7. Clean out the basement...
When we first moved in the basement had paneled walls and a painted cement
floor with a bar. We intended on fixing it up and having it be a family room on
one side and out bedroom on the other. Now it is 95% carpeted with the rest
linoleum and the paneled walls were sprayed with splattery stuff and painted
a terra cotta (brick red). It has ended up being my husband's domain and our
dogs hideout. It is very dark and cave like to me because of the original
drop-ceiling lighting. Also stuff tends to pile up. If I am cleaning upstairs and
have nowhere to put something I tell the kids to go put it on the bar or poker
table. The couch is the first one we bought for probably $300 that we thought
was a fortune. It is well past its expiration date and if I could actually move it
would have been at the curb the last unlimited pick up.

Now that we have seen a portion of my list, (yes there are many many more things) lets talk about what has actually been done.

1. Ryan put 3 newish cabinets (they've been sitting in our garage for a few years) in the kitchen so I could get better organized before school starts. I now have 4 different cabinet door fronts so we like to call it my "display kitchen". I don't care because it is much more functional.

2. I have de-flead (yes this is an actual term, if not it is now) my house at least 4 times this summer. This includes massive amounts of vacuuming which if you know me then you know it's right up there with laundry folding.

3. Ryan made our yard presentable which is a lot more than I did.

4. I made a huge dent in my clothes pile in the dirty clothes room by transferring a large portion of it to the laundry room and bags for Goodwill. Still there but in a different room...oh well, at least it looks smaller.

If you will notice, my to do list is much larger than my done list and they do not match up in the least. I look at my to do list as an outline of what could be done to get me rolling. Well, at least that's the excuse I'm using this summer!

Nothing Goes as Planned...

I am not a huge fan of change. I like to know who my kids teachers will be months ahead of time. I go through paint swatches for months. I school shop middle of the summer every year without fail. This summer there have been many changes that are throwing me off kilter. There will be 3 new teachers and a new Principal at my kids Elementary school because of budget cuts. My son won't get to go to 5th Grade camp for the same reason. These are changes that I am not comfortable with. They make me feel edgy. Some things I can control and some things I cannot.
I went to the Urologist yesterday to get another cystoscopy and bladder instillation. Last time they gave me a wonderful shot that put me in la-la land while they filled my bladder up to bursting with a "rescue solution". I know that one of the meds in the solution is Heparin to thin the bladder walls and another is sodium bicarbonate to calm the acidity of whats in my bladder. I can't remember what the 3rd med is but it is a numbing/pain killer. I am supposed to get that done every 6-9 months. It's been 4 months and I need it again.
This time when I woke up from my lovely nap they told me that they distended my bladder but didn't put in the solution because there was a problem. I have had so much pain because a kidney stone was blocking my ureter tube and when they removed it they put in a stent because of swelling. I'm pretty sure I can feel the stent in my body. So here I am with a plastic tube from my bladder to my kidney. A distended bladder with no bladder wash to make the I.C. feel better and they tell me they had to tube me for some reason during the procedure. The anesthesiologist said they only do it if absolutely necessary but they did. Ryan said I talked to the doctor but I don't remember a thing. That would be a side effect of the wonderful/lovely shot.
I go back again next Friday to get the stent removed and to have the bladder wash completed. Then they want me to come once a week for 5 more weeks to have the bladder wash done while awake. I had everything planned out perfectly. Have my cysto done now so I would be in working order in time for the kids to go back to school....Nothing goes as planned....

OATMEAL BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

First off I have to say this was a learning experience. I have made 100's of muffins/cupcakes over the years maybe even thousands but never with such a mission before. I found a "Universal Muffin Mix" recipe posted by Smurfetta on an Organic website. It was a bulk recipe so you can have the mix then add your extras. I am trying my darnedest to follow my new "diet" but it isn't cut and dry so I just kind of have to eat and cross my fingers and see what happens. As with everything I do I somewhat changed the recipe as I went along because God forbid I actually do exactly what someone else says. I'll give the recipe then tell you my oops moments.

Muffin Mix

18 cups flour (I did 10 organic whole wheat and 8 organic white)

5 cups sugar

2 1/4 cups dry buttermilk

6 T baking powder

2 T baking soda

2 T salt

3 T ground cinnamon

3 tsp ground nutmeg

WET INGREDIENTS

3-4 eggs (this was iffy for me because I'm allergic to eggs but I did use eggs this time next

time I will use Egg Replacer)

3 tsp vanilla

2 cups water

1 cup oil (I used canola which I have never used before)

Stir in 5 1/2 cups muffin mix and your add in's makes 24 (I made 29)

FOR OATMEAL BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Reduce mix to 4 cups, add 1 cup of oats, 4 eggs, 2 cups blueberries. (I also added 1/4 cup brown sugar)

BAKE at 400 DEGREES 18-20 MINUTES

My muffins turned out great. A little flat but I think that has to do with the fact that I tried to make streusel topping out of brown sugar, country crock and flour. That doesn't really work well. Also....frozen blueberries will drop to the bottom of the bowel every time. Without fail they will also turn your muffins a grayish purple. I am not a nutmeg fan. It is a spice I never use. Maybe because it has the word "nut" in it so I generally keep away from it. I did use it but next time I make this mammoth mix I will lessen the nutmeg. I had 3 muffins last night and my mouth felt weird. I checked Jessi and she was fine so I double checked our allergy print offs and we aren't allergic to any of the ingredients in the muffins. The only ingredient in the muffins that isn't on my allergy list at all is canola oil and like I said...I've never used it before.

Will I make these again? Definitely! There are a lot of different things that I can add in so I'll let you know as I go.

Day 3 of my new "DIET"

Today is day 3(?) of my new "DIET". Why would a 99 lb. woman need to be on a diet? I don't! I need to gain about 5-7 lbs.,(preferably in my bra but I don't see that in my near future). I now have to eat organic which is fine if not a bit harder on the budget. This is not what has caused my recent weight loss. I also have other restrictions. No pop, coffee and most teas. I can have a few Celestial Seasonings teas. No tomatoes which means my twice weekly spaghetti/ravioli nights are gone. No soy milk. I am allergic to dairy so that leaves me with rice milk and I'm just not going there. I can have blueberries and pears. All other fruits are too high in acid. I can have most veggies as long as they aren't high in acid. No pre-packaged foods. No lunch meat. No preservatives.
Why do I have to eat like this you ask? Because after some of the most unpleasant tests my doctor is relatively sure that I have Interstitial Cystitis. Basically it is chronic bladder pain. There really aren't any meds that can treat it and I am just in the beginning stages of figuring this all out. There are a few different treatments that can help some people. A cystoscopy can help but it can take a few weeks to kick in. I had one last week and am still waiting. I.C. bothers everyone in different ways. I have constant pelvic pain. It hurts to stand sometimes. It hurts to sit in certain positions. I always feel like I have to go to the bathroom. It is a mind game. I believe that I am mentally strong but there is always the what if in my head. What if ????? From what I have read depression is prevalent in I.C. patients. I just don't have the time to get depressed right now. I have my kids to take care of and a husband to boss around. Maybe I'll save that for later but right now I'm all about figuring out how to get this under control.
Today I am going to make a bunch of organic muffins and freeze them. At least this way I will have more to eat for breakfast than plain organic blueberry waffles. I think I am going to make some pear, blueberry, carrot and zucchini. Not all together...that would just be nasty. Yesterday I had 2 plain organic blueberry waffles, a plain chicken breast, some steamed veggies and plain couscous. Lots and lots of water. Do you notice what is lacking? FLAVOR!!!! I'm going to have to work on that...definitely. If my muffins turn out halfway decent I'll put up a pict and the recipe. I also have to put into consideration that I am allergic to dairy, nuts and egg whites. My Jessi is allergic to all nuts, egg whites and gluten (that one we only deal with if her stomach starts hurting or she looks run down). Last but not least is Danie, my vegetarian. Where to start? Somewhere in the middle probably!

The River

I am a chronic pain sufferer. I don't know if I have ever said that before. I will not get into what my pain is besides my migraines but it is an issue that does not go away. It nags at you day after day and can take over your life. Pain killers do nothing. I have such a high tolerance to narcotics that they are like asprin to me. I have tried meditation, diet, vitamins, meds and lifestyle changes. I am not a religious person but I have prayed to God begging for mercy until I have passed out. I am about to undergo some minor procedures that will hopefully help and if they don't we are not sure what the next step will be.

I have always been the type of person who thinks most of a persons ailments are in their head. If you can control your mind you can control your pain. I believe I am relatively strong mentally. I have 4 children with some issues of their own and a husband with a dangerous job so I need to be. I cannot be sick. It isn't an option. My children all learned at early ages to walk softly when mommy has a headache and they all knew which pills were my migraine meds (childproof caps). My oldest daughter has had the biggest burden put on her. She watches over the younger ones and when necessary calls my mom if my husband is at work.

Last night as I lay on the bathroom floor I tried to float away on my thoughts. I knew that if I could just fade away for a bit I could get through the night and would be better in the morning. It didn't work. I kept worrying that if one of the kids woke up they would be too scared seeing me in the bathroom. I made my way to my bedroom which is in the basement and passed my husband on the way. His look of worry made me realize how bad I must look because he's pretty good at hiding any emotion. Finally I made it to bed and slept fitfully until this morning.

When I woke up this morning my first thought was my children. Did my husband get Megy to basketball on time? Had Chase finished cleaning his room yet....(we're going on 30 straight days of him doing it). Was Jessi back from my parents? What kind of mood is Danie in? Then came the fear that if I moved I would start to hurt again. So I didn't move. I closed my eyes, breathed deeply and went back to sleep. The next time I woke up I went through the same process but this time I looked at the clock and it was noon. Knowing that I couldn't stay in bed all day I tried to get up but fear is a powerful thing. Now understand, I do not have a disease that is slowly killing me. As far as I know it is just pain that the doctor thinks he may know where it's coming from but until further testing... sorry about my luck. Along with pain there are other physical symptoms that I am not getting into ..but I am getting off topic.... I lay back down and decided to visualize a river. This is where my river analogy comes from.

Life is a river. There are big waterfalls in your life that can completely change the way the current pulls you. Rocks you will bump into that will either be a minor pain or can destroy you. Fish that will nibble your toes. It's up to you whether you acknowledge them or not. Beautiful scenery that can go by unnoticed or can be appreciated for what it is..an accent to your life. Logs that can block your way or be used to help you float through the tougher areas. Then there are the rapids. Everyone has experienced a time in their life when everything seems to be going faster than they seem to be able to handle but there is always smooth sailing at the end.

As I thought about the river I thought about how each of my children would handle the river. I'll start with my son Chase(3). He's a floater. He floats down the river in his inner tube laughing at the fish nibbling on his toes, pointing out the scenery, grabbing a piece of log for his collection, pushing off a rock, joyfully cheering through the rapids, and grabbing hold of his inner tube tight as he goes over the waterfall. Jessi(2) is a floater/thrasher. She will float on her tube, point out something Chase didn't see in the scenery, stub her toe on a rock, get a sliver on a log, pull her feet up when she sees fish, flip her tube in the rapids and thrash down the waterfall but land back on her tube. Danie(1) is a swimmer. She'll toss the tube back at you because it's not fast enough. Fish would be something gross that she flew by in the water. The rocks and logs would be mere obstacles that she could dive beneath or go around. Scenery is something that she could look at while she was flipped on her back to take a breath. The rapids and waterfall would just be ways for her to finish faster and first. Last but not least is Megan(4). She is a swimmer with 1 foot still stuck in the tube. The scenery would intrigue her while she took a break but not if it kept her from being first. The fish would be something fun to try and catch but not if she had to use her own toes as bait. Logs and rocks would just be a starting blocks for her, but she would still want to jump on the tube for the rapids and waterfall to join Jessi and Chase.

Now how would I handle the river? I know I'm not a floater, a swimmer or a thrasher. I would have to say that I have been a bit of each at different times in my life. As I realized this I knew that I could either let the unknown of the pain take over or get up and transplant myself to the chair upstairs where I could at least boss my kids around until I felt good enough to start another round of laundry and clean the house. Needless to say I am typing this and periodically bossing my kids around. Monday starts my minor procedures that will hopefully come up with a diagnoses for a curable disease not something that we will just have to "manage". To those of my friends that have been effected by a disease my heart goes out to you. By no way am I trying to demean the pain you go through or have gone through. This is just the way I am going through mine.

Trials and Tribulations of a 13 year old girl

Friday, August 08, 2008
Trials and tribulations of a 13 year old girl
The trials and tribulations of a 13 year old girl are different now than they were 20 years ago. When I had a fight with someone we sent nasty notes, maybe a prank phone call, shoulder bump in the hallway. If you were really unlucky the girl and her friends would follow you around at the strip mall/ movies and threaten to kick your butt but luckily your mom or dad always picked you up in time. No matter what it seemed liked someone had your back though. Your group may have divided over something major like "she likes your boyfriend" but in the end your closest friends stayed with you. That was before A.I.M., texting, and myspace where a conversation you have whether it was in confidence or sarcastic can be copied and sent to your whole school in a matter or minutes. Girls no longer hate you for a couple of days and then forget about it. Now they hate you and make sure that everyone on your "friends" list knows what happened and hates you too. This results in an onslaught of "why did you,how could you" messages that really are noone's business. Then the ultimate happens and you start to get blocked from people's lists. During the school year this is bad but the next day you go to school and talk to people. In the summer it is torture because if you don't live by people you don't see/talk to them because god forbid you pick up an actual real life phone to call someone. I have suggested the call and invite the friend over to talk out the problem approach. Even as I type this it can hear my teen self sigh in annoyance. This of course was met with an eye roll and a "we don't do that". I'm realistic. I know that the only thing that ends this kind of torment is someone backing down or moving away. Being the type of mom I am I have raised my 13 year old to be a leader not a follower and moving away isn't really an option. Do you take away the computer so they don't see the constant nastiness just to give them a break, or do you let them deal with it themselves. We always had a friend who acted like a go-between to smooth things over. That doesn't seem to be real common anymore.I for one am trying the whole "let her deal with it on her own" thing right now. I bite my tongue, sit on my hands and tell myself to keep quiet and let her deal with it her own way. You would be amazed how well I can still talk while biting my tongue. Hopefully these episodes will fade away forgotten and unimportant within a week or so like they did way back when. Well, maybe not forgotten....... School starts in a little over a week and new dramas will unfold. More messaging, texting, commenting and it will start all over again.

Will my kids be in the Olympics?

Sunday, August 10, 2008
Will my kids be in the Olympics?
I've been watching the Olympics the past few days, just like every other person in the world, and I can't help but dream that my kids will be there someday. I'm sure that every parent has looked at their child and known that they have the ability to be a superior athlete and bring home the gold. Then I blink and realize that it is probably something like 1 in a thousand of the best athletes go. They probably have a better chance of being hit by lightning.
I have 4 kids and between them they swim, run cross country, throw discus, do hurdles, play softball, baseball, t-ball, wrestle, run track, football, and 1 is going to start gymnastics. Will she be my Mary Lou Retton? They do that many sports you would think that at least 1 of them could get their Mom an Olympic gold. I am relatively sure that I could have brought home a gold or at least a silver in gymnastics. That is if I had ever been a competitve gymnast and got over my fear of smashing my face on the floor.
The real people who deserve the medals are the parents. They are the ones who have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on lessons, putting them on teams, GAS, sports equipment. Not to mention the years they sat on bleachers in gymnasiums, by swimming pools, through rain and windstorms at baseball parks(flashback). Always cheering and encouraging no matter what.
Will I be there to watch my kids someday? Probably not. Will I keep dreaming that I WON THE GOLD when Mary Lou Retton did..... definetly.

Parent Involvement

Thursday, August 14, 2008
Parent Involvement
I spent 7 hours today at the junior high helping with orientation for the 7th graders. I sat at a table answering questions, taking PTO dues and Bobcat wearables money. Two other moms were also helping. These 2 moms are women that like myself always make themselves available when needed. I realize that I am more active volunteer wise than most. I am more active then probably 95% of the parents in my kids school but I am still shocked by comments some parents make.
Just about every kid that went to Kenwood I greeted by name. Most of them I have known since they were in Kindergarten because they are a year behind Danie. A hand full of parents asked me how I knew their kids and were ticked off that I knew personal things about them, (who they had for a teacher last year, who their friends with). The weird thing, but not surprising, is that these were the same parents that I had never seen. In 7 years of being at the same school I had never seen any of them at any school activity. Now I realize that I am very lucky because I am a stay at home mom so I can be at the school when needed and go on all of the field trips and that most can't. I also know that I am not going to see everyone all the time but come on.
My job as a mom is to know what my kids are doing and who they are hanging around with. In my opinion that includes knowing as much as I can about their friends and the kids in their classes. If that makes me "nosy" I really don't care. I think that it makes me safe and realistic. My kids are not going to tell me everything forever, but hopefully their friends will trust me enough that if someone is in trouble they will know they can come to me.
I do not have patience for parents that are ignorant. There was a woman who reeked so strongly of alcohol that the person talking to her stepped back. She was 2 hours late for orientation. There were kids outside yelling and cussing like they were at a bar. When their parents came in it made sense. Their parents all looked like they had just rolled out of bed with hangovers.
PARENT INVOLVEMENT..... I'm not perfect but I sure as hell will try my best.
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Picture Day

Friday, September 05, 2008
PICTURE DAY
Picture day.... the torment of parents the world over. I HATE picture day. Our school has 2 a year but the first is the most important because it is in the yearbook. I realize that some parents probably just put clothes on their kids and let whatever will be will be, but not me. I don't actually take my kids anywhere to get family pictures taken so this is my chance. Usually I have outfits picked out days in advanced along with hair accessories and shoes. Not this year.
Last night I was looking at Danie's school picture which was taken a few days before school started. I noticed how nice the white and navy she was wearing looked with the grey background and I had an epiphany. Everyone will wear the same colors. Chase will wear a navy polo. Jessica a navy tank top with a white blouse over it. Megy a white and navy tank with a thin white cardigan. (Danie wore a white tank with a navy v-neck top). Fantastic! The plan is made, now all I have to do is find the clothes. I spent half an hour rummaging through dirty clothes before I realized Jessi doesn't have a white top, or a navy tank. No problem, she can wear one of Megan's. Poor Chase originally was going to wear a red polo until I looked at last years picture and it was the red polo. So at 7:00 Danie and I go to Walmart (gasp) and get a navy polo and white top. The clothes are now set.
I got up early to get everyone eating before I did carpool for Danie. Megy cried the whole way to the car and most of the way thru carpool. I got home and thank goodness Chase is in the shower. Immediately Megan spills her cereal all over the floor. I looked at the dog hoping she would help but evidently she doesn't like Fruity Pebbles. I started curling Jessi's hair while the bathroom was still crazy humid from Chase's shower but I was trying to beat the clock so I didn't care. Megan comes in to brush her teeth and I realize she has a fever. This is where I have to sit back and say what is more important, my babies health or her being in her Kindergarten class picture. So I told her how proud I was of her that she was the only one being good not giving me problems, hoping that would work and she wouldn't freak out when she saw that I changed her outfit, and told her to go get dressed. She can be sick tomorrow but there is only one Kinder class picture.
Jessi's hair took twice as long as planned with a can of hairspray and we ended up throwing in a headband. When I finished she told me she has gym before pictures. Have I said yet that I hate Picture Day?
Megy comes in to get her hair curled and that was pretty uneventful put I did get her in the eye with glitter spray. She asked me to do it to the other side so it looked like makeup. I did.
They grabbed their backpacks and I realized that I never filled out their picture forms. $112 later and they stood waiting by the door because of course it started to sprinkle. I looked at all of them and apologized for how grumpy I was knowing that it would happen again in a few months for pre-spring pictures. I gave kisses and compliments. Tucked a collar, fixed a headband and away they went. I watched them go with great relief because Picture Day for me is over. The pictures will come and Chase's hair will probably be parted right in the middle of his forehead, Jessi's hair will be straight and limp, and sweet Megy will probably be looking at the camera like all she wants to do is sleep.
Why do I obsess about it you ask? To completely understand you would have to see my school pictures. Crooked glasses, hair sticking straight up, polyester outfits, big yellow bangs, blue eyeshadow. That is just a sample of my pictures through the years. The only good picture of me is my Senior picture and I'm pretty sure it's because they digitally enhanced it. We'll see what the kids say when they get home. I just realized that I forgot to tell everyone to smile. I guess there is always retakes.